SG 59

It was late autumn, and the temperature indoors wasn’t very high. Yan Anqing lifted the quilt slightly and covered Chu Baiyan. 

“Grandma told you?” Although Yan Anqing had been crying, he seemed calm. Chu Baiyan felt a little relieved and reached out to hug him. He wondered if Grandma had called Yan Anqing over specifically to talk about the video. 

“No, Mom told me.” Mom and Grandma had argued for a long time that morning. Yan Anqing didn’t really understand complicated terms like sexual orientation, dating standards, and worldly perspectives. 

He just knew he liked Chu Baiyan. It was a love that made him happy just thinking about him, a love that made him want to live with him forever, a love that made him feel sexually aroused and compelled to be intimate. 

“Grandma asked you to come over this morning because your mother was coming over?” Chu Baiyan instantly realized that Yan Anqing’s mother must have seen the video. And most likely, she already knew about their relationship and had said something unpleasant. 

Yan Anqing didn’t repeat what Mom and Grandma had said that morning. He wasn’t going back to the city where Mom was, nor was he leaving Chu Baiyan. He just said, “I came back this afternoon and searched for videos, and I also saw the video you posted. It was edited using the store’s surveillance footage.” 

There were too many related videos online, and he didn’t know which account belonged to Chu Baiyan, but from the content of the video, he could tell it was recorded by the store’s surveillance camera. This video was only on his and Chu Baiyan’s phones. If it wasn’t posted by him, then it must have been posted by Chu Baiyan. 

“Baby is so smart, he can even analyze this.” Chu Baiyan grabbed his waist and kissed the tip of his nose. 

“I know you didn’t tell me because you were afraid I would be upset. I thought about it all afternoon and couldn’t figure out why that person said that to me. It was clearly him who broke the plate and scolded me, so why did he say in the video that I bullied him?” 

“None of this matters. I’m just very sad and feel sorry for you. In the past half month, I didn’t know anything and couldn’t help.” Yan Anqing’s eyes became moist again when he thought of this, and he felt very useless. 

“Who said you didn’t help? You don’t know anything. Just being cheerful every day is a huge help. It makes me feel that everything I do is worthwhile, meaningful, and fulfilling. It means I’m capable of protecting you well, and that’s why Grandma is confident in leaving you in my care.” 

Chu Baiyan curled his fingers and wiped the corner of Yan Anqing’s eye. 

“It’s all in the past. Everyone knows you were wrongly accused, and that influencer is the bad guy. Many people have spoken up for you. Many customers who’ve shopped at your store say you’re a very kind person and are waiting to buy ceramics when you reopen.” 

“Yeah, I saw it all,” Yan Anqing muttered, but he still praised him. “You’re amazing, really great.” 

He raised his head to kiss Chu Baiyan on the lips, his usual way of expressing happiness and affection. 

The hand on Yan Anqing’s waist suddenly tightened, holding him tighter. Chu Baiyan quickly took control, sucking on his lips and deepening the kiss. His tongue easily penetrated the gap between his teeth and entangled with the other. 

Yan Anqing sucked Chu Baiyan’s tongue like candy, licked it lightly with the tip of his tongue, and swallowed. His nose was a little stuffy to begin with, and with his mouth blocked, his breathing immediately became rapid. 

He was reluctant to push him away, but he couldn’t breathe. Fortunately, Chu Baiyan didn’t stay on his lips for too long, and kissed down his neck. 

“Let’s eat first…” The sun hadn’t completely set yet, and the light in the room was very bright. Yan Anqing thought he could finish dinner first, and then do other things. 

“Eat you first.” Chu Baiyan pushed his T-shirt to his collarbone and nibbled gently on his chest. 

The quilt that was cold just now was quickly ignited by the hot body, and the kisses that kept falling on his chest made Yan Anqing have no time to think about anything else. It was not until the afterglow of the sunset completely disappeared and it was already dark that the two of them stopped sweating profusely. 

The light coming in from the window illuminated the eyes of the two people, and in the pupils with flashes of light, there was only the figures hugging each other. 

The next day, Starfish Pottery reopened. After finishing the tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and rice cakes Chu Baiyan had packed up, Yan Anqing put on his apron and waited for Chu Baiyan to tie the belt. Then, he opened his tablet, pulled up the flower designs he’d been designing, and began experimenting with new varieties. 

