Fang Yuhan drove straight to the craft street and looked through the entire street until he found a satisfactory birdcage. It was only palm-sized, carved from golden nanmu wood. Every small pillar was meticulously polished along the golden grain of the wood, shining brightly, as radiant as gold.
Then, the doorbell of a certain prominent lawyer in the downtown area rang, and Fang Yuhan stood outside the door, politely smiling.
Lawyer Yang adjusted his glasses and brushed his fingers, which were long and had soft fine hairs on them. “What can I do for you?”
Fang Yuhan tiptoed and saw the pile of tools on the table behind him. His eyes lit up. “I knew you were playing with felt. Hurry up, teach me, it’s urgent.”
Lawyer Yang: “Please pay attention to your wording, making felt.”
“Okay, okay, making.” Fang Yuhan squeezed in, carefully placing the small cage on the table. “Teach me to make one as tall as this cage, as cute as me. I have a photo.”
Fang Yuhan took out his phone and pulled up the photo. “Just make it like this. Lawyer Yang, my marriage depends on you.”
“Not many people are as narcissistic as you.” Lawyer Yang put away the row of plush toys on the sofa, revealing an elite demeanor. “I charge by the hour.”
Lawyer Yang strictly separated public and private matters. Friends could get legal advice for free, but teaching felt-making definitely required payment. It couldn’t be defiled.
Fang Yuhan: “…Okay.”
But he wasn’t a qualified student. Holding the felting needle, he turned the wool into a hard lump, and the shape didn’t come out.
Starting with difficult characters as a beginner, Lawyer Yang regretted taking the job.
Fang Yuhan sat cross-legged on the carpet beside the coffee table, earnestly following the instructions and poking, poking, poking. After eight failures, he finally made a ball.
Lawyer Yang sighed and ordered takeout for the both of them.
Four hours later, Fang Yuhan tremblingly took a photo of his right hand holding the felting needle. Originally, he wanted to send it to Qin Zhan to gain sympathy, but he worried he wouldn’t be able to make it in the end and lose face. With a slip of his finger, he sent it to Lu Lixuan instead. “My hand is going to be crippled.”
Lu Lixuan replied instantly, “Is Princess Fang embroidering?”
“Get lost.”
Six hours later, Fang Yuhan held the hard-earned Q version figurine, moved to tears as he placed it into the cage.
The expression was perfect, the movements flawless, with an adorable look, and upon closer inspection, there were faint dimples… Of course, these couldn’t possibly be Fang Yuhan’s work. After six hours of banging on the table, Lawyer Yang’s palms were red, and Fang Yuhan only managed to create a rough human outline. In the end, he couldn’t stand his own performance.
Fang Yuhan’s legs were so sore he could hardly stand up. He looked at the finished product, thought of Qin Zhan, and smirked satisfactorily as he closed the cage door. “Now, weld the cage door shut for me!”
Lawyer Yang took out special glue and personally took charge, fearing that Fang Yuhan’s hand tremors would ruin a day’s worth of effort.
Fang Yuhan thanked Lawyer Yang and happily carried the cage home. Despite his sore knees, it didn’t stop him from running all the way.
Locking himself in the cage and giving it to Qin Zhan couldn’t be more sincere! Moreover, it was little Fang Yuhan who made the mistake at four years old, so why should he, the one who understood the righteousness deeply, be the one to sit in the golden birdcage? Fang Yuhan’s logic was peculiar, daring and unreserved. He flicked the cage with his index finger, “Redeem me.”
He didn’t believe Qin Zhan would still be angry after seeing such a cute “him”.
Speaking of which, Lawyer Yang was really meticulous! Literally meticulous! Even if he was in the black wool area and accidentally mixed in an invisible gray hair, Lawyer Yang with a microscope hidden in his eyes would immediately spot it and demand it be removed without negotiation.
He was a hundred times stricter than an elementary school math teacher overseeing his calculations! Fang Yuhan swore this was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life!
…
Qin Zhan didn’t expect Fang Yuhan to leave so decisively and confidently, not even giving a hint of his return.
The lights on the entire floor were off, and in the darkness, a faint crimson spark flickered and finally died out in silence.
During these six hours, Qin Zhan thought about many things. He suddenly didn’t know how to define his relationship with Fang Yuhan. Perhaps he was just one of his many flings, and being called a boyfriend was out of the question.
Should he let go?
Letting go was unacceptable.
Not letting go, should he really confine Fang Yuhan by his side, not letting him take a step away?
From the beginning, he foresaw this situation, but when he heard Fang Yuhan say, “I don’t want to take responsibility,” he still acted impulsively.
Adults pay the price for their impulsiveness, and Qin Zhan didn’t know if he could bear the consequences of his next impulse. He forcefully suppressed the wildly reckless thoughts surging up, tightly gripping the armrest of the chair, veins popping out as if he was using all his strength.
Finally, he flicked away the cigarette ash on his trouser leg with distinct knuckles, stood up slowly with an expressionless face, packed up a few important items, and decided to leave. When he was calm enough, he would come back to deal with this matter.
Just as Fang Yuhan was about to open the door, he heard footsteps in the foyer. He stopped, turned back, and although he had a smile on his face, it seemed shallow. It was as if distant starlight had fallen into his eyes, rippling like water.
As the door cracked open, Fang Yuhan’s face was filled with anticipation, his lips curved upwards as he called out, “Qin Zhan.”
Qin Zhan was stopped in his tracks by this greeting. He looked at Fang Yuhan’s smile, suddenly feeling a darkness creeping into his heart.
Why could Fang Yuhan be so carefree?
Fang Yuhan was choked by Qin Zhan’s cigarette smell. Oddly, he didn’t know Qin Zhan smoked.
