Riverbay

Chapter 14.5

“SORRY,” SAID THE STAFF MEMBER, a young girl on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry. The cable car broke down around 2 p.m. Repairs are underway, but we can’t operate after 5 p.m. because we aren’t permitted to run the cable car after dark…” The visitors gathered at the summit raised hell. “Then what’ll happen to us? It’s way more dangerous to walk down in the dark!”

Standing at the visitors’ reception center, with a loudspeaker in hand, the staff member said, “Everyone, please hear me out. Listen! Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic!”

On the periphery of the crowd, Zhang Yuwen and the others looked around.

“Food and lodging will be provided for everyone!” the employee continued. “I’m really sorry! The weather will be very cold tonight. Please do not try to descend on your own. It’s dangerous, especially with how slippery the trail is on rainy days! The cable car will take everyone down tomorrow morning!”

The crowd kept on making a ruckus for a long time, but in the end, everyone begrudgingly accepted the proposal. Fortunately, it was Saturday, and they still had Sunday to rest. Besides, it was the offseason, with fewer than three hundred people at the mountaintop; there would be plenty of room for everyone.

“What should we do?” Zhang Yuwen asked, having gathered the others to talk it over. Most of them had no important matters to attend to, except for Huo Sichen and Yan Jun, who both needed to get back. Yan Jun, who had Xiao-Qi to take care of, was in a particularly tricky situation.

“I’ll call the childcare center,” Yan Jun said. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll just have her stay there overnight.”

Yan Jun went to make the call, and Chen Hong asked, “Can we make it down if we take turns lighting the way with our phones?”

“It’s going to rain,” said Chang Jinxing. “Let’s not. It’s too dangerous.”

Zhang Yuwen, too, knew better than to fight nature. The mountain during the day was a completely different beast from the mountain at night, when the cold was biting and the trail perilous to navigate. If their body temperatures dropped while they were halfway down, they wouldn’t just need to worry about whether they could reach the bottom; they might not survive the trek.

Before long, Yan Jun returned from his phone call and made an “okay” gesture, surprising his roommates. Perhaps, with the situation having no ideal solution, Yan Jun understood that grumbling wouldn’t help anything and didn’t want to inconvenience everyone. “It’s okay,” he reassured them. “It’s not Xiao-Qi’s first time spending the night at the childcare center. I’ll video call her later.”

Huo Sichen stood by and listened silently, letting them discuss the arrangements between themselves. Zhang Yuwen turned to him. “What about you?”

“I’m cool with it,” Huo Sichen said.

“Then let’s stay for the night,” Chen Hong said decisively. “We can play cards and chat.”

That their hiking trip had taken an unexpected detour into an overnight stay wasn’t that bad, all things considered. Chen Hong, who’d been screwed by fate more than his fair share of times, had developed the habit of giving in and enjoying the moment. At his words, the others gradually cheered up.

“In that case, we’ll join the queue,” said Zhang Yuwen. “You guys go on ahead and find a place to rest and get a cup of hot milk tea.”

“Sure,” Chang Jinxing agreed readily. “You guys go queue up; us guys will take a break. That’s settled, then!” Zhang Yuwen threw him a menacing look at this blatant bit of teasing.

Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen collected everyone’s IDs and went to join the queue. There weren’t many people ahead of them, and their turn came quickly.

“You really have nothing on at night?” Zhang Yuwen asked as he accepted the hotel room cards and meal vouchers.

“Actually, I do,” Huo Sichen said, “but it’s nothing important. Can I share a room with you, though?”

Zhang Yuwen laughed and shot him a quizzical look, but when Huo Sichen made a “phone call” gesture, he understood.

Zheng Weize was resting in the visitors’ cafeteria, all bundled up in Yan Jun’s jacket, while Yan Jun himself stood by the railing and looked down at the scenery below.

Zhang Yuwen asked the obvious question: “How are we sharing the rooms?”

Just as he expected, Chang Jinxing and Zheng Weize took one room while Yan Jun and Chen Hong shared another. “Brace yourselves,” Zhang Yuwen reminded them. “The accommodations up here won’t be great.”

