After the black crows in his mind circled the cloudy sky thirteen times, Yu Sen’s consciousness abruptly snapped back to reality with a sudden jolt.

The clear and ethereal chirping of birds gradually became distinct in his ears. He frowned, massaging the bridge of his nose, and asked hoarsely, “Are we there?”

“My car’s been parked for two minutes! I’ve been calling you, but you didn’t respond. What’s going on?”

Si Nan leaned over and placed the back of his hand on Yu Sen’s forehead. It wasn’t hot, just cold with sweat, clammy to the touch.

“How are you sweating so much even with the air conditioning on? Did you have a nightmare?”

Si Nan gave Yu Sen, who was in the passenger seat with a pale complexion, a sidelong glance filled with teasing amusement. “So, even you have days like this, huh, Yu Ge… Hey! Hey, hey, hey… don’t hit me! I was wrong!”

Yu Sen tightened his arm around his friend’s neck with his elbow, his phoenix eyes narrowing into slits. His smile was both wicked and cheerful as he wiped all the sweat from his forehead onto Si Nan’s clothes.

“Oh, you know you’re wrong? Let me tell you, it’s too late!”

“Hey, stop, stop, stop…” Si Nan patted the arm wrapped around his neck. “My WeChat! My WeChat is ringing!”

Finally breaking free, Si Nan grumbled, “How is your strength still this strong?” while fishing out his phone to reply to the WeChat messages.

Yu Sen ignored him, pulled out a tissue, wiped the sweat from his face, and opened the car door to get out.

This was a semi-mountain villa belonging to Si Nan’s family, far from other residents of the same developer. It offered great privacy, nestled against a mountain and overlooking a wetland park at its foot. The courtyard was lush with greenery, and even in summer, the air wasn’t as stifling as in the city.

However, since boarding the flight back home from Bangkok, Yu Sen had felt uneasy, his mood fluctuating wildly. He had had several strange dreams in a row.

Even now, he hadn’t calmed down.

After replying to his messages, Si Nan got out of the driver’s seat, tossed the car keys to Yu Sen, and walked to the back of the car to open the trunk.

“You go ahead and open the door. I’ll bring in the clock.”

Yu Sen stretched his neck a couple of times and shook the keys. “What’s the point of moving that thing? It’s as heavy as a pile of bricks, and you’re sending it to your grandma’s place the day after tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“My brother’s coming over in a bit. He’s riding with me the day after tomorrow. I want to show it to him first.”

“Oh…” Yu Sen drew out his voice, glancing up at the scorching sun. Before Si Nan could react and ask for his help, he decisively walked away, opened the door, and went inside, ignoring the complaints trailing behind him.

It seemed Si Nan had informed the housekeeper that he was coming home today. The house had been tidied up in advance, and the central air conditioning was on.

Yu Sen grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, threw himself onto the sofa, and tried to recall those strange dreams he had along the way.

But no matter how hard he racked his brain, the scenes in the dreams always slipped away quickly, leaving only a dark, oppressive atmosphere, with the sky seeming like it was about to collapse.

Not long after, Si Nan came in, swearing, carrying a big box.

“Heartless, aren’t you? Aren’t friends supposed to help each other? My arms are about to break…”

Yu Sen slouched into the sofa, sipping his milk with a loud slurp. He glanced at Si Nan and said, “Let’s straighten this out, Si Si. Look, you bought this clock in Bangkok to give to your grandma as a birthday present. You wanted to show it to your brother first, and you decided to move it out. How exactly did I wrong you?”

“You’re the one who suggested I buy it!” Si Nan glared. “And don’t call me Si Si anymore; it’s too girly!”

Yu Sen complied smoothly, “Alright, Nan Nan. And just to be clear, you forced me to suggest you buy it.”

“……”

“When’s your brother coming? What’s his name again?”

“Si Xuanyang. He said in his WeChat message that he’ll be here in ten minutes, so he should be… here!”

Outside, the sound of an SUV engine shutting off was heard.

Si Nan got up to greet his brother, while Yu Sen stared blankly at the ceiling without blinking, casually tossing the empty milk carton into the trash can six meters away. Then he lazily turned over, facing outside.

His first reaction upon seeing the newcomer was—Si Nan’s family has good genes.

It was like the sun outside had descended into the room, bright and radiant. As his name suggested, he was as dazzling as the blazing sun, brimming with youthful energy. His soft, long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes that made one’s heart itch. There was also a touch of impatience and innocence unique to young people just entering society, a stark contrast to Yu Sen.

When Si Xuanyang saw Yu Sen, he was also stunned for two seconds.

The man was lying sideways on the sofa, his jet-black hair gently resting on his pale, exposed neck and shoulder. His gaze, carried over by a slight breeze, was dark and ambiguous. There was no awkwardness about meeting a stranger in his eyes, nor did he exhibit any sense of being a “guest.” His gaze seemed to hook onto him, provocative, playful, and fearless.

Dressed in clothes that were not particularly bright, yet somehow gave off the illusion of vivid colors.

After locking eyes for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled into a smile that Si Xuanyang couldn’t quite understand.

But even if he couldn’t understand it, he didn’t think the smile had any good intentions.

Si Xuanyang felt annoyed by the strange expression and let out a cold snort, shifting his gaze away. He pointed at the large box on the ground and asked Si Nan, “Just this?”

