The spinning wheel gave off a soft hum. At first, Bai Zhou was only half-heartedly shaping the clay, but soon he became completely absorbed in it.
His pale face was already speckled with bits of mud, and his slender white fingers sank into the damp clay. Wet gray slurry overflowed between his fingers. His smooth black hair fell naturally forward, revealing the tender curve of his neck.
Fu Linchen, who was supposed to be focused on his own lump of clay, kept glancing at the boy from the corner of his eye. He had watched enough tutorials online to know what came next.
Taking a deep breath, he pretended to move casually behind the boy, sliding his arms around him and covering Bai Zhou’s hands with his own. Resting his chin on the boy’s shoulder, he lowered his voice and guided him through the motions of shaping the pottery together.
Just when Fu Linchen was preparing to straighten up and make his exit as if nothing had happened, the clay he had been carefully pulling collapsed with a soft splat against the wheel.
Bai Zhou turned to look at him with questioning eyes. Caught red-handed, Fu Linchen awkwardly scratched the tip of his nose, then sat back down under the employee’s patient direction to start again.
Bai Zhou worked with utter seriousness, his lips lightly pressed together, a tiny furrow forming between his brows. As the wheel spun, his clay-streaked palms guided the soft clay into shape, while his other hand hovered in the air, hesitating like a young painter facing a blank canvas.
The wind chime at the door jingled softly when a warm breeze brushed past. Gentle music floated through the studio. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, wrapping the boy in a faint golden halo.
Fu Linchen’s thoughts drifted. The flickering spots of light landed on the boy’s delicate neck, searing a small, hot hole in his chest. It was the first time he had seen Bai Zhou so focused on something, yet it felt as though he had witnessed the same sight countless times before, perhaps in dreams he could no longer remember.
He could almost imagine the boy with a brush instead of clay, sitting in the mellow glow of countless golden afternoons, painting dream after dream just for him.
After three failed attempts, Bai Zhou finally succeeded. The clay in his hands grew into a smooth and graceful curve. His dimples appeared as he smiled, and the dark jewels of his eyes sparkled with pride.
He looked up at Fu Linchen with a bright, expectant expression that said without words, ‘See? I did it. Aren’t you going to praise me?’
If Bai Zhou had a tail, it would surely be wagging by now.
Fu Linchen’s heart softened at the sight. His voice was warm with sincerity as he said, “That’s amazing.”
Bai Zhou tried to hide his grin, pretending modesty. “It’s just okay.”
With the shop assistant’s help, Bai Zhou carefully sliced his finished piece off the wheel. He was about to start glazing when he caught sight of Fu Linchen’s clay once again collapsing into an unrecognizable heap. His fingers itched. He strolled over, unable to resist.
Just as Fu Linchen was trying to catch up, a pair of soft, delicate hands rested lightly over his. A faint, clean scent surrounded him completely.
“Don’t press too hard here. Be careful.”
The boy’s clear, gentle voice went straight through his ears and struck his thundering heart. If he turned his head just a little, he could have kissed those sweet, glistening lips.
Even his breathing became cautious, afraid that the sound might shatter the fragile moment. His heart pounded so loudly that he feared Bai Zhou might hear it.
Strands of the boy’s silky black hair brushed against Fu Linchen’s neck, tickling him lightly, as if butterflies were fluttering inside his chest.
It had been his plan all along to create a romantic moment, yet somehow the boy had taken over effortlessly, unknowingly tugging the reins of his emotions with every small movement.
Bai Zhou, unaware of Fu Linchen’s racing thoughts, continued to guide his hands patiently until the clay vessel took on a perfect curve.
When the piece was finally done, Bai Zhou withdrew without hesitation and began to glaze his own bowl.
Coloring was easy for him. Without pausing, he drew a small bear on the bottom of his bowl with confident strokes.
Fu Linchen, on the other hand, had chosen the hardest path. He wanted to make a cup and not just any cup, but one with a romantic design inspired by the boy beside him.
Yet when he began to paint on the cup’s surface, his imagination met a cruel reality. The result was a bizarre, abstract figure.
Still, his affection for Bai Zhou added layers of rosy filters to his vision. Gazing at the deformed figure, he somehow found it… cute.
He brought it proudly to Bai Zhou. “Look, isn’t it cute?”
Bai Zhou blinked at the grotesque little shape, silent for a long moment. Finally, he replied diplomatically, “It does look a bit like you.”
Fu Linchen froze.
He dared not tell Bai Zhou that he had actually been painting him. Instead, he consoled himself in secret, if it looked like him, didn’t that mean the two of them were already like a couple? The thought made his heart swell with sweetness.
By the time they were finished, the sky outside had already darkened. Bai Zhou held his little bear bowl reluctantly. He couldn’t believe he had to exchange something this adorable for Fu Linchen’s abstract “stick man” cup.
