Singlehood Syndrome

The art studio offered free trial classes for new students, and Xiang Mo didn’t discuss the enrollment matter with Ye Xing. He simply allowed him to experience the class first.

Ye Xing indeed had some basic skills; he quickly sketched a drawing in twenty minutes. Though the details were a bit rough, he grasped the main points well.

His skill level left room for improvement. If it were any other student, Xiang Mo would have pointed out several areas for improvement. However, he didn’t want to create any trouble for himself, so he let Ye Xing amuse himself.

Seeing that Ye Xing was clearly aiming for Xiang Mo, Meng Yun also refrained from interfering.

Soon, the class ended, and the students left the studio one by one.

Ye Xing seemed to have something to say to Du Chi; he sat motionless behind the easel and showed no intention of leaving.

Xiang Mo had no choice but to get involved in this soap opera earlier, but now that Ye Xing was affecting his work, he had no reason to sacrifice himself and be helpful.

“Teacher Du,” Xiang Mo politely called Du Chi, taking out his phone from his pocket. “I’ll add you on WeChat and transfer the payment to you.”

Settling the payment could wait; Xiang Mo just wanted to make a point to Ye Xing that he didn’t have Du Chi’s WeChat.

No couple would be without each other’s WeChat; anyone with a little brain could tell that Xiang Mo and Du Chi were not a romantic couple just by observing their WeChat interactions.

Ye Xing indeed looked skeptical, and Meng Yun seemed to find it strange too, as she surreptitiously observed the two.

At the same time, Xiang Mo’s phone vibrated twice; it was a message from Du Chi.

【Du Chi: Are you leaving me?】

【Du Chi: Sanmao frowns.jpg】

Xiang Mo looked at the phone screen expressionlessly, and his fingers moved rapidly.

【Xiang Mo: Transferring 450 yuan】

【Xiang Mo: Deal with it yourself】

Everyone present was intelligent, and Du Chi naturally noticed Xiang Mo’s intention. Fortunately, he was a sensible person and didn’t insist on dragging Xiang Mo into the situation. Seeing Xiang Mo trying to distance himself, he didn’t continue this poorly staged soap opera.

“Come with me,” Du Chi put away his phone and said to Ye Xing, who had been rooted behind the easel. The person, who seemed like he was going to stay there forever, immediately stood up, eyes full of anticipation as he followed Du Chi’s steps. Xiang Mo and Meng Yun seemed to have become invisible.

The two went upstairs to the third floor, seemingly to have a thorough conversation. It would probably take a while before they came back down.

While Xiang Mo and Meng Yun were tidying up the easels in the courtyard, Meng Yun, who had been holding back for a long time, finally seized the opportunity and curiously asked, “Teacher Xiang, who was that just now?”

Not wanting to be misunderstood again and not willing to entertain Meng Yun’s curiosity, Xiang Mo casually said, “Teacher Du’s little lover.”

“Ah?” Meng Yun seemed a bit confused.

“That’s why,” Xiang Mo leisurely set up the easel and looked at Meng Yun, saying, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Freed from the soap opera, not wanting to be gossiped about by Meng Yun, and having resolved two matters at once, Xiang Mo felt a sense of relief.

His life didn’t need dramatic twists; just focusing on each class and painting when he had time was enough for him to live a peaceful and comfortable life.

At three or four in the afternoon, the sunlight was at its best. In April, before summer arrived, the warm sunlight on the skin felt just right.

Thinking that the soundproofing in the old house was not good, Xiang Mo didn’t want to overhear any of the conversation between Du Chi and Ye Xing, so after cleaning up the studio, he didn’t go back to the second floor to rest. Instead, he went to the neighboring flower shop.

The owner of the flower shop was a seventy-something-year-old lady named Zhou. Neighbors called her Aunt Zhou.

It was said that Aunt Zhou and her husband had lived abroad with their children. After her husband passed away, she disregarded her children’s objections and insisted on returning to the old house where she had once lived with her husband.

