Chapter 39
The flag of singlehood waved fervently under the moonlight, aiming to capture Xiang Mo’s attention and remind him of the beauty of being single. The sense of loneliness was nearly negligible, and freedom and happiness were the main priorities.
Therefore, it would be best if Du Chi’s words of “a long time” were not a lie, or else Xiang Mo would surely regret taking this step.
The flag’s vigorous waving gradually displayed signs of weariness, eventually ceasing its movement and surrendering, disappearing from Xiang Mo’s view.
“Why are you still standing there?” Du Chi extended his hand towards Xiang Mo, his voice inviting.
A crack with climbing ivy ran across the ceiling of the corridor, conveniently situated between the two. Moonlight filtered through the crack, illuminating Du Chi’s hand, causing everything else to fade into darkness, leaving only that large hand looking resolute and strong.
The hospital was only two kilometers away from home. Taking a taxi was too close, and public transportation was just one stop, still requiring a walk of several hundred meters. Thus, Xiang Mo understood Du Chi’s intention – he wanted to walk him home.
It wasn’t quite late yet, and they had to pass through a bustling area on their way home. Two grown men holding hands would definitely attract attention.
But suddenly, Xiang Mo didn’t care anymore. Even his staunch belief in singlehood had given way to romantic feelings. What could be more important than his newfound love?
“Aren’t you afraid of people staring at us?” Xiang Mo took Du Chi’s hand, his recent complex emotions dissipating.
The weight in his heart finally lifted, exploding into countless butterflies that danced among the flowers upon landing.
“What if I don’t hold you, and you run away?” Du Chi’s grip was firm, and seeing Xiang Mo’s nervousness, he suddenly thought of himself carrying his younger sister.
Sometimes she would be obedient, allowing him to carry her without fuss. However, most of the time, if he wasn’t careful, she would slip away from his embrace. Thus, whenever he carried his younger sister, he never knew how long it would last.
Perhaps Du Chi had similar uncertainties, unsure if Xiang Mo might slip away someday.
But unlike Xiang Mo, who tended to avoid emotional uncertainty, Du Chi chose to firmly grasp onto people.
“I won’t run away again.” Xiang Mo looked at Du Chi, a faint smile gracing his lips. “You’ve caught me.”
Tonight’s activities were more intense than any before, and at an unknown peak, Xiang Mo stared at the ceiling in a daze. He thought that he was essentially risking his life in the name of love – if they kept this up, he might just collapse from exhaustion.
But it was alright; once the initial passion subsided, their intimate life should find its rhythm.
Otherwise, if things continued like this, he truly wouldn’t be able to endure.
“Du Chi,” Xiang Mo, exhausted, rested his head on Du Chi’s chest, calming his racing heart after the intense activity. “When do you think we’ll break up?”
Massaging his backside, Du Chi’s hand suddenly stopped, and he tilted his chin to look at Xiang Mo. “We’ve only just started, and you’re already thinking about breaking up?”
“Just thinking randomly.” Perhaps it was better to call it idle speculation.
“Think like this then.” Du Chi continued to massage the plump area, seemingly unable to get enough. “If I were to be with someone else, and you felt relieved, then it’s probably time to break up.”
Following Du Chi’s words, Xiang Mo pondered for a moment, feeling uncomfortably breathless.
“No.” He furrowed his brows, looking at Du Chi seriously. “You’re mine.”
“Yeah.” Du Chi chuckled softly, not surprised by Xiang Mo’s reaction. “I’m yours.”
“Are you still planning to move out?” Xiang Mo suddenly remembered this matter.
“It depends on you.” Du Chi said, “If you come home with me, I won’t move out.”
Xiang Mo suddenly felt something was amiss. Why did Du Chi always seem to attach conditions to his statements now?
— Either indefinitely, or we break up now.
Xiang Mo was cornered into choosing the indefinite option.
— Break up in the future? Sure. I’ll be with someone else.
This frightened Xiang Mo to the point where he didn’t even dare to think about it.
— I can stay, but you have to come home with me.
It seemed like Du Chi had found the perfect way to handle Xiang Mo. In the early stages of their relationship, he managed to gain the upper hand.
