The beautiful, chaotic, and unforgettable night passed just within the melody and awe.
They stayed at a house which belonged to the stall man. Small. Casual. But peaceful. A place which wouldn't really make anyone feel like an outsider.
The man—actually named as Qì Hán who is a middle-aged man but alone and didn't married too—didn't even judged by their chaotic moment out there nor overreacted when Lìngxiāo finally told who he was.
No wonder Chóng Fēi wasn't uncomfortable even here.
Thankfully, the man had helped them settle in when Chóng Fēi got a little sick and then fell asleep right here. So he stayed here too after having some light food. He even agreed to keep it secret that how many bottles Chóng Fēi had.
It won't be the right to know.
Besides, Lìngxiāo wasn't even sleeping while lying on the bed—but by Chóng Fēi's bedside on the floor. Because the bed was only one in that room and he would never..share one.
The man requested to give him their bed, but he refused too.
Lìngxiāo slowly woke up first with his pounding head. He had been wearing the robe's inner plain silk only, since he had brought nothing with himself. His hair was loosely tied into a braid to keep it in place.
He stretched his arms and sat flat first, as his legs felt like they were cracking from being in the same position too long. The first thing he searched for was Chóng Fēi in the bed.
But he wasn't..there.
He blinked, rubbing his eyes. His voice a bit rough from sleep. "Fēi Gōngzǐ..?"
He lightly looked around while his head hurt so badly that he needed a cup of milk tea immediately.
"Hmmph..siren..?" Chóng Fēi hummed sleepily from somewhere—in the room but not on the bed at all.
Lìngxiāo froze.
'Has he..'
He stood up and climbed up to the bed to look at the other side near the wall.
And yes—he was also sleeping right on the ground now instead of the bed he had left. Hugging a pillow and sleep-talking.
Lìngxiāo sighed with a pressed, hopeless smile—of both relief, silent worry, and amazement.
'Is he still drunk? Still calling me siren..?'
He sat on the bed right beside where Chóng Fēi lay on the ground. He took a proper breath in the morning before testing if he was awake and still drunk or not.
Also to see how much he might have read that book.
He thought of a line which was in the book. Anything which could be easily unforgettable for any reader.
"If you never look back at the waves I make.." He slowly started, biting his inner lip lightly while his gaze was at the window instead, his face warm. "I would not come to the surface to see if the ship was yours or not."
He looked down at Chóng Fēi.
"What? No don't you dare.." Chóng Fēi mumbled, raising his head from the pillow with one eye open and the other closed, rubbing the closed one and searching for something like a lost bird from the flock.
Lìngxiāo quickly jumped away from the bed without any sound and went behind the door.
He hissed with a bite over his lower lip, his eyes shut with pure disappointment and embarrassment.
'My outer robe!'
He quickly ran back into the room, grabbed it from the table, and returned to his spot.
Chóng Fēi slowly raised from his tiny spot while rubbing his head, pulling out some spider webs from his hair with a click of his tongue.
"How the..fuck I ended up at..that corner of the bed? Sheesh.." He untangled his hair—though it was already loose from Lìngxiāo last night—pulling at his scalp himself.
Lìngxiāo watched him from the corner of the door, hoping the man or any of his family members wouldn't walk in and watch him standing like this.
'He..still feels dizzy.. but not drunk. It would be fine after a good shower.'
Once he ensured things were fine, he came into the room after wearing the outer robe and looked much more presentable. His move was like he had just come in now and had never really stayed here all night to look after him.
"Morning, Gōngzǐ.." He said with a faint sleepy smile, tilting his head in curiosity. "Why are you lying on the ground?"
Chóng Fēi gripped the edges of the bed and stood up, his one hand still gripping his head as he looked at Lìngxiāo, blinking his vision clean.
"Just..fallen from the bed too hard then I..should have." He muttered roughly, thoughtfully, while looking sleepy. He was only wearing the white inner sleeve, not the red outer robe.
"Is something bothering you, Gōngzǐ..?" Lìngxiāo asked quietly.
Chóng Fēi stayed silent for a moment, his gaze still not having returned to its usual sharpness yet. But also not totally fine or drunk either.
He tilted his head, almost rolling it over the roof for a moment before looking back at Lìngxiāo. "I had..only one bottle, right?"
Lìngxiāo knew that if he told this, Chóng Fēi was going to burn hotter in embarrassment and things would feel more awkward than they already were.
Besides..as much as things had been—silly, chaotic, innocent, gentle, and a moment of celebration—he could just swallow it down like it wasn't any big deal at all. This was a slip of his. But Lìngxiāo wouldn't expose it, which could make him feel strange.
And since now Chóng Fēi wasn't sharp enough and also trusted him, he should just keep it where it was—in the past. In his memories alone—since Chóng Fēi wouldn't really actually sing in front of anyone in his sane mind.
"Only one." He answered in his casual tone, trying his best to make it sound real. "But why do you ask..?"
"One.." Chóng Fēi echoed while still a little hazy.
His face was a little flushed from the cheekbones while he stubbornly tried to hide it. He seemed almost unable to believe it. "Have I..done anything unusual last night?"
Lìngxiāo shook his head lightly. His expression betrayed nothing. "You did not, Gōngzǐ. You just..fell asleep and the man—he arranged a few things to help me with you. And then we..slept in different rooms."
Chóng Fēi blinked tightly yet softly, processing. Then looked at him with a faintly raised eyebrow. "Really?"
"Indeed, really, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo answered again, the way he stood there felt like whispering: truth.
"Are you sure?" Chóng Fēi pressed again, almost trying to regain his sharp self forcefully.
"Why not, Gōngzǐ? I have no..reason to lie to you." He said a little firmly again. His gaze steady on him.
"Then why do I feel like I did and..told something back then?" Chóng Fēi exhaled like a dragon, his hands in his hair.
"Because it IS normal, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo pressed. "We accomplished something worthy. We were both proud of it. You were just..talking about the plans and then fell asleep. That is it. Nothing more happened or was said to pressure about."
Chóng Fēi silenced, his dry eyes trying to be watchful again. That stubborn look.
Lìngxiāo shut his eyes for a few seconds longer before looking at him again, speaking softer. "All you have to do is trust me.."
"Fine..I do. Kind of." He muttered, pushing back his hair behind.
"Gōngzǐ, the water is ready. You may bathe and then have breakfast with us." Qì Hán called from the other room, earning their attention.
Lìngxiāo turned towards the door, answering after going a little closer. "Give us a little moment."
Chóng Fēi was still giving him unclear stares. But Lìngxiāo stood to the side. "You may take the shower first, Gōngzǐ. You would feel better."
He nodded lazily, pressing at his neck as he walked out, moving towards the washroom with a towel.
Lìngxiāo stood near the gate since later he also needed to go, but he was cleaning his face for now from the bucket. He blinked when the lentil water was left outside—something which was used as herbal shampoo and soap. A gentle, blurred mix.
"Where is the soap?" Chóng Fēi lightly opened the door, his one arm out which was already bare.
Lìngxiāo looked away and gave the bottle to him. "Here..you left it outside.."
"Ah, yes." He quickly took it and shut the door.
Lìngxiāo's tired smile softened with a faint, hopelessly tender shake of his head.
**