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Hua Cheng was an incredibly lucky man, although not for most of his life.
He wouldn’t be lying if he said that before Xie Lian appeared in his life, he would have been called a god of misfortune. It just happened that the world seemed insistent on keeping him in misery, with no light of hope for better days in his already chaotic life.
Not anymore when someone like Xie Lian had become his roommate almost a year ago, being around him nearly 24/7.
For Hua Cheng, Xie Lian was the sun breaking through the dark clouds after a storm. He was the moon that brightened the night sky. Xie Lian had a way of easily gathering people around him. But Xie Lian didn’t care how many people followed him or thought of him a friend.
As it turned out later, for Xie Lian, just Hua Cheng’s company was enough. Whenever Xie Lian spotted Hua Cheng in a crowd, he would wave his hand at him, capturing others’ attention. Xie Lian would then send him the brightest and widest smile, and call him San Lang in the sweetest tone in the world.
Hua Cheng was known as cold, vicious, and unapproachable — but not when it came to Xie Lian.
The first time people had seen Hua Cheng smile was almost a year ago. Now, no one was surprised to see him happy, but only under one condition — Xie Lian had to be around him.
People had seen something that both of them couldn’t notice, though. They we in love with each other. Hua Cheng believed, though, that he didn’t deserve a place in Xie Lian’s heart, while Xie Lian thought that Hua Cheng was in love with someone else.
Hua Cheng’s devotion to Xie Lian had been eventually discovered, thanks to Xie Lian’s two best friends. Though they were hoping to discourage Xie Lian from developing feelings for someone like Hua Cheng, they showed him proof of Hua Cheng’s obsessive love towards him.
It wasn’t surprising that Xie Lian didn’t find it discouraging, and on the contrary, he mustered enough courage to confess his feelings to Hua Cheng.
They weren’t just roommates anymore. They were in a relationship, openly showing their love for each other.
***
It was one of those warm April days when everything around slowly came back to life. Sometimes, the temperature would drop by a few degrees, but it didn’t discourage nature from rebirthing; more and more birds could be heard with each passing day, singing a new song for those who willingly stopped to listen to them, mesmerized by their talent.
Trees near the roads and in parks dressed themselves in colorful jackets, which constantly increased in size, covering more and more of the tree branches. Pink, green, white — they didn’t limit themselves in colors, giving hope that everything would soon blossom.
Even the coldest heart would surrender sooner or later.
Hua Cheng, with quick steps, searched for his beloved through the university’s interior. The long corridors or classrooms — everywhere was noisy and crowded, but each crowd of people was missing someone dressed in white, someone with long brown hair and a bun on top of head.
If Xie Lian wasn’t inside the building during an hour break, perhaps he had decided to clear his mind outside, as the weather was encouraging enough to leave the walls of the oldest university in town and spend some time surrounded by nature?
Hua Cheng wasn’t surprised that Xie Lian didn’t pick up his calls; Xie Lian barely answered calls from anyone, often misplacing or leaving his phone in random spots. So, it was a challenge to find Xie Lian whenever Hua Cheng needed his attention, but he would gladly accept it.
Just like now.
Hua Cheng crossed the threshold of the university building in a hurry, heading straight to the campus garden. If Xie Lian was outside, it would be the only place he would go. It still surprised most of the students that their university had such a place; who would willingly take care of flowers during their free time?
Hua Cheng smiled to himself. Xie Lian would, obviously. He earned such a nickname not without reason — Flower Crown God, as he was the only one who cared for flowers and had objected to removing the garden from the university’s borders.
Hua Cheng had objected, too, because only one voice of opposition wasn’t enough, and Hua Cheng’s heart wouldn’t withstand seeing Xie Lian sad.
Sometimes, Hua Cheng would help Xie Lian with watering the flowers, but most of the time, Xie Lian did it alone, content in his own company.
Hua Cheng passed by a few vending machines selling snacks but came to a sudden stop, his gaze wandering towards a colorful-looking one. He took a few steps back, approaching it. Gege would like to eat something, for sure, he thought as his gaze came to a halt on a package of sweet buns with various fillings.
