Liu Zhaowen baru terbangun dengan kepala pening saat hari sudah lewat pukul satu siang. Matanya bahkan belum terbuka sepenuhnya, namun hidungnya sudah menangkap bau alkohol menyengat yang seolah terfermentasi di dalam perutnya sepanjang malam. Meski bau itu berasal dari tubuhnya sendiri, Liu Zhaowen tetap merasa jijik.
Setelah mengambil pakaian ganti dari lemari dan membersihkan diri, ia membuka pintu dan jendela untuk membiarkan udara segar masuk. Saat membawa pakaian kotor serta seprai dan sarung bantal ke balkon, ia melihat sepupunya, Liu Xiaoyan, sedang bersantai di sofa sambil bermain ponsel dan mengemil.
"Xiaoyan, kenapa sekolah mulai lebih awal tahun ini? Bukannya tahun lalu baru mulai pertengahan September?" tanya Liu Zhaowen santai.
"Iya, memang cepat sekali tahun ini. Aku jadi penasaran, apa libur musim dingin nanti juga akan maju," jawab Liu Xiaoyan. Ia meraih piring camilan di meja, namun tangannya kosong. Tiba-tiba teringat sesuatu, ia menatap Liu Zhaowen dan berkata, "Zhaowen, makan siang ada di panci. Bibi Kedua bilang panaskan saja sendiri kalau kamu lapar."
"Oke, nanti saja. Lagipula aku belum lapar." Melihat tangan Liu Xiaoyan yang kosong, Liu Zhaowen menambahkan, "Aku membawa pulang camilan marinasi semalam, ada di kulkas. Kamu ambil saja."
Mendengar kata "camilan marinasi", mata Liu Xiaoyan berbinar. Ia langsung menuju dapur, membuka kulkas, dan mengaduk-aduk isinya sampai menemukan wadah berlogo Restoran Cepat Saji Xu. Ia melirik kemasannya dan bergumam, "Kenapa beli di tempat cepat saji? Enak memang? Ada beberapa toko dekat sekolahku yang khusus menjual makanan marinasi, tapi tidak ada yang istimewa."
Efek alkohol belum sepenuhnya hilang, dan Liu Zhaowen tidak berselera menyantap makanan berat. Ia hanya ingin sesuatu yang asin dan pedas. Saat Liu Xiaoyan keluar membawa camilan itu, ia bertanya, "Rasanya apa?"
"Pedas, sepertinya. Aku lihat ada cabai di dalamnya." Ia meletakkan wadah itu di meja tamu, mengambil beberapa sarung tangan plastik dari rak TV, lalu memberikannya pada Liu Zhaowen. "Zhaowen, kamu baru saja mulai bekerja, kok sudah pulang mabuk berat? Tadi pagi saat aku lewat depan kamarmu, baunya... ampun deh. Hampir saja aku pingsan. Kamu masih terlalu muda untuk minum sebanyak itu. Hati-hati, nanti perutmu buncit!"
Mendengar sepupunya bilang rasanya pedas, dan melihat makanan favoritnya—ceker bebek marinasi—ada di paling atas, selera makan Liu Zhaowen tiba-tiba bangkit. Ia memakai sarung tangan plastik dan langsung mengambil ceker bebek. Sambil menggenggamnya, ia menoleh ke sepupunya yang bahkan belum sempat duduk, lalu memerintah tanpa basa-basi, "Masih ada susu di kulkas, kan? Ambilkan satu untukku."
"Kenapa tidak bilang dari tadi? Jadi aku harus bolak-balik lagi. Dasar," keluh Liu Xiaoyan, meski ia tetap patuh mengambilkan dua kotak susu. Akhirnya, ia bisa duduk, memakai sarung tangannya, dan mulai makan.
Target pertama Liu Xiaoyan adalah jamur-jamur kecil yang montok. Bentuknya bulat sempurna, tampak kenyal dan penuh sari. 'Ini sih namanya godaan. Mana bisa aku tahan? Mustahil!'
Jamur marinasi itu berukuran sekali suap. Ia mengambil satu dan memasukkannya ke mulut. Ia bahkan tidak perlu mengunyah. Dengan sedikit tekanan lidah, bumbu marinasi yang sedikit membeku karena dingin langsung lumer, menyebarkan rasa gurih yang kaya. Tanpa sadar, lidahnya mendorong jamur itu ke gigi belakang. Saat rahangnya mengatup, semburan kaldu dingin keluar dari dalam jamur, membuatnya merinding seketika...
