The Twelfth Pill

Breakfast

The next day, Gui Tingyue woke up very early.

In the past, mornings and nights were indistinguishable to her, blending into a gray wall that imprisoned her on all sides.

But now it was different. Mornings held the hopeful white of dawn, nights the ambiguous black of starry skies. Afternoons were was, sunsets rosy—all tinged with the color “Chen Shi”.

After freshening up, she changed into white sportswear and went downstairs for a run.

The morning air was cool, the trees swayed gently, and Gui Tingyue’s slender figure was like a graceful egret.

She strolled to a nearby breakfast shop, and then returned with a paper bag. Standing downstairs of Chen Shi’s building, she sent him a voice message.

After three rings, he picked up: “Hello.”

His voice was lazy and still a bit husky from the night before.

Gui Tingyue held the phone up, smiling: “Hi, I bought breakfast for you. Do you want to come down and get it, or should I bring it up?”

There was silence on the other end.

After a while, he seemed to have woken up, his voice much clearer: “Give me a break, Gui Tingyue.”

Gui Tingyue automatically ignored the first part: “You remembered my name.”

“What time is it…” He might have pulled the phone away to check the time, “7:30?”

He sounded incredulous: “What time did you sleep last night?”

Gui Tingyue replied: “Right after saying goodnight to you, and my sleep was quite well.”

Chen Shi fell silent again.

Gui Tingue waited a moment. The building’s entrance door unlocked with a click, and he recited a few numbers at high speed: “My door code. Come up and leave after dropping it off.”

Gui Tingyue noted it down: “Okay.”

She went upstairs and entered smoothly.

As soon as she opened the door, Gui Tingyue was stunned by the overly simple decor of Chen Shi’s home. There was hardly any furniture, large expanses of white walls, only a black sofa in the living room, and just plain-colored cabinets and a dining table in the kitchen. One might think burglars had just swept through, taking all the appliances.

She looked at the black iron shoe rack, which only held various types of men’s shoes—sports shoes, sneakers, canvas shoes, mostly in black and white. Besides these, there were no slippers for guests.

Gui Tingyue’s lips twitched slightly, almost smiling.

It would be a miracle if a woman came to his place.

Then she reconsidered – hadn’t she just come to his home?

With no indoor slippers to change into and no shoe covers in sight, Gui Tingyue wasn’t sure whether to enter or not. She could only initiate a second voice call to Chen Shi.

Two ringtones sounded simultaneously, inside and outside the door, like an echo in an empty valley.

Gui Tingyue hadn’t expected this and was so startled that she hurriedly hung up.

However, the bedroom door quickly opened, and Chen Shi walked out.

His hair was slightly messy, and his eyes looked fierce from being woken up. His whole demeanor looked disheveled yet sharp, like a newly sharpened black brush.

Most notably, he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

His figure was more toned than Gui Tingyue had imagined, with a narrow waist, faint outline of abs, and particularly well-defined muscles on his arms.

He expression was stern: “What do you want?”

Gui Tingyue turned her head slightly, avoiding letting her gaze linger too much on his clean, lean body, and held up the paper bag: “I didn’t know where to put this, and there are no…… slippers on your shoe rack, so I wasn’t sure how to enter.”

Chen Shi was speechless, walked over, and held out his hand: “Give it to me.”

When he got closer, he noticed her evasive eyes and reddened ears. Only then did he remember he had come out shirtless, and he immediately felt embarrassed.

Taking the breakfast, Chen Shi ran a hand through his messy hair: “Have you eaten?”

Gui Tingyue replied, “Not yet……”

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Chen Shi made small talk, “I’ll go put on a shirt.”

Gui Tingyue paused, her voice barely audible: “Go ahead……”

Chen Shi turned to leave, then remembered something and came back: “Come in, no need to change shoes.”

Gui Tingyue gave a soft “Oh” then took small steps inside.

Chen Shi placed the paper bag on the dining table, and when he turned around to go to his bedroom, he ran into Gui Tingyue, who had followed him.

He looked down, she looked up, their gazes meeting in the air before quickly darting away.

Then they brushed past each other.

Putting on a black T-shirt, Chen Shi’s min was still feeling confused and out of place. After composing himself, he walked out.

Before him, the young woman was arranging the hearty breakfast on the table one by one, the aroma filling the air and tempting his appetite.

Chen Shi watched quietly from across the table.

After setting everything up, Gui Tingyue looked up and scanned him from top to bottom, “All dressed?”

Chen Shi: “……Mm.”

Gui Tingyue stood straight: “It looked better without the shirt.”

Chen Shi’s jaw tightened.

“Are you really a woman?” Chen Shi asked.

Gui Tingyue responded: “How does an objective comment make me not a woman?”

