Chapter 22

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Quite interesting—today Xu Er wore his own clothes. It was the same outfit he had changed out of at Song Ruichi’s place last time. However, the weather had turned chilly, so Song Ruichi had put an overcoat on him. What kind of coat was it? It was the very black trench coat that Xu Er had admired—Song Ruichi looked incredibly handsome in it, so Xu Er had secretly bought the same style later on. Xu Er suspected Song Ruichi did it on purpose. But Song Ruichi remained silent. Xu Er kept quiet as well.

It’s worth mentioning that just as Song Ruichi was handing Xu Er the clothes, he was on the phone, holding it to his ear with one hand while rummaging through the wardrobe with the other. He spoke into the phone, occasionally glancing at Xu Er. Suddenly, Xu Er found he could understand why Xu Chen, usually so fickle, had kept “Ze County’s Song Ruichi” in his heart for two whole years. Song Ruichi was truly handsome, extraordinarily so.

Still, feeling a bit embarrassed to be so infatuated after becoming close, Xu Er decided to keep this image locked in his mind, planning to share it with Xu Chen at some point. He wondered if Xu Chen would be grateful that finally someone else understood his feelings for Song Ruichi.

Song Ruichi handed the clothes to Xu Er and left the bedroom. Xu Er changed and came out to find him sitting on the living room sofa, a laptop on his lap. Xu Er approached and asked, “Are you busy?” Song Ruichi’s eyes remained on the screen. “Just a moment.” Xu Er thought it over. “Why don’t you keep busy? Let’s skip cooking today and do it next time.” Song Ruichi didn’t look up, only patted the seat beside him. Xu Er obediently sat down and watched Song Ruichi typing rapidly, the screen filled with things he couldn’t understand.

Half a minute later, Xu Er asked, “Huh? Why did you call me over?” Song Ruichi replied, “To keep me company.” Xu Er couldn’t help but laugh. He had expected something else entirely. Song Ruichi pressed Enter, then suddenly reached out and took Xu Er’s hand. Song Ruichi’s coat was long, covering part of his legs, and he placed Xu Er’s hand on the woolen fabric—it felt very comfortable this time of year. But what did this mean? Xu Er asked, puzzled, “Huh?” Song Ruichi said, “It’s a way to hold on to you.” Xu Er chuckled softly, then burst into louder laughter. Song Ruichi smiled too, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly.

“Just ten minutes,” Song Ruichi asked. “Can you sit still?” Xu Er replied, “What if I say no?” Song Ruichi said, “Then I’ll fry you a fried egg later.” Xu Er laughed, “Are you bribing me with a fried egg?” Song Ruichi replied, “A soft-boiled egg.” Xu Er actually pursed his lips. “How do you know I like soft-boiled eggs?” Song Ruichi said, “Because I like them,” then added, “Now you know.” “Alright, alright.” Though it was strange, Xu Er didn’t pull his hand away and started fiddling with the buttons on Song Ruichi’s coat. But there was no way he’d play with those buttons for ten minutes—that would be weird—so soon he gave up and leaned back on the sofa, playing with his phone.

What was it? Song Ruichi’s studio’s Weibo account. Although Xu Er hadn’t followed it, his memory prompted him to type the name into the search bar. Just as Xu Chen had said, Song Ruichi had posted a photo on Weibo around eleven the previous night. The post had no caption, only a scenic emoji. There were 45 comments below. Xu Er hadn’t opened them yet but then noticed something else. “Hey?” Xu Er was quite surprised and sat up straighter. Song Ruichi asked, “What’s wrong?”

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Xu Er handed the phone over slightly: “You followed me.” Song Ruichi glanced at the phone, “Mm.” Xu Er asked, “When?” Song Ruichi replied, “When you were stalking me last time.” Xu Er was speechless. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Xu Er asked. “Why didn’t you?” Song Ruichi shot back. Xu Er was momentarily at a loss, hummed to himself, and leaned back again, muttering something unknown.

Since this gentleman had followed him, Xu Er decided to follow back. He asked, “Did you look at my Weibo?” Song Ruichi said, “I did.” Xu Er said confidently, “Then you were stalking me too.” Song Ruichi suddenly laughed. “Yeah, I was.” Xu Er felt like he’d scored a point, though it was meaningless.

He finally opened those 45 comments. Some were from Song Ruichi’s friends: “Why are you secretly drinking at home without inviting us?” “Who did you have supper with?” “The night view from your window is really beautiful.” “Hey, did you post this on Moments?” Some were from netizens: “Such a beautiful night view.” “A City’s night scene is the best.” “Is that crayfish? Now I’m hungry.” And some seemed to be fans: “Hubby is having supper.” “Hubby, your account is alive!” “Hubby, I miss you so much.”

