“Meow.” Caramel widened its eyes and meowed sweetly at Xie Zhinan.
It was quite comforting. Humans are often good at self-pity, and although Xie Zhinan wasn’t sure if the kitten was really trying to comfort him, he decided to take it as such.
His loss of composure was brief. He quickly collected his emotions, brushed aside the troubling thoughts, and put a smile back on his face. He gently scratched under Caramel’s chin with his finger and said with a smile, “Daddy will open a packet of freeze-dried food for you.”
After that, he stood up, took out a can of food, poured it into a small bowl for Caramel, then took a piece of freeze-dried chicken, crushed it, sprinkled it over the meat, and added some supplements, mixing it all together before placing the bowl in front of Caramel.
He wasn’t very attentive to himself, but he was particularly thoughtful when it came to taking care of his little cat.
Maybe that’s just the kind of person he was: his sense of purpose had to be defined by the outside world. Taking care of the little cat well made him feel that he, too, had value.
After watching Caramel slowly eat, Xie Zhinan headed to the bathroom for a hot shower.
After showering and blow-drying his hair, the fatigue that had built up throughout the day hit him all at once, like a tide, completely overwhelming him.
He collapsed on the sofa, his body aching and unwilling to move.
At that moment, he received a message from a friend.
[Yang Yang]: I bought a new can of food for Caramel, it’ll arrive tomorrow. Remember to pick it up, hubby [rose emoji]
That nickname again…
Xie Zhinan smiled helplessly.
Lin Yang was his university alumni. They were in different majors, and Xie Zhinan wasn’t very active in campus activities, so they would never have met under normal circumstances.
Their meeting was quite a coincidence. Lin Yang was being harassed by his ex-boyfriend, and Xie Zhinan happened to pass by. Lin Yang grabbed him casually and used him as a shield.
According to Lin Yang, the moment he saw him, he knew he was gay. He recognized that Xie Zhinan was one of his kind, so he pulled him over to help each other.
Xie Zhinan was so embarrassed he could feel his toes curling. Just as he was about to deny it, he met Lin Yang’s pleading, pitiful gaze.
Xie Zhinan: “…”
In the end, he softened and tacitly accepted Lin Yang’s version of them dating, remaining silent.
The ex-boyfriend’s gaze scanned the two of them with contempt. “Him? He looks like he can’t satisfy you. Or are you two together, and he’s the one…?”
He pressed his tongue against his teeth, his face twisted in a strange smile as he made a malicious sound with his lips and teeth.
“Watch your mouth,” Lin Yang coldly glared at him. “Have some dignity. Do you want me to explain that I’m breaking up because you were terrible in bed?”
“You!” The man’s eyes darkened, his face turning red as he lost control of his words. “Damn you, you filthy b…”
He didn’t finish his sentence.
Because Lin Yang punched him.
Xie Zhinan quickly ran to find security to stop the altercation. The man, who was from another university, was escorted out by security. Xie Zhinan stood frozen in place, and Lin Yang grabbed his wrist, pulling him away
The two of them ran for a while, all the way to the lake at the back of the mountain before they finally stopped, gasping for breath.
“You… dragged me… to run for what?” Xie Zhinan gasped for breath.
“If we don’t run, we’ll be caught and reported. Tsk, I didn’t want to hit anyone,” Lin Yang, on the other hand, wasn’t out of breath at all. Looking at Xie Zhinan, he seemed a bit disdainful. “Seriously, you’re so out of shape. We barely ran 800 meters.”
During that time, Xie Zhinan had been suffering from insomnia and couldn’t eat properly, so his health was quite bad. After running, his heart felt uncomfortable, but he ignored Lin Yang. There were a lot of benches in the area, so he turned around and sat on one, sprawling out to catch his breath.
Lin Yang wasn’t upset by his cold demeanor, and leaned in beside him. “You’re a real stand-up guy. Thanks, hubby.”
Xie Zhinan: “…”
Xie Zhinan was speechless. “What’s with all the random calling?”
Lin Yang grinned, shameless as ever, and made a heart gesture with his hand over his head. “Thanks for saving me.”
