Good Night, Liang Xiao

Content warnings: Very slight mentions of suicidal thoughts

They were still working on their reports together the previous night. They even took the same lift downstairs. There was no way that Ye Ji’an would immediately see Liang Xiao again in his dreams, right?

Almost instantly, Ye Ji’an became wide awake. 

This was no dream. It was just past five in the afternoon. Ye Ji’an had slept the whole day away just like that. It was not impossible for him to sleep until he was late for work the next day if no one had come to find him.

Cold air was blowing in from the ventilation windows located some steps away. The corridor was not warm at all, instantly dissipating the drowsy feeling in Ye Ji’an’s head.

Letting Liang Xiao in, he brought over a pair of cotton slippers and asked, “We’re neighbours? You’ve moved here?”

“Yeah, I’m at the building opposite yours. I’m also staying at the second apartment on the nineteenth floor.”

Liang Xiao didn’t wear a coat, probably because he felt that it was too much trouble for such a short distance. He sneezed twice due to the cold, looking a little sheepish. 

Ye Ji’an recognized the pair of limited-edition sneakers on Liang Xiao’s feet. He had once been enticed by them himself. In dismay, he watched as Liang Xiao stepped on the heels of the shoes, removing them without a care, before changing into the large, whale-shaped slippers he had offered.

“The apartments in Senior’s building have all been sold out.”

The south-facing balcony was right next to the living room. Ye Ji’an glanced over. The windows had a wide design and the sky was not particularly dark yet. The entirety of the second apartment in the opposite building could be seen at a glance.

It was a large apartment with three bedrooms and two living rooms; definitely too much space for someone living alone.

Casually pondering over the matter, Ye Ji’an made Liang Xiao a cup of instant grapefruit juice. Liang Xiao always liked to drink this in the office. On the other hand, Ye Ji’an did not like it. He had no idea why he’d placed it in his shopping cart when he was out shopping in the supermarket, nor any idea why he bought it to keep at home.

“How’s the rent?” Ye Ji’an asked.

“I bought the apartment,” Liang Xiao replied, sniffling a little. He had already placed the pile of greeting gifts beside the sofa.

“Sit wherever you want, I’ve been sleeping here the whole day,” Ye Ji’an said. His back was aching from his sleep. Handing the paper cup over, he smiled and continued, “Don’t tell me you paid the full sum.”

“It’s a loan,” Liang Xiao said, obediently sitting down beside him.

“It will take more than a decade to repay.”

I only have around five years of payment left. My work in the past few years hasn’t been in vain, Ye Ji’an thought. He no longer wanted to die quite as much.

Ye Ji’an watched Liang Xiao gulp down the cup of juice that was still hot.

“Prepare yourself, you’ll be like me in the future, getting up at five o’clock every day to rush for the train.”

“Will Senior rush for the train together with me?”

“We’ll probably be able to meet, “Ye Ji’an replied. 

He applied some eye drops to his eyes.

“By the way, have you finished setting up the place?”

“The previous owner has already renovated,” Liang Xiao replied. He took the bottle of eye drop solution and squeezed two drops for himself, looking curious. When he opened his eyes wide, it looked as if he was crying. He turned his glittering eyes towards Ye Ji’an and spoke, “The moving company just left this morning.”

“…Then let’s go.”

“Senior?”

Ye Ji’an stood up and looked down. Liang Xiao’s eyes were still bloodshot from working overtime. Paired with the artificial moisture in his eyes, Liang Xiao reminded Ye Ji’an of a little rabbit. 

“If it’s convenient, I’ll go over and help you organise the place a little.”

Liang Xiao’s eyes brightened even more. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll make a few dishes first, we’ll work after that. You should cook after moving into a new house, it adds a sense of homeliness. You probably have a wok and pressure cooker, right?”

Ye Ji’an spoke while massaging his waist and walking towards the kitchen.

“Wait a while, I’ll bring some vegetables over.”

The refrigerator was not in as a tragic a state as Ye Ji’an had imagined. The crown daisies and Shanghai greens were indeed wilted, but the winter bamboo shoots and potatoes were still in decent condition. The tomatoes had been wrapped with plastic wrap in advance and looked edible.

Ye Ji’an was quite confident in his cooking skills. While putting eggs, beef brisket, oil, salt, dark soy sauce and cooking wine in the vegetable basket, he heard the sound of footsteps and Liang Xiao’s excited exclamation: “Senior, you’re amazing! You’re my saviour!”

Ye Ji’an smiled, turned around and handed over the basket. He then grabbed an apron. After all, the fabric of his dress shirt was very comfortable. It was also rather pricey.

Liang Xiao hugged the basket of vegetables contentedly. 

“It just so happens that I don’t know how to cook.”

I know you can’t, Ye Ji’an glanced sideways at him, thinking to himself, you’re someone who doesn’t even know how to use a microwave oven.

Before leaving, Ye Ji’an also gave Liang Xiao a down jacket, draping it over his sweater. It could be considered a thank you gift for borrowing his Hermes coat at the soup dumpling shop last time.

