“You came back mainly just to get into bed, didn’t you?” Sun Wenqu couldn’t help laughing as he looked at him.
“Not exactly, that just slipped out,” Fang Chi felt a bit embarrassed. “I came back mainly to see you, and to see the grand occasion of your work being exhibited. But you also know, when I look at you for too long, I start… thinking more.”
“You’re not thinking too much, you’re only thinking one word,” Sun Wenqu clicked his tongue. “Do.”
Fang Chi chuckled. “I’m still young, I’m developing, I need nutrients.”
“Doing too much affects development, you know.” Sun Wenqu walked ahead.
“This is considered too much? It’s been so long since I…” Fang Chi raised his voice, then lowered it for the second half, “I’ve been holding it in for so long.”
“Oh, poor you,” Sun Wenqu laughed. After a couple of steps, he stopped. “We didn’t take the flowers.”
“Do we need to?” Fang Chi hesitated. “I think they look pretty good there. Don’t you think they look like part of a set? Just tell them not to throw them away.”
Sun Wenqu thought for a moment. “Better take them back. After all, my son carried them all the way here. We can have Ma Liang buy another pot to put there tomorrow.”
The two of them turned back to the booth and took the flowers.
“Have someone buy one just like it tomorrow and put it here,” Sun Wenqu told Ma Liang. “Pink, it looks pretty effective.”
“Wha… what flower is it?” Ma Liang asked.
“Hyacinth,” Sun Wenqu said.
“Alright.” Ma Liang nodded and turned to someone behind him. “You, you, you…”
“I’ll go buy it first thing tomorrow morning,” the person nodded before he even finished.
“Do you want to go visit your grandparents?” Sun Wenqu asked as they walked out of the exhibition hall.
“…No,” Fang Chi sighed softly. “I’m leaving tomorrow, no time to go back. I’ll spend time with them during New Year.”
“Then let’s go eat something first?” Sun Wenqu took out his phone and checked the time, it was already past lunch. “I’m a bit hungry. I’ve only had one bowl of oden all morning.”
“Mm, let’s eat,” Fang Chi rubbed his stomach. “I’m hungry too, I didn’t really eat last night.”
“Eating won’t interfere with your main business, right?” Sun Wenqu asked with a grin.
“Hey!” Fang Chi froze for a moment before reacting. “Can you stop taking digs at me!”
Back here, eating wasn’t as troublesome as at school. Everything was familiar, it was easy to find a place to eat.
Sun Wenqu didn’t have much money on hand now, so his standards for food had been forced down quite a bit. When Fang Chi dragged him to eat 30-yuan roast goose rice, he had no objections.
“There’s even radish soup,” Sun Wenqu said while eating. “Not bad.”
“The radish soup is free. If you want more, I’ll go get you another bowl,” Fang Chi said.
“No need, this bowl is enough,” Sun Wenqu said, then laughed after thinking about it. “Why does that sound so strange?”
Fang Chi thought about it and laughed too. “Yeah, it sounds like we’re so poor we can’t even afford food.”
“To be honest, I really haven’t eaten like this much before,” Sun Wenqu said with a smile.
“Yeah, when you order takeout, even soup has to be ordered separately,” Fang Chi clicked his tongue. Then he hesitated a bit, worried. “Do you think after a while you won’t be able to stand it? Will you find me annoying?”
“No,” Sun Wenqu answered decisively. “Once I get money from Liangzi, you probably won’t be skimping on my food anymore.”
“True,” Fang Chi smiled and took a sip of soup. “How much will you get?”
“You can check yourself when it’s transferred to the card. But just this set alone won’t be much,” Sun Wenqu said. “If you want more, I’ll have to partner with him.”
“Have you decided?” Fang Chi asked. “You’ve been thinking about whether to partner with him for a whole year. That’s why I told your dad today you’ll definitely accomplish something, you’re not impulsive at all.”
