A week later, the temperature in the entire City C dropped sharply, as if it had suddenly transitioned from autumn to winter.

Qi Wang finished two hand-drawn Halloween-themed posters in four days.

Different from the one hanging on his wall, they faithfully fulfilled Boss Song Yunchun’s requirements, both bizarre and adorable. At the bottom were rows of diverse pumpkin lanterns, hiding timid ghosts behind them. On the top clearly stated the theme of the event, while on another page listed the limited edition Halloween set menu.

Song Yunchun was quite satisfied, and immediately transferred the full payment.

Yu Nian also stood by, looking at the posters and then at Qi Wang. It was hard to imagine that such cute posters were made by the ice-faced Qi Wang.

Looks can be deceiving, and appearances can be misleading.

The price was right, so everything was fine.

What he didn’t expect was that, on their day off, Qi Wang really took him shopping for clothes.

Standing in the mall, Yu Nian looked confused, while Qi Wang draped a black coat over him.

“Raise your hand.”

Qi Wang’s voice was cold, but his touch was not.

Yu Nian instinctively raised his hand, and the coat wrapped around him.

Lowering his head, he saw Qi Wang helping him fasten the horn buttons on the coat. The buttons were dark brown, and Qi Wang’s fair hands contrasted with the black fabric.

Yu Nian didn’t know what to do, he simply didn’t know what to say.

Just after work, Qi Wang took him straight to the mall. He had completely forgotten about it, thinking it was for dinner, so he came along happily.

But when they arrived, they did have dinner, but Qi Wang also led him to the men’s section on the fourth floor.

He snapped back, repeatedly declining, but Qi Wang gave him a cold glance.

It’s hard to describe, that look was like Qi Wang holding a revolver in his hand, pointing it at his forehead, confirming whether he really intended to disobey orders.

So cold and cool.

Yu Nian was so mesmerized that he felt like even James Bond didn’t have Qi Wang’s coldness.

He knew Qi Wang wanted him to shut up, but others might think Qi Wang was some trained assassin, acting out some kind of family drama.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but drift off a bit, being an eighteen-year-old, his brain was always active, daydreaming all the time.

The person he secretly admired was right in front of him, so it was reasonable to imagine some cheesy idol dramas.

He blushed with embarrassment, and someone who didn’t know would think the mall’s air conditioning was too hot. When he came back to his senses, Qi Wang had already picked out several different clothes and compared them on him for a while.

To be honest, Qi Wang’s aesthetic sense of clothing was limited. He had a good figure, and even an old man’s shirt could be worn like a vest, so his standard for clothes was only two: simple and easy to take care of.

But it was different for Yu Nian.

He put one fluffy piece of clothing after another on Yu Nian. Yu Nian’s cheeks were blushing, his face delicate, his eyes clear. These childish clothes seemed just right on him.

The saleswoman on the side also praised, “Is this your little brother? He’s so cute. What grade is he in? What style does he usually like?”

Qi Wang lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, his eyelashes drooping slightly, not knowing how to answer.

He couldn’t possibly have such a silly brother.

But he still answered the saleswoman, “He’s eighteen and 170cm tall.”

Yu Nian only came back to his senses when he heard this, and the little drama in his mind also stopped running wild. He looked at Qi Wang resentfully.

What’s with the height?

Too nosy.

The saleswoman was also a bit surprised, pursing her lips and smiling, gently exclaiming, “Boys will grow taller in the future.”

Yu Nian smiled dryly, completely not comforted.

After an hour of shopping, Qi Wang finally chose the black coat from before and a thin blue down jacket with a white fur trim on the hat, which could cover Yu Nian’s face perfectly.

They stood together in front of the mirror. Qi Wang was almost a head taller than Yu Nian, with a stable temperament. It was no wonder that others mistook him for an older brother.

He adjusted Yu Nian’s hat and asked, “Do you like it?”

Yu Nian looked embarrassed.

It’s not that he didn’t like it.

It was not about the clothes.

Purely because Qi Wang bought it for him, Qi Wang wanted to give these clothes to him, as an early Christmas gift.

Although he knew that Qi Wang was just trying to repay his favor, and had nothing to do with affection or liking, it was still a gift from someone he liked.

But he puffed up his cheeks, hesitated for a while, and still said to Qi Wang, “I don’t need it, ge. I already have clothes. I just wear thin coats all the time because I’m vain. If you buy me this puffy one, I’ll look like a ball when I go out, not very elegant…”

But Qi Wang didn’t listen, turned to the saleswoman and said, “We’ll take these two, please help cut off the tags.”

He had known Yu Nian for some time, so he understood Yu Nian’s intentions. If Yu Nian really didn’t like it, he wouldn’t say it in that tone.

Yu Nian’s eyes widened, but before he could speak, the saleswoman swiftly cut off the tags with a click.

Yu Nian glanced at the price, a total of 1950 yuan for the two items, and he suddenly felt a pang of heartache, his vision darkening.

