In their fourth year of university, the lease on the apartment Yu Xun rented expired.
Coincidentally, both of them had secured internships at law firms and were preparing to find a new place to live.
The new apartment was closer to their workplaces, but this time, their co-living situation was quite different from the previous year.
The law firms were extremely busy, and working overtime until the early morning was a common occurrence.
On this particular day, Yu Xun surprisingly didn’t have to work late. After coming home and feeding Yu Chichi, he sat alone in the living room, looking down at his WeChat message box.
The pinned message at the top had no activity.
Apart from the pinned message, there were quite a few unread messages from others, especially from Liu Zi.
Liu Zi: [Wanna play a game?]
Liu Zi: [/Link, one-click to jump into the “Happy Mahjong” mini-game.]
Yu Xun casually clicked in and found it was a private room. Besides Liu Zi, there was another ID called “Mahjong King Li Yan.”
“Why is it just you?”
Liu Zi, though reluctant, still asked, “…where’s your boyfriend?”
He still couldn’t quite comfortably call him “sister-in-law.”
Mahjong King Li Yan said, “What’s up, suddenly being so enthusiastic about my bro?”
Liu Zi: “Damn, we need a fourth player.”
“…”
Yu Xun turned on his microphone and said, “Oh, he’s working overtime.”
These words were said with a hint of resentment.
Liu Zi almost doubted if he heard it right. His brother had always been calm and collected, unperturbed by anything.
Yu Xun just said that, then turned off the mic again.
Liu Zi pulled another person in, and once there were four people, the game started.
“Why not play some other game?” said the classmate who joined.
Li Yan: “We’re working people now, no time to go to internet cafes, so we can only play some popular intellectual games to kill time.”
Liu Zi discarded a tile: “Internships make you age fast.”
Yu Xun wasn’t playing seriously.
From time to time, he exited the mini-game to check if Yun Ci had replied to his messages.
After the round ended, there was still no activity in the chat box.
When he switched back to the game, he happened to hear Li Yan gossiping: “Is there some kind of breakup season recently? Several couples in our class broke up shortly after starting their internships.”
“How did they break up?”
“Busy, stressed; no time for romance.”
“…”
Yu Xun cracked his knuckles, couldn’t care less about whether he was disturbing his boyfriend’s work, pressed the voice button, and brought the phone close to speak: “Six hours and four minutes, not a single message, huh?”
He paused for a moment, then continued, “Do you still remember that you have a boyfriend?”
—
At the law firm.
At this hour, the office was still crowded, with overtime being the norm.
Colleagues occasionally chatted while ordering takeout: “Ordering coffee, want a cup?”
“Add one for me.”
“Me too, me too.”
“…”
In the midst of this, a female colleague glanced towards a certain spot, wanting to ask if he wanted anything but feeling too shy to speak up.
That spot was in the corner, which was easily overlooked, but the person sitting there was so outstanding that it became the most noticeable place in the office.
He wore a white shirt that was a bit too large, looking particularly loose, as if it was bought too big, or more likely, it was someone else’s, given its casual style that didn’t quite suit him.
He sat upright, holding a pen, with slender wrists and a focused gaze on the documents. His cold and refined features still retained a hint of youthful innocence.
Yun Ci didn’t notice the glances. He closed the file folder, glanced at his phone, and realized it had been dead for several hours.
No wonder he wasn’t disturbed by any message notifications while he was working.
After charging his phone, he played Yu Xun’s voice message twice.
—“Six hours…”
—“Do you still remember…”
The second time was purely because, after six hours and four minutes of no contact, he actually missed him a bit.
Yun Ci released his grip and replied with two words: [I remember.]
The black avatar responded instantly: [Seems like you don’t remember.]
[…]
On the other side of the office, someone said, “If you want to ask, just go ask. He may look cold, but he’s actually quite easy to talk to.”
“Yes, yesterday I couldn’t sort out my thoughts and he helped me take a look.”
“…”
The girl gathered her courage to approach, but was told by him, “I’m off work.”
“In a hurry to get home,” Yun Ci politely declined, “there’s a curfew at home.”
“Huh?”
For someone already working, having a curfew at home seemed unusual.
Yun Ci’s tone carried a rare hint of warmth: “My family is strict.”
After saying this, Yun Ci quickly packed up his things, preparing to rush back to be with his boyfriend.
However, halfway through packing, a commotion came from the entrance.
Though calling it a commotion wasn’t entirely accurate, as the person had simply stood quietly at the law firm’s door.
Wearing black jeans, with long, slender legs, and being particularly tall, he casually wore a T-shirt and had an excessively handsome face, chatting with people coming in and out.
One of the passersby asked, “Who are you?”
The person raised an eyebrow, “Me? Just an average handsome guy.”
“…”
The passerby was silent for a moment, then asked, “What are you here for?”
The person replied, “To win back my cruel and heartless partner.”
“Cruel and heartless?”
