The clothes Wen Yu gave him had a very pleasant scent, so much so that after putting them on, Fu Yuhan specifically looked at the laundry detergent brand in the corner of the bathroom, planning to buy some for himself later.
…Then he was deterred by the brand.
LeLabo, truly worthy of Young Master Wen.
“Seriously, aren’t you being too extravagant? Even the laundry detergent…” After brushing his teeth, he dried his hair while looking for Wen Yu. As he spoke, he stopped in his tracks, “…What are you doing?”
Wen Yu was standing by his bed, with a fabric laundry basket at his feet piled with things to wash up to his knees.
Hearing the movement behind him, Wen Yu turned around, looked at Fu Yuhan twice, and asked very seriously: “Do you know how to change duvet covers?”
Fu Yuhan was stunned.
Then, a smile uncontrollably spread from the corners of his mouth, extending to his eyes and brows. He turned his head away and chuckled softly.
The sheets and pillowcases on the bed had all been changed to different patterns, only that poor duvet rolled into a ball was still wearing the previous cover. It looked like Wen Yu was truly helpless against it.
It took him a while to turn back around: “I thought you were really good at everything.”
“Who said that?” Wen Yu was speechless.
“Yang Fan,” Fu Yuhan said with a smile, “He really praised you to the skies before, saying you could do anything.”
Wen Yu felt uncomfortable whenever he heard Fu Yuhan mention Yang Fan now—an indescribable feeling. He immediately raised an eyebrow and steered the conversation away: “Are you planning to mock me for being unable to take care of myself?”
“No no, how would I dare? If Yu-ge gets angry and doesn’t let me see his notes, I’d be scared to death.” Fu Yuhan casually hung the towel he’d used to dry his hair around his neck and walked over, “It’s very normal. When I first started learning housework, I couldn’t put on duvet covers either. Yours is even a double duvet…”
“Are double duvets harder?” Wen Yu handed him the clean duvet cover, his gaze stopping on a strand of his hair where a water droplet hung, seeming about to fall but not quite.
“When you’re doing it alone,” Fu Yuhan skillfully found the hidden buttons on the duvet cover and opened them, starting to remove the previous one while talking, “it’s more troublesome.”
“Should I help?”
“Wait, when I get it on, help me pull it.”
Putting on a duvet cover wasn’t difficult—just get the inside and outside straight, fit the four corners properly, then pull it open and shake it twice. If Wen Yu hadn’t never done this kind of thing before, he wouldn’t have been laughed at by Fu Yuhan.
In the past, when Wen Yu saw that kind of expression on the other person’s face, he would probably be itching to find ways to argue back, tease him, and see his reaction. However, today, Wen Yu was like a cat that had been petted—even though he had already thought of many retorts, he had no desire to say them out loud.
Instead, he wanted to ask Fu Yuhan if he needed help drying his hair.
Fu Yuhan’s hair was very soft. He had touched it a few times and it felt quite nice.
But after he cut his hair, it had become much shorter and dried quickly. Wen Yu figured he wouldn’t agree to such an overly intimate request.
So he could only think about it in his mind.
“Actually, I’ve never drunk that much before.” Wen Yu watched him for a while and suddenly said.
“Mm?” Fu Yuhan looked up, seeming a bit surprised. After glancing once, he quickly lowered his gaze back to work. “Oh.”
Wen Yu: “…”
Wen Yu: “Don’t you have anything else to say?”
“Don’t drink that much in the future?” Fu Yuhan looked up and thought, “Boss Chen told me you drank more than 6 bottles… that alcohol had pretty high proof, right?”
Foreign liquors were mostly hard liquor. Although Fu Yuhan didn’t recognize that type of bottle from yesterday, he had basic common sense.
“43 proof.”
“43 proof and you drank pure alcohol for 6 bottles, you really think you’re a wine barrel?” Fu Yuhan shook his head, “Drink less in the future.”
“Okay.”
Fu Yuhan had originally said it casually, but he didn’t expect Wen Yu to agree so quickly. He looked up at him and reached out to find the two fitted corners to hand to him: “Hold these.”
Wen Yu walked over and grabbed one in each hand.
Fu Yuhan took the other two corners himself, got down from the bed edge, pulled it open and shook it—
Wen Yu imitated his movements and shook it.
Two tall men with long arms and legs could shake the fitted duvet flat in just two motions. Fu Yuhan took half the duvet back from his hands, fastened the hidden buttons, and folded the duvet in one smooth motion.
After finishing all this, Fu Yuhan looked up at him.
Then he went over and pressed the back of his hand to Wen Yu’s forehead: “Are you running a fever…”
“…”
Wen Yu leaned back and pulled his hand down: “No.”
The skin he touched was slightly warm, carrying the moist steam from just coming out of the bathroom. Wen Yu’s fingertips slid up along his hand to his wrist before reluctantly letting go without showing it.
Fu Yuhan was such a sensitive person that he was immediately slightly surprised.
Fortunately, Wen Yu’s years of almost conditioned-reflex pretending came in handy at the crucial moment. He looked back with a calm expression: “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.” Fu Yuhan shook his head, thinking he was just being paranoid. “You’re really acting strange today.”
“Being a bit nicer to you and you’re uncomfortable,” Wen Yu looked over, “Are you a masochist?”
This sentence sounded much more normal in tone. Fu Yuhan thought about it and decided to comfort Wen Yu with his remaining conscience: “You don’t need to do this. I won’t tell anyone about what happened yesterday.”
“…”
If Fu Yuhan hadn’t mentioned it, Wen Yu would have almost forgotten. He picked up the laundry basket, along with the duvet cover he’d just changed, and walked toward the bathroom. As he walked, he continued the conversation: “Then I’ll thank you first.”
