Chapter 15 Good Night

Chapter 15 Goodnight

Xie Fengshi kept turning one thing over in his mind all the way to the apartment door—hadn't Kaelen just walked out of this building?

But now Kaelen was walking unhurriedly beside him, not looking like he was going back.

Xie Fengshi stopped at his doorstep and looked up at him: “Aren’t you going to find Isaac?”

Kaelen looked down at Xie Fengshi, and at that moment the flickering, dying hallway light cast Xie Fengshi's face in and out of shadow: “I already went.”

“And then?”

“He threw me out.”

Xie Fengshi: ...

“So you’ve just been standing downstairs this whole time?”

Kaelen didn’t answer. His gaze drifted past Xie Fengshi to the door behind him: “You live here?”

Xie Fengshi glanced back at his own door and nodded.

His matchbox-sized room was nothing like Isaac’s. They were on the same floor, but Isaac’s was the biggest unit in the building, with a small alcove. Xie Fengshi’s was the cheapest kind—the door opened right onto a tiny stove and mini fridge on the left, a bathroom on the right, and two steps further and he was at the bed, barely room to turn around.

Xie Fengshi was already reaching into his pocket for the keys, but after two seconds his hand froze. He was wearing Kaelen's coat.

With a light jingle of keys, Xie Fengshi pulled out the keys, inserted them into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open.

The room was so small that he could see it all without turning on the light. The quilt on the bed was folded neatly, a few sketchbooks lay beside the pillow, there was a desk lamp on the nightstand with a slightly crooked shade, a sketchbook and several pencils were spread on the desk, a scarf hung over the back of the chair, and the window was cracked open to let in air—the night breeze was strong, billowing the curtains slightly.

Clean, yes. Cramped, also yes.

Xie Fengshi knew damn well Kaelen had looked into him. The man had dug up Isaac’s address, had just happened to be passing by the night he got cornered, and had shown up at Good Luck Restaurant for breakfast. If he said he hadn’t dug up every detail of Xie Fengshi's past, that would be a load of crap.

Xie Fengshi stepped aside: “Want to come in for a bit? It’s small, don’t mind it.”

Kaelen stood in the doorway, ducking his head slightly to take the whole place in.

He had indeed looked into Xie Fengshi. The night he first heard the name from Isaac, Kaelen had Xie Fengshi's file on his desk. Chinese, twenty years old. A young man raised for twenty years, only to be revealed an imposter, then shipped abroad, cut off financially, his entire social circle erased.

The file came with a photo. In the ID picture, Xie Fengshi wore a refined shirt, hair neatly combed, a proper smile on his lips—the image of a carefully raised pampered young gentleman. Utterly different from the person before him now.

The Xie Fengshi now was wrapped in his coat, only his slightly reddened face showing. His hair was a little long, left messy, which made it look softer.

The coat hung on Xie Fengshi like a thick blanket, especially when he tilted his face up to look at Kaelen. The glitter in his eyes made Kaelen linger there for a few extra seconds.

Kaelen stepped into the room, which felt way too cramped for him. It was indeed small—after two steps, he was already in the center. But it was clean, tidy, and orderly.

Not at all what Kaelen had pictured of someone cast out by their family and fallen apart. There was no decadence here, no resentment—only the quiet feeling of someone truly living their life.

Lowering his head slightly, Kaelen noticed the open sketchbook on the desk: “You’re drawing?”

Xie Fengshi quickly went over and closed the sketchbook: “Just doodling, nothing presentable.”

He closed it too hastily, the pages flapping up and then down, revealing a few unfinished lines on the last page.

Kaelen didn’t press or show unnecessary curiosity, which made Xie Fengshi breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, when he said “nothing presentable,” he meant it.

Xie Fengshi stood by the desk, sleeves still far too long, only the tips of his fingers peeking out from inside: “I’ll wash this coat for you tomorrow and return it.”

“No need.”

When Kaelen said “no need,” he was looking at Xie Fengshi's fingertips poking out—the slightly reddened tips flickering at the edge of the sleeve, like a snail peeking out of its shell.

“You...”

“You...”

They both started talking at once, then stopped.

Xie Fengshi tilted his head: “You go first.”

The corner of Kaelen’s mouth curved: “So how are you getting along here, all by yourself?”

Xie Fengshi paused: “Not bad. I got a roof, food, a job. It's good.”