Chen Shi immediately left and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After wiping the water off his face, he looked at his wet hair in the mirror and briskly took off his shirt, thinking of the image the perverted woman outside had seen just now.

She just got it for free.

He put the shirt back on.

When he came out again, Gui Tingyue was already seated, digging into her porridge, seemingly focused.

Chen Shi went to the kitchen to get utensils, sat down, and started eating too.

Gui Tingyue sat up straight and looked at him; “I gave you the one with vegetables and beef. Do you like it?”

“Whatever,” Chen Shi replied, then added: “Anything’s fine.”

Gui Tingyue pushed the fried buns and Huangqiao sesame cakes closer to him: “You eat these too.”

Chen Shi glanced at them: “That’s too much.”

Gui Tingyue said: “Eat as much as you can.”

Chen Shi suddenly chuckled: “You sound exactly like my mother.”

Gui Tingyue: “Well, I am a certified mom fan.”

Chen Shi’s lips still curved: “A mom fan wouldn’t say I look better without the shirt.”

“I was wrong,” Gui Tingyue immediately admitted her mistake, then put on a caring face: “You have to wrap up yourself well, don’t catch a cold. Boys living alone must take good care of themselves.”

Somehow it sounded sarcastic? Chen Shi raised an eyebrow: “You’re terrible.”

“Then why are you still eating my food? I poisoned it, you don’t want to eat a single bite.” She got up and pretended to snatch the food.

Chen Shi quickly moved the brown paper bowl out of reach, not letting her touch it, and smirked when she missed.

“You’re even smiling—” Gui Tingyue was dazzled by his pure smile. She sat back down, continuing to complain: “You’re the type who gets a good deal and still acts innocent.”

Chen Shi pulled his bowl back and lazily lifted his eyelids: “What’s wrong with smiling?”

Gui Tingyue said: “It’s too handsome.”

Chen Shi’s hand paused, and his smile disappeared instantly: “……Can you stop spouting cheesy pickup lines at every turn?”

Gui Tingyue defended herself: “How is sincere praise cheesy?”

Chen Shi knew there was no point arguing with her:”Eat.”

“Oh.” Gui Tingyue lowered her head, continuing to eat her porridge.

A moment later.

She looked up again: “You don’t hate me, right?”

Chen Shi paused, leaning back in his chair, “What do you mean?”

Gui Tingyue pursed her lips: “You’re willing to let me into your house, eat with me—I guess you don’t mind having a fan.”

Chen Shi’s lips curved up, showing that mischievous expression again: “Of course, it’s not a loss for me.”

Gui Tingyue was already familiar with his act: “That’s not how you deal with people. It’s too fake.”

Chen Shi asked casually: “Then how should it be?”

Gui Tingyue said: “Tell me the real reason you’re willing to interact with me.”

Chen Shi said calmly, tilting his head slightly: “Get up and turn left. The mirror will tell you the reason.”

Gui Tingyue felt her face heat up at his words, but she didn’t miss the chance to retort: “What? Can you stop with the cheesy lines?”

Chen Shi was stunned by her wild interpretation: “…Which part has anything to do with pick-up lines?”

Gui Tingyue said seriously: ” Besides, that reason makes you seem shallow.”

Chen Shi replied: “Someone who expertly uses binoculars shouldn’t be throwing stones.”

Gui Tingyue: “…I’ve already thrown them away.”

Chen Shi said: “So you find other ways to see me in person every day?”

Gui Tingyue choked for a second: “Living so close is convenient, it’s normal to see each other daily. The process of finding ways is tiring too.”

“No one’s forcing you,” Chen Shi dropped this line and leaned forward to continue drinking his porridge.

“I want to,” Gui Tingyue gripped her spoon. “Can you stop me?”

“Suit yourself.” He was too lazy to care anymore. Her thick skin made her unstoppable.

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“After ten, thank you.”

“Is that still breakfast?”

“Then don’t come.”

“I will!”

“I’ll mute my phone before ten.”

“I have your door code.”

“I’ll change it.”

“Don’t.”

……

The breakfast passed in banter. After finally seeing off this chattering, persistent output machine, Chen Shi lay back in bed, closing his eyes tiredly.

After a while, he opened his eyes, raised his phone to eye level.

Recalling the scene of Gui Tingyue awkwardly standing at the door like a little bird seeking shelter from the rain, he absentmindedly opened the delivery app, went to the supermarket section and searched for “women’s slippers.”

Choosing a white pair, he added them to his cart. Chen Shi’s thumb hovered, not quite understanding his own actions.

Soon, he found the answer.

That girl would surely come again tomorrow.

He just didn’t want to be woken up again.

That was all.

Having rationalized it thoroughly, Chen Shi placed the order without further hesitation.