“No,” Jiang Shiyan said softly, “It’s just me, only for you.”
Jiang Shiyan held Tang Yang in his arms, his warm breath mingling with the fragrance of her hair.
As their heartbeats pressed together, both seemed to be losing control of themselves.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Jiang shiyan’s gaze deepened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to speak: “Tang Yang—”
“Have you eaten dinner after being busy moving all day? If not, I’ve made some noodles. Let’s go eat together,” Tang Yang, sensing his hesitation, gently pushed against his chest as she stood up, changing the subject.
Jiang Shiyan stared at her reddened ears, his hand slowly brushing her slender shoulders.
He opened and closed his mouth several times, but ultimately decided to follow her lead and left his words unspoken.
He agreed with a simple “Okay,” half resigned, half amused.
After returning to Tang Yang’s home, she realized she had forgotten to borrow soy sauce.
Thinking Jiang Shiyan probably didn’t have these things either, Tang Yang simply cut a small piece of cured meat, cooked it, sliced it thinly, and placed it on top of the two bowls of noodles.
The cured meat was salty with a smoky flavor.
A thin layer of oil brought out the taste of the noodles perfectly.
Jiang Shiyan was truly hungry. Although he ate politely, he took large bites.
He would occasionally squint and blow on the noodles, then take a sip of soup.
Tang Yang had been hungry at first, but after only a few bites, seeing him eat so contentedly made her feel as if she wasn’t hungry anymore.
Had Yan Dog kissed her just now?
Tang Yang held her bowl and sipped the soup, secretly glancing at him from behind it.
Yan Dog used to pat her head and tickle her ears before. But a kiss seemed to be a first.
They weren’t abroad, and for friends, kissing was probably crossing a line. The feeling of that kiss, though brief, was very real.
Tang Yang couldn’t help but indulge in a bit of vanity. Could it be that Yan Dog… liked her too?
Even if it wasn’t love, could there be just a tiny bit of affection beyond friendship?
Just a little bit, Tang Yang thought to herself. She imagined a little figure inside her heart, placing its thumb halfway between its thumb and little finger. Yes, just that much.
A little bit would be enough.
Tang Yang had given Jiang Shiyan two-thirds of the pot of noodles, keeping one-third for herself.
When Jiang Shiyan put down his chopsticks, she was also nearly finished.
“Was it good?” Tang Yang asked carefully.
For Director Tang, who never entered the kitchen, making noodles was already a major undertaking.
“It was delicious,” Jiang Shiyan affirmed, then asked, “How did you make it?”
If he was asking how it was made, it must have been good.
Tang Yang also thought it wasn’t bad and enthusiastically shared with Jiang Shiyan: “Turn on the heat, boil the water, put the noodles in, cover the pot. But I added a bit of cured meat, maybe that’s the secret,” Tang Yang said. “The cured meat was from Zhang Zhilan. I just cut off a small half, washed it, cooked it, and sliced it…”
Jiang Shiyan listened as if seeing an invisible little tail behind her wagging higher and higher. Yet she was genuinely explaining it to him, her voice soft and delicate.
Jiang Shiyan rested his chin on his hand, his posture lazy yet indulgent as he watched her small hands waving and gesturing.
He thought, that even if she recited “one plus one equals two” a hundred times, he probably wouldn’t find it repetitive or get bored…
At first, Jiang Shiyan would respond with a few “mm-hmms,” but later, he fell silent.
Tang Yang stopped her motions, just in time to meet his gaze full of tenderness, a smile playing at his lips.
It wasn’t mockery, nor was it teasing.
Tang Yang felt her heart flutter, and her face inexplicably reddened.
She pushed her bowl away, putting on a bit of a forceful air: “I cooked, so you wash the dishes.”
Jiang Shiyan still smiled: “I don’t like washing dishes.”
Tang Yang: “I don’t like washing dishes either.”
Jiang Shiyan’s eyes darted toward the kitchen: “That’s why you bought a dishwasher, right?”
The dishwasher was built-in, and Tang Yang had used it once earlier in the year. She had forgotten about this appliance while speaking, and now felt her face swelling with embarrassment.
“Then I’ll just take them over,” Tang Yang said awkwardly, moving to collect the bowls.
Jiang Shiyan beat her to it, stacking her bowl on top of his own, chuckling as he said, “Since you want me to wash them, even though I don’t like it, I still should.”
