Tan Xiao was actually fine. After a good night’s sleep, he was practically back to his usual energetic self. He simply couldn’t walk too quickly, which was the only reason he had decided against hiking.
Zhang Xingchuan’s admirable habit of making thorough plans, a skill he had perfected over the years, had proved useful at the critical moment after all.
Some beginners failed on their first attempt because they knew nothing and hadn’t even bothered to prepare. If you failed the exam after that, you only had yourself to blame.
The lesson was clear: whatever you wanted to succeed at, you had to maintain a spirit of learning.
After sending his messages, Tan Xiao was already missing the wonderful night they had just spent together. His internal scoring system was practically worn out from handing Zhang Xingchuan more points. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before Zhang’s score exceeded even the Tan family’s wealth.
That thought reminded him that it was probably time to find a chance to tell Zhang Xingchuan openly about his family finances.
Zhang Xingchuan had to head out after breakfast, so he did not return to the room specially. He arranged to have breakfast delivered to Tan Xiao instead. After eating, Tan Xiao saw that the sun was shining and went out to recline on a lounger on the terrace. He played with his phone, looked up nearby attractions, and was already thinking about going exploring again.
“Tan Xiao?” someone called from beyond the courtyard gate.
He tilted his head to see who it was, then smiled. “Hello, Vice President Sun. It’s been ages.”
It was Vice President Sun from the Financial Business Division. He had only arrived the previous day, while Tan Xiao had been out sightseeing until evening, so they had not run into each other yet.
Sun looked astonished. “It really is you. What are you doing here?”
He existed in the company’s social chats purely as a source of gossip. As far as receiving office gossip went, though, he had absolutely no channels of information.
Not a soul had told him the sensational secret that former intern Tan Xiao had remained close to the president after leaving WenCheng.
He certainly had no idea that Tan Xiao had come to Shangri-La as a family member accompanying the president.
Seeing that Sun knew nothing, Tan Xiao did not think it appropriate to volunteer an explanation. He joked instead, “I’m here on holiday. Colorful Yunnan welcomes me.”
“Is the resort already open to the public?” Sun believed him completely. Looking over the courtyard from outside, he added curiously, “Why is your courtyard so big?”
The suite Zhang Xingchuan occupied had its own private courtyard. There were only two similarly arranged suites in the entire resort, and the other courtyard was slightly smaller and assigned to President Fu. All the other accommodations shared courtyards among several rooms.
The Financial Business Division had no direct involvement with the new resort brand. Vice President Sun knew little about the project and did not enjoy leisure travel himself. He was a short-tempered workaholic for whom socializing at team-building events was practically torture. He had come because all the other senior managers were attending, and opting out was not really an option.
Now, however, he rather liked the large, attractive courtyard. He pushed open the gate and wandered straight in to inspect it. Assuming there must be other people staying upstairs, he looked up to see whether he recognized any fellow WenCheng employees.
Tan Xiao watched him roam someone else’s courtyard uninvited and found him deeply entertaining. “Vice President Sun, has your foot healed?” he asked.
“All healed.” Sun had no idea that the adventures of Noble Lady Sun were nearly numerous enough to fill a book. “How did you know I was injured?”
“I heard about it.” Tan Xiao sat up from his lounger. “Hasn’t today’s team-building activity started yet? How do you have time to wander around here?”
“It’s about to start. I was on my way to the gathering point.” Sun kept inspecting the courtyard. “This place is huge. Is the room just as big? Mind if I take a look inside?”
Tan Xiao looked hesitant.
Sun did have some sense of boundaries, though not much. “You’re here with your girlfriend, aren’t you? You should be preparing for your dissertation defense, not coming out here for romance and moonlight. Watch out or you won’t graduate.”
“…” Tan Xiao sucked in a breath. He had just heard the most vicious curse in existence.
Sun noticed the attractive pastries arranged on the little table. “What’s that you’re eating? Give me one.”
Tan Xiao handed him the whole small plate.
“Vice President Sun,” he asked, “you still haven’t found yourself a partner, have you?”
Sun was divorced and had not yet met the right person.
“Romance isn’t going to come knocking on your door,” Tan Xiao said. “You’ve got to go out and find it.”
