Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Three: At Every Step (1/2)
Yan Jin who had landed himself in this sticky situation, took a glance at the clock as it struck midnight and slipped back into his blanket all alone.
How can this be possible?
Yan Jin thought as he naturally accompanied his lover in staying up late into the night with the bedside lamp switched on and a book in his hand. Then…
“It’s half past midnight.”
Right on the dot, and even more accurate than an alarm.
Xiao Yu’s hand movement stopped for a moment.
“Give me another thirty minutes. You can sleep first.”
Yan Jin did not reply.
Creativity is a lot about having the right chance. When one is without inspiration, he could end up with nothing on his papers even if he were to sit in front of the computer all day. But when there’s inspiration, he could easily complete an entire drawing in just four to five hours. Xiao Yu’s current situation was obviously the latter – he felt inspired to the fullest and had absolute confidence in finishing this particular drawing before sunrise.
Yep, before the sunrise.
In other words, Xiao Yu had no intention to sleep at all. He had been haggling with Yan Jin since ten p.m. and successfully got the chairman into bed at eleven in hopes that he would eventually tire himself out and fall asleep. When that happened, he could crawl back to bed in the morning, wake Yan Jin up and pretend like nothing had ever happened.
Xiao Yu did not think that there would be any problem with that plan. However, even with his planning, he did not expect Yan Jin to be such a pesterer and remain undeterred even with all the “insulting exchange”.
And so, he became the person who got deterred.
Xiao Yu finally sensed Yan Jin’s determined attitude from his last time report. The chairman was firm about waiting for him till they get into bed together.
If it was in the past, even if it was for a company that oppressed him until he became overworked, Xiao Yu would never waste such a rare spur of inspiration. Even if he did not have that tiny bit of inspiration, it was very common for him to burn the midnight oil for the sake of the company’s projects and the superior’s assignments. Xiao Yu was very familiar with how S City’s skyline looked from one a.m. to six in the morning.
Living alone in the empty apartment, the air was usually so still with loneliness during night time that every ounce of air he breathed was chilling.
Sometimes, he would work till midnight, get up with his sore, aching body and get himself into his cold bed all alone. Sometimes, when he looked up, it was already morning and no matter how hard it was to keep his eyes open, he would have no choice but to buck himself up and deal with the new day of work.
Xiao Yu got used to all that a long time ago.
Compared to working alone in desolation, exhaustion had become secondary. There would be times when Xiao Yu would feel thankful instead for the kind of high intensity work that could make him forget the fact that he was all alone.
In his previous apartment, Xiao Yu’s work desk had been just beside his window. Whenever he could not continue drawing anymore, he could look up from the table and watch the view outside. He could see the magnificent nightscape the lively night city had that even a star could not outshine.
It was beautiful. A beauty that one could only appreciate when he was alone.
It was probably the first time Xiao Yu had held his digital drawing board in such a place so far away from the dark night. Not for the sake of the company, but for the rare spur of passion and inspiration.
The windows were covered with thick curtains, blocking out all light. The air-conditioning was not switched on, but the temperature felt comfortable. He was in a thin knitted blouse and beside his hand was a cup of warm milk that had appeared an hour ago. Behind him was the bed with a dimly-lit lamp and a person that had been waiting for him since hours ago.
All these were things that Xiao Yu had never dared to dream of.
Xiao Yu had often been worried by unfinished work. In the past, it was a kind of desperation, the helpless and anxious feeling that left him with no choice. Yet this time round, the feeling he felt was a happiness that was filled with sweetness.
It would be troublesome to give in or to persist.
No choice then.
Xiao Yu looked at the drawing that was not even half-finished in his hands and felt strongly reluctant to let go.
It was a rare spur of inspiration that may not appear for a second time within the month…
He may not even remember it when he wakes up in the morning…
Just give him another half an hour…
“It’s one a.m,”
The voice announced behind him right on time.
If the voice that could be heard every half an hour before this had been half-hearted, the voice he heard this time felt extremely heavy o,n Xiao Yu’s heart, making the pen in his hand feel equally heavy.
On top of feeling helpless from having his thoughts cut off, it was the soft heartedness that he felt from being monitored and silently cared for by someone from the background.
No choice then…
“Ahhhhh I’m sleeping, I’m sleeping.”
Xiao Yu threw his digital drawing board onto the table and shut off his expensive notebook. He jumped onto bed while making threatening gestures. He did not look like a person going to bed but more like a person preparing to eat someone up.