They had three adjacent rooms, each with a large double bed. Zheng Weize, perking up at the prospect of sharing a bed with Chang Jinxing, started fussing about the state of the room. Once they’d agreed on a time for dinner, he closed the door.

“Have you stayed here before?” Huo Sichen asked.

“Yup, with my ex.” Zhang Yuwen touched the bed—it was icy cold.

Since there was only one large bed, he’d have to sleep with this straight guy. He took off his jacket.

“You should keep it on,” said Huo Sichen. “It’s not very warm in here.” He looked around and turned on the TV, but the picture wasn’t clear, so he turned it off again.

“You can watch TV if you want.” Zhang Yuwen wanted to change his clothes, but he hadn’t brought an extra set with him. Fortunately, the hotel had toiletries.

“It’s just my ADHD. I always have to check out everything I come across.” Huo Sichen fiddled with the air conditioner’s remote control but couldn’t get any warm air out of it. Then he asked, “What’s that?”

There was a rusty heater set into the wall at a corner. If Huo Sichen hadn’t asked about it, they would have never found it. Like a wallflower at a party, it hid in a secluded corner, occasionally trying to liven up the atmosphere. Zhang Yuwen went over and touched it. “It’s even colder than I am.”

Once they’d examined all the room’s amenities, they sat side by side on the bed, the mood becoming a little awkward. Their phones were running low on battery, so they had to take turns charging, but with one of them unable to use their phone, it would have been rude for the other to take out his.

Zhang Yuwen went over and parted the curtains, revealing floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a view to the bottom of the mountain.

“Wow!”

“Is it snowing?” Huo Sichen stood behind Zhang Yuwen as they gazed through the unobstructed glass window.

“Looks like it.” As Zhang Yuwen watched, the sky outside grew darker and darker until all he could see was Huo Sichen’s reflection on the glass. Their eyes met in the reflection, and they shared a smile.

“Yuwen! Sichen!” Chen Hong knocked on the door. “Dinnertime!”

“Coming,” Zhang Yuwen replied.

“We need to ask for another blanket,” Huo Sichen reminded him.

It was one thing to share a bed with Huo Sichen, but sharing a blanket would have been really weird. Zhang Yuwen went to the front desk to ask for another blanket, then waited for the other guys to assemble.

When he arrived, Zheng Weize looked so listless that Zhang Yuwen touched his forehead, concerned that he had fallen ill. “You okay?”

Chang Jinxing answered for him. “He’s hungry. He’ll be fine once he’s eaten.”

For dinner, the visitors’ center provided individual self-serve hot pot. But there were so many visitors and families dispersed throughout the place that the seating arrangements were a mess, and it was impossible for the six of them to sit together. Spotting a single empty seat, Zhang Yuwen gave the others the paired seats. “I don’t care. I’m hungry too. I’m taking this seat.” Off they went to find their own seats.

Zhang Yuwen glanced at Huo Sichen, who was looking at his phone as he ate at a table a short distance away. Chen Hong, Chang Jinxing, Yan Jun, and Zheng Weize had better luck and managed to get four seats together.

Zhang Yuwen went to get his food and returned to find that the person beside him had left, and Yan Jun shifted into the seat next to him.

Zhang Yuwen shot him an inquisitive look.

“I don’t want to be the third wheel, so I brought my pot over here,” Yan Jun explained. “And Chen Hong keeps nagging about how this isn’t healthy or that has too many calories.” Zhang Yuwen laughed, and Yan Jun asked, “What do you want to eat? I can get some meat for you, if you want.”

“No, thanks. This meat is tougher than my great-aunt.”

Yan Jun roared with sudden, exaggerated laughter. Not far away, Huo Sichen glanced at them.

Yan Jun started a video call to Xiao-Qi, who was drinking milk but paused when she saw Yan Jun. “Pa-pa!”

“Look who’s here!” Yan Jun turned the camera to Zhang Yuwen.

