“You really are fucking worthy of being connected to Sheng Yu by kinship. He monitors Tong Yan, and you monitor me. What, once you’re separated from your work attributes, you don’t know how to be a person anymore? Or do you just purely like being an overtime dog? Do you need me to collect two Dedication Blessing cards and give them to you?”
It was right at evening rush hour, and cars were hard to call. Xue Bao Tian lowered the hand he had been holding up the whole time and walked forward along the road with a dark face.
In midsummer, heat waves rolled. After only a few steps, sweat had already soaked his back. Only when they passed a subway entrance did the icy air conditioning surge out from the passageway, making him feel much more comfortable.
Yan Ye pulled Xue Bao Tian to a stop and spoke gently, his tone soft. “Get angry here, Two Hundred. It’s cooler here.”
Xue Bao Tian’s old punch had landed on cotton. The words he had just thrown out stabbed back into his own heart like a boomerang. His own skill at picking up trash was even worse than You Shu Lang’s; at least Fan Xiao was only bad, not fucking dumb.
Being angry one-sidedly was rather boring. Xue Bao Tian followed the stairs down into the subway station, found an empty corner, and leaned there. “You have ten minutes. Explain.”
In that out-of-the-way corner, Yan Ye’s tall figure almost blocked Xue Bao Tian completely. He was unhurried and even helped him straighten his collar.
“There’s nothing much to explain. After you were attacked in Chuanqi County, I was afraid you might be in danger again, so I installed positioning and monitoring functions in your phone.”
Xue Bao Tian frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“If I told you, would you still have installed them? At that time, you had no idea how dangerous your situation was. Besides those debt collectors, there were also people you had offended in the past watching you. In our line of work, we have to make acquaintances with a few hooligans and local thugs too. According to the information we got at the time, there weren’t only two or three people who wanted to spend money to hire them to make you suffer a little.”
Xue Bao Tian knew Yan Ye’s words were not false. Irritated, he subconsciously went to feel for a cigarette, but amid the noise of the subway station, he switched to a breath-freshening candy instead, tore open the wrapper, and put it into his mouth.
The orange-flavored sweetness had only just entered his mouth when that flat, hollow-centered round candy was somewhat roughly intercepted by someone’s fingers.
Yan Ye released the hand gripping Xue Bao Tian’s jaw, snapped the candy in two, then used the pad of his finger to push one half back into Xue Bao Tian’s mouth. Before leaving, he even hooked against that wet, soft flesh.
“You bastard.” Xue Bao Tian sucked on the half piece of candy and rubbed his jaw with his hand. “What good thing is it? Even half a piece of candy is worth snatching.”
Amid the noisy background sounds, Yan Ye’s shameless voice entered his ears clearly. “My cigarette craving came up, and my mouth always wants to chew on something.”
Those words were far too familiar, so familiar that Xue Bao Tian’s chest hurt.
Fuck. He randomly chewed the half piece of candy to pieces, wanting to end the topic. “Since you found such a sufficient reason, Master Xue will fucking open one eye and close the other and let you off.”
Yan Ye, on the other hand, was refined, slowly sucking on the orange-flavored sweetness bit by bit. “I secretly helped Master Xue several times before, but I still haven’t asked for any benefits. Since we’ve reached this point today, Master Xue has to remember this debt for me.”
Through the fabric, Xue Bao Tian pressed hard on the cigarette scar on Yan Ye’s shoulder with his fingertip. “I’m letting you sleep with me now. What the fuck else do you still want to ask for?”
With his mouth full of orange fragrance, Yan Ye braced one arm against the wall, leaned close beside Xue Bao Tian’s ear, and slowly said, “When I ask for it, Master Xue will know.”
Xue Bao Tian found it ticklish and pushed him away, speaking viciously. “Get lost. Go back and uninstall all those things from my phone. I’m not in any danger now.”
Yan Ye looked at the time, then pulled him through the subway gate, saying as they walked, “The monitoring can be uninstalled, but keep the positioning for now. Also, place an order with Yanyue and hire me as your personal bodyguard. I’ll pay the money myself, but I need you to cooperate and go through the formality.”
Amid the flow of people coming and going, Xue Bao Tian smiled sinisterly. “Open my eyes, close my eyes, in front of me and behind me, it’s all you? If you were black and white and the one chewing bamboo every day, I might consider it.”
Yan Ye glanced at the giant panda display board hanging on the wall of the subway passage and felt somewhat helpless. “Your position is high and powerful now, and your foundation is still unstable, so you always have to be careful. Besides, your mouth never spares anyone, and you’ve made enemies again and again. We still have to guard against both open and hidden attacks.”
