Chapter 15
Even the heavens might not know just how much Ti Xiao wanted to shout a resounding “Yes!”—one so loud it would echo through the skies, heard by people of every skin tone and hair color across the globe.
Yet, he didn’t dare. Despite all his talk about flirting, he hadn’t taken any real action. Their so-called relationship was basically held together by chance encounters—at the convenience store downstairs, at the neighborhood entrance, or anywhere else they happened to cross paths.
Ti Xiao didn’t even know Xiao Yao’s sexual orientation. What if he was completely straight? What if Ti Xiao’s reckless confession ended up making him hated? Or worse, what if Xiao Yao was just… asexual? After all, he had that whole calm, detached, almost ascetic vibe going on, with not a single hint of anything remotely “gay.”
Ti Xiao’s mind raced through a thousand “what-ifs,” but in the end, he was still just a timid little goldfish, blowing bubbles of hesitation.
Xiao Yao remained silent.
Li Yi, however, seemed to take this as some kind of tacit agreement. He plopped down right next to Ti Xiao, even nudging him with his hip to make more room.
“I told you,” Li Yi said, “Xiao Yao has always been into your type.”
“Li Yi,” Xiao Yao finally spoke, his voice low and serious, his brow furrowed.
“Oops, my bad,” Li Yi said with a grin, completely ignoring Xiao Yao’s obvious irritation. He even mimed slapping himself in the face a couple of times, though his hands never actually made contact.
But his words had caught Ti Xiao’s attention.
“Always liked your type.”
What exactly was “his type”? And what did “liked” even mean? Was Xiao Yao still that straight-as-an-arrow guy, or was there a slight bend in that 90-degree steel beam?
Ti Xiao glanced across the table at Xiao Yao, who sat with his fingers interlaced, his sleeves rolled up slightly to reveal his wrists—what some might call the “absolute zone.” His watch gleamed under the light, and Ti Xiao’s heart practically squealed.
Xiao Yao was ridiculously good-looking.
But sitting right next to Ti Xiao was Xiao Yao’s friend, Li Yi, who had already slung an arm around Ti Xiao’s neck and was blabbering nonstop.
“Let me tell you, back in high school, Xiao Yao had so many people chasing after him. And now he’s ended up with you…” Li Yi paused, glancing at Ti Xiao, “…which is, uh, not bad, I guess. Haha.”
The first part of that sentence was flattering, but the second part? “Not bad”? What did that even mean?
Ti Xiao really wanted to swat Li Yi’s hand away. *Stop trying to steal the spotlight, you annoying side character.*
But as Li Yi kept yammering in his ear, Ti Xiao started to pick up on something—Xiao Yao, that straight-as-steel guy, might actually have a tiny, almost imperceptible curve to him.
In Ti Xiao’s eyes, though, Xiao Yao had already transformed into a full-on spiral. If he wasn’t completely straight, then Ti Xiao could finally make his move without hesitation.
As Li Yi continued his one-man show, the waitress started bringing out the dishes—nearly ten in total.
“You two can’t possibly finish all this,” Li Yi said, his eyes lighting up as he waved the waitress over. “Miss, could we get another set of utensils, please?”
He called her “miss” so sweetly, but only Xiao Yao knew the truth—Li Yi was a long-out-and-proud gay man. Back in high school, he’d flirted with every guy in their class except Xiao Yao. The reason? Xiao Yao had beaten him to the punch—literally.
Just like now, Xiao Yao really wanted to punch him. *Why do you always have to run your mouth?*
“No need,” Xiao Yao said firmly, stopping the waitress in her tracks. “Two sets of utensils are enough, thank you.”
“Xiao Yao, you’re so heartless,” Li Yi whined, making a pouty face.
Xiao Yao stood up, grabbed Li Yi by the hood of his jacket, and dragged him toward the door. “Get up. You’re leaving.”
After Li Yi was unceremoniously kicked out, the table fell into an awkward silence.
“So,” Ti Xiao said, breaking the quiet as Xiao Yao started serving the food, “don’t worry about it. I didn’t take it to heart.”
