"It's a guy," Fengyu whined, his head drooping to the side in despair.
"So?" Zaohua asked, shooting him a sharp glance.
"Why couldn't it be a girl?" Fengyu pouted.
"Be grateful that you at least found one," Zaohua said sternly.
"Well… he's good-looking," Fengyu muttered, lifting his head.
"That's the spirit," Zaohua said, rolling her eyes.
"You're not helping," Fengyu complained.
"It's not on my duty list," Zaohua replied nonchalantly as she walked away.
*****
Yanyang screamed in silence.
His bedroom door had opened slowly as if a ghost was possessing it.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor in terror. It took him a few minutes to gather enough courage to crawl onto the sofa.
Why does this keep happening to me? Yanyang thought, trying to keep his tears in.
He had complained to the landlord several times about things malfunctioning in his unit, but they had never found any faults in the wiring or any mechanical issues.
Yet strange things kept happening.
Sometimes the lights would switch on the moment he stepped into a room. Other times, doors would swing open just as he reached for them.
It had been going on for a few months, and Yanyang actually had tried everything he could find to chase the ghost.
But it seemed all had been in vain.
Ghost or spirit, it was still there.
Yanyang remembered that someone had suggested that Yanyang should talk to whatever it was and try to find out what it wanted.
At first, Yanyang dismissed the idea as dumb, but now he was desperate enough to do whatever he could to chase this ghost or spirit.
"Hello…. Is anybody there?" Yanyang inquired tentatively, looking around the house. But everything seemed normal and quiet.
Argh.. I must be going crazy. Yangyang thought as he got up weakly and dragged his feet to the bathroom.
He suddenly stopped mid-step.
From the corner of his right eye, he thought he saw someone—someone tall.
He turned to his right fast, his heart racing.
There was nothing: just an empty kitchen and his untouched breakfast.
*****
"You look pale," Haoyou said, peering out from his booth. "Paler than usual," he added.
Yanyang let out a sigh as he glanced at his coworker.
"Haoyou, I think my time is near."
Haoyou studied his young friend's tired face. He noticed that the usually very neat Yanyang had a very disheveled look today.
"Well, you're still spouting nonsense as usual, so I think you're fine. Did you have any breakfast?" Haoyou asked with a warm smile on his face.
Yanyang shook his head, remembering what had happened that morning. A visible shiver ran through his body.
Haoyou lifted an eyebrow as he got up from his chair. "Come on. I didn't have any either."
Yanyang stood up reluctantly and followed his friend.
A faint smile lingered on Haoyou's face while he quietly observed his distressed friend.
"What is it this time?" he asked once they had sat down with their orders.
"You would think I have gone mad if I told you," Yanyang muttered, eyeing his food doubtfully.
"No worries. I had already established that you were mad. Nothing you say gonna change that," Haoyou replied nonchalantly.
Yanyang stared at him, unsure whether to be offended or appreciative. "Not helping," he grumbled before attacking his food with unnecessary force.
"Okay. Okay. I won't think you are mad. Tell me."
Yanyang glanced around to check if anyone was nearby, then leaned forward and whispered, "I think I saw someone in my house today." His voice was barely audible.
Haoyou raised an eyebrow, then narrowed his eyes as he studied his friend's face. "You're serious!"
" You think I would joke about something like that?" Yanyang asked, his voice edged with challenge.
"Calm down, my friend. Here, have some juice. You need more sugar in your system," Haoyou said as he pushed the glass toward him and practically forced him to drink it.
"So now you're seeing things," he added thoughtfully.
"Don't make it sound like I'm a lunatic," Yanyang warned, his tone almost threatening, his big, round eyes visibly on fire as he looked at his friend. But a chill ran down Yanyang's back when he saw Haoyou's eyes fixed on something behind him.
Then a shadow fell over him.
Yanyang jolted so violently that his fork went flying and landed straight inside Haoyou's soup. Haoyou fished it out unhurriedly, avoiding Yanyang's blazing gaze.
A female coworker stood next to Yanyang, looking upset. "I'm so sorry that I startled you. Here's the file you were looking for yesterday."