Xue Bao Tian cursed, “Fuck.” After carefully thinking over his identity and circumstances, he compromised. “You have to hold down Yanyue. Don’t look down on Sheng Yu. He’s not someone easy to deal with. As for a bodyguard, just assign me a good one.” He raised a brow. “How about Zhou Yi Ming?”
After they boarded the subway, the two of them stayed to the side, and Yan Ye habitually shielded Xue Bao Tian behind him. “He took over for me in protecting Lin Zhi Yi.” The dark glass of the carriage reflected the slight curve of the man’s lips. “It’s said his wages have almost all been deducted.”
Xue Bao Tian observed three seconds of silence for Zhou Yi Ming in his heart, then turned around and tossed him to the back of his mind.
After finalizing the bodyguard matter with Yan Ye, the subway had also arrived at their destination. Looking at the phone map, the subway station was still nearly two kilometers away from the hotel where Xue Bao Tian was staying.
The setting sun had sunk completely below the horizon, and even the afterglow was only a thin halo now. The buildings near the subway entrance lit up with neon. Pale-blue bands of light reflected in the green waters around them, beautiful beyond compare.
Xue Bao Tian narrowed his eyes and looked. Five bright golden characters entered his sight: Binjiang Concert Hall.
“…”
There was never any lack of street food around subway entrances. Yan Ye bought a portion of ran mian and a portion of grilled sweet-potato starch sheet. After walking a dozen or so meters, he sat down next to Xue Bao Tian on a bench in the music plaza.
Elio’s Notes: Ran mian is spicy dry noodles.
Xue Bao Tian ate a few bites of ran mian, then switched to the sweet-potato starch sheet. Yan Ye began eating on his side, putting everything left over into his stomach.
“Have you listened before?” Xue Bao Tian lifted his chin toward the concert hall and asked Yan Ye.
“Not inside here.” Holding the disposable noodle bowl, Yan Ye suddenly looked a little lonely. “Back then, when I wanted to be friends with you, I felt awful inside. Zhou Yi Ming advised me to look forward. To tell the truth, because it was really too painful, I truly did think about looking forward.”
Bitterness and confusion rose in his calm eyes. Yan Ye looked ahead and said softly, “Lin Zhi Yi has a circle, all people of the same orientation. Occasionally, they hold gatherings. I accompanied Lin Zhi Yi there a few times. At my most painful, I thought, why not look at other people’s good points too? They were knowledgeable and witty, courteous and refined. They listened to piano pieces, played chess, and talked about business storms I couldn’t understand.”
In the halo of the streetlamp, Yan Ye looked toward Xue Bao Tian and said with a smile, “They really were much better than you.”
Xue Bao Tian also smiled, biting an unlit cigarette as he cursed lowly, “Fuck.”
The depths of Yan Ye’s smiling eyes were all dark and heavy, and he finished speaking in a hoarse voice. “But it felt very awkward. I used all my strength and still couldn’t bring myself to like those things. The moment I listened to piano pieces, my eyelids grew heavy, and I wanted to sleep.”
With his arm resting on the bench, Xue Bao Tian’s laughter shook his chest. In a relaxed posture, he took the cigarette from his mouth, looked at the empty night sky, and sighed. “Right? I’m fucking allergic to elegance too. If I have time, I might as well drink some wine, hold some women…”
His words choked off for a moment. He raised his hand guiltily to block Yan Ye’s gaze. “Habitual phrase. Forgive me.”
Yan Ye focused on the major points and let the small ones go, never fussing over such minor details. He cast his gaze into the distance, and the words he spoke seemed as if they were only for himself. “Two Hundred, you’re very troublesome. Filthy words never leave your mouth, you leave people no face when you lash out, you don’t consider consequences when you do things, and when it comes to causing trouble, no one can compare to you. Being with you means being on edge every day, afraid that someone will retaliate against you.”
Xue Bao Tian finally lit the cigarette, held the smoke heavily in his mouth, and gave an “Mm,” then slowly exhaled and said, “Let me fucking think over my wording and see how I’m going to curse you.”
The smile at Yan Ye’s lips deepened slightly. He reached out and rubbed Xue Bao Tian’s fluffy hair. “Exactly like this. Your mouth never spares anyone.”
His thumb stroked the hair at Xue Bao Tian’s temple. His gaze, looking straight ahead, was distant and empty. Yan Ye’s voice was faint, like the unmoving water in the city moat.
“Xue Bao Tian, I understand all of your flaws. I can name every fault on you. I know any one of the people there would be more suitable than you as a lover. But… I still miss you very much. I want to stay by your side. I even feel that having you curse me a few times is good.”
Sitting beneath the streetlamp, Xue Bao Tian clicked his tongue. His half-lowered lashes were plated with a layer of bright white light and shadow as he asked, “You look decent enough, all dressed up like a human. Has no one ever set their sights on you?”
