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He Xuan’s apartment was finally quiet. There wasn’t any mind-numbing pop music blaring in the living room or a piercing, whining voice yelling at him to read aloud while dinner was being made. No one was humming in his ears in the afternoon or moving his furniture around to make things “more pretty”. It was pure, blissful silence. He Xuan hated it.
He hated it so much that dragged himself out to a bar to distract from the unsettling emptiness that filled his dark rooms. He was growing to regret this as the night drew on however. He’d much rather find a bucket of fried chicken to scarf down in his car instead of staying propped up at the bar, cradling his third mug of beer. The idea of it seemed tempting but then he remembered the choking silence on the drive over and sank further into his seat.
The noisiness here wasn’t the same but anything was better than nothing at the moment, even the nonstop babble of his rather annoying friend, Hua Cheng. What was he even saying? Something about his precious fiance probably. Xie Lian was always on his mind but when he got five beers in, his fiance was also the only thing on the tip of his tongue.
He Xuan shifted over and, in an attempt to pull his mind out of his misery, began to listen to this one-sided conversation.
“I mean I love his fashion sense,” Hua Cheng was saying, his words slightly slurred. “Especially when he wears that long sleeved sweater because it looks adorable on him, but I when he wore those leather pants during that one week in March?” He was practically drooling at the memory. He Xuan didn’t have to think back to remember. Hua Cheng blowing up his phone in a horny panic was unfortunately engraved in his memory forever. “I’d love to see that again but Gege doesn’t like it when I buy him new clothes.” He pouted.
“Probably because he’s gained weight.” He Xuan interrupted before swallowing another mouthful of beer. There was silence and for a moment, He Xuan thought he offended Hua Cheng but when he glanced in his direction he saw confusion smeared on his face.
“Huh?” Hua Cheng’s brows furrowed together.
“What do you mean ‘huh’?” He Xuan snorted. “He’s put on a bunch of weight since you two started dating. Probably because you won’t stop cooking for him.”
He rubbed his forehead with a sigh. He Xuan usually doesn’t talk this much but everything felt easier with alcohol and Hua Cheng rambling about Xie Lian was better than him pressing about the lack of Shi Qingxian on his arm.
“I don’t know what that has to do with anything.” Hua Cheng muttered.
“He’s insecure so you won’t see him in skin tight leather pants any time soon.”
“Gege’s never insecure.” The words slipped from his lips like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“If you say so.” He Xuan mumbled. Hua Cheng opened his mouth to argue but a new voice cut off their conversation.
“San Lang!” They turned to see Xie Lian shuffling up to them.
“Gege!” Hua Cheng cheered, sliding off his stool and stumbling towards his fiance. He Xuan sighed and followed the lovestruck man.
“I take it you’re here to take us home.”
Xie Lian managed to peek out from Hua Cheng’s intense snuggling to nod.
“Yin Yu has the car out front.” He Xuan nodded and the three left the bar. Climbing in, Yin Yu started the slow drive back to their respective apartments.
The only sound in the car was Hua Cheng humming and shuffling as he squeezed Xie Lian in his arms. Other than that, it was the dreaded silence that He Xuan had been trying to avoid all day. He couldn’t imagine what his apartment would be like at night and frankly he didn’t want to find out but ever since their fight Shi Qingxuan hadn’t called or texted him.
He Xuan ran a hand down his tired face. Despite being what felt like polar opposites, the two never really had any major fights. Shi Qingxuan would be obnoxious, He Xuan would tell her to shut up and she would laugh it off and the world would keep spinning. This morning turned into a screaming match that ended with Shi Qingxuan storming out and ignoring him. All because he didn’t want her to move into his apartment.
“Have you spoken to Shi Qingxuan?” Xie Lian suddenly asked. He Xuan inwardly winced. He managed to avoid talking about this all day. Hua Cheng had picked up on his sour mood when they met up at the bar and thankfully didn’t ask. He must’ve surely known it was about his relationship since He Xuan didn’t choose some greasy fast food place to bury his sorrows. Xie Lian wasn’t Hua Cheng though. If he saw someone looking down, he’ll take it upon himself to jump in and try to help.
“Why would I?” He Xuan grunted. Even saying that felt wrong in the pit of his stomach but he pushed it down. Shi Qingxuan always bounces back. It’ll be fine.
