Mei Yuchen didn’t answer; instead, there was a steady breathing sound.
Recalling Mei Yuchen’s previous “got it” and today’s frankness about writing, Bai Sijun had basically confirmed in his heart that Mei Yuchen told him about being gay not to make him give up but to ask: “I have this side, are you still willing to be my editor?”
It felt like a sharp-clawed stray cat finally willing to come home with you, but it’s afraid you might suddenly abandon it. So, it tells you in advance: “I have a lot of issues; you better be prepared.”
It wasn’t a threat but more like a spoiled gesture.
In the end, he ran away, no wonder Mei Yuchen’s expression was so unpleasant at that time.
Bai Sijun silently hooked the corner of his mouth, picked up a nearby pillow, and placed it under Mei Yuchen’s head, freeing his own legs.
Looking at the honest cat napping on the sofa, Bai Sijun thought about carrying him to the guest bedroom on the first floor. However, he gave up the idea. Firstly, he wasn’t sure if he could carry him, and secondly, it would be too strange to princess-carry a man.
He went to the guest bedroom, picked up a bedsheet, and covered Mei Yuchen.
As soon as he woke up the next day, the coat he was wearing had somehow turned into the same bed sheet he had taken out last night.
He walked out of the guest bedroom, and no one was on the first floor.
Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind. Bai Sijun stealthily went upstairs, pressed his ear against the study door, and listened. As expected, Mei Yuchen was typing.
He felt relieved for a moment, but then another thought occurred to him: what if Mei Yuchen was writing something explicit again?
This time, he knocked on the door.
A voice from inside quickly responded, “Come in.”
Bai Sijun opened the door, poked his head in, and said, “I’m going to buy breakfast. What do you want to eat?”
Mei Yuchen glanced at him and said, “A sandwich.”
“Okay.” After saying that, Bai Sijun was about to close the door. However, realizing the unanswered question, he opened the door a bit again, gathered his courage, and asked, “What are you writing?”
Bai Sijun’s doubts were evident, and Mei Yuchen stopped typing, saying lightly, “Mm, writing about stripping you naked and tying you to the bed.”
Bai Sijun’s face immediately darkened, while Mei Yuchen laughed lightly, saying, “I’m outlining, not writing about you.”
“Outline?” Bai Sijun was stunned. “Is this for a new book?”
The sound of typing continued, accompanied by Mei Yuchen’s casual “Mm.”
Bai Sijun pursed his lips and said, “Well, I won’t disturb you.”
Bai Sijun, familiar with the route, took the keys and went to the convenience store outside the community. While buying the sandwich, he also grabbed a strawberry ice cream.
Mei Yuchen’s WeChat profile picture was a strawberry cone, and last time, when he found an excuse for Bai Sijun to come over, he mentioned wanting some dessert. Bai Sijun instinctively thought that this hard-to-please writer might like sweets.
However, he overlooked his motive for buying this strawberry ice cream. So, when Mei Yuchen held up the ice cream, examined it from all angles, and asked what it was, Bai Sijun hadn’t yet figured out that he was asking why he bought it.
Bai Sijun said, “Strawberry ice cream, bought it for you.”
Mei Yuchen, with a smirk, asked, “I’m asking why you bought it?”
Oh, why…
Bai Sijun suddenly got stuck, and he asked, “Don’t you like it?”
“I do.” Mei Yuchen said, “So, is this your reward for me?”
When Bai Sijun bought it, he didn’t think much. He just thought Mei Yuchen might like it, so he bought it. However, being questioned now, he suddenly felt a bit awkward.
Because it seemed like he really meant it as a reward.
“It’s just… I thought you’ve been working hard.” Bai Sijun stammered.
“Thank you.” Mei Yuchen smiled meaningfully.
This was the first time Bai Sijun had heard him say thank you, and he couldn’t help but think that this person also understood etiquette.
Biting into his sandwich, Bai Sijun asked, “Is your outline done?”
“I haven’t figured out the ending yet.” Mei Yuchen said, “This story has a bit of soft science fiction, a bit challenging to write.”
Bai Sijun swallowed the sandwich, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face again. Hesitatingly, he asked, “Really?”
“Why are you surprised?”
“I just…” He had some psychological shadow; he was afraid he’d write some messy stuff again to fool him.
Bai Sijun didn’t dare to say his thoughts out loud. However, Mei Yuchen seemed to have seen through him and laughed, saying, “What, afraid I’ll write something inappropriate again?”
Bai Sijun muttered softly, “You even know it’s inappropriate.”
This was just a casual remark from Bai Sijun, but unexpectedly, Mei Yuchen got enthusiastic and asked, “Why do you think it’s inappropriate?”
“Two men would be too strange, right?” Bai Sijun remembered the stimulating descriptions. “Wouldn’t it be too forced?”
“Where’s the force?”
