E ⋆ Chapter 47

Yang Ke was sleeping soundly on Yu Zhinian's bed, his arm pressing down on the blankets and also pressing down on Yu Zhinian.

Yu Zhinian felt the weight and woke up. In the dim light, he could make out Yang Ke's face up close, blurred and indistinct. Yang Ke's eyes were closed, and the air in the room carried a faint, ambiguous scent.

Because he was exhausted from the previous night, Yu Zhinian had no energy left for thinking. He watched Yang Ke for a little while, leaned in, and kissed his forehead without any trace of desire in the gesture.

The touch of skin was warm and real.

Yang Ke stirred and suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at Yu Zhinian for a few seconds, then reached out and pulled him close, his hand moving slowly across Yu Zhinian's back as he asked, "Why are you awake so early?"

His voice was very low, similar to how he'd sounded when Yu Zhinian called him before the flight yesterday, but more real now, resonating directly against his ear. Yu Zhinian wanted to reach out and hold him back, but worried it might seem too clingy and embarrassing, so he changed the subject and asked Yang Ke what time it was.

"Seven o'clock," Yang Ke glanced at his watch and told him. "I went to sleep at five."

"Then you woke up early too," Yu Zhinian said, and added, "I slept on the plane."

Yang Ke suddenly raised his hand and gripped Yu Zhinian's chin, tilting his face up.

Despite having not slept all night either, Yang Ke looked far more alert than Yu Zhinian, with no trace of fatigue on his face. He lowered his eyes to look at Yu Zhinian in the weak indoor light: "Someone stole a kiss from me."

Yu Zhinian said nothing, and Yang Ke continued, "I don't sleep as deeply as you do. I wake up if anyone touches me."

Yu Zhinian sensed there was more to what Yang Ke was saying and asked, "What do you mean?"

Yang Ke didn't answer. Instead, he pinched Yu Zhinian's cheek with a slight force.

Yu Zhinian said it hurt, and Yang Ke naturally leaned in and kissed him.

Yang Ke's kiss wasn't that intense, but it was very tender. His left hand cradled Yu Zhinian's right cheek the whole time, and the warm ring on his finger pressed against Yu Zhinian's skin. Yu Zhinian felt, in a daze, as though he were being wrapped up in Yang Ke's private life.

Yang Ke's personal feelings, his marriage, his intimacy and trust, were no longer stingy or inscrutable. They were displayed generously in the room where Yu Zhinian had lived for two years.

It made Yu Zhinian feel like he might be special too.

But as they kissed, the gesture took on an invasive quality. Yang Ke lifted Yu Zhinian up again, positioning him to kneel over him.

The air and sounds in the room became chaotic and blurred again, and time no longer flowed like ordinary time, but stuttered and wavered as it passed.

When Yu Zhinian's heartbeat and breathing finally calmed down somewhat, he was very drowsy, leaning against Yang Ke's chest, not wanting to move at all.

He listened to Yang Ke's heartbeat gradually slow from its rapid pace.

Yang Ke picked up the ring hanging around his neck and examined it. Yu Zhinian saw two identical rings before his eyes. He was genuinely curious about where they came from, and reached out to grab Yang Ke, but Yang Ke caught his hand instead. Yu Zhinian stayed still and asked, "Where did you get these two from anyway?"

"I bought them," Yang Ke answered simply.

Yu Zhinian joked deliberately, "Were you planning to give them to someone else?"

Yang Ke immediately straightened his face and told Yu Zhinian not to say such things.

Yu Zhinian lifted his head to look at him. Yang Ke met his gaze, and his eyes had lost their anger. After a moment, he seemed very reluctant to say it, but he still explained to Yu Zhinian: "I bought them on a business trip once, thinking I'd use them for marriage. Don't ask anymore."

Yu Zhinian thought for a moment and realized Yang Ke was probably talking about that period when the two of them lived together but didn't talk much. He said softly to Yang Ke, "I see."

"Yeah," Yang Ke said.

The room fell silent. Yu Zhinian was tired again, and felt a slight ache in his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment, then said to Yang Ke, "Yang Ke, when I come back from Xiping at the end of the year, I'll wear the ring too, okay?"

Whenever Yu Zhinian took the initiative to speak or do something with Yang Ke, he always felt like he was walking a tightrope. If he didn't do it right, he'd fall again.

