Yi Zhe's sudden return made Xu Tangcheng completely forget about the messages. By the time he remembered that he needed to reply to Yu An, he was already about to sleep. He lay on the bed and thought for a while, and decided to be selfish for once and rudely leave Yu An hanging. And then, the next day, Yu An came to look for Xu Tangcheng. He didn't say anything specific and only vaguely explained that he had drank too much the night before.

"I'm just a little worried about you…" Yu An sighed like he was very resigned. "Never mind, as long as you know what you're doing."

Xu Tangcheng was getting water. When he heard those words, he looked up and forced a smile.

Luck was on their side; Yi Zhe's birthday this year fell on a very opportune time. In the past, the winter vacation slowly trickled past and school reopened before it was his birthday but this year, because the Lunar New Year in the traditional calendar was later, his birthday fell right on the end of Xu Tangcheng's winter vacation.

After getting up today, Xu Tangcheng first accompanied Zhou Hui to the supermarket. When they came back, they happened to bump into Yi Zhe at the front door. Zhou Hui was walking in front and when she saw Yi Zhe, she immediately asked with a smile, "Did you go shopping?"

Xu Tangcheng turned his head, looking past Zhou Hui's side to see that Yi Zhe was holding a supermarket bag in his hand, but a different one from the one they went to.

"Yeah," Yi Zhe nodded. "I bought some stuff."

While he was talking, Xu Tangcheng walked past him. The two of them made eye contact but neither made a sound.

"When do you start school again?"

Yi Zhe obediently said a date. Before Zhou Hui opened her mouth, he hurried to add, "But I want to leave earlier."

Undergraduate students had a long winter vacation but he definitely wanted to leave together with Xu Tangcheng.

Xu Tangcheng opened the door to his home, then, as usual, he held it open and waited for Zhou Hui to go in first. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, a key scraped around for a long time but still had yet to open the door.

Zhou Hui continued to briefly ask how he was doing before waving and turning to enter the house. Xu Tangcheng controlled the expression on his face, keeping himself as calm as possible, and followed after her.

But before he crossed the threshold, someone caught hold of the lower hem of the back of his shirt. A force that was not very strong, that very quickly loosened again.

He turned his head. Yi Zhe silently moved his mouth, then held the bag in his hand up high to show him.

This series of sneaky movements made Xu Tangcheng instantly curve his lips up. He nodded very slightly at Yi Zhe, then raised one hand to the level of his waist and made a shooing motion, telling him to go home for now.

"Tangcheng?"

Xu Yueliang saw that the door had been opened for a while but Xu Tangcheng had yet to come in, so he looked curiously in that direction and called out to him.

"Yes!" Xu Tangcheng hastily turned back around and answered. He lowered his head, kicking at the doormat with the tip of his shoe. "The doormat keeps getting crooked."

There was a sound behind him. The door that had spent so long not being opened finally opened and closed, concealing the person waiting anxiously.

Xu Tangcheng had not told his family that he would be celebrating Yi Zhe's birthday with him. In actual fact, based on Zhou Hui and Xu Yueliang's personalities, if he nonchalantly mentioned that Yi Zhe was turning eighteen, they would at the very least suggest inviting Yi Zhe over and cook a good meal for him. Xu Tangcheng believed that Zhou Hui would put in her best effort to give Yi Zhe a birthday feast that was as warm and sumptuous as she could make it. And to Yi Zhe, it would probably become a rare and precious memory.

But Xu Tangcheng did not do that. He knew very well, if Zhou Hui and Xu Yueliang knew about their relationship, how unacceptable it would be for them, and how strongly they would oppose it. And if he made use of their kindness now, when the time came, all the kindness and good intentions in the past would become lies he and Yi Zhe had told them, and would turn into resentment. In that case, the state of things would likely become even more of a mess.

And so, after helping Zhou Hui settle everything and changing the barrel of water on the water dispenser at home, Xu Tangcheng just found an excuse, saying that he was going out to eat, and picked up his coat and went out the door.

