Romance

When they came out of the mall, Shi Yuan was wearing a new short trench coat.

"Ah," Shi Yuan sighed.

Wei Zelin raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Now, even standing out in the wind and rain, I feel warm..."

"Hahaha." Shi Yuan couldn't finish. He felt a little too cheesy.

But Wei Zelin actually understood, and he laughed aloud with him.

"Where are we going now?"

Shi Yuan had barely asked when the phone in his pocket rang.

"Oh no."

I forgot about You Gui!

"Gui! Sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Mm-hmm, I saw Brother Lin as soon as I came out this morning, so we went into the venue first."

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry. I really forgot..."

As he spoke on the phone, Wei Zelin stayed beside him, holding the umbrella and watching his face.

Just then, a Rolls-Royce drove past. Its window lowered to reveal a round-faced man, who looked excitedly at Wei Zelin as though they knew each other.

The man was about to open the door and get out to greet him, but Wei Zelin pointed at Shi Yuan, who was still on the phone, and shook his head slightly.

The man looked a little disappointed, but remembering that Wei Zelin shouldn't have too much contact with people in S City right now, he told the driver to drive on.

When Shi Yuan finished the call, he said ruefully, "I promised to meet You Gui at the entrance, and I forgot. When she heard you were here, she told me to keep you company."

Wei Zelin ruffled his hair. "I have to meet with the people from Magic Cube Technology in a bit, and I have a business lunch, so I can't stay with you. Ask where she is. I'll take you over to hang out with her."

Hearing that, Shi Yuan didn't want to leave him anymore. Ultimately, his boyfriend mattered more.

Wei Zelin guided him into the car and buckled his seat belt. "Have fun. I'll come find you this afternoon, then take you to the banquet tonight for something delicious. I heard Magic Cube's president loves good food. They've hired twelve chefs for tonight."

Shi Yuan felt comforted, not because of the food, but because the person he liked cared about him. In any case, seeing Wei Zelin today had made him happy. It was as though he'd suddenly found his footing, someone to lean on in this unfamiliar city, and he couldn't help humming all the way.

Le bonheur c'est pas la chute mais le chemin

(Happiness doesn't arrive all at once; it grows steadily over time.)

Mon bonheur c'est toi

(My happiness is you.)

Mon bonheur tu le sais

(You know what happiness means to me.)

C'est toi et moi,

(It's you and me.)

c'est toi et moi,

(You and me.)

c'est toi et moi sur l'oreiller

(You and me, growing old together.)

"Is that... a French song?" Wei Zelin asked uncertainly.

The "Shi Yuan" in the original novel had studied abroad in M Country. He'd spent his days idling around and couldn't even speak English fluently, let alone French, which had nothing to do with him.

Shi Yuan had begun letting Wei Zelin glimpse the truth about him, deliberately or otherwise, quite some time ago.

"Yes, a French song. Do I sound good speaking French?"

Wei Zelin navigated the streets with practiced ease, seemingly incurious about how Shi Yuan knew French. "Light and romantic. You sound lovely."

A smile filled Shi Yuan's eyes, and he began humming softly again, his slightly husky voice carrying the romantic melody.

"Le bonheur c'est pas la chute mais le chemin

Mon bonheur c'est toi

Mon bonheur tu le sais

C'est toi et moi,

c'est toi et moi,

c'est toi et moi sur l'oreiller"

The venue was bustling that day. The drizzle hadn't dampened the streamers' enthusiasm for performing, and canopies had been put up over the small stages.

Shi Yuan glanced around as they passed. There was singing, energetic dancing, and even martial arts sparring. Every stage had a crowd around it, some larger than others.

"Shi Yuan, over here."

When the car reached the mouth of an alley, You Gui poked her head out of a shop doorway inside and called to him.

Shi Yuan got out alone, and Wei Zelin reminded him, "Take your umbrella."

"Okay, but wait two minutes for me."

Shi Yuan opened the umbrella and ran over to You Gui. They exchanged a few words, and she handed him a bag.

With the bag in hand, Shi Yuan jogged back under his umbrella.

Wei Zelin, who had been watching him the whole time, lowered the window. "What did you get?"

Shi Yuan passed him the bag. "Xiao Ying recommended these. She said the soup dumplings she had yesterday were really good, so she went back today. I asked her to bring two portions."

Wei Zelin opened the bag. Inside were two paper bags, each holding about ten tiny dumplings, along with a cup of soy milk. They were still hot enough to sting his hands when he lifted them, so they must have been bought recently.

He picked up a dumpling and held it to Shi Yuan's lips first, but Shi Yuan shook his head. "They saved some for me. You Gui brought me rice noodle rolls, too. You drove for so long and then went shopping with me. You must be starving. Have something to tide you over, then hurry and get some proper rest."

After saying that, Shi Yuan didn't linger. He turned and ran back with light steps.

Watching his cheerful retreating figure, Wei Zelin put the dumpling into his own mouth and finished it in two or three bites. Its warmth dispelled the chill of the cold rain, flowing into his stomach and his heart.

Shi Yuan folded his umbrella and left it by the entrance. You Gui, Xiao Ying, and Xiao Wen were all waiting inside.

Xiao Ying waggled her eyebrows. "Was that your man in the car?"

Shi Yuan's eyes curved with his smile as he copied her tone. "Sure was."

Xiao Ying handed him the little paper bag of dumplings and said regretfully, "Too bad he was so far away. I couldn't see what he looked like."

Shi Yuan took a bite of a dumpling. "You'll meet him."

