RBNR Ch11: Contact Number

In front of the pool, Qin Bao was fighting with a brush and a blackened pot handle.

Feng Chengyu didn’t send him a message, instead, he called him directly.

Seeing the unfamiliar number on the phone screen, worried that Mr. Qin had changed his number, Qin Bao hesitated for a moment and didn’t answer. But the caller was persistent and dialed again.

Qin Bao hastily wiped the foam off his hands and suspiciously answered, “Hello?”

“Qin Bao?”

On the other end was a young male voice, deep and pleasant.

Strangely, Qin Bao immediately recognized the voice as Feng Chengyu’s, the same one that had ordered him to “open your mouth” at the venue entrance that day.

His ears suddenly felt hot.

Qin Bao: “…”

The other side said, “I’m Feng Chengyu.”

Qin Bao could only respond, “Uh-huh.” Unsure of what to say, he reported on the disaster scene, “Your pot…”

“No worries,” Feng Chengyu seemed to understand the apology, “Just leave it, you don’t have to deal with it. I’ll have a housekeeper come over to clean up.”

Qin Bao responded with another “uh-huh,” feeling annoyed and clutching his forehead, but still said, “I’m sorry.”

There was wind on Feng Chengyu’s end, making it seem like he was in a high place, but his voice was very clear, each word’s beautiful tone entering Qin Bao’s ears.

“I’ve already informed Uncle Qin that you’re here. Sorry, I felt obliged to report it.”

Feng Chengyu said.

“You can stay here for a while and slowly communicate with them.”

Qin Bao gritted his teeth, feeling a bit angry with himself. He knew this situation wasn’t caused by Feng Chengyu. The other wasn’t Tu Yisen or Feng Chu; he came uninvited, and as an adult, this was the most considerate way he could think of.

After all, Feng Chengyu wasn’t his friend and didn’t owe him anything.

“There’s not much food at home. What do you like to eat?” Feng Chengyu seemed to start fulfilling the duties of a temporary guardian, “I’ll have someone prepare it.”

Qin Bao didn’t say anything.

Feng Chengyu seemed to chuckle lightly, “Are you angry?”

Qin Bao instinctively responded, “Nonsense!”

Two well-mannered individuals, one crude sentence.

Both sides fell silent for a moment. Qin Bao spoke first, “Well, what I meant was, don’t jump to conclusions. I am a bit angry, but not because you tattled. Also, I need to clarify, when Feng Chu asked me to come over, I didn’t know this was your home, so…”

So if I had known, I wouldn’t have come.

Someone on Feng Chengyu’s side was talking to him, and he answered in a low voice, seemingly very busy.

Qin Bao didn’t know if he heard his words, but this situation gave Qin Bao a strong feeling that the other person was a capable adult, while he was a willful child.

So when Feng Chengyu got back on the phone and asked, “What did you say?” Qin Bao choked up and coldly said, “Nothing, I just wanted to thank you for helping me last time, and also this time. I’ll compensate for your pot too.”

Feng Chengyu was straightforward, “Okay.”

Qin Bao bit his lip and unceremoniously said, “Also, when the housekeeper comes, could they buy some gland patches? I only brought inhibitors, so I’ll settle the bill with you later.”

Even if not in heat, if an omega stays in someone else’s private space, they would stick gland patches to avoid leaving pheromones and disturbing others as a courtesy.

But very few omegas would be this direct; only kids would.

“No problem, the housekeeper is a beta,” Feng Chengyu said, “I’ll have him open the windows for ventilation before I come back.”

Qin Bao wasn’t a source of pollution, so he got even more annoyed hearing that.

Ventilation?

A bit angry, but he was the one causing trouble.

Who knew Feng Chengyu would continue, “I heard from Feng Chu that you burned your finger. Is it serious? If not, there’s burn ointment at home, in the second compartment of the living room cabinet.”

Qin Bao’s fingertip had a red mark from the burn, and to be honest, it hurt quite a bit.

He wasn’t going to be hard on himself, so he immediately followed the instructions and found the first aid kit in the cabinet. When he opened it, the burn ointment was still new.

