Chapter 13
ZHANG YUWEN COULD SENSE that something had happened between Zheng Weize, Chen Hong, and Chang Jinxing. There was a subtle improvement in their relationships. A few times, he’d seen Chang Jinxing and Chen Hong sitting at the dining table chatting when Zheng Weize came out of his room and hugged Chang Jinxing and then Chen Hong from behind. Neither of them protested; they behaved like it was normal.
This made him a little curious, and he thought he should warn Zheng Weize not to get too emotionally invested in Chang Jinxing, in case he got himself hurt. Judging by Chang Jinxing’s daily routine of going out at night and returning at dawn, he was obviously not a reliable guy. Chen Hong was probably a better option.
But who could say? Maybe Zheng Weize could tame a playboy. Zhang Yuwen thought it better not to be nosy. His own love life was still up in the air, after all.
Yan Jun got off work a little earlier now. He no longer let Xiao-Qi have her meals at the childcare center. Instead, he would pick up a bento set from a convenience store, buy some vegetables and chicken to prepare meals in the kitchen, and feed Xiao-Qi baby food.
Every tenant was careful to keep the common areas clean out of fear that they wouldn’t deserve such a wonderful house otherwise. Zhang Yuwen managed to catch a glimpse of their rooms when No. 7 Riverbay Road carried out a thorough clean-up of the house on Tuesday. Chang Jinxing’s room was still the same as it’d been when he moved in. Yan Jun’s was neat and tidy despite the baby staying with him. Chen Hong’s was slightly decorated with an additional bookshelf filled with books on self-help and success. Meanwhile, Zheng Weize’s resembled a messy dog kennel.
But after the housecleaning, Zheng Weize called Zhang Yuwen to his room and surprised him into silence by handing him the month’s rent.
“This is all I have on hand,” Zheng Weize whispered. “I’ll pay you the remaining two months’ rent and the deposit next month, okay?” Zhang Yuwen said nothing. After a while, Zheng Weize added, “I lent a classmate some money. He’ll pay me back next month.”
Zhang Yuwen didn’t have an opinion on the rent, but if the others were to find out that Zheng Weize was paying his rent in installments, they would probably decry him for playing favorites. After nearly a month of observation, Zhang Yuwen had discovered Zheng Weize never attended classes, even though he claimed to be a university student. In fact, he hardly went out. If the kettle he needed to boil water hadn’t been out in the kitchen, he might never have left the room at all. Zhang Yuwen was beginning to have his doubts about Zheng Weize.
“Then tidy up your room,” Zhang Yuwen said. “It’s too messy.”
“Sure, sure!” Zheng Weize promptly picked up the pile of clothes on the chair and shoved them into the closet, stunning Zhang Yuwen speechless.
That was how Zheng Weize became the second tenant to pay the rent—albeit not in full.
Chen Hong had been on the go lately, offering classes to members, and he managed to scrape together enough to pay off the rent without touching his savings. Chang Jinxing was the only one left, but Zhang Yuwen didn’t plan to push him for it.
Chen Hong was in a good mood now his rent was paid. “Let’s hang out this week?”
“Okay!” Zheng Weize wouldn’t miss a chance to have fun, even though his pockets were practically empty.
“What about Yan Jun? Hey, Yan Jun!” Chen Hong called out.
Yan Jun was in the living room, accompanying Xiao-Qi as she tried walking without support. Usually, he treated their conversations as background noise and paid attention only when Zhang Yuwen was speaking. At the mention of his name, he looked up. “When?”
“Saturday?” Chen Hong said. “That okay for you?”
“Where to?”
“How about hiking?”
“Huh?” Zheng Weize blurted out. Hiking? When it’s so cold?
Yan Jun looked at Xiao-Qi hesitantly. “You need some time for yourself,” Chen Hong said. “If Xiao-Qi could talk, she’d tell you to go and have fun every now and then.”
After a moment’s consideration, Yan Jun agreed. “You’re right.”
Xiao-Qi had recently made some friends at the childcare center and often babbled with them through the bars of their cribs. Taking her to the childcare center for one day on Saturday was probably fine.
“What about Jinxing?” Yan Jun asked. “Still in bed?”
“He’ll go for sure,” said Chen Hong. “I’ll tell him later. Should we stay overnight? I know a campsite. We can rent tents there, and dinner is provided too.”
Everyone unanimously opposed this suggestion. Only a lunatic would abandon the comfort of home to brave the elements on the mountain.
Just then, Zhang Yuwen came downstairs to make coffee. Chen Hong told him about his idea, but Zhang Yuwen said, “I’ll skip this week. You guys have fun.”
“Do you have something on?” Chen Hong asked.
“Uh… I’m meeting Huo Sichen. The straight guy who treated us to fish last time.”
Everyone looked astonished. “You’ve been keeping in contact with him?” asked Yan Jun. “Are you sure he’s straight?”
“Yeah,” Zhang Yuwen replied. He felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt at Yan Jun’s questions, as if he were two-timing him. “I’m pretty sure he’s straight. Ask Hong-ge if you don’t believe me.”
