BFILWY CH 15

Chapter 15: A Walk Downstairs

Ye Qinghe smiled softly, “Oh? Just not ugly? Someone used to praise my eyes as beautiful.” His light laughter carried a hint of melancholy.

“They’re still very beautiful now.” Hearing the slight sadness in Ye Qinghe’s laughter, An Yue couldn’t help but reach out, gently brushing Ye Qinghe’s eyelid. He felt the other’s slight shiver and realized his rudeness. Flustered, he pointed to the small mole under Ye Qinghe’s eye and said, “Ah, you have a mole here.”

Ye Qinghe gave a slight shake of his head, smiling somewhat dryly. “I have plenty of moles,” he said. He lowered An Yue’s hand, turning his head to point at his right ear. “There’s one here, too.”

An Yue actually held onto Ye Qinghe’s hand and tiptoed, tilting his head to look at his ear. Three small moles were arranged in a line at the tip of the ear, which was a bit cute.

Ye Qinghe: “…”

An Yue was so close that Ye Qinghe could feel his pleasant, warm scent, and the heat from his breath brushed against him. As someone who had been a terrible person in the past but now reformed, Ye Qinghe found this proximity a bit unsettling. An Yue was unguarded, but he felt he shouldn’t take advantage of the situation. Ye Qinghe subtly nudged An Yue: “Go to the study and find me a pair of sunglasses. I want to wear them.”

An Yue searched the study for a long time before finally bringing out a pair of sunglasses for Ye Qinghe and also got him a short coat to wear.

The two of them silently took the elevator down to the ground floor. It was almost five in the afternoon, and while the sun was still out, the wind in November had already started to chill. An Yue pulled Ye Qinghe’s coat closer and buttoned it up for him.

“Alright, let’s go. We’ll just take a walk in the community garden,” An Yue said.

“Wait a second. This is my first time going downstairs with a cane. Let’s take a photo to commemorate it,” Ye Qinghe said, handing his phone to An Yue, then hooked his arm around An Yue’s, bringing his head close to An Yue, clearly indicating that he wanted to take a selfie with him.

“…” What’s there to commemorate? However, since the lighting in the garden was still good at dusk, An Yue didn’t say much, simply lifting his hand to take a selfie for Ye Qinghe.

“Make it look good. Is it done?” Ye Qinghe asked.

“Done.” An Yue returned the phone to Ye Qinghe.

Ye Qinghe tucked the phone into his pocket, flicked his cane, and turned his head slightly, asking seriously, “Am I handsome? Is it backlit?”

An Yue was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Handsome, handsome, handsome. Want me to check with the app?”

“No need.” Ye Qinghe firmly refused, then started walking forward, tapping the cane lightly from side to side.

Amused, An Yue followed, and the awkward atmosphere that had lingered upstairs between them seemed to dissipate. He caught up and offered Ye Qinghe his arm, and the two of them walked and chatted as they went.

This community was a large residential complex made up of seven buildings situated together, named “Green View Hills.” The management committee really lived up to the name, planting many trees and flowers around the area. It almost felt like a grand park, and even though it was already winter, some cold-loving plants were still in bloom, flourishing with small flowers. As they walked, An Yue described the scenery along the path, and Ye Qinghe responded with memories, identifying what he could.

Ye Qinghe hadn’t been here for many years, and even when he used to visit more frequently, he mostly went straight upstairs for work, so he really didn’t know much about the garden. Now, listening to An Yue describe the flowers, birds, insects, and trees, he felt intrigued.

A gentle breeze brought with it a pleasant scent. Ye Qinghe paused and took a deep breath. “This smells so good. What is it?”

An Yue furrowed his brow. Good smell? What he smelled was a slightly spicy, pungent scent. He looked up and scanned the surroundings, noticing a few trees with small clusters of pale yellow-green flowers at the tops of their crowns. The combination of the sharp, cold fragrance made it clear—it was the blackboard tree^[1], which blooms from November to December.

“There’s a blackboard tree here. You think this scent smells good? I think it’s a bit pungent.” An Yue rubbed his nose.