“She seemed upset.” Xie Lian softly said as Hua Cheng pulled him into his lap to hold him tighter. “She didn’t say what about. Just that you two had a fight.”
“Yeah.” Was all He Xuan said. Xie Lian waited for him to say more but when He Xuan kept his jaw clenched, he sighed.
“Well, I know it must’ve been bad but maybe, now that some time has passed, you two can come together and talk about it.”
“No.” Xie Lian raised an eyebrow at that. “She’ll get over it.”
“She’ll get over it?”
“Yes.” He Xuan turned to glare out the window when he saw Hua Cheng nibbling at Xie Lian’s earlobe. Unfortunately, he still had peripheral vision, unlike that one-eyed bastard.
“Even if she puts this behind her, it’s still best to talk about this with her so that you two can avoid this problem in the future.” He said, ignoring his fiance’s hand sliding up under his loose white sweater.
“I plan on it…when she calms down.”
“He Xuan.” Xie Lian sighs. He Xuan turned to glare at Xie Lian.
“What? I’m being logical! I’m the one that always has to think things through while she just goes from one thing to the next. She’ll get over the fight. She’ll calm down. After she’s done being emotional, then we’ll talk things through.”
“Logic and emotions aren’t two separate things, He Xuan.” Xie Lian softly said as Hua Cheng buried himself deeper into his shoulder. “If that were true, neither of you would be in a relationship.”
“We’re in a relationship because we compliment each other.” He Xuan grumbled. “Even though we had a fight, I can still admit that because I’m logical. I see that those two things are best together so we are together.”
Xie Lian shook his head and He Xuan let out an annoyed huff.
“She is logical and emotional. You are logical and emotional. You both simply express them in different ways and I bet that the argument came about because you both wanted the other to see your respective point of views.”
He Xuan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. What did he know about any of this? He had the perfect little relationship. He didn’t have to worry about learning the names of all her friends. He didn’t have to think of a clever compliment regarding her outfits every time they met up. He didn’t have to spend multiple hours learning how to do different hairstyles so that they could match. He didn’t have to memorize her favorite snacks so that he could order it on the side whenever he stopped for food because she would insist she wasn’t hungry but then would try to eat some of his food.
He Xuan squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. Technically he didn’t need to do those things either but he was just taking the logical path to keeping both of them satisfied in this relationship. Nothing more!
“She expects too much from me.” He Xuan mumbled. “I can’t…I can’t give more.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” He Xuan clenched his fists and glared at the back of the seat. “It sounds like Shi Qingxuan is after something more romantic and passionate and you’re scared because you don’t know if you even have that in you.” He flinched when he felt Xie Lian’s hand brush his shoulder. He looked at him again.
“It’s not that simple.” His voice low with exhaustion.
“Sometimes it is that simple and that’s what makes it especially unnerving.” Xie Lian gave him a soft smile. “It’ll be okay. You just need to be a little brave and put your trust into Shi Qingxuan. I know you love her. Let yourself be loved.”
He Xuan couldn’t help but stare for a moment. Where did Xie Lian even learn all of this? He hated therapy! He spent most of his time squirreled away in Hua Cheng’s apartment, munching on junk food and watching cheesy k-dramas…maybe he learned it from the k-dramas.
“And if she doesn’t want me?” He Xuan’s voice barely came out.
“She’ll want you.”
“What if she doesn’t?”
“If she doesn’t then you still deserve to be loved.”
He Xuan let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded.
“Fine.” He Xuan muttered. “Fine. I’ll give it a shot. I’ll be passionate, romantic, emotional, blah blah blah. It won’t do much but I’ll try.”
“That’s the spirit, He Xuan!” Xie Lian softly cheered. “I promise it’ll all work out–EEP!” Xie Lian squealed and spun in Hua Cheng’s tight embrace.
“Mmm? Gege?” Hua Cheng chuckled against Xie Lian’s neck.
“Don’t squeeze my love handles.” Xie Lian hissed, trying to push his fiance’s hands out from under his sweater. Hua Cheng pulled him in tighter.
“You’re so sexy though.” Hua Cheng hummed, flipping Xie Lian over so that he was on his back in his lap. He leaned over him with a cheshire cat smile. “My lovely Gege wants something, doesn’t he?”