“Yes. That person talked to me about poetry and art. Seeing that I didn’t really respond, he changed the topic to horse racing and gambling. That day, there were fiery sunset clouds in the sky, and he casually recited, ‘The sunset clouds and the lone wild duck fly together.’ At that time, I thought in my heart, look, he’s much better than Xue Bao Tian. Cultured, not illiterate. What else can’t you let go of?”
Xue Bao Tian dragged out his tone. “Exactly. What else can’t you let go of?”
Yan Ye did not answer and continued, “We had barely exchanged a few words before he wanted to drag me into bed.”
The knuckles of Xue Bao Tian’s fingers holding the cigarette tightened, and he sent him a faint look.
Yan Ye shook his head with a light laugh. “At that time, I panicked and actually felt like I was betraying you. But by then, we hadn’t contacted each other for two months and fourteen days. I had sent you thirteen postcards, and you hadn’t even replied to me on WeChat once. Yet I still actually felt that I was yours, and that following someone else for no reason would be wronging you.”
The white smoke slowly scattered around Xue Bao Tian’s mouth, concealing that fleeting flash of smug pride until it became obscure and hard to read. “Have you ever thought about it? If the first person you met hadn’t been me, would you still like me?”
Yan Ye was silent for a while, and his answer was direct and honest. “Probably not.” His palm gently rubbed through Xue Bao Tian’s hair, and the man lowered himself to look at him. “But where are there so many ifs? The fact is, the person I met when I was twenty-one was Xue Bao Tian. He was very handsome, his skin was very fair, his personality was adorable, his heart was kind, he had a sense of responsibility, he had courage, his brain was smart, and he was willing to work hard.”
“Stop, stop.” Xue Bao Tian blushed faintly and asked with a smile, “Is that fucking me you’re talking about? Where did you memorize this from?”
His voice was light and drifting, scattered by the night wind in an instant. Xue Bao Tian turned his head slightly, sending his cheek into Yan Ye’s palm, lightly rubbing against the callused lines there.
Yan Ye’s gaze slowly grew scorching, like sparks leaping in the night sky. “Two Hundred, thank you for being willing to give me another chance. I’ll pursue you properly and strive to make you fall in love with me sooner.”
Pursue? That word, like “Tang Seng’s flesh,” suddenly stirred greed in Xue Bao Tian. Since his bed was no longer empty, then fucking let him pursue him. Tang Seng’s flesh was not something one encountered often; every bite he could get was a bite.
Elio’s Notes: “Tang Seng’s flesh” refers to Tang Seng from Journey to the West. In the story, demons believe eating his flesh will grant immortality, so the phrase is used to describe something rare, precious, and irresistibly tempting.
“Then pursue me. Master Xue will lower himself a little for you. If I stand too high, you won’t be able to reach.” He patted Yan Ye’s shoulder. “Perform well, little idiot.”
Yan Ye smiled and pulled him over for a kiss, saying in a low voice, “Two Hundred, let’s go on a date tonight.”
Xue Bao Tian was somewhat expectant. “What kind of date?”
Yan Ye reached out and pointed toward the concert hall not far away.
Xue Bao Tian froze. “What the fuck are you thinking?”
“Tonight, we’ll listen once first. Once we’re used to it, maybe tomorrow we won’t feel sleepy anymore.”
Xue Bao Tian wiped away the wetness on his lips and cursed meaningfully, “This bite of Tang Seng’s flesh might as well not be eaten.”
The next evening, Xue Bao Tian and Yan Ye arrived on time for the appointment. Even when music began playing onstage, the two empty seats beside them remained unoccupied.
Yan Ye pressed Xue Bao Tian’s head onto his shoulder. “Sleep. They won’t come today.”
Xue Bao Tian lowered his voice and asked, “How do you know?”
A faint, dark gleam flashed in Yan Ye’s eyes. “I used an anonymous number to send Director You a message.” He turned his eyes to Xue Bao Tian. “Simply put, I reported him.”
“About the thing Fan Xiao was plotting yesterday?” Xue Bao Tian looked at the empty seats beside them. “So Fan Xiao is being punished right now?”
“That You Shu Lang looks quite gentle.”
Listening to the piano music that urged people to sleep, Xue Bao Tian leaned against the broad shoulder and closed his eyes, the corners of his lips curving into a wicked smile. “That’s because you don’t understand him. The only one who can handle Fan Xiao is Director You.”
Several kilometers away, inside a high-end hotel, the curtains were drawn so tightly that not a crack of light could get through. You Shu Lang sat on a carved high-backed chair, slowly putting a pair of black leather gloves onto his hands.
His cold, austere gaze lifted to glance at the man standing before him, who wore only a white shirt.
The corner of his lips rose. “Kneel.”
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