As Long As You're Happy

"Would you like to come in for a while?" The old man seemed to want to invite Ye Shuang inside for a cup of tea.

Ye Shuang hesitated for a moment. Though he was curious to hear more about Bai Yuyou’s family, it definitely wouldn’t be appropriate with her present.

"Maybe another time, sir. We still need to go back and cook dinner," Ye Shuang said.

"Alright, thank you for bringing Hot Pot back to me." The old man looked at the blue cat lying on its back on the floor, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

"It’s been too quiet at home these past few days without him around."

With that, the old man asked them to wait a moment before disappearing into the inner room. When he returned, he was holding a red envelope.

"No, no, that’s really not necessary, sir."

"Please take it."

"Really, it was no trouble at all. We can’t accept it." In the end, Ye Shuang firmly declined.

After returning the cat, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou headed downstairs.

"Ye Shuang." As they reached their doorstep, Bai Yuyou suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you refuse the red envelope?"

Ye Shuang was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled as he looked at the girl beside him. "Yuyou, I didn’t know you were such a little money-grubber?"

But then again, Bai Yuyou probably wouldn’t care about such a small amount of money, right?

Bai Yuyou shook her head. "He… wanted us to take it."

"Of course I know that, but an elderly man living alone probably doesn’t have much to spare." Ye Shuang took out his keys to unlock the door. "You have to understand, not every elderly person is well taken care of, and not every one of them has a pension."

"Even in the most prosperous cities, you’ll still find old folks digging through trash bins for cans and cardboard."

"Sure, a small number might do it out of boredom, but most of them are genuinely struggling… They have no income, and sometimes a meal is just a few greens bought for a couple of bucks."

"If that old man were well-off, fine. But what if he’s tight on money? Taking that envelope would feel wrong."

Bai Yuyou listened quietly, then murmured, "But the cat was fat."

"I know, the cat was clearly well-fed." Ye Shuang smiled. "But you might not realize that many financially struggling elders still manage to raise their grandchildren plump and healthy."

"Because they always give the best they have to the children."

Bai Yuyou seemed to half-understand. Grandfathers and elderly figures were distant concepts to her.

"Meow!"

Just then, Ye Shuang opened the door and spotted Yīwàn, his tail standing straight.

"Stop sniffing around, she’s not here anymore."

Seeing Yīwàn sniffing at the doormat, Ye Shuang picked him up and carried him inside.

After washing his hands, Ye Shuang took ingredients from the fridge and started preparing dinner, while Bai Yuyou quickly moved to his side to assist.

She had become quite skilled at chopping vegetables, and the knife-holding technique Ye Shuang taught her ensured she never nicked her fingers.

Turning on the faucet, the sound of running water filled the air as Bai Yuyou rinsed the vegetables. Glancing back absentmindedly, she suddenly noticed their shadows on the floor.

Though they were standing a small distance apart, the elongated silhouettes cast by the setting sun seemed almost intertwined.

Seeing this, Bai Yuyou shifted slightly to the left. Only when their shadows overlapped did she nod in satisfaction and return to her task.

By the time they finished dinner and showered, it was almost nine. Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou climbed into bed early to watch a movie.

Movies were an excellent way to improve Bai Yuyou’s language comprehension, and a nightly film had become part of their routine. While Ye Shuang preferred sci-fi like Interstellar, he figured such films might still be too challenging for her.

So today, he chose something lighter and more humorous.

Halfway through, however, a scene appeared where the on-screen couple grew intimate, peeling away layers like an onion.

Ye Shuang: "…"

He silently checked the title—uncut version.

Foreign films tended to be more explicit, especially since Ye Shuang usually sourced movies from less-regulated sites. Seeing the scene, he quickly skipped ahead.

"Ye Shuang, what are they… doing?" Bai Yuyou asked.

Asking questions during movies was something Ye Shuang had encouraged, but now he found himself at a loss.

"Well, uh… that."

He debated whether to explain human physiology but worried it might only pique her curiosity further.

"They’re having a samurai duel. Let’s not watch this part," he finally said with feigned seriousness.

"Oh." Bai Yuyou never doubted Ye Shuang’s words and simply nodded before continuing.

After the "duel," the girl in the movie sat in front of the boy, scrolling through her phone while he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, their closeness undeniable.

Seeing this, Bai Yuyou slowly sat up, then crawled into Ye Shuang’s lap.

"What’s up?"

"This." She pointed at the screen.

Mimicking the scene perfectly, she settled in front of him, her back pressed snugly against his chest.

At this proximity, Ye Shuang could catch the fragrance of her hair and glimpses of fair skin.

He averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "This position… isn’t great."

"Why?"

"Because… it’s something couples do."

Bai Yuyou nodded. "Right, we’re husband and wife… even better…"

Even better?

Ye Shuang nearly laughed but let her be.

Just then, the movie resumed. The male lead, still holding the girl, suddenly slipped a hand under her clothes and grinned mischievously.

Ye Shuang: "…"

Bai Yuyou turned to him. "Ye Shuang, does grabbing that make people happy?"

Ye Shuang rubbed his temples. "Probably?"

"Then grab mine."

"…"

Completely overwhelmed—and regretting his movie choice—Ye Shuang shut off the film and switched to a censored version on a different platform.

Now, those scenes were safely omitted.

Though he usually preferred uncut editions, with Bai Yuyou around—utterly clueless about such matters—he couldn’t shake the guilt creeping into his conscience.

If he actually tried anything, she’d probably just stare at him blankly and ask, Does this make you happy? As long as you like it…

What a sin.

At that moment, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw Chen Qin’s video call notification.

Perhaps due to the time difference, she hadn’t considered whether he might already be asleep.

Bai Yuyou, holding the phone to watch the movie, instinctively tapped the incoming call.