SG 22

The room wasn’t very dark. There was a small night light plugged into the wall outlet at the foot of Yan Anqing’s bed. It gave off a soft yellow glow.

Yan Anqing hadn’t fallen asleep either. His ears picked up every sound around him.

The air conditioner made a small white noise as it blew air. Cicadas chirped from the trees outside the window. Frogs croaked from the artificial pond in the residential area in the distance. And there was the sound of clothes rubbing against the leather couch every time Chu Baiyan turned over.

Even though Chu Baiyan didn’t make any extra noise, the presence of another person in the room created small sounds that constantly drew Yan Anqing’s attention.

In his mind, he wasn’t unfamiliar with Chu Baiyan’s presence in his life. He didn’t know when it started, but Yan Anqing had already gotten used to talking to his merman in his head about daily life.

The only difference was that the merman had become real. Like now, Chu Baiyan was lying on the couch outside, separated from him by a row of wardrobes.

Yan Anqing silently counted how many times Chu Baiyan turned over, and his consciousness slowly blurred.

When he woke up again, the room was already bright. His biological clock was precise. He never needed an alarm. He woke up every day at seven in the morning.

He quietly got out of bed, walked around the wardrobe, and saw that Chu Baiyan was still asleep on the couch. Only then did Yan Anqing relax. This wasn’t a dream. His merman was really in his home.

Chu Baiyan’s breathing was calm as he lay on the couch, showing no sign of waking. The air conditioner blanket was loosely draped over his stomach.

Yan Anqing unconsciously walked over, crouched down, and leaned close to that sleeping face.

Chu Baiyan’s face was undeniably handsome. Even this close, there wasn’t a single flaw in his features. His eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth all fit together perfectly, every part exactly his type.

He openly studied every detail with his eyes, refining the image of Chu Baiyan in his mind even more clearly.

As he did, small warm puffs of breath brushed across his face. In his sleep, Chu Baiyan’s eyelashes trembled twice. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy.

Afraid of waking the man on the couch, Yan Anqing lifted his nose that was almost touching Chu Baiyan’s face and quietly stood up to wash up in the bathroom.

He put the soaked white mushrooms into the rice cooker and added a few red dates. He placed the washed eggs into the egg steamer and heated the flower rolls in the electric steamer. Then he quietly opened the door and went downstairs to fire the kiln.

He picked his favorite newly fired cup and set it aside. Then he organized the rest of the ceramics by category. Yan Anqing felt especially good today. When he finished his tasks and checked the time, breakfast was almost ready.

The door lock clicked softly as it turned. When Yan Anqing came back, Chu Baiyan was still asleep. He washed the new cup and placed it on the dining table, then couldn’t help but walk to the couch and crouch down again.

The eyelashes in front of him fluttered twice, thick like a fan. One eyelash fell, ruining the symmetry of the view. Yan Anqing instinctively reached out, and just as his fingertip touched the lower eyelid, a large hand pressed down over his.

“You lost an eyelash. I was trying to take it off.” At that moment, Yan Anqing’s whole palm was covering Chu Baiyan’s eye. He wanted to explain that he hadn’t meant to wake him.

“It tickles.” Chu Baiyan wasn’t fully awake. He had trouble falling asleep in unfamiliar places, so he only slept late at night. Feeling breaths brush his face and a touch under his eyelid, he reacted automatically, reaching out to stop the movement.

The eye beneath his palm blinked. The eyeball moved under the lid, and the lashes brushed against his palm, making Yan Anqing feel itchy too. His hand was still being held, and he shifted, trying to pull it back.

“Good… morning.”

The familiar voice reached his ears, and Chu Baiyan realized he’d slept on Yan Anqing’s couch last night. He pulled the hand away from his eyelid and saw Yan Anqing’s face right in front of him.

“Morning. What time is it?” Chu Baiyan’s voice was slightly hoarse from sleep, his Adam’s apple moving once.

“8:30. You can sleep a bit longer.” Yan Anqing’s hand brushed his brows as it moved to his forehead.

Chu Baiyan felt the warmth on his forehead, released his grip, and sat up.

“You’ve already finished firing the kiln, right?” He rubbed his face and asked.

“Yes.” Yan Anqing stood up. After crouching too long, his legs were numb.

“Breakfast’s ready. The new cup’s for water.” Yan Anqing bent his knees, pressed his leg a bit, stomped twice on the spot, and turned toward the kitchen.

Watching his back as he moved around in the kitchen, Chu Baiyan still found it hard to believe that he’d really spent the night at Yan Anqing’s place. Just like how Yan Anqing trusted him completely, he too had let Yan Anqing step into his life without resistance.

He hoped Yan Anqing could stay happy and never show that look of disappointment again.

After washing his face and fixing his damp hair in the mirror, Chu Baiyan came out to find a plate of steaming flower rolls already set on the table.

“I’ll carry it.”

When Chu Baiyan came in, Yan Anqing was serving the white fungus soup. Their gazes met as he looked up.

They were standing close. The other man’s face still had a few drops of water that hadn’t been wiped off. He smelled of the cool, clean scent of face wash. It wasn’t a scent that belonged to him, but Yan Anqing didn’t dislike it.

He took the sugar jar and sprinkled some crushed rock sugar into the soup, but there was only enough for one bowl.

The sugar bag was on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet. He opened the cabinet and stood on his toes to reach, and when he stretched his arm, a strip of his narrow waist showed under his T-shirt.

“I’ll get it.” Chu Baiyan leaned forward and reached for the large bag of sugar.

Yan Anqing was surrounded by his breath. His left shoulder felt support of Chu Baiyan’s hand. He’d never liked being touched, but from yesterday to today, they had already touched each other so many times.

“Got it.” Chu Baiyan pulled down the bag and filled the sugar jar for him. Then he watched as Yan Anqing scooped two spoonfuls into another bowl.

The red date and white mushroom soup was soft and thick. The sweetness was just right, sweet but not cloying. Paired with the spicy-sweet pickled cabbage, breakfast left them both comfortable and satisfied.

Life didn’t seem to change much. After all, eating together, watching Yan Anqing make pottery, and helping him at the shop had already become a normal routine.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll stop by and buy the ingredients on my way back tonight.” After breakfast, Chu Baiyan asked. It didn’t make sense to let Yan Anqing provide lodging and still take care of his meals.

“Sweet and sour pork.” Yan Anqing didn’t hesitate, saying what he wanted even though he didn’t know how to cook it.

That was something Chu Baiyan actually didn’t know how to make. He rarely ate sweet dishes, so he’d never learned. But since the words were already out, saying no now would be too embarrassing.

During breaks between performances that day, Chu Baiyan kept searching on his phone for different recipes for sweet and sour pork. After studying several versions, he decided to try the one with the best reviews.

The repair technician was quite responsible. He created a group chat that included Chu Baiyan, the landlord, and the on-site workers. The group shared photos of the construction progress every day.

When Chu Baiyan checked, he saw that by late morning, the bathroom had already been torn apart beyond recognition.