Yanyang cleared his throat as he took the file, trying to hide the embarrassment. The girl bowed and left.
"Haoyou, it was not funny," Yanyang complained in a quiet voice, his hand over his thudding heart.
Haoyou looked at his distressed, handsome friend. Even with his disheveled hair and clothes, he looked very attractive. But Haoyou knew that Yanyang barely registered how handsome he was and cared very little about the world around him.
A handsome introvert who had a mini heart attack over any suspicious sound or movement. His world revolved around his designing job and his hobby of collecting beautiful plants.
"I'll give you a Philodendron Heartleaf," Haoyou said, as he cleaned and returned the fork.
Yanyang's eyes went rounder. "You are kidding, right?"
"No, I found the one you were looking for when I went shopping with Haoyi yesterday."
Haoyou almost choked on his soup when he saw that Yanyang was looking at him, as if he wanted to kiss Haoyou, forgotten all about the free renting ghost at his home.
Haoyou shook his head, muttering, "You and your hobby."
*****
In the end, exhaustion threw Yanyang over the edge. He screamed at the ghost.
"Fine, fine. I give up. Live all as you want, but stop moving things around. I have no time to deal with it." Yanyang said furiously, walking out to the common corridor.
Several of his neighbours opened their doors and checked the corridor, thinking there was a lunatic about. Yanyang ignored them and looked at his plants.
He let out fumes as he tended his plants. After five minutes, he forgot all about the ghost. A worried look took over his face as he observed some plants.
"You should have had some flowers by now," he said, touching the Korean Spice Viburnum shrub lovingly.
Yanyang almost jumped out of his skin when he heard someone speaking from behind his back. He turned sharply to find a stranger leaning on the wall next to his apartment door.
It took Yanyang some time to find his voice, but he had already noticed how tall and beautiful the stranger looked. Somehow, he made Yanyang think of the cereus flower.
"You seemed to love them a lot," Stranger said, his long eyes fixed on the plants behind Yanyang.
"Is there anything wrong with it?" Yanyang asked, half challenging and half suspicious.
"No. I wish there were more people like you." The stranger said, and Yanyang felt his sincerity.
Yanyang turned slowly toward his plants as he asked, "I haven't seen you around before. Do you live here?"
"Sort of. You can say I'm visiting. Is it okay if I look at them?" the stranger asked, coming closer to Yanyang. Yanyang suddenly became aware of the fragrant scent emanating from the stranger as if he were carrying a thousand flowers.
Yanyang cleared his throat and murmured, "Suit yourself."
He tried to ignore the stranger and tend to the plants, but he kept glancing at the stranger from the corner of his eye.
The more he looked, the more he noticed how elegant the stranger was.
No wonder he made me think of cereus flowers. Yanyang thought, trying not to be too obvious as he looked at him. He must be on his way to attend an event. What a unique style. But it totally suits him.
"You going somewhere?" Yanyang asked casually, collecting dead leaves, half wishing the stranger would leave him alone.
"Yes. See you around," the stranger said as he took his hand away from the Korean Spice Viburnum shrub.
Yanyang raised his right hand in farewell as the stranger left, and he stared at the broad back of the stranger as if he were in a trance.
When the stranger turned around the corner and disappeared, Yangyang exhaled and shook his head.
"Ghosts and gods." He muttered with a disapproving look in his eyes.
*****
Now that he had made his peace with his ghost, Yanyang was back to his normal self. To his relief, the ghost had stopped moving things. Still, he complained a little.
"You are a ghost, and you don't need my permission to stay here. It's not like you are paying rent. You didn't have to bother me and scare me to death to get my attention. I think I lost a few years of my life, and I will be joining you soon. Better keep behaving."
Within a few days, he had become a master of ignoring the ghost in the corner of his eye. From time to time, he complained about his work to the ghost.
"The other day, Mr. Huan said he could wait for a few weeks until I get his design done, but today he says that he wants it by next Monday. I swear to god, one of these days, I might kill one of them."
Then Yanyang contemplated for a second.
"Well, maybe not. One ghost is more than enough. I don't want another one coming after me pestering me to finish his design."
