Chapter 10

Since the topic had already been brought up, Xu Er felt there was no point in holding back any longer.

He nodded toward Song Ruichi. “Yes, he really likes you. He knew about you a long, long time ago—a little idol.”

Song Ruichi asked, “How long ago?”

Xu Er thought seriously for a moment.

When did Xu Chen first mention Song Ruichi?

“About,” Xu Er estimated roughly, “two years ago.”

Song Ruichi said, “So you’ve known me for quite a while too?”

Xu Er nodded. “Yeah.”

Song Ruichi’s hand suddenly paused. He looked up at Xu Er.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Er asked.

Song Ruichi replied, “When you asked for my WeChat, you already knew who I was, right?”

Xu Er made a small sound, “Yes.”

Song Ruichi continued, “What about this morning? When we watched the sunrise?”

Xu Er said, “Not then.”

Song Ruichi frowned slightly, not sure why, and glanced at Xu Er, then at the flowers Xu Er had given him on the table.

Then he asked, “Does your brother know about us?”

Xu Er nodded. “He does. He’s actually pretty happy.”

Song Ruichi lowered his head and smiled quietly, resuming what he was doing.

Whatever coffee beans he was using, the aroma was especially fragrant.

At that moment, the scene before Xu Er’s eyes could be framed perfectly, even fit to be broadcast as a commercial on TV.

What kind of commercial? It didn’t matter. It could be for coffee, clothing, hands—anything. No need to advertise a specific product; just showing the moment would be enough.

To avoid seeming too deliberate, Xu Er stayed quiet for a few minutes.

After a while, he said, “My brother wants your autograph photo.”

Song Ruichi smiled. “I don’t have any autograph photos.”

Xu Er stretched out his hand, making a frame shape and mimicking a camera, leaning backward a bit. “We’ll do it right here: snap, print, sign.”

Song Ruichi played along, holding up a coffee cup within Xu Er’s imaginary frame, standing properly and smiling into Xu Er’s eyes. After a moment’s pause, he picked up an imaginary pen and signed an invisible autograph within the frame.

This silent, imaginary performance made Xu Er laugh outright.

The coffee aroma grew stronger. Xu Er leaned in slightly. “Is this ready?”

Song Ruichi handed him the first cup. “Yes. Do you want sugar?”

Xu Er shook his head. “No sugar.”

Song Ruichi said, “Good.”

Xu Er tilted his head to look at Song Ruichi. “You don’t put sugar in yours either?”

“No.”

That pleased Xu Er deeply. When Song Ruichi poured out his own cup, Xu Er quickly raised his, clinking it gently against Song Ruichi’s.

Taking a sip, Xu Er nodded emphatically three times. “Delicious, really good.”

Song Ruichi smiled calmly, unruffled.

Xu Er took another sip. “None of my friends understand why I don’t put sugar in my coffee.”

Song Ruichi said, “You’ve met me.”

“Yes,” Xu Er sat up straighter. “I’ve met you.”

Xu Er’s happiness was clear and direct, most obvious in his eyes—the gentle curve of their corners betrayed his mood.

While grinding the coffee beans, Song Ruichi had already turned off the living room light, leaving only a lamp on the bar counter, and had turned on some music.

The atmosphere was perfect now: the music soft and low enough to allow conversation, the lighting gentle enough to see each other clearly. The cat had jumped up on the bar, lying down without causing trouble, its tail swaying from side to side.

“I heard your conversation with your friend this morning during the sunrise,” Xu Er said, unconsciously leaning sideways.

Song Ruichi tidied up the mess on the table. “What did we say?”

Xu Er replied, “Your friend was complaining about you, saying it’s not really a sunrise if you don’t watch it nearby, why go so far?”

Song Ruichi said, “He doesn’t understand.”

Xu Er agreed, “Exactly, he doesn’t understand.”

---

Xu Er then asked, “So why did you go there to see the sunrise?”

Song Ruichi countered, “What about you? Why did you go there to watch the sunrise?”

Xu Er’s mind seemed ready to answer, but his eyes met Song Ruichi’s.

That gaze conveyed a silent understanding, as if everything was said without words.

In that not-so-quiet moment, they shared a smile.

“We seem to be a little alike,” Xu Er said, changing his posture and resting his head on his hand.

Song Ruichi asked, “Only a little?”

Xu Er’s eyes curved again. “Two little, three little, four little, five little.”

He was rambling a bit. Song Ruichi reached out and pinched Xu Er’s cheek.

“Why do you keep pinching me?” Xu Er pressed the pinched flesh back.

Song Ruichi pinched again.

“Do you want me to pinch you?”

Normally, Xu Er would say no.

But his lips replied, “Yes, go ahead.”

Song Ruichi didn’t make much coffee. After finishing one cup, it was about time.

Xu Er was of course very happy just sitting there—with a handsome guy and a cute cat, he could sit like this all day without repeating a single dull moment.

But…

Xu Er had lost count of how many times he had tapped his phone screen. When he finally saw the time—exactly eleven o’clock in his mind—he slowly sat up straight.