Tang Yang walked up to him, embarrassed, trying to stop him: “Don’t be like this.”
Jiang Shiyan still smiled: “Do unto others…”
Tang Yang already knew she was wrong and was so remorseful she almost wanted to kneel: “I’ll take them over.”
Jiang Shiyan stood facing her, his smile deepening, his low voice enunciating each word: “As you would have them do unto you.”
What was the real next part of “Do unto others”?
Tang Yang’s hand stopped midway, her brain short-circuiting.
Her eyes were wide open, filled with clear innocence.
Jiang Shiyan’s heart melted completely. He stepped forward, resting his chin on top of Tang Yang’s head, mischievously ruffling her hair until it was a mess. Only then did he walk past her with a triumphant look, entering the kitchen.
Tang Yang belatedly reacted, chasing him into the kitchen and jumping up to step on his feet.
Jiang Shiyan kept saying, “Hey, hey!” “I’m washing dishes, Director Tang. You’re bullying the working class…”
Tang Yang said resentfully: “That’s right, I’m bullying you!”
“Then bully away.” Jiang Shiyan yielded while pretending to reach for her face with his soap-covered hands. Tang Yang fled to the doorway in shock, glaring at him. Jiang Shiyan received her adorable glare, turned his back, and burst into muffled laughter.
After washing and putting away the dishes, Jiang Shiyan grabbed a paper towel to dry his hands: “I’ll head back now.”
“Do you want me to help you tidy up?” Director Tang surveyed the clean kitchen, her stomach full, bygones forgotten.
Jiang Shiyan wanted her to keep him company, but the words caught in his throat as he noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes. Instead, he said, “I’ve pretty much got everything sorted. Go wash up and sleep, you must be tired after such a long day.”
Tang Yang nodded, walking him to the door: “Good night.”
Jiang Shiyan didn’t leave, just smiled and tilted his head to look at her.
Tang Yang was indeed shy, and she pushed him: “Go on, get going.”
“It feels so strange to be able to say goodnight to you directly instead of on WeChat,” Jiang Shiyan said, his long fingers catching a strand of her hair, lightly circling near her ear before dropping it.
“Good night.” Tang Yang’s ears were completely red now.
She must have feelings for him, right? At least, she didn’t reject his touch.
Tang Yang’s earlobes were small, soft, and fair. Jiang Shiyan touched them again.
“Good night.” Jiang Shiyan covered his mouth with his fist, the index finger that had touched Tang Yang’s earlobe now touching his thin lips, and then he turned his head to hide his smile…
Rounding up, today he seemed to have… kissed her twice.
Over the weekend, Tang Yang lounged at home.
The first benefit of Yan Dog becoming her neighbor was that there was a security entrance downstairs. Tang Yang’s intercom was broken, and she hadn’t reported it to property management. Previously, she had to take the elevator down every time she ordered takeout. Although Yan Dog wasn’t willing to go that far to help her report it, Tang Yang could leave Yan Dog’s apartment number for the delivery person to call, and she could eat at his place without having to clear the table.
The second benefit was that Jiang Shiyan could sit with her and play games.
Tang Yang wasn’t bad, and Jiang Shiyan was a pro. When they queued for four-player games, they playfully asked each other “How do you throw things?” and “Which key is for jumping?” while headshot after headshot, much to their teammates’ frustration and their delight.
Occasionally when Tang Yang’s internet lagged and she couldn’t get over the wall, Jiang Shiyan would give her a knowing look.
This would provoke Tang Yang to pounce on him and ruffle his hair, while Jiang Shiyan dramatically cried out for mercy, his hands loosely circling her back to protect her.
Perhaps due to the excitement of the game, after a few rounds, both of their faces were flushed.
On Sunday night, Tang Yang declined Jiang Shiyan’s invitation.
Seeing her drooping face complaining that “sleeping late will cause breakouts, and it’ll be hard to apply makeup tomorrow,” Jiang Shiyan felt both sympathetic and amused as he asked, “Then shall we go over now? Want me to sing you a lullaby and pat your back to help the little one fall asleep quickly?”
“I’m too lazy to banter with you.” Tang Yang was amused and reciprocated by patting his back.
Tang Yang had just taken two steps toward her own home when she received a WeChat message from Zhang Zhilan.
Zhang Zhilan’s eldest son, Min Mu, spoke in a sweet voice: “Sister, I got first place in the essay competition.”
