Chapter 22
NEW YEAR’S EVE, 11:00 a.m.
When the doorbell rang, Zhang Yuwen sprang up, pulled on his pajamas at lightning speed, opened the window, and tossed his bolster down from the second floor, where it landed in the sink behind the washing machine. In one fluid movement, he vaulted down from the balcony onto the window ledge of Chen Hong’s first-floor room, then used the momentum to spring and flip onto the garden grounds. He turned on the faucet and began to wash his bolster.
Sure enough, it was Huo Sichen. Yan Jun opened the door for him.
Xiao-Qi, dressed in an adorable new onesie, was toddling around in the living room, and Huo Sichen waved at her. “Hello.”
Leaving the bolster to soak, Zhang Yuwen glanced into the living room and saw that Chen Hong was up, too. He was talking to Huo Sichen, who looked a lot more re-energized after a night’s rest.
“You’re here,” said Zhang Yuwen.
“Since when were you in the garden?” asked Yan Jun, startled.
Zhang Yuwen padded in barefoot. “Oh, just now. Huh? Where are my slippers? They were just here. Who took them? Sichen, you want some coffee?” He knew the house like the back of his hand, and no one batted an eye when he came and went like a shadow.
“I was early,” Huo Sichen said, though they had agreed on 10 a.m.
“Nah. Coffee? You seem more alert today.”
“I slept for ten hours.” Huo Sichen rolled his neck. “I feel refreshed.”
His roommates started emerging from their rooms. Chen Hong, drenched in sweat after waking up early to exercise, took a shower and emerged wearing a hooded tracksuit. A moment later, Chang Jinxing came down and greeted them, already dressed.
Then Zheng Weize emerged, yawning, from Chang Jinxing’s room on the second floor.
“What—!” everyone cried in unison.
“We fell asleep talking last night,” Chang Jinxing explained. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Zheng Weize stared at Chang Jinxing, looking displeased. Zhang Yuwen was shocked at first, but it did look like nothing had happened between them, so they said nothing more on the topic.
The boys put on their running shoes, looked for their stuff, and, carrying their duffel bags, crowded out of the door. The chaos reminded Zhang Yuwen of his university roommates, albeit with the addition of a stroller for Xiao-Qi. Their outfits weren’t coordinated, but everyone wore the scarves Zheng Weize had given them, which gave them some important group cohesion.
“It snowed again last night,” said Zhang Yuwen.
“Yeah,” Huo Sichen agreed, “and the ground is slippery. Don’t fall again.”
They walked to the nearest train station. Chang Jinxing walked backward with his camera to take photos of the others, but he slipped and fell into the snow. Yan Jun reached out to give him a hand, but Zhang Yuwen cheekily shoved him down. Before long, everyone was tumbling around in a snowy heap.
“Watch out for Xiao-Qi,” Zheng Weize said. “Stop horsing around in the snow, guys.”
“I’m starving,” Chen Hong said. “I can’t win, you guys… Can we just grab lunch first?”
When they arrived at the train station, Chang Jinxing announced, “Lunch is on me.”
“Oh?” said Zhang Yuwen, his tone rising skeptically.
“Looks like someone’s been making bank,” Yan Jun joked.
With a grin, Chang Jinxing went to buy boxed lunches for everyone to eat on the train, and then they boarded. It was Xiao-Qi’s first train ride and she was enraptured, putting her little paws on everything she could reach and peering out the windows.
The suburban express train sped out of Riverbay Road station. It was the last day of the year, so there weren’t many other people on board, and the vibe was very laid-back. Outside, snow blanketed the Jiangbei houses along the railway tracks, creating a tranquil vista.
Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen shared a row. Zhang Yuwen loosened his scarf and glanced sideways to where Zheng Weize and Chen Hong sat. Zheng Weize was gazing out the window. Over by Yan Jun, Chang Jinxing was taking photos of Xiao-Qi and ribbing Yan Jun occasionally.
