【Zhou Xiang】The Tropic

1.

After sleeping for more than half an hour, Zhou Zekai was finally willing to wake up.He slowly opened his eyelids, and when he saw Sun Xiang who was close at hand, he quickly closed them again.

Sun Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he poked him, "Zhou Zekai, you're already awake!"

Zhou Zekai opened his eyes rather reluctantly.This time he saw Sun Xiang's face clearly, and suddenly became much more awake.

He half stood up and asked for a kiss, but Sun Xiang had no reason to refuse.After parting his lips, Zhou Zekai looked very happy. He straightened Sun Xiang's hair, and his words were full of satisfaction: "I thought it was a dream."

Sun Xiang rolled his eyes and said, "How about we switch, you let me press it once, and you will know if you are dreaming."

"Hehe." Zhou Zekai pretended not to hear, touched his face again, hugged Sun Xiang like a big toy, "Good morning."

Sun Xiang took his arm away, sat up and stretched, "Good morning, it's already 11:30."

"Well... good afternoon." Zhou Zekai hugged his waist, his voice was very low, and he seemed to fall asleep again.

Sun Xiang patted his face impatiently: "Don't sleep, I'm serious, we have to get up and get something to eat!"

As he spoke, he suddenly realized a key question: "Zhou Zekai, is there anything in the refrigerator?!"

2.

Yes there are.It's just two packs of quick-frozen dumplings, a piece of toast and a few boxes of milk.

Zhou Zekai hadn't expected that Sun Xiang would appear suddenly, and the demand was very low: just don't starve to death.

But things are definitely different now.

Sun Xiang couldn't help teasing: "Mr. Zhou is actually a kid, right? Once the parents are away, he won't eat properly right away."

Zhou Zekai didn't bother to pay attention to him, silently closed the refrigerator door, turned around and said to change clothes.

Sun Xiang thawed the dumplings in the microwave, turned his head and shouted at Zhou Zekai's back: "Go to the supermarket in the afternoon! How can I make it for the Chinese New Year, I must eat something good!"

The food issue was resolved, and they moved on to other key topics.

Sun Xiang asked Zhou Zekai when he bought the house and why he bought it in Sheshan.

Zhou Zekai answered honestly, it didn't take long for him to make a move after confirming the relationship.As for why he is in Sheshan, the reason is very simple: he knew that Sun Xiang planned to move his office to Hongqiao after his lease expired in June, so he chose this place based on the excellent quality of the community with convenient transportation.

Sun Xiang flipped through the room book and found that there was only his own name, and he was a bit complicated when he was moved: "Damn, what is this?"

Zhou Zekai's tone was flat: "Trouble me."

"You...forget it." Sun Xiang thought for a while, Ye Wanyi's side, his side, anyway, as long as objective factors are involved, Zhou Zekai's consideration is not unreasonable.It's just rationality, but emotionally, he still felt a little awkward after being eaten by someone inside and out, and then woke up and suddenly found that he was "gifted" with such an expensive set of real estate.

Zhou Zekai seemed to be able to guess what he was thinking: "Waiting for your return."

He said that when Sun Xiang has more money, he can consider buying a set for himself in Chongqing, because "it is not convenient to go back and live with the elders."

Sun Xiang snorted, reluctantly accepting the proposal.As for the inconvenience, he didn't want to understand at all.

3.

When Zhou Zekai went to wash up, Sun Xiang called his pretty girl, wishing the family a happy New Year and reporting that everything was fine.

Then the topic naturally turned to Sun Xiang's purpose in coming to Shanghai.

Because Dad Sun was listening, the other end of the radio wave smiled and asked: "The old man is very concerned, has your friend chased you enough to coax him?"

Sun Xiang was taken aback for a moment, and then he laughed loudly: "How could your son not be able to handle it!"

"Really?" Mama Sun didn't believe it.

Sun Xiang: "Of course it's true! He's brushing his teeth. If you're worried, I'll call someone over to tell you a Happy New Year!"

When Mama Sun heard "I'm brushing my teeth", she couldn't understand, she almost laughed like crazy: "No need, what time is it, you guys just got up, yesterday was hard work, hahahahaha..."

