“Got it, Mom. I can handle this myself.” Lin Haobai, dressed in a light-colored set of loungewear, stood in his room, looking at his mother bustling around inside with a resigned expression.
Ever since he returned to the villa today, his mother had been popping into his room every so often, insisting on helping him sort his clothes and shoes. Heaven knows he hadn’t even brought that many outfits home!
“Haobai, I just worry that you won’t take care of yourself,” his mother said, brushing off his words while folding the clothes with practiced efficiency, leaving no chance for him to intervene.
Lin Haobai looked at his stubborn mother, seemingly reminded of something, and finally let out a sigh. Patting his head, he changed the subject: “Mom, I’m going out for a walk.”
Hearing that her son wouldn’t stop her from working, Mother Lin quickly nodded and urged him to go out.
Walking along the roads outside the villa, Lin Haobai sighed again.
He knew his mother had a deep compensatory instinct toward him: as long as he was around, she wouldn’t let him lift a finger. Yet as her son, supporting the household was only natural. He hoped that one day she would come to understand and stop clinging so tightly to the past.
Looking around, the landscaping in the villa community was exceptionally well done. Being in the suburbs, the air was fresh and pleasant. Lin Haobai took a deep breath of the nature-filled air, and the irritation in his heart gradually eased.
When he had spent heavily to settle here, it wasn’t just to shield his mother from the chaos outside; the villa community’s residents were generally respectful, unlikely to pry into others’ privacy.
Following the signs along the roadside at a leisurely pace, he arrived at a small supermarket on the outskirts of the community. He lowered the brim of his baseball cap slightly and walked inside.
Inside, the supermarket wasn’t crowded like the big stores outside. People moved in small groups, pushing baskets or carts as they picked items.
Lin Haobai grabbed a shopping basket and strolled along the aisles.
In fact, he didn’t really need anything; he had come out simply to let his mother feel some freedom and relaxation. However, seeing the rows of snacks reminded him that his own stock was running low.
He moved slowly toward the target aisle and soon arrived at the shelf he visited most often.
On the nearly two-meter-high shelves, neatly arranged bags of brightly colored, elaborately packaged chocolate stood row upon row. This brand had been his favorite since childhood. Reaching out for a bag, he was about to check the production date when a familiar scent wafted into his nose.
Looking up, he saw that the spot where he had just taken a bag was now empty, revealing a bag of the same chocolate on the opposite side. He blinked, about to reach for it, when a fair-skinned hand snatched it first.
And then, a face Lin Haobai knew all too well appeared across the aisle.
Even with the tall shelf between them, Lin Haobai could clearly see the other’s striking face illuminated by the supermarket lights. The faint trace of perfume he had sensed moments ago now drifted straight into his heart through the small empty space on the shelf.
“You…”
Lin Haobai was about to speak, but the person across from him just blinked those beautiful eyes at him. The familiar red lips curled up slightly, revealing shallow dimples on the cheeks.
That smile made Lin Haobai shiver all over, his whole body jolting.
“Hello… wait for me, I need to talk to you.”
Lin Haobai no longer cared about the risk of being recognized by other shoppers. The other person gave him a wink, waved, and walked away. He had to find out who this person was!
Lin Haobai hurried around the long shelf to the other side, but the handsome man was gone again. Unwilling to give up, he followed the supermarket signs toward the checkout area.
Looking around, he still couldn’t spot the man. Feeling a bit defeated, he paid for the chocolate and left.
Annoying! Still couldn’t find him!
At that moment, Lin Haobai wished he were one of those domineering CEOs in scripts, ready to say: Hmph, man, three minutes, give me all his information.
While Lin Haobai searched, Ren Tianxing, who had also bought chocolate, had already exited the supermarket.
He owned a stake in this store, so his checkout path was different from other customers. Normally, someone else took care of purchasing daily supplies and food. Today, since his chocolate stock had just run out, he decided to step out, grab a bag, and take it home.
Breathing the fresh, slightly cool air outside, Ren Tianxing felt extremely pleased. That little cutie’s eyes had been wide and round, it was just too amusing! A small, attractive curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. Holding the chocolate in one hand and the tiny figurine in his pocket with the other, he thought of the days ahead and happily headed home.
Back at home, Lin Haobai felt a faint sense of dissatisfaction. He expertly tore open the chocolate packaging, revealing the smaller individually wrapped pieces inside. He popped one chocolate ball, the color similar to his own skin, into his mouth. The familiar sweet aroma burst across his taste buds, and miraculously, his mood lifted.
