Ji Huaizhi froze for a moment. When he came back to his senses, Ning Shuang had already shoved the rose into his hand and said, “Here, it’s for you.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pressed his lips together. He lowered his head to look at the rose forced into his grasp, pinching the stem between his fingers. His lips parted as if to say something, but Ning Shuang grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward. “Hurry up, hurry up. Let’s check out what’s up ahead.”
~~~
They finished browsing the flower market and boarded the bus home.
Ning Shuang fiddled with the flowers on his lap, mumbling, “We need to hit the supermarket this afternoon to buy some groceries. The fridge is running low.”
“Are you going?” He turned his head to ask Ji Huaizhi.
“Sure.” Ji Huaizhi nodded.
“Want to catch a movie tomorrow? I wonder what films are out for the National Day releases.” Ning Shuang pulled out his phone and scrolled through a ticket app.
Ning Shuang had made up his mind to pursue Ji Huaizhi, and he’d planned his strategy from the start. But to avoid seeming too deliberate, he still had to keep up appearances.
“Watch a movie?”
Ning Shuang nodded, then noticed the questioning tone in Ji Huaizhi’s voice. He quickly looked up and asked, “What’s wrong? You don’t like movies?”
Ji Huaizhi shook his head. “No, I’ve just never been to a movie theater.”
“You’ve never been?!” Ning Shuang’s voice rose in surprise without him realizing it.
Ji Huaizhi met Ning Shuang’s eyes and nodded solemnly. “Yeah.”
The look in his eyes was earnest, with no hint of a lie—and besides, Ji Huaizhi had no reason to fib about something like this. Ning Shuang was stunned. He rubbed the edge of his phone with his fingers. “So, will you go tomorrow?”
“Or do you want to save this memorable first time for someone you think is special? If that’s the case, we can skip the movie tomorrow.”
Ji Huaizhi’s brows furrowed slightly. He didn’t quite understand what Ning Shuang meant by that. “Why skip the movie?”
“Because…” Ning Shuang started to explain, but Ji Huaizhi cut in. “I’d like to go with you.”
Ning Shuang blinked. A few seconds later, an unnatural flush crept up from his fair, smooth neck, spreading across all the exposed skin on his face—like a steam train whistle blaring, his ears burned so hot it hurt. Steam practically rose from the top of his head.
He lifted a hand to cover his face.
From Ji Huaizhi’s expression, it was clear there was no hidden meaning. Ning Shuang saw nothing else in his eyes either, so it was just him overthinking. Still, Ning Shuang was so embarrassed that even the back of his hand turned red.
That line was just too… too suggestive.
“Alright then, let’s go. Whatever’s playing.” His voice came out muffled through his palm.
Ji Huaizhi stared intently at Ning Shuang’s reddened ear tips for a long moment before curving his lips into a gentle smile.
When the bus reached their stop, Ning Shuang made an excuse about something urgent at home and bolted ahead.
Ji Huaizhi cradled two potted plants in his arms, watching his retreating back with a deeper smile touching his brows.
So cute.
~~~
Back home, Ji Huaizhi glanced at the shoes Ning Shuang had hastily kicked off by the entryway cabinet. He bent down to straighten them before heading to the living room.
Ning Shuang wasn’t on the first floor.
Ning Dundun crouched on the ground, gazing up at the stairs.
Ji Huaizhi looked up as well and heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. The next moment, the bathroom door opened, and Ning Shuang stepped out and came downstairs.
His face had returned to normal, though his ears still held a faint pink tint. Water droplets clung to his skin, his bangs damp and plastered to his forehead, his eyelashes soggy, his lips a rosy hue. The droplets trailed down his jaw, leaving streaks along his neck before slipping into his collar.
“I came back… to use the bathroom,” Ning Shuang explained sheepishly.
Ji Huaizhi said, “Okay.”
Ning Shuang could tell Ji Huaizhi was in an exceptionally good mood now—the smile in his eyes wasn’t even concealed.
He coughed twice and slowly unrolled his sleeves to cover his forearms. “I’ll put the potted plant by the window.”
He picked up his plant from the dining table and headed toward the living room window.
Ji Huaizhi turned back to grab the two pots he’d left on the shoe cabinet and walked over to Ning Shuang. “And this one.”
Ning Shuang had calmed down by now and could speak to Ji Huaizhi normally. “How about putting this hydrangea on your room’s balcony?”
Ning Shuang had bought the pale purple hydrangea simply because he thought the color suited Ji Huaizhi’s aura.
Ji Huaizhi replied, “I’m not great at taking care of plants.”
“No worries. These are easy to keep alive. I only bought it because it looked perfect for you.” Ning Shuang handed the hydrangea pot to Ji Huaizhi, who took it and examined it. “Okay.”
With that, he carried the hydrangea upstairs to his room.
He opened the balcony door, and Xuan Que flapped its wings, landing on the railing. It watched as Ji Huaizhi placed the flower in a spot sheltered from the rain. Xuan Que flew to the edge of the pot and instinctively moved to peck at the hydrangea petals.
Ji Huaizhi was quick; with a swift push of his hand, he shooed it away from the pot. He looked at Xuan Que, now perched on another pot, his gaze carrying a warning.
Xuan Que got the message immediately.
It flew to Ji Huaizhi’s shoulder and nuzzled his neck with its head, cooing, “Goo goo goo goo.”
Ji Huaizhi glanced at it sideways. Xuan Que said it thought Ning Shuang liked him.
