Hearing You Say Love chapter 10
Do You Want to Be My Boyfriend?
While Su Ming quietly ate his porridge, Zou Beiyuan and Chen Muchao started chatting.
At this moment, Zou Beiyuan noticed that Chen Muchao also wore a cochlear implant.
Chen Muchao had very short hair and always casually exposed his external cochlear device, while Su Ming always covered his with hair whenever he went out.
Chen Muchao was very cheerful and got along quite well with Zou Beiyuan. They chatted about the weather, the bar business, and then veered off to discuss Zou Beiyuan’s personal issues.
He asked Zou Beiyuan directly, “You’re so handsome; you must have a girlfriend, right?”
Zou Beiyuan was eating the pancakes made by Su Ming, took a bite, and smiled, “No.”
“Impossible, there must be a lot of girls pursuing you.”
“I haven’t met the right one,” Zou Beiyuan replied, smoothly steering the conversation away from himself. “What about Su Ming? He’s so handsome; does he have a girlfriend?”
Su Ming raised his head upon hearing this, glanced at Zou Beiyuan, put down his chopsticks, and signed: If I had one, It would be a boyfriend.
Zou Beiyuan didn’t understand what he was saying and looked a bit confused, shifting his gaze to Chen Muchao. Chen Muchao translated for him: “He says he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
Su Ming smiled slightly, looking at Chen Muchao and continuing to gesture: Ask him if he wants to be my boyfriend.
Chen Muchao improvised: “Su Ming wants you to introduce someone to him.”
Zou Beiyuan seemed a bit surprised, his attractive eyebrows raised, and he asked Su Ming, “What kind of girl do you like?”
Su Ming stopped gesturing, picked up his chopsticks again, and looked at Zou Beiyuan with a light smile, appearing a bit shy.
“You see, how can he find a partner like this?” Chen Muchao said, “Dating him requires knowing sign language, which rules out most people in the world. It’s a lost cause.”
“But I think,” Zou Beiyuan looked at Su Ming, who was lowering his head to eat, and said to Chen Muchao, “if someone really likes another person, they would be willing to learn sign language for them.”
Chen Muchao then asked him, “Would you learn sign language for someone you like?”
“I would,” Zou Beiyuan said.
..
After finishing the meal, Su Ming went to wash the dishes and heard Chen Muchao and Zou Beiyuan chatting in the living room.
Chen Muchao talked about going fishing on the weekend, and Zou Beiyuan seemed very interested. “Is it a wild water area? Where? Is the fishing good?”
The way he asked made it clear he was also a fishing enthusiast. Chen Muchao immediately responded, “Yes, it’s a wild area in a mountain valley in the suburbs. I caught a half-meter-long black fish there last time,” he exaggeratedly gestured with his hands, continuing, “but you have to fish there at night; it’s hard to fish during the day because there are too many tourists.”
Zou Beiyuan also liked night fishing, so they engaged in a friendly exchange about their fishing experiences. By the time Su Ming came out, Chen Muchao was inviting Zou Beiyuan to join him this Saturday.
Zou Beiyuan casually asked Su Ming, “Chen Ge invited me to go fishing; are you going?”
Su Ming thought to himself, “He even called him ‘Chen Ge’… I’m older than you; why don’t you call me Ge too?”
He looked at Zou Beiyuan, nodded, and gestured: I’ll bring the tent.
Chen Muchao translated Su Ming’s words for Zou Beiyuan, saying, “You’re impressive. I invited him ten times, and he only went once.”
When Zou Beiyuan saw Su Ming signing, it seemed his left arm was a bit awkward. “What happened to your hand?”
“He has shoulder pain,” Chen Muchao answered for him. “It’s an old problem; he’s had issues with his shoulder. I told him not to stay up late and not to work at his desk every day, but he doesn’t listen. I’m going to take him to the hospital this afternoon.”
Zou Beiyuan, who had a rehabilitation doctor guiding and massaging him regularly, felt he could help Su Ming but hesitated when their eyes met.
Zou Beiyuan turned his head and repeated Chen Muchao’s words, “Oh, you’re going to the hospital this afternoon?”
“Yeah,” Chen Muchao looked at Su Ming and asked, “Did you make an appointment?”
Su Ming nodded.
“Then send me a message when you’re done,” Zou Beiyuan quickly adjusted his mood. “We had agreed that I’ll treat Su Ming to dinner today, and I’ll come to the hospital to pick you up. Chen Ge, you can come along too.”
“I won’t intrude,” Chen Muchao quickly said. “Since you’re going to the hospital to pick him up, I still need to pick up my girlfriend after work.”
Zou Beiyuan looked surprised: “So you’re the only one with a girlfriend.”
Chen Muchao smiled proudly and said with a double meaning, “Of course. You two better hurry up and catch up; don’t fall too far behind me.”
….
After leaving the doctor’s office, it was four-thirty. Su Ming’s problem, while not severe, could be resolved with more exercise and good rest, but both were a bit difficult for him.
