Through a few strands of hair, Ti Xiao felt a soft, warm sensation press against his forehead. It was tender and slightly damp, carrying the crisp scent of freshly fallen snow.
At that moment, Ti Xiao felt like he could explode like a firework, lighting up the sky for three days and three nights straight.
But that fleeting touch disappeared almost as quickly as it came, like a reflection on water. What lingered, however, was the feeling of being held — and the steady, powerful sound of a heartbeat echoing in his ears.
Thump, thump, thump. The sound of liking someone.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see anyone outside the door. I didn’t bump into you guys, did I?” The person who had pushed the door open apologized, freezing when they saw the two of them wrapped in an accidental embrace.
“Uh, sorry, sorry,” the guy muttered, scratching his head awkwardly before speeding up and fleeing the suspiciously romantic scene.
Earlier, Xiao Yao had come out of the room and caught up with Ti Xiao at the door. The whole face-wiping, scarf-tugging sequence had unfolded right there, with neither of them stepping even half a foot away.
The neighborhood committee’s door had a unique design — instead of pulling inward, it pushed outward. And since Xiao Yao had been standing right in front of it, he blocked the entrance like an immovable mountain.
So, the unlucky guy who accidentally witnessed the whole thing had unknowingly set up a perfect assist.
To prevent them both from falling, Xiao Yao instinctively pulled Ti Xiao into his arms. But because of the force of the impact, he couldn’t stop his own body from tilting forward — right into what looked like a deliberate hug.
The accidental bystander scurried away, visibly embarrassed. Xiao Yao, too, seemed a bit flustered as he let go.
Ti Xiao, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with joy. Even his steps on the way to buy soy sauce looked like he was dancing at a rave.
He even snuck a few furtive touches to his forehead when Xiao Yao wasn’t looking, grinning like an idiot. And though Xiao Yao avoided meeting his gaze, there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth the entire time.
Despite the awkwardness, Ti Xiao somehow tasted a hint of subtle romance.
Staring at the rows of seasoning bottles on the shelves, Ti Xiao remembered the dilemma he’d been stewing over for days — how exactly should he thank Xiao Yao?
He suddenly had a gut feeling that he’d find the answer today.
After glancing around and failing to find inspiration, Ti Xiao decided to just rip off the band-aid and say whatever came to mind.
“Xiao Yao, do you…” Ti Xiao started.
“Do you…” Xiao Yao spoke at the exact same time.
The simultaneous words made them pause, exchanging glances before breaking into laughter. The tension melted away like snow under sunlight.
“You go first,” Ti Xiao said, wiping the corners of his eyes.
“Do you want to eat hotpot?” Xiao Yao asked, effortlessly going with the flow. He even shook a packet of hotpot base in his hand like a casual offer.
“Huh? Yes!” Ti Xiao blurted out, his brain barely catching up to his mouth.
Xiao Yao nodded, but instead of tossing the hotpot base into the basket, he locked eyes with Ti Xiao.
“What were you going to say just now?” he asked.
Ti Xiao panicked. “Heh, I… I was going to ask if you wanted to eat hotpot too!” He quickly grabbed a packet of hotpot base to sell the lie.
Glancing at Xiao Yao’s packet, Ti Xiao noticed it was the spicy kind. Without missing a beat, he activated his flirting mode and went all-in.
“Do you like spicy food? I like spicy food too!” he declared, voice brimming with false confidence.
In reality, Ti Xiao’s spice tolerance was abysmal — if you rounded up, it might barely hit a 1 out of 10.
His whole family loved spicy food. They devoured chili-laden dishes like it was candy. Ti Xiao was the only outlier.
Whenever they had hotpot at home, and he saw the bright red chili oil glistening on top, he felt like crying on the inside.
But this was Xiao Yao.
Flirting takes sacrifice!
“I don’t really eat spicy food,” Xiao Yao admitted with a small smile. He didn’t put the spicy base into the basket either. “But if you like it, I can try it with you.”
He was willing to try it for him.Xiao Yao kept his eyes locked on Ti Xiao as he spoke, gaze sincere and unwavering.
What was done was done.
What was said was said.
And with Xiao Yao already promising so much, Ti Xiao didn’t have the heart to take it back. He could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yao grabbed several packs of the spiciest hotpot base and tossed them into the basket.
It was easy to picture the disaster waiting for them on hotpot day:
“You can’t handle spice?”
“Bro, I can’t handle spice either.”
“Get this one — this brand’s soy sauce is better.” Ti Xiao reached out to grab a random bottle, but Xiao Yao stopped him, recommending a different, tastier option.
“You really know your way around a kitchen, huh?” Ti Xiao obediently swapped bottles. “That soup you made last time was amazing. I give you 100 points!”
The unspoken subtext: When are you making soup again?
“I can make some today.” Xiao Yao caught the hint immediately and steered their cart toward the fresh produce section without a second thought, as if to say, Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen.
“Huh?” Ti Xiao hurried to keep up.
“What do you want to drink?” Xiao Yao picked up a section of lotus root, examined it, then set it back down. He smiled at Ti Xiao, eyes warm and patient.
“Can we?” Ti Xiao’s heart thudded painfully fast at this gentle indulgence. “You already made me breakfast…”
Xiao Yao’s steps slowed. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind before he kept walking.
“Technically speaking, I could cook for you three meals a day.”
“After all, eating alone isn’t very enjoyable.”
“If you want, you could even bring your bowl and come eat at my place.”
“Or, you know… you could just come without the bowl.”
The cold, fluorescent store lights shone down from above, casting a bright glow over Xiao Yao’s profile. Standing by his side, Ti Xiao saw the curve of his smile — and it bloomed in his eyes like the colors of dawn.
