11
This afternoon’s pastries had been ordered from a bakery—an assortment, all pretty and delicious.
The moment I saw the bag, I perked right up. This was my favorite bakery; whoever had ordered the pastries this afternoon had great taste.
Some of my coworkers were already there, and a few had picked up forks and started eating. I made my way toward the crowd and rose onto my tiptoes to peek. “There’s…”
“Cheesecake.”
Holding the small paper box by its red string, I could see the soft cheesecake through the clear plastic wrap.
I stared blankly for a moment, then looked into his eyes. A smile glimmered in them.
“I’m not remembering wrong, am I?”
My heart pounded. I reached out to take the box, my fingertips trembling.
“Thank you.”
A few years ago, I’d happened to run into Lục Từ Niên at a cake shop near campus. He’d come to buy a birthday cake for his roommate, but since he didn’t really like sweets, he asked me to pick one for him.
I chose a cake with him, then secretly bought a small cheesecake too and slipped it into his hand as we left.
He stood there, stunned for a moment.
“Try it. It’s delicious. Cheesecake is my favorite.”
I gave him a radiant smile, just to hide my little secret. I hoped he’d like the things I liked. Hoped… he’d like me.
In the end, he took it and smiled as he thanked me. But even then, I never found out whether he liked cheesecake, just as I never found out whether he liked me.
How frustrating.
Ân Ân squeezed her way out of the crowd, carrying two small boxes. “Nhiếp, the cheesecake is all gone. How about the tiramisu…”
When she saw the box in my hand, she swallowed the rest of what she was about to say. She glanced at Lục Từ Niên beside me, looking as if she’d just figured something out, then hurriedly offered him one of the boxes. “President Lu, please have this.”
“Thank you,” Lục Từ Niên replied politely, accepting the box from her.
Ân Ân ran off again, leaving the two of us standing there.
He nodded to me and started back toward his office.
I tightened my grip on the paper handle. A strange bit of courage suddenly rose in me, and I followed him.
Lục Từ Niên heard my footsteps and suddenly turned around. He looked at my face, seeming a little puzzled.
“Lục Từ Niên.”
For the first time at the company, I called him by his name instead of using an honorific.
He furrowed his brows slightly, looking surprised.
My fingers clutched the cup so tightly they turned white. I took a deep breath, composed myself, and asked:
“This cheesecake… do you like it?”
My question was so sudden that even I felt it was a little rude. But now that I’d asked, I decided to wait for his answer.
I really wanted to know.
I’d been waiting for that answer from him for so long.
“It’s delicious.”
He nodded, then seemed to remember something. Smiling again, he said:
“I really like it.”
12
Soaking in the tub, I blew bubbles like a little crab. The bathroom’s steam had turned my face red.
My thoughts wandered back to this afternoon, when he’d stood in front of me and confessed his feelings.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice the water had gone cold. I shook my head to clear it and got up to change. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the red string beside my phone, which glimmered with a strange, faint light.
Uneasy, I hurriedly grabbed my phone and rushed out, calling a taxi straight to Lục Từ Niên’s place.
Luckily, it wasn’t far—only about seven or eight minutes away.
I was in such a hurry that I knocked a little harder, but no one answered.
I was frantic. I’d thought the episode would only happen once a day, so I’d gone to work without worry. I never expected it to strike again in the evening.
A few dog barks came from inside.
They were very faint.
Relief washed over me. “Lục Từ Niên? If you’re home, open the door!”
A soft growl followed, sounding a little aggrieved and defiant.
I didn’t have time to worry about anything else. I pounded on the door and yelled, “Hurry up!”
The house was silent for a few seconds. Then the door opened, and a Border Collie half my height crouched on the floor, head bowed and eyes fixed downward.
“What about you?”
It whimpered a few times but didn’t move at all.
But then I heard knocking from inside the house, one tap at a time. It was something Lục Tiểu Hà often did.
I followed the knocking and tried to walk around him into the house, but he suddenly blocked my way.
“What’s wrong?”
The Border Collie lifted a front paw and tapped its own face.
Somehow, my train of thought connected with his.
“You’re telling me… to kiss you?”
It nodded.
The two of them had switched bodies, so could kissing Tiểu Hà switch them back?
I didn’t think it over. I bent down and lightly kissed its forehead.
Three seconds later, the knocking continued. Clearly, that hadn’t worked.
I went farther inside. Lục Từ Niên didn’t stop me; he followed behind with his head lowered, looking a little resigned.
I didn’t understand at first, but when I stood in front of the door the sounds were coming from, I suddenly realized.
