Chapter 29

He Lezhi was already used to Han Fangchi's mouth, accepting it well and was skilled at handling it.

After returning to his room, He Lezhi sent Han Fangchi a message.

Han Fangchi glanced at it, his expression still looking a bit disdainful, then locked his screen and went to sleep.

Lezhi: We're the best of friends, pinky swear.

Han Fangchi had to work from the second day of the Lunar New Year, while He Lezhi and He Qi had tickets for the third and went on a ten-day trip. After the new year, He Lezhi would get busy; they were never idle in the spring. His boss took the initiative to extend his vacation, letting him return to work after the Lantern Festival.

While they were out traveling, He Qi often sent messages and occasionally took a call.

He Lezhi asked her, "Haha, are you dating someone?"

"For a while now," He Qi said.

"How's this one?" He Lezhi asked.

"He's just so-so," He Qi said after a moment of thought. "I don't like him that much."

He Lezhi started laughing. When it came to romance, He Qi had always treated it like a game and never thought about marriage. Although He Lezhi hadn't met her boyfriends over the years, he knew there had been no shortage of men who wanted to settle down and build a future with her. He Qi didn't need a marriage. Even when He Lezhi was little, she hadn't chosen to rely on a marriage to help her raise her son, so she needed one even less now.

"The one who sent you flowers before, the one with glasses." He Lezhi recalled, commenting, "He looked quite handsome in the photo. Is it him?"

"No, that one wasn't sincere. It was too much of an act. I hate phony men," He Qi said with disgust. "What's with the acting? Is he shooting a movie?"

"Hahaha, so you didn't get together with him?" He Lezhi asked with a laugh.

"Wouldn't touch him," He Qi said.

He Lezhi and He Qi were alike in every way except their views on love. He Lezhi was devoted and willing to be accommodating, while He Qi was extremely picky, couldn't stand any imperfections, was too lazy to work things out, and would just say goodbye the moment she got annoyed.

Perhaps she never had any expectations for men to begin with, treating romance as a little spice in life without taking it too seriously. She cared about everyone else around her, just not when it came to dating. She had a contradictory trait that was different from He Lezhi's; her true nature was delicate and kind, but when it came to love, she became cold and sharp.

There are no contradictions in the world without a reason; every incongruous existence must have a cause.

He Qi had never hidden the truth of his birth from He Lezhi. He was the product of a deception; her boyfriend, with whom she had even taken wedding photos, confessed that he already had a fiancée he was planning to marry, and in the end, he went back to that intellectual and gentle girl.

At the time, his Little Aunt, He Gu, had taken a sledgehammer to the man's house, smashing it to pieces and wrecking his car too.

When He Qi discovered she was pregnant, everyone around her told her not to keep the baby, but He Qi never hesitated once and was determined to give birth to him.

"He chose me to be his mother," He Qi said.

That's why He Lezhi never tried to persuade her to date seriously and find someone to settle down with. He Qi later said that the deception back then was actually a good thing. She had lived an unconventional life, one beyond just assisting a husband and raising children or returning to the family, and she got to see a different kind of scenery. Even now, she dated whomever she wanted, and if she didn't want to, she'd drop it, never having to grow tired of someone by being with them.

He Lezhi was laughing his head off at He Qi's complaints when Han Fangchi's call came through.

"Fangchi," He Lezhi said, unable to hide the laughter in his voice.

"Are you chatting?" Han Fangchi asked. "Save the laughter for later. You have two foam boxes from a delivery. Is it fresh food? Do you need me to open them and put them in the fridge?"

"I don't remember what I bought," He Lezhi said casually. "Why don't you open them and see?"

Han Fangchi grabbed a pair of scissors from the entryway cabinet, crouched by He Lezhi's front door to open the packages, and put the phone on speaker, asking, "Having fun with your mom?"

"It's been great," He Lezhi said. "What did you have for dinner?"

"Ate at work before coming back," Han Fangchi said. "A boxed meal."