Huh. Weird, Zhang Yuwen thought. Usually Zheng Weize would cling to Chang Jinxing, but that wasn’t what was happening today.
Huo Sichen put a finger under Zhang Yuwen’s chin and turned his face toward him. Zhang Yuwen looked at him wordlessly, and Huo Sichen raised an eyebrow, telling him to stop looking around.
“How did you sleep last night?” Huo Sichen asked.
This question was a little too close for comfort, and for a moment, Zhang Yuwen wondered if he’d been found out. He realized quickly, however, that Huo Sichen was probably asking because of the parting kiss they’d shared. “Hm… Not bad.”
Huo Sichen flashed him a mischievous grin. “I dreamed about you again.”
“Oh? What was I doing?” Zhang Yuwen asked reflexively, only to regret his words as soon as they left his mouth. With Huo Sichen looking at him like that, what else could the dream have been about?
Huo Sichen laughed, and Zhang Yuwen sensed that Huo Sichen was winding him up. After a moment’s consideration, Huo Sichen said, “You strike me as the ascetic type.”
“What else do you expect?” Zhang Yuwen countered. “Or am I supposed to go soliciting hookers when I’m single?”
This tickled Huo Sichen’s funny bone, but in deference to the other passengers on the train, he suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. “I mean, you rarely have one-night stands, right?”
“Not rarely. Never.”
Huo Sichen nodded. “As someone who was raised by doctors, I’m guessing you like things clean?”
“I don’t know about that.” Zhang Yuwen thought it over. “Maybe it’s just a habit in how I live my life. Does that count as a hang-up about cleanliness?” He’d never been interested in casual hookups, and in fact, he found it hard to wrap his mind around the idea of two complete strangers having sex the first time they met. Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable? He never made a big deal about his “clean” sex life, though, and he respected other people’s approaches to sexual intimacy.
“How about emotionally?” Huo Sichen asked offhandedly.
“Nope.”
Zhang Yuwen was unusually forthcoming, answering any question Huo Sichen asked him. He wanted to take this relationship seriously and invest whatever trust and feelings he had left. Maybe it was because he’d fantasized about Huo Sichen during the night, which amplified his attraction to him, or maybe it was just that self-reflection following his last, failed relationship had convinced him that he should be more honest.
He looked expectantly at Huo Sichen.
“Me neither.” Those two succinct words encompassed Huo Sichen’s responses to all the questions he’d just asked Zhang Yuwen.
The train raced out of Jiangdong City, toward the endless stretch of mountains in the distance. A lot of the passengers were students returning to their hometowns. They chattered away, but Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen remained unusually quiet. Zhang Yuwen knew Huo Sichen’s attention was fixed on him, though, because when he retrieved two bottles of coffee from his bag, Huo Sichen reached over to take them.
Zhang Yuwen snorted in amusement.
Huo Sichen was puzzled. “Hm?”
“I can open the bottles myself.”
“Sorry.”
Zhang Yuwen’s heart softened. He glanced at Huo Sichen, several thoughts flashing through his mind at once. He was intrigued by this guy —physically, emotionally, and even sexually.
If he were to date Huo Sichen, they would look from the outside like more of a genuine gay couple than Zhang Yuwen’s past relationship, which had in some senses been an extension of heterosexuality. He played the male role, his ex the female. With Huo Sichen, on the other hand, he was keenly aware of the other guy’s masculinity. This also raised other issues: their dynamic, their positions in bed, and the attitudes they held toward each other.
Clearly, Huo Sichen had yet to think any of these matters through. A number of challenges still loomed ahead of them.
Xiao-Qi, who was learning to walk, toddled over to them.
“Eh, Xiao-Qi?” Zhang Yuwen said, picking her up just as Yan Jun followed her over. Zhang Yuwen gestured to Yan Jun not to worry; Zhang Yuwen could handle her, and Yan Jun deserved a break.