Although Xiang Mo hadn’t been in a romantic relationship for a long time, just like how he didn’t like being controlled in bed, his approach to romance should be the same.
“Going home to meet your dad?” Xiang Mo’s breathing finally settled completely. The love-struck daze that had clouded his mind was gone, replaced by his usual clarity and rationality.
“Yeah.” The understanding between lovers showed itself in moments like these. Du Chi clearly sensed the subtle change in atmosphere and adjusted his tone with a hint of confidence and a touch of testing, “Are you willing to come home with me?”
“Let’s see.” Xiang Mo lazily turned over, “No rush.”
In the following days, Xiang Mo took on the responsibility of taking care of the adjacent rose bushes.
Fastidious singlehood had its own peculiarities, just like Xiang Mo’s preference for eating the leaves of cabbage but not the stalks, or eating the stalks of lettuce but not the leaves. He was willing to meticulously tend to the small courtyard on the ground floor but wasn’t keen on tidying up the balcony on the third floor properly. He did only what he wanted to do without any reasons, simply being willful.
Taking care of the rose bushes was a task assigned to him by Aunt Zhou. Going by his previous attitude, he would do it, but he might find it bothersome.
However, things were different now. Even though the rose bushes were the result of Aunt Zhou and her husband’s love and had nothing to do with Xiang Mo, he still felt content watching the brilliant roses bloom in the sunlight. Love was supposed to be this beautiful.
Aunt Zhou was still in the hospital, and her children had hired a nurse to take care of her. Xiang Mo and Du Chi occasionally visited her. Besides the two of them, Lao Li and Lao Zhang had become “frequent visitors.” Sometimes they would spend the entire afternoon there.
At first, Xiang Mo was worried that the two old men might argue and disturb the other patients in the ward. However, whether due to Aunt Zhou’s recent accident leaving a strong impression on them or something else, their relationship improved significantly.
Xiang Mo speculated that perhaps both Lao Li and Lao Zhang realized that Aunt Zhou was going to leave and reunite with her children abroad. At their age, separation meant farewell, and they must have felt a sense of melancholy, cherishing the friendships of their later years.
Du Chi’s workload had lightened.
In the past few days, he had been busy with the procedures for opening his studio. Once all the required documents were submitted, he didn’t need to run around as much anymore.
“Move a little to the right.”
Zhao Xiaoqiao stood in the middle of the entrance of the small courtyard, observing the “Brush & Ink Art Studio” on the right and the “Pen & Ink Typography Studio” on the left. She directed Xiang Mo and Du Chi to adjust the sign on the left.
When they successfully finished, Xiang Mo looked at the symmetrically aligned signs and asked Du Chi beside him, “Are you sure this was just a random idea of yours?”
The sign for the studio was white, and the sign for character creation was black. Both signs were of the same size, and the distribution of fonts was mirrored. It was obvious that a lot of effort had been put into it.
Du Chi hugged Xiang Mo from behind, not answering the question. Instead, he looked at Zhao Xiaoqiao and asked, “Haven’t your exam results come out yet?”
“Not for a few more days.” As Zhao Xiaoqiao said this, the sound of a bicycle bell rang out from the street.
Following the sound, Xiang Mo saw a handsome young man riding an old-fashioned bicycle, looking like the male lead from a youth idol drama.
If Xiang Mo remembered correctly, that was Zhao Xiaoqiao’s boyfriend.
“I have to go, bye.” Zhao Xiaoqiao, in a dress, tied her hair behind her ears and sat on the back of the old bicycle.
The two young people gradually disappeared down the street, with the plane trees and roses becoming background scenery, like a scene from a drama.
Watching their figures recede, Xiang Mo asked the large dog beside him, “When are we going on a date?”
At this point, Du Chi heard Xiang Mo’s question and replied, “Anytime.”
In the afternoon, Xiang Mo still had classes, so he couldn’t arrange his schedule as freely as Du Chi. After considering it, he said, “How about going to the riverside in the evening?”
“To see the popular bridge?”
Xiang Mo shook his head, “I just want to be with you.”
