Gilded Rust - YiZhan

Chapter 10 - Empty Spaces

"I'm going to take a shower and do some work. I'll be in my office if you have any questions."

With these words, he turned around, entered his office, and closed the door without turning on the light. Yibo waited for a moment in case the man changed his mind, but he didn't come out, so he made his way to his room. He fumbled for the light switch for a moment, and when he found it, the sight of a white cat with short hair, flat ears and a red collar settled on his sports bag surprised him. Delighted, he crouched.

"Hello, there," he said softly.

The cat stared at him with its golden eyes and blinked slowly. Yibo blinked back before he extended his hand so the animal could smell it. It sniffed a few times and, satisfied, rubbed its head against it to receive pets. Yibo obliged, and before long, he sat on the floor with the cat purring loudly in his lap.

"You're such a good kitty! So soft," he said before kissing it on the head a few times. "I saw pictures of you today," he said as he scratched under its chin. "You must be quite the old one," he added in the cutesy voice he reserved for cats.

"She's 15 years old."

Yibo gave a start and turned beet red. He'd been so focused on the cat that he's lost track of time and hadn't heard Mr. Xiao approach. The animal, however, didn't even react, having sensed its owner's presence long before he'd entered the room.

Mr. Xiao, now changed into black slacks and a mint long-sleeve t-shirt, crouched beside him and petted the cat, which purred even louder.

"I see you're endearing yourself to the new chef already, Xiao Shuang."

Xiao Shuang. Little Frost. Setting aside the cat's colour, the name didn't quite match her loving personality.

"Don't think that means he'll feed you table scraps, tho," continued Mr. Xiao.

As if she'd understood what he'd said, Xiao Shuang stopped purring and jumped off Yibo's lap before ambling out of the room under their watchful gaze. When Mr. Xiao turned his head to talk to him, they faced each other at an intimate distance. Yibo caught a faint scent of alcohol emanating from the man. He held his breath, frozen in place.

"Guess I've offended her," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

The man stood up before Yibo could have even thought of backing away.

"Let's go eat; the food is here."

Mr. Xiao held out his hand to help Yibo to his feet, and, mellowed by his interaction with the cat and still shaken by his sudden proximity to the man, he took it. His soft skin reminded him of the roughness of his own again. He'd almost exited the bedroom when he remembered Mrs. Kim's kimchi. Telling his boss that he would meet him in the kitchen, he took the container out to the small fridge next to the solarium before catching up with Mr. Xiao. The man had waited for him on the second-floor landing.

In the kitchen, a round tray filled with much more sushi than two people could ever need sat on the table with small plates and chopsticks, a pair still in its box. Mr. Xiao took a seat.

"I wasn't sure what type of chopsticks you liked, but these are nice, so they can be yours," he said. "We have plastic ones if you prefer..."

Yibo examined the utensils. Their shape matched the cheap ones he used at the restaurant but with slightly more tapered ends. The black material engraved with golden ginkgo leaves reminded him of plastic, but he knew better; these were lacquered chopsticks, and judging from the craftsmanship and the quality of the box, they were expensive. He would have been fine with cheap ones, but he assumed this was another way for Mr. Xiao to "treat him well," so he didn't protest.