Xiao-Qi was still shy around people, but she didn’t try to squirm away from Zhang Yuwen or complain about sitting on his lap. Huo Sichen politely played with her, but Zhang Yuwen could tell that he didn’t particularly like kids.
“She’s special to you,” Huo Sichen remarked. It was clear he had been observing them.
“Yup.” Zhang Yuwen adored babies. “A child’s attitudes about other people comes from their parents’. Yan Jun trusts me, so Xiao-Qi’s more comfortable being close to me.”
“Ah,” said Huo Sichen, understanding. “That makes sense.”
“Have you ever thought about having kids?”
Huo Sichen snapped back to his senses. “No,” he said. “Never. My older brother has two, and they’re always so rowdy.”
Soon, the train arrived at their station, and everyone disembarked.
The resort shuttle bus was waiting at the train station to take them on a journey deep into the mountains, where the hot spring resort lay. Aside from them, surprisingly few guests seemed to be on their way to the resort.
When they reached their destination, they found the manager and the front desk staff waiting outside to greet them. They bowed.
“Welcome.”
“Wow!” Zheng Weize, vacationing here for the first time, was bursting with anticipation.
It was clear that the film production company that helped make the reservations had informed the hotel who Zhang Yuwen was in advance. He worried the staff might let something slip in their enthusiasm, but fortunately, they seemed to know not to go too far. He handed over the vouchers, and the resort arranged three rooms for them. The others divided the rooms among themselves while Zhang Yuwen accepted three wooden plaques, each with a key attached.
Zheng Weize reached for a plaque. “I want to share a room with Xiao-Qi.”
“Sure—wait, what?” Zhang Yuwen looked at Chang Jinxing, but Zheng Weize had already taken the key away.
“Then I’ll bunk with Jinxing,” Chen Hong said.
Zhang Yuwen was dying to know what had happened between them. The rooms the resort arranged for their group were all next to each other, and there seemed to be no differences among them, so the room assignments ended up being Zhang Yuwen with Huo Sichen, Yan Jun with Zheng Weize, and Chen Hong with Chang Jinxing.
“Gentlemen, please come with me,” the receptionist said, holding their bathrobes. “The hot spring for men will be downstairs during the night and on the mountain on the fourth floor in the day. Your accommodation is called Crane Hall; it’s in a separate building. Follow the path…” “Wow!” Everyone was suitably amazed.
Crane Hall had four bedrooms that faced each other in pairs, plus a common area in the center for drinking tea. Hot tea had already been prepared by the staff. The rooms were furnished with Japanese tatami mats. When it came time for bed, someone would come to set out the bedding for them.
“The dining area is across the path to the south,” the receptionist said. “Here, please choose your robes.”
“So comfy!” Zheng Weize entered his room and opened the tatami screen to reveal a terrace with floor-to-ceiling windows. Beyond that was a beautiful, wintry landscape dotted with mountain village houses in the far distance.
The fourth room was unoccupied; they had effectively booked the entire little building for themselves. Zhang Yuwen checked on everyone before returning to his room. By then, it was half past three.
The heating was turned up high. Huo Sichen had taken off his coat and was sitting at the low table in his black sweater, drinking matcha and admiring the scenery outside.
Zhang Yuwen smiled. “This is so much better than the last time.”
His memory of their stay at Elephant Gorge was still fresh in his mind.
“Your publisher is really generous,” said Huo Sichen. The resort had taken him by surprise.
“Maybe? Or maybe they just upgraded our rooms because it isn’t fully booked today.”
Everyone had their doors open, perhaps not seeing the need to close them. Honestly, Zhang Yuwen would’ve started to feel awkward if the doors were closed. His relationship with Huo Sichen was no longer just friendship, but they weren’t lovers yet, and somehow, anything they did felt inappropriate.
“What did you bring?” Huo Sichen asked.
“You want to rummage through my bag again?” Zhang Yuwen laughed.
“Just curious.”
Zhang Yuwen had brought along a book on creative writing to read when he was bored. As he unpacked his belongings and put them away neatly, Huo Sichen flipped through the book with apparent interest.
