In a small cafe not far from the apartment building, Chen Qiang sat across from Xiao Yi, his hands propping up his head as he listened to the explanation of his new friend.

Xiao Yi didn’t have many words, he only said. “I received a hit and went to kill him, he fought me pretty well so I added him. Now, he dares to steal my crops.”

Chen Qiang fell into thought as he watched Xiao Yi’s face.

He may seem expressionless, but he had some subtle hints. A slight twitch of his mouth, the tiniest crinkle of his brows, closing his eyes slightly. Each movement showed a different emotion, albeit small.

Chen Qiang smiled. “I see, you feel so comfortable with him already. That’s great.”

Xiao Yi nodded.

Chen Qiang hummed. “You want to get to know him more?”

Xiao Yi nodded again.

“But you don’t know how to talk to people, that’s it?”

Xiao Yi went to nod, then paused and looked at Chen Qiang.

Xiao Yi thought to himself: He’s still too good at this, it even creeps me out a bit.

Chen Qiang frowned and playfully fiddled with something in his hand. A few seconds later, he threw a crumpled-up straw wrapper at Xiao Yi’s face. “That’s rude.”

Xiao Yi opened his mouth as he moved his face to the side to dodge the wrapper. “Hey!”

“A decade of living together and you think I’m weird for understanding you so well?” Chen Qiang huffed, crossed his arms dramatically, and looked out the window. “I’m so hurt.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“…”

What could he say? After living with Xiao Qiu who could hardly read his face, Chen Qiang was like a breath of fresh air, but he could also be a curse to him.

It was due to Chen Qiang that he had to avoid his teammates while he was sneaking around his parents, trying to drag them out of their mess. It was also due to Chen Qiang that he had to say those harsh words directly. If Chen Qiang had spent too long looking at his face and studying him… He wouldn’t have been able to lie back then.

Still, it was comforting knowing that he was still the same.

He hadn’t forgotten all of his quirks, nor did he forget how to read his mind either.

Even Xiao Yi had no clue how Chen Qiang could get so much out of his face.

After getting no response for a moment, Chen Qiang dropped his arms and turned back to Xiao Yi with a small smile. “You know, you’re not that bad with people. You may still be a bit silent now, but you’re nothing compared to who you were all those years ago.”

Xiao Yi glanced up. He couldn’t deny that, he spoke a lot more now. However, it was nice to not speak as well. That was the problem - if he was given the option to, if anyone could understand him like Chen Qiang, he probably wouldn’t open his mouth except to curse someone out.

Chen Qiang thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “But talking is essential to most friendships. Even mute people find a way to talk to others, whether it’s writing or sign language… There’s even apps that they use to talk.”

Xiao Yi sighed. “I know.”

“It’s also not a bad quality to talk less. You don’t need to force yourself to talk constantly… However, it is nice to hear your voice.”

He thought back to the time when they first brought Xiao Yi home.

Back then, the poor boy was so shattered that he wouldn’t speak unless someone was threatening him, or, it was only possible to get him to speak if someone annoyed him. But, the Xiao Yi back then didn’t get annoyed easily, because he didn’t care about himself.

If someone poured water down his shirt, he’d just coldly glance at them before going to the washroom to dry off.

If someone poured water down any of his friend's shirts, he’d start cursing them out.

That was the difference.

He only thought of others and never thought of himself. Just like he did four years ago.

The Xiao Yi of today…

Chen Qiang smiled and leaned back. “Can I meet him?”

“I don’t know.” Xiao Yi looked down at his phone and flipped to his messages. “He doesn’t usually tell me when he’s getting on, but he usually gets on pretty late.”

He shook his head and clarified. “I meant in person.”

“Hmm… We haven’t talked about meeting in person yet.”