Chapter 244: Reciprocity

Ling Wu read another meaning into Chu Yi's silence, so he also fell silent: "......."

The two stood in the living room, staring at each other with wide eyes.

In the end, Chu Yi compromised: "Let's just stay in the room you mentioned."

Having become Ling Wu's boyfriend and moved into his house, was there any need to worry about not conquering his bed?

Ling Wu nodded: "Alright."

Having solved the problem of the century, Ling Wu quickly pushed his suitcase into the room, while Chu Yi hung his toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, and other items in the bathroom.

His voice came from inside: "A-Wu, help me hang up my clothes!"

Ling Wu: "Okay."

There was a separate walk-in closet in the room; he opened Chu Yi's suitcase, which was packed with clothes for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, meaning he intended to stay at Ling Wu's place for a long time.

Ling Wu used hangers to hang up his clothes.

The two suitcases were soon empty, but when Ling Wu took out those shorts, a pair of light gray, large-sized men's briefs flew out, spinning and leaping in the air before landing magnificently on the floor.

"?"

Ling Wu didn't see clearly what it was; after hanging up the shorts, he bent down to pick it up, but upon getting close and seeing its true colors, his lips pressed into a line, he subconsciously looked toward the door, then took Chu Yi's shorts back down, threw them on the floor, and covered up the "incriminating evidence" as if trying to steal a bell while covering his own ears.

When Chu Yi came out, he heard Ling Wu drop a sudden sentence: "Pick up your things yourself."

Then he left.

"Pick up what myself?"

Chu Yi didn't know his shorts had suffered a disaster; he stretched out his long arm to scoop up the pants, and only then did he see the gray briefs, the expression on his face suddenly going blank for a few seconds, clearly not having expected this.

This thing?

He really hadn't planned it.

Regardless, Chu Yi had officially begun his cohabitation life with Ling Wu.

After finishing matters in the Empire, Chu Yi decided to settle in the Federation; he first conducted market research, determined the company's core direction and business model, found an agency to handle industrial and commercial taxes, and drafted shareholder agreements and company articles with a lawyer.

Therefore, Ling Wu had been seeing Chu Yi leave early and return late recently.

Ling Wu was a bit puzzled, but felt that Chu Yi was an adult with his own private space, so he didn't ask anything.

It was only later, when he heard Chu Yi on the phone, that Ling Wu learned about him registering a company.

Are you not going back to the Empire anymore?

Ling Wu put his book aside and looked up to ask him: "Did you encounter any trouble?"

He had indeed encountered a bit of trouble; Chu Yi knew that Ling Wu saying this meant he could help him solve it, as Ling Wu held a high position in the Federation and many problems were just a matter of a single word from him.

Yet Chu Yi didn't want to trouble him.

He said: "I can handle it."

Hearing Chu Yi say this, Ling Wu didn't press further; at this time, he hadn't realized that even though he was officially dating Chu Yi, his way of interacting was still reserved, never intervening excessively.

Chu Yi checked the time: "It's almost noon, I'll go cook, do you have any dietary restrictions?"

During the time they were neighbors, Chu Yi had only cooked at his place a few times in the morning, and thinking back to their time living at the Academy, the number of times he had eaten with Ling Wu could be counted on one hand, so it was hard for him to observe what the other person didn't like to eat.

But a few points were quite obvious: Ling Wu loved cilantro but didn't like green onions, could accept ginger, but didn't eat garlic.......

Ling Wu met Chu Yi's gaze: "Anything is fine for me."

As the saying goes, one eats whatever the cook makes.

Ling Wu felt that two people together should take care of each other and shouldn't always let Chu Yi cook, even though the breakfast Chu Yi made was delicious; his fingers curled as he looked at Chu Yi's back in the kitchen.

He silently decided in his heart that he would make lunch from now on.

Chu Yi was skilled at cooking, and before long, the fragrance of food wafted from the kitchen; Ling Wu very consciously helped set the table and get the chopsticks.

With two men standing in the kitchen at the same time, it seemed a bit cramped.

The vegetables in the refrigerator were all bought by Chu Yi on his way home, so he made white radish soup, stir-fried beef with onions, shredded potatoes with green peppers, and braised pork.

While eating, Chu Yi observed that Ling Wu had picked up the shredded potatoes with green peppers six times and the braised pork three times, but hadn't touched the stir-fried beef with onions once.

Chu Yi stopped his chopsticks: "A-Wu, do you think the food I made is good?"

Ling Wu didn't even think, not being picky: "It's good."

"Are you sure?" Chu Yi asked: "You don't like onions?"

Ling Wu guessed that it might be because he hadn't picked up the stir-fried beef with onions even once, and thus Chu Yi had seen that he didn't like onions: "I don't like them very much."

"Why didn't you say so when I asked you before cooking?" Chu Yi felt that Ling Wu was very polite and distant, not placing him in the position of a boyfriend, appearing as if he was very afraid of troubling him: "If you don't like it, tell me, don't just make do with eating it."

"I won't feel troubled."

Ling Wu thought differently from him: "But I don't like it, I just don't eat it, that's all."

Chu Yi, however, believed: "If you don't like it, I can just not make it from the start."

"That's not what I thought." Ling Wu said to him: "I can't let you not make it just because I don't like this dish, depriving you of the right to eat what you want."

Chu Yi realized that he was a bit slow and misunderstood regarding their relationship, so he put down his chopsticks and explained: "It's not a question of whether you like the dish or whether you eat it, A-Wu; I am your boyfriend now, and first of all, I have the right to know what you like and what you don't like."

"You don't have to be afraid of troubling me and wrong yourself."

"Can you tell me now, when I asked you if you had any dietary restrictions before cooking, were you thinking that you were afraid of troubling me or something like that?"

Ling Wu thought for a moment and also said very calmly: "I did have that intention at the time."

"But it was mainly because I had already decided at that time that I would make lunch from now on."

Chu Yi didn't understand: "Why?"

Ling Wu had his own set of principles: "Because you made breakfast, so I'll make lunch; reciprocity."

Chu Yi repeated his words: "Reciprocity?"

It was the first time he had felt Ling Wu's stubbornness and sense of principle.

Chu Yi got up from his seat, walked to Ling Wu's side, put his arm on the back of the chair and pulled, turning the chair around to make Ling Wu face him.

Just as Ling Wu was at a loss for what to do, Chu Yi's slender fingers pinched his chin, and his palm reached into his soft hair; this kiss was at first like a gentle breeze and fine rain, tentatively turning and shifting, then it became urgent and scorching.......

Carrying a restrained longing.

Ling Wu's eyelashes trembled slightly, gradually unable to fend off Chu Yi's aggressive offensive, his hands subconsciously clutching the hem of his shirt.

Chu Yi closed his eyes, feeling their breaths mingle and the temperature of their pressed lips; he let go of the back of Ling Wu's neck, placed his thumb pad on his crimson lips to stroke them, and then pressed down playfully: "But I remember we are dating, why must there be a return of courtesy?"