Xie Fengshi's tone had no bravado or self-pity. He genuinely felt that his current situation was already good enough.

Hearing this, Kaelen looked at Xie Fengshi a little longer. He had seen so many people—thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment at this age, they either broke down or blamed the world. Xie Fengshi was neither.

He was like a plant uprooted and replanted in new soil, a new environment, stubbornly putting down roots all by himself.

Kaelen said, “You’re tougher than most people I’ve met.”

That came out of nowhere. Wasn't expecting that.

Kaelen's lips curled up at that.

Xie Fengshi stood by the desk in his coat, hair messy, cheeks flushed from the wind, his eyes curving into crescents as he spoke. He looked soft and warm.

Kaelen's fingertips twitched slightly at his sides, then slowly relaxed.

He was twenty-four. He was smooth in social situations, had met all kinds of people, handled countless business negotiations. But standing here in this cramped little room where he could barely turn around, he had no idea what to do with his hands.

It wasn't that there was nowhere to put them—it was that he was afraid that if he reached out, he wouldn't want to withdraw them.

Xie Fengshi had no idea. He was fiddling with the oversized coat, poking his fingers inside the sleeves, trying to fold the excess fabric into some shape. He was lost in the deep gray cashmere, making his skin look even fairer, the collar piled near his chin, hiding half his face.

Kaelen looked at the exposed tip of his nose and the slight upturn of his lips. A single word surfaced in his mind, unbidden: the moon.

It felt like the moon was standing before him, wearing his coat, in this cramped room, busy fighting with its sleeves.

Xie Fengshi finally gave up, pulling both hands out of the sleeves, exposing his wrists and a bit of his forearm: “Your coat is way too big. I look like I’m in a Chinese opera.”

As he spoke, he looked up, his eyes curving. From Kaelen’s angle, Xie Fengshi’s neck was fully exposed—a slender line running from behind his ear into the collar, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as he talked.

Kaelen’s gaze lingered there for a second before he forced it away: “As long as you’re not cold.”

Xie Fengshi shook his head, pulling the coat tighter: “Not cold. Feel my hand—it’s warm.”

With that, Xie Fengshi held out his hand, palm up, fingers spread slightly.

Kaelen looked down at that hand. Xie Fengshi had beautiful hands—well-defined knuckles, neatly trimmed nails. These were the hands of a chef and an artist. There were thin calluses on the pads of his fingers and a faint burn scar on his palm near the base of his thumb.

Kaelen didn't take his hand. Instead, he reached out, stopping an inch above Xie Fengshi's palm. He just hovered there, hesitating, his hand frozen in midair.

Body heat traveled across that inch of space between them, warm and dry, like the warmth before a winter fireplace.

Xie Fengshi was startled by Kaelen’s gesture, and when he looked up, he fell straight into Kaelen’s deep blue eyes.

It was as if they held the whole night within them, and yet, at that moment, they were looking only at him.

Even with no smile on his face and none of his usual distant elegance, Kaelen simply gazed at Xie Fengshi, from his fingertips to his wrist, and finally settled on his bright, sparkling eyes.

Kaelen’s palm was a full size larger than Xie Fengshi’s, and when he held it suspended above, it completely covered Xie Fengshi’s entire hand in shadow.

Only then did Xie Fengshi realize how intimate this position was.

Palm facing palm, separated by air, as if testing, or waiting for permission.

Xie Fengshi’s heart skipped a beat, then started racing out of control. “Kaelen?”

Kaelen’s thumb moved slightly, tracing the shape of Xie Fengshi’s palm in the air. His fingertip never touched the skin, but Xie Fengshi could feel something burning up in that inch of space.

Kaelen said, “Your hand is smaller than I imagined.”

Xie Fengshi: …

What kind of comment was that!

Xie Fengshi pulled his hand back, his ears burning. “My hands aren’t small—your hands are just way too big. Are those even normal hands?”

Kaelen withdrew his hand. “Mm, my bad.”

His tone was so serious that Xie Fengshi couldn’t tell whether he was joking or being serious.

The atmosphere in the room had become charged because of that suspended palm. Xie Fengshi cleared his throat and turned to pour some water. “Want some water? I only have plain water.”

“Alright.”

When Xie Fengshi handed him the cup, he made a point to stand a little farther back. Kaelen took a sip and placed the cup back on the table.

