Chapter 42 Part 1

Han Fangchi's non-aggressive way of getting along recently had, on the contrary, put He Lezhi into a slight state of "letting things rot," like a frog being boiled in lukewarm water. Although things were a complete mess right now, since neither of them had brought it up, he figured they could just leave it like this for now.

He quickly washed up and even took a shower. Although it wasn't within five minutes, it didn't exceed ten.

'I wonder if Fangchi is home yet.' The moment He Lezhi closed his eyes, all he could see was Han Fangchi's tired expression from just now and the way he acted as if pulling an all-nighter was nothing.

In that brief moment between closing his eyes and falling asleep, what He Lezhi thought about wasn't the various obstacles and calculations that had been filling his mind recently. Instead, in his drowsy state, he unguardedly indulged a small thought that had suddenly barged in.

'If I really drag him down with me, how can I compensate him?'

"Engineer He?" His leader knocked on his office door and peeked inside.

"What are your instructions, Director Yu?" He Lezhi asked.

His leader asked, "Do you still want to go on business trips?"

He Lezhi couldn't help but laugh. "If you need me to go on a trip, just say so."

Director Yu said with a smile, "Can you take a trip for me? I'm swamped."

"Please don't be so polite. Time? Place? What's the matter? I'll go right now," He Lezhi said.

"You'll need to go to Shanxi, the day after tomorrow, for that Longfei bid," his leader said.

"No problem," He Lezhi agreed.

He Lezhi's career ambitions were at an all-time high this year. After a period of uncertainty, his leader discovered that Engineer He had no intention of leaving, so now he could assign him work with a clear conscience.

"If you still want to go on business trips..." His leader had already left, but he turned back, poked his head in, and said, "How about you go on another one for me next week?"

He Lezhi immediately said, "Well, I don't want to go that much."

"Weren't you eager to find work before?" his leader teased him. "Don't want to earn more money anymore?"

'I do want to, but I don't dare,' He Lezhi thought.

"I've come to terms with it..." He Lezhi sighed and said, "As long as I have enough to spend, that's fine."

He Lezhi was very clear-headed. With his years of tacit understanding with Han Fangchi, he knew perfectly well that his current relaxed space came with conditions.

Han Fangchi wasn't in a hurry to advance their relationship, but he had laid his cards on the table so early precisely to prevent him from trying to pull away.

Not avoiding him was the prerequisite at this stage.

"I have a business trip the day after tomorrow." He Lezhi took the initiative to report this when he got home that evening.

"Where are you going?" Han Fangchi asked.

"Shanxi," He Lezhi said.

Han Fangchi said, "What time is the flight?"

"During work hours, both ways are during the day." He Lezhi smiled and said, "No need to pick me up or drop me off."

Han Fangchi asked again, "How long will you be gone?"

"Just two days," He Lezhi said.

"Bring a box of lozenges, and remember to wear a mask when you go out," Han Fangchi told him. "You've been coughing a little these past two days, so be careful."

He Lezhi said, "Okay."

That night, Han Fangchi had already left, and He Lezhi was getting ready for bed, but then Han Fangchi came back.

He opened the door and placed two boxes of lozenges and two boxes of humidifying masks on the entryway cabinet. Hearing the sound, He Lezhi put on his slippers and came out.

"Fangchi?" he asked in surprise.

"I put them here. Remember to pack them in your bag tomorrow," Han Fangchi said.

He Lezhi blinked. "I was going to just buy them tomorrow before I left. You came all the way back just to deliver them?"

"I was afraid you'd forget, and you might not have taken it seriously," Han Fangchi said, then closed the door and left.

He Lezhi followed and opened the door again.

Han Fangchi was waiting for the elevator by the door. Seeing him open it, he looked over. "What's wrong?"

He Lezhi poked his head out and asked with a smile, "Why are you so nice?"

Han Fangchi was silent for a few seconds, then slowly raised an eyebrow.

The elevator was on the twentieth-something floor and hadn't come down yet. Han Fangchi looked at him and retorted, "Shouldn't I be?"

He Lezhi paused for a moment, his eyes soft, and said to him, "You don't have to treat me like a child. I'm over thirty, I can take care of myself."

The elevator was descending, still five floors away. Han Fangchi waited until it stopped on their floor before replying.

"That's your business." Han Fangchi walked into the elevator, smiling just before the doors closed. In a somewhat reckless tone, he said, "Don't mind me."

The elevator had been gone for a while before He Lezhi closed the door, thinking to himself, 'I've never seen you smile so much before.'

Compared to before, Han Fangchi had indeed changed a little, even though he never emphasized it. He was truly changing his attitude, just as he said he would.

