Chapter 82
He didn't know when the corridor lights had turned on. The yellow light shone behind Xi Ze, giving him a faint halo.
After the door opened, the first thing Xi Ze noticed was the fine necklace around MIng Yu's neck. The necklace was very thin and looked charming against the youth's clavicle. Only one pendant hung at the end of…it… a small crystal mushroom.
Xi Ze raised an eyebrow when he saw it and asked, "You still remember about the gift?"
Ming Yu grinned and nodded from in front of the door. "Yes, I remember. I won't let you in if you don't have this gift."
Xi Ze made a helpless look at the words, but his lips curved upwards. He pretended to think for a long moment before saying, "Then I will cook for you."
Ming Xiaoyu, "…"
After a moment, Ming Yu asked, "Can I exchange the gift?"
Xi Ze raised an eyebrow. "No."
"…I'll close it."
Ming Yu raised a hand to the door handle. How could Xi Ze not know what he meant? Xi Ze sighed and grabbed the youth's skinny wrist. When Ming Yu didn't respond, he took a step and officially entered the house, cloasing the door behind him.
Ming Xiaoyu, "…?＿?"
Xi Ze, "^＿^"
Xiaoyu really didn't want to see the dishes made by Xi Ze. But once Xi Ze entered, he wasn't mean enough to chase him out. Ming Yu had the idea of 'maybe I can watch' and offered to help in the kitchen. Xi Ze made a look of consideration at Ming Yu's offer before abruptly entering the kitchen.
In fact, Xi Ze had been holding a big bag in his left hand when he knocked on the door. However, his hand was covered by the door and Ming Yu didn't see it. As he pulled out the ingredients from the bag, Ming Yu looked at them one by one and his expression gradually changed from "（⊙口⊙）" to "（/=＿=）/～┴┴".
Ming Xiaoyu wondered, 'What is this? This shrimp, lion head, pork and pieces of meat!!! What do you want to do?'
As if he perceived the youth's grief and indignation, the handsome and elegant man calmly removed the shrimp from the preserved box and replied quietly, "Oh, today's time is limited. I will make something simple. For example, braised lion's head, crystal shrimp, sweet and sour pork…ah, and boiled meat."
Ming Xiaoyu's face turned red as he heard these familiar dishes. But he knew that the man was quietly looking at his flushed face with curved lips.
The thing that happened next made Ming Yu's eyes become bigger. It was the first time he received such a big stimulus since his sudden rebirth. It was because he saw that this man could smoothly and skillfully cook!!!
Vinegar, soy sauce, cooking wine… these ingredients seemed alive in the man's hands. As long as he needed them, Xi Ze didn't even look as he directly picked up the right seasoning and calmly placed them in the pot.
For example, Ming Yu always got mixed up when he put in sugar. He had to pay careful attention, not putting in too much or two little. But how did Xi Ze do it?
He didn't even look as he used a spoon to scoop up sugar!
The fine white sugar covered the pork tenderloin like snowflakes with a single movement of the man's wrist. The sweet and sour fragrance soon diffused from the pot to the surrounding area. Ming Xiaoyu smelt it and drooled, but Xi Ze's leisurely movements didn't slow down.
Xi Ze picked up the cooking wine and poured some inside. Ming Xiaoyu was extremely thrilled to find that—
The pan was on fire!
…Ming Xiaoyu's cooking ability might be ordinary, but he still knew it was easy to put alcohol in a pan. The combination of alcohol and fire and could make meat more delicious and authentic. However, this was just a theory. In both his lifetimes, Ming Xiaoyu had never seen any friend do it!
How could he imagine that this man had such good cooking skills?
It couldn't be!
This was Xi Ze!
Xi Ze's cooking was delicious? Ming Xiaoyu now believed it.
Once the crystal shrimp was done, Ming Xiaoyu had already removed the expression of astonishment on his face. He calmly helped Xi Ze by passing over bowls and dishes… Yes, this was the only help he could give in the kitchen.
“Aren't you surprised?" Xi Ze asked calmly while holding white soy sauce.
Ming Xiaoyu smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, I'm not surprised."
How could he not be surprised?
Ming Xiaoyu saw the man pick up a carrot and small kitchen knife, carving a lifelike flower. The surprise turned to numbness as Ming Yu realized. Xi Ze really had cooked for him when he was sick.
Ming Xiaoyu thought of this and couldn't help asking curiously, "Don't you have a serious obsession with cleanliness?"
Xi Ze placed the crystal shrimp on the plate and said casually, "You and I are the only ones eating what I cook."
The man's face was calm with no ups and downs, as if he really was speaking casually without any other meaning. However, Ming Yu was slightly startled. At this moment, Ming Yu felt the intoxication from lunch once again hit his brain.
