Tw; homophobia
Gui Yin woke up to the smell of food and the sound of the coffee machine.
He opened his eyes in a daze as reality came to him piece by piece. He first wondered how there could be food already cooked when he lived alone. Then, he remembered getting drunk the night before. His eyes widened and realization hit him like a truck. His first instinct was to look under the blankets. Upon finding that he was dressed exactly as he had the night before, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He threw the blankets to the side, slipped into his slippers, and hurried to the kitchen.
The sound of slippers slapping against the floorboards made Erlang look up. He smiled as he set the table.
“Good morning.”
“Good…” Gui Yin’s greeting stopped halfway. He looked around to confirm his thoughts before he snuck a peak at Erlang again. “This is my house.”
“It is,” Erlang nodded. He smiled sheepishly. “You seemed pretty out of it last night, but do you really not remember what happened?”
“I…not really.”
“You told me your address and even managed to get the passcode in, then you told me it was too late, so that I should just stay over,” Erlang said. He pointed to the couch that had a pillow with a neatly folded blanket resting on top. “I slept there last night.”
“I…did that, did I?” Gui Yin murmured, running a hand through his hair.
“Your glasses,” Erlang gasped. He went over to the coffee table and handed them back to him. “I took them off you last night, because you kept tripping everywhere. I was scared you would break them. Here you go.”
“Thank you,” Gui Yin said. He slipped them back onto his face and looked at Erlang.
The young man’s hair was a bit messy, as if he had just gotten up. He was still wearing the same jeans and t-shirt that he had been wearing the night before. A curious smile remained on his face as he waited for Gui Yin to speak again.
“I wasn’t weird last night, was I?”
“Do you normally have poor drinking habits?” Erlang asked.
Gui Yin scratched the back of his head with a small frown. “I usually end up in someone’s bed before I black out, but…it’s a bit different this time, I suppose.”
There was a subtle change to Erlang’s expression that Gui Yin didn’t have time to decipher. A well-placed smile remained on the young man’s face as he lowered his head and finished setting up the table.
“Well, I promise I didn’t touch you. I mean, aside from carrying you from the taxi and up the elevator. And rest assured, you didn’t try to make a move on me either.”
Gui Yin slowly nodded. “That’s good. That’s a relief.”
Erlang’s smile remained on his face as he went back into the kitchen and poured Gui Yin a cup of coffee. He passed it over as Gui Yin absentmindedly thought about last night.
His sleep was very, very good. For the past two weeks, he had constantly been at the mercy of his nightmares. However, he had slept through the entire night without jumping up in a cold sweat. It had been so peaceful that Gui Yin almost questioned if he even slept. Was it because he drank a lot? Did the alcohol knock him out?
“Yin-ge?”
“Huh?”
“You should brush your teeth and come out for breakfast,” Erlang said.
“Oh…okay,” Gui Yin dazedly went to his bathroom after he set the coffee mug down.
He was halfway through washing his face when he froze and looked at himself in the mirror.
Was he…crazy!? How could he get blackout drunk and then invite this random stranger into his house? It was fine if he had one-night stands at a hotel, but at his house? And he didn’t even sleep with the man! What if this guy was a psychopath? A serial killer?
Gui Yin clutched the edges of his sink and frowned deeply. Just trying to put the words “psychopath” with Erlang’s innocent expression felt like he was committing a sin.
It was all the nightmares that were getting to him. Realistically, how unlucky would he have to be to be targeted by a serial killer? Although Gui Yin didn’t have the best track record with men, there was no way he was that unlucky. It was merely paranoia that stemmed from lack of sleep. That had to be it.
“Yin-ge?!”
Gui Yin looked at Erlang, who had pushed the door open and looked in.
“Are you okay? I heard some…did you slap yourself?”
“I was…uh…I spaced out,” Gui Yin said. “I’m okay.”
“Spaced…” Erlang’s words trailed off. He hesitated by the door as he worriedly observed Gui Yin. “Should I leave?”
“Oh, yeah, I still need to change,” Gui Yin said sheepishly.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Erlang’s tense shoulders relaxed. The concerned expression turned into something like a quiet amusement. “No, I meant to ask if I should leave your home.”
“Qts kbeiv sbe…?” Xel Tlc jrxfv, rajglcu ja tlw rbwfktja klvf-fsfv.
“P kjr pera,” Sgijcu rtgeuufv lccbmfcais, “Qbcvfglcu lo P kjr lcagevlcu.”