“It’s time to go home,” Xu Er said.

Song Ruichi nodded and withdrew his hand from the cat’s head.

Soso, no one was petting him anymore, opened his eyes suddenly but soon closed them again, sleepy.

“I’ll see you home,” Song Ruichi said.

“Okay,” Xu Er replied.

Yesterday morning’s sunrise, Xu Er could never have imagined that the voice he had overheard so casually would belong to the person right beside him now.

Nor could he have imagined that the SUV that had sped past under his eyelids earlier was the one he was now riding in as a passenger.

What a strange twist of fate.

The playlist in Song Ruichi’s car was the same as at home, with a faint fragrance lingering in the air. It was already a quiet night, and the relaxed atmosphere from the bar seemed to have followed them inside.

The only downside was that their homes weren’t far apart; after only three songs, Xu Er had already arrived.

Seeing the gate of his neighborhood, a feeling called melancholy welled up inside him.

Before he could analyze this feeling properly, Song Ruichi’s car drove past the gate and stopped at a parking spot nearby.

Xu Er guessed, “You’re going to drop me off at the gate?”

“You sound so surprised,” Song Ruichi unfastened his seatbelt. “Not going to?”

“Of course I am,” Xu Er said. “I’m just expressing my surprise.”

With that, Song Ruichi turned off the engine.

He moved quickly to unbuckle his own belt. Xu Er did the same. “What if I said no?”

“I’d insist on seeing you home.”

Xu Er laughed. “Okay, okay.”

No one had ever accompanied Xu Er all the way to his doorstep before.

But if it was Song Ruichi, Xu Er could understand.

Because they were alike; whatever they wanted to do, they did without hesitation.

Halfway there, Song Ruichi mentioned Xu Chen.

“Your brother,” he thought for a moment, “maybe forget the autograph photo—it’s kind of awkward.”

Xu Er suppressed a smile. “You insist?”

Song Ruichi turned to look at Xu Er, suddenly pulling him into an embrace and pinching his cheek from the other side.

Xu Er laughed out loud, slipping out from under Song Ruichi’s arms.

“That hurts,” Xu Er said.

---

Song Ruichi pressed his palm gently against the pinched spot.

“Let’s find a time to invite your brother out for a meal,” Song Ruichi said.

Xu Er raised an eyebrow.

Sounds good, sounds very good.

Xu Er teased a little more. “What about the autograph photo?”

“Really want it?”

Xu Er nodded eagerly.

Song Ruichi sighed. “Mr. Xu speaks. How can I refuse?”

“Two photos, then. Mr. Xu wants some too.”

“All right, all right.”

Xu Er’s steps grew lighter.

“So happy?”

“Of course.”

“Are you happier because of the autograph photos, or because you teased me?”

“Both,” Xu Er thought for a moment. “But teasing you makes me a bit happier.”

Song Ruichi said, “Mr. Xu knows just how to handle people.”

Xu Er never thought he had that skill and grinned even wider. “Am I handling you?”

“You tell me.”

Just a few meters from Xu Er’s building, he was about to point the way but suddenly remembered they had been here before, and with his slightly intoxicated state, he kept quiet.

Sure enough, Song Ruichi, very familiar with the route, followed him into the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed and the numbers slowly rose, the low feeling from the car returned to Xu Er’s mind.

It was strange. So this was what it felt like to quickly enter a cherished friendship—so addictive and hard to let go.

What would happen if Xu Er now told Song Ruichi to come to his place and sleep over?

Crazy, right?

Xu Er smiled quietly to himself.

Suddenly, he felt Song Ruichi’s hand touch his.

Startled, Xu Er pulled back slightly, thinking they were standing too close, and slipped his hand into his jacket pocket.

At the door to his apartment, Xu Er recalled Song Ruichi mentioning that he had forgotten his door code because he’d been drinking.

“I had given the code to a colleague before, to help me get something,” Xu Er said, entering the numbers. “But I changed it later.”

After opening the door, Xu Er turned around. “All right, thank you, Mr. Song, for seeing me home.”

“You’re welcome,” Song Ruichi said.

Xu Er gave him a friendly smile. “Good night, then.”

As his voice faded, the voice-activated lights went out.

Suddenly, a memory not belonging to his waking moments rushed into Xu Er’s mind.

The same corridor, the same lighting, the same way he was looking at Song Ruichi.

But the details were blurry, the image unclear.

“Good night,” Song Ruichi said as well.

But after speaking, he didn’t leave. The two of them stared at each other in the dark.

Then Xu Er’s wrist was grasped.

Song Ruichi took a step closer, standing right in front of him.

Standing closer, Xu Er lifted his head a little, meeting Song Ruichi’s gaze, which shifted downward slowly.

Song Ruichi tilted his head slightly and lowered it.

Xu Er followed suit, not knowing exactly what Song Ruichi was looking at, but his eyes followed the same direction.

“What is it?” Xu Er asked.