ACBAM 43: Feeling

After splashing his face with cold water, Su Shijin felt a little calmer. At least his face wouldn’t be flushed so noticeably.

Just then, Gu Weiyang called out for him to bring the dishes. Su Shijin responded, and seeing Gu Weiyang’s natural expression, as if he hadn’t taken what happened earlier to heart, Su Shijin quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

After dinner, Su Shijin set about tidying up the luggage he hadn’t had time to unpack last night.

Aside from the newly prepared study, Gu Weiyang had also reorganized the walk-in closet connected to the master bedroom.

The closet was spacious, and in addition to Gu Weiyang’s everyday casual wear, there was a neat row of tailored suits hanging inside, ready for him to wear to various occasions.

Now, all those clothes had been arranged by Gu Weiyang along one wall, with the expensive brand-name watches placed on the lowest shelf, their glass cabinet doors keeping out the dust. The other wall had been completely cleared—who it was for was obvious.

Su Shijin really wanted to say he didn’t need such a large wardrobe. After all, even though he had packed a whole suitcase of clothes, they were only what he needed for this season.

Then he thought about it. He might end up living here for a year, and the clothes he would bring later would probably increase over time so he accepted Gu Weiyang’s goodwill.

Aside from the clearly different styles of clothing on either side, there was now an extra door in the walk-in closet.

The last time Su Shijin had stayed in this bedroom, he hadn’t used the walk-in closet, but he had glanced inside by chance and was certain this door hadn’t been there before.

Besides the door, a corner of the walk-in closet had been sectioned off with a folding screen, creating a small, private space. When Su Shijin went over to take a look, he found a round chair inside.

Before he could figure out what it was for, the extra door was suddenly opened from the outside, startling him.

Holding a bowl of freshly washed strawberries, Gu Weiyang noticed the way he instantly tensed up and realized what had happened. “Did I scare you?”

Seeing it was him, Su Shijin relaxed a little and shook his head. “I just didn’t expect you to come in from here.”

Gu Weiyang chuckled, pointing at the door. “Had the wall knocked through and this door rush-installed today. This way, when I need to get into the closet, I won’t have to knock on your bedroom door anymore.”

Previously, the walk-in closet had only been connected to the master bedroom, so anyone wanting to enter or exit it had to go through the master bedroom first.

Now that the master bedroom was Su Shijin’s room, Gu Weiyang naturally couldn’t come and go as freely as before, and he was also worried that fetching clothes might disturb the other’s rest. So he simply had someone knock down the wall and install a door.

This door opened directly into the hallway, with the guest bedroom where Gu Weiyang slept right next to it. It was very convenient for him.

“And this partitioned area is for changing clothes,” Gu Weiyang explained, pointing to the little changing space sectioned off by the folding screen in the corner. “With this, we don’t have to worry about one of us walking in while the other is changing in the closet.”

Su Shijin was momentarily speechless. He clearly hadn’t expected Mr. Gu to think things through in such detail.

“If you think there’s anything else that needs changing, just tell me. The closet was originally designed to suit my habits, so if it’s inconvenient for you, we can take out this wall of cabinets and reinstall it,” Gu Weiyang said, pointing at the still-empty wardrobe wall. “We’re going to be living here together for a long time, so if anything feels uncomfortable, you have to speak up. Don’t be afraid of troubling me, and don’t feel like you have to accommodate me.”

Su Shijin’s lips moved slightly. He really wanted to ask, just who exactly was accommodating whom here?

It was obvious that Mr. Gu had been the one accommodating him all along.

He had even gone so far as to knock down a wall and add another door, just so he wouldn’t enter Su Shijin’s bedroom without permission or disturb his rest.

Su Shijin felt there couldn’t possibly be anyone in the world who would be more considerate toward him than Mr. Gu.

“This is fine,” Su Shijin said, worried that anything else he said might make Mr. Gu overthink. He made his stance clear. “No more changes are needed, I’m very satisfied.”

It was clearly Su Shijin who had said he was “satisfied,” yet Gu Weiyang’s expression made it seem as though Su Shijin’s satisfaction was his own, his happiness plain to see.

Gu Weiyang placed the strawberries into Su Shijin’s hands with a smile. “Alright then. Since we’ve got time now, how about I help you unpack?”

It sounded like a question, but the moment he pushed the bowl of strawberries into Su Shijin’s hands, rolled up his sleeves, and dragged the box of clothes from outside into the room, it was obvious he had already decided on the answer.

Fortunately, Su Shijin had packed all his undergarments separately in a small storage box, and Gu Weiyang was considerate enough not to open his things without permission, so there was no awkwardness while sorting the clothes.

After they finished, Gu Weiyang broke down the cardboard boxes, stacked them neatly in the hallway, and pressed them down twice with his foot. “Let’s leave the study for tomorrow. There’s a lot of dust on the shelves, it’s better to wait until the cleaners come.”

“Alright,” Su Shijin replied. Watching Gu Weiyang work up a sweat while helping him unpack, his T-shirt sleeves pushed all the way up to his shoulders so they looked like a sleeveless top, Su Shijin felt a faint stir in his heart.

Su Shijin had always been slow when it came to matters of the heart. Or rather, because he didn’t pay much attention to the positive or negative emotions others directed toward him, he usually needed someone to make their liking or dislike for him very clear before he could notice the feelings he’d overlooked.

Today seemed to be an exception.