He had just closed his door when the door opposite opened immediately. Without waiting for Yi Zhe to show his face, Xu Tangcheng swiftly squeezed through the crack into the apartment, then softly closed the door behind him.

He had just let out a relieved breath when Yi Zhe pressed him against the door and kissed him. The coat in his hand had yet to be put on; Xu Tangcheng threw it carelessly over a cabinet at the side, then reached out to hug the person in front of him.

The light at the front door was dim. With Yi Zhe blocking it, the space was like a carved-out corner, isolated and secluded, where time had stopped.

"I saw that you guys bought so many things and thought that you were going to have visitors over…"

Yi Zhe had kissed his fill and was resting his chin on Xu Tangcheng's shoulder, arms still around Xu Tangcheng and not letting go. Since the Lunar New Year, Xu Tangcheng had been constantly very busy—now going to visit a relative, then taking that relative's child to watch a movie. Every time Yi Zhe sat in his empty room and picked up his phone to send him a message, he would feel quite sulky. He himself had not watched a single movie with Xu Tangcheng the whole winter vacation while that kid called Cheng-Cheng had done so three times.

Xu Tangcheng was also aware that his time arrangement for this vacation was a little disappointing for Yi Zhe. He patted Yi Zhe on the back and told him, "For today, even if there are visitors, I will still come over."

Yi Zhe was nuzzling his neck and when he heard this, he was a little stunned. He quickly lifted his head and planted another fierce kiss on Xu Tangcheng's mouth, while his hands also began to wander over the skin on the other person's waist. Xu Tangcheng let him act as wilfully as he desired, and even tightened his arms around Yi Zhe in encouragement.

In reality, which of them didn't miss the other?

"Did you buy the things I asked you to?"

After that round of mischief, Xu Tangcheng washed his hands and started inspecting the ingredients Yi Zhe had bought.

"I bought them. I purposely made a list and followed it to get every item."

Xu Tangcheng wanted this birthday to be a more meaningful one for Yi Zhe so after discussing it with him, he decided to make a homemade meal. But there was Zhou Hui at home and Xu Tangcheng could be considered to have never made a proper meal in the kitchen. It was his first attempt; he didn't dare try other things and Yi Zhe didn't have lots of demands when it came to food anyway, so he decided to make a very simple tomato-and-egg noodle. Just something suitable for the occasion would do.

In the time he took to get things ready, Yi Zhe had already taken out his newly-bought camera. When he heard a beep, Xu Tangcheng said without turning his head, "Don't record the cooking part."

"Nope. It's the first time you're cooking, I must immortalise it."

As Yi Zhe spoke, he walked to Xu Tangcheng's side.

This time, Xu Tangcheng stilled his hands and looked up, asking in reply, "Immortalising how I fail?"

"Don't worry, you won't fail," Yi Zhe said surely. "No matter what you end up making, I can finish it all."

These words amused Xu Tangcheng into laughing softly. He pulled the large pack of noodles that Yi Zhe had bought over to himself, opened it and showed it to him. "See for yourself how much you bought."

"I can finish it all no matter how much it is." After saying that, Yi Zhe took a peek and asked curiously, "Is that a lot?"

Two people who had never cooked probably had no idea whether or not this amount of uncooked noodles was a lot or a little.

"I don't know but I don't think it's a small amount." Xu Tangcheng shook his head and warned him. "Don't be so certain of yourself, you might have to go back on your word later."

After all, when he was looking up how to make tomato-and-egg gravy, he saw a lot of feedback that was too appalling for words.

And this is exactly why young people are said to be impulsive; seeing that Xu Tangcheng didn't believe him, Yi Zhe immediately turned the camera towards himself.

"I swear on camera that no matter how the noodles Xu Tangcheng makes turn out, he can eat any amount he likes and I will finish the rest. If I fail to do so, I…"

At this point, Yi Zhe was stuck for words. After repeating the word "I" for a long while, he still failed to come up with anything he could swear on other than the treasured item called "Xu Tangcheng." In the end, he could only lower the severity of the pledge and say, "I will cook for Xu Tangcheng for the rest of my life and he will not have to go into the kitchen for the rest of his life."