In front of the old house’s entrance, there were roses planted by Aunt Zhou herself. April was the season when roses bloomed. The full and beautiful flowers adorned the quaint street, creating a romantic atmosphere.

Stepping into the courtyard of the flower shop, Xiang Mo felt like he was in an ocean of flowers. Aunt Zhou was at the first-floor workbench, arranging flowers. She wore a modified cheongsam, along with a small shawl. The marks of time hadn’t taken away her elegance; instead, they made her appear even more graceful and composed.

“Aunt Zhou,” Xiang Mo walked inside confidently and looked at the blue roses on the workbench, asking, “Is this a new variety?”

“Yes, do you like it?” Aunt Zhou replied as she trimmed the thorns on the stem and placed the blue rose into a vase.

Xiang Mo had borrowed this vase for his students to use when drawing. It seemed that Aunt Zhou had taken a liking to the flowers she sold and decided to arrange them herself.

“It’s beautiful,” Xiang Mo picked up a white rose from a nearby bunch and gestured it beside the vase. “How about adding some white roses too?”

“I think that’ll look great.”

The two chatted casually while working at the table. They talked about the recent weather, life in this area, and the new young man who moved in.

“He’s quite a nice person,” Aunt Zhou’s eyes showed admiration. “Every morning, when he passes by here, he helps me take out the garbage.”

The flower shop generated a lot of trash, like packaging cardboard, trimmed stems, and more. Every day, Aunt Zhou had to carry a bunch of garbage to the corner trash can.

Xiang Mo considered himself helpful but only lent a hand when he occasionally bumped into Aunt Zhou on the street. He wouldn’t take the initiative to take care of Aunt Zhou’s garbage, like Du Chi did.

His vague idea was now confirmed; Du Chi was indeed more considerate and kind-hearted than he was.

As they arranged flowers, Xiang Mo reflected seriously. Why hadn’t he thought of helping Aunt Zhou, a lonely elderly person?

Perhaps because Aunt Zhou never asked for help, and also—

Xiang Mo had already prepared to spend his old age alone.

The freedom and happiness of being single inevitably came with corresponding costs. The carefree days of his youth might result in a solitary life in his old age.

Perhaps Aunt Zhou’s current life was what Xiang Mo envisioned for himself in his later years—doing a small business based on her interests and enjoying the last stage of life.

Xiang Mo had considered that when he grew older, he didn’t want to be a burden to others. On the other hand, Aunt Zhou might not want to be seen as a frail elderly person by others.

Of course, that was just his perspective.

Based on Aunt Zhou’s admiration for Du Chi, she might still need others’ help.

He spent over an hour in the flower shop, but eventually, Zhang Daye suddenly appeared, saying he was going to treat Aunt Zhou to a meal. Xiang Mo then left the flower shop.

By this time, Du Chi and Ye Xing probably finished their conversation, but instead of going home directly, Xiang Mo went to the noodle shop on the other side of the art studio.

He hadn’t bought groceries in advance and didn’t feel like cooking. He wanted to treat himself on the weekend, but unfortunately, the restaurant across from Luo Yang’s place was already packed with people, so he settled for the noodle shop.

The noodle shop owner and his wife came here years ago due to their daughter’s schooling, seeking help from their wealthy relatives.

Their relatives were kind and left them this house to live in after moving out of the old villa.

This year, their daughter was already in her last year of high school, and perhaps after she entered college, this noodle shop, which didn’t match the style of the old villa, would cease to exist.

Xiang Mo entered the courtyard and found an empty table near the entrance.

The tireless machine, Ultraman, was still cutting noodles into the soup. Thanks to it, nearby children nicknamed this noodle shop “Ultraman Hand-pulled Noodles.”

“Teacher Xiang, would you like a 300-gram or 500-gram serving today?” Mr. Zhao, the shop owner, asked Xiang Mo familiarly.