Feng Chengyu: “Did you find it? If you can’t find it, I’ll have the housekeeper help you apply it when he arrives.”

Qin Bao swallowed his inexplicable annoyance and said, “I found it.” Then awkwardly added, “Thanks.”

“Okay.” Feng Chengyu said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”

Qin Bao put down the phone and applied the ointment to his burn as instructed. The burning sensation immediately improved a lot. He then realized, belatedly, that he was being impolite considering he was staying under someone else’s roof.

He didn’t know why, but he always had this kind of rebellious attitude towards Feng Chengyu.

The more composed Feng Chengyu was, the more Qin Bao felt indignant. He understood that if he were in Feng Chengyu’s shoes and had been snapped at by an uninvited guest, he would have kicked them out long ago.

It was frustrating.

How could he become as composed as Feng Chengyu?

The housekeeper was a middle-aged man who arrived quickly, was friendly and efficient, and didn’t say much. He cleaned up the disaster scene in no time.

The instigator apologized and then waited by the table with eager eyes for food.

“Hungry?” The housekeeper quickened his pace, “It’ll be ready soon.”

Qin Bao’s stomach growled, and feeling embarrassed, he pretended to casually wander around the house, following the smell of the food.

Feng Chengyu’s house wasn’t very big, about 140 to 150 square meters, very tidy, with no signs of a second person living there and no scent of pheromones. It seemed he really did ventilate the place often.

A few homemade dishes were placed on the table, and Qin Bao, who hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time, was almost moved to tears, consuming three bowls of carbohydrates in revenge. After the meal, he lay on the sofa with a round belly.

Carbs made one lazy. In his comfort, he even had the thought that if he quit modeling and ate whatever he wanted every day, how happy he would be.

Then he snapped out of it.

He secretly vowed that this indulgence was a one-time thing.

But the housekeeper’s cooking was just too delicious.

To be continued, click next page to read about the variety of delicious lunches and dinners.

While inhaling the food voraciously, Qin Bao sternly ordered himself that this would absolutely be the last day.

After eating, he seriously requested, “Uncle, please only give me chicken breast, broccoli, eggs, and shrimp tomorrow. Just one-third of today’s portion will be fine.”

The housekeeper was surprised, “Why?”

Qin Bao told him, “You see, I’m a model. I can’t continue like this.”

The housekeeper refused, “Modeling at such a young age? No wonder… But Mr. Feng instructed me to take good care of you, so I have to make you more good food, can’t neglect you.”

Hearing this, Qin Bao was momentarily stunned. He wasn’t someone who didn’t appreciate kindness, so he thought he would call Feng Chengyu himself.

The phone connected.

“Hello?”

Feng Chengyu’s voice came, distant in tone: “Who is this?”

Qin Bao: “…”

Feng Chengyu hadn’t even saved his number!

His face felt hot, Qin Bao awkwardly introduced himself, “It’s Qin Bao.”

“Oh, it’s you.” Feng Chengyu asked, “What’s the matter?”

Qin Bao explained the situation with the housekeeper’s cooking: “You don’t need to worry about me not eating well. I eat like this at home too.”

The implication was that there was no need to worry about being scolded by elders; Feng Chengyu didn’t have to fulfill these obligations.

Feng Chengyu understood and agreed readily, “Okay.”

There was nothing more to say, Qin Bao wanted to hang up, but the other party asked, “How are you?” In a tone almost of concern, “If you’re bored, you can play games on the computer or read the books on the shelf.”

Just like when he used to wait for Mr. Qin to get off work in his office as a child, Mr. Qin would also say, “Are you bored, Xiao Bao? If you’re bored, you can watch cartoons on the computer or read Daddy’s books.”

Qin Bao: “…I don’t want to play games, and I don’t like reading either.”

He was already grown up and usually very busy; he wasn’t that fond of playing or had that much free time.

Feng Chengyu then said, “Alright, then do as you like.”

The call ended.

Qin Bao pulled up his contact list and deleted Feng Chengyu’s number. Since the other person didn’t save his number, he didn’t want to keep it either.

After all, they wouldn’t have much interaction in the future.

Having burned the other person’s pot, Qin Bao really didn’t feel like playing games here, but he did end up looking through the books on Feng Chengyu’s bookshelf.