These words startled Xu Tangcheng. He lifted his head swiftly and looked at him.

Yi Zhe met his eyes, frank and open.

The young man was pretty bold with his words.

He was so bold with his words, so Xu Tangcheng also could not let him down. There weren't any major problems with the final result when the noodles were done, the biggest flaw was that it was bland and tasteless, extremely so.

Strictly speaking, this was Xu Tangcheng's strategy. After all, if he put too little salt, he could still save the situation; if he put too much, he couldn't keep adding water to the gravy.

He took the salt from the kitchen and scattered some into the gravy, then had Yi Zhe taste it. Yi Zhe caught some bits of eggs with the tip of his chopsticks and put them on his tongue.

"Is it okay now?" Xu Tangcheng studied his expression carefully. "Should I add more?"

"I think it's enough now. There's a salty taste."

When they were ready to eat, Yi Zhe got up and turned on the television, putting on a random channel.

Xu Tangcheng took a look. It was a youth idol drama.

"You like watching this?" he asked Yi Zhe, finding it hard to believe.

"Nope." Yi Zhe sat back down and picked up his chopsticks. "I just want to have the sound of the T.V. on."

When he watched T.V. dramas in the past, the scene that Yi Zhe was most curious about was exactly this scene: eating at the dining table with the family while the television at the side played something that no one was paying attention to. Yi Zhe also didn't know why but the first time he saw a family having a meal this way on T.V., he had a very clear definition—this was the feeling of home.

The birthday meal was simple and basic. Following Yi Zhe's wishes, they didn't even buy a birthday cake. The noodles didn't even taste good, causing Xu Tangcheng to regret while he ate and he kept wondering if he should take Yi Zhe out another time for a good meal. But Yi Zhe's appetite was very good and in just a short while, he cleaned out the large bowl. Seeing that Xu Tangcheng's bowl was mostly untouched, he said, "Just eat however much you can, I'll eat the rest. I really think it tastes pretty good."

Xu Tangcheng didn't say anything. He lowered his head and quickly finished his small bowl.

One pot of noodles, Yi Zhe ate a larger half, Xu Tangcheng ate a smaller half. After resting a while, Xu Tangcheng stood up to clear the table but Yi Zhe immediately caught his hands and stopped him.

"Leave it, take care of it later."

Take care of it later.

Take care of it later. As for what they should do now, he naturally knew very well.

The bedroom should have been tidied up for this express purpose, there was a neatness that hadn't been there in the past. And, even more unusual was the lighting—there were an additional two floor lamps in the room. The colour of the light was mainly yellow but in the midst of it, there was actually a faint red glow.

"You…"

Xu Tangcheng couldn't help pausing at the door, half from fright, half from being struck speechless. For an instant, all that was left was his laughter when faced with the room that had been specially arranged in this manner.

"Where did you learn all these from?"

Before he could finish speaking, someone was hugging him from the back. A kiss fell on his neck, landing ever so gently, setting off a round of tingling numbness and ending forcefully.

"From T.V. shows."

When Yi Zhe started kissing, he couldn't really hold himself back. Xu Tangcheng was wearing a round-necked sweatshirt and could clearly feel one side of the collar being pulled very wide, the fabric rubbing against his shoulder. Undercurrents surged, excitement concealed within.

While his mind was in a daze, he was half-pushed and half-carried into the room. Yi Zhe said something; Xu Tangcheng didn't hear it clearly and was just about to ask when his belt was undone.

It was only when a hand moved down along the line of his waist and touched the skin that was even more hidden that Xu Tangcheng became clear-headed with a start. Without even thinking, he grabbed Yi Zhe's wrist.

"Wait!"

The chain of kisses just now had sent his head spinning. Xu Tangcheng's breathing was in a mess but he still hastily forced out this word.