Sun Xiang quickly fell silent, and only then did he realize what it meant to shoot himself in the foot.

Mama Sun knew that he was very thin-skinned in some respects, so she couldn't help being amused. After a while, she returned to a serious tone: "Okay, no joke. Of course I want to hear it. In fact, your father didn't allow me to talk on the phone, saying that Not serious at all."

"Son," the voice on the other end of the phone suddenly changed to Father Sun's, "Your raid this time is very much like my father's back then, but you must remember it! Be careful! Don't let the elders over there misunderstand that our family is very casual! Let’s try to bring him back to Chongqing as soon as possible. At that time, my father will cook a table of special dishes, and he will stuff the red envelopes before changing his mouth! Hey, you can send a photo first..."

Sun Xiang's head was full of black lines, he was both moved and funny, he quickly dealt with it, and finally fooled Father Sun.

After hanging up the phone and turning around, Sun Xiang found Zhou Zekai standing behind him.

"Home?" Zhou Zekai's eyes fell on his mobile phone.The tone was as relaxed as possible.

"That's right." Sun Xiang had just been teased by his pretty girl, and for a moment he wanted to tease Zhou Zekai, "The two of my family are very angry, they just scolded me."

As he wished, Zhou Zekai's expression was filled with tension and worry.

Sun Xiang's acting skills were not good, and he couldn't stretch for three seconds. He burst out laughing: "...Don't you ask why they are angry? They were angry and I didn't take you back. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Are you here hahahaha—”

The rest of the words were all blocked back to Zhou Zekai's lips.

Sun Xiang's brain immediately had no space to think about other things.He grabbed Zhou Zekai's shoulder, and Zhou Zekai's hand slowly rubbed up against his spine without a trace of fat.They're so intimately focused, it's as if what they've been talking about isn't coming out, but something trivial.

The kiss lasted more than 5 minutes.

Sun Xiang inserted his left hand into Zhou Zekai's hair, fiddling with his hair: "Student, do you seem to have something to say?"

Zhou Zekai's expression was still dreamy.He opened his lips slightly, and his eyes were a little bit surprised, but also unbelievable.

"You... confessed to them?"

"Well. Almost." Sun Xiang's voice was a little hoarse, but to the only listener, it was more beautiful than any other voice in the world.

"I guess," the soft light in Zhou Zekai's eyes almost engulfed Sun Xiang, "Auntie must know."

"It's okay to call mom." Sun Xiang corrected him, "And she didn't know it, but she agreed."

Zhou Zekai looked at him without blinking.

Sun Xiang rubbed his nose: "My dad, cough, there is a little misunderstanding, he thought you were a girl... But it's not important, just take it step by step, my beautiful girl will get him over sooner or later!"

He conveyed the exact words of Mama Sun to Zhou Zekai.

"She said, you are already talking about a relationship that is more troublesome than many people. How dare the family as the backing have the nerve to create more troubles. I will also help, so that when we meet next time, Zekai can be as usual, open Walked into our house happily and relaxed. I don’t want to see the scene in TVB, kneeling down, crying, cursing and swearing anyway.”

4.

At some point, Zhou Zekai's thumb pressed against his lips, preventing Sun Xiang from continuing to recount proudly.

The slightly trembling fingertips and the pair of black eyes as deep as a lake together, smeared the turbulent emotions on him.

He can perceive every subtle change in the air temperature, and he foresees that no matter what he says or does next, there is only one possibility of development.

But he still raised his chin and showed a dazzling smile, just like the one when he walked into the arena with his hands in his pockets and side by side with Zhou Zekai - because the other party was by his side and knew that he was not fighting alone, so he had the self-confidence and fearlessness that was taken for granted.

"Surprised or not, is it unexpected, do you have any thoughts?"

After he finished speaking, he regretted a little-the dumplings probably shouldn't have been thawed too early.

5.

