“Gentle sunlight fell on the corner of his lips,…”
Fat Fish: So, you two just let this matter go so lightly? Are you really that cheap, not even getting a little angry???
Fat Fish had originally sworn not to meddle in his love-brained friend’s affairs anymore, but after two days, as he returned to Beijing to welcome his wife back from vacation, with nothing to do, he couldn’t resist asking Yan Jie about it on WeChat.
Ring: Of course. After seeing him like that, how could I be angry?
Ring: Do you know? He waited for me on the sofa all night! Just to wait for me to come back so he could explain and apologize. Because of this, he caught a cold and has been sick for several days. Even today, his voice is still congested!
Ring: Tell me, tell me, if I stayed angry, would I still be human?? You have no idea, I’m telling you, you have no idea how important I am to him!!!
Fat Fish: Go to hell!!!
Fat Fish: Remember what you said today! If you ever come drinking with me again because you’re wronged by that Jiang guy, see if I don’t beat you up???
Ring: Come on, whenever you fight with your wife, don’t you always find me to drink until midnight, then act like a bun insisting on going home because your wife doesn’t allow you to stay out all night?
Ring: The pot calling the kettle black. We’re two of a kind, walking through life together, good brother!
This time Fat Fish sent a voice message.
Yan Jie played it without any preparation, and a thunderous “GET LOST!!!” immediately exploded from the speaker.
Yan Jie hurriedly fumbled to mute his phone.
The weather was beautiful today, with afternoon sunlight streaming directly through the full-length glass windows, creating a warm feeling on one’s body.
Jiang Nan’an loved the recliner by the floor-to-ceiling window and could curl up there all day in the sunshine. Seeing this, Yan Jie went out and bought a wider, thicker one that could accommodate two people lying side by side. The cushions were softer and more comfortable, making it convenient for him to hold Jiang Nan’an while they whiled away the time.
At this moment, Jiang Nan’an was leaning against him, asleep, with an unfinished book on his lap.
Yan Jie cut off Fat Fish’s voice message and nervously glanced at Jiang Nan’an, afraid of waking him up.
Fortunately, Teacher Jiang had always been a sound sleeper. Even the demonic sound didn’t wake him; he just frowned slightly and unconsciously buried his face deeper into Yan Jie’s embrace.
The sleeping Teacher Jiang was incredibly docile, like a small animal.
Yan Jie gently pulled him closer, lowered his head to press his lips against the top of his head, watched his sleeping face for a while, then returned his attention to continue browsing the phone pages he hadn’t finished earlier.
Jiang Nan’an’s naps were usually short, and he would wake up after a little over an hour.
After waking, he would habitually stare blankly for a while, so he maintained his original position, lazily leaning against Yan Jie, gazing out at the river view through the window.
“Awake?” Somehow Yan Jie noticed that he had opened his eyes. He turned off his phone, put it aside, and asked.
“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an responded, but didn’t get up.
He rested his head on Yan Jie’s shoulder, murmuring:
“…You smell nice.”
“Nice?” Yan Jie raised an eyebrow slightly, chuckling softly:
“Isn’t it just cigarette smell?”
His smoking habit wasn’t heavy, but he had been smoking for many years and couldn’t quit immediately. He had seen the cigarette burns on Jiang Nan’an’s body and knew he definitely wouldn’t like it, so he usually restrained himself when possible. When he really couldn’t resist, he would go to the balcony alone, finish smoking, let the smell dissipate before coming back, but the tobacco smell inevitably clung to him.
“A little bit, but there’s another scent.”
“What?”
“Roses.” Jiang Nan’an tilted his head to sniff at Yan Jie’s neck:
“Very similar.”
The cool tip of his nose brushed against the skin of Yan Jie’s neck. Yan Jie’s Adam’s apple moved, and he turned his face away, clearing his throat:
“What do you want to eat tonight? You’re not allowed to say ‘whatever.'”
“…” This question stumped Jiang Nan’an.
He thought for a moment:
“Zhajiang noodles, I guess.”
“Good, I’ll make it for you later.” As he spoke, Yan Jie stroked Jiang Nan’an’s arm, then inspected his waist and abdomen through his clothes as if conducting an inspection:
“I’ve been taking care of you for so long but you haven’t gained any weight. Where does all the food go?”
Perhaps because Yan Jie accidentally touched a ticklish spot on his waist, Jiang Nan’an instinctively curled his body and pushed Yan Jie’s hand away.
