When Pei Yubai opened his eyes, it was not quite light yet.
The light outside the window was gray-blue. The shadows of the bamboo still fell across the wall, a little shorter than last night.
He lay on the sofa, stared at the wooden beams overhead for a few seconds, then sat up.
The sofa was too short. His lower legs had hung over the end all night, never lying flat, but he had slept all right.
He folded the quilt, placed the pillow on top, and stacked them neatly at one end of the sofa.
He stood and walked to the window. The water in the terraced fields was gray and dull, without any light. Mist shrouded the distant mountains, leaving only a stretch of blurred outline visible.
He took a look, then turned to go wash up, pausing when he reached the stairs.
His running clothes were in his suitcase, the suitcase was in the room, and Qiguan Yuan was asleep in the room.
He stood in the hallway, looking at the door.
The door was closed, and there was no sound. He hesitated, wondering whether he should just go running in what he had on.
He was wearing yesterday's dark gray T-shirt and black trousers. He could run in them, but he did not like exercising in anything other than sportswear.
While he was thinking, the door opened.
Qiguan Yuan leaned against the doorframe. He wore a long white inner robe, its collar untied and open, revealing his collarbones.
The lines of his collarbones were clearly defined, extending from his neck to his shoulders, with a faint sheen in the dim morning light.
His hair was untied, spilling over his shoulders and chest, a few strands reaching his waist.
The silver-white strands looked very bright in the gray-blue light.
His eyes were not fully open yet, his lids drooping slightly. His lashes were long, curling upward at the tips.
He looked as though someone had just scooped him out of the covers, still carrying the warmth and air of the bed.
He looked at Pei Yubai, his eyes a little watery from yawning.
"Hmm?" His voice was very husky, as though he had a mouthful of sugar that had yet to dissolve. "You didn't come back to the room to sleep last night?"
Pei Yubai shook his head. "I was afraid I'd disturb you."
Qiguan Yuan tilted his head, his silver hair slipping off his shoulder to hang over his chest.
The corner of his mouth moved, and the moment he spoke, his voice sent a tingle through the ears. "Oh~ I thought you were too shy to share a bed with me."
Pei Yubai opened his mouth but made no sound. His ears, however, began to burn.
With his excellent eyesight, Qiguan Yuan watched his ears turn red and said no more.
He looked down at his white inner robe and gathered the collar with one hand. It did not stay together and fell open again. "Could you lend me a set of clothes? I didn't bring any."
Pei Yubai nodded, his neck turning red too. "Go back inside. I'll get them for you."
Qiguan Yuan turned languidly and walked back into the room.
Pei Yubai followed him. As soon as he stepped inside, he caught a strong, cool fragrance.
It was as though Qiguan Yuan had let his scent seep into every inch of the space, little by little.
Pei Yubai's breathing paused. Then he walked over to the suitcase, crouched down, and unzipped it.
The suitcase was very neatly packed, each piece of clothing folded and stacked, dark colors on the left and light colors on the right.
He looked through it and pulled a black shirt from the left.
It was not a formal shirt, but more of a modern Chinese-style design, with a standing collar and no buttons, fastened instead with several thin ties. The fabric was linen, a little rough to the touch but very breathable.
He handed the clothes to Qiguan Yuan. "This set should suit you better."
Qiguan Yuan took the clothes and examined them. He shook them out and held them against himself, the black linen forming a stark contrast against his fair skin.
He nodded, then raised his head and looked at Pei Yubai. Pei Yubai stood in front of him, showing no sign of leaving.
Qiguan Yuan looked at him, the curve of his lips deepening as his eyes curved slightly. "Do you want to watch me change into your clothes yourself? I don't actually mind, you know."
Pei Yubai froze. He glanced down at the suitcase in his hands, then at the clothes in Qiguan Yuan's hands, before abruptly standing up. He moved too quickly, knocking his knee against a corner of the suitcase. It wobbled, but he did not reach to steady it.
"I'll... go outside." His voice was a little higher than usual, as though someone had pinched his throat. He turned and headed quickly for the door, nearly tripping over the threshold when he reached it.
He steadied himself and walked out. The door closed behind him.
The door did not make much noise as it shut, but he heard Qiguan Yuan give a soft chuckle inside. The laugh was very quiet and brief, but he heard it perfectly clearly.
He leaned against the hallway wall and took a deep breath. His ears burned as though they had been roasted over a fire. He raised a hand to touch one, his fingertips meeting the rim. It was hot.
He lowered his hand and lightly rubbed his fingertips together.
About five minutes passed. The door opened.
Qiguan Yuan stepped out.
He was wearing the black shirt.
The standing collar was loosely fastened, the topmost tie left undone. The neckline lay slightly open, revealing his collarbones and a small stretch of his neck.
The linen draped beautifully, lying against his body and making his figure look long and slender.
The cuffs were rolled twice, revealing his forearms. The red thread was wrapped around his wrist, its red strikingly vivid.
The hem of the shirt was tucked into his trousers. The waist was a little loose, so he had secured it with a thin black cord, its ends hanging down and swaying at his side.
His long silver hair spilled over the black clothes like snow falling into deep water. His face was very fair, his lips holding little color, but he did not look pale.
His eyes were very bright. Those light-colored eyes looked especially clear in the gray-blue morning light, like a mountain spring whose bottom could be seen at a glance.
He stood in the doorway, looking at Pei Yubai. Wind passed through the hallway, lifting his silver hair, the strands floating up before settling back down.
Standing there, he looked like a painting hung in the wrong place.
Against the fairly rustic backdrop of the stilt house, he stood in his black shirt. He should have been swallowed up by it, should have blended into the background.
But he did not. He carried a certain quality that did not belong here, rendering everything around him colorless by comparison.
Pei Yubai looked at him without speaking. Unlike the red robes Qiguan Yuan always wore, this was the first time he had seen him in modern clothes.
A black shirt, an ordinary style, with nothing particularly special about the design.
But it was simply different on Qiguan Yuan. The clothes did not enhance the wearer; the wearer enhanced the clothes.
When Pei Yubai wore that shirt himself, it was just a shirt. On Qiguan Yuan, it changed.
Pei Yubai could not describe the feeling, but he thought it looked beautiful.
With the black clothes setting off his white skin and silver hair, he looked like a painting rendered in ink and white, beautiful to the utmost.
And... the shirt was his. Qiguan Yuan was wearing his clothes.
The moment that thought surfaced, an indescribable emotion welled up in Pei Yubai's heart.
Qiguan Yuan looked down at the clothes he wore, tugged at a cuff, then lowered his gaze to the thin cord at his waist. "It seems a little big."
The clothes were indeed a little big. The shoulders extended a little too far, and the collar was loose enough to slip down if it was not tied tightly.
But on him, they instead had a loose, casual air, as though he had deliberately worn them that way.
Pei Yubai opened his mouth. "It's fine."
His voice was a little dry.
Qiguan Yuan raised his head and looked at him. "You probably need to change too. Go inside and change."
Pei Yubai walked into the room. Qiguan Yuan had spent the whole night there, and the cool fragrance had not yet dispersed.
He opened the suitcase, took out his running clothes, and changed.
When he came out, Qiguan Yuan was standing outside the door, leaning against the railing and looking at the distant terraced fields. Hearing footsteps, Qiguan Yuan turned his head.
"What are you going to do next?"
"Go for a morning run," Pei Yubai said.
Qiguan Yuan nodded and straightened away from the railing. "I'll come with you. I want to see how the scenery here differs from Cloud-Hidden Town too."