Although A-Heng and Yan Xi lived under the same roof, their living habits were vastly different. Except for meals, the two rarely crossed paths.

Yan Xi, being naturally nocturnal like a cat, became even more unrestrained during the holidays. When in a good mood, he would blast rock music until the neighbors came knocking; when feeling down, he would close the door, draw the curtains, and sit silently in his room all day – a perfect embodiment of a sine wave.

A-Heng, on the other hand, was the epitome of routine – bed at nine, up at six, her biological clock precise as a good child’s should be. Shopping for groceries, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the house, watching cartoons – that’s how her day would pass. Of course, if she could listen to the earnest teachings of the “Sister” and “Brother” radio hosts before bed, her life would be practically perfect.

He loved pork ribs and all sorts of richly flavored dishes with exotic sauces and cornstarch; she preferred vegetables, interpreting the most ordinary flavors through simple salt seasoning.

He drank cola, Fanta, chocolate milk, champagne, vodka – any processed beverage that would transform into beautiful bubbles of warm decadence; she only sipped water, plain tea, and clear liquor – unpretentious, transparent drinks you could see straight through to the bottom.

He loved doing everything absent-mindedly, drawing sunsets while listening to rock music, eating junk food while studying how different beautiful women cried on TV, and judging which styles didn’t disgust him. She, however, was never particularly quick-witted, only knowing how to sit properly to write more beautiful calligraphy, only knowing how to sit properly with hands on knees while watching cartoons and giggling, easily overlooking all changes around her.

…

It’s only when paths cross under the same roof that one becomes aware of another’s existence within their universe. Thus, no matter how easily curiosity might arise, it wasn’t enough to break through each other’s perfect personal space. And so, they continued to gently tolerate each other’s existence, quietly incorporating each other into their inertia.

“A-Heng…” Yan Xi stumbled into the kitchen, bleary-eyed, wearing Tom and Jerry pajamas.

“Awake?” A-Heng tasted the chicken soup with a spoon to check the saltiness, busy as usual, not turning around.

Just knowing he was there was enough for her.

“Milk’s in the microwave, go get it yourself. Don’t drink too much, we’re eating soon.” The taste was just right. A-Heng put down the spoon with a smile.

“Oh.” The youth yawned, rubbing his eyes, his voice still nasally from sleep. “I just put clothes in the washing machine, but I’m not sure if I used enough detergent.”

A-Heng had a bad feeling. She turned off the stove, rushed to the laundry room, and lifted the washing machine lid, her face turning various shades of blue and purple.

“The powder you used…”

Yan Xi casually pointed to a container of powder next to the washing machine.

“That’s… bleach.” A-Heng struggled to speak.

Yan Xi was horrified, looking at the washing machine where a load of clothes had become unrecognizable.

“A-Heng, why did you put bleach next to the washing machine?” Yan Xi unplugged the machine, and fished out the twisted mass of oddly-colored clothes, nearly in tears.

“Oh no, no, no! This season’s just-released Armani pink checkered shirt worn by Italian models, my Calvin Klein white pants, my Givenchy black T-shirt, my…”

“Your English is so good, you didn’t see the big ‘BLEACH’ written on the container?” A-Heng interrupted the youth, her tone gentle but with slow, careful mockery.

“Bleach what?” Yan Xi’s eyes were watery, looking particularly pitiful.

“Bleach. Bleaching agent.” A-Heng looked helplessly to the heavens.

“A-Heng, then… what should we do?” Yan Xi’s eyes were filled with tears, playing the role of particularly innocent and helpless.

“What else can we do? Throw them away.” A-Heng said matter-of-factly.

This was punishment for a self-proclaimed man who couldn’t handle the kitchen or laundry room.

“My Armani, my Calvin Klein, my Givenchy, my Versace…” Yan Xi covered his face, showing only his crew cut, and started wailing.

A-Heng ignored him and returned to the kitchen, with the youth following behind, continuing to wail.

During dinner, he wailed about his poor flowered shirt; while watching TV, he wailed about his poor white fitted casual pants; while snacking, he wailed about his poor beautiful black T-shirt…

In the evening, A-Heng was watching “Detective Conan.” During the case, in a dark old library, a corpse appeared in the slowly rising elevator shaft, creating an extremely eerie and horrifying scene.

From behind came a mournful voice: “My beloved red checkered shirt…”

A-Heng jumped in fright, turned around, and there was Yan Xi again.

“I get it, I get it, you’re so annoying!” A-Heng’s mouth twitched as she yelled at the youth, “We’ll buy new ones, okay?!”