Somehow, the thought of the ghost of sweet Mr. Huan pestering him made Yanyang chuckle. He put his reading glasses on and settled down on the bed with a book.
From the corner of his eye, he could see the ghost settle down on the bed too, but the reading lamp light did not reach the other side of the bed. Yanyang focused on reading, but he kept getting distracted by a familiar scent.
He read the book absentmindedly for a while and then gave up with a groan. With a sigh, Yanyang closed his eyes and focused on the scent. The more he focused, the happier he felt. It felt as if he was inside a flowering woods.
He imagined that he was strolling through the woods, with its beautiful flowering trees and bushes. His bare feet touched the soft velvet grass that warmed his heart.
Yanyang opened his eyes with a sigh.
"Do you know? I haven't seen trees flower as much as they used to do lately. We are killing our planet, aren't we?"
*****
"Oh… It's you."
"Are you going out?"
"Yes. The weather seems nice."
"Can I join?"
"Er… Sure. I'm Yanyang, by the way."
"Fengyu."
Yanyang shook Fengyu's warm hand, feeling the heat spread through his own body. The cool evening breeze brushed against his cheeks, giving a comforting breath.
As they walked in silence, Yanyang tried so hard not to look at the stranger beside him. No, now he is not a stranger. He has a name. Fengyu.
Fengyu… abundance… The name suits him, too. Yanyang thought. Beauty, handsomeness, elegance, charisma.. All in one vessel.
"Isn't it a bit cold for a walk?" Fengyu asked, looking at Yanyang's flushed cheeks with cold.
"It is a bit colder than I thought it would be, but I won't get another free evening for a while. I'm trying to make the most out of it." Yanyang said as he entered the city park, his favorite place in the city.
Yellow, pink, and orange clouds streaked out the western sky. The setting sun gave off a feeble warmth. Yanyang looked at the flowering trees and exclaimed in surprise. He ran towards a peach tree, staring at a few branches that held flowers.
Yanyang turned and beamed at Fengyu, who walked towards him leisurely.
"Can you believe it? I haven't seen this tree flower in the past three years."
Yanyang said as he touched the flowers tenderly. He smelled them for a long time and kissed them lovingly.
But Yanyang's cheeks blushed when he saw Fengyu stare at him.
Way to go, Yanyang. Now he is going to think you are a sissy.
Yanyang avoided looking at Fengyu as they continued their stroll. Darkness had enveloped the city when they came out of the park, and they watched street lights switch on, one by one.
Suddenly, Yanyang felt a warm hand hold his hand. His eyes went from the entangled hands to Fengyu's face.
"Otherwise, you are going to break your teeth," Fengyu explained. Yanyang hadn't realized that his teeth were chattering.
He felt the warmth seep from Fengyu's hand and flood through his body.
It was the first time someone held Yanyang's hand like this. He felt both confused and great as they walked.
Fengyu let go of Yanyang's hand when they reached the apartment complex. He waved at Yanyang as he kept walking.
Seems he has somewhere else to go. Yanyang thought as he climbed the stairs to his apartment, looking at his tingling hand. A feeling of longing brushed Yanyang's heart as he closed the door to his apartment behind him.
*****
"How's it going?" Zaohua asked, looking at Fengyu observantly.
"Painfully slowly," Fengyu complained.
"Admit that you have no clue what you are doing." Zaohua, teased.
Fengyu looked at Zaohua, his long eyes full of despair.
"I'm joking. I think you are doing fine, but you are running out of time." Zaohua said, her voice suddenly full of concern.
Fengyu looked at her worriedly. She looks sick. Fengyu thought, shocked.
*****
"You….. you are the ghost!!!"
Fengyu stood in front of Yanyang, looking lost.
"Out. Now!!!"
Before he could blink, Fengyu found himself standing outside Yanyang's apartment.
Zaohua is going to kill me. Fengyu thought, but he could not find the courage to face the furious Yanyang.
"I'm doomed," Fengyu murmured, his head hanging to one side with despair. He let out a small cry when someone spoke from behind.
"Yes, you are."
