Chapter 253: Brother Zhe... I Can Explain

(Exams have been so busy these past few days; I posted early yesterday, but it kept failing review, and by the time it was due, I couldn't post it. It auto-posted first thing this morning.)

Ling frowned, rolled over to lie on her side with her back to Ye Ye Qingfeng, unsure whether she found him too noisy or if it was merely coincidence.

Her movement was so vigorous that her nightdress rode up to her waist, exposing her round buttocks; utterly unaware, she reached out to scratch the pale flesh, and as the itch gradually faded, her brow relaxed in turn.

She pressed her lips together, making a "smack-smack" sound, then curled the corners of her mouth in contentment.

Ye Ye Qingfeng opened his mouth slightly, at a loss for words; after all that commotion, it turned out she was just itchy—he had thought something else was wrong...

He turned to leave and pulled open the door; just as Zhe walked past the entrance and was about to greet him, Ling's voice sounded again from behind.

"Qing... Ye Qingfeng is too big!... Ugh!"

Ye Ye Qingfeng's body stiffened; he turned slowly, like a robot with rusted joints.

"Hiss! It hurts so much! Boo-hoo..."

"..."

"Ahaha~ So comfortable..."

Ye Ye Qingfeng felt the gaze upon his back, bone-chilling and brimming with murderous intent; he forced out a grimace uglier than tears.

"Brother Zhe, I swear nothing actually happened—do you believe me?"

"What do you think?" Zhe asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, grabbing Ye Ye Qingfeng by the back of his collar. "We'll save the explanations for later; come out with me first."

"Where to?" Ye Ye Qingfeng asked, trembling.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Come with me to eat some ramen."

"Actually, I already ate..."

Ye Ye Qingfeng felt there might still be a chance to salvage the situation.

"I don't care what you think; I care what I think!" Zhe said imperiously. "Come eat breakfast with me now! Any problem?!"

"No..."

Dragged along by Zhe, Ye Ye Qingfeng was pulled farther and farther away from Ling's room.

Baby Ling~ My whole life has been like walking on thin ice; do you think I'll ever make it back alive?

Janus Quarter, Sixth Street, noon at the ramen shop.

Two new guests sat side by side; one wore a stony expression from start to finish, while the other kept his head down, motionless, like a child who had made a mistake trying to play dead to slip through unnoticed.

The ramen shop owner was an old acquaintance of both Ye Ye Qingfeng and Zhe; under normal circumstances, he would have chatted a few words, but sensing the strangely eerie atmosphere, he chose to keep his mouth shut and silently watch the drama unfold.

Soon, two bowls of ramen were placed on the table; Zhe picked up his chopsticks first, took a huge mouthful, and made a "slurp-slurp" sound.

Ye Ye Qingfeng was already starving; seeing Zhe eat with such relish, he could not hold back and picked up his chopsticks, but just as he lifted a clump of noodles, a crisp sound rang out from beside him.

"Ye Qingfeng."

Zhe put down his chopsticks and slammed them heavily onto the table.

He had no choice but to set down his chopsticks, swallow a mouthful of saliva, and ask cautiously, "What is it?"

"Are you and Ling together?" Zhe took a deep breath and asked in a low, heavy voice.

The steam rising from the ramen drifted constantly before Ye Ye Qingfeng's nose; he forcibly suppressed the endless hunger gnawing at him to focus on answering Zhe's question.

Hungry! So hungry!

"We've been together for a long time."

"Are you playing dumb? You know very well that's not what I'm asking." Zhe paused, then added, biting out the last two words hard, "Last night!"

Ye Ye Qingfeng fell silent for a moment before answering, "That's right."

Hearing this answer, Zhe did not fly into a rage as Ye Ye Qingfeng had imagined; instead, he was surprisingly calm.

"We're both men; you know what I ought to say."

"Mm, I will take good care of her."

"Eat your noodles," Zhe said, lifting some noodles with his chopsticks, then suddenly stopping. "After you finish, bring a portion back to Ling. I'm going out for a while and will return tonight."

With that, Zhe lifted his bowl and began slurping the ramen in great mouthfuls.

"Understood."

Ye Ye Qingfeng silently slurped his noodles; after only a few bites, the contrast between Zhe's manner of eating and his own became stark. Zhe finished his ramen in just a few mouthfuls, set down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up to pay, and turned to leave.

During all this, he did not say another word, nor did he glance at Ye Ye Qingfeng once more.

Ye Ye Qingfeng watched his figure recede into the distance, understanding in his heart that Zhe was not as calm as he appeared; lowering his eyelids, he stared blankly at the noodle soup.

Most people have experienced this: when you offend a friend or see a friend angry, if they can still vent their fury, it means they are not angry enough; apologize or do something, and the matter passes.

But if they remain silent, say nothing, and simply turn to leave, make no mistake—they are definitely angry. At such times, chasing after them is not the right move; more often than not, one can only stay put.

If things go well, they will naturally let go in a couple of days; Zhe is just like that.

Ye Ye Qingfeng and Ling are in a relationship; she is no longer young, and there is no reason to stop them from being together—such things are only natural.

Even stretching logic to the extreme, Zhe really isn't losing out!

He has few friends he gets along with to begin with, and even fewer he can truly hang out with; Ye Ye Qingfeng counts as one.

Now that Zhe finds interesting video tapes, he won't face the boredom of watching alone; at the very worst, there's still someone to bang.

Plus, with Ye Ye Qingfeng and Ling together, he more or less counts as family now; with Hollow Zero commissions as a baseline, there's one more person guaranteed.

Besides, the two of them fell for each other mutually; what reason does Zhe have to stop them?

It is certain that he feels some dissatisfaction in his heart; after all, when the big cabbage you've raised for so many years is suddenly dug up by a pig, who would feel comfortable about that?

In the end, Zhe just hasn't been able to adapt to it yet.

The strongest proof is that his affection level hasn't dropped; rather than anger, it's more likely depression.

Ye Ye Qingfeng leisurely finished his ramen; before leaving, he ordered a bowl of light-flavored ramen to take back to the video store.

He headed straight for Ling's room; before he had even climbed the stairs and approached, he noticed a light glowing at her doorway and hurried his steps.

Ye Ye Qingfeng caught sight of Ling at once; she was leaning against the headboard, curled into a tight ball, her face pale, holding a mobile phone in one hand, laughing foolishly at something she saw on the screen.

And here he was, worrying so much...

"Ling Bao is awake? I brought you noodles." Ye Ye Qingfeng walked into the room carrying ramen.

Ling shrank into her covers like a thief caught in the act, stuffed her phone under the pillow, and looked at Ye Ye Qingfeng with an expression of great suffering, her large, pitiful eyes blinking rapidly.

"Ye Qingfeng, I feel so terrible~"

"You looked quite happily amused just now; you didn't look the least bit unwell." Ye Ye Qingfeng ruthlessly exposed Ling's lie, walked to the bedside, and handed over the ramen. "You must be hungry; eat something first."

"But I really do feel terrible."

Ling was quite dissatisfied with Ye Ye Qingfeng's response; she puffed out her cheeks, turned her head away to avoid looking at him, her face clearly writing "unhappy" as if urging him to coax her.

It had been no more than ten minutes since she woke up; the moment she opened her eyes, her entire body felt unbearably sore, as if someone had beaten her up during the night, especially her abdomen... so painful...

It hurt to the point where she couldn't even move; after finally feeling a little better, she planned to watch a funny video to distract herself, which was exactly when Ye Ye Qingfeng returned.