Xiao-Qi still hadn’t learned to address anyone other than Yan Jun, but she recognized Zhang Yuwen and smiled at him. Yan Jun spoke to the caregiver at the childcare center next. They were already starting to put Xiao-Qi to bed, so Yan Jun disconnected the call.

“That must have added to their workload,” Zhang Yuwen remarked.

“They have full-time childcare services in case the parents have an emergency to attend to,” Yan Jun said. “I just have to pay for the additional service when it happens. I can’t do this all the time, though.”

“Yeah…” Zhang Yuwen felt for Xiao-Qi, but staying with Yan Jun was so much better for her than being sent to an orphanage. Yan Jun was doing everything he could to give her all the love he had to offer. Zhang Yuwen knew Yan Jun thought the same, so he offered him some comfort.

“You need to have your own life too, even if you only carve out little bits of it. You have to be in a good frame of mind to care for her. Her emotions depend on yours.”

“Yup, I’ve noticed that too,” said Yan Jun. “I can’t take good care of her unless I take good care of myself.”

Yan Jun had sweated a lot during their hike, and he smelled slightly, but not unpleasantly, of sweat tinged with the aggressive testosterone unique to athletic men. It reminded Zhang Yuwen of the flip he did earlier.

“Did you specialize in sports in school?” he asked.

“Not exactly. I trained in high jump for a couple of years, but then my father passed away. So instead of going to university, I followed in my brother’s footsteps and joined the workforce,” Yan Jun explained. Zhang Yuwen nodded. “What about you? You’ve never mentioned your parents.”

“They’re divorced, and they have their own families now. My grandparents raised me, but they passed away while I was still in school.”

Yan Jun hummed in acknowledgment and picked out some food for Zhang Yuwen, who ate it.

“What did your grandparents do?” Yan Jun asked.

“They were doctors.”

“Sorry, should I not have—” “No, no,” Zhang Yuwen said, amused. “I’ve already eaten it, see?

Let me get you some vegetables.”

“I know children from doctor families are…” Yan Jun trailed off.

“Not me,” Zhang Yuwen assured him. Zhang Yuwen knew what Yan Jun wanted to say. It was true he rarely ate from someone else’s bowl;

he grew up in a household fastidious about cleanliness, after all, and they never ate food that had been in contact with someone else’s utensils.

Teasingly, Zhang Yuwen said, “The hot pot would have killed the germs anyway, and prohibiting the sharing of food has no real significance other than psychological reassurance.”

Yan Jun laughed, with a look on his face like a shy high schooler’s.

“No wonder you and Chen Hong have so much to talk about,” Zhang Yuwen added.

“Yeah.” Yan Jun reverted to his usual serious expression. “He’s a jock too, so we get along well.”

That wasn’t all: Another thing Yan Jun and Chen Hong had in common was that they were more mature than the others, having firsthand experience of the hardship of making a living in this society. They could act as each other’s dumping ground for negative energy, and also encourage each other from time to time.

“I guess I must come across as a boring person,” Yan Jun said.

Huo Sichen came over, and they both looked up at him. “I’m done eating,” he told them. “I’ll go back to my room first.”

Zhang Yuwen was a little embarrassed about having left Huo Sichen to eat alone. “I’m almost done too.”

“No, no,” Huo Sichen said hurriedly. “It’s fine. Take your time.”

Yan Jun waved goodbye to him, and Huo Sichen patted them both on the shoulders before leaving.

“You just don’t like to talk,” Zhang Yuwen said, picking up the thread of their conversation. “But you’re a very gentle person once people get to know you better.”

“I’m boring. You don’t need to reassure me.”

Zhang Yuwen could tell that Yan Jun wanted to fit in with them, to joke around without holding back and burst into hearty laughter with everyone else, but he just couldn’t find the right way into the conversation.

Talking about work was dull and wouldn’t resonate with anyone, and Xiao-Qi… Well, it would be better not to overdo it. Everyone liked Xiao-Qi, but they didn’t necessarily want to listen to Yan Jun monologue about the art of parenting.

