a lifetime
The late autumn nights were already noticeably chilly. The windows were tightly closed, but wisps of cold air still managed to seep in through the cracks, a reminder of the changing seasons.
However, the master bedroom in the Qi family home was warm and cozy. The air conditioner was set to a comfortable temperature, and the warm yellow bedside lamp cast a soft glow, bathing everything in a warm and inviting hue.
Qi Shuo leaned against the headboard, holding a thick mechanical engineering book in his hand, and was reading it carefully by the light.
He wore a dark gray silk pajama top, the buttons meticulously fastened to the very top, and the sleeves neatly rolled up to his forearms, revealing his sleek and strong wrists. The warm light outlined the focused profile of his face, making him appear composed and captivating.
The blankets beside him stirred, and Tan Huaiyu peeked out from under the thick, fluffy, soft down comforter. He had just taken a shower, his hair was half-dry, and it lay softly on his forehead, giving off a refreshing scent of shower gel and a warm, cozy feeling.
He was wearing the same style of light gray pajamas as Qi Shuo, but in a different color. Two buttons were casually undone, revealing his delicate collarbone and a small patch of fair chest.
He was clearly not reading a book, but playing on his phone, or simply fidgeting in bed, looking for the most comfortable position.
"Hmm..." Tan Huaiyu suddenly made a muffled nasal sound, as if he had discovered something interesting.
He put his phone aside, and then, under the covers, he gently and tentatively touched Qi Shuo's calf with his foot.
Qi Shuo shifted his attention slightly from the book, turned his head to look at him, and asked with his eyes, "What's wrong?"
Tan Huaiyu didn't speak, but nudged him again with his foot, this time with a bit more force, carrying a hint of stubbornness. His toes were a little cool, rubbing against Qi Shuo's warm calves, causing a slight tickle.
Qi Shuo put down his book, simply lifted the blanket on his side, reached out and grabbed Tan Huaiyu's slightly cold foot that was causing trouble in the blanket, warming it in his palm, and asked helplessly yet indulgently, "Your feet are so cold, why aren't you behaving?"
Tan Huaiyu's feet were enveloped by Qi Shuo's warm, dry hands, and he comfortably curled his toes.
But it seemed he wasn't touching Qi Shuo because his feet were cold; rather, he had made another "discovery." He let Qi Shuo hold his feet, then shrank back further, burying almost his entire head in the blanket, leaving only his bright, slightly mischievous amber eyes peeking out as he looked at Qi Shuo and blurted out something out of the blue:
"Ah Shuo, this blanket is so short."
His voice came through the down comforter, a little muffled, but his words were clear.
Qi Shuo was intently warming his slightly chilly feet with the warmth of his palms when he heard these words. He was slightly taken aback, and his heart fluttered for no reason.
Is life really that short?
Do you feel that... a "lifetime" with me is too short?
This realization instantly softened Qi Shuo's heart, sending a warm current through his body.
He unconsciously tightened his grip on Tan Huaiyu's foot, his gaze completely shifting from the pages of the book to a deep, focused look at Tan Huaiyu's smiling eyes peeking out from under the covers.
The warm yellow light reflected in those amber eyes, like tiny starlight falling into them, so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
He thought that Huaiyu was expressing her attachment to him and her feelings about the fleeting nature of time in a subtle and slightly coquettish way.
Like many people in love, they always feel that there isn't enough time together, that a lifetime is too short, and they want more and more.
An indescribable tenderness and sense of responsibility welled up in Qi Shuo's heart.
He thought, yes, a lifetime sounds long, but with Tan Huaiyu, every day flies by, and it always feels too short. He wanted to give him more, to stay with him longer, long enough for the next life, and the life after that…
He moved his lips, about to respond in the same gentle yet solemn tone, perhaps saying, "It's not short, our 'life' has only just begun," or "If you think it's short, let's make it very, very long together, filling every single day to the brim"...
The carefully prepared, deeply emotional sentiments and promises were already on the tip of his tongue—
"It doesn't even cover our feet."
Tan Huaiyu's voice, tinged with a hint of complaint yet also a touch of innocence, rang out clearly and immediately afterward. At the same time, he shifted again under the covers, seemingly stretching his legs deliberately and reaching for the edge of the blanket with his toes to prove that what he said was true.
"..."
All the tender and affectionate words that Qi Shuo was about to say caught in his throat.
His expression shifted from a moment ago of emotion, tenderness, and an impending declaration of love, to a moment of stagnation and bewilderment, then gradually cracked, finally settling on an indescribable complexion that mixed feelings of "Just as I expected," "I knew it," "I've been led astray by this kid again," and "What am I even expecting?"
His hand, which was holding Tan Huaiyu's foot, froze. The warmth was still there, but the atmosphere... seemed a little off.
Tan Huaiyu seemed completely unaware of the turbulent emotions and the sense of sudden fall that had gripped Qi Shuo's heart in those few short seconds.
Seeing that Qi Shuo didn't react, he poked his head out completely from under the covers. His hair was a little messy from being rubbed, with a few strands sticking up. Combined with his slightly aggrieved yet "see, I was right" expression, he looked... exceptionally innocent, yet exceptionally irritating.
“Really, look,” he deliberately lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing their legs stretched out side by side, and the pitiful edge of the blanket that was indeed a little distance from their ankles. Especially Qi Shuo’s side, because he was taller, his ankles were almost completely exposed, looking somewhat “lonely and helpless” in the slightly cool air.
"Pfft—" Tan Huaiyu couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw Qi Shuo's "nowhere to go" ankle. The clear laughter was particularly distinct in the quiet bedroom.
Qi Shuo: "..."
He looked down at his feet, which were indeed not completely covered by the blanket, then looked up at Tan Huaiyu's smiling face, which had a mischievous slyness about it.
