Xu Er felt like he had been dreaming for a long time.

When he woke up, it seemed to be the middle of the night. His mouth felt a little dry.

Then, his mind processed a series of realizations in rapid succession.

There’s water by the bed.

Something feels off about the pillow.

What’s that scent?

Beside me… someone’s there?

In an instant—whoosh—Xu Er sat up abruptly, fully awake, scanning his surroundings.

But his brain had processed everything too quickly. The shock had already settled in his heart, so after he finished looking around, his mouth belatedly let out a reactionary, “Ah.”

It wasn’t too loud or too soft—just enough to wake the person beside him.

In the dim light, Xu Er saw the shadowy figure stir slightly, turn over, and then—click—the sound of a switch being pressed. A moment later, the room lit up.

Xu Er was the first to adjust to the brightness. With clear, wide eyes, he watched as the man with tousled curls slowly turned back toward him, eyes half-lidded with drowsiness.

They held an unconventional gaze for about two seconds before Xu Er spoke the second sentence of his wakeful night:

“Song Ruichi, you’re really handsome.”

The moment he finished speaking, Xu Er swiftly averted his gaze, looking around randomly in an attempt to distract himself.

It wasn’t that he meant anything by it. It was just… really just that.

He chuckled.

Alright, he had no idea why he said something like that either.

Maybe it was because when you wake up in the middle of the night, process the situation, and finally calm down, you find someone beside you—someone with messy, sleep-tousled hair, a dazed expression, yet still strikingly well-defined features—and you just can’t hold back from blurting out nonsense.

That was the only explanation.

The person who had just been complimented suddenly laughed.

Well, it was pretty funny.

So, the next second, Xu Er hurried to say something normal. “Where is this?”

Song Ruichi lay back down comfortably. As he closed his eyes, he casually rested his elbow over his forehead. “My place.”

Xu Er continued, “Why am I at your place?”

Song Ruichi: “Good question.”

He stretched out the words slightly. On the surface, it was just a simple phrase, but the underlying meaning was obvious—Why don’t you ask yourself what you did last night?

Xu Er immediately felt guilty.

He started searching his memory.

But frustratingly, the last thing he could recall was that apple-flavored cocktail.

“I…” Xu Er hesitated, making an educated guess. “Did I drink too much?”

Song Ruichi clearly enunciated two words: “What else?”

Xu Er nodded. “Fair enough.”

He pressed on, “What did I do?” After a brief pause, he added, “Something stupid?”

“Something stupid.”

Song Ruichi repeated Xu Er’s words—something stupid—as if confirming it.

Then, he fell silent.

Xu Er waited. And waited. And waited some more, until he started to wonder if Song Ruichi had fallen asleep again.

Just as he was about to give up, Song Ruichi finally spoke.

“You said you didn’t want to go home. You wanted me to carry you, to hold you, to sleep with you, and you also wanted…”

He stopped there.

Xu Er’s eyes widened in shock.

His eyes were now even bigger than when he first woke up, and his voice shot up an octave. “Huh? Really? Really really?”

Song Ruichi didn’t respond.

Xu Er took his silence as confirmation, feeling even guiltier.

So this is what I’m like when I drink too much?

He gulped. Then, in a small, hesitant voice, he asked, “What else did I want?”

Song Ruichi opened his eyes this time, slowly—his movements unhurried as he turned his head and met Xu Er’s gaze. “You don’t remember anything?”

Xu Er confessed honestly, “I remember the first half of drinking.”

Song Ruichi let out a soft chuckle. “Heh.”

Then, he turned his head away again.

What the hell.

What the hell does that mean?

“Mr. Xu,” Song Ruichi murmured, closing his eyes once more and settling back into his previous position. “I’m really sleepy.”

Xu Er hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m sorry.”

Song Ruichi laughed again, but this time, it was gentle.

He raised a hand, as if reaching out for something.

Xu Er shouldn’t have understood what he meant. But instinctively—without thinking—he leaned his head forward.

It felt like a familiar scene—Song Ruichi gently ruffled Xu Er’s hair, left and right, left and right.

“No need to apologize,” Song Ruichi withdrew his hand and added, “Lie down and sleep.”

Xu Er responded with a quiet “Oh,” obediently lying back down.

At the same time, he heard Song Ruichi say, “Do you want to know what else you asked me for?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the light clicked off.

With a soft pa, the room was swallowed by darkness.

Xu Er lay properly on his back, hands resting on his chest. “Yeah.” Then, fearing Song Ruichi hadn’t heard him clearly, he added, “I do.”

There was a faint rustling sound—probably Song Ruichi adjusting the blanket. Xu Er could feel the covers being pulled up slightly over him.

“You’re sober now, right?” Song Ruichi asked.

Xu Er nodded. “Sober.”

Song Ruichi: “You said the same thing last night.”

