The following day, Lu Congzhi and Wen Rui took Xiaohong and Xiaolan back to Bei City by train. After settling the sisters in, the two men hurried straight back to campus without a moment’s rest.
When they opened the dormitory door, Yu Binbin and Zhou Ming greeted them with delighted shouts, while Song Xiuzhu’s eyes showed a mixture of surprise and disappointment.
Wen Rui was keenly perceptive, and a ripple stirred in his heart. What was Song Xiuzhu disappointed about? That Lu Congzhi had returned alive?
If Song Xiuzhu hadn’t tipped someone off, that dangerous trip would never have happened. Wen Rui knew with absolute clarity that things between him and Song Xiuzhu could never return to what they had been.
Did he regret that? He thought for a moment and found that he felt only relief.
Friendships forged in youth were precious. If Lu Congzhi hadn’t forcefully torn away Song Xiuzhu’s false mask, Wen Rui might have remained deceived for a long time. Song Xiuzhu would sell out anyone to protect his own interests. The bond Wen Rui treasured might be worth nothing at all in the other man’s eyes.
Withdrawing his scrutinizing gaze, Wen Rui greeted Zhou Ming and Yu Binbin and asked casually, “Where’s Lin Yuan?”
Zhou Ming replied, “He rented a place off campus. He’s not living with us anymore.”
Wen Rui nodded, dragged in two heavy suitcases, and placed them side by side next to his desk. He then removed the two backpacks hanging from his shoulders and finally set down the enormous plastic bag he had been carrying.
Lu Congzhi emerged from behind him carrying nothing at all, still sucking on an ice pop.
Yu Binbin couldn’t resist complaining, “Brother Lu, are you treating the class monitor as free labor?”
Lu Congzhi sat on his bed, crossed his long legs elegantly, and said lazily, “Can’t you see I’m eating an ice pop?”
Wen Rui smiled. “Eating comes first.”
Yu Binbin clicked his tongue and teased, “Class monitor, go on, spoil him rotten!”
Something stirred in Wen Rui, but he said nothing. He went into the washroom, wiped his face, wrung out a damp cloth, and brought it out for Lu Congzhi.
Lu Congzhi wiped his face too, then handed the cloth back.
Wen Rui washed it clean and hung it outside to dry. They hardly exchanged a word throughout, yet their actions were intimate, with an indescribable closeness. It was as though, after that trip, an invisible wall had risen between them and everyone else, leaving the two of them in a world of their own.
Yu Binbin and Zhou Ming weren’t particularly perceptive, so neither noticed. But Song Xiuzhu felt as though countless ants were gnawing at his heart.
Even at the height of his friendship with Wen Rui, they had never been that close. At Wen Rui’s side, he had been more like a dependent or a shadow. He traded quiet obedience for what Wen Rui called relaxation and peace.
But Wen Rui treated Lu Congzhi differently. Differently from anyone else in the world.
Song Xiuzhu didn’t want to accept it. He lowered his head and pretended to read while secretly observing them from the corner of his eye. Then another thought struck him: Wen Rui hadn’t even greeted him on returning to the room. Had he forgotten, or done it deliberately?
Song Xiuzhu felt miserable, his thoughts in disarray. He despised people like Wen Rui, whose sexual orientation he regarded as abnormal. Yet he couldn’t bear it when Wen Rui refused to favor him, like him, or draw close to him.
Lu Congzhi finished his ice pop and tossed the stick toward a trash can some distance away.
He missed, and the stick fell to the floor.
Wen Rui sighed, walked over, picked it up, and dropped it in the bin.
Lu Congzhi pulled his belt from his waist, tossed it carelessly onto his bed, and held out two long fingers toward Yu Binbin.
Yu Binbin immediately offered up a Zhonghua cigarette and lit it for him.
Lu Congzhi lowered his eyes to take a drag, leaned against the wall behind him, and exhaled a thin stream of white smoke with a sigh, as if he’d finally come back to life. The long journey had left him looking a little worn out. A faint red flush lingered at the corners of his eyes, lending him a languid, almost unhealthy beauty. Slightly overgrown hair fell messily over his forehead, making him look hard-edged and wild.