Enak sekali!
'Sayang sekali teman sekamarku tidak bisa mencicipi ini... Tapi tidak apa-apa, aku foto saja lalu pamerkan! Hehe!'
Senyum licik tersungging di bibir Liu Xiaoyan saat ia mengeluarkan ponselnya. CEKREK, CEKREK, CEKREK. Cuaca cerah, pencahayaan sempurna, komposisi pas, dan camilan itu sangat fotogenik. Setiap jepretan tampak seperti karya profesional tanpa perlu diedit.
Saat kedua sepupu itu sedang asyik mengobrol dan makan, ponsel Liu Zhaowen yang tertinggal di kamar mulai berdering.
'Mampus aku!'
Mendengar nada dering itu, alarm bahaya berbunyi di kepala Liu Zhaowen. Ia menerima pesan dari bosnya tepat setelah meninggalkan kantor semalam. Ia berniat membalas setelah acara selesai, tapi setelah itu ia malah pergi minum lagi dengan Liu Tong dan baru pulang jam dua atau tiga pagi. Ia langsung ambruk begitu sampai di rumah dan baru bangun sekarang dengan kepala yang masih berdenyut...
Singkatnya, sejak acara dimulai, Liu Zhaowen benar-benar lupa membalas bosnya. Panggilan ini pasti bosnya yang sedang marah-marah.
Liu Zhaowen bergegas ke kamar. Saat tangannya meraih ponsel, deringnya berhenti. Layar menunjukkan: Panggilan Tak Terjawab (1). 'Karena sudah terlewat, lebih baik aku cek situasinya dulu,' pikirnya. Jarinya bergerak cepat. Pertama, ia memeriksa email QQ. Tidak ada pesan baru, ia menghela napas lega. Lalu, ia membuka obrolan dengan bosnya. Pesan Belum Dibaca: 43+...
'Banyak sekali... Apa ada yang mendesak?' Jantung Liu Zhaowen berdegup kencang. Ia segera membuka obrolan dan menggulir ke pesan pertama yang belum dibaca.
"Bagaimana perkembangan proyeknya?"
"Belum selesai? Proposal ini harus dikirim ke klien malam ini!"
"Kamu pergi makan malam?"
"..."
"Kamu tidak membalas selama dua belas jam penuh. Ada apa sebenarnya?!"
"Telepon aku begitu kamu melihat ini."
Setelah membaca empat puluh tiga pesan itu, dahi Liu Zhaowen menghitam, dan ia seolah bisa mendengar kawanan gagak berkaok-kaok di atas kepalanya. Serius, mantan pacarnya yang paling manja dan posesif saja tidak pernah mengirim pesan sebanyak ini. Kalau memang mendesak sih tidak masalah, tapi ini semua hanya omong kosong yang tidak penting!
Liu Zhaowen slept until a little past one in the afternoon before groggily waking up. His eyes weren’t even open yet when his nose caught the foul stench of alcohol that had been fermenting in his stomach all night. Even though the smell was coming from him, it didn’t stop Liu Zhaowen from being disgusted with himself.
After grabbing a change of clothes from the closet and washing up, he opened the doors and windows to air out the room. As he carried his dirty clothes and the stripped-off duvet cover and pillowcases to the balcony, he saw his cousin, Liu Xiaoyan, lounging on the sofa, playing on her phone and eating snacks.
"Xiaoyan, how come school is starting so early this year? I thought last year it didn’t start until mid-September," Liu Zhaowen asked casually.
"Yeah, it’s starting super early this year. I wonder if winter break will start early too." Liu Xiaoyan reached for the snack dish on the table, but her hand came up empty. Then, as if remembering something, she looked up at Liu Zhaowen and said, "Hey, Zhaowen, lunch is in the pot. Second Aunt said to just heat it up yourself when you get hungry."
"Okay, I’ll leave it for now. I’m not that hungry anyway." Seeing Liu Xiaoyan’s hand come up empty, Liu Zhaowen added casually, "I brought back some marinated snacks last night and put them in the fridge. You can have some."
