Temporary curtains had been erected rather abruptly on campus to separate the crew from the filming area. Pinjun sat at a station that was simple but fully equipped while Pinky fixed his makeup. Watching her concentrated expression through the mirror, he suddenly felt, very clearly, that his little sister had grown up.
She used to trail behind him in a spoiled little voice crying, “Big brother, hug me,” and now she was already an intern at a major company.
When Pinjun drew his gaze away from Pinky, he unexpectedly met the eyes of Director Yan Fei, who was checking the set from a distance. Yan Fei gave him an easy, unpretentious smile, and Pinjun returned it politely.
“You lied to me.” Pinjun rolled his eyes at Pinky. “How is your director scary? He’s really nice!”
Pinjun had imagined that a director important enough to have a secretary, someone of a certain social and economic standing, would naturally resemble the stern, capable men who appeared in television dramas. So when he first met Yan Fei with his nerves stretched taut, the scale of his surprise was easy to imagine.
Pinky pouted and puffed out her cheeks adorably.
“That’s because you’ve never seen him when he’s scary!”
Pinky meant the way Yan Fei could be when assigning her work or speaking to a subordinate who had messed something up. What scared her most was not shouting but his cold treatment; Yan Fei seemed naturally capable of intimidating people without even trying.
Pinjun had never experienced it himself. He raised one eyebrow, plainly skeptical.
“You have? How scary is he?”
Pinky could tell at once that her own brother was teasing her. She huffed twice, pinched both cheeks with her hands, and made a goofy face. “This scary!” Seeing the thoroughly unscary face reflected in the mirror, brother and sister burst out laughing together.
“Idiot!” Pinjun scolded her with a laugh.
Pinky stuck out her tongue and went back to fixing Pinjun’s makeup. “Where’s your little prince? I thought he’d come with you.” She had been hearing Pinjun talk about him constantly lately but still had not met him, so she had no idea whether this “little prince” was handsome.
“He was still asleep. I couldn’t bear to wake him,” Pinjun said softly.
When Pinjun left that morning, Haiqing was still sprawled asleep in bed. Not wanting to disturb him, Pinjun had only left a note reminding him to eat breakfast and not to wait for him for dinner before heading out. Haiqing had stayed up late painting the night before, so he would probably sleep until noon.
Pinjun’s expression softened noticeably whenever he talked about Haiqing. Pinky rarely saw that look in her brother’s eyes and clicked her tongue teasingly.
“Couldn’t bear to wake him? When you used to wake me up, you’d yank off my blanket, tickle me, even flying-kick me, whatever worked!” Once a big brother grew up and got a boyfriend, he really didn’t belong to his little sister anymore. Hmph!
“That’s because you love sleeping in.”
Seeing how happy he looked, Pinky could not resist giving his earlobe a hard pinch. His cheeks were made up and he still had filming to do, so she could not pinch those. “By the way, have you been getting enough rest lately? One of your coworkers at the shop said you haven’t looked very well recently. Apparently you almost fainted once, and they told me to keep an eye on you in case you’ve messed yourself up dieting.”
“When did you hear that?” Pinjun froze.
“A little while ago. I got hungry after work and stopped by your shop, but you weren’t on shift, so I took the chance to ask how you’ve been doing there and whether you were embarrassing me. Bro, quit dieting like an idiot. Your body is already great.” Pinky had not expected to hear anything so alarming.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just hadn’t slept enough.” Pinjun had no intention of discussing it further. He brushed the matter aside and said no more.
Pinky still wanted to say something, but a crew member came over to ask Pinjun to take his place on set so they could begin filming.
“Got it, thanks!” Pinky hurried through one final check and, once she was sure everything was fine, let Pinjun go.
Pinjun followed the crew member to his mark. On the way he passed Yan Fei, who gave him the same smile as before; Pinjun returned it with a slightly nervous one.
Pinjun had gotten this commercial opportunity because Pinky had strongly recommended him. Yan Fei felt that celebrity endorsement fees kept climbing, while lower-priced stars who fit the budget lacked enough drawing power to make the ad worthwhile, so he had begun considering an unknown instead.
Pinky happened to learn this while chatting with Yan Fei. Always confident in her brother’s looks, she took it upon herself to recommend him, though she did not say he was her own brother. Better to avoid any appearance of favoritism. Yan Fei was interested and asked Pinky to see whether he could spare time for a meeting.
