The decision to leave the villa somehow changed the atmosphere immediately.
Not dramatically.
Just enough that Xu Chen became suddenly aware of practical reality again.
Shoes.
Crowds.
Clothing.
The fact that he had spent the entire morning emotionally disintegrating in his kitchen instead of functioning like a normal human being.
Aum was still standing beside the windows holding tea in Xu Chen's mug like he belonged there naturally.
That thought remained dangerously distracting.
Xu Chen set his own cup down first before his nervous system collapsed permanently.
"If we're actually going into Old Dali today," he said, "you probably shouldn't wear that."
Aum looked down at the oversized black sweater.
"You dislike the current clothing."
"No." Xu Chen immediately regretted the honesty in his own tone. "That's unfortunately the opposite of the problem."
Warmth flickered visibly through Aum's expression again.
Xu Chen looked away toward the cabinets instantly.
Hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
Aum stepped closer automatically.
"You continue demonstrating contradictory verbal behavior."
"That's because you keep existing in ways that create psychological complications."
"That statement lacks precision."
Xu Chen laughed softly under his breath and moved toward the hallway before another conversation destroyed what remained of his composure.
"Come upstairs," he muttered.
Aum followed immediately.
Again.
Always toward him now.
The realization settled warm and dangerous through Xu Chen's chest as they climbed the staircase together beneath long strips of sunlight stretching across the wooden floors.
Outside, festival sounds echoed continuously through the mountain air drifting into the villa through partially opened windows.
Somewhere below the hillside roads, music swelled louder.
The city was fully awake now.
Xu Chen led Aum toward the master bedroom again, though entering it in daylight somehow felt entirely different after the previous night.
The room still carried traces of them:
unmade blankets,
two cups forgotten beside the bed,
sunlight spread across tangled sheets.
Xu Chen's pulse destabilized instantly.
Aum noticed immediately.
"You reacted to environmental re-entry."
Xu Chen pointed weakly toward him while crossing toward the wardrobe.
"You are genuinely impossible to survive before noon."
"That pattern appears ongoing."
Warm amusement softened Aum's expression again.
Xu Chen opened the wardrobe quickly before he could continue looking at him.
Rows of neatly arranged clothing filled the space—mostly dark neutral tones, structured coats, fitted sweaters, pressed shirts, outdoor jackets for environmental fieldwork.
Aum moved closer beside him to observe.
Xu Chen suddenly became acutely aware of the intimacy of this too.
Choosing clothes for someone.
Standing together before his wardrobe.
Morning sunlight touching the edges of dark fabric while festival drums echoed faintly from below the mountain.
Ordinary domesticity again.
Dangerous.
Xu Chen cleared his throat quietly.
"Dali gets crowded during Sanyuejie, so…" He reached automatically for a charcoal-grey sweater. "Probably something comfortable."
Aum watched carefully.
"You selected clothing based on anticipated environmental conditions."
Xu Chen blinked once.
"Yes. Congratulations. Humans invented weather."
"That response contained sarcasm."
"It contained survival instincts."
Warm laughter escaped Aum quietly.
God.
That sound again.
Xu Chen looked over helplessly.
"You really laugh easily now."
Aum considered this thoughtfully.
"I believe emotional baseline stability increased."
"That is still the least romantic explanation possible."
"It remains accurate."
Xu Chen shook his head softly and held the sweater against Aum experimentally.
Big mistake.
Because suddenly Aum stood directly in front of him while Xu Chen adjusted dark fabric against his chest like they had been doing this for years.
The proximity hit immediately.
Xu Chen became aware of:
the warmth still lingering from Aum's shower,
the faint scent of tea and soap,
the quiet steadiness of his breathing.
Dangerous.
Everything about this had become dangerous.
Aum looked downward slightly at him.
"You changed breathing pattern again."
Xu Chen closed his eyes briefly.
"Of course I did."
"Why."
Xu Chen laughed weakly.
"Because normal people aren't designed to survive this level of accidental intimacy."
A faint pause.
"I was unaware clothing selection qualified as intimate."
Xu Chen stared at him.
Then softly:
"That's because nobody ever explained to you how human attachment works."
The room quieted immediately afterward.
Sunlight drifted slowly across the bedroom floor while distant festival sounds echoed upward through the open windows.
Aum's gaze remained fixed steadily on him.
"Explain."
God.
Xu Chen's chest tightened instantly.
Because the terrifying thing was:
Aum always genuinely wanted to understand.
Xu Chen lowered the sweater slightly.
"When humans start loving someone," he said quietly, "ordinary things stop feeling ordinary."
Aum listened silently.
Xu Chen continued softly:
"Making tea. Sharing space. Picking clothes. Remembering what someone likes to eat." A faint helpless smile touched his mouth. "The small things become emotionally important."
The silence afterward became impossibly gentle.
Aum looked at him for several long seconds.
Then very quietly:
"I think I understand now why this morning affected me so strongly."
Xu Chen's pulse reacted immediately.
God.
No defenses remained anymore.
Aum touched the sleeve of the sweater lightly between them.
"On Brihyansh, compatibility was evaluated through biological and intellectual synchronization." His gaze lifted back toward Xu Chen. "But humans appear to build attachment through accumulated ordinary moments."
The accuracy hit directly through Xu Chen's chest.
"Yes," he whispered.
Aum became still briefly.
Then:
"I think I prefer the human method."
God.
Xu Chen actually laughed softly from emotional defeat and stepped backward toward the wardrobe before the situation became genuinely survivable.
"You know what's terrifying?"
Aum looked at him immediately.
"What."
"You keep saying things that sound simple and somehow permanently alter my emotional stability."
"That outcome appears mutual."
Xu Chen pulled another sweater from the wardrobe and tossed it lightly toward him before his cardiovascular system failed entirely.
"Change," he muttered weakly. "Before I emotionally combust inside my own bedroom."
Warm amusement softened Aum's face again as he caught the sweater easily.
Outside the villa, Sanyuejie pulsed louder beneath the mountain sunlight.
And for the first time in years—
Xu Chen found himself genuinely looking forward to stepping into the world.