The next day, He Juan awoke to the shrill beeping of his alarm as usual.

Groaning, he reached out a hand and groped around the nightstand to turn it off, pushed himself into a sitting position then stumbled into the bathroom to freshen up, still bleary-eyed and sleep-addled. He went through the usual routine – splash his face with water, brush his teeth, take a cold shower to jolt himself awake – before pulling on a bathrobe, still with his long hair dripping wet.

He had just wanted to come out and make himself a cup of espresso like this when he abruptly recalled the incident with Mu Yuze last week. Ah, that’s right... he shouldn’t dress so casually in front of the boy again lest he would trigger another conflict between them. After Mu Yuze’s sudden panic attack yesterday, a new dispute was the last thing He Juan ever wanted.

With one last groan, He Juan resigned himself to discard his bathrobe in lieu of putting on his usual formal suit.

Not surprisingly, he struggled to clasp the button one by one with only his left hand. He even forewent the tie because he just could not pull it the way he wanted to. By the time he deemed himself presentable enough, he was already behind his usual schedule by fifteen minutes.

He crossed the room in haste, grabbed his suit jacket on the hanger, pulled open the door and froze, still with his hand on the handle.

A deep and rich aroma of coffee beans wafted in the air, tickling his nose with its tantalizing scent. He Juan’s mind drew an abrupt blank when he took it in. Wait... was he hallucinating right now? How could there be a scent of coffee in his house so early in the morning?

Carefully, he sniffed the air and took in the unmistakable fragrance he had been so familiar with, yet also very different at the same time. It smelled faintly like roasted hazelnut, not very strong, but enough to tempt him to give it a taste. Coming from He Juan, a certified coffee-hater, it could be considered the highest compliment. He had been trying for ages, but never before could he get such an enticing aroma for his coffee!

As though to dispel any lingering doubt that this was but a dream, his ears picked up the sound of someone tinkering with the machine from the direction of the hallway.

The first person that popped up in his mind was Chen Youzhi. He could not think of anybody beside that man who was willing to drop by his house before seven in the morning just to make him a cup of coffee.

However, He Juan soon crossed that possibility out of his mind. No, it couldn’t be Chen Youzhi. That man would not come here unless He Juan ordered him to.

Then who...?

Snapping back to his senses, He Juan stepped out of his room and soundlessly closed the door behind him. His hand brushed against the little bulge in his pocket where his handgun lay, then he made his way down the hallway, vigilant and alert. Even though he could not use his dominant hand, he was confident that he could still land a shot.

He emerged from the hallway and stalked across the living room toward the kitchen. And the sight he found there successfully caused him to freeze on the spot.

Instead of an unknown intruder, he saw a familiar thin and slender silhouette bustling back and forth. He Juan was so shocked that he could only stand there with his eyes wide and jaws hanging open.

It was Mu Yuze. He was wiping the espresso machine with a cloth, his expression solemn as if executing a crucial task. After he was done, he washed the cloth under running water, squeezed it then proceeded to wipe the counter clean.

Soon, He Juan’s attention was diverted when the kettle – wait, did he even own a kettle? – emitted a sharp whistle, a faint burst of steam coming out of its spout. He watched as Mu Yuze hurried there to turn off the stove, then he carefully poured a little of it into his own glass and sipped on it slowly, sighing in satisfaction.

He Juan was positively blanking out. Of all people, he did not expect it to be... Mu Yuze.

In hindsight, He Juan should have guessed it because wasn’t it him who told Mu Yuze to make himself home? It’s just... the sight of Mu Yuze being so comfortable, so at ease and natural in his kitchen was doing wonders to him. It was such a peaceful and domestic sight that He Juan couldn’t react on time when Mu Yuze turned, spotted him and – quite literally – jumped, splashing the water all over his hand.

"Careful!" He Juan dropped the suit jacket on his arm and rushed forward, taking the boy’s hand and bringing it closer to his eyes. He did not even realize how anxious he sounded. "Did you burn yourself? Does it hurt?! Come, we should rinse it as soon as possible!"

"W–Wait...!"

Not heeding Mu Yuze’s protest at all, He Juan easily hauled him to the sink, turned on the faucet and tugged the boy’s hand under the water. In such a position, Mu Yuze was completely engulfed in his embrace, with He Juan’s arm wrapping around his thin body and keeping his scalded hand firmly under the running water. The water drenched half of his sleeve in an instant, but He Juan could not even bring himself to care.

When Mu Yuze started to squirm, He Juan held him tighter and hushed in admonishment. "Don’t be so impatient. You should do this for two minutes, at the very least! What if it leaves a scar on your skin?"

"Listen to me...!" In a fit of desperation, Mu Yuze yanked his hand out of He Juan’s grip and thrust the glass in his hand toward He Juan. "It is not hot at all!"

"...It isn’t?" The boy’s loud voice brought He Juan out of his vortex of panic and distress.

He Juan accepted the glass and true to Mu Yuze’s words, the water inside was lukewarm at most. He finally realized that he had made an error when he lowered his head and saw Mu Yuze’s furiously blushing face. Suddenly conscious of their proximity, He Juan took a step back to create some distance between them. There went his plan not to create another trouble so early in the morning. "My bad, Xiao Ze," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was just worried about you..."

Much to his surprise, Mu Yuze did not storm away out of rage and embarrassment this time. Instead, he kept his feet rooted in place and nodded jerkily, his face still a bright shade of red. "I–I know..." he mumbled in a small voice. "Thank you."

’Huh...?’ He Juan blinked, taken aback.

The sight of Mu Yuze forcing himself to stay behind to have this conversation with him was nothing but a miracle, especially when he could sense how much the boy wanted to flee from this place. What had brought forth the change, he wondered? Was it because of... their talk last night?

Whatever it was, He Juan was not going to run his mouth casually and ruin the delicate moment between them. He racked his brain to think of another topic to say, when his gaze landed on the cup of steaming coffee on the countertop.

— It was the cup he had always used.

Not wishing to assume, He Juan scratched his cheek and let out a light laugh. "Why are you up so early in the morning, Xiao Ze? Craving for a cup of coffee?"

Mu Yuze shook his head. He peered up at He Juan, then quickly dropped his gaze again. "...you."

"Pardon?" His voice was too soft for He Juan to catch what he was saying.

Mu Yuze said again, a bit louder and clearer this time but still quiet enough that He Juan had to strain his ears to hear it. His face was so red it was practically dripping blood. "I made it... for you."