Fengyu turned around slowly to find Tianming behind him, observing Yanyang's plants.
"This boy is very diligent. These are the healthiest plants I've seen." Tianming said conversationally.
"What are you doing here?" Fengyu inquired, half annoyed, half scared.
"Couldn't think of a more suitable place to be right now," Tianming said airily with a smirk on his face.
"Not funny," Fengyu said, glancing back at the closed door. He could faintly hear Yanyang talking to himself angrily.
Fengy turned and looked at Tianming through narrowed eyes. "Isn't this kinda your fault?" he asked, cautiously.
"Nope. Every being creates their own fate. I'm just here to keep them on their tracks." Tianming said as he collected some dead leaves off the floor.
Fengyu pouted, looking back at the closed door again.
"Go on, I can't stand here forever. There are other places to be."
"Then just go."
"And miss the fun?"
Fengyu exhaled through his nostrils angrily and then took a deep breath to calm himself down. He knocked on the door slowly.
Yanyang's muttering stopped, and after a few seconds, a furious Yanyang opened the door.
"You are still here? No other people to haunt?"
"Yanyang, let me explain."
"People think I'm crazy enough already. I don't want to make myself think I'm crazy by letting a ghost explain things to me. No, thank you." Yanyang said as he began to close the door, but Fengyu held onto it. For a minute, they stuggled silently, and then Fengyu muttered.
"You stay out of this."
Yanyang stopped pulling the door and looked around. "Who are you talking to?"
"No one," Fengyu replied, visibly panicked.
"There's another ghost?" Yanyang asked, looking about the corridor with round eyes.
Yanyang tried to close the door again when he realized that Fengyu had stopped pulling it from his side, but Fengyu still held onto it, looking at Yanyang desperately.
"Give me just one chance." Fengyu pleaded.
"Not in this life," Yanyang shouted as he pulled the door with full force, and the door closed with a loud bang.
*****
Yanyang stared at laughing Haoyou with annoyance. He had to wait a while until Haoyou stopped laughing.
"Are you done?" He asked in a steely voice.
"Oh man. My sides are aching." Haoyou said, brushing off tears.
"Maybe I should find some new friends," Yanyang muttered, attacking his lunch furiously.
"I think you have more luck with ghosts," Haoyou said as he stuck his tongue at Yanyang.
Yanyang sighed, knowing how true that was. "I don't know what his deal is. Do you think I really need to give him a chance? And what if he stays until I die? What does he have to explain anyway?"
"Maybe he has a crush on you." Haoyou teased as he started to eat his burger.
Yanyang froze, his chopstick suspended in midair, and the noodles fell back into the bowl.
"Man.. I was joking." Haoyou said, looking at his frightened friend.
Yanyang put down his chopsticks and whispered, "But what if it's real?"
Haoyou sighed. "Yanyang, be serious."
"I am being serious. There's an unknown ghost hanging around my house twenty-four-seven," Yanyang said in a low voice, trying hard to stay calm.
"Maybe you should ask?" Haoyou said seriously.
"I don't want to know the answer," Yanyang whispered, pushing away his lunch.
"Are you sure he is a ghost?" Haoyou asked thoughtfully.
"What else can it be? He haunted my house for months until I was out of my shit." Yanyang said, fury back in his voice.
"I don't know. I have never heard of a ghost taking a stroll in a park with someone, enjoying the weather." Haoyou said, contemplating.
"And how many ghosts keep up contact with you?" Yanyang challenged.
"I'm just saying. Somehow, your story doesn't sound like a normal ghost story. If you forget about the first part, it just sounds like two guys hanging out from time to time." Haoyou said as he held the office door open for distressed Yanyang.
"No wonder people looked at me as if I were crazy when I went to the park with him."
*****
Yanyang checked every corner before going to bed. He tried to go to sleep, but he felt so restless. Yanyang rolled around the bed several times, trying to find some comfort.
When it was clear that sleep had completely abandoned him, he took a book from the bedside shelf and settled down to read.
As he read the book robotically, his subconscious jumped from one thought to another. Yanyang felt as if he was missing something, and several times he tried to figure it out. But every time he thought he was about to grasp it, it slipped through his mind.
