HCILH Extra 5

Chapter 143: Extras – The Slackers Duo^[1]

Hou Mo and Hou Mama were both classic STEM talents, and their expertise became even more evident during university.

One day, Hou Mo saw an interesting cat-ear headband online. The headband could sense emotions: the ears drooped when someone felt down and wagged when they were happy.

He thought this kind of headband was perfect for Sui Houyu. After all, his Brother Yu was a bit tsundere, often saying one thing but feeling another.

Unfortunately, this product wasn’t available for purchase online yet, so Hou Mo decided to make one himself.

Using the cat-ear headband that Lu Yanxin had given Sui Houyu as the base, Hou Mo bought a bunch of parts and started assembling it.

Whenever he didn’t have training, he’d bury himself in the lab, tinkering with his little invention. The first version was bulky, looking more like a helmet than a headband. The cat ears seemed completely out of place. Dissatisfied, Hou Mo took it apart and started over.

With the lessons learned from the first version, he streamlined the second version, which progressed much more smoothly.

Once he was happy with the prototype, he took the headband to Sui Houyu’s apartment.

After getting into university, Sui Lin had honored his promise and bought a house for Sui Houyu. Fortunately, Sui Lin’s procrastination had worked in their favor. By the time Sui Houyu entered university, the house, initially planned for a provincial city, was upgraded to one in Beijing. After buying it, Sui Houyu’s stepmother had a huge argument with Sui Lin.

Buying a house in Beijing was no small expense, especially since Sui Lin insisted on buying two: one for Sui Houyu and one for Hou Mo. Naturally, this didn’t sit well with the stepmother.

Hou Mo declined the offer. He had no reason to accept a house from someone else.

He secretly called Sui Lin and explained that having two separate houses would mean he couldn’t live with Sui Houyu. Only then did Sui Lin drop the idea of buying him a house.

Since Hou Mo and Sui Houyu weren’t in the same major or dormitory, they often stayed at Sui Houyu’s apartment when they wanted to spend time together. There, they could indulge in couple-like activities.

After exhausting themselves, they’d return to their respective dorms to recuperate.

Using the fingerprint lock, Hou Mo entered the apartment. The first one to greet him was Da Ge.

Holding the bag in his hand, he said: “I got it, I got it! Here, don’t cause trouble tonight, okay?”

He opened a can of cat food and placed it in the corner.

Da Ge meowed a couple of times, wagged its tail, and went to eat.

Inside, the room was a bit messy, with clothes scattered across the floor from the living room to the bathroom.

Guessing that Sui Houyu had felt hot outside, he must’ve come home and stripped off his clothes on the way to the shower.

Standing at the bathroom door, Hou Mo called out: “Brother Yu, I’m back.”

The sound of water stopped, and the bathroom door opened. Sui Houyu peeked out, saw him, then reached out and pulled him inside.

Sui Houyu kissed him while tugging at his clothes.

With water droplets still on his hands and arms, Sui Houyu left wet marks on Hou Mo’s clothes, creating a visible patch.

Hou Mo raised his arms cooperatively. Once the clothes were off, Sui Houyu tossed them aside, and the two embraced under the shower.

Leaning on Hou Mo’s shoulder, Sui Houyu mumbled: “Let’s get a bathtub installed.”

“Okay, I’ll contact a renovation company to adjust the plumbing in the next few days.”

The apartment was second-hand, previously owned by a young couple who had failed to make it in Beijing and decided to sell the place to move back home.

Interestingly, while the couple only managed to save a modest amount after five years in Beijing, the house price had increased by millions. With the proceeds, they could return home and open their own business.

After their shower, Sui Houyu crouched by a cabinet, rummaging through it: “We’re out of condoms.”

“How are we going through them so fast? Sang Xian would be jealous.” Hou Mo joked, draping a towel over Sui Houyu’s shoulders.

“Ran Shu is doing well with his college prep; he’s been working hard on both his cultural studies and academics.”

“Long-distance for a year… that must’ve been rough for them. Do you think they’ve had any breakups?”

“No…” Sui Houyu, now wrapped in a towel, walked to the fridge, opened it, and took a cold drink. After a sip, he added, “Ran Shu’s been especially well-behaved recently, calling every day to say he misses him, acting all cutesy.”

Hou Mo walked over, took the half-finished drink from his hand, and had two sips himself before screwing the cap back on.

They exchanged a glance, both understanding the subtext of what the other was saying.

In a long-distance relationship, a breakup could easily become permanent. Ran Shu wasn’t foolish; he knew this and had become more cooperative.

After drying Sui Houyu’s hair, Hou Mo helped him put on the headband he had made: “I improved it; now it moves.”

He didn’t mention the emotion-sensing feature.

“Such a flashy gadget…” Sui Houyu muttered, but didn’t take it off.

The cat-ear headband blended into his fluffy hair, its curled ends resting on the ears, making him look extra adorable.

Hou Mo put on his pajamas, tied on an apron, and headed to the kitchen: “What do you want for dinner?”

“Anything is fine.” Sui Houyu, still wrapped in his towel, leaned on the half-wall of the open kitchen, resting his chin on his hands as he watched Hou Mo cook.

Opening the fridge, Hou Mo asked: “How about scrambled eggs with tomatoes?”

“…Sure.”

Hou Mo glanced at the cat ears on his head, noticing they drooped. He then asked: “What about three-cup chicken?”

