WHIF- Chapter 22

This is the 2nd chapter for today. One more is coming up!

---

Ch. 22 Shopping

    Ji Xiang never imagined that a casual remark he once made would be remembered by Yang Chaosheng.

    Over the years, his enthusiasm had worn thin, and the idea of raising a cat had dulled into numbness. Stray cats or domestic cats, what difference did it make who he fed? He had comforted himself that not having a cat saved him the trouble.

    A person can endure loneliness time and again, but a kitten, once taken in with the intention of nurturing, shouldn’t have to.

    And yet, Yang Chaosheng gave him a surprise. He really built a small home of three Ji Xiang once envied. And now, he was standing at the door with their little cat child, warmly welcoming him.

    Ji Xiang pressed his cheek against the ragdoll cat. His eyes were damp, he wasn’t sure if it was because of excitement, emotion, or a bit of both.

    Though it had only been a few days since the ragdoll moved into its new home, under Yang Chaosheng’s care, it had already grown, looking healthy and radiant. It didn’t have a name yet, and Yang Chaosheng naturally handed over this important decision to Ji Xiang.

    Caught off guard by the gesture, Ji Xiang’s voice rose unconsciously, “Really?”

    “Of course. It’s… our cat.” Yang Chaosheng turned his head slightly, not daring to meet Ji Xiang’s gaze.

    To others, ‘our’ might just be a simple word. But between Yang Chaosheng and Ji Xiang, it carried weight.

    “Then let’s call it Caramel,” Ji Xiang said after a moment’s thought, pointing at the cat’s pale-yellow fur, and then looking up at Yang Chaosheng. “How about that?”

    His lips curved gently, eyes bright and gleaming under the hallway light, looking as if they were filled with sparkling diamonds.

    Yang Chaosheng paused, then coughed awkwardly. “…It sounds nice.”

    He reached out again, gently tapped the kitten’s head, and called softly, “Caramel?”

    Ji Xiang beamed and scooped the little one into his arms. Caramel let out a confused meow, as if acknowledging the name.

    With Caramel around, Ji Xiang was distracted the entire morning while unpacking. He kept pausing to play with the kitten. Caramel seemed quite intuitive, circling around Yang Chaosheng as he dutifully acted as the moving crew. Worried the kitten might get stepped on, Ji Xiang temporarily placed it in an empty cardboard box.

    Once everything was settled, Ji Xiang knelt beside the box to check on Caramel and found that it had collapsed from playing so much, and was now sound asleep. Carefully, he scooped it up and held it close.

    Yang Chaosheng poured him a glass of water and set it down with a soft clink, prompting Ji Xiang to hush him with a ‘shh’.

    “It’s asleep,” Ji Xiang mouthed dramatically.

    Yang Chaosheng nodded in sync, even sitting down cautiously. He stared at Ji Xiang for a while, watching him cradle the kitten with a not-so-expert, baby-holding technique.

    Seeing the two of them, a strange pang hit him. Caramel was really blessed—not only had Ji Xiang named it himself, but it even got to nap in his arms. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that Yang Chaosheng realized he was jealous of a cat. Even he found it absurd.

    Things had been going too smoothly lately. Once a desire is fulfilled, it will only grow even more.

    He tried to ignore Caramel’s odd sleeping posture and asked in a hushed tone, “Do you like your room? Is there anything you’d like to add?”

    Yang Chaosheng’s home followed a minimalist aesthetic of black, white, and gray, with warm lighting as the only touch of colour. But the room he gave Ji Xiang was surprisingly well-decorated, full of trinkets and plushies.

    At first glance, Ji Xiang thought it looked just like his bedroom back at the apartment.

    “I like it. But the way you decorated it feels very different from the rest of the place,” Ji Xiang noted. “Is that okay? It feels a little out of place.”

    Yang Chaosheng had prepared the room based on what he guessed Ji Xiang might like. He was going to say it was fine, but instead it came out as a suggestion: “Interior design isn’t really my strong suit. Could you help me look over the rest of the place and maybe help make some adjustments?”

    “You want to redo the rest of the decor?” Ji Xiang asked, surprised. “That sounds like a lot of work.”

    “I’ve lived with this style long enough. Now that you’re here, it wouldn’t hurt to try something new.” Yang Chaosheng glanced at Caramel’s twitching tail. “After all, this is our home now—yours, mine, and the caramel’s. We have to respect the opinion of the other owner of this house.”

    Ji Xiang hesitated, but then gave an ‘OK’ hand sign, willingly accepting the mission. “Sure, I was going to say it earlier, your living room looks way too cold.”

    “Then why didn’t you?”

    He almost answered, ‘Because it’s not my house’, but Yang Chaosheng’s words just now made it clear that he was considered family. Saying that would be rude.

    So, he changed his words, “Actually, it doesn’t seem that bad once you get used to it.”

    Yang Chaosheng chuckled softly. He didn’t press upon the pause in Ji Xiang’s reply. After handing over his bank card to fund the redesign, Ji Xiang felt a ridiculous sense of financial control wash over him.

    By the time everything was tidied up, it was nearly evening. Ji Xiang had collapsed on the sofa like a curled-up cat. Looking at him, Yang Chaosheng held back on something he wanted to say, deciding to head to the supermarket alone to buy daily necessities for Ji Xiang.

