“Hm?” Lu Sili straightened his waist. After a slight frown, the corner of his mouth lifted. “Su Yuan, don’t you think you talk a lot too?”
Su Yuan was not annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled with the satisfaction of someone who had gotten exactly what he wanted. “Then what should we do?”
He knew Lu Sili had taken the bait. All he had to do now was behave and listen.
But Lu Sili said nothing. He only looked down at Su Yuan from above.
Usually Su Yuan was the one in control, but this time he could not move things forward. He could only wait for judgment from his god, except his god had already learned exactly how to torment him.
Lu Sili slowly raised his hands and took off his pajama top, then lightly tossed it over Su Yuan’s face.
Su Yuan whispered on a breath, “Smells so good.”
“You!” Lu Sili was furious. He snatched the shirt away and threw it aside, wanting to call Su Yuan a pervert, but immediately realized that insulting him would only make him more excited.
A few exchanges, only a handful of words, and the balance had already flipped.
Lu Sili smiled softly and pretended he was about to kiss Su Yuan. His pale chest was covered in a thin layer of muscle, his waist slender and supple. Su Yuan moved to meet the kiss, only for Lu Sili to tighten his thighs around him and rock forward and back once. Caught completely off guard, Su Yuan felt as though his soul had been shaken right out of him.
“You wanted me to bite down on the tie. What about you?” Lu Sili’s voice was so soft it was almost only breath.
Su Yuan was already dazed. He tried to reach for Lu Sili’s waist, but Lu Sili stopped him.
Lu Sili pulled the tie Su Yuan had carefully ironed smooth from beneath the pillow and efficiently bound Su Yuan’s wrists together.
“You talk too much,” Lu Sili said coldly.
Su Yuan said, “Don’t do this to me…”
Lu Sili said, “Then tell me. What do you want?”
Su Yuan answered urgently, “Sit on my face.”
Early summer mornings and evenings in Licheng were not especially hot, and older people generally disliked using air conditioning. Several of the units in the house had broken without anyone even noticing.
Only the cool summer-night breeze slipped through the half-open window, easing the heat of the two bodies tangled together.
The more forbidden the setting felt, the more exciting it became, and Lu Sili’s nerves never relaxed for even a moment.
When it hurt, Lu Sili still could not keep himself completely silent. He lightly bit his lip, both hands braced against Su Yuan’s abdomen to keep his balance. When he tipped his head back, sweat from the ends of his hair fell against Su Yuan’s neck. A Beta could not smell pheromones, so this was the stimulant that belonged to a Beta.
…
* * *
This was the most relaxed summer Lu Sili had spent since returning to China. After discussing it with Wei Yuan, Lu Sili told President Bob that he was not suited to take charge of the Asia region and recommended Wei Yuan instead.
Bob was somewhat disappointed and displeased, but fortunately, two films Wei Yuan had produced years earlier happened to be among Bob’s favorites, which improved his impression. With Parker strongly recommending him, Bob conducted three video interviews with Wei Yuan and had him travel to the LA headquarters with Lu Sili.
Wei Yuan really was the sort who hid his strength behind a harmless facade. Other than his awkward English, it was obvious that he and Bob got along very well.
That essentially settled the matter. The only problem was that Lu Sili’s appointment notice had already circulated internally, and changing the appointment again so soon would affect staff morale. They therefore decided to wait until the Asia regional office formally opened two months later before issuing the official appointment notice.
Wei Yuan could show a genuinely professional side of himself when major matters were at stake. Lu Sili felt relieved, but also a little envious. He himself was always rushing, pushing both life and work forward in a panic.
Now that he had handed off some work, things were easier, but how should he keep moving forward in the future? Lu Sili thought about it for a long time. He did love the industry. Discovering the potential in every film and helping filmmakers receive returns worthy of their work had always made him proud.
But his understanding of film now remained on the surface. If he lost the golden outer shell of F&A, would everything still go this smoothly?
“So does that mean you won’t have to oversee departments like Finance and PR anymore?” Su Yuan asked while scooping cat litter.
Lu Sili nodded. He was shopping online for yoga mats. Luke had suggested that he begin exercising with yoga.
Cycling and basketball were not really options anyway.
Lu Sili added, “And reporting from divisions like Exhibition and Artist Management will be transferred to Wei Yuan too. I won’t have to keep coordinating work across countries with headquarters either.”
Su Yuan turned around, visibly happy. “Then that’s perfect. We can focus properly on getting your health back.”
Lu Sili hummed in agreement, then asked, “Which gym do you use?”
“It’s right next to the hospital, but my membership is almost up. Which one do you want to go to? I’ll join you,” Su Yuan said.
Lu Sili agreed, but then thought of something. “But you’re going to the US in September. Wouldn’t it be a waste if you can’t use the membership?”
Su Yuan had passed his visa interview the day before yesterday, and the hospital paperwork was nearly finished too. There were still three months left, but somehow the separation already seemed right in front of them.