Almost an hour later, he was able to read the book as usual, fully immersed. It was a story about a man who kept a garden that used to belong to his deceased wife.
A small smile pulled the corners of Yanyang's mouth when he read how the man in the story loved to sit in the garden and enjoy the fragrance of the flowers.
Suddenly, Yanyang realized what he had been missing all this time. A look of horror came across his face.
"Oh no…." Yanyang whispered, his body frozen.
*****
Fengyu observed Yanyang coming out of the apartment complex. He knew Yanyang took a stroll in the park every weekend, if possible.
The evening was colder again, in the middle of the summer, when the air should have been pleasantly warm.
Fengyu sighed as he entered the park after Yanyang, keeping his distance.
He was ready to beg. There was no other way. If he were unable to make Yanyang fall in love with him, the world would fall into chaos.
Even Tianming, the god of fate, who had stayed strong and proud through eons, since the birth of Earth, looked concerned.
The gods were suffering. They suffered because human hearts were close to the gods who were benevolent to them.
For centuries, the hatred and contempt of humanity had grown out of proportion, and it had finally thrown off the balance of natural order.
Fengyu, the god of abundance, was the one who could bring back the balance. To do so, he had to find someone who did not believe in love to fall in love with him. This did sound ridiculous to him.
Fengyu had argued with Aomi, goddess of mystery, demanding an explanation, but as usual, the reply was a mysterious smile that frustrated Fengyu to death.
He had complained to Zaohua, goddess of nature, about his rotten fortune.
But now, Fengyu was extremely worried. Day by day, the sick look of Zaohua grew, and he witnessed with horror how the climate grew extreme, and disasters unraveled around the world.
Fengyu was almost out of time.
*****
Yanyang tried not to look like a lunatic as he sat on the park bench, and he tried not to stare at Fengyu, who was on all fours, bowing to him. But it was hard to pretend that he did not hear him.
"Yanyang, I beg you. Let me be by your side. I promise, I'll keep quiet and behave. Just give me a chance." Fengyu pleaded.
Yanyang cleared his throat and checked if the coast was clear. There were some people in the park, but not anyone close by to hear them at the moment.
"For how long?" Yanyang whispered, trying to ignore the fragrance emanating from Fengyu. What type of ghosts smell wonderful?
"For a while," Fengyu said, hoping that Yanyang would fall in love with him in a short time. They didn't have much time anyway. Time was running out for everyone.
Yanyang bit his lip, thinking. What if Haoyou was right?
He took a secret glance at Fengyu, who was still bowing to him. Yanyang had to admit that Fengyu was the least ghost-looking ghost. In fact, he looked like a character out of a Wuxia novel. His flowing clothes, features, and long hair were perfect to a fault.
Haoyou's question rang inside Yanyang's head, —"Are you sure he is a ghost?"---
Now that he had time to observe closely, Yanyang had to admit he had a doubt.
But what being had the ability to enter someone's house and stay invisible and visible at their will.
Yanyang was not a person who believed in gods. Since he was a child, he had strongly believed that gods had abandoned humanity if they ever existed.
For Yanyang, only demons and ghosts existed.
If Fengyu was not a ghost, he must be a demon, he concluded.
Well, it fits the descriptions too. Yanyang thought. Somehow, he felt less afraid.
But now he was met with more questions. If it were a demon, why did it need to stay by his side?
Yanyang still didn't want to know the answer to that question.
The dusk was falling, and Yanyang wrapped his arms around himself to make himself warm.
He sat there, eyes closed, lost in thought for a while.
After a few minutes, he stood up. The park had been empty except for them for a while now.
"To hell with it," Yanyang said as he extended his hand to bowing Fengyu. Fengyu looked up and stared at Yangyang's hand for a minute, unable to hide his surprise.
Then he took Yanyang's hand and stood up.
Yanyang looked up at Fenfyu's serene face and cocked his head to one side.
"Any funny business, you'll be out for good."
A beautiful smile spread across Fengyu's face, and Yanyang muttered under his breath as he started walking out of the park, Fengyu following his footsteps.
