WBAI Chapter 59

“Still going to sleep?” Yu Feng asked Xie An’yu.

“Not anymore.”

“Then get up?”

Xie An’yu hummed in agreement and sat up. “You didn’t sleep all night. Aren’t you sleepy? Do you want to try and get some sleep now?”

“I’m not sleepy yet. I’ll sleep when I feel like it.”

“Then let’s go out for breakfast? There’s a really good soup dumpling¹湯包 (tāng bāo): steamed dumpling; 小籠湯包 (xiǎo lóng tāng bāo), steamed soup dumpling. Tangbao or soup buns are large, soup-filled steamed buns (baozi) in Chinese cuisine. They are also sometimes known as guantang bao or soup-filled buns. Various varieties are found, with some name variations in various parts of the country. All of these buns are made by wrapping a gelatinous filling in dough, which is then steamed to melt the filling into soup.
place on the island.”

Yu Feng nodded. “Sure.”

Xie An’yu got out of bed. “I’ll go back to my room to wash my face.”

Before leaving, Xie An’yu glanced at the pants hanging by the window and said awkwardly, “I’ll take the pants back with me.”

“Mm.”

Xie An’yu took the pants from the hanger, rolled them up haphazardly into a bundle, and left the room with them in hand.

Shi Wuyang and Zhou Yi’s room was two doors down from Yu Feng’s. As Xie An’yu stepped out of Yu Feng’s room, he saw Shi Wuyang standing at his door, keycard in hand, about to enter.

Shi Wuyang turned his head and locked eyes with Xie An’yu.

After two seconds of staring, Shi Wuyang suddenly grinned. “The efficiency is quite high.”

Xie An’yu felt awkward. “It’s not what you think—”

He stopped, unsure how to continue. No matter what others thought or how wild their imaginations were, he and Yu Feng had indeed done some indescribable things last night. Any explanation would sound feeble.

Xie An’yu paused, then suddenly realized something. Shi Wuyang’s reaction clearly showed he already knew about him and Yu Feng—he was so calm.

“Did Professor Zhou tell you?” Xie An’yu asked Shi Wuyang.

“No,” Shi Wuyang replied, looking at him. “Did you forget we talked about this topic before? You liked someone, and it was a guy.”

“You guessed back then?”

Shi Wuyang nodded and smiled. “Other than him, I couldn’t think of anyone else. He…” He glanced at Yu Feng’s room. “It was pretty obvious, honestly. You really didn’t notice at all?”

Xie An’yu looked bewildered.

“I mean, it was obvious he liked you—” Shi Wuyang paused and chuckled. “Then again, maybe only a fellow gay would pick up on it.”

“I’m heading in,” Shi Wuyang said.

Shi Wuyang must have just returned. Xie An’yu was a little confused. “You went out so early?”

“Mm, got up early to watch the sunrise.”

Back in his room, Xie An’yu found a hanger and hung up his pants and underwear, then went into the bathroom to wash up. As he turned on the faucet and watched water rush through his fingers, his mood felt a subtle rush of emotions. Now, every time he looked at his hands, he would think about what he’d done with them for Yu Feng last night—and how he’d been the one to offer, the one to reach in first.

Xie An’yu, you’ve really outdone yourself.

And he really had. If he hadn’t, how else would he have gotten a boyfriend? Thank goodness he’d ‘outdone himself’ last night.

***

After washing up and changing, Xie An’yu didn’t go straight to Yu Feng’s room. Instead, he sent him a WeChat message.

Xie An’yu: 【I need to step out for something. Why don’t you take a nap for a bit? I’ll be back in half an hour】

Yu Feng: 【Okay】

Xie An’yu went to a flower shop. The people on Shuangye Isle all got up early, so the shops opened early as well. His usual florist opened at seven every morning. Though there were few customers at that hour, the owner still woke early to tend to the flowers, trimming and arranging them, content in the quiet.

Xie An’yu walked into the flower shop just as the owner was carrying a bucket, about to hydrate the flowers. The man turned his head in surprise when he saw him. “What brings you here at this hour?”

Every time Xie An’yu visited his parents’ graves, he bought flowers from this shop. The owner recognized him.

The owner was a bald man with a dragon tattoo on his neck, speaking in a gruff voice—his demeanor completely mismatched with his profession.

“Here to buy flowers,” Xie An’yu said.

The owner, cigarette dangling from his lips, remarked, “Didn’t you just come by a couple of days ago? Going to see your parents again today?”

“…I’m buying them for someone else.”

The owner raised an eyebrow. “For a girl?”

“…No.”

“Ah, thought you might’ve gotten yourself a girlfriend.” The owner asked, “Who’s it for? What kind are you looking for?”

“I want to wish him eternal happiness,” Xie An’yu said. “What flowers would be suitable?”

The owner took a drag from his cigarette, pondered for a moment, and said, “Then how about daisies²小雛菊 (xiǎo chú jú): Bellis perennis, the daisy, is a European species of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of the name daisy.
? One of their meanings is everlasting joy.”

“Do you have them here?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t have mentioned them otherwise.” The owner opened the cooler, revealing several bunches of daisies in different colors. “Take a look.”

