Singlehood Syndrome

When Xiang Mo returned to his bedroom after taking a shower, the person lying on the bed hadn’t left yet.

He removed the towel around his waist and put on his underwear, revealing the alluring curve of his round buttocks as he bent down.
It was a sight that was hard to look away from.

Tan Song pulled back the covers and got out of bed, wrapping his arms around Xiang Mo from behind and burying his face in his neck.
He asked softly, “Can I come again tomorrow?”

“No, you can’t,” Xiang Mo answered without hesitation and with a matter-of-fact tone.

Tan Song, as if used to Xiang Mo’s indifference, smiled nonchalantly.
“You really are cold-hearted.”

Xiang Mo never thought that he and Tan Song needed any emotional connection.
They were just fulfilling each other’s physical needs, and maintaining boundaries was the best way to get along.

“Recently, a new colleague joined the company,” Tan Song voluntarily took a step back, “He looks good and has a good personality.
Should I pursue him?”

Although it sounded like a new topic, Xiang Mo could feel that Tan Song was still testing his reaction.
It was as if he was not satisfied with the rejection earlier and wanted to get a somewhat unusual response from him.

At the beginning of their acquaintance, Tan Song wouldn’t act like this, but lately, he had been increasingly crossing boundaries.

“Like him? Then go pursue him,” Xiang Mo said, his expression calm and unchanged.

Tan Song sized up Xiang Mo for a moment before giving up with a sigh, half-jokingly, half-seriously saying, “Never mind, I can’t bear to lose you.”

Their relationship was solely about physical intimacy and not about love.
It was the understanding between Xiang Mo and Tan Song.

Both of them emphasized physical and mental well-being and never indulged in casual encounters.
After becoming regular bed partners, they had only been with each other.

This seemingly intimate and stable relationship was, in reality, quite fragile.

Xiang Mo knew only that Tan Song worked in a 4S car dealership, and Tan Song knew only that Xiang Mo managed an art studio.
Besides this, they understood each other no more than their individual friends.

If Tan Song decided to pursue his colleague, their bed partners’ relationship would naturally come to an end.

Xiang Mo didn’t care; for him, sex was a recreational activity, not a necessity.
Physical needs did not require immediate resolution.

However, his indifferent attitude seemed to be not what Tan Song wanted as a response.

After dressing up, grabbing his phone, and preparing to leave, Tan Song was met with a sudden “creak, creak” sound in the quiet bedroom.

The noise came from upstairs and sounded quite rhythmic.
If Xiang Mo didn’t guess wrong, it was the sound of a metal bed frame moving.

Tan Song couldn’t help but click his tongue a few times, teasingly saying, “The guy upstairs is quite energetic.”

A similar thought flashed through Xiang Mo’s mind.

Before Tan Song’s arrival, the upstairs had already begun “exercising,” and after a brief break, it now started the second round.

However, unlike Tan Song’s playful thoughts, Xiang Mo slightly frowned, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

—He really hated noise.

The place Xiang Mo rented was an old three-story Western-style house.

At the entrance of the elegant courtyard hung a sign that read “Ink and Brush Art Studio.” Entering through the door, one would find the small studio hidden in the bustling city.

Inside the studio, there were long tables, easels, and various art tools.
The walls were decorated with many works by Xiang Mo and his students.

Ascending the wooden staircase in the middle of the studio, the room on the left side of the hallway, which was always closed, was Xiang Mo’s private bedroom.
On the right side, the open space was the shared kitchen and bathroom.

Xiang Mo had rented the first and second floors, leaving the bedroom and balcony on the third floor unoccupied.

Since the rent for the old Western-style house was high, the price of a single room was not cheap.
As a result, no one had lived on the third floor since Xiang Mo moved in.

A few hundred meters away was the most bustling area of the city.
Renting a small apartment there was even cheaper than renting the upstairs of Xiang Mo’s place.

If it weren’t for experiencing the leisure and tranquility of an old Western-style house or feeling the historical charm of this neighborhood, no one would spend thousands of dollars to rent such a small room.

Except for Du Chi, Xiang Mo’s new neighbor.

Not knowing if it was the influence of the noise from upstairs, Tan Song, who had already walked to the door, suddenly turned around and embraced Xiang Mo’s waist from behind.

Looking at the approaching lips, Xiang Mo instinctively turned his face away and frowned.
“Don’t do this, Tan Song.”

Kissing was not something that bed partners should engage in.
Xiang Mo could ignore Tan Song’s verbal tests, but if he kept crossing boundaries repeatedly, he would end this relationship without hesitation.

“Aren’t you considering taking it to the next level?” Tan Song stepped back, his expression somewhat helpless.
“I thought we were a good match.”

“That’s just what you think.” Xiang Mo didn’t want to complicate their relationship and chose to straightforwardly reject him.
“If you still want to come over, stop mentioning this.”

“Alright.” Tan Song wasn’t someone who couldn’t take a hint.
Seeing that Xiang Mo had made his stance clear, he stopped making meaningless attempts.

He walked to the door and turned back to Xiang Mo.
“See you next week.”

Whether they would see each other again remained to be seen, Xiang Mo thought.

He didn’t want to ponder whether Tan Song’s “can’t bear to lose you” was sincere or not because he wasn’t interested in investing emotions in such matters.

Many people believed that marriage was the grave of love, but to Xiang Mo, love itself was a grave.

If anyone wanted to drag him into their grave, he would draw clear boundaries without hesitation.

The next day was a workday, and the art studio o