Chapter 32 Forward

Chapter 32: Onward

The kiss still lingered on his lips, numb and tingly. Xie Fengshi's whole body went weak, wanting to push Kaelen away but reluctant at the same time. "Were you a dog in a previous life?"

Kaelen soothed the startled man in his arms, laughing at the accusation. "Why do you ask?"

"Biting and licking—my mouth is numb."

Kaelen cupped Xie Fengshi's face gently, tilting it up, and pressed his slightly swollen lips. "It's swollen."

Xie Fengshi shot Kaelen a fierce glare.

Kaelen played along cooperatively. "Sorry, I lost control."

Blushing at Kaelen's compliant response, Xie Fengshi found he didn't really want Kaelen to control himself either.

"I'm going to get breakfast. Stay home, don't wander off."

"This is my home. Where would I run off to?"

Kaelen smiled, pushed the door open, and stepped out. He'd barely taken two steps when the door next door opened.

Isaac stood there, his hair looking like it had been through a bomb blast, his hoodie on backward with the hood dangling in front, looking like someone ripped out of deep sleep by an alarm clock.

The two brothers stared at each other from a few feet away. Kaelen said, "Morning."

Isaac didn't process at first why his brother was here. Had he messaged him? Isaac glanced at his phone—no messages. Was he still dreaming? No, he'd hit the corner of the table when he got up, and his leg still hurt.

Something was off. Isaac's gaze locked onto Kaelen's mouth. His brother's lips were red, with a shine right at the bow of his lips, his lower lip puffier than usual—clearly kissed, and kissed like crazy.

Isaac's brain short-circuited for a while. He walked up to his brother. "Your lips are swollen."

"Yeah."

"Just 'yeah'?"

"What else?"

Isaac pointed at Kaelen's mouth, then at Xie Fengshi's closed door, waving his hand in the air several times without forming a complete sentence.

Kaelen just stood there watching his brother put on a silent show. Isaac finally found his voice. "You… where did you sleep last night?"

Kaelen countered, "What do you think?"

Isaac's face fell. He knew exactly how big Xie Fengshi's room was, especially that bed—just right for one person, but for two…

"Kaelen." Isaac's face screamed, 'I'm your biological brother but I really wanna punch you right now.'

"What?"

"You seriously slept in his bed?"

"What else? On the floor?"

"You could have slept at my place!"

"I was gonna find you, but Feng Shi wouldn't let me leave." Kaelen fought to hold back the smile tugging at his lips. He patted his brother's shoulder. "I'm getting breakfast. You want some?"

Like he had a choice?

Isaac crossed his arms and watched his brother walk away. Kaelen hadn't given him any choice at all. Waking up at this time meant he had to eat whether he wanted to or not.

Isaac turned and went back inside, closing the door. He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Kaelen.

"What about Xie Fengshi?"

The reply came quickly.

"Very good-looking."

Isaac: …

"I didn't ask about that!!"

"Then it's on a need-to-know basis and you don't need to know."

"Kaelen!!"

"What d'you want for breakfast?"

"Stop changing the subject!"

"Croissant or pancake?"

"Croissant."

Isaac realized he'd been led astray again after replying! He tossed his phone onto the bed and lay there spacing out. His brother was dating Xie Fengshi?

He was the one who met Xie Fengshi first, the one who got to eat his cooking first. But Kaelen had only been here a few times and already snatched him up.

He knew Kaelen always acted quickly and decisively, but did it have to be this fast?

Isaac remembered how his brother had looked just now. When was the last time Kaelen had looked like that? Isaac thought for a long time, realized he couldn't remember, and sighed.

He didn't wanna admit it, but he was actually happy. The way his brother looked this morning was a far cry from the serious heir in the news. Instead, he looked like the brother who used to hold his hand and walk slowly through the garden back in the day.

Xie Fengshi turned Kaelen back into that person.

Isaac couldn't quite describe the feeling—a little bitter, a little sweet, but mostly a hard-to-describe relief, like a weight hanging in the air had finally come down.

His brother needed someone with him, and Xie Fengshi was that someone.

Isaac suddenly sat up. No, why was he letting this slide so easily? He should kick up a fuss, give Kaelen a hard time—not let that jerk off the hook that easily.

He grabbed his phone and started typing furiously.

"Chocolate croissant, and a hot cocoa with extra cream."

After sending, Isaac felt that was too spineless. He wanted to retract it, but Kaelen replied instantly.