Turning to look, he saw the ears waggle, but Sui Houyu’s reply remained indifferent: “That works too.”

Hou Mo quickly prepared the ingredients for three-cup chicken.

Then, with a sly smile, he asked: “Stir-fried celery and shrimp?”

The ears drooped again.

“You need to eat some vegetables. I’m making it for you!” Hou Mo declared.

“Fine.” Sui Houyu’s response was listless.

As Hou Mo began prepping the ingredients, he walked over and kissed Sui Houyu on the lips. The cat ears atop his head wiggled happily.

After a while, Hou Mo noticed the ears pause, so he kissed him again. The ears resumed their happy wiggle.

Annoyed, Sui Houyu snapped: “Can you stop that? Just cook already!”

Super fierce.

“Alright.” Hou Mo stared at the ears on top of his head for a moment, smiling faintly as he returned to cooking.

Once dinner was ready, Hou Mo brought the dishes to the table and glanced at Sui Houyu: “You’re not going to put on any clothes?”

“I’ll just have to take them off again later…”

“We’re out of condoms, so not tonight.” Hou Mo said matter-of-factly and went into the bedroom to fetch Sui Houyu’s pajamas.

When he returned, he saw Sui Houyu eating with his head down, the ears on top of his head drooping lower than ever today.

Hou Mo hesitated for a moment before comforting him: “Didn’t we already do it once during the shower?”

“Yeah,” Sui Houyu replied nonchalantly, “I know. It’s not like I care.”

Noticing the drooped ears, Hou Mo hesitated again before offering: “How about this: no biting, no holding onto my waist, and I won’t… you know… finish inside. Is that okay?”

Sui Houyu’s ears twitched slightly but still gave a calm response: “Whatever. Do it or don’t, doesn’t matter to me.”

“There’s a competition in the middle of next month, so we still have two weeks to let loose. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied. How about that?” Hou Mo continued.

This time, Sui Houyu’s ears perked up again, though he still answered indifferently: “Alright.”

Do athletes restrain themselves during competition seasons? 

Judging by the news about Olympic athletes going through 450,000 condoms, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

But for the two of them, moderation was necessary. Overdoing it would give Sui Houyu leg cramps, which could affect his performance.

After helping Sui Houyu into his pajamas, Sui Houyu adjusted the headband and asked: “Will it keep moving like this?”

“It works intermittently.” Hou Mo replied.

Sui Houyu took off the headband and placed it on Hou Mo’s head. He stared at it for a while and commented: “It just keeps wagging, though.”

When the cat-ear headband sat on Hou Mo’s head, it began wagging happily and didn’t stop, even after dinner.

Hou Mo felt a little awkward: “It’s just that being with you makes me happy.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.” Hou Mo said, hastily grabbing the dishes to wash them in the kitchen.

Sui Houyu suddenly dashed over, holding a collar with a bell, and fastened it around Hou Mo’s neck. 

The collar even had a little hook for a leash.

Sui Houyu tugged on the leash, forcing Hou Mo to lean down. Sui Houyu quickly pecked him on the lips.

After the kiss, Sui Houyu looked at the headband in surprise: “Wow, it can wiggle that fast?”

“Uh…” Hou Mo was at a loss for words.

Sui Houyu kissed him again, amused by the wildly fluttering cat ears. Then he tugged on the leash, trying to pull Hou Mo away.

“I haven’t finished washing the dishes.” Hou Mo protested.

“Fine!” Sui Houyu dropped the leash and walked off.

After finishing the dishes, Hou Mo went into the living room to find Sui Houyu sitting on the sofa, chatting on the phone with Ran Shu.

He started tidying up the apartment. Once he was done, Sui Houyu was still on the phone.

Helpless, Hou Mo sat beside him, staring longingly at him.

Noticing the cat ears on Hou Mo’s head had stopped wagging and even drooped down, Sui Houyu reached out and poked at them. Still no reaction.

“It’s normal for girls to be into Sang Xian, isn’t it? He’s the type that screams ‘good genes,’ tall and decently good-looking.” Sui Houyu said to Ran Shu.

On the other end, Ran Shu yelled: “He barely leaves the dorm! What’s he doing playing basketball?! Just attracting girls! He’s shameless!”

“Mm.” Sui Houyu noticed Hou Mo growing impatient and hurriedly replied to Ran Shu, “I think you should just have long phone calls with him to make sure he’s not chatting with other girls.”

“You’re right.” Ran Shu finally concluded, hanging up.

As soon as the call ended, Hou Mo leaned in and kissed him.

Sui Houyu wrapped his arms around Hou Mo’s neck, falling back onto the sofa.

A sharp pain pricked his collarbone. His big dog was nibbling again.

Looking down, Sui Houyu could see the cat ears wagging happily like little fans, even creating a breeze.

Finally, he realized something wasn’t quite right about those ears…

*

Hou Mo noticed that Sui Houyu seemed unusually eager to experiment with strange positions today.

Each time they tried one for a bit, Sui Houyu would glance at Hou Mo’s head before switching to another.

In the end, Sui Houyu collapsed in exhaustion, lying limply in Hou Mo’s arms: “Why do you like every position?”

Hou Mo chuckled. “I’m happy as long as I’m with you.”

Sui Houyu lay sprawled in his embrace, covered by a blanket, his smooth shoulders exposed. He suddenly curved his eyes into a sly smile: “You really are like a puppy…”

Then, tugging on the leash, he pulled Hou Mo’s head down and kissed him.