21. Coaxing Skill

“——March 14, 2015, clear weather.

Today is White Day.

I’m working outside, and Yu Yue, sneakingly, came home, wanting to make a cake for me. However, he didn’t know how to do it and accidentally blew up the microwave. He also broke a cup. When cleaning up the shards, he injured his foot.

I was very angry and almost scolded him.

When something like this happens, he should have told me first instead of dealing with it himself. What if he had caused a more serious injury?

But I held back my temper because he looked like he was about to cry.”

When he returned home, it was a mess.

Xu Yuanzhe first smelled the burnt smell in the air, followed by a scent similar to iodine.

He turned his head and saw Yu Yue sitting on the sofa.

Yu Yue didn’t expect Xu Yuanzhe to come back so early.

He was treating the wound on his foot.

Yu Yue stared blankly at Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe put down his keys, glanced at the house, and immediately saw the exploded microwave and the glass shards on the floor that hadn’t been completely cleaned up.

“What happened?” he asked. “What did you do?”

Perhaps for a moment, unable to suppress his anger, Yu Yue’s voice became a bit timid. “I… I wanted to make a cake, but unexpectedly, the microwave just went ‘bang’ and exploded. I didn’t hold the cup steady. I’m sorry…”

Xu Yuanzhe didn’t look at the microwave and the bowl but went straight to Yu Yue.

He looked at the wound on Yu Yue’s foot, didn’t say anything, took the cotton ball and iodine from Yu Yue’s hand, and began to treat the wound.

Yu Yue dared not speak.

When Xu Yuanzhe had a cold expression, he actually looked quite intimidating.

He treated Yu Yue’s wound, wanting to ask why Yu Yue didn’t tell him first. With such a big incident, he could have sent a message or made a call. Suppressing his anger and feeling a mixture of discomfort and concern, Xu Yuanzhe’s emotions were not good.

Yu Yue’s voice was very soft, “I’m sorry. I will buy you a new microwave and a cup…”

Xu Yuanzhe didn’t lift his head.

He said, “No need.”

Yu Yue asked, “Are you angry?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s Adam’s apple moved.

After a moment, he wrapped Yu Yue’s foot with gauze, lowered his eyes, and said, “I am a bit, but not because you broke these things.” He paused slightly, “You should have told me first, instead of dealing with it yourself, and not just apologizing to me.”

Yu Yue seemed to be taken aback.

Xu Yuanzhe continued, “Things can be broken or exploded; I can buy new ones. But if you hurt yourself, what should I do?”

He lifted his eyes, looking at Yu Yue.

Yu Yue also gazed at him.

After a while, Yu Yue leaned down on his own initiative, kissed the corner of Xu Yuanzhe’s lips, and then whispered, “Got it.”

Most of Xu Yuanzhe’s anger dissipated.

He took a broom to clean up the shards of the broken bowl. To prevent Yu Yue from carrying the fragments to the living room table while walking, Xu Yuanzhe also walked over and started sweeping in this area.

Xu Yuanzhe bent down in front of Yu Yue.

In the next moment, he suddenly felt a weight on his back.

Yu Yue was lying on his back, embracing his neck.
Xu Yuanzhe paused.

Yu Yue embraced his neck like a koala, legs wrapped around his waist, and asked, “Can you sweep the floor?”

Xu Yuanzhe lowered his eyes, curved his lips, “I can.” After a moment, he added, “Just a bit heavy.”

Yu Yue said, “That’s fine.”

He didn’t let go, continuing to hook onto Xu Yuanzhe’s neck, lying on his back.

After cleaning up, Xu Yuanzhe asked Yu Yue, “Have you eaten?”

Yu Yue shook his head on Xu Yuanzhe’s back.

So, Xu Yuanzhe carried Yu Yue to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Yu Yue had a set of special coaxing skills.

After a meal, Xu Yuanzhe had no temper at all. He enjoyed being clung to by Yu Yue, even though it was a bit warm, and maybe a little sweaty. He admitted that he really liked being cared for by Yu Yue.

Yu Yue’s foot was injured, and it was inconvenient to return to school that night.

There was only one bed in the house.

Xu Yuanzhe hadn’t intended for anything to happen.

But when they bid each other good night, Yu Yue sat at the bedside, looked into his eyes, leaned in to kiss him. In the dim light, with a soft and docile voice, he said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Zhe Ge.”

The two words exploded in Xu Yuanzhe’s mind.

After a long silence, he lowered his voice and asked Yu Yue, “What did you just call me?”

Yu Yue’s face turned very red, “Don’t you like it? I thought…”

Because he heard that being called ‘ge’ by someone you like should make you happy. But since Yu Yue couldn’t bring himself to say ‘brother,’ he chose a more neutral term.

Xu Yuanzhe didn’t say anything.
He seemed to be trying hard to steady his breath. The more he tried to calm down, the more unstable it became. His eyes, lowered for a long time, lingered on Yu Yue’s lips, then lifted to meet Yu Yue’s gaze.

In those clear and bright beautiful eyes, all he could see was his own reflection.

This was a scene that Xu Yuanzhe had never dared to imagine a long, long time ago.

Finally, Xu Yuanzhe’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he turned his head to kiss Yu Yue.

There was an atmosphere, there was light, there was Yu Yue’s “Zhe ge,” and there was the moonlight flowing outside the window—everything was a contributing factor.

With the current in their favor, and Yu Yue not uttering a single word of refusal…

…

Actually, this night started somewhat awkwardly.

Everything that should have been there was present, but both of them were complete novices, with very little experience. Due to the pain, Yu Yue called for a stop several times. In the end, it seemed like he retreated, looking at Xu Yuanzhe with reddened, teary eyes.

Xu Yuanzhe also knew that if he forced it, it might create psychological trauma for Yu Yue.

He finally said, “How about… next time.”

Yu Yue didn’t speak.

He looked into Xu Yuanzhe’s eyes, where those pitch-black eyes held a hint of mint, mixed with frustration, a sense of collapse, and a lot of regret that Yu Yue didn’t want to see.

Why regret? There was nothing to regret.

Xu Yuanzhe must be regretting rushing things tonight.

But Yu Yue had no regrets.

He didn’t want this night to end like this; what would happen to them in the future? Wouldn’t it be worse? Moreover, Yu Yue didn’t feel repulsed at all; perhaps it was just the wrong approach.

So, in the interweaving darkness of the night, Yu Yue gathered courage, embraced Xu Yuanzhe again, tears trembling in his eyelashes, and softly said in Xu Yuanzhe’s ear, “Let’s try again.”

Unexpectedly, the second time went very smoothly.

Xu Yuanzhe hadn’t expected such a development. If it weren’t for Yu Yue taking the initiative in the end, it might have really turned out bad.

But Yu Yue turned this potential disaster into an utmost good.

The moonlight seeped through the half-open curtains, illuminating the room half-light and half-dark. Summer hadn’t arrived yet, but the damp heat was approaching. A midnight rain had soaked the entire world.

The flowers nurtured by love finally broke through the soil, starting to grow gracefully before the arrival of summer.