The day was uneventful, and many customers who had come to try out the shop were pleasantly surprised to discover the reopening. The first video of Starfish Pottery reopening soon appeared online. Chu Baiyan had already told Xiao Xia on WeChat the previous evening that the shop would reopen on Monday and that he was welcome to visit anytime. 

The last week of October ended uneventfully, and Chu Baiyan even celebrated his birthday that week. He hadn’t celebrated birthdays since college, and if Lu Ran hadn’t suggested a get-together on his birthday, he would have almost forgotten. 

That’s how Yan Anqing realized Chu Baiyan was the same age as him, three months younger. What was even more infuriating was that Chu Baiyan, knowing his birthday, still asked him to call him “brother” in bed… 

After the birthday, Yan Anqing was inexplicably irritated, and Chu Baiyan couldn’t explain why. 

With the off-season approaching, the number of tourists has decreased significantly, and the number of customers has also decreased accordingly. Chu Baiyan now performs three shows a day, which allows him to spend more time with Yan Anqing in the shop. 

On the morning of the first Saturday in November, an electronic “Welcome” sounded at the door. Chu Baiyan looked up to see Xiao Xia, smiling and greeting him. Xiao Xia had made an appointment with him last night to come over today. 

“Brother Xiao Ke, this is it.” Xia Zhifei held the door open, waiting for Zhao Ke to enter. 

Chu Baiyan stood up, walked over to greet Xiao Xia, and then nodded and smiled at the man behind him. Although the man was dressed casually, he exuded a noble air, somewhat out of place in a pottery shop. 

Zhao Ke walked around the shop, carefully examining the various ceramics on the wooden shelves, and asked, “Are these all handmade?” 

“Yes, they are all handmade. The owner’s workshop is right next to it. Every morning when there are not many customers, he makes pottery. You can see the process in action,” Chu Baiyan explained seriously. 

Zhao Ke looked up and saw that the workshop was separated from the shop by a layer of glass. The shop owner was kneading clay with very skillful movements, from kneading clay to throwing and shaping, all in one go. 

“You can go in and watch. As long as you don’t talk, you won’t disturb him.” Chu Baiyan invited. Yan Anqing knew last night that Xiao Xia and his friends would come to see him, and he also knew that Xiao Xia and his friends helped a lot. If he’s mentally prepared, he won’t be nervous. 

Zhao Ke didn’t hesitate to watch the shop owner make ceramics for a while. There were many semi-finished products on the shelves against the wall, including freshly made plain pottery, pottery waiting to be glazed after being colored, and pottery waiting to be put into the kiln after being glazed. You can really see every step of the process. 

The potter not only has superb craftsmanship, but also the ceramics he makes are very spiritual. Each one is very individual and unique, and it is not available on the market. No wonder it has become a must-see place for netizens when they travel. 

Yan Anqing paused after finishing the lotus leaf plate in his hand and greeted Xiao Xia with a smile: “Thank you, Xiao Xia, I remember you. My name is Yan Anqing, Yan for color, A for peace, and Qing for green. You can call me Xiao Yan.” 

He didn’t know Zhao Ke and just nodded slightly. He got up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He opened the cabinet beside him. Chu Baiyan went over to help him take out two sets of packaged porcelain from the cabinet. 

“This is for you.” Yan Anqing and Chu Baiyan handed the two sets of porcelain to the two people opposite. 

“Do I have a share too?” Zhao Ke took it. He didn’t expect that the other party would still remember him even though he hadn’t shown up from beginning to end.

“Yes, Xiao Xia said that you helped him remake his video and found someone to post it so that more people could see it. Thank you.” Chu Baiyan told him these things later. Yan Anqing knew that Xiao Xia was coming over, so he had already wrapped the gift last night. 

“By the way, I came here this time to talk to Xiao Yan about cooperation.” Zhao Ke stated his purpose directly. He certainly didn’t come here to visit the pottery shop. 

“Cooperation?” Chu Baiyan asked puzzledly, and his blank eyes met Yan Anqing’s. Not to mention Yan Anqing, even he didn’t know in what areas they could cooperate.