The youth, having achieved his goal, was overjoyed.

Old Yan worried about Yan Xi’s reckless spending, so the monthly living expenses were transferred to an account only A-Heng knew the password to. All financial expenditures were under her “one-party rule.”

Although Yan Xi had countless objections, money talks, and with authority far removed, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it. Every day he would pester A-Heng until she got a headache and naturally got what he wanted.

But money shouldn’t be burned like this – buying everything again would mean tens of thousands gone in the blink of an eye.

A-Heng tossed and turned late at night, unable to sleep. After thinking for a long while, she crept to the garbage bin in the dark, retrieved the mass of clothes, threw them back in the washing machine, washed them once, and ironed them three times, carefully not missing a single corner. Although they still looked like a colorful palette, at least their newness was greatly preserved, so she returned to her room satisfied.

The next day, as soon as A-Heng got up, figuring the timing was about right, she started making phone calls.

“Hello? A-Heng?” The person on the other end yawned, seemingly just woken up.

“Da Yi, yesterday Grandpa Yan sent back several limited edition Armani clothes, but when Yan Xi tried them on, they were a bit tight, so I thought of giving them to you.” A-Heng smiled.

Yan Xi had drunk too much milk the previous day and woke up needing to use the bathroom, seeing A-Heng making calls in the living room, he groggily approached.

“A-Heng, what are you doing?”

A-Heng put her finger to her lips and shushed him.

“Mm, come over later, the clothes are all ready.” An eight-tooth standard smile, bright as spring flowers.

Yan Xi shuddered.

After hanging up, she continued dialing: “Mary? I have something to tell you…”

The same procedure, the same words.

“When did you retrieve all the clothes?” Yan Xi looked at the oddly colored clothes with some disgust.

“Yan Xi, want to act in a play together?” A-Heng smiled.

“Payment.” Yan Xi held out his white, delicate hand.

“Armani, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Versace, two pieces each?” Clear mountain-water eyebrows, an extremely gentle face.

“Deal!” Yan Xi felt he was being such a good boy, agreeing promptly.

Soon after, the doorbell rang, and Xin Da Yi flew in excitedly.

“Oh oh, A-Heng, we brothers are truly close, where are the clothes, no need to be polite with me, as long as they’re Yan Xi’s, I can wear them all.”

Hehe, Armani falling from the sky was a small matter, but getting something for free from Yan Xi, taking advantage of this kid, was a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity.

Yan Xi pretended to wail on the side: “A-Heng, how could you give these clothes to auntie? They’re limited edition! I’ll wear them when I get fatter!”

Xin Da Yi saw the neatly folded clothes on the sofa, the Armani logo vivid and clear, but the colors looked a bit strange.

“Wait till I get fat to return them to you!” Xin Da Yi gloated, picking up the clothes, “These are them, right? You have to admit, limited editions are different from regular ones, look at these colors, so Armani, hehe.”

Yan Xi turned away, looking melancholy and worried, though his shoulders were shaking non-stop.

A-Heng smiled and lifted her wrist to check the time, it was about right.

Ding dong, the doorbell rang again.

Chen Juan walked in.

Their eyes met, sparks flying.

“What are you, baboon (trannie), doing here, haven’t you been bitten (beaten) enough by me?!” The two youths pointed at each other, speaking in unison, enemies meeting, eyes blazing red.

“A-Heng asked me to come, okay!” They continued in unison.

A-Heng smiled, and handed Yan Xi a tissue, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Wipe it.”

He had laughed so hard he was drooling.

Meanwhile, both turned to look at A-Heng simultaneously.

A-Heng’s distant mountain eyebrows curved beautifully: “Da Yi, I invited Mary. I thought, since it’s so many clothes, you can’t wear them all anyway, why not share half with Mary.”

“Don’t even think about it, I (me) won’t share clothes with this trannie (baboon)!” The two youths, one fair, and one dark, one delicate and one rough, but standing together, truly made a beautiful scene.

A-Heng smiled, completely innocent: “Then what should we do?”

Chen Juan had returned from abroad and had easily replaced Yan Xi’s performance the other day, presumably being wealthy and generous, speaking grandly.

“A-Heng, we’re sisters, these are limited edition clothes, I won’t let you lose out, I’ll buy them all!” Then gave Xin Da Yi a contemptuous look.

Xin Da Yi had grown up being treated like royalty, what grand occasions hadn’t he seen? How could he easily lose face?