    Even though Ji Xiang was sleepy, he noticed Yang Chaosheng getting ready to leave and sat up, calling out, “Where are you going?”

    As if afraid of being left alone.

    Yang Chaosheng told the truth, “I haven’t bought your toiletries yet. I was going to ask you to come with me, but you looked exhausted. I’ll just pick up some groceries while I’m out. What do you feel like eating?”

    He said it so naturally, so much that for the first time, Ji Xiang truly felt like they were married.

    “I’ll come with you.”

    Ji Xiang felt a bit guilty. It was all his stuff being moved, and Yang Chaosheng hadn’t complained even once. Meanwhile, he was already acting tired. He didn’t want to come off as someone lazy.

    After all, they were going to be roommates now.

    Yang Chaosheng didn’t object and just reminded him to bring along a light jacket, and then they headed out together.

    It had been years since Ji Xiang had gone grocery shopping with someone else. Ever since he started living alone, everything was a solo mission. Even when Shen Siru visited, he would just bring ingredients along with him or they’d order delivery together.

    So, strolling leisurely through a supermarket with someone, it felt… intimate.

    The place was bustling with weekend crowds. Yang Chaosheng pushed the cart, asking what Ji Xiang wanted to eat while selecting vegetables. Ji Xiang only needed to stand by and give instructions and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour.

    But he didn’t feel right about it and decided to help pick out produce, too. Every time he handed something to Yang Chaosheng, he took them and then put them back without a word, picking another one.

    Like when he handed over a bag of bright red tomatoes, excited by how perfect they looked. Yang Chaosheng praised, “Great choice,” but then, minutes later, tried to stealthily switch them out.

    Ji Xiang caught him red-handed. “What’s wrong with the tomatoes I picked?”

    Yang Chaosheng quickly pulled his hand back and awkwardly explained, “Didn’t you say you wanted to eat tomato slices with sugar? The pink ones are better for that.”

    He figured Ji Xiang wouldn’t notice if he praised first and swapped later.

    A nearby older woman, watching the scene while bagging veggies, laughed. “Your boyfriend’s right. Pink tomatoes are sweeter and juicier for eating raw.”

    Ji Xiang was speechless, partly because he was choked by the words ‘your boyfriend’, and partly from sheer embarrassment at his lack of domestic know-hows.

    “It’s okay,” Yang Chaosheng said casually as he grabbed both sets of tomatoes. “We’ll get them all.”

    Ji Xiang bit his lip and nodded, deciding not to be a burden. “I’ll go look at the daily goods section.”

    “Alright. I’ll join you in a bit.”

    Hearing that, Ji Xiang felt like a child being sent off by a parent.

    At home, he still didn’t have a toothbrush or cup. So, he wandered into the hygiene aisle, resting his chin on his hand, wondering what style to get.

    Plain ones felt too dull. But none of the patterned ones stood out to him either.

    “Sir, would you like to take a look at this one? It’s a new limited-edition collaboration,” the salesperson came over, showing him a pink cup with a cartoon puppy basking in the sun.

    Ji Xiang did not feel embarrassing that even at 29, he still had a soft spot for cute things. He took the cup and examined it, asking, “Are there any other colors?”

    “Yes! There’s a blue one, it’s a couple’s set, sold as a bundle,” the salesgirl said, pulling a matching blue one from the shelf. “Do you have a partner? You can take them both home.”

    “Picked something?” Yang Chaosheng’s voice came from behind. After buying the vegetables, he had followed the shelves and found Ji Xiang still holding the pink cup, looking so clearly in love with it.

    “If you like it, just get it,” Yang Chaosheng said gently.

    “Um… but…” Ji Xiang looked awkwardly at the salesgirl. “Maybe I’ll look around some more. Thanks.”

    He didn’t want to waste money buying two cups when Yang Chaosheng already had his own.

    The salesgirl glanced at Yang Chaosheng. “Sure, you don’t want to reconsider? The couple’s set is on sale today.”

    “No—”

    “We’ll take it, thank you.”

    They spoke at the same time. The sales assistant, of course, listened to Yang Chaosheng and happily placed the new set in their cart.

    “I think it looks great. Do you want the pink one or the blue one?” Yang Chaosheng asked before Ji Xiang could say anything.

    Still flustered, Ji Xiang blurted, “Blue…”

    “Perfect. The one at home is old anyways. I like the pink one.” Yang Chaosheng said it very casually. “Using a couple’s set together, do you mind?”

    Ji Xiang paused. “…I don’t.”

   “Then it’s settled.” Yang Chaosheng casually slung an arm around his shoulders. “Anything else?”

    “Toothbrushes. And towels.”

    As soon as he said it, the salesgirl eagerly chimed in, “Gentlemen, we also have matching couple’s toothbrushes, towels, pajamas, and more in the same line. Would you like to take a look?”

    Ji Xiang: “That’s probably too much…”

    Yang Chaosheng: “Well, since we’re already here, why not?”

    That night, Ji Xiang went home not only with bags full of groceries, but also a whole bundle of couples’ items. Yang Chaosheng called it: “Out with the old, in with the new.”