The cake shop at the street corner was holding an opening event today, complete with a performance. The entire block was livelier than usual, filled with bustling tourists and constant noise.
Shi Ye closed the heavy glass door, sealing off the noise and turning the shop into a quiet, separate world.
Yan Xi sat at the counter, completely focused on his tablet. The stylus in his hand glided fluidly across the screen, tracing outlines of a sketch. The clamor outside seemed irrelevant; he was entirely immersed in his own world. The late autumn sunlight spilled through the glass onto Yan Xi, warm but not oppressive. He had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, leaving his beautifully shaped collarbone visible in the interplay of light and shadow. Yan Xi drew with such earnestness that he did not realize he had long since become a view worth watching.
When he finally finished the sketch, he looked up abruptly, only to realize that a gaze had been fixed on him the entire time, sharp and intense. Yan Xi felt a slight chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by a wild animal. He put down his pen, sat up straight, and addressed the young man who had been peeking. “What are you looking at?”
Shi Ye showed no signs of embarrassment at being caught. He leaned against the shelf, narrowed his eyes lazily, and replied, “I do not think you should be sitting here, Store Manager.”
Yan Xi ignored the strange sensation and asked, “Then where should I be sitting?”
Shi Ye answered seriously, “You should be sitting on the picturesque Vasilievsky Island, facing the ancient and mysterious Sphinx statues, feeling the breeze from the lake, and creating your world with a brush.”
Yan Xi twirled his pen and teased, “I am not drawing the Sphinx today. I will draw you instead.”
Shi Ye blinked in surprise. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” Yan Xi pointed toward the styling wall behind the display window, where they often placed their props. “Go over there and stand.”
Shi Ye raised an eyebrow, asked no further questions, and complied, walking to the designated spot. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned his back against the wall, and stood in a relaxed, casual pose.
“Do not move around, just try to keep that position,” Yan Xi instructed. His gaze returned to the tablet, and the tip of the pen began to move softly.
Minutes ticked by. Shi Ye stood there quietly, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Yan Xi, who was deeply engrossed in his drawing. Before, he could only sneak glances; now, he could appreciate the view openly. The noise of the street block gradually faded into a blur, leaving only the crisp, melodic scratching of Yan Xi’s pen, like fine sand brushing over leaves. Their gazes met in the air, weaving and colliding like secret silken threads intertwining quietly. One was as cool as a winter lake, the other as intense as a summer sun; two vastly different auras existed, yet they coexisted with miraculous harmony.
Thirty minutes later, Yan Xi put down the stylus with a sense of relief. “Alright, you can rest now.”
Shi Ye stretched his stiff limbs, twisting his neck to relax his muscles before walking over to Yan Xi’s side and looking down at the screen. On the display, a chibi character had sprung to life. Its facial proportions and posture perfectly captured Shi Ye’s spirit. The small, three-headed-tall chibi looked so vivid and cute, it seemed ready to jump right out of the screen. Shi Ye found it incredibly interesting and could not help but laugh. “Is this me in your eyes?”
When Yan Xi heard him, he did not reply immediately. He touched the character on the screen with his finger, admiring his own work. “Hmm.”
“Hello!”
A crisp greeting broke the shop’s tranquility. A girl with a round face wearing a coffee-colored apron pushed the door open. This time, Yan Xi recognized her: it was the staff member from the bubble tea shop. Seeing a familiar face, Yan Xi offered a friendly smile. “Hello.”
“Are you here to look at mugs?” Shi Ye greeted them enthusiastically.
“No, I brought a friend today,” the milk tea shop girl said with a smile, stepping aside. A girl wearing glasses followed her in, looking quiet and introverted.
“My friend is a collector of figures, so I brought her to visit your shop today,” the milk tea girl explained to Shi Ye.
“Understood.” Shi Ye nodded, intending to introduce them to the products, but the bespectacled girl waved her hand and whispered, “I am sorry, I have a bit of social anxiety. I will just look around on my own.”
“No problem.” Shi Ye understood immediately and stepped back, leaving them enough space to explore freely.
The two girls wandered casually around the shop, from the entrance to the counter, and from the counter to the display area, carefully admiring every item. As she walked, the bespectacled girl whispered, “The workmanship of their figures is exquisite, but the designs are really unoriginal. It is hard to find them attractive.”
After a full circle, they returned to the counter. The milk tea shop girl said regretfully, “We did not see anything we liked today. Let us come back when you have new arrivals.”
Just then, the bespectacled girl’s gaze fell accidentally on Yan Xi’s screen. She leaned in curiously, pointed at the chibi character, and asked in surprise, “Did you design this? It is so cute!”
