Singlehood Syndrome

When the afternoon class ended, Lao Li saw the portrait that Lao Zhang drew for him and nearly got so angry that he almost ended up in the hospital again.

Finally, after sending off these two lively old men, the studio became peaceful. Meng Yun helped Xiang Mo tidy up the art supplies, while Sanmei lazily lay on the windowsill, basking in the sun.

“The restaurant across the street is really bustling,” Meng Yun licked her lips, looking at Eight Jin Restaurant across the street.

Usually, starting at 4 pm, a queue would form at the entrance of the restaurant. But today, there were even more people, and the queue extended to the end of the street.

“They’ve come because of the reputation,” Meng Yun said. With such a prestigious recommendation, it was only natural for their business to boom.

Xiang Mo picked up Sanmei and walked to the courtyard door, looking at the queue’s end. Sanmei wiggled a bit, finding a comfortable position in his arms.

As he gazed toward the end of the street, a familiar figure interrupted his thoughts. Du Chi was walking toward him with a canvas bag on one shoulder and a grocery bag in his hand.

Compared to riding the heavy motorcycle, Du Chi mostly preferred walking. It seemed like he didn’t go to places far away.

Arriving at the courtyard door, he looked at the queue across the street, and nonchalantly said to Xiang Mo, “It’ll be hard to go out in the future.”

Xiang Mo immediately understood what Du Chi meant. He was talking about how they always left the restaurant against the crowd.

In truth, if they really wanted to leave, they could always find a way. Besides, Xiang Mo shifted his gaze away from the queue and looked at Du Chi. “Aren’t you here with me?”

Du Chi smirked lightly, “Do you want me to lead you again?”

Xiang Mo didn’t reply, turned around, and carried Sanmei back to the courtyard.

Perhaps due to the whole building being empty, Meng Yun became more relaxed. Seeing Du Chi, she greeted him, “Master’s wife.”

Du Chi’s footsteps hesitated slightly, raising an eyebrow. “Master’s wife?”

“They’re just calling you that,” Xiang Mo quickly turned around and interrupted their conversation. But in the process, Sanmei slipped out of his arms and went back to the windowsill, lazily yawning.

“Is that so?” Du Chi looked thoughtful. “Sure, why not.”

Xiang Mo: “…” Did he have to be so cooperative? What about your dignity?

“Will you come to model tomorrow afternoon?” Meng Yun asked. “Many students will be there.”

“Sure,” Du Chi quickly adapted to the term “Master’s wife.” “Tomorrow afternoon, you’ll teach your students about human muscle structure.”

“Oh?” A mischievous smile appeared on Meng Yun’s face, and her eyes carried a meaningful glance.

After Meng Yun left to meet her friends for dinner, Xiang Mo followed Du Chi to the kitchen on the second floor, hesitatingly asking, “Are you sure you want me to teach muscle structure?”

For Du Chi, it was simply a matter of taking off his shirt, nothing significant. But for Xiang Mo, he had to mark the muscle structure on Du Chi’s body, which gave the lesson a different meaning.

While washing the fresh ingredients he bought, Du Chi heard Xiang Mo’s question and casually replied, “Isn’t that what you wanted to teach?”

Indeed, Xiang Mo wanted to teach.

In a way, it was an itch he couldn’t scratch, like having skills but being unable to showcase them to others.

However, last time when he mentioned it to Du Chi, the topic was dropped for some reason.

“What if you get a reaction?” Xiang Mo asked hesitantly, recalling what Du Chi said before. He didn’t want any uncertainties in his class; Du Chi was too unpredictable.

Du Chi finished rinsing the sea bass, turned off the tap, wiped his hands with kitchen paper, and turned to look at Xiang Mo. A faint smile played on his lips, “That’ll depend on you, artist.”

“Depend on me?” Xiang Mo was slightly startled, immediately understanding Du Chi’s meaning.

If he was professional enough, and during the class, he didn’t do anything unnecessary, the teaching should go smoothly.

But if his brush strokes triggered a bad association in Du Chi’s mind, then…

He really distanced himself from the matter.

Xiang Mo couldn’t help feeling strange. After all, Du Chi wasn’t his “little brother,” so why should he be responsible for him? Shouldn’t Du Chi be responsible for managing his own desires?

“I will teach seriously,” Xiang Mo put aside his strange thoughts. “You also need to cooperate properly.”

From the beginning, Du Chi had steered the topic in a playful direction, with a few improper implications. However, in a normal working environment, Xiang Mo believed that Du Chi would have some boundaries. Just like how Du Chi teased him as an artist in private, but in front of outsiders, he would immediately put on a more serious demeanor. At least, in front of others, he was like a well-behaved large dog.

