Chapter 2
AT A TABLE in Sunny Days Cat Café:
“Your name’s Yan Jun?” Having found his first tenant, Zhang Yuwen made the first move and sized up the guy sitting across from him. The guy was observing Zhang Yuwen right back.
Yan Jun was tall, slim, and well-proportioned, with deeply chiseled facial features and tanned skin. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, he exuded poise.
“Yeah,” Yan Jun answered. “I work at Zhaoling Tower. You sure you didn’t make a mistake with the rent?”
“Nope.” Zhang Yuwen had already thought of an explanation beforehand. “This is my friend’s property. I’m just helping him to look after it. As long as it’s occupied, the rent isn’t top priority.”
Yan Jun nodded, and Zhang Yuwen cast another glance at him. “What do you do for a living?”
“Sales,” Yan Jun answered succinctly. Half a minute later, he added, “Equipment sales.”
“What’s your position?” Zhang Yuwen asked offhandedly before realizing he might have sounded a little offensive. “Sorry, I’m just curious. I mean, are you a top? Or in other words, a 1?”
Yan Jun seldom found himself in situations where he was asked about his sexual role right to his face. He was closeted, and the question reminded him of his sexual orientation, hitting him with the abrupt realization—“Oh, I’m gay. I almost forgot. Close call.” It also felt like he was being described as some new equipment, which made him uncomfortable.
But he needed lower-priced housing, and this sub-landlord didn’t seem to be a troublesome guy.
“I…guess top?” he said. “I haven’t bottomed before. You?”
Yan Jun surmised that this sub-landlord, who had yet to introduce himself by name, might be well-off. His fair complexion showed he’d never had to brave the elements and toil hard for a living, and his well-proportioned figure suggested he did not have to relieve stress by bingeing on food. The lack of dark circles under his eyes also indicated that he got enough sleep. He spoke and drank his coffee at a leisurely pace, too.
Slow-paced—this was an important point. It was also a key criterion Yan Jun used to estimate a client’s financial status. People who weren’t in a hurry were usually well-off.
“Me neither.” Zhang Yuwen thought for a while before adding, “I was the top in my last relationship.”
For some reason, perhaps because he didn’t know any other gay people, Zhang Yuwen was always keen to talk to someone about his feelings.
“You single?” Yan Jun asked in all seriousness.
“Yup.” Zhang Yuwen looked into his sincere eyes. “Would you like to look at the house?”
“I can do it now,” Yan Jun said. “I took half a day off today. Are we going by car?”
“It’s just next door.” Zhang Yuwen took the bill and went up to the counter to pay. “Let’s go.”
Yan Jun said nothing and followed Zhang Yuwen with strong, purposeful strides. Before he headed out today, he’d tidied himself up so that he looked neat and spirited. He’d also done an online search and learned that No. 7 Riverbay Road was a fairly lavish villa.
“It’s right here.” Zhang Yuwen unlocked the door with his fingerprint. “You can’t bring dates home to stay the night.”
“How about friends?” Yan Jun asked.
“Better not, but they can occasionally come over for a visit.” Zhang Yuwen didn’t want a stream of people coming and going; he didn’t need that many observation subjects. “Try to make yourself the only tenant for your room. That’s one of the reasons the rent is lower.”
Yan Jun stepped into the front yard, a neat and well-maintained garden with flowerpots stacked together and a water vat in the corner filled with blooming water lilies. “Anyone doing the cleaning?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Zhang Yuwen replied. “Two housekeepers will be here every day; one to do the grocery shopping and prepare the meals, and another to clean up the common areas. The homeowner doesn’t want them to touch the stuff inside…” He opened the main entrance and stepped past the foyer to a large, two-story, high-ceilinged living room. A dining room to the side held a long table that could seat twelve people.
Yan Jun glanced at the stairs and offhandedly touched the corner of the coffee table. The furnishings were old but well-cleaned, and there was no dust even on the decorations.
“There are three rooms on the ground floor.” Zhang Yuwen led Yan Jun to view them. Each was about 375 square feet in size, with one facing south, one north, and one east.
“There are three on the second floor too,” Zhang Yuwen continued. “I’m staying in the master bedroom. If you’re interested in moving in, you can choose your own room.”
Yan Jun didn’t reply, but after a moment’s pause, he asked, “Can children come over occasionally?”
“Huh?” Zhang Yuwen shot Yan Jun a puzzled look.
“My…niece,” Yan Jun explained. “My older brother’s daughter. They have to work, so when something urgent crops up, they occasionally leave her with me in the evenings. When I’m babysitting, I have to pick her up from the childcare center, then take her home after ten.”
This came out of the blue to Zhang Yuwen; he hadn’t anticipated this at all.
“How old is she?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
“Just turned eleven months old,” said Yan Jun, “but don’t worry, she doesn’t cry or fuss, and she won’t be here every day, just occasionally.”
Zhang Yuwen didn’t reply. Thinking that felt like a tacit approval, Yan Jun waited patiently for several seconds before prompting, “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Zhang Yuwen thought about it. He couldn’t hold it against a baby. “It’s okay if she cries too. It’s only natural for babies to cry.”
Yan Jun felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. “Thank you. Thank you for your understanding.”
Zhang Yuwen thought Yan Jun could have waited to bring this up until he’d already moved in. After all, it wasn’t that big a deal to look after an infant for a couple of hours. This showed that Yan Jun was an honest person, but this wasn’t a useful quality to have in a salesperson, since salespeople who were too honest rarely made money.
“I’d like to rent this place,” Yan Jun said. “I’ll take the east-facing room downstairs.”
“Okay.” Zhang Yuwen hadn’t expected Yan Jun to decide so quickly. “Don’t you need to go back and think about it?”
“Nah,” Yan Jun said. “It’s a direct line from the Riverbay Road subway station to my company. Very convenient. I was just thinking of looking for a new place nearby. How much for utilities and internet?”
Zhang Yuwen was about to say that it was included in the rent, but the price was already so low that making it too good of a deal might come off as a scam. “Two hundred a month if you don’t use a lot of electrical appliances,” he said. “Any excess, and we’ll have to split the cost.”
“That’s cool with me.” Yan Jun looked around. The room was spotless, and the bedroom he’d chosen had its own en suite bathroom. Close the door, and it’d look just like a studio apartment.
“You’re pretty handsome,” Zhang Yuwen remarked offhandedly. This was a habit from his days in film, when he habitually complimented the actors to drop them a little unexpected joy.
“Huh?” At this compliment, the polite and satisfied smile on Yan Jun’s face disappeared, replaced with a more genuine one, tinged with the bashfulness of a young man being praised. “You’re very good-looking yourself.”