“……”

He Chuzhou let out a hiss and hastened over to stand in front of Pei Xi. He lowered the brim of Pei Xi’s hat and led him away from the encirclement in a half hug amidst quite a lot of dissatisfaction. 

“Why are they like locusts besieging a city? Terrifying, terrifying.” In the gap between his casual musings, he didn’t forget to comfort Pei Xi: “Those uncles are just gathering in the jellyfish exhibit. It’s okay, let’s go to some other venues first.”

Pei Xi recalled the dark lenses of those cameras aimed at him, still in somewhat of a panic: “Will my ugly photos be seen on social platforms tonight?”

“Absolutely not!”

He Chuzhou said with resolute decisiveness: “I’ll have someone contact the platform company in a moment. As long as your photos are reviewed, they’ll be blocked and not allowed to pass.”

Pei Xi: “…..There’s no need to…..”

He Chuzhou: “But then again, how could you have ugly photos? You could get your picture taken with a landline phone and it would look amazing.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Was it his imagination?

Why did he feel that Mr. He’s love brain was getting more and more serious?

Most of the remaining themed exhibits were about the same, and after leaving the jellyfish exhibit, they didn’t visit any more of them. Estimating that it was nearly time, they found a nearby restaurant for lunch, then went to a performance hall when they were done eating.

The shows in every aquarium were similar, nothing more than jumping through hoops, tossing a ball, and flipping and applauding, which ultimately ended with a visitor interaction.

The adults weren’t interested, but most of the children watched with gusto.

Pei Xi also watched with gusto.

He was watching a marine animal performance for the first time, everything during the performance was very fresh to him.

After the show, the keepers routinely asked if anyone wanted to interact with a baby beluga. Pei Xi was eager to try, but hesitated because he didn’t want to go on stage alone under the eyes of the audience.

As he dithered, the back of his hand was enveloped in warmth.

He Chuzhou took his left hand into his palm and raised his right hand: “Hello, we would like to try.”

Being watched on stage by the envious eyes of children who were unable to try due to their overprotective parents, they stood in front of a guardrail that barely reached their waists, waiting for the keeper’s next instructions.

The keeper wore a microphone, and his voice spread throughout the venue: “Which one of you will be first?”

Pei Xi looked at He Chuzhou, who very consciously took off his camera and gave it to him: “I’ll go first. What do you want me to do?”

The keeper asked Pei Xi to move away first, and then told He Chuzhou to stand still. He fed a few small fish to the beluga whale spinning in the water next to them and made a few professional gestures. At the same time, he told Pei Xi with a smile that they were ready to take pictures.

Very soon, the tail fin of the whale swung and its body reared out of the water. After reaching a certain height, it stretched its mouth forward like a kiss—

A muah landed precisely on He Chuzhou’s neck, causing him to grimace and take a couple steps back.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The keeper: “It missed, it missed, the spectator is too tall. This basically never happens, which caused Xiao Bai to misread the height……pff!”

The keeper couldn’t hold back his laughter, and there was a burst of guffawing in the venue.

Pei Xi looked at the photo, which could be considered a success in a sense. Then he looked up at a certain person who was rubbing his chin with a helpless expression, and also couldn’t help but chuckle.

When they left the performance hall, Pei Xi was still staring at his palms and savoring the feel of the white whale.

Wet, soft, slippery, and tender, like a big piece of jelly, it was so addictive that he couldn’t stop.

There were terrestrial animal displays on both sides of the exit, such as peacocks and foxes. The two walked very slowly, and didn’t completely leave the aquarium until all of the photo paper was used up.

Pei Xi had a lot of fun today. When He Chuzhou asked if he’d enjoyed it, his eyes were bright and he nodded his head harder than usual.

He Chuzhou laughed and asked him: “Are you hungry?”

Pei Xi nodded once more.

He Chuzhou: “Do you want to eat outside or at home?”

Pei Xi: “Outside.”

He didn’t want He Chuzhou to accompany him for a day of wandering and then toil over dinner when they got home.

He thought He Chuzhou would take him to a high-end or private restaurant outside the downtown area like every time before, but was unexpectedly neither.