On the table lay Xie Fengshi’s closed sketchbook, with a few pens scattered beside it and eraser crumbs not yet cleaned up. Kaelen’s gaze swept over the art supplies and landed on a class schedule, where several dates were circled in red, with small notes written beside them.

“Are you free next week?” Kaelen asked.

Xie Fengshi was still struggling with his sleeves. He looked up. “Why?”

“I’d like to take you out for a meal.”

“Take me out to eat?”

“Yeah, as a thank you for looking after Isaac these past few days.”

“No need, no need. I told you, it was no big deal. Besides, Isaac brought his own ingredients.”

Kaelen heard Xie Fengshi’s refusal, and a hint of helplessness flashed across his eyes. “It’s not just because of Isaac.”

Xie Fengshi paused and waited for him to continue.

“It’s also because of you.”

It took Xie Fengshi a couple of seconds to process what he said, and by the time he understood, his ears were already burning. “I haven’t done anything.”

Kaelen replied, “The point is, I want to treat you to a meal.”

Xie Fengshi found he couldn’t refuse that. The way Kaelen looked at him wasn’t just polite—it was genuine.

“Alright then.” Xie Fengshi heard himself say.

The warmth in Kaelen's eyes deepened. “What would you like to eat?”

“Anything. I’m not picky.”

“Then I’ll decide.”

Xie Fengshi nodded, then suddenly thought of something. “By the way, what about Isaac? Does he know?”

Kaelen’s expression shifted subtly. “Haven’t told him yet.”

Reading Kaelen's expression, Xie Fengshi understood immediately. “You’re afraid he’ll make a scene?”

Kaelen’s expression said it all. “When he kicks up a fuss, he targets everyone.”

Xie Fengshi finished for him: “Especially you.”

Kaelen sighed. “Especially me.”

Xie Fengshi laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking. “So what’s your plan? Secretly take me out and not tell him?”

Something flickered through Kaelen's eyes. “Do you think we can keep it from him?”

Thinking of how sharp Isaac’s observation skills were, Xie Fengshi shook his head decisively. “No.”

“Then don’t hide it. Let him know, let him make a scene. He’ll get used to it eventually.”

Realizing what those words implied, Xie Fengshi felt his ears grow hot again.

Kaelen was open and serious about it—he wanted to take him to dinner regardless of whether Isaac agreed or not.

And maybe many more times down the road.

Xie Fengshi buried his face deeper into his coat to hide his smile. Kaelen looked around the small room. “You should get some rest.”

Xie Fengshi noticed that Kaelen had already moved to the doorway. He stood just inside the threshold—not stepping out to suggest he was in a hurry to leave, nor stepping further into the room. His sense of boundaries was perfect.

“Going to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah, heading in at noon.”

Kaelen nodded. “Get some sleep.”

His tone was like he was soothing a child, his deep voice a little husky at the end. In the quiet little room, it lingered, seeping into Xie Fengshi's ears, sending a tingle from his ears all the way down the back of his neck.

Polite phrases were on the tip of Xie Fengshi's tongue, but they felt too perfunctory. In the end, all he said was, “Okay.”

Kaelen gave him one final look, then turned to leave.

“Wait,” Xie Fengshi called him back.

Kaelen turned around. Xie Fengshi had already fumbled to take off the coat. The deep gray fabric slipped from his shoulders. Without the coat, the thin jacket underneath looked even flimsier. The collar was twisted askew, revealing a sliver of collarbone.

Xie Fengshi handed the coat over. “Your coat.”

“No rush,” Kaelen said.

"But you must be cold outside."

Kaelen looked down at Xie Fengshi's dead serious expression, his clear eyes asking: Why aren't you taking it? Are you dumb?

Kaelen couldn't help but smile, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. As he took the coat, his fingers inevitably brushed against Xie Fengshi's fingertips, a light graze, touching and then pulling away instantly.

Xie Fengshi's fingertips were warm, with thin calluses on the pads, a slightly rough texture brushing against Kaelen's knuckles, an itch spreading from his fingers all the way to his wrist.

Xie Fengshi had already pulled his hand back. "Take care on the way home."

Kaelen draped the coat over his arm, then took a step back to stand outside the door. "Goodnight, Feng Shi."

"Goodnight," Xie Fengshi said.