8 Obedience

Chapter 8

“I don’t know if you can handle spicy food. I didn’t ask the owner to put chili in it; I brought some separately,” Xuan Congnan said as he placed two overflowing bowls of spicy hot pot on the table. In his other hand, he held a small plastic bag containing a palm-sized box of seasoning. “If you want, you can add some.”

Gu Shi declined, “I can’t eat it; it’ll cause inflammation.”

Xuan Congnan opened his own bowl of spicy hot pot. “Afraid of getting pimples?”

He nodded in agreement. “A celebrity’s face is precious; they can’t afford to break out.”

“Mm,” Gu Shi replied, watching him unwrap disposable chopsticks. “Can you eat spicy food?”

Xuan Congnan said, “I can. But spicy food gives me diarrhea because of my weak stomach, so I don’t eat it.”

The small box of chili sat lonely in the corner, untouched.

“Two bowls of spicy hot pot cost 51.5 yuan. Should I refund the rest to you?” Xuan Congnan brushed his hair back from his forehead. The sofa was nearly level with the table, so he had to bend over to eat without sitting on the floor.

Gu Shi glanced at Xuan Congnan’s wrist, his brow slightly furrowed as he ate slowly. “This meal is worth 10,000 yuan.”

Xuan Congnan gave him a sidelong glance. “You said that. Don’t accuse me of overcharging.”

“Mm,” Gu Shi answered.

He picked up a piece of green vegetable and asked, “What happened to your wrist?”

A ring-shaped imprint and some bluish discoloration stood out sharply against Xuan Congnan’s pale skin.

Xuan Congnan didn’t answer, only saying, “It’s nothing.”

Gu Shi softly replied, “Mm.”

Hair slipped down from the other side of Xuan Congnan’s head, despite being tied up; the hair tie was always loose. Xuan Congnan had thick hair, and suitable hair ties were rare. One loop was too loose; two loops caused pain.

At first, he forced himself to wrap two loops, which hurt his scalp, and over time, the hair ties lost elasticity.

There were spares in the bedroom nightstand, but Xuan Congnan thought to get them after the meal.

“Here.”

A hand reached out. Xuan Congnan admired all beautiful things, and this hand was perfect enough to be drawn on paper.

He looked twice at Gu Shi’s hand, then was stunned by the black hair tie he offered. “You bought this?”

“Mm,” Gu Shi said.

Xuan Congnan put down his chopsticks and wiped the corner of his mouth with a tissue. “Why did you buy this?”

“You have long hair,” Gu Shi said, looking at his long locks. “I had some clothes delivered today and took the opportunity to buy a few hair ties.”

Hair ties weren’t expensive. Xuan Congnan took it and said, “Thank you.”

Gu Shi replied, “Mm.”

He picked up a crab stick and ate politely. “You’ve been growing your hair for a long time, haven’t you?”

This hair tie seemed large, the two loops wrapped just right—exactly the tightness Xuan Congnan had wanted. It didn’t feel like it would loosen easily with time.

“How much did the hair ties cost each?” Xuan Congnan asked.

“Five hundred and twenty,” Gu Shi answered.

Xuan Congnan was speechless.

He cautiously asked, “How many did you buy?”

“Ten,” Gu Shi said.

Xuan Congnan was dumbfounded.

He yanked the hair tie off and handed it back. “Return them. My hair isn’t that precious.”

He yanked too hard; a strand of hair was pulled out and stuck to the hair tie. Gu Shi frowned. “I’m not good at negotiating returns; it’s troublesome. It’s just a hair tie. Its purpose is to hold your hair, not to hold you hostage.”

He added, “I bought them. You don’t have to return them. Use them.”

Xuan Congnan let his hair down. Its glossy sheen made him shine like a waterfall. “Even if I don’t want to return them, one hair tie is enough. These rarely wear out. Why did you buy so many?”

“For backup,” Gu Shi said.

Xuan Congnan had never shared a rented place before; he didn’t know if other roommates were like this.

Buying and giving things was entirely up to personal whim.

“Just keep them,” Gu Shi said.

“I’m not one for formalities,” Xuan Congnan replied.

He picked up the hair tie and tied his hair again.

Gu Shi resumed eating, his voice light and rising, “Mm.”