“Yeah,” Yu Xun said nonchalantly, “the kind who doesn’t reply to messages for eight hours.”
One of the people coming and going laughed, “Wow, that’s some cold shoulder.”
Yu Xun replied, “Right? I feel like I’m living at south pole; my heart is freezing over.”
While they were talking, Yun Ci, expressionless, carrying his things, pushed open the glass door of the office and walked out to face Yu Xun.
After a moment, Yun Ci spoke, “South pole?”
Yu Xun immediately changed his demeanor, even standing up straight, not daring to joke around in front of him, “A metaphor. I’m not at South pole (Nanji), I’m at Nanyang University.”
Yun Ci asked, “Cold shoulder?”
Yu Xun responded, “I exaggerated.”
“…”
It was almost an instinctive reaction.
Facing Yun Ci, he no longer had the confrontational and deliberately provocative attitude he used to.
Even though just a second ago, he was secretly annoyed at Yun Ci for not replying to his messages.
Yun Ci didn’t say anything more, he just naturally took Yu Xun’s hand as he walked past him.
The colleague who had been chatting with Yu Xun at the door asked,
“Who’s this?”
Inside, several pairs of ears were eavesdropping.
Everyone then heard Yun Ci say two words: “My family.”
After the two left, it took a while for the others to start discussing, “Does it mean what I think it means? Do you think it’s more likely he’s his brother?”
Someone retorted, “Who holds hands with their brother on the way home?”
Another person confidently said, “Some do.”
“?”
“Brother complex.”
“…”
That’s ridiculous.
Amid the various discussions, a voice suddenly said, “Isn’t he that person?”
“Who?”
“The new intern from the law firm next door. I’ve seen his photo, good grades and handsome. Our two firms are competitors, so I paid more attention. As the saying goes, know your enemy and yourself,” the voice lowered, continuing, “…and I heard he personally sent a relative to prison for several years.”
–
The two law firms where Yun Ci and Yu Xun were interning were indeed “competitors.” Their litigation specialties were different, so in the end, they did not choose the same firm.
In their usual work states, they were indeed “rivals.”
Because of this, Yu Xun once joked, “Looks like even in the professional world, we’ll still be ‘enemies.’”
But now this “enemy” was keeping track of his response times and coming to pick him up after work.
The distance to the station was about a few hundred meters.
On the way, Yun Ci tightened his grip on Yu Xun’s hand and recalled an agreement they had made when they first started working, “Didn’t we agree to avoid meeting at the law firms and only pick each other up on the way home?”
Yu Xun’s expression was natural, his tone unchanged, as he replied in a very matter-of-fact way, “I’m picking you up on the way home, right?”
“?”
What part of this was “on the way home”?
He had obviously come straight to the law firm.
“At the entrance,” Yu Xun said, “why wouldn’t that count as the way home from work?”
“…”
Yu Xun emphasized, “I didn’t go inside.”
He didn’t go inside, but standing at the entrance, the entire law firm saw him.
Yun Ci couldn’t argue with his rogue logic and was already used to it, so he simply stopped talking.
Before entering, under the streetlamp.
Yun Ci was about to swipe his access card, but before he could, a force pulled his hand back, making him lean slightly backward, and then he turned around.
After turning, Yu Xun’s kiss pressed down.
It seemed that Yu Xun had eaten something sweet while waiting at the entrance, as there was a hint of sweetness between his lips and teeth.
Although it wasn’t their first kiss—they had kissed countless times—it still never became a habit.
No matter how many times, Yu Xun’s kisses were always passionate and intense… and carried a bit of caution that even he wasn’t aware of. As if wanting to devour him whole, yet being careful not to harm him in the slightest.
Yu Xun whispered against his lips, “Are you angry?”
He guessed Yun Ci might mind a little. It didn’t matter when they were in school, but it was different at work.
“I couldn’t help but want to declare my sovereignty,” Yu Xun said softly, almost apologetically, “My boyfriend is too outstanding, afraid of others staring at you.”
Given Yun Ci’s character, he indeed should “mind.”
Before working, he thought it would be better to separate work and personal life.
But this person was Yu Xun.
Many principles didn’t seem that important anymore.
Yun Ci deliberately turned his head, avoiding the kiss, and pursed his lips, saying, “I do mind a bit.”
Then, before Yu Xun could get too flustered, he added, “So, should I stand in front of your law firm for a while tomorrow?”
Like countless times before, when they were rivals, Yun Ci, with a bit of a competitive spirit, glanced at Yu Xun and asked, “How long did you stand there today?”
Yu Xun: “Two or three minutes?”
Yun Ci: “Oh, I’ll stand for five minutes.”
Yu Xun, however, said, “You don’t need to stand for even a minute.”
“?”
Yu Xun’s tone lifted slightly, “It’s already been declared.”
Yun Ci was a bit puzzled, “What?”