"Sure, I'll get you an extra serving of cream."

"What do I get for Feng Shi?"

Isaac stared at that second line for two seconds, then tossed his phone onto the bed and didn't text back.

......

The noise of the hair dryer was amplified several times in the small bathroom. Xie Fengshi held it up and blow-dried his hair haphazardly, his fingers running through the strands. The hot air lifted the roots, making the hair fluffy and soft. He brushed aside the stray bangs, which fluffed up above his brow, highlighting his dark, bright eyes.

He tilted his head at the mirror, and his hair swayed with the motion, like a fluffy little animal shaking off its fur.

Xie Fengshi couldn’t help taking another look, then felt a bit vain, so he quickly turned off the hair dryer.

The bathroom fell silent. Xie Fengshi touched his head, his fingertips sinking into the softness—so pleasant that he couldn’t resist ruffling his hair a couple more times.

The bed had been neatly made by Kaelen, the quilt folded tidily. Xie Fengshi’s lips curved into a smile at the sight. He walked over to the desk, sat down, and casually flipped open his sketchbook. The latest page showed his sketch from last week: a tree with a few chickens beneath it.

Xie Fengshi couldn’t help but sigh. He’d probably never get good at drawing.

But he had long gotten over the anxiety he felt after his first trip to the farm with Kevin. He’d made peace with it on his own.

He couldn’t catch up to a decade-plus gap in just a few months. His body’s muscle memory was there, but his mind was blank. So he would live his life his own way—that was enough.

He stuffed the sketchbook back into the drawer, leaned back in the chair, and dangled his legs. The chair was actually a bit too short; his knees nearly touched the desk, but he couldn’t be bothered to adjust it. Sunlight fell on his fluffy hair, tingeing a few strands light brown. Xie Fengshi curled up in the chair, waiting for Kaelen to come back.

His phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a message from Lu Shiyan.

“Are you awake? Everything okay last night?”

Xie Fengshi typed back.

“I’m awake, I’m fine.”

“Good, good. Kaelen came to get you, remember?”

“I remember.”

“That’s a relief! I was worried you’d blacked out. Oh, by the way, did you know that that Kaelen of yours came straight from the airport last night?”

Xie Fengshi paused at that.

“The airport?”

“Yeah, he said so on the phone—just got off the plane. I thought you knew.”

So Kaelen had flown for hours, landed, and without even catching his breath came to pick him up.

Xie Fengshi buried his face in his palms, feeling his ears burn.

The door lock clicked with a slight delay—probably because both hands were full, making it hard to open the door. Xie Fengshi hurried over to open it.

Sure enough.

Kaelen was holding two large paper bags in his left hand and a brown paper package in his right. The bags had logos Xie Fengshi hadn’t seen before, and the brown paper was stained with a grease ring, giving off the warm, baked aroma of fresh bread.

“How much did you buy?” Xie Fengshi reached out to help carry them.

Kaelen handed him the smallest brown paper package. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I bought a bit of everything.”

Xie Fengshi opened the bag and looked inside. Good grief, “a bit” was an understatement.

Crescent rolls, Danish pastries, croissants, scones, along with cut fruit salad, two coffees, and a hot chocolate. The brown paper package held freshly baked bagels, their aroma wafting straight into his nostrils.

“Did you clean out the bakery?”

“No, there were still a few kinds I didn’t buy. I was afraid you wouldn’t finish them.”

Xie Fengshi looked at the breakfast covering half the table. “We’re definitely not going to finish all this.”

“Isaac is here too.”

“Can he eat that much?”

Kaelen set aside the crescent rolls and Danish pastries. “These are for Isaac.”

Xie Fengshi pulled out a chair and sat down, glanced at the coffee, then at Kaelen. Kaelen caught on. “That one’s yours—with milk, no sugar.”

Xie Fengshi took a sip. The milk was rich, and the bitterness mellowed into a smooth aftertaste. He took another sip before setting the cup down and reaching for a croissant.

The almond croissant’s crust was crisp; it crumbled at the first bite. The almond cream inside was sweet but not cloying, studded with a few toasted almond slices. Xie Fengshi squinted with enjoyment as he ate, crumbs stuck to the corner of his mouth without him noticing.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while before Kaelen spoke. “What are your plans today?”

Xie Fengshi swallowed. “I need to go to school this afternoon—return a book to the library—then stop by the supermarket. The fridge is almost empty.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“It’s a light day today. I can take a break.”