"It's no fun eating by yourself when your meal buddy is away, huh?" He Lezhi said with a laugh.

Han Fangchi hummed in agreement and said, "No fun at all."

He Qi was in the bathroom, massaging essential oils into her scalp, and could hear He Lezhi talking to Han Fangchi on the phone.

"What's this? Ice cream? It's cylindrical," Han Fangchi said as he opened the package.

He Lezhi remembered. "It should be butter. That needs to be frozen."

"Got it," Han Fangchi said. "The other box is a melon."

"Then you can have it. If you can't finish it, put it in the fridge," He Lezhi said.

Han Fangchi looked at the other packages next to him and asked, "Should I leave the rest at your door for you to open when you get back?"

"You might as well open them all," He Lezhi said nonchalantly. "Since you're at it."

These were all things He Lezhi had bought before the new year that were only shipped after. He'd forgotten what he'd bought. Han Fangchi crouched there opening packages for a long time; they were full of miscellaneous items.

He Lezhi said, "Take a box of the socks. The black ones are for you."

"Mm," Han Fangchi said.

After opening all the packages, Han Fangchi put everything in its proper place, then closed the door, taking the empty packaging and the things meant for him.

"Getting in the elevator. Hanging up," Han Fangchi said.

"Okay," He Lezhi said. "Good night."

The call ended. He Qi came out of the bathroom with her hair down, saying with a smile, "You two are living like a couple."

He Lezhi said, "It's just because we live close."

He Qi sat on the edge of the bed, looking down to reply to a message on her phone while saying, "Has Fangchi been dating anyone recently?"

"No," He Lezhi said. "People are always trying to set him up, but he's not really interested."

He Qi asked again, "What about his ex-girlfriend?"

"Xiao Quan?" He Lezhi replied. "Xiao Quan is coming back next month. I saw it on her Moments."

"Fangchi had a good relationship with her, didn't he?" He Qi asked.

"Yes, Xiao Quan is wonderful," He Lezhi said with a small smile.

"Then why did they break up?" He Qi finished replying to her message, tossed her phone aside, and looked at He Lezhi to ask.

He Lezhi shook his head. "I never asked. Fangchi doesn't like being asked about his private affairs."

After saying that, he lay down and yawned. "Maybe when Xiao Quan comes back, they'll get back together. They're very compatible."

When He Lezhi returned, Han Fangchi wasn't home. He had been sent on a last-minute two-day business trip and was flying back on the day of the Lantern Festival.

His vacation wasn't over yet, and since He Lezhi had nothing else to do anyway, he drove to the airport to pick him up.

After landing, Han Fangchi received a message from He Lezhi saying he was waiting for him in the parking lot.

"What are you doing here?" Han Fangchi asked in surprise as he got into the car.

"I was free anyway," He Lezhi said with a smile. "Long time no see."

"Back to work tomorrow?" Han Fangchi asked.

"Yes, I'll deliver breakfast on time tomorrow morning," He Lezhi nodded, then added, "Please set aside time for breakfast."

Han Fangchi smiled. "What are we having?"

"Tangyuan," He Lezhi said. "The ones given out at work."

"My work gave them out too. I put them in your fridge," Han Fangchi said.

"I was talking about the ones from your work. I haven't even been to my office yet," He Lezhi said, pushing up his glasses with a smile. "I figured they were from your work. There's no way you would have bought so many."

During the time He Lezhi was away, Han Fangchi didn't eat breakfast at all, and dinner was always takeout or eaten at work. Before He Lezhi moved in, Han Fangchi didn't cook every day, but he still cooked often. After He Lezhi moved in, it was as if they had gotten used to eating together. When he was suddenly alone again, he didn't feel like cooking or even going home to eat. It was just as he had said on the phone—it felt meaningless.

During the days He Lezhi was away traveling, Han Fangchi always had an informal feeling that the holiday wasn't over yet, as if everyone else was on vacation while he was the only one working. In reality, only He Lezhi was still on vacation; all the other working folks had already gone back.

