SG 44

The autumn night breeze had taken on a touch of coolness. Chu Baiyan walked along the sidewalk outside the residential complex, rustling the fallen leaves. The streetlights flickered in the swaying shadows of the trees, and the cicadas chirped feebly. 

It was past nine in the evening, nearing inventory time, and the store was empty. Yan Anqing, holding a cup of fruit tea, watched SpongeBob SquarePants with headphones on. The rising mist from the hot water hit his face, condensing into fine droplets. 

Bottled water was a bit chilly in the cold weather, so Chu Baiyan bought a large bag of small fruit tea bags. He opened a small bag and placed the tea bags, which contained various dried fruits, in a cup. Then, he poured in hot water, and the rich aroma of fruit immediately hit him. 

Stirring it with a spoon, he lowered his head and took a sip. The sweetness, with a hint of sourness, slid into his stomach, and his whole body was enveloped by the sweet warmth. 

When Chu Baiyan pushed open the glass door of Starfish Pottery and entered, Yan Anqing was drinking from the cup, his face damp with the mist. 

“Is it delicious? I’ll buy some more.” 

Yan Anqing took off his headphones, opened the memo, and summarized seriously: “Lemon kumquat passion fruit, pineapple passion lemon, snow pear kumquat, pineapple osmanthus lemon, these flavors are delicious. Refreshing plum lemon, black plum hawthorn mulberry, pineapple prune kumquat, I don’t like these, don’t buy them next time.” 

“Take a screenshot and send it to me. There are too many names to remember.” Chu Baiyan didn’t even know what was in the mixed flavors he bought last time. 

“Try it.” Yan Anqing handed him the cup in his hand. 

Chu Baiyan took a sip. The taste was not bad. It had the original taste of the fruit and was not particularly sweet. After drinking, he looked at the cup. It was not at Yan Anqing’s level at all. 

“Where did you get this cup? It doesn’t look like your craftsmanship.” 

“You made it.” 

“I made it?” Chu Baiyan had no impression at all. 

“I was teaching you pottery the other day when it rained. You made a mug in bisque form. After it dried and glazed, I fired it.” 

Chu Baiyan recalled the time they worked together. His attention that day was so focused on Yan Anqing that he’d completely forgotten he’d made a mug. 

It was an ugly mug, and he’d assumed Yan Anqing had already disposed of it. To his surprise, not only was his mug fired, but Yan Anqing actually used it. If I hadn’t handed him the mug to taste today, he wouldn’t have noticed. 

The mug in his hand was crude, but a pair of chibi-style SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star painted on the outside instantly added to the charm, making the whole thing look both ugly and cute. 

After closing the shop that night and going upstairs, Yan Anqing saw the suitcase still where it was and asked, a little worriedly, “Lu Ran’s moved out. Are you moving back?” 

“Do you want me to?” Chu Baiyan knew Yan Anqing definitely didn’t want him to move out, but he deliberately asked, wanting to hear him say it himself. 

“No, I want to stay here forever.” Yan Anqing walked over and hugged Chu Baiyan, resting his head on his shoulder. 

“If baby doesn’t want to, I won’t leave.” Chu Baiyan hugged him tighter, lowering his head to bury his nose in Yan Anqing’s hair and taking a deep breath. Yan Anqing’s tone was like a spoiled child, and Chu Baiyan always liked when he expressed his thoughts directly. 

“I’ve signed a one-year lease on this place, so I can’t move out for now. But we can live in both places. You can bring a few clothes and leave them at my place. On Sunday nights after the shop closes, we can stay there. You can also come anytime you want.” 

The landlord had given them him very good deal on the long-term lease. The bathroom needed repairs, and the landlord not only took care of it quickly but also offered to waive a week’s rent. They’d always worked together happily, so it would be unkind to suddenly move out now. 

