Three o’clock in the morning. The trucks unloading goods near the fruit market had gradually dispersed. He Chu San drove up in a sleek, understated black Mercedes-Benz sedan and stopped outside Xia Liu Yi’s fruit shop.
The Lamborghini He Chu San had driven to pick up Xia Liu Yi on the day of his release had been a special gift to celebrate his freedom. He had assumed Xia Liu Yi would like such a flamboyant, attention-grabbing model, but Xia Liu Yi said that since they were together every day, he could not be bothered to drive himself and told He Chu San to return it. The fruit market was not particularly far from their current home either; the journey took only half an hour by bicycle. Whenever He Chu San had no time to drive him, Xia Liu Yi rode back and forth on a mountain bike.
He Chu San got out and helped Xia Liu Yi load the mountain bike into the trunk. He was about to return to the driver’s seat when Xia Liu Yi suddenly gave a cold snort.
Not daring even to breathe too loudly, He Chu San obediently walked around to the passenger side and surrendered the driver’s seat to him.
Xia Liu Yi climbed behind the wheel with a frosty expression. The slippers on his feet made operating the pedals awkward, so he looked down, removed them, tossed them onto the back seat, and simply drove barefoot. Noticing the slippers, He Chu San cautiously asked, “Why are you wearing those? Where are the leather shoes you had on when you left this morning?”
Xia Liu Yi stared straight ahead as he drove, his voice still cold. “I stepped in muddy water while moving goods this morning.”
“Did you throw them away?”
“No. They’re at the shop.”
“I’ll go get them. I’ll scrub them clean when we get home.” He Chu San reached for the car door, but Xia Liu Yi grabbed him.
“Enough. Let’s hurry home and sleep. I’m tired.”
He Chu San obediently fastened his seat belt. The sedan began moving through the deserted late-night streets. He Chu San kept secretly studying Xia Liu Yi until he noticed a shallow scratch on the back of Xia Liu Yi’s left index finger.
“What happened there? Did you hurt yourself beating up Phoenix?”
Xia Liu Yi had carefully scrubbed away all the blood at the shop and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Hearing this, he looked down and saw the tiny injury, which even he had failed to notice. “It’s nothing… I rescued a young woman earlier.”
“You didn’t beat up Phoenix?”
Xia Liu Yi gave a derisive snort. “That little brat? Hey, Best Actor He, the next time you want to make me jealous, could you at least find someone more convincing?”
He Chu San had finally steered the conversation toward the real issue and hurriedly explained, “I didn’t know he would come looking for you. He’s a rising runway star, a male model who has become very popular recently. I have absolutely nothing to do with him. I only met him a few times because his father is one of my business partners…”
“You met him a few times?” Xia Liu Yi scoffed.
He Chu San swallowed awkwardly. For a moment, he experienced the same nervousness he felt whenever Father He interrogated him. “Ahem. After he graduated, he interned at my company because he said he wanted to learn about finance… K-zai was mainly responsible for supervising him. I-I didn’t… I didn’t know at the time that he was interested in me…”
“Hmph!” Xia Liu Yi snorted through his nose.
By the time they arrived home—it was nearly four in the morning. Because Xia Liu Yi had burned their entire Tsim Sha Tsui apartment to ashes while making soup, they had moved back into Xia Liu Yi’s old village house. They each occupied a bathroom, one upstairs and one downstairs, and hurriedly washed up. Once they got into bed, He Chu San still tried to cling affectionately to Xia Liu Yi, but Xia Liu Yi turned his back and ignored him. “Go to sleep. Don’t you have work tomorrow?”
He Chu San still had a meeting the following day, so he could only wrap his arms around Xia Liu Yi’s waist from behind and close his eyes despondently.
After sleeping for only four hours, President He had to drag himself out of bed and go to work. Being a company president these days was far more exhausting than being an ordinary employee. First, he washed and groomed himself meticulously, strictly maintaining his personal hygiene. Then he carefully followed his skincare routine, patting and tapping at his face in an exceedingly gay manner and even lavishing painstaking attention on his neck. Next, he carefully combed his hair and applied hair oil. Done.
He changed into a suit and stood energetically before the mirror by the door to tie his necktie. Opening a concealed compartment in the wall, he selected a watch and put it on. His tie clip also required careful consideration. Once fully dressed, he went upstairs and slipped back into the bedroom to see Xia Liu Yi.
Wrapped in the quilt with his back toward him, Xia Liu Yi appeared to be sleeping soundly. He Chu San climbed onto the bed and carefully crawled up behind him. “Husband?” he asked softly.
“…” Nobody answered.