The doctor prescribed him massage oil, instructing him to rub it on every night before bed.
While waiting at the window to pick up his medicine, Su Ming received a message from Zou Beiyuan: [Are you done?]
Su Ming replied: [I’m getting my medicine.]
Zou Beiyuan: [What did the doctor say?]
Su Ming: [Minor issue; he prescribed some medicine for me to apply at home.]
Zou Beiyuan: [I’m coming to pick you up; I’ll be there in twenty minutes.]
Su Ming: [Okay, I’ll wait for you at the hospital entrance.]
Chen Muchao’s girlfriend got off work at five, so he left right after exiting the doctor’s office, hinting at Su Ming, “Have a good date.”
Su Ming checked his reflection on his phone; he was dressed too casually. If it was a date, he should at least wear something more formal.
Zou Beiyuan’s white 3 Series was parked in front of him, but Su Ming didn’t recognize it, his eyes still searching for a green car when Zou Beiyuan had already parked in front of him.
“Get in,” Zou Beiyuan called to him from the open window.
Su Ming opened the door and sat down, and Zou Beiyuan turned on his turn signal to merge left, saying, “I’m taking you to eat at a private restaurant. I feel like you don’t like spicy food, right?”
“I eat it occasionally.”
Zou Beiyuan was looking at the road when he heard Su Ming “speaking,” and he turned around in surprise. Su Ming held up his phone, showing him that it was a text-to-speech app.
Zou Beiyuan laughed, “You startled me.”
Su Ming lowered his head to type on his phone, switching to a cute loli voice and saying, “Watch the road.”
“That voice sounds so small,” Zou Beiyuan said, still looking at the road, his tone lighthearted, “You should call me Ge.”
Su Ming switched to a middle-aged uncle’s voice: “No respect, call me dad.”
Zou Beiyuan changed lanes to overtake, not saying anything else, but the corners of his mouth remained upturned. Su Ming switched back to a normal young male voice: “I’m older than you; you should call me Ge.”
Zou Beiyuan glanced at him while driving straight, and Su Ming thought he would continue teasing, but instead, he casually said, “ Su Ge, Ming Ge, what do you want to hear me call you?”
This time, Su Ming was momentarily speechless, holding his phone and unsure of what to say.
Then he heard Zou Beiyuan say again, “Usually, for people I just met or drinking buddies, I usually call them ‘Ge’ to create a sense of closeness and to bridge the gap.”
“But you’re not just a drinking buddy,” he continued, “We know each other much better than we did at first.”
His words were sincere, and Su Ming felt a bit embarrassed, intentionally saying, “Is that why you call me by my first name?”
The red light ahead turned on, and Zou Beiyuan stopped the car, turning to look at Su Ming: “Then can I call you… Ge?”
Ge without a name or title.
Zou Beiyuan had a pleasant voice, and when he spoke in a low tone, there was a special magnetism to it. Su Ming lightly bit his lip, turned off his phone screen, and turned his head to look out the window, remaining silent.
The private restaurant was located in a historic area from the Qing Dynasty, with narrow streets lined with ancient-style courtyards featuring green bricks and dark tiles, shaded by lush trees in an elegant environment.
Zou Beiyuan parked in a lot outside the area, unbuckled his seatbelt, and said to Su Ming, “It’s still early. Shall we take a stroll first?”
Su Ming nodded and opened the car door to get out.
This area was a well-known cultural attraction in Rong City, usually bustling with tourists, but that day it was particularly crowded. After entering from the street, it felt somewhat cramped with people brushing against each other.
Hearing the conversations around him, Su Ming realized there was a celebrity holding a fan meeting that day, which explained the abundance of young girls nearby.
Zou Beiyuan was tall and stood out in the crowd, and people occasionally turned to look at him, even taking covert photos with their phones.
He had to abandon the idea of strolling around and turned to Su Ming, saying, “Let’s just go directly to the restaurant. They serve tea there.”
Su Ming didn’t mind and nodded.
At that moment, he heard a girl behind him say, “Look, that guy in the pink shirt is really handsome.”
Su Ming was taken aback and looked around—he was the only guy wearing pink.
“Keep it down,” another girl said. “I see him; both of them are really handsome.”
The first girl lowered her voice a bit but was still loud enough to be heard. “Yes, yes, they look great together. I think the one on the left is even better-looking, with such nice skin.”
The other girl chimed in, “The one on the right is even more handsome! He’s really tall, the height difference is incredible.”
The first girl continued, “The hairstyle of the one on the left is nice—is it a wolf tail?”
The other girl replied, “Yes, but the one on the right’s short hair is more manly!”
The crowd was too crowded, and Su Ming couldn’t walk faster, forced to overhear the two girls discussing their positions with amusement.
Zou Beiyuan clearly heard as well, but Su Ming thought he probably didn’t understand.
Straight men don’t get the concept of shou and gong.
He turned to look at Zou Beiyuan, and to his surprise, the big straight man had red ears.