benign adaptation
Lin Jingshang has been under a lot of pressure from his project lately and has been suffering from insomnia for several days. That night, he tossed and turned in bed, counting sheep up to a thousand but still couldn't fall asleep, becoming more and more awake.
He sat up irritably, picked up his phone and checked the time: 2:30 a.m. He hesitated for a moment, then sent a message to Xie Dang in the next bedroom.
[Lin Jingshang]: Are you asleep?
I received a reply just seconds after sending the message.
【谢宕】：No.
Lin Jingshang paused for a moment, then got out of bed with his pillow, tiptoed to Xie Dang's bedroom door, and gently pushed it open. Xie Dang was indeed awake, sitting against the headboard, watching a tablet with a small nightlight on.
"Why aren't you asleep either?" Lin Jingshang asked in a low voice.
“I’m handling some work.” Xie Dang put down his tablet and looked at him. “Can’t sleep?”
"Yeah, my mind is full of code, I can't calm down." Lin Jingshang stood at the door, hugging a pillow.
Xie Dang moved over, making room for half of the space: "Come here."
Lin Jingshang hesitated for a moment, then climbed into bed and lay down next to Xie Dang. The bed was large, and Xie Dang's presence calmed Lin Jingshang's anxious heart somewhat.
"Would you like to hear something?" Xie Dang asked.
"Listen to what?"
Xie Dang picked up his phone, and soothing instrumental music filled the room, like the sound of a mountain stream.
Neither of them spoke again. Lin Jingshang closed his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing to match the rhythm of the music. After a while, he still couldn't fall asleep, so he quietly opened his eyes and found Xie Dang looking at him.
"Still can't sleep?" Xie Dang asked in a low voice.
"Hmm..." Lin Jingshang was a little frustrated. "Maybe I should just go back and not bother you."
Just as he was about to get up, Xie Dang gently pressed his shoulder down.
"Look over there," Xie Dang pointed towards the balcony.
Lin Jingshang followed his gaze.
The moonlight was beautiful tonight. Xie Dang hadn't drawn the curtains completely, and the cool moonlight streamed in, casting a silvery glow. Through the glass door, a few stars could be seen twinkling in the night sky.
Lin Jingshang looked at the night sky and said softly, "When I was little, I couldn't sleep, so my grandma would take me to look at the stars. She said that counting stars was more effective than counting sheep."
"Is there any scientific basis for this?" Xie Dang asked.
"Oh, it's just a psychological comfort! You're so unromantic." Lin Jingshang was amused by him.
Even so, he still tilted his head back and began to count carefully.
"One, two, three..."
As he counted, his voice grew softer and softer, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Soothing natural music filled his ears, a reassuring atmosphere surrounded him, and a tranquil starry sky stretched before him.
He didn't know which number he had counted, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he eventually drifted off to sleep.
Xie Dang turned off the music and, by the moonlight, gazed at Lin Jingshang's sleeping profile for a long time. Then, he reached out and gently stroked Lin Jingshang's cheek.
---
Lin Jingshang discovered a terrifying fact: his taste buds seemed to have been assimilated by Xie Dang.
He used to love spicy food, demanded full sugar in his milk tea, and had his snack cabinet filled with all kinds of puffed snacks and chocolates.
Now, he actually finds the food in the company cafeteria a bit salty, and he can accept drinking coffee without sugar. Occasionally, he even thinks that the zero-sugar Greek yogurt Xie Dang drinks tastes pretty good.
That weekend, the two went shopping at an imported goods supermarket together.
Lin Jingshang habitually puts his usual potato chips and carbonated drinks into his shopping cart.
Xie Dang glanced at it, said nothing, and silently picked up the original flavor seaweed and a bottle of soda water from the shelf next to him and put them in.
Looking at the junk food and healthy options lined up side by side in his shopping cart, Lin Jingshang felt his conscience was being tormented.
He hesitated for a moment, then took the bag of chips and the drink out, put them back on the shelf, and muttered, "Never mind, it's unhealthy..."
Xie Dang pushed the shopping cart, a slight smile playing on his lips.
That evening, Lin Jingshang had a craving for snacks. He rummaged through drawers and cupboards looking for treats, but all he found were the whole-wheat biscuits and nuts Xie Dang had bought. He gnawed on the biscuits with resentment, feeling that his life had lost much of its joy.
"I want to eat barbecue..." he wailed, sprawled on the sofa.
"I just ate it last week." Xie Dang didn't even look up, continuing to read the report.
"Seven days have passed!" Lin Jingshang argued forcefully.
"High in oil and salt, I suggest controlling the frequency," Xie Dang rejected.
Lin Jingshang was so angry he wanted to bite him.
