Chapter 19

The next day, when Xu Heng woke up, it was already late. Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and scattered across the blanket. Chen Ang slept on his stomach, pressing down heavily on Xu Heng’s side. He was warm and heavy, and Xu Heng was almost numb under the weight. He tried moving a little, but Chen Ang didn’t wake. His face was buried in Xu Heng’s hair, his breath brushing against the strands. There really was always that faint scent of cologne on him, rising in the warmth under the blanket.

Xu Heng gave him a firm shove, making Chen Ang roll over onto his back. Then he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

Chen Ang raised his hand to rub his eyes. He was clearly not a morning person. His eyes stayed half-closed, and his face looked sour, full of irritation. Xu Heng had never seen him angry before and was stunned for a second. Hugging the blanket, he said quietly, “It’s almost ten.”

Chen Ang grabbed him and pulled him into his arms again, wrapping the blanket around them and returning to the same position. He obviously hadn’t fully woken up. His voice was hoarse when he mumbled, “Sleep a little more.”

Xu Heng struggled but couldn’t break free. Chen Ang yawned sleepily and gave a warning. “Move again and it’ll get hard.”

Xu Heng froze. A moment later, Chen Ang’s breathing became steady again. He had fallen back asleep. Xu Heng lay still, listening to the breath brushing past his ear. It seemed to match the beat of his own heartbeat, steady and calm. Before long, he fell asleep again too.

When he woke up for the second time, he was alone in bed. His chest tightened for a moment, but then he heard the sound of a TV coming faintly from the living room. He let out a breath, feeling silly for overreacting.

Xu Heng climbed out of bed, got dressed, and washed up. When he stepped out, he saw Chen Ang sitting on the sofa, wearing the sweatpants he had loaned him. That pair had long been too big on Xu Heng. The waistband was loose and couldn’t stay up, nearly retired as a rag. He had dug them out for Chen Ang anyway, and they actually worked. They hung low on his hips, exposing the edge of his underwear. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just a jacket thrown over his shoulders, wide open. His chest and abs were fully on display, everything toned in all the right places.

Xu Heng had to admit it. Chen Ang’s body was exceptional.

Chen Ang was staring at his phone, lost in thought. When he saw Xu Heng come out, he pointed at the table and said, “I didn’t know what you liked, so I just ordered a bunch of stuff. If you don’t like it, I can order something else.”

It was a full spread of Cantonese dim sum from a nearby place. Xu Heng happened to love it, especially shrimp dumplings. He sat down and popped one into his mouth. The shrimp was tender and sweet, refreshing and flavorful. He was more than satisfied, but he kept his tone restrained and said with a small nod, “Not bad. I’ll eat this.”

Chen Ang set his phone aside and joined him. They finished everything on the table.

Suddenly, Chen Ang asked, “You learning Japanese?”

Xu Heng answered, “A little.”

Chen Ang remembered all the cramped notes packed into Xu Heng’s book. That was definitely more than just a little.

“I can introduce you to a class.”

Xu Heng looked surprised. “What?”

Chen Ang looked a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and said, “My sister used to work at a TV station. One of their anchors quit and started her own Japanese class. It’s going pretty well.”

Xu Heng was tempted, but with his savings running low, he was worried it might be expensive. After a moment, he asked, “What’s the name? I’ll check it out.”

Chen Ang said, “I’ll ask for you. That guy gave my sister a bunch of discount coupons and vouchers. You can even try a trial class.”

Xu Heng thought about Chen Jing’s cold and distant expression, the kind that made her hard to approach, and immediately felt hesitant. Then he remembered the scene he’d witnessed not long ago, in that alley, where Chen Ang had a falling out with his former hookup. That guy didn’t even know Chen Ang’s name back then. So why was he being treated so differently now?

Something inside Xu Heng felt like a deflated balloon, slowly swelling with pressure.

He glanced at Chen Ang and said, “Thanks.”

That look from Xu Heng lifted Chen Ang’s mood instantly. He stood up, cleaned up the mess from breakfast, tossed it all into the trash, then returned to the sofa and stretched lazily.

Xu Heng asked, “You don’t have anything to do today?”

Chen Ang sprawled on the sofa and didn’t budge. “It’s the weekend. I’m free.”

Xu Heng said, “You’re not going home?”

Chen Ang looked over and replied, “Are you trying to kick me out?”

Xu Heng quickly shook his head. Then he hesitated and said, “I… I need to start a livestream later…”

Chen Ang suddenly understood and smiled in that mischievous way. “Ah, livestreaming.”

Xu Heng replied, “A proper one.”

Chen Ang said, “When did I say you weren’t proper? What’s wrong with wearing women’s clothes?”

Xu Heng shot back, “I’m wearing men’s clothes today.”

Chen Ang raised his hands. “Do your thing. I promise I won’t touch you.”

Xu Heng was half-convinced but decided to trust him anyway. It was just a casual weekend stream, nothing special. He planned to do a simple makeup look and chat with his fans, maybe interact a little.

After he started the livestream, Chen Ang really didn’t interfere. He stayed curled up on the sofa, legs crossed, playing with his phone. He only looked up at Xu Heng now and then, but didn’t do anything weird.

Xu Heng finally relaxed, shifted his focus away from Chen Ang, and went back to working on his makeup while glancing at the comment stream and responding to a few messages.

Suddenly, the slow trickle of comments exploded, and Xu Heng jumped in surprise.

Who’s that?

There’s a naked man in Xiao Heng’s house!

Wow, look at those abs!

I’m losing my mind right now!

Xu Heng leaned closer to the screen to check, then suddenly turned around and saw Chen Ang standing behind him. He had no idea when he got there. Because of the camera angle, his face wasn’t visible, but his upper body was in full view. When Xu Heng looked at him, Chen Ang backed away with an innocent expression, raising the cup in his hand and silently mouthing, “Getting water.”

Xu Heng quickly turned his eyes away, his face heating up. He completely forgot where he had left off with his makeup.

“No… no one, just… just a friend…” Xu Heng stammered as he answered the questions flooding the chat. “I’m not blushing, it’s blush, blush!”

By the time the stream ended, his palms were sweaty. He wrapped it up in a hurry.

Chen Ang had already gotten dressed properly. After spending the whole afternoon there, it was time for him to go home. Xu Heng didn’t try to stop him. He opened the door with a pout and said, “Bye.”

Standing outside, Chen Ang said, “I’ll ask for you when I get back.”

Xu Heng replied, “Okay.”

“Don’t be mad. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Xu Heng was just about to respond when Chen Ang leaned against the doorframe, lowered his head, and tilted his face slightly, looking like he was about to kiss him. Xu Heng froze, shut his eyes tight, and waited.

Nothing happened.

When he opened his eyes, Chen Ang was watching him with a teasing grin.

So embarrassing…

Xu Heng felt like his head was about to boil over like a kettle, steaming and hissing.

Just as he was about to slam the door, Chen Ang quickly dipped his head and brushed a kiss over his lips.

“Bye.”