“What’s a kid like you doing telling me how to live?” Sun grumbled, then continued, “I’m not in a hurry. Even the president, with everything he’s got going for him, hasn’t found anyone. Why should I be anxious?”
You’re finished, Noble Lady Sun, Tan Xiao thought.
“Is someone from WenCheng staying on the second floor?” Sun asked.
“There’s nobody upstairs right now,” Tan Xiao said. “I’m using both floors.”
Sun had always been under the impression that the former intern came from a reasonably well-off family.
Young people who had never managed a household did not know the price of rice and cooking oil. Bringing your girlfriend on a trip and spending money so extravagantly!
“Let me ask you something.” Noble Lady Sun meant no harm, but his manner of speaking was unpleasantly pompous. “How much is this place per night? You shouldn’t be spending beyond your means. You haven’t even started working and you’re already using up your retirement money.”
“I don’t know how much it costs.” Tan Xiao looked innocent. “I didn’t pay for it. I’m staying in someone else’s room.”
Sun was puzzled again. “Whose room are you freeloading in?”
Tan Xiao smiled. “Zhang Xingchuan’s.”
“…”
Vice President Sun slithered away in a twisting, serpentine retreat. Before he got very far, he came rushing back, handed the plate of pastries to Tan Xiao, and then slithered darkly away again.
Tan Xiao collapsed laughing on his lounger.
By evening, the team-building activities at Pudacuo National Park had concluded successfully, and the WenCheng group returned to the resort.
Zhang Xingchuan went to the suite to change and found that Tan Xiao was nowhere to be seen. Off playing somewhere again.
There was a large group dinner that evening, so Zhang Xingchuan had no choice but to head over first. Employees who rarely saw him gathered to talk with him. He would not be attending the later activities, so anyone who wanted to speak to the president privately had to seize the chance now.
Jiaxin was both observant and considerate. Noticing that Tan Xiao had not come to dinner, she stepped outside to call him. When she returned, she leaned toward Zhang Xingchuan and spoke quietly. “Tan Xiao asked me to let you know that he won’t be coming back for dinner.”
An employee was asking for a photograph with the president. Zhang Xingchuan kept his pleasant smile in place.
Inside, however, he was shouting: We only just did that! And already you’re off roaming wild again? Are you a wild horse, Tan Xiao?
Tan Xiao had wandered around, made another local friend, and been enthusiastically invited to the friend’s home. By now, he was already eating dinner with the family.
His new friend was a young man from one of the local ethnic minority communities. He had attended university elsewhere and returned home after graduating to become a village official, dedicating himself to work in his hometown. He was an interesting person, as friendly with strangers as Tan Xiao himself, and even more talkative. Tan Xiao would barely begin a sentence before his new acquaintance interrupted, eager to take over the conversation. They had to fight for speaking time, practically arguing their way through the discussion, but eventually they managed to finish their chat and get to know each other. A modest new brotherly friendship had been established.
The young man showed Tan Xiao the customs and local life of several nearby villages. When it was time for dinner, he invited Tan Xiao home. The family had a car, so even if it got late, they could drive him back.
The plateau’s climate was different from that of the plains. That night, heavy rain came without warning. Zhang Xingchuan had finished all his team-building obligations and called Tan Xiao.
Tan Xiao was still at his new friend’s home. The rain was even heavier over there, and the village was more than ten kilometers from the resort.
Zhang Xingchuan was exasperated and wanted to pick him up. But driving on the plateau on a rainy night was dangerous in itself. Even the locals thought the roads were unsafe right now. It would be worse for someone from out of town to take that risk.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Tan Xiao said. “It’s fine.”
“Are you going to sleep at someone else’s house tonight?”
Tan Xiao heard the displeasure in his voice and grew a little guilty. “They have quite a big house. There’s somewhere I can sleep.”
Zhang Xingchuan stopped talking altogether.
“Are you angry?” Tan Xiao asked.
“No. Which village are they in? What’s the family’s name?”
Tan Xiao told him the place and the name.
Zhang Xingchuan asked a local resort employee about them. As soon as the man heard the village and surname, he recognized the family that had produced a university-educated village official. They were trustworthy, and the graduate himself was a very good Tashi.
Tashi meant a handsome young man.
Zhang Xingchuan wanted to talk even less.