Or rather, Gu Weiyang seemed to be an exception.

From the day they met on a blind date until now, Su Shijin hadn’t known Gu Weiyang for very long, and the time they had spent together was far less than the time he spent with his colleagues at the animal hospital.

It might even be less than the time he spent with the cats and dogs in the inpatient ward.

Yet to his surprise, Su Shijin found that he seemed to have vaguely sensed something.

And if he followed that faint feeling backward, it was as if he could trace a reason for all the kindness Gu Weiyang had shown him.

At first, Su Shijin had thought Mr. Gu treated everyone this way, but judging from the “Gu Weiyang” described in news reports and by people like Jian Lexin, it was clear that Mr. Gu had never been this gentle or considerate toward others. Otherwise, his reputation wouldn’t be so notoriously ruthless.

So… was Mr. Gu only like this with him?

Frowning slightly, Su Shijin began to think back—had Mr. Gu been this way from the very first time they met, or had his attitude toward him changed during the course of their interactions?

After thinking it over carefully, Su Shijin was surprised to realize that Mr. Gu had been unusually patient with him from their very first blind date.

After clearing all the boxes from the closet out into the hallway and just as he was about to tell Su Shijin to get some rest, Gu Weiyang suddenly met Su Shijin’s gaze. His brows slightly furrowed, eyes fixed on him.

Gu Weiyang’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you not like the closet? Or do you feel uncomfortable sharing it with me?”

Afraid that Su Shijin might still find living with him inconvenient and wanting to move back, Gu Weiyang hurriedly said, “How about this, give me some time and I’ll install a big wardrobe in the guest bedroom. I’ll move my clothes out of the closet and block up this door again. That way…”

Before he could finish, Su Shijin interrupted with a faint smile. “No, I like it very much. I just think you seem a little strange.”

Hearing that he liked it, Gu Weiyang let out a breath of relief. At least it didn’t mean he wanted to move back.

But when he heard that he seemed strange, Gu Weiyang was puzzled again. Instinctively glancing down at his own clothes, he asked, “Strange, how?”

Su Shijin thought for a moment before saying, “Your attitude toward me is a bit strange—you seem a little too cautious.”

The breath Gu Weiyang had just let out instantly caught in his chest again.

Great, he had overdone it. Could it be that Su Shijin had noticed something?

His hand, hanging at his side, curled slightly in nervousness. He really didn’t want his feelings for Su Shijin to be exposed at a time like this because this was definitely not a good moment.

Fortunately, what Gu Weiyang feared didn’t happen. Su Shijin simply gave a faint smile and said in a light, casual tone, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think I was some impossible-to-please client, with you putting so much thought into just a walk-in closet.”

The tight knot in Gu Weiyang’s chest finally loosened, and he turned his head slightly, letting out a slow breath before smiling at the omega before him. “Of course not. I just hope that, as my legal other half, you can live more comfortably while we’re sharing a home.”

Su Shijin nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m very satisfied with all your arrangements.”

Gu Weiyang gave a quiet “mm,” then after a moment’s thought, added, “Could you maybe not be so formal with me?”

Su Shijin looked at him in puzzlement.

Scratching his chin a little awkwardly, Gu Weiyang explained, “You keep using that polite ‘you’ with me—it makes me feel like I’m seventy or eighty years old, or like I’m your elder.”

Su Shijin nodded in understanding. “Got it. Then, I’m very satisfied with your arrangements. How’s that?”

Gu Weiyang brightened. “Perfect, just like that.”

With a faint smile, Su Shijin said, “I’ll head back to my room to rest then. You should get some rest early too.”

Gu Weiyang nodded, and just as the other was about to close the door, he quickly said, “Good night.”

Su Shijin’s motion to close the door paused. “Good night.”

Once all the light and sound were shut out by the door, the smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by a faint trace of puzzlement.

From Gu Weiyang’s reaction just now, Su Shijin had more or less confirmed that his vague suspicion was correct—Gu Weiyang might like him.

Su Shijin couldn’t figure out why.

Su Shijin was indeed slow to pick up on others’ feelings, but once he became aware of them, he could quickly respond and reflect on the moments in their past interactions that might have sparked the other’s interest.

Yet after thinking it over for a long time, he still felt that from the blind date up until now, there was nothing about him that should have made Gu Weiyang fall for him.

Nor did he believe that in just these few short days of contact, he could have made the other like him.

After turning it over in his mind again and again without finding an answer, Su Shijin could only set the matter aside for now.

At the very least, since Mr. Gu showed no intention of making it clear, he would simply pretend to know nothing.

Su Shijin had no plans to break through that layer either. After all, it was all just his own speculation. Maybe Gu Weiyang was simply taking extra care of him because he was younger. That wasn’t impossible.

He certainly didn’t want to risk guessing wrong and end up being labeled as “full of himself.”

Still, even though he told himself that, during their later interactions, Su Shijin would still, almost unconsciously, observe Gu Weiyang’s every move toward him.

What Su Shijin didn’t realize was that the kindness which had originally flowed one-sidedly from Gu Weiyang toward him now, with his faint awareness of it, had found a channel through which it could be received.

Gu Weiyang had never deliberately tried to make his kindness obvious and every thoughtful gesture was hidden within the routines of daily life. If it had been the old Su Shijin, he might never have paid them any mind.

Now that he had begun to take notice, all those overlooked details were falling squarely into his sight.