Chapter 2
There was no sign of the delivery driver downstairs. Ti Xiao, barefoot and wearing fluffy slippers, wrapped in a puffy, oversized winter jacket that made him look like a ball, stood idly downstairs.
A moving truck from a moving company came from a distance and parked nearby. One by one, the workers started unloading furniture.
The residential area where Ti Xiao lived was relatively old, with no elevator, and a maximum of six floors. Most of the apartments were two-bedroom, one-living-room layouts, but the advantage was the convenience of the location. The subway line 6 was just around the corner, and there was an elementary school, middle school, and high school nearby, so it was a good place for families.
Naturally, with rising rent prices, Ti Xiao had rented his apartment a year ago, paying for two years in advance. Back then, subway line 6 hadn’t been opened yet, and rent was still affordable.
Ti Xiao grabbed his takeout and hurried upstairs. He lived on the fourth floor, and by the time he reached the third floor, he heard some commotion. As he reached the stairway corner, he realized that he had new neighbors.
A man in a white shirt was standing sideways to Ti Xiao, directing the movers to place furniture. His head was blocked by the stairs, so Ti Xiao couldn’t see his face clearly.
Damn, he’s tall!
Ti Xiao, holding the takeout, looked up in envy. This guy must be over 185 cm tall.
His gaze swept over the man’s outfit, from the ornate Oxford shoes, the straight-legged suit pants that wrapped around long legs, to the white shirt tucked into the pants, accentuating a narrow waist. The man also wore a suit jacket draped over his arm.
Ti Xiao clicked his tongue silently. Nice figure.
Fortunately, Ti Xiao remembered that he had a live stream going on inside his apartment, so he didn’t get too distracted by the man’s appearance. He took small steps up the stairs and toward his own apartment, glancing toward his new neighbor.
When he reached his door, he pretended to casually turn his face toward the side, just as his neighbor took a step forward and entered his apartment, leaving Ti Xiao with only the back view, which stirred his imagination.
To be honest, with such a good physique, it didn’t really matter what his face looked like—it was enough of a bonus.
[A’Ti’s back! I have to tell you, Xiao Hulu drooled just now, you have to check the table 2333]
[Watch out, Xiao Hulu might scratch you if you tell on her haha]
[Eh? Why the change? Aren’t you drawing Cheng Ran from Little Wolf Dog?]
“I’m not drawing Cheng Ran,” Ti Xiao deleted the draft of Cheng Ran. “Today, I’m drawing a back view.”
[I’m going to buy some oranges, you just stand there and don’t move, ok? hhhh]
[Buying oranges is so dirty haha]
[What’s this about a back view?]
Ti Xiao looked up and saw the last comment. He smiled and replied, “A back view suitable for marriage.”
While he was getting some fresh air after stepping out of the car, Xiao Yao noticed a person not far away, wrapped up in a puffy jacket, looking like a ball. This person was occasionally hopping in fluffy slippers, and the little tuft of hair on the top of his head wobbled as he moved. Xiao Yao couldn’t see his face clearly but found the sight of the little tuft of hair rather cute.
The previous tenant had been somewhat considerate; the apartment was quite clean. The only thing that bothered him was that the internet cable had been chewed up by a rat.
The landlord had said that they had already contacted the network service provider and someone would come to fix it in about three days. For the time being, Xiao Yao would have to live without the internet, either enduring the “mountain cave” lifestyle or shamelessly asking his neighbor for a Wi-Fi password.
Having lived alone for several years abroad, Xiao Yao was used to managing on his own. His upbringing had always taught him not to rely on others’ things, and he didn’t have the habit of begging or lowering his pride.
He could endure for a few days, especially since his phone still had data.
However, life had a way of shutting all the windows when it closed one door.
His phone had been suspended for non-payment.
