Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Xu Yan stared blankly out the window as his phone screen lit up with a new message.

He petulantly turned it off, but it lit up again.

Pressed again—lit up again.

Still pressed—still lit up.

Finally, he swiped to unlock his phone.

【year】: Don’t send those photos to anyone else privately from now on.

【year】: If you don’t want to be found out, hide them well.

【year】: Do your roommates know about your account?

【year】: Have they seen you in skirts too?

Xu Yan thought to himself, *You're the one who’s seen them most, you creep.*

Nearly an hour passed. He dozed off for a bit and woke up, then replied with deliberate coldness.

【宴宴】: Pfft. Like I’d be careless about this—they don’t know anything.

【year】: Finally decided to acknowledge me?

【宴宴】: …I wasn’t ignoring you.

*Okay, maybe I was ignoring you on purpose. What about it?*

【year】: How can you be sure they're not secretly following you?

【宴宴】: I only wear them when they’re not around, and I put everything away immediately after shooting. No one's ever caught me.

【宴宴】: Besides, my account isn’t that popular. They probably wouldn’t come across it.

【宴宴】: Even if they did, they wouldn’t recognize me—I never show my face.

【year】: But you showed your legs.

Xu Yan took a quiet breath, thinking the other was just looking for excuses, nitpicking.

【宴宴】: They're just some legs. Nobody could ID me from that.

The other person changed the subject.

【year】: How do you get along with your other roommates?

【宴宴】: We get along fine.

【year】: How good?

【宴宴】: We just... click, you know? One’s my class president—he’s cool. The other’s an upperclassman—also really nice.

【year】: What about the last one?

Thinking of Wen Sinian, Xu Yan wasn’t sure how to describe him.

They’d never lived together before, and he didn’t know if any conflicts would arise if they did.

Based on their few interactions so far, Wen Sinian definitely wasn’t the approachable type.

Sometimes, he seemed really harsh toward Xu Yan—other times, not so much.

Xu Yan couldn’t quite figure him out either.

【宴宴】: He’s good too… I’m just not that close with him.

【year】: Not close?

【宴宴】: Yeah. It feels like there’s a huge gap between us. Even though we go to the same school, it’s like we’re from different worlds. Plus, he’s kind of a big deal.

Xu Yan almost mentioned the European competition but quickly deleted it, worried he'd give himself away.

Even though he was a total nobody at school, the human equivalent of wallpaper, Wen Sinian was way too famous. If anyone put two and two together, they’d easily trace back to Xu Yan as his roommate.

【year】: You afraid of him?

Xu Yan frowned. He typed, *"No,"* but secretly wondered—*Was it that obvious? Could he really pick up on that through text?*

It wasn't exactly fear of Wen Sinian… just…

Okay, maybe a little.

Luckily, the topic ended there, or Xu Yan worried he might slip up again.

The train ride from Beishi to Wuzhen took about five or six hours. To pass time, Shen Nanli, sitting next to Xu Yan, binge-watched dramas and variety shows.

With nothing else to do, Xu Yan exchanged sporadic messages with the other person. His phone signal was terrible—messages lagged forever to send and receive—but the other didn't seem to mind or complain about the slow replies.

As the train slowed near the final stop, the other person happened to text.

【year】: Arrived yet?

【宴宴】: Talk about timing—just pulling in now.

Almost like the other had been chatting just to keep him company the whole trip.

【year】: Heading out for work soon.

【year】: Swamped this vacation—might be off-grid.

Xu Yan stood up, joining the line forming by the door.

【宴宴】: Got it. Good luck with work.

The doors opened, and everyone shuffled out single-file. Xu Yan grabbed Shen Nanli’s backpack strap as they stepped off, still looking at his phone.

【year】: Text me daily. No excuses.

【year】: I’ll be counting when I return.

The order was so controlling—*he* wouldn’t have time to check, yet Xu Yan had to message daily? Total BS if you ask me, he grumbled internally.

