It was hard to believe those cookies were Xu De and Yu Rong Mei’s first attempt at baking. They were delicious. Mai Ding only knew how to cook ordinary home dishes. Cookies, cakes, Western food, none of that was within his skill set. Now he was starting to wonder whether he should buy a cookbook and learn. A truly great man should keep improving both at work and in the kitchen.
When Mai Ding returned the plate after finishing the cookies, Xu De and his wife insisted on inviting him inside for a while. It was Mai Ding’s first time in their apartment. The living room felt warm and cozy, with all the furniture in soft, warm colors. Mai Ding sat somewhat stiffly on the sofa. Yu Rong Mei asked, “Were the cookies all right?”
“They were really good.”
Xu De turned toward his pretty wife. “See? I told you they tasted good, but you wouldn’t believe me.”
“That’s because you say everything I make tastes good.” The looks and little interactions they exchanged were not an act. Mai Ding could see clearly how much they liked each other. Yu Rong Mei pushed the cookies toward him. “If you liked them, there are plenty more. Eat as much as you want.”
“Oh, right. I have some apples at home. I’ll go get a few for you to try.”
“If you do that, my wife is going to get angry. We only made too many. We weren’t trying to get anything back from you.” Hearing the reproach in Xu De’s tone, Mai Ding waved his hands frantically. “That’s not what I meant.” Seeing him panic, Yu Rong Mei laughed. “We’re teasing you. Don’t take everything so seriously.”
“I can’t get rid of that habit. An Zi Yan has told me off for it plenty of times.” Mai Ding relaxed and lifted his teacup toward his mouth. Yu Rong Mei watched his movements for a moment, then suddenly said, “Mai Ding, you and An Zi Yan aren’t roommates. You’re lovers, right?” It did not sound like a question. Mai Ding choked on his tea and started coughing, making Xu De and Yu Rong Mei laugh. Yu Rong Mei pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. “Here, wipe that up. Sorry, I was too direct.” She did not sound particularly sorry. As Mai Ding wiped the coffee table, he noticed that their expressions were unlike most people’s. Their gazes were completely ordinary, as though he and An Zi Yan were no different from the two of them. Mai Ding paused for several seconds before saying, “We’re not lovers.” Disappointment flashed through both their eyes, but Mai Ding continued, “We’re already married. Strictly speaking, we’re spouses.”
Their eyes immediately lit up with excitement and satisfaction. Mai Ding did not understand. Could Yu Rong Mei be one of those legendary fujoshi? Yu Rong Mei said, “That’s wonderful. I was worried you wouldn’t admit it. My husband and I figured it out a while ago, but we were afraid asking would be rude. And then look at me, I still couldn’t resist.”
“You two…”
Yu Rong Mei spoke cheerfully. “What era are we living in? We don’t care about things like that. Don’t worry. We’re not going to gossip around the neighborhood.”
“I wasn’t suspicious of you.”
“To put your mind at ease, I’ll tell you a secret.” She leaned closer to Mai Ding. “Xu De’s ex was a man too.” Mai Ding’s mouth fell open. For a moment he had no idea what to say. Was Xu De bisexual? Or was Yu Rong Mei too? Xu De gave a helpless shrug. “There she goes exposing my past again. There’s nothing I can do with her. She has me completely wrapped around her finger.” Mai Ding liked them even more than before. Maybe it was because when he looked into someone else’s eyes and found no ridicule or disgust, the sense of release carved into his heart was impossible to describe. Only Mai Ding truly understood it. Only someone who carried the same kind of love could understand it.
Every time Mai Ding acted carefree, it was partly an act. He kept saying, I don’t care. I really don’t care what any of you think of me or say about me. But that was not true. It was never that simple. He did care. He simply did not dare admit how afraid he was of society’s judgment. Because the moment he admitted it, he would expose his weakness, and the world would know exactly where to attack. It would swallow him whole.
Yu Rong Mei’s friendly revelation left Mai Ding struggling to think of an appropriate response. He could hardly ask directly whether Xu De was bisexual, but he had to say something. Xu De checked the time and rescued Mai Ding from his awkwardness. “All right. How much longer are you planning to keep Mai Ding? It’s about time you gave him back to An Zi Yan.”
“That’s true.”
“I should head home and make lunch anyway. We can talk again another day.”
“Mm. Bring An Zi Yan with you next time if you can. I keep wondering whether he has some misunderstanding about us?” Yu Rong Mei asked uneasily. Mai Ding explained, “Nothing like that. That’s just his personality. He doesn’t talk to people much. I’ll tell him.” Mai Ding returned home in an excellent mood, humming as he wandered back and forth in front of An Zi Yan. When An Zi Yan ignored him, Mai Ding snatched the book from his hands. “Guess what we were talking about just now?”
“A love story between a married woman and a plumber?”
“No! I’m telling you, they know about you and me.”
“Really?” An Zi Yan was not surprised. Whether other people knew or not meant nothing to him. He simply picked up another book and started reading. How boring. Couldn’t he play along even a little? Mai Ding continued, “I’ll tell you something else. It turns out Xu De used to date a man.”
“Really?”
“Could you at least look surprised for me? Is ‘really?’ all you know how to say? You’re supposed to jump up and ask me what happened. I practically jumped when I heard it.” He dropped onto the sofa and hugged both books against himself in exasperation. An Zi Yan picked up yet another book and said, “Could you please go somewhere I can’t hear you?”
Mai Ding wrinkled his nose. Then he remembered something and pulled away An Zi Yan’s book again. “They invited you to come over with me next time.”
“Not going.”
“Why? You don’t even know why you dislike them. Maybe it’s because you don’t understand them well enough. I already said we’d go. If you act like this, where does that leave me? They’ll think our relationship is bad.”
“It is pretty bad.”
“What’s bad about it? We’re obviously very loving.” Mai Ding grinned and collapsed onto An Zi Yan. The book slipped to one side as Mai Ding rubbed his cheek against An Zi Yan’s shoulder. “Come with me next time, okay?”
“Get off.”
“Okay? Please?”
“Get off.”
“Okay? Mm? Fine, you’ll agree, right?” An Zi Yan stopped answering. That could only mean one thing: he had agreed. Mai Ding hugged him even tighter. “You really do spoil me the most.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know you’re doing this on purpose.”
Mai Ding let out a bright, happy laugh. “I absolutely am.”
Mai Ding could repeat the same thing, the same gestures, with An Zi Yan endlessly, like a child who found a favorite game and kept shouting, Again! Again!