But he kept his word and handed the bowl to the shop owner, agreeing that Fu Linchen would come back in a week to pick up the fired pieces.
When they stepped out, the evening breeze brushed gently across their faces. Only then did Bai Zhou suddenly realize, Chi Shuyi hadn’t shown up all day!
“Do you have any other plans tonight?” Fu Linchen asked casually.
Bai Zhou hesitated. He couldn’t go home yet, Chi Shuyi must be on his way.
“Wanna have dinner?” Fu Linchen asked.
The restaurant his assistant had booked was nearby, so they decided to walk. The summer air was hot even at dusk, and the wind carried warmth instead of coolness. As they walked side by side, Fu Linchen’s broad palm began to sweat, whether from the heat or nervousness, he couldn’t tell.
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he risked a glance at Bai Zhou. Then, pretending it was accidental, he brushed the back of his hand lightly against the boy’s.
The moon cast long shadows on the damp blue-gray pavement. Bai Zhou was distracted, talking with the system in his head about the day’s mission, when suddenly his hand was enveloped by a much larger one.
Fu Linchen’s rough palm wrapped around his fingers, holding them firmly. Bai Zhou looked up in surprise, only to see the man’s half-averted face and ears flushed a deep red.
Always alert for the chance of being “caught,” Bai Zhou didn’t pull away. He simply let Fu Linchen hold his hand all the way to the restaurant.
It wasn’t until they sat down that Fu Linchen finally, reluctantly, released him.
Across the table, Bai Zhou quietly pulled a tissue and wiped his hand. It wasn’t that he disliked the touch, it was just that Fu Linchen’s palm had been sweating far too much. His hand felt as though it had been washed.
Fu Linchen saw the movement and wanted to bury himself under the table. His palm was still damp, but he couldn’t bear to wipe it dry. That had been the first time he’d ever held Bai Zhou’s hand. His very first.
As Bai Zhou finished wiping his hand, he opened his phone and sent his location to Chi Shuyi. Their chat history still sat on the last message Chi Shuyi had sent that morning: Have fun today.
The reply came quickly.
Chi Shuyi: I’ve been to that restaurant before,
Chi Shuyi: Their dishes are pretty good. You might like the drunken prawns with huadiao wine.
Chi Shuyi: Don’t drink too much. It might rain tonight. Let Fu Linchen take you home.
Bai Zhou frowned, scrolling up and down the screen. None of the messages were what he wanted to see.
Bo Zho: Shuyi ge, aren’t you coming? he typed back.
Chi Shuyi: You’re already sharing your location with me. That’s enough to make me happy, Chi Shuyi replied. Don’t worry, I won’t overthink it. Enjoy yourself.
Then came another message.
Chi Shuyi: Have fun…[Gif of a pink heart firing arrows.]
Chi Shuyi looked down at the two shared locations Bai Zhou had sent throughout the day, a soft smile on his lips. The golden frames of his glasses reflected the pale light of his phone screen.
He reached for the golden anklet lying on his bedside table. As he turned it in his hand, something dark and unfathomable flickered in his gaze.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhou finished dinner without catching even a glimpse of Chi Shuyi.
So I worked overtime for nothing today? he muttered inwardly.
[You’re not happy?] the system asked.
Not exactly unhappy, Bai Zhou sighed. Just feels like a business trip I didn’t ask for.
After a week of military training and a long day of pottery, he was exhausted. On the way back, he drifted off into a deep sleep.
Fu Linchen’s car stopped under Chi Shuyi’s apartment building, but he couldn’t bring himself to wake the sleeping boy.
Outside, fine rain began to fall, pattering softly against puddles and forming ripples that spread outward in circles, just like the ripples in Fu Linchen’s heart, growing wider and deeper.
Moonlight shone faintly through the drizzle, casting shadows across Bai Zhou’s long lashes. Fu Linchen leaned forward against the steering wheel, gazing quietly at the boy’s peaceful sleeping face. Memories of the day flooded his mind until his chest ached with tenderness.
He thought absurdly that even if the world ended in the next second, he would still be content, because before it did, he and Bai Zhou had shared a date.
The thought filled him with a strange, aching joy. He lifted his hand, but instead of touching the boy’s cheek, he hooked his little finger around Bai Zhou’s.
It was an almost childish gesture, something even his Nine year old nephew would have found silly.
Their pinkies linked, and Fu Linchen’s heart gave a tremor. His other hand unconsciously clenched the fabric of his clothes.
A promise sealed by pinky, he thought. A hundred years without change.
He would like Bai Zhou for a hundred years. He wouldn’t change.
The soft rain and the pale moonlight bore silent witness to his one-sided vow.
There were no flowers, no grand ceremony, no audience, only the quiet rain, the sleeping boy, and the pounding of a man’s heart.
Fu Linchen’s pinky trembled slightly as he gazed at the boy’s full lips.
