A kiss

Shi Yuan was distracted throughout that evening's lesson. To earn the generous salary Mr. Ren paid him, he forced himself not to think about what Wei Zelin would think when he came home and found him gone. He hadn't even sent Wei Zelin a WeChat message to let him know...

"Ding!" The moment he thought of WeChat, a notification sounded.

Shi Yuan opened his phone eagerly, yet nervously. It was a video You Gui had shared with him. He breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt an indescribable disappointment.

When it was time for him to leave, Xiao Rong was reluctant to see him go, but wasn't as clingy as yesterday. He was more mature than most children to begin with, and only let his true feelings show when he was vulnerable. Sometimes, when Shi Yuan talked to him, he would forget that the boy was only eleven.

Just as Shi Yuan was about to head out, Mr. Ren came to see him off.

"Mr. Shi, thank you for teaching him so diligently this past month." At Ren Feng's words, Shi Yuan almost thought his next sentence would be, "I hope we have a chance to work together again."

Shi Yuan smiled. "I didn't realize time had passed so quickly. It's already been a month."

Ren Zheng tapped a few times on his phone, and Shi Yuan's phone chimed. He took it out and looked at Ren Zheng in surprise. "Mr. Ren, did you transfer the wrong amount? It shouldn't be this much."

"Mr. Shi, you've put a lot of care into your work this past month. Xiao Rong and I can both feel it. This is just a small token of appreciation. Please accept it."

Shi Yuan was overwhelmed. "No, no, no. I was just doing my job. You really don't need to do this." Without another word, he tapped a few times to return the transfer, then took to his heels.

Ren Zheng was left standing in his doorway, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

A few minutes later, Mr. Ren sent another transfer to Shi Yuan's phone. Shi Yuan checked that the amount was correct before accepting it, then sent Mr. Ren a sticker of a little chick holding a sign that said "Thank you."

With his first paycheck in hand, Shi Yuan still didn't really want to go home. But he had nowhere else to go, and no friends he could ask out. After leaving Xiao Rong's home, he strolled toward the nearby Clearheart Lake. Oak Bay had been built right beside it. He passed it every day, but had never properly explored it.

Clearheart Lake circled the city center before flowing into the Tang River. Shi Yuan picked a direction and wandered aimlessly along it, passing the area near the residential complex where elderly people gathered. Across the bridge, farther ahead, was a street lined with food stalls.

The food street by Chengyang Lake wasn't as large or as varied as the one near the university district, but it was still busy. At a glance, he couldn't even see the end of it. Eight thirty was peak time, and the crowd jostled shoulder to shoulder.

Shi Yuan's interest picked up. He hadn't eaten street food in ages. Besides, he had run off as soon as he finished cooking that evening, and still hadn't had dinner.

"I'll have this, this, and this."

Shi Yuan ordered a few grilled skewers first, eating them as he walked and looked for anything else he liked. Then he stopped outside a clam vermicelli shop.

The aroma was already wafting right under his nose. How was he supposed to walk away?

"One clam vermicelli, please. Mildly spicy."

"Coming right up. Find yourself a seat. It'll be ready in a minute."

Holding his skewers, Shi Yuan looked around. Business was good here. There were plenty of tables outside, but they were all occupied. It looked like he would have to share.

One man was eating alone. Shi Yuan went over and sat down, and the man happened to finish and leave right then. Shi Yuan was delighted.

But clearly, someone else had the same idea.

"Let's sit over there, bro. There's only one person at that table."

Shi Yuan's ears pricked up. She's not talking about me, is she?

Sure enough, the next moment-

"Hey, handsome, is anyone sitting across from you? Can we sit here?"

Shi Yuan looked up awkwardly. "I'm here by myself. Go ahead."

His voice was quite distinctive, slightly husky but not rough. Instead, it was exceptionally gentle, sending a pleasant tingle through anyone who heard it.

The brother and sister sat across from him, and the sister asked hesitantly, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Her brother couldn't take it anymore. "Zhang Xiuying!"

"I'm not hitting on him! He really does look familiar!"

Shi Yuan had an excellent memory. In fact, he remembered her as soon as Xiao Ying spoke her second sentence. "Yes, we met on the Line 131 subway. You were with another friend."

That was why he felt awkward. Unless he was mistaken, the brother beside her was the man sitting in his WeChat contacts.

Xiao Ying was thrilled. "Oh, it's you! What a coincidence."

She gave her brother's shoulder a firm smack. "He's the handsome guy from the subway I told you about."

Shi Yuan's clam vermicelli was ready. He took it and carefully set it on the table, then gave Xiao Ying one of his skewers. Smiling, he said, "It really is a coincidence."

Only then did Xiao Ying's brother believe her. He took a proper look at Shi Yuan. Through the steam rising from the bubbling foil tray of clam vermicelli, Shi Yuan looked almost too exquisite to be real as he smiled and spoke to Xiao Ying.

Xiao Ying's brother was instantly dazzled. Ever since he had come out to his family, his sister had been obsessed with setting him up. After she had added who knew how many supposedly handsome men to his WeChat, not a single one had been a decent prospect. Who would have thought... this one really was this good-looking!

"Hi, I'm Zhang Xiushuo. Um, don't mind my sister's nonsense. She'll talk to anyone."

Shi Yuan only smiled without saying anything. They were siblings, and he barely knew them, so he didn't want to jump into their banter. He lowered his head and quietly ate his vermicelli.

