Chapter 39

Ever since Song Wenzhou agreed to be in a relationship, Mu Chi couldn’t wait to stay by his side every moment.

Not long ago, he had been worried that seeing each other too often might bore Song Wenzhou. Now that he had already won him over, with only the last step left to seal the deal, Mu Chi no longer tried to hide how clingy he was.

Song Wenzhou still had tutoring sessions three times a week. As for Mu Chi, who had returned to the country alone, besides chasing after Song Wenzhou, he had nothing else serious to do. Apart from sleeping and using the bathroom, his time completely belonged to Song Wenzhou.

A perfect example of someone “blinded by love.”

Whether at home, on the way to class, or on a snowy street, Mu Chi’s figure could easily be found by Song Wenzhou’s side.

Today, Song Wenzhou didn’t have class, the weather was too cold, and he was too lazy to go out. Less than an hour after hanging up the phone with Mu Chi, that clingy person had already showed up at his door.

At the time, Song Wenzhou had secretly ordered takeout while his parents were at work. When the doorbell rang, he thought it was his longed-for lunch. But when he opened the door, he was almost hit by a bouquet of flowers.

He quickly took a step back, only then realizing the appearance of the flowers and seeing Mu Chi, who was smiling more brightly than the flowers behind them.

It was a bouquet made up of four or five different flowers and plants, all wrapped up in vibrant packaging. Song Wenzhou didn’t know much about flowers, but his mother had planted a few on the balcony. Whenever he had time, he liked to “help” water them, so he could vaguely recognize a few. One of those flowers was in the bouquet Mu Chi brought.

What was it called again? Song Wenzhou couldn’t remember at the moment.

Seeing that Song Wenzhou just stared at the flowers without taking them, Mu Chi’s smile froze a bit. He let his hand drop and quietly asked, “Do you not like them?”

On the way, he had passed a newly opened flower shop. The staff was enthusiastic, and the shop was lively, so Mu Chi, somewhat confused, just followed the crowd inside.

Aside from the one time in elementary school when he gave his mother carnations for Mother’s Day while his parents were back in China, Mu Chi had no experience in giving flowers. After entering the shop, he only thought about creating a beautiful, meaningful bouquet to give to Song Wenzhou, never considering that Song Wenzhou might not like flowers.

Mu Chi, feeling frustrated, pulled his hand back a bit. He hadn’t thought this through.

However, Song Wenzhou was quicker, immediately taking the flowers and holding them carefully in his arms, shaking his head, “I like them.”

Mu Chi had little experience giving flowers, and Song Wenzhou wasn’t much different—this was the first time he had officially received flowers.

Looking down at the bright, fragrant flowers in his arms, with water droplets still on the petals, Song Wenzhou’s thoughts began to stir, and even his ears turned slightly red.

No wonder girls always love flowers—who wouldn’t love such beautiful things? Especially when… Song Wenzhou raised his eyes to look at Mu Chi, especially when it was his boyfriend who gave them to him.

“They’re really beautiful,” Song Wenzhou emphasized, “I really like them.”

Mu Chi smiled again, “Then I’ll buy you more next time.”

Song Wenzhou searched around the house for a few vases. After comparing them, he chose a long-necked porcelain one to put the flowers in.

Actually, the first one he liked was a water-blue semi-transparent glass vase, but it was already full of plants his mother had trimmed last time, and he didn’t dare to move them.

He filled the vase with nearly half water, added some flower preservative that came with the flowers, and then, excited, started trimming the flower stems.

He didn’t know much about this, so he found some instructional videos online, following every step carefully, afraid that a single mistake would cause the flowers to wilt sooner.

Even when Mu Chi wanted to help, Song Wenzhou shooed him away. Mu Chi was too careless, and Song Wenzhou was worried the flowers would be ruined.

Helpless, with nothing to do and not wanting to disturb Song Wenzhou, Mu Chi pulled over a chair and sat across from him. He rested his chin in one hand, occasionally glancing at Song Wenzhou and then at the flowers.

The hand not holding his chin wasn’t idle either. His middle and index fingers mimicked the movement of tiny people walking, slowly inching toward the other side. Occasionally, he would touch his boyfriend’s smooth, fair hand or poke between his slender fingers.

After doing this repeatedly, Song Wenzhou couldn’t keep his focus. His hands continued working, but his lips let out a small “tch.”

Mu Chi stopped upon hearing the sound but, less than three minutes later, started making small movements again.

“I’m holding scissors,” Song Wenzhou finally lifted his eyes to look at him. “Be careful, you might get poked.”

Mu Chi was relieved to hear that it was only concern for his safety, not annoyance. He smiled and became even bolder with his movements. “It’s fine. If I get poked, it’s you who’ll be hurt.”

Song Wenzhou gave him a glare, then chuckled lightly. “You’re so clever.”

Despite his teasing, he became even more careful with the scissors.

Halfway through trimming, the doorbell rang again.

