Stubborn as ever, Mai Ding still dragged An Zi Yan to handle the property-transfer paperwork. The house was registered under both of their names and became jointly owned property. Once the remaining formalities were finished, they would be able to move in after a while. These days, whenever Mai Ding had nothing to do after work, he went looking at furniture. Today was no exception. The moment he got off work, he called An Zi Yan from downstairs.
“I’m downstairs.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Hurry down. We’re going to look at furniture together.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Can you say something else?! If I only choose what I like, you’ll definitely take it out on me later if you’re unhappy with it.”
“Then only choose what I like.”
“What about me? My preferences don’t matter?”
“Why does someone whose job is cleaning need preferences?”
“Don’t go too far! If you don’t come down, I’m going to stand here under the sun and bake.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
The instant the call disconnected, Mai Ding sincerely wished he were a shot-put athlete so he could throw his phone straight from downstairs and hit An Zi Yan with it. A few minutes later, An Zi Yan came down wearing an expression of extreme reluctance. Usually, whenever that expression appeared, it meant Mai Ding was about to be mocked and trampled until nothing remained of him.
When the car was almost at their destination, Mai Ding folded his arms and boldly said, “If you’re this unwilling, you don’t have to come. Nobody’s forcing you.” Unexpectedly, An Zi Yan turned the car around. “Then let’s go home.” Mai Ding hurried to smooth things over. “I was joking. We’re almost there. Turn back. Your psychological endurance is really terrible. I only said one little thing and you…” An Zi Yan glanced sideways at him. Mai Ding lightly slapped his own mouth. “I deserve to be smacked.” Whether that counted as successfully persuading An Zi Yan was unclear, but in the end the two of them entered the furniture center.
The dazzling array of furniture made Mai Ding’s eyes blur. Looking through small shops over the past few days had been manageable, but once he entered such a huge furniture center, his chronic indecisiveness returned. Calling An Zi Yan today had been the right decision.
“What do we look at first?” Mai Ding asked. He really was born to be a subordinate.
“Beds.”
They reached the bed section. Mai Ding cared about price and softness. He quickly found a promotional bed-and-mattress set. The moment he sat down, he felt himself sinking. It was almost as soft as a waterbed. He excitedly called to An Zi Yan. “Hey, let’s get this one!” An Zi Yan pressed a hand against the mattress. “No.”
“Why?”
“Too soft. Hard to get any leverage.”
“What do you need leverage for?” The instant Mai Ding asked, he realized how stupid the question was. What else would An Zi Yan want leverage for? He glared at An Zi Yan, who was already preparing to answer. “Don’t say it! I refuse to accept the criteria you’re using to pick a bed. That alone isn’t enough to convince me!”
“Do you have no common sense? A bed that’s too soft is bad for your spine.” Finding a reason that could convince Mai Ding was far too easy for An Zi Yan. As expected, Mai Ding surrendered. They reserved the bed An Zi Yan chose.
“Next let’s look at wardrobes.” Mai Ding eagerly made another suggestion.
“I’m not in the mood to look at something that boring.”
“Then kitchen stuff?”
“Even more boring.”
“Then what do you want to look at?!”
“Sofas.”
“I get it now. You only want to choose the places you spend the most time. Besides sleeping in bed and lying in bed, what else do you even do?”
“Make love.”
“Pervert! Don’t say things like that in public!”
Seeing all the multicolored sofas together put Mai Ding in a good mood. He went straight to one that came in several bright colors and had a slightly childish feel. He knew it might not match the living room, much less two men, but the colors were so lively and cheerful that he could not resist sitting down. Still, there was no way An Zi Yan would buy it. He liked simple things. While Mai Ding was thinking that, An Zi Yan sat beside him and said something that surprised him. “We’ll buy this one.”
“You’re not messing with me, are you?”
“I don’t enjoy messing with you that much.”
“I think you enjoy it a lot.”
“If that’s what you think.” An Zi Yan shrugged. Mai Ding confirmed again, “You really want this one? Why? It doesn’t match your usual taste.” An Zi Yan leaned back against the sofa cushion. His expression seemed to drift into a memory, instantly awakening Mai Ding’s endless curiosity. He leaned closer. “What are you thinking about?”
“Don’t want to tell you.”
“Tell me. I promise I won’t laugh at you, and I won’t tell anyone.”
“Still don’t want to tell you.” Mai Ding snorted softly and ignored him. When An Zi Yan showed no intention of coaxing him, Mai Ding had no choice but to speak again. “If you still won’t tell me, I’m waking you up at seven tomorrow.”
“Then seven tomorrow is the time of my death.”
“An Zi Yan!” He could not win. He could never win against him. Why could he never win?! While Mai Ding cursed An Zi Yan inwardly, An Zi Yan finally spoke. “My kindergarten had colors a lot like this sofa.” Mai Ding could not hold back and burst out laughing, then deliberately said in an exaggerated tone, “Sorry. I just never expected words like that to come out of your mouth. Kindergarten sounds so incompatible with you.”
“I can let you hear something more compatible with me.”
“No need.” Mai Ding hurriedly refused, but he still could not resist teasing him. Opportunities to tease An Zi Yan were rare. “Still, your kindergarten must’ve been adorable, using such soft, cute colors. How did such an adorable kindergarten manage to produce you?”
“Is that so?” Unexpectedly, An Zi Yan did not fire back. Instead, in a meaningful and faintly terrifying tone, he said, “I’ll take you there sometime.”
“Would they even let you in now? They probably don’t know you anymore. It’d be so awkward if they threw you out.”
“That isn’t what you should be worried about.”
“What does that mean?”
They sat in the busy furniture center, surrounded by brightly colored sofas, talking as though nobody else existed about things that did not matter at all. An Zi Yan leaned back lazily while Mai Ding gestured wildly from time to time. Maybe passersby glanced their way, but nobody would think they were strange. The scene was ordinary and quietly funny, the kind of moment that made you want to put a frame around it and preserve that single second forever.
Mai Ding’s war was over. There was no trace of smoke left in the air. He had neither lost nor won. He had learned that love did not need to be measured in victories and defeats. Life, and the two of them, kept moving forward with light music playing in the background. It did not matter if they sometimes failed to keep up with the rhythm.