Yan Jun rarely paid attention to the pop culture the rest of them were into, and when it came to joking, he just didn’t have Zhang Yuwen’s comedic timing, and things sometimes ended in awkward silence. But Zhang Yuwen could tell from the flip Yan Jun did earlier that he wanted to have fun with them.

“You’re very cool,” Zhang Yuwen said softly. “You know? Cool guys are very attractive. When I was a kid, I tried to act cool by not talking for several days…” “And?”

“And then I was taken to the psychiatric ward for evaluation and ended up getting a beating.”

Yan Jun didn’t quite know what to say.

“Let’s go see the snow,” Zhang Yuwen suggested.

Having eaten their fill, they put on their jackets and went to the platform at the top of the mountain to take in the snowy view. Outside, the cold wind howled. It was really freezing out there.

“Are you cold?” Yan Jun asked.

Zhang Yuwen waved his hand. In truth, he was shivering from the chill, but it was bearable. Sleet swirled in the sky, the snowflakes yet to fully form. At the side of the platform was a wide—and slippery—marble surface.

A thin layer of ice had formed on the ground. “You can ice skate here,” Zhang Yuwen said. He stepped onto it and made a skating motion, and Yan Jun followed close behind him. “Be careful,” Zhang Yuwen said, but just as the words left his mouth, he slipped.

Yan Jun reached out to pull him up, but he was dragged down with Zhang Yuwen instead. Panicking, Zhang Yuwen tried to get up, and he ended up tripping Yan Jun a second time in the process.

The others came outside. “Are you guys wrestling?” Zheng Weize asked.

“Stop taking photos!” Zhang Yuwen was mortified with all the visitors watching him, yet there Chang Jinxing was, snapping away.

“Why do you always have your camera?” asked Yan Jun.

“I thought it was Huo Sichen,” Chen Hong said from his position off to the side.

Everyone was taking in the sorry sight they made, but no one came over to help. “Give us a hand, here!” Zhang Yuwen pleaded.

At last, Yan Jun had almost made it to the steps… Then he slipped into a split, startling everyone for a moment. Then they broke into applause. Yan Jun was speechless.

“Wow!” Zhang Yuwen blurted out. “You’re so flexible!”

Finally, reaching the edge of the ice, Yan Jun said, “Let’s go back!

It’s too slippery here.” He half carried, half dragged Zhang Yuwen to safety.

With his pants and jacket soaked through, Zhang Yuwen fled to his room. He slipped and almost fell again as he went, eliciting another round of laughter.

Back in the room, the extra blanket had already been delivered, and Huo Sichen was on a call. He glanced at Zhang Yuwen, who made a beeline for the bathroom to take a shower. Vaguely, Zhang Yuwen heard Huo Sichen saying, “The cable car won’t resume operation until tomorrow morning… Yeah.”

Probably explaining where he is to his girlfriend, Zhang Yuwen thought as he showered. Brrrr, the water’s freezing!

It was so cold, in fact, that his teeth were chattering when he got out of the shower. He put his wet pants, jacket, and T-shirt on the miserable heater, which now had to shoulder more than it could take. Then he got into bed, wrapped himself in his blanket, and continued shivering.

Huo Sichen disconnected the call. Zhang Yuwen blurted out, “It’s really too cold!”

“Put this on.” Huo Sichen removed his jacket and handed it to him, before going to take a shower of his own.

“No, no. No need…” Zhang Yuwen said. “Oh, well, if you insist.

This feels so much better.”

He was naked apart from his underwear, but the jacket still retained some of Huo Sichen’s body heat, which was better than nothing and gave him some warmth in the freezing night. It even smelled a little like Huo Sichen.

The winter night was so frigid that even the straight guy couldn’t help but wail. “Brrrr! So cold!”

After his shower, Huo Sichen put on a T-shirt, which was one layer more than what Zhang Yuwen was wearing. He tossed his pants aside and, just as Zhang Yuwen had done earlier, jumped into bed.