“My takeout’s here,” Song Wenzhou, getting more familiar with commanding Mu Chi lately, said confidently. “Go get it for me.”

“Got it,” Mu Chi replied just as smoothly.

When Mu Chi returned with the takeout bag, Song Wenzhou realized he had only ordered a single serving. He hadn’t known Mu Chi would be coming over, nor did he know if Mu Chi had eaten already.

Song Wenzhou paused his work, wiped his hands, and was about to grab his phone to order another meal, asking, “Have you eaten yet?”

“No,” Mu Chi answered honestly. He had come to pick Song Wenzhou up to go eat together.

“Then you can eat this one, I’ll order another,” Song Wenzhou said, placing the order before Mu Chi could object.

Mu Chi didn’t argue, opening the fragrant grilled meat rice and unpacking the utensils.

Seeing Song Wenzhou put his phone down and pick up the scissors again, Mu Chi frowned disapprovingly, dropping his usual playful expression and becoming serious. “Eat first.”

Song Wenzhou noticed his serious expression and unconsciously blinked. “You eat. My food will be here soon.”

Mu Chi was insistent. “We eat together.”

The utensils came with chopsticks and a spoon. After a moment’s thought, Song Wenzhou said, “Then I’ll use the spoon, and I’ll grab a bowl from the kitchen.”

“No need,” Mu Chi quickly stopped him. “Let’s just eat like this. Otherwise, we’ll have to wash dishes.”

“You don’t have to wash…” Song Wenzhou muttered, but still sat back down, following Mu Chi’s suggestion.

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Chi scooped up a full spoon of grilled meat and held it to Song Wenzhou’s mouth, cooing like he was feeding a child. “Ah—”

Song Wenzhou’s eyes widened as he leaned back, and the spoon in front of him moved closer as he pulled away.

Afraid that the golden grilled meat would fall off and cause food waste, Song Wenzhou helplessly opened his mouth and bit into the “love-filled grilled meat.”

“What are you doing…?” Song Wenzhou complained, his words unclear.

Mu Chi only smiled without speaking. Under Song Wenzhou’s reproachful gaze, he quickly scooped a spoonful of rice and fed it to himself.

Song Wenzhou’s chewing froze, his movements halting.

Mu Chi had scooped too much earlier, and when he was eating the meat, the spoon had almost been entirely in his mouth. Now, as Mu Chi ate, he was simply repeating the same action he had just performed!

Doesn’t this mean they… had an indirect kiss?

“It’s really delicious,” Mu Chi commented without any hesitation.

Song Wenzhou’s face turned completely red at his own thoughts, his neck and ears flushed as well. However, when he met Mu Chi’s mischievous gaze, he realized that Mu Chi had absolutely done it on purpose.

What a shameless person.

Song Wenzhou cursed silently in his heart.

In the end, the chopsticks were never used, and Song Wenzhou never got the spoon he wanted. Instead, they took turns feeding each other spoonfuls of grilled meat and rice from Mu Chi’s hand.

Whether it was because food fed by his boyfriend was more filling or because Mu Chi subtly made him eat more than usual, Song Wenzhou felt about 70% full before the second portion of takeout even arrived.

After the meal, Mu Chi took care of cleaning up the containers and wiping the table. Song Wenzhou, having satisfied his appetite, was free to return to arranging the flowers.

The flower stems were trimmed into various lengths and carefully arranged from different angles into the tall-necked vase, forming a canopy-like shape made of petals.

Song Wenzhou was satisfied with the result and took a few photos with his camera. He then picked up the vase and walked toward his room.

He cleared the items on his desk with one hand, carefully placed the vase in the top left corner, and even opened the window halfway to let the breeze in, ensuring the flowers wouldn’t be suffocated.

After completing all of this, Song Wenzhou pulled out the chair, sat up straight at his desk according to his usual habit, and tested if he could catch a glimpse of the vibrant colors in his peripheral vision.

Behind him, Mu Chi, having finished his second serving of food, entered the room. Noticing Song Wenzhou’s little gesture, the smile at the corners of Mu Chi’s mouth grew wider.

However—

Mu Chi closed the window with a loud “thud” and casually said, “It’s so cold. You’ll catch a cold if you sit in the wind.”

Song Wenzhou, naturally aware that Mu Chi was concerned about him, still retorted stubbornly, “If you’re cold, just don’t stand next to me.”

“I won’t,” Mu Chi replied nonchalantly. “I like being by your side.”

There was only one chair in the room, which Song Wenzhou had taken, so Mu Chi leaned against the desk. Due to his height and long legs, he casually raised one leg and sat on the table.

Song Wenzhou’s overly proper sitting posture, like that of a young schoolchild, was too obedient, and Mu Chi couldn’t resist reaching out to mess up his hair.

“What are you doing?” Song Wenzhou belatedly realized that his actions today seemed too “girlish.” To cover his embarrassment, he raised his voice. “How many times have I told you, don’t touch my hair.”