Unable to get online, and with no nearby kiosks to recharge his phone, Xiao Yao realized that he would have to wait until the next morning to use the Wi-Fi at his office. He looked at the Wi-Fi network named “I Won’t Let You Connect Hehe” and found himself in deep thought.
He could almost feel the sarcasm radiating from the screen.
“Fine, I won’t connect,” Xiao Yao muttered with determination as he flipped over on his bed. His small wooden bed creaked in protest, wondering why its owner was upset.
Ti Xiao had just finished his live stream and uploaded the new artwork to his Weibo. The back view of the man in a white shirt had received a lot of praise and shares, helping him gain some new followers.
His fan count had already surpassed 20,000, and with the recent publication of Little Wolf Dog, he was on the way to reaching 30,000. As a result, Ti Xiao found himself checking his phone frequently, hoping to catch the 30,000th follower screenshot.
“Uncle, let’s have the saucy ribs from Nan Street tomorrow!” Ti Nan Yi sent him a message.
Ti Nan Yi attended a private high school near Ti Xiao’s place, and they were close, given the small age gap. Sometimes she would come over during lunch to share takeout and read the latest updates of his comics.
“Uncle, when will you start a new series?” Ti Nan Yi sneakily added a piece of rib to Xiao Hulu’s plate. “You’ve stopped updating and now I don’t have anything to do during the weekends.”
“Next week,” Ti Xiao quickly snatched the rib before Xiao Hulu could get to it. “Don’t feed her that, she’s been having some digestive issues lately.”
“Fine.” Ti Nan Yi stuck out her tongue. “Let me continue telling you about our English teacher.”
“He didn’t seem so good today. He had dark circles under his eyes, but it didn’t affect his aura at all. He didn’t wear a suit today, but still a white shirt, hehe.” Ti Nan Yi giggled. “He really looked like the one you drew yesterday.”
At this point, Ti Xiao thought about his new neighbor. He still hadn’t seen his face, but overall, the guy had that kind of “I want to flirt with you” vibe.
“Uncle, are you planning to stay single forever? You’re already 23, and with your height of 173 cm, it’s really easy to find a boyfriend, trust me.” Ti Nan Yi’s words felt like a knife digging into Ti Xiao’s flesh.
“Stop right there,” Ti Xiao spat out the bone from his mouth. “You can’t even spit out any ivory, can you? Go away, and don’t come over for takeout tomorrow.”
Ti Nan Yi was all smiles, both in her tone and attitude. “Come on, should I try to get our English teacher’s WeChat for you?”
“Goodbye,” Ti Xiao glanced at the time and unceremoniously sent her off.
Ti Xiao had to submit the character design for his new comic to the editor today, and Ti Nan Yi, knowing when to be considerate, finished her meal and left. The only thing she didn’t do was take the trash downstairs, but she did swipe a comic book on her way out.
Downstairs, there was a notice about the delayed heating, which wouldn’t start until late November. Ti Xiao shook his head and cursed the gas company in his mind.
Just as he was about to turn and head upstairs, a tall figure in a white shirt and black pants walked towards him from a distance. It looked like… the same person from yesterday. His new neighbor.
Ti Nan Yi’s message arrived just in time.
Ti Nan Yi: “Haha, I have to tell you, our English teacher forgot to bring his book to class today. He pulled out Little Wolf Dog, the one he took from me yesterday. Now he’s going back home to get the book. I’m dying of laughter.”
Ti Xiao glanced at his phone but didn’t pay much attention to the message. He then looked up at the figure walking toward him.
For some reason, as he finally got a glimpse of his neighbor’s face, his heart started pounding uncontrollably, even though it was still winter.
Last night, Xiao Yao had stayed up late reading the comic Little Wolf Dog. The cover featured two men gazing at each other, with a rather suggestive and romantic tone. The title read: “Smart and Brave Big A’Ti, a Yearlong BL Masterpiece!”
He knew what “BL” meant. Homosexual marriage had been legalized in his country for several years, and he had met many such people while abroad.