He had never been to their law firm. Nor had he called Yu Xun during work hours.
Yu Xun teased, “I’ll show you a picture tomorrow.”
If it requires a picture, then words wouldn’t suffice.
Based on his understanding of Yu Xun, Yun Ci’s right eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.
–
The next day.
Yun Ci went to work as usual.
A colleague nearby was using a shredder, glancing at him, then slowly moving closer to him and saying, “Ahem.”
Yun Ci took out his laptop without looking up, “What is it?”
“Something,” the colleague moved a bit closer, “Family member, could it mean a brother?”
The colleague scratched his head and explained, “I made a bet with someone, and I bet it’s a brother.”
Yun Ci finally looked up and said, “What were you thinking?”
The colleague thought to himself, hoping to turn a small bet into a big win.
But Yun Ci’s cold gaze swept over him, “Is holding hands not obvious enough?”
The colleague slunk away and slapped the money he had prepared in his pocket onto another colleague’s desk.
For a moment, Yun Ci tidied his desk, intending to focus on his work. Just then, his phone buzzed.
He opened WeChat to see a picture sent by the black avatar.
Black avatar: [/photo]
The photo showed a desktop at the office where the interns worked, with a new monitor and several work file icons. The most noticeable thing, however, was the desktop background.
In bold black letters on a white background, it read: “Already have a partner.”
The huge font was eye-catching and very conspicuous.
Yun Ci looked at it once, then again, and on the second look, he noticed a date circled on the calendar on the side.
……
It might be a court date.
Yun Ci didn’t think much of it, feeling seven parts embarrassed, two parts dazed, and one part touched as he exited the chat.
He had lost.
–
Holding hands indeed wasn’t obvious enough.
Nearly three months into the internship, there was a semester project due at Nanyang, so the fourth-year students started shuttling between the law firm and the university.
Back in the classroom at Nanyang, they were no longer just students.
As the class monitor, Yun Ci went to Gao Pingyang’s office. Just as he knocked and entered, he overheard Gao Pingyang scolding someone.
“Why don’t you all go to a culinary school?”
“Don’t you know that illegal appliances are not allowed in the dormitory? Didn’t I tell you this on the first day of school? I even gave you a bloody example——”
Gao Pingyang was so angry that he slammed the table. Halfway through, he saw Yun Ci entering.
Gao Pingyang paused and then pointed at Yun Ci with even more indignation, “Look, here’s a living example.”
Yun Ci: “……?”
The scene in the office was familiar, with a row of freshmen standing against the wall.
They were new students, fresh out of high school, still retaining their youthful innocence.
Gao Pingyang glanced at Yun Ci and gave him a look.
Yun Ci, understanding the cue, nodded without changing his expression, “Ah, yes.”
As soon as he spoke, slow footsteps approached from behind, and a familiar voice took over, “It was very bloody. Six people in a dorm, and six ambulances came, one for each.”
The freshmen were easily fooled and were shocked, “That terrible?”
Yu Xun: “Mm.”
He lied without missing a beat: “One of them, surnamed Liu, almost ended up permanently disabled.”
“…”
Maybe that was a bit too much.
Gao Pingyang couldn’t even maintain his composure.
Finally, the two seniors with bloody pasts handed in their materials and walked out past the line of freshmen being punished.
After they left, Yu Xun suddenly stopped at the stairwell corner.
“Back then,” he turned around, standing in the light coming down the hallway, “when Liu Zi blew up the dorm, I was really happy.”
Because that day, a miracle happened in his life.
–
Soon, the date Yu Xun had marked on his desktop calendar arrived.
Yun Ci thought Yu Xun had some important work today, so he got up early to make breakfast.
However, Yu Xun had been taking his time since he woke up.
He wandered into the kitchen in his pajamas, keeping Yun Ci away from the frying pan, “I’ll do it. Go see what Yu Chichi is up to—what’s its up to this morning?”
Yun Ci asked him, “Aren’t you busy with work today?”
Yu Xun: “Just the usual, why?”
Just the usual.
Then why mark the calendar?
Suppressing his curiosity, Yun Ci went to the balcony to check on Yu Chichi.
Yu Chichi had been eating more and was getting rounder, lying on its back with its belly exposed to the sun. Hearing someone approach, it tilted its head and meowed at Yun Ci.
Yun Ci squatted down and rubbed its head.
When he stood up, his phone buzzed.
Black avatar: [/transfer]
“…?”
Yun Ci looked up and saw Yu Xun at the kitchen door, who had just put down his phone and was also looking at him.
Holding his phone, Yu Xun lowered his hand and said, “Today’s payday.”
Yun Ci was taken aback, not expecting the marked date to be about him: “Payday, what does that have to do with me?”
Yu Xun walked up to him, still wearing an apron, exuding a strong domestic vibe. He leaned in slightly, raising his eyebrows, “To support my spouse.”
Lmaoooooo not that desktop wallpaper!