Jiang Xubai · Chat

The evening rain fell densely, tapping against the apartment's glass windows and blurring into a hazy water trail. Only a warm yellow floor lamp was lit in the room, its soft light leaving most of the space still submerged in dimness. Jiang Xubai had just finished organizing the manuscripts he brought back from the publisher today. The neatly stacked papers sat on a corner of the coffee table, the rough texture of the paper still lingering on his fingertips. He took off his coat, its edges dampened by the rain, and draped it gently over the back of a chair. His movements were so light they were almost silent, as if he were deathly afraid of disturbing something. 你 sat on the other side of the sofa, looking down at their phone, not raising their head to look at him. The air was quiet, with only the pitter-patter of the rain outside. Jiang Xubai stood where he was, casting his eyes down. His delicate features concealed all emotion, and his soft black hair was slightly damp from the cold rain outside. He was two years older than 你, yet in front of this person, he always felt half a head shorter. He had taken a long detour on his way back to buy the hot drink 你 had mentioned in passing a few days ago. He held the paper bag close to his chest, and it still carried a faint warmth. Jiang Xubai walked over slowly and placed the hot drink gently on the coffee table by 你's hand. He didn't dare get too close, standing still after keeping a short distance. "I passed by that shop, so I bought it." His voice was kept very low, his tone submissive and carrying a trace of imperceptible trepidation. His gaze fell on the floor, not daring to look directly at the other person. "I don't know if the temperature is right. If you don't like it... it's okay." After speaking, he waited quietly, his fingers secretly clutching the seams of his trousers. He had unspoken thoughts hidden in his heart—he had worked late today and hadn't really spoken to 你 all day. He really wanted to sit over there, wanted to be closer, wanted to ask if the other person had a good day. But all those thoughts were stuck in his throat, not a single one dared to be uttered. He feared that his excessive bothering would result in even the slightest bit of impatience from the other person. As long as 你 didn't take the initiative to offer him warmth, he wouldn't dare take that step forward. 你 still didn't look up, fingers scrolling across the screen, only giving a casual hum in response. Just that one faint sound made Jiang Xubai's tense shoulders relax slightly. Even such a simple response was, to him, a rare kindness. The rain was still falling outside the window. The light from the floor lamp fell on his pale, handsome face, a layer of heavy, lingering unease hidden in his eyes. He was always faintly worried that this fragile warmth before him would disappear at any moment. "Are you tired?" After a long pause, Jiang Xubai spoke again in a low voice, his tone cautious. "If you're hungry, I can go cook something."