After recovering from his illness, Ti Xiao went home for a visit.
“Xiao Xiao, have you gained a little weight?” Ti Xiao’s mom asked, pinching his face and turning it from side to side. “Your face looks fuller.”
“I don’t think so?” Ti Xiao spit out an orange seed, reached up, and pinched his own cheeks, realizing they did feel a bit plumper.
These past few days, Xiao Yao had been unwavering in his dedication to accompanying him to doctor visits, and Ti Xiao got to enjoy lovingly made breakfasts. Life was feeling pretty sweet, so putting on a little weight seemed inevitable.
Besides, Xiao Yao’s cooking was genuinely delicious.
Ti Xiao figured he could add another line to the mental list of things he wished he could do every day with Xiao Yao: “Eat Xiao Yao’s cooking every day.”
Even if he was gaining weight, it was all his future daughter-in-law’s fault.
As the end of the semester approached, Ti Nanyi stayed at school for extra lessons, and without the little chatterbox around, the house felt noticeably quieter.
“Your Auntie Li’s son, I heard he already found a match through a blind date,” Ti Xiao’s mom started her daily interrogation after dinner.
Ti Xiao’s hand trembled, accidentally tearing open his orange, while his brother snickered beside him.
“Look at you, still single. When I was your age, your brother was already two years old,” she added.
This time, Ti Zhe stopped laughing.
“I like someone,” Ti Xiao said after thinking for a moment. “After New Year’s, I’m sure I’ll be in a relationship.”
After everything that had happened recently, Ti Xiao couldn’t be 100% sure, but he had a feeling Xiao Yao might like him — even if just a little. After all, no one would go out of their way to tirelessly take care of someone they weren’t related to, cooking them breakfast and running errands.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a bit…gay.
But since he wasn’t completely sure, Ti Xiao just kept quietly delighting in the idea and continued being his little goldfish.
After leaving his parents’ house, Ti Xiao headed straight to the nearby bookstore. Buying books was his real agenda for the day, after all.
He hauled home a few anatomy books and some manga, but just as he placed them on the floor, there was a knock at the door.
The knocking was gentle — just two polite taps, neither rushed nor forceful.
“Who is it?” Ti Xiao waited a moment before calling out, lazily swapping into slippers without hurrying to open the door.
“It’s me, Xiao Yao.”
The second he heard that voice, Ti Xiao shot up like a rocket and rushed to the door, instantly regretting his earlier sluggishness.
His attitude flipped 180 degrees.
“Oh! Come in, come in! I didn’t know it was you!” Ti Xiao hurriedly glanced at his reflection in the nearby mirror.
Hair not greasy? Check.
Clothes neat? Check.
Complexion looking good? Double check.
Perfect.
Then, with a subtle kick, he nudged the books he’d bought further out of sight — considering the titles, it was… well… better that way.
“What’s up? Do you need something?” he asked, already grabbing a pair of slippers for Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao’s gaze lingered on the kicked-aside books for a few seconds before shifting back to Ti Xiao, eyes sharp like he was trying to see right through him.
“I won’t come in. I just wanted to borrow a pot — do you have a pressure cooker?”
In truth, the last time Xiao Yao had visited, he’d already spotted the pressure cooker sitting on the kitchen shelf.
Ti Xiao’s mom had bought it for him, but it had never been used — Ti Xiao didn’t cook. Not even once.
“A pot?” Ti Xiao probably didn’t even know he owned a pressure cooker.
“Yeah, a pressure cooker. I want to make soup,” Xiao Yao said with a smile. “I can share some with you later.”
First, it was heartfelt breakfasts. Now, late-night snacks, too.
“Of course! Let me find it for you!” Ti Xiao was so happy he could jump.
As he watched Ti Xiao head into the kitchen, Xiao Yao took the chance to quietly scan the apartment again.
The place definitely felt like an artist’s haven, but that book Ti Xiao had tried to kick away — 100 Positions for Male Couples — didn’t exactly seem like essential material for oil painting.
Li Yi worked as an editor for a webcomic platform, so Xiao Yao had even asked him about it.
“Oh, that book? All my artists have a copy. Your neighbor’s either drawing BL comics or illustrating doujinshi, no doubt about it. What’s up? Are you interested in our line of work? Want me to hook you up with some resources? Hehehe.” That was Li Yi’s exact response.
And the book Ti Xiao had just kicked away? If Xiao Yao wasn’t mistaken, the cover art featured two intertwined bodies in a rather… suggestive pose.
Xiao Yao squinted, glancing toward the stack of books just as Ti Xiao came out of the kitchen, holding a pot.
“Is this the one?” Ti Xiao asked, lifting the pot for him to see.
Xiao Yao took the pot, but before leaving, he casually threw out another question: “Do you like corn?”
“I do,” Ti Xiao replied without hesitation. I like anything you cook.
“Alright,” Xiao Yao nodded. “Give it a bit. I’ll bring you some when it’s done.”
After Xiao Yao left, Ti Xiao set up his livestream to start drawing. He hadn’t streamed in days because of his illness, and with the Christmas and New Year’s events coming up on his publishing platform, all the authors had to submit holiday illustrations.
