Chapter 2: The Fog of the Past — “I don’t have athlete’s foot!”
Seeing the stranger at his door, Shen Yunqian subconsciously tightened his grip on his bag strap.
The instinct for self-preservation made him want to retreat, and he froze in place.
He was less than five meters from the stairwell. The elevator had a delay, and this was the third floor; if he needed to run, the stairs were obviously the better choice.
“You’re back.” Lu Xunye stepped forward, smiling warmly. “Looks like fate is on our side. I just got here and was about to knock when you showed up.”
Xiao Ai: 【Bullsh*t.】
Shen Yunqian slowly backed away, pursing his lips tightly as he eyed him warily.
Lu Xunye noticed the hostility. He scratched his head, realizing the situation, and explained, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m your neighbor, remember?”
Neighbor? Shen Yunqian tried to find a trace of that day’s appearance in this aggressively handsome man.
He obviously failed. “How can you prove it?”
“How to prove it? Is a key enough? I can take you to my place to check.” Lu Xunye stuck his hand in his pocket, pretending to fish for his keys.
The next moment, an awkward expression floated onto his face. “I forgot them.”
Shen Yunqian: “…”
Lu Xunye: “It’s fine, I can unlock it with my fingerprint too.”
Xiao Ai asked in Lu Xunye’s mind: 【Didn’t you bring them? They’re right in your right pants pocket.】
“What does a broken little system like you know?” Lu Xunye retorted mentally.
After snapping at the system, Lu Xunye felt much better. Seeing Shen Yunqian looking at him like a thief, he quickly added, “Or you can check my ID?”
He spoke effortlessly, but inside he was frantically screaming at Xiao Ai: “Quick, quick, quick! Get me an ID card. If the Protagonist Shou gets a bad impression of me, your capture plan is toast.”
Xiao Ai replied honestly: 【You knocked on his door so sloppily that day and abruptly asked to borrow his bathroom; the Protagonist Shou already has a terrible impression of you. It can’t get much worse.】
Something seemed to appear out of thin air in his pocket. Lu Xunye reached in and, sure enough, found an ID card.
He showed it to the young man. “See? I didn’t lie to you.”
The person next door was indeed named this. Shen Yunqian breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you need something?”
“Come, come, let’s talk as we walk.” Lu Xunye reached out to take the heavy drawing board hanging from the other’s shoulder. “Let me help you. Is it heavy? It looks pretty heavy.”
Shen Yunqian froze, then immediately sped up to avoid his touch. “No need, I’ll do it myself.”
Lu Xunye froze. He hadn’t expected his usually foolproof method to fail. A stronger interest rose in his eyes, and he chased after him.
When the door opened, Lu Xunye lifted a bag of groceries, his tall frame blocking the doorway. In stark contrast to his physique was his act of a rash yet shy personality and a hesitant expression.
Shen Yunqian watched the other man’s ears turn red under his gaze. “Is there something else?”
“I didn’t bring my keys. Can I wait at your place until property management comes?” Lu Xunye lifted the items in his hand. “My cooking isn’t bad. Do you want to try some? I happen to be a bit hungry.”
Shen Yunqian: “Didn’t you have a fingerprint?”
Under his gaze, Lu Xunye pressed his finger against the smart sensor. The square screen displayed “Fingerprint Authorization Expired.” He quickly looked back at Shen Yunqian and said pitifully,
“The authorization expired.”
“…” Shen Yunqian had the inexplicable feeling that the other man wasn’t actually upset.
Looking again, Lu Xunye looked heartbroken. Shen Yunqian pondered: Was I seeing things?
“May I?” Lu Xunye asked cautiously.
Shen Yunqian stared at the fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs in his hand for a moment, then gave a small nod.
Entering the room, Lu Xunye stood on the carpet, watching Shen Yunqian bend down to change his shoes. He scanned the shoe rack but didn’t see any spare slippers.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pink sticky note on the door. Drawn on it was a chibi-style boy with starry eyes wearing black glasses.
Lu Xunye glanced at himself, amused. “Hey, neighbor. Why do I feel like this looks a bit like me? Did you draw it?”
Shen Yunqian’s tone was flat and rippleless. “It doesn’t.”
Watching Shen Yunqian walk inside as if no one else was there, Lu Xunye spoke up to remind him, pointing at his own shoes. “Um, what about… what about me?”
Shen Yunqian stopped, turned to look at him, and his gaze lingered on his shoes. After thinking for a few seconds, he said, “You don’t need to change shoes.”
Catching his drift, Lu Xunye’s mouth twitched as he defended himself, “I don’t have athlete’s foot!”
Shen Yunqian looked at him with surprise and said softly, “Oh.”
With that, he carried his drawing board into the studio. Lu Xunye found it hard to explain himself; after hesitating, he took off his shoes anyway and stepped onto the clean, cold floor in his socks.
He followed the other man to the studio. Unlike the tidy environment outside, the inside was truly a “whole different world.”
Sketches littered the floor, paint was splattered across the walls, and crumpled paper balls, various markers, and drawing tools occupied every corner of the room as if fighting for territory.
Lu Xunye’s lips parted slightly, and he happened to make eye contact with Shen Yunqian, who was setting down his drawing board.
Shen Yunqian’s fingers, hanging by his side, curled slightly as he stared at him.
As their eyes met, Lu Xunye shivered. He quickly hid his surprise and broke the silence first. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know where your kitchen was, so I just walked in.”
His response was the door being slammed shut with a “Bang!”
Lu Xunye, having had the door slammed in his face for the second time, stood outside alone in all his glory, holding a big bag of groceries.
He set the items down by the wall and bit his fingernail in thought: Did I offend him? Because I took off my shoes and came in? Or was he embarrassed that I saw his messy studio?
But he doesn’t look like the shy type.
Lu Xunye’s hand hovered in mid-air, paused, then knocked. “Are you okay? Alright, I admit I shouldn’t have taken off my shoes, and I shouldn’t have come in without your permission.”
“Don’t be mad… Can I apologize?”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
No matter what he said, there was no movement from inside.
Lu Xunye remained patient. “How about this? You must be hungry. I’ll go make you something to eat. You can eat first and then decide if you want to forgive me, okay?”
Shen Yunqian curled himself into a ball in the corner. He buried his face in his arms, revealing only his eyes, quietly staring at the drawing board on the floor, a tinge of red floating at the corners of his eyes.
The rambling voice outside stopped. After an unknown amount of time, when the curtains could no longer let in a single ray of light, the sun outside the window had set.
The room was pitch black. Shen Yunqian was dozing off. Just as he fell asleep on his legs, sounds from outside drifted in along with a faint aroma.
Lu Xunye knocked gently. “Are you still listening? I made dinner. You should come out and eat a little bit, at least.”
“You probably didn’t eat well while out sketching. It’s been a whole day; aren’t you hungry?”
Shen Yunqian’s stomach growled right on cue. Even knowing the other person couldn’t see him, he still hid his face, burying it in his knees.
Just then, Lu Xunye’s voice came through: “I like your paintings. I came today to ask for your advice. If you keep staying in there, aren’t you afraid I might be a thief?”
Shen Yunqian picked up a crumpled ball of paper by his feet and thought silently: He likes… my paintings… does he like them?
Even if he was asleep, he should have woken up with all this noise. Could he be sick? Did he have an episode?!
Lu Xunye sensed something was wrong and knocked hard. “Do you live alone? Are you conscious? I’m going to contact your family. If you don’t open the door, I’m breaking it down!”
As soon as the words fell, the door panel was slammed violently, shaking the frame. Lu Xunye broke in, shined his phone flashlight around, and turned on the lights.
Instantly, the dark room became as bright as day. Lu Xunye immediately saw the person curled up into a tiny ball in the corner, the soft top of his head facing him.
Drawing boards were piled under the table. He walked over, his arm accidentally knocking over something on the desk with a “thud.” He set it back upright; it was a picture frame. The photo showed five people, and tucked between the photo and the glass was a small picture of a little boy.
He didn’t look closely. Turning back, he discovered the Protagonist Shou’s shoulders were trembling slightly.
He was scared.
Realizing this, Lu Xunye felt a bit helpless.
He squatted down, raising a hand to hover near Shen Yunqian’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”
“Shall I take you out?” Lu Xunye intuitively felt that staying here wasn’t good for the Protagonist Shou.
He stood up, grasped Shen Yunqian’s wrist, observed his condition, and slowly pulled him upward. “Let’s go out and eat, okay?”
Strangely, Shen Yunqian only flinched at the beginning, then obediently followed him out of the studio.
“Let’s eat first.” Lu Xunye tactfully didn’t ask further questions, pushing the bowls, chopsticks, and dishes toward the opposite side of the dining table.
Braised pork, teriyaki chicken legs, braised potatoes with green beans, and tomato egg drop soup. Despite being delicious-looking home-cooked dishes, Lu Xunye had no appetite at all.
He watched Shen Yunqian shovel rice into his mouth bite by bite. He took a clean pair of chopsticks from the side and placed some food into his bowl, one dish after another.
However much food Lu Xunye added, Shen Yunqian ate.
He ate like a cat. Lu Xunye watched until his temples throbbed. “Is it good?”
Shen Yunqian’s hand shook slightly. He paused, then nodded.
Lu Xunye smiled, resting his face in his hands, and joked, “If it’s good, finish it all, okay?”
The chopsticks bringing rice to Shen Yunqian’s mouth paused imperceptibly. Although he didn’t speak, his eating speed clearly increased, and he no longer needed Lu Xunye to serve him.
Watching him, Lu Xunye felt a sense of relief, but that feeling didn’t last long before turning into worry.
Shen Yunqian shoveled rice into his mouth. When the rice in the bowl was finished, he continued to pick at the dishes.
When Lu Xunye served the rice, he had thought Shen Yunqian definitely wouldn’t finish it.
The young man had a slender build. Although he was tall, there wasn’t much meat on his bones.
Logically, he shouldn’t be able to eat that much. The portions Lu Xunye made were large enough for four people.
Seeing him continue to eat, Lu Xunye couldn’t help but stop him, afraid he would vomit. “Stop eating.”
Shen Yunqian put down his chopsticks and looked at him in confusion. Lu Xunye handed him a tissue and explained, “It’s late. Eating too much causes indigestion.”
Shen Yunqian took the tissue. “Thank you… I’ll wash the dishes.”
He reached out to take the used bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash.
“I’ll do it.” Lu Xunye grabbed his wrist. The moment they made contact, Shen Yunqian flung his arm away, and the white porcelain bowl slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor.
“I’m sorry.” Shen Yunqian rubbed the wrist that had been touched and apologized to Lu Xunye instead.
For some reason, Lu Xunye felt as if an ant had pinched his heart, making him uncomfortable. “You don’t need to apologize to me. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Only then did Lu Xunye realize the other person seemed to be dressed a bit too heavily. Shen Yunqian had locked himself in the studio and hadn’t had time to change, so he was still wearing the clothes he came back in.
It was clearly the height of summer, yet he was wearing long sleeves.
To verify his guess, Lu Xunye quickly grabbed his hand and pulled up the sleeve with his other hand. On the pale arm, there were stark blue and red finger marks.
“This…” Lu Xunye was in disbelief. He looked at his own hand and asked tentatively, “Did I do that?”
He asked, but he knew perfectly well it was someone else.
“Not you.” Shen Yunqian jerked his hand back and pulled down his sleeve. “It’s getting late. You should go back.”
Shen Yunqian seemed to have returned to normal. He pushed and shoved Lu Xunye out the door.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Lu Xunye didn’t know what he had done wrong.
He tried to salvage the situation. “Let me apply some medicine for you. It heals slowly without it. How can you paint with an injured hand?”
This sentence seemed to sting Shen Yunqian’s nerves. His tone turned cold and harsh: “None of your business.”
Lu Xunye grabbed the doorframe, wanting to struggle, but he saw the heavy door slamming toward him. He pulled his hand back just in time, and then he was shut out again.
“…”
Ding went his brain, and Xiao Ai came online: 【Uh-oh. Third time.】
Lu Xunye: “…”
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