Xu Er pressed his lips together.

Song Ruichi’s tone was perfectly normal, but for some reason, Xu Er could hear a hint of… grievance?

“I did?”

Xu Er swallowed unconsciously. “Then… did you—did you hold me?”

Song Ruichi let out yet another laugh—who knows how many times tonight. “That’s how you’re choosing to ask?”

Xu Er was confused. “Huh? How else should I ask?”

Song Ruichi: “There is no how else.”

Now Xu Er felt aggrieved too. “What the hell.”

What the hell.

Not saying anything—just what exactly did he do?

“Nothing at all, really,” Song Ruichi sighed. “I was messing with you. You didn’t ask me to hold you, and you didn’t ask me to carry you either.”

Xu Er pressed on, “And I didn’t say I wanted to sleep with you?”

Song Ruichi chuckled. “Nope.”

Xu Er was even more confused. “Then what did I do?”

Song Ruichi let out a lazy hmm before saying casually, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

Xu Er choked on his words.

Song Ruichi added, “Yes, I’m leaving you hanging on purpose.”

Xu Er choked again.

A few seconds later, he muttered under his breath, “You’re so mean.”

In the darkness, Xu Er felt a hand ruffle his hair once more.

“That’s just how I am.”

Song Ruichi’s voice drifted over lightly, almost weightless.

And then—silence.

Well, in that case…

What else could Xu Er even say?

This time, the silence wasn’t a trick. Song Ruichi had really stopped talking.

Xu Er could tell that he was truly exhausted. Naturally, he didn’t press further. If anything, knowing that Song Ruichi was this tired—likely because of him—only made Xu Er feel a little guilty.

But the guilt didn’t last long, because he was just as exhausted.

Somewhere in the haze of sleep, a thought flickered across his mind—

I wonder if I took the little bear down or not.

He should have won, right? Song Ruichi is that skilled.

Forget it, I’ll ask tomorrow.

And with that, he quickly fell asleep.

In the blink of an eye—

Morning had arrived.

This time, when Xu Er woke up, he quickly grasped his situation. So the moment he opened his eyes, he glanced in Song Ruichi’s direction.

Good. No one was there.

He reached out and touched the bed—still warm. Probably just got up.

Xu Er closed his eyes again, dozing for a few more seconds before dragging his heavy head up.

The sun was already up, its light seeping through the gap in the curtains.

No dreams. Slept pretty well.

His phone was on the bedside table, currently charging. Beside it sat a transparent cup filled with water.

The battery was fully charged. Xu Er unplugged the cable, and the screen lit up—9:33 AM. A WeChat message notification popped up below.

From Song Ruichi.

“Warm water.“

Xu Er turned to look at the cup and picked it up.

The warmth seeped through the glass into his palm. It really was warm. But instead of drinking it immediately, he brought it close and took a sniff.

“Dalang, drink your water.”

A voice suddenly came from the other side of the bed.

Xu Er turned his head and saw Song Ruichi walking out of the bathroom.

“It’s not poisoned.” Song Ruichi added casually.

Xu Er hurriedly said, “No, I wasn’t—”

He didn’t really know what to say. Sniffing water was, admittedly, a bit absurd. So, the only thing left to do was to tilt his head back and drink it.

More than half the glass—gone in seconds.

Then he said, “Song Ruichi, you have a great sense of humor.”

Song Ruichi replied, “Mr. Xu, you have quite a way with words.”

Xu Er chuckled and asked, “I’m pretty funny too, right?”

“Sure, sure.”

Song Ruichi looked noticeably refreshed, probably having just finished washing up. His bangs were still a little damp at the roots.

And on his loungewear—

Xu Er reached out and pointed it out. “Your shirt is wet.”

Song Ruichi didn’t seem surprised. The moment Xu Er finished speaking, he crossed his arms, grabbed the fabric, lifted it—

And in one swift motion, pulled the shirt off.

If he hadn’t taken off his shirt, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But once he did—

“Your pants are wet too,” Xu Er commented.

It must’ve gotten too damp, seeping through to his pants.

But Song Ruichi didn’t take them off right away. Instead, he turned and opened the wardrobe.

Xu Er just kept watching. Watching as Song Ruichi flipped through the clothes with his fingers, watching as he pulled out a fresh set.

Nice build—broad shoulders, defined back, a lean waist.

Unconsciously, Xu Er swallowed.

It wasn’t until Song Ruichi put on a clean shirt and placed his hands at his waistband—

That he paused.

Then he turned his head.

At that moment, their eyes met, and Xu Er’s pupils trembled.

It wasn’t unusual for guys to change clothes in front of each other.

But staring at someone like that? Yeah, that was a bit improper.

Xu Er blinked and, as if he had only glanced by accident, slowly shifted his gaze away.

Look at the curtains. Look at the desk. Look at the cup in his hand.