“Ah, yes, yes, yes…” Si Nan, unaware of the few seconds of tense undercurrent between the two, was still full of enthusiasm as he pulled Si Xuanyang a couple of steps forward before opening the box.

“This is my younger brother, Si Xuanyang. Xuanyang, this is my best friend, Yu Sen. I remember mentioning him to you before.”

“Mm…” Si Xuanyang responded indifferently, his attention returning to the large cardboard box on the floor.

The box was very large. He found it hard to imagine someone having the patience to bring this thing back from a trip despite all the hassle.

As Si Nan opened the box, layer by layer of shockproof foam was removed, and lifting the black velvet covering revealed the contents inside.

Yu Sen, sitting up on the sofa, despite having seen it before, was still amazed by the exquisite and substantial clock upon seeing it again.

It was an old antique from the 1960s or 70s, exuding a simple, historical aura. The heavy hammer, mechanical needles, brass, gold leaf, and interlinked gears were seamlessly assembled together, cold to the touch, with a flowing radiance that even made it feel as if time was flowing like water, slowly passing across the clock face.

It was as if there was a strange soul inside the clock, and looking at it for too long would draw a person’s consciousness into it.

“Beautiful, right? I have good taste, don’t I?”

Seeing Si Xuanyang staring intently at the clock, Si Nan’s pride was almost overflowing, while Yu Sen turned his face away, unable to watch.

“Beautiful…” Si Xuanyang glanced at his smug elder brother, his expression indescribable.

“Did you buy this at a second-hand market in Thailand?”

“What second-hand market? It’s a vintage market!” Si Nan protested.

“It’s all the same,” Si Xuanyang said irritably, rubbing his temples with his fingers, letting out a sigh.

“So, the gift you’re giving Grandma for her 80th birthday is a clock? A clock? And a second-hand one at that?”

Yu Sen was momentarily stunned; this was something he and Si Nan hadn’t considered—they had only focused on its appearance.

But Si Nan, still not catching on, looked confused, “It’s pretty, isn’t it? Can’t I?”

“…You’re really hopeless.”

“That’s too much, Si Xuanyang! My friend is still here, don’t insult me so blatantly.”

“…You’re out of your mind.”

“…”

————————————————

After arguing for a long time, they still couldn’t reach a conclusion. Si Nan insisted there was nothing wrong with the gift and that the belief about the unlucky homonym was just a superstition, while Yu Sen, naturally, didn’t bother to say anything more.

However, that night while staying over, Si Xuanyang took the opportunity when Si Nan wasn’t paying attention to come and ‘recruit’ Yu Sen.

Yu Sen, with his arm grabbed, didn’t resist at all and followed him into the back garden.

Si Xuanyang released his hand with a light but firm shove, his face showing clear impatience. “Make sure my brother doesn’t give that thing as a gift the day after tomorrow. It’s bad luck. My aunts will start fussing about it, and it’ll be a huge headache.”

Yu Sen squinted with interest, “Why should I be the one to tell him?”

Si Xuanyang gave him a sideways glance, “Don’t think I can’t see that my brother listens to everything you say.”

“Hey, that’s a strange thing to say. Why do you think Si Si listens to everything I say?”

Yu Sen lazily leaned against a pillar, but when Si Xuanyang heard the name ‘Si Si,’ he first rolled his eyes in disdain. Then, as if he had suddenly realized something, he froze, his amber eyes staring fixedly at Yu Sen’s face for nearly half a minute.

Si Xuanyang’s gaze moved from Yu Sen’s somewhat cool and elegant features to his shoulder-length black hair, his expression growing increasingly strange. On closer inspection, there was even a hint of shock, and within that shock was a trace of sudden understanding—extremely complex.

Then, he awkwardly averted his eyes, said nothing, and stiffly returned to the house.

Yu Sen watched his series of reactions, scratching his head as a conclusion both ridiculous and humorous formed in his mind.

He took a deep breath, smelling the fragrance of gardenias in the yard, and laughed out loud in delight.

—It turns out that this ‘Mr. Unhappy’ actually mistook him for Si Nan’s boyfriend?

Recalling how two years ago Si Nan caused a scene at the Si family banquet and came out publicly, possibly causing a significant impact on Si Xuanyang, who was still in college at the time, and then thinking about the dramatic changes in his expression just now, Yu Sen realized that Si Xuanyang had probably already mistaken him for Si Nan’s ‘lover.’

How surreal and absurd…

For the sake of easing his friend’s worries and to help Si Xuanyang accept the fact that his brother was gay as soon as possible—and also to satisfy a bit of his own wicked sense of humor—Yu Sen didn’t care at all whether he was seen as a boyfriend or a casual partner. When passing by Si Xuanyang’s bedroom door, he casually asked about the room’s soundproofing quality.

He was then politely answered by Si Xuanyang with a sarcastic smile: “Very good.”

Yu Sen pretended to breathe a sigh of relief, closed the door for Si Xuanyang, but the mischievous smile on his lips couldn’t be hidden.

He walked straight into Si Nan’s room, dragged his friend of eight years off the bed, and tossed him onto the floor. Ignoring Si Nan’s pitiful look, Yu Sen shamelessly claimed the bed and prepared to catch up on the sleep lost to a nightmare in the afternoon.

However, he was abruptly awakened in the middle of the night by a heavy clock chime.