Sure enough, Pinjun’s looks and overall air were exactly the type Yan Fei had been searching for.
His features were sharply defined, his short hair clean and fresh, and his overall impression sunny and wholesome. With the right filming, makeup, and styling, he was certain to feel fresh and striking on screen.
“Celebrities these days are all too soft and pretty. Your brother looks much closer to the college-student image I had in mind,” Yan Fei told Pinky on the way back to the office. Pinky smiled proudly.
And just like that, the job was settled.
Pinjun figured it would give him some extra income, so he gladly agreed and began several consecutive days of filming. He did not tell Haiqing, planning to wait until the commercial was finished and actually appeared on television, then surprise him with it.
“Good work.”
During a break in the commercial shoot, Pinjun realized the work was harder to handle than he had imagined. The director and Yan Fei had both given him thumbs-up, but being in the middle of it left him with a strong, unmoored sense that he had no control. He knew it was a feeling no one else could really experience for him.
While Yan Fei was talking with the director, Pinjun checked his phone and found it would not respond no matter what he pressed. Only then did he realize the battery was dead. He plugged it into a power bank and waited a while; soon Pinky came over to tell him there had been quite a few missed calls.
“All from your little prince,” she said.
“Crap!” Pinjun hurriedly switched the phone on. Sure enough, there was a pile of missed calls and messages from Haiqing. The messages simply said that Haiqing had forgotten his key and asked where Pinjun was so he could get the spare from him and open the door.
Now this was awkward.
Pinjun had come to film the commercial behind Haiqing’s back, so how could he simply say he was at the school? If Haiqing came over and saw him surrounded by cameras, the surprise would be ruined. After turning it over again and again, Pinjun decided he had no choice but to take the key to him.
He told Pinky what had happened. She first raised an eyebrow, then fixed him with a serious stare.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You want everyone here to stop and wait for you just so you can deliver a key?”
Pinjun knew the request was unreasonable, but who could expect rationality from someone drowning in love? He kept insisting, “I’ll be right back, really,” but the promise only made his casual attitude toward the shoot more obvious.
“Bro, you’re at work right now. Is this seriously how you treat your job?” Pinky let out a long sigh.
Pinjun was still trying to argue, but a crew member came over to tell him filming was about to resume.
Pinky answered loudly while glaring at Pinjun. Neither of them needed to say what both understood perfectly well.
Pinjun could only text Haiqing that he was tied up at school and would be back later. For the rest of the shoot, Pinky could tell her brother’s mind was elsewhere.
Her brother threw himself so completely into love that even while working, he put the other person first.
Pinky could not tell whether what she felt was envy or something else. She only thought that Pinjun looked especially radiant now. No wonder Yan Fei had decided almost at first sight to use him in the commercial.
As soon as filming wrapped, Pinjun gave everyone a quick goodbye and rushed for the exit. Just then Yan Fei appeared and asked whether he and Pinky wanted to join the celebration dinner.
“Sorry, Director. I’ve got something at home and need to get back right away.” Pinjun’s impatience made his tone sharper than he intended. Yan Fei paused, taken aback, and awkwardness spread between them.
“Then what about Pinky?”
“Barbecue is my favorite!”
Pinky knew he was in a hurry to get the key back to his little prince. She shoved him toward the door while answering Yan Fei, and after Pinjun left, she did not forget to explain that her brother had something urgent to deal with and hoped Yan Fei would not take offense.
Pinjun ran across campus and raced home on his scooter, terrified Haiqing had been left waiting outside too long. The commercial had taken longer than expected, and checking details and reshooting scenes had been far more tedious than he had anticipated. So when he finally rushed home only to find no sign of Haiqing, confusion flooded him.
Had he gotten tired of waiting and gone somewhere else to kill time?
Pinjun went up and down the alley several times. Only after he was sure Haiqing was nowhere around did he unlock the door and go inside. The empty apartment was quiet, still carrying traces of the morning before they had left. He tossed the sandwich wrapper from the table into the trash and dropped onto the sofa, panting.
He had rushed too hard.
Before starting the scooter, Pinjun had run the entire way; once riding, his speed had forced him to focus completely on the road. Now that he finally relaxed, his whole body was slick with cold sweat. His clothes clung uncomfortably to his skin, and his breathing came heavy with exhaustion. He took out his phone and hit the speed-dial key to call Haiqing and ask where he was.
Click, click. The doorknob turned.
Pinjun rose from the sofa and went to meet Haiqing.