But this type of work was still new to him.
To be honest, he had stayed up all night finishing the thick volume and even felt a little excited to see what would happen next. But with only one copy in hand and no internet, he was stuck.
Due to a lack of sleep, his brain was starved of oxygen, and he accidentally packed the wrong book—Little Wolf Dog—and left his textbook at home. His class wasn’t until the afternoon, so he spent the whole morning at school dealing with registration tasks, not realizing his mistake.
It wasn’t until the afternoon, just before class, that he realized he’d packed the wrong book.
In a panic, he quickly swapped his class with the next math teacher and rushed home to get his textbook.
Although Xiao Yao wasn’t easily embarrassed, this incident still felt a bit humiliating. After all, it was only his second day at work, and he felt slightly heavy-hearted as he walked through the neighborhood.
Then, a little tuft of hair on top of someone’s head caught his eye.
It looked like the same person from yesterday—the one all bundled up like a ball, bouncing around downstairs.
Wasn’t he… a little short?
Ti Xiao, holding his phone, looked up at the person who was half a head taller than him. His expression was a bit awkward, and his heart started pounding wildly.
Thump, thump, thump.
He was quite good-looking.
A bit… tempting.
Since he felt tempted, it was time to make a move. Ti Xiao opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated and closed it again.
Seeing Xiao Yao’s hesitation, the person with the little tuft of hair smiled and nodded in greeting, then walked upstairs, clearly in a hurry to get back to teaching.
When Ti Xiao came downstairs again, he found that the little tuft of hair was no longer there.
Meanwhile, after Xiao Yao closed the door behind him, he rushed to the opposite apartment, hugged a pillow, and rolled around on the carpet a few times. He then touched his head, wondering if his first impression was… a little silly?
When he began sketching later, he still felt a bit awkward.
Editor Guapipi sent a message: “Don’t forget to send me the character designs by 8 PM tonight. I need to review them, and also send me the theme of your work.”
Ti Xiao looked at the character he was drawing and couldn’t shake the feeling that it resembled his neighbor.
Tempted.
Those two words flooded his mind, crowding his thoughts. Although they were neighbors, and he had a bit of an advantage with proximity, he didn’t even know the guy’s name.
But that small smile earlier that afternoon really struck a chord with him. It felt like being hit by a bullet.
Ti Nan Yi’s message popped up, part of the family WeChat group.
You’re little Nan Nan, so cute: “Ahhh, I didn’t get his WeChat ID, QAQ, I want to cry out loud!”
The all-knowing Ti Xiao: “Normal.”
Big Brother: “Are you dating already? [smile]”
Mom: “What WeChat ID, Nan Nan?”
The all-knowing Ti Xiao: “Don’t mind her.”
You’re little Nan Nan, so cute: “[Er Kang hand] Dad! I’m not! I didn’t! I’m just helping Uncle find someone!”
Big Brother: “Every day you eat salty radishes and worry about others. I still haven’t forgotten that you only scored 57 in English last time.”
You’re little Nan Nan, so cute: “Dad! Didn’t we agree not to mention that?”
Brother’s Wife: “57? Hmm? When I come back from my business trip, we need to talk about that. [smile]”
Ti Xiao looked at the flurry of messages popping up on his phone, and when the topic changed, he let out a sigh of relief, giving his brother’s supportive comment a thumbs up.
Just as he was calming down and preparing to work on his sketches, he heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was his beloved takeout, he eagerly skipped to answer it.
With the cold weather these days, the delivery service had embraced the “lazy person’s dream” and brought food straight to the door, providing the perfect excuse for Ti Xiao to indulge his inner hermit.
When he opened the door, he saw the face that had been on his mind all afternoon. The little tuft of hair on top of the person’s head bobbed again as he moved.
Their eyes met, and suddenly, there was an awkward moment of silent staring.
“Could you… let me use your Wi-Fi?”
He heard his neighbor say this.