“Oh?” Seeing this reaction, Yan Jie raised an eyebrow and mischievously insisted on touching that spot:
“Ticklish? Let me see…”
The recliner had limited space, and Jiang Nan’an had nowhere to hide, so he could only let Yan Jie pin him down and tease him.
Unable to escape or block him, Jiang Nan’an struggled playfully and couldn’t help but break into a smile.
Even though he now lived with Jiang Nan’an every day, Yan Jie rarely saw him smile so genuinely from the heart.
At this moment, gentle sunlight fell on the corner of his lips, truly captivating.
“…Your smile is beautiful.”
With Jiang Nan’an’s reflection in his eyes, Yan Jie instinctively lowered his head to kiss those rarely smiling lips.
Jiang Nan’an slightly lowered his eyes, ready to accept the kiss, but just as they were about to touch, Yan Jie’s phone, placed to the side, rang inappropriately.
Yan Jie was both amused and annoyed.
He could only give Jiang Nan’an a quick peck on the lips before reaching for his phone. To his surprise, it was a call from inBlue.
“Hey, Blue, what miracle is this that you’re calling me, and with such perfect timing? Do you know you’re interrupting your Brother Spring’s important life moment?”
“How would I know?” On the phone, inBlue’s tone was somewhat disdainful:
“Your fans have been asking in my livestream for days, wondering if you’ve died behind your brothers’ backs. It’s been almost a month with no streaming, no updates, no vlogs. They’re wondering if the New Year firecrackers in Beijing were so loud they blew you away.”
“Then thank them for their concern! Not dead, still alive.”
“No need to relay, I have you on speaker. Say whatever you want to them yourself.”
“Oh, perfect. Listen up, brothers and sisters, Spring is busy dating, so I’m putting you all on hold for now. When my partner doesn’t want me anymore, I’ll come back to you. Don’t miss me too much!”
There was a two-second silence on the other end, then inBlue kindly relayed the comments:
“They say, in that case, you might as well die.”
“Wow, so vicious.”
Yan Jie chuckled:
“Alright, I need to hang up now, I’m busy. Goodbye!”
With that, he hung up without any hesitation, tossed the phone aside, and then embraced Jiang Nan’an, wanting to continue their interrupted kiss.
But Jiang Nan’an raised his hand to block his lips and got up from the recliner with his book.
“Baby, no more kisses?”
Yan Jie looked at his cold back with some disappointment.
“Mm.”
Jiang Nan’an raised his arms in a stretch, causing his shirt to lift and reveal a section of his slender waist.
With his back to Yan Jie, Yan Jie raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze tracing the indentation of his spine at the lower back, the dimples on either side of his waist, and…
And a patch of faint cigarette burns.
Indeed, as Yan Jie had previously guessed, those cigarette burns extended from the abdomen to the sides of the waist and then to the lower back. Though the scars on the back weren’t as numerous as those on the front, they were still significant.
Yan Jie’s gaze deepened, and he became somewhat lost in thought until he heard Jiang Nan’an say:
“You really haven’t streamed for a long time.”
“Mm, what about it?” Yan Jie looked at him with a smile, his eyes curving:
“Isn’t it good to have more time to spend with you?”
“But you should also allocate time for your own things, just as I have my own work to do.”
Jiang Nan’an seriously reasoned with him:
“How you were before dating, you shouldn’t change after dating. Being a streamer is your profession, right? So you shouldn’t set aside your career. You can temporarily put down work for a new travel plan, but you can’t put down work because of dating. I’ve recently read a lot of theories about love, and I think the ideal state of a relationship is to enrich your life, not to squeeze into your life and replace what you originally had or even fill up your entire life… Do you understand what I’m saying?”
As he “blah blah blah” went on with this long speech, Yan Jie propped his head up, watching him, his smile growing deeper.
“Are you even listening to me?” Not getting a response, Jiang Nan’an frowned and asked.
“I listened, of course I listened.”
Yan Jie nodded:
“I think what you said makes perfect sense, really. I understand now-even when you love someone, you shouldn’t lose yourself for them. Thank you, Teacher Jiang, Little Spring has had an epiphany!”
“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an nodded with satisfaction and was about to walk away, but the next second, he was embraced from behind around the waist.
“?”
“I’ve learned my lesson, teacher.”
“Great.”
“So perfunctory?”
“…Great, great, you’re really great. Next time I’ll be greater than you.”
“Are you comforting a child? Can I have a kiss?”
“.”
Not very good at it either.
–
Whether he truly took Jiang Nan’an’s words to heart or not, after that day, Yan Jie suddenly became busy.