After a while, Xie Dang put down the report, got up, and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came out with a plate and placed it in front of Lin Jingshang. The plate contained several pieces of chicken breast, slightly charred, and was accompanied by blanched broccoli and cherry tomatoes.
"Try this, it's the newly developed low-fat seasoning." Xie Dang handed him a fork.
Lin Jingshang was skeptical, but he forked a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. The meat was tender and juicy, with a light aroma of herbs and black pepper, and it was delicious.
"How is it?" Xie Dang asked.
"It's alright," Lin Jingshang said stubbornly, reaching for the second piece with his fork.
Xie Dang looked at his tsundere appearance and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.
Thus, Lin Jingshang's path of depravity went further and further. He began to get used to eating whole-wheat bread with eggs for breakfast, fruit and yogurt for afternoon tea, and his dinners became lighter. Occasionally, he would break his rule and eat something with strong flavors, which would make his stomach feel uncomfortable.
"It's over, thank you."
One day, after finishing a spicy hot pot meal, Lin Jingshang collapsed onto the sofa, clutching his stomach, looking utterly hopeless.
"It seems like you've spoiled my stomach..."
Xie Dang handed him a glass of warm water, his tone calm: "This is a positive adaptation."
Lin Jingshang looked at his calm and composed face.
This kind of subtle change is perhaps the most authentic way two people are together. It's not about one person deliberately accommodating the other; it's about unconsciously becoming like the other person and becoming a better version of yourself through daily interactions.
---
Since exchanging spare keys, Lin Jingshang has used Xie Dang's apartment key far more frequently than Xie Dang has used his key.
He would appear at Xie Dang's doorstep under various pretexts and go inside by himself.
Lin Jingshang still remembered how nervous he was the first time he did this, like a thief, tiptoeing around. But when he opened the door, he saw Xie Dang peeking out of the study, looking at him calmly.
"You're here?" Xie Dang greeted him and continued the meeting.
From then on, Lin Jingshang became even more unscrupulous.
That afternoon, Lin Jingshang was having his apartment complex temporarily repaired by electrical circuits. He carried his laptop and documents to Xie Dang's door and unlocked it with his key.
The living room was empty, the study door was closed, and Xie Dang's deep, fluent English could be heard coming from inside, clearly indicating that he was in another international meeting.
Lin Jingshang was very self-aware, moving quietly as he sat down at the dining table in the living room and started working on his computer. Sunlight streamed in through the balcony, falling on the lush mint leaves, creating a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.
After an unknown amount of time, the study door opened, and Xie Dang came out after finishing his meeting. He saw Lin Jingshang, went to the kitchen, poured two glasses of water, and placed one next to Lin Jingshang.
"Circuit repair?" Xie Dang asked.
"Yeah, they said it would be tonight." Lin Jingshang took the water and took a sip. "Did I disturb you?"
"No."
Xie Dang sat down opposite him and turned on his computer. The two were busy with their own things, and occasionally when Lin Jingshang encountered a problem, he would lean over and ask a question, which Xie Dang would answer.
Midway through, Lin Jingshang got up to go to the bathroom. When he returned, he found Xie Dang standing on the balcony, holding a small spray bottle, carefully spraying water on his pot of mint. The water droplets sparkled on the leaves.
Lin Jingshang leaned against the door frame, watching this scene, and his heart was suddenly filled with peace.
This spare key opens not just a door, but also a silent embrace that accepts all his sudden attacks.
That evening, after the circuit was repaired, Lin Jingshang packed his things to go home.
"I'm leaving," he said, standing at the door.
"Mm." Xie Dang nodded, as usual.
Lin Jingshang walked to the elevator, then turned back, peering through the door frame: "My circuit seems to be a bit unstable. It's the weekend tomorrow, can I come again?"
Xie Dang looked at him, a knowing glint in his eyes: "Whatever you say."
Lin Jingshang left satisfied.
---
The weather turned cool, and the autumn wind was bleak. Lin Jingshang opened the wardrobe in the guest room of Xie Dang Apartment, preparing to put away his summer clothes and change into autumn and winter clothes.
He opened the wardrobe door, stared at the scene inside, and paused for a moment.
The clothes that originally only took up half of the wardrobe now occupy more than two-thirds of the space. His T-shirts, shirts, pants, and sweaters are all hanging together with Xie Dang's dull-colored clothes, or folded in the adjacent compartments, making them indistinguishable from each other.
He picked up a gray cashmere cardigan, which belonged to Xie Dang, but he wore it often, and it seemed to have absorbed his own scent.
He picked up another hooded sweatshirt, which was his own, but it seemed that Xie Dang had washed, dried and brought it in for him after he sweated while hiking last time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com