Chapter 2
At a table in Sunny Days Cat Café:
“Your name’s Yan Jun?” Having found his first tenant, Zhang Yuwen made the first move and sized up the guy sitting across from him.
The guy was observing Zhang Yuwen right back.
Yan Jun was tall, slim, and well-proportioned, with deeply chiseled facial features and tanned skin. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, he exuded poise.
“Yeah,” Yan Jun answered. “I work at Zhaoling Tower. You sure you didn’t make a mistake with the rent?”
“Nope.” Zhang Yuwen had already thought of an explanation beforehand. “This is my friend’s property. I’m just helping him to look after it. As long as it’s occupied, the rent isn’t top priority.”
Yan Jun nodded, and Zhang Yuwen cast another glance at him.
“What do you do for a living?”
“Sales,” Yan Jun answered succinctly. Half a minute later, he added, “Equipment sales.”
“What’s your position?” Zhang Yuwen asked offhandedly before realizing he might have sounded a little offensive. “Sorry, I’m just curious. I mean, are you a top? Or in other words, a 1?”
Yan Jun seldom found himself in situations where he was asked about his sexual role right to his face. He was closeted, and the question reminded him of his sexual orientation, hitting him with the abrupt realization—“Oh, I’m gay. I almost forgot. Close call.” It also felt like he was being described as some new equipment, which made him uncomfortable.
But he needed lower-priced housing, and this sub-landlord didn’t seem to be a troublesome guy.
“I…guess top?” he said. “I haven’t bottomed before. You?”
Yan Jun surmised that this sub-landlord, who had yet to introduce himself by name, might be well-off. His fair complexion showed he’d never had to brave the elements and toil hard for a living, and his well-proportioned figure suggested he did not have to relieve stress by bingeing on food. The lack of dark circles under his eyes also indicated that he got enough sleep. He spoke and drank his coffee at a leisurely pace, too.
Slow-paced—this was an important point. It was also a key criterion Yan Jun used to estimate a client’s financial status. People who weren’t in a hurry were usually well-off.
“Me neither.” Zhang Yuwen thought for a while before adding, “I was the top in my last relationship.”
For some reason, perhaps because he didn’t know any other gay people, Zhang Yuwen was always keen to talk to someone about his feelings.
“You single?” Yan Jun asked in all seriousness.
“Yup.” Zhang Yuwen looked into his sincere eyes. “Would you like to look at the house?”
“I can do it now,” Yan Jun said. “I took half a day off today. Are we going by car?”
“It’s just next door.” Zhang Yuwen took the bill and went up to the counter to pay. “Let’s go.”
Yan Jun said nothing and followed Zhang Yuwen with strong, purposeful strides. Before he headed out today, he’d tidied himself up so that he looked neat and spirited. He’d also done an online search and learned that No. 7 Riverbay Road was a fairly lavish villa.
“It’s right here.” Zhang Yuwen unlocked the door with his fingerprint. “You can’t bring dates home to stay the night.”
“How about friends?” Yan Jun asked.
“Better not, but they can occasionally come over for a visit.” Zhang Yuwen didn’t want a stream of people coming and going; he didn’t need that many observation subjects. “Try to make yourself the only tenant for your room. That’s one of the reasons the rent is lower.”
Yan Jun stepped into the front yard, a neat and well-maintained garden with flowerpots stacked together and a water vat in the corner filled with blooming water lilies. “Anyone doing the cleaning?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Zhang Yuwen replied. “Two housekeepers will be here every day; one to do the grocery shopping and prepare the meals, and another to clean up the common areas. The homeowner doesn’t want them to touch the stuff inside…” He opened the main entrance and stepped past the foyer to a large, two-story, high-ceilinged living room. A dining room to the side held a long table that could seat twelve people.
Yan Jun glanced at the stairs and offhandedly touched the corner of the coffee table. The furnishings were old but well-cleaned, and there was no dust even on the decorations.
“There are three rooms on the ground floor.” Zhang Yuwen led Yan Jun to view them. Each was about 375 square feet in size, with one facing south, one north, and one east.
“There are three on the second floor too,” Zhang Yuwen continued.
“I’m staying in the master bedroom. If you’re interested in moving in, you can choose your own room.”
Yan Jun didn’t reply, but after a moment’s pause, he asked, “Can children come over occasionally?”
“Huh?” Zhang Yuwen shot Yan Jun a puzzled look.