Xie An’yu glanced inside and nodded. “These will do.”

“Are you giving them to a boy or a girl?”

“…A boy.”

“A boy, huh…” The owner was slightly taken aback. It wasn’t common to see guys buying flowers for other guys these days—practically unheard of. “How about Rosy Champagne? The color’s more sophisticated. Plain white is too bland; champagne looks much nicer.”

“Which one is the champagne color?”

“This one.” The owner pointed to the Rosy Champagne daisies³羅西香槟小雛菊 (luó xī xiāng bīn xiǎo chú jú): Rosy Champagne Daisies.
in the bucket. “What do you think? Like the shade?”

Xie An’yu nodded. “This one. Can you wrap them in half an hour?”

“Half an hour, huh…” The owner stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into the trash, pulling out a small bunch of flowers from the bucket. “Then I’ll make it a smaller bouquet. A complex one would take longer than that.”

“Will the small one look good?”

The owner shot him a look. “After all the times you’ve bought flowers here, you still don’t know my skills? Let me tell you, smaller ones are even prettier—more delicate, you get it?”

Xie An’yu smiled. “Then please hurry.”

“Just wait. I’ll definitely have it ready within half an hour.”

“Should I pay extra for the rush?”

The owner gave him a sidelong glance. “What kind of guy do you take me for? Not charging you for something this small. Forget it.”

***

Xie An’yu made it back to the guesthouse before 7:30. The receptionist was surprised when she saw him walk in holding a bouquet of salmon pink flowers. “Who are those flowers for? They’re so pretty.”

For a moment, Xie An’yu didn’t answer, still holding the flowers. A few early-rising guests were sitting in the cat café on the first floor, sipping coffee and chatting. Hearing the exchange, they turned to look.

“Did you buy these?” the receptionist asked Xie An’yu, her eyes sparkling.

Xie An’yu hummed in affirmation.

“What kind of flowers are these? The color is so lovely—adorable.”

“Daisies.”

“They’re really beautiful.”

Just then, Xie An’yu’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw Yu Feng calling.

“Back yet?” Yu Feng was currently heading downstairs. Xie An’yu could vaguely hear his voice coming from the stairwell.

“You really need to fix your bad habit of not checking WeChat,” Yu Feng said over the phone.

Yu Feng hadn’t been able to enjoy his extra sleep. Every time he closed or opened his eyes, all he could think about was Xie An’yu—he probably would have just dreamed of him anyway, so there was no point in even trying to sleep.

“I’m waiting for you downstairs. They have coffee here. I haven’t tried it yet; I’m going to get a cup and see how it is.”

Yu Feng’s voice grew increasingly clear, almost echoing through the stairwell.

Xie An’yu looked up toward the staircase entrance as Yu Feng emerged from around the corner. His footsteps paused as he stood on the steps, gazing at the figure below.

Xie An’yu held a small bouquet in his arms, his back to the transparent glass door. Bathed in the morning light, he appeared in Yu Feng’s eyes as serene as an oil painting.

Xie An’yu hadn’t expected Yu Feng to come down early—now he couldn’t even give him the flowers in private. He couldn’t just drag Yu Feng back upstairs to some secluded corner just to secretly hand him the bouquet. That would be far too melodramatic.

Still holding his phone, Xie An’yu continued speaking to Yu Feng over the call: “Come down, Brother.” Then he hung up.

Yu Feng descended the stairs and stopped before Xie An’yu, glancing down at the flowers in his arms. “You went out for half an hour just to buy flowers?”

Xie An’yu nodded and handed him the bouquet.

Today was the first day Yu Feng had officially become his boyfriend—it only made sense to give him something.

“Brother,” Xie An’yu said, looking at Yu Feng. “I hope you’ll always be happy.”

The author has something to say:

Dears, I’ve been quite busy lately, so my update schedule has turned to odd hours—it’ll be a bit late, and the word count might not meet everyone’s expectations either. I’m truly sorry. If you can’t wait, please sleep early and don’t stay up late.

List of Idiom in Chapter 59

粗聲粗氣 (cū shēng cū qì): (speaking) loudly and rudely; speak in an injured voice; with a deep, gruff voice; in a rough voice; gruffly; harshly; rudely; loudly; describes a person speaking with a loud voice and a rough tone, and is often used to express a state of being arrogant or impetuous.

Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.

• 1
  湯包 (tāng bāo): steamed dumpling; 小籠湯包 (xiǎo lóng tāng bāo), steamed soup dumpling. Tangbao or soup buns are large, soup-filled steamed buns (baozi) in Chinese cuisine. They are also sometimes known as guantang bao or soup-filled buns. Various varieties are found, with some name variations in various parts of the country. All of these buns are made by wrapping a gelatinous filling in dough, which is then steamed to melt the filling into soup.
  
• 2
  小雛菊 (xiǎo chú jú): Bellis perennis, the daisy, is a European species of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of the name daisy.
  
• 3
  羅西香槟小雛菊 (luó xī xiāng bīn xiǎo chú jú): Rosy Champagne Daisies.