Where would the smell of coffee come from on a rainy day?
Yan Xi tried to trace the source of the aroma in the surrounding air. His gaze wandered around the area and finally rested on the black jacket atop his head. He reached out with his left hand to touch the hem of the jacket, feeling its soft texture and warmth, a flash of doubt crossing his eyes.
The coffee scent must have been emanating from the clothes, but he felt as though he had smelled this exact scent somewhere before.
Right! He remembered now. It was the same scent he had smelled at the door of the CEO’s office.
His thoughts spiraled into chaos as fragments of memory flickered through his mind. Something was not quite right.
While he was dazed, he had already been brought by Shi Ye all the way to the apartment building. Shi Ye pushed open the hallway door, took the damp jacket off Yan Xi’s head, shook off the raindrops, and asked with concern, “Did the wound get wet?”
Yan Xi held out his bandaged palm and waved it. “It is fine.”
They walked upstairs in silence. Until they stepped out of the elevator and watched Shi Ye’s back as he opened the door, Yan Xi asked, “Xiao Ye, what time did you go to the company to drop off the data today?”
Shi Ye pushed the door open with one hand while carrying the jacket, then bent down to get his slippers. Only when Yan Xi walked into the entryway did he say nonchalantly, “Oh, I did not go today. I took a detour to the company last night on my way back to school and gave it to Assistant Zhao.”
He added as if an afterthought, “Assistant Zhao is so hardworking. She was working overtime with a cup of coffee late at night. I accidentally knocked over her cup, but she did not say anything.”
“So, the smell on your clothes is because you spilled her coffee?” Yan Xi asked.
“Ah, is it that obvious?” Shi Ye pulled up his sleeve and sniffed theatrically. “Sigh, I should not have been lazy last night and just washed the clothes directly.”
Yan Xi felt ashamed for his overactive imagination. “No, it smells quite good.”
“You are just saying that to comfort me, Brother Yan.” Shi Ye walked into the middle of the living room and suddenly began to take off his clothes.
Yan Xi was startled. “What are you doing?”
Shi Ye clutched the hem of the shirt he had lifted halfway, revealing fleeting glimpses of his abdominal muscles, and said innocently, “My clothes are soaking wet. I am going to take a shower.”
Yan Xi asked, “Are you not going back to school tonight?”
“Brother Yan, it is almost ten o’clock. Even if I rushed back, I would not be able to get into the dorm building. Besides, it was my fault you got hurt, so I must take responsibility.”
Before Yan Xi could speak again, the semi-nude Shi Ye grabbed his pajamas and dashed into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, the splashing stopped, and Shi Ye pulled open the bathroom door, stepping out draped in mist. Water droplets dripped from his hair onto the floor. As he picked up a towel to rub his hair, he looked up and saw Yan Xi sitting in the living room again, holding the unfinished figure.
Shi Ye dropped the towel and strode over, snatching the semi-finished work from his hands. “Brother Yan, do you not want your hand anymore?”
Yan Xi sighed, unwilling to give up. “I want to finish this.”
Shi Ye held the “hostage” firmly, his attitude unyielding. “No, you must go get some rest.”
Yan Xi looked up at him, neither moving nor speaking.
The standoff lasted less than three seconds before Shi Ye gave in. He pulled a cushion off the sofa, sat down next to Yan Xi, and said, “How about this? You teach me how to do it, and I will finish it for you.”
Yan Xi thought about it; it was not an impossible idea. The modeling phase was finished; all that remained were some details, polishing, and painting. It sounded simple, but in practice, Shi Ye quickly encountered problems.
“Brother Yan, how do I control this curve?” Shi Ye asked, looking helpless as he held the figure.
“Be careful, watch your pressure here.” Yan Xi sat nearby, directing him, feeling even more nervous than if he were doing it himself.
Words were not enough. Seeing that Shi Ye was struggling, he simply reached out, took Shi Ye’s hand, and guided his movements in detail. “Like this, turn it gently, following one direction.”
Their hands were pressed tightly together, their temperatures blending. Yan Xi’s left hand applied little pressure, yet his touch was incredibly gentle.
As the clock struck midnight, the figure was finally finished. Looking at the exquisite little doll in his hand, a massive sense of accomplishment surged in Shi Ye’s heart. He asked smugly, “Brother Yan, am I quite talented?”
Yan Xi rubbed his sore wrist, slumped onto the sofa, and encouraged him with exhaustion in his voice: “Yes, you are great.”
Shi Ye went to the kitchen to fetch hot water in a cup. While waiting, he quickly sent a message to Zhao Qingqing: “Have the Personnel Department recruit a few figure makers. High salary, urgent. Also, before you hire anyone, find a set of figure-making materials and send them to me.”
The poor assistant replied within seconds in the middle of the night: “Received, boss.”
After personally watching Yan Xi drink a glass of water, Shi Ye reminded him, “Brother Yan, time for bed.”
“Okay.” Yan Xi nodded and headed toward the bathroom.
