Zhang Yuwen’s grandfather liked playing chess, so Zhang Yuwen had been exposed to the game since he was a child. He was an adroit player.
But it took Huo Sichen only five minutes to trounce Zhang Yuwen, disgracing him utterly.
“I quit! Are you a professional or what?”
“A grade 5 chess player,” Huo Sichen said. “Another game? I’ll let you take back moves.”
“Nah. Let’s go soak in the hot spring.”
Zheng Weize was on his way back, sipping iced cola, his face flushed from soaking in the hot water.
Zhang Yuwen arrived at the hot spring. Through the steam, the first thing he saw was Chen Hong’s naked, chiseled body. He was talking with Yan Jun, but when Zhang Yuwen entered, they both went quiet.
“Hm?” After a moment’s silence, Zhang Yuwen got into the water and squawked, “Whoa! Hot!”
Everyone burst out laughing. As he adjusted to the temperature, Zhang Yuwen exhaled sharply and shot Chen Hong and Yan Jun a surprised look.
“Where’s Xiao-Qi?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
“Weize is keeping her company,” Yan Jun replied. “Babies can’t soak in hot springs.”
“Where’s Sichen?” Chen Hong returned.
“He’s buying drinks at the vending machine.”
Chen Hong smirked playfully. “Have you checked out the goods?”
Zhang Yuwen knew what he was asking. “Not as big as yours,”—Chen Hong wasn’t even covering himself with a towel as he sat on the hot stones—“but not small either.”
“Is it as big as mine?” Yan Jun asked, standing up from the water.
“Enough!” Zhang Yuwen laughed so he wouldn’t cry. Yan Jun cracked up too, and Zhang Yuwen wondered, What in the world is going on in those heads of yours?!
But Yan Jun’s was sizeable too, perhaps because he was tall and thin. From the looks of it, Chen Hong ranked first in size—S-tier, compared to the straight guys Zhang Yuwen had seen in porn. Yan Jun and Huo Sichen tied for second place with an A+, and Zhang Yuwen fell just below them with an A. As for Chang Jinxing…
Chen Hong seemed to read Zhang Yuwen’s mind. “I’ve seen Jinxing’s. More or less the same as yours, Yuwen.”
Zhang Yuwen and Yan Jun both looked at Chen Hong. “Oh?”
Chen Hong chuckled but didn’t elaborate. Zhang Yuwen was about to probe, but Chen Hong turned the tables on him. “So, Yuwen, between you and Sichen, who’s the top?”
“We haven’t done it,” Zhang Yuwen said. “You don’t need to worry about that kind of thing.”
Huo Sichen finally appeared, and his naked form brought the conversation to an abrupt end. The high temperature of the hot spring caused everyone’s blood to pump faster, and Huo Sichen had finally gone soft.
He handed iced drinks to Chen Hong and Yan Jun. “Whoa! Hot!” Huo Sichen howled as he entered the water, prompting another round of laughter. “I’m surprised there’s still water in this hot spring, since it’s been around for over twenty years.”
“You’ve been here before?” Zhang Yuwen asked, surprised.
“Yeah. My parents brought me here when I was seven and my brother was nine. That was twenty-two years ago.”
“I came here as a kid too,” Yan Jun added. “That was when my dad was still around. Our family came to Jiangdong for a trip, and we stayed over in this resort for two days.”
“This place must hold a lot of memories for so many people,” Chen Hong commented.
“I really didn’t think this was the kind of place you’d choose for New Year’s Eve,” said Yan Jun.
“It’s because I’ve been here too.” Zhang Yuwen laughed. “My grandpa loved coming here when I was a kid. We’d soak in these hot springs almost weekly in winter.”
“I remember that most of the rooms in this resort were made of wood twenty-two years ago,” Huo Sichen said. “Now all that’s left is Crane Hall.”
“Tortoise Hall and Kirin Hall have already been renovated,” said Zhang Yuwen. He was still astonished that Huo Sichen had been to the resort before.
“This place was called Foothills back then, right?” said Yan Jun.
“Yeah!” Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen both replied at once. Now it was the Mid-Mountain Lodge.
