Chapter 12
It seemed that the prospect of “having a meal with Xiao Yao” gave Ti Xiao an enormous boost of motivation. He immediately switched into “Hard Mode,” pushing himself to the limit to finish the next update of his comic.
By the time he sent the latest chapter folder to his editor, Guapi, it was already 3 a.m. the next day. Guapi wasn’t online, but Ti Xiao could already imagine the shocked expression on his editor’s face when he saw that Ti Xiao hadn’t missed his deadline.
After staying up all night, Ti Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief once the file was sent. He refilled Little Purr’s water and food bowls and finally allowed himself to get some sleep.
However, his rest didn’t last long. A phone call soon interrupted his sweet dreams.
“Xiao Xiao, are you sleeping?” It was Auntie Zhang from the neighborhood committee.
“Sorry to disturb your rest, but there’s something I need to tell you. This time, there are two blackboard walls to paint. But don’t worry, I’ve already gathered the reference materials and sent them to you. You can just follow those when you paint.”
Ti Xiao mumbled a response, still half-asleep, and hung up the phone. He glanced at the time—8 a.m. He had slept for less than five hours.
At that moment, Ti Xiao really wanted to go back in time and slap his past self for agreeing to paint the blackboard walls.
Why did you take on this job? Why? I should’ve slapped you until your face swelled up like a pig’s head.
No matter how much he complained internally, he had already made a promise, and he couldn’t go back on his word. After rummaging through his study for the leftover watercolor paints, Ti Xiao dragged his sleep-deprived self to the community center.
The uncles and aunties from the neighborhood committee had already set up the ladder and scaffolding for him. They even thoughtfully prepared breakfast for him, which warmed Ti Xiao’s heart since he hadn’t eaten breakfast in a long time.
“Sorry, Xiao Xiao, for increasing your workload,” said Uncle Liu, who was helping to steady the ladder as Ti Xiao climbed up. “What kind of dumplings do you want for lunch? I’ll make them for you.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Painting this is no big deal. You can go ahead with your work; I’ll handle lunch myself,” Ti Xiao replied, yawning repeatedly.
The blackboard walls had been scrubbed clean. The last time he painted them was around the start of winter, and now it was already the winter solstice. Speaking of which, Xiao Yao had moved in around the same time, so they had been neighbors for almost a month now.
Even though the sunlight was shining on the blackboard walls, the temperature was still quite low. Ti Xiao rubbed his hands together, picked up a piece of chalk, and started sketching the draft.
His phone vibrated beside him, and Ti Xiao glanced at it. It was a message from Duck Neck.
After Ti Xiao had helped promote her serialized comic the other day, he thought their conversation would end there. But Duck Neck turned out to be as clingy as sticky bubblegum, sending him “good morning,” “good afternoon,” and “good night” messages, each one more flowery than the last.
Good night, my banana biscuit.
Ti Xiao really wanted to reply with that, but since they shared the same editor, he didn’t want to make things awkward. So, he decided to ignore her.
At noon, Uncle Liu brought him dumplings as promised. “Three-flavor filling, and I brought dipping sauce too. Eat up, then go home and rest for a bit. You can continue painting in the afternoon.”
Ti Xiao thanked him and took a few bites of the dumplings, wondering if he should go home and nap for a while.
His original plan was to finish both blackboard walls in three days by working overtime, so he could have his meal with Xiao Yao the next day. But if he went home for a nap now, he might not finish the first wall today.
Gritting his teeth, Ti Xiao decided to stay until dark.
It was around the time when students from nearby schools were returning home for lunch. Some of the kids who knew Ti Xiao waved and greeted him as they passed by.
The temperature had finally risen a bit by noon, and the sunlight was shining directly on him. Wearing a black winter coat that absorbed the heat, Ti Xiao felt warm and drowsy. Combined with his lack of sleep the previous night, he was struggling to stay awake.
“So sleepy,” Ti Xiao muttered, rubbing his eyes and yawning widely.