Tan Xiao sat by the doorway of his new Tashi friend’s home watching the rain. His friend’s mother had prepared milk tea to warm him. He thanked her and held the bowl in both hands, feeling a little uneasy. Zhang Xingchuan really did seem to be upset.
Back in their suite, Zhang Xingchuan looked out through the window. The gentle snowy mountains and romantic meadows had vanished behind a curtain of rain.
A message arrived from Tan Xiao.
Tan Xiao: I’m sorry. I should have paid more attention to the time while I was out. I made you worry.
Tan Xiao knew why Zhang Xingchuan was unhappy. Once the team-building event was over, Zhang Xingchuan would surely have wanted to see him immediately. They had only just become intimate the previous night, and here Tan Xiao was, having so much fun away from him that he had forgotten to come back. That could make it seem as though he did not value their relationship enough.
Zhang Xingchuan: I’m not angry. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow. Get some rest tonight.
At first light, Zhang Xingchuan got up. The rain had stopped, so he prepared to set off to retrieve Tan Xiao. He was about to call the resort and request a car when he heard someone swiping a key card outside.
Tan Xiao pushed the door open and came in, wearing an oversized old padded jacket so worn its original color was impossible to tell.
Zhang Xingchuan was still standing beside the room telephone, about to make his call.
For a moment they simply stared at each other.
“Why are you up so early?” Tan Xiao asked.
It wasn’t even seven. He had caught a ride with a guesthouse vehicle heading out from the village to buy supplies. The owner had kindly dropped him at the entrance to the resort.
While speaking, he hurriedly removed the jacket and hung it to one side. His friend the village official had lent it to him against the cold, so he had to return it.
Zhang Xingchuan was utterly speechless.
Tan Xiao could not stand the smell clinging to him. “I’m going upstairs to take a hot shower.”
When he went to shower, Zhang Xingchuan followed him upstairs.
The president used the edge of the bathtub as a seat and watched Tan Xiao through the glass of the shower enclosure.
Tan Xiao did not feel uncomfortable being watched. He considered himself good-looking. If Zhang Xingchuan enjoyed looking at him, he was perfectly happy to let him.
Zhang Xingchuan let his gaze travel casually over him, but whenever their eyes met, the president became a little embarrassed and looked away.
The glass had fogged with steam. Tan Xiao could not read his expression clearly and assumed he was still angry.
I’ve already rushed back at the first opportunity, and he’s still sulking. This husband is a little too hard to coax, Tan Xiao thought.
In fact, Zhang Xingchuan was no longer angry at all.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had been the one in the wrong. If Tan Xiao hadn’t been so worried about upsetting him, why would he have rushed back so early? It was bitterly cold. The road might even have been icy. The coat his friend had lent him was old but clean; the vehicle he’d ridden in wasn’t, and the smell of secondhand smoke had soaked into his clothes.
Zhang Xingchuan had never seen Tan Xiao look like such a bedraggled prince. When he came through the door, it had looked as though he had fled some disaster.
After his shower, Tan Xiao stepped out and put on the bathrobe hanging nearby.
Zhang Xingchuan stayed seated on the edge of the bathtub.
Tan Xiao dried his hair. Zhang Xingchuan watched from behind the entire time. Only after Tan Xiao turned off the dryer did he speak.
“Does anything feel uncomfortable?” Zhang Xingchuan asked.
Tan Xiao met his eyes in the mirror. “No. You’re not angry anymore?”
“I wasn’t angry. I was worried something might be wrong with you.”
“I’m fine.”
Zhang Xingchuan glanced down.
Only then did Tan Xiao understand what he meant. His face went scarlet. “Not there either.”
“I wasn’t angry,” Zhang Xingchuan said. “I was worried about you. I got a little anxious.”
“I didn’t know it would suddenly rain that hard. I was going to come straight back after dinner.”
He arranged his face into a pitiful expression in the mirror. The soft vanity lighting made him look almost dreamily beautiful.
Zhang Xingchuan had not changed since getting up and wore only black silk pajamas. Tan Xiao made his pitiful face while stealing glances at his chest.
Zhang Xingchuan noticed and opened his arms. “Want to bury your face here for a minute?”
Tan Xiao broke into a smile and turned around, ready to bury his face in Zhang Xingchuan’s chest. But the president had tricked him. The moment Tan Xiao came closer, Zhang Xingchuan stood, cupped his face in both hands, and kissed him deeply.