“Where did you go?”
“I went to look for Xiao K.” Haiqing spoke while taking off his shoes. “I was going to ask him to eat with me, but he was still busy.”
There was a faint edge of impatience in Haiqing’s voice. Watching him closely, Pinjun realized Haiqing had not met his eyes once since coming in.
“Sorry. I was at school… helping a teacher organize some materials.” Pinjun assumed Haiqing was upset because he had not answered when Haiqing needed him. On top of that, he felt guilty for hiding the commercial shoot, so apologizing came instinctively.
“Have you eaten?” Pinjun reached for the bag and jacket Haiqing was carrying, but Haiqing ignored the gesture and headed straight for the bedroom.
“Not yet.”
“Then should we go out to eat?” Pinjun anxiously caught Haiqing by the arm. “Hot pot?”
“I can’t eat.”
“Okay! I’m sorry!” Pinjun was genuinely panicking now. Haiqing’s cold, clipped attitude frightened him. The sweeter it had felt finally being together, the greater his fear that one mistake of his might lead to a breakup.
Haiqing turned his face away and looked at Pinjun from the corner of his eye.
“My phone just died and I forgot to charge it, so I couldn’t call you back right away. Don’t be mad at me!”
Haiqing’s expression changed in an instant.
A moment ago he had merely looked annoyed, the ordinary outward irritation anyone might show when life threw up a small inconvenience. Now, though, Haiqing looked as if he had discovered some enormous, ugly secret. Weariness and genuine anger filled his face.
“Why would I be angry?” Haiqing asked with a smile. “Why do you think I’m angry?”
“Because… you called me a bunch of times and I didn’t answer, and now you’re barely talking to me!” Pinjun trusted his instincts. He was not an only child, and his younger sister had always been especially pampered; he was hardly bad at noticing other people’s moods. “You are angry.”
“I. Am. Not!”
Pinjun insisted he was; Haiqing flatly insisted he was not. Their argument turned into the kind of meaningless emotional standoff one might expect from a pair of middle-school sweethearts.
“You were at school filming a commercial. Why did you lie and say you were helping a teacher organize materials?” Haiqing narrowed his eyes at him.
“How did you know?”
“I went to the school. Someone from the company at the set told me.”
“You went to the school… Then why did you lie and say you went to see Xiao K?” The anxiety Pinjun had felt when he came home and found Haiqing missing surged back. His voice grew a little more urgent, but to Haiqing it sounded like nothing but an accusation.
“You lied first. You deceived me first. What right do you have to question me?” Haiqing was like a hedgehog, defending himself with everything he had.
“I didn’t have time to explain. I really was at school! It’s just…” Pinjun knew that even if he could do it all over a hundred times, he still would not have simply told Haiqing about filming the commercial. From the moment he decided to do it, he had planned to keep it from him.
“It’s just that you were filming a commercial, not organizing materials?” Haiqing finished for him. Seeing Pinjun’s mouth fall slightly open with no words coming out, he knew he had guessed right. “I only went to get the key from you. It’s not as if I was forbidding you to work. Why on earth did you…”
Halfway through, Haiqing suddenly lost the energy to continue.
Everything that had happened today felt like some ridiculous farce. Haiqing’s body felt hot, and his lips and hands were trembling. He knew he was agitated, but he did not understand the real reason at all. Right now, all he wanted was to keep his emotions from spilling any further.
“Fine. Anyway… anyway, I’m not angry.”
In the end, exhaustion showed on Haiqing’s face. He even ran his fingers through his hair, and whenever he blinked, a faint sense of hurt seemed to cling to his whole body.
“Then why did you lie?”
“I… What did I lie about?” Pinjun’s heart jolted. The fact that he had concealed the commercial made him freeze for a split second, and that reaction did not escape Haiqing’s eyes.
“You lied to me.”
“If you don’t believe me, forget it.” Haiqing picked up his bag, went into the studio, and shut the door. He felt so tired and miserable that if he kept facing Pinjun, he feared he would become less and less like himself.
Pinjun followed him to the studio door and hesitated over whether to knock. In the end, he chose to leave Haiqing alone and returned to the sofa to think.
The heavy backpack was dropped carelessly onto the floor with a thud, much like Haiqing’s mood.
This studio was completely different in size from the old one, and its decor and furnishings had been carefully thought out. It had once been Grandpa’s bedroom. Pinjun had spent a great deal of time and effort repainting and renovating it into a new studio for Haiqing as a birthday present.