“Pcagevlcu?” Xel Tlc fmtbfv. Lf mbeutfv rilutais ab wjrx tlr uelia. Ktlr ues? C rfglji xliifg? Rb kjs. “Rb, cba ja jii. P pera gfwfwyfgfv rbwfatlcu atja P obguba ab vb ja kbgx, atja’r jii. Tbe vbc’a cffv ab kbggs jybea lcagevlcu. P’ii yf bea lc j rfm.”
Erlang hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. “Alright. Then, I’ll wait for you.”
Gui Yin changed into a baggy t-shirt and a pair of joggers. His hair remained fluffy and unstyled, albeit a bit tamer. His glasses sat on the top of his head and pushed back a majority of his fringe. Once he sat down at the table, he took a glance at his coffee and found that sugar, milk, and creamer had been added to it. A small smile lit up his face as he held the warm mug.
He watched Erlang plate the breakfast and sat down.
“Thanks for spending my birthday with me,” Gui Yin said.
Erlang looked up. He chuckled. “I should be the one thanking you for letting me spend it with you.”
Gui Yin held his gaze for a moment before he felt that it was too much. He averted his gaze and stirred his coffee. “Honestly, if you hadn’t offered, I might have really spent it alone. I tend to dislike spending my birthdays with others.”
Erlang rubbed his thumb against the knuckle of his index finger. “I’m sure you’ve had enjoyable birthdays before. You’ve just forgotten them.”
“Maybe when I was younger,” Gui Yin said with a light shrug. “But in my recent memory that was the least annoyed I’d been during my birthday. It was nice. I even enjoyed it.”
“Maybe next year you can spend your birthday like this too.”
Gui Yin finally looked up again, his eyes concentrating on the young man in front of him.
Erlang flashed a charming grin as he leaned against the table. “I personally wouldn’t mind spending this day with you again.”
Gui Yin clicked his tongue. “Are all kids these days smooth talkers like you?”
“I don’t know about kids, but I don’t think my peers are exactly like me either,” Erlang said. “Do you like it? Or is it too much?”
“Are you catering yourself to my tastes?” Gui Yin asked, amused.
“I think you’re very interesting, so I want to figure out how I can stay beside you,” Erlang said.
Gui Yin took a sip of his coffee. “Honesty is a good first step.”
“I’ve been plenty honest so far,” Erlang said, his gaze seemingly scanning Gui Yin’s expression carefully. He noticed that Gui Yin’s ears had slowly reddened. He lowered his gaze and finished the rest of his breakfast. “Mm…”
Gui Yin glanced at Erlang and raised a brow. “What’s wrong?”
“I want to stay longer, but I have to go to work,” Erlang mumbled.
Gui Yin pursed his lips. What the hell? Was he acting pathetic right now? How did he figure out that cute and pathetic were his type?
“Then, it can’t be helped. I’ll walk you out,” Gui Yin said, standing.
Erlang smiled to himself and happily followed Gui Yin.
“If you ever want to hang out, just call me,” Gui Yin said. “I’ll make time.”
Erlang looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Really?”
“Why would I bother lying?”
Erlang lowered his head shyly. “Um…if you stop by the café on weekdays in the mornings, I’ll definitely be there. That’s—if you want a free drink, I’ll pay.”
“How could I ask for you to always pay for my drinks?” Gui Yin said.
“But I want to,” Erlang said, his voice trailing slightly as the elevator doors opened.
“If you want to pay for my drinks, then we should go somewhere together. I won’t visit you just for a free drink.”
Erlang’s smile widened. “Alright. Then—”
“Gui Yin!”
The name made Erlang stop in his tracks before Gui Yin did. He frowned and glared at the person who was walking up to them. He glanced at Gui Yin’s irritated expression and let out an internal sigh. Things were going well, but now who was this nobody?
“You didn’t answer Dad’s calls at all! What were you doing last night?” the teenager paused. He looked at Erlang behind Gui Yin and made a disgusted face. “Who’s this? Your new boyfriend?”
Gui Yin took a deep breath and looked at the teenager. “What are you doing here?”
The teenager frowned and turned his attention back to Gui Yin. “What? I can’t come visit my own brother?”
“Is this because I wasn’t sending you money?” Gui Yin asked, getting straight to the point. “It’s because your father told me not to. Even if you come whining to me, it won’t change my mind.”