For dinner, they had steamed sea bass. The timing of the steaming was perfect, allowing the aroma of green onions, ginger, and garlic to infuse into the tender fish meat. Paired with the savory steamed fish soy sauce, every bite was a delight for the taste buds.

Recalling the simple tomato and egg stir-fry he made for lunch, Xiang Mo couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed. With Du Chi’s culinary skills, it seemed like Du Chi was the one who was at a disadvantage in their partnership.

However, Du Chi didn’t seem to mind at all. He would eat whatever Xiang Mo cooked for him, looking like an easy-to-please puppy.

After dinner, it was Zhao Xiaoqiao who cleaned up the kitchen.

Xiang Mo stayed in his room for a while, waiting for Zhao Xiaoqiao to finish her homework and leave. Then he went to the bathroom to take a shower.

A summer night’s shower was more comfortable than anything else. Xiang Mo felt refreshed as he stepped out of the bathroom. Just then, he heard the doorbell ringing downstairs.

During the studio’s business hours, the courtyard door wouldn’t be closed because many of Xiang Mo’s students would come in and out. However, after the business hours, hardly anyone would come to the Pen and Ink Studio unless it was for personal reasons.

Feeling curious, Xiang Mo went downstairs and opened the door, only to find Luo Yang standing outside the courtyard.

“Teacher Xiang,” Luo Yang held a dozen beers, looking heartbroken as he gazed at Xiang Mo. “Is Du-ge here?”

Luo Yang had just broken up with his girlfriend.

He had been striving for the Michelin recommendation to pursue his former senior. She told him that if his restaurant could earn a Michelin star, she would consider dating him. For so many years, Luo Yang had been working hard for this goal. However, when he finally achieved it and went to find his former senior, he discovered that she had already married and had a child who was even attending kindergarten.

“She was just fobbing me off,” Luo Yang said, tilting his head back and finishing the beer. Liquid dribbled from the corners of his mouth, making him look quite disheveled.

Sitting on the side, Xiang Mo handed him a tissue, trying to console him, “At least you are successful in your career.”

Actually, Luo Yang wanted to confide in Du Chi. He didn’t want his employees’ emotions to be affected, nor did he want other friends to see his pitiful state. That’s why he thought of this new neighbor.

If it weren’t for Du Chi being there, Xiang Mo believed Luo Yang wouldn’t have come to him.

Since he was there, he naturally joined the venting session. The three of them and the dog squeezed onto the small balcony, feeling a bit cramped. There were originally only two leisure chairs there, but Du Chi went to his room to bring over his office chair, making it barely enough for the three to sit.

“But I want love!” Luo Yang opened another beer, tears uncontrollably flowing from his eyes.

“Out with the old, in with the new,” Du Chi took away the beer bottle from Luo Yang’s hand, “Take it easy with the drinking.”

“You guys don’t understand,” with no venting tool in his hand, Luo Yang cried even harder, “I feel so miserable, and I just want to cry!”

Luo Yang weighed at least two hundred pounds. Seeing him cry like a child, Xiang Mo couldn’t help but be moved. He patted Luo Yang’s shoulder and empathized, “I understand.”

In times of sorrow, other people’s miserable experiences might be the best remedy. Luo Yang immediately stopped sobbing and turned to look at Xiang Mo, asking, “Teacher Xiang, have you ever experienced heartbreak?”

Du Chi on the other side also looked over.

“I used to be an art teacher at a school.” Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, Xiang Mo unusually shared his own experience, “My art exhibition was reported by the parents of my students. At that time, I really needed someone to be by my side, but my ex just left for overseas.”

“Your partner broke up with you when you were at your most vulnerable?” Luo Yang asked in surprise.

“More or less,” Xiang Mo hardly drank from the beer in his hand, tilting his head back and taking a sip to moisten his throat, “I lost my job and my partner at the time. You are better off; at least you still have your career.”

Luo Yang seemed to be comforted and gradually calmed down. Mumbling to himself, he said, “You’re right. Not everyone can get a Michelin recommendation.”

After saying that, he suddenly looked at Du Chi and asked, “Du-ge, have you ever experienced heartbreak?”

To be honest, Xiang Mo was a bit curious as well. It was a venting session, and everyone should share their miserable experiences. There was no reason for someone to be just a spectator.

“Yeah, I got dumped for no reason,” Du Chi shrugged nonchalantly, “but I didn’t really feel that sad about it.”

“It means you never really cared,” Luo Yang complained, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Come on, that was back in high school,” Du Chi said somewhat defensively, “and afterward, I found dating to be too troublesome, so I stopped doing it.”

“Why did you find it troublesome?” Luo Yang quickly asked.