"Yep… definitely a demon.."
*****
"Get away from me."
"Just one more minute…. Please.."
"You are creeping me out."
"Me? Creeping you? Now that's an overstatement."
Fengyu tried hard to push Yangyang away. But Yanyang held onto him, smelling him with deep inhales.
"What's wrong with you? A few days ago, you wanted to pretend that I did not exist. Now you want to use me as some… some…" Fengyu tried to find a suitable word but failed. He gave up trying to push Yanyang away.
"You are living rent-free here. Might as well be a bit useful since you are the one who begged to be at my side." Yanyang said in a sleepy voice.
Fengyu looked at Yanyang's tired face. He is drunk. I wonder what happened. He looked really upset when he came back home.
"Yanyan, what's wrong?" Fengyu asked tentatively, wondering whether he had the right to pry into his inner life.
Yanyang shook his head. Fengyu slowly reached out and touched Yanyang's head. Yanyang froze at his touch, but he didn't try to remove Fengyu's hand. Fengyu slowly caressed Yanyang's head and watched him fall asleep, a worry still etched on his face.
*****
"Any change?" Zaohua inquired.
Tianming shook his head, looking worried.
"How come he doesn't feel anything after all this time? Do you have anything to do with it?" Zaohua asked accusingly, looking at calm Aomi.
Aomi shook her head, giving Zaohua a gentle glance.
"Their fate is almost out of my grasp," Tianming said, looking at sick Zaohua apologetically.
"Don't be upset. It was never your fault." Zaohua murmured.
*****
Fengyu struggled to comb his wet hair several times, but he gave up with a desperate groan. Yanyang looked up from his computer. He chuckled when he saw distressed Fengyu and walked to him.
"Give me the comb." He said, holding out his hand. Fengyu untangled the comb with some struggle and gave it to Yanyang.
"You didn't have to take a bath, you know."
"But you told me to behave like a human," Fengyu said with a pout.
"I meant you should not appear and disappear out of thin air. And normal people don't sleep or sit on top of cupboards."
"It's boring to sit in the same place all the time. And these sofas are too low." Fengyu complained.
"You are high maintenance for a ...." Yanyang gulped down the word demon at the last second.
"For a what…?" Fengyu asked, trying to turn his head to look at Yanyang. But Yanyang held his head, looking panicked.
"For a what?" Fengyu asked again, giving up trying to turn his head.
"For a ghost… I thought it might sound offensive." Yanyang lied.
"Well.. it is a bit offensive. But I can't complain. Can I? After all, I'm kinda trespassing." Fengyu said thoughtfully.
"I'm glad you haven't forgotten that," Yanyang said, his courage coming back to him. I wonder how long he plans to stay.
Since Fengyu came back, Yanyang has tried to figure out why Fengyu wants to stay with Yanyang. As far as Yanyang knew, he had nothing special. He was an average, diligent introvert.
When he was at the office, he had tried to research demons. But he had not come across any useful materials that explained a demon that needs to stay with a human.
Maybe he went soft, and hell kicked him out? Maybe he got no place to go and no job to do.
"Ouch…" Fengyu cried out in pain. This time, he managed to turn around and look at Yanyang with eyes full of tears.
"Oops. Sorry. I got distracted. I'll be careful. It's almost done anyway." Yanyang apologized, gulping down a laugh.
Fengyu turned around, muttering under his breath.
Yanyang combed the hair gently, very mindful this time. He secretly admitted to himself that he didn't want to let go of Fengyu's hair. It smelled of flowers and sandalwood.
But Yanyang had a deeper secret than that. A long time ago, Yanyang had found out that he had fallen in love with Fengyu.
When he had Fengyu kicked out of the house, he had missed Fengyu's presence at home, and he had deeply missed his familiar, comfortable scent. All the time that Fengyu begged to come back, he had to try so hard not to give in.
Now that he was back, he felt that everything was right and normal. Yanyang had stopped questioning his sanity since he brought Fengyu back.
"Alright, it's done," Yanyang said, finally letting go of Fengyu's hair. "I hope ghosts don't get sick. I don't have any ghost medicine."
