Ye Meng had just gotten into the car, watching Li Jin Yi reply with that indifferent “Mm.” Her mood inexplicably soared, as if a wave of excited little fish rushed forth, darting up and down in her heart, creating quite a joyful commotion. Who says older woman-younger man relationships aren’t happy? Teasing her boyfriend was truly delightful; it was those eating dog food who weren’t happy.

[Meng: Need a script? I can arrange one for you in a minute.] [LJY: Not necessary.] [Meng: Alright, five minutes, I’ll be there soon.]

Ye Meng drove while sincerely releasing her thoughts. Later she would need to struggle a bit—although her boyfriend was very tempting and kissing him left no possibility for resistance—but at least today, she had to reluctantly fight back for the sake of increasing excitement. Should she, depending on the situation, slap him?

Forget it, Li Jin Yi might think she’d gone crazy. Besides, she couldn’t bear to do it.

Not more, not less, but exactly five minutes later, Ye Meng parked in the community parking space. She even deliberately honked lightly to remind Li Jin Yi inside the house—she had arrived.

Then she got out of the car and walked along the gray-white carved eaves toward the house. It was quite lively at this hour; various breakfast stalls were scattered throughout the small alley. Groups of people clustered together, some cracking sunflower seeds and chatting, others playing chess and joking around. As always, they were all spirited elderly people; not a single young face could be seen. The only exception—just as Ye Meng turned the corner, a dried salted fish unexpectedly lunged straight at her like a knife. Hey, there was even someone using a dried salted fish to practice tai chi sword at the entrance of the alley. The old man’s expression was solemn; he wasn’t too pleased with her sudden appearance. He gave her a white-eyed look, rose on one foot, and performed a lunging horizontal sweep like a swallow pecking mud to make way for her.

Ye Meng carefully lifted her foot and stepped over.

When she reached Li Jin Yi’s doorstep with an excited heart, she discovered that his door was open. An old woman stood hunched at his doorway. Li Jin Yi, wearing clean home clothes, had one hand in his pocket and was handing her a bunch of green onions with the other. When he looked up and saw her standing at the building entrance, he didn’t lock the door but simply turned and went inside.

After the old woman left, Ye Meng walked in and locked the door.

Li Jin Yi reclined on the sofa with his legs spread wide, his head covered with a thin gray blanket, seemingly not fully awake.

With the door closed, the room was very dark. The curtains remained tightly shut, with only a faint light seeping in from the garden’s floor-to-ceiling door, illuminating the room like a darkroom with a dim glow. The room was damp, with moldy spots mottling the walls, and the furniture also emitted a subtle musty smell. But as long as Li Jin Yi sat quietly there, even the dirtiest place seemed like heaven to her.

Ye Meng walked over and had just sat down. The blanket covered his upper body, revealing only his messy hair and a pair of slender, well-proportioned long legs. Ye Meng sympathetically stroked his hair and said, “Baby, still sleepy?”

Li Jin Yi seemed to finally have a bit of energy. He gave a low “Mm,” then pulled off the blanket, hunched his back drowsily, and with tired eyes, grabbed a cigarette from the low table. He placed it between his lips and lit it, inhaling and exhaling smoke in an instant, as if his mind had cleared somewhat and his eyes regained clarity. With one hand holding the cigarette and the other constantly fidgeting with a lighter, he turned his head slightly. Those deep, affectionate eyes, full of weariness, stared fixedly at Ye Meng.

Ye Meng’s heart raced at his gaze. She quickly snatched his cigarette and extinguished it. “Don’t smoke right after waking up. Should I peel an orange for you?”

Li Jin Yi, half-asleep, was particularly docile at this moment. He “Mm-ed” again, his fingers skillfully playing with the lighter out of habit, quietly waiting for her to peel the orange.

Ye Meng watched the deep blue flame flicker between his fingers while absentmindedly peeling the orange and asked, “Where did you learn these fancy tricks?”

“America.”

“Oh, you’ve even been to America? Looks like your family was quite wealthy before.”

Li Jin Yi forced a smile at the corners of his mouth but didn’t respond. He was wondering if Ye Meng would still bully and tease him like last night if she knew what kind of heartless person he had been during those years in America.

But when you play with a tiger for too long, you might mistake yourself for a cat.

He had been pretending to be a good boy for so many years that he had trouble distinguishing whether the one in America was the real him, or if the good boy under Li Ling Bai’s watchful eye was the true him. Perhaps he was born with two completely different personalities. Otherwise, why would Li Ling Bai say he was born with a rebellious nature, the seed of evil?

Li Jin Yi didn’t answer. He tossed the lighter onto the low table, lazily pulled her closer, and leaned down to kiss her.

Ye Meng felt this didn’t quite match the scenario she had imagined. She lightly pushed against his chest and said, “Not like this, baby. You’re not supposed to be this gentle. Don’t you know how to force a kiss? It should be fierce, reckless, crazy, ruthless. Let me demonstrate.”

Li Jin Yi had a meditative expression, watching her impassively. He silently raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, indicating for her to go ahead.