“You—how rude! He’s your dad too!” the teenager burst out. He scoffed and crossed his arms. “Dad and Mom love you so much even though you’re like this, but you don’t even know how to be grateful. Do you know how long Mom took to prepare dinner last night? You didn’t even give them the courtesy of letting them know that you wouldn’t be going over for dinner. Or were you just so distracted, running around outside with this?”
“When did I ever even agree to go to dinner? And who taught you to be so rude? Who I spend my time with isn’t up to you to decide either,” Gui Yin said. He flagged down a taxi and nudged Erlang towards it. “Text me later, okay?”
“O—”
“What? Are you ashamed to show your new boyfriend that you’re so unfilial so you’re shooing him away?”
Gui Yin let out a slow breath as he opened the car door for Erlang. His grip on the door tightened as he slammed the car door shut. He threw a tight-lipped smile over his shoulder once the taxi had driven off.
“I’m not embarrassed about myself. I was embarrassed that the man I’m interested in has to see someone I’m related to dance around like a circus clown so early in the morning.”
“What?! You—”
“If your mother is really that upset, tell her to come to my apartment herself. Or, what? She thinks she can scam me of another couple thousand dollars if she sends her darling son? That trick is old,” Gui Yin said. “And tell your dad that I was indeed spending time with someone else during my birthday and that it’s my business. If he wanted to have a say in my life then he shouldn’t have abandoned me when I was six!”
The last sentence was shouted, stunning even Gui Yin.
He was only thankful the taxi had long left with Erlang in it. If Erlang had to see such a display, he wouldn’t know what he would do.
Gui Yin took a deep breath and looked at the stunned teenager. “Why are you still standing here? Go. Just seeing you is ruining my morning.”
Gui Yin went back up to his apartment.
He irritably kicked his shoes off and went to clean up the dirty dishes that were left behind from the breakfast.
He pushed up the faucet with his elbow and watched as the soap suds gathered on the dirty plates. He smiled softly to himself as his anger slowly fizzled out.
Erlang’s cooking tasted really good.
He rarely had home cooked meals growing up, but his cooking somehow carried a familiar flavor. However, it wouldn’t be how one would describe a mother’s cooking. It was odd, but the familiarity was comforting, making Gui Yin unable to delve further into what this familiarity meant.
After he cleaned the dishes, he went through his skincare routine and sat on the couch, flipping through channels until lunch came. He yawned and stretched out his waist. He picked up his phone, ready to order delivery, when he saw that he had a missed call. He half expected it to be from his dad, but when he looked closer, he realized it was from Erlang. He paused and went to click through the messages.
“Do you like fried chicken?”
The message was sent twenty minutes ago. Gui Yin was about to ask why when he heard his doorbell ring. He stood and went over. On the screen was Erlang.
He had changed his clothes and was no longer wearing the baggy shirt from the day before. Today, he wore a black snapback with a mauve t-shirt and fitted black pants. He was holding a bag of something in his hand and he was scrolling through his phone as he waited for Gui Yin to open the door.
The click drew Erlang’s attention. He smiled brightly as Gui Yin stepped aside to let him in, a confused expression still on his face.
“You didn’t answer my text,” Erlang said awkwardly, “So I bought fried chicken from the shop I work at and beef noodles from the shop next door.”
“I…okay. But…why are you here?” Gui Yin asked, staring at him in confusion.
Erlang placed the bags down and fiddled with the handles awkwardly for a moment. “Well, you seemed upset this morning and I wanted to see if I could comfort you. Bringing you lunch was the best excuse I could come up with. If you want to be alone, I can just leave now and you can—”
“Just stay,” Gui Yin said. He walked over to the table and began to unpack anything. “It’s not like I can finish everything by myself.”
The look in Erlang’s eyes softened. He quickly helped Gui Yin unpack the food.
“Did you just get off work?”
“Mn,” Erlang sat down and watched Gui Yin grab plates and bowls from his cabinet. “I only had one shift today.”
“Do you work a lot of jobs?”
Erlang nodded. “I want to get a second degree, but I don’t think my scholarship would be enough to cover my living expenses too, so I decided to take a year or two off to save up. Just in case.”
“That’s good. At least you have a plan,” Gui Yin said, setting the plates and bowls down. “What about your parents? They won’t help?”
“I…I’m an orphan,” Erlang said.
