Chapter 14
12:10 P.M. Elephant Gorge rest stop, visitors’ reception center, cafeteria.
“Let’s come up with something for Yuwen to do,” Yan Jun said teasingly as he took his seat.
Bracing himself, Zhang Yuwen got up. “I’ll go buy some food for everyone…”
This was usually a restaurant where you could order stir-fried dishes, but since there were few customers in early winter and the roads were undergoing repairs, it had been converted into a cafeteria. Taking the initiative, Zhang Yuwen bought everyone fast food at ¥20 per person, including a meal for Huo Sichen, and waited at the counter for the food to be served. When he returned, everyone took one look at his expression and roared with laughter again.
Even so, they took out their phones and transferred the money for their meals to Zhang Yuwen. Looking confused, Huo Sichen retrieved his belt bag from Zhang Yuwen’s backpack and fished out his phone to do the same.
“You don’t have to pay me,” Zhang Yuwen told him. This, of course, incited a wave of teasing from the gays. They were driving Zhang Yuwen crazy.
“Why doesn’t he have to?” Yan Jun asked.
“You don’t have to either,” Zhang Yuwen said. “It was meant to be a treat for everyone!”
“It’s not good to resort to bribery,” Chang Jinxing joked. Zheng Weize looked at Chang Jinxing and beamed. Zhang Yuwen put his head in his hand, praying Zheng Weize wouldn’t make any weird requests.
“Let’s eat first, guys,” Chen Hong said. “We can think it over later.”
Zhang Yuwen was at a loss for words.
Huo Sichen jumped in to add his two cents. “I think we can have Zhang Yuwen—”
“Stop!” Zhang Yuwen was afraid Huo Sichen would give them weird ideas. “Just eat your food.”
With Huo Sichen around, no one took their jokes too far. Zhang Yuwen was glad to have invited him; the guy was truly a lifesaver.
After lunch, Zheng Weize asked, “Are we going down the mountain now?”
“It’s still early!” Chen Hong said. “We’re only halfway up. We’ll take the cable car down when we reach the mountaintop later in the afternoon.”
Zheng Weize let out an exaggerated cry. “What—!”
“There’s no point in giving up now,” Chen Hong told him solemnly. “There are no cable cars here. If you give up, you have to walk all the way back down.”
Zheng Weize was struck dumb.
An idea came to Zhang Yuwen in a flash. “How about I carry you up?”
Everyone jeered. “Bribery isn’t going to work!”
Busted, Zhang Yuwen tried to defend himself. “This could count as his wish.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” Zheng Weize said. “I can walk by myself. I’ll think carefully about my wish later this afternoon.”
Zhang Yuwen winked at Chen Hong: Look, he’s willing to keep going now. Chen Hong nodded. The older, the wiser, just as expected.
“I’ll go buy coffee for everyone,” Yan Jun said. “Thank you all for looking after Xiao-Qi.”
Everyone replied, “You’re welcome,” but nobody turned him down. Zhang Yuwen understood that when it came to treating others, no one wanted to be the first to initiate. After all, every time someone treated, someone else accepted, and the recipient felt obligated to return the favor. It created an endless back-and-forth of treating and reciprocating, which wasn’t very kind on people with tight budgets. This was why everyone voluntarily transferred the lunch money to Zhang Yuwen and why, when Yan Jun treated them all to coffee, he offered the excuse of thanking them for “looking after Xiao-Qi.” It meant they didn’t need to reciprocate.
Zhang Yuwen sighed with feeling. His roommates were all such kind, gentle souls.
Yan Jun bought six cups of coffee, and Zhang Yuwen helped carry them. Yan Jun handed him a cup. “This is for Huo Sichen.”
“Okay…” Zhang Yuwen’s eyes met Yan Jun’s, and they both went silent for a second. Zhang Yuwen looked back to see that Huo Sichen had finished his meal and was now outside on the suspended platform, facing away from the cafeteria. Zhang Yuwen sensed that Yan Jun had something to say, but was holding himself back.
