Chapter 22
NEW YEAR’S EVE, 11:00 a.m.
When the doorbell rang, Zhang Yuwen sprang up, pulled on his pajamas at lightning speed, opened the window, and tossed his bolster down from the second floor, where it landed in the sink behind the washing machine. In one fluid movement, he vaulted down from the balcony onto the window ledge of Chen Hong’s first-floor room, then used the momentum to spring and flip onto the garden grounds. He turned on the faucet and began to wash his bolster.
Sure enough, it was Huo Sichen. Yan Jun opened the door for him. Xiao-Qi, dressed in an adorable new onesie, was toddling around in the living room, and Huo Sichen waved at her. “Hello.”
Leaving the bolster to soak, Zhang Yuwen glanced into the living room and saw that Chen Hong was up, too. He was talking to Huo Sichen, who looked a lot more re-energized after a night’s rest.
“You’re here,” said Zhang Yuwen.
“Since when were you in the garden?” asked Yan Jun, startled.
Zhang Yuwen padded in barefoot. “Oh, just now. Huh? Where are my slippers? They were just here. Who took them? Sichen, you want some coffee?” He knew the house like the back of his hand, and no one batted an eye when he came and went like a shadow.
“I was early,” Huo Sichen said, though they had agreed on 10 a.m.
“Nah. Coffee? You seem more alert today.”
“I slept for ten hours.” Huo Sichen rolled his neck. “I feel refreshed.”
His roommates started emerging from their rooms. Chen Hong, drenched in sweat after waking up early to exercise, took a shower and emerged wearing a hooded tracksuit. A moment later, Chang Jinxing came down and greeted them, already dressed.
Then Zheng Weize emerged, yawning, from Chang Jinxing’s room on the second floor.
“What—!” everyone cried in unison.
“We fell asleep talking last night,” Chang Jinxing explained. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Zheng Weize stared at Chang Jinxing, looking displeased. Zhang Yuwen was shocked at first, but it did look like nothing had happened between them, so they said nothing more on the topic.
The boys put on their running shoes, looked for their stuff, and, carrying their duffel bags, crowded out of the door. The chaos reminded Zhang Yuwen of his university roommates, albeit with the addition of a stroller for Xiao-Qi. Their outfits weren’t coordinated, but everyone wore the scarves Zheng Weize had given them, which gave them some important group cohesion.
“It snowed again last night,” said Zhang Yuwen.
“Yeah,” Huo Sichen agreed, “and the ground is slippery. Don’t fall again.”
They walked to the nearest train station. Chang Jinxing walked backward with his camera to take photos of the others, but he slipped and fell into the snow. Yan Jun reached out to give him a hand, but Zhang Yuwen cheekily shoved him down. Before long, everyone was tumbling around in a snowy heap.
“Watch out for Xiao-Qi,” Zheng Weize said. “Stop horsing around in the snow, guys.”
“I’m starving,” Chen Hong said. “I can’t win, you guys… Can we just grab lunch first?”
When they arrived at the train station, Chang Jinxing announced, “Lunch is on me.”
“Oh?” said Zhang Yuwen, his tone rising skeptically.
“Looks like someone’s been making bank,” Yan Jun joked.
With a grin, Chang Jinxing went to buy boxed lunches for everyone to eat on the train, and then they boarded. It was Xiao-Qi’s first train ride and she was enraptured, putting her little paws on everything she could reach and peering out the windows.
The suburban express train sped out of Riverbay Road station. It was the last day of the year, so there weren’t many other people on board, and the vibe was very laid-back. Outside, snow blanketed the Jiangbei houses along the railway tracks, creating a tranquil vista.
Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen shared a row. Zhang Yuwen loosened his scarf and glanced sideways to where Zheng Weize and Chen Hong sat. Zheng Weize was gazing out the window. Over by Yan Jun, Chang Jinxing was taking photos of Xiao-Qi and ribbing Yan Jun occasionally.
Huh. Weird, Zhang Yuwen thought. Usually Zheng Weize would cling to Chang Jinxing, but that wasn’t what was happening today.
