“You have no idea how worried he was about you last night. The moment you said you didn’t want to sit in the car, he didn’t force you at all. He just walked you home. Your neighborhood may be close to the restaurant but it still takes twenty minutes on foot. In the state you were in, do you really think you could’ve walked that far? I’m guessing you were carried back.”
Su Yi’an sipped the sobering soup as, on the other end of the video call, Yang Jiayang rambled on without pause.
“An’an, I really think Teacher Bai treats you differently from everyone else. He definitely likes you. I know what you’re going to say, yes, Teacher Bai has someone he likes but how do you know the person he likes isn’t you?”
Yang Jiayang stopped joking around and put on an unusually serious expression. “Teacher Bai is already thirty and has never dated anyone. What normal man is like that? Either he has… problems in that department, or he hasn’t even figured out whether he likes men or women. I don’t think it’s the first one, so it can only be the second.”
Su Yi’an glanced at him. “Why is the first one impossible?”
Yang Jiayang stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Men who have problems in that department are usually irritable. Teacher Bai has such a good temper, it doesn’t seem likely.”
Su Yi’an fell silent. Truthfully, he also felt that Teacher Bai treated him a little too well.
He had been too drunk the previous night to stay fully conscious. Although he couldn’t remember exactly how he got home, in the haze of his memories he seemed to recall lying against a warm, broad back. When he lifted his head, what came into view was Teacher Bai’s handsome profile.
The man’s steps had been steady and assured, giving off a deep sense of security.
And even so late at night, he had still taken the time to cook sobering soup for him.
The more Su Yi’an thought about it, the more he felt that Teacher Bai’s attitude toward him was far from ordinary. After ending the call, he curled up on the sofa, lost in thought.
Perhaps he should take the initiative. Instead of guessing every day and tying himself in knots, it might be better to make the first move. If Teacher Bai truly didn’t see him that way, then at least he could let go sooner rather than later.
With that resolution, Su Yi’an decided to find an opportunity to test Bai Yunchi’s feelings. However, once the new semester began, Bai Yunchi became busier than ever. He left early and returned late each day and the two of them hardly had the chance to sit down and talk.
It wasn’t until mid September, when the pine nuts were harvested, that Bai Yunchi finally seemed a little less busy but the National Day holiday was just around the corner and the farm’s shipping volume increased sharply. This time, it was Su Yi’an who found himself overwhelmed with work.
That afternoon, after finishing the packaging, Yang Jiayang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said weakly, “That’s about it. Tomorrow we can finally take a proper day off.”
Su Yi’an’s wrists ached from repetitive movements. He rubbed them and felt a quiet sense of relief.
Yan Yi exercised regularly, so this amount of physical labor was nothing to him. Still, repeating the same motion over and over for hours inevitably caused some discomfort.
He stood up to stretch his muscles and happened to glance outside just as Bai Yunchi’s car turned into the farm. Surprise flickered across his face. When Bai Yunchi entered the room, Yan Yi asked, “Why come so late? All done with the school stuff?”
“All finished,” Bai Yunchi replied. “I came to check on your progress and to pick up Yi’an on the way back.”
Yan Yi raised an eyebrow, teasing, “So you’re here to supervise us, huh?”
Meanwhile, Yang Jiayang nudged Su Yi’an’s elbow and whispered, “Teacher Bai came to pick you up.”
Su Yi’an nudged him back. “On the way.”
Although he said that, the corners of his lips were curved in a smile.
On the way home, Su Yi’an kept stealing glances at Bai Yunchi, who was seated in the driver’s seat, focused on the road as he drove.
Sensing the persistent gaze, Bai Yunchi let out a soft laugh and asked, “Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something you want to say?”
Caught red handed in the act of sneaking peeks, Su Yi’an’s heart gave a violent thump. He instinctively clutched at the seatbelt across his chest and in a burst of hurried inspiration blurted out, “ Nuomi hasn’t gone out all day. When we get back, I want to take him to the park for a little while.”
Hearing that, Bai Yunchi simply replied, “Alright.”
Half an hour later, Su Yi’an was at the park, holding Nuomi’s leash while playing frisbee with him. Bai Yunchi had come along as well and was now standing beneath a streetlamp off to the side, speaking to someone on the phone.
“Woof!”
Nuomi came bounding back with the frisbee clamped proudly in his mouth, tail wagging vigorously as he urged Su Yi’an to throw it again.
Su Yi’an reached down and rubbed the little fellow’s soft triangular ears, so pleasant to the touch and muttered under his breath, “Teacher Bai is really busy.”
Bai Yunchi’s phone call did not end until Su Yi’an had finished walking Nuomi. The two of them parted at the entrance. Feeling a faint trace of disappointment, Su Yi’an pulled open his door. Seeing that the living room lights were off, he paused mid step.
Using the dim light spilling in from the corridor, he fumbled along the wall in search of the switch at the entryway. After some effort, he finally found it but when he pressed it down, nothing happened. No light came on.
“The electricity.” Bai Yunchi had not yet entered his own place. Noticing that the young man was standing motionless at the doorway, he tilted his head slightly and said, “The property management group sent out a notice. They’re doing circuit maintenance. It should be back on in two hours.”
Su Yi’an nodded, then remembered that Bai Yunchi could not see him in the darkness and quickly added aloud, “Got it. Thank you, Teacher Bai.”