Ming Yu's lips curves and he felt like laughing as he looked at the man's tall, upright back. He finally gave a low chuckle and didn't answer.
Zhao Rui said that Ming Yu's female skills were top notch?
Ming Xiaoyu felt that he was a novice compared to this man.
—Ah Ming Xiaoyu, don't you know Xi Ze? He only uses this skill on one person. It might be hard to believe, but this is the small mushroom skill!
There were only four dishes. However, they were as exquisite as those from the best restaurants. The braised lion's head was rich in sauce and savoury. The excellent taste could be felt just by looking at it. The crystal shrimp was fresh and bright, with some green leaves used (Ming Xiaoyu didn't really know these types of things). The green leaves were placed around the plate, highlighting the shrimp like stars around the moon.
In addition to being fragrant and tasty, Xi Ze's dishes also had impeccable visual beauty.
If Ming Yu was holding a measuring tape, he would find that all the leaves on the plate were placed at a fixed distance, with the maximum error margin being no more than 3mm. In addition to the man's paranoia, this type of placement suited his aesthetic requirements.
Since this arrangement was the most beautiful, it had to be done.
Ming Xiaoyu ate the dishes while full of thoughts. His 'I can't give into evil forces, calm down' slowly became 'How can this dish be so delicious?'. In the end, it changed to the grief-filled 'No, how can it be gone? I can still eat 10 bowls of rice.'
Xi Ze didn't move his chopsticks. He ate two random mouthfuls before putting them down on the white porcelain bowl. He crossed his hands, gently supported his chin and stared at the youth with a light smile.
Once Ming Yu was full, Xi Ze laughed at his satisfied appearance and couldn't help laughing. Then he asked, "Now that you have eaten, do you want to go see my gift?"
Ming Yu jerked and responded after a few moments, "Your gift isn't this meal?"
Xi Ze raised an eyebrow. "You don't want another gift?"
Ming Xiaoyu immediately shook his head. "Go, I want to see your gift!"
Xi Ze was almost empty handed. He didn't bring anything except the big bag of ingredients. Therefore, Ming Yu followed him into the elevator, intending to go to Xi Ze's apartment to see the so-called gift.
A long time ago, Xi Ze told Ming Yu that his apartment was on the top floor of this building. He didn't say that his apartment was on the top floor, but that the entire top floor was his apartment.
The house was as clean, simple and stylish as Ming Yu once envisioned.
There were only three colours in the whole house: black, white and blue. The luxurious and sophisticated black, the concise and pure white and the charming blue, these three colours merged together to form a wonderful visual effect. Of course, the main colours were black and white, with only a handful of blue tones scattered in between to play the role of icing on the cake.
"Come to the cloakroom."
Xi Ze didn't disturb him while Ming Yu was looking around the house. But once he saw the youth's failure to take another step, Xi Ze immediately laughed, took the youth's hand and walked towards a room.
Once the door was opened, Ming Yu was completely startled.
Don't talk about just the fashion industry. Many outsiders and ordinary people wanted to design a cloakroom or dressing room like this. In his last life, Ming Yu's cloakroom contained various clothing, watches, perfumes and shoes that he obtained since his debut. It was a dazzling sight and his friends once praised it as a 'fashion paradise.'
In this life, the Muse apartment was too small and Ming Yu didn't design a cloakroom. But the new place he bought was being renovated. After he moved in, there would be a big cloakroom waiting for him.
Ming Xiaoyu was very confident of his future and designed the cloakroom to be very large. He thought he wouldn't need to change it for at least five years. However, it was just a drop in a bucket compared with the cloakroom in front of him.
This cloakroom had two floors. Ming Yu hadn't noticed that there was a loft on the top floor of the Muse apartment building. The loft was directly above the designed cloakroom, creating a two-storey design.
On the left side of the cloakroom, all of the men's high fashion clothing was arranged. On the right side of the cloakroom, there were men's jackets, ranging from elegant suit jackets to long trench coats, arranged in their respective order. Ming Yu's eyes widened at the sight and he didn't know how to react.
The three large glass cabinets in the centre of the room contained watches, collar clips and cuffs. On the opposite wall was a full row of shoes, from leather shoes to leather boots, the elegant leather shining under the bright lights.
But seeing this, Ming Yu suddenly thought about something. "I remember, this isn't your main house?"
Xi Ze nodded. "Yes, it is a set."
Ming Xiaoyu asked, "Then in your other house, there is a cloakroom like this?"
Xi Ze smiled at the 'You don't have to say it or I will kill you on behalf of the readers' Ming Xiaoyu and nodded, "Well, basically. The room in the villa is a little bigger than this."
Ming Xiaoyu, "…（┙>∧<）┙へ┻┻"
He really wanted to represent the people and wipe out these wicked rich people!
Since Xi Ze brought Ming Yu upstairs, he naturally had a gift for him. This gift wasn't just a good meal.