Besides, Yan Anqing’s shop faced the street, with cars passing by frequently at night. Chu Baiyan’s house was much quieter in the neighborhood, making it more suitable for sleeping. It was also close, so if Yan Anqing liked, he could stay at his place after closing the shop at night. 

Chu Baiyan’s suggestion made Yan Anqing’s eyes light up, and he looked up and kissed him on the lips to show his approval. Before he could pull away, he was pressed on the back of his head and the kiss deepened. 

A hot and wet tongue pushed open the gap between Yan Anqing’s teeth and hooked the tip of his tongue. He was quickly grabbed by the hand and pressed against the sofa. The sound of rapid breathing and heavy gasps mixed together. Yan Anqing was weak to his touch. Although he had practiced more and made some progress, he could not escape the fate of being the first to give up. 

His hands only made things worse. He even had to use his legs several times. The roots of his thighs were rubbed red and a little painful. 

While taking a shower, Yan Anqing touched the red mark on Chu Baiyan’s shoulder with his fingers and said to himself: “It was a fish bite.” 

“It was a fish as big as you.”

“But you bit me too.” Yan Anqing was not convinced. He obviously had more marks on his body. 

“Does it hurt? Let me blow on you.” Chu Baiyan laughed softly. 

“It’s better not to…” Before, when Chu Baiyan asked this, Yan Anqing would always say yes, but the result was that when he blew on it, something would go wrong and more marks would appear. He has learned his lesson now and will not be fooled again. 

“Good night, baby.” After taking a shower and lying on the bed, Chu Baiyan turned over and kissed Yan Anqing on the forehead. 

The two were full of fanatical interest in exploring each other’s bodies, extremely eager for each other’s touch, and eager for more intimate contact. When they were together, a kiss, a hug, or even a look from Yan Anqing would make Chu Baiyan’s blood boil and he couldn’t help but do something. 

But from the time Yan Anqing agreed to it until now, the two have done all kinds of intimate things, but they have never taken the last step. In the final analysis, Chu Baiyan was reluctant to do it, afraid that he would feel hurt, afraid that he could not bear it.

He cherished the baby in his heart, and he could not bear to see him suffer any grievances. Several times, they came to the last moment, but in the end they chose other ways to solve it. Yan Anqing, this little heartless guy, was satisfied and didn’t care what method was used. Chu Baiyan looked sideways at the sleeping man and gave him another light kiss on the lips. 

The weather gets cooler with each autumn rain. After two consecutive rains, the temperature dropped after the autumn heat was driven away. It was not so hot at noon anymore. It was the most comfortable season of the year. More importantly, there were not so many customers now, and Yan Anqing was back in his comfort zone. 

The “Welcome” sounded at the door, and two persons pushed the door open and came in. 

“Will I get a ticket for parking my car outside?” Meng Fan looked around the store and turned to ask, “Fei Fei, is this the store?” 

“It’s this one, I can’t be wrong.” Xia Zhifei took a look at the screenshot and compared it with the store name and the interior furnishings. 

“I don’t get what’s so special about this place. You insisted on coming here. I searched online. They ship free nationwide. There’s nothing special.”Meng Fan complained while clicking on the list sent to him. 

“Chasing a girl isn’t that easy. If it were that simple, you’d be out of luck already. She gave you a chance, you volunteered to help buy ceramics for her whole dorm, and now you’re complaining?” Xia Zhifei thought, with Meng Fan’s awareness, it would be strange if he could catch up with her. 

“Well, I asked her out for dinner, but she didn’t agree.” Meng Fan felt bitter, because she didn’t agree to any of the movies, dinner, and outings. 

“If you perform well this time and complete the task successfully, maybe she will agree to it next time.” Xia Zhifei picked up the ceramic fruit on the wooden shelf and took a look. 

“You are so kind to come with me. After we finish shopping, I will treat you to a big meal.” Xia Zhifei was the only one Meng Fan could share his personal emotional experience with. He had no experience in chasing a girl for the first time, so he could only drag Xia Zhifei here.