They came to a famous pedestrian snack street in Wancheng, with bright lights and overflowing fragrances. Looking at it from the entrance, it was bustling and lively.

“Eating Chinese and Western food is getting old. Today, Gege will take you to try something new.”

It was indeed new. Not to mention tasting the foods on the snack street, Pei Xi had never laid eyes on many of them.

In order for him to taste as much delicious food as possible, He Chuzhou bought the minimum amount of each item. He would give Pei Xi a taste and take care of the rest himself.

The two of them ate all the way from the street to the end of the alley. When they were so full that they couldn’t eat any more, they walked hand-in-hand to the nearest subway entrance.

During the trek, He Chuzhou didn’t forget to make a purchase from an old man selling balloons. He paid the money, then turned around and carefully tied the balloon to Pei Xi’s wrist.

Pei Xi tilted his head: “ ? ”

He Chuzhou looked at him and the balloon and nodded approvingly: “When I saw other parents taking their children out to play, they always came back with a balloon like this.”

Pei Xi blinked and said “Oh,” then looked up at the balloon and gave it a tug. It looked like a Pikachu, which was very cute.

Winter was coming soon, and the subway stations had luxuriously turned on their heating. They were isolated from the cold wind once inside, and the temperature was a lot more comfortable.

Evening rush hour had already ended, and there was very little passenger traffic on Line 7 going home, so there were more seats than passengers. Apart from them, the only other people in the carriage were a pair of young girls sitting opposite them.

He Chuzhou happily looked through their photos from today with Pei Xi, the two men pressing their heads together as they discussed which ones looked the best.

“This has to be the one.”

He Chuzhou pointed at a photo taken outside the jellyfish exhibit: “And this one, and this one, and this one…..”

Pei Xi moved his hand aside speechlessly: “You went through almost an entire roll of paper there.”

“As long as they look good.”

He Chuzhou admired the dozen or so identical photos: “Look at the light, the jellyfish, the eyelashes that could strike a match, look at the eyes, the nose, the small mouth and chin, tsk! Perfection.”

Pei Xi didn’t even bother to correct him that jellyfish didn’t have eyelashes, mouths, or chins.

Soon after, He Chuzhou turned to the photo of Pei Xi being frightened by the big white whale and couldn’t hold back his laughter. He picked that one out specifically and said with heartfelt feeling: “This one is the cutest, the absolute cutest.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi silently chose from the pile of photos the one where He Chuzhou’s expression had suddenly changed when he was poked by the white whale, placing it in the other’s hand to cover up his own: “This one is the cutest.”

He Chuzhou confirmed with him: “Really?”

Pei Xi’s lips rose: “Really.”

“Okay.” He Chuzhou took a picture of it with his phone and set it as his WeChat avatar.

Pei Xi’s smile froze. There was a long silence.

In the end, it seemed there was nothing he could use against him. Sighing in resignation, Pei Xi grabbed the ugly photo of himself, took a photo, and uploaded it in one go.

The baffling couple headshots appeared.

He Chuzhou hadn’t expected him to follow suit, and couldn’t help but stare blankly. He lowered his head and clicked on the dialogue box between the two of them. The nonsensical headshots were very symmetrical.

The corners of his mouth stretched wider and wider. Just as he was about to say something, he heard the click of a shutter opposite him.

The two subconsciously looked up. One of the girls sitting across from them hastily put away her cell phone with a look of flustered panic on her face. She had forgotten to put it on mute.

“Sorry, sorry, I was just taking a random photo, it won’t be posted on social forums. If it bothers you, I’ll delete it right away…..”

She apologized repeatedly, unaware that neither of the two parties cared.

The one who looked cold and taciturn ignored her, while the other smiled and waved at her, saying it didn’t matter.

When the next stop arrived, the two girls exited the car as if fleeing.

In her hurry, the one who took the photo didn’t forget to give the two of them a quick “Zhu 99”^[1] before pulling her friend away quickly.

Pei Xi was confused: “Who is Zhu 99? Her online name? Or is it yours?”