“Mm, I’m not impulsive, I’m just too lazy to act,” Sun Wenqu smiled and glanced at him. “I’ll talk it through with him in detail these next couple of days. Ma Liang wants to open another branch…”
“That’s great,” Fang Chi immediately sat up straight. “Open one near our school, then you can come over.”
“Then every day, should I be making pottery or doing you?” Sun Wenqu narrowed his eyes.
“Both don’t interfere with each other,” Fang Chi rubbed his nose.
After finishing the roast goose rice, they walked around the streets for a couple of laps, then went back to Sun Wenqu’s place.
Fang Chi was very familiar with Ma Liang’s studio, during past breaks, he had spent a lot of time there accompanying Sun Wenqu, even picking him up and dropping him off every day.
But this was his first time at the place Sun Wenqu had newly rented.
He only knew the place was rented near the studio because Sun Wenqu was too lazy to commute, but he didn’t expect it to be this close.
“If I’m not seeing things,” Fang Chi stood by the window and pointed at a small building less than ten meters away, “that’s Uncle Liangzi’s studio, right?”
“Exactly,” Sun Wenqu smiled, placing the hyacinth on the TV cabinet. “Sharp eyes.”
“No wonder Chief Huang ran off with Hu Yuanyuan…” Fang Chi said.
“Even though Chief Huang is a eunuch, his orientation is still the mainstream kind, looking at Hu Yuanyuan is definitely more pleasing than looking at the two of us,” Sun Wenqu said. “And Hu Yuanyuan even buys it catnip.”
“What a spineless thing.” Fang Chi clicked his tongue. Sure enough, on the windowsill across from them was a whole row of flowerpots, all catnip.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Sun Wenqu went into the room to grab clothes, then tossed the TV remote to him. “You wait a bit.”
“Mm.” Fang Chi turned on the TV.
There wasn’t really anything to watch at this hour, the TV being on just meant there was a TV, with more channels than the place he used to rent.
Fang Chi didn’t watch it. He wandered around the room instead.
Sun Wenqu’s place couldn’t compare to that perfectly decorated apartment in the upscale complex he used to live in. Ma Liang was someone who knew how to live frugally, the place he rented for him was just enough to live in.
A one-bedroom with kitchen and bathroom. In the bedroom, aside from a wardrobe and bed, there was a whole wall of bookshelves. That shelf was obviously bought later, filled with Sun Wenqu’s books.
Besides the shelf, the other piece that clearly wasn’t part of the rental furniture was the sofa in the living room.
A sofa made for Sun Wenqu in snake-mode, one of those big soft sofas you sink into and can’t get out of.
Fang Chi curled up into the sofa and immediately smelled Sun Wenqu’s familiar scent. A coconut-milk-like smell surrounded him. He closed his eyes, the sofa cradled and held him, almost wrapping him up. That feeling was really…
He jumped off the sofa, walked to the bathroom door, and knocked. “I’m coming in.”
“What for?” Sun Wenqu opened the bathroom door.
“Let’s take a bath together,” Fang Chi took off his shirt, then squeezed into the bathroom while pulling off his pants. “Also, later I want to try it on that sofa.”
“How many times have you thought about it this afternoon?” Sun Wenqu stood under the showerhead, water pouring over him. “I feel like you’re going to try it right here in the bathroom.”
“You know me well.” Fang Chi laughed, stepping behind him and wrapping his arms around him, lightly nibbling at the back of his neck under the water.
“If someone threw you somewhere like they did to me for three years,” Sun Wenqu turned his head slightly, “what would you be like?”
“I’d take you with me,” Fang Chi leaned over and kissed his face. “Even thirty years would be fine.”
“In your dreams, just you alone.” Sun Wenqu tilted his head back into the water.
“That’s impossible anyway, no one could throw me into the mountains,” Fang Chi clicked his tongue. “Forget doing anything, even if I couldn’t see you for a month, I’d go crazy.”
When Hu Yuanyuan shouted from the studio window, Fang Chi was lying on top of Sun Wenqu with his eyes closed, resting. Sun Wenqu seemed to have fallen asleep, almost pressed into the sofa under his weight.
