The camera shook slightly, as if the streamer had picked it up. Soon, a white porcelain bowl appeared on screen — pork ribs, lotus root, golden corn, and a handful of goji berries that Xiao Yao had intentionally sprinkled on top.
[Viewer]: Ugh, so jealous. I want soup made by someone I like, too.
[Viewer]: I’m full just looking at the soup through my screen.
[Viewer]: Midnight heartbreak club?? I’m gonna unfollow if this keeps up ahhhh.
While the chat filled with playful messages, Xiao Yao’s heart echoed with just one sentence, over and over again — alongside the relentless pounding of his heartbeat.
“It’s soup made by someone I like.”
Everything suddenly felt a little surreal.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yao sent a message in the chat.
[pass by]: Is the soup good?
Ti Xiao spotted the message, set the camera back in place, and took a big sip of soup, as if to prove how delicious it was. “It’s amazing,” he grinned. “Isn’t this just the best? I really like him.”
[Viewer]: Does the person you like… like you back?
Xiao Yao hadn’t sent that message, but reading it still made his heart skip a beat.
Seeing the question, Ti Xiao couldn’t help but start talking. “Well… I don’t really know for sure, but I kind of get that feeling, you know? Anyway, we’re just neighbors for now. Proximity breeds affection, right? There’s plenty of time, hehe.”
“Alright, alright, I’m gonna start drawing. Today I’ll show you guys how to make red and green color schemes look good — pay attention, this is important.” Ti Xiao glanced at the clock, spun the stylus between his fingers, and started sketching.
And he wasn’t wrong — there was a bit of a feeling there.
Xiao Yao couldn’t deny the growing fondness in his heart. He wasn’t willing to step back, not even a little, but he also didn’t dare take that step forward to grab hold of Little Jiujiao’s hand.
Especially when he still wasn’t entirely sure if this streamer was really Ti Xiao. The voice was completely different, but the coincidences piled up too perfectly:
The books. The soup. The neighbor.
As smooth, confident lines appeared on the screen and the figure slowly took shape, the tension in Xiao Yao’s tightly pressed lips finally eased.
He exited the live stream and scrolled through the artist “Da A’tchoo’s” Weibo feed, eventually stumbling upon a post titled “Long-Legged Cookie Buying Oranges.” The post included three pictures — and the back view, the clothes… the more Xiao Yao looked at them, the more familiar they seemed.
When Ti Xiao got into his drawing zone, he became completely absorbed in his work. He barely spoke, only offering explanations on anatomy and color theory. The fans quietly watched him draw, and the live chat slowed to a trickle.
Because it was a full-color illustration, the process was more time-consuming than usual. Ti Xiao didn’t plan to finish it that night, and by the time he completed the rough draft, it was already 2 a.m.
Most fans had long said their goodnights in the chat, signing off to get some rest for work or school.
When Ti Xiao finally stretched and put down his stylus, only three viewers remained.
Two were platform bots.
The last was a user named “pass by.”
The very same person who had caught Ti Xiao’s attention earlier.
“Oh? Someone’s still here? It’s so late — aren’t you going to sleep?” Ti Xiao cleared his throat.
[pass by]: Mm, I’ll sleep after you end the stream.
The reply appeared almost instantly.
“I remember you! You’re the one who sent all those gifts last time, right? Thank you, really. But you don’t need to do that — just enjoying the art is enough. Don’t waste your money like that.”
[pass by]: It’s okay. I really like your work.
“You still need to sleep early, though. Don’t follow my bad example — staying up late all the time is no good,” Ti Xiao said, rolling his neck until it cracked.
A burst of static crackled in Ti Xiao’s headphones. He tapped his microphone with a curled finger. “I think my mic is broken. Do I sound weird to you?”
The chat wasn’t as quick to respond this time. It took a while before a message popped up.
[pass by]: Yeah, a little.
Ti Xiao yawned. “I’ll get a new one another day. Anyway, big bro, I’m logging off. You should get some rest, too.”
[pass by]: Goodnight.
After saving his work, Ti Xiao shut down his computer and went to wash up for bed. Meanwhile, the person next door stared at the screen displaying the words “Streamer has gone fishing” for a long time before finally putting his phone down and yawning.
Before brushing his teeth, Ti Xiao reheated a bowl of pork rib soup, happily sipping away, completely unaware that his secret identity had already been almost completely unraveled.
“I’m not going to your parent-teacher meeting.” Ti Xiao declared righteously. “Give up that idea.”
“If you don’t go, I’ll definitely die. My mom’s in her menopause phase, and her temper’s been awful lately. Please, I’m begging you!” Ti Nanyi pleaded, tears and snot running down her face.
With the year-end and finals approaching, Ti Nanyi’s visits to Ti Xiao’s place had dwindled. But every time she did come over, it was to make some bizarre request.
This time, she was downright reckless — daring to ask him to attend her parent-teacher meeting.
If Ti Jiji found out, she’d probably break both Ti Nanyi’s legs. And maybe even Ti Xiao’s for good measure.
Although, truth be told, Ti Xiao had attended her parent-teacher meetings before — but only when his brother and sister-in-law were out of town for work, and he had no choice.