“I like this smell,” Ye Qinghe inhaled deeply. “It’s not overwhelming, it’s cool, and it has a bit of a refreshing effect.”

“Then you probably like green oil too. It’s also cooling and refreshing, and it can stop the itch when a mosquito bites.”

“I don’t like green oil,” Ye Qinghe suddenly remembered a time when he was driving with Little Blind to the gas station, and that guy actually took a deep breath at the gas station. He blurted out, “I’ve heard of people liking the smell of gasoline.”

“The smell of gasoline is nice, I like it too. But it has to be fresh.”

“…It has to be fresh.” Ye Qinghe echoed the same words, and An Yue looked at him in surprise.

Ye Qinghe sighed. “How can you tell if the gasoline smell is fresh or not?”

“The one at the gas station is fresh. After it’s added to the car and starts to evaporate, it gives off a greasy smell, which means it’s no longer fresh,” An Yue explained seriously.

Ye Qinghe shook his head with a smile. “I really don’t understand you all, your tastes are so unique.”

“We? Who?” An Yue asked, curious.

“…Nothing.” Ye Qinghe paused for a moment before continuing, “I was speaking generally about your weird group who likes the smell of gasoline.”

“What’s so weird about it?” An Yue huffed in displeasure. “I’ve also heard of people liking the smell of paint or stinky socks.” He threw a candy into his mouth, eating as they walked.

This was the first time Ye Qinghe walked outside completely without relying on his cane after his leg injury. An Yue was a bit worried that Ye Qinghe might not be able to handle it, so he kept an eye on his posture. After observing for a while, he was relieved to see that Ye Qinghe’s leg injury hadn’t left any major aftereffects. His walk was still steady and normal, and it was hard to tell he had once suffered a broken leg.

“Your leg’s recovery is really good,” An Yue couldn’t help but say. “It’s a good thing there’s no issue with leg length discrepancies.”

Ye Qinghe nodded. “Mm, Dr. Ye from orthopedics said it might be because I was unconscious for the first two months and didn’t move much. That helped the bone membrane heal properly.”

“Does it still hurt when you walk?” An Yue asked.

“It’s fine. Even if it hurts, I have to walk. I’ll get used to it, just think of it as rehabilitation,” Ye Qinghe said casually.

From his expression, An Yue couldn’t tell if Ye Qinghe was still in pain or not. Having never broken a bone himself, he had no way of judging, so he carefully controlled the walking time, and whenever they came across a small pavilion or stone bench, he would encourage Ye Qinghe to sit and rest for a bit.

Ye Qinghe held onto An Yue’s arm with one hand and tapped the ground with his cane a little unsteadily with the other. An Yue constantly helped him adjust his posture. When he hit different heights or obstacles, he would tell him what he had encountered. Sometimes when they came across a pothole, An Yue wouldn’t directly lead him around it, but instead focused on Ye Qinghe’s steps. When Ye Qinghe lost his balance stepping into the hole, An Yue immediately supported him and reminded him to remember the feeling of his foot placement.

The two of them walked around the community and then returned to the entrance of the building where they lived, Building G. Ye Qinghe thought there might be some recreational facilities in the building, so he had An Yue go check. Sure enough, there was a fitness center, an indoor heated swimming pool at the back, and even a massage spa and sauna.

An Yue returned after taking a look and couldn’t help but praise the luxury, saying, “Tsk tsk, how nice it is to be rich, how great it is to be decadent!” His sarcasm made Ye Qinghe laugh out loud.

“Do you want to indulge a little? I’ve had this place for so long, and I’ve only used the treadmill in the gym a few times. I’ve never enjoyed the pool or spa.”

An Yue originally wanted to make a sarcastic remark but couldn’t resist the temptation. “Can you swim? Swimming is actually a good workout. Next time when there are fewer people, how about I take you to soak in the water?”

Ye Qinghe smiled and nodded, agreeing with An Yue’s suggestion.

An Yue happily took out two milk candies, generously sharing them with Ye Qinghe.

(To be continued…)