“Fang Chi! Big nephew!” Hu Yuanyuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it still startled Fang Chi.
“Hey, keep it down!” He hurried yet carefully climbed off the sofa, ran barefoot to the window, pulled back the curtain, and raised a finger in a shushing gesture.
“Oh my god, what time is it, you two already asleep?” Hu Yuanyuan stood there holding Chief Huang, freezing when she saw his bare upper body.
Fang Chi froze too. Only then did he realize it was completely dark outside. He stared at her. “What time is it?”
“Past ten,” Hu Yuanyuan said. “Your uncle and I just got back.”
“They’re back?” Sun Wenqu’s sleepy voice came from behind.
“Mm,” Fang Chi turned around. “Did we wake you?”
“I wake up as soon as you move,” Sun Wenqu yawned and walked to the window, calling out, “Got anything to eat?”
“You didn’t eat? Or are you hungry again?” Hu Yuanyuan asked.
“Didn’t eat,” Sun Wenqu answered.
“Then come over, I’ll cook you some dumplings?” Hu Yuanyuan said.
“If they’re not homemade, I won’t eat them,” Sun Wenqu yawned again.
“They’re from last night, so annoying,” Hu Yuanyuan glared at them, then turned and left the window. “This young master really should be tied up and sold for a meal of dumplings…”
“Are you going over to talk business with Uncle Liangzi?” Fang Chi asked while putting on clothes.
“Mm,” Sun Wenqu had only half dressed before collapsing back onto the sofa, eyes closed. “He’s signing a contract. If this is going into mass production, there are a lot of details that need to be finalized first, we have to discuss them.”
“He just came back from drinking, can he still talk business?” Fang Chi was a bit worried; it was already past ten.
“They’re alcohol immortals,” Sun Wenqu smiled. “Hu Yuanyuan definitely drank too, does she look like she has? As for Ma Liang, no need to mention it, once he starts stuttering, he doesn’t like talking, so he just keeps drinking.”
Fang Chi laughed, lay on top of him, and lightly ran his hand along his waist. “When are we going to have a drinking match?”
“This New Year when you come back,” Sun Wenqu curved his lips. “The loser goes on the bottom?”
“…Alright.” Fang Chi looked at him.
“Then you’re done for, Daddy will take good care of you,” Sun Wenqu said with his eyes closed, smiling.
“Really? You can drink that much?” Fang Chi looked at him doubtfully.
“Knocking you down shouldn’t be a problem. Last New Year, who was it that got me all fired up and then fell asleep?” Sun Wenqu kept laughing. “The next day I couldn’t tell if you really forgot or were just pretending.”
“D*mn…” Fang Chi felt embarrassed, then said unwillingly after a pause, “I can drink more than you.”
“Really?” Sun Wenqu was still amused. “Then let’s try it. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
“The way you say that,” Fang Chi laughed along, then leaned to his ear and whispered, “Didn’t hurt you today, right? I feel like I didn’t really control myself…”
“It was fine,” Sun Wenqu said, turning his head to kiss him.
“Was it because it felt too good you didn’t notice whether it hurt?” Fang Chi asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, I was almost crying from how good it felt,” Sun Wenqu flicked his nose. “Get up, we’re going to eat dumplings.”
“Can I sit in and listen while you talk business later?” Fang Chi stood up.
“Sure.” Sun Wenqu smiled.
As soon as they entered the studio, Fang Chi smelled alcohol. The two of them must have drunk quite a bit, but judging from Ma Liang’s state, he didn’t really look drunk.
Hu Yuanyuan quickly cooked a pot of dumplings.
“These are those big meat dumplings you made yesterday that could feed starving refugees, right?” Sun Wenqu sat down and asked. One dumpling stuffed with two liang of meat.
“Exactly,” Hu Yuanyuan said with a smile. “If you think there’s too much meat, there are vegetarian ones over there. Want me to cook you a few separately?”