Wen Rui switched on the electric fan and aimed it toward him.
He raised his eyes slightly and drawled, “If you blow the ash around, it’ll land on my bed.”
Wen Rui found a plastic cup, poured in a little water, and pressed it into Lu Congzhi’s hand as a makeshift ashtray. Then he lowered the fan’s height and directed the breeze toward Lu Congzhi’s feet.
Only then did Lu Congzhi nod and smile with satisfaction.
Wen Rui opened the suitcases and began taking out gifts one by one.
“Zhou Ming, these are local specialties Lu Congzhi bought for you. You like snacks, so this bag’s full of food: small yellow croakers, pineapple cakes, juhong cakes, and flour tea.”
“Yu Binbin, Lu Congzhi bought you some food too. The Yongchun Buddha’s Hand tea and this set of Dehua white porcelain teaware are for your father. Handle them carefully, don’t break them. It wasn’t easy for Lu Congzhi to bring them back.”
Zhou Ming quickly accepted his gifts, thanking him.
Yu Binbin grinned. “Class monitor, didn’t you buy us anything? All of these are from Brother Lu.”
Wen Rui smiled. “Lu Congzhi bought the gifts. The money came out of my pocket. Let’s call them gifts from both of us.”
“Hahaha! That’s Brother Lu for you.” Yu Binbin joked about his shameless habits.
But Wen Rui’s smile faded. He could tell that Lu Congzhi had dipped into Yu Binbin’s wallet in just the same way. Perhaps his bond with Yu Binbin ran even deeper.
Still, it didn’t matter. They had plenty of time.
Wen Rui took out their shirts and trousers, setting the dirty ones aside and putting the clean ones in the wardrobe. Once he’d unpacked his own suitcase, he emptied Lu Congzhi’s as well, mixed their dirty clothes together, and planned to take them downstairs to the laundry room later.
He gathered the more intimate garments into his hands, carried them into the washroom, soaked them in a plastic basin, and sprinkled in detergent.
Lu Congzhi was behaving like a pampered young master, lounging and smoking as soon as he got back. Yet the real young master was bustling around like a servant.
Song Xiuzhu watched for a while, and the resentment bottled up inside him began to ferment. He had never received this kind of equality or special care. He’d always believed he was the person closest to Wen Rui. Only now did he understand just how thoroughly Wen Rui could look after someone he truly cared for.
Was his confession of love to me a lie? Has he already changed his mind? But I haven’t even agreed yet! The more Song Xiuzhu thought about it, the more obsessed he became.
Only after losing certain things did people realize how precious they had been.
After washing several pairs of underwear, Wen Rui went out to the balcony to hang them up.
Lu Congzhi finished a cigarette, stubbed it out, got up, walked over to the trash can, and threw away the plastic cup.
He sat at Wen Rui’s desk and unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, exposing a body so pale it almost glowed. He hadn’t done much to develop his chest or abdominal muscles, but his lean frame gave them a naturally defined shape.
He turned the fan toward himself, tugged his shirt open, and closed his eyes to enjoy the cool air.
His body bent forward at the waist, his long legs spread, elbows resting on his knees, and his hair tousled by the breeze. His angular face was perfectly peaceful. Every movement was an invitation, and even the deep hollows of his collarbones seemed charged with sensuality.
After hanging out the laundry, Wen Rui didn’t go back into the dormitory. He stood in the harsh sunlight for a while. Sweating in the sun was perfectly normal. Breaking into a hot sweat just from glancing at Lu Congzhi would not be.
When he’d been standing there a little too long, Wen Rui took out his phone and pretended to send a text message, lifting his eyes now and then to steal another glance at Lu Congzhi.
That infuriating man finally cooled down. He stood, changed out of his white shirt and black dress trousers into a blue T-shirt and gray shorts, kicked off his leather shoes, and pulled off his socks, tossing them onto the floor.