Fengyu opened his mouth to say something and closed it again.
"What? You do get sick?" Yanyang asked, surprised.
Fengyu shook his head. Yanyang waited a minute, but Fengyu remained silent.
"Okay. Keep your secret. I'm going to see my babies. It's high time I water them." Yanyang left, dazed-looking Fengyu behind as he went out.
The truth was, Fengyu did feel something. But he couldn't name it. He had been feeling it for days.
Fengyu got up suddenly, looking concerned.
"I should go and see Zaohua."
*****
"Yanyan!!!" Fengyu exclaimed, staring at Yanyang, who sat on the corridor floor, his arms around a flower pot.
Silent tears streamed down Yanyang's face as he looked up at Fengyu.
Fengyu slowly fell to his knees and touched the almost dead plant. He felt devastated. The plant reminded him of dying Zaohua.
Fengyu felt helpless. He was powerless to help Zaohua, and he was powerless to save Yanyang's beloved plant that he had raised since he was a kid.
"I knew for days that Xiaoxiao was not feeling well, but he had always bounced back in the past. So I didn't worry too much. But I don't think he will survive this time." Yanyang said in a small voice full of despair. Fengyu felt his heart ache.
"Fengyu… I don't care what you are. If you have any power to save Xiaoxiao, save him. If what you want is my soul, I'll give it to you willingly. Please… save him."
Fengyu felt tears rolling down his face as he looked at the miserable-looking Yanyang. Without any thought, Fengyu bent down and kissed Yanyang on the lips.
As he kissed, he felt the wrenching feeling he had been carrying around for days melt, and all sorts of emotions poured out as if a floodgate was suddenly opened.
He felt Yanyang kiss him back.
So, he loves me too.
Fengyu had not been able to figure out that over time, he had grown numb to all the beautiful things in the world. Hatred and contempt of humans had accumulated inside him in abundance.
He had forgotten all about love. Love that kept every being alive and healthy.
Aomi's mysterious smile flashed across Fengyu's mind.
Aomi, I understand your smile now. Fengyu thought as he broke apart to look at Yanyang.
Yanyang looked at Fengyu with widened eyes. He had felt Fengyu's deep love. For a second, they stayed there looking at each other, understanding how each other felt.
Then Yanyang looked at his plant, sadness returning to his eyes. But to his utter amazement, the plant he held in his hands was blooming with the healthiest flowers he had ever seen.
Yanyang looked at Fengyu, who seemed to have grown a golden aura around him.
"So you are a demon."
Fengyu stared at Yanyang for a minute, looking puzzled.
"Wait. Don't tell me that all this time you thought that I was a demon?" Fengyu asked, with genuine shock on his face.
"You are not?" Yanyang asked, brushing tears off with his shirt sleeves.
"I… have you never heard of gods?" Fenyu asked, looking a bit disappointed.
"Of course, I have. I just don't believe they exist. Even if they did, they sound like people who are too full of themselves to help humans." Yanyang said as he replaced his plant on the shelf and looked at it lovingly.
He failed to notice a Fengyu who was too shocked to speak, standing behind him, rooted to the spot.
A loud laugh brought Fengyu back to earth. Tianming was laughing hard, holding his sides.
"Oh man. You should see the look on your face. He hit the nail on the head. I really like this guy," Tianming said, looking at Yanyang, who had forgotten all about Fengyu and his kiss when he realized that all his plants had bloomed and were healthy. He was frantically smelling and touching them, going back and forth.
"Not funny," Fengyu said, pouting. "A demon? I prefer being a ghost."
Tianming stopped laughing and looked at Fengyu seriously.
"He doesn't seem to be fazed by it. I don't think he cares what or who you are. He did this." Tianming said, his hand stretching out of the balcony corridor.
It was then that Fengyu noticed that the world below them had turned green and was covered in blossoms that looked magical under the colorful late evening sky.
"His love for plants saved us all," Tianming said reverently.
Fengyu looked at Yanyang, who was caressing Xiaoxio's flowers gently with eyes full of love.
So, it was I who needed to fall in love.