He ate a basket of soup dumplings and a portion of rice noodle rolls, leaving his stomach warm and full.

Xiao Wen took two wet wipes from her bag for him, and Shi Yuan reflected that a girl's bag really did have plenty of uses.

With food and drink taken care of, it was time to get down to business. This area was something of a boutique district, with several little alleys full of shops selling exquisite trinkets.

The shop Xiao Ying had so enthusiastically recommended had a working arrangement with Xiao Wen. All the little supplies she used for her streams came from here, and sometimes she mailed over finished pieces for the shop to buy outright.

The shop had two floors. Downstairs, all kinds of finished pieces hung on the walls, and several long tables stood in the main room. Business was good today; the first floor was packed, and the owner was run off their feet.

"This side has ready-made phone cases you can buy, and over there you can choose materials to make your own," Xiao Wen explained to Shi Yuan and You Gui.

"Downstairs, there's whipped cream glue, beading, and other kinds of DIY. They're easy for beginners, and there's plenty of variety. Upstairs, there's clay sculpting and liquid shaker crafts. Those are a little harder, but there are professionals to guide you."

Xiao Wen smiled shyly. "My streams are mainly pottery and clay sculpting."

She seemed in good spirits today. Apparently, she and Xiao Ying had talked things through and were close friends again.

You Gui wondered wistfully whether, if she'd met Shi Yuan during her darkest days, they could have been as close as Xiao Ying and Xiao Wen, and whether she might have become a better person, too. After all, Shi Yuan was also the sort of person who constantly radiated warmth and brightened the lives of those around him.

Beside them, Xiao Ying was still trying to persuade Shi Yuan. "You should make your own, too. It's fun, and it means more."

Shi Yuan had originally planned to buy a finished one, but Xiao Ying's encouragement tempted him. "But I've never done this before. Is it hard?"

"Not at all. Didn't you see the kids doing it downstairs? Xiao Wen's here, so she can teach you two." Xiao Ying had come to keep Xiao Wen company today. Xiao Wen would be spending the whole day streaming here, an arrangement she'd made with the owner that benefited them both.

Shi Yuan said eagerly to You Gui, "Then shall we make our own, too? It looks pretty fun."

You Gui was fine either way. She wasn't particularly interested in this sort of thing.

Xiao Wen's streaming equipment was set up in a little corner on the second floor that the owner had reserved for her. No one came over to bother her, so it was fairly quiet.

Shi Yuan and the other two each took a small tray and chose materials downstairs with Xiao Wen's advice.

Then Xiao Wen started her stream, while Shi Yuan and You Gui worked on their phone cases at a small table beside her.

Xiao Ying was very busy, fetching supplies for Xiao Wen one moment and working on her own project the next.

Crafting looked easy, but it was actually very time-consuming. You Gui finished first, while Shi Yuan made two cases in one go. He and Wei Zelin had the same phone model, and the other one was for Wei Zelin. It was rather childish, though, and he wasn't sure whether Wei Zelin would use it.

Thinking of Wei Zelin made Shi Yuan shy again. These days, whenever they met, they clung to each other. It wasn't just Wei Zelin, either. Shi Yuan even felt that if their eyes met for three seconds, he'd be unable to resist kissing him himself, even if Wei Zelin didn't lean in.

At noon, Xiao Wen ended her stream, and Xiao Ying invited them to lunch.

"Come with us. It'll be livelier with more people."

They'd arranged to have all-you-can-eat barbecue with the people from their online voice-acting group.

Shi Yuan was wholly preoccupied with when his boyfriend would come to find him. He didn't care what they ate.

The craft-shop alley wasn't far from the barbecue restaurant, so they decided to walk.

Walking was boring, so they chatted along the way.

"The bubble tea shop brought out so many new fruit teas today. Isn't everyone buying milk tea in weather this cold? Why aren't there any new milk teas?"

Shi Yuan offered his opinion. "I think fruit tea is better. It's refreshing, tastes good, and has less sugar."

The other three disagreed.

"Did you know our group owner is actually a lawyer? Apparently, they're pretty well known in S City, too. Lin Yunan is a local as well. Everyone else might be heading home tomorrow, but those two are staying to hang out for a few more days."

"What about you two? When are you going back to Capital City?" Shi Yuan asked.

"I have to go back tomorrow," Xiao Wen said regretfully. The longer she stayed away, the more it cost. With a full day of fun yesterday and a stream today, she'd already accomplished everything she'd come for.

"My brother's swapping shifts with a coworker tomorrow. I'll get him to keep me company for a few days and go back after the celebration ends." Xiao Ying planned to stay for all seven days.

As they chatted, they soon reached the mall entrance. The barbecue restaurant was up on the fifth floor.

The dazzling array of merchandise in the mall caught the two girls' attention. If Lin Yunan and the others hadn't been waiting upstairs, Xiao Ying would have wanted to stay and shop.

On the second floor, Meng Zhenzhen happened to glance down and spotted their group. Irritated, he thought, Why are they here, too?

He watched them discreetly. Dressed in a new outfit, Shi Yuan looked even more striking. A trace of jealousy crept into Meng Zhenzhen's disdainful gaze. He didn't believe Shi Yuan could afford any decent clothes. Most likely, yesterday's encounter had gotten under his skin, and he'd bought this outfit to put on airs he couldn't afford.

The mall had an open central atrium. He tilted his head up and watched them enter the barbecue restaurant on the fifth floor. Whatever he was thinking, he started walking upstairs, too.