“It won’t be a waste.” Su Yuan tied up the bag of used cat litter and sat beside Lu Sili. “Three months is a long time.”
Lu Sili turned to look at Su Yuan, then turned back and tapped +1 on the quantity in his shopping cart.
“Then come to yoga class with me.”
Dr. Su, who went to the gym to lift weights every day after swinging hammers in the operating room, pressed his lips together. “All right.”
Once the work situation was settled, Lu Sili discovered that the Distribution Division’s work seemed to consist of the same handful of things cycling around. He had pushed his own efficiency very high in the past so everything would be completed on time, and Fiona could already shoulder about seventy percent of the Distribution Division’s work, which meant that now he often finished everything by the end of the morning.
When he had free time, he followed Wei Yuan around film sets or went to see Jiang Que and Ru Que.
Ru Que’s film was almost finished. In a few days, they were going out of town to shoot the last stretch of location footage. Jiang Que called Lu Sili and said Ru Que was running short on money.
F&A could increase the budget, but approval would take half a month. Lu Sili could not ignore company procedure either, so he came up with another solution: find her a sponsor.
Lu Sili went through the brands he had worked with before, picked several automakers, and called them one by one. One brand was able to provide money quickly.
So Jiang Que invited Lu Sili and Su Yuan to dinner.
They ate at a farmhouse restaurant in the southern outskirts of Licheng. It was the perfect season, green everywhere, and the moment Lu Sili opened the car door, he felt the day’s exhaustion disappear.
“Careful.” Su Yuan reached out and held Lu Sili’s hat in place.
The farmhouse restaurant was in a small village halfway up the mountain, where the wind was strong. Lu Sili was wearing a woven straw hat today, the brim slightly turned up at both sides in a somewhat Western cowboy style. Paired with his white linen shirt and distressed jeans, the whole outfit had a striking atmosphere.
He looked up and smiled at Su Yuan, red lips and bright teeth, as though he were posing for a magazine spread.
Su Yuan could not suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. Anyone would find it hard to contain his affection with a partner who looked this good.
“Director Lu!”
The two looked over. Yan Wenwei had come out to meet them and stood at the farmhouse entrance in an oversized T-shirt, waving.
Lu Sili immediately waved back. “Director Yan!”
Then he grabbed Su Yuan’s hand and quickly walked toward Yan Wenwei.
Yan Wenwei was always smiling. Seeing the two of them holding hands, he could not resist teasing, “Director Lu, did you come here to shoot a magazine spread? If you were willing to act, I’d be tempted to cast you just to raise the beauty level.”
Lu Sili laughed and exchanged a glance with Su Yuan before replying modestly, “Director Yan, it’s no fun if you’re just teasing me.”
“But Director Lu can’t go act. If you leave, who’s going to find sponsorship for us?” Yan Wenwei said, dropping the teasing.
Then he greeted Su Yuan.
Su Yuan had met Yan Wenwei several times before. They got along well drinking and chatting, so the moment Yan Wenwei saw him, he asked whether Su Yuan wanted tickets to the film festival.
Walking beside Su Yuan, Lu Sili suddenly realized that Su Yuan seemed to get along well with his family, his friends, and even his work partners.
Like a shape-shifting slime that was also wonderfully stress-relieving.
The farmhouse restaurant was not large to begin with, and Jiang Que had reserved the entire place. A little over a dozen people had come, including several of the main actors from Ru Que’s film.
Lu Sili and Su Yuan had already attended gatherings like this several times and were perfectly at ease. They picked up some fruit and drinks and went to eat on the terrace.
A whole lamb was roasting in the neighboring courtyard, and its aroma slowly drifted over. Lu Sili kept swallowing in hunger.
Su Yuan laughed helplessly and brought him some pastries to fill his stomach.
Lu Sili refused. “No. I’m saving room for the roast lamb.”
Neither Lu Sili nor Su Yuan usually had especially strong appetites, so Su Yuan rarely saw him like this.
“You really like whole roast lamb?” Su Yuan asked.
Lu Sili shook his head instead. They stood beside the wooden terrace railing with their elbows resting on it. Lu Sili finally dragged his gaze away from the lamb and looked at the rolling valley in the distance.
“It’s fine. It’s just that this kind of setting, this kind of atmosphere, naturally makes you hungry.”
Su Yuan smiled. “Then let’s go out to eat more often from now on.”
Lu Sili’s eyes lit up. “Sure! What about picnics? Like when we were students, bringing food to the park.”
Yingnan No. 3 High School had offered all kinds of extracurricular activities, but every activity cost money. Su Yuan and his aunt’s family had not been well-off, so he rarely participated.
“Okay,” Su Yuan said.
While they were chatting, Ru Que came over too, accompanied by a plainly dressed girl. The two were holding hands, and Lu Sili and Su Yuan immediately understood what was going on.
Ru Que thanked them and invited them to go sing with everyone else.
“I’m tone-deaf. I’ll pass,” Lu Sili said with a smile.