Zhang Xiushuo and his sister ordered two servings of clam vermicelli as well. Seeing that Shi Yuan wasn't much of a talker, they murmured a few words to each other before quietly eating too.

The clam vermicelli here really was delicious. Shi Yuan briefly forgot his worries and happily slurped his noodles. When he finished and got up to leave, Zhang Xiushuo hurriedly put down his chopsticks too. "Are you going home? How about I give you a ride?"

Shi Yuan turned him down. "Huh? No, thank you."

They really were siblings, both so enthusiastic.

After he left, Zhang Xiushuo kept staring after him, unable to snap out of it. His sister Xiao Ying burst out laughing.

"I told you ages ago that he was handsome, but you wouldn't believe me. Now look at you."

Zhang Xiushuo looked at her in exasperation. "That's because you're usually so unreliable! Couldn't you have come through when it mattered? What's the point of saying all this now?"

"Oh, right! I have his WeChat!"

"You think he might've deleted you?"

The end of the night market was lined with fruit stalls, including one selling grapes. They weren't as big as the ones Wei Zelin had bought yesterday, though, and surely weren't as sweet either. He wondered where Wei Zelin bought his fruit. Every kind was top quality.

Shi Yuan rubbed the fingers of his left hand together, unconsciously recalling that warm touch again. His face heated up, and he patted his cheeks, screaming inwardly, Aaaah! Why is time passing so slowly? It isn't even ten yet. If I go back now, Brother Lin definitely won't be asleep. What am I supposed to say if he asks why I came home so late?!!!

Speak of the devil. The moment he thought of Wei Zelin, the man called.

"Where are you?" Those three words, devoid of any discernible emotion, silenced Shi Yuan. He didn't know why, but he was a little scared.

They were both silent for a full minute. Then the deep male voice sighed, sounding helpless and indulgent. "Turn around."

Still holding his phone to his ear, Shi Yuan turned and stared blankly at Wei Zelin a few meters away. The man held his phone in one hand and a bubble waffle ice cream in the other, topped with two cute little bear cookies. The ice cream was quite large, but next to his exceptional height, even it looked miniature.

Twenty minutes later, Shi Yuan was back in the familiar passenger seat, holding the bubble waffle ice cream and eating it in tiny spoonfuls.

He was nervous the entire way, unable to describe what he felt. He wanted Wei Zelin to say something, yet was afraid of what he might say. He couldn't even taste the sweetness of the cool, refreshing ice cream. But until they got out of the car and entered the house, Wei Zelin still hadn't said a word.

Shi Yuan opened and closed his mouth several times. He wanted to break the silence, but didn't know where to start. Why didn't Wei Zelin ask why he hadn't waited for him to have dinner? Why didn't he ask why he hadn't come home after work? But Wei Zelin asked him nothing, leaving him unable to say anything either.

His mind was a jumble. Eager to please, he followed close on Wei Zelin's heels. Wei Zelin went into the kitchen and lit the stove again to reheat the cooled chicken soup in the clay pot. When he turned around, a fluffy head unexpectedly bumped straight into his chest.

Lost in thought, Shi Yuan hadn't realized Wei Zelin would suddenly turn around. Now he was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear. He struggled slightly, trying to step back, only for an arm to sweep across his lower back. With a little pressure, he stumbled straight into Wei Zelin's embrace.

Shi Yuan's fluffy head rested against Wei Zelin's neck, his quick breaths brushing over the other man's collarbone. His heart pounded wildly, his mind and body pulling in opposite directions. His brain kept telling him to get away, get away, but his body craved the warmth and scent coming from Wei Zelin.

He was utterly overwhelmed and had no idea what to do.

Only when Wei Zelin sighed for the second time that evening did he cautiously lift his head and look into his eyes.

He watched Wei Zelin lower his head slightly, take off his glasses, and toss them onto the kitchen counter beside them. With no lenses in the way, his eyes held nothing but Shi Yuan's reflection. They drew closer and closer, their breaths gradually mingling, until something warm and soft touched his lips.

After that brief touch came another. Then Wei Zelin laid a hand over his hazy eyes, and he obediently closed them, abandoning every thought and letting himself sink into the moment.

Every sensation on his lips was magnified. Warmth came again, but this time it didn't leave. Their noses touched, their rapid breaths mingling in waves. When Shi Yuan couldn't catch his breath, he instinctively opened his mouth.

Wei Zelin seized the opening like a cat catching the scent of fish, pressing inside eagerly and allowing no resistance. He caught Shi Yuan's tongue and sucked it again and again. The kiss sent tingles across Shi Yuan's scalp, and his legs weakened uncontrollably. Wei Zelin caught him around the waist and lifted hard, half carrying him onto the island beside them. Tilting his face, he angled his high nose aside and deepened the kiss...

On the stove, steam rattled the clay pot's lid with a clattering rush. Wei Zelin came to his senses first. He let go of Shi Yuan and went over to turn off the heat.

Sitting on the island, Shi Yuan nearly died of embarrassment. He had never even dated anyone. He had only just begun to vaguely understand his own feelings, and had even decided to distance himself from Wei Zelin. He had only been putting that plan into action for one day! Yet he had ended up pinned down and thoroughly kissed. Even now, he still couldn't work out how he and Wei Zelin had gotten to this point.