“Just a random sketch,” Yan Xi laughed awkwardly. He had only wanted to practice and play a trick on his intern, Xiao Ye; he had not expected anyone else to see it.
“Have you considered making it into a figure?” the bespectacled girl pressed excitedly.
Yan Xi was surprised by the question and paused for a few seconds. “This is not yet decided.”
Abandoning her social anxiety, the bespectacled girl suddenly became animated. “This character is really cute. If you make it into a figure, I will definitely buy one.”
“Me too!” the milk tea girl chimed in.
The bespectacled girl pursued Yan Xi, continuing to urge him. “All the figures in your shop are too stiff. They are not as good as the one you drew here.”
Yan Xi instinctively explained, “I am not a designer; I was just drawing for fun.”
“But your design is truly great! Look, we all like it. There must be many other people who would like it too,” the milk tea shop girl added enthusiastically.
“Do not be so modest!” The bespectacled girl looked ready to jump for joy, as if she wanted to grab Yan Xi and take him straight to a design department. “Your design has potential; more people should see it.”
“Why do you not seriously consider the customers’ advice?”
It was not until the two customers had drifted away and vanished at the street corner that Yan Xi finally shook off his daze. He turned abruptly to Shi Ye. “Xiao Ye, go find the company’s product brochure.”
Shi Ye’s efficiency was undeniable; in less than twenty minutes, he had dug the YK product catalog from the corner of the storeroom. Yan Xi felt an unusual surge of excitement, as if an uncontrollable fire were burning in his heart. He handed the front of the shop over to Shi Ye and ducked into the partition, burying himself in his work. The stylus danced across the tablet, the lines flowing with strength and grace; one by one, the design drafts took shape.
Ten minutes before the end of the shift, the final design was complete. It was a portrait of two young men in flowing white robes. The youth on the left had a fresh, pure look; beneath his white long robe was a pale blue lining. His hair flowed gracefully, and he wore a crystal snowflake-shaped jade pendant at his waist. He wore a bright, innocent smile, his spirit high. The youth on the right also wore a white long robe, but his lining was pale gold, making him look more unconstrained and capable. His eyes were focused and firm, his hand clutching a golden sun emblem, his temperament steady.
Shi Ye saw the design Yan Xi displayed and was stunned. “This is?”
Yan Xi: “YK company’s first-generation Lingfeng series air conditioner.”
Shi Ye was startled. “Air conditioner?” He scrutinized the design, trying to find a connection to the appliance.
“Exactly. They are the personifications of the Lingfeng air conditioner’s indoor and outdoor units.”
Yan Xi explained, “Following the old design philosophy, if you make a figure into a traditional white square box, the customer’s desire to purchase is, at most, a one out of ten. But if you design them as beautiful dolls, the desire to purchase increases to three. But that is still not enough; I want to give them personalities and stories, and strive to raise the desire to purchase to above seven.”
“What kind of story? Let me hear it.” Shi Ye pulled over a chair, sitting next to Yan Xi with interest.
“Let us call them Lingyun and Chengfeng for now.”
As the indoor and outdoor air conditioner units, from the moment they were born, they were destined for different fates. They were born as one, perfectly matched, with an unbreakable bond. Yet fate pushed them into two vastly different worlds. Lingyun, as the indoor unit, was installed in the warmth of the room, using stable and continuous energy to send cool air to humans, protecting their comfort and tranquility.
The outdoor unit, Chengfeng, was hung alone outside, bearing the baptism of wind and rain, enduring freezing cold and loneliness, providing powerful support to Lingyun while silently giving his all. Although they were in the same system, they were forced to be separated. They had no day to meet, only able to convey their existence to each other through cold metal pipes.
And when the day of reunion arrived, it meant their mission was complete. At that moment, they were detached from the wall, their fates interwoven once more. They met briefly, only to be separated again; this time, it was a true farewell.
“Reunion may be brief and sorrowful, but they were already inseparable parts of each other from the moment they were born. This is destiny, and also a curse.”
Yan Xi finished his story. Shi Ye’s eyes flickered slightly; he was clearly touched. He realized that this was a Yan Xi he had never seen before. A Yan Xi doing something with such earnestness, his eyes full of vitality, made him feel both surprised and admiring. Perhaps this was what Yan Xi truly loved and was willing to pour his heart and soul into.
“How is it?” Seeing no reaction after a long while, Yan Xi felt a bit nervous.
Shi Ye nodded slowly. “It is a very moving story.”
Yan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could fully exhale, Shi Ye winked at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
“Brother Yan, with such a poignant love story, why are the protagonists in your design two boys?”
Yan Xi was caught completely off guard.