“Mr. Xia, Mrs. Xia is going to work. Don’t I get a good-morning kiss?”
“…” There was still no response.
He Chu San grew even more melancholy. He secretly kissed the crown of Xia Liu Yi’s head and rose to climb off the bed. Xia Liu Yi suddenly turned around, grabbed his collar, dragged him back, and fiercely bit him once! Twice! Three times!
“I’ll deal with you properly when you come home tonight!”
Mrs. Xia went to work in high spirits, his lips swollen and two rows of teeth marks decorating his cheek.
He Chu San returned home early that afternoon. Xia Liu Yi sat in the village house’s living room wearing an apron and facing the television. A ballpoint pen was tucked behind his ear, a basin of vegetables sat to his left, and a ledger lay to his right. He was handling three tasks simultaneously: watching television, preparing vegetables, and calculating the fruit shop’s accounts. His eyes remained fixed on the ledger, his ears listened to the television, and his hands swiftly sorted the vegetables. Occasionally, he removed the ballpoint pen and wrote down a few figures.
He Chu San could not help laughing. “You’re rather busy for a househusband. What are we having tonight? Let me help.”
The two divided the work and cooked together in the kitchen while chatting idly. He Chu San never brought his workplace troubles home. He only discussed recent social news with Xia Liu Yi, mentioning that Taiwan would hold another election the following year, that public brawls had thrown the Legislative Yuan into chaos, that Mr. Chen had lost public support after eight years in office, that the Democratic Progressive Party’s prospects in this round appeared worrying, and that Mr. Ma was currently the most popular candidate on the Kuomintang side… All these shifts in the international political situation were closely connected to the financial markets, yet He Chu San discussed only political gossip with Xia Liu Yi. He knew that numbers gave Xia Liu Yi a headache and that Xia Liu Yi merely enjoyed watching important people fight. Xia Liu Yi shared domestic gossip in return: Susin had recently fallen out with Xiao Ma and had been staying at the boxing gym for several days because Xiao Ma refused to let him build any more muscle. “Fuck, he’s trained a pair of tits even bigger than mine!” “Don’t you like my big chest?” And so on.
One steaming dish after another was placed on the dining table. After bringing out the soup, Xia Liu Yi returned and saw He Chu San standing there in his suit and apron, expertly tossing the wok as he concentrated on stir-frying. Xia Liu Yi could not help leaning against the kitchen doorway and smiling as he watched his back.
Perhaps because of Father He’s influence while he was growing up, He Chu San placed exceptional importance on the idea of “home.” From something as large as a house filled with memories to something as small as a pair of toothbrushes or two pairs of matching shoes, from family reunions and the festivities of holidays to every minute and second the two husbands spent together in their daily lives—he approached it all with extraordinary care.
Perhaps He Chu San had resolved from childhood to enter a treacherous and turbulent profession, fighting fiercely in the business world to establish a successful career. Outside his work, all he desired was sincere warmth, a peaceful family, and a harbor where he could finally rest. But if he had wanted nothing more than a quiet and comforting life from the beginning, why had he fallen in love with Xia Liu Yi, who roamed the underworld and lived with blood constantly upon his blade?
As a young man, Xia Liu Yi had never imagined that he would spend his life with someone like He Chu San. He had believed that he would simply grow old alone. Love was truly mysterious, and fate was impossible to predict—something that could neither be clearly expressed nor fully understood.
“Time to eat.” He Chu San carried the final dish toward him. “Have you washed the bowls and chopsticks?”
“Shall we go see a play tonight? I booked tickets.”
After dinner, they went arm in arm to the Cultural Centre to watch a play. Xia Liu Yi had deliberately changed into a suit and, on the rare occasion, even wore a necktie. He had carefully applied hair oil and carried a copy of Amusing Stories of English Etymology to read while waiting for the performance to begin, putting on the dignified air of a cultured intellectual.
He Chu San remained attached to his arm every step of the way, fully embracing his role as Mrs. Xia. Looking around as they walked, he said nostalgically, “Brother Liu Yi, do you remember that our first date was here?”
“I remember. I was thrown out afterward,” Xia Liu Yi replied irritably.
“Hahahaha! Did you dress like this today to prevent yourself from being thrown out again?”
Having his thoughts exposed, Xia Liu Yi resentfully pinched He Chu San’s backside. Passersby directed strange looks toward them. Xia Liu Yi shifted sideways to shield He Chu San and returned their stares with an icy glare. He Chu San, however, paid them no attention. Still pressed closely against Xia Liu Yi, he smiled and continued walking. After struggling for so many years to reach his present position, he had long since acquired the power to ensure they did not have to live according to the judgments of those around them.