If Lu Sili was not going, naturally Su Yuan would not go either. After Ru Que left, both of their gazes followed Ru Que and her girlfriend for a long time before they finally looked at each other.
“I remember the last time we saw her, Ru Que had just gone through a breakup and was miserable,” Su Yuan said.
Lu Sili hummed. Perhaps his old self would have found it strange too, but now he only smiled gently and said softly, “No matter how terrible the things that happened were, no matter how bad the experience was, even if a relationship you spent years building ends, you can still start again. Feeling love can happen in a single instant.”
Even if you differentiated into a secondary sex you had never expected, you could still begin again and experience a different life.
Everyone who knew Ru Que’s romantic history behaved completely normally too.
Food always tasted better in a crowd. Lu Sili ate so much that he hiccupped the entire drive home, hiccupping as he drove.
Lu Sili was taking care of his health and did not drink. Su Yuan, unable to resist everyone’s invitations, had some. His alcohol tolerance was only average, and after two bowls of homemade glutinous-rice wine, he was now curled in the passenger seat grinning stupidly.
“But it tasted sweet,” Su Yuan said.
Lu Sili smiled without replying. The rice wine did not smell strong at all. If he had been the one drinking it, he probably would not have fared much better.
“Wife,” Su Yuan called him again.
Normally Lu Sili would definitely have told him not to call him that, but today he only smiled and answered with a soft “Mm.”
Su Yuan said nothing else. He simply looked at Lu Sili and grinned foolishly, the breeze ruffling his hair and alcohol coloring his cheeks faintly red.
“I love you so much. Really, really, very, very much,” he said.
This was a beautiful life Lu Sili had never once imagined.
After Grandma’s health improved, Lu Sili and Su Yuan lived at their own home on weekdays and stayed at Grandma’s house on weekends.
Su Yuan had many surgeries on Fridays and would not finish until nine at night. Lu Sili was waiting for him so they could go to Grandma’s house together, so he worked in the office while chatting with Li Ya. Li Ya asked what gift he should give Old Xu for his wedding the following week. Lu Sili knew nothing about things like that.
Lu Sili: [I’ll ask Su Yuan.]
Li Ya: [Ask for me too.]
Lu Sili: [Ask your own partner.]
Li Ya: [I don’t have an elephant. Don’t be so stingy.]
Elio’s Notes: Li Ya is playing on 对象 (duìxiàng, “partner”) and 大象 (dàxiàng, “elephant”). Both contain the character 象 (xiàng).
The two of them traded messages back and forth like bored students passing notes in class.
Just as they were enjoying the conversation, a new message popped up in the list from a contact saved as “Study Abroad Consultant.” Lu Sili had originally planned to delete the account because it was always sending promotional messages.
But the preview did not seem to begin like the usual advertisements.
Lu Sili opened it.
Study Abroad Consultant Amy: [Hello, sir. I’m very sorry, but I need to resign for personal reasons. If you still have study-abroad needs later, I can refer you to one of my colleagues.]
Lu Sili: [It’s fine. You can just delete me.]
Amy had not expected Lu Sili to reply. She had looked through his Moments before and knew he worked at F&A, which was a major company.
It happened to be a boring evening, and she was working overtime.
Study Abroad Consultant Amy: [I saw your Moments. You work at a film company, right? I remember the first time you contacted me, you asked about art schools.]
Li Ya had stopped replying.
Lu Sili: [Yes, but I was only asking casually. Sorry for wasting your time.]
Study Abroad Consultant Amy: [Haha, it’s fine. I answer tons of questions like that every day. Actually, I’m resigning because I’m going to Sydney to study.]
Lu Sili smiled: [Then congratulations.]
Maybe the night was too boring, or maybe she simply wanted to share. The other person continued messaging him.
Study Abroad Consultant Amy: [When you asked me that day, were you thinking of further study? Or moving abroad?]
Lu Sili: [I’m not sure either.]
Study Abroad Consultant Amy: [Actually, I’ve only been divorced for a year. I always wanted to study and live abroad for a while, but I got married very young. After the divorce, I wanted to start a completely new life, so I finally made up my mind to save money and study. I finally got into the school I wanted. I’m so happy!]
She sent a cute sticker.
Lu Sili read her message very carefully and stared at his computer screen in silence for a long time.
Study Abroad Consultant Amy: [Don’t laugh at me, but I’m already thirty-four this year. I gave up so much to make this dream happen.]
Lu Sili smiled and replied sincerely: [You’re amazing. You’re incredibly brave.]
It took a while before she responded.
She said: [Thank you. I hope you’ll be brave too.]
Only after the conversation ended did Lu Sili notice that both Li Ya and Su Yuan had messaged him. Su Yuan had just finished surgery.
Lu Sili packed up his things, preparing to leave and pick Su Yuan up so they could go home together.
A search page was open on his computer. Lu Sili looked at the search box, paused, then as though possessed by some impulse, quickly typed: USC School of Cinematic Arts.