Xie Zhinan wasn’t very good at dealing with people who were too familiar right off the bat, especially someone like Lin Yang, who was impossible to be angry with. He pursed his lips and held back his frustration for a while, before looking at the corner of Lin Yang’s mouth that was bleeding. He hesitated before asking, “Your injury… should we go to the infirmary?”
“No need.” Lin Yang pressed his tongue against his cheek, gritting his teeth as pain flashed across his face, still trying to act tough. “It doesn’t hurt!”
Xie Zhinan: “…”
In the end, Xie Zhinan still took him to buy medicine. After buying it, he reminded him, “Don’t be so impulsive. Your ex is huge. You…” He looked Lin Yang up and down, seriously adding, “You’re at a disadvantage against him.”
“I wasn’t at a disadvantage.” Lin Yang played with his long nails and nonchalantly said, “At least he won’t be able to get it up for a week, and his face will probably need half a month to heal, hehe.”
Xie Zhinan had gone to find the security guard earlier, so he wasn’t there to witness Lin Yang’s impressive feats. He was at a loss for words and fell silent for a long while, still feeling that Lin Yang was too reckless. He finally said, “Anyway, you should be more careful.”
Lin Yang thought Xie Zhinan was really interesting. This whole situation wasn’t even his problem, and he had forced him into being a shield, and yet this guy didn’t get angry. Instead, he bought him medicine and reminded him not to act impulsively in the future.
He was a good person, a little dull and clueless, but he seemed easy to push around.
Lin Yang was a flamboyant and shameless person, and his friends were no different. He had never had a friend like this. He slapped his thigh, thinking to himself, “I’m keeping this friend!”
He immediately dragged Xie Zhinan to the school gate, claiming it was to thank him by treating him to a meal. Xie Zhinan didn’t want to go at first, but he couldn’t resist Lin Yang’s persistence, so he agreed. Afterwards, Lin Yang got Xie Zhinan to share his name, major, and the fact that he had just broken up with his ex.
Lin Yang cursed his ex for three hours, while Xie Zhinan didn’t say a word.
He then asked Xie Zhinan, “What about your ex? Why aren’t you talking about him?”
Lin Yang ordered two bottles of beer. Xie Zhinan wasn’t good with alcohol, so after one bottle, he was a bit tipsy. His eyelids drooped, and he stared blankly, speaking softly, as if he were waking from a dream, “We just… had a boring, peaceful breakup.”
So, there was nothing to say.
Now, it seemed there was still nothing to say.
Xie Zhinan lay on the couch, the room silent. The light was a little harsh. He raised his arm, using his forearm to block the light, plunging his vision into darkness, listening to his own breathing and heartbeat.
He and Wen Yun were now just a pure superior-subordinate relationship.
It seemed that Wen Yun didn’t recognize him, or perhaps had already forgotten him.
So, really, there was no need to say anything.
It’s as if they had never known each other.
He lowered his hand and picked up his phone, replying to Lin Yang’s message.
[Xie Zhinan]: Thank you.
[Xie Zhinan]: The cans you bought last time aren’t finished yet, you spoil Caramel too much.
[Xie Zhinan]: [Image]
He sent a picture of Caramel drinking water to Lin Yang.
[Lin Yang]: My Caramel baby baby baby!!!!!
[Lin Yang]: Let Caramel eat! Give Caramel more to eat!!!
Lin Yang was basically a born cat slave, but he had never managed to keep anything alive from the time he was a kid. He was afraid of raising a kitten and accidentally killing it, so he came up with a compromise: he would “borrow” Xie Zhinan’s cat to pamper.
The two of them had quite the fate. Xie Zhinan came to work in City A, and Lin Yang was from City A, too. After graduation, Lin Yang chose to return home to develop, and the two would occasionally meet up on weekends.
Xie Zhinan got off the sofa, and when Caramel finished drinking, it collapsed in place. Xie Zhinan picked up the collapsed Caramel and placed it on his lap on the sofa, then recorded a video of himself petting the cat and sent it to Lin Yang so he could “enjoy.”
They chatted a bit about cats, and Lin Yang brought up a college boy he met while playing games. Lin Yang could fake a voice and played as a female character in the game. He used a soft, girlish voice when talking to others, which completely hooked this boy, and the boy started pursuing him relentlessly.
