69 THE MAN WHO THINKS TOO MUCH ABOUT EVERY STEP HE TAKES WILL ALWAYS STAY ON ONE LEG (1/2)
”What are you doing?” Lan Haiyang asked in surprise when he entered Cheng Jian's room and saw him packing a suitcase.
”Packing. Xuan Chaya is coming to pick me up. I told you about this before.” Cheng Jian replied without sparing Lan Haiyang a glance.
”You don't mean it.” Lan Haiyang blinked in disbelief as he spoke.
Cheng Jian looked up at him for a moment and continued packing. ”Don't mean what?”
Picking up Cheng Jian's toothbrush from the suitcase, he glanced at it thoughtlessly and said, ”Come on. I know all of your mental faculties aren't in order, but even you can't be that stupid.”
Cheng Jian sighed, collected the toothbrush from Lan Haiyang and returned it to the suitcase. ”I don't understand half the things you say sometimes.”
”I'm saying you can't pack up your bags and go live with a stranger. It doesn't make any sense.”
”He's not a stranger. I've met him before.”
”It doesn't make a difference. You can't be that trusting.”
Cheng Jian shook his head. ”I know you're worried. But think about it this way. Would you still worry if he was my real boyfriend?”
Lan Haiyang nodded. ”If you've gone on just one date, yes, I would be worried. Perhaps even worse.”
Just turn, the doorbell rang. Cheng Jian said, ”Trust me, Lan Haiyang. He's a great guy.” He tilted his face towards the bedroom door. Lan Haiyang immediately understood he was to go see who was at the door.
”You're not going anywhere, Cheng Jian.” He said, then left the room.
”It's so nice of you to worry about me.” Cheng Jian screamed at him.
”You're not going anywhere.” Lan Haiyang screamed back.
Opening the door, Lan Haiyang was stunned by the face on the other end of it. He immediately recognized him as Xuan Chaya from Cheng Jian's description, but was surprised by how much more handsome he was.
”Good afternoon,” Xuan Chaya greeted with a smile. Stretching out his hand, he said, ”You must be Lan Haiyang.”
Wearing a deep frown on his face, Lan Haiyang replied, ”Cheng Jian isn't going with you.”
Confused, Xuan Chaya withdrew his handshake. ”Excuse me?”
”Cheng Jian isn't going with you.” Lan Haiyang said and closed the door in Xuan Chaya's face.
Xuan Chaya rang the doorbell again.
”Lan Haiyang, who's there?” Cheng Jian shook had come out of his room asked.
”No one.” Lan Haiyang said and walked towards the refrigerator for a glass of water.
”Then, why does the person keep ringing the doorbell?”
”Ignore it.” Lan Haiyang said.
Shaking his head, Cheng Jian walked towards the door and opened it. Seeing Xuan Chaya on the other side, he smiled and said, ”Oh! It's you.”
”What's going on?” Xuan Chaya asked, frowning.
”Where? Why don't you come in?” Cheng Jian opened the door wider to let him in.
”I don't want to come in. If you changed your mind about the deal, why didn't you tell me yourself?”
”I didn't change my mind. What are you talking about?”
”Your friend said you aren't leaving with me.”
Cheng Jian relaxed and shook his head. ”He's just joking around.”
”I'm not joking. Am I the only person who sees the madness in this arrangement?” Lan Haiyang who had joined Cheng Jian at the door asked.
”I need help. He's offering it to me, what is crazy about that?” Xuan Chaya shot at me.
”Cheng Jian is an idiot. That is what is crazy about it. You're a straight man uninterested in a real relationship with a man. He's a gay man who's into you. He's setting himself up for a heartbreak and you're holding his hand, leading him to it.”
”Why are you talking about me like that?”
”Shut up.” Lan Haiyang replied.
”He's not going to fall for me. He understands that this is a job and nothing more.” Turning his attention to Cheng Jian, he asked. ”Don't you?”
”Of course, I do.” Cheng Jian nodded.
”I don't think you do. He's the only goddamned thing you talk about these days.” Lan Haiyang said.
”He's the only interesting in my life right now. What else should I talk about?”
”And the way you smile when you talk about him. Do you think that's normal?”
”I don't smile when I talk about him.”
”Look, why don't you let him make his own decisions? He knows what's best for him and what isn't.” Xuan Chaya interrupted their back and forth.
”No, he doesn't.”
”My dad always says the man who thinks too much about every step he takes will always stay on one leg. You can't pass up opportunities because of the fear of the unknown.”
”You think you're smart, aren't you?”
”Lan Haiyang.” Cheng Jian called, disliking the tone of Lan Haiyang's voice.
”Go get your bag.” Lan Haiyang said.
”Haiyang!” He called again.
”I can't stop you from leaving, right? Go get your bag. I won't do anything, I promise.”
Nodding, Cheng Jian returned to the room to get his bag.
Turning his undivided attention to Xuan Chaya, Lan Haiyang said. ”If you hurt my friend, then don't let me catch you. Otherwise, I'll beat you to a pulp. I promise.”
Xuan Chaya frowned. He was good at reading people and he could immediately see that Lan Haiyang was being overprotective for a reason. Quickly figuring out what the reason might be, he asked, ”If you are so tough, why don't you man up and confess your feelings to your friend?”