Who was that man? Why did he keep appearing in his dreams?
Holding these questions in his mind, Lin Haobai carefully retraced all the people he normally interacted with. But after searching through his memory, he couldn’t find a single trace of this handsome man.
“Haobai, you’re back! Are you hungry? Mom made something delicious for you!”
Seeing his mother’s loving face, Lin Haobai habitually flashed his bright smile. “Mom, I want your braised pork with pickled vegetables.”
His mother, wearing an apron, immediately nodded excitedly. “Alright, alright! Mom knew you’d want braised pork. I went to the supermarket early this morning to buy a big piece of meat. Meat prices have gone up a lot recently, but the housekeepers bought the priciest ones without a care, not worrying about spending the family’s money at all…”
Although Lin Haobai wasn’t particularly interested in this domestic chatter, he obediently sat at the bar near the kitchen. He nibbled on his chocolate, occasionally responding to his mother.
When he heard that the villa’s supermarket provided groceries for the housekeepers, he suddenly remembered: that small supermarket in the villa didn’t operate for the public. Its target customers were only the residents of the villa community. Could it be… that handsome man also lived here?
Thinking this, Lin Haobai instinctively looked up toward the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room.
Outside, identical villas stretched in every direction. Aside from the dozen or so mansions in the central area, the smaller villas on the outskirts were extremely numerous. Trying to find someone here all at once was impossible.
Grumbling, Lin Haobai tore open another chocolate ball and bit down hard, as if sinking his teeth into that handsome man.
This person… better not appear again tonight. Otherwise, I’ll make him pay!
Silently muttering threats he barely believed himself, the savory aroma of braised pork with pickled vegetables wafted in. He adjusted his mood and listened as his mother continued to chat about neighborhood gossip.
That night, after escorting his tired mother back to her room, Lin Haobai finally went to his own room.
After the past few days, he had plenty of experience, he was an old hand now. When that familiar spinning, dizzying sensation hit him, Lin Haobai knew he was entering that dream again.
The dream with the handsome man.
It was still the familiar room.
Only this time, the room was fully lit, chandelier, bedside lamps, desk lamps, all shining brightly. A man in a wine-red silk robe lounged lazily on the sofa across the room. His snow-white fingers, like carved ice, held a tablet as he flipped through it, his expression unreadable. Beneath the intricately patterned silk robe, a pair of long, well-defined legs stretched directly into Lin Haobai’s line of sight.
Lin Haobai didn’t know what to say. His mind was consumed by one thought: Do I get to see this without spending money?
Ahhh! Even in a simple robe, this handsome man looked scandalously captivating. Lin Haobai refused to admit that a man supposedly “straighter than steel” could be drawn to those pale, long legs.
Forcing himself to look away, he tried once more to move his body. But, as countless times before, he couldn’t move an inch. Even opening and closing his eyes was only a feeling of movement, he realized he was trapped in a body that wouldn’t respond.
Yet this rigid body amplified all his other senses.
The room was filled with the unique scent of the handsome man, a fragrance fresh yet deep, almost intoxicating.
Lost in thought, the handsome man moved.
He’s here! Lin Haobai’s mind shouted.
The man casually tossed the still-lit tablet onto the sofa, rose to his feet, stretched with arms raised, covered his rosy lips with his hand, and yawned.
Every gesture the handsome man made seemed irresistibly captivating to Lin Haobai.
He watched, eyes wide, as the man stretched lazily, legs crossed, and glimpses of something familiar peeked through.
Damn it, this handsome man… he actually likes sleeping in, just like me.
The man slowly walked over to the bed, reaching out to undo the small, slanted knot on his robe.
Lin Haobai watched his movements, his heart pounding wildly.
What the hell, stop! I’m not looking, absolutely not looking… if I look, I’ll go blind!
Before Lin Haobai could fully shut his eyes, the handsome man moved his hand away from the robe’s tie and instead reached his hand in Lin Haobai’s direction.
Seeing the man’s expression, so full of meaning—Lin Haobai’s nerves went through the roof. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his rigid body.
Has he noticed me?
Or is it just my damn heart overreacting?
Thoughts raced through his mind. Lin Haobai saw that enormous hand, enormous for him at this moment, coming toward his head.