“No, I’ll take a 200-gram serving,” Xiang Mo replied.
A few minutes later, the piping hot hand-pulled noodles were served. Facing the courtyard entrance, Xiang Mo was just about to take a bite when he saw a familiar figure passing by the gate.

He hurriedly lowered his head, but it was already too late.

Ye Xing had obviously seen him. He changed his direction, walked into the courtyard, and sat opposite Xiang Mo.

… Can’t he just leave me alone?

Xiang Mo put down his chopsticks resignedly and looked at the person in front of him, asking, “Has Mr. Du already explained things to you?”

“Yes, he did.” Ye Xing also ordered a bowl of hand-pulled noodles, taking off his sunglasses and placing them on the table. “I’ve completely given up.”

Unlike before, his eyes were slightly red, indicating that he had probably just cried.

Xiang Mo couldn’t help but feel a headache. He had no personal relationship with Ye Xing, so why was he the one being approached for comfort?

“I was his college classmate,” Ye Xing began to talk, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. “I had a crush on him for many years, but he always treated me as a friend.”

“Then, just recently, after my breakup, I didn’t want to find a new boyfriend, so I suggested being a bed companion with him…”

Xiang Mo wasn’t interested in their love story, but when he heard this, he couldn’t help but think cynically. Didn’t Ye Xing have a long-standing crush on Du Chi? It seemed he wasn’t idle either.

“I want to give you a piece of advice,” Ye Xing suddenly said seriously.

For some reason, Xiang Mo felt that the next words were the real reason Ye Xing wanted to chat with him.

“As someone who’s been there, I advise you not to fall for Du Chi. He doesn’t have feelings for anyone.”

Xiang Mo: …

Hearing this, Xiang Mo finally couldn’t hold back. He put down his chopsticks, took a tissue to wipe his mouth, and looked at Ye Xing calmly, asking, “How old are you?”

Ye Xing seemed slightly surprised by Xiang Mo’s composed and distant attitude. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Twenty-seven.”

He was a year younger than Xiang Mo, and apparently, so was Du Chi.

“What do you do for a living?” Xiang Mo asked.

“I’m starting my own business, creating my own brand.”

“Is it so unbearable to live without being in a relationship?”

Xiang Mo asked bluntly, but perhaps it was his aura that left Ye Xing somewhat shocked. He looked blankly at Xiang Mo and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Since you have your own career, why not focus on that?” Xiang Mo sighed, gently persuading, “Not everyone wants to be in a romantic relationship. Instead of wasting time on love, you could use it to improve yourself.”

Ye Xing seemed quite taken aback by Xiang Mo’s expression.

“You…” Ye Xing stared at Xiang Mo and said, “You’re very confident.”

In the end, Xiang Mo gave Ye Xing some advice, “Focus on your career first.”

After leaving the noodle shop, Ye Xing was supposed to walk in the opposite direction, but perhaps he still wanted to chat with Xiang Mo. He held Xiang Mo’s arm and walked towards the art studio.

Xiang Mo didn’t really need company for such a short distance, and he wasn’t used to someone holding his arm while walking. But maybe because it was just a short distance, he didn’t bother to push Ye Xing away and let him continue holding on.

“You know,” Ye Xing suddenly asked, “What if Du Chi pursues you? To be honest, he’s really handsome.”

It seemed that Ye Xing couldn’t change his mindset so quickly. Xiang Mo had just reminded him not to obsess over relationships, and now he was talking about love again.

“I’m not interested,” Xiang Mo replied. He was only interested in drawing Du Chi without his clothes.

As soon as he said that, the courtyard door suddenly opened from inside. Du Chi came out holding Sanmao and seemed to be about to take the dog for a walk.

Whether it was because he heard their conversation outside the courtyard walls or for some other reason, he glanced at the two of them holding each other’s arms and teased, “Are you two already becoming best friends so quickly?”

Best… friends?

Xiang Mo forced a polite smile: Your dog’s mouth is really something—

Du Chi: Woof.

PS: Ye Xing went offline, there’s no more scene with him later.