Mu Yuze realized something was off as soon as he raised his head and saw He Juan appearing from the doorway.

He could not really put his finger on it, but there was just something about the strain on He Juan’s jaws, the subtle tension on He Juan’s entire body and the sharp edge on He Juan’s voice that sent alarm bells ringing through his mind. Even though the man treated him no differently than always, Mu Yuze just could not bring himself to shake off this weird feeling.

He thought that he could almost guess the answer when he took a tentative step closer only to be blasted with the mixed stench of booze, smoke and... something so sweet... like exquisite perfume that lingered on every inch of He Juan’s body. On a closer scrutiny, he could also spot a faint pink hue across He Juan’s high cheekbones, making his already gorgeous face look even more striking than usual.

Mu Yuze’s heart gave a terrible lurch. "Are you... drunk?" his mouth asked before his brain could even process it.

He regretted it one second after the question settled between them. All this time, He Juan had been nothing but kind and patient – even a little indulging – toward him, but it did not mean that he could intrude on the man’s personal business! So what if He Juan went to the bar to drink a few glasses and have a little... fun with others? So what if he came home reeking of booze and perfume? He was an adult, for God’s sake! Of course, he had his own definition of ’fun’! Mu Yuze enjoying their little outing to his heart’s content did not mean that the same applied to He Juan too!

But why? Why did he suddenly feel like crying?

He Juan must have seen something on his face because the next second, he reached out a hand toward Mu Yuze’s face. But midway through, he suddenly flinched and jerked his hand back. Mu Yuze only had a split second to notice how his face blanched in the mixture of horror and panic before he turned away and let out a tense chuckle. "Ah, Xiao Ze, I’m very sorry but... not now, okay? Tomorrow. Gege will talk to you tomorrow..."

Not giving a chance for Mu Yuze to react, He Juan brushed past him in a hurry and strode across the living room in a few large strides, automatically shrugging off the hold Mu Yuze had on the hem of his sleeve. There was a sense of urgency on his back that Mu Yuze had never seen before, almost as if something horrible would happen if he were to stay behind for one more second.

He Juan slammed the door shut and locked it behind him for good measure, leaving Mu Yuze in the empty living room still with his hand hanging in midair.

At that moment, Mu Yuze strangely felt like what He Juan locked was not only his bedroom, but the door to his heart too; vehemently keeping Mu Yuze at arm’s length, not allowing him to get close...

Mu Yuze had no idea how long he stood blankly in the living room like a fool. It was not until his eyes turned dry and aching that he realized he had even forgotten to blink.

Frowning, he rubbed them carelessly and turned back to the couch to gather his pen and notebook. He looked at the unintelligible words he had scrawled on the paper and sighed. He was not actually doing anything when He Juan first came in. He only brought the pen and notebook with him as an excuse in case He Juan asked what he was doing out here. When in fact, he had been deliberately waiting for the man to come home...

"Get a grip on yourself, Mu Yuze..." he knocked himself on the head with a self-deprecating look. "He rejected you once and you’re already like this?"

But the main problem was, what He Juan did could not even count as a rejection! It was very natural for him to need some time alone. Perhaps he’d had a rough day at work, or perhaps he had encountered some troubles that frustrated him... whatever it was, he was not responsible for telling Mu Yuze every single thing, nor did Mu Yuze have the right to demand answers from him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

At least, he was still being his kind and gentle self as usual. At least, he still returned home rather than spending the night elsewhere. At least, he did not beat Mu Yuze up to vent his negative emotions.

At least... he had promised that they would talk tomorrow.

That’s right, it was already more than Mu Yuze could have ever asked for. All he needed was to sleep through the night and tomorrow, they would definitely return to usual. Mu Yuze would wake up early to make He Juan his morning coffee and then He Juan would stumble out of his bedroom, still a bit bleary-eyed and bid him good morning with a sleepy smile. They would chat and banter over nothing, and everything would be normal as if the brief event last night had never happened at all.

It was their daily routine; a piece of mundane happiness that Mu Yuze hoarded like a priceless treasure.

’Tomorrow’, he told himself. ’Just wait until tomorrow.’

It was with that thought that he dragged himself to his bedroom, climbed into the bed and pulled the blanket over his head to make a cocoon. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. This was not the first time he had ever wished that the day would arise sooner, but this time, it was for an entirely different reason...

***

Except the tomorrow he was waiting for did not happen.

Mu Yuze awoke at his usual time. He quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth before rushing out of his room, wishing to make an especially aromatic coffee for He Juan, despite knowing how much the man despised it. Still, the fact how He Juan would raise a brow and make a surprised hum after tasting the coffee – as if not expecting that the taste was not so horrible after all – was something that Mu Yuze looked forward to every single day.

But then, he abruptly stopped dead on his tracks once he emerged through the hallway.

There was a tall silhouette busying around in the kitchen.

"...Mr. Chen?" he called out after recovering from his shock. "What are you doing here?" Recalling something, he ran back inside and his heart skipped a beat when he found He Juan’s door wide open, with no sight of the man anywhere.

He hastily returned to the kitchen and asked Chen Youzhi, not even realizing how tense he sounded, "Where is he?"