Chu Lai was a bit surprised. Standing in the increasing winter rain, his gaze lingered on a certain part of Cen Wei for an extra second. Then he shook his head and responded seriously, “Doesn’t look like it.”

Although Chu Lai had a pure-looking face, his gaze at that moment seemed rather suggestive, making Cen Wei feel a bit helpless. “Can you really tell from just looking?”

Chu Lai, unbothered, replied, “Judging by looks alone, you fit the definition of someone who’s more likely to be asexual than me.”

Cen Wei took out his phone to call for a ride. “Just from your face, you definitely look more like the asexual type.”

Chu Lai nodded casually. “My ex said the same.”

Thinking about Shen Quanzhang made Chu Lai frown slightly. “I honestly don’t understand why people are so fixated on this sort of thing.”

They both had past relationships, and the school days were far behind them. The reason for their breakups, it seemed, wasn’t all that different either. Now, standing together, they found that their experiences were eerily similar.

Chu Lai sighed. “I don’t like it.”

Cen Wei understood and asked, “Have you ever thought about trying with someone new?”

He then realized he might be insinuating that he was that “someone new” and coughed slightly. “I mean…”

Chu Lai shoved his hands into his oversized coat pockets. He seemed to have a fondness for loose clothing, which made him stand out among the form-fitting sweaters in the bar. His jacket was so big that it looked like it could fit two of him inside. Even though he had made some effort to dress up for the bar, he still radiated a sense of indifference.

In a certain way, this could even stir up someone’s desire to conquer him.

Chu Lai said, “Switching to someone else is just too much trouble. Starting all over again…”

His lips were full and shapely, but his overall temperament was too mild, making even a smile barely noticeable.

As the rain continued to fall, the clear-faced young man glanced up at the sky, watching the raindrops fall. “Starting all over with the flirting phase, texting, dating, kissing, figuring out if you’re compatible in bed…”

“All of it takes so much energy, time, and effort.”

His voice was flat, but there was an unmistakable sense of weariness in it.

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to skip to the end?”

Cen Wei caught onto the underlying frustration in his words. Despite his mature outlook, Chu Lai’s demeanor still made him seem a bit childish as he stood on his toes, almost like a kid.

“Are we really going to stand here and chat in the rain?” Cen Wei asked.

Chu Lai blinked and casually asked, “So, should we go to your place or mine?”

Without his glasses, Chu Lai could only make out the blurred outline of Cen Wei’s face in the rain. But even through the hazy view, he could still feel the strong, bold presence of the man standing next to him.

Though it might have sounded like an intimate invitation, neither of them was thinking along those lines.

“Let’s go to my place,” Chu Lai said, “but I moved recently.”

Cen Wei nodded, and just as naturally asked, “Have you walked your dog yet?”

Chu Lai glanced at the phone in Cen Wei’s hand, waiting for him to input the address.

While entering the details, Chu Lai noticed how strong Cen Wei’s hands looked. “Not yet,” Chu Lai said in response to the dog question.

“Did you walk him that night after I left?” Cen Wei asked, referring to the night they met about two weeks ago.

Chu Lai nodded. “Yeah, after I got you upstairs, I took him out for a walk.”

He smiled as he remembered his dog. “He’s really well-behaved. He knows that sometimes I can’t always be on time.”

Cen Wei smiled too, recalling the incident. “He is pretty good.”

But, man, did that dog step on him hard.

As they waited for the car to arrive, Chu Lai smiled again and asked, “Are you afraid of dogs?”

Cen Wei answered honestly, “I got bitten by a dog before.”

“Would we have to live together if we got married?” Chu Lai asked, jumping to a different topic. “Because I need to live with Da Cai.”

It was only then that Cen Wei learned the Shiba Inu’s name was Da Cai.

“What’s his name?”

Chu Lai grinned. “Fa Dian Da Cai—like ‘make a fortune.’”

At that moment, Cen Wei realized that Chu Lai wasn’t really as cold as he had first seemed. That first meeting had just been an emotionally charged, stressful day for both of them.

Chu Lai was someone who liked to get things done quickly. Once he decided on marriage, he was already making plans before the car even arrived.

“Should we live together?”

“When should we get the marriage certificate?”

“Where are you living right now?”

Each question woke Cen Wei up more and more.

By the time the car came, the rain had lightened a bit. They walked together through the drizzle to the corner, and once inside, they sat together in the back seat.

The driver saw Cen Wei open the door for Chu Lai and casually asked, “You two a couple?”

At this hour, most people heading to the same destination were couples. Those heading to hotels were a different story.

Before Cen Wei could answer, Chu Lai nodded and hummed in agreement.