Of course, he *had* taken it to heart—and he secretly hoped Xiao Yao would care a little more, maybe even dwell on it.
Xiao Yao paused, feeling like his lines had been stolen. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one saying that?
“It’s fine,” Xiao Yao said with a smile, handing Ti Xiao a bowl of soup. “Li Yi’s always been like that. I hope you can overlook it. If he made you uncomfortable, I can apologize on his behalf.”
He pushed the bowl toward Ti Xiao, whose phone happened to be in the way. As Ti Xiao reached to move his phone, their hands brushed against each other.
A strange, electric sensation crackled in the air.
If you looked closely, you might even see sparks—tiny bursts of starlight.
Their hands lingered for a moment, and Ti Xiao had to suppress a shiver.
“Still feeling under the weather? Should I ask for some ginger cola?” Xiao Yao asked, handing Ti Xiao a tissue.
“No, it’s fine,” Ti Xiao said, trying to discreetly sniffle. “And no need to apologize. It’s all good.”
*More than good, actually.*
When Ti Xiao reached for the tissue, he deliberately let his hand brush against Xiao Yao’s again. This time, Xiao Yao didn’t pull away. Instead, he just looked at Ti Xiao, his gaze steady, something flickering in his eyes.
Ti Xiao tried to pull the tissue free, but Xiao Yao’s grip didn’t budge.
Then, Xiao Yao’s phone buzzed, followed by the sound of a piano melody—one Ti Xiao felt like he’d heard before.
“Sorry,” Xiao Yao said, suddenly snapping out of it and releasing the tissue. “I need to take this call.”
As soon as Xiao Yao left, Ti Xiao’s phone buzzed with a message from his niece, Ti Nanyi.
Ti Nanyi: Breaking news! Our English teacher definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend! [Happy face]
But Ti Xiao was too preoccupied with thoughts of Xiao Yao to care about some English teacher. His eyes kept drifting toward the direction Xiao Yao had gone, and he absentmindedly pinched the spot on his face where their fingers had touched.
Ti Nanyi, however, was relentless. Maybe her grades were so bad that words couldn’t fully express her excitement, because she sent a voice message next.
Ti Xiao turned the volume down and held the phone to his ear.
“My classmate just saw him at a restaurant—that Xuan City cuisine place you love! And guess what? He was sitting in the *couples’ section* with another guy! The *couples’ section*!”
The same restaurant? What a coincidence.
Ti Xiao glanced around, trying to spot the tall, handsome English teacher Ti Nan Yi had described. After scanning the room a few times, the only table that fit the description had a guy who was indeed around 6’1″, but the man sitting across from him… well, “handsome” was a stretch.
Ti Xiao decided it was time for Ti Nan Yi to visit an optometrist. Was she nearsighted or just blind?
How is that guy even remotely attractive? Xiao Yao’s dandruff is ten thousand times more handsome than him.
“Too bad my classmate was in a hurry with her parents and didn’t get a photo. Otherwise, I could’ve seen which little homewrecker stole our English teacher’s heart.”
Ti Nanyi kept rambling, but Ti Xiao sneezed, grabbed a tissue, and took a sip of his now-cold soup. He picked at the food, which had also gone cold.
Xiao Yao had been gone for a while. Before leaving, Ti Xiao had heard him say “Hello,” so maybe it was the same person who’d called him downstairs last time.
Ti Xiao propped his chin on his hand, staring at his fingertips. A few seconds later, he called the waitress over to ask her to reheat the dishes. Just as she left, Xiao Yao returned, and Ti Nanyi sent another message.
Ti Nanyi: I knew it! Our English teacher is definitely a refined gay man. Called it!
“Sorry,” Xiao Yao said as he sat back down, leaving Ti Xiao confused. Why was he apologizing again?
Xiao Yao grabbed his jacket from the couch and checked his watch.
Then, Ti Xiao heard him tell the waitress, “No need to reheat the food. We’ll take it to go.”