“Sugar and milk?” Yan Jun asked.
“I take my coffee black,” Zhang Yuwen replied. Yan Jun raised an inquiring eyebrow, asking about the guy out there, and Zhang Yuwen shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Zhang Yuwen took the sugar and creamer and went over to Huo Sichen, who was taking a phone call with a Bluetooth earpiece. Zhang Yuwen hadn’t realized that at first; he didn’t hear Huo Sichen’s conversation until he got closer.
“Yeah… I’m hiking with my friends… Elephant Gorge.” A pause. “The earliest I can be back tonight is 8 p.m.” Huo Sichen turned around and saw Zhang Yuwen holding two cups of coffee. He reached out for one, put it on the railing, and added the sugar and creamer.
The others came out to the other side of the plank road leading up the mountain. Huo Sichen picked up Zhang Yuwen’s backpack and joined them. He glanced at Zhang Yuwen, then said nonchalantly into the phone, “No girls. They’re all boys.” The person on the other end of the line seemed to be reminding him to be careful. Huo Sichen replied, “All right, I’m setting off now. Later.”
It was 1 p.m., and the group, having eaten their lunch, spent more time walking together. They chatted about places they had traveled, and Chang Jinxing suggested finding time to go somewhere further away and stay the night there.
Out of nowhere, Huo Sichen said, “Let’s play truth or dare.”
“No way!” Zhang Yuwen exclaimed. “What kind of place is this for truth or dare? Are you misunderstanding something about the game?” In fact, Huo Sichen found it amusing to see Zhang Yuwen being teased today, and the bet earlier had given him the idea.
“Sure.” Zheng Weize decided to veto whatever Zhang Yuwen supported and support whatever he opposed. This would be fun.
“Okay!” Chang Jinxing piped up. “Let’s start with the person who suggested it.”
Thus, Huo Sichen fell into the pit he dug with his own hands. He tried to back out. “No, no. I meant we should guess riddles…”
“He’s right,” Chen Hong chimed in. “It has to start with you.”
Huo Sichen was speechless. Zhang Yuwen felt a little bad for him, but if he tried to help at times like this, he’d end up with a target on his own back, so he played along. “So what’s your choice? Truth or dare?”
“No, that’s not how you start it,” Huo Sichen protested.
“Majority wins!” Yan Jun said, joining in. “You don’t have a choice.”
In patient tones, Huo Sichen tried again. “I’ll give you a riddle first—”
“Truth or dare?” Chen Hong interjected, refusing to listen to him.
Seeing that the situation was too far gone and worrying that they might come up with something even crazier if he kept dragging it out, Huo Sichen gave up. “Dare.”
Suddenly, the guys were stumped for what to make a straight guy do. Seeing his chance, Zhang Yuwen chose a dare that was embarrassing but not too humiliating. “Do a flip.”
“What?” Huo Sichen was baffled.
Consummate tricksters, they all goaded him. “Can’t do it? Then choose something else!”
Huo Sichen nearly fell into their trap, but snapped to his senses at the last moment. “I’ll do it! I’ll do it! But how do I do a flip?”
“How can you not know?” Yan Jun said. “Like…this.” He took a running start and did a perfect roundoff backflip, executing it beautifully and with robust form.
“Daaaaaamn—!” Everyone was dumbstruck. The flip had even exposed Yan Jun’s tanned abs.
“You have training?” Chen Hong asked.
“No,” Yan Jun said expressionlessly to the sound of applause.
“You must have,” Chen Hong said. “Did you use to do high jumps?”
Yan Jun redirected Chen Hong’s attention to Huo Sichen, refusing to let him escape his task. Left with no choice, Huo Sichen took off his belt bag, ran a few steps, and did a front flip. It wasn’t as beautifully executed as Yan Jun’s, and he almost crashed into the railing.
Zhang Yuwen’s face paled. “Careful!” Huo Sichen barely managed to make it through the dare.
“All right,” Chang Jinxing said, “you can give us a riddle now.”