Where Are My Underwear!?

There were plenty of messages on his phone.

Some asked about his situation, some pretended to ask whether he needed help, and some wanted to take advantage of his misfortune to discuss a buyout with Ding Ding.

He read through them one by one. Everything between the lines was gray.

The more things were like this, the more grateful he felt for Bai Congming's untainted sincerity.

Like oxygen in the deep sea, like sweet spring water in a desert, he couldn't get enough, couldn't help himself.

Ding Ding thought, Maybe I'm the one who's going to latch on to him.

The latest message was from Xiao Li from AAA Housing Sales Agency, telling Ding Ding that the buyer had signed the contract and that he had sold the rosewood desk in the study.

Attached was a transfer of 874 yuan.

Ding Ding hadn't planned on taking it. After all, he had already told him to dispose of it himself.

But catching sight of the fool resting obediently against his shoulder, Ding Ding paused with his fingertip over the screen, then accepted it after all.

The fool was so thin, and he was injured too. He needed some good food.

"..."

It had been years since Ding Ding had washed his whole body with a single bar of soap.

When he had money, he pursued a refined lifestyle. Falling on hard times overnight didn't mean he couldn't live frugally, but Ding Ding didn't understand...

"Why do you smell so good?"

He hadn't seen him use anything extra.

Bai Congming always liked burying his head under the covers when he slept, apparently unbothered by the stuffiness. Only when he heard Ding Ding speaking to him did he poke his head out, grab Ding Ding's arm, and sniff hard.

"Brother Ding, smells good!"

Ding Ding clicked his tongue but didn't press the matter, his body honestly pulling the fool into his arms.

"I'll take you out for meat tomorrow."

Bai Congming curled himself into a comfortable position. "Tomorrow, work."

Now Ding Ding was genuinely surprised. "You have a job!?"

Bai Congming nodded with his eyes closed. His soft hair brushed against Ding Ding's neck, leaving him unable to take in another word.

The flower spirit reappeared.

Along with the rise and fall of that night.

Ding Ding cleared his throat. "Say that again. I didn't hear you."

"Work, at the flower nursery," Bai Congming said.

Flowers were this city's calling card. The night Ding Ding got drunk, he had been near the West City Flower Planting Base.

Remembering how the fool had initially said he had saved him, Ding Ding found himself inexplicably concerned.

"How did I save you that day?"

Bai Congming was terribly sleepy and could only mumble an answer.

"Door, wouldn't open. You opened door."

"Why wouldn't the door open?"

Bai Congming shifted position and said very quietly, "Wind strong, couldn't open."

How strong would the wind have to be to hold a door so firmly shut? Ding Ding wanted to ask more, but when he looked down, the fool was already fast asleep.

"..."

Barren soil couldn't produce gorgeous roses.

Although Ding Ding had never worked at a flower nursery, he had hauled heavy sacks at the docks when he first left home.

From what Ding Ding had seen, heavy physical labor bred the most primitive evil.

There, even a passing dog would get a couple of kicks, let alone a fool with no one to rely on.

For the umpteenth time, Ding Ding thought, If only we'd met a little sooner.

It wasn't that he wanted to be a savior. He only wished they had met when he could still offer protection. At least then, he could have promised an easier future.

The future...

Such a simple word, yet to Ding Ding now, it was something he felt utterly powerless about.

Ding Ding fell asleep while the sky was still tinged with blue.

While Ding Ding had lain awake all night with countless thoughts running through his head, the fool had slept soundly, unaware of it all.

Before Bai Congming understood what happiness was, his mother had given him a warm home, three filling meals a day, and peace through every season, only to leave him despite herself, leaving him alone in the world.

But when he opened his eyes and saw someone lying beside him, Bai Congming felt a security and joy he hadn't known in a long time.

Those feelings took tangible form as Bai Congming quietly got up, washed, and left the house.

On this old street, where generations had lived, there were always lazy men reluctant to leave their beds and busy people racing against time, with no chance to put together a proper breakfast.

The breakfast shop had been open for fifty years. Its current owners were a middle-aged couple, and their steamed buns, glistening with grease, smelled good enough to send someone tumbling head over heels.

The regulars were all familiar old neighbors, but today there was a new face.

Not exactly new. They had seen him coming and going; they simply hadn't had much to do with him.

Bai Congming stared at the sign outside the shop, counting the money in his hand as he read. Only after making sure he had enough did he step forward.

"I want, three big meat buns."

"Six yuan."

Bai Congming handed over the money. "Here's ten yuan. Please give me four yuan in change."

The owner taking the money made faces at the customers beside him, rummaged through the cash box, and scraped together four one-yuan notes too damaged to spend. He handed them over, imitating Bai Congming's tone.

"Here's four yuan in change."

Bai Congming counted and confirmed that there were four notes, then carefully put them away.

"Received four yuan." He paused, then said, "Thank you."

The owner handed him three big meat buns. "You're welcome."

Ding Ding was still asleep when he got home, and hadn't woken even when Bai Congming had to leave for work.

Bai Congming was a little reluctant to go. He was afraid his wife would leave while he was away, but couldn't bear to wake him. His eyes darted, and he made a bold decision.

"Hehe... wife... won't leave!"

"..."

Ding Ding found that he always slept particularly well at the fool's house.

He slept deeply this time. By the time he woke, it was noon, and the bedding beside him had long since gone cold.

Ding Ding rolled over a couple of times, and his arm pressed against something soft hidden deep under the covers.

Ding Ding froze, worried that a rat might have climbed into bed. He lifted the covers to look and found three flattened big meat buns.

"..."

He had probably stuffed them under the covers for fear they would get cold... that was certainly something the fool would do.

Come to think of it, Ding Ding hadn't eaten breakfast in years. With his sleeping hours squeezed short, getting up early to eat had become a luxury.

Ding Ding set the buns aside and was about to get up to wash when he suddenly noticed something wrong.

"..."

As if unable to believe it, Ding Ding searched through the covers over and over before letting out a roar.

"Where are my underwear!?"

"..."

Bai Congming looked very energetic today, transplanting plants in his assigned area with a little bag on his back.

Auntie Zhou sneaked over and slipped him a small cookie. It was very sweet.

"Put your bag down, Little Bai. Isn't it heavy carrying it?"

Bai Congming swallowed the cookie and thanked Auntie Zhou before answering, "Bag not heavy. Little Bai, wants to carry."

Auntie Zhou smiled. "Then keep it on. Have you had breakfast today?"

"Ate!" Bai Congming said. "Granny Sun, gave food."

Auntie Zhou nodded, said nothing more, and turned back to her own work.

Bai Congming hadn't lied. The bag really wasn't heavy. After all, there was only one thing inside.

Steal Brother Ding's underwear, and Brother Ding won't be able to leave!