Zhou Li placed the cake on the coffee table and rolled up his sleeves as he headed to the kitchen, suppressing the bitter emotions in his heart.
Zhou Li was not good at speaking, and it took him a long time to find a less awkward explanation for the instant noodles. He said, “I… I just learned a few new dishes and was hoping for a chance to show them. Tonight is your birthday, so I’ll show you my skills.”
Gu Changheng observed Zhou Li’s blushing cheeks and found it amusing. This person wasn’t very good at lying, which made him feel both amused and touched.
Gu Changheng played along and responded with a slight hum, “Alright, I’m looking forward to it.”
Once Zhou Li entered the kitchen, Gu Changheng tossed the half-eaten noodles on the coffee table into the trash can.
After an hour and a half of busy cooking, Zhou Li prepared six delicious dishes and a soup, along with the big cake, filling the not-so-big dining table to the brim.
When the food was ready, Gu Changheng sat across from Zhou Li. Watching the man who was now drenched in sweat from cooking, his heart softened unexpectedly. He grabbed a tissue to wipe the sweat from Zhou Li’s forehead.
Gu Changheng was very focused. Zhou Li felt as if he was receiving a treatment he had only dreamed of before. He sat there stiffly and dared not move.
After Gu Changheng wiped away all the sweat, he looked at Zhou Li who appeared dazed and said, “Let’s eat.”
“Wait, wait a moment,” Zhou Li said. “You should make a wish first. I’ll sing you the birthday song, and you close your eyes to make a wish.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Li had a surprisingly beautiful voice, exceeding Gu Changheng’s expectations.
The simple birthday song he sang had a charm that rivaled that of professional singers.
What Gu Changheng didn’t know was that in order to sing this song well, Zhou Li had compared different versions and practiced for three whole days. As long as it was for Gu Changheng, he was always afraid that he was not good enough.
Gu Changheng slowly closed his eyes.
He had long since given up any hope for a long life, merely surviving and waiting for the end.
In the end, Gu Changheng made a wish: he hoped for his parents to be healthy, for them to give birth to another well-behaved son, and hoped that Zhou Li would be rewarded for his good deeds.
After the meal, Zhou Li washed the dishes.
Gu Changheng sat on the sofa, watching TV.
Once the dishes were done, Zhou Li should have left according to their usual routine.
Gu Changheng walked Zhou Li to the door, only to find it raining heavily outside.
Zhou Li frowned.
Worried about disturbing Gu Changheng, Zhou Li had deliberately rented a place far away, which took more than half an hour to walk to. Now it was almost eleven-thirty at night. In order to save money, Gu Changheng rented a house that was really remote, and it was not easy to call a taxi.
“Young Master Gu, do you have an umbrella?” Zhou Li turned to Gu Changheng. “I didn’t see any signs of rain when I left, so I didn’t bring one.”
“Wait a moment. I’ll get one for you!” Gu Changheng rushed into the bedroom and rummaged through a drawer until he found an umbrella. Glancing outside, he realized that such heavy rain would render the umbrella nearly useless. Zhou Li would likely get soaked if he went back with this umbrella.
Gu Changheng closed the drawer, stepped back out, and said, “Zhou Li, why don’t you just stay here tonight? You can stay for one night. You can leave in the morning when the rain clears up.”
Zhou Li didn’t refuse.
After working for half a year, Gu Changheng’s salary had finally increased from 1,800 to 2,500. He was still planning to repay Zhou Li for all the money spent on him before he died. He had been living frugally and rented a house, and naturally tried to rent a cheap one.
The place he lived was a small studio with no living room, just one bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
The room was very small and could only fit one bed.
Tonight, Zhou Li would have to sleep on the same bed with Gu Changheng.