Ye Meng sighed inwardly, wondering why she had fallen for such a clueless romantic.

While thinking disappointedly, she roughly pinned him against the sofa, gripped his collar with both hands, pulled him toward herself, took a breath, and recklessly bit his lip. Her tongue immediately pushed in without hesitation, commanding him, “Open.”

Li Jin Yi obediently complied.

Ye Meng’s eyes flew open. “Li Jin Yi, you—you—you—you ate garlic!!”

Li Jin Yi couldn’t help laughing, directly embracing her and pressing her against his chest. At this point, Ye Meng truly didn’t need to act; she struggled a thousand times wanting to push him away. Li Jin Yi nonchalantly controlled her in his arms, holding her wrists, and directly turning the tables. He flipped her onto the sofa, pinning her down. Ye Meng arched her neck, avoiding his kiss. Li Jin Yi could only bite her chin, subtly taking it between his lips. Her blood froze as she heard him say softly, “Why are you dodging?”

Ye Meng’s body tingled, her scalp feeling as if it had exploded. With her remaining reason, she could only plead repeatedly, “Baby, can you please brush your teeth—”

“No.” He buried himself in the delicate crook of her neck.

In the dim room, their skin touched, silent and still. They could faintly hear the street cleaner outside the fence going “swish, swish, swish” with a large broom. With the man’s solid, tall figure pressing down on her, Ye Meng felt her blood boiling throughout her body.

Yet Li Jin Yi still maintained a cool and detached manner. His fingers pinched her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. His breath approached inch by inch, carrying a drowsy haziness as he said, “Say you were wrong.”

“I was wrong, baby.” Ye Meng softened her voice, blowing air into his ear.

“Call me ‘gege’ (big brother).”

Ye Meng lay back on the sofa, exposing her fair, smooth neck. Her black hair was scattered on the white fabric sofa, her eyes moist—whether from her earlier distress or from laughing at his forceful attempt to regain the upper hand was unclear. She blinked and softly admitted, “I was wrong, gege.”

“…”

Li Jin Yi flipped over and sat up, putting on his slippers while cursing, “No backbone.”

While Li Jin Yi was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he locked the door. Ye Meng, with her arms crossed, leaned against the doorframe, still calling “gege, gege” without backbone from outside. Li Jin Yi turned off the water, the toothbrush still in his mouth opened the door, and leaned against the sink. As he continued brushing, he coldly said to her, “Could you shut up? Anyone would think my dog turned into a chicken.”

Ye Meng smiled, unperturbed. “What’s our plan for today?”

He gurgled and spat, saying, “You tell me.”

Ye Meng walked over, hugged his waist, rested her chin on his chest, and looked up at him. “I just want to spend the day at home with you, just holding you like this is enough.”

Li Jin Yi paused his brushing but didn’t push her away, allowing her to embrace him. He slightly raised his hand, took some water in his mouth, and turned to spit it out, not bothering with the small bits of toothpaste at the corners of his mouth. Still leaning against the sink, he skillfully turned on the faucet, rinsed the toothbrush, and looked down at her, smiling, “Were you this clingy with every boyfriend you’ve had before?”

Ye Meng shook her head. “If I said it’s only like this with you, would you believe me?”

As if anyone would believe that. Li Jin Yi casually put the toothbrush back in the cup, set it aside, and scoffed, “Do you think I would believe that?”

Li Jin Yi went back to his room to change into clean clothes. He even locked the door. Seeing how cautiously he guarded against her, Ye Meng almost burst out laughing. Outside the door, she couldn’t help deliberately teasing him, “Let me tell you the truth, my ancestors were locksmiths. This kind of lock can’t stop me. I can twist it open in a minute, believe it or not?”

Inside, he completely ignored her. After a few seconds, the door opened. Li Jin Yi had just put on a black pullover sweatshirt, obviously not yet properly dressed. As he opened the door, he casually shrugged a couple of times to adjust his shirt. The collar still had a white circular rim, layering two pieces—who was he trying to protect himself from?

“If you’re not afraid of getting hit, go ahead and pick the lock.”

His room was very small, with hardly any place to sit—a large wardrobe, two fully loaded bookshelves, and then in the corner, an electronic keyboard that seemed utterly out of place, isolated from the rest of the room. Li Jin Yi sat on the chair between the keyboard and the wall, so Ye Meng could only sit on the bed across from the keyboard, putting them face to face.

Ye Meng discovered the strangest thing about men: a change of clothes could completely revitalize them. No matter how tired he looked before, now, though his hair remained messy, after washing his face and revealing his full forehead, he appeared surprisingly spirited. The black clothing made his skin look even paler, exposing his clear Adam’s apple and the smooth lines of his neck.

The earring in his right ear glinted softly at his neck, but due to his cold, fair skin, it made him look both roguish and clean. This person was truly stunning with even minimal grooming. If Ye Meng didn’t fix herself up for at least half an hour after waking, she wouldn’t look presentable at all.

The old clock on the wall moved forward steadily with a “tick-tock, tick-tock” sound.