Lunch, in fact, is "lunch and dinner" at two o'clock in the afternoon—when the washing machine was diligently processing the second round of sheets and clothes, Sun Xiang finally remembered that his suitcase was stuffed by his father before he left— He happily used a new pot and a new stove to heat it up, and together with the dumplings that were torn and battered, he finally made the first meal in his new home reach the "pass line" in his standard.

After the meal, they were wrapped in the same style of down jacket, wearing the same style of hat and mask, and appeared in the supermarket near the community like twins.

Supermarkets during the Spring Festival have a particularly strong New Year flavor - from the entrance to the checkout counter, in short, as long as customers may pass by, there are all kinds of New Year's goods and decorative necessities.

Sun Xiang wasn't very interested in New Year's goods, but stayed in front of floats such as Spring Festival couplets, lanterns, and stickers for a long time.

"I want this, I want this, well, look, how about this..."

"That's it."

"Row."

After choosing for a long time, Zhou Zekai finally carried two exaggeratedly large lanterns, and Sun Xiang pushed a cart full of food and small decorations to the counter to pay.

When Zhou Zekai put the lantern into the trunk, Sun Xiang was still debating whether it would be better to hang it on the south balcony or the east balcony.

"To the east." Zhou Zekai thought for a while.

Sun Xiang looked at him suspiciously, feeling that Zhou Zekai didn't just say it casually.

"The balcony at home used to face east." Zhou Zekai put the second lantern in, and then stuck it with a shopping bag full of things to stop it from shaking, "It's facing my bedroom."

At that time, fireworks and firecrackers had not been banned in Shanghai.Zhou Zekai was woken up, rubbed his eyes and went to draw the curtains.The first thing I saw was my mother who was drying clothes.On the left and right sides of the laundry pole above her head, occasionally touched lanterns flickered in the early morning sun.The bright red lampshade seemed to have become transparent, exuding a warm and comfortable light.

When she heard the movement, she wanted to turn around, but was startled for a moment, and turned to another direction——

"The pressure cooker is steaming, go and watch it, I'll let it dry." The young and handsome father came to her side and brushed her hair affectionately.

She nodded and smiled very softly.

... Zhou Zekai's memories stop here.

In reality, it was Sun Xiang who patted him on the shoulder, "Okay, then hang it on the east side."

After saying this, the guy closed the trunk lid as if nothing had happened, and showed him a smile that was very similar to his memory, "What are you doing here, it's so cold outside! Hurry up and go home!"

On the way back, Sun Xiang was exceptionally able to speak, the speed and excitement of his speech almost reminded Zhou Zekai of a former opponent.He talked about how he celebrated the New Year when he was a child, and talked about all kinds of situations and embarrassing things that bad kids would create, but he stopped asking about Zhou Zekai's past.

If Zhou Zekai sensed it, he held the steering wheel and drove quietly, occasionally responding with a hum.

When entering the community, the sky suddenly darkened, and wet snow particles combined with rainwater fell on the front windshield.

Sun Xiang slowly stopped talking.

The sudden silence made Zhou Zekai a little puzzled, so he followed Sun Xiang's line of sight.

The occupancy rate of the new community is relatively low, and it is even more empty during the Chinese New Year. The house that belongs to them is about the kind that is rare in the neighborhood with all the lights on. On a winter night with sleet, it constitutes their The only warmth in the field of vision.

"Isn't that our home?" Sun Xiang said, "The view from the east balcony is really good. If you hang a lantern, you can find it when you drive here. I don't need to pick it off after watching the Spring Festival. How about hanging it until I get a new lantern? ?”

Zhou Zekai found out that Sun Xiang had something bad.

——I am very straightforward on weekdays, but whenever I want to seriously comfort people or express some special emotions, I am not very straightforward.

He replied "Okay", thinking that it's okay, anyway, they still have a lot of times to change the lanterns, let Sun Xiang get rid of bad habits and so on, he can take his time.

6.

Zhou Zekai insisted on making dinner by himself.He showed Sun Xiang the legendary high-end fully automatic cooking machine. It is said that any dish he wants can be perfectly reproduced by inserting the programmed chip and adding ingredients and seasonings according to the steps!

