The weather had already moved beyond anything that could still be called warm. Taking advantage of the weekend, Mai Ding opened the wardrobe and began sorting clothes for the change of season. Every time he folded everything neatly, An Zi Yan somehow managed to turn the whole wardrobe into a mess again. Mai Ding had complained about it many times, and those complaints had disappeared without a trace just like all his others.
It was nine in the morning. He still could not make too much noise. On weekends it was safer to wait until after ten before disturbing An Zi Yan, otherwise his terrible mood upon waking would fall directly on Mai Ding. While organizing the wardrobe, Mai Ding suddenly froze. Why had he never thought of this before? There were plenty of opportunities to prank An Zi Yan. If he did something while An Zi Yan was asleep, surely he would never notice. How slow could Mai Ding be, only realizing it now? He folded his arms and rubbed his chin. What kind of prank would work? Hiding An Zi Yan’s shoes so he had nothing to wear when he got up? Secretly snipping his pajamas so he would be shocked when he woke? After thinking hard for a while, Mai Ding became delighted with his own plans.
Sigh. What kind of prank was that? It was way too… shallow.
Once he had decided, Mai Ding acted immediately. He abandoned the clothes he had not finished sorting and crept toward the bed. He waved a hand to make sure An Zi Yan had not woken, then kicked his shoes as far under the bed as they would go, almost laughing aloud in the process. Next he found a pair of scissors and, looking like a surgeon preparing for an operation, gently lifted the blanket. Just as he was about to snip the pajamas, An Zi Yan opened his eyes. He said nothing and merely looked at Mai Ding. Most people would probably be startled to wake up and find their lover beside the bed holding scissors. Unfortunately, An Zi Yan was not most people. His expression did not change at all.
“Y-you’re awake. Morning.” Still holding the scissors, Mai Ding smiled falsely. “I saw a loose thread on your clothes and was going to trim it for you. Did I wake you?” He hurriedly hid the scissors behind his back, which only made him look more suspicious.
“Pointless.” An Zi Yan’s abrupt comment left Mai Ding baffled. He could only ask, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re not the beneficiary of my insurance.”
“Don’t assume I’m as heartless as you are. I only wanted to cut your clothes and then… then…” In his panic, Mai Ding accidentally confessed his completely harmless scheme.
“Then what? I use your salary to buy a new set?” An Zi Yan got out of bed and walked barefoot toward the bathroom, unconcerned that there were no shoes on the floor.
“Why my salary? My salary contributes to this household. Who do you think pays for what you eat and drink?” He really had some nerve saying that. His salary covered little more than daily necessities. He saved the rest, while rent and most of the larger expenses came from An Zi Yan. Knowing he was in the wrong, Mai Ding added, “I’m only worried you’ll waste money. I kindly help you manage it and make sure it goes toward proper things.”
“You really are kindhearted.”
“If you have something to say, just say it. Stop mocking me all the time. I’m already unbalanced enough. Why is it that we graduated together and you didn’t join the company that much earlier than I did, yet there’s such a huge gap between our salaries and bonuses?” Mai Ding could never forget how satisfied he had felt the first time his salary arrived. He had earned it through his own hard work. Compared with the tiny amount he once made interning at a small company, it had felt wonderful. That satisfaction vanished the moment he saw An Zi Yan’s salary.
An Zi Yan wiped a trace of toothpaste foam from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “Mai Ding, it’s time I told you why I wanted to find you a job close to me.” Was some sweet confession coming? Something romantic enough to make his heart race? Mai Ding pretended to stay calm. “Why?”
“Obviously so you can make me look better in every possible way.”
Why did he never learn? Why did he keep believing An Zi Yan might say something nice?
“Just wait. I’ll show you.”
An Zi Yan patted Mai Ding’s head. “Accept reality.”
“I refuse! Absolutely refuse! Miracles always happen!” The moment Mai Ding said it, he regretted it. Why did words sometimes leave his mouth before passing through his brain? He had once declared his faith in miracles just as confidently when Grandpa was ill, but Grandpa was gone now. He should not have brought up that word. Mai Ding looked at An Zi Yan. The hand resting on his head moved gently through his hair. “Mm. I’ll wait for yours.”
Whenever Mai Ding expected something moving, An Zi Yan refused to say it. Instead, he always caught Mai Ding’s heart off guard. You know I can’t escape, and I know I can’t hide.
“Let’s go out and do something this weekend.” The person saying that was not Mai Ding, but An Zi Yan. Mai Ding, still sorting the wardrobe, thought he had misheard. “What did you just say?”
“I said let’s go out and do something this weekend.” Once Mai Ding confirmed he had heard correctly, his delayed shock finally showed on his face. “You finally came to your senses? You’re not messing with me, are you? Every time I ask you to go out on weekends, you can barely be bothered to lift your eyelids.”
“I’m in the mood today. You don’t need to cook tonight.”
“Why not go now? Why does it have to be at night?”
“Don’t you prefer doing it at night? And here I am trying to be considerate.”
“When did I ever say I liked going out at night? Going out during the day is fine too, it’s just a little hot.” Mai Ding folded the last piece of clothing and put it into the wardrobe. Then he stopped. Something about An Zi Yan’s wording suddenly sounded suspicious. The more he thought about it, the less innocent An Zi Yan’s plan seemed.
“When you say we’re doing something tonight, you mean something positive, wholesome, and completely innocent, right?”
“I mean we’re going outside to have sex.”
“You animal! Isn’t home enough for you?”
An Zi Yan shrugged as though it were perfectly natural. “Sometimes I want to try it in the car.”
“You animal! I’m not agreeing to that!”
“Don’t forget our last agreement. You said I could choose what we did.”