He was away from home for about five or six hours each day. When he couldn’t make it back for meals, he would personally order takeout for Jiang Nan’an. He was running around outside all day, and it wasn’t clear what exactly he was doing. Jiang Nan’an didn’t ask either.
This situation continued for about a week. Later, he told Jiang Nan’an that he needed to return to Beijing for a while and would take Dunbu along, saying that its grandmother missed it so much she couldn’t sleep, and if she didn’t see the dog soon, she would storm Shanghai.
Regarding the little dog’s departure, although Jiang Nan’an felt a bit regretful, he didn’t say anything, only secretly stuffing a few extra cans of dog food into Yan Jie’s bag when he was leaving.
Yan Jie was gone for several days. He didn’t say when he would return, and Jiang Nan’an didn’t get around to asking.
This was because “Imperial Tutor” was about to start filming, and he had received notice to join the production early for script readings, costume fittings, and other preliminary work.
On the day he was preparing to leave, Xiao Sun came to Jiang Nan’an’s home early in the morning to help him pack. He also brought two large boxes of new clothes sent by various brands, which were stored in his wardrobe.
“All done! This time you’ll be gone for several months. Brother, please wait a moment while I check the utilities, then we’ll head out.”
“Okay.” Jiang Nan’an responded, going to the entryway to change his shoes. Just as he put his hat on, the door suddenly made a “beep” sound.
Then, the electronic lock opened, and someone pushed the door open from outside-
Yan Jie.
“Ta-da!” Yan Jie appeared with a flourish, arms spread wide, along with two large suitcases beside him.
But he quickly noticed Jiang Nan’an’s fully prepared appearance:
“Oh, going out?”
“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an looked him up and down; the man didn’t seem to have changed much since he left.
Of course not, he had only been gone for a few days.
“You’re back?”
“I’m back, and I brought you a surprise.” Yan Jie smiled mysteriously:
“Come, let me show you.”
“What is it?” Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow slightly.
Yan Jie clicked his tongue at him and, without further suspense, pulled out a large red book from behind him like a magician.
Jiang Nan’an looked closely-
“Real Estate Ownership Certificate.”
A property deed?
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want me to tie my heart to you all day? Didn’t you want me to balance love and career? Well, I bought the apartment downstairs and set up streaming equipment there. From now on, that’s my studio. Also, when we had that argument, you said you didn’t know where I lived and felt you couldn’t find me. Here, now you know! Come, let me register your face and fingerprints so you can enter anytime.”
As he spoke, Yan Jie reached for Jiang Nan’an’s hand, but at the same time, another voice came from inside the house:
“Brother! I’ve checked everything. Let’s go!”
Xiao Sun was pushing three large suitcases, about to call Jiang Nan’an downstairs, when he unexpectedly came face to face with Yan Jie at the entryway.
Encountering an unexpected person in an unexpected scene, Xiao Sun’s smile became a bit confused.
Seeing him and the three suitcases, Yan Jie was clearly puzzled too: “Where are you going?”
Xiao Sun answered: “Brother is joining the production.”
Actually, Xiao Sun hadn’t quite processed the situation yet.
Spring?
Why would Spring be here?
So he looked questioningly at Jiang Nan’an.
But Jiang Nan’an couldn’t attend to him right now.
Because in this brief minute, he realized he had made another mistake.
He didn’t actually think there was anything wrong with his behavior, as he lacked that awareness, but seeing Yan Jie’s expectant expression, he suddenly felt that his current situation might disappoint him and make him unhappy.
No one had told him before, and he had just realized, that among the things partners must do, there should apparently be an item called “schedule reporting.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jiang Nan’an acknowledged his mistake:
“I didn’t inform you of my schedule in advance. That was my oversight. I’m excited and surprised about your new studio, but going with you for a tour right now might delay my schedule. So please forgive me for not being able to accompany you through the preparations before your new studio launches. I deeply apologize for this.”
He expressed his apology to Yan Jie in a robotic tone, like a nervous child whose language system had malfunctioned after realizing he had done something wrong.
Yan Jie’s expression was still frozen between seven parts smile and three parts confusion. Now, hearing Jiang Nan’an’s apology, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the end, he shook his head and laughed despite himself. Even if he was a bit annoyed, it was dispelled by amusement.
“Alright, alright, go ahead, aren’t you in a hurry? I’ll carry your suitcases for you.”
As he passed by, Yan Jie casually adjusted Jiang Nan’an’s hat and patted his head through it.
What a silly look.
#
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
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