The morning sun slanted through the wooden blinds of the dumpling shop, painting the floor in stripes of gold. The air smelled faintly of steamed dough and soy sauce, warm and comforting.
Yulan arranged the last tray of dumplings when Li Wei walked in, carrying a small stack of papers. His long hair caught the sunlight, haloed faintly around his face, making Yulan's heart skip — again.
"You're early," Yulan said, voice cautious.
Li Wei smirked, tilting his head. "You said your dumplings taste better when I'm around."
Yulan's eyes widened. "…I didn't say that." His cheeks heated.
"Ah," Li Wei said, leaning casually against the counter, "but you didn't deny it either."
Before Yulan could reply, Chen Hao appeared from the back room, waving a small notebook like a flag. "Morning, you two! Oh, wow, the sunlight makes everything look dramatic here. Very cinematic."
Li Wei rolled his eyes. "Hao…"
Yulan tried not to smile, but the humor in Chen Hao's antics softened the tension that had been building all morning.
As Yulan handed Li Wei a steaming bowl, a customer passing by made a faint, teasing comment:
"Ah, you two look… cozy. Are you always together?"
Yulan froze. "What?"
Li Wei's brow furrowed slightly. "Ignore them," he murmured, though there was a faint twitch of amusement at Yulan's flustered expression.
Yulan stepped back, embarrassed. "…We're not together."
Li Wei leaned in, voice low, teasing: "Are we not? Or are you just… hiding it?"
Yulan's pulse quickened. "I… I'm not hiding anything!"
Chen Hao, standing too close for his own good, snickered. "Uh-huh. Sure, that's why you just went bright red."
Li Wei's lips twitched into a small smirk. "You're adorable when flustered, Yulan."
Yulan's eyes widened, heat creeping into his cheeks. "…I'm not!"
Later, after the shop quieted down, Li Wei approached Yulan, still carrying the bowl.
"About earlier…" Li Wei said softly, voice low enough that only Yulan could hear. "…I didn't mean to embarrass you."
Yulan shook his head. "No… it's fine. I… maybe I overreacted."
Li Wei smiled faintly. "Good. I like when we're honest with each other."
Yulan looked up, meeting Li Wei's gaze. There was a warmth there — teasing, challenging, but also something sincere that made his chest tighten. "…I… I like that too."
For a long moment, neither spoke. Just the faint hiss of steam from the dumplings, the soft golden light, and the quiet understanding that had begun to grow between them.
Chen Hao peeked from the corner. "See? Told you honesty fixes everything. Not that I'm bragging about being wise, of course."
Li Wei rolled his eyes again, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Hao…"