Biting his lip, Xu Yan kept thumbing out a reply, almost colliding with someone hauling luggage beside him.

Shen Nanli quickly grabbed his backpack and pulled him sharply aside, keeping him clear.

"Watch where you're going! You've been chatting the whole way, take a break," Shen Nanli said. "Couples aren't even this attached."

Xu Yan was startled by his bold choice of words, pulling his arm back as if stung.

"You—what are you talking about?"

Shen Nanli pointed at his phone. "Yan Yan, are you in an online relationship or something?"

Xu Yan widened his eyes and shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no."

"Really not?" Shen Nanli looked unconvinced.

Xu Yan: "Really, I was just chatting with my top patron."

Shen Nanli: "You're not dating your top patron, are you?"

Xu Yan denied it again: "No, no, no."

How could he give off such an impression...

Shen Nanli decided to believe him for now. The two exited the station together and boarded the bus back to Wuzhen.

Only then did Xu Yan open the chat window, thinking for a long while before finally replying simply.

【宴宴】: Got it!

*

Xu Yan kept his promise—during the holiday, he sent Year messages every day, the usual good mornings and good nights.

He had no idea what the other person was so busy with. Was work really so demanding that they couldn’t check their phone?

And if they did check, why not reply to a single message?

Xu Yan stayed at the hospital to accompany his grandmother, who seemed in better spirits than before. He hadn’t brought any dresses back this time and wasn't planning to post updates during the break. Instead, he focused on spending time with his grandmother and finishing the last bits of the promotional video.

Every day, he coaxed his grandmother into taking her medicine on time, getting her injections, and then taking her around the hospital grounds in a wheelchair for walks.

In a small-town hospital, most patients were elderly people recuperating. Each walk meant inevitably running into a few familiar faces.

Xu Yan greeted them politely, only to be surrounded by praises—how filial and well-behaved he was, how pale and handsome he looked, how he’d always been a top student who never gave them trouble. The praise made his eyes light up and his cheeks flush pink.

Most young people disliked staying in Wuzhen, dismissing it as poor, backward, and with no future.

But Xu Yan loved Wuzhen. Here, he had familiar faces, familiar routines, familiar warmth and company.

He loved being here, loved being by his grandmother’s side.

In the evening, the two of them sat together in the small garden behind the hospital, watching the sunset.

The surroundings were peaceful and serene, filled with the fragrance of flowers. A fiery red sun slid down the sharp ridges of distant mountains, while flocks of birds flapped their wings against the crimson sky.

It was a sight unseen in the city, as beautiful as a movie's final scene.

Xu Yan took out his phone, opened the camera, and framed the shot before capturing what he thought was the most beautiful moment—though it still didn't do it justice.

Out of habit, he switched to his second account, selected the photo, and hit send.

【宴宴】: Check out my hometown sunset

【宴宴】: Isn’t it beautiful?

No reply.

Scrolling up, all he saw were his own messages from the past few days.

He stared blankly at his phone, a growing sense of disappointment rising in his chest.

His grandmother suddenly spoke up from beside him. "Sweetheart, have you started dating anyone at school?"

Xu Yan hit the lock button harder than necessary, then crouched beside the wheelchair, rubbing his round head against his grandmother’s lap like a cat seeking affection.

He didn’t know why she’d asked something so similar to Shen Nanli’s question. "No, Grandma."

The elderly woman stroked his fluffy head with her aged hand, her voice tender. "If you do, you must bring them home for me to meet. I might be old, but I can judge character better than you. Just one look, and I’ll know if they’re right for my sweet boy."

Xu Yan nuzzled into her palm again. "I’m not thinking about that yet. I just want to graduate soon and come back to stay with you."

"Silly child," the old woman chuckled. "Don’t worry, Grandma’s open-minded. Whoever you like, I’ll like them too."

"No matter who they are, as long as they treat you well, that’s all that matters."