Chu Lai easily accepted Cen Wei’s rather absurd marriage proposal and slipped into the role just as easily, pulling out his phone to jot down notes like he was planning the wedding.

They didn’t really know each other yet. All they knew was their exes, some shared interests, and their jobs. But, in the rainy night, their personalities slowly began to reveal themselves.

The rain blurred the windows as it fell, and Chu Lai’s side profile looked unusually serious in the dim light, giving Cen Wei the strange feeling that they were already long-term partners, planning a wedding after years of dating.

When the car pulled up to Chu Lai’s apartment complex, they both got into the elevator together. It was late at night, so there was no one else inside.

“Did you move right after the breakup?” Cen Wei asked.

Chu Lai nodded. The reflection of the two of them standing side by side appeared in the elevator’s glass.

Cen Wei was taller than Shen Quanzhang, and his long coat made him look like a figure straight out of a movie poster. Combined with his refined features, Chu Lai frowned slightly.

He had never liked people who looked too exceptional.

Cen Wei noticed Chu Lai’s momentary change in expression and asked, “Do you hate me?”

The elevator hadn’t yet reached the 25th floor when Chu Lai, staring at the red numbers climbing higher, said, “If I hated you, I would’ve left you at the bar that night.”

Surprised, Cen Wei asked, “Then why did you frown when you looked at me earlier?”

His voice was deep, and the subtle hint of a smile in it made him sound even more attractive. Compared to Shen Quanzhang, Cen Wei was leagues ahead in every way as a prospective spouse.

Though that remained to be tested in other areas, Chu Lai wasn’t too concerned about those parts.

He hadn’t expected Cen Wei to be so straightforward either, but then again, a man who would propose marriage to someone he had only met once must have a very direct personality. Given that, it was no surprise that Cen Wei didn’t shy away from discussing awkward topics.

Chu Lai chuckled. “Because you’re too good-looking.”

That wasn’t the answer Cen Wei had expected, but before he could ask more, the elevator doors opened, and Chu Lai was already impatiently opening the door to his apartment.

Even through the door, they could hear scratching sounds.

As soon as the door opened, a yellow ball of fur rushed forward.

Chu Lai crouched down to give the dog a hug, rubbing the dog’s head and petting him from head to tail in one fluid motion. The scene left Cen Wei standing there, slightly stunned.

Da Cai, the Shiba Inu, still recognized Cen Wei and happily circled around his legs.

Chu Lai checked the dog’s bathroom area and saw that he had already relieved himself, but he still planned to take the dog out for a walk.

“Are you still going out in the rain?” Cen Wei asked.

“He has a raincoat.”

Since tomorrow wasn’t a workday and Chu Lai could sleep in, he didn’t mind going for a late-night walk. “You can take a shower first. I bought the largest size pajamas, so they should fit you. There’s a dryer, so you can quickly dry your underwear, and new toiletries are in the bathroom cabinet.”

As he spoke, Chu Lai put on his glasses from the entryway cabinet. Finally realizing how fast things were moving, he asked, “Are you okay with all this?”

Cen Wei, having been completely taken care of, smiled and shook his head. “It’s a new experience.”

Chu Lai dressed Da Cai in his raincoat, grabbed an umbrella, and said, “The beginning is always like this.”

He left with the dog.

As the door closed, Cen Wei couldn’t help but feel like he was the one being left behind—almost like the house dog.

Chu Lai’s new apartment was slightly larger than his old one, though the rent in this area wasn’t as high. As Cen Wei went to take a shower, he found himself thinking about how Chu Lai’s first thought after breaking up had been about rent optimization.

While out walking the dog, Chu Lai received several messages from Liu Yuan. His friend had clearly been holding back but couldn’t resist asking, “Are you seriously getting married? Who’s that guy?”

Chu Lai was too busy walking the dog to type, so he replied with a voice message:

“It’s real. His name is Cen Wei, the guy who got dumped at the table next to me when I caught Shen Quanzhang cheating.”

“We’re planning to get the marriage certificate next week.”

Liu Yuan immediately called, “Are you insane?! Is marriage something you can just jump into?”

“You can’t just marry the first guy you find after a three-year relationship ends with cheating!”

“Even though it’s two guys and there won’t be any kids involved, marriage still comes with responsibilities!”

Chu Lai’s voice came through the rain. “Relax, it’s a marriage of convenience. No feelings involved.”

Liu Yuan, who had been Chu Lai’s friend for years, knew how he operated. “What’s in it for you?”

“You know I need daily hugs.”

Liu Yuan exhaled sharply. “Shen Quanzhang couldn’t even give you that… How do you know this guy you’ve only met once can?”

Chu Lai’s voice remained calm, with no discernable emotions about his ex. “It’s not like Shen Quanzhang and I had an agreement.”