He closed the door and remained standing in the same spot for quite a while, still unable to adjust to the pitch black space before his eyes.
“Oh, right. My phone.”
He took out his phone and switched on the flashlight. With that small beam of light guiding him, he went into the bedroom to change into his home clothes, then returned to the living room and curled up on the sofa, waiting for the power to come back.
The entire apartment was swallowed by darkness. Only the small area around him was illuminated by the glow of his phone. Su Yi’an stared fixedly at the screen, not daring to lift his head. He could not shake the uneasy feeling that something terrifying might be lurking in the shadows, concealed within the dark, watching him.
“Quack!”
Suddenly, a sharp duck’s cry echoed through the room. Su Yi’an’s body jolted in fright. After a moment of steadying himself, he realized it was merely Nuomi’s squeaky toy making the noise.
He walked over and retrieved the toy that had gotten stuck beneath the cabinet. After wrestling internally with himself for a brief moment, he made up his mind to go next door and disturb Teacher Bai.
When the doorbell rang, Bai Yunchi was examining documents under a fully charged standing lamp. Hearing the chime, a flicker of confusion crossed his mind. He walked to the entryway and opened the door. When he saw that it was Su Yi’an, his expression softened with warmth.
“Teacher Bai…” Su Yi’an sounded a little nervous. After greeting him, he lifted the duck toy in his hand and recited the explanation he had rehearsed in advance. “ Nuomi’s toy got left at my place. I’m bringing it over to him.”
Nuomi had not yet gone to sleep. The moment he heard Su Yi’an’s voice, he came running over, tail wagging energetically. He bit onto the hem of Su Yi’an’s pants and tugged insistently, trying to drag him into the room.
Seeing this, Bai Yunchi smiled and said, “Come in and sit for a while. The two of us can chat.”
Su Yi’an was naturally more than willing.
Light spilled out faintly from the bedroom, casting a dim glow into the living room but Su Yi’an suffered from night blindness; that slight illumination was almost meaningless to him. Keeping one hand against the wall, he carefully followed the tall figure walking ahead of him. Even so, he was suddenly tripped by something underfoot and stumbled forward awkwardly.
“Careful.”
Bai Yunchi reacted swiftly, catching the young man who had nearly fallen flat onto the floor. Only after Su Yi’an had regained his balance did he withdraw his fingertips, which had grown inexplicably warm.
“ Nuomi, stop fooling around.”
By now, Su Yi’an’s eyes had begun to adjust and he could make out shapes more clearly. He reached down to rub the little fellow’s head and said softly, “It’s not his fault. It’s my own problem.”
Bai Yunchi had already noticed that the young man seemed to have night blindness. After a brief pause, he asked, “Since when has it been like this?”
“For more than ten years,” Su Yi’an replied in an easy tone. “Back then, Jiayang and I were still living in the orphanage. We were the youngest there and the older kids often bullied us. I can’t remember exactly which day it was but they locked me inside a cabinet. By the time Jiayang found me, it was already two or three in the morning. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to see very clearly at night.”
Su Yi’an spoke as though it were nothing more than an old story, light and unburdened yet Bai Yunchi’s brows drew together tightly as he listened.
“Have you seen a doctor about it?”
“I have. I’ve taken a lot of medicine too but it never really improved. The doctor said it’s psychological.”
In truth, he had never dwelled on it much. He genuinely did not understand why such an incident would leave him with a psychological shadow.
With someone there to talk to, time seemed to pass remarkably quickly. Before they realized it, two full hours had slipped by.
Su Yi’an looked at the crystal chandelier above, its pendants flickering faintly. “The power’s about to come back.”
Bai Yunchi’s gaze rested steadily on the young man. His expression was deep and unreadable, something indistinct moving in his eyes but the moment Su Yi’an turned to look at him, that complexity faded, replaced once more by his usual gentle warmth.
In the next instant, the lights blazed back to life.
Brightness flooded his vision again. Su Yi’an turned his head toward Bai Yunchi, delight evident in his voice. “Teacher Bai, the electricity’s back.”
Bai Yunchi’s tone remained soft. “It’s getting late. Go back, take a shower and have a good night’s sleep.”
“Okay. Good night, Teacher Bai.”
Half an hour later, Bai Yunchi lay in bed, utterly devoid of sleepiness.
It felt as though the warmth from the young man’s waist still lingered faintly at his fingertips. He rubbed them together unconsciously yet no matter how he tried, he could not dispel the image of the young man from his mind.
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Tiny coffee. Big appreciation. ✧
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · New neighborsChapter 2 · Let’s just wash it.Chapter 3 · Pretty little girlChapter 4 · It’s impossible for us.Chapter 5 · Not as handsome as Teacher BaiChapter 6 · Happy cooperationChapter 7 · Making breakfastChapter 8 · LostChapter 9 · He’s hopelessly in love.Chapter 10 · Three CloudChapter 11 · Am I Old?Chapter 12 · Victory celebration banquetChapter 13 · Power outrageChapter 14 · Online dating meetupChapter 15 · Am I really that bad?Chapter 16 · Boyfriend?Chapter 17 · ConcertChapter 18 · Use Privileges.Chapter 19 · A night AloneChapter 20 · Do You Like me?Chapter 21 · The End