“No need, this is fine,” Sun Wenqu smiled. “How was drinking with Boss Liu?”
“Eat first,” Ma Liang said.
“Sounds promising,” Sun Wenqu lowered his head and ate dumplings.
Fang Chi felt like he was truly hungry. Maybe the roast goose rice at noon hadn’t been filling, or maybe too much time had passed. After all the physical exertion, facing a plate of dumplings now, it felt like even ten more plates wouldn’t be enough.
Sun Wenqu didn’t eat much, Fang Chi counted for him, probably only about ten.
Chief Huang sat on the table, properly seated in front of his plate, tail curled forward with the tip raised, staring intently at the dumplings.
“Want some?” Fang Chi picked up a dumpling and waved it in front of it. “Kneel and beg me, you traitor.”
Chief Huang narrowed its eyes and didn’t move.
“Even if you beg, I won’t give it to you,” Fang Chi said, popping the dumpling into his mouth.
Chief Huang meowed and placed one paw on the edge of the plate.
“What, you want to grab it with your paw?” Fang Chi glared at it.
“Jiangjiang, ignore him,” Hu Yuanyuan came over, scooped Chief Huang up from under its belly, and carried it away. “We won’t eat his dumplings, we’ll eat our own cat dumplings.”
“What did you call it?” Fang Chi froze.
“Jiangjiang,” Hu Yuanyuan said. “It looks like soybean paste.”
“Does it?” Fang Chi laughed.
“At least it doesn’t… look like a chief,” Ma Liang said from the side.
“After drawing lots, it stepped down,” Sun Wenqu said with a smile. “What are cat dumplings?”
“Just meat dumplings with no seasonings at all,” Ma Liang said. “Said it’s to prevent shedding.”
“A little stray cat with so many rules,” Fang Chi said while eating. “Back at my place it ate leftovers and gnawed big bones, like a dog.”
“I’m done,” Sun Wenqu put down his chopsticks and patted Fang Chi’s shoulder. “Take your time eating, I’ll go upstairs with Uncle Liangzi to talk first.”
“I’m done too, I’m done!” Fang Chi quickly stuffed the last dumpling into his mouth and stood up.
“You wash the dishes,” Sun Wenqu said.
“Oh.” Fang Chi nodded and quickly gathered the plates and chopsticks.
“Hey, no need for you to wash,” Hu Yuanyuan called from the kitchen. “Just leave them there, I’ll do it. Hurry up and go wag your tail behind your dad.”
Fang Chi grinned and followed Sun Wenqu upstairs.
Ma Liang’s small meeting room was comfortably decorated, with a wide sofa and a huge table so big you couldn’t see the edges when lying on it.
Fang Chi liked tables like this. Ma Liang had this one custom-made, when discussing samples, a big table was useful.
Now on the table was Sun Wenqu’s set “Growth,” and beside it was a glass bottle with a bunch of artificial silk flowers stuck in it.
“What’s this thing?” Sun Wenqu pulled the flowers out to look.
“A stand-in for hyacinth,” Ma Liang explained seriously. “Pink.”
Sun Wenqu laughed. “Doesn’t it look awkward to you?”
“Seriously speaking, I think adding the hy… hy… that flower,” Ma Liang pointed at the bottle, “is pretty good.”
“Add a hyacinth?” Sun Wenqu sat on the sofa, propping his head as he looked at the items on the table.
“What do you think?” Ma Liang said. “Old Liu asked me today, whether the flower is part of the set.”
Sun Wenqu rested his elbow on the table edge, staring at the bottle and flowers for a long time without speaking, as if thinking it through.
Fang Chi sat at the side, and before long he felt sleepy. He admired how Sun Wenqu’s eyes were still bright. After watching his profile for a while, he lay down behind him.
When Sun Wenqu leaned back, he happened to rest against Fang Chi’s stomach. Feeling grounded, Fang Chi closed his eyes. Ma Liang seemed used to it, he didn’t even glance at him.