“Can your marriage even be legally valid?” Liu Yuan asked.

Before Chu Lai could respond, Liu Yuan threw out another question. “I think you need a trial run first. For your own future happiness, I even asked my boyfriend’s older brother about this. He said your fiancé is asexual.”

Chu Lai found that odd. Liu Yuan’s boyfriend didn’t have a good relationship with his half-brother, so why would Jiang Liyong say something like that?

But since Chu Lai himself was asexual, he just replied, “I am too, so there’s no need for a test.”

Liu Yuan asked, “But what about your need for hugs? What if it’s not what you expect?”

Thinking back to Cen Wei’s physique, looks, and profession, not to mention that he was a much better catch than Shen Quanzhang, Liu Yuan was actually starting to feel satisfied on Chu Lai’s behalf.

Chu Lai said, “I can adjust. You know, the pressure, how tight the hugs are…”

Liu Yuan sighed. “Even hugs require stamina.”

Chu Lai felt like there was more to what he was saying. “No need for stamina.”

Then he asked, “Why do I feel like you’re not actually against me rushing into marriage?”

Liu Yuan, who was clearly somewhere outdoors, judging by the sound of the rain, responded, “Look, this Mr. Cen guy is way more attractive than Shen Quanzhang. I’ve never understood your problem—why don’t you go for someone good-looking? Out of all the people who pursued you, Shen Quanzhang was one of the more average-looking ones. I almost thought you had a thing for ugly guys, but it wasn’t quite that bad.”

With the concern of an older relative, Liu Yuan added, “And just because someone’s good-looking doesn’t mean they won’t cheat.”

Back at the apartment, Chu Lai was still thinking about the idea of a trial run.

After changing his shoes and hanging up his coat, he stepped inside just as Cen Wei came out of the bathroom, having just finished blow-drying his hair.

Chu Lai had a thing for oversized clothes, and if he could, he’d have loved to keep a large-breed dog if they weren’t banned in the city. Everything he bought was in the largest size.

Cen Wei was wearing one of Chu Lai’s oversized pajamas, which had a small embroidered cherry on the chest—completely at odds with his usual demeanor.

The man had buttoned the top all the way up, but it was still obvious that he worked out regularly, his chest firm and muscular.

Seeing Chu Lai return, Cen Wei smiled. “You’re back?”

Da Cai’s raincoat had been removed, and his paws wiped clean, but he was still excitedly circling around Cen Wei’s legs.

Instinctively, Cen Wei tried to move away, which made Chu Lai laugh.

He stood in the entryway, watching as Cen Wei awkwardly dealt with the dog spinning around him.

In the small apartment, the only sound was the click of the dog’s paws on the floor.

“Mr. Cen,” Chu Lai called out.

Cen Wei looked up. “What’s wrong? Have you decided not to marry me?”

It was clear that he really needed to get married.

Chu Lai shook his head. “I need to test things first.”

Only after he said it did Chu Lai realize that Liu Yuan had influenced his choice of words. Seeing the confusion on Cen Wei’s face, he quickly corrected himself, “I mean, test it out.”

Remembering how Chu Lai had said he preferred hugging over sex outside the bar, Cen Wei understood what he meant.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward. The scent of Chu Lai’s coconut-scented body wash filled the air as Cen Wei pulled him into a tight hug, pressing Chu Lai’s cheek against his firm chest. Through the closeness, Chu Lai could feel the steady, powerful beat of Cen Wei’s heart.

Perhaps it was because of the post-shower warmth, but there was an unfamiliar heat to the embrace, a comforting yet intense sensation.

Maybe it was their difference in size, or maybe it was the strength of the hug itself.

Chu Lai closed his eyes and recalled his last embrace with someone years ago.

Quietly, he asked, “Can you hold me tighter?”

Without asking why, Cen Wei complied. This was his first time hugging someone like this, and he could feel Chu Lai hugging him back, their bodies fitting together as if perfectly aligned. They were so close that their breathing became slightly heavier.

It was hard to tell how long they stayed like that before Chu Lai released his hold and whispered, “Thank you.”

Noticing the slight nasal tone in Chu Lai’s voice, Cen Wei asked, a bit surprised, “Are you crying?”

The young man’s hair had come undone from the small ponytail, his pale skin glowing under the light, the corners of his eyes tinged red. His voice was hoarse, a little choked.

Embarrassed, Chu Lai turned his face away and explained, “Hugs make people feel happy.”

Unable to hold back his laughter, Cen Wei chuckled as Chu Lai excused himself to take a shower.

A few moments later, as he picked up the yellow hair tie from the floor, Cen Wei found himself growing more and more curious.

Chu Lai, to him, was like a puzzle.

Is this what happiness feels like?