Only then did Wen Rui go back inside. He set the leather shoes neatly beneath Lu Congzhi’s bed, picked up his socks, and took them to the washroom to scrub them.
Yu Binbin finally realized what was happening and shouted, “Class monitor, stop washing! Just leave them there. I’ll wash them tonight.”
Wen Rui didn’t answer. He finished washing the socks and hung them outside to dry.
He wiped the water from his hands with a tissue, looked down at Lu Congzhi from above, and asked, “Anything else you want washed?”
Lu Congzhi shook his head. “No.”
Only then did Wen Rui sit beside him and take an unhurried sip of water.
Song Xiuzhu withdrew his gaze, a powerful mixture of resentment and injustice surging inside him. He couldn’t even accuse Wen Rui of transferring his affections, because the care Wen Rui showed Lu Congzhi was something he had never received.
What a load of shit, that confession! He’d just been attracted by a pretty face! All gay people should die! Disgusting!
Song Xiuzhu concealed the twisted emotions in his eyes, looked up, and asked with feigned casualness, “Wen Rui, can you issue the written notice of share transfer today? I’ve been waiting for days.”
Wen Rui replied coolly, “Let’s talk after the National Day holiday.”
The holiday began tomorrow, which meant another seven days of waiting. Was Wen Rui planning to drag things out until the deal simply disappeared? Song Xiuzhu badly wanted to lose his temper, but could only force a smile. “All right, then.”
The shares were still firmly in Wen Rui’s possession. If he didn’t want to sell, there was nothing to be done. Yet that was precisely the difference. If it had been Lu Congzhi, Wen Rui would have transferred the shares long ago.
Song Xiuzhu had to admit that Lu Congzhi’s place in Wen Rui’s heart now surpassed his own. He didn’t know how it had happened, but it had.
Lu Congzhi suddenly turned to Song Xiuzhu, his smile unreadable. “Didn’t you say you wanted us to pool some money for a gift for the director? Tell me how much you need and I’ll give it to you now, but I get to choose the gift.”
Song Xiuzhu looked surprised. “What do you want to buy for the director?”
Lu Congzhi tapped a finger lightly on the desk. “I’d like to buy her a funeral wreath.”
After causing the deaths of so many orphans, she couldn’t repay that debt even if she were executed a hundred times!
Song Xiuzhu: “…”
Yu Binbin and Zhou Ming both turned to look, utterly astonished. They could understand that Brother Lu had been upset the last time he fell out with Song Xiuzhu and had said plenty of vindictive things. But several days had passed, and Brother Lu still hadn’t calmed down. If anything, his hatred seemed to have intensified.
“What happened?” Yu Binbin sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly asked.
Zhou Ming looked toward Wen Rui.
Wen Rui said nothing. He took out a cigarette and lit it, watching Lu Congzhi with concern.
Staring at Song Xiuzhu, Lu Congzhi spoke with deliberate venom. “I’ve even composed a funeral couplet for her. The first line: ‘In life she feigned humanity; before King Yama, let her be flayed and her sinews torn as she slowly answers for her crimes.’ The second: ‘In death her true form appears; among the beasts, let a thousand cuts repay each wrong.’ What do you think? Suitable?”
Through clenched teeth, Song Xiuzhu muttered, “Lu Congzhi, don’t go too far!”
Lu Congzhi couldn’t be bothered with him. He turned to Wen Rui and asked, “Can you write with a calligraphy brush?”
Wen Rui nodded. “I can.”
“Then you write it. I’ll personally take the wreath and the funeral couplet back and present them to the director.”
To everyone’s surprise, Wen Rui didn’t refuse. Instead, he said, “I’ll go back to the welfare institute with you.”
“Fine, that’s settled. Where can we buy a funeral wreath?”
Yu Binbin had no idea what was happening, but immediately joined in. “They sell them at the Babao Shan Funeral Home. Brother Lu, I’ll go buy one for you this afternoon.”
Song Xiuzhu couldn’t stand it any longer. He slammed his book onto the desk and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Lu Congzhi, you want to go back? We’ll see if you make it back alive!