Tan Xiao did not object. Kissing and cuddling into his chest were both excellent options. He should have returned on time last night. After a night apart, he had missed Zhang Xingchuan too.
Still kissing, they left the bathroom and tumbled onto the bed.
By the time Zhang Xingchuan was done kissing him, Tan Xiao was in complete disarray.
The president’s silk pajamas felt wonderful too.
Having offered the sweet reward, Zhang Xingchuan decided it was time for a little reprimand.
“Did you have fun at their house?” he asked.
Tan Xiao was still grinning foolishly. “I did. Everyone in the family was so nice.”
“Is he your type?”
Tan Xiao’s foolish smile vanished. “What?”
Zhang Xingchuan had not really asked because he wanted an answer. He kissed Tan Xiao again instead.
He merely needed somewhere to let out that sour burst of jealousy. At heart, he did not care what type Tan Xiao liked. Tan Xiao was his now, in any case.
But Tan Xiao felt terribly wronged. He stole a moment between kisses to protest. “Who do you think I’ve fallen for? What are you talking about? I don’t even like men.”
Zhang Xingchuan gave him an odd look. “What?”
“I said I like you. I didn’t say I like every man alive. What kind of person do you take me for?”
“You…” Zhang Xingchuan stared at him. “Aren’t you gay?”
Tan Xiao was just as bewildered. “When was I gay? Well, yes, technically I guess I am now… no, that’s not right. I still don’t like other men. Does that count as gay?”
“Then you and…”
Zhang Xingchuan understood in a flash. There was no need to revisit every old incident. What had begun as one small misunderstanding had snowballed, strengthened by his own assumptions, until he had taken it for a fact.
Tan Xiao understood too. All this time Zhang Xingchuan had believed he was gay.
What an absurd business.
Zhang Xingchuan still had his arms around Tan Xiao. Tan Xiao’s bathrobe was practically no more useful than wearing nothing at all. And after everything, it turned out they had started as two straight men? What?
“Then…” Zhang Xingchuan was at a loss for words. “You… I…”
Tan Xiao recovered first. “After everything we’ve done, if you’re having regrets now, I’m going to make a scene.”
“What kind of scene?”
“I’ll hang banners outside WenCheng headquarters. I’ll take my grievance all the way to the central authorities.”
“Do you regret it?” Zhang Xingchuan asked.
“What are you talking about? I really do love you.”
“Of course I really love you too.” Zhang Xingchuan burst out laughing. “How did the two of us end up being so ridiculous?”
A process riddled with mistakes had somehow produced such a wonderful result.
“Don’t ever tell anyone about this,” Tan Xiao said. “It would disgrace our university. Imagine producing two idiots like us.”
A thin line of sunlight slipped in beside the stairwell window.
“We can discuss it later,” Zhang Xingchuan said, noticing the light. “There’s something more important to do now.”
He pressed the bedside control, opening the blackout curtains on both sides of the room. Beneath a clear blue sky washed clean by the rain, snowy mountains and meadows shone brilliantly in the morning sunlight.
For all the words in the world, Tan Xiao could only manage one: “Wow.”
“This was my original plan,” Zhang Xingchuan told him.
Beneath the open sky, with the sun shining and the snow mountains, meadows, and highland wind all around them, the landscape would bear witness to their ardent union.
Tan Xiao was full of regret. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Wouldn’t this be ten thousand times better than the night before last?”
“Weren’t you the one who insisted on taking a mock exam first?”
“Stop talking.” Tan Xiao was wearing nothing under the robe, and it was already slipping off one shoulder. He tossed it aside altogether. “Come on, hurry!”
Before long, Professor Tan regretted things all over again.
Zhang Xingchuan was a competitive overachiever. He was not about to solve a problem he’d already completed using the same method twice. This time he took on the problem with entirely new approaches and material Teacher Tan had never studied before, leaving him so dizzy with delight he no longer knew which way was north.
They began their exam at eight and worked until after nine. Zhang Xingchuan ordered breakfast; after eating, they went straight back to the examination room.
The test continued until noon. Tan Xiao suspected he was on the verge of being examined to death. How could this candidate be both so gentle and so domineering, and so very good at taking exams?