After about an hour, Ye Ji’an finally produced solid proof of his cooking talent. Stewed beef brisket with tomatoes, fried shredded potatoes, and omelets with bamboo shoots were served piping hot one after another.

The only contribution Liang Xiao was able to make was to stir the egg mixture. Ye Ji’an was worried and dared not let him help with the other tasks. Instead, he chased Liang Xiao away, asking him to continue working on his reports.

When Ye Ji’an came out of the kitchen with the dishes, he saw Liang Xiao sitting on the carpet in the large living room, staring at the computer screen while frowning. 

Upon seeing him, Liang Xiao immediately smiled and placed his computer aside. Sitting on his knees, he cleared the miscellaneous items on the coffee table.

“Let’s eat here, Senior,” he suggested, his eyes still sparkling. “The carpet’s very soft to sit on.”

After saying that, he nudged past the cardboard boxes piled up in the living room and headed to the kitchen to get tableware. Ye Ji’an set the dishes down and sat cross-legged. 

The carpet was indeed soft, so soft that he felt that his old waist would grow weak if he sat here for too long. The heated floor emitted a comfortable warmth. It was just that Ye Ji’an could not figure out how this type of long white wool was usually cleaned.

Ye Ji’an made a bet with himself. The probability of this rich little guy, who had never tasted the struggles of life, hiring hourly workers on a daily basis to clean the place, was more than ninety.

Apart from the tableware, Liang Xiao also brought a tray of beer. It was Kirin beer, which Ye Ji’an often drank at parties. Liang Xiao opened a can and filled two glasses to the brim. The two raised their glasses and clinked them together. 

“Let’s drink less, we have work tomorrow. We also have to clean up some things later,” Ye Ji’an said, though the main reason for his reluctance to drink was his fear of gaining weight.

Liang Xiao nodded obediently. “You’re such a good person.”

“I always feel like I’ve lured you into a wolf’s den…” Ye Ji’an said after weighing his words. “This community is actually not as convenient as you’d think. People live too densely together and you have to queue up for every little thing. The pipes would be damaged almost every other day, causing the water to stop frequently.”

Liang Xiao raised the corners of his mouth.

“We rarely spend time at home anyway.”

“That’s true,” Ye Ji’an replied, laughing heartily, serving a bowl of beef brisket to his junior. 

“Where did you stay before? Was it near the company?”

“Mm, I stayed near my parents,” Liang Xiao replied vaguely. He seemed to be concentrated on drinking, not having touched his food yet.

Ye Ji’an looked at him and said, “You have to buy a house by yourself. Otherwise, you won’t be able to find a partner.”

Liang Xiao raised his brows. Just as he was about to say something, his phone suddenly rang, vibrating and spinning slightly on the glass table. Ye Ji’an glanced at it. It was from an unknown number.

He motioned to Liang Xiao to take it, indicating that it was all right.

Liang Xiao had no intention of being secretive. He accepted the call and placed the phone against his ear. The caller said something first. When Liang Xiao gave no response, the caller suddenly started shouting. Ye Ji’an couldn’t make out what language they were yelling, but it was neither English nor Chinese.

It was hard to even tell whether the voice was male or female.

In contrast to the caller, Liang Xiao remained calm throughout, stirring the tomato soup in his bowl with his eyes down, not saying a word. After a few seconds, he directly hung up the phone.

“My ex. They1Raw text did not use any pronouns here, so we don’t know the gender yet ran out of money again,” Liang Xiao explained simply. After turning off his phone, he casually tossed it on the ground. He then grabbed a small remote control and pressed on it a few times.

The speaker system immediately started up. The music that was neither loud nor soft was played in surround sound. It was from a shoegaze2”A subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterised by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume.” Had to google for this one  band that Ye Ji’an liked very much. During the summer, he had even taken annual leave to watch their performance live.

“My favourite disc,” Liang Xiao explained.

Ye Ji’an was stunned for a while. Though there were many differences between the two of them most of the time, they seemed to share a few similarities in some subtle areas as well. 

“You’re still helping your ex financially…” Ye Ji’an hesitantly said, thinking to himself: Are you actually a god of wealth who reincarnated into the mortal realm?

“No. That’s why he’s3Raw text uses a male pronoun. However, in speech, male and female pronouns in chinese sound the same, so Ye Ji’an still has no idea LX’s ex is a he. constantly harassing me. I’m sick of it.” 

Liang Xiao didn’t seem to want to say any more, and finally ate a piece of beef. Immediately after, he ate a second piece. 

“It’s delicious!” Liang Xiao exclaimed, his eyes filled with spirit once more.

“The omelette I made is pretty good too. The shredded potatoes taste even better,” Ye Ji’an tooted his own horn.

Liang Xiao immediately tasted it one by one, strongly affirming his words. 

“My senior is so amazing.”

The words were spoken so calmly that they did not seem to be flattery.

Ye Ji’an noticed that the bowl that was full of beef just minutes ago was about to be emptied. He rarely saw Liang Xiao gobble down food this fast. Pushing Liang Xiao’s glass of beer over, Ye Ji’an signalled at him to eat slower to avoid choking on his food.

