After purchasing the medicine, the two went straight to Si Bin’s house.
Auntie Tan had left a light on for Si Bin before she left, so the living room was bright when they opened the door.
Hearing the commotion, Da Bai padded quietly to the door. Seeing that Si Bin was back, the cat pressed against him, acting spoiled.
"Where’s Xiao Bai?" Si Bin changed his shoes and looked down to rub Da Bai’s head, calling out into the house, "Xiao Bai!"
The living room remained silent; Xiao Bai did not appear.
"Where is he hiding..." Si Bin set the medicine down in the entryway and found a pair of plush slippers for Lin Murun.
"I’ll turn on the air conditioning," Si Bin said, taking Lin Murun’s backpack. "Go wash your hands first."
Lin Murun nodded, stepped into the soft slippers, and walked to the bathroom door. He found Xiao Bai curled up in the corner.
"Xiao Bai?" Lin Murun turned on the light and stepped forward.
Startled, Xiao Bai hugged the wall and bolted out of the bathroom, only to be caught right at the door by Si Bin.
"Why are you running? You didn't even make a sound when I called." Si Bin handed Xiao Bai to Lin Murun. "Hold him for a bit while I apply the medicine."
Xiao Bai didn't seem to recognize Lin Murun and struggled incessantly in his arms.
Once Si Bin finished applying the medicine, he lifted Xiao Bai up. Looking into the cat's glowing blue eyes, he said helplessly, "It’s only been a short while since we last saw each other, and you already don't recognize people?"
Forced to endure the medicine and now being held uncomfortably by Si Bin, Xiao Bai let out a piteous "meow."
"You little ingrate..." Si Bin patted the cat's head and set him on the floor.
The moment his four paws touched the ground, Xiao Bai vanished under the sofa.
"Don't mind him, that's just how kittens are." Si Bin put the medicine away and led Lin Murun to the bathroom to wash his hands.
Thanks to the air-source water heater, the water in the pipes was warm. Lin Murun’s frozen fingers finally regained some sensation under the warm stream.
"It’s okay. He just hasn't seen me in a while; he'll adjust after a bit." Lin Murun finished washing his hands, and just as he turned his head, Si Bin popped a bright red cherry into his mouth.
"Then you should come over more often," Si Bin said with a smile.
Lin Murun bit into the cherry, blushing as he gave a muffled hum of agreement.
"Do they check the dorms tonight?" Si Bin asked.
"No," Lin Murun replied.
"Then why don't you stay at my place? Auntie Tan just cleaned yesterday, and the sheets and bedding in the guest room are fresh." Si Bin looked at the sky outside. "The wind is strong out there. If you go out after being in the air conditioning, you might catch a cold."
Lin Murun checked the time on his phone and agreed. He sent a quick WeChat message to Cheng Song and followed Si Bin to the study.
Seeing them leave, Da Bai followed them upstairs to join the fun, unceremoniously jumping onto the desk.
Lin Murun pulled out the problem set Si Bin had given him. "There are a few math problems from last time that I really couldn't solve."
"Which ones? Let me see." Si Bin took the exercises, pulled a pen and scratch paper from a drawer, and after a quick scan of the questions, began listing the steps to the solutions.
"Look here, you have to solve it like this." He pushed the scratch paper toward Lin Murun, tapping the tip of his pen on the paper. "This is a new type of question that hasn't been tested before, but a similar one appeared on last year's three-school joint exam. There's a high chance it will show up again this year."
Lin Murun nodded, took out his own scratch paper and pen, and followed Si Bin's steps to work through the calculation.
Beside them, Da Bai, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, ran over to bite the end of Lin Murun’s pen. His fluffy tail brushed against Lin Murun’s nose, making him sneeze.
"Don't cause trouble." Si Bin reached out and lifted Da Bai off the table.
Da Bai didn't stay down for long before jumping back onto the desk, crouching atop the pile of exam papers and teaching materials to watch the two of them study.
Time ticked by. After Lin Murun finished the difficult math problems, he pulled out an English practice paper.
"It's midnight," Si Bin noted, glancing at his phone. "Why don't you shower and go to sleep? We still have class tomorrow."
Lin Murun shook his head. "You go first. I want to finish the reading comprehension on this paper."
"Alright." Si Bin packed his bag, ruffled Lin Murun’s hair, and leaned down. "I'll go find some pajamas for you. Don't study too late."
His warm breath brushed against Lin Murun’s cheek, and the boy's face instantly flushed red.
"...Okay," Lin Murun whispered, his eyelashes trembling slightly. "Go on."
Si Bin stood up with a smile and left the study. Only then did Lin Murun lift his burning face, meeting Da Bai’s innocent eyes in his confusion.
Seeing him look over, Da Bai pricked up his ears and let out a "meow."
Lin Murun touched his hot face, picked up his pen, and buried himself in the questions.
Just as Lin Murun finished the reading section, Si Bin walked into the study, carrying the scent of shampoo and the damp warmth of a shower.
"These are the pajamas you wore last time; Auntie has already washed them." Si Bin handed the neatly folded pajamas to Lin Murun. "It's late, go take a shower."