---

He brought the topic back. “How long have you been growing your hair?”

“Ten years,” Xuan Congnan said. “Do you think it’s strange?”

“No,” Gu Shi shook his head. “It’s very handsome.”

“Thank you,” Xuan Congnan replied.

Gu Shi asked, “Why did you say ‘also’ just now?”

Xuan Congnan answered, “My previous roommates thought it was strange.”

“So you moved out to rent a place?”

“Eat quickly. There’s no more soup,” Xuan Congnan urged. “Anyway, I’ll cut it in a couple of years.”

He had arranged to meet Zhang Que at the studio in the afternoon. After tidying up their trash, he planned to take it downstairs.

“Are you coming back for dinner this afternoon?” Gu Shi asked as they reached the door.

“Not sure,” Xuan Congnan said, changing shoes.

“Come back and eat,” Gu Shi urged.

“Takeout tastes good but isn’t good for your health,” Xuan Congnan looked up. “If I don’t eat at a restaurant, I only know how to cook instant noodles.”

“I can cook,” Gu Shi said.

Xuan Congnan was surprised and repeated, “You can cook?”

“Mm. Very well,” Gu Shi said confidently.

With such a tight schedule, how could a celebrity find time to learn cooking? Xuan Congnan asked, “Did you learn from acting in cooking scenes?”

“No,” Gu Shi smiled lightly. “I knew how before becoming an actor.”

While throwing away the trash, Xuan Congnan kept thinking about that smile.

Why smile so much at someone you just met?

That night, Xuan Congnan bought groceries and left all the cooking to Gu Shi.

The kitchen was simple, with only a pot and a gas stove. Once Gu Shi entered, there was no space for anyone else.

Xuan Congnan had bought tomatoes, ten eggs, hollow-heart vegetables for two yuan, a small winter melon, and some shrimp.

The combination was nutritionally balanced.

Gu Shi prepared tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried hollow-heart vegetables, and shrimp winter melon soup.

When Xuan Congnan was young and couldn’t move out of the Xuan family house, Zhuo Yajun had asked him to cook and serve their needs. Xuan Congnan refused and deliberately cooked badly, causing everyone to get food poisoning and end up in the hospital.

While receiving an IV, Zhuo Yajun sarcastically said, “Always bragging about being a genius who learns everything at a glance, but in reality, you can’t even cook.”

Now grown, Xuan Congnan only knew how to make instant noodles for himself. Watching Gu Shi’s skillful hands, he really seemed to know how to cook.

It smelled delicious.

Sitting at the table, Xuan Congnan tasted the shrimp winter melon soup first, his eyes brightening.

Gu Shi watched his every move and asked, “How is it?”

Xuan Congnan took a bowl of soup and praised without reservation, “Delicious. You’re amazing.”

“Mm,” Gu Shi said.

He asked, “Can you come back for lunch tomorrow?”

“It’s a hassle going back and forth all the time,” Xuan Congnan said, picking up a piece of hollow-heart vegetable. “When you order takeout, don’t open the door right away when the delivery person arrives. Let them leave the food at the door and walk away before you open it. That way, they won’t see your face.”

Gu Shi looked at the bowl and said, “Eating too much takeout is bad for your health.”

Xuan Congnan was speechless.

His afternoon words came back like a boomerang.

Gu Shi said, “You buy the food, and I’ll transfer the money to you.”

“Cough...” Xuan Congnan put down his bowl and glanced at Gu Shi. “Every day?”

“Every day,” Gu Shi answered.

Xuan Congnan said, “Give me less; I’ll feel better accepting it. A few hundred is enough.”

Gu Shi was startled but immediately agreed, “Okay.”

From then on, every noon, Xuan Congnan bought takeout from the restaurant and brought it home. Gu Shi transferred 2,000 yuan daily.

Xuan Congnan wasn’t polite—if given, he accepted.

---

On the third day, the simple wooden bed and mattress arrived.

Gu Shi paid 20,000 yuan rent. At first, Xuan Congnan wanted him to stay in the bedroom.

But after learning they were both gay, he felt it was inconvenient.

And 20,000 yuan rent was too much.

“I’ll move the sofa to the bedroom; you stay in the living room, okay?” Xuan Congnan asked timidly, having taken thousands of yuan from him. “It’s only for a month, and there are still over twenty days left.”