As an absolute supporter of practical Chinese food, Sun Xiang suddenly had the mood of Van Gogh watching people recreate the starry night with drawing software.

"I didn't say you know how to fry the kitchen hahahaha... Do you want to fight like this!" He chose words to express his disapproval, "Hey, let me see what chips, sweet and sour short ribs? Scrambled eggs with tomato?...This Isn't it just a matter of putting some oil on the pot?" Sun Xiang laughed so hard that his stomach hurts.

Zhou Zekai fastened his apron without saying a word, and pushed him out of the kitchen.

"All right, all right, I don't want to read it. Let someone play freely, don't be nervous, anyway, if it breaks, I'll do it again." Sun Xiang was amused for a while, and then went to post Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters.But having said that, after he finished washing his hands and put the tape scissors back in place, he still couldn't hold back his curiosity, opened the kitchen door a crack, and secretly observed the situation inside.

A tempting sweet and sour aroma wafted out through the crack of the door.Zhou Zekai is seriously putting on the plate.He couldn't see whether the ribs were burnt or not because of the angle, but the smell seemed to be fine.

Sun Xiang heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly sat down at the dining table, and when Zhou Zekai came out with the plate, he pretended to concentrate on playing games.

Facts have proved that technology can indeed improve the quality of life.Tomato scrambled eggs, sweet and sour short ribs, and fried shredded pork with asparagus. Zhou Zekai cooks all very simple home-cooked dishes, but at least they can reach the level of 80 points. It's leaps and bounds.

Sun Xiang finished the food in a very face-saving manner - in fact, he had already planned that Zhou Zekai's first meal in his new home, even if it really turned into charcoal, he would probably take a bite before serving it.

When tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, Sun Xiang asked curiously: "This thing is quite powerful, how did you find it?"

"Recommended by a friend." Zhou Zekai was excited, and was eagerly preparing his hands, "What do you want to eat next time?" He has more chips than this, and he can show his talents.

"No, it's okay, but it's better than me?" Sun Xiang leaned against the sink, typing while waiting for Zhou Zekai to set up the dishwasher.

"You do better."

"Yes, and the preliminary preparation is also troublesome. You are usually busy, so you probably won't need this thing once or twice. Let's talk about it when I'm not at home and you are special and free." Sun Xiang said proudly.

"Okay." Zhou Zekai accepted Sun Xiang's suggestion, dried his hands, and walked to his side, "What are you posting?"

Sun Xiang wanted to block the screen, but he didn't have time.

It turned out that at this moment, he was editing an ins.The accompanying picture is their first dinner in their new home.

Zhou Zekai didn't expose his distaste for being upright, and lazily rested his chin on his shoulder: "Huh?"

"..." Sun Xiang forcibly ignored the ears that were warmed by a syllable, "Someone prepared so carefully, after all, there is something remarkable about it. Give me a little encouragement."

It is said to be encouragement, but the word matching in that ins has nothing to do with encouragement at all.

A simple and refreshing meal, two chopsticks, two bowls for rice.

"--New year, new start."

Before Sun Xiang sent it out, he knew that the marketing account was going crazy.Maybe in another 20 minutes, ten versions of his lover will be circulated on the Internet.But so what - he had a new home in the New Year, which only belonged to him and Zhou Zekai.Even if he can't announce that the other party is Zhou Zekai, he can at least let the world know that he is no longer single.

Sun Xiang thought that Zhou Zekai would stop him, so he prepared a rebuttal.Surprisingly, Zhou Zekai didn't make a sound the whole time, quietly watched Sun Xiang press the send button, and then came over to grab his hand.

"Uh... what's wrong?" Sun Xiang was dragged all the way to the study.

Zhou Zekai picked up a folder and handed it to him.

He opened the folder with great doubts, and there was a thick booklet inside.

The first page reads impressively.

"Glory Professional League General Undertaking Service Provider Bidding Document"

He raised his head suddenly: "This is—?!"

Zhou Zekai's eyes were calm and soft, with the kind of light that he hadn't seen for a long time: "Would you like to encourage me a little?"

TBC