“My…niece,” Yan Jun explained. “My older brother’s daughter.
They have to work, so when something urgent crops up, they occasionally leave her with me in the evenings. When I’m babysitting, I have to pick her up from the childcare center, then take her home after ten.”
This came out of the blue to Zhang Yuwen; he hadn’t anticipated this at all.
“How old is she?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
“Just turned eleven months old,” said Yan Jun, “but don’t worry, she doesn’t cry or fuss, and she won’t be here every day, just occasionally.”
Zhang Yuwen didn’t reply. Thinking that felt like a tacit approval, Yan Jun waited patiently for several seconds before prompting, “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Zhang Yuwen thought about it. He couldn’t hold it against a baby. “It’s okay if she cries too. It’s only natural for babies to cry.”
Yan Jun felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. “Thank you. Thank you for your understanding.”
Zhang Yuwen thought Yan Jun could have waited to bring this up until he’d already moved in. After all, it wasn’t that big a deal to look after an infant for a couple of hours. This showed that Yan Jun was an honest person, but this wasn’t a useful quality to have in a salesperson, since salespeople who were too honest rarely made money.
“I’d like to rent this place,” Yan Jun said. “I’ll take the east-facing room downstairs.”
“Okay.” Zhang Yuwen hadn’t expected Yan Jun to decide so quickly. “Don’t you need to go back and think about it?”
“Nah,” Yan Jun said. “It’s a direct line from the Riverbay Road subway station to my company. Very convenient. I was just thinking of looking for a new place nearby. How much for utilities and internet?”
Zhang Yuwen was about to say that it was included in the rent, but the price was already so low that making it too good of a deal might come off as a scam. “Two hundred a month if you don’t use a lot of electrical appliances,” he said. “Any excess, and we’ll have to split the cost.”
“That’s cool with me.” Yan Jun looked around. The room was spotless, and the bedroom he’d chosen had its own en suite bathroom.
Close the door, and it’d look just like a studio apartment.
“You’re pretty handsome,” Zhang Yuwen remarked offhandedly.
This was a habit from his days in film, when he habitually complimented the actors to drop them a little unexpected joy.
“Huh?” At this compliment, the polite and satisfied smile on Yan Jun’s face disappeared, replaced with a more genuine one, tinged with the bashfulness of a young man being praised. “You’re very good-looking yourself.”
This wasn’t just a return compliment made out of courtesy. Zhang Yuwen did have a composed, aristocratic air to him. If you were to match with someone like Zhang Yuwen on a dating app, you’d be in for an unforgettable night.
If Zhang Yuwen were to extend an invitation to him now, Yan Jun might really just follow him to the master bedroom and get to know him up close and personal. When was the last time he’d done it? Yan Jun couldn’t really remember.
Of course, that was assuming Yan Jun got to be the one to take the initiative: Life had been fucking him over every day to the point of despair lately, and he didn’t want to be fucked again in bed.
But Zhang Yuwen simply said, “Thanks.”
“You work out often?”
“Every day or every other day. I run and do cardio.”
“You have a great physique.”
Zhang Yuwen smiled. “Thanks.”
The second thanks got the point across. He didn’t lift his T-shirt to flaunt his abs or anything, which hinted to Yan Jun that there would be no further development, at least not today. Yan Jun could naturally understand the subtext in the words of another adult.
Just earlier, he’d been moved by something Zhang Yuwen said.
What was it, again? Which statement had cemented his notion that the young man before him was friendly and gentle?
Not his compliment on his appearance, or his demeanor, but when he’d said, “It’s only natural for babies to cry.”
These words were a lifeline to Yan Jun, casting a warm ray of light into the darkness in his life.
Next, Zhang Yuwen took Yan Jun to see the back garden, which was slightly larger than the front yard. There was a small pond with a tall ginkgo tree next to it, which had a swing hanging from its branches.
Looking at Zhang Yuwen’s back, Yan Jun guessed that he was probably not this man’s type.
“So…” They both spoke at once. Yan Jun gestured for Zhang Yuwen to go first.
“When are you moving in?” Zhang Yuwen asked. “Shall I send you the lease first?”
“I still have twenty days left on my current lease,” Yan Jun said, “and my money is tied up in wealth management products. One month deposit and three months’ rent, right? Can we delay the rent by a few days? I promise to pay it off within twenty days.”