To be honest, this might be the cheapest clothing in his wardrobe.

Last year, he gave Ying Quanshen a coming-of-age gift, spending 1.26 million to buy a purebred horse from England without batting an eye.

But now, Qi Wang spent nearly two thousand on him, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

“It’s too expensive, ge,” he tugged at Qi Wang’s sleeve, sighing, “Why did you buy something so expensive?”

But Qi Wang didn’t think much of it.

He didn’t lie to Yu Nian. Over the years, he had worked odd jobs and studied hard to save up some money.

He had minimal expenses in his daily life, living frugally, with almost no spending apart from rent and daily necessities.

It’s just that according to his usual standards, he wouldn’t usually buy clothes at this price.

But when he looked down at the fingers clutching his sleeve, pale and soft, holding onto him tightly like a kid afraid of being separated from their parents in a mall, he remembered the saleswoman’s question about whether Yu Nian was his little brother.

Of course not.

But when he contemplated his attitude towards Yu Nian, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat offended. It seemed like he had raised a very delicate and precious little cat.

Most pet owners in the world would rather suffer themselves than let their beloved cat suffer even a little bit.

He felt the same way about Yu Nian.

It was quite strange.

Qi Wang thought.

He wasn’t supposed to be such an emotional person.

---

As they walked out of the mall, the early winter wind greeted them head-on.

Yu Nian held the shopping bag, standing with Qi Wang at the bus stop, waiting for the bus.

There were many people at the stop, including nearby office workers and many students. Two girls in front were wearing red plaid skirts and boots, with a backpack swaying with a small bear.

Yu Nian kept on talking, “Let me transfer the money to you, don’t refuse…” He puffed up his chest, “Don’t look at me like this, I do have a little savings. My brother just gave me pocket money when I went back recently. Besides, you’re being too formal. If I give you something, you don’t have to give me something back. Otherwise, people will think we’re not close…”

But Qi Wang couldn’t be bothered with Yu Nian’s chatter.

He had an earphone plugged into his left ear, aiming the plug at his phone, then bent down and plugged the other end of the earphone into Yu Nian’s ear.

“Stop talking, you’re giving me a headache,” Qi Wang said.

He stood up straight, one hand in his pocket, the long earphone wire connecting him to Yu Nian.

The music playing in the headphones was “Butterflies,” the song Yu Nian sang at the karaoke last time.

But Yu Nian could still hear Qi Wang speaking in his other ear.

Qi Wang said, “I’m not being formal, and it’s not about reciprocating. I just want to be a little nicer to you. Is that not okay?”

All of Yu Nian’s words were stuck in his throat.

His gaze fixed on the little bear on the girl’s bag in front of him, swaying in the cold air, his heart swaying along with it.

He heard the girl saying that there would be monthly exams next week, and she hadn’t reviewed yet. She also said that the basketball game in the neighboring class was quite interesting, and she liked one of the players.

But these voices sounded like they were coming from a distant place.

Thump-thump-thump—

The song in his earphones was still playing.

But he could clearly hear his own heartbeat.

He stood there like a poplar tree in the wind, stiffened after a long blow.

But he gently turned his head, raised his head, and looked at Qi Wang beside him.

Qi Wang had one end of the earphones in his ear, looking calm as if the conversation just now was just an ordinary chat.

He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that sentence.

But it left a stormy sea in Yu Nian’s heart.

Being a little nicer to me?

Yu Nian thought, why would you want to be a little nicer to me?

I’m nice to you because I like you.

But why are you?

Just because we’re colleagues, neighbors, because we walk home together, watch movies together, share an ice cream, and huddle under the same eaves listening to strange folklore stories in the pouring rain?

This doesn’t seem to hold up.

As Yu Nian thought this, the bus stopped in front of them at some point.

The crowd rushed onto it.

Qi Wang also held his hand and led him up. The bus was crowded, and they walked to the back row, with only one seat left.

Qi Wang made Yu Nian sit down, and he remained standing.

This time, Yu Nian didn’t refuse.

He held the shopping bag, as obedient as a cat whose fur had been soaked.

His face rested on the shopping bag, inside of which were the coats Qi Wang had bought for him.

He looked at Qi Wang silently, his gaze like the spring rain, sticky like spider silk, yet as thin as a layer of mist.

Qi Wang felt a bit weird being stared at like that. He asked Yu Nian, “What are you thinking?”

Yu Nian lowered his eyes, muttered, “Nothing.”

For the next half-hour journey, Yu Nian remained quiet.

Like an old radio with the pause button pressed, only a few thin syllables came out.

And in the swaying progress of the bus, one question kept swirling in his mind.

Qi Wang, could he, perhaps, also like him a little bit?

Qi Wang was very kind to him.

This was obvious without much thought, but was this kind of “kindness” out of loyalty to a friend, care for a young colleague, or affection for a lover?

He didn’t know.

But once this thought sprouted, it couldn’t be contained anymore, like a seed buried in spring, growing wildly with just a little rain and dew.