With nearly a month left until winter break, Ti Nanyi coming to beg this early clearly meant she hadn’t been studying properly.
“Study hard and try not to give me a reason to meet your English teacher,” Ti Xiao half-joked. “If you do well, I’ll give you a big red envelope this year.”
Hearing this, Ti Nanyi’s eyes sparkled, and her tears and snot instantly transformed into motivation. She skipped back to school, even volunteering to take out several bags of trash for Ti Xiao on her way.
But not long after, she sent a frantic voice message.
“Ahhh, I just saw my English teacher walking out of your complex! I’m never eating at your place again!” Her voice trembled with panic.
“Perfect. You can focus entirely on studying.” Ti Xiao was more than happy with this outcome.
After this little interlude, Ti Xiao headed to the supermarket, mulling over Xiao Yao as he walked.
During the days he’d been sick with a fever, Xiao Yao had taken care of him tirelessly — making breakfast, delivering late-night snacks. A simple “thank you” felt far too insubstantial.
He needed to come up with a proper way to express his gratitude.
But gifts were tricky since he didn’t know Xiao Yao’s preferences. And inviting him to another meal felt lazy and lacking in thought.
Ti Xiao scratched his head. If only he could gift himself as thanks.
Then again, what if Xiao Yao didn’t want that? The humiliation would be catastrophic.
As he wrestled with this dilemma, Christmas quietly slipped by, and the new year crept closer.
Every year, on the last day of December, the neighborhood committee organized a dumpling-making event. Residents — young and old — gathered to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one together.
Naturally, both Ti Xiao and Xiao Yao were invited.
Ti Xiao was invited because he had a good relationship with everyone and often helped the older neighbors. Xiao Yao, on the other hand, had only recently moved in, was quiet, and rarely socialized.
Their invitations seemed straightforward enough — until several aunties and uncles started introducing their sons and daughters.
That’s when Ti Xiao finally realized.
They were trying to turn this into a live-action dating show.
“A’Yao, this is my daughter. She’s planning to study in the UK next year. Can you give her some tips on living abroad?”
What’s happening?
He’s already back from abroad! And you’re a grown adult — can’t you Google it yourself?
“You have such a great physique! Do you work out often? Maybe we could go together sometime?”
Are you the only one with eyes?
Why are you always looking at him? And he already made plans with me — you don’t stand a chance!
“Xiao Yao, I heard your English is really good. Can you help me translate the words on this shirt?”
No, they remembered wrong — his English is terrible!
The neighborhood uncles and aunties, clearly worried about their children’s love lives, crowded around Xiao Yao, completely boxing him in. Even Ti Xiao, who had been sitting next to him, got shoved off to the dumpling-making station.
Watching Xiao Yao patiently chat with everyone, his usual good temper on full display, Ti Xiao fumed and scooped an oversized spoonful of filling into a dumpling wrapper, venting his frustration.
He might not know how to cook, but dumpling-making was his forte. As a kid, he and Ti Zhe would compete every New Year to see who could make the most dumplings — and whose looked the best. Over the years, he’d practically perfected the craft.
Before long, Ti Xiao had already wrapped dozens of dumplings, yet Xiao Yao was still surrounded by eager singles.
The sight made Ti Xiao’s teeth itch with jealousy.
“Xiao Xiao, we’re out of soy sauce. Can you run and grab a bottle?” Auntie Zhang, who was chopping dumpling filling, shook the empty bottle and shot him a knowing wink.
“Sure,” Ti Xiao agreed, puzzled by the wink but grabbing his coat to head out anyway.
As soon as he stepped out of the cozy room, the cold wind bit into him, seeping through his clothes. He lowered his head, trying to zip up his jacket, but the zipper refused to cooperate no matter how many times he tried.
Already feeling irritable, Ti Xiao gave up and let the jacket hang open, deciding to just tough it out. But before he could take a step forward, someone chased after him and tugged him back.
It was Xiao Yao.
Before Ti Xiao could say anything, Xiao Yao reached out and gently rubbed his face with his thumb. When he pulled his hand back, there was a smudge of white flour on his fingertip — leftover from when Ti Xiao had angrily wrapped dumplings earlier.
“You’ve got flour on your face,” Xiao Yao said, rubbing his fingers together with a soft chuckle.
He looked like a stray kitten with flour-dusted cheeks.
Ti Xiao’s face burned, already half-hidden by his bright red scarf. The exposed part of his face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Th-Thank you.”
“I’ll go with you. Auntie Zhang asked me to buy vinegar,” Xiao Yao said as he pulled up Ti Xiao’s scarf a little higher. “Let’s go.”
At that, Ti Xiao finally understood why Auntie Zhang had been winking at him earlier.
Auntie Zhang, you’re truly the MVP.
His mood instantly brightened.
Seeing Ti Xiao’s blushing face, Xiao Yao suddenly thought back to the words he’d overheard during a certain livestream. The corners of his mouth lifted into a subtle but unmistakably pleased smile.
“Let’s go.”
But just as Ti Xiao opened his mouth to say “Okay”, Xiao Yao suddenly lurched toward him — as if he’d been bumped from behind.
It almost looked like he was about to fall right into Ti Xiao’s arms.
Like he was diving straight into a hug.
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