*

The break flew by. Xu Yan returned to school two days early.

Relieved that his grandmother’s health had improved, he decided to spend his last free day picking up a shift at the café.

First, he went to the package pickup to get his deliveries. Shen Nanli hadn’t returned yet, and Shang Jia wasn’t on campus either, so he had no one to help him. It took him three trips to carry all the packages back to the dorm.

With his roommates still away, he had the perfect opportunity to open everything.

Inside were all sorts of beautiful dresses, along with detailed accessories—pendants, garters, body chains, even anklets…

Far more than just a dozen packages.

There were even a few sets of men’s clothing, brands he didn’t recognize at first glance. A quick search online revealed they were all luxury labels, crazy expensive. The dresses, too, were made from impossibly soft, comfortable fabrics—definitely high-end.

He had no idea how much all this must have cost, but it surely far exceeded the donations he’d gotten.

Surrounded by piles of clothes, Xu Yan sat on the floor, hugging his knees as he spaced out for a while.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about lacking dresses to wear anymore. Now, the problem was figuring out how to fit everything into his small closet.

Sighing, he resigned himself to the tedious task of organizing.

The more he worked, the more he suspected Year was messing with him on purpose—buying so much at once, forcing him to haul it all back, unpack it, and now sort it.

Basically, trying to work him to death.

By the time he finished stuffing all the clothes into his closet and cleaning the dorm, it was already well past midnight.

Before bed, he remembered to send Year a message—after all, the break wasn’t quite over yet.

But again, there was no reply.

The next morning, Xu Yan arrived at the café early. Having slept too little the night before, he spent the whole day battling sleepiness. Fortunately, the last day of the holiday meant fewer customers.

Around noon, the shop received a large order—ten cups of coffee, all different flavors. The colleague responsible for deliveries was off that day, so Xu Yan had to make the delivery himself.

The address wasn’t far, a stand-alone building that looked like a villa, likely converted into some kind of studio or base.

Arriving on his scooter, Xu Yan didn’t bother taking off his helmet. Holding the coffee trays in both hands, he pressed the doorbell with the little dragon horns on his helmet.

After pressing the doorbell twice with no answer, Xu Yan found it odd. He checked the address on his phone—he definitely hadn’t come to the wrong address.

He called the number again, but no one picked up.

Just then, his phone buzzed with a WeChat notification from his secondary account.

Xu Yan kept pressing the doorbell while waiting, simultaneously opening the message.

To his surprise, it was a reply—after seven full days. Who goes that long without checking their phone?

First, there was a response to the sunset photo he’d sent.

【year】: Very beautiful.

A faint noise suddenly came from behind the quiet door.

【year】: No signal the entire vacation.

Someone emerged from inside the house, stepping into the courtyard.

【year】: Dropped my phone. Just got it repaired. Just seeing your messages now.

The footsteps were slow and steady, pausing deliberately right behind the door.

【year】: You really sent messages every day.

【year】: Such a good boy, baby.

A hand reached for the door handle from inside, applying steady pressure.

【year】: I've missed seeing you.

The heavy door suddenly swung open.

At the sound, Xu Yan’s lashes fluttered slightly as he lifted his gaze—only to stand frozen in shock.

The figure inside was tall, dressed in comfortable home clothes, his hair slightly disheveled, the collar of his shirt loose enough to reveal the sharp angle of his collarbone.

One hand held his phone, his expression indifferent, as if unsurprised.

But his dark pupils narrowed like a hunter sighting prey, blazing with hunger as they devoured Xu Yan’s soft, pretty face.

It was Wen Sinian.

Author’s Note:

Baby Yan: Y-you’re scary, flaunting your collarbone like that to tempt me… [pitiful]

FourYear Bro: You haven't seen the really scary parts yet, baby.

For now I'm just tasting you with my eyes—soon, it’ll be my mouth. [eyes twinkling]