ANGEL Chapter 7: A Failed Courtship Attempt

Translator: Abo Dammen

Yi Bai’s plan was so obvious that Zeng Yu could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

Not only was he demanding to touch his feathers now, but this would also give him an excuse to show up again tomorrow. Clearly, Yi Bai didn’t miss a beat when it came to looking out for himself.

Zeng Yu remained silent, withdrawing his hand behind his back while gripping the door handle with his other hand, planning to slam the door shut when Yi Bai wasn’t paying attention.

But Yi Bai, with his seemingly boundless strength, managed to wedge himself inside first.

The large wings, almost half a person’s height, squeezed through the doorway, brushing up against Zeng Yu. Worried he might accidentally hurt the guy, Zeng Yu begrudgingly let go of the door.

Yi Bai grinned sheepishly. As he clumsily stepped inside, a few stray feathers floated down. He carefully picked them up and stuffed them into Zeng Yu’s palm.

“You can put these in your pillow,” he said enthusiastically. “They’ll improve your sleep quality!”

Zeng Yu looked unconvinced.

Watching his reaction, Yi Bai edged closer, pulling on his wings to make them flutter. “Come on, just touch them! Touch them! Touch-touuuuch—”

It was as if he were chanting some kind of spell. The incessant repetition made Zeng Yu’s head spin. He hastily grabbed the tips of both wings and snapped, “Stop it.”

The wings continued to tremble, though, and Yi Bai’s face rapidly flushed. He bit his lower lip, trying to keep his expression under control, but his dazed eyes gave him away.

Seeing that ridiculous look, Zeng Yu let go, regretting his actions almost immediately.

But it was too late.

Lost in his own world, Yi Bai pressed his wings against his face, muffling his screams into silent excitement as he bounced up and down.

Zeng Yu, “…”

Great. Now his ears were spared, but his eyes felt attacked.

“You…” 

Before Zeng Yu could finish, his vision went dark as something large and soft was flung at him.

On reflex, he raised his hands to catch it. It was warm, heavy, and oddly squishy, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward onto the floor.

His tailbone ached from the impact. With a wince, Zeng Yu opened his eyes, only to find a fluffy expanse of white filling his view.

It was Yi Bai’s massive wings.

…What?

Zeng Yu stared blankly, looking up to see Yi Bai still spinning excitedly in circles nearby. Somehow, the man and his wings had been separated.

Zeng Yu was beginning to feel dizzy. The wings in his arms were trembling slightly, the base still warm and fleshy, radiating the heat of a living body.

The soft feathers carried the comforting scent of sun-dried warmth, but none of this made Zeng Yu feel any better. Instead, he was vaguely horrified.

“Yi Bai… Yi Bai!”

Finally snapping out of his excitement, Yi Bai obediently squatted next to Zeng Yu.

His sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks, and delighted expression were utterly shameless. He pushed the wings further into Zeng Yu’s arms.

“Xiao Yu, hug them! Hug them! I’ll bring you 66 bananas the day after tomorrow!”

Zeng Yu, “…”

“Wait a second.” Pressing a hand to his temple, Zeng Yu frowned at the wings, then glanced at Yi Bai’s back.

His meaning was clear. Yi Bai, catching on immediately, explained, “They’re connected! You know, like… magnetic attraction!”

Grinning, he pointed at the halo above his head. “See? Magnetic levitation!”

Clearly, Zeng Yu had seen too little of the world.

Meanwhile, Yi Bai had already started overinterpreting things. “Xiao Yu, are you worried about me? Don’t worry! It doesn’t hurt when I take my wings off, and there’s no bleeding either!”

“See!” Yi Bai turned around and slapped his broad back. The next second, he started pulling at his shirt as if to demonstrate further.

“Stop,” Zeng Yu said firmly.

Yi Bai sighed with disappointment but obediently stopped.

This absurd situation showed no signs of ending. Taking a deep breath, Zeng Yu steadied himself and handed the wings back to Yi Bai.

Looking at Yi Bai, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you like me?”

Yi Bai answered without hesitation, his tone completely natural, “Because from the moment I saw you, you felt familiar and kind. Xiao Yu, I think we’ve met somewhere before!”

Zeng Yu froze.

Those bright blue eyes gazed back at him, pure and unblemished, full of unreserved affection.

Yi Bai truly liked him. A pure, wholehearted, and intense kind of like.

But Zeng Yu, like most people, didn’t believe in such things as love at first sight.

“I’ve never met you before.”

Yi Bai was visibly hurt by the cold words, his wings drooping slightly as he tried to salvage the moment. 

“Aren’t my wings pretty? Aren’t they nice to hold? I cleaned and dried them especially before coming to see you. So…do you like me even a little more today?””

“…” Zeng Yu widened the door. “No.”

Yi Bai left dejectedly, wings hanging low as he left.

Closing the door, Zeng Yu gathered the scattered feathers and straightened the furniture Yi Bai had knocked over.

When he turned back around, his eyes landed on the entryway cabinet, where 33 bananas were neatly stacked.

“…”

“How am I supposed to finish all these?”

—————————-

Old Master Zhang casually grabbed a banana and took a bite. “That Jiang Guang is nuts. Why send so many bananas? He should’ve just sent some cash.”

The phone repair guy shot him a sideways glance. “If he sent money, it’d be for his apprentice anyway. You think you’d get any of it?”

“Hey, I can still dream.” Master Zhang quickly polished off the banana in his hand and bent down to grab a handful more. “Xiao Yu, I’ll bring some to your sister-in-law, thanks!”