Before getting to work, though, Ti Xiao scrolled through Weibo for a bit.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yao stood guard over the simmering soup, scrolling through Weibo on his phone. He refreshed the feed, and with a soft bubble-like sound, a new post popped up.
Smart and Brave Da-Achoo: Heh, my little goblins, look at how hard I’m working to keep your high-speed train running smoothly. [Photo]
The image showed a desk with a glowing computer screen, a few books stacked in front of it, and what looked like a bedroom in the background.
Even though the book covers had been stickered over, Xiao Yao immediately recognized the topmost one — the same book he’d seen in Ti Xiao’s apartment, the one with the two tangled-up bodies on the cover.
The rich aroma of broth slowly filled the kitchen, and the pressure cooker’s steam valve hissed rhythmically.
Xiao Yao stared at the photo on his screen, eyebrows furrowing as he felt a subtle shift in his perception of things.
Something… something big had just clicked into place.
[Chat messages from the livestream]
[Viewer 1]: It’s been forever since you streamed, Jiu Jiu! I thought you quit for good! QAQ
[Viewer 2]: Achoo was sick the past few days, so no streams!
[Viewer]: Achoo, are you feeling better lately?
[Viewer]: Are you drawing the back view of the guy buying oranges again today? Hahaha.
Even after being offline for a while, Ti Xiao’s stream still had a steady flow of viewers. Fans flooded the chat with well-wishes and seemed to have a good grasp of what he’d been planning to draw.
“I did get sick, just a fever, but I’m all better now. Thanks, everyone!” Ti Xiao said while adjusting his mic. “You guys are sharp, but no back views today, haha. I need to submit an illustration to the platform. Do you want a Christmas theme or New Year’s?”
As soon as he mentioned his illness, a flurry of messages rolled across the screen, reminding him to take care of himself. A few fans even sent small virtual gifts, and the warmth of their concern melted into his heart, making him feel all fuzzy inside.
For some reason, his mic was acting up that day — he hadn’t turned on his voice changer, but his voice still sounded higher-pitched than usual.
“The mic’s weird today, so I’ll talk less. Just watch me draw,” Ti Xiao said, creating a new canvas in his art program. But before he could start sketching, someone knocked on the door.
Guessing it was Xiao Yao bringing the soup, Ti Xiao quickly told his viewers, “Hehehe, hang tight, I’m grabbing food!” His voice carried an unmistakable trace of joy.
“If it’s not enough, I’ve got more at home.” Xiao Yao handed over a thermal container. “If you can’t finish it, just stick it in the fridge. I’ll bring the pot back later.”
“No, no need,” Ti Xiao said, happily hugging the container of homemade soup. “Just keep the pot at your place. I never use it anyway. But next time you make soup, remember to save me a bowl!”
Ti Xiao didn’t want to rely on chance encounters to see Xiao Yao. Even if it was something as small as leaving a pot at his place, he wanted to force a bit of connection between them.
After all, wasn’t there a saying? Neighbors bond by borrowing things — and borrowing often enough turns into something more.
In his rush to get to the door, Ti Xiao hadn’t even set down his stylus, which naturally caught Xiao Yao’s attention. No matter how you looked at it, that wasn’t a tool for oil painting.
“You said you paint oils, right?” Xiao Yao asked, eyes glinting. “I’ve got a few tickets to an oil painting exhibition — want them?”
He wasn’t trying to catch him in a lie. Xiao Yao really did have the tickets — a gift from his grandpa, who’d spent his whole life loving and collecting oil paintings.
So, when Ti Xiao had casually mentioned painting oils, Xiao Yao’s initial surprise had been completely genuine.
But bringing it up again now? It felt just a little bit like he was fishing for answers.
“I can go, sure, but when is it?” Ti Xiao asked, slipping the stylus into his pocket as casually as he could.
But even this small action didn’t escape Xiao Yao’s sharp eyes. He chuckled and said, “The exhibition’s in a month, no rush. Get back to your work, I won’t bother you.”
[Viewer]: Achoo, why did you run off so fast just now?
[Viewer]: Were you rushing to grab your food delivery? LOL.
[Viewer]: The only person who ever calls me is the delivery guy…
“Hehe, it’s my midnight snack — but not from a delivery guy,” Ti Xiao said, bringing the bowl up to his nose and greedily inhaling the aroma.
The pork ribs were cooked until tender, the lotus root still had a satisfying crunch, and golden corn pieces floated on the surface of the soup. Just looking at it made his stomach growl.
[Viewer]: I remember Achoo lives alone, right? So who made the soup? I’m curious!
[Viewer]: Is it your boyfriend???
The word “boyfriend” flashed across the screen, and Ti Xiao’s heart did a little flip. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Meanwhile, next door, Xiao Yao was scrolling through Ti Xiao’s Weibo feed and saw the live stream link. He put on his headphones and clicked into the stream, just in time to hear one sentence loud and clear:
“It’s soup made by someone I like! Hang on, I’ll show you guys.”
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