Chapter 66
They both understood the true meaning behind that sentence.
But having gone through this before, they weren’t as awkward this time, instead focusing on finding a solution.
After all, regardless of their desires, they couldn’t magically conjure a second bed in this small apartment.
Xia Wansheng looked at the unfamiliar items in his previously empty apartment. Yu Congyan had clearly considered every aspect of decor, even bringing two different styles of artwork and ornaments.
It was like a sudden influx of fresh oxygen into a suffocating fish tank, but the bubbles remained distinct, not dissolving into the water.
Xia Wansheng carefully picked up a wooden carving, a lifelike bird.
A buzzing sound filled his mind.
A caged dove desperately beating its wings against the bars, thorns and roses entwined around the delicate metal cage, the chain rattling, the dove’s strength fading, its wings about to break.
The balance between life and death tipped, the outcome imminent.
Among the pile of gifts, the most eye-catching was the giant Totoro plushie, almost as big as a store display.
He wondered how Yu Congyan had managed to buy it.
The plushie’s head, slightly askew, faced Xia Wansheng, tempting him to punch it.
“What’s with this plushie?” Xia Wansheng asked curiously.
Despite his feigned indifference, his hands were honest, reaching out to squeeze Totoro’s chubby cheeks, the texture surprisingly pleasant.
“I saw it while passing by and thought you might like it.” Yu Congyan didn’t elaborate.
After all, he couldn’t explain how he had agreed to write down their wishes, and after carefully unfolding the paper crane, he had found “a huggable plushie.”
Although he didn’t know if Xia Wansheng still wanted it, it was a nice gesture, a way to make up for past regrets.
They naturally slept together that night. Xia Wansheng tried to suppress his impure thoughts, focusing on other matters.
Like whether he should turn his planned study into a guest room since half of his apartment was now occupied, but he really liked that huge bookcase.
His carefully planned routine was slowly being implemented, but something felt amiss.
After all these years, he had been searching for meaning in external validation, only to realize external pressure only forced him forward, dictating what he should do to succeed at his age.
But no one ever asked, what did he truly want to do?
He didn’t know.
The bedroom curtains were blackout curtains, so even with his reversed sleep schedule, he could pretend not seeing the moon was normal.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table, about to turn it off. Although he no longer had a heartless boss calling him in the middle of the night, he still maintained his habit of turning off his phone before sleeping.
But the phone was a bit too far, and his outstretched hand pulled the blanket slightly.
“Bad dream…?” Yu Congyan, probably exhausted from the all-nighter, was half-asleep, instinctively assuming Xia Wansheng had woken up from a nightmare.
He pulled him closer, so he could lean against him.
The sound of a heartbeat grew louder.
Xia Wansheng initially thought it was the other person’s heartbeat, then he realized his own ears were burning.
He immediately tried to move away.
But as he tried to subtly create some distance, he triggered the automatic cuddle mechanism, being pulled even closer.
This was a dangerous position, something was about to happen.
Xia Wansheng had never been so aware of his feelings for Yu Congyan, the subtle attraction amplified in the dark, moonless room.
It wasn’t just the inexplicable fluttering in his chest.
Every cell in his body, his very soul, was screaming at the preciousness of this moment.
Xia Wansheng woke up early the next morning. Yu Congyan was gone, the other side of the bed empty.
The sky was still dark, the air conditioner humming softly.
He turned off the AC, feeling a chill as he slowly sat up, glancing at the slightly ajar door, his thoughts wandering.
He wondered what kind of breakfast would be waiting for him in the living room.
The book never mentioned Yu Congyan cooking, it must be a hidden perk.
But Yu Congyan should be at a meeting now, his apartment in the suburbs wasn’t close to the Yu Corp headquarters, even driving would take at least an hour.
He should have already finished his morning meeting by now.
But as Xia Wansheng rubbed his eyes, put on his fluffy slippers, and opened the bedroom door, he saw Yu Congyan watering the plants on the balcony.
He was wearing headphones and listening to the news, greeting Xia Wansheng with a friendly smile.
“！！！”
This must be a hallucination.
Xia Wansheng quickly summoned the system, which shouldn’t be at work yet, in his mind: “System!!! Did something terrible happen to Yu Congyan? Could it be a mental breakdown from all the stress?”
Where was the work-obsessed CEO Yu Aotian?
This stranger, basking in the morning sun at 9 am, watering plants with a transparent, teardrop-shaped watering can decorated with stickers, who was he?
The system, startled by his frantic calls, appeared, [What’s wrong, host? Aren’t we staying? I just finished watching a horror movie… eek!]
It also saw the strange scene and quickly shut up, starting to investigate.
But after searching for a while, finding no problems, it said tentatively: [Host, the timeline is normal, perhaps the CEO just likes gardening?]
Even it didn’t believe its own words.
Xia Wansheng stood frozen at the bedroom door, afraid any movement would trigger some strange mechanism.
“Didn’t sleep well?” Yu Congyan put down the watering can, adjusted the leaves of two plants towards the sunlight, then walked over, intending to check his forehead.
Xia Wansheng stepped back, avoiding his touch.
The atmosphere froze.
“You’ve been acting strange since yesterday, this isn’t like you, whether it’s this,” Xia Wansheng pointed at the giant plushie on the sofa,
“Or watering plants in the morning, you would never do these things.” He said pointedly.
A gentle breeze blew in from the balcony, the water droplets on the leaves disappearing into the soil.
“Why are you doing this?” Xia Wansheng asked, his voice soft, almost lost in the wind.