He Chuzhou touched his chin: “If my guess is correct, she should have been wishing us a long life together?”

In the glass opposite, he glimpsed Pei Xi’s half-comprehending expression. His eyes curved and he lifted his camera, pointing it toward the glass. With his head tilted slightly, he used the last piece of photo paper to capture the reflection of the two of them sitting side by side.

“Where do you want to go next time?”

He pressed the last photo into Pei Xi’s hand: “How about the amusement park?”

Pei Xi: “Next time?”

“Ah, next time.”

He Chuzhou said: “You were busy studying when you were a child, and busy working when you grew up. There must be many places you haven’t been to.”

“But it’s not a big problem. From now on, I’ll take you wherever you want to go. No matter where Pei Zhen has been, I’ll take you there.”

Pei Xi’s mind went momentarily blank.

When he returned to his senses, he frowned and earnestly tried to explain: “I didn’t want to go to the aquarium because I envied Pei Zhen, I just, just…..”

He couldn’t formulate the words for a moment, and his cheeks suddenly felt hot.

He Chuzhou soothed his face with the backs of his fingers and said in a relaxed tone: “Don’t worry, I understand.”

“I know you don’t envy Pei Zhen. You just feel regretful.”

“Regretful that your life didn’t have a normal trajectory, that there was no one around when you needed companionship the most, and that at the most playful age, you could only stay at home.”

“But it doesn’t matter now.”

He waved the thick stack of photos in his hand in front of Pei Xi, feeling quite proud: “Now that you have me, I’ll make up for everything you haven’t been to, haven’t seen before, and want to try but haven’t yet.”

“Rest assured, just leave it to Xiao He. He’ll be responsible for getting your life back on track. From now on, he’ll accompany you wherever you want to go.”

“En…..but there’s an urgent matter right now that needs your cooperation.”

Pei Xi ignored his disordered breathing and gave him a blank stare: “What matter?”

He Chuzhou: “When we get back, remember to hide these photos. Hide them in a place you would never think of touching.”

Pei Xi: “Why?”

He Chuzhou: “You can treat today as our little secret. Hide them so no one else will find out.”

Pei Xi didn’t understand: “Is this some kind of fun?”

He Chuzhou gave him a thumbs up: “Clever.”

Pei Xi nodded obediently.

He Chuzhou was satisfied. But then something else quickly occurred to him. To ensure nothing went wrong, he specially told Pei Xi: “You must absolutely remember not to write it down.”

Pei Xi was even more confused: “Isn’t it okay to write it in a place where only I can see it?”

He Chuzhou said simply: “No.”

Pei Xi: “But it won’t be discovered.”

He Chuzhou: “It will.”

Pei Xi: “Will someone come to our house?”

“They won’t necessarily come to our house…..”

It was difficult for He Chuzhou to explain that this “person” was Pei Xi himself. After wracking his brains, he came up with an answer that would be hard to verify as true or false: “It’s mainly because I have a friend who can tell fortunes.”

*

*

“Good job, Xingxing! Drink your water well, look how it’s sprinkled on the ground. Are you a husky?”

“We’re going to pick up your sister today. If you behave like this, believe it or not, she’ll think you’re a stupid dog and won’t play with you.”

The sound of a dog being trained could be heard in the bedroom.

Pei Xi stood next to the cabinet by the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding the photos that had originally been placed at the bottom of that cabinet as he turned them over one by one.

From the casual photo taken when they were going out, to the first and second photo in the whale and dolphin exhibit, to the ninth and tenth photos in the shark exhibit……

To the one on the subway that used the last piece of photo paper.

Sunlight entered the room at an oblique angle, and he happened to be standing in the middle of it, his long eyelashes lowered as he looked absently at the two people leaning against each other in the photo.

It turned out there was no need for him to explain anything. He Chuzhou understood it all.

He Chuzhou understood everything.

The sounds of footsteps and shouts came from far away. Pei Xi snapped back to the present and hastily stuffed the photos back into place and closed the drawer.

“Pei Xi, are you ready?”

He Chuzhou pushed the door open and saw him standing by the windows in his pajamas. He raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something, when his gaze happened to meet the other’s slightly reddened ones.