He hadn't crossed any boundaries in his words or actions, but the subtle difference from before was that he was now getting closer and closer to a lover's perspective, rather than a friend's.

Even the closest of friends don't have a relationship of belonging, yet He Lezhi could now sense this kind of belonging between them. It was a sense of possession distinct from friendship, which, on top of the closeness they'd developed over the past year, seemed to have wrapped several more transparent threads around each of them, shrouding them in a faint, almost imperceptible intimacy.

In the past, when He Lezhi went on business trips, they would at most text each other. Later, after He Lezhi wanted to create distance, they stopped texting and he instead reported his status in their three-person group chat.

This business trip was clearly different.

After He Lezhi landed, he received a message from Han Fangchi asking: Have you arrived?

For the short two-day trip, He Lezhi had only brought a backpack, so he didn't need to wait for luggage. He replied as he walked out: Arrived.

Fangchi: Okay.

That evening, Xiao Yao and He Lezhi were chatting idly in the small group chat, not really paying much attention, sending a message every few minutes.

He Lezhi didn't go out to eat on his own. He ordered some noodles for delivery, but he wasn't very hungry and picked at his food.

Han Fangchi didn't send a message; he called him directly.

He Lezhi stared at the screen, then answered after a two-second delay.

"Fangchi?"

Han Fangchi asked, "At the hotel?"

"Yeah, I'm eating." He Lezhi glanced at the time, it was half-past seven, so he asked, "What did you have for dinner?"

"I ate at the hospital, just got off work," Han Fangchi said.

"Worked overtime?" He Lezhi asked.

"Voluntary overtime, to write something," Han Fangchi said.

He Lezhi still wasn't quite used to making small talk on the phone like this. He picked up a noodle with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

"What are you eating?" Han Fangchi asked.

"Noodles," He Lezhi replied.

"Pure carbs?" Han Fangchi chuckled. "That doesn't seem right."

He Lezhi laughed too. He usually paid attention to a balanced diet and almost never ate only carbohydrates.

"With beef and vegetables added," He Lezhi said with a laugh.

He heard the sound of Han Fangchi closing a car door, so he said, "Drive safely, okay?"

Han Fangchi grunted in acknowledgment and said, "You eat first."

Xiao Yao was probably afraid He Lezhi would be bored on his business trip and wanted to chat with him. He Lezhi didn't really have anything to do, so he replied whenever Xiao Yao messaged him.

The two of them chatted on and off from six to past nine. Han Fangchi didn't join in. Just as He Lezhi was about to send a "good night" message in the group, Han Fangchi's call came through again.

He Lezhi's typing fingers froze. He had thought that after one call today, there wouldn't be another, but now he was calling again. He Lezhi still answered it.

A faint hint of a smile could be heard in Han Fangchi's voice coming from the phone: "You two are having such a pointless chat. You'd be better off talking to me for a bit."

He Lezhi laughed and said, "Okay," then asked, "What about?"

"Anything's fine. We can just leave it on too." Han Fangchi had just finished showering and was looking for some clothes to wear. "Are you all settled in?"

He Lezhi said he was, and Han Fangchi said, "Alright then, we'll talk until you go to sleep."

He Lezhi chuckled and said, "In that case, I'm going to sleep right now."

Han Fangchi corrected, "We'll talk until you're asleep."

Han Fangchi wouldn't let him hang up. In the middle of it, He Lezhi got another call. Han Fangchi said, "Call me back after you're done."

He Lezhi asked, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Don't worry about it," Han Fangchi said.

When he spoke like that, He Lezhi couldn't refuse. They were on the phone for nearly two hours that night. When they weren't talking, they just left the call on. Han Fangchi read a book, and He Lezhi lay down with his eyes closed, speaking whenever he felt like it.

Later, He Lezhi turned off all the lights and placed his phone on the pillow next to him, very close.

He could hear the occasional sound of Han Fangchi turning a page. Han Fangchi must have put the phone on his body, so whenever he moved, He Lezhi could hear the static.

He could picture the scene on Han Fangchi's end: wearing a T-shirt, leaning against the headboard with one leg bent, phone perhaps resting on his stomach, turning a page from time to time with a focused gaze. The image in his mind, accompanied by the sounds of pages turning and fabric rustling in his ear, gave He Lezhi a sense of tranquility, like white noise.

"Fangchi." He Lezhi broke the tranquility, calling him softly.

"Yeah," Han Fangchi responded.

With his eyes closed, He Lezhi said, "Isn't it good for us to just stay like this?"

"Like what?" Han Fangchi said. "Friends?"

"Yes," He Lezhi said.

Han Fangchi said, "No."

He Lezhi's vision was filled with darkness. He was alone in the room, but Han Fangchi was right by his ear. He gently turned over, lying on his side facing the phone.