No, the world couldn’t end yet. Not until Bai Zhou woke up and kissed him. Willingly, clearly, awake.
How could there be someone like Bai Zhou in this world? Fu Linchen had everything, yet still he prayed to heaven to treat the boy a little better. Just a little better.
A sudden tapping broke his thoughts.
Knock. Knock.
Fu Linchen raised his eyes and froze. Standing outside the car, holding an umbrella, was Chi Shuyi. The pale amber of his eyes was unreadable as he looked in.
The car windows were tinted one-way glass, yet somehow that cold, steady gaze pierced straight through, meeting Fu Linchen’s eyes without the slightest obstruction.
The rain began to fall harder.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✦ The translator summons words. You may summon coffee. ✦
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Green Tea Bun (1)Chapter 2 · Green Tea Bun (2)Chapter 3 · Green Tea Bun (3)Chapter 4 · Green Tea Bun (4)Chapter 5 · Green Tea Bun (5)Chapter 6 · Green Tea Bun (6)Chapter 7 · Green Tea Bun (7)Chapter 8 · Green Tea Bun (8)Chapter 9 · Green Tea Bun (9)Chapter 10 · Green Tea Bun (10)Chapter 11 · Green Tea Bun (11)Chapter 12 · Green Tea Bun (12)Chapter 13 · Green Tea Bun (13)Chapter 14 · Green Tea Bun (14)Chapter 15 · Green Tea Bun (15)Chapter 16 · Green Tea Bun (16)Chapter 17 · Green Tea Bun (17)Chapter 18 · Green Tea Bun (18)Chapter 19 · Green Tea Bun (19)Chapter 20 · Green Tea Bun (20)Chapter 21 · Green Tea Bun (21)Chapter 22 · Green Tea Bun (22)Chapter 23 · Green Tea Bun (23)Chapter 24 Part 1 · Green Tea Bun (24)Chapter 24 Part 2 · Green Tea Bun (24)Chapter 25 · Green Tea Bun (25)Chapter 26 · Green Tea Bun (26)Chapter 27 · Green Tea Bun (27)Chapter 28 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (1)Chapter 29 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (2)Chapter 30 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (3)Chapter 32 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (5)Chapter 33 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (6)Chapter 34 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (7)Chapter 35 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (8)Chapter 36 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (9)Chapter 37 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (10)Chapter 38 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (11)Chapter 39 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (12)Chapter 40 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (13)Chapter 41 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (14)Chapter 42 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (15)Chapter 43 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (16)Chapter 44 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (17)Chapter 45 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (18)Chapter 46 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (19)Chapter 47 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (20)Chapter 48 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (21)Chapter 49 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (22)Chapter 50 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (23)Chapter 51 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (24)Chapter 52 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (25)Chapter 53 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (26)Chapter 54 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (1)Chapter 55 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (2)Chapter 56 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (3)Chapter 57 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (4)Chapter 58 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (5)Chapter 59 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (6)Chapter 60 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (7)Chapter 61 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (8)Chapter 62 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (9)Chapter 63 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (10)Chapter 64 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (11)Chapter 65 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (12)Chapter 66 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (13)Chapter 67 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (14)Chapter 68 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (15)Chapter 69 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (16)Chapter 70 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (17)Chapter 71 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (18)Chapter 72 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (19)Chapter 73 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (20)Chapter 74 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (21)Chapter 75 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (22)Chapter 76 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (23)Chapter 77 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (24)Chapter 78 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (25)Chapter 79 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (26)Chapter 80 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (27)Chapter 81 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (28)Chapter 82 · Apocalyptic Lord (1)Chapter 83 · Apocalyptic Lord (2)Chapter 84 · Apocalyptic Lord (3)Chapter 85 · Apocalyptic Lord (4)Chapter 86 · Apocalyptic Lord (5)Chapter 87 · Apocalyptic Lord (6)Chapter 88 · Apocalyptic Lord (7)Chapter 89 · Apocalyptic Lord (8)Chapter 90 · Apocalyptic Lord (9)Chapter 91 · Apocalyptic Lord (10)Chapter 92 · Apocalyptic Lord (11)Chapter 93 · Apocalyptic Lord (12)Chapter 94 · Apocalyptic Lord (13)Chapter 96 · Apocalyptic Lord (15)Chapter 97 · Apocalyptic Lord (16)Chapter 98 · Apocalyptic Lord (17)Chapter 99 · Apocalyptic Lord (18)Chapter 100 · Apocalyptic Lord (19)Chapter 101 · Apocalyptic Lord (20)Chapter 102 · Apocalyptic Lord (21)Chapter 103 · Apocalyptic Lord (22)Chapter 104 · Apocalyptic Lord (22)Chapter 105 · Apocalyptic Lord (24)Chapter 106 · The Real World (1)Chapter 107 · The Real World (2)Chapter 108 · Extra 1