Now that He Lezhi was back, Han Fangchi finally felt like life had returned to normal.

After lunch, Han Fangchi went back to his office to eat some fruit. A food container held pre-cut pieces of honeydew melon and pineapple, along with a dozen or so blueberries.

Director Wang from the Department of Cariology and Endodontics dropped by for a visit. Seeing Han Fangchi sitting prim and proper while eating his fruit, not even playing on his phone, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you eating? Sitting so formally," Director Wang asked.

Han Fangchi found another fork in his drawer, wiped it with a tissue, and handed it to him.

Director Wang didn't stand on ceremony, pulling up a seat at the desk and joining him.

"This is so sweet," Director Wang, who loved pineapple, said with satisfaction. "Not astringent at all. Where'd you buy it?"

"The fruit shop downstairs from my apartment," Han Fangchi said.

"The honeydew is really sweet too," Director Wang praised.

"The melon was bought online," Han Fangchi said, then added, "I think."

He Lezhi loved fruit, so they always had to have some at home. Han Fangchi would top up a card at the downstairs fruit shop from time to time. What they would get to eat each day wasn't fixed, like a fruit blind box.

Director Wang ate half the box of fruit and then instructed, "Bring me two pineapples tomorrow when you come to work. Thanks, Director Han."

Han Fangchi agreed. While rinsing his mouth, he sent He Lezhi a message: A colleague asked me to bring two pineapples tomorrow.

Lezhi: The ones you ate today?

Han Fangchi replied: Yes.

Lezhi: Okay.

Before, when He Lezhi was home every day, the feeling wasn't as obvious. But this time, with He Lezhi going out of town and Han Fangchi going on a business trip, they hadn't seen each other for about half a month. Now that He Lezhi was back, Han Fangchi felt an indescribable sense of reassurance.

In the morning, before he was fully awake, the sound of He Lezhi opening the door would echo through the apartment. Hearing the rustling sounds of him putting things down by the entrance—the crinkle of a plastic bag, the swish of a jacket's fabric, the clink of car keys against a food container—all of it made Han Fangchi feel a wonderful sense of peace in those first few seconds of waking up.

He Lezhi was never in a hurry to get to work. Sometimes if he arrived early, he wouldn't rush to leave. He'd dawdle around outside or sit on the sofa for a bit.

If Han Fangchi, half-asleep, couldn't hear his voice, he would open his eyes and call out, "Lezhi."

If He Lezhi hadn't left yet, he would reply calmly, "Here."

In that instant, Han Fangchi would be enveloped by a feeling, a sort of comfortable sense of security, as if he were being caught in his drowsy state.

In fact, this feeling wasn't unfamiliar to Han Fangchi.

It was like in high school, every time he walked into the classroom and subconsciously glanced over to see He Lezhi already in his seat.

It was like after growing up, at every gathering, seeing He Lezhi smiling and greeting him as he entered whatever venue it was.

It was the feeling of a familiar person being there. Whether he was sleeping or sitting in silence, he was within his line of sight, being watched over.

Han Fangchi opened his eyes, taking a few seconds to come to.

"Lezhi."

No reply came from the apartment, only an empty silence.

Han Fangchi sat up. The sun rose late in winter, and the light wasn't yet strong enough to penetrate the blackout curtains, leaving the room in a dim stuffiness.

"Fangchi?" He Lezhi's gentle voice suddenly came from the direction of the balcony, carrying his unique tone and a hint of confusion. "Did you call me?"

Han Fangchi looked towards the doorway and made a sound.

He could hear He Lezhi's unhurried footsteps as he walked to the doorway and stopped, pausing in a spot where he couldn't see inside the room.

"Fangchi," He Lezhi said from the doorway, his voice laced with a morning smile, "I just found a little bird's nest on the window. I wonder when it's from. Did you notice it last year?"