At the time, Haiqing had been so moved that he cried, hugging Pinjun, kissing him and nuzzling against him as if he wanted to melt straight into his embrace.
“Sigh…” Haiqing tugged at his own hair. Hurt and misery made his eyes sting.
Why did Pinjun hiding something from him make him so angry?
Haiqing could not clearly explain why, but he knew very well that he was exceptionally sensitive to being deceived.
After sniffing hard a few times, Haiqing went to the wall and looked at the photographs hanging there: Grandpa holding him; Grandpa with his father as a child; the three members of the family together; and several sketches and paintings. Proof of the history of this family covered the wall, yet one woman alone was missing from it.
Haiqing walked to a table and picked up the framed photograph standing on it.
A larger copy of the same photograph hung in Haiqing’s bedroom. Pinjun had made a smaller copy to keep here so that whenever Haiqing missed her, he could simply look up and see her. Pinjun’s thoughtfulness kept Haiqing’s chest filled with warmth.
“Mom…” he called softly.
Perhaps this uneasiness of his came from his father. His mother had died of illness, or so his father had told him since he was little. The truth was that Shichen had argued with his wife back then; in the heat of the moment, Haiqing’s mother had rushed out of the house and later died in a traffic accident.
His father had only confessed the truth to Haiqing recently. After the enormous shock and the renewed tide of longing had passed, Haiqing had once asked Pinjun:
“Why do you think my dad lied to me?”
“I think… maybe he thought it was for your own good. Dying from illness and dying in an accident don’t feel quite the same.”
“But…”
“I think your dad feels terribly guilty too.” Pinjun pulled Haiqing close and kissed his forehead tenderly. “Your dad keeps saying it was his fault. I think he was also afraid you’d blame him, and that’s why he lied.”
Pinjun’s words seeped gently into Haiqing’s heart like water. Whether or not they were the whole truth, they soothed and cherished his feelings. Pinjun had always treated him this way. That had never changed.
Haiqing put the photograph back on the table and paced around the room. After losing track of how many circuits he had made, he sat down in front of the easel. The half-finished work was still only a sketch, not yet colored. Haiqing stared at the pencil lines and wondered what the painting would look like when it was complete.
It was late at night.
The bedroom door opened quietly. Pinjun, already on the verge of sleep, was roused by the deliberately muted sound. Through the haze of drowsiness, he felt a pair of hands lift the blanket. Cold air brushed his skin, sending little shivers through him; when a warm body pressed against his back and wrapped him in an embrace, he instinctively covered the hands resting around his waist with his own.
“I’m sorry. I was so mean.” Haiqing apologized softly, his voice as gentle as the moonlight falling over them.
“You finally noticed? You scared me to death.” Pinjun’s voice was muffled. He had not truly been angry; if anything, he had been confused. “Not mad anymore?”
“I wasn’t mad at you to begin with.” Haiqing huffed softly twice and tightened his arms around Pinjun. “But don’t lie to me again. Whether I can handle the truth or not, don’t lie to me.”
“Okay. I swear, I’ll never lie to you.”
Pinjun’s promise seemed to turn a key. Warm, damp touches began to cover the back of his neck, and the hands resting over his chest slipped restlessly beneath his clothes to caress him. Deliberately teasing touches drew out wave after wave of shivers. Their earlier quarrel seemed to have acted as a catalyst. Pinjun quietly turned over and kissed Haiqing with tenderness and affection, the wet sounds between them growing louder.
Pinjun opened his mouth and lightly bit the tip of Haiqing’s nose. His breathing and the touch against Haiqing’s face were a wordless invitation. Haiqing closed his eyes and received every kiss that fell across his face, while his thoughts drifted away of their own accord.
When he had gone to the school looking for Pinjun, Haiqing had seen a man through the window of a car parked by the roadside: the man from the shower room.
With the same wild, burning expression, the man had been kissing another man in the passenger seat.
The memory that had gradually faded, buried even in the deepest reaches of his mind, had been awakened again.
That lingering heat, the passion branded into his body, the longing that had kept him awake all night…
Thinking of it, Haiqing frowned slightly and actively returned Pinjun’s kiss.
Jimmy used his knees for leverage, bracing both hands against Yan Fei’s chest. Every movement seemed precisely calculated so that both the one penetrating and the one being penetrated could feel pleasure. Wave after wave of sensation rolled over him until Jimmy could no longer hold back his moans, the sound so sensual it stole the breath.