He Xuan couldn’t see Xie Lian’s face but he could hear him mumble something. Hua Cheng immediately pulled himself out from under Xie Lian and balanced onto all fours on the seat, trapping Xie Lian between his arms and legs.
“You’re my chubby hubby though.” Hua Cheng purred.
“Ah, San Lang!” Xie Lian squeaked, covering his face. “You’re drunk. Don’t call me chubby or hubby.” He said, slightly sitting up with a pout. Even saying that, Xie Lian gently nudged his knee up between his legs. Hua Cheng dove down and caught Xie Lian’s mouth in his own. The two immediately began giggling in delight.
Thankfully, the car pulled up to He Xuan’s apartment saving him from having to be subjected to their sloppy make-out session. He cast as much of a sympathetic expression as he could muster to the ever stoic Yinyu and scrambled out of the car.
***
“He Xuan?”
He Xuan looked up to see the hairdresser smiling at him. He gave a stiff nod and stood up to follow her to the styling chair. Once he sat down, she wrapped him in a barber cape and began to study his hair.
“So you booked out a large window for a color appointment. What color are we thinking of today?” Her voice was cheerful and she flashed him a sunny smile in the mirror. He Xuan couldn’t bring himself to return the sentiment. His stomach was twisting and begging him to leave and think of a different solution but he ignored his gut and remained seated.
“Pink.” He mumbled.
The hairdresser stared as if he grew a second head.
“Hot pink.” The color of Shi Qingxuan’s favorite shoes. The hairdresser quickly shook her head to shake herself out of her shock and quickly nodded.
“A bold choice that I think will look absolutely stunning on you!” She preemptively complimented. He Xuan was sure that she was just hoping he wouldn’t come to his senses and walk out without paying. No man with a face as sullen as his would look “absolutely stunning” with hot pink hair but he had to do what he had to do.
He Xuan let out a sigh through his nose as she began to work on his hair. He spent last night restless on his couch because he couldn’t face his noiseless bedroom. Xie Lian’s words floated through his head and, as much as he tried to catch his thoughts and stuff them into a box, he knew that Xie Lian was right. He remembered how desperate Shi Qingxuan seemed towards the end of their argument. She was practically begging to be let in and He Xuan remained firm in that his apartment was his space and his alone. The more he thought about it, the more he came to see that she was probably referring to more than just the apartment.
He squeezed his eyes shut as he recalled her heart broken expression when he firmly put his foot down. Miscommunication. That’s all this was. Surely she had to know that she was always welcome in his life. She had to know that she was always with him. Why didn’t she just make herself clear that that’s what she wanted? She had never been shy to express her wants in the past. Even as he had thought of that, he heard Xie Lian’s patient voice saying, “You two express things differently.” Perhaps she was trying to reach out to him in a way he could understand but he just didn’t catch on, or maybe he heard what she was truly saying and quickly shut it down to save himself from future pain.
He had grabbed his phone and sent her a text wanting to speak. He knew it was late and they hadn’t spoken all day but he wanted the tightness in his chest to loosen and the oppressive silence in his apartment to end. Her reply was immediate, “Not right now, He Xuan. I’m still upset.” He could recall how his heart fell when reading it. It didn’t feel like his Shi Qingxuan. There wasn’t anything in all caps. There weren’t any annoyingly cute cat pictures or emojis. And there was the dreaded punctuation. No. He couldn’t do this.
Just going with his heart was challenging when he didn’t know what that meant for their relationship but ignoring his heart led him to the situation he was in now. He found himself staring at the front page of a tattoo shop’s website with a beating heart. Hua Cheng got that tattoo of Xie Lian’s name on his arm and Xie Lian wouldn’t stop blubbering over it for a week. Would Shi Qingxuan like that? Probably not. As a matter of fact she’d probably be annoyed that He Xuan copied Hua Cheng of all people for some desperate romantic gesture.
He took a deep breath and actually began to think. He showed his love in subtle gestures. Shi Qingxuan knew that and she would probably want this gesture to actually “come from the heart.” Dying his hair wasn’t exactly subtle but he didn’t have to acknowledge it or justify it, his hair would simply be there, just like his love for her. He opened the local hair stylist’s website and set an appointment. Now he was staring in the mirror trying to squash down the regret that was swiftly rising up his chest.
His hair was pink. Hot pink. His hair was hot pink.