“Adding real flowers isn’t good,” Sun Wenqu said. “Making an extra vase for people to arrange flowers themselves doesn’t have much meaning either, this set is all vases… The reason it feels good is because the colors and the flowers soften the visual impression.”
“Mm.” Ma Liang nodded.
“If this were purely for my own expression, I would definitely revise it,” Sun Wenqu said. “What I want is this feeling, conflict, break in, clean and simple but a bit sharp… But if it’s a product, I can make it softer. No flowers, add other elements instead.”
“I’ll go with what you say.” Ma Liang nodded.
Fang Chi listened with his eyes closed. When Sun Wenqu spoke seriously about work, he was very attractive, his voice, his tone, all changed. He really liked this multi-faceted Sun Ququ.
The slight vibrations from Sun Wenqu’s speech traveled through his stomach, making him feel grounded and content.
Yesterday he was still in class, and today he was already pressed close together with Sun Wenqu. He felt completely satisfied, so much so that even having to go back to school tomorrow couldn’t affect his current mood at all.
Sun Wenqu and Ma Liang talked for quite a long time about that set of vases, and then gradually moved on to future matters.
Fang Chi listened half-asleep with his eyes closed. When Sun Wenqu talked about serious things he was interested in, he could actually be this energetic. Just earlier he had been saying he was sleepy, and now… Fang Chi figured it must already be past midnight.
This time, Sun Wenqu was probably planning to partner with Ma Liang. The two discussed things in great detail. Ma Liang proposed two options: either let Sun Wenqu manage a branch studio, or stay at the main base and oversee the overall design direction.
As for the branch, Ma Liang really did want to set it up near Fang Chi’s school, first because it was close, second because the city’s scale and style were similar.
Fang Chi opened his eyes.
“I’ll think about it,” Sun Wenqu said, placing his hand on Fang Chi’s leg and lightly stroking it.
“Stay at the main base,” Fang Chi said.
“Hm?” Sun Wenqu lowered his head to look at him. “What?”
“I think being the chief designer suits you better, right?” Fang Chi smiled.
“Is that so?” Sun Wenqu curled his lips.
“Don’t want him to go to your place?” Ma Liang took a sip of tea and asked.
“I do,” Fang Chi sat up and stretched. “But it still depends on the actual situation.”
Fang Chi didn’t think he understood Sun Wenqu perfectly, but in this matter, he could guess that between managing a studio and doing design, Sun Wenqu would definitely lean toward the latter.
What Sun Wenqu wanted was to freely express the feeling he wanted.
By the time they finished talking and returned to Sun Wenqu’s place, it was already past two.
“Dead tired, huh?” Fang Chi asked.
“I wasn’t sleepy just now, but now I’m so sleepy I could fall asleep standing,” Sun Wenqu draped an arm over his shoulder and flicked his chin. “Do you really want me to stay here?”
“I wish the studio could be set up tomorrow and we could go over together,” Fang Chi leaned against the wall, his hand on Sun Wenqu’s waist. “But this kind of thing has to be handled rationally, you can’t just follow your lower body… I just think, what you want is for people to see your work, right? Whether it’s your dad or others.”
Sun Wenqu looked at him without speaking.
“And also, you’re pretty lazy, you do things depending on your mood. Look at how tiring it is for Ma Liang and them to run the studio, there are so many miscellaneous tasks,” Fang Chi kissed the tip of his nose. “I feel like you wouldn’t last two weeks before quitting.”
“Looking down on me,” Sun Wenqu laughed.
“It’s not that,” Fang Chi held him tighter. “That’s just who you are. I actually really like that about you, either lazy like a snake, or suddenly like you’ve been wound up with a spring.”
“And me,” Sun Wenqu said, “I really like how you… become especially reliable at critical moments.”
“Do you still think having a younger boyfriend isn’t good?” Fang Chi sniffed a little smugly.
“You’re not a ‘younger boyfriend,’” Sun Wenqu said with a smile. “You’re just my boyfriend.”
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