Interrupted suddenly, Yi Zhe was a little bewildered. His other arm tightened, pressing Xu Tangcheng closer to himself, before he asked in a rather hoarse voice, "What's the matter?"

It seemed to be something that was very difficult to say, but also something he had no choice but to put into words. Xu Tangcheng's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally said, "This part is off-limits."

As he said that, he kissed Yi Zhe.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, he pressed his forehead lightly on Yi Zhe's shoulder, burying his face there. When he continued to speak, he was already laughing at himself. "I can't handle people touching my butt…"

Yi Zhe still hadn't quite understood just now but with this explanation, he finally understood what was off-limits. But along with that came an even deeper bewilderment.

If he couldn't touch his butt…

What kind of issue was this?

"W-Why?" After asking, he suddenly thought of something and was alarmed. "Wait a minute, who has touched it before?"

Xu Tangcheng continued to keep his face hidden, letting out a soft laugh. "Just… doctors. Otherwise, why did you think I didn't want the injection? I'm fine with the I.V. and with getting jabbed in my arm but since young, I realised that I can't even stand having nurses disinfect my butt. My entire body goes numb and tense, and it feels really terrible."

A psychological resistance.

"The last time, at the hospital, I couldn't move so I had no way to resist. Otherwise, that jab wouldn't have gone in."

After hearing that, Yi Zhe understood but understanding didn't mean he knew what to do. Heaven knows how much research he had done but there truly hadn't been anything that told him: What to do if your partner doesn't let you touch his butt.

"Then…" Obviously at a loss, he blinked at the lighting that was brimming with the right ambience and mumbled softly, "It's going to be quite difficult."

On his shoulder, Xu Tangcheng started laughing again.

This laughter entered straight into Yi Zhe's ear without making a single turn. It was exactly like the war drums rousing the hearts of the people before a battle, every beat demanding to know: What are you waiting for? Why aren't you getting into action?

Yi Zhe's hand twitched, fighting free of Xu Tangcheng's grip and returning to that sliver of exposed waist. He tilted his head and kissed Xu Tangcheng's ear.

Having your ear kissed was extremely arousing because this was the only spot that could turn the sound of the kiss into a roar that encompassed your entire world. Xu Tangcheng couldn't help hunching his neck but he heard Yi Zhe say into his ear, "Tangcheng-ge…"

Wheedling again.

Xu Tangcheng moved his head back, dodging him, but Yi Zhe followed his movements closely.

"Why don't you do it?"

While kissing him, Yi Zhe also thought busily at the same time and only came up with this idea.

Xu Tangcheng gathered his thoughts. After considering his lower back that always ached for no reason, he thought it was better for him to give up that idea.

He didn't say anything. Yi Zhe again began to call him softly right beside his ear, persistent and unceasing. His voice was soft and gentle, like he was going to continue until Xu Tangcheng agreed.

Xu Tangcheng was also very impatient; mere kisses were long since insufficient. He took a deep breath and suddenly twisted his head away, forcing their lips apart.

"Actually, there's a way."

Perhaps it was the red light casting a hue on him; Yi Zhe looked into his eyes and saw that the corners of Xu Tangcheng's eyes were reddish. And the look in the depths of those eyes—compared to how they were just now—seemed quite different.

Different, but he seemed to have seen it before.

"I can't handle other people touching it but…"

Yi Zhe listened and at the same time, his unstoppable line of thought pulled him into a sprint. And through the bright multicoloured starlit expanse, he finally recalled where he had seen that pair of eyes.

That night when he was drunk.

Not only was there a tenderness; there was also a touch of an artful seduction.

"But I can touch it myself. I just can't handle something I can't control touching me there."

Before Yi Zhe could fully understand those words, Xu Tangcheng was already bringing one hand up to tug at his arm, pulling his hand away from his body.

Softly, he cupped the back of that hand. And then, he brought him, led him, to touch that place that he had never allowed anyone to.

There was someone who turned "spoiled" from indulgence; there was someone who turned "violent" before intoxication.