TSTFTR Chapter 08

After finishing the bread, Yu Qiu stood in front of the French window, opened it, and held a cigarette between his fingers. The cigarette’s flickering flame was like the enchanting figure of a woman, dancing and twisting.

He smoked slowly, exhaling the smoke.

The sky had already turned dark.

Yu Qiu kept smoking, losing track of time. Cigarette after cigarette, the night outside grew deeper. When Yu Qiu reached for the cigarette box, it was empty. He realized that he had smoked an entire pack of cigarettes.

Yu Qiu subconsciously thought, “It’s such a waste. I won’t be able to afford cigarettes in the future, I’ll have to eat candy instead.”

“Knock, knock, knock—”

Yu Qiu hurriedly put down the cigarette, “Oh, someone’s here.”

He realized that he hadn’t played the piano at all.

Could it be that the smoking was also detected?

Feeling a bit uneasy, Yu Qiu opened the door, but he was surprised to see Xuan Yun standing there.

He looked down and saw the watermelon that Xuan Yun was holding in his hands.

Xuan Yun had a smile on his face, but he suddenly smelled the strong smoke and frowned. Yu Qiu said, “Sorry, I just smoked, and the smell might be a bit strong—do you need anything?”

“I bought a watermelon, but I can’t finish it all by myself, and my fridge is already full. So, I came to find Brother Qiu to share it,” Xuan Yun relaxed his eyebrows and said.

Yu Qiu hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to make way for Xuan Yun to enter and closed the door.

Yu Qiu’s home had very few things, with a black, white, and gray color scheme, simple and clean. Even the lights were cold silver in color. As Xuan Yun walked into the living room, he noticed a bright splash of color—the red velvet cloth covering the piano.

The smoke smell became even stronger, and he couldn’t help but cough.

Yu Qiu opened the window, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t know you were coming, otherwise, I wouldn’t have smoked.”

“It’s okay,” Xuan Yun sat down, “I wanted to come and see Brother Qiu on my own.”

Xuan Yun noticed the empty cigarette box on the floor that hadn’t been disposed of yet, but he didn’t say anything about it.

Yu Qiu took the watermelon from Xuan Yun’s arms and brought it to the kitchen to cut. Xuan Yun hummed a song and watched Yu Qiu’s figure intently.

Yu Qiu was wearing thin clothes at home, and one could vaguely see the prominent bones of his collarbone. His legs were long and straight, with a shapely waist and buttocks, and he had a great figure.

Xuan Yun wondered if he had dimples on his lower back.

Yu Qiu handed the sliced watermelon over, “Here, have some.”

“Thanks, Brother.”

Yu Qiu turned on the TV but didn’t know which channel to watch, so he turned to Xuan Yun and asked, “What do you like to watch?”

Their eyes met, Xuan Yun’s gaze was very straightforward, and Yu Qiu asked, “Hmm?”

“Anything is fine.”

Yu Qiu randomly stopped at a channel.

“Why do you smoke, gege?” Xuan Yun took a bite of watermelon, “Is there something bothering you?”

“…” Yu Qiu didn’t know how to explain. He didn’t like to show his scars to others casually. He disliked the sympathetic or indignant looks people gave him; it made him uncomfortable. He said, “Just a small thing, I won’t talk about it.”

Xuan Yun tactfully stopped asking and started talking about random things, he was talkative, as if he had an entire universe of strange stories and anecdotes stored in his belly, and he could talk about anything.

Yu Qiu wasn’t good at talking, so he listened and smiled, slowly eating the watermelon.

“Qiu Ge.”

“Hmm?” Yu Qiu asked.

Suddenly, Xuan Yun leaned over. Yu Qiu looked at the mole under Xuan Yun’s eye. Xuan Yun’s warm breath fell on his face, and he reached out his hand. His thumb gently wiped the corner of Xuan Yun’s mouth and lightly touched his lower lip. “There’s some watermelon juice here, Qiu Ge.”

The distance was too close, beyond the safe distance for interactions with strangers.

Xuan Yun smelled the smoke on Yu Qiu, and it entwined him, carrying an inexplicable allure that was enticing.

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