Lin Chuan was a bit surprised and asked softly: "What's wrong?"

Han Xiaogong said: "...It's nothing, I was just confused from sleep."

His voice was so hoarse it sounded a bit muffled. Lin Chuan said to him: "Get up and eat something, have you been sleeping all this time?"

"Mm," Han Xiaogong raised his face from the pillow. He sat up, cleared his throat and said, "I've been tired and sleeping all the time."

"You can't sleep like this." Lin Chuan got him a bottle of water, opened it and walked over to hand it to him. "Get up and wash your face."

Han Xiaogong drank the water, still a bit dazed. His hair was a bit messy from sleep, and his pajamas were wrinkled. When he threw back the covers and got out of bed, he had a warm, lazy air about him. Lin Chuan asked: "Should I watch you eat before I leave?"

Han Xiaogong didn't refuse, just nodded and said: "Sit down."

Lin Chuan watched Han Xiaogong finish the bowl of noodles. Han Xiaogong hadn't eaten anything for nearly three days, but he really didn't feel hungry. However, the noodles Lin Chuan made were very tasty, and Han Xiaogong finished them all.

"I'm alive," Han Xiaogong said after finishing, wiping his mouth with a tissue and smiling at Lin Chuan. "If you hadn't come, I might have starved to death in my sleep."

Lin Chuan shook his head with a smile: "Nonsense."

He collected the empty bowl and said to Han Xiaogong: "Don't stay cooped up in your room all the time, come out and walk around. It's beautiful here. If you don't want to go out, come downstairs and watch a movie with them."

"Okay," Han Xiaogong said with a faint smile.

Lin Chuan went out and closed the door. Han Xiaogong didn't move, sitting in the chair for a long time.

He stayed at Lin Chuan's place for a month, then extended for another month.

It was a very lively place, with many guests, all young people. During the day, they would read books, watch movies, or chat in the front hall.

Occasionally, Lin Chuan would play cards with them. Han Xiaogong didn't know how to play cards, so he didn't participate much. Most of the time, he just sat on that sofa. If someone was playing a movie, he would watch along; if not, he would just sit there or read a book. Everyone seemed very familiar with each other, and new guests could easily join in after arriving.

Compared to them, Han Xiaogong was quite a quiet person, not talking much. But he wasn't antisocial either; he could chat when others talked to him.

The owner here was Lin Chuan. Besides him, there was always a young guy in the front hall, making coffee for everyone and such. It was that little stutterer, called Dongba. His stutter wasn't very severe, just an occasional pause when speaking.

That day they were playing cards by the window and needed one more person. Lin Chuan said: "You guys play, I have to go out later."

They called Dongba: "Dongba, come!"

Dongba said: "I still have... work to do."

So they called Han Xiaogong. Han Xiaogong turned his head from the sofa and said: "I don't know how to play."

"You'll learn quickly," said a guy from Guangdong, his Mandarin sounding soft. "Come on."

They really needed one more person, so Han Xiaogong went over. But he really didn't know how to play and kept losing. They were playing for drinks that night, joking that whoever lost would treat everyone at the bar.

Han Xiaogong didn't care about paying for a round of drinks; win or lose, it didn't matter to him. He was having quite a good time.

"Which bar are we going to tonight?" someone asked with a laugh.

"Let's ask Xiaogong, our investor is here today," another one said.

They were really just joking, not familiar enough to actually drag Han Xiaogong out to a bar. Han Xiaogong smiled and said: "I'm not familiar with this area, you guys decide."

"Bullying Xiaogong, huh?" Someone suddenly spoke from above. Han Xiaogong looked up to see Lin Chuan looking down at him.

The chair was a semicircular sofa chair. Lin Chuan had both arms resting on the back of the chair. His hand pointed forward, gesturing for Han Xiaogong to draw a card.

Han Xiaogong was too unfamiliar with the game, arranging his cards slowly and haphazardly, playing whatever he saw. When others played a card and Han Xiaogong was about to draw,

Lin Chuan suddenly reached out and pulled a 2 from his hand, throwing it out while saying: "That card you were holding is a bomb. You don't know how to play and you're not even arranging your cards."

Because he was drawing a card from Han Xiaogong's hand, Lin Chuan was leaning down, so when he spoke, he was very close to Han Xiaogong's ear, his voice almost right beside it.

After playing the card, Lin Chuan resumed his position with his arms on the back of the chair. Before Han Xiaogong played a card, he would make a sound, and Han Xiaogong would play according to what he said.

With this system of one command, one action, Han Xiaogong won back everything he had lost.

"Chuan-ge, are you still leaving? We finally caught a fat rabbit," someone joked.

"Who?" It was Han Xiaogong's first time being called this kind of naive fat rabbit. The feeling was quite novel, and Han Xiaogong asked with a smile, "Me?"

"Who else could it be?" the other person said.

Han Xiaogong didn't say anything more. Lin Chuan snorted with laughter, casually flicking Han Xiaogong's head lightly, and said in a low voice: "Don't worry, Chuan-ge's got your back."

Lin Chuan's voice was right above his head. He had been leaning on Han Xiaogong's chair the whole time, Han Xiaogong playing cards right under his eyes.

