IROAWTMTFL Chapter 10

Originally, Yan Yan had intended for Zhuang Yiyun to lie down while he brought the congee to the living room for him to eat. However, the man whose fever had now subsided didn’t agree. He took off his clothes and took a shower.

When he came out, the two of them sat at the dining table, each with a bowl of congee and a few side dishes. Yan Yan even heated up a few frozen buns, and they began their brunch sitting across from each other.

Zhuang Yiyun no longer looked as tired as before; his demeanor and expressions were clearer. Yet, due to just recovering from the fever, he appeared fatigued and relaxed, like melting snow, exuding a certain indescribable tenderness. Yan Yan felt as though he could poke a small dimple into him with just one finger. Amused with his thoughts, he relaxed and started eating his congee.

In the past, Zhuang Yiyun would’ve remained silent if Yan Yan didn’t speak. But this time, Zhuang Yiyun felt guilty, so when he saw Yan Yan smile, he asked, “Why are you smiling?”

“Ah… nothing much. I just feel a bit happy.” Yan Yan looked up at him briefly, then lowered his head again to eat a bun.

Their gazes met, and a thought emerged in Zhuang Yiyun’s mind: Yan Yan was happy because he had returned.

His chest warmed slightly. Was he running a fever again?

“I’m sorry, I came back late yesterday and wasted the meal you prepared.”

“Didn’t you eat it? The leftovers are in the fridge.”

Yan Yan appeared to have grown more approachable again, but he didn’t look at him. Zhuang Yiyun’s intuition told him that Yan Yan was still upset. He recalled that Yan Yan hadn’t touched any of the dishes, he was probably so angry that he had no appetite and left.

“You even specially asked me to come back home…”

“You previously mentioned that you wouldn’t come back often. You’re not obligated to cooperate with me.” Yan Yan suddenly interrupted him. His voice remained calm, but he set down the bun in his hand. Though his anger had disappeared because Zhuang Yiyun had a fever, his words reignited Yan Yan’s irritation.

His aura was subtly sharp, and the atmosphere tensed immediately.

“It was my suggestion to live together. I have an obligation to cooperate with you.” Zhuang Yiyun spoke after a long time.

Yan Yan’s words made him realize that ever since they got married, besides giving a card, he hadn’t fulfilled any obligations. But Yan Yan had attended his lecture, invited him to the anime festival, and prepared a Christmas Eve dinner for him.

It wasn’t balanced.

Furthermore, the card he had given had only resulted in one expenditure. He now knew what Yan Yan had bought – the furniture store’s expense record indicated that he had bought a new couch.

‘Zhuang Yiyun, you’re a bit of a scum…’ This was the first time he had defined himself this way.

After ruminating over this for a while, Yan Yan said, “It’s okay.”

Zhuang Yiyun felt like Yan Yan’s attitude was still a bit cold and he felt conflicted, unsure how to continue. He preferred silence, yet something wasn’t quite right now.

After thinking for a while, Zhuang Yiyun finally came up with something to say as their meal neared its end, “What’s your major? Do you need help with your graduation thesis?”

“Tourism management.”

Zhuang Yiyun: “…” Not his area of expertise.

Silence fell again. Zhuang Yiyun began to feel a bit helpless. He hadn’t realized his behavior was amusing Yan Yan, and he chocked out another sentence, “Did you pass your English proficiency exams? Do you need help preparing for the TOEFL?”

“I passed!” Yan Yan wanted to laugh, but held it in. Was this the style of a Ph.D holder?

“You could also consider IELTS…”

Zhuang Yiyun’s voice grew softer. Just as he thought he was about to face another wall, a white porcelain plate suddenly appeared beside him, carrying a plump, white bun.

“Gege, don’t just drink the congee.”

Hearing the word “gege” laced with concern, Zhuang Yiyun smiled slightly. It was hard to describe his emotions in that moment. He felt a kind of exhilaration akin to seeing the moon peek through the clouds, and the sunlight outside suddenly seemed dazzling.