“Don’t force yourself,” Zhang Yuwen said, guessing that Huo Sichen had zero actual interest in it. The book was commonly used by screenwriters, and it could be abstruse even for novelists. Huo Sichen stopped pretending.
Meanwhile, in the rooms across from them, the others had already changed into their bathrobes.
“Yuwen!” Zheng Weize called out. “Are you guys going to the hot spring?”
“Later! You all go ahead.” Zhang Yuwen may have been the one who chose the hot spring, but he was still a little uncomfortable at the thought of being completely naked with his roommates.
Chen Hong came out of the room opposite theirs and pulled Zheng Weize back. “Come on, don’t bother them…” Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen exchanged a glance. The awkwardness between them intensified.
“Let’s change into our bathrobes.” Zhang Yuwen took a bathrobe, sat at the table, and removed his shirt. “Aren’t you changing?”
Huo Sichen put the book down and hesitated for a moment.
“I’ll see it all later anyway,” said Zhang Yuwen, “so what are you shy for? Strip!”
Huo Sichen was unexpectedly hesitant. Zhang Yuwen came over and made to strip him himself. “Okay, okay,” Huo Sichen said hastily.
He got up to close the door, but Zhang Yuwen said, “They’re gonna see you later anyway. Does it make a difference?”
Huo Sichen was lost for words. Zhang Yuwen started laughing, and Huo Sichen closed the door partially. Trying his best to maintain his composure, he undid his belt.
Zhang Yuwen, now completely undressed, stood in his naked glory.
Huo Sichen stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him. With one hand holding his bathrobe, Zhang Yuwen made a “What?” expression, openly allowing Huo Sichen to look.
Remarkably, Huo Sichen blushed! He looked at Zhang Yuwen, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and took a sudden step toward him. Zhang Yuwen knew he wanted to kiss him, but the door was still open, so he made a “no” gesture. Huo Sichen stopped advancing and started stripping.
“Is the purpose of the hot spring to inspect the goods first?” Huo Sichen joked.
Zhang Yuwen was skilled at controlling the situation even at times like this. “It’s to let you inspect the goods. So, are you satisfied?”
Zhang Yuwen was scrutinizing Huo Sichen right back, and he discovered to his surprise that Huo Sichen’s physique was even better than his own. Slim when clothed, toned when naked, and he even had well-defined pecs!
Oh no! A certain part of Zhang Yuwen began to stir. He’d thought he’d be able to keep his cool today after he relieved himself the night before.
That was when he discovered why Huo Sichen had acted so bashful, and why he kept avoiding him when he was changing into his robe:
Huo Sichen was hard.
His cock looked even bigger than Zhang Yuwen’s at its peak. That made sense; he was taller than Zhang Yuwen and had broader shoulders and longer fingers.
Zhang Yuwen’s eyes curved in a smile. “You…”
Huo Sichen tried to make his disobedient little friend calm down, but it only became harder. “It’s been a long time since I’ve… You know,” he explained, wrapping himself in the bathrobe.
“So you were lying about dreaming of me last night?” said Zhang Yuwen, skeptical.
Huo Sichen’s face turned even redder. He changed the subject. “We going to soak in the hot spring now?”
“I’ll ask the guys?” Zhang Yuwen said. “Do you want to show it to everyone?”
Huo Sichen was lost for words, his face beet red. He waved his hand to tell Zhang Yuwen not to say any more. Sitting with his back to Zhang Yuwen, he did his best to calm himself. Zhang Yuwen found this adorable.
He wouldn’t have minded topping him.
A sexual stirring rose within him, Huo Sichen its target. Zhang Yuwen pictured, thrillingly, having this tall, long-legged, elite man panting under him.
Across from them, Zhang Yuwen saw Chang Jinxing changing clothes. Yan Jun was on a phone call in the common area. Zhang Yuwen sat down beside Huo Sichen. “Let’s wait a while.”