Shi Ye followed him naturally. “I will help you wash up.”
Yan Xi: “Ah?!”
Are all straight men like this?
Seeing that Shi Ye was about to follow him into the bathroom, Yan Xi stopped at the door, blocking the way with his left hand. “No need. I already showered before you came back. I can brush my teeth myself.”
“Oh.” Shi Ye looked disappointed.
Yan Xi ducked inside and immediately locked the door. Shi Ye sighed at the door and shouted, “Be careful, do not let the wound get wet. Call me if you need anything.”
The water hit the tub decisively.
Shi Ye returned to the bedroom, rubbed his hands, and tossed and turned on the bed for a dozen cycles. If a person has never tasted meat, they can easily accept a long-term vegetarian lifestyle. But once they have tasted meat, returning to a vegetarian diet becomes excruciating. Shi Ye was finding it very hard to cope.
In truth, there were many times he wanted to break the silence, but after spending this time together, Shi Ye realized that while Yan Xi appeared gentle and smiled constantly, he was actually a very cold person deep down, consciously keeping everyone at a distance. If it were not for that accident, Shi Ye suspected he would never have seen Yan Xi’s wild side.
His thoughts circled back again, and Shi Ye fell into confusion once more: How had that scumbag Cheng Zhen managed to win over Yan Xi back then?
Yan Xi knew that since the new CEO took office, the efficiency of every department had improved dramatically, but he was still shocked when he received a call from Zhao Qingqing.
Zhao Qingqing told him that the first batch of samples for the Ling-style Twins figures had been produced. The samples used the exact modeling prototypes Yan Xi had created. Zhao Qingqing also told him that the company was forming a support team for the offline concept stores, and from now on, someone would be responsible for coordinating all of Yan Xi’s creative work, including production and promotion. The speed was staggering.
At 2:00 PM, when Shi Ye arrived for his shift, he “happened” to bring a box of samples. In addition to the Ling-style Twins, the concept art he had attached to the proposal had been polished and transformed into a series of products in the same style.
Yan Xi took the figures out of the box one by one, feeling as though he were dreaming. Being produced by a professional company, the craftsmanship and materials were impeccable, and each set came with a certificate of authenticity. The outer packaging even included product codes, QR codes, prices, and the YK Company logo with an anti-counterfeiting code.
Yan Xi watched in a daze as Shi Ye removed the display items from the showcase and replaced them with the figures he had designed himself.
Shi Ye kept his promise. After setting up the display, he took advantage of a quiet moment to call the milk tea shop girl. Ten minutes later, she rushed into the store in her work uniform. Shi Ye took two sets of dolls from the cabinet and smiled. “The bill is already settled. These are a personal gift for you and your friend to thank you for your support.”
The girl excitedly took the box and, upon opening it to see the finished product, felt joy bloom across her face. She looked up at Shi Ye, her eyes gleaming with an indescribable light. Anyone would have been moved by such a young, handsome man, especially one who brought gifts. Shi Ye had seen this look many times and immediately sensed trouble. He reacted swiftly, pointing toward Yan Xi, who was studying the anti-counterfeiting code behind the shelf, and whispered, “Actually, it is mainly to thank you for encouraging Brother Yan. If he is happy, I am happy.”
The girl froze for ten seconds. Her gaze shifted to Yan Xi, who was oblivious to what was happening, then back to Shi Ye. Her look faded for a moment, then suddenly ignited—ten times more intense than before. She clenched her fists, hugged the bag, and screamed silently for ten seconds. Shi Ye made a “hush” gesture and winked at her. “Do not let him know.”
The girl nodded wildly. “I understand, I understand!”
“Wait for me!” She left the dolls behind and ran out. A few minutes later, she returned, panting, with two cups of hot milk tea.
“A treat for you both. Double the toppings.” She leaned on the counter, cupping her chin, watching Yan Xi and then Shi Ye, giggling to herself. She looked even happier than someone in a relationship.
Shi Ye took the tea, thanked her, and asked, “Do you not need to get back to work?”
“Right, the manager is already rushing me.” Just as she was about to leave, she turned and whispered to Shi Ye, “Good luck! I am rooting for you!” She giggled again before running off with the dolls.
Yan Xi noticed the commotion. “What happened?”
Shi Ye inserted the straws into the cups and handed one to Yan Xi, beaming. “Nothing. The customer was just very excited to see your new figures.”
Yan Xi did not usually drink milk tea, but after hesitating, he took it. The milk tea girl had been very generous with the toppings, and the cups came with oversized straws. Yan Xi pursed his lips and tried to suck up the toppings, but a burst of force caused a drop of milk tea to splash onto the corner of his mouth. He parted his lips slightly and licked it away with the tip of his tongue.
Shi Ye turned abruptly, gripped his cup tight, and walked toward the back partition with a hurried gait.
Yan Xi asked, confused, “Where are you going?”
“Tired. Taking a break.” Shi Ye did not look back, his walking posture becoming increasingly stiff.