“Hubby.” Xu Er mimicked the word. Song Ruichi’s hand trembled slightly as he moved the mouse. Xu Er said, “They call you hubby.” Song Ruichi clicked to retract the comment, “Ignore it.” Xu Er said, “Quite a few people call you that.” Song Ruichi said, “They’re just saying it.” Xu Er understood this was common now, nothing unusual. Normally, he should have exited at this point, but having just talked to Xu Chen about this, he opened the comments again and visited a few of those “hubby” accounts. Sure enough, a few were male accounts.

Boys calling other boys “hubby.” Xu Er felt his worldview shaken slightly. He furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. “I’m done.” “Huh?” The page on Xu Er’s phone was exactly one of Song Ruichi’s male fans. Suddenly, he caught Song Ruichi’s gaze turning his way, and his face flushed. His expression was hard not to read. The next second, Song Ruichi asked, “What are you doing?” Xu Er pressed the phone closer to himself, fearing Song Ruichi would see the screen, “Nothing.” Song Ruichi gave a look that clearly said, “Do you think I believe that?”

But Song Ruichi didn’t press him further. He quickly turned back to handle some shutdown tasks, giving Xu Er space. Xu Er exhaled slowly and hurriedly closed Weibo. Then he mentally scolded himself—what was he doing?

Song Ruichi actually did fry the soft-boiled eggs for Xu Er—two of them. Along with a bowl of shrimp ball soup, the breakfast struck a chord with Xu Er. He had already tasted a bit of Song Ruichi’s cooking last time with the mixed noodles; this time the eggs were even better. The shrimp ball soup was delicious, perfectly suited to Xu Er’s taste.

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Having eaten and drunk to satisfaction, leaving not a drop or crumb, they put the dishes into the dishwasher. It was already half past eleven. So the eggs and shrimp ball soup weren’t exactly a traditional breakfast. Feeling more energized after the meal, they tidied up and headed to the largest supermarket nearby. Since there was no rush to cook at a set mealtime, they had plenty of time. Inside, they leisurely browsed daily necessities and clothes. They even went to the children’s section.

“My cousin’s baby will turn one next month,” Xu Er said as they approached the toys. “I need to buy a gift.” Standing before the dazzling array, Xu Er wondered aloud, “What does a one-year-old play with?” Song Ruichi asked, “You’re asking me?” Xu Er nodded, “Makes sense.” They began choosing, focusing on the age recommendations printed on the boxes: 3-12 years, over 6 years, over 12 years, 2-6 years… When the shelf was empty, they turned the corner to the next. Half a shelf later, two young men caught Xu Er’s attention. They seemed about the same age as them, standing in the headband and hat section. One was putting a pink bunny ears headband on the other.

Since it was rare to see boys wearing such headbands, Xu Er couldn’t help but glance a few more times. It was odd but oddly charming. Maybe because the boy wearing the headband was dressed in a pink sweater today—it all looked harmonious and quite cute. But looking more would be impolite, so Xu Er looked away. At that moment, the boy in the white sweater looked over and called out, “Hey, Song Ruichi.” Xu Er looked over again, then turned to Song Ruichi, who also looked in that direction. “Friends,” Song Ruichi said.

The four of them stopped what they were doing and walked toward the center. “What a coincidence running into you here,” the one in the white sweater said cheerfully, glancing at their shopping cart. “Buying daily necessities?” Song Ruichi replied, “Groceries.” The white sweater flashed a sly grin, “Oh? So soon?” Song Ruichi retorted, “Mind your own business.” The white sweater’s smile deepened, clearly happy to see Song Ruichi here. But the next second, his gaze shifted to Xu Er, just behind Song Ruichi’s side. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Xu Er.” Xu Er was momentarily stunned. “Hello.” “Hello, hello,” said the white sweater. Song Ruichi said, “We have to go now.” The white sweater nodded and casually draped an arm over the pink sweater’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.”

Friends parting ways on different paths never felt awkward. Xu Er had to put aside the gift for his nephew for the moment. As they turned the corner, Xu Er caught a glimpse of Song Ruichi’s friend wrapping an arm around the waist of the one in the pink sweater. But in a moment, their figures vanished from his sight.

“Why do all your friends know me?” Xu Er asked after they had walked some distance. Song Ruichi replied, “Who knows you?” Xu Er said, “The one from the art exhibition last time, and just now that guy.” Song Ruichi nodded, “Yes.” Xu Er said, “...You’re something else.” Song Ruichi smiled, “What do you think?” Xu Er replied, “How would I know?” Song Ruichi said, “Then I don’t know either.” Xu Er was speechless. They walked a bit further. Xu Er half-joked, “You wouldn’t be badmouthing me in front of your friends, would you?” Song Ruichi said, “What bad things could I say about you?”