Huo Sichen was back to his usual self. “I found a chess set. Shall we play? Do you know how?”
The room had Monopoly and a chessboard. “Will you get angry if you lose?” Zhang Yuwen asked as he set the chessboard up.
“Nope. I’ll go easy on you and let you take back moves.”
“Oh, really? We’ll see about that. I never take back a move.”
“That’s a good habit to have. Life is like a game of chess. No going back, no regrets.”
Zhang Yuwen’s grandfather liked playing chess, so Zhang Yuwen had been exposed to the game since he was a child. He was an adroit player.
But it took Huo Sichen only five minutes to trounce Zhang Yuwen, disgracing him utterly.
“I quit! Are you a professional or what?”
“A grade 5 chess player,” Huo Sichen said. “Another game? I’ll let you take back moves.”
“Nah. Let’s go soak in the hot spring.”
Zheng Weize was on his way back, sipping iced cola, his face flushed from soaking in the hot water.
Zhang Yuwen arrived at the hot spring. Through the steam, the first thing he saw was Chen Hong’s naked, chiseled body. He was talking with Yan Jun, but when Zhang Yuwen entered, they both went quiet.
“Hm?” After a moment’s silence, Zhang Yuwen got into the water and squawked, “Whoa! Hot!”
Everyone burst out laughing. As he adjusted to the temperature, Zhang Yuwen exhaled sharply and shot Chen Hong and Yan Jun a surprised look.
“Where’s Xiao-Qi?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
“Weize is keeping her company,” Yan Jun replied. “Babies can’t soak in hot springs.”
“Where’s Sichen?” Chen Hong returned.
“He’s buying drinks at the vending machine.”
Chen Hong smirked playfully. “Have you checked out the goods?”
Zhang Yuwen knew what he was asking. “Not as big as yours,”— Chen Hong wasn’t even covering himself with a towel as he sat on the hot stones—“but not small either.”
“Is it as big as mine?” Yan Jun asked, standing up from the water.
“Enough!” Zhang Yuwen laughed so he wouldn’t cry. Yan Jun cracked up too, and Zhang Yuwen wondered, What in the world is going on in those heads of yours?!
But Yan Jun’s was sizeable too, perhaps because he was tall and thin. From the looks of it, Chen Hong ranked first in size—S-tier, compared to the straight guys Zhang Yuwen had seen in porn. Yan Jun and Huo Sichen tied for second place with an A+, and Zhang Yuwen fell just below them with an A. As for Chang Jinxing… Chen Hong seemed to read Zhang Yuwen’s mind. “I’ve seen Jinxing’s. More or less the same as yours, Yuwen.”
Zhang Yuwen and Yan Jun both looked at Chen Hong. “Oh?”
Chen Hong chuckled but didn’t elaborate. Zhang Yuwen was about to probe, but Chen Hong turned the tables on him. “So, Yuwen, between you and Sichen, who’s the top?”
“We haven’t done it,” Zhang Yuwen said. “You don’t need to worry about that kind of thing.”
Huo Sichen finally appeared, and his naked form brought the conversation to an abrupt end. The high temperature of the hot spring caused everyone’s blood to pump faster, and Huo Sichen had finally gone soft.
He handed iced drinks to Chen Hong and Yan Jun. “Whoa! Hot!”
Huo Sichen howled as he entered the water, prompting another round of laughter. “I’m surprised there’s still water in this hot spring, since it’s been around for over twenty years.”
“You’ve been here before?” Zhang Yuwen asked, surprised.
“Yeah. My parents brought me here when I was seven and my brother was nine. That was twenty-two years ago.”
“I came here as a kid too,” Yan Jun added. “That was when my dad was still around. Our family came to Jiangdong for a trip, and we stayed over in this resort for two days.”
“This place must hold a lot of memories for so many people,” Chen Hong commented.
“I really didn’t think this was the kind of place you’d choose for New Year’s Eve,” said Yan Jun.
