SG 5

“Chu Baiyan.” Yan Anqing repeated the name in his heart. His smile made his eyes curve into two crescent shapes. He liked that name.

In Yan Anqing’s mind, everything was divided only into “like” and “dislike.” There was no middle state, only black or white, good or bad. Anything he liked made him feel happy.

“My name is Yan Anqing.” Worried that the other might not know which characters made up his name, Yan Anqing picked up a pen from the table, grabbed Chu Baiyan’s free hand, and wrote the three characters “顏安青” in his palm.

The metal tip of the pen rubbed against his skin, creating an itchy sensation. Yan Anqing’s handwriting was orderly and careful, like a student answering an exam seriously, each stroke clear and precise. Chu Baiyan watched the pen tip move across his palm and felt a strange sense of closeness.

He wasn’t someone who got familiar easily. He kept a steady distance from everyone, not too far but never too close, and he tended to be a bit solitary. He didn’t make people feel uncomfortable, but he never got close to anyone either. Yet Yan Anqing had that strange pull, something in his voice and movements that felt natural and gentle. It wasn’t forced but made Chu Baiyan feel as if they had already known each other for a long time. That feeling was something he hadn’t experienced in years.

“A gift for you.” After finishing writing his name, Yan Anqing suddenly said it out of nowhere.

“Hm?” Chu Baiyan was still staring at the name in his palm and didn’t understand what he meant.

“This.” Standing side by side, Yan Anqing put the pen back on the table and pointed his finger at the abs of the “male mermaid” on the plate.

“You’re giving me the plate?” Chu Baiyan thought he misheard it. Several bloggers online had mentioned that no matter how high a price they offered, the shop owner never sold it. And this was their first proper meeting.

“You said you liked it just now.” That plate had been made for the “male mermaid” from the start. Every time Yan Anqing went to the aquarium, he had told Chu Baiyan in his heart how much progress he’d made. It was just that Chu Baiyan never came to see him.

The air conditioner blew a small tuft of hair up from Yan Anqing’s head, and Chu Baiyan suddenly wanted to smooth it down.

“You’ll give it to me just because I said I like it? So many people said they liked that plate before. Why didn’t you give it to them?” Chu Baiyan laughed, defeated by his logic.

“I like you. I don’t like them.” Yan Anqing answered without hesitation.

He liked Chu Baiyan the same way he liked making pottery, liked starfish, liked pearl meatballs, and liked SpongeBob SquarePants. If Chu Baiyan didn’t like that plate, then from his own way of thinking, there’d be no need to give it to him. Because he knew how unpleasant it felt to accept something he didn’t like, just like how every night watching the shop was the hardest time of day.

But since Chu Baiyan liked it, then what could be wrong with giving something that Chu Baiyan liked to the Chu Baiyan he liked? If he didn’t give what he liked to the person he liked, was he supposed to give it to someone he didn’t like? In Yan Anqing’s mind, that was a perfect loop, something that made complete sense.

Chu Baiyan opened his mouth but couldn’t find a single word to say. Through this entire evening’s conversation, he could feel that Yan Anqing was probably a bit different from other people. Since working as a teaching assistant at the swimming center during college, Chu Baiyan had met a few kids who were different in their own ways.

But how could someone say something so direct with such sincerity? Even though he knew that “I like you” might not mean romantic affection, he still couldn’t bring himself to reject it.

“You’ll give it to me? Didn’t your shop run out of stock?”

“I can make another one.” Yan Anqing was the type to act quickly. As he spoke, he already took out his phone and wrote a note in his pottery plan for tomorrow.

“How long will it take to make one?” Seeing how serious he looked, Chu Baiyan knew this offer wasn’t just polite talk.

“Six days.” Then Yan Anqing remembered he still needed to restock another plate tomorrow, so he changed it. “Eight days.”

“Can I take the new one instead? That way the original can still stay on display while you make it.”

Chu Baiyan put the plate back in its place. He really did like it, and he couldn’t refuse Yan Anqing, who wanted so sincerely to give it to him. He decided to take the roundabout way, planning to pick out a gift for him before the new plate was finished. He couldn’t just accept something that valuable for free.

Yan Anqing nodded happily. “You can come and watch me make it.” He pointed at the workspace behind the glass wall. “I’m there in the morning and afternoon. If you come ashore, come find me.”

“Alright.” They stood very close. Yan Anqing’s forehead reached just below Chu Baiyan’s lips, and as he moved, the ends of his hair brushed against Chu Baiyan’s cheek, carrying a citrus scent.

“Pinky promise.” Still not fully reassured, Yan Anqing hooked his pinky around Chu Baiyan’s and shook it.

He looked at the electronic clock on the wall. It was time to check the shelves.

“I’m closing now. I’ll pack your cups.” Yan Anqing followed his schedule strictly. Even though he was happy that Chu Baiyan had come, he couldn’t break his rule about closing time. He turned, took two cup boxes from the cabinet, packed the cups with practiced movements, and placed them into matching paper bags.

Chu Baiyan had been wondering how to end their talk, but before he could say anything, Yan Anqing had already entered closing mode. When the other man bent down to grab the boxes, Chu Baiyan noticed a fish tank behind the table by the wall. He hadn’t seen it earlier.

“They’re all starfish in there?” Chu Baiyan walked over. The tank was filled only with starfish, all in different colors.

There were live rocks at the bottom, a ceramic pineapple house, and a large seashell. The setup was simple but organized. The tank wasn’t big, but it had full equipment, filter, cooling rod, oxygen pump, and constant bubbles rising through the water. There was probably even a protein skimmer. It was clear the tank was well cared for.

Yan Anqing replied “Mm.” He only raised starfish.

After placing the packed cups on the table, Yan Anqing leaned over beside Chu Baiyan to look at the tank together. He said enthusiastically, “Each starfish has a name, so I won’t mix them up.”

Before he could start listing the names, he suddenly noticed several purple bruises on Chu Baiyan’s arm.

“Here.” Yan Anqing touched one lightly.

Chu Baiyan followed his gaze. “Fish bites.” During underwater performances, getting bitten by startled fish was normal.

Puffing his cheeks, Yan Anqing blew gently on each bruise he could see, then looked up with a bright smile. “Doesn’t hurt anymore.”

When Chu Baiyan got home, he could still feel the warmth of that breath brushing the fine hairs on his arm. The two boxes on his desk printed with “Starfish Pottery” reminded him that everything tonight had really happened. He had gone out because of curiosity, but now that curiosity had only grown stronger. It was like opening a mysterious box, he knew it was strange, but he couldn’t stop wanting to see more.

He opened a box, took out one of the cups, and held it in his palm. The cold ceramic slowly grew warm from his touch. Chu Baiyan had already begun to wonder what Yan Anqing looked like when he made pottery.