Bai Sijun said awkwardly, “It’s just… wouldn’t it be painful?”
Mei Yuchen chuckled, laughing as if he heard something amusing. He said, “Why don’t you try it and find out?”
Bai Sijun quickly shook his head, “I really don’t want to try.”
Curiosity aside, trying it out personally was definitely not an option. Bai Sijun assured himself of that in his mind.
After a simple breakfast, Bai Sijun cleaned up the table and prepared to leave. He remembered Mei Yuchen saying last time that he was lingering in his house, and he didn’t want to be kicked out.
However, reality proved once again that he misunderstood Mei Yuchen’s thoughts.
As he was about to leave, he stood by the entrance, putting on his coat, and asked, “By the way, where is my down jacket?”
“Sent it for dry cleaning,” Mei Yuchen said and then tilted his head, asking suddenly, “Where are you going?”
“Back home,” Bai Sijun replied naturally.
“Do you have something to do?” Mei Yuchen continued questioning.
“No,” Bai Sijun answered subconsciously.
“Then, what are you going back for?”
Bai Sijun was caught off guard by the question. It was Sunday, and he would probably go back to play games and read books. But thinking the other way around, what was he doing by staying at Mei Yuchen’s place?
He didn’t voice this thought because he recalled the image of the big cat curled up next to him last night.
In the few days of brief interaction with Mei Yuchen, Bai Sijun could tell that he was not someone who easily expressed his inner thoughts. So, he assumed that Mei Yuchen didn’t want him to leave.
Whether Mei Yuchen was bored or genuinely wanted his company, it didn’t matter. Since Bai Sijun had nothing to do, staying here wouldn’t hurt.
He took off his coat and sweater again and asked, “Won’t I disturb you by staying here?”
Mei Yuchen didn’t answer but simply watched him remove his coat. After Bai Sijun finished straightening his hair, Mei Yuchen said, “No.”
After saying that, he went upstairs. Bai Sijun suddenly felt that he should have asked: “Won’t you be bored with me here?”
However, it seemed that the esteemed author didn’t care about this question at all.
Bai Sijun resignedly walked to the sofa in the living room. However, in no time, Mei Yuchen came down, holding a laptop and a Kindle. He handed the Kindle to Bai Sijun, who was scrolling through Weibo, saying, “If you want to browse the internet, I have another computer upstairs.”
Bai Sijun was a bit surprised, “Are you working here?”
“Is it not allowed?”
This is your home, of course, it’s allowed.
Bai Sijun didn’t answer, opened the Kindle, and picked a book. Mei Yuchen’s taste was a bit tricky, and many of the books Bai Sijun had never even heard of. After flipping for a while, Mei Yuchen suddenly said, “I sent that short story to your WeChat.”
Bai Sijun asked, “Which one?”
Mei Yuchen raised a mischievous smile, “The one I wrote specifically for you.”
Bai Sijun immediately realized, his face turning red. He said, “Why did you send it to me?”
“To learn.” Mei Yuchen’s gaze returned to the screen. “I don’t easily write things for people.”
It meant that Bai Sijun should feel honored.
Bai Sijun took a deep breath, told himself not to get angry, and that being a good person pays off. Since Mei Yuchen mentioned the new book and science fiction, Bai Sijun picked a seemingly good science fiction novel by a Polish author, “Solaris.” The novel’s text was a bit obscure and hard to understand. As an editor, Bai Sijun subconsciously thought it might be a translation issue, so he picked another version by a different translator, but it was still challenging.
Such novels required absolute concentration to read. However, the continuous clicking sound of the keyboard kept disturbing his focus.
He couldn’t help but glance at Mei Yuchen, who was concentrated on typing on the single sofa across from him. Suddenly, he felt a bit envious of people who worked effortlessly like this.
Mei Yuchen was expressionless when typing, like a machine without emotions.
They say that a man working seriously is charming. Bai Sijun couldn’t help but admit that Mei Yuchen’s working appearance was indeed captivating, making it hard for him to look away.
Unconsciously, his gaze started to wander, his mind empty, with only the continuous keyboard sounds in the entire world.
Suddenly, the keyboard stopped, and Bai Sijun’s gaze focused. Then, he met Mei Yuchen’s deep phoenix eyes.
He quickly averted his gaze, pretending nothing happened. But evidently, Mei Yuchen didn’t let go of his intention. He stared at him directly and asked, “What are you looking at?”
Bai Sijun reluctantly replied, “Just curious about what you’re writing.”
“Don’t be impatient.” Mei Yuchen smirked, “I’ll show you once I’m done.”
His tone was light and cheerful, as if he was in a good mood. For some reason, Bai Sijun even detected a hint of indulgence, as if Mei Yuchen had granted him a special privilege. Not only could he participate in the creative process, but he could also be the first to see his work.
Bai Sijun’s heart skipped a beat, and he forced himself to shift his focus back to the novel.