Tang Yang was delighted and praised him for quite a while.
Min Mu accepted the praise gracefully and confidently sent a short video. The camera first showed the certificate he received today, then panned to a wall full of certificates he had won before. In the end, the camera accidentally swept across the balcony.
When Tang Yang visited that day, the curtains were drawn in Zhang Zhilan’s home. Today they weren’t, and Tang Yang caught a glimpse of the sparse sausages and cured meat hanging on bamboo poles. The piece Zhang Zhilan had given her wasn’t large, probably the best she could offer.
Min Mu said goodbye to Tang Yang, and Tang Yang wished him good night, appearing normal and gentle.
Only she knew that a certain heartstring had been lightly plucked.
Tang Yang returned to her bedroom, finished her nightly routine, and lay in bed. The more she tried to sleep, the more awake she felt.
She scrolled through her subscriptions and casually shared an article to her Moments, partly because it was interesting, partly to increase Yan Dog’s readership.
Almost as soon as she shared it, a certain someone called.
The first thing he said was: “Do you know that the country is advocating for energy conservation and emission reduction?”
Tang Yang was startled: “Does that mean each household won’t be allowed to cook for themselves in the future, and the whole city will eat from one big pot?”
Jiang Shiyan burst out laughing, then said casually: “I drive past Huishang on my way to Yixiu. You can ride with me to and from work from now on. One car pollutes less than two.”
Tang Yang thought carefully: “But what about after work?”
Jiang Shiyan: “I’ll come pick you up.”
“Isn’t that inconvenient?” Tang Yang hesitated. “What if I’m off work but you’re not, or you’re off work but I’m not? Wouldn’t that be troublesome?”
“You can call me in advance at noon, and my off-work time should be about the same as yours,” Jiang Shiyan knew Tang Yang was hesitating and spoke particularly earnestly, “We’re both law-abiding good citizens, right? Just for the sake of environmental protection and sustainable development strategy…”
Jiang Shiyan was talking nonsense with a straight face.
With the mountain of “The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen” placed before her, Tang Yang’s ears began to burn slightly.
She bit her lip and moved the phone a bit further away: “Then… let’s try tomorrow.”
She meant to say they’d try riding together tomorrow, but why did it come out sounding so strange?
Her heart was pounding wildly.
On the other side of the wall.
Jiang Shiyan understood her meaning and also felt the words were odd.
He responded with a particularly calm and righteous “Mm,” said “Sweet dreams,” and hung up. After ending the call, Jiang Shiyan repeated these few words to himself.
Then let’s try tomorrow.
Rounding up, it meant let’s give it a try.
Let’s try.
She said, let’s try.
As Jiang Shiyan repeated this to himself, he unconsciously broke into a smile.
He called Cheng Siran, who asked what was up.
Jiang Shiyan didn’t say anything, just remained silent.
Just as Cheng Siran’s patience was wearing thin, Jiang Shiyan suddenly laughed, casually explained “It’s nothing,” and hung up.
Cheng Siran: “…”
Just as Cheng Siran was telling himself not to swear, Jiang Shiyan called Feng Weiran, enthusiastically asking “What did you eat at home tonight?” “Is Chengcheng behaving?” “Are the vegetables obedient?” “Is Ms. Yi nagging you?”
Every word Jiang Shiyan asked was filled with elation.
Feng Weiran and Jiang Yana exchanged glances, wondering if Jiang Shiyan had been drinking, and answered nervously.
Before they could ask if the company’s KPI had skyrocketed or if he had come into a fortune, Jiang Shiyan mumbled “It’s late” and hung up again.
The third call went to Shen Chuan…
The whole world knew Jiang Shiyan was very happy, but no one knew why.
He had moved next door to Yang Yang, and become Yang Yang’s neighbor, he said he’d take Yang Yang to work, and his Yang Yang said… let’s try.
In the bedroom on the other side of the wall.
Tang Yang was trying to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she heard Jiang Shiyan’s earlier ramblings about national strategy.
They were both linguistically competent people, so was he trying to say “Tang Yang, I want to take you to work”? So it should be? So it is?
The more Tang Yang thought about it, the hotter her ears became. Finally, she pulled the blanket over her face, which was red enough to drip blood.
Yan Dog, Yan Dog’s feelings for her, could it be, perhaps, maybe, possibly, truly… like?