It was rare for this fat bird to say something that made him happy.
He stood and returned to his room. Just as he reached the door, a crash echoed from the kitchen downstairs—the sound of a bowl shattering. Ji Huaizhi didn’t even have time to close the door properly before rushing down. “What happened?”
Hearing the noise, Ning Shuang, who was crouched picking up the shards, looked up. “It’s nothing, I just dropped a bowl by accident. You done up there?”
Ji Huaizhi nodded and fetched the broom and dustpan from the corner. Ning Shuang picked up the larger pieces, wrapped them in several layers of paper towel, and tossed them in the trash before taking the tools from Ji Huaizhi to sweep up the smaller bits.
“My hands had some oil on them, so I couldn’t grip it properly,” Ning Shuang explained.
Ji Huaizhi said, “As long as you didn’t hurt yourself.”
Ning Shuang smiled. “I’m fine. You go relax. I’ll make lunch.”
“Need help washing the veggies?” Ji Huaizhi asked.
Ning Shuang shook his head. “No need. Go rest. I can’t move freely with you here.”
For some reason, whenever Ji Huaizhi got even a little closer now, Ning Shuang’s heart would inexplicably race.
Ji Huaizhi lifted his gaze, stared at Ning Shuang for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes and agreed. “Okay.”
He stepped back and left the kitchen.
After lunch and a quick tidy-up of the house, it was already two-thirty in the afternoon.
Outside, the sky was overcast, with thick layers of dark clouds stacked heavily.
The wind howled, sending leaves swirling through the air in wild spirals, giving the scene an eerie, apocalyptic feel.
They changed into proper clothes and headed out together.
As Ning Shuang put on his shoes, Ning Dundun stuck out its tongue, watching him excitedly. Ning Shuang ruffled its head. “I’ll take you for a walk tonight.”
“Be good and don’t cause trouble at home, got it?”
“Woof!” Ning Dundun barked.
What pleased Ning Shuang most was that Ning Dundun never wrecked the house or made a mess, so he never had to crate it or leash it indoors when he went out.
They stepped outside, and the wind made Ning Shuang shiver. He zipped up his jacket and said to Ji Huaizhi, who was waiting beside him, “Let’s go.”
They took the bus to a larger mall nearby. The supermarket was on the basement level, where they bought groceries for several days, along with Ning Dundun’s dog food and plenty of snacks.
Each carrying a heavy bag, they left the supermarket and took the elevator to the first floor.
Ning Shuang had planned to carry both bags himself—he figured Ji Huaizhi wasn’t that strong—but by the time he paid, Ji Huaizhi had already grabbed the heavier one and returned the cart.
Ning Shuang decided that suggesting they swap would probably bruise a guy’s pride, so he didn’t mention it.
“I don’t come to this mall to shop much. The veggies and fruit at the supermarket near home aren’t as varied as here, but they’re good enough…” Ning Shuang chattered as they walked, then suddenly stopped.
Ji Huaizhi noticed the abrupt silence and turned back.
He saw Ning Shuang staring at a photo booth under the mall’s escalator.
“Want to take some pictures?” Ji Huaizhi walked back to his side and asked.
Ning Shuang nodded and looked at Ji Huaizhi. “Yeah, let’s do a few. It has a karaoke machine too—only twenty bucks for eight photo sets.”
Ning Shuang wasn’t really into photos. He was just genuinely curious about everything outside. It had been less than two years since leaving Miao Village, and his fascination with the wider world was still pretty new.
Ji Huaizhi had even less interest in such things. But since Ning Shuang liked it—if Ning Shuang was curious—he’d spare it a glance.
“Alright, then let’s go in and take a couple of shots.” Ji Huaizhi took the shopping bags from Ning Shuang’s hands and set them, along with his own things, on the storage rack by the door.
Ning Shuang grabbed Ji Huaizhi’s wrist and darted into the photo booth.
The booth was only two or three square meters in size. Once they were inside, they had no choice but to squeeze together onto a small sofa. After Ning Shuang paid, the glass door automatically tinted over. From the outside, no one could see a thing.
The overhead lights dimmed as well. The heater was cranked up inside, making it quite warm, and the air didn’t circulate much. All Ji Huaizhi could smell was the fresh, clean scent wafting from Ning Shuang’s body.
The hand Ji Huaizhi had resting on his knee clenched unconsciously.
He swallowed hard, watching as Ning Shuang fiddled with the electronic screen in front of them. Soon, their two faces appeared on the display.
Ning Shuang grabbed two headbands hanging on the wall—one with little dog ears and the other with little cat ears—and handed the cat ears to Ji Huaizhi.
Ji Huaizhi took the headband and looked at Ning Shuang in confusion.
After putting on his own dog-ear headband, Ning Shuang tilted his head and caught sight of Ji Huaizhi’s bewildered expression and gaze. Assuming his companion was just feeling shy, Ning Shuang smiled and took the headband from Ji Huaizhi’s hand. “This is just for fun—don’t be embarrassed. It’s not like anyone else can see us anyway.”
Ning Shuang’s hair was already somewhat fluffy and wavy to begin with. With the brown dog ears perched on top, he really did look like he’d turned into a puppy. Ji Huaizhi stared intently at the headband on Ning Shuang’s head. In the next moment, Ning Shuang reached up and slipped the cat-ear headband onto Ji Huaizhi’s head.
Then he gestured toward the electronic screen right in front of them. “Take a look,” he said.