Zhang Yuwen was just starting to feel warm and, fearing that Huo Sichen would fight him for his blanket, he quickly motioned for Huo Sichen to use his own. “That blanket’s yours!”

They huddled under their respective blankets and traded blank looks.

 Meanwhile, in another room, the actual sports jocks were very calm.

Chen Hong had showered and was watching TV when Yan Jun came over, drying his hair.

“Aren’t you going to video call Xiao-Qi?” Chen Hong asked.

“I did,” Yan Jun said. “She’s in bed already.” Then he sat on the bed to watch TV with Chen Hong.

Chen Hong offered him the remote control. Yan Jun took it and surfed through a few channels before settling on a dating show. It was the kind of wacky entertainment show meant purely for killing time, and it was pretty attention-grabbing, so they each wrapped themselves in a blanket and leaned back against the headboard to watch.

 In the third room, Zheng Weize had his eyes on Chang Jinxing’s phone, which was plugged into the charger and kept lighting up with notification alerts. He wanted to ask who kept messaging him, but it wasn’t his place. Instead, he said, “Do you have something important going on?”

“Nah, just friends,” Chang Jinxing said dismissively.

“Oh?”

Zheng Weize tried to peek at his phone out of curiosity, but Chang Jinxing closed the chat screen, placed the phone on the bedside table, and patted him on the head. “Aren’t you going to sleep? I thought you were tired.”

Chang Jinxing had recently found a way to make money—by working as a personal photographer and acting as a temporary boyfriend for others online. In other words, still playing the eunuch. He rented himself out to girls, going shopping with them, carrying their bags, dining and chatting with them, and even helping them scout for places to take pretty photos they could post on social media. He earned a daily fee, and if he served them well, they’d even tip him. Apart from kissing and sex, Chang Jinxing would fulfill almost any of their requests, although, to avoid gossip, he drew the line at appearing in their photos. Occasionally, he would hold their hands as a little treat.

This business brought him quick cash, and it was easier than taking on a job from the studio. And he was less likely to be humiliated out of left field, too. After all, he was attractive, and even if customers had complaints about him, they tended to let it slide because of his good looks.

He had repeat customers, too. One girl had purchased his services three times in a row, hoping to flirt with him and start a relationship.

It couldn’t be helped; he was too handsome. People tripped over themselves to fork out money for that face.

After a week with these girls, though, Chang Jinxing was a little fed up with it. To a bisexual, dating different genders was like eating different meals. Too much Western fare and you’d miss home-cooked food, but too much Chinese cuisine and you’d want to try steak. Right now, he just wanted to date a guy.

He hadn’t taken a job today, and several customers were asking him if he had time tomorrow or next week and if he had plans for Christmas.

Chang Jinxing thought that maybe his roommates would have something planned for the holiday. He wanted to join them—it’d be relaxing and enjoyable—but he was a little reluctant to miss the chance to make money.

He’d already made enough money over the past half month for the first month’s rent. If he kept working hard until the end of the year, he’d be able to cover his rent and food expenses.

Having tried several alternatives, Chang Jinxing concluded that living off women was the fastest way to make money, though he viewed his current job as using his physical stamina and skills to take photos for his customers. He didn’t want a relationship with them; after all, if he started dating one of them, he’d have to face a never-ending stream of requests. He wanted a boyfriend with the personality of a straight guy;

someone straightforward like Yan Jun who didn’t talk much, wasn’t argumentative, and wouldn’t try to control him.

But Yan Jun didn’t meet Chang Jinxing’s standards either in looks or finances, and he came with excess baggage—a troublesome combination. The only thing that met Chang Jinxing’s expectations was his physique. From the looks of it, he probably had good stamina and a decently sized cock…but Chang Jinxing wouldn’t consider anything but a hookup.

Better not get involved with the roommates, Chang Jinxing reflected.

Even casual sex could make things awkward. But the truth was, he’d really felt tempted to do just that when he saw Yan Jun do that flip earlier.