“Damn! You dead trannie, nouveau riche, during the ‘Cultural Revolution’ you’d be a second-generation capitalist, I’m pure red through and through, you think I’m afraid of you?! A-Heng, say, how much did these clothes cost, I’ll pay for them, consider it showing respect to Grandpa Yan!”

This was exactly what she had been waiting for.

A flash of amusement crossed A-Heng’s eyes before returning to perfect stillness.

“Do you need so many?” A-Heng frowned, pointing troubled at the clothes on the sofa.

“Yes, we need this many!” The two glared at each other, furious and unyielding.

“Oh.” A-Heng touched her nose, walked into the laundry room, and came out carrying an equal amount of neatly folded, oddly-colored clothes, her smile gentle.

“Here, another set. One set each, no fighting.”

She had thoughtfully divided the clothes into two equal sets the night before to avoid unnecessary disputes.

The two youths were dumbfounded.

Yan Xi laughed so hard he fell off the sofa.

This incident became the defining moment of A-Heng’s corruption that Xin and Chen would mention thousands of times. Whenever it came up, they would sigh deeply: “A-Heng used to be such a good child, but since following Yan Xi, she’s gone bad. Yan Xi is a femme fatale, truly a disaster.”

“I’ll beat you to death, you’re the disaster! Your whole family is a disaster,” Yan Xi raised his eyebrows and cursed. “Our A-Heng has always been a good child, how is she corrupted? Tch! You pair of gay dogs! Without our A-Heng, could your illicit love have blossomed? Ungrateful!”

Xin Da Yi and Chen Juan were mortified, and speechless.

Anyway, after that, and after that, Yan Xi happily wore his new Armani, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, and Versace – two pieces of each.

Yan Xi was lazy. He wanted to paint the sunrise, but even with three alarm clocks – breaking one, smashing two – he still couldn’t fulfill his wish.

A-Heng said: “I’ll wake you up.”

Yan Xi said: “If I accidentally treat you like an alarm clock…” He trailed off, anxious yet mischievous.

“It’s fine.” A-Heng smiled, blooming like a small, cool spring flower. I’m such a complete and intelligent human, how could I be compared to your inescapable alarm clocks? We’re different creations, understand? These words were kept in her heart, not spoken aloud.

The next day, at dawn, the fog was like soft, flowing cotton, leisurely waiting for its destiny in the moonless, sunless sky.

She looked at the soundly sleeping Yan Xi, his face delicate and pink, features soft like an angel’s, and felt reluctant to act. But that angel sleep-talked: “Ah, A-Heng, why are you so stupid, so stupid, so stupid…” on an infinite loop, demonic sounds piercing her ears.

This was the distance between devil and angel – when Lucifer fell from heaven, truly there was no need for forgiveness.

She walked to his bedside and placed the towel that had been in the freezer all night on the youth’s face. One, two, three.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Awake now?” She smiled, watching Yan Xi bolt upright.

Yan Xi’s big eyes remained blank for half a minute before he reacted, his slender hands pounding the pillow, wishing for death: “What an unfilial adopted daughter, waaah!”

Then, after a couple of coughs, he fell back on his pillow in apparent anguish, his big eyes quickly closing, attempting to continue his date with the dream world.

A-Heng huffily lifted a basin of water, hovering it over that spiky head: “I don’t mind demonstrating the 24 Filial Exemplars’ ‘wearing colorful clothes to amuse parents.'”

Yan Xi shot up from his deathbed dream.

She pulled him along to accompany her in buying vegetables at the early market.

“Why should I go? This young master’s sacred morning mission is to paint the pure and beautiful sunrise, not some stinking vegetable market.” He said this to her very seriously.

“Go on, go on, just this once.” She carried a slight hint of coaxing, hands behind her back, face slightly red, unaccustomed to acting coy. Who ever let her act coy?

“Ah, fine, fine, what a troublesome, annoying child.” But this youth immediately lifted his crew-cut head proudly, his brotherly self-esteem filled to the brim.

At such an early market, the vegetables still carried dewdrops, neatly arranged on tables, fresh and spirited.

But the sun hadn’t risen yet, and in the slight fog, it was hard to see if there were hidden insect bites. A-Heng picked up the vegetables, examining them inside and out several times, until the old vegetable seller frowned: “This young lady is too careful. I, Old Wang, have been selling vegetables in the east market for so many years, who doesn’t praise my good vegetables and fair prices?”

A-Heng smiled: “Don’t be upset, Grandpa, I mean nothing by it, just that when buying vegetables, one should always look them over.”

Yan Xi pouted, deeply moved: “This child, why isn’t she more generous? Strange, my parenting has been quite thorough.”