Now, with something for Xie Lian to eat in hand, Hua Cheng sped up his steps, feeling an even greater need to see him. In less than ten minutes, it would be almost three hours since their separation, and Hua Cheng couldn’t bear any more moments without him.
The sun, creeping behind the clouds, blinded him, prompting Hua Cheng to shield his eye behind the back of his hand. However, not for long, as soon as he finally spotted the person he was looking for — someone with his back facing Hua Cheng, crouching near the tree, that in less than a few days, would be fully covered with small, pink petals.
Xie Lian had his sleeves rolled up to avoid dirtying his freshly washed oversized pullover, the one Hua Cheng had given him as a gift without reason. A watering can was placed beside him, waiting to be used by the flower god, but the god himself seemed to be busy. Is he talking to the flowers he planted a few days ago? Hua Cheng thought, unable to stop himself from chuckling.
A sudden noise startled Xie Lian as he turned around to look at the newcomer, but his expression quickly relaxed upon realizing who the person behind him was. Without getting to his feet, he waved at Hua Cheng, calling cheerfully, “San Lang!”
With a leisurely step to calm his breath, Hua Cheng walked over to him, gesturing at what he had in his hands. “Gege, I got something for you.”
Xie Lian’s eyes shimmered with excitement, smiling widely at him. “Are these baozi? With sweet fillings?” He asked, and Hua Cheng could notice a buzzling want inside Xie Lian, little stars appearing in his lovely eyes.
Hua Cheng couldn’t help but smile. Xie Lian always made him weak. Nodding, he said, “Gege’s always working hard on his breaks. I hope it will refill your energy to keep going for the rest of the day.”
“Ahh, actually, I don’t have any more classes today. They canceled them,” Xie Lian admitted, scratching the bridge of his nose. Adorable, Hua Cheng thought. “That’s why I came here. I’ve got a bit more time to spend before going home. Thank you, San Lang.”
Xie Lian extended his arms, and Hua Cheng handed the pack of baozi over to him. However, even before their fingers could accidentally brush against each other, Xie Lian withdrew his hands and tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in question.
Caught off-guard by Xie Lian’s action, Hua Cheng asked, shaking the pack gingerly. “I thought you like them, gege?”
Xie Lian kept looking questioningly at him, but as if something dawned on him, the corners of his lips twitched upwards. Shaking his head fondly, he got to his feet, brushing off the remains of soil from his jeans. “It’s not what I reached for,” he chuckled at Hua Cheng’s confused expression, raising his hands towards Hua Cheng’s face. When his hands made contact with Hua Cheng’s soft skin, he cupped his cheeks gently. “I reached for you. To kiss you.”
Taken aback, Hua Cheng made a surprised sound. The tips of his ears blushed, and the beat of his heart quickened. They had been dating for a while already, yet Xie Lian’s words and actions could still fluster him, especially when he let his guard down.
Having the upper hand over Hua Cheng at the moment, Xie Lian stood on his tiptoes to plant a hasty kiss on Hua Cheng’s lips, capturing his attention again. Hua Cheng closed his eyes to savor the moment and pulled Xie Lian closer with his arm, embracing Xie Lian’s waist.
They often started like this: a quick, yet innocent kiss. Though, it would quickly transform into another, more passionate one, just like now. Hua Cheng lowered himself a bit, prompting Xie Lian to relieve his feet, standing flat on the ground. Like that, Xie Lian wouldn’t lose his balance, Hua Cheng thought, giving in to his instincts.
Kissing Xie Lian was the best thing in the world: Xie Lian’s soft lips always greedily searched for Hua Cheng’s, complementing each other. If someone was about to see them, Xie Lian would pull away, embarrassed by how they openly showed their feelings, but at the moment, they were the only two of them, far away from curious looks.
Only after meeting Xie Lian did Hua Cheng get to know how much he starved for such intimacy. Perhaps Xie Lian noticed it too, given how gently and softly he caressed the back of Hua Cheng’s head, encouraging him to prolong the kiss as much as they could.
Once they broke the kiss to catch their breath, they looked into each other’s eyes, as if searching for the depth of the love they shared. Was it even possible to fall that much for someone?