“You want to stay at home, but your partner insists on going out. Would you stay at home or go out?” Du Chi gave a random example.

Xiang Mo also pondered the question. It was true; situations like this could be quite annoying.

“I would go out,” Luo Yang said earnestly, “because relationships require compromise.”

Du Chi smiled and took a sip of beer, “Then you’re suitable for dating.”

As Xiang Mo listened, he suddenly understood the fundamental reason why Du Chi was single—he wasn’t willing to compromise. Judging from Du Chi’s attitude, he and Xiang Mo were alike in this aspect; neither of them was suitable for dating.

“Never mind, I’ve given up on love,” the topic returned to Luo Yang, “I’ve decided not to date and focus on my career, open more branches!”

Du Chi returned the beer bottle to Luo Yang, and the three of them clinked glasses in the air.

“By the way,” Luo Yang wiped away the tears from his face, perhaps inspired by the topic of their careers, he curiously looked at Du Chi and asked, “Du-ge, why do you work here?”

It seemed that not only Xiang Mo but others also didn’t understand Du Chi’s actions. Just a few hundred meters away, there were numerous office buildings and commercial apartments that were reasonably priced and much more convenient in terms of transportation compared to here.

“Because I used to live here when I was a child,” Du Chi answered nonchalantly.

“Here?” Before Luo Yang could react, Xiang Mo leaned forward slightly, pointed his finger at the ground, and looked at Du Chi, asking, “This building?”

“Yes,” Du Chi looked straight at Xiang Mo, bypassing Luo Yang in between, “You now live in the room I used to live in.”

Xiang Mo: “…”

“Really?” Luo Yang widened his eyes in surprise, “This old building belongs to your family?”

“It’s been sold, but the furniture and layout haven’t changed much,” Du Chi paused and shifted his gaze back to Xiang Mo, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, “I wonder if you’re sleeping on the bed I used to sleep in.”

“No,” without hesitation, Xiang Mo denied, though he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Then your family must be wealthy,” Luo Yang speculated as most people would, “Why do you still need to work?”

This was the first time Xiang Mo heard Du Chi talk about his family.

Du Chi’s father was a collector, and he wanted Du Chi to come back home to take care of his precious collection. But Du Chi had no interest in those antiques, so he quarreled with his family and came out to do what he wanted to do.

Quite… willful.

“Does designing fonts make money?” Luo Yang asked again.

“It’s alright,” Du Chi said, “I already have fonts in circulation. Whenever someone uses my fonts, I get paid.”

“Starting a business is the way to go,” Luo Yang nodded in admiration. As if being stimulated, he suddenly raised his beer bottle and exclaimed, “Love is just a pile of dog poop!”

As the one most heartbroken, Xiang Mo also raised his beer bottle and echoed, “Agreed.”

Sitting on the side, Sanmao also howled in response. However, Du Chi bluntly said, “You don’t have the balls, shut up.”

Luo Yang had vented enough and stood up to bid farewell to the two.

Although he had drunk quite a lot, there were no signs of him getting drunk. Xiang Mo and Du Chi didn’t send him off.

The moon hung high in the sky, illuminating a few clouds around it. The distant skyscrapers still had their lights on, but the old neighborhood of the Brush and Ink Studio was quiet.

Xiang Mo still had half a bottle of beer in his hand, and seeing that Du Chi had about the same amount left, they continued drinking on the balcony, enveloped in a tranquil atmosphere. Xiang Mo felt it was too quiet and continued with the previous topic, asking Du Chi, “Why do you like designing fonts?”

Du Chi countered with a question, “Why do you like sketching?”

This question caught Xiang Mo off guard. He couldn’t really explain why he liked it, but he just enjoyed doing it.

“I enjoy the process of breaking down fonts,” Du Chi continued, seeing that Xiang Mo didn’t answer. “Decomposing, adjusting, and reassembling fonts make me feel like my design has vitality.”

Xiang Mo could somewhat understand that feeling, as he also felt that the process of his creation was about infusing life into the paper.

“You said you were going to break down hundreds of characters. Isn’t that boring?” Xiang Mo asked again.

“It can be a bit,” Du Chi said, then seemed to remember something. He looked at Xiang Mo and asked, “Do you want to go to my room and take a look?”

For the second time, Du Chi invited Xiang Mo to his room.

Xiang Mo was genuinely curious and wanted to see the process of breaking down the fonts. However, he still felt that he shouldn’t go; once he went, there might be some boundary issues.

All his hesitations were written all over his face, but Du Chi didn’t get a response. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “You really won’t go?”

Xiang Mo pursed his lips and suddenly thought about Du Chi mentioning fishing. Given the current situation, who was fishing who?