Chapter 9

The embrace was so sudden that Xu Er failed to find his footing. He stumbled into Song Ruichi’s arms, taking a few small steps before he could steady himself.

He had expected Song Ruichi to be surprised.

But this was perhaps too surprising—a bit too enthusiastic—and it made Xu Er’s heart race. Song Ruichi’s grip was firm; Xu Er had never been held like this by anyone else, and he felt as though he could sense Song Ruichi’s breath right against his shoulder.

However, Song Ruichi let him go shortly after.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Xu?" Song Ruichi asked, his gaze gentle, a hint of a smile visible as he stared at Xu Er.

Xu Er naturally smiled even wider than Song Ruichi did. "Do you like them?"

Song Ruichi looked down at the flowers. "They are very beautiful."

Xu Er felt a surge of pride. "I picked them out carefully."

"Why did you bring me flowers?" Song Ruichi asked.

Xu Er certainly couldn't say it was to return a favor, so he couldn't come up with a reason on the spot. He could only offer Song Ruichi a smile.

To his surprise, Song Ruichi let it slide. He didn't press for an answer, but instead, his smile deepened. "I like them very much."

Xu Er’s brain shifted gears quickly. "Do you like them more than you like chocolate?"

Song Ruichi laughed and held the flowers up slightly. "Today, they outweigh the chocolate."

Xu Er lifted his chin. "I'll give you another chance."

"Then," Song Ruichi replied, "for more than just today."

"And how many days is that?" Xu Er asked.

"Until they all wither," said Song Ruichi.

Xu Er let out a laugh and pointed at Song Ruichi. "You are quite the smooth talker."

Song Ruichi reached out and pinched Xu Er’s cheek. "Aren't you?"

The conversation concluded, and Song Ruichi cleared a path for Xu Er. In truth, Xu Er’s only plan had been to drop off the flowers, but since things were going this way, he figured he might as well go inside.

As the door closed, Song Ruichi asked, "Weren't you going back to revise your draft?"

Xu Er let out an "oh" and replied, "That’s not urgent."

Whatever it was about that answer, Song Ruichi pinched his cheek again.

It wasn't a light pinch, either.

Xu Er rubbed his face and crouched down to pick up Soso. The cat was friendly toward him; once in his arms, Soso stayed docile. The man and the cat sat on the sofa. As he turned his head, Xu Er spotted a small teddy bear in the corner of the sofa.

He placed Soso on his lap and picked up the bear.

"Is this a reward from yesterday?" Xu Er asked Song Ruichi.

Song Ruichi took a bottle of water from the fridge, twisted the cap, and set it on the coffee table in front of Xu Er. "Yes."

Xu Er brought the bear closer to Soso, but the cat extended a paw and swatted it away.

"Does he not like it?" Xu Er tried again, but Soso swatted it away once more, looking quite disdainful.

Xu Er looked at Song Ruichi in confusion.

Song Ruichi opened his own bottle of water. "Perhaps."

"Didn't you say he liked it?" Xu Er asked.

"Right, I did say that," Song Ruichi replied.

Xu Er was baffled. "Huh?"

Song Ruichi smiled. "Maybe he doesn't like it after all."

Xu Er still didn't understand, but he decided not to ask further. He had no idea what this master and his pet were playing at.

Once the bear was removed, Soso became docile again, lying on the sofa with his head resting on Xu Er’s lap. Xu Er stroked his head, stroke after stroke.

"I’m going to blow-dry my hair."

Song Ruichi set his water down.

"Oh, go ahead," Xu Er said, continuing to pet Soso.

Then, he seemed to have nothing to do. He looked around the room, and for lack of anything better to do, he took a sip of water. Then, still not knowing what else to do, he pulled out his phone.

The moment he unlocked it, he knew exactly what to do. He snapped a photo of Soso and sent it to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen, who was always on his phone, replied instantly: "What is this???"

"Don't tell me that's Song Ruichi's cat," Xu Chen added.

"Uh-huh," Xu Er replied.

"!!! Don't tell me you're at Song Ruichi's place again!"

"Uh-huh-huh."