Gui Yin stilled. “I…I didn’t mean to—”
“No! No, it’s okay,” Erlang laughed. “Everyone assumes I have parents because I’m so well-adjusted. They’re always surprised when I say I’m an orphan.”
Gui Yin frowned. While he had just committed the same faux-pas, the words “well-adjusted” rubbed him the wrong way. He scoffed as he handed Erlang a pair of chopsticks.
“Having parents doesn’t mean you’ll be well-adjusted. Not having parents doesn’t mean you won’t be well-adjusted,” Gui Yin said. He placed a large piece of chicken onto Erlang’s plate. “What’s wrong with people?”
“They like making assumptions and pigeon-holing others into what they think is their correct place,” Erlang said, watching as Gui Yin portioned out the beef noodles he bought.
“I hate those sorts of people the most,” Gui Yin said. Once he was done sorting out the food, he sat down. “I’m sorry for assuming.”
“It’s really okay. There was no way you could have known,” Erlang said. He watched Gui Yin eat for a moment before lowering his gaze. “But it seems like having parents isn’t as nice as everyone makes it out to be either.”
Gui Yin licked his lips. “Are you talking about that kid from this morning?”
“Is he your brother?”
“Half-brother. I barely know him. I spent most of my time at a family friend’s house after my parents divorced,” Gui Yin said. He sorted through the assortment of chicken before placing the drumsticks into Erlang’s bowl. “Let’s not talk about them anymore. Just eat.”
Erlang frowned. He turned the drumstick in his hand and smiled. “How did you know I like eating drumsticks?”
“I guessed,” Gui Yin said. He wiped his mouth and glanced at Erlang. “Do you actually?”
“I do.”
“Mm, I guess I have good instincts,” Gui Yin chuckled.
“You read people really well,” Erlang noted. “It’s not an easy skill to hone. You must get very tired.”
Gui Yin shrugged. “I wouldn’t say tired. Isn’t it better to be able to read a person and know if you’re suitable for you or not? I would say it saves me the trouble of ending up disappointed.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“I…” Gui Yin’s voice trailed off. “Am I?”
“Are you?”
“Who knows. Maybe it’s something I experienced once in a dream and it’s just part of my personality now,” Gui Yin said. He leaned against the table as he looked at Erlang curiously. “Do you ever have that?”
“Have what?”
“Like…you dream of something and it feels so real,” Gui Yin said. “Has that ever happened to you?”
Erlang thought about it for a moment before nodding. “It has.”
“With what?” Gui Yin asked curiously.
“Meeting you. I feel like this isn’t just the second time we’ve met. Maybe the fifth, sixth or even seventh time,” Erlang said.
“What are you saying?” Gui Yin laughed at the cheesiness of his line.
“You don’t feel the same? I feel like we’re quite compatible,” Erlang said.
“Hm, I can’t tell if you’re sweet-talking again or if you’re sincere,” Gui Yin said. He cleaned off the chicken bone and put it on the newspaper set beside them. “But I’ll admit that you do feel comfortable to be around. I’m sure that’s just your aura though.”
Erlang’s eyes narrowed slightly, but when Gui Yin looked up, his expression had returned to normal. “My aura? What do you mean?”
“Do you feel like I’m easy to get along with?” Gui Yin asked.
Erlang paused for a moment. “You’re friendly and approachable, but it doesn’t feel like you’d let people get close to you too easily.”
“You seem cold and distant, but there’s something about you that makes you seem trustworthy,” Gui Yin said. He licked the oil off his lips and glanced at Erlang. “You must make friends very easily.”
“Is that how you see me?” Erlang asked, tilting his head innocently.
Gui Yin chuckled. “Is it not true?”
“For some people. You’re the first person I’ve actively approached though,” Erlang said. “I really do want to stay beside you.”
“Then, I’ll let you stay beside me,” Gui Yin said.
The two men held each other’s gaze.
“You’re not annoying. And I want to see what you’re up to,” Gui Yin said.
Erlang grinned. “What could I possibly be up to?”
“It’s a feeling,” Gui Yin said as he wiped his fingers and pulled the beef noodles towards himself. “I can’t wait to see how you’ll change my life.”
I can’t wait either…hahaha! Thanks for the other world update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣
thanks for reading!!
(๑˃ᴗ˂) lovely chapter!! Gui Yin and Erlang interacting is such a treat (๑˃ᴗ˂)
thanks for reaaaaaaaaaaad
It’s actually interesting how quickly Erlang managed to adapt to this 21st century world