Chapter 67 You haven't eaten my saliva either
Emerging from Cheng Ling's place, the sky had already darkened. Tan Zheng’s eyes were bloodshot, and he smoked nearly half a pack of cigarettes in the car before finally starting it. He first returned to his own apartment to get some things, then headed back to Song Ni's.
When the doorbell rang, Song Ni was eating takeout, opening the door with a spoon still in her mouth. Seeing Tan Zheng holding a bag, Song Ni raised an eyebrow. It was hard to say whether it was surprise or inevitability. She blocked the doorway.
"What do you want?" Tan Zheng's gaze flickered to the red oil at the corner of Song Ni's mouth, his brows furrowing. Last night's hot pot, tonight's unknown greasy fare—Song Ni's palate was quite heavy. Unwilling to rest even when injured. Tan Zheng tossed the bag in his hand through the gap between the door and Song Ni.
"Just letting me crash for another night." Song Ni glanced down at the bag, then looked up at Tan Zheng with a smile. "You don't want to experience being kicked out of bed again, do you?"
Upon hearing this, the man narrowed his eyes and appraised Song Ni. He still remembered how defiant she had been that morning, only to become scared later. Was she not afraid now? Thinking this, Tan Zheng suddenly let out a light laugh, then bent down abruptly to meet Song Ni’s gaze, gripping her eyes. "You can try."
Song Ni: ...Try what?
The two were only a few centimeters apart, and Song Ni wrinkled her nose at the heavy smell of smoke on him. How many cigarettes had he smoked? Only then did Song Ni notice the bloodshot and crimson in Tan Zheng's eyes; he hadn't looked this dishevelled even when he had a fever that morning. What had happened in this short afternoon?
In that moment of distraction, Tan Zheng had already entered the apartment. Song Ni watched his unapologetic back, unable to resist rolling her eyes. "You think this is your home?"
Without stopping, the man walked straight to the dining table and sat down. Song Ni had ordered mala tang, two large basins of it, one meat and one vegetable, enough for three or four people. When Tan Zheng arrived, Song Ni had already eaten most of it. She put her spoon back into the takeout container, uninhibited, and let out a satisfied belch, then took a carton of milk from the refrigerator and drank it sip by sip.
When she returned to the table, Tan Zheng was eating with her bowls and chopsticks. Song Ni raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Boss Tan, how did you get so hungry? There are bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen."
Tan Zheng continued to eat heartily, showing no intention of switching utensils. However, he was eating so heartily and quickly that after biting into several peppercorns, he frowned. "What kind of stuff do you eat every day?"
Song Ni liked spicy food and occasionally ate Sichuan cuisine, but she detested peppercorns, so she was particularly careful when eating. Seeing Tan Zheng eating like this, she knew he was bound to run into trouble. With a hint of schadenfreude, she asked, "You hate peppercorns too?"
The man chewed and swallowed hard, his entire cheek going numb. When he looked up, he saw Song Ni leaning against the wall drinking milk. Song Ni smiled again. "You're eyeing my milk again? Do you like eating things I've eaten so much?" After a pause, she tutted. "You're not even picky."
Hearing this, Tan Zheng pushed his tongue against his cheek, easing the numbness. "You haven't eaten my saliva before either."
Song Ni: ...
Furious, Song Ni quickly finished the remaining milk and, right in front of Tan Zheng, tossed the milk carton into the trash can. It was a perfect shot from several meters away. Tan Zheng watched her gesture, his eyes flickering. "You play basketball?"
Song Ni snorted. "I can do a lot of things."
Tan Zheng nodded, asking no further questions. He got up and got a carton of milk from the refrigerator himself. He rarely drank this stuff, but Song Ni drank a carton now and then. He wanted to see what it tasted like. However, as his fingers touched the cold outer box, his brows knitted. Heavy oil and heavy spice, followed by a carton of ice-cold milk... Tan Zheng looked at Song Ni, who was now sitting cross-legged on the sofa eating fruit, his brows furrowed even tighter. "Your stomach is very good?" Eating like this, not having an upset stomach was impossible.
Song Ni didn't quite understand the meaning of his words. "It's okay. Normal person's level?" Tan Zheng took a large gulp of ice-cold milk, completely suppressing the numbness in his mouth. No wonder she liked eating like this; it was indeed refreshing and satisfying. However... Tan Zheng glanced again at the lightly clad Song Ni and said with a lingering meaning, "Take it easy."
Song Ni: ...Why is this person eating her food and drinking her milk and still talking so much? "Clean up after you're done, please. Thank you." With that, Song Ni tapped on her game.
Half an hour later, Song Ni's stomach started to act up, and she finally understood Tan Zheng's words. But the game had just started, and she couldn't just go AFK for a whole round... Song Ni set her sights on Tan Zheng. She dumped her phone onto his lap. "I'm going to the bathroom, you play for me." Song Ni didn't care if Tan Zheng knew how to play; she was too mischievous and threatened as she asked for help. "You better play well. If you lose, I'll beat you." With that, she ran to the bathroom.
Tan Zheng: ...
The man chuckled, watching the other person's hurried figure. She ate so much, and it was bound to cause trouble. He then looked down at the garishly colored screen and tapped a few times casually. He had no intention of helping Song Ni play, as he had never played this game before. However, two minutes later, a barrage of curses erupted from the phone. Tan Zheng listened for a few seconds before realizing it was a teammate scolding Song Ni. The things they were saying were so nasty that even Tan Zheng frowned. The man was about to turn off the earpiece until he heard an excessively insulting word. His finger moved down, and he turned on the microphone.
"What are you barking at?" Tan Zheng's voice was hoarse from just smoking, carrying the deep resonance of his natural tone. Even though his tone was calm, it held a deterrent force that shook body and mind. The cursing man also paused, and upon hearing it was a man, his assertiveness clearly diminished. "Can you play properly or not?"
"If you want me to play, then shut your dog mouth." Tan Zheng's eyes drooped lazily. His mood had been bad enough today, and he was now taking some of his anger out on that person. Perhaps it was Tan Zheng's voice that exuded such authority, but the man actually obediently muted himself.
At this point, Tan Zheng finally picked up the phone properly. The system was already issuing an AFK warning. The man glanced at the bathroom, fearing that if they really lost, that little girl would surely seize the opportunity to mock him again. Tan Zheng had never played mobile games, but he was once a player of several PC games. Getting the hang of an MOBA-style game like this was simple. Moreover, the hero Song Ni had chosen was Baili Shouyue, who relied on sniping. In shooting games, Tan Zheng was a god. Therefore, in just a few minutes, Tan Zheng had brought the game's momentum into his control. Midway through, even a female teammate turned on her mic and started praising him.
"Brother, you're so amazing!" Tan Zheng frowned in disgust. This person's voice sounded similar to Song Ni's deliberately affected voice, but compared, it was far too unpleasant. It was much better when that little girl called him "brother."
When Song Ni came out, she happened to see Tan Zheng's disgusted expression. "What's wrong?" Song Ni walked over, and the female teammate, as if on cue, started to fawn again. "Brother, take me with you next game~" Her voice was so syrupy that even mosquitoes couldn't survive. Tan Zheng immediately threw the phone back to Song Ni. Hahaha! It was still better when Ni Ni called him "Brother Tan"!