Lục Từ Niên… had switched bodies while taking a bath.
A blurred figure showed through the bathroom’s frosted-glass window, only half a person tall, as if kneeling on the floor. Steam seeped through the gap in the door, and I could almost feel the heat inside.
My hand trembled on the doorknob, but at last I steeled myself and decided to get it over with quickly.
As soon as I opened the door, a great cloud of steam rushed out, and heat washed over my face. The person kneeling inside hurriedly stood and pulled me into a tight embrace.
A man’s body temperature was higher than a woman’s.
Our skin pressed together, and Lục Từ Niên’s body was burning hot. Everywhere he touched felt as if it might catch fire. The little deer’s heart in my chest suddenly sprang awake and charged straight toward my own, ready to throw caution to the wind.
I didn’t dare look around. Rising onto my tiptoes, I kissed his chin. For once, Lục Tiểu Hà didn’t obediently move, so I succeeded.
Between one breath and the next, the person holding me had changed back.
His warm breath brushed my face. In his arms, I felt wrapped in flames.
Like a firework going off, I slipped out of his arms. Shielding my eyes with one hand, I backed away. “I… I… I’ll go outside for now.”
He didn’t answer.
I stepped out of the bathroom. The instant the door closed, through the gaps between my fingers, I caught a glimpse of the man’s beautifully sculpted abs.
13
When Lục Từ Niên finished showering and came out dressed, the lingering sensation of that kiss was still on my lips. I sat on the living room floor playing with Lục Tiểu Hà, who wagged its tail and frolicked around me.
I grabbed a fistful of its fur and vigorously petted it. It just looked up at me with an innocent grin, showing off its bright white teeth.
“Tiểu Hà.”
Lục Từ Niên called its name from behind us. It bounded over to him, and he picked it up and set it on the sofa.
I didn’t dare meet his eyes. Timidly, I sat down on the sofa beside him.
Lục Từ Niên seemed to have been born with the ability to keep me in line.
“Nhiếp Khê.”
Lục Từ Niên’s voice rang through the living room.
“I’m sorry.”
His sudden apology left me stunned. I looked up at him, eyes wide.
The man hurried out, his wet hair hanging over his face, his expression serious.
“You had to come all the way here in the middle of the night because of me, and…”
His ears turned red, and he suddenly stumbled over his words. “And… I put you out.”
“You’re not putting me out at all! Not at all!”
I hurriedly cut him off. My conscience compelled me to tell the truth: “I’m the one who should be apologizing!”
“?”
“I’m sorry!”
Under his bewildered gaze, I sprang up from the sofa and bowed. “Actually, you turned into this because of me!”
It sounded absurd, but the more absurd something was, the more likely it seemed to happen. I honestly told him everything. “I didn’t mean to…”
That day, I’d gone to the temple to pray for love, and I’d already prepared what I wanted to say. I never expected Lục Từ Niên to show up and interrupt me, making me blurt it out without thinking.
Because… he was the one I’d gone there to pray for.
But then a work call urging me to hurry made me irritated, and then…
“I’ll take responsibility for this to the very end!”
“You can be angry with me or scold me—this is all my fault!”
Panicking, I tried to improve the impression I’d made, but I secretly caught the corners of Lục Từ Niên’s mouth lifting into a smile. He tried to keep a straight face, too, but couldn’t suppress his delight.
I was dumbstruck.
What on earth was he so happy about?
Lục Từ Niên looked into my eyes, then suddenly seemed to choke. He coughed twice, trying to suppress the smile tugging at his lips. After staring at me seriously for a long while, he finally managed to say:
“Well… I’ll be relying on you for a while. Until this is reversed, just stay by my side.”
I nodded.
“You… don’t blame me?”
“You didn’t mean to.” He gave me a forgiving smile. “There’s nothing to blame you for.”
I was just about to tearfully thank him when he suddenly frowned. “Or is it because I often call you on weekends and annoy you?”
I suddenly fell silent.
There was that, too.
It wasn’t actually that often. He’d call me on a weekend every two or three weeks or so, asking about work matters that weren’t particularly important. He’d say it was to discuss work, but it felt more like pointless chit-chat.
Actually, I quite liked getting his calls.
But I always believed that the more you say, the more mistakes you make, so I’d get nervous during our conversations, wanting to leave a good impression on him.
That day, I’d been irritated and snapped at him. I hadn’t meant anything by it.
“No! The fact that you call me means you value…” Just a subordinate like me…
The rest of my sentence caught in my throat.
Because I saw him suddenly smile, as if nodding in agreement.
“That’s right.”
“What?”
“I really do value you.”