“No problem.”
Fu Yuhan followed him to the living room, watching him carry the clothes into the bathroom.
The only washing machine in the house was in there.
Almost simultaneously, the door intercom rang. Fu Yuhan went over to check and found the food delivery had arrived. He opened the door, went to the elevator to meet the delivery person, and when he came back, he found Wen Yu contemplating the washing machine.
He should have put the clothes and things in. Fu Yuhan guessed: “Don’t tell me you’ve never used a washing machine either?”
“…Usually the auntie washes everything.” Wen Yu was also a bit speechless. He turned back to ask, “What’s the difference between ‘soak wash’ and ‘large items’ in terms of usage? Why are there two modes?”
“I don’t know,” Fu Yuhan shook his head, putting the takeout on the table and starting to unpack it. “When there are sheets and bedding, I usually find a 40-minute mode.”
“Oh.” Wen Yu pressed a few buttons and finally got the washing machine running.
“I’m really…” Coming out of the bathroom, Wen Yu thought about it and laughed, “Even I think I’m stupid.”
“You’ll learn housework after doing it a few times.” Fu Yuhan said with his back to him, setting the table.
“I don’t like doing it. I think since the auntie gets paid, she should do these things.”
Today was probably a sudden whim, because he really didn’t know how to face Fu Yuhan calmly without doing these things.
He hadn’t adjusted properly yet.
“What you say makes sense, but people can’t only know how to study. When there’s a chance, you can still learn how to do work… although you might not need to do it.” Fu Yuhan paused, “Hey, Wen Yu.”
“Mm?” Wen Yu walked to the table and sat down.
“I want to apologize to you.”
“…Huh?”
“Before I said… told you to be human,” Fu Yuhan thought about last night’s events, lowering his eyes in contemplation, “I misunderstood you.”
Wen Yu looked completely confused.
“I thought you were heartless, but I didn’t realize you just didn’t put your heart on Yang Fan. Although I don’t know why you drank too much last night, who you were thinking of at the time… but I think the way you looked…” He found an appropriate way to put it, “You probably do have someone you seriously like.”
“…”
Wen Yu was stunned, his Adam’s apple rolling gently as he said in a low voice: “Then are you… curious about who it is?”
Fu Yuhan looked at him.
Wen Yu looked back, pinching his palm where he couldn’t see.
“Not curious,” Fu Yuhan shook his head, “Why would I be curious about your privacy… let’s eat.”
Wen Yu: “…”
Eat my ass.
It was a completely tasteless meal.
Fu Yuhan, who had no idea about Wen Yu’s mood, ate quite happily. While eating, he casually took out his phone.
“…Wait.” Wen Yu blurted out.
“Mm?” Fu Yuhan looked up, his movement pausing there.
“Did you see Yang Fan’s Moments post last night?”
“No?” Fu Yuhan was about to scroll through, “What did he post?”
Wen Yu stood up a bit and reached across the dining table to press down on his phone.
“If you haven’t seen it, don’t look.” Wen Yu said.
“…Ah.” Fu Yuhan understood.
His eyelids drooped, and the relaxed joy from just moments ago seemed to instantly withdraw. His eyes carried a hint of loneliness.
The living room fell silent for a moment. Wen Yu suddenly wondered if he had said the wrong thing.
“It’s normal, right,” After a while, Fu Yuhan’s mouth corner twitched, trying hard to lift upward, “It’s fine, I’ll let go.”
Wen Yu bit his lip: “…Let’s not talk about him anymore, until you let go.”
“Okay,” Fu Yuhan said, “Thank you.”
“Then give me your phone, I’ll help you block his Moments.” Wen Yu reached out his hand.
“…No, forget it, I’ll just browse Moments less in the future… I don’t really look at it much anyway.”
Wen Yu bit the soft flesh in his mouth and pouted: “That works too… Let’s talk about something else, like… about ‘being human,’ do you have any good suggestions?”
“…I already apologized.” Fu Yuhan said helplessly.
“I’m not picking a fight.” Wen Yu looked at him, “I’ll learn to do housework in the future, drink less alcohol, is there anything else?”
Fu Yuhan’s eyes widened slightly: “?”
“To be honest with you, I’ve been trying to…” Wen Yu paused, saying with difficulty, “break free from the… framework… my dad set for me. I think your suggestions are very good, so is there anything else?”
Fu Yuhan was even more surprised.
He didn’t know what had happened last night that made Wen Yu decide overnight to analyze himself to someone else. He might not have even said these words yesterday. Almost instinctively, Fu Yuhan wanted to ask him “what’s wrong with you,” but he had already asked this question many times this morning without getting any effective answers.
Fu Yuhan thought carefully—maybe Wen Yu himself didn’t know what was wrong with him. Asking like this seemed both useless and unnecessary.
“Although I really want to help you,” Fu Yuhan thought, “you shouldn’t ask me this question. Just ask yourself, isn’t that right?”
Ask your own heart, be more genuine.
If you don’t like following rules, indulge yourself occasionally.
You also oversleep and are late sometimes, don’t force yourself to arrive on time.
When you’re angry, show it, don’t fake smile.
“…You’re not really rule-abiding deep down either,” Fu Yuhan leaned forward and reached out to tug at his earlobe with the piercing, “Why pretend to be a model student.”
Wen Yu looked at him and pulled his hand down: “Okay, I promise you, I’ll try to change.”
“…You don’t need to promise me so solemnly,” Fu Yuhan suddenly felt a bit awkward, “It’s for yourself.”
“Having someone supervise me might make me more efficient—but from now on just talk normally, don’t touch my ears.”
“Mm?”
“Don’t your ears have any feeling?” Wen Yu looked at him with deep eyes, “Xiao Han, I’m gay.”
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