Gu Shi agreed, “Okay.”

In recent days, Shen Qian had been coming to school often, and Xuan Congnan avoided him. Before classes and going to the studio, he had to scout the area for safety, feeling irritated inside.

Coming home for lunch had become a sanctuary, especially with an extra 2,000 yuan to earn.

But Shen Qian knew where his rented place was.

Xuan Congnan feared that if Shen Qian couldn’t catch him at school, he’d show up at the apartment, where Gu Shi was also staying.

Although the daily 2,000 yuan was pleasing, the looming celebrity effect unsettled Xuan Congnan.

He only wanted a peaceful life.

Celebrities were so busy; why did Gu Shi stay at his place all day without going out? Besides eating, he just cooked.

A day passed. Before leaving the studio, Xuan Congnan stood by the window and looked down. Shen Qian was downstairs in the studio parking lot, still driving that black Maybach.

So many days had passed, and he hadn’t realized Shen Qian liked him so much.

Xuan Congnan frowned. He was alone in the studio, locked the door, and left through another exit.

“Gu Shi, do you know how many jobs you’ve lost these past days? The internet is almost tearing you apart. Especially me—I’m nearly torn apart. They all say I’m the one stopping you from working. I don’t have that power. Tonight you have an exclusive interview that hasn’t been postponed yet. Are you sure you won’t tell me where it is?” The exhausted manager, on the verge of tears, spoke quickly. “I’ve been managing you for seven years. You’re used to doing things your own way, and no one controls your decisions, but you’ve never been like this. You can tell the difference between work and messing around, right? When you were eighteen, an unscrupulous manager forced you to dine with the boss; you beat him up and got blacklisted. But now you’re famous and respected, and I’m a good manager. Who have I ever made you dine with?! Besides, if I dared, wouldn’t your parents tear me apart? But you can’t just act like a diva because you’re a top star with a good family.”

“I want to say it too,” Gu Shi said coldly to the phone. “But I can’t.”

“Who’s stopping you?!” the manager shouted.

“He is,” Gu Shi answered.

The manager went mad. “Who is he?!”

“Can’t say. We have three ground rules,” Gu Shi said.

“Aaaah! Why weren’t you this obedient before?!” The manager yanked his hair hard. “I’m going to complain to your mom!”

Within minutes, the complaint call came in from Mrs. Gu.

Gu Shi was silent as he answered.

Mrs. Gu was named Meng Xiaozhu, her voice gentle with a slight southern dialect: “Son.”

“Mom,” Gu Shi replied.

“Well,” Meng Xiaozhu cautiously said, “That Xiao Hu called me earlier. He said you’ve disappeared for a long time. Mom didn’t see you on the phone and thought you were busy, so I didn’t dare ask. Where are you now? What are you doing? Why aren’t you working? Your dad and I told you to rest before, but you didn’t take it seriously. Last month, your brother even said you were a workaholic.”

Some parts of the three ground rules could be shared with family.

Gu Shi replied, “Watching someone, so he doesn’t run away.”

Meng Xiaozhu took a breath and immediately said, “Oh, go ahead! I’ll help pay the breach fee!”

“Click.”

There was a sound at the door from outside.

Gu Shi pushed it open and busied himself with some dull chores in the living room, just like a few days ago.

Xuan Congnan watched him sweep and clear the table.

“Wipe again. The table’s going bald,” he said.

Gu Shi stopped. “No more wiping.”

There was no sofa in the living room now. Xuan Congnan placed his backpack at the foot of Gu Shi’s bed, grabbed a plastic stool, and sat down. Then he crossed his arms and looked at Gu Shi seriously.

Gu Shi glanced down at himself belatedly and asked, “Am I dirty?”

Xuan Congnan scrutinized him. “Gu Shi, do you not work? Such low ambition?”

“I do work,” Gu Shi said seriously. “I’m very ambitious. I have an exclusive interview tonight and I’m going.”

He began looking for formal clothes to wear to work, pulled out a clean mask never used before, and a newly bought hat. “I’ll be back around ten. Remember to leave the door open for me.”

When he left, he took with him the little dolphin keychain Xuan Congnan had given him.