“Sure thing. Let’s make it a quarterly payment,” Zhang Yuwen agreed. “I’ll send you the contract first.”
Zhang Yuwen took out his mobile phone, adding Yan Jun to the instant messaging app and emailing the lease to him. Yan Jun noticed Zhang Yuwen looking at him again.
“What?” Yan Jun asked with a raised brow, flashing a professional smile. This was the trademark half-genuine smile he often used when he was trying hard to sell a product. He knew it was a smile people found hard to say no to, one that would leave a deep impression on them.
“You really don’t have a partner?” Zhang Yuwen was actually wondering about something else. This tenant had the physique and the looks, and he hoped the guy’s private life wasn’t a promiscuous one.
“I’m too busy to date,” Yan Jun explained. “Why? You gonna introduce me to someone?”
Zhang Yuwen waved his hand, accepting his explanation. Anyway, there was a clear clause on this in the lease. If he breached the contract, Zhang Yuwen would just kick him out. “All right. But let me know if you need help moving or anything.”
The two of them returned to the living room, passed through the foyer, and stepped out through the front yard.
Yan Jun stopped in thought for a while. “I still don’t know your name,” he said at last.
“Oh, yeah.” Zhang Yuwen was embarrassed. “My name is Zhang Yuwen.”
Under the setting sun, Yan Jun happily waved goodbye to Zhang Yuwen and headed for the subway station. He’d gotten himself a great bargain. The rent for this room was only two-thirds the price of similar listings in the area, and it also saved him half an hour of commuting time. Now he’d be able to set aside more money to send to his mother in the countryside.
He treated himself to a restaurant set meal he was usually reluctant to splurge on. While he ate, he scrolled through the matches on the gay dating app on his phone. He wasn’t looking for a partner, just browsing— as if by looking at these people’s photos he could feel like he was in a relationship. Then he walked over to the childcare center to pick up the eleven-month-old Xiao-Qi.
It was less than a mile away from No. 7 Riverbay Road on foot, and he only had to cross the bridge to get to the childcare center. This was truly a prime location.
“Papa’s here—” The childcare worker was cross-stitching when she saw Xiao-Qi standing up, holding onto to crib railing for support. That was when she knew the last parent had arrived.
“Papa’s here early today, isn’t he?” The lady smiled.
She was happy for Xiao-Qi. The last child to be picked up always tugged at her heartstrings. At the same time, she was also happy for herself, because Yan Jun’s arrival meant that she could finally get off work.
“Pa-pa!” Xiao-Qi had learned to speak early, and her first word was “Papa.” Aside from that, she would just make meaningless sounds.
Yan Jun picked up Xiao-Qi with practiced ease and thanked the childcare workers. He touched her diaper to make sure it wasn’t wet, then strapped her in a baby carrier, facing out. Xiao-Qi babbled and waved her hands as he took her out of the childcare center and into the subway station to take the train. Leaning against the gangway, he scrolled through his phone, while Xiao-Qi smiled at a girl nearby.
A handsome man carrying a baby—this was a frequent sight on Subway Line 4.
“She’s drooling,” someone informed him.
“She has a rash,” another whispered.
Yan Jun wiped her with a soft tissue. Xiao-Qi always had rashes on her face, and Yan Jun always felt terrible for not taking good care of her.
“Pa-pa!” Strapped to Yan Jun’s chest, Xiao-Qi looked up and squirmed. Yan Jun turned away, not wanting others to gawk at her.
They arrived at their destination, and Yan Jun walked home with Xiao-Qi. Back home, he bathed her and changed her clothes, fed her powdered milk, and applied cream for her rashes. Then he carried her around the little room and did squats to lull her to sleep. The neighbor was still up watching a comedy, and the roars of canned laughter proved to be Yan Jun’s nightmare.
But finally, Xiao-Qi fell asleep. At 9:30 p.m., Yan Jun opened his laptop to forty-two emails left on hold in his inbox since he had taken the afternoon off to view the house. The lease was among them.
Yan Jun set about clearing his work. Twice, Xiao-Qi woke up and cried, and twice, he fed her, changed her diaper, and carried her to soothe her. Fatigued, he fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow at 2 a.m. Waking up at 5:40 a.m. to an already awake Xiao-Qi, he hurriedly prepared milk, changed her diaper, and went to work, completely exhausted as he plunged himself into a new day’s toil.