Xie Fengshi blurted out, “You even know how to take a break?”

Kaelen let out a helpless laugh. “Feng Shi, what do you think of me? A work machine?”

Xie Fengshi mumbled, “Pretty much. Catching a flight at 3 AM, landing for a meeting, flying back after it ends, and working again the next day.”

Kaelen’s eyes turned serious. “I really can rest today. The project is wrapped up for now, and there’s nothing urgent in the next few days.”

Xie Fengshi was half skeptical but didn’t press further. He finished the fruit salad on his plate, then got up to clear the table. Kaelen stood up too. One collected the plates, the other wiped the table—they worked together smoothly.

“Oh, by the way,” Xie Fengshi turned around. “Did you take your brother’s breakfast to him?”

Kaelen froze mid-movement. He realized he’d forgotten something. And sure enough, that’s what he’d forgotten. “…Not yet.”

“…”

Xie Fengshi leaned against the doorframe, watching Kaelen hesitate over two paper bags.

He couldn’t remember which one was for Isaac.

Xie Fengshi couldn’t take it anymore. He reached out and grabbed the left bag. “This one.”

Kaelen took the bag, a rare look of embarrassment on his face. He walked to the door, then turned around and placed a quick kiss at the corner of Xie Fengshi’s lips. “Be right back.”

Xie Fengshi’s face flushed bright red at the kiss. He gave Kaelen a push. “Go, go! Don’t keep Isaac waiting.”

After Kaelen left, Xie Fengshi didn’t close the door right away. He peeked out to watch Kaelen knock. The door was pulled open, and Xie Fengshi was caught red-handed by Isaac, so he quickly ducked back inside.

Isaac took the paper bag and said to Kaelen, “You might want to be more careful next time.”

Kaelen raised an eyebrow. “Careful about what?”

Isaac slammed the door shut, the edge nearly hitting Kaelen’s straight nose.

Xie Fengshi poked his head out, a smile still plastered on his face: "Did he forgive you?"

"No, he told me to be more careful next time."

"About what?"

Kaelen lowered his head, his eyes falling on Xie Fengshi's lips: "Not to be so rough when he kisses you next time."

Xie Fengshi immediately slapped his hand over Kaelen's mouth, silencing his outburst: "Shut up!!"

Kaelen laughed against Xie Fengshi's palm, the faint, vibrating tickle traveling all the way into Xie Fengshi's heart.

Kaelen stayed in the apartment for a while before leaving. "Leaving" just meant tying up a few loose ends at work, and he would be back in the afternoon.

Xie Fengshi walked him downstairs and watched the car pull out onto the street, round the corner, and vanish.

As the autumn wind blew, Xie Fengshi turned and walked back inside. He suddenly felt that this apartment building, which he'd lived in for so long, now seemed different.

Back in his room, Xie Fengshi seriously considered, for the first time, how much longer he would stay here.

He hadn't moved before because he had no money. Although the rent was paid, his debt was still there, and he didn't dare to use any of his money. But now it was different. The deposit that Lu Shiyan had transferred to him was enough to pay off his remaining debt in one go, with a large surplus left over.

The deposit from Cheng Lang and the others had also arrived. Adding the wages from Good Fortune, Xie Fengshi pulled out his phone and checked his balance. The number left him dumbfounded for two seconds. He double-checked to make sure he hadn't miscounted.

His money was enough to move into a proper apartment.

A place with a separate kitchen, a decent living room, and a full-sized bed.

Xie Fengshi placed his phone face-down on the table and paced two steps in the room. Such a small space, and he had lived here for so long.

He picked up his phone and started browsing rental listings. The school forum had a dedicated housing section. Xie Fengshi scrolled through them one by one. There weren't many properties that met his requirements, and the prices varied widely.

Xie Fengshi found one he liked. It was only a ten-minute walk from school. In the photos, the kitchen was spacious, with a full stove and oven, and an open-plan layout connecting the living room and bedroom.

The rent was quite a bit higher than his current place, but after calculating, Xie Fengshi found that his income from taking orders could easily cover it. Most importantly, he needed a fresh start.

Xie Fengshi messaged his landlord, saying he would not renew the lease at the end of the month, and also sent a viewing request to the landlord of the apartment he liked.

This matchbox of a room held the most humiliating memories from when he first came to this world. He was grateful this room had taken him in, giving him a place he could call "home" when he needed it most.

But now, it was time to move on.