Zheng Weize hugged Chang Jinxing from behind, interrupting his thoughts. Chang Jinxing turned slightly, wrapped his arms around him, and patted him, telling him to sleep peacefully. He knew Zheng Weize had feelings for him. If he were to pull Zheng Weize’s pants down now, the guy might put on a slight show of resistance, but he’d accept. It had been a long time since Chang Jinxing had sex with a guy. The powerful thrusts of a top and the sensitive moans of a bottom were both very seductive to him.

The fair, delicate bodies of skinny boys had their own charm compared to the firm breasts of voluptuous girls.

Aside from the muscular Chen Hong, Chang Jinxing found his roommates decently attractive. Zhang Yuwen’s ascetic top vibe appealed to him, and Zheng Weize’s tendency to wrap his arms around his neck and blow into his ear could make him hard too. In any case, Chang Jinxing wasn’t a picky eater. The only thing holding him back from making a move was Zhang Yuwen’s warning: Don’t mess with your roommates, or I’ll kick you out.

Chang Jinxing let Zheng Weize hug him as much as he liked. He was so tired that all he could do was lie on his side and play with his phone.

In another room, Chen Hong was again playing the role of a caring older brother. “You can’t go on like this.”

Yan Jun knew what he meant. “What else can I do? Are you going to introduce me to someone?”

Playing matchmaker for Yan Jun had indeed crossed Chen Hong’s mind, but this time he was serious about it; he wasn’t angling for a matchmaker fee. Yan Jun was a good guy. Chen Hong believed that, with time, he could overcome his difficult circumstances.

“I couldn’t do what you’re doing, in your shoes,” said Chen Hong.

Yan Jun thought about it. “Yes, you could,” he said calmly.

Then Chen Hong threw him a curveball. “Do you like the sub-landlord?”

The color drained from Yan Jun’s face. Flustered, he jumped out of bed and gestured frantically, reminding him that Zhang Yuwen was right next door!

“They’re across the hall,” Chen Hong said. “Xiao-Ze and Jinxing are the ones next door.”

Yan Jun breathed a sigh of relief and returned to bed, no longer in the mood to watch TV. After a while, he glanced at Chen Hong, feeling caught out. “No,” he said flatly.

Chen Hong only smiled.

“Really,” Yan Jun insisted, his tone serious. “Hong-ge, please don’t talk nonsense. It’s awkward.”

“I guess I must have been mistaken.”

Yan Jun sighed. “Maybe you misunderstood because of the way I act? I’m really not interested in him.”

“I know,” said Chen Hong. “You just feel like he understands you, so you can’t help but want to get close to him.”

Yan Jun’s complicated feelings showed on his face. How did he feel about Zhang Yuwen? He felt relaxed with him, like a weary person who had been healed.

“What’s your type?” Chen Hong asked. “I’ll look around for you.”

Yan Jun thought for a moment. “On the mature side—his personality, I mean, not his age. Someone who can accept Xiao-Qi. After all, she’s the most important person in my life. He has to be willing to help me take care of her. Hm… Preferably someone who’s not too busy with work. I can be the breadwinner. It’s like the traditional family. You know?”

“Why don’t you find a girl?” Chen Hong asked. “You can date women, right? I feel like you’re more bisexual than Chang Jinxing.”

“I could, but I don’t want to.”

“Huh?”

Reverting to a heterosexual lifestyle, getting married, and starting a family seemed like it would be the ideal course of action for Yan Jun.

“If I marry a girl, we might end up having a child, which would divide up the love we shower on Xiao-Qi. It hasn’t been easy for her, so I don’t want… The way it is now is just fine.”

“What made you realize you were gay?” Chen Hong asked.

“My desk mate in high school,” Yan Jun said. “You?”

“A client,” Chen Hong replied.

A few short words, but a sea of heartache.

“In short,” Yan Jun said, “he has to be truly willing to accept Xiao-Qi. Everything else is negotiable. I like people who read and people with white-collar jobs. Fair-skinned, too.”

“All the better if it’s fair with cool undertones,” Chen Hong quipped.