Lin Murun nodded, took the pajamas, and went into the second-floor bathroom.
By the time they both finished washing up, it was already 12:40 AM.
The air conditioner blew warm air, but the shower had chased away his sleepiness. Lin Murun decided to curl up on the sofa in his slightly oversized clothes to review political science study points.
Seeing that he wasn't ready for bed yet, Si Bin opened the fridge, took out two cans of Coke, and asked, "Hungry?"
"No." Lin Murun took the cold Coke, popped the tab, and took a sip. "Should I go back to the room? Will my reading here affect your rest?"
"Not at all." Si Bin set down his can and laughed. "I usually don't sleep until after two."
Just then, Si Bin’s phone vibrated. He picked it up, saw the caller ID, and said to Lin Murun, "It's my mom."
With that, he answered the call.
"Hello, Mom."
"Why did it take so long to answer? Are you still studying?" Shen Xinning’s voice came through the phone.
Worried that his talking would disturb Lin Murun, Si Bin stood up and walked to the second-floor landing before replying, "No, but my boyfriend is still studying."
Shen Xinning paused. "Is it that student Lin you're always mentioning?"
Si Bin smiled and gave a hum of affirmation.
"It's so late, why is he still with you?" Then, as if realizing something, she cautioned, "He's a minor, right? It's fine to study together, but as for anything else..."
"Mom..." Si Bin interrupted her awkwardly. "What are you saying? We really are just studying."
Si Bin peeked downstairs to confirm that Lin Murun was still focused on his book on the sofa. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and lower his voice. "I'm a minor too."
"Mhm, just make sure you handle things appropriately." Shen Xinning seemed to be applying a face mask; Si Bin could hear the sound of her lightly patting her cheeks.
"Is your little boyfriend free during New Year's? I'd like to treat him to a meal and celebrate your birthday while I'm at it," Shen Xinning asked.
"He should be, but meeting the parents so soon... I'm afraid it might put pressure on him," Si Bin said.
Shen Xinning frowned. "What's wrong with meeting the parents? Is your mother such a terrifying person?"
"No..." Si Bin thought for a moment. "But it's not certain if he's willing to eat with us yet."
"True. Why don't you ask him?" Shen Xinning agreed that Si Bin had a point. "If Xiao Lin agrees, I'll have my secretary book a table."
Si Bin said, "Okay, I'll ask him later."
After discussing the birthday arrangements and the location for their first meeting, Shen Xinning asked about Si Bin’s life and studies. The mother and son chatted for a while before hanging up.
Si Bin stared at the dark screen of his phone for a long time, pondering how to bring up the New Year's dinner to Lin Murun. Although Si Bin had mentioned Shen Xinning before and Lin Murun had expressed a willingness to meet her, a verbal agreement was entirely different from sitting face-to-face for a meal.
Si Bin stood there thinking for a moment. Worried that meeting the parents so early in their relationship would stress Lin Murun out, he decided to wait a bit before mentioning his mother's invitation.
He walked down the stairs and found that Lin Murun had already fallen asleep.
Under the warm light, the boy's fair skin looked like a piece of smooth, warm jade—clean and beautiful. He was leaning against the sofa, his normally smooth hair slightly tousled. He hadn't had time to take off his glasses, which were now hanging crookedly from one ear. The small booklet of political science notes had slipped from his hand and lay face down on the sofa.
Curled up by Lin Murun’s side, Da Bai opened his eyes groggily at the sound of Si Bin’s footsteps. Surprisingly, Xiao Bai, who had been hiding, had crawled onto the top of the sofa at some point and rested his fluffy head on Lin Murun’s shoulder, sleeping soundly.
Si Bin stepped forward quietly, removed Lin Murun’s glasses, and leaned down to pick him up.
Left without support, Xiao Bai tumbled onto the sofa and woke up, let out a few bewildered whimpers.
Lin Murun was also startled awake by the movement. He opened his long, thick lashes, his unfocused eyes looking at Si Bin with a watery gaze.
Si Bin’s heart softened. He nuzzled his nose against the boy's face, catching the scent of shampoo from his hair.
"I'm taking you to the bedroom," Si Bin whispered.
"Hmm?" Lin Murun wasn't fully awake yet, his voice thick with sleep. "I can walk myself."
"It's fine, you're not heavy." Si Bin carried him up the stairs and placed him on the bed covered in soft quilts.
Lin Murun rubbed his eyes, finally waking up completely. "Is the phone call over?"
"Yeah, it's over," Si Bin said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Your mom..." Lin Murun asked tentatively, "Does she know I'm at your house?"
"She knows." Si Bin noted Lin Murun’s reaction, rubbed his hair, and said softly, "Don't worry. She knows you're my boyfriend, and she likes you very much."
Hearing this, Lin Murun finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Si Bin stood up and tucked him in. "My mom is very easy to get along with. You'll see when you meet her in the future."
"Okay." Lin Murun nodded from under the covers.
Si Bin leaned down with a smile, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and said, "Go to sleep. Goodnight."
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