On the other side, Song Ruichi turned his head back, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smirk.

Xu Er took a big gulp of water.

The bedroom was quiet. The soft rustling of fabric filled the air as Song Ruichi changed, his movements lingering in Xu Er’s peripheral vision.

Xu Er licked his lips and drained the rest of his water.

Just as he finished, a set of clothes suddenly landed on the bed.

A white T-shirt. Loose-fitting long pants with a deep brown elastic waistband.

Xu Er: “For me?”

Song Ruichi: “Mm.”

Xu Er: “Where are my clothes?”

Song Ruichi: “In the washing machine.”

Xu Er let out an oh. “Did I take a shower yesterday?”

Song Ruichi: “You did.”

Xu Er: “How?”

Song Ruichi: “I helped you.”

Xu Er: “Huh?!”

Song Ruichi burst into laughter. “Just kidding. You did it yourself.”

Xu Er was speechless. “Why do you keep lying to me?”

Song Ruichi: “I just didn’t expect you to believe everything.”

Xu Er sat up a little straighter. “I don’t believe everything, okay?”

Song Ruichi: “I changed your clothes for you after your shower.”

Xu Er froze again. “Huh?”

Song Ruichi laughed. “Just kidding.”

Xu Er: “…”

“I just didn’t expect you to believe everything.”

Xu Er sighed. “Alright then.”

But after a brief pause, he sat up straight again. “At this rate, I’m never going to believe you again.”

Song Ruichi: “I’m sorry, I won’t dare do it again.”

Xu Er paused again.

Wow. That was the fastest apology he had ever seen.

“Alright then,” Xu Er chuckled quietly. “I’ll forgive you this time.”

Song Ruichi nodded repeatedly. “Thank you, Mr. Xu. You are truly magnanimous.”

“By the way,” Xu Er asked, “what about the teddy bear?”

Song Ruichi: “Got it.”

Xu Er: “That’s good.”

Song Ruichi: “At least getting drunk wasn’t for nothing.”

Xu Er let out a short laugh.

Then—

“Mr. Xu.”

Xu Er suddenly repeated the title Song Ruichi had just used. “Why do you keep calling me Mr. Xu?”

As he spoke, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it off.

Song Ruichi replied, “Because you told me to.”

Xu Er slipped on the shirt Song Ruichi had given him. “Me?” He looked confused. “What exactly did I do yesterday?”

He lifted the blanket, ready to take off his pants.

Then, he noticed—

Song Ruichi was staring at him.

Well, maybe “staring” wasn’t the right word. More like… his gaze had been on him this entire time.

And he had no intention of looking away.

It wasn’t really a big deal, so Xu Er just continued changing.

Song Ruichi spoke again. “You forgot the password to your own home yesterday.”

Xu Er pulled off his pants and tilted his head, thinking. “Oh—right, I changed it a few days ago. Guess I just couldn’t remember it in the moment.”

Then, putting the pieces together, he added, “So you brought me to your place.”

Song Ruichi: “Yes.”

Xu Er stood on the floor, pulling up his pants. “And then?”

“And then,” Song Ruichi sounded a little helpless, “you said you wanted to build LEGO.”

“Huh?” Xu Er was stunned. “Build LEGO?”

Song Ruichi: “Yes.”

Xu Er: “Where did the LEGO even come from?”

Song Ruichi let out a small laugh. “Good question.”

Xu Er immediately fell silent.

His pants were on now, but he stood by the bed like he was standing at attention.

Or maybe, like he was in deep reflection.

With Song Ruichi’s tone like that, Xu Er naturally had a guess.

Sure enough, Song Ruichi said, “I went to buy it.”

Xu Er hesitated weakly, “You… didn’t buy it yesterday, did you?”

Song Ruichi: “Of course I did, Mr. Xu.”

Mr. Xu: “Haha.”

Then Mr. Xu said, “But you could’ve just not bought it for me.”

Song Ruichi was so exasperated that he actually laughed. In three steps, he walked right up to Xu Er and pinched his face. “Taking advantage and still acting innocent?”

Xu Er laughed along. “No, no,” he copied Song Ruichi’s formal tone, “Thank you, Mr. Song. Mr. Song is such a good person.”

And now, Xu Er could finally piece things together.

No wonder Song Ruichi had that expression in the middle of the night.

Forgetting his own password and dragging home someone he had only known for a day was already more than enough trouble. But this person just had to build some ridiculous LEGO set on top of that.

Wow, Mr. Song really is a great philanthropist.

With that thought in mind, even Song Ruichi’s figure seemed a bit more imposing.

“Haha,” Xu Er chuckled apologetically. “My bad.”

Song Ruichi let out a sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a hum. “You think just saying ‘sorry’ is enough?”

Xu Er unconsciously took a small step forward. “Then what do you want?”