“I don’t know for sure,” said Chen Hong, “but I feel like he’s straight, because his taste in girls is like a straight guy’s. He mentioned once that Saturday is his personal time for de-stressing.”
“Oh.” Zhang Yuwen figured Chen Hong might have sounded him out at some point. If Chen Hong said so, then it was probably true.
“We don’t talk much, though,” Chen Hong reminded him. “He hasn’t reached out to me in a long time. Tell him to come and use up his remaining sessions.”
Even after they got to know each other, Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen’s conversations still revolved around their common topics. They never asked each other about their private lives.
“Actually, I think he’s handsome, and he has a good temperament.” Having just returned, Chang Jinxing cut into their conversation, startling them.
“There’s nothing between us beyond friendship,” Zhang Yuwen explained hurriedly, noticing his roommates’ odd expressions. “Straight or not, I have no feelings for him. We just hit it off talking about reading and gaming. We’re going to hang out on the weekend. We haven’t decided where to go, but we’ll probably go to the arcade to play some shooting games.”
“Where?!” Chang Jinxing exclaimed. “I’ll come too!”
The allure of the arcade had much more appeal than hiking. Even Yan Jun was a little tempted. Zheng Weize wasn’t a fan of video games, but he could play the claw machines.
Losing face as his hiking plan began to crumble, Chen Hong cut in with an objection. “No! We should exercise! Forget the arcade!” Then he identified his perfect breakthrough point: Zhang Yuwen. Win Zhang Yuwen over, and the rest would naturally follow. “Ask A-Chen along too.”
“But he’s straight,” Zhang Yuwen said. “Wouldn’t it be awkward for him to join us?” With a straight guy tagging along, the group of gays would have to be careful when they joked among themselves. They also couldn’t openly discuss which guys they thought were handsome or stylish.
“It’s fine,” Chang Jinxing said. “I like straight guys. They’re very cute.”
“Hey!” Zhang Yuwen’s warning bells started ringing. He rounded on Chang Jinxing. “Don’t try to turn him gay.”
Chang Jinxing took this as a compliment. “You guys decide, then,” he said, and left, whistling, to take a shower.
“Shall I invite him?” Chen Hong asked.
“I’ll do it.” Zhang Yuwen sent Huo Sichen a message.
The reply was fast: Fine w either. I’ll go if u r.
That was how they dragged Huo Sichen, who had just wanted to play games, along on their hiking trip.
It was a bright and sunny Saturday. The weather report forecasted rain, but looking at the clear, cloudless sky, nobody was very worried. Carrying their own backpacks with snacks and bottled water, they walked across the bridge to the visitors’ bus stop half a mile away to meet up with Huo Sichen. It was true: Riverbay Road was a prime location with convenient access to everywhere.
“We should get matching team uniforms,” Yan Jun commented. “We can buy them online and wear them when we go out together.”
“Good idea,” Chen Hong said. He used to organize hiking trips for club members to socialize and foster ties; the same idea was behind this suggestion for his roommates. They had all woken up very early today, however, and except for a spirited Zhang Yuwen, who was an early riser, the others at the back, Chang Jinxing and Zheng Weize, were still groggy with sleep.
Chang Jinxing, carrying his DSLR camera with him, downed a large flask of coffee. Zheng Weize had deliberately chosen a casual outfit similar in style and color to Chang Jinxing’s, so they looked a bit like a couple. Chen Hong and Yan Jun were in sportswear, and Zhang Yuwen wore a jacket and a utilitarian ensemble that made his legs look longer.
“What time did you arrange to meet him?” Chen Hong asked.
“He should be here, I think.” Zhang Yuwen looked toward the bus stop and waved.
Huo Sichen was dressed in utilitarian fashion too, complete with a simple belt bag slung across his shoulder. He had his hands in his pockets, looking suave and handsome. Zhang Yuwen wore beige, while Huo Sichen was in dark green. Surprised, everyone threw Zhang Yuwen impish looks, puzzling the still-oblivious Zhang Yuwen.
“Good morning,” Huo Sichen said.
The group exchanged greetings. “Morning.”
Zhang Yuwen had expected to find Huo Sichen decked out in full off-road gear, not wearing something so simple. “You didn’t even bring a bag?”
“Isn’t this a bag?” Huo Sichen asked. “There’s tissues and a thermos inside. That’s enough.”
“I’m not going to share my snacks with you,” Zhang Yuwen warned him. “If you didn’t bring any with you, you must be planning to mooch mine.”
Huo Sichen laughed. “You saw through me.”
The bus came, and everyone boarded. Having an additional companion turned out to be a good idea; they were in pairs now, and no one would be left alone or need to sit on someone else’s lap. Zheng Weize and Chang Jinxing leaned against each other and dozed off, and Chen Hong and Yan Jun sat together. Zhang Yuwen, of course, shared a seat with Huo Sichen.
Apart from Chen Hong, Huo Sichen was unfamiliar with the rest of the group and couldn’t even remember their names. He asked Zhang Yuwen to refresh his memory in hushed tones. The gays had shown no interest in him at all after they swapped contacts at their last meeting, with only Zhang Yuwen reaching out to chat from time to time. Zhang Yuwen was basically Huo Sichen’s only friend in the group.