Before anyone could stop him, Old Zhang scurried off. The phone repair guy aimed a kick at him but missed, cursing under his breath, “Always freeloading off Xiao Yu!”

Zeng Yu was happily going along with being taken advantage of as he distributed the bananas to everyone around him. Once he was finally done, he let out a sigh of relief.

As he straightened up, the iron hook hanging by the door suddenly shifted and knocked against his head.

Zeng Yu silently sighed, rubbed his head, and crouched back down. Picking up the last banana from the basket, he was just about to eat it when his fingers touched something soft and wet. Flipping it over, he realized—it was rotten.

The phone repair guy guy shook his head. “It must’ve been crushed. Don’t eat it.”

Ye Zhishu, perched on her little bicycle, sighed with an air of maturity, “Ah, Xiao Yu-gege’s bumpy life…”

Qiao Dongkai, strapping on his knee pads, mimicked her tone, “Ah, Xiao Yu-gege’s stumbling journey through life…”

“Why are you copying me?!”

“Who’s copying you? I’m just creatively extending the theme!”

The phone repair guy flicked both of them on the forehead. “Don’t jinx it, you two. Xiao Yu-gege’s life is rough enough as it is.”

Zeng Yu, “…”

“Deliveryyyy—!”

A shout came from the end of the street.

The voice was familiar—Zeng Yu had just heard it yesterday. His heart skipped a beat as he turned to look. Sure enough, it was Yi Bai.

Yi Bai’s outfit was relatively normal this time. A graffiti T-shirt and ripped jeans. But with a military-green messenger bag slung over his shoulder and riding an old-school 1980s Phoenix-brand bicycle, his trendy look was thoroughly disrupted.

As he pedaled leisurely down the street, Yi Bai’s cheerful holler drew curious stares from passersby. He came to a steady stop right in front of Zeng Yu.

Leaving a small gap between them, Yi Bai leaned forward and whispered, “I just got off work. I’m moonlighting as a courier!”

Straightening up, he cleared his throat dramatically and patted the package strapped to the bike’s backseat. “Mr. Zeng Yu? Is there a Mr. Zeng Yu here? Your package has arrived!”

Everyone around them, “…”

Zeng Yu forced himself to play along. “What’s inside?”

Yi Bai parked his bike, cradled the package in both hands, and passed it over with a whisper, “Bananas, of course. Didn’t I promise you yesterday?”

“…”

With everyone watching, Zeng Yu had no choice but to cooperate. He took the package and opened it to check.

Yi Bai handed him a receipt and a feather pen. “Mr. Zeng Yu, please sign here!”

Zeng Yu casually drew a line. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yi Bai carefully adding a little doodle of a fish to the line.

The phone repair guy inspected the package curiously. “Are these golden bananas or silver ones? Did the courier personally deliver them from overseas?”

Ye Zhishu giggled and hopped over to hug Yi Bai’s leg, calling sweetly, “Yi Bai-gege—”

Qiao Dongkai walked around with disdain. “Which ‘gege’ is this now?”

Seeing Yi Bai’s foreign features, Qiao Dongkai scratched his head and suddenly blurted out in English, “How are you?”

Yi Bai tilted his head in confusion.

Qiao Dongkai squinted and continued, “I’m fine, thank you, and you?”

Yi Bai turned to Zeng Yu for help.

Zeng Yu gave Qiao Dongkai’s head a light smack.

Thinking Yi Bai couldn’t speak English, Qiao Dongkai snorted and tugged on Ye Zhishu. “He’s just a literate fool. Why would you still want to play with him?”

Ye Zhishu rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’re the illiterate one.”

“I don’t want to play with you anymore!”

“Who cares!”

The two little brats started chasing each other in circles, leaving Yi Bai free at last. He leaned closer to Zeng Yu, sincerely seeking guidance. “What did he just say, Xiao Yu? Do you know?”

Zeng Yu was surprised he didn’t understand English and replied casually, “Nothing important.”

“Oh,” Yi Bai murmured, dropping the topic. He pulled out a fresh banana from the package, peeled it, and held it up to Zeng Yu’s mouth like he was coaxing a child. “Aaaah—”

Zeng Yu turned his head away. “You eat it yourself.”

Yi Bai promptly stuffed it into his own mouth. “Xiao Yu, do you not like bananas? I’ve given you so many, but you just keep handing them out to others.”

It was the first time Zeng Yu had heard him speak in such a calm tone. He turned to look at him.

When Yi Bai wasn’t smiling, his entire demeanor elevated. His deep-set eyes, prominent nose, and golden-brown brows and lashes accentuated his porcelain-like skin.

In that moment, he almost seemed to embody the divine radiance of his supposed angelic identity.

Zeng Yu was momentarily speechless and dropped his gaze. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!” Yi Bai frantically shook his head like he’d been startled. “Once I give something to you, it’s yours to do whatever you want with. It’s my fault—I didn’t ask you first and just bought them for you. It must’ve been a lot of pressure, right? I’m sorry!”

After a pause, Zeng Yu said, “It’s fine.”

Hearing the forgiveness, Yi Bai’s mood visibly lifted. His eyes crinkled as he smiled, turning to face Zeng Yu fully.

A breeze blew past, dislodging a leaf from the roadside trees. It floated down, landing between their gazes, before Yi Bai caught it in one hand.

He lowered his hand, revealing his bright, blue eyes.

“So, Xiao Yu, what’s your favorite fruit? I’ve saved up some money over the past couple of days. I want to buy you something you like!”