Ming Yu was stunned when he saw the beautiful clothing, turning to look at Xi Ze with a questioning gaze. Xi Ze nodded in confirmation and said, "I am giving this high-end set to you."
After a pause, he added, "I had some inspiration since I drew you. Thus, I made two sets of clothing, one male and one female. Maybe you can see it in the next Ji and Ya high-end fashion show."
Chapter 83
Since his rebirth, Ming Yu hadn't participated in a high-end fashion show yet.
Pei Feng was a common clothing fashion show, while Fei Sixin counted as simple high-grade garments, but it wasn't yet high-end.
Every high-end piece in the world was unique, whether it was a man's suit, a jacket or a lady's dress. There was only one in the world and it was tailor made for you alone.
Xi Ze had been waiting outside the door for a while by the time Ming Yu left the cloakroom.
The first time Xi Ze had seen this young man, he had looked at the other person's eyes in the bathroom mirror. He just inadvertently glanced up but had been stunned by the youth for three seconds. At the time, the youth's cheeks were flushed from drinking and his clear eyes were moist.
Xi Ze was hit in an instant by an impactful beauty that he never felt before. He was completely unprepared and shocked by the other person.
Xi Ze wasn't a lazy person. It could be said that the four high-end fashion shows of Ji and Ya occupied almost all his time. At the same time, he was a supermodel. In the past few years, he had to fly around the world for jobs. It was only recently that he slowly faded out of the modelling circle.
He was too busy so Xi Ze never noticed there was such a beautiful youth in the industry who also belonged to Muse.
But when Ding Bo showed some past information about Ming Yu to Xi Ze, he stared at the cover of Meditation Road and the photos in Lanka and frowned.
The facial features had only slightly changed, but the temperament was too bad.
The youth he saw exuded a calm and elegant air, even if he was embarrassed about hiding in the bathroom. His breathing was very stable and calm. In these photos, he was dressed very beautifully and wanted to put on that supermodel temperament. However, he seemed to immature, like a child wearing an adult's clothes.
Xi Ze's vision was excellent. Ding Bo didn't find anything unusual but Xi Ze had already determined that—
He would never be tempted by the Ming Yu in these photos.
It wasn't the other person's exquisite and eye-catching appearance that held his attention, but also the noble and cold temperament.
Since then, he had known Ming Yu for more than half a year. This wasn't the first time Xi Ze designed clothes for him. It was just the first one that was actually made. The previous ones Xi Ze drew were just design drafts. He hadn't finished drawing them before he felt the need to throw them away. This time, he felt that he made something wonderful.
He had a hunch that only this youth could give the clothing the most beautiful effect.
This premonition was turned to reality when Xi Ze saw Ming Yu.
Under the bright crystal light, the handsome and tall young man pushed open the door and stepped into the living room with gentle steps.
At his first sight of Ming Yu, Xi Ze could hear himself swallowing his saliva.
The suit adhered to Ming Yu's body, outlining the slender legs and thin waist. The colour that was between a dark red and bright red brought out his fair and smooth skin, making him shine like a gem under the light, leaving people unable to open their eyes.
The youth had changed his style just the previous day, so his hair was pulled back and his forehead exposed. This face was already exquisite. Without the blockage of his hair, he showed a powerful and noble beauty.
Ming Yu walked towards Xi Ze.
It was seemingly casual, but each step was in a straight line, his upper body kept straight and his jaw slightly raised. Such an excellent walk, even the most demanding teachers wouldn't be able to criticize it.
Ming Yu only needed to put on a layer of powder and some makeup, and he could walk straight onto a catwalk to show the world this elegant high-end clothing.
Ming Yu arrived in front of Xi Ze, who recovered from the stunned feeling and looked him up and down. At this time, Xi Ze was a designer. He carefully examined the suit and stretched out a hand, starting to organize it for Ming Yu.
Ming Yu didn't refuse.
Xi Ze's hands moved around his shoulders and waist. These were normal movements as it was the first time that Ming Yu wore these clothes. He had finished it off in the cloakroom, but it was normal for the designer to reorganize it if it wasn't what they envisioned.
Xi Ze helped Ming Yu organize the clothing again. Because of Ming Yu's short height, Xi Ze had to bow his head slightly when doing the youth's tie again.
It was here that Xi Ze showed his critical and fastidious personality. He undid the narrow crimson tie, fastened it again, untied it and fastened it again. He did this over and over for at least five or six times. However, he still felt very dissatisfied.
Xi Ze was ready to tie it again for the seventh time when Ming Yu suddenly reached out and pressed on Xi Ze's hand.
Xi Ze looked at the youth in front of him, who smiled and raised his eyebrow. "If you keep tying it, this tie will have to be scrapped."