Music poured from the speakers in the dark living room, dreamy and entangling. The electronic melody wound tightly around their ears as Jimmy moaned without restraint, lost in himself. The place where their bodies joined gleamed wetly with every thrust, filled and emptied again and again.
Yan Fei set a hand on Jimmy’s thigh and pressed down hard, drawing their joined bodies even closer. Jimmy cried out in pleasure and sprawled over Yan Fei’s chest, using shallower movements to deepen the sensation where they were joined. The position also let Yan Fei kiss him and catch Jimmy’s lower lip between his teeth.
“Baby, does that feel good? Ah!” With his upper body pressed tight against Yan Fei, Jimmy worked to lift his hips before dropping down heavily again. The swollen, over-sensitive place was squeezed tight and released with every movement, and the heat that brought him repeatedly to the brink of climax nearly made Jimmy lose control.
Yan Fei’s brows were drawn tight. To Jimmy, the expression of someone fiercely restraining his desire was the greatest encouragement.
The fullness and satisfaction swelling in Jimmy’s chest brought a seductive smile to his lips. His movements grew more calculated, more eager to please. Yan Fei closed his eyes. The increasingly hypnotic electronic music and the large amount of alcohol in his system blurred together, and amid the pleasure nearing its peak and the biting and licking, Yan Fei began to have an illusion… No. It was not an illusion.
Yan Fei’s mind was clear. The alcohol was affecting him, but he could not mistake who was moving and moaning on top of him.
His hands slid farther between Jimmy’s thighs. Once he had a firm hold, he pressed down harder. Jimmy’s cries and the pleas drowning in his moans transformed in Yan Fei’s mind into another face. He imagined that the person riding him now, panting and crying out in pleasure, was the young man from the shower room.
Yan Fei was softhearted.
He was angry at Jimmy for taking matters into his own hands, and he felt helpless about the state of their relationship. But Jimmy had stubbornly waited in his car until the commercial shoot ended and then kept coaxing and pleading for reconciliation. In the end, Yan Fei still could not bring himself to say they should break up.
Yet at the instant climax arrived, Yan Fei still could not stop himself from fantasizing about that young man’s face, imagining what expression he would make in Yan Fei’s arms as pleasure and trembling overtook him. The thought intensified the heat. Yan Fei let out a muffled groan and thrust his hips up uncontrollably.
“Ah—!” Jimmy gave a high cry and came amid Yan Fei’s thrusts.
Pinjun had told Haiqing that his sister’s birthday was coming up. As her older brother, he wanted to celebrate properly this year now that she had just found work. He had already reserved a restaurant and told his sister that he would bring his boyfriend along. Haiqing therefore asked Xiao K to help him choose a present.
Xiao K had been angry with Haiqing not long ago, but the two of them were close, and it was not as if they could not make up; they had simply lacked an opening. Pinjun had ended up practically dragging Haiqing over to apologize to Xiao K and forced the two friends to reconcile. That alone had earned Pinjun plenty of praise from Xiao K, so the moment he heard they were shopping for Pinjun’s sister, he agreed without hesitation.
What Xiao K had not expected was that when they met up and he asked Haiqing what he wanted to buy…
“No idea.”
Where did he want to shop?
“Don’t know.”
Haiqing pulled out a pink piece of clothing overflowing with girlish charm. Xiao K hurriedly shook his head and even clicked his tongue, making Haiqing put it back on the rack. Sure, it was the sort of thing many girls might like, but not everyone liked that mouthless cat!
Haiqing looked helpless and went back to searching. Two men shopping together drew a fair amount of attention. Xiao K had long since grown used to it, but Haiqing was thin-skinned and could only keep his head lowered while looking for a target.
“What exactly are you trying to buy?” Xiao K asked through a yawn.
“I honestly don’t know.” Haiqing sounded discouraged.
“How old is his sister? What’s her personality like? What’s her zodiac sign? What does she look like? What does she study?” As Xiao K fired off questions, he opened the notes app on his phone, planning to record the answers so he could use them to narrow down their choices.
Compared with Xiao K’s enthusiasm, Haiqing looked more like the person who had merely come along to accompany someone else shopping for a gift.
“I don’t know any of that.” Haiqing said helplessly.
“That mysterious? Chen Pinjun never told you?” Xiao K dejectedly put his phone away. How were they supposed to choose anything like this?
