ROBEPTQ chapter 9

Bai Sijun ordered takeout from a nearby braised chicken restaurant and then started browsing Douban. The rating for Qi Jun’s new book was above 8 points. Although there weren’t many people who had participated in the rating, and the score might drop later, it was still a good start overall.

At that moment, a WeChat message suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.

[May Rain: Come over.]

Bai Sijun subconsciously checked the time. It had been just half an hour since he sent the friend request. Once again, he doubted if he added the wrong person.

Last time he messaged Mei Yuchen, it took more than ten hours for a reply. Now, not only did Mei Yuchen accept his friend request within half an hour, but also sent him a message within a minute after acceptance.

Was Mei Yuchen’s phone just for show?

Looking at WeChat, Bai Sijun pondered over this short message. Apart from the very formal content, Bai Sijun rarely ended his WeChat messages with a period. He felt that a period conveyed a kind of indifferent sense of “the topic ends here.” Almost no one he knew liked to use periods.

Looking at this message again, “Come over,” followed by a period.

No room for refusal, no room for negotiation. It was like a command, which indeed suited Mei Yuchen’s dismissive nature.

However, after confirming that it was indeed Mei Yuchen, Bai Sijun felt relieved.

He added him as a friend in his capacity as an editor. Now that he had accepted, it meant there was no need for him to speculate anymore. It seemed his tenacious spirit had finally defeated the Mei Yuchen Demon King.

[Bai: When?]

[May Rain: Now.]

It was already past eight in the evening, and the subway was still running. However, once he went, he wouldn’t be back tonight. Bai Sijun couldn’t help but think of the “miserable situation” from the last overnight stay at Mei Yuhen’s house. Hesitating, he replied:

[Bai: I want to clarify first that I like girls.]

[May Rain: I’m not asking you to come to bed with me.]

Suddenly, the delivery driver’s call came in, and Bai Sijun almost dropped his phone. Clearing his throat, he answered the call. The braised chicken takeout had arrived at the entrance of the rented house.

After receiving the takeout, Bai Sijun continued to reply.

[Bai: I’ll take the subway over, should be there before eleven.]

Mei Yuchen didn’t reply again. Bai Sijun breathed a sigh of relief and began to eat the takeout.

The weather had warmed up, and the heating in Mei Yuchen’s house was still on. Considering the days, the city’s heating supply would probably end soon.

Bai Sijun took off his coat and handed the pocket containing the cashmere coat to Mei Yuchen, saying, “Sorry, I’ve been busy these past few days and didn’t have time to dry clean it.”

Mei Yuchen glanced at it and asked, “Where’s the scarf?”

Bai Sijun was slightly surprised, “Didn’t I leave one here last time?”

Mei Yuchen said, “I want the one I wore.”

Okay, Bai Sijun mentally added a “picky” label to Mei Yuchen.

Mei Yuchen was wearing a plain white short-sleeved shirt without any patterns. After Bai Sijun took off his coat, he revealed a white shirt and a slightly thick gray sweater inside.

Sitting in the living room for just a couple of minutes, Bai Sijun felt a bit too hot. He surreptitiously glanced at Mei Yuchen, and seeing that he wasn’t looking at him, his gaze drifted towards the floor-to-ceiling window, seemingly lost in thought. Bai Sijun then moved to the corner of the sofa, took off his gray sweater, causing static electricity to make a crackling sound. He could feel his hair standing up, so he casually rubbed his head. At that moment, a gaze suddenly shot over. He quickly withdrew his hand, resuming a vigilant sitting posture.

“What have you been up to?” Mei Yuchen asked.

“Qi Jun’s new book was released today, and we organized a book signing event.”

Qi Jun was also a suspense writer, and Bai Sijun knew that Mei Yuchen probably knew him.

“How is it?” Mei Yuchen casually asked, “His new book.”

“It’s really exciting.” Bai Sijun briefly explained the content of the book and then shared the news of the additional print run on the first day.

Mei Yuchen didn’t respond further, and his face remained expressionless.

Hesitatingly, Bai Sijun asked, “Have you thought about your new book?”

Mei Yuchen continued to be silent.

Bai Sijun sighed imperceptibly. He was about to persuade Mei Yuchen with emotions and reasons, but then Mei Yuchen suddenly spoke, “I haven’t thought about it for now.”

His tone was calm, like chatting with a friend. Bai Sijun was stunned for several seconds before realizing that Mei Yuchen had dropped his guard and was willing to share the progress of his writing with him.

Bai Sijun’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he asked a seemingly redundant question, “Will it still be a suspense genre this time?”

The reason he asked was actually to test whether Mei Yuchen was willing to continue the conversation with him. He was afraid that Mei Yuchen might casually answer and then be unwilling to talk further. So, he asked with great caution, fearing he might overstep.

Mei Yuchen gently replied, “Yeah.”

Bai Sijun tightened his lips. He felt like a seed buried in the soil finally sprouting. Mei Yuchen’s “Yeah” seemed like an affirmation of his efforts over the past half month.

He continued to ask, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Mei Yuchen remained silent for a while before saying, “Tell me a story.”

“Tell a story?”

“Maybe it will give me inspiration.” Mei Yuchen smiled, his beautiful phoenix eyes curving.