“Sorry,” Mu Chi, in a good mood, didn’t argue. He reluctantly promised, “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Song Wenzhou had long seen through his lies. He knew Mu Chi would still do it next time, but the atmosphere was too pleasant now, and he didn’t feel like arguing.

The two of them sat, one high and one low, staring at each other, their gazes locked, neither willing to back down.

After a while, Mu Chi gave in, looking away first. If he kept staring, he would have lost control.

“Can I take a look at the things in your room?” Mu Chi asked politely.

Song Wenzhou shrugged and smiled. “Of course.”

Mu Chi slowly walked around the room, taking in his surroundings.

Song Wenzhou had always been tidy and didn’t have a strong desire to shop, so there wasn’t much in the room. Mu Chi quickly took it all in, but his purpose wasn’t to inspect the space.

Mu Chi finally circled back to the desk, where Song Wenzhou was casually flipping through a book, looking completely unconcerned about what Mu Chi was looking at.

This suited Mu Chi just fine. He glanced at Song Wenzhou and, in a seemingly casual manner, pulled open the drawer beneath the desk—he had been curious about what was inside the last time, wondering what it was that made Song Wenzhou so protective of it.

However, once the drawer was open, Mu Chi didn’t immediately look inside. Instead, he kept his eyes on Song Wenzhou. If Song Wenzhou truly didn’t want him to look, he would stop and close the drawer.

But Song Wenzhou didn’t stop him—he simply glanced at the drawer and then returned his attention to the book.

Mu Chi felt relieved. He pretended to be nonchalant and mumbled, “What could be in here?” before looking down into the drawer.

When he saw what was inside, Mu Chi froze for a moment.

He had originally thought it might be something private, something that Song Wenzhou didn’t want others to see, or even mischievously wondered if it might be some kind of toy. To his surprise, the items inside were completely ordinary, though there was a vague sense of familiarity.

It wasn’t until Mu Chi pulled out a photo of himself that he realized where the familiarity came from.

“This is…” Mu Chi turned to Song Wenzhou, who remained unfazed, “The stuff I sent you before?”

“Mm,” Song Wenzhou answered without looking up from his book.

Mu Chi smiled gently, his voice soft. “You actually kept it?”

“Yeah,” Song Wenzhou answered calmly. “I kept it, and sometimes I take it out to look at it.”

Mu Chi didn’t speak any further or make any assumptions about Song Wenzhou’s feelings. He simply savored the moment in his heart for a while.

Although the items seemed childish to him now, they had been carefully chosen gifts for Song Wenzhou at the time. To see them treated with such care filled him with surprise and a deep emotional warmth, moved by the significance of that care.

Song Wenzhou exhaled quietly, though his calm appearance didn’t match the turmoil inside.

The reason he had reacted so strongly when Mu Chi nearly opened the drawer before was because he hadn’t known Mu Chi’s feelings at the time. He was afraid his own unspoken affections might be exposed. But now that the person standing beside him had become his partner, there was no longer any need for concealment.

Although, he still felt… a little embarrassed!

“Eh?” Mu Chi asked, holding up a phone with two fingers, his voice full of confusion. “Why is this phone in here too?”

He had clearly seen that everything in the drawer was things he had given to Song Wenzhou, except for the phone.

“Uh…” Song Wenzhou hesitated.

Mu Chi’s sharp intuition told him that for someone as meticulous as Song Wenzhou, the phone must be placed in the drawer for a reason, and there was probably a connection between it and the other items.

“Is there something on the phone?” Mu Chi asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Nothing,” Song Wenzhou avoided his gaze.

“Really?”

“Just some… cooking videos.”

It seemed that Mu Chi had guessed correctly.

Mu Chi reached out and grabbed Song Wenzhou’s shoulder, forcefully turning him around to face him. He softened his voice, coaxing, “Zhouzhou, good Zhouzhou~ please show me, I beg you~”

Song Wenzhou couldn’t handle his act at all, goosebumps practically covered him, and before Mu Chi could say another word, he quickly raised his palm to stop him.

“Alright, alright, stop talking. I’ll unlock it for you.”

The phone had been outdated for two years, and apart from being an older model, it had no other issues. Song Wenzhou would charge it every now and then, but he hadn’t turned it on in a long time, and it took him three tries to finally remember the correct password.

Once unlocked, Mu Chi didn’t ask Song Wenzhou to find what he wanted. Instead, he took the phone, sat down on the edge of Song Wenzhou’s bed, and began to look for the surprise himself.

But, in fact, he didn’t get the chance to do much.

After switching phones, Song Wenzhou had transferred all the files from his old phone, except for…

Mu Chi immediately opened the local photo gallery, where there was a solitary video.

It was obvious this was the thing he had been searching for.

The video cover was a dark blur, and just by looking at the cover, it was hard to guess its contents.

Mu Chi glanced at Song Wenzhou’s back, then paused for a moment before moving his fingers to click play—