He set a 20-minute alarm on his phone, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and leaned against the wall, planning to take a short nap while it was warm.
Perhaps because the latest chapter of his comic featured a kiss between the two main characters, Ti Xiao ended up dreaming about something he shouldn’t have.
He dreamed that Xiao Yao was calling his name—”Ti Xiao, Ti Xiao, Ti Xiao”—over and over again.
The voice started as a breathy, passionate whisper but gradually became clearer and more distinct, as if it wouldn’t stop.
In his hazy state, he thought he actually saw Xiao Yao standing in front of him, frowning slightly and calling his name.
“Ti Xiao, wake up. You’ll catch a cold if you sleep here.”
Ti Xiao felt like he really should “drive the car” in his comic soon.
People need to have dreams. Who knows? They might come true.
But even in his dream, Xiao Yao was so handsome—his nose was a nose, his eyes were eyes. Ti Xiao squinted and leaned closer, almost pressing his face against Xiao Yao’s.
Xiao Yao wasn’t usually talkative, but whenever he ran into Ti Xiao, he couldn’t help but say a few more words, just like the times they met at the convenience store. This time, when he saw Ti Xiao, something clicked in his mind, and he went over to say hello.
As he approached, he noticed that Ti Xiao was actually sleeping against the blackboard wall, his face smudged with white paint, making him look like a little calico cat.
Even though it was noon, it was still winter. Despite wearing a thick coat, sleeping outside could easily lead to a cold.
While disturbing someone’s sweet dreams wasn’t exactly kind, Xiao Yao decided to wake Ti Xiao up. After all, being sick was no fun.
After calling his name a few times with no response, Xiao Yao gently shook Ti Xiao’s shoulder. Finally, Ti Xiao groggily opened his eyes.
Seeing that Ti Xiao was awake, Xiao Yao was about to suggest that he go home to sleep when Ti Xiao suddenly leaned closer, his usually wide eyes squinting as if he were very satisfied.
Then, with a soft voice still heavy with sleep, he said, “Good morning,” a faint dimple appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The sound was drowsy and a little sweet.
Xiao Yao couldn’t help but laugh at how silly Ti Xiao looked.
He’s kind of cute when he’s this clueless.
“Ti Xiao, it’s already noon,” Xiao Yao said, gently patting his shoulder again.
Just then, the alarm Ti Xiao had set earlier went off, blaring a high-pitched heavy metal tone that jolted him awake. He realized that there really was a Xiao Yao standing in front of him, his hand still resting on Ti Xiao’s shoulder.
Ti Xiao instantly panicked. Oh no, this wasn’t a dream!
As his inner monologue raced, his body instinctively shifted backward. The scaffolding creaked ominously, swaying and threatening to tip over.
On the scaffolding, besides Ti Xiao, there were several cans of paint, brushes, a palette, and a bucket of murky water for rinsing brushes. He couldn’t let the scaffolding collapse and spill water all over Xiao Yao.
To stabilize the scaffolding, Ti Xiao quickly shifted his weight again.
However, Ti Xiao overestimated the size of the scaffolding. While he managed to steady it and save Xiao Yao from getting drenched, he himself fell off.
The scaffolding set up by the neighborhood committee was about two meters tall—even taller than Xiao Yao. While an adult should have some reflexes to prevent a fall, Ti Xiao’s athletic abilities were as lackluster as his lazy, homebody personality. Plus, he was still a bit disoriented from just waking up.
Oh no, this is so embarrassing. I’ve really made a fool of myself in front of Xiao Yao.
Is this the end of my chances with him?
Is my butt going to get smashed?
I can’t just die like this!
In the split second it took for him to fall, a thousand terrible outcomes flashed through Ti Xiao’s mind.
But fate seemed to be on Ti Xiao’s side. Instead of the bad ending he had imagined, he was given a happy ending.
He landed in a pair of arms that smelled like fresh snow.