Where they went and what they did were secondary; as long as he was with Du Chi, it was good enough.
Du Chi smiled contentedly and didn’t mind they were still on the street. He leaned in and took a bite of Xiang Mo’s cheek, saying, “Sure, wifey.”
Xiang Mo went back to the studio to prepare his teaching materials, while Du Chi returned to his work on the third floor.
After about half an hour, Xiang Mo knocked on Du Chi’s door, “I came to see Sanmei.”
The day of delivery was imminent, but Sanmei still acted like an unruly teenager, frolicking around the old mansion with no awareness of her imminent motherhood.
Du Chi put down his mouse and came to the door, sitting cross-legged in front of the delivery room. He looked at Sanmei napping inside and said, “She’s sleeping.”
The cat in the wooden house slept in all sorts of odd positions. Xiang Mo lightly scratched her chin with his index finger, but she didn’t react at all.
This left Xiang Mo uncertain about what to do next.
Seeing that Sanmei wasn’t moving, after a while, Du Chi chuckled and asked, “Did you really come here just to see her?”
Well, his secret was out.
“Just wanted to see you.” Xiang Mo wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. “What’s wrong? Is that not okay?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?” Du Chi hooked his arm around Xiang Mo’s waist and let him lie in his lap. “If you want me to accompany you, just say so.”
“Then you can work this afternoon.” Xiang Mo relaxed his grip, leaning comfortably against Du Chi. It felt like a mischievous cat causing trouble on a keyboard, deliberately preventing its owner from working properly.
Du Chi chuckled at Xiang Mo’s antics. “How come I never realized you’re so clingy?”
“It’s your privilege.” Xiang Mo didn’t quite like how Du Chi phrased it. He frowned slightly and continued, “Don’t you want me to be?”
Cats were like that, always cautious around the world, but they’d reveal their vulnerable belly to their familiar owners.
This side of Xiang Mo was reserved solely for his lover. If Du Chi didn’t want him to be clingy, he could easily give Du Chi enough personal space—then cause trouble somewhere else.
“I do.” Du Chi leaned down, capturing Xiang Mo’s lips and whispered indulgent words, “You clingy spirit.”
…
The soft music in the studio transitioned to a lively tune. Even the students noticed something different. “Teacher, you seem to be in a really good mood lately.”
“Yeah, I am.” Xiang Mo didn’t deny it. “I’m going out for a date with your teacher tonight.”
“Wow~” The students chimed in with cheers. In the past, the old Xiang Mo might have found this headache-inducing, but now, he didn’t seem to mind.
Ever since crossing that barrier in his heart, many things had become inconsequential to Xiang Mo.
It didn’t matter what the future held, what others thought, as long as they were happy together.
“What’s with all the excitement?”
Du Chi, in flip-flops, descended the stairs from above. The students all spoke in unison, “Hello, Teacher’s wife.”
Du Chi arched an eyebrow. He used to not mind that term, but today he sounded a bit picky, “Can the master’s husband be called ‘Teacher’s wife’?”
The cheeky dog was taking liberties.
Xiang Mo didn’t want to discuss this topic in class. He asked, “What are you coming down here for?”
“To get a package.” Du Chi said, “Do you have something to collect?”
Xiang Mo didn’t have any deliveries, so after a brief response, he focused on teaching and ignored Du Chi.
The sound of flip-flops left the studio and went to the courtyard outside. Just at that moment, the sound of a rolling suitcase suddenly emanated from the entrance.
“Excuse me, are you?”
Du Chi halted his steps, looking at the middle-aged woman walking into the courtyard, somewhat puzzled.
“You must be Du Chi, right?” The middle-aged woman took off her sunglasses and gave Du Chi an up-and-down look. “You’re handsome indeed.”
Du Chi: ?
Hearing the familiar voice, Xiang Mo emerged from the studio and calmly greeted, “Mom, you’re here.”
Just as he spoke, the usually imposing Doberman suddenly transformed into an obedient Chihuahua, hands nervously smoothing his pants, “H-Hello, Auntie.” —
Xiang Mo: Maintaining Control (11)
