The more he thought about this unfamiliar man showing up in their house while he was gone, the more his jaw tightened.
His fists itched like he wanted to punch something.
He didn’t even know where his hostility toward this man came from but he couldn’t help it.
He just didn’t like the look of him.
The guy might be dressed neatly, sure, but that smug face of his... yeah, not impressive at all.
Rong Zishan gave a cold snort.
Then his gaze fell on the small coffee table.
There, sitting neatly on top, was a vase holding the flowers Rong Xingyu had just arranged earlier.
Rong Zishan’s pupils shrank.
He wasn’t usually observant, but this time he remembered clearly, those flowers hadn’t been there when he left the house that morning.
So they had to be from that man.
Great! Not only did this guy show up uninvited but he even dare to brought flowers?
"What kind of old fashioned nonsense is this? Who even gives roses anymore? How tacky can you get?" Rong Zishan scoffed loudly full of disdain.
Rong Xingyu: "???"
What roses? Those were lisianthus!
The atmosphere in the living room grew more and more awkward by the second.
Rong Xingyu clenched his fists and stood up abruptly. "Fourth brother, come with me."
He turned to Dr. Ding with an apologetic smile. "I’m so sorry about this."
Dr. Ding only smiled, his tone gentle. "It’s alright."
Then Rong Xingyu grabbed his brother by the arm and dragged him toward the stairs.
Once they reached the corner, Rong Xingyu frowned and whispered angrily, "What are you doing, fourth brother? I already told you, Dr. Ding is my guest! How can you treat him like that?"
Rong Zishan’s eyes widened in disbelief, he looked as though he’d just been betrayed.
"Are you just scolding me... for that man?"
"Who are you calling that man, fourth brother? Can you act normal for once?" Rong Xingyu sighed helplessly and tugged at the corner of his brother’s shirt, trying to explain patiently, "Fourth brother, Dr. Ding really is my friend. He’s helped me so many times before, so I just invited him over for dinner tonight, that’s all."
It wasn’t often that Rong Xingyu spoke in such a soft pleading tone.
Even though Rong Zishan still wore an annoyed expression, inside he was secretly pleased.
If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging right now.
He coughed once and trying to make himself look serious again. "He looks older than me. How did you two even become friends?"
Rong Xingyu: "..."
What kind of argument was that and why did it sound like an insult?!
And besides, how did Dr. Ding look older than his fourth brother? They looked about the same age!
"A friend is a friend! You’re being so annoying! If you keep this up, I’m going to be mad, and I’ll..."
He started the sentence but couldn’t think of what to say next.
Finally, he puffed up his cheeks in frustration and blurted out, "I’ll ignore you! And I’ll only cook vegetarian food for you!"
Rong Zishan: "..."
It felt like an arrow just hit him right in the heart.
His childish little brother was... actually kind of cute when he was mad.
Seeing that Rong Xingyu’s face was puffed up in anger, Rong Zishan quickly tried to calm him down and speaking in a soft, coaxing tone, "Alright, alright, I was wrong. You’re right about everything, Xiaoyu."
"Then when we eat later, you’d better not act the way you did before," Rong Xingyu warned sternly.
Rong Zishan nodded quickly. "Okay, okay, fine... wait, what? He’s staying for dinner?!"
Rong Xingyu: "Fourth brother, were you even listening to me earlier?!"
Rong Zishan: "...Cough, cough."
No matter what, by the time all three of them sat down at the dining table, the atmosphere was at least better than before.
Rong Zishan’s face wasn’t as sour anymore and he even managed to smile now and then, though the smile looked stiff and forced, more like a grimace than anything else.
Rong Xingyu who was doing his best to keep the peace felt completely exhausted.
"Xiaoyu, I want that one..."
He followed his brother’s pointing finger, it was the plate of braised pork.
A question mark practically appeared above Rong Xingyu’s head.
Then Rong Zishan pushed his bowl toward him and looking at him pitifully, clearly he was expecting him to serve him a piece.
Rong Xingyu: "..."
The dish wasn’t even far away. Couldn’t he just reach out and take it himself?
But after meeting those expectant eyes, Rong Xingyu sighed and picked up the serving chopsticks. He then placing a piece of perfectly marbled braised pork into his brother’s bowl.
"So good," Rong Zishan said dramatically, "Being able to eat Xiaoyu’s cooking every day... that’s real happiness."
The way he said it sounded more like he was saying it for someone else to hear. Then he pointed at another dish and added, "Xiaoyu, I also want some of that chicken—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a piece of chicken landed neatly in his bowl.
Rong Zishan followed the direction of the serving chopsticks and saw Dr. Ding Yixin smiling politely at him.
"..."
He looked down at the chicken in his bowl, then froze.
Wait a minute... why did that piece look exactly like a chicken’s butt?!
Rong Zishan: Damn it!
What the hell was that supposed to mean?!
He slammed his chopsticks down onto the table and jumped to his feet.
The chair nearly tipped over and scraping loudly against the floor.
He pointed at Ding Yixin’s nose, his face red with fury, and shouted, "What’s your problem, huh?! Who the hell wants your damn chicken butt!?"
Ding Yixin: "..."
Rong Xingyu who was sitting beside them was completely speechless.
What chicken butt? There was no chicken butt at all! He clearly remembered throwing that part away when he was preparing the ingredients!
Wait a minute... why were they even arguing about butts in the middle of a nice meal?!