“Okay.”
Not long after, Ti Nanyi — buried in homework at home — received a message:
Magic Conch:
Don’t bother coming home for lunch anymore.
Eat at school or something.
I scored myself a long-term meal ticket. Hee hee hee
By the time they got back, Auntie Zhang had just finished cooking a batch of dumplings. She quickly brought out a steaming plate for them to share.
The two of them accepted the plate and flashed her matching grins — gratitude for the assist.
“Ti Xiao-ge, can you help me with this question?”
A boy who knew Ti Xiao well came over, holding his workbook with a hopeful expression.
“Xu Xiaochen, you’re really that dedicated? Studying even while making dumplings?” Ti Xiao asked, scarfing down a dumpling before taking the workbook. “Do you have a lot of homework?”
Xu Xiaochen answered casually: “Just pages 35 to 70 of this workbook, I guess.”
He went to the private school near the neighborhood — the same school as Ti Nanyi, though Xiaochen was in the middle school division.
“Tsk tsk tsk, your English teacher is ruthless,” Ti Xiao clicked his tongue, flipping through the pages. “These questions are insane for middle schoolers, and they dumped all this homework on you over New Year’s?”
After glancing at a few problems, he tapped out. “Nope, I can’t do this. Ask that guy instead — he studied abroad.”
Xiao Yao had been quietly sitting to the side, but at the mention of his name, he readily took the workbook.
Then he froze.
Because this wasn’t just any workbook — it was their school’s custom practice book.
In fact, Xiao Yao himself had helped write it.
And the holiday homework load? That had been decided through a joint meeting of all the teachers across the middle and high school divisions.
The label of “psychotic English teacher” was now firmly glued to his back.
“This one,” Xiao Yao pointed to a multiple-choice question. “Do you know what these words mean?”
“And here,” he circled several places with a pencil. “Grammar mistakes. You can’t use prepositions like that.”
Ti Xiao quietly cradled his bowl and watched Xiao Yao tutor Xu Xiaochen, eyes glued to him like a lovesick fool.
Xiao Yao held the pen deftly, circling, underlining, and annotating with practiced ease. He occasionally slipped into fluent explanations in English, brow furrowed in concentration as he worked through the questions.
Ti Xiao couldn’t look away.
He could probably watch him forever.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yao’s impromptu tutoring session attracted an eager crowd — a mix of single men and women who had been hanging around earlier. One by one, they elbowed their way in, each more desperate than the last.
Ti Xiao sat stubbornly in place, radiating “I’m the main wife” energy and refusing to budge no matter how hard they pressed.
…Until Auntie Zhang called him over to help in the kitchen.
Where was the so-called “Best Auntie in China” now?!
Ti Xiao mentally screamed his grievances while scrubbing dishes.
On the other side of the room, Xiao Yao kept calmly explaining the questions, unaware of the silent domestic meltdown happening nearby.
“Xiao Yao, your English is amazing! Did you major in it in college?”
“No.” The constant chatter buzzing around him started to wear on Xiao Yao’s patience. He frowned slightly — his little bun had just been dragged away.
“Huh? Then what do you do for work?”
“I’m a teacher.” After patiently pointing out all the mistakes in Xu Xiaochen’s workbook, Xiao Yao calmly set it back on the table.
He tapped his finger against the school name printed on the cover.
By the time Ti Xiao finished washing dishes and came back out, most of the people had already left. Only a few uncles and aunties lingered, tidying up.
Even Xiao Yao was gone.
After mentally cursing Auntie Zhang one last time, Ti Xiao cautiously touched his forehead, feeling the lingering warmth there. He swore he might never wash his face again.
…But deep down, he still felt a little disappointed.
After lunch, he figured he’d probably end up eating dumplings again for dinner. Right on cue, messages from his family started rolling in:
Your Adorable Nannan:
Uncle, hurry home! The whole family is waiting for you to make dumplings!
Mom:
Don’t forget to buy soy sauce on your way back.
Brother:
I want tangerines. The sweet ones. Buy two kilos.
Dad:
Make sure the tangerines are really sweet.
Sister-in-law:
Drive safe, Xiaoxiao.
Why is it always soy sauce?!
Might as well plant a tangerine tree for you guys!!
The #1 Ti Xiao Fan Club President expressed his strong condemnation.
Ti Xiao thought back to the brand of soy sauce Xiao Yao had recommended…
What was it called again?
His memory was hopeless.
With no other option, he shot Xiao Yao a message.
Magic Conch:
What brand was that soy sauce again?
“Forgot already?”
The message had barely been sent when Xiao Yao’s voice floated over from behind him.
“…I thought you left.”
Ti Xiao’s eyes widened.
Was he… waiting for me?
Xiao Yao stood a few steps behind him, holding his phone. The screen was still lit up, displaying their chat.
But the contact name had changed.
The words “My” had been added in front of “Little Bun.”
The sheer possessiveness practically leapt off the screen.
He must have changed it just now — right after Ti Xiao had been called away, as people gradually trickled out. Xiao Yao had searched the room for him, looping around several times. When he couldn’t find him, he quietly changed the name.
As if by doing that, he could somehow keep his little bun close.
As if, from now on, they’d always be together.
“Ah, I… I was washing dishes, so I hadn’t left yet.”
“I was… kind of waiting for you too, actually.”
The second half of the sentence dropped to a near whisper.
“What?” Xiao Yao didn’t catch it. He pushed the door open for him.
“Nothing, nothing.”
Ti Xiao’s gaze lingered on Xiao Yao’s lips for a second before he casually brushed his bangs aside and grinned.
“Let’s go.”
For some reason…
He had a feeling he might be off the market before the year was even over.
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