Chapter 3 - Bed & Board

After cleaning all afternoon, even He Bing—who had slept until noon—was wiped out. But Liao Yucheng seemed unfazed. The second he finished hanging laundry, he was already starting dinner. He Bing felt terrible about this. He followed Liao Yucheng into the kitchen. "Look, you're staying at my place, which makes you the guest here. What kind of guest jumps straight into housework without even taking a break? Forget dinner—let's just grab something out, my treat."

But Liao Yucheng refused. "I'm imposing on you by showing up like this. Doing some extra housework around here is the least I can do. By the way, what about rent? I have no clue when I'll find my own place, so should I pay you for a month upfront?"

"Whoa, no way." He Bing waved his hands frantically. "We go way back—how could I possibly charge you rent?" Even if he had the balls to ask for money, his mother would absolutely skin him alive when she found out.

Seeing He Bing's reaction, Liao Yucheng didn't push it. He smiled and said, "Well, if I'm not paying, I should at least do my part around here. How about whenever I get home from work and I'm free, I'll take care of dinner?"

He Bing had to admit that sounded pretty good, though he felt like he should object. "I mean, you don't have to do that..."

"It's no big deal. I'm used to cooking anyway, and eating out gets old fast." Liao Yucheng started pulling some of the groceries they'd bought. "You free to wash these vegetables for me?"

"Yeah, absolutely." He Bing was feeling grateful, so he quickly took the vegetables and turned on the tap to start washing them.

Liao Yucheng was chopping up some ribs on the cutting board. When he finished, he came over to wash his hands at the sink. He glanced at what He Bing was doing and chuckled. "You don't really wash vegetables much, do you?"

"Uh." He Bing looked up with a blank expression. Liao Yucheng was right.

"You're not going to get them clean like that." Liao Yucheng stepped behind He Bing and reached around to grab his hands, guiding him through the process. "Break off all the leaves first, then wash them one at a time. Get both sides, and don't turn the water up too high."

He held He Bing's hands and demonstrated with a few leaves. "See? Like this."

Liao Yucheng's hands were still a little slippery and cold from cutting meat. There was something almost snake-like about his gentle grip. He was pressed up close behind He Bing, chin practically resting on He Bing's shoulder, breath tickling He Bing's neck when he spoke.

"Y-yeah, got it." He Bing felt oddly uncomfortable and was about to shift when Liao Yucheng immediately let go.

"I never asked what you like to eat. Tonight I'll do corn and rib soup, stir-fried beef and peppers, and some greens. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. I'll eat whatever you make." He Bing was just happy to have food—he really had no other demands. 

Liao Yucheng smiled to himself. Easy to take care of.

Liao Yucheng spents ages to getting the two dishes and soup ready. When He Bing saw the steaming hot meal, he got unexpectedly emotional. "Other than my mom, nobody's ever cooked for me before."

Liao Yucheng ladled soup into his bowl. "So you and your ex always ate out?"

He Bing took a sip. "Yeah, my office has a cafeteria."

"Cafeterias are handy, but home-cooked meals just taste better and feel more comforting."

He Bing nodded in agreement. "For sure." After polishing off his soup, he added, "This is really good. You're an amazing cook."

Liao Yucheng spooned more rice into his bowl, grinning. "Then eat up."

After they finished eating, the two settled on the couch to watch TV, chatting occasionally about what they'd been up to over the years. He Bing suddenly said with a sigh, "My mom mentioned you got transferred to headquarters this time. You must be doing pretty well for yourself these days, huh?"

Liao Yucheng replied modestly, "It's alright. You're doing pretty well yourself too, aren't you?"

"Come on, just look around this place and you know." He Bing wasn't exactly ambitious—nowhere near what you'd call successful—but he wasn't a complete slacker either. Truth was, he was just regular, one of those perfectly average people who didn't stand out but weren't scraping bottom either. He had a decent job with good prospects, managed to buy a place a few years after college with his parents' help, and now spent each month dutifully paying off his mortgage. Not much leftover cash, but enough to maintain a reasonably respectable lifestyle.

Still, he always felt inferior around Liao Yucheng, and with the breakup still fresh, he let out a sigh. "I can't compare to you. Mom's always saying I'm clueless, and now I can't even hold onto a girlfriend."

"I think you're great—honest, straightforward, no ulterior motives. You're good-looking, too. I like people like you." When Liao Yucheng complimented him, there wasn't an ounce of politeness—he sounded totally sincere.

"What's it matter if you like me? The girls sure don't."

"That's their loss. When you're ready to date again, you should find someone who knows how to appreciate you." Liao Yucheng smiled and gave He Bing's shoulder a friendly pat. "I'm gonna shower first—I want to get to bed early tonight."

"Yeah." He Bing watched him get up, grab some clean clothes, and head toward the bathroom like he'd been living there forever. Liao Yucheng must be really tired today, he thought.

It was late May, officially summer weather. When Liao Yucheng came out of the shower, he was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts—not underwear, just casual lounge shorts. He plopped down next to He Bing and started vigorously towel-drying his hair.

Warm steam was still rising off Liao Yucheng's skin, carrying the fresh scent of their new body wash. He hadn't dried off completely—water droplets slid down his torso as he worked on his hair, eventually disappearing under his waistband.

Being a guy, He Bing couldn't help but want to size up Liao Yucheng's physique against his own, so he snuck a few looks. Liao Yucheng had a lean, tight build with well-defined muscles—not bulky but strong, with smooth, lustrous skin. Really a very attractive male body.

He Bing turned to get a better view, thinking his own build probably wasn't much worse. Just then, Liao Yucheng pulled the towel off his head and smiled at him. "What's up?"

"Huh?" He Bing snapped back to attention. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Liao Yucheng continued drying his hair. "Then why were you staring at me?"

Because you look good, He Bing thought but obviously didn't say. Instead, he offered a compliment: "You're in really good shape."

Liao Yucheng grinned. "Want to work out together sometime?"

He Bing figured it was just casual conversation, so he agreed without thinking. "Sure."

Once Liao Yucheng finished with his hair, he ran his fingers through it and said meaningfully, "Great. We'll have plenty of opportunity to do that."

Liao Yucheng headed straight to bed after his shower. He Bing figured he'd already fallen asleep, but when he went into the bedroom, he found Liao Yucheng still awake, on with his phone. "Still awake? You worked so hard today."

Liao Yucheng put away his phone and smiled. "I was waiting for you."

That statement struck He Bing as sort of unfamiliar—even his ex had rarely said things like that to him. He climbed into bed and said, "Time to sleep."

"Night," Liao Yucheng said back.

The fresh sheets felt clean and comfortable. He Bing stretched out feeling quite content, then remembered something. "If I snore or roll over and crush you in my sleep, just kick me awake. No need to be polite about it."

Liao Yucheng turned to face him, his eyes gleaming a bit in the darkness. "Okay, I'll remember that."