A person’s temperament and conversation are often related to their bookshelf. Qin Bao thought that Feng Chengyu’s bookshelf would definitely be filled with professional books or classics, but the types of books were more numerous and varied than he expected, making them quite interesting. Besides professional books that Qin Bao couldn’t understand, there were many detective novels, some even collected as complete sets along with manga versions, and there was a row of art books on the bottom shelf.

Art was something Qin Bao could understand. His grandfather was a famous painter, and his mother, Ms. Rong, was also somewhat well-known. When he was young, Qin Bao had dabbled in painting for a few days but gave up due to a lack of patience.

The more he looked, the more curious he became.

What kind of art would Feng Chengyu like?

Did he have good taste?

The art books were all very good.

But it seemed Feng Chengyu himself didn’t paint; he just collected these art books. Qin Bao didn’t see any of his sketches to comment on. Instead, he found a photo album in the same compartment as the art books.

The photos were from various places around the world, seemingly taken during different periods of travel. Some were developed from film, still carrying the passage of time. The people in the photos were mostly a couple who looked a lot like Feng Chengyu, presumably his parents. Some photos included all three of them standing together, smiling warmly, making Qin Bao feel quite envious.

Feng Chengyu himself seldom appeared alone in the photos. In the ones where he did, he looked younger than he did now, sometimes around the same age as Qin Bao. Regardless of his age, Feng Chengyu mostly appeared calm yet spirited, exuding a natural confidence. Most of the photos were candid shots, and Qin Bao examined each one carefully.

There was only one photo that was different, featuring another boy. The two stood side by side, looking like very good friends, with the background being the campus of a world-renowned university.

Qin Bao flipped back to a previous photo, confirming that Feng Chengyu was indeed a graduate of that prestigious university, dressed in his graduation gown. It was an impressive achievement that made Qin Bao a bit jealous.

For some reason, he took a picture of this photo with his phone. Although no one else was around, he still felt like a thief, his heart pounding nervously.

How was this different from snooping on someone’s privacy?

But since he had already taken the photo, Qin Bao decided to be a thief just this once. After all, no one else would know.

That night, Tu Yisen brought explosive news: Shan Yiming had run away from home.

“After your dad’s call, I got a call from his dad! Now my dad is staring at me as if I’m the main culprit!” Tu Yisen ranted on the phone, “I mean, what’s up with you guys? Did you plan this together? Is running away from home the new trend?”

Qin Bao was surprised, “Why did he run away from home too?”

Tu Yisen clarified, “To be precise, he cut ties with his family, not just ran away. He wants to become a race car driver! This guy is hardcore. He returned his cards and phone to his parents and didn’t even take any clothes. According to my dad, he dropped out of school—not a leave of absence, but a complete withdrawal! He’s really going all in!”

It was so serious that no wonder Shan Yiming’s phone couldn’t be reached.

Last time, Qin Bao said he would compensate Shan Yiming for a car, but Shan Yiming refused and wouldn’t explain why, only mysteriously saying Qin Bao would understand in a few days. Now it all made sense.

“His family is in turmoil,” Tu Yisen clicked his tongue, “High pressure always leads to rebellion. If I can’t take it someday, I’ll run away from home too!”

Qin Bao retorted, “We’re doing it for our dreams. Do you even have a dream to run away for?”

Tu Yisen was stumped, then said carelessly, “A dream? Just you wait, I’ll come up with one tonight.”

After hanging up, Qin Bao sent Shan Yiming a message, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea. He checked Shan Yiming’s Moments on WeChat, which hadn’t been updated for several days.

It was hard to understand why someone would run away from home without taking their phone. The phone didn’t do anything wrong!

With Shan Yiming as a negative example, Qin Bao’s situation became more flexible.

Perhaps fearing he would follow suit, the old man uncharacteristically relaxed his stance, saying that as long as Qin Bao took good care of his health, he would give him another chance. He even called Mr. Qin to personally pick him up.

When Mr. Qin picked up his son, he didn’t say anything reproachful but did have some criticism about his choice of residence, frowning slightly, “Staying here, what does it look like?”