Hua Cheng’s phone rang vigorously in his pocket, snapping him out of the thought without an answer.
Knowing that Hua Cheng most likely would not pick up, Xie Lian reached into his pocket, fishing for the phone. Once he had it in his hand, he picked up and moved it to Hua Cheng’s ear, saying to him, “It’s He Xuan.”
Sighing, Hua Cheng rested his forehead on Xie Lian’s. “What do you want?” he asked in an unpleasant tone, the one he would never use in conversation with Xie Lian.
“What do I want? You were supposed to be here NOW, asshole,” He Xuan replied in a similar tone, not hiding the disgust he held towards Hua Cheng.
“Really? I forgot. And I don’t feel sorry for that.” Xie Lian elbowed his side, scolding him that he should be nicer to his friends, and not wanting to disappoint him, Hua Cheng sighed dramatically. “Alright, I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”
“San Lang…” Xie Lian murmured, making a pleading face, the one Hua Cheng could never resist.
“In 10,” Hua Cheng said, hanging up to avoid hearing more complaints from He Xuan. Sure, they were scheduled to meet in one of the university’s ateliers to finish the project they had been working on for a while already, but Hua Cheng had his priorities.
And it was Xie Lian.
“He can wait a bit longer, gege,” Hua Cheng convinced, placing a few more pecks on Xie Lian’s face. He tucked his phone back to the pocket, and finally handed the pack of buns to Xie Lian. “But I don’t want to see you making that face in He Xuan’s case, so I’ll be going, I guess.”
Xie Lian looked down at the pack he held, then up to meet Hua Cheng’s gaze. “Can I walk with you up to your atelier? It’s my selfish wish, but I don’t want to leave your side yet.”
Oh, how much Hua Cheng loved him. “Gege is not selfish. But are you done here, with all these flowers?” he asked, gesturing at the column of planted seeds behind them. He couldn’t wait to see the results of Xie Lian’s hard work. In less than a month, the few first seeds would blossom, revealing the true face they held.
Xie Lian nodded, turning around to pick up a watering can. He scanned his work for the last time, then with a smile plastered on his face, he caught Hua Cheng’s hand, leading them towards the university’s main building. “Is it really not selfish to have you all to myself?” Xie Lian asked, averting his gaze shyly from Hua Cheng’s face. “Even if we’re living together, and I see you for most of my time. I don’t want you to think I’m too clingy or something.”
Hua Cheng squeezed Xie Lian’s hand reassuringly, but he thought it probably wasn’t enough to disperse Xie Lian’s doubts. Instead, he moved their intertwined hands up to his mouth, kissing Xie Lian’s knuckles. Once Xie Lian looked at him, taken aback by Hua Cheng’s sudden boldness, he replied in a calm tone, “I’d be sad if you weren’t clingy enough, gege. That you’re willing to even spare a glance at me from your classroom when I’m outside, going to my own class, makes me incredibly happy. Really.”
“So you’ve noticed,” Xie Lian cried, embarrassed, hiding his face behind the pack of sweet buns, since both his hands were occupied. Sighing, he peeked out quickly to see Hua Cheng’s expression, and said, noticing the love and affection painted on his face. “If San Lang is happy, then am I.”
A way back to the main building was quicker than they expected, to the disappointment of both. Reluctantly, Hua Cheng let go of Xie Lian’s hand but satisfied himself with another quick kiss on the lips before he turned around to walk into his atelier. However, before he could succeed, Xie Lian caught the hem of his shirt, pulling him back.
“Wait! I forgot to ask you, is there something you want to eat for dinner? It will take you some time here, so I thought I could prepare something for us once you’re back home?” Xie Lian asked, and this time, his ears took on a shade of pink, though he maintained eye contact with Hua Cheng.
Hua Cheng knew that if Xie Lian’s hands weren’t occupied (he still clutched onto his shirt, how adorable of him), he would fidget with his own sleeve. It was one of the many ways to discover whether Xie Lian was nervous or not.