“If you really feel sorry, could you come back more often? I grew up in a lively home… I’m not accustomed to this, actually.”
Zhuang Yiyun recalled the atmosphere at Yan Yan’s home—warm and bustling. Yan Yan’s parents treated him as an equal, and were filled with care and tolerance. When he wasn’t at home, he probably lived in a dormitory, a male dormitory… he remembered his undergraduate years, Yan Yan’s dormitory must have been lively too. In any case, it definitely wasn’t like his home. No wonder he found this coldness uncomfortable.

So, it was because he wasn’t accustomed to it that he had taken the initiative to invite him home. It was the first time Yan Yan had made a request, yet he had immediately rejected it. How could he not get angry?

After making his request, Yan Yan seemed to revert to the Yan Yan from before, probably feeling that he had crossed a line with his request. He looked nervously in Zhuang Yiyun’s direction.

“Alright, I’ll try my best.” Zhuang Yiyun readily agreed, pushing aside all his previous thoughts about maintaining his distance.

They reached a consensus, and Zhuang Yiyun felt at ease while Yan Yan was quite satisfied. He even thought this person was easy to navigate. If it weren’t for the wig confining his soul, he might have lifted a tail and soared into the sky.

In the short month they had known each other, they had never been so close and harmonious. Yan Yan took care of the ailing Zhuang Yiyun with great care, bringing over the entire set of maternal care.

Yan Yan was a good cook, mainly because his parents hadn’t organized family trips much in recent years. Instead, they shifted to a mode of traveling as a couple. Being left alone at home, Yan Yan tried cooking as an alternative to ordering takeout. He had a talent for it and quickly mastered the art. Feeling accomplished and taking care of his five internal organs, he killed two birds with one stone, accumulating a repertoire of dishes over the years.

Yesterday’s cold dishes had already surprised Zhuang Yiyun. Today, the simple rice congee was unusually fragrant. After taking another nap, he woke up to the aroma of a hot dish, and felt his stomach rumbling with hunger.

He got up and walked to the living room, where he saw Yan Yan bustling around in an apron. His stood straight, the arc of his back beautifully shaped. Yan Yan’s loungewear pants were wide-legged, contrasting strongly with the tightly cinched waist of the apron. This highlighted his lean waist and hip curve. As he reached for the salt shaker, a stretch of snowy white wrist was exposed, the curvature incredibly appealing.

Zhuang Yiyun was momentarily stunned. He had never witnessed such a scene. A young man in his kitchen, with an apron around him and cooking for him—it looked so… appealing. Realizing that he had been staring at Yan Yan’s waist, he immediately averted his eyes.

Yan Yan heard the footsteps behind him but didn’t turn around. The clothes he was wearing were specifically purchased—a gentle, light khaki and a touch of pine green that complimented each other. The cardigan neckline wasn’t too high or too low, just enough to reveal a hint of clavicle and a bit of chest. His pants flowed, and the fabric piled at his feet, exuding gentleness and vitality. When he tied on the apron, his slender waist became particularly striking from the back, and from the front… in front was the pair of pure black apron straps draped over his collarbones.

He had intentionally dressed this way for Zhuang Yiyun. If he finished cooking and Zhuang Yiyun hadn’t awakened yet, he would call him up while still wearing the apron. Fortunately, he woke up by himself and saved him the trouble. With his back turned, Yan Yan’s lips curled slightly.

Yan Yan heard the footsteps come nearer and he turned his head, revealing a wide smile. “Gege, you’re awake. The food is almost ready.”

After saying this, h turned back and deftly put the vegetables on the plate.

“Do you like seaweed? I’ll make a seaweed and egg drop soup to go along with it.”

“Yes.”

“Great.” Yan Yan acknowledged, then began searching for the seaweed. “Did I not take out the seaweed?”

As he spoke to himself, he opened the high cupboard and tried to reach it but couldn’t. He had purposely placed the seaweed in the highest, most inner spot, just for this moment.

Seeing that Yan Yan couldn’t even reach it by tiptoeing, Zhuang Yiyun stepped forward and extended his hand to help him get the ingredients.