Huo Sichen put a finger under Zhang Yuwen’s chin and turned his face toward him. Zhang Yuwen looked at him wordlessly, and Huo Sichen raised an eyebrow, telling him to stop looking around.
“How did you sleep last night?” Huo Sichen asked.
This question was a little too close for comfort, and for a moment, Zhang Yuwen wondered if he’d been found out. He realized quickly, however, that Huo Sichen was probably asking because of the parting kiss they’d shared. “Hm… Not bad.”
Huo Sichen flashed him a mischievous grin. “I dreamed about you again.”
“Oh? What was I doing?” Zhang Yuwen asked reflexively, only to regret his words as soon as they left his mouth. With Huo Sichen looking at him like that, what else could the dream have been about?
Huo Sichen laughed, and Zhang Yuwen sensed that Huo Sichen was winding him up. After a moment’s consideration, Huo Sichen said, “You strike me as the ascetic type.”
“What else do you expect?” Zhang Yuwen countered. “Or am I supposed to go soliciting hookers when I’m single?”
This tickled Huo Sichen’s funny bone, but in deference to the other passengers on the train, he suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. “I mean, you rarely have one-night stands, right?”
“Not rarely. Never.”
Huo Sichen nodded. “As someone who was raised by doctors, I’m guessing you like things clean?”
“I don’t know about that.” Zhang Yuwen thought it over. “Maybe it’s just a habit in how I live my life. Does that count as a hang-up about cleanliness?” He’d never been interested in casual hookups, and in fact, he found it hard to wrap his mind around the idea of two complete strangers having sex the first time they met. Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable? He never made a big deal about his “clean” sex life, though, and he respected other people’s approaches to sexual intimacy.
“How about emotionally?” Huo Sichen asked offhandedly.
“Nope.”
Zhang Yuwen was unusually forthcoming, answering any question Huo Sichen asked him. He wanted to take this relationship seriously and invest whatever trust and feelings he had left. Maybe it was because he’d fantasized about Huo Sichen during the night, which amplified his attraction to him, or maybe it was just that self-reflection following his last, failed relationship had convinced him that he should be more honest. He looked expectantly at Huo Sichen.
“Me neither.” Those two succinct words encompassed Huo Sichen’s responses to all the questions he’d just asked Zhang Yuwen.
The train raced out of Jiangdong City, toward the endless stretch of mountains in the distance. A lot of the passengers were students returning to their hometowns. They chattered away, but Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen remained unusually quiet. Zhang Yuwen knew Huo Sichen’s attention was fixed on him, though, because when he retrieved two bottles of coffee from his bag, Huo Sichen reached over to take them.
Zhang Yuwen snorted in amusement.
Huo Sichen was puzzled. “Hm?”
“I can open the bottles myself.”
“Sorry.”
Zhang Yuwen’s heart softened. He glanced at Huo Sichen, several thoughts flashing through his mind at once. He was intrigued by this guy—physically, emotionally, and even sexually.
If he were to date Huo Sichen, they would look from the outside like more of a genuine gay couple than Zhang Yuwen’s past relationship, which had in some senses been an extension of heterosexuality. He played the male role, his ex the female. With Huo Sichen, on the other hand, he was keenly aware of the other guy’s masculinity. This also raised other issues: their dynamic, their positions in bed, and the attitudes they held toward each other.
Clearly, Huo Sichen had yet to think any of these matters through. A number of challenges still loomed ahead of them.
Xiao-Qi, who was learning to walk, toddled over to them.
“Eh, Xiao-Qi?” Zhang Yuwen said, picking her up just as Yan Jun followed her over. Zhang Yuwen gestured to Yan Jun not to worry; Zhang Yuwen could handle her, and Yan Jun deserved a break.
Xiao-Qi was still shy around people, but she didn’t try to squirm away from Zhang Yuwen or complain about sitting on his lap. Huo Sichen politely played with her, but Zhang Yuwen could tell that he didn’t particularly like kids.
“She’s special to you,” Huo Sichen remarked. It was clear he had been observing them.