Was he angered by him?
The situation seemed unexpectedly serious. Fang Yuhan suddenly felt a bit at a loss. Did he really make a serious mistake?
Unconsciously picking at his fingers, under Qin Zhan’s chilly gaze, Fang Yuhan slowly lowered his head and took out the birdcage that had been warmed by his touch. “I’m sorry, I went to prepare an apology gift for you.”
He lowered his eyebrows and raised his eyes, holding the delicate and small birdcage, along with an adorable felt baby.
“Can I let it apologize for me?”
“Although I’m outside, I’ve locked my heart inside.”
“There’s no key.”
Qin Zhan’s heart and mind were trembling, struck by Fang Yuhan’s sweet words. For a moment, he couldn’t remember anything else, he just wanted to embrace Fang Yuhan and make him swear a thousand times that he wasn’t lying!
To hell with his calmness! Why couldn’t he keep Fang Yuhan by his side, whether through responsibility or otherwise?
He felt that the cage looked somewhat familiar, but couldn’t recall where he had seen it before, so he attributed it to the scene this morning when Fang Yuhan was at the cage.
He reached out, but Fang Yuhan quickly dodged and slipped into the house from the side. “Don’t crush it, I worked on it all day.” And he spent five thousand dollars in tuition.
Qin Zhan grabbed his waist from behind, biting his soft white neck. “If there’s a next time, I…”
“Fssst!” Fang Yuhan gasped, “There won’t be a next time!”
Letting Qin Zhan gnaw at him obediently for ten minutes, Fang Yuhan covered his neck and asked, “Not angry anymore? Have you forgiven me?”
“Mm.”
As soon as these words came out, Qin Zhan himself felt pathetic. Fang Yuhan had only made a little doll, like Sun Wukong plucking a handful of monkey hair and creating thousands of little monkeys, it was never the real him.
But he was still won over by such low-quality tactics!
If he has nephews or nieces in the future, he must tell them to date more, otherwise, nearing thirty, they’ll easily be taken advantage of by good-looking but unfaithful men.
Seeing Qin Zhan being stingy, Fang Yuhan’s mind immediately became active, unable to resist showing off his achievements of the day. “Doesn’t he look like me?”
Qin Zhan nodded, “You’re cuter than him.”
Fang Yuhan felt that Qin Zhan was just humoring him, so he couldn’t help but take out a photo for comparison. “Take another look.”
Qin Zhan’s pupils contracted. Even if he couldn’t recall the scene at the time, he certainly wouldn’t mistake the stern expression on his face.
“This is…”
“Isn’t it because of this that you were rumored to have a child bride? Am I not your wife now?” Fang Yuhan felt a bit aggrieved. “Does it make a difference if it’s twenty years earlier or later?”
Fang Yuhan leaned his head against Qin Zhan’s chest, feeling the smoke smell somewhat overpowering. Taking matters into his own hands, he undid Qin Zhan’s collar and, facing his heart, whispered softly, careful not to let the master hear, “You’re so petty.”
Qin Zhan’s chest tingled, feeling his heart almost forget to beat, his mind in chaos. “You…”
Fang Yuhan lightly exhaled. “Can I convey a message to your master to not be angry?”
How could he even think about this at a time like this! Just two steps away was the golden house, Qin Zhan placed his hand on the back of Fang Yuhan’s head, pressing it against his chest, feeling his kisses through his shirt, desire suddenly surging.
Fang Yuhan was forced to retreat, stumbling a few steps back until he fell onto the cushion inside the cage, softer than cotton.
A level one alarm went off in his brain, but luckily, he had a countermeasure!
“Wait a minute!” Fang Yuhan blocked Qin Zhan’s descending lips. “Let’s sign a contract first before we proceed.”
He quickly pulled out a tofu-like contract from his back pocket, unfolding layer by layer until two A4 papers were revealed.
Thinking back to their day of talking, Fang Yuhan misunderstood Qin Zhan’s concern about something from twenty years ago. Those promises of “not to be repeated” were just empty words. The most important thing hadn’t been resolved yet, and seeing the two papers Fang Yuhan pulled out, Qin Zhan felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.
If this was some kind of “friends with benefits” contract, he swore he would make him regret it and swallow the paper today.
Qin Zhan, experiencing great fluctuations, clearly had no patience left.
Fang Yuhan struggled under Qin Zhan, just managing to create a bit of breathing space. He cleared his throat, as if reciting legal clauses.
“Party A, Fang Yuhan, Party B, Qin Zhan. In view of Party A and Party B both being first-timers, Party A forgives Party B’s past unrestrained amorous behavior. But for a harmonious and lasting marital relationship, it must be based on rules recognized by both parties… It is necessary to confine the chicken into the cage of regulations, to avoid misuse or overuse, and to create a trustworthy family atmosphere, planning for a hundred years of shared rest…”
Fang Yuhan patted Qin Zhan’s puffy and incoherent mass, expressing disapproval with his eyes, and continued reading, “According to the above principles, Party B must abide by the following agreements: First, no more than twice a week, no more than two hours each time. Second, using standard, harmonious, and common positions…”
Upon hearing the phrase “both being first-timers”, Qin Zhan was completely dumbfounded, staring at Fang Yuhan’s small mouth moving, unable to understand what was being read next.
He finally grasped a clue to their long-standing deadlock.
“First time?” Qin Zhan interrupted Fang Yuhan, his entire body’s blood freezing, in order to hear an answer he had never dared to think about.
Fang Yuhan was taken aback, and asked in return, “Aren’t you?”
If that was the case, he had made a mistake and needed to modify the contract! Once a week instead of twice.
Discover more from Shy shy shy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