Li Jin Yi leaned casually against the wall, legs spread, staring at her for a while. Probably finding this boring, his left hand unexpectedly struck a few heavy notes on the electronic keyboard—”BOOM BOOM BOOM,” three sounds to bring her back to reality. “Is this really how you want to waste time with me?”

“I’m going to the city tomorrow. Don’t you want to look at me a bit more?” Ye Meng said, her hands propped on the edge of his bed as she looked at him.

“Will looking at you more keep you from leaving?” he said.

“You don’t want me to leave?” Ye Meng’s face lit up with surprise. “You should have said so earlier.”

Li Jin Yi leaned against the wall emotionlessly, saying nothing. With the back of his head against the wall, because the electronic keyboard was set high, he still looked down at her, his eyelids drooping. His eyes, like black glass balls soaked in water, gazed at her with particular depth.

He found Ye Meng truly fascinating. She appeared to be a woman with her own opinions, not seeming idle at all. Whatever she did, she had her confidence. In her heart, she carried either a torch or holy water; her eyes always held an unwavering determination that seemed invincible, looking incredibly sunny.

Yet in front of him, she always revealed a feminine side. She seemed unwilling to be manipulated by him, but always couldn’t help being easily manipulated.

Li Jin Yi said: “If I said I don’t want you to leave, would you not go take the job?”

Ye Meng walked over and clumsily pressed out a melody on the electronic keyboard. Li Jin Yi could barely make out that it was “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Her casual tone, amid such monotonous music, sounded particularly sincere: “It’s not an important job anyway, and my current savings aren’t urgently needed to support myself. At worst, I’ll come back to town and take a civil service exam. If you don’t want me to leave, just say so—I’ll prioritize you, baby.”

Li Jin Yi smiled slightly and removed her hand that was clumsily playing his keyboard. “Forget it, you should still go work in the city. I think things are pretty good as they are now; let’s just take it slow. Besides, Grandma’s second round of chemotherapy is about to begin, so I won’t have much time to spend with you at home every day anyway.”

Ye Meng’s disappointment was expected. She knew that her younger boyfriend had this proud personality and would not ask her to stay. Moreover, in Li Jin Yi’s heart, his grandmother was undoubtedly more important than anyone else. She might not even be as important as the little yellow dog at the door.

Ye Meng pondered for a while, lit a cigarette for herself, and in the cramped room, with slender white fingertips bearing the flickering flame, asked him through the swirling smoke: “Can you sing Cantonese songs?”

“What would you like to hear?”

“Anything.”

His Cantonese was quite standard. Ye Meng felt she had to take back what she’d said earlier—it wasn’t that he sang without emotion; he just couldn’t be bothered to put emotion into it.

Ye Meng discovered that Li Jin Yi was left-handed. Except for using chopsticks with his right hand when eating, when he hugged her or played the keyboard with one hand, his left hand took precedence. He played very perfunctorily, but at least he didn’t sing perfunctorily. Li Jin Yi didn’t look down at the sheet music, playing the accompaniment with one hand. His whole demeanor was casual and relaxed, his gaze scattered, but when he looked at her, it was serious and passionate—his natural advantage. If Ye Meng hadn’t experienced the joy of dating young wolf pups early on, she wouldn’t have been so persistent about the older woman-younger man relationship.

Ye Meng was attracted by the emotion in his eyes; she was immersed in it. Plus, whether intentional or coincidentally fitting, he sang a song called “The Legend of the Hungry Wolf.” He looked exceptionally sexy and roguish. Her eyes could no longer leave him. She simply hugged her knees, sitting on the floor, desperately entangling with his gaze. Somehow Ye Meng felt as if the air had stagnated, as if needles were suspended in the surrounding air, ready to pierce her skin at any moment. She carefully drew oxygen from their mutual breaths in his addictive and suffocating gaze.

“Yet I know that love gives me no tomorrow; love is like a hungry wolf, with a mouth seeming sweet. If you walk in just to play, its fierce appearance will show; love is like a hungry wolf, how can one sleep embracing it? It must leave me with a fierce wound as a memento…”

The music had stopped for a long time. The room was quiet and still. Bird songs could faintly be heard among the treetops, as if to shake off the spring snow, sharing the season equally. They were like two lonely travelers, also like two otherworldly beings wandering on opposite ends of the Milky Way, finally finding that unspeakable comfort in reality, warning those who sink into worldliness that they are of the same kind.

Ye Meng stood at the corner of the wall, took a drag from her cigarette, and with the strong tobacco taste, lifted his chin, slowly blowing the smoke into his mouth before kissing him hard. She seemed to be using unprecedented gentleness, bit by bit sucking his lips. In the quiet room, it was as if a fireplace was burning, the temperature rising, yet only the sound of their dense, almost venting kisses could be heard.

The atmosphere had a kind of depressed decadence. They indulged in each other, comforting one another.

“Li Jin Yi, I’m not playing with you,” she said, holding his face and kissing him.

“Mm,” he kissed back.