85 THE CRAZY-HAIRED VIGILANTE

"What is this?" Ben stared at the dishes on their table with reproach.

"Dinner," Xiao Maiguo said.

"You've never cared for food when we were together before. Why now?"

"Just eat."

Ben covered Xiao Maiguo's hands with his. "I don't want to eat, I want to talk." Never had food ever made him want to lose his cool before now.

Xiao Maiguo sighed and pulled his hand away. "Look Ben, I'm not a good person. I'm a selfish person who only cares about his own desires and needs. But for what may be the first time, I feel guilty about leading you on."

Ben snorted. "Guilt. Honestly, that's a lot more emotion than I expected from you."

Xiao Maiguo sighed. "Are you going to listen to me or not?"

"I'm not." Ben said, shaking his head adamantly. "If you want to talk to me, I don't want to do it over food. I want to do it in our room." They had a room. A particular hotel room where they always met to hook up before.

"Ben—"