Shen Xingcan refused to admit it. "...You're not a pretty girl. What do I have to be shy about?"
The smile vanished from Xie Linchuan's lips. "How unfortunate for you that I'm not a pretty girl."
Shen Xingcan paid no attention to Xie Linchuan's cold expression. "It's not that unfortunate. You might not be a pretty girl, but at least you're a pretty boy. I'm not losing out that much."
"Heh."
Shen Xingcan turned to look at the curtain of rain outside the window. "Hurry up and change. I won't look, all right? I really don't know what you have to be shy about. We're close enough to share a pair of pants!"
Xie Linchuan's hands paused slightly as he unbuttoned his clothes. After a long while, he tugged at the corner of his mouth.
In that short time, the rain outside had grown heavier and heavier, pattering loudly against the little wooden cabin.
Shen Xingcan stared at the curtain of rain outside. "Are you done changing? If you are, I'm turning around!"
As he spoke, he gave Xie Linchuan no chance to answer and spun around at lightning speed. When he saw that the person behind him was already fully dressed, Shen Xingcan deeply regretted not turning around sooner.
Shen Xingcan glanced at the lamb he had left in the corner, then at the world beyond the glass window, and muttered reluctantly, "Looks like I brought this lamb for nothing. There's no way we can go outside in this weather..."
The cabin did come with an awning, but it offered no protection at all against such fierce wind and rain.
"We'll eat it tomorrow morning."
"Won't it spoil?"
They didn't have anything like a refrigerator. The only thing in the cabin that could be called relatively modern was the dim yellow night-light on the ceiling.
"When they cut the lamb, I asked the barbecue chef to add extra salt."
That would naturally affect the flavor, but it would also keep the lamb from spoiling too quickly.
Shen Xingcan, who had been lamenting the poor little lamb, instantly brightened at those words. "Wow!"
At the time, he had been thinking about how on earth he was going to get through that stretch of woods with his night blindness, so he hadn't paid much attention to what Xie Linchuan had said to the barbecue chef.
Shen Xingcan clapped like a seal. "Best Actor Xie is simply the perfect man every home needs. Best Actor Xie's other half is blessed... Ah, I'm suddenly a little jealous of Best Actor Xie's other half."
After marveling at the good fortune of Xie Linchuan's other half, Shen Xingcan switched on the cabin's little light and climbed into bed with the novels he hadn't had time to look through during the day.
Shen Xingcan propped his pillow higher, settled into a comfortable reading position, then called to Xie Linchuan, "Come to bed and rest. It's been a tiring day."
He hadn't taken his own words to heart at all, as though that remark about suddenly feeling a little jealous of Mr. Xie's other half had merely been an offhand joke.
Xie Linchuan lay down beside Shen Xingcan.
Seeing Xie Linchuan get into bed, Shen Xingcan generously shoved the novel he was reading into his arms.
"The icy prince type is all the rage right now. I think the taciturn, icy prince in this one is a lot like you. You should really be able to put yourself in his shoes."
Xie Linchuan: "..."
As Shen Xingcan leafed through the novel in his hands, he kept an eye on the pitch-black night outside the window.
When a flash of lightning that seemed capable of illuminating heaven and earth tore through the night sky, Shen Xingcan dropped his novel and threw his arms around Xie Linchuan beside him.
Before Xie Linchuan could react, deafening thunder followed close behind.
Thunder resounded through heaven and earth, and the cabin tottered in the storm like a tiny boat on the ocean.
Shen Xingcan said, "Don't be scared. I'm here!"
As he spoke, he patted Xie Linchuan's back, trying to make him feel just how dependable his good buddy's embrace was.
Who held you tight in the raging storm? The beautiful, kindhearted Shen Xingcan!
No sooner had he spoken than another thunderclap rang out, even louder than the last.
Shen Xingcan, who was in the middle of comforting Xie Linchuan, shuddered.
Xie Linchuan: "..."
Amused, he covered Shen Xingcan's ears.
Covering his ears didn't keep Shen Xingcan from hearing the thunder, but it made it much quieter.
Shen Xingcan tried to salvage his dignity. "You don't need to cover my ears. I'm not like you. I'm not afraid of thunder..."
Xie Linchuan said, "Oh," and withdrew his hands.
Shen Xingcan said, "...But then again, I've opened my arms to you, so you ought to do something for me too! Both sides have to give to keep a friendship fresh forever!"
Seeing another flash of lightning streak past, Shen Xingcan was just about to urge him on when a pair of hands covered his ears again before the thunder sounded.
Shen Xingcan was satisfied.
Their surroundings seemed to have become a desolate wasteland, with only the two of them left between heaven and earth.
Perhaps it was because the person beside him was so familiar, or perhaps because he had done so much during the day, but Shen Xingcan began to grow drowsy.
"Xie Linchuan, I'm a little sleepy."
"Then close your eyes and sleep."
Though Shen Xingcan was already so sleepy that he was a little muddled, he remained deeply worried. "But what will you do if I fall asleep? You'll definitely get scared and cry. You love crying so much. You sleep first. I'll watch you sleep."
Xie Linchuan said, "...I'm not that timid, and I don't love crying that much."
Shen Xingcan's brain was already starting to rust, but he still firmly refuted Xie Linchuan's statement. "...Really? I don't believe you."
If you didn't love shedding tears so much, who was the one crying his heart out at the funeral?
Xie Linchuan had a prior offense, after all.
Xie Linchuan looked at Shen Xingcan's peach-blossom eyes, already misty with sleepiness yet still refusing to close, and said helplessly, "Then we can sleep together. Besides, you're right here beside me. I'm not that scared."
Shen Xingcan spoke slowly. "...True. After all, even if I fall asleep, I can still hold you... Turn off the light. You don't need to cover my ears anymore. I'm really sleepy. I'm invincible now! A Shen Xingcan desperate for sleep is immune to all attacks!"
The dim yellow light went out completely, plunging their surroundings into darkness. The thunderstorm outside continued, but it was no longer irritating.
Shen Xingcan said, "Good night, Xie Linchuan, who loves to cry!"
"Good night."
Shen Xingcan's eyes flew open, and he complained in dissatisfaction, "You should say, 'Good night, invincible Shen Xingcan.'"
Xie Linchuan said, "...Good night, invincible Shen Xingcan."
Shen Xingcan closed his eyes in complete satisfaction, not forgetting to gather all of Xie Linchuan into his arms in a very friendly embrace.
The breathing beside his ear gradually grew light and even, just as it had on every stormy summer night in the past.
It seemed as though everything had changed, but when he thought about it carefully, he was the only one who had changed.
Then close friends it is.