“It’s because I’ve been here too.” Zhang Yuwen laughed. “My grandpa loved coming here when I was a kid. We’d soak in these hot springs almost weekly in winter.”
“I remember that most of the rooms in this resort were made of wood twenty-two years ago,” Huo Sichen said. “Now all that’s left is Crane Hall.”
“Tortoise Hall and Kirin Hall have already been renovated,” said Zhang Yuwen. He was still astonished that Huo Sichen had been to the resort before.
“This place was called Foothills back then, right?” said Yan Jun.
“Yeah!” Huo Sichen and Zhang Yuwen both replied at once. Now it was the Mid-Mountain Lodge.
“My brother used to take me down to the stream to fish,” Yan Jun said. “There’s a stream on the other side of the mountain that doesn’t freeze.”
“There were lots of deer on the mountain too,” Huo Sichen added.
“Yeah! Yeah!” said Yan Jun. “I saw a few at the park halfway up the mountain. I’m thinking of taking Xiao-Qi there tomorrow for a walk.”
Things got quiet again. Zhang Yuwen sat facing Yan Jun, and although Yan Jun’s face was obscured by the steam, Zhang Yuwen knew he must be reminiscing.
“You have two boys in your family too?” Huo Sichen asked Yan Jun.
“Yeah.”
Huo Sichen had never asked about Xiao-Qi’s mother. Perhaps he was curious, but he knew better than to pry.
Chen Hong suddenly changed the topic. “Sichen, have you been skipping chest day?”
“It’s enough already. I don’t want it too big.”
Everyone laughed again. “Stand up and let me have a look?” Chen Hong asked. Huo Sichen obliged. “Your abs are still there. It’s been a while since your last session.”
“It’s not like I’m signing up for bodybuilding competitions,” said Huo Sichen. “You shouldn’t be asking me where I need muscles, though;
you should ask the person who’ll be making use of them.”
Chen Hong and Yan Jun laughed. “What about Yuwen?” Chen Hong asked.
Zhang Yuwen stood up.
“Turn around,” Chen Hong said, “I wanna see your glutes.”
“Why didn’t you ask to see his?” Zhang Yuwen protested. The others hooted with laughter again.
“I’m done soaking,” Yan Jun said. “I can’t take any more of it. I’m getting too dizzy.” He got up and left the hot spring to put on his bathrobe.
“Me too,” said Chen Hong.
This left Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen alone in the quiet hot spring pool. Huo Sichen moved closer to Zhang Yuwen, letting their thighs touch.
Zhang Yuwen glanced cheekily between Huo Sichen’s legs, then let his eyes wander over his body, landing on his abs, chest, and finally his face.
Huo Sichen reached out to stroke Zhang Yuwen’s thigh. In that tranquil moment, they seemed to be in perfect sync as Huo Sichen tilted his head and leaned in. Zhang Yuwen turned to meet him in a kiss.
He stopped Huo Sichen from going further, though. “No messing around here. It’s too easy to feel faint.”
They left the near-scalding pool, their skin pink as shrimp. As they were putting on their bathrobes, Huo Sichen grinned at Zhang Yuwen.
Zhang Yuwen raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“You’re sexy,” Huo Sichen whispered.
“You too,” Zhang Yuwen whispered back.
Zhang Yuwen had a fair complexion with a cool undertone and a well-proportioned figure. Huo Sichen was tall and straight-backed, and his damp hair made him look even more handsome, like a meticulously styled model. Huo Sichen admired their bodies in the mirror. They looked like a perfect match.
Most importantly, they were both hard after the soak—their desires laid bare in their gazes, their pricks screaming, “I wanna make love to you,” like a pair of desperate animals.
Guys were candid when it came to sex. It was pointless to play coy when their bodies betrayed their innermost thoughts. Zhang Yuwen didn’t mind Huo Sichen’s gaze on him at all, and he liked watching Huo Sichen too. At first, Huo Sichen had seemed flustered when he felt Zhang Yuwen’s eyes on