Saying he missed Yang Ke while in Xiping, impulsively buying a ticket back to He City, or like now, proposing to wear a wedding ring. It was all the same. But Yu Zhinian was Yu Zhinian. Old habits die hard. Even after falling so many times, he would still be eager to try, would still want to gather his courage.

After hearing this, Yang Ke paused for a few seconds, then gently grasped Yu Zhinian's fingers and asked in return, "You're asking me?"

Yu Zhinian hummed in affirmation and said, "I'm asking you."

Not knowing if it was because Yu Zhinian was only a step away from sleep, he felt Yang Ke's heartbeat become slightly faster and a little heavier. He wanted to lift his head to see Yang Ke's expression, but he was too tired and didn't have the strength.

In the midst of that heartbeat, Yu Zhinian waited for an unknown amount of time before hearing Yang Ke's somewhat muffled voice say, "Isn't that what I hope for every day?"

"Yu Zhinian," Yang Ke called to him and said, "Let's go take a photo together, okay?" Then he said a few more things, but Yu Zhinian's drowsiness had reached its peak. He didn't hear any of it clearly, only knew that Yang Ke was speaking. He gave a few casual "okays" as if agreeing, and then fell asleep.

The next time he woke up, Yu Zhinian heard the soft sound of keyboard typing.

Yu Zhinian saw the digital clock by the bed displaying 12:20 in the afternoon.

Yang Ke was facing him, sitting on the sofa in his room with a laptop, typing. He was probably working.

Yu Zhinian sat up, and Yang Ke glanced at him, set the computer aside, and walked over, saying the chef had prepared food and asking if he wanted to go downstairs to eat or have someone bring it up.

"I'll go downstairs," Yu Zhinian said. His lower back and legs were sore, and his head ached a bit. "Aren't you going to the office today?"

Yang Ke helped him up and said, "Working from home is just as good."

Just as he said that, Yang Ke's phone buzzed. Yang Ke glanced at the screen and answered the call. Because they were standing close, Yu Zhinian heard Zhai Di say, "I got it. Working from home has pretty high efficiency, huh? But why do you have to type out things that are just a sentence or two over the phone? Is there someone nearby you can't talk in front of?"

"Written communication is more formal," Yang Ke said. "We should promote this across the company going forward."

"No, no, no, you're the only one who needs to do it," Zhai Di laughed and asked if Yang Ke could make the video conference at two in the afternoon. Yang Ke said he could.

Yu Zhinian got dressed and went downstairs to eat with Yang Ke.

The chef had prepared something light. They had just finished eating when the florist knocked on the door.

She and her assistant came in carrying flowers. When she saw Yu Zhinian, she greeted him with pleasant surprise: "We finally meet again."

She brought many pure white seasonal fresh flowers, their fragrance carrying a hint of moisture that filled the entire living space. She praised Yang Ke and Yu Zhinian for being well-matched and congratulated them on their marriage.

At Yang Ke's request, Yu Zhinian got his laptop and accompanied Yang Ke to the study to work.

Yang Ke started a video conference, and Yu Zhinian opened two documents. While organizing his notes, he began casually and freely writing the first draft of his ethnography.

August was the best month in He City, with sunlight pouring warmly onto the floor. Yu Zhinian had typed a few lines when he heard Yang Ke begin speaking.

When Yang Ke discussed business, his sentences were concise and well-organized. Yu Zhinian suddenly remembered when he was younger, sitting in Yang Zhongyun's study with his laptop open, looking at lecture slides and assignments, occasionally stealing moments to send messages to Yang Ke.

Yang Ke was sometimes swimming, sometimes in class, sometimes resting, sometimes doing homework just like Yu Zhinian.

Back then Yu Zhinian found the time boring and talked a lot, while Yang Ke said little. The two of them conversed in a desultory way, as if they were one of the rare pairs in the world with very different personalities but similar circumstances, silently keeping each other company.

Time had passed so quickly, from age fourteen to now, in what felt like an instant.

Back then Yu Zhinian thought Yang Ke was rebellious and self-centered. He still thought the same way now. Yang Ke's preferences were almost the complete opposite of his grandfather's. He didn't pursue indulgence or luxury, didn't like grand displays, and lived a free and simple life.

Yu Zhinian suspected he might be falling even more in love with Yang Ke, because a Yang Ke who would embrace him and take things seriously made him feel safe and no longer alone.