Night had not completely fallen yet, and a faint glow still lingered outside the window. Sweet soup simmered over low heat on the stove, its delicate sweetness seeping into the air.
The bedroom door was lightly closed, leaving only a narrow crack. The sweet fragrance slipped through the gap and enveloped the two people endlessly entwined on the warm bed.
Yan Ye had never known restraint when it came to this, and the force he used was always fierce. He often felt that Xue Bao Tian was like an extremely valuable yet fragile piece of porcelain. He could not bear to let go of him, yet he also loved seeing him vulnerable and helpless at the brink, with all his hopes resting solely upon Yan Ye. Even for one more breath of air, he had to plead softly with reddened eyes, calling, “Brother Chi.” That defenseless appearance drove Yan Ye mad.
His fingers pressed into the hollow of Xue Bao Tian’s waist. Yan Ye loved those extended curves most—the line of his spine and waist, like mountain ranges, sometimes steep and towering, sometimes open and unbroken. Between every rise and fall lay mystery and wonder, urging on the itch in his heart and making him want to explore more broadly and deeply.
That extraordinary toughness and elasticity invisibly encouraged certain twisted pleasures. A man raised in fighting rings had always delighted in conquest. Amid Xue Bao Tian’s broken curses, his beautiful shoulder blades seemed almost ready to take flight.
At first, there had still been cursing. In the end, all that remained were trembling attempts to please and plead. “Brother Chi, a cigarette… let me catch my breath.”
Long, pale fingers pulled open the bedside drawer and rummaged around blindly, but found nothing.
A broad palm covered his hand, and Yan Ye’s low, hoarse voice sounded beside his ear. “Two Hundred, have you forgotten? You’ve already quit smoking.”
A sliver of clarity suddenly returned to Xue Bao Tian’s muddled mind. That was right—he had already quit smoking, three days ago on Chongming Mountain.
It was already late autumn, and the wind on Chongming Mountain blew coldly past their ears.
Xue Bao Tian had always valued style over warmth. Now, wearing Yan Ye’s coat, he stood before a brand-new gravestone.
“I couldn’t afford to put up a gravestone for her before, much less buy a burial plot. I could only keep her ashes at the columbarium.”
Xue Bao Tian looked at the woman’s photograph on the gravestone and felt that Yan Ye probably resembled his father more. He showed no excessive solemnity or sorrow, remaining as casual as usual. “Living in an apartment building is better. It’s lively. In a detached villa like this, if she wanted to find someone to play mahjong with, she’d have to walk half a meter, and even then, the neighbor might not know how to play.”
Yan Ye smiled as he swept the fallen leaves from the gravestone. “My mother didn’t like lively places, and she wasn’t very willing to interact with people.”
Xue Bao Tian crouched before the gravestone and asked, “Beauty, did you smoke when you were alive?”
Yan Ye nodded. “She lived a miserable, stifling life. Near the end, she smoked very heavily.”
Xue Bao Tian removed the cigarette from his mouth, lit another one, and, once smoke began to rise from it, placed it before the gravestone. He said quite formally, “I’ve got Yan Ye covered, Beauty. You can rest easy.”
Yan Ye crouched beside Xue Bao Tian and took his hand. Looking at the photograph, he said softly, “Mom, this is the person I like. His name is Xue Bao Tian. He’s a very good and interesting person with a kind heart. You might not be able to see those good qualities right away, but if you take your time, you’ll eventually discover them.”
Xue Bao Tian laughed and cursed beside him. “Fuck. Give your mom—my gal pal—a magnifying glass. Maybe then she’ll spot some good qualities in me.”
Yan Ye ruffled his hair, then once again addressed the woman in the photograph. “I really like him. Being with him makes me happy and gives me peace of mind. But I still haven’t won him over yet. Mom, please bless me so I can win him over soon.”
The mountain wind continued to howl, yet Xue Bao Tian felt that it had become much gentler. Turning his head to look at Yan Ye’s solemn expression, he suddenly realized something—fuck, this was meeting the parent!
He choked on his cigarette and coughed for a long while. With the corners of his eyes reddened, he met the kindly eyes of the woman in the photograph. “Yan Ye may be my grandson, but our relationships can be counted separately.” He thought about how to ingratiate himself with her. “Beauty, you like peace and quiet, right? How about I move you to a more upscale community?”
The woman’s eyes curved in the photograph, and Yan Ye laughed softly beside him. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the pines and cypresses, casting a warm, harmonious glow over the lonely, solemn cemetery.
After paying their respects, the two of them followed the steps down the mountain. Many different kinds of trees grew there, and fallen leaves had accumulated thickly, covering the stairs in brilliant colors.
Xue Bao Tian had no sentimental feelings about spring or autumn. His shoes stepped over the leaves, producing crisp crackles.
The mountain path was narrow, and he walked ahead. He took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth, then heard the person behind him call softly.
“I know there’s too much wind here.” Xue Bao Tian replied indistinctly around the cigarette. “I’ll light it once we’re down the mountain.”
“Two Hundred, can you smoke a little less?”
The voice behind him sounded different from usual, dull and heavy, making him stop involuntarily.
Turning to look at Yan Ye, Xue Bao Tian saw sorrow and worry in his eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he turned back and climbed several steps. Removing the cigarette from his mouth, he stood on the step closest to Yan Ye and looked up at him. “I’ve never asked before. What did your mother… die from?”
“Cancer, probably. I don’t know either. Because we didn’t have money, she kept putting off going to the hospital. I was too young at the time and couldn’t help her. When she was at her worst, my master took her to the hospital once. When they came back, he bought her lots of delicious food. I thought my mother was going to recover and that they were celebrating. Who knew she would die only a few days later?”
