As the two strolled leisurely towards the bookstore, it was approaching noon. There weren’t many people in the bookstore at this time, so they decided to have lunch at a nearby place first.
The bookstore had three floors, besides selling books; it also had a cafe and other peripheral shops. If they had come a bit later, they would have seen people sitting on the floor throughout the bookstore, fully engrossed in reading. However, they came early, and there were almost no such “obstacles” in the aisles.
Bai Sijun liked the atmosphere of the bookstore, a calm and inclusive feeling. Even someone as conspicuous as Mei Yuchen seemed to have his sharp edges softened upon entering the bookstore.
Not far from the entrance was a display table for bestsellers. Bai Sijun didn’t need to look; he knew what books were currently selling well.
He continued walking inside, but Mei Yuchen, by his side, stopped.
Following Mei Yuchen’s gaze, Bai Sijun saw Qi Jun’s book, “The Secret of the Trash Bin.”
There was no expression on Mei Yuchen’s face. Bai Sijun couldn’t figure out exactly what he was thinking, but he had a feeling he might be somewhat affected. Bai Sijun walked over and pulled his sleeve, lowering his voice, “Mei, let’s go inside and take a look.”
Mei Yuchen withdrew his gaze, following Bai Sijun’s steps.
“Is he a good writer?” Mei Yuchen asked.
“Not bad,” Bai Sijun replied. Hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Do you want to take a look?”
Mei Yuchen pursed his lips without answering, continuing to walk forward.
After browsing for a while, they reached the dedicated section for mystery and suspense novels. There was a promotional shelf displaying the top ten bestselling mystery and suspense works, and three of Mei Yuchen’s works were among them. However, the highest-ranking one was only in second place, following behind Qi Jun.
Mei Yuchen hadn’t spoken much since entering the bookstore, and now he furrowed his brows slightly. Bai Sijun approached him, consoling in a low voice, “His book just hit the shelves not long ago, being a bestseller is normal. Your works from a few years ago are still on the bestseller list; that’s already impressive.”
Mei Yuchen turned his head, and his expression didn’t change much despite Bai Sijun’s praise. He said lightly, “I think you brought me to the bookstore to stimulate me.”
Bai Sijun didn’t deny it; after all, he was Mei Yuchen’s editor, and he had to do his job. He didn’t want to spoil Mei Yuchen unprincipledly just because he had developed feelings for him beyond work.
He asked, “Did you really delete the newly written book last time?”
Mei Yuchen picked up a copy of “The Secret of the Trash Bin,” flipping through it absentmindedly. “No.”
“Can I see it sometime?” Bai Sijun asked.
Mei Yuchen, still looking down, didn’t answer immediately. Bai Sijun patiently called out, “Mei.”
“…Fine,” Mei Yuchen replied softly. Then he closed “The Secret of the Trash Bin” and said to Bai Sijun, “I’ll read this one first.”
Mei Yuchen agreeing to read Qi Jun’s book indicated that he still felt some dissatisfaction. Bai Sijun couldn’t help but sigh.
He also picked up a book, and together they went upstairs to the cafe. They ordered two cups of coffee and then chose a window-side booth, each quietly engrossed in their reading.
The book Bai Sijun held was also a bestseller, mainly discussing how to use time wisely. Although these kinds of books seemed to provide methods, they often had a more motivational nature because other people’s methods might not be applicable.
Reading this type of book didn’t require much thinking, and Bai Sijun initially just wanted to casually skim through it.
He glanced up at Mei Yuchen, who was focused on Qi Jun’s new book. His expression was the same as when he was writing, devoid of emotion, with only his eyes moving from left to right.
Bai Sijun had long noticed that Mei Yuchen’s focused appearance was very attractive, but this time, he couldn’t help but be distracted.
In a daze, Mei Yuchen’s voice, filled with a teasing smile, suddenly reached his ears, “Are you peeking at me?”
Bai Sijun’s gaze instantly focused, meeting Mei Yuchen’s beautiful eyes.
He quickly lowered his head, hiding his unnatural expression, and reluctantly said, “I’m just relaxing my eyes.”
Mei Yuchen chuckled lightly, propped up his chin with his hand, and asked, “How about it? Am I pleasant to look at?”
If it were yesterday, Bai Sijun could have calmly retorted, but today, he could only lower his head and avoid meeting Mei Yuchen’s eyes.