All those surging tendernesses, those romantic sentiments about "a lifetime," and those impulses to reciprocate with deep affection... all of them have now turned into helpless and laughable bubbles, bursting with a "poof."
He knew it!
He knew that Tan Huaiyu, that little rascal who never knew what was going on in his head all day, would never suddenly talk to him about whether a "life" was short or not!
Sure enough! The key points are always in those strange and funny parts!
The blanket is too short? In a physical sense, it doesn't cover your feet and you need a longer, bigger blanket—it's too short!
Qi Shuo took a deep breath and told himself to stay calm and not to stoop to the level of this "childish brat".
But the hand that was holding Tan Huaiyu's foot couldn't help but gently tickle the sole of his foot in a retaliatory manner.
"Ouch! It tickles!" Tan Huaiyu immediately laughed and tried to pull his foot away, but couldn't break free.
"The blanket is too short?" Qi Shuo finally found his voice, a mix of gritted teeth, deep affection, and helplessness. "Tan Huaiyu, what's going on in your head all day long? Cotton candy?"
“It’s all you I’m pretending to be.” Tan Huaiyu replied casually, her words flowing naturally, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, as if to say, “Look at my sweet talk skills, aren’t they pretty charming?”
Qi Shuo was taken aback by his unexpected counter-flirtation, his heart skipped a beat, but he still tried to maintain a "serious" expression, glaring at him: "Stop with the nonsense! Seriously, why don't you just say your feet are cold? Why do you have to beat around the bush and say the blanket is too short?"
"I'm just stating an objective fact," Tan Huaiyu blinked, looking innocent. "Besides, it really is too short. Your feet are sticking out. Aren't you cold?"
As he spoke, he tried to touch Qi Shuo's exposed ankle with his other free foot, and sure enough, it was slightly cool to the touch.
"You're cold, why are you sticking your feet out?" Qi Shuo slapped away the messing feet with annoyance, but held the slightly cool foot even tighter in his hand, warming it with the warmth of his palm. With his other hand, he stretched out and pulled the blanket down on both of their sides, trying to cover them up more.
But the blanket seems... a bit too short. It covers one end, but not the other.
As Tan Huaiyu watched Qi Shuo clumsily struggle with the blanket, trying to cover them both completely, his smile deepened until he finally couldn't help but giggle and burrowed into the blanket, his shoulders swaying.
Qi Shuo struggled for a while, only to find that it was indeed an "engineering problem"—either he would expose his feet, or Tan Huaiyu would expose his shoulders. He sighed, gave up his futile efforts, turned to look at the person who was laughing so hard he was curled up in a ball, and reached out to tickle him.
"Still laughing! Whose fault is it that the comforter is short? Who was it that insisted on buying this down comforter last time, saying it was so light and warm? Hmm?"
"Ah! Haha... Don't tickle me! Qi Shuo! I was wrong! Hahaha..." Tan Huaiyu was most ticklish, so she immediately twisted into a ball on the bed, laughing and dodging at the same time, almost laughing to tears.
The two were laughing and joking around on the bed, the warm down comforter being rolled around and over, long since losing its original purpose of covering them. It wasn't until Tan Huaiyu was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe and kept begging for mercy that Qi Shuo stopped, but still kept her tightly wrapped in his arms.
Tan Huaiyu was panting, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes were moist. He leaned against Qi Shuo's chest, trying to even out his breathing. Qi Shuo was also slightly out of breath, his chest rising and falling, but his arms were tightly wrapped around him, as if afraid that he would get cold, or as if it was simply a matter of possession.
After the commotion subsided, the bedroom fell silent again, with only the sound of their still-smoking breaths.
"Let's go buy a new bed tomorrow, an extra long and wide one." Qi Shuo rubbed his chin against Tan Huaiyu's head and said in a low voice, his tone still carrying a hint of amusement and helplessness.
"Mmm," Tan Huaiyu snuggled closer to him, finding a more comfortable position, her voice tinged with laughter, "I want a really long one, one that can wrap us all up."
Qi Shuo hummed in agreement, paused, tightened his grip on her arm, and said in a low voice, "However, it's a matter of 'lifetimes'..."
"Hmm?" Tan Huaiyu looked up, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Qi Shuo looked into his clear, questioning eyes, which were so close to his own, and saw his own reflection clearly reflected in them.
Those romantic sentiments about "life being too short" suddenly resurfaced, but this time, they carried a more grounded and warm undertone.
He lowered his head, kissed Tan Huaiyu's forehead, then looked into his eyes and said earnestly and slowly:
"A blanket can be replaced if it's too short. But our whole life..."
He paused, noticing a knowing glint in Tan Huaiyu's eyes, which then blossomed into a gentle, knowing smile.
“…It’s very long,” Qi Shuo continued, his voice deep and firm, carrying an undeniable promise, “so long that even if we use many, many blankets, we still won’t be able to cover it all, and we still won’t be able to walk the whole way.”
Tan Huaiyu smiled, a smile as sweet as melting honey, warming Qi Shuo's heart. He tilted his head back and kissed the corner of Qi Shuo's lips.
“Mmm,” he responded softly, his voice filled with complete trust and happiness, “Then let’s build it together, slowly and steadily.”
The night outside the window deepened, and the cold wind persisted.
Inside, under the warm light, the two slept in each other's arms. Qi Shuo carefully tucked in the slightly short down comforter, and although their feet might still be sticking out a little, their tightly pressed bodies transmitted a continuous stream of warmth.
As for whether it's "quilt" or "lifetime"...
It doesn't matter anymore.
Because whether it's the blanket covering you or the life you spend together, as long as you're together, it's warm, enduring, and worth cherishing and protecting for a lifetime.
I slept well all night.
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