“I…I’m not very good at telling stories.” Bai Sijun awkwardly gripped his knees, regretting for the first time why he didn’t read more suspense stories, even ghost stories, just to keep the conversation going.

“What about your own story?” Mei Yuchen asked.

“My story?” Bai Sijun was somewhat stunned. Subconsciously, he felt that his own affairs seemed to have nothing to do with suspense themes.

“Why are you called ‘Sijun’?” Mei Yuchen propped his chin on his elbow, looking at Bai Sijun with a tilted head. “Are you missing someone?”

“Well, this…” This was actually related to his father, and he originally didn’t want to share these private matters with others. But thinking that telling Mei Yuchen his story might bring inspiration, he felt an impulse to confide.

This impulse surprised him.

“This is the name my mom gave me; she named me this while missing my dad,” Bai Sijun said slowly. “When my mom was pregnant with me, my dad went to work in Russia and never came back.”

“Why didn’t he come back?” Mei Yuchen asked straightforwardly.

“My sister said he started a new family there,” Bai Sijun forced a smile. “Maybe because the women in Russia are prettier than my mom.”

Mei Yuchen remained quiet for a moment and asked, “Have you ever seen him?”

Bai Sijun shook his head and said, “My mom tore up all his photos, and we’re not allowed to mention anything related to him at home. But my sister probably described him to me; she said he was tall and thin, with a three-to-seven haircut. Actually, I’m quite curious.”

“You don’t hate him?”

“I can’t say, I don’t really feel anything towards him,” Bai Sijun said. “Because my mom is strong; she took good care of me and my sister, so he didn’t really have an impact on me. But my mom probably hates him.”

“Really,” Mei Yuchen frowned slightly, “I feel like she might still miss him.”

“What?”

“Otherwise, why not change your name?”

Bai Sijun was stunned; he had never thought about this question. Being brought up by Mei Yuchen, he realized that if his mom truly despised that man, why would she tolerate the name “Sijun” in her life? Changing names was a simple matter, and considering his mom’s decisive character, she should have taken him to change his name a long time ago.

“Maybe…” Bai Sijun suddenly felt a bit distressed. It was the first time he realized that his mom might not be as strong as she appeared.

“How old are you?” Mei Yuchen suddenly asked.

“Twenty-six.”

“She hasn’t pressured you to get married?”

“She nags about it every day,” Bai Sijun smiled bitterly. “But I don’t have any plans for now.”

“Why?”

“Just… still young,” Bai Sijun stated the usual excuses he used to avoid his mom and sister’s pressure. But for some reason, he took a deep breath, changed his mind, and continued, “Actually, I’m a bit scared. I feel the responsibilities of a family are too heavy.”

This was his true feelings, something he had never told anyone. Avoiding marriage because of the fear of responsibilities was a form of weakness, and he didn’t want to show this side of himself to others. However, he always felt that Mei Yuchen wouldn’t think of him in this way. He was a romantic writer with a mindset colored by romanticism, unlike someone bound by worldly constraints.

Mei Yuchen smiled and asked, “Are you even afraid if you meet someone you like?”

“I wasn’t afraid when I was studying, but now that I’m self-reliant, life seems difficult,” Bai Sijun opened up like he had unlocked a treasure chest and slowly continued, “I had my first girlfriend in my third year, and we dated for two years. We broke up after graduation because we got jobs in different cities. The second girlfriend, the last one, we dated for half a year…”

Bai Sijun rambled on about his experiences, suddenly realizing that Mei Yuchen, on the other side of the sofa, had closed his eyes and was swaying his head rhythmically. He quickly stopped and asked, “Sorry, is my story boring?”

Mei Yuchen opened his eyes slightly, full of weariness, and said, “It’s okay, keep going.”

Bai Sijun was about to change the topic when suddenly Mei Yuchen crawled over to him on the sofa, then slumped onto his thighs and didn’t move.

Bai Sijun was instantly shocked and stiffened in place. Mei Yuchen had his back turned to him, and long strands of hair slid down his shoulders, hanging down to his thighs, revealing his fair neck. Bai Sijun was stunned for a while before hesitantly calling out, “Mei Yuchen?”

Mei Yuchen didn’t respond, and his shoulders moved rhythmically, clearly asleep.

Bai Sijun was almost out of patience. He poured his heart out, hoping to inspire the great writer, but in the end, Mei Yuchen treated his words as bedtime stories.

He shook Mei Yuchen’s shoulder and said, “Go to bed.”

Mei Yuchen hummed and mumbled, “tell me about yourself; I’m listening.”

Mei Yuchen curled up his legs, indicating a posture that he was going to take root and sprout right there. Bai Sijun, looking at this tall man lying on his thighs acting like a child, suddenly had a strange thought.

Perhaps Mei Yuchen called him over because he didn’t want to be alone and wanted someone to accompany him. Otherwise, Bai Sijun couldn’t imagine what his purpose was for being here.

If that were the case, then the questions about his sexual orientation might not have been meant to scare him away, but rather, Mei Yuchen was being honest with him.

Bai Sijun shook his shoulder uncertainly and asked softly, “Did you tell me that you like men… because you hoped that I could understand you better?”