Their distance was extremely close; Zhuang Yiyun’s front almost brushed against Yan Yan’s back. Their body temperatures instantly mingled, and the scent of smoke and Yan Yan’s fragrance filled his nostrils. Yan Yan was still groping and their hands collided.

Startled, the young man withdrew his hand, spun around, and bumped right into Zhuang Yiyun’s embrace.

Now their body temperatures were fully immersed, and both stood rooted in place. Zhuang Yiyun had never been in such close contact with someone. Yan Yan, on the other hand, hadn’t expected the impact of this moment to be so intense. When he retracted his hand, it inadvertently brushed against Zhuang Yiyun’s chest, grazing the pectoral muscle through his clothes. This was more thrilling than when he had directly touched the male dancer.

His fingertips tingled. It was as if the man was electric; even a slight touch was overwhelming.

With the two of them at this proximity, all he had to do was lift his head to kiss. He lowered his head instead, afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist planting a kiss.

Yan Yan’s heart was racing a bit fast, his ears trembling lightly. He caught a whiff of Zhuang Yiyun’s scent—it wasn’t the faint scent of disinfectant from before. First, there was the fragrance of osmanthus white tea, his(Yan Yan’s) recent cologne. Then came the refreshing scent of bergamot, Zhuang Yiyun’s shower gel. The scents mingled, as if they had just experienced something…

“Ahem, I scared you, my apologies.” Seeing Yan Yan retract his hand and bow his head, Zhuang Yiyun suddenly came back to his senses and quickly stepped back, placing the seaweed cake he had taken down into the bowl beside Yan Yan.

Yan Yan lightly shook his head, finally raising his gaze to look at him. In a step’s distance, their gazes met, and in Zhuang Yiyun’s eyes, all he could see was those surprised and bashful eyes, along with those cheeks that resembled June peaches.

Yan Yan quickly averted his gaze and resumed his cooking. He had to make an effort to hide the desire in his eyes.

Zhuang Yiyun looked at the composed Yan Yan and experienced a moment of fluster.

The movements of Yan Yan’s hands helped steady his emotions. In his hands, the act of cooking became an art once again. First, he heated the pan until dry, not adding water or oil, and toasted the seaweed cake until it released its fragrance. After taking it out, he broke it into pieces and added the chopped green onions to the bowl. Then he prepared the egg drop soup, ensuring the egg was evenly distributed and the hot broth was poured into the bowl. This resulted in a delicious seaweed and egg drop soup.

Zhuang Yiyun found his eyes unconsciously captivated by Yan Yan’s cooking. He suddenly realized that every time they met, he saw something unexpected in Yan Yan, something he had never before understood or felt.

They served the dishes and rice together, and after consuming the delicious, warm meal, Zhuang Yiyun felt that his illness had completely dissipated.

Yan Yan prepared fruit after eating, washing and arranging it on a plate. It was a diverse array, with harmonious colors, but there were no apples.

This reminded Zhuang Yiyun of the apples from yesterday.

“The apples…I didn’t get to eat the apples from yesterday.”

“Christmas apples are too expensive, I had only bought two for carving. Gege, if you want to eat, you’ll have to wait and buy them later.”

Of course Yan Yan could afford a few apples. He just wanted Zhuang Yiyun to remember the carefully carved little Christmas trees. Unless something unexpected happened, he won’t be able to eat apples not just today, but for the next month or so.

On hearing his words, Zhuang Yiyun thought of another point. Yan Yan had only used the card he gave him once, and it was a sofa for him. The ingredients filling the cabinets and refrigerator hadn’t been there before. In other words, everything he had eaten and drunk from yesterday till today, Yan Yan had paid for with his own money.

In simpler terms, Yan Yan had bought everything he consumed from yesterday until today.

So what if he gave his card? He was actually living off a college student!

Author’s Note:

A solemn declaration: Dr. Zhuang not only lives off others, but also sleeps in someone else’s bed and wraps his arm around someone else’s waist. Is there anything he’s not taking advantage of? No!

Dr. Zhuang: What nonsense are you spouting! This is my home!