Hearing the words "marinated snacks," Liu Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up. She walked straight to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and rummaged inside until she found a container with the Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant logo on it. She glanced at the packaging and couldn’t help but mutter, "Why’d you buy it from a fast-food place? Is it any good? There are a few shops near my school that specialize in marinated foods, and none of them are that great."
The effects of the alcohol hadn’t completely worn off, and Liu Zhaowen didn’t have much of an appetite for a full meal. He was just craving something salty and spicy. Just then, Liu Xiaoyan came out with the marinated snacks, so he asked, "What flavor are they?"
"Spicy, I think. I saw chili peppers in it." She casually placed the container on the coffee table, pulled a few disposable gloves out of the TV stand, and handed one to Liu Zhaowen. "Zhaowen, you just started working, and you’re already coming home dead drunk at night? When I walked past your room this morning, that smell... it was something else. It almost killed me. You’re too young to be drinking so much. Watch out, or you’ll get a beer belly!"
Hearing his cousin say they were spicy, and seeing that his absolute favorite—marinated duck feet—were right on top, Liu Zhaowen’s appetite suddenly returned with a vengeance. He took the disposable glove, put it on, and reached straight for a duck foot. Grasping it in his hand, he turned to his cousin, who hadn’t even sat down yet, and ordered without a hint of politeness, "There’s still milk in the fridge, right? Grab one for me."
"You couldn’t have said so earlier? Now I have to make another trip. Honestly." Although Liu Xiaoyan complained, she obediently went and brought back two cartons of milk. Finally, she could sit down, put on her gloves, and start eating.
Liu Xiaoyan’s first target was the plump little mushrooms. Not only were they perfectly round and chubby, but they also looked incredibly full and juicy. ’Isn’t this just tempting me to sin? Can I resist? Absolutely not.’
The marinated mushrooms were all bite-sized. She picked one up with her fingers and popped it into her mouth. She didn’t even need to chew. With a gentle press of her tongue, the marinade, which had slightly congealed from the cold, instantly melted, and its unique, rich flavor exploded in her mouth. Almost subconsciously, her tongue pushed the mushroom to her back teeth. As her jaws clamped down, a cool burst of broth squirted out from inside the mushroom, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine...
Delicious!
’It’s such a shame my roommates can’t taste something this delicious... But that’s okay, I can just take pictures and show them! Hehe!’
A wicked smile spread across Liu Xiaoyan’s lips as she pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures of the food. SNAP, SNAP, SNAP. The weather was great, the lighting was perfect, the composition was flawless, and the marinated snacks were incredibly photogenic. Every casual shot looked like a professional masterpiece, no editing required.
Just as the two cousins were chatting and laughing while eating the marinated snacks, Liu Zhaowen’s phone, which he had left in his bedroom, started to ring.
’I’m screwed!’
Hearing that ringtone, alarm bells went off in Liu Zhaowen’s head. He had received a message from his boss right after leaving the office last night. He’d planned to reply after the event, but once it was over, he went out for a second round with Liu Tong and didn’t get back until two or three in the morning. He’d crashed the moment he got home and had only just woken up, his head still fuzzy and aching...
In short, ever since the event started, Liu Zhaowen had completely forgotten about replying to his boss. So this phone call now was definitely his boss calling to chew him out.
Liu Zhaowen hurried back to his bedroom. Just as his hand grasped the phone, the ringing stopped. The screen showed: Missed Call (1). ’Since I missed it, I might as well check the situation first,’ he thought. His fingers flew across the screen. First, he checked his QQ email. Seeing no unread messages, he let out a sigh of relief. Then, he opened the chat with his boss. Unread Messages: 43+...
’So many messages... Is it something urgent?’ Liu Zhaowen’s heart tightened. He quickly opened the chat and scrolled up to the first unread message.
"How’s the project coming along?"
"Not done yet? This proposal has to be sent to the client tonight!"
"Did you go to dinner?"
"..."
"You haven’t replied for a full twelve hours. What is going on?!"
"Call me the second you see this."
After reading all forty-three messages, Liu Zhaowen felt his forehead darken, and he could almost hear a flock of crows cawing overhead. Seriously, even his clingiest, most high-maintenance ex-girlfriend had never spammed him with so many messages. It would be one thing if it were something urgent, but this was all just a bunch of damn nonsense!
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