“My brother used to take me down to the stream to fish,” Yan Jun said. “There’s a stream on the other side of the mountain that doesn’t freeze.”
“There were lots of deer on the mountain too,” Huo Sichen added.
“Yeah! Yeah!” said Yan Jun. “I saw a few at the park halfway up the mountain. I’m thinking of taking Xiao-Qi there tomorrow for a walk.”
Things got quiet again. Zhang Yuwen sat facing Yan Jun, and although Yan Jun’s face was obscured by the steam, Zhang Yuwen knew he must be reminiscing.
“You have two boys in your family too?” Huo Sichen asked Yan Jun.
“Yeah.”
Huo Sichen had never asked about Xiao-Qi’s mother. Perhaps he was curious, but he knew better than to pry.
Chen Hong suddenly changed the topic. “Sichen, have you been skipping chest day?”
“It’s enough already. I don’t want it too big.”
Everyone laughed again. “Stand up and let me have a look?” Chen Hong asked. Huo Sichen obliged. “Your abs are still there. It’s been a while since your last session.”
“It’s not like I’m signing up for bodybuilding competitions,” said Huo Sichen. “You shouldn’t be asking me where I need muscles, though; you should ask the person who’ll be making use of them.”
Chen Hong and Yan Jun laughed. “What about Yuwen?” Chen Hong asked.
Zhang Yuwen stood up.
“Turn around,” Chen Hong said, “I wanna see your glutes.”
“Why didn’t you ask to see his?” Zhang Yuwen protested. The others hooted with laughter again.
“I’m done soaking,” Yan Jun said. “I can’t take any more of it. I’m getting too dizzy.” He got up and left the hot spring to put on his bathrobe.
“Me too,” said Chen Hong.
This left Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen alone in the quiet hot spring pool. Huo Sichen moved closer to Zhang Yuwen, letting their thighs touch. Zhang Yuwen glanced cheekily between Huo Sichen’s legs, then let his eyes wander over his body, landing on his abs, chest, and finally his face.
Huo Sichen reached out to stroke Zhang Yuwen’s thigh. In that tranquil moment, they seemed to be in perfect sync as Huo Sichen tilted his head and leaned in. Zhang Yuwen turned to meet him in a kiss.
He stopped Huo Sichen from going further, though. “No messing around here. It’s too easy to feel faint.”
They left the near-scalding pool, their skin pink as shrimp. As they were putting on their bathrobes, Huo Sichen grinned at Zhang Yuwen. Zhang Yuwen raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“You’re sexy,” Huo Sichen whispered.
“You too,” Zhang Yuwen whispered back.
Zhang Yuwen had a fair complexion with a cool undertone and a well-proportioned figure. Huo Sichen was tall and straight-backed, and his damp hair made him look even more handsome, like a meticulously styled model. Huo Sichen admired their bodies in the mirror. They looked like a perfect match.
Most importantly, they were both hard after the soak—their desires laid bare in their gazes, their pricks screaming, “I wanna make love to you,” like a pair of desperate animals.
Guys were candid when it came to sex. It was pointless to play coy when their bodies betrayed their innermost thoughts. Zhang Yuwen didn’t mind Huo Sichen’s gaze on him at all, and he liked watching Huo Sichen too. At first, Huo Sichen had seemed flustered when he felt Zhang Yuwen’s eyes on him, but by this point he was used to it.
“Your third leg is rock solid,” Zhang Yuwen said, teasing.
“It hasn’t gone soft at all today with you around.”
Hearing noises from outside, they put on their bathrobes. Zhang Yuwen stopped to buy a drink as they passed the vending machine outside the pool, and a thought popped into his head: Should Huo Sichen and I sleep together tonight? Huo Sichen was clearly up for it.
But if they did, who would top? Huo Sichen clearly wanted to… Zhang Yuwen didn’t mind bottoming this time, but once they’d established those roles, he was bound to be relegated to bottom status in the future; he’d only get to top occasionally. Zhang Yuwen was still not mentally prepared for that. He liked Huo Sichen, but not so much that he was willing to bottom all the time.
Two men dating was interesting for the sense of equality that came with it, but that was also where the trouble came in. It was sometimes hard to strike a balance when it came to sex.