“I have dark skin,” Yan Jun said, “so I like people who are fair and handsome. Ideally with a sensitive body, the kind who would get hard with just a touch of the nipples…” “Which part gets hard? The nipples or the little buddy down there?”

“Both. And my spouse and daughter can rely on me. I don’t mind.

I’m willing to earn money to support my family and give it all to them.”

“You aren’t that dark, actually,” said Chen Hong. “That’s a healthy skin tone.”

“The muscles shouldn’t be too obvious,” Yan Jun went on. “Yeah, no musclemen.”

“What did muscles ever do to you?!” Chen Hong exclaimed, slighted.

Yan Jun laughed and grabbed Chen Hong’s pecs. Chen Hong held him down and tried to pull his pants off, but Yan Jun fended him off. They struggled briefly before Chen Hong realized that Yan Jun was stronger than he looked and might actually overpower him, so he wisely withdrew.

“A guy who’s gentle but resilient. Like a designer, writer, cartoonist, pianist… Someone who’s intelligent, sensitive, and creative.” Yan Jun knew that a guy like that was out of his league. “I have absolutely no resistance against people like that, but of course they wouldn’t be interested in me.”

“Don’t be so sure. As long as your hardware is impressive enough, you can still make it impossible for them to leave you.” Yan Jun laughed, and Chen Hong thought it over and added, “But doesn’t that still make the sub-landlord the ideal guy? He’s refined, good-tempered, emotionally stable, educated, and he has lots of time on his hands. Yeah, his salary is a little low, but you guys can work hard together.”

Yan Jun was taken aback.

“Go after him if he suits you,” Chen Hong said. “Why limit yourself? If you manage to woo him, maybe you can even persuade him to lower our rent.”

Yan Jun remained silent.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Chen Hong said.

Yan Jun, remote in hand, channel surfed until Chen Hong returned from the bathroom. Having thought about it for a while, Yan Jun said, “You know, Yuwen and I… I’ve contributed nothing from my end. Never had the opportunity to. All this time, he’s been the one helping me.”

Chen Hong understood, and he couldn’t argue. Yan Jun had nothing to offer Zhang Yuwen, who lacked for nothing. Zhang Yuwen was emotionally resilient and financially independent. Worse, they were both tops.

Love was a two-way street. Both parties needed to possess that spark to make each other happy; that was the only way the relationship would last. Having been on the receiving end financially in his own past relationship, Chen Hong understood Yan Jun’s feelings all too well.

Thinking of his own past made him sad, and he fell silent too.

“Huo Sichen would be suitable for Yuwen if he weren’t straight,” said Yan Jun. “They’re well-matched.”

Chen Hong sighed. “Let’s go to sleep. We’re just rambling on meaninglessly.”

 In the room across the hall, Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen were like a pair of grandpas with their sleeping habits. By ten, they were both sleepy. However, the room was still cold, perhaps because of the direction it faced. It felt to Zhang Yuwen like the window was letting in a chilly draft.

“Let’s put these two blankets together and cover ourselves with them,” Huo Sichen suggested.

“Okay.”

Zhang Yuwen was so tired he could barely open his eyes. Huo Sichen arranged the blankets, and they huddled underneath them. Zhang Yuwen felt much better. Their bodies were both warm, but the thin blankets had been making them lose heat; now, it was finally warm. Zhang Yuwen fell asleep just as Huo Sichen plugged his phone into the charger.

A few minutes later, Huo Sichen yawned and said, “Yuwen?”

Receiving no response, Huo Sichen fell asleep too.

Zhang Yuwen slept restlessly. At home, he liked to sleep hugging a bolster, so when the temperature dropped further during the night he instinctively hugged Huo Sichen, taking him as his bolster and thinking he was still at home. He was naked, save for his underwear, and when he turned over to hug Huo Sichen, his thigh pressed against a particular part of Huo Sichen’s body. Several times, Huo Sichen woke up and struggled to shift his waist so that Zhang Yuwen wouldn’t rub against or press down on his stiff little friend.

Out in the winter night, the rain gradually turned to snow. It fell harder and heavier, fluttering and swirling down all over the mountain forest.