The comedy was genuinely hilarious. Seated in the center of the front rows, Xia Liu Yi laughed without stopping. When he turned to look at He Chu San, however, He Chu San had already fallen asleep against his shoulder. Xia Liu Yi slid slightly lower in his seat so He Chu San could rest more comfortably, then gently stroked his face and rubbed his soft earlobe.
Xia Liu Yi drove on the way home, while He Chu San remained comfortably asleep in the passenger seat. He had not slept enough the previous night, and his husband still planned to “deal with him” tonight, so he needed to seize every opportunity to catch up on his rest.
When they arrived home, Xia Liu Yi tried to send him straight to bed. He Chu San immediately grew unhappy and clung to him flirtatiously. “Didn’t you promise to deal with me?”
“You’re about to be punished, yet you’re this excited?”
“Hehehe. How are you going to punish me?”
“Damn you. Look at that wicked smile. Did you deliberately send that brat to make me angry?”
“No, no. Absolutely not.”
“Go take a shower. Come to the bedroom afterward and see how I deal with you.”
He Chu San joyfully went to shower, then entered the bedroom full of anticipation. The moment he pushed open the door, Xia Liu Yi covered his eyes with a necktie.
“Are you going to tie me up?” He was extremely delighted.
“I’m not tying you up.” Xia Liu Yi smiled. “But if you dare struggle even once tonight, you won’t be allowed into my bed for the rest of the month.”
He Chu San waited eagerly to be punished. He waited and waited until there was a sudden click at the base of A’Si—Xia Liu Yi had fastened a locking cock ring around him.
“Ahem. Brother Liu Yi, perhaps we don’t need this.”
“Hehehehe…” Xia Liu Yi released a long string of laughter.
Thus began an exceedingly painful yet pleasurable night. Halfway through, Xia Liu Yi pulled the necktie from He Chu San’s face. A huge floor-to-ceiling mirror had appeared beside the bed. Xia Liu Yi pressed him against the mirror and rode him with fierce movements, forcing him to look only at their reflection and forbidding him from looking directly at Xia Liu Yi, moving his own hips, or finding release.
“You bought piles of toys to use on your Brother Liu Yi. Did you think I didn’t know how to play? Does it feel good? Is it exciting?”
“Exciting, exciting… Hah… It feels so good I’m dying… Have mercy and release me…”
“Don’t move! You can wait until the pleasure kills you! Hurry and call me Husband!”
“Ah… Husband…”
President He did not awaken until the sun was high in the sky the following day. He lay half-dead across the bed, his lower body swollen and aching.
The field had been plowed too fiercely. Even the plowshare had been worn blunt. He was dying, absolutely dying.
Downstairs, his husband hummed a tune while making soft-shelled turtle soup for him. The television was switched on and loudly broadcasting local news. He Chu San pulled on a robe, not daring even to wear underwear, and carefully descended the stairs with his legs spread apart. Just then, the television began reporting a recent amusing story—
“‘Once a Blade-Wielding Young Hero of Cantonese Opera, Now Yau Ma Tei’s Durian Prince.’ A video of a fruit-shop owner wielding a large blade to peel pineapples and cut open durians has recently gone viral online. The handsome proprietor brings down his blade with swift, decisive strokes, the flashing steel reducing fruit skins to flying debris. As the blade falls for the final time, he even turns toward the camera with a faint smile. Viewers watching the video have collectively clutched their hearts like the legendary beauty Xi Shi. One smile truly could topple a city! According to the self-proclaimed ‘Durian Prince,’ he was formerly a martial-role performer who wielded large blades in a Cantonese opera theater but later changed careers and opened a fruit shop, making one sigh over the unpredictable turns of fate… Since this morning, customers drawn by his reputation have formed a long line outside the fruit shop located at XXX Reclamation Street in Yau Ma Tei. However, it appears that the Durian Prince is not on duty today…”
Clutching his robe closed, He Chu San stood in the middle of the living room and watched the entire report with his eyes wide. The line was packed with female customers of every age, from eight to eighty, leaving no one untouched. There were even quite a few strapping, muscular male customers mixed among them, standing in line while swaying their waists in an exceedingly gay manner and playfully nudging one another as they giggled.
Best Actor He had been force-fed an entire stomachful of lemons, and a gush of sour jealousy shot directly to the crown of his head!
He had accidentally attracted a single love rival for former Boss Xia. The moment former Boss Xia turned on the charm, he attracted an entire crowd for him!
“Xia—Liu—Yi! Did you do this deliberately?!”
“Feeling sour? Does it feel good?”
“I’m dealing with you again tonight!”
……
Life as Husbands, NEVER END.
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