A-Heng’s mouth twitched as she pretended not to hear.

So-called parenting, could it be making her play games all day, and when she sincerely tried to learn the Beijing dialect from him, solemnly teaching her how to curse and use vulgar language?

After selecting vegetables, A-Heng turned to look into the distance but accidentally saw someone crouching nearby with a small cage containing something furry. She tugged at Yan Xi’s clothes and approached, crouching down.

“Big sister, do you want to buy Little Gray?” The person crouching there was still a child, about eight or nine years old, chubby, wearing a white tank top and shorts.

“Little Gray, is that it?” A-Heng smiled, pointing at the gray puppy in the cage. Such coloring made it look rather dirty.

The puppy seemed to understand their conversation, slightly lifting its little head. Its appearance was truly ordinary, with a tuft of black fur around its left eye, looking somewhat silly. However, those eyes carried timidity and caution, vaguely arousing pity.

“My mom won’t let me keep it, she told me to throw it away. But it’s still very small, it’ll starve if no one feeds it.” The child looked at A-Heng, the clear voice tinged with sadness, “Big sister, I’ve been here for many days, but no one wants Little Gray.”

A-Heng looked at the puppy, reached her hand to the cage opening, and the puppy gently licked her index finger, whimpering.

She couldn’t ignore it. Making up her mind, she opened the cage and took out the puppy, turned, and smiled as she held it up to Yan Xi: “Yan Xi, Lu Rou Fan needs a companion, right?” Looking up, she saw Yan Xi’s face had become rigid.

“A-Heng, I’m allergic to dog hair.” He spoke stiffly, his big eyes looking at her, completely at a loss.

A-Heng made an “oh” sound and quietly, gently put the puppy back.

“Big sister, Little Gray is very good, eats very little, never pees anywhere wrong. You can keep it in a small cardboard box by the door…” The child’s face reddened as they spoke earnestly, pleading.

She looked apologetically at the child, but couldn’t bear to look at the puppy again.

Because its gaze must be as familiar as looking at oneself in the mirror. Such familiarity, yet unwilling to see again…

As A-Heng’s thoughts wandered, a cool, soft palm landed on her hair. That youth smiled faintly, gently patting her head, sighing: “A-Heng, you can’t let it near my room, can’t let it accidentally sleep in my milk box, can’t let it fight with Lu Rou Fan, can’t let it steal my pork ribs, can’t let it relieve itself anywhere. Like that, is it okay?”

Like that, is it okay?

Such a tone that needn’t compromise so much with him, is it okay?

Being cherished and loved and taken seriously like this, is it okay?

A-Heng kept nodding but wouldn’t look up.

She hugged the puppy, gently cradling it against her chest, and as she stood up, the first ray of sunlight broke through the clouds.

“Yan Xi, look.” She gently pulled at his shirt sleeve, the wind slightly cool between her fingers.

That youth lifted his head, devoutly and greedily gazing at the horizon. His gaze was passionate and pure, accompanying the rising sun, as if about to burst forth with soul-like brilliance, a sight that must be viewed and examined anew in their daily interactions, beautiful beyond restraint.

“That morning before I became a vampire, I watched my last sunrise. I remember every detail perfectly, but I’ve forgotten all the sunrises before. I appreciated this spectacular sight for the last time as if it were my first time seeing it. Then I bid farewell to sunlight forever, becoming what I am now.” Yan Xi murmured, turned around, smiling bitterly and calmly, completely mimicking the expression and tone of the vampire Louis from “Interview with the Vampire,” which he had dragged A-Heng to watch all afternoon with the curtains drawn.

A-Heng was completely stunned.

Yan Xi stood with his back to the sunrise, gilded by the brilliant golden light in a holy manner, but in an instant changed to another appearance, curved his flowing eyebrows, his smile unrestrained and willful: “This young master walks the vampire’s path, leaving vampires with no path to walk…”

Yan Xi stretched out both arms, imitating a zombie’s manner, bouncing in front of A-Heng.

A Chinese-Western fusion vampire? What nonsense!

“Ah, this terminal mental illness didn’t develop in just one, two, three, or four days…” A-Heng had a headache, grinding her teeth, her mind heated, unconsciously using the puppy as a cushion and throwing it at the youth.

The youth burst into tears – which link in his parenting had gone wrong, what an unfilial adopted daughter…

The puppy burst into tears – if God gives me another chance, I absolutely won’t act pitifully in front of this woman or try to gain sympathy. Change owners, I want to change owners…

That day, the sunlight was just right.