Xie Lian sighed as he entered Paradise Manor and swapped his boots for the cat slippers Hua Cheng kept there for him. They were cute, unlike his old boots. His boots had definitely seen better days, but with all the upgrades he had planned for Puqi Shrine, he didn’t want to spend anything on replacing said boots. So far his repairs to them had done the job, but he honestly wasn’t sure how much longer they would hold up.
“What makes Gege sigh so deeply today?” came a familiar voice. Xie Lian turned to see Hua Cheng approaching him. He looked exquisite as per usual, a smile on his face.
“Oh, San Lang! I didn’t know you were in,” Xie Lian said.
“Would you rather I not be here?”
“Of course not. Don’t be silly.”
Hua Cheng tucked a loose strand of Xie Lian’s hair behind his ear. “So what was the sigh for?”
“Oh, nothing. Just been a long day, you know?”
Hua Cheng made a noise of discontent. “Gege, you know I can tell when you’re lying, right?”
Xie Lian narrowed his eyes. “How so?”
But Hua Cheng just smirked. “You have a tell, but that’s all I’m saying.”
“Oh.” Xie Lian frowned to himself. He’d have to figure out what this tell was. But honestly, it was to be expected that Hua Cheng could read him so well. “I was just thinking about my boots, if you would believe it.”
“Mn. I have noticed that they’ve… seen better days. I can buy Gege new ones.”
Xie Lian let out another sigh. “I know you can but I don’t like relying on you for everything.”
“Why not? What good is wealth if not to spend some on my love?”
Xie Lian could feel his face heating up. He turned away. “San Lang… You can’t just say things like that.”
A gentle hand on Xie Lian’s face guided Xie Lian back to look at Hua Cheng. “Sorry, Gege. But I can and I will,” Hua Cheng said. He pressed a kiss to Xie Lian’s forehead. “So. Shall I schedule some shoe shopping in?”
Xie Lian hid his face in the crook of Hua Cheng’s shoulder. “Okay,” came out his muffled reply.
Hua Cheng ran his fingers through Xie Lian’s hair. “That’s settled then.”
Once upon a time, Xie Lian had known luxury, but that had been a very long time ago. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get reacquainted with the idea of luxury and wealth, even if Hua Cheng was loaded.
But still, he supposed he could make an exception for some new boots.
In the mean time, Xie Lian would have to repay Hua Cheng’s kindness in some way. Maybe he’d cook something. Hua Cheng was a big fan of his cooking, after all.