Without waiting for Xi Ze to speak, Ming Yu grabbed the tie and did it up skillfully.
His fingers moved swiftly over the crimson tie. This time, the way Ming Yu tied it was very unique. Even Xi Ze hadn't seen it before, causing him to stare curiously. But Ming Yu's movements were too fast. Xi Ze wasn't certain about what he saw when it was already tied.
This method was truly creative. Xi Ze didn't know how Ming Yu had done it, but the tie fell straight down inside the clothes, no longer having a slight bulge.
Xi Ze looked for a moment before suddenly saying, "Wait a minute, I will get a collar clip."
Xi Ze hurried into the cloakroom. Ming Yu smiled as he looked at Xi Ze's back, finding the busy appearance funny.
Yes, no matter how much this man was indifferent and calm, even he would be cautious when it came to the clothes he designed. This was the nature of every designer. Once they learned designing, it penetrated deep into their bones.
Xi Ze left the cloakroom with a white collar clip in his hands.
It was a rectangular clip with a white jade inlaid in it, which happened to conceal the clip underneath.
Xi Ze clipped it to the tie and carefully observed for a moment. Then he nodded with satisfaction and sighed with relief. He walked Ming Yu to the floor standing mirror in the cloakroom. Xi Ze's hands stroked Ming Yu's shoulders as he stared at the youth in the mirror.
Elegant, noble, dignified and calm.
This was how Ming Yu felt in the suit.
Ji and Ya held four high-end fashion shows a year. Two of them were determined to be women's clothing. The other two were randomly selected between high-end men's clothing or women's clothing. It was different every year.
In recent years, although the performance of men's high-end clothing shows was still quite good, the high-end suit had slowly become scarce. In recent decades, there hadn't been many innovations in the style of suits, including the British, American, Italian and Japanese styles.
But Ming Yu had never seen the layout of Xi Ze's suit.
It wasn't cumbersome and orthodox like the British style, it wasn't as simple as the Japanese style and it wasn't as spacious and open as the American style. There were traces of the Italian style, but it was more light and elegant.
Ming Yu stared for a long time. Then he heard Xi Ze whisper from behind him. "Unfortunately, you have changed the colour of your hair. I think that silver and red really match."
It was better with his skin.
Ming Yu smiled and said, "I think that this is enough."
Xi Ze shook his head with regret. "There is one point that is still worse."
As he spoke, Xi Ze reached out towards Ming Yu's heair. His fingers moved through the hair, making the well-groomed style a little messy. It didn't give off a sense of unstructured beauty.
"This is better."
Ming Yu couldn't help laughing when he saw that this man actually made his hair so messy. "You will have to tidy it up for me later."
Xi Ze pursed his lips. "Ignore it." He paused and added. "It looks better than it did before."
Ming Yu's lips curved. "You want me to ignore it?"
Xi Ze raised an eyebrow. "Ignore."
"Ignore it?"
"Ignore."
"Are you really ignoring it?"
"Ignore."
……
This silly dialogue was repeated between the two men. If Ding Bo and Luo Ru saw this, they would be surprised and think they were dreaming.
This Xi Ze/ my Xiaoyu is such a childish person?!!
Ming Yu probably became tired of it. He suddenly turned around and raised his eyes towards Xi Ze. "Will you really ignore it as you said?"
Xi Ze opened his mouth and couldn't say anything. His words were stuck in his throat.
The young man's eyes were shining due to a layer of water. The distance between the two people was only 10 centimetres. Xi Ze bowed his head slightly and could see Ming Yu's fine eyelashes. Xi Ze's heartbeat accelerated and his eyes darkened as he didn't utter a reply.
On the other side, Ming Yu also stopped.
He looked up blankly at the man in front of him. They were so close that he could feel the heat exhaled by the other person against his face. This made him feel the long absent drunkenness hit him again. He seemed to be a bit dizzy.
The two men looked at each other in silence. No one spoke.
The atmosphere stagnated, as if the air had frozen.
No one knew who tried to get close first. But once their lips touched, they both felt slightly shocked and finished the brief kiss.
XI Ze looked at the youth with slightly narrowed eyes, while Ming Yu stared up at his strangely. There seemed to be a flash of surprise in their eyes.
The next moment, both of them had no hesitation in suddenly kissing the other person's lips.
The hot breath was released between the lips and tongue. Xi Ze bent over, his left hand hugging Ming Yu's waist while his right hand was behind Ming Yu's head, deepening the kiss. Ming Yu wasn't to be outdone. He sucked the other person's thin lips, responding directly to this sudden kiss.
The ambiguous air spread in the quiet cloaking. Only the sound of tongues meeting broke the silence. Xi Ze's tongue explored the youth's teeth and plundered every inch of territory in the other's mouth. This made Ming Yu give a sweet hum and the two people began a long kiss, neither of them backing down.