“What’s wrong? Did you not sleep well last night? If not, you can sleep longer and I’ll pick up the cat by myself.”

“No need.” Pei Xi retracted his gaze first and turned toward the closet. Other than a subtle hoarseness, his cold voice was the same as usual: “I’ll change clothes and be ready soon.”

*

*

The veterinary hospital opened very early. When they got there, there were already several newly-arrived furry patients receiving treatment.

Their kitten was housed in a separate cat villa. Its fur was pure white after being cleaned, and its blue eyes seemed particularly friendly when it looked at people.

The veterinarian: “Her wounds have been treated, internal and external worming has been done, today’s medicine has been applied, and everything went fine with the physical examination. Remember to bring it in for a second round of vaccinations in two weeks, and make up for its malnutrition at home during this time.”

He Chuzhou teased the kitten through the door and asked the veterinarian: “Is she a mixed-breed cat? Or does she have some kind of bloodline?”

The veterinarian: “She’s a standard long-haired cat, but of better quality, with a round face and special eye color. She should be very beautiful when she grows up.”

Like an old father whose daughter was praised for being smart and cute, He Chuzhou’s joy was beyond words.

He gave the cat toy to Pei Xi and went to the cashier to pay for a cat bed, cat litter, dry food, canned food, etc. Then he moved everything to the trunk before finally going back for the cat.

When the door opened, he asked Pei Xi if he wanted to carry her.

Pei Xi reached out to touch her. She was smaller than she looked, so fragile that it seemed possible to hurt her with the slightest force.

He hesitated and curled his fingertips, ultimately retracting his hand: “You should do it.”

“Okay, I will.”

He Chuzhou bent down and carefully took the kitten out in his palms: “Why does she have such fluffy fur when she’s so thin?”

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter.” He stroked the kitten’s head and said, even though she couldn’t understand: “I’ve prepared all sorts of delicious food and drinks and fun things for you, and I’ll serve them to you at home.”

“Your mother didn’t want you, but I do. You have a home now, and you don’t have to live in the open anymore. Let your two cat brothers be envious. I’ll take care of you from now on.”

Pei Xi’s gaze flickered from the kitten to He Chuzhou’s face. Suddenly, he asked in a soft voice: “Did you finish yesterday’s work?”

“I finished it.”

He Chuzhou took advantage of his lack of memory to unrepentantly spout bullshit. 

Pei Xi: “Will you be busy later?”

“I’m not sure. Such is the life of the employed.”

He Chuzhou put the kitten into the travel carrier and easily picked it up: “Come on, let’s go home!”

After leaving the animal hospital, he set the carrier in the back seat of the car and clapped his hands, not closing the door right away. He wanted to ask Pei Xi whether he wanted to sit in the passenger seat or with the kitten.

As he turned around, something constricted around his waist.

He had received a hug without any warning.

His first reaction was confusion.

And when he realized that it was the sober Pei Xi who was hugging him, his breathing suddenly cut off and he froze in place.

“W-what’s wrong?”

His Adam’s apple rolled. He tried to keep his voice calm, but couldn’t keep his heart from beating faster.

Pei Xi was hugging him.

Pei Xi took the initiative to hug him?

Pei Xi actually took the initiative to hug him when he wasn’t confused?

Why…..?

Was he dreaming?

Nobody dreamed in broad daylight, right?

“I’m a little dizzy, so I’ll lean on you for a moment,” Pei Xi answered in a low voice. He closed his eyes as He Chuzhou hugged him back. The other was slightly disappointed, but still flattered, and let Pei Xi rest his head on his shoulder.

The throbbing emotions were so strong that they made his head dizzy, and he couldn’t help but hug him.

He Chuzhou, you’re so good.

There’s no way I wouldn’t end up liking you.

---

[1] “99” in Chinese sounds like “Jiǔjiǔ” (久久), which means “a long time.” The character 祝, or Zhù, means “to wish.” This is used to wish someone a long and happy relationship. ⮐

---

Consider donating via Kofi here!

Chapter 49 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 51