In his mind, he couldn’t help but curse, thinking that liking this kind of thing was truly addictive.
At this moment, a sound of someone getting up came from across the table. Bai Sijun raised his head, only to see Mei Yuchen holding the book, sitting beside him, and then nonchalantly lying on his lap, just like he would at home.
The sofa in the booth wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. Mei Yuchen’s knees were outside the sofa, but from the knees up, he fit perfectly.
Bai Sijun subconsciously glanced around, and there was no one paying attention to them. However, he couldn’t help but lower his voice and say, “Get up; we’re outside.”
Mei Yuchen continued reading Qi Jun’s book, seemingly not taking Bai Sijun’s words seriously.
“Mei,” Bai Sijun frowned and called again, “If you act like this again next time, I won’t take you out.”
Mei Yuchen still didn’t move, but he raised the corners of his mouth and chuckled lightly, apparently hearing what Bai Sijun said.
Seeing Mei Yuchen being so stubborn, Bai Sijun felt helpless. He had to change from sitting upright to leaning back on the sofa chair, making Mei comfortable lying down.
At this moment, he finally understood why he always couldn’t handle Mei Yuchen. It was because liking someone made it easy for a person to lose their boundaries.
When did it start?
Bai Sijun wasn’t sure. He vaguely felt that Mei Yuchen might have similar feelings for him, but he couldn’t be certain.
Even if he confirmed, what then? Were they going to be together?
Thinking about this, Bai Sijun was startled by his own thoughts. He felt that he shouldn’t have bent so completely.
He wasn’t afraid of developing this difficult-to-mention kind of affection. He had vague feelings for his high school teacher back then, but he kept those emotions hidden, and no one knew. When the environment changed, those feelings naturally faded. He thought it would be the same this time.
“Bai.” Mei Yuchen’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He lowered his head, only to see Mei Yuchen covering half of his face with the book, leaving only a pair of eyes staring at him. Mei Yuchen said sullenly, “It seems like he writes decently.”
Bai Sijun couldn’t help but chuckle softly because Mei Yuchen’s defeated appearance was truly adorable. He said, “his skill is still quite good.”
Mei Yuchen snorted lightly, lifted the book, and continued reading.
When Mei Yuchen closed “The Secret of the Trash Bin,” it was almost five in the afternoon. Bai Sijun had finished reading the time management book two hours ago and was now boredly scrolling through Weibo, unconsciously playing with Mei Yuchen’s hair.
“I’m done,” Mei Yuchen sat up, stretched lazily, “It’s alright.”
“Just alright?” Bai Sijun asked.
“The final explanation is a bit forced, but overall, there are no logical loopholes.” Mei Yuchen paused, “I’d give it an eight.”
Mei Yuchen was so picky, and giving an eight meant that this book was genuinely good. Bai Sijun looked at him and asked, “What about your new book…?”
Mei Yuchen pursed his lips and vaguely replied, “It’s hard to see problems in my own book.”
It meant he also didn’t know how well he had written it.
Bai Sijun felt a bit disheartened, but then Mei Yuchen added, “In a few days, help me take a look, Editor Bai.”
Bai Sijun was stunned for a moment, then involuntarily smiled, “Sure.”
The two had dinner nearby, then took a leisurely stroll back to the residential area where Bai Sijun lived.
After sending Mei Yuchen off in the car, Bai Sijun was ready to leave. However, at this moment, the car window on the passenger side suddenly rolled down, and Mei Yuchen leaned halfway out, hands clasped on the window frame, chin resting on his hands, looking at Bai Sijun, “Bai, I don’t want to go back.”
Bai Sijun didn’t want Mei Yuchen to go back either; he wanted to stay with him.
But reason told him it couldn’t be like this, so he frowned and said, “No.”
Mei Yuchen’s phoenix eyes immediately drooped, and his face clearly showed his displeasure.
Bai Sijun couldn’t be too harsh. He raised his hand and pinched Mei Yuchen’s earlobe, speaking in a softer tone, “No sulking. Go back and focus on writing.”
“Okay,” Mei Yuchen softly responded, and it seemed like there was a hint of a smile on his lips.
After he left, Bai Sijun walked back, feeling lost in thought. This time seemed different from his crush on the high school teacher.
He had an inexplicable feeling that he seemed to have fallen for real this time, and he wasn’t sure if there was any salvation.