“I never asked.” Haiqing picked up a rabbit-shaped coin bank, studied it, and put it back.
“You never asked? Then how are you supposed to choose a gift?” Xiao K was practically on his knees. This was even harder than walking blindfolded into a restaurant he had never visited and trying to order!
“I just thought that since it’ll be our first time meeting and it’s her birthday, showing up without anything would feel wrong.” A pink wallet? No. That looked a bit too much like something for a younger student. He had heard from Pinjun that she was already in college, so he should give her something with a little more quality.
“You’re being way too careless about this. How are you supposed to pick anything?”
“That’s why I came to you.” From the corner of his eye, Haiqing spotted a pair of earrings set with rhinestones in three colors. They looked very girlish, but when he realized they were for pierced ears, he put them back. He had no idea whether Pinjun’s sister had pierced ears. “You always have the best ideas. If I’m asking someone about gifts, of course it should be you.”
Xiao K stared at Haiqing. Haiqing’s face was reflected in his enlarged contact lenses, and all Xiao K could see was confusion. To him, that was highly unusual.
“You’re acting weird.” In Xiao K’s memory, Haiqing was rarely this uncertain when it came to relationships. His everyday manner could be detached, even cold-blooded, but once he truly fell into a relationship or sincerely liked someone, he would let his whole life revolve around that person.
The way Haiqing was acting now was even more indifferent than if he were choosing a gift for an ordinary classmate.
“How am I weird?” Haiqing did not particularly agree with that assessment.
Xiao K clicked his tongue. “This isn’t like you!” Where had the person gone who, once he loved someone, would remember even the preferences of that person’s family members? Now he could not even figure out a birthday gift for Pinjun’s sister. If that was not strange, what was?
Haiqing paused after hearing that. Before Xiao K had enough information or time to decide whether the reaction came from guilt or surprise, Haiqing had already protested, “That’s not true! Of course I love Pinjun. He treats me so well…”
Xiao K noticed his speech slowing and his eyes beginning to wander elsewhere. A few thoughts flashed through his mind.
“No one in my whole life has ever treated me as well as he does. How could I not love him?” Haiqing’s voice began to drift. Xiao K knew it had nothing to do with Haiqing stretching onto his toes to reach a stuffed toy from a high shelf.
“Bingo!” Xiao K shouted. “You’re not with him because you love him. You’re with him because he treats you well.”
Haiqing’s expression changed immediately, and the stuffed toy in his hands was squeezed out of shape.
“Quit messing around! Are you helping me choose or not? If you’re not, I’ll shop by myself.” He tossed the toy back, scoring a perfect hit.
Haiqing was preoccupied with choosing a gift and was not truly angry at what Xiao K had said. For one thing, he was long accustomed to Xiao K’s sharp tongue. For another… he treasured this friend who had finally returned to his side. He glanced sideways at Xiao K, the slight lift at the corner of his mouth the only sign contradicting his apparent irritation.
“Okay, okay! Don’t get mad.” Xiao K surrendered at once.
Satisfied, Haiqing nodded and turned to examine shelves and walls packed with hats and scarves.
“You just don’t like being called out…” Xiao K muttered while Haiqing was focused elsewhere. When Haiqing turned back holding a scarf in one hand and a hat in the other to ask which was better, Xiao K immediately put on a smile and resumed his role as a competent shopping companion.
This was Haiqing’s first time dining at such an upscale French restaurant.
He had deliberately put on the most presentable clothes he owned. Originally, Haiqing had even wanted to wear a suit, but Pinjun had laughed and stopped him.
“It’s not some formal banquet. It’s just a young woman having a birthday dinner. Wear whatever.” Pinjun himself had truly dressed as casually as he said, yet his shirt and jeans did not look casual at all. Haiqing thought perhaps it was because Pinjun naturally carried himself with such maturity. The same outfit on Haiqing would have made him look like a student.
After the waiter showed them to their seats, Haiqing stared blankly at the menu covered in French. Pinjun held the menu and, in his low, pleasant voice, read each dish aloud to Haiqing one by one. He even faithfully translated the small print underneath listing ingredients, cooking methods, and notes. With elegant classical music playing around them, Haiqing almost felt as if he were truly in France, enjoying a wonderful meal with the person he liked while French chanson rich with memories played in his ears.
“Why do you know French?” Haiqing looked at Pinjun with open admiration. Whether his pronunciation was standard or not did not matter; Haiqing simply thought Pinjun looked incredibly attractive like this.