As for himself, he took a sip of beer and said in an embarrassed manner, “Maybe you’ll make even tastier food when you reach my age. After all, you can’t just starve yourself to death.”

“I can’t do it. If no one makes food for me, I’ll just eat out every day,” Liang Xiao said with certainty. “Senior is the only amazing one.”

“Come on,” Ye Ji’an responded, thinking in his heart that there was a limit to how sweet one’s words could be. Why don’t I ever see you flattering the president of our company in this manner?

“Only my Ge can be called the best.”

“…” Ye Ji’an kept his head lowered, eating silently. He took back his previous thoughts.

Liang Xiao wiped the corners of his mouth with a tissue, took a sip of beer, and suddenly asked, “Did Senior buy a house in order to find a partner?”

“Haha, yes, at least in the beginning,” Ye Ji’an replied, looking at the uneven, wavering light reflected on the surface of his beer. 

“I paid the down payment about five years ago. My girlfriend and I had been together since university, and the relationship was so serious that that we were already discussing marriage. Afterwards, she resigned and took two years off to take the civil service exam. I was promoted, paid two years of mortgage, then we broke up.”

Liang Xiao straightforwardly responded, “Can I ask why?”

“Of course,” Ye Ji’an shrugged and replied.

“Our feelings had faded. It’s strange, don’t you think? When people are together for a long time, there’s no guarantee that their feelings will grow deeper. Maybe we weren’t serious enough about it. She lacked a strong sense of security and lost her motivation to continue the relationship.”

“I was very tired as well. I had abruptly realised that it did not necessarily have to be her, so why make things difficult for each other? If we got married, things would be even more troublesome.”

“Indeed.” Liang Xiao raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t care about it anymore. When I’m alone, I have freedom. No one owes me anything and I won’t provoke others either. My family doesn’t have much expectations of me.”

Ye Ji’an got something heavy off his chest. The aroma and warmth of the room suddenly made him want to offer more sincerity. 

“Continuing to pay for this apartment is actually pretty good. People must have some form of motivation, don’t you think?”

Liang Xiao looked at him attentively, but did not speak.

Ye Ji’an felt a little warm and his heart was beating faster than normal. The beer seemed to be rolling in his throat. At the edge of his vision, he saw the large teal lizard on the TV cabinet suddenly open its eyes and move a little. He felt like he was dreaming while awake—he had always thought that the lizard was just a life-like model. 

“He’s not very active in winter,” Liang Xiao said with a normal tone. 

“His name is Max, a four-year-old blue iguana. There are still a few boxes of geckos that I haven’t had time to move.”

“I didn’t know you had this hobby before.”

“They’ve always accompanied me while I was abroad.”

“Well, our company has a reptile hobbyist group, you can ask Xiao Li from the general department to add you in.” 

Ye Ji’an looked at the expensive-looking reptile and continued from where he had left off previously.

“Actually, all I want to say is, you don’t need to be in a hurry,” Ye Ji’an said, “Though you’ve bought a house, there’s no rush to get married. You can always try multiple times. Live a more interesting life. You won’t always meet people like your ex.”

“Of course, the composite index4A term used in stocks, no additional explanation bc I don’t know anything about stocks, sorry should still be most dear to you. No matter who or how you wish to date, nothing should delay the work I assigned you.”

Liang Xiao laughed heartily. Once he finished laughing, he spoke with an uncharacteristic seriousness, “I don’t want to try multiple times, Ge. I have someone I like, someone who I’ve set my heart on.”

Still being stared at, Ye Ji’an replied, “How’s it going?”

“I’m currently chasing them.”

“All the best, Xiao Liang5Xiao meaning ‘small’,” Ye Ji’an said. He spun the beer glass in his hands and made an expression that suggested he had been through the vicissitudes of life.

“I think you can do it.”

“Well, I think so too,” Liang Xiao replied, still smiling. 

“Senior, there’s something I haven’t mentioned before in the company, but want to tell you. I think you might mind it a lot if you hear it, but I think it’s necessary to tell you earlier.”

Max closed his philosophical eyes6Yes, the author described the lizard’s eyes as eyes filled with a sense of philosophy. Idk what’s going on either again. Ye Ji’an was influenced and also started to become nervous.

“Go on,” he said, sitting upright.

“I’m gay. The one I like… is also a man.”

TN: Just kiss already, i know it’s chapter 5 but I can’t stand this slow burn anymore QAQ

1

Raw text did not use any pronouns here, so we don’t know the gender yet

2

”A subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterised by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume.” Had to google for this one 

3

Raw text uses a male pronoun. However, in speech, male and female pronouns in chinese sound the same, so Ye Ji’an still has no idea LX’s ex is a he.

4

A term used in stocks, no additional explanation bc I don’t know anything about stocks, sorry

5

Xiao meaning ‘small’

6

Yes, the author described the lizard’s eyes as eyes filled with a sense of philosophy. Idk what’s going on either