Yan Ye placed his hand on the back of Xue Bao Tian’s neck and rubbed it. Bending down, he looked into his eyes and said softly, “Later, after I had money, I still didn’t buy my mother a burial plot. Do you know why? Because I felt that this city didn’t belong to me, and I didn’t belong here. I was still a bastard without roots or a home, and I might leave this place with my mother at any time.”
“But later, I met you. Wherever you are is my home.” Yan Ye kissed Xue Bao Tian lightly on the lips. “So my mother could also be laid to rest here with me.”
He removed a leaf that had just fallen onto Xue Bao Tian’s shoulder, then casually fastened two buttons on his coat before raising his eyes. “Two Hundred, I treasure this relationship very much, and I treasure you too. If you don’t despise a bastard like me, I want to grow old together with you.”
A gust of wind swept past, sending colorful leaves fluttering like rain until the entire mountain blazed crimson.
Xue Bao Tian finally understood. The gaze that had followed him beneath the evening clouds, the romance beneath the jacaranda tree, the fluttering of his heart in the maple forest—the cause of everything had always been the man before him.
He lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while. Then he bit the cigarette between his lips again, turned around, and continued walking down the stairs, leaving the words “grow old together” behind him.
When they returned to the parking lot, he leaned against the car and tossed his lighter to Yan Ye, then lifted his chin. His meaning could not have been clearer.
Yan Ye concealed his faint disappointment, walked in front of Xue Bao Tian, and struck the flint, lighting the cigarette he had held between his lips all the way down.
Xue Bao Tian silently smoked the entire cigarette. He smoked slowly and inhaled deeply. Whenever the white mist dispersed in the mountain wind, he would even follow it with his eyes. Finally, only when the glowing ash had almost burned his fingers did he extinguish the cigarette and throw the butt into a nearby trash can.
After doing all this, he opened the passenger-side door, bent down, and sat inside. As he closed the door, he looked at the tall man standing outside and declared imposingly, “I’m quitting smoking starting today. Don’t overthink it—it isn’t for you. Master Xue just doesn’t want to end up as a photograph hanging on a gravestone before he even has a wrinkle on his face.”
As his words scattered into the wind, a bright smile gradually spread across Yan Ye’s face. He got into the driver’s seat, unfastened the seat belt Xue Bao Tian had just put on, and abruptly pulled him over for a deep kiss.
Xue Bao Tian was somewhat unwilling. “Little dumbass, can’t you pick another place? Who knows whether there are people… ghosts watching us right now?”
“Are you charging admission, Master Xue? If you are, then we can’t disappoint them.” Fingers opened his buttons, and the seatback was lowered flat. Yan Ye murmured beside Xue Bao Tian’s ear, “Two Hundred, you’re being so good…”
Unable to find any cigarettes in the drawer, Xue Bao Tian instead had a piece of candy placed in his mouth. Once the most intense rush had passed, Yan Ye swept back Xue Bao Tian’s sweat-dampened hair. He watched his slightly unfocused expression for a moment, then lowered his head to claim another sweet kiss.
Yan Ye got up to turn off the stove. The rock-sugar pear drink, which had simmered for over an hour, had become thick and clear. He filled a bowl for Xue Bao Tian and returned to the bedroom.
He had only just sat down on the edge of the bed when the phone rang. Zhou Yi Ming’s name appeared on the screen.
Yan Ye did not rush to answer. He scooped up a spoonful of the sweet drink, blew on it until it was warm, and only then brought it to Xue Bao Tian’s mouth.
Xue Bao Tian’s entire body was weak at the moment, which was when he was most obedient. He ate whatever he was given and did not complain that the drink was too sweet.
After swallowing it, he heard Yan Ye answer the phone in a low, hoarse voice still heavy with desire. “Brother Zhou, what is it?”
Zhou Yi Ming seemed to be roaring on the other end. His furious voice leaked loudly from the receiver. “Yan Ye, hurry up and give me a different assignment! If you don’t change it, I’m quitting!”
“What happened?” Yan Ye remained unhurried. He switched on the speaker and scooped up another spoonful of the sweet drink. “Didn’t I already tell you? The company will make up whatever wages Lin Zhi Yi docks.”
“It isn’t about the wages. I’m fucking about to become Xue Bao Tian Number Two!”
Xue Bao Tian clicked his tongue. Ignoring the soreness throughout his body, he took the phone. “Did I agree to that? You’re already calling yourself Xue Bao Tian Number Two, yet you still sound fucking unwilling.”
Hearing Xue Bao Tian’s voice, Zhou Yi Ming froze slightly before wailing again. “Both of your voices are hoarser than the other. What the hell are you doing? It isn’t even dark yet!”
Xue Bao Tian scoffed. Following his life philosophy that others should suffer whatever he had suffered, he deliberately provoked the straight man. “It won’t stop us after it gets dark either.”
Yan Ye brought another spoonful of sweet drink over and added from beside him, “Mm. It won’t.”
Zhou Yi Ming ground his teeth, his voice becoming even more aggrieved. “That damned gay Lin Zhi Yi wants to fuck me!”
Yan Ye raised his brows slightly and spoke toward the receiver. “Lin Zhi Yi has always had a sense of propriety. How did you provoke him?”
“I provoked him?” The voice coming from the receiver was nearly deafening. “All I did was show off my abs to him!”
Yan Ye was feeling helpless when Xue Bao Tian brought the phone back to his ear. The man spoke lazily, but his words were vicious. “Either let him sleep with you, sleep with him instead—or, my personal recommendation, kill him!”
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