“French was my second foreign language. Later I didn’t have time to keep studying it, and I haven’t reviewed it in a while, so there are some words I can’t even pronounce anymore.” Pinjun spoke a little sheepishly. The faint blush on his face made him especially good-looking, and Haiqing pinched his cheek, using the gesture to show just how impressive he thought Pinjun was.
Haiqing glanced at his phone without thinking and saw that it was almost the time they had agreed on.
“Your sister should be here soon. Did she have class today?”
“Mm. She’s interning at a company and sometimes has to work overtime. She’s probably stuck in traffic. She’ll be here soon.” Pinjun waved his phone to show that he had already been in touch with his sister and there was no need to worry. “Come on, come on. Let’s study the wine list.”
Watching Pinjun enthusiastically pore over the red and white wines like a child, Haiqing found himself worrying about something else instead.
He tugged Pinjun’s sleeve and asked in a whisper, “Is this restaurant really expensive?” The prices he had just seen on the menu had not looked remotely friendly, and Haiqing could not help worrying about the bill.
“It’s fine. This is the first time I’ve properly celebrated my sister’s birthday. It’s okay.”
Reassured by him, Haiqing relaxed and quietly admitted, “I prepared a present for her too… I don’t know whether she’ll like it.” A happy smile immediately appeared on Pinjun’s face.
“Thank you.” He spoke happily, then looked around. After making sure no one was paying attention to them, he leaned over and kissed Haiqing on the cheek. Thank you for putting thought into my sister. I can feel how much you value me.
Haiqing answered him with a smile that clearly said, You’re being ridiculous.
After they finished studying the wine list, Pinjun ordered set meals for the two of them. Then they sat waiting for the guest of honor to arrive, each holding a phone to pass the time.
Ring, ring—
In the quiet around them, the message alert’s little “meow” sounded especially conspicuous.
It was Pinjun’s phone.
“My sister’s on her way. Their director is coming with her too.” Pinjun smiled as he explained it to Haiqing.
Haiqing’s brows immediately drew together.
“Director? What director? I don’t really want to meet a stranger.” He put down his phone, displeasure showing in his expression. He had expected this dinner to be just the three of them. In a sense, it counted as a family gathering. Having some director suddenly join them made the presence of an outsider feel jarring.
“You’ve never met my sister either!” Pinjun ignored Haiqing’s helpless look that clearly said, How is that the same? and continued on his own. “That director is a decent guy. The commercial I shot last time was for his company. My sister really likes him and says he’s a good person.”
Haiqing was not listening attentively at all. He was still caught up in the awkwardness of knowing that a complete stranger with no connection to any of them was about to join the dinner.
“…If I don’t know what to say later, don’t force me to talk, okay?”
“Of course! Who would dare force you to talk? Push you once and you start scolding people. You might even bite somebody.” Pinjun exaggerated shamelessly, but the consideration wrapped inside the joke reached Haiqing perfectly well.
Haiqing could not resist punching him. “Shut up and eat your bread!”
Pinjun did not dare disobey. He quickly picked up a piece of bread spread with rich butter, tore off a bite, dipped it into the soup, and tried to feed Haiqing. Haiqing told him not to be so cheesy and took the bread himself, his expression softening considerably.
The restaurant door opened. Pinjun and Haiqing naturally looked toward the entrance. When Pinjun saw a young woman come in, he quietly told Haiqing, “That’s her,” and gave her a small wave so she would see them.
Haiqing swallowed the bread in his mouth and was just about to wave along when his expression suddenly froze.
He stared at the man walking in behind the young woman, and every memory came rushing out at once.
The frenzied kisses as he had been pinned against the shower-room wall, the sensations left behind on his skin, the face and voice that had gradually surfaced in his mind during every recent kiss and touch with Pinjun… All the desires sleeping deep inside him were forcibly awakened without warning. Haiqing’s throat suddenly tightened, and he could not get a single word out.
Pinjun did not notice the slightest change in Haiqing’s emotions. When the two newcomers reached the table, he stood to greet them.
“Director, this is Su Haiqing, my—”
“Boyfriend? Hello, I’m Yan Fei.” Yan Fei held out his hand to Haiqing. He was so composed and natural that Haiqing almost thought he alone still remembered what had happened that day. But when Yan Fei’s hand closed around his hard enough to hurt slightly, Haiqing knew he had not misunderstood.
Yan Fei was the same as him.