Song Ruichi turned to look at Xu Er. “What do I want?”

Xu Er nodded. “Mm, what do you want?”

Song Ruichi didn’t answer. He stared into Xu Er’s eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned in.

Xu Er instinctively stepped back.

But before he could figure out what was happening, Song Ruichi straightened up again just as quickly—smiling as he did.

“Let’s go.” Song Ruichi patted Xu Er’s head, just like he did last night.

Xu Er: “Oh.”

He followed Song Ruichi out of the bedroom, unusually quiet and obedient because of what had happened the night before.

Actually, he was usually pretty quiet, but right now, even his thoughts felt subdued. He thought, If Song Ruichi asked for a star from the sky right now, I might actually start figuring out how to get one with an official registration number.

As the bedroom door opened, the light from the living room spilled in.

What he didn’t expect was that along with the light came a man’s voice—

“Hey, you’re home? Didn’t you say you had to leave early this morn—Holy shit!”

Xu Er locked eyes with the man.

The guy was clearly startled, so much so that the cat treat in his hand dripped onto the floor.

Even the cat was staring at Xu Er.

So, Xu Er smiled at the man. Then, for good measure, he smiled at the cat too.

“Xu Er.”

Song Ruichi stepped aside a little, introducing all the living beings in the room. “Ying Jing, Soso.”

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

“Meow~”

All three responded in unison.

Ying Jing wiped up the fallen cat treat and finished what he hadn’t managed to say earlier. “I thought you went to B City. You told me to come over and feed the cat—weren’t you supposed to leave today?”

Song Ruichi replied, “I’m going later.”

Xu Er’s gaze landed on something—Lego.

It was the typewriter set he had wanted for a while but hadn’t gotten around to buying yet, still hesitating over it.

And now, there it was, sitting on the coffee table, already assembled.

“When did you start building Lego?” Ying Jing asked, perfectly on cue, before adding, “Looks pretty nice, actually.”

Out of nowhere, Xu Er and Song Ruichi locked eyes.

But Xu Er quickly looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Wasn’t me,” Song Ruichi said.

Ying Jing asked, “Then who built it?”

Song Ruichi turned to Xu Er. “Who built it?”

Xu Er wanted to laugh but held it in. “No idea.”

Song Ruichi nodded. “Mm. No idea who built it.”

From his spot on the couch, Ying Jing raised an eyebrow.

Then raised it again.

Song Ruichi pressed a hand on Xu Er’s head briefly before turning toward the kitchen. As he walked away, he asked, “Have you eaten?”

Ying Jing let out a playful yo and laughed. “Are you asking me?”

Song Ruichi: “Asking… yeah, asking you.”

For some reason, Ying Jing burst into laughter. “Our dear Mr.Song is being really gentle today. Nope, haven’t eaten yet. Thanks, Mr. Song.”

Soso finished the treat and hopped off the couch. Xu Er took a few steps closer, and when Soso didn’t show any signs of running away, he crouched down and started petting the cat.

At the same time, he snuck another glance at the typewriter on the coffee table.

Wow, it looks even better in person.

And also… did he really build this?

Of course, Soso looked cuter in person too—bigger than Song Ruichi’s profile picture made him seem.

“Will tossed noodles be okay?” Song Ruichi asked from the kitchen.

Soso wasn’t afraid of Xu Er at all, so Xu Er simply picked him up.

“Yeah, of course,” Ying Jing answered.

Song Ruichi: “Wasn’t asking you.”

Ying Jing: “…”

Xu Er finally caught on and responded, “Oh—yeah, that’s fine.”

Song Ruichi: “Any dietary restrictions?”

Xu Er: “No scallions.”

Song Ruichi: “Got it.”

Ying Jing added, “I don’t have any restrictions. Thanks, Mr. Song.”

Mr. Song ignored him.

Soso wasn’t shy at all—Xu Er only had to pet him once before picking him up with ease.

Of course, maybe it was because they had already “talked” yesterday.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen—

Just as Song Ruichi finished boiling water, a sneaky figure appeared beside him.

“What’s going on here?” Ying Jing kept his voice low, but his tone was anything but subtle. “Who is he? Who is he?”

Song Ruichi took out the noodles. “Xu Er.”

Ying Jing clicked his tongue. “That’s not what I meant.” He leaned in closer. “What’s the situation here?”

Song Ruichi grabbed a pair of chopsticks. “It’s not what you think.”

Ying Jing chuckled. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

Song Ruichi ignored him.

But honestly, Ying Jing was thinking exactly that, so he kept pressing, “So, you two…?”

Great—his persistence earned him a cold glance from Song Ruichi. “No.”

“What do you mean?” Ying Jing chuckled and nudged Song Ruichi’s back with his shoulder. “Just lying under the covers, chatting all night?”

Mr. Song stirred the noodles. “Pure love. Ever heard of it?”