Chapter 17
Ti Xiao rarely had Guapi take the initiative to chat with him. Though this wasn’t work-related, the two had known each other and collaborated for at least three years. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say they could be considered close friends, so chatting about life was perfectly natural. Plus, Ti Xiao could take this opportunity to ask about his ongoing serialization.
Besides, when Guapi talked about his personal life, he was completely different from the workaholic editor who constantly urged him to meet deadlines.
Editor·Guapi: Ahhh, back in high school, this classmate of mine and I used to draw together! We shared a single sheet of xuan paper and a bottle of ink—brotherhood forged in art!
Since comic platform editors needed to communicate with artists about their work, most of them could draw too.
Smart and Brave Sneeze: *So you two met up, and then what?*
Ti Xiao was multitasking—drawing while chatting with Guapi—but his divided attention caused him to mess up the anatomy several times. Frustrated, he decided to just focus on the conversation.
Editor·Guapi: *Well… it was kinda awkward. I actually had a crush on him back in high school, but he beat me up once, haha. That didn’t stop me from liking him, though!*
Even through the screen, Ti Xiao could feel the intense masochist vibes radiating from Guapi. He wiped his nose with a tissue, debating whether he should send him a virtual orange tree.
Editor·Guapi: *Not only did I see him today, but I also saw his boyfriend! Can you believe that?!*
Ti Xiao nodded in deep sympathy. If he ever saw Xiao Yao out with someone—regardless of gender, regardless of whether they were actually together—his lungs would probably explode from anger.
The microwave dinged. Ti Xiao got up to grab his heated meal, and when he returned, he saw several voice messages from Guapi.
*”Typing is too exhausting, so I’ll just talk instead!”*
Not his real voice. Guapi had used the voice changer built into the chat app, making his voice sound like a cutesy anime girl.
Hearing the artificially sweet voice sent chills down Ti Xiao’s spine.
Since they followed each other on Weibo, Ti Xiao knew Guapi was male—just like himself, openly gay and into men.
*”Let me tell you something—his boyfriend is *so* short. I’d guess he’s around 173 cm, tops. Tsk tsk tsk.”*
Ti Xiao’s chopsticks froze mid-air. A meatball slipped from his grasp and plopped into the soup, nearly splashing onto his clothes.
What’s wrong with being 173 cm? Did it cost you your rice?!
Tsk, you’re one to talk.
Ti Xiao stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth, swallowing his frustration. *If you don’t grow to 185 cm, you’re nothing but an orange!*
Smart and Brave Sneeze: *So… do you still like him?*
*”Nah, the timing was wrong, the place was wrong, and he already has a boyfriend. What’s the point of getting involved? That’d just be asking for trouble.”*
*”Back in high school, even after he beat me up, we were still good friends. Maybe it was because I never confessed, who knows.”* Guapi laughed as if being beaten up was some sort of badge of honor.
*”Later, he left the country for some reason. No warning, no contact, just disappeared. Running into him on the street today was the same—I never expected it.”*
Coincidences are fate at work.
*Just like how I keep “coincidentally” running into Xiao Yao every day,* Ti Xiao mused, nodding to himself.
Another voice message came in—this time, a full minute long. Ti Xiao quietly listened, playing the role of a good audience. But just as the message was about to end, a sudden, jarring notification sound blasted through the chat, followed by Guapi’s muffled curse.
Before Ti Xiao could react, another message popped up.
Editor·Guapi: *Shit. Hey, that damn “Desperate Duck Neck”—has he ever harassed you?*
The mention of “Duck Neck” immediately brought to mind those two messages the guy had sent him at noon—both of which had been retracted.
But wasn’t Duck Neck a girl?
Smart and Brave Sneeze: *Wait, she’s a woman. How could she harass you? Are you sure it’s not the other way around?*
*”Bullshit!”*
Guapi got so worked up that he forgot to turn on his voice changer, swearing loudly in his real voice.
“He’s a guy! A guy! Just because he always acts all cutesy and flirty with people doesn’t mean he’s a girl,” Guapi ranted. “Damn it, he keeps sending me pictures of his abs, his waist, his ankles—does he think he can just mess with an editor and get away with it?”
Still no voice changer.
“But honestly,” Guapi’s tone suddenly shifted, “he’s pretty damn shameless, hahaha.”
Ti Xiao found his voice oddly familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. He set down his bowl, about to reply.
“Shit, did I forget to turn on the voice changer just now?” Guapi sounded a little embarrassed before forcing a laugh. “Forget it! Forget it!”
Switching back to his high-pitched anime-girl voice, they finally had a serious discussion about work—plot inconsistencies in the serialization, panel composition, pacing…
—
“Cleveland!”
Xiao Yu repeated his English name in dissatisfaction.
The redness on the child’s face had faded, revealing fair skin as smooth as jade. His long lashes fluttered as his blue eyes gazed up at his older brother.
Xiao Yu stretched out his still slightly chubby hands—palms up, a silent plea for a hug. A band-aid covered the spot where he had just received an IV drip.
“Ge… hug.”
His babyish Mandarin was clumsy, but he tried his best. His older sister, Naomi, had told him that this brother wasn’t fond of speaking English. So, the little one did his best to use his broken Chinese.
Xiao Yao stood still, his expression unreadable as he looked at the younger brother who bore a resemblance to himself. He didn’t reach out.
Xiao Yu’s small arms remained extended midair, his blue eyes filled with longing.
After a moment, Xiao Yao seemed to think of something. He let out a barely perceptible sigh before finally softening his stance toward this half-brother of his. Bending down, he picked him up and slung him over his shoulder.
The little one instantly went from disappointment to joy, his bright eyes sparkling as he babbled excitedly in English.
No one knew what was on Xiao Yao’s mind.
No one knew whom he was thinking of.
—
Somewhere else, the person in question sneezed.
“Achoo—”
Ti Xiao, just about to take his medicine, sneezed so hard that his hand shook. The pill slipped from his fingers, rolling under the couch.
—
By the time their conversation ended, it was already 10 PM. His food had gone cold once again, and the little cat beside him was fast asleep, snoring softly.
Readers were still spamming his Weibo, demanding *”driving scenes”* (implying steamy content) at an absurd rate.
His throat felt sore from his cold, and after finally resting at home, his whole body felt weak.
Sitting at his desk, he twirled his pen between his fingers, thinking of Xiao Yao. After a moment of contemplation, he quickly sketched a back view in just ten minutes.
Only half of the back was drawn, the other half left blank. The outline wasn’t smooth and complete—the image fragmented like falling snow. At the bottom of the piece, the scattered fragments came together to form a single white flower.
It was as if a person had bloomed from within the flower.
A person with the scent of snow.
—
Smart and Brave Sneeze: *Sorry, sorry, I caught a cold today and feel terrible. I’ll make up for the promised one-wheeled drive (solo steamy content) another time.*
*For now, let’s just buy some oranges. Here’s the back view of an infuriatingly long-legged little biscuit.* [Image]
—
The long-legged little biscuit in question was still in the hospital when his phone buzzed. Taking it out, he saw a Weibo post from the artist he followed—*Smart and Brave Sneeze.*
Long-legged little biscuit?
What kind of nickname was that?
He felt like two completely unrelated people from his life—his little troublemaker and this comic artist—somehow shared the same weird energy.
And yet…
Xiao Yao stared at the screen, a strange feeling creeping up inside him.
He hadn’t checked this artist’s Weibo in a while. He hadn’t been keeping up with the comic either. Just as he was about to scroll further, Naomi’s voice called out from behind him.
“Xiao Yao, Xiao Yu just woke up.”