The two of them were essentially playing as one hand at this card table. At this moment, Lin Chuan laughed softly and said "Chuan-ge's got your back," and when he said it, he was absolutely straightforward without any other thoughts.

But while the speaker may not have meant anything by it, the listener might not be so innocent.

After he said that, if his arm accidentally touched Han Xiaogong's neck again, Han Xiaogong would get goosebumps, that patch of skin tingling a bit.

Later, Lin Chuan got a phone call and had to leave. He hung up and watched Han Xiaogong play two more hands, then said: "Brother's leaving now. What we just won is enough for you to lose until you guys finish playing. Don't let these guys fleece you."

Han Xiaogong said: "Okay, thanks Chuan-ge."

After Lin Chuan left, the space behind Han Xiaogong's chair was empty, and he started playing carelessly again. One guy said: "You know, about Chuan-ge, I've been living here for three months, you've only been here for a little over a month, how come he doesn't help me?"

Han Xiaogong casually drew a card and played it, saying: "Because I don't know how to play, you guys were going to fleece me."

Lin Chuan had given him a thick cushion, so in the end, Han Xiaogong wasn't the loser. Those guys went out for drinks, but Han Xiaogong didn't go.

He didn't like those noisy places lately, they gave him a headache. In the end, only he and Dongba were left in the front hall. Dongba asked him: "Do you want something to eat?"

Han Xiaogong shook his head and said: "I'm not hungry yet."

Dongba said: "You don't eat at regular times, it's too... irregular."

Han Xiaogong smiled and said he was used to it.

In the past, Han Xiaogong's eating habits were indeed very irregular. He would eat when he was hungry and not eat when he wasn't. Living at Lin Chuan's place had improved this a lot. When Lin Chuan was at home and cooked, he would call them down to eat. Han Xiaogong really liked the food he made.

He quite liked it here.

The hot water in his room had actually been out for a while. It was hot weather, so he had been taking cold showers every night. When the hot water ran out, it ran out. But washing his hair with cold water was still uncomfortable. One night, after Han Xiaogong finished his shower, he sent Lin Chuan a WeChat message.

—Chuan-ge.

—What's up?

—My room hasn't had hot water for quite a while.

—No hot water? Why didn't you say earlier?

—It's not important if I'm not washing my hair.

—You're washing that long hair of yours with cold water?

Lin Chuan came quickly. Han Xiaogong opened the door for him wearing his pajamas, his hair freshly washed but not fully dried. Lin Chuan looked at him and asked: "How long has it been broken?"

"About a week," Han Xiaogong said.

"You're like an idiot," Lin Chuan scolded him lightly, taking his tools to the bathroom.

It was too late at night to fix much, and there was nothing to replace. Lin Chuan asked him: "Have you finished showering? If not, go to my place to shower."

Han Xiaogong said: "I've finished."

The next day, Lin Chuan replaced a pipe. After fixing it, he said to Han Xiaogong: "You need to tell me when something's wrong. Don't be so distant with me."

Han Xiaogong nodded with a smile: "Okay."

He stayed at Lin Chuan's place from spring to summer, and then to autumn. In between, he went out a few times, thinking about whether he should move to the next place. But it was so comfortable living here, Lin Chuan's cooking was so good, so Han Xiaogong would always come back even after leaving.

He wasn't the guest who had stayed the longest; there was a girl who had been living here for a year.

Han Xiaogong and Lin Chuan had become very familiar, as well as with Dongba, and even the cleaning lady and the cook in the kitchen. He had met them all and was quite familiar. Sometimes when both Lin Chuan and Dongba were out, they would ask Han Xiaogong to watch the place for them.

In autumn, some new guests arrived at the inn. It was three young girls.

When they came in to register, Lin Chuan wasn't there. Dongba was standing behind the bar getting their keys. Han Xiaogong was originally sitting on the sofa reading a book. When he looked up, one of the girls saw Han Xiaogong's face and suddenly let out an "Ah!"

Han Xiaogong looked at her, and she immediately averted her gaze. After Han Xiaogong looked away, that girl nudged her companions with her elbow.

The three of them huddled together whispering, the other two girls looking at Han Xiaogong. Then the three of them exchanged glances, clearly surprised. Dongba watched them as he took the keys and led them to the backyard.

That night, Lin Chuan was sitting in the courtyard fixing a lamp. Tools were scattered messily on the table edge. He was holding a screwdriver, tightening screws, his hands very dirty. Han Xiaogong sat across from him, looking at the flowers and at him.

It was autumn, but Lin Chuan still wasn't wearing an outer layer, just a black short-sleeved shirt that showed off all the muscles on his body. This man really had a great physique, looking very strong.

Lin Chuan chatted casually with Han Xiaogong while fixing the lamp. They were so familiar now that their conversations were very natural, like a pair of close friends.

Later, those three girls came back from their outing. Lin Chuan greeted them, and they sat on the swing by the flowers, chatting softly, but their gazes often turned to Han Xiaogong. Han Xiaogong noticed but didn't pay much attention to it, being used to people staring at him.