"!!!! How did you two end up hanging out again!"

Xu Er tapped on the keyboard. How was he supposed to explain this? It felt like he would have to start with the Lego typewriter from yesterday, then the dinner, then the flowers. The dinner was fine, but the flowers—Xu Er felt a bit embarrassed about that.

In truth, it was a quite romantic gesture. Giving flowers late at night was romantic, but because he was giving them to another man, the romance became a bit... strange.

Xu Er decided to keep it simple. "We had dinner together tonight."

He worried Xu Chen would ask why, but to his surprise, Xu Chen replied, "Why didn't you call me!"

The words "Yeah, why?" floated through Xu Er's mind.

"Good question," Xu Er typed back.

"Did you two eat alone?"

"Yes."

"Who asked whom?"

"I asked him."

Xu Er’s jaw tightened; he braced himself for Xu Chen to call him a traitor. Instead, Xu Chen suddenly said, "Bro."

"Yeah?"

"Haha, never mind, never mind."

"What is it?"

"I'll try to find a chance to mention you later," Xu Er offered.

"Hahaha, no need for that."

"Really?"

"Hahaha, actually, yeah, do it."

"I'll see if I can get an autograph."

"An autographed photo would be best," Xu Chen added. "But make sure you bring it up casually, don't make it too obvious."

"I have a younger brother, a junior in the Computer Science department at A University, six feet tall..."

"I give up on you." Xu Chen replied. "Also, I'm six-foot-one!"

"Hahaha," Xu Er typed. "Alright, alright."

The bedroom door suddenly opened. Startled, Xu Er quickly tucked his phone away, forcibly scooped up the half-asleep Soso, and held him in his lap to stroke him.

Had it not been for the exchange with Xu Chen, Xu Er had actually intended to go home as soon as Song Ruichi came out. Now, he had to reconsider.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes!"

Perhaps because his reply was too abrupt and loud, Song Ruichi turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Xu Er stood up. "Didn't you say you knew how to brew coffee?"

Song Ruichi smiled. "Alright."

There was a bar counter next to the dining area where Song Ruichi walked over. Xu Er set Soso down and followed. The host makes the coffee, the guest sits and watches—isn't that reasonable?

Perfectly reasonable.

So, Xu Er pulled out a chair and sat down on his own accord. As for brewing coffee, he had only ever seen his graduate advisor do it. His advisor, of course, couldn't compare to Song Ruichi—Song Ruichi was far too handsome.

He might as well mention it: Song Ruichi’s loungewear looked great, too. Xu Er was envious of everything he saw and wanted it all; he wanted to buy that set of clothes as well. It went to show that you didn't have to wear shorts at home—long trousers like Song Ruichi’s were quite nice. They looked amazing.

"It's ten o'clock," Song Ruichi asked as he ground the coffee beans. "Are you staying the night?"

Xu Er was taken aback. "Huh?" He shook his head. "I think not."

"I see," Song Ruichi said.

He didn't continue the invitation, so it seemed it was just a polite gesture. Before long, the beans were ground. Xu Er licked his lips and cleared his throat internally.

"I have a younger brother," Xu Er said, trying to sound as natural as possible.

Song Ruichi looked up at him.

Because Xu Er didn't continue immediately, Song Ruichi asked, "What kind of brother?"

"My cousin, my uncle’s son."

"What about him?"

Xu Er decided to set the stage. "He's also in A City, and he attends A University, too."

"Also?" Song Ruichi caught the word.

"Oh, I graduated from A University as well," Xu Er said.

Song Ruichi nodded.

Xu Er pursed his lips. Why wasn't he asking further? If you don't ask, how am I supposed to say it?

"Would you like to meet him?" Xu Er asked. Before Song Ruichi could answer, he negated it himself. "No, haha."

How was he supposed to do this?

Song Ruichi laughed. "What is it you want to say?"

Xu Er sighed inwardly. Forget it.

"My younger brother likes you."

Song Ruichi’s movements slowly came to a halt. He looked up at Xu Er.

The air remained still for several seconds before Song Ruichi finally asked, "What?"