[Lin Yang]: I’m seriously going crazy, I really don’t like younger guys. I even told him I’m a guy.
[Xie Zhinan]: And then?
[Lin Yang]: And then he got even more excited.
[Lin Yang]: …
Xie Zhinan couldn’t help but laugh.
[Xie Zhinan]: He seems to really like you.
[Lin Yang]: What’s there to like about just playing a game? We haven’t even met in person, and I’m talking to him with a fake girl’s voice.
[Xie Zhinan]: Is it possible… he doesn’t believe you’re a guy?
[Lin Yang]: Damn, you’re so right.
[Lin Yang]: Next time, I’ll just video call him and crush his hopes. I don’t have time to deal with some little brat.
[Lin Yang]: Enough about me, what about you?
Xie Zhinan’s heart skipped a beat, and his mind flashed back to when he was heading home in the evening, seeing Wen Yun’s cold face under the dimming light.
His fingertips trembled slightly, and before he could type a word, Lin Yang sent another message.
[Lin Yang]: What about that artist who was pursuing you last time?
Ah, the artist.
Xie Zhinan was taken aback.
If it hadn’t been mentioned, he would have completely forgotten.
[Xie Zhinan]: We haven’t been in touch for a long time.
[Lin Yang]: He gave up so easily?
[Xie Zhinan]: After all, I’ve already rejected him.
[Lin Yang]: Rejected or not, he still seems a bit crazy.
[Lin Yang]: Tsk, that little brat is here again.
[Lin Yang]: I’ll go talk to him, I’m leaving for now.
Xie Zhinan replied with a “bye” and put away his phone.
The room fell back into silence.
“Meow.” Caramel jumped off his lap and onto his shoulder, rubbing its furry head against Xie Zhinan’s face.
Xie Zhinan stared at it for a while, then sighed suddenly. “Life is really unpredictable, Caramel.”
Caramel, unable to understand, tilted its head in confusion. Xie Zhinan stroked its head, wiped its paw pads with a wet tissue, and then carried it to bed.
He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
….
Night, 8 PM. A black Bentley was driving through the night.
Pei Rulian was frowning and holding his phone, scratching his head, unsure of what to say.
After hesitating for a long time, he glanced at Wen Yun, his cousin, who was sitting expressionless beside him.
Wen Yun’s mother and his mother were close sisters, but they both married far away—one went to City S, the other to City A.
Now that Wen Yun had come to A City for work, his mother naturally wanted to take a good look at the only son left by her sister, so she specifically asked Pei Rulian to bring him home for a meal.
The problem was, his cousin was always distant and not very close to others.
Fortunately, Pei Rulian was carefree and didn’t mind Wen Yun’s coldness. He asked.
“Cousin, you’ve been staring out the window the whole time. What are you thinking about?”
Wen Yun turned his head when he heard Pei Rulian’s words, his eyelids slightly drooping, as if suppressing something. “I was wondering if I’m some kind of monster.”
Pei Rulian didn’t understand. “Huh?”
“Nothing.”
Pei Rulian found his cousin strange, but he didn’t probe further, since he had more important things on his mind.
“Ge, what do you think? If you’re pursuing someone, how should you go about it?” Pei Rulian looked at his phone with a bitter expression.
Wen Yun glanced down at the screen. The chat bubble showed “Pretty Jie.”
The last message from Pretty Jie was:
“I don’t like you.”
“If she doesn’t like you, don’t force it,” Wen Yun raised his head and said coldly. “Don’t cling to her or pester her.”
Pei Rulian: “…”
Pei Rulian: “Ge, I think… is it possible that, in moments like this, you could comfort me?”
Wen Yun: “Like how?”
Pei Rulian furrowed his brows, thinking hard, then carefully worded his response. “For example, you could tell me not to lose heart, not to give up. That if I persist and stay sincere, my Pretty Jie will definitely be moved.”
Wen Yun snickered.
Pei Rulian: “…Do you have a problem with what I just said?”
“Time is the worst way to measure feelings,” Wen Yun’s eyes cooled, and the smile on his face turned thin, almost with a hint of sarcasm.
1
[Author’s Note]
To my cousin: If she doesn’t like you, don’t force it.
To my ex: Try forcing it and see what happens.
