“Wow!” Zhang Yuwen blurted out. “You’re so flexible!”
Finally, reaching the edge of the ice, Yan Jun said, “Let’s go back! It’s too slippery here.” He half carried, half dragged Zhang Yuwen to safety.
With his pants and jacket soaked through, Zhang Yuwen fled to his room. He slipped and almost fell again as he went, eliciting another round of laughter.
Back in the room, the extra blanket had already been delivered, and Huo Sichen was on a call. He glanced at Zhang Yuwen, who made a beeline for the bathroom to take a shower. Vaguely, Zhang Yuwen heard Huo Sichen saying, “The cable car won’t resume operation until tomorrow morning… Yeah.”
Probably explaining where he is to his girlfriend, Zhang Yuwen thought as he showered. Brrrr, the water’s freezing!
It was so cold, in fact, that his teeth were chattering when he got out of the shower. He put his wet pants, jacket, and T-shirt on the miserable heater, which now had to shoulder more than it could take. Then he got into bed, wrapped himself in his blanket, and continued shivering.
Huo Sichen disconnected the call. Zhang Yuwen blurted out, “It’s really too cold!”
“Put this on.” Huo Sichen removed his jacket and handed it to him, before going to take a shower of his own.
“No, no. No need…” Zhang Yuwen said. “Oh, well, if you insist. This feels so much better.”
He was naked apart from his underwear, but the jacket still retained some of Huo Sichen’s body heat, which was better than nothing and gave him some warmth in the freezing night. It even smelled a little like Huo Sichen.
The winter night was so frigid that even the straight guy couldn’t help but wail. “Brrrr! So cold!”
After his shower, Huo Sichen put on a T-shirt, which was one layer more than what Zhang Yuwen was wearing. He tossed his pants aside and, just as Zhang Yuwen had done earlier, jumped into bed.
Zhang Yuwen was just starting to feel warm and, fearing that Huo Sichen would fight him for his blanket, he quickly motioned for Huo Sichen to use his own. “That blanket’s yours!”
They huddled under their respective blankets and traded blank looks.
Meanwhile, in another room, the actual sports jocks were very calm. Chen Hong had showered and was watching TV when Yan Jun came over, drying his hair.
“Aren’t you going to video call Xiao-Qi?” Chen Hong asked.
“I did,” Yan Jun said. “She’s in bed already.” Then he sat on the bed to watch TV with Chen Hong.
Chen Hong offered him the remote control. Yan Jun took it and surfed through a few channels before settling on a dating show. It was the kind of wacky entertainment show meant purely for killing time, and it was pretty attention-grabbing, so they each wrapped themselves in a blanket and leaned back against the headboard to watch.
In the third room, Zheng Weize had his eyes on Chang Jinxing’s phone, which was plugged into the charger and kept lighting up with notification alerts. He wanted to ask who kept messaging him, but it wasn’t his place. Instead, he said, “Do you have something important going on?”
“Nah, just friends,” Chang Jinxing said dismissively.
“Oh?”
Zheng Weize tried to peek at his phone out of curiosity, but Chang Jinxing closed the chat screen, placed the phone on the bedside table, and patted him on the head. “Aren’t you going to sleep? I thought you were tired.”
Chang Jinxing had recently found a way to make money—by working as a personal photographer and acting as a temporary boyfriend for others online. In other words, still playing the eunuch. He rented himself out to girls, going shopping with them, carrying their bags, dining and chatting with them, and even helping them scout for places to take pretty photos they could post on social media. He earned a daily fee, and if he served them well, they’d even tip him. Apart from kissing and sex, Chang Jinxing would fulfill almost any of their requests, although, to avoid gossip, he drew the line at appearing in their photos. Occasionally, he would hold their hands as a little treat.
This business brought him quick cash, and it was easier than taking on a job from the studio. And he was less likely to be humiliated out of left field, too. After all, he was attractive, and even if customers had complaints about him, they tended to let it slide because of his good looks. He had repeat customers, too. One girl had purchased his services three times in a row, hoping to flirt with him and start a relationship.
It couldn’t be helped; he was too handsome. People tripped over themselves to fork out money for that face.
After a week with these girls, though, Chang Jinxing was a little fed up with it. To a bisexual, dating different genders was like eating different meals. Too much Western fare and you’d miss home-cooked food, but too much Chinese cuisine and you’d want to try steak. Right now, he just wanted to date a guy.
He hadn’t taken a job today, and several customers were asking him if he had time tomorrow or next week and if he had plans for Christmas. Chang Jinxing thought that maybe his roommates would have something planned for the holiday. He wanted to join them—it’d be relaxing and enjoyable—but he was a little reluctant to miss the chance to make money. He’d already made enough money over the past half month for the first month’s rent. If he kept working hard until the end of the year, he’d be able to cover his rent and food expenses.
Having tried several alternatives, Chang Jinxing concluded that living off women was the fastest way to make money, though he viewed his current job as using his physical stamina and skills to take photos for his customers. He didn’t want a relationship with them; after all, if he started dating one of them, he’d have to face a never-ending stream of requests. He wanted a boyfriend with the personality of a straight guy; someone straightforward like Yan Jun who didn’t talk much, wasn’t argumentative, and wouldn’t try to control him.
But Yan Jun didn’t meet Chang Jinxing’s standards either in looks or finances, and he came with excess baggage—a troublesome combination. The only thing that met Chang Jinxing’s expectations was his physique. From the looks of it, he probably had good stamina and a decently sized cock…but Chang Jinxing wouldn’t consider anything but a hookup.
Better not get involved with the roommates, Chang Jinxing reflected. Even casual sex could make things awkward. But the truth was, he’d really felt tempted to do just that when he saw Yan Jun do that flip earlier.
Zheng Weize hugged Chang Jinxing from behind, interrupting his thoughts. Chang Jinxing turned slightly, wrapped his arms around him, and patted him, telling him to sleep peacefully. He knew Zheng Weize had feelings for him. If he were to pull Zheng Weize’s pants down now, the guy might put on a slight show of resistance, but he’d accept. It had been a long time since Chang Jinxing had sex with a guy. The powerful thrusts of a top and the sensitive moans of a bottom were both very seductive to him. The fair, delicate bodies of skinny boys had their own charm compared to the firm breasts of voluptuous girls.
Aside from the muscular Chen Hong, Chang Jinxing found his roommates decently attractive. Zhang Yuwen’s ascetic top vibe appealed to him, and Zheng Weize’s tendency to wrap his arms around his neck and blow into his ear could make him hard too. In any case, Chang Jinxing wasn’t a picky eater. The only thing holding him back from making a move was Zhang Yuwen’s warning: Don’t mess with your roommates, or I’ll kick you out.