To ease Xie Lian’s restlessness, Hua Cheng caressed the back of Xie Lian’s hand with his finger in a patchy manner, prompting a giggle from him. “I have something on mind, hold on,” Hua Cheng replied, and fished for his phone again, this time to scroll through the photos album. He had even created a special folder named “gege’s cooking”, but Xie Lian didn’t have to know about it. Once he found what he wanted, he showed the screen to Xie Lian.
“Meatballs? You really liked them? It was an experiment since I lost the recipe my mother gave me, and I didn’t expect it to be good…” Xie Lian said, handing the phone back. He sounded surprised by Hua Cheng’s request, to say the least.
“I like everything gege makes. But those meatballs have a special place in my heart, since it was the first dish gege made for me.”
That was true. It just happened back then that Xie Lian had moved into Hua Cheng’s apartment, and he was still a stranger to Hua Cheng. So, to break the ice, Xie Lian decided to make a welcoming dish for him. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was the first time someone had cooked anything for Hua Cheng.
How did people say, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”? Perhaps it was the first step Xie Lian took that made Hua Cheng fall in love with him.
Occasionally, Xie Lian would make the meatballs from time to time, but each time he did, Hua Cheng felt nostalgia pouring from inside his heart, and a bittersweet taste followed afterward. Having Xie Lian by his side, Xie Lian loving him back and showing his own devotion towards him, was something Hua Cheng appreciated each day. Constantly.
“Okay,” Xie Lian said, smiling sweetly at him. “Meatballs, then.”
For the past year, Hua Cheng felt incredibly happy as he thought about coming back to his apartment. Someone was waiting for him there. At the beginning, it was his roommates. At the moment, the roommate wasn’t just a roommate anymore, but his boyfriend, the person that made his days better. Happier.
Once Hua Cheng unlocked the door, the aroma of flavored and fried meat welcomed him. Then, as he crossed the threshold of the apartment, he heard Xie Lian humming a song under his nose, most likely trapped inside his own world, as he didn’t sense Hua Cheng’s approaching steps.
Only when Hua Cheng rested his chin on Xie Lian’s shoulder, embracing his middle, did Xie Lian snap from his fantasies, looking back at him. “Gege wouldn’t even realize that someone was about to kidnap him, still humming happily in his own world.”
Xie Lian didn’t break away from work, still attentively frying the meatballs. Though, he leaned slightly back, his cheek touching Hua Cheng’s. “I don’t mind it as long as you are my kidnapper.”
“My, my, gege shouldn’t say things like this,” Hua Cheng teased, tightening his embrace on Xie Lian. “I may kidnap gege here and now.”
Xie Lian turned around, prompting Hua Cheng to lift his chin from his shoulder. “Not now. I’m busy,” he said, gesturing with a wooden spoon at a pan before them. “San Lang must be tired and hungry, working hard on his project. You’re always doing your best, San Lang.”
The way Xie Lian looked at him now made Hua Cheng part his lips slightly, taken aback yet mesmerized by his beloved’s expression. Love. Admiration. Fondness. Every bit of each emotion Xie Lian held inside was mixed, creating one unique look he had on his face. The most sincere and genuine smile he would ever muster, reserved for Hua Cheng only.
What did Hua Cheng do to be able to experience it himself?
Hua Cheng must have stared at him without blinking for too long, as a little crease of worry appeared between Xie Lian’s eyebrows, urging him to ask, “What’s wrong?”
Shaking his head, Hua Cheng replied, “Nothing wrong, gege. I’m just intimidated by the way you looked at me.”
“You’re silly,” Xie Lian said, turning around to escape Hua Cheng’s devouring gaze. Nonetheless, the spreading redness on Xie Lian’s ears and cheeks wasn’t unnoticed by Hua Cheng as he leaned closer to Xie Lian.
Hua Cheng said nothing, but Xie Lian noticed him from the corner of his eye. Even though he felt flustered by Hua Cheng’s sudden closeness, he murmured, “It’s nothing new. I’m always happy whenever I see you, San Lang.”
Hua Cheng’s breath shivered under Xie Lian’s confession, and he made Xie Lian turn around again, catching his lips with his own. If they had to eat burnt meatballs, then so be it.
Hua Cheng had his priorities now.