The hairdresser’s expression was growing more and more worried the longer He Xuan stared at himself in the mirror with a heavy frown.
“I think it looks vibrant!” She offered. “Really makes you look lively!”
He Xuan could just cry. He looked like a gaunt corpse wearing a party wig but seeing the hairdresser’s fearful expression, he sighed and gave her a nod.
“This is what I wanted.” He muttered. “This is good.”
“Oh, good! Good!” She said, the relief clear in her voice. “I’ll meet you at the front so that you can pay!” She hopped away while He Xuan stared at himself.
The next step was to get to Shi Qingxuan’s apartment without dissociating or running into anyone he knew.
***
“He Xuan.” He heard Shi Qingxuan sigh into the phone. He was grateful that she was willing to pick up the phone but he wasn’t happy to hear how quiet she sounded. Whenever they had an argument, they would be okay the next day but aside from He Xuan’s text the night before, he hadn’t heard from her. “Look, I’m heading out to see my brother soon so…” His jaw clenched. If she made it to her brother’s house then there would be no reaching out to her. The bastard might even finally convince her to step away from the relationship.
“I need to speak to you.” He said as he walked into the lobby of her luxury apartment building and towards the elevators.
“I know it’s not to apologize and I don’t want to twist your arm into letting me move in with you, okay? I get it.”
“No you don’t get it.” He Xuan impatiently jabbed at the elevator button a few times.
“So what? You want to continue the fight at my place to make sure I get it?” Shi Qingxuan scoffed.
“God damn it you’re so frustrating.” He muttered.
“You’re being mean…” She whispered.
“I just need to explain some things to you.”
“What things do you possibly need to explain to me about this?”
“Some things that got lost in translation, okay?”
“No, not okay. I don’t understand!”
“That’s why I need to speak to you! I need to explain how I feel–about you!” He gasped as the elevator finally dinged in arrival. The other side of the line was quiet. “I’m coming up. Answer the door.”
“Okay…” Shi Qingxuan said, her voice barely audible.
“Good.” He Xuan breathed before hanging up the phone without a good-bye.
He stepped into the elevator, pressed the floor, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His heart was hammering away in his chest. There was the possibility that he would get rejected but the idea of being rejected and being stuck with hot pink hair was truly a nightmare. He was willing to shave himself bald if that were the case. He let out his deep breath when he heard someone step in beside him and the doors closed.
Opening his eyes, he froze. It was Hua Cheng. Fucking hell, it was Hua Cheng.
It had slipped He Xuan’s mind that Hua Cheng lived on the top floor of Shi Qingxuan’s apartment building.
Hua Cheng was currently texting and, from the amount of hearts popping up on the screen, He Xuan could only assume it was Xie Lian. He Xuan tried hard to remain as still as possible. Holding his breath, he silently begged for the elevator to move faster. He didn’t need Hua Cheng’s smart mouth adding to his misery in this situation.
Unfortunately, with only two floors left to go, Hua Cheng looked up from his phone with a satisfied sigh.
He Xuan kept his eyes forward on the reflective doors. They did nothing to hide his predicament but anything was better than looking directly at Hua Cheng.
Hua Cheng’s face twitched into a confused expression when he caught He Xuan’s reflection. It was taking a moment for his mind to comprehend this hot pink situation apparently because he stared for a good while before, all at once, his face broke into a huge smile. He slowly turned towards He Xuan, his breath hitching as laughter bubbled up from him.
“Not. A fucking. Word.” He Xuan snarled as the elevator door opened to Shi Qingxuan’s floor. It seemed Hua Cheng couldn’t even manage a word anyway because he was silently doubled over with tears streaming down his face. He Xuan sped out just as Hua Cheng caught his breath and let out a scream of laughter. He was laughing too hard to catch the door and follow He Xuan out. He Xuan was thankful for those swift doors but god he hated that he could still hear that bastard’s howls and screams as the elevator continued to go up. He knew Hua Cheng would carry Xie Lian out of their apartment just so that he too could see He Xuan’s new hair so that meant he didn’t have much time to convince Shi Qingxuan to let him into her apartment to hide.
He Xuan knocked on Shi Qingxuan’s door. He rubbed at his chest in an attempt to alleviate some of the tightness as he waited for her to open the door. It’ll be okay. Everything will be fine. However, when Shi Qingxuan opened the door, they both froze.
She clapped a hand over her mouth. The only thing escaping her was a shocked squeak as her wide eyes took in He Xuan’s hot pink hairdo.
They stood in silence for a moment too long before He Xuan finally asked to be let in when he heard the sound of the elevator moving again. Shi Qingxuan stepped aside in a daze and He Xuan trudged in and slammed the door behind him. He made sure to lock the door.
“He-xiong…” She breathed around her hand.
“Can we talk or are you just going to stare?” Shi Qingxuan blinked and fixed He Xuan with a mildly annoyed look. “Yes, I know,” He sighed, motioning towards his hair. “ This is part of what I needed to say. Are you listening?”
“Yes.” She said, her eyes still flicking to his hair.
“Okay, This is what I needed to say.” Shi Qingxuan nodded but once again they ended up staring at each other. He Xuan realized he didn’t even make a plan of what to say. He hadn’t wanted to just show up with dyed hair in the hopes that Shi Qingxuan could just take it from there but it seemed like that’s exactly what he had done.
He Xuan dropped his gaze and gritted his teeth. Think of something, you idiot! He could just slap himself.
The two jumped at the sound of loud knocking on the door.
“Shi Qingxuan?” Xie Lian’s soft voice drifted through. “Erm, is everything okay? San Lang wanted me to see something.” They could hear Hua Cheng’s frantic wheezing.
“Gege! Gege!” He laughed. He said something that they couldn’t hear but then Xie Lian’s voice sounded again.
“Uh, He Xuan’s there. San Lang wants me to talk to him?” Shi Qingxuan glanced at He Xuan’s hair then back to the door, but when she moved forward to let them in, He Xuan caught her arm. She let out an annoyed sigh.
“In a minute, Xie Lian.” The two walked to Shi Qingxuan’s bedroom and away from Hua Cheng’s laughing and banging. They sat on the bed and, finally, Shi Qingxuan stopped looking at He Xuan’s hair, choosing to stare at her feet instead.
“I didn’t mean to start a fight.” She whispered. “I just…I just wanted to be closer to you.” He Xuan swallowed, the taste of guilt burning his throat. He didn’t want to make her feel worse.
“I know.” He started. She looked up again. “Look, if we’re just talking about moving into my apartment…I don’t want you to.” He tried to keep his frown from growing deeper when he saw the tears welling in her eyes. “Listen.”
“I am.” She said, her voice wobbling.
“I’d prefer to move into your apartment.” She blinked a few times and wiped her eyes.
“What?”
He Xuan sighed. “If we were to move in together, I’d want to move into your apartment. Logically speaking, there’s more space for your things and my few things. I mean, I only have my books and fish so it’s not like I have much of anything I need to move in any way. You’re the one who takes up space with all of your clothes, shoes and projects. Springing up that you want to move into my small apartment is not how I function and you know that. I need to plan these things out and that’s not bringing up how your brother will blow a gasket over me ‘taking advantage of you and your money’ if I move in with you.” He finally stopped rambling to turn to Shi Qingxuan. She seemed confused but hopeful.
“You really want to move in with me?” She sniffled. He Xuan wiped a hand down his face.
“Yes, I just need time getting myself ready.”
“I never said we had to move in right then and there.”
“Shi Qingxuan.”
“Okay, fine! I did want us to. Sue me!” She huffed. “I assumed, since I had a bunch of my stuff over there already, you wouldn’t mind.”
“I do mind.”
“Clearly…”
“Don’t be all pissy with me. You only brought this up in the hopes that I’d sweep you off your feet and dramatically move you in in a heartbeat.”
“I never expected you to ‘sweep me off my feet’ in our whole relationship, so don’t even get started, He Xuan. I just wanted to know if we could move in together. That’s all”
“It’s not just moving in together and you know that. You wanted me to say certain things, positive things, about our relationship and I didn’t. I said I didn’t want this and that I didn’t want you in my space.” He Xuan frowned as he thought about it but he quickly shook his head and continued. “You just took it the wrong way.”
“ I took it the wrong way?” Shi Qingxuan let out a humorless laugh. “My boyfriend screamed at me that he didn’t want me in his life and I took it the wrong way.” She gave her head an incredulous shake.
“Yes, you did take it the wrong way because I never said that, damn it!” He Xuan snapped back. “The more I thought about it the more I realized that you surely must’ve twisted my words to fit your victim complex!” Shi Qingxuan whipped her head towards him, her eyes blazing with rage.
“I didn’t twist shit, He Xuan! You certainly didn’t say you wanted me in your life either!”
“I’m saying that right now and you still aren’t hearing me!”
“How?” Shi Qingxuan screamed. “You haven’t said a single word related to that other than ‘I’m willing to move in when I’m ready’!”
“My hair is hot fucking pink, Shi Qingxuan!” He Xuan screeched, yanking on his hair. “It’s the same god damn color as your favorite, stupid hot fucking pink, toe crushing, pumps! The same fucking pumps that put fucking holes in my unwelcome mat that you refuse to replace!”
For a second, He Xuan thought he crossed the line by insulting his girlfriend’s shoes. He could see the tears in her eyes as she stared up at him.
“I thought you hated those shoes.” She whispered, a smile was strangely tugging at her lips.
“See! You’re twisting my words again! I do! I hate them! Do you not hear me?”
“You knew that they were pumps though.”
“So? Anyone can know the types of shoes…” He said, looking away.
“But you don’t. You also, uh, dyed your hair the exact color of them.”
“Yes, don’t remind me. I’ll see it again in the mirror tomorrow.” He glanced at her to see a soft smile on her face.
“You also want me to wear them around your apartment.”
“We both agree that shoes shouldn’t be worn indoors.”
“Exactly, and yet, you tell me to keep mine on only when I wear those shoes.” He Xuan quickly looked away when he felt his face heating up.
“They ruin my floors.” He grumbled.
“And you still ask me to keep them on.” Shi Qingxuan replied, a cheesy grin on her face.
“You keep stepping on my feet with them.”
“And you still ask me to keep them on.”
“You’re surprisingly shorter when you’re wearing them. I don’t like that. It looks bad.”
“And you still ask me to keep them on.”
“Can you fucking say anything other than that stupid line over and over?” He Xuan finally snapped. “You’re making it seem like I’m forcing you to do something you don’t like.”
“You’re not.” She said, wrapping her arm around his. “You let me wear my favorite shoes in your space, even though it might annoy you or make you uncomfortable because you love me so much.” She smiled at him and then at his hair. She gave a few hot pink strands a tug. “ I get it now. I heard you.”
“Good. Good.” He grunted, glaring over her shoulder to avoid her sappy expression.
“I love you, He Xuan.” She said softly, giving his hair a gentle pat. He Xuan only hummed. Shi Qingxuan slapped his shoulder. “Don’t ruin this! Say it back!” She laughed. He Xuan let out a deep sigh and glared at her, though even he didn’t feel any venom behind the glare.
“I love you too.”
“Thank you.” She said, gently tapping the tip of his nose with her finger. She pulled him up and out of her room. “How about we get something to eat and bring it back to my place?” She chirped in excitement. “That way you can see where you want to move your stuff–when you’re ready!”
He Xuan wasn’t opposed to free food so he let himself be pulled towards the door. Unfortunately, they had forgotten about Hua Cheng and when they opened the door they found him and his fiance patiently waiting on the other side.
“God damn it.” He Xuan grumbled as Hua Cheng immediately burst into laughter again. Xie Lian’s eyes grew wide and he weakly pointed at He Xuan’s hair in disbelief.
“Oh, oh, uh, you’re hair!” Xie Lian squeaked.
“Don’t.” He Xuan growled. “Just don’t.”
“Of course.” Xie Lian said, his lips were pursed together and he was breathing slightly heavier. He quickly looked down at his shoes, mumbling something about forgetting to tie them, but he quickly turned to Hua Cheng with shaking shoulders.
“Oh come on!” He Xuan nearly whined.
“It’s nice!” Xie Lian managed to say in a tight voice that only caused Hua Cheng to laugh harder.
“It is nice.” Shi Qingxuan said with every drop of honesty in her body. “Don’t listen to them.” At that moment, Xie Lian suddenly let out a loud snort and Hua Cheng dropped to the ground clutching his stomach.
“I’m sorry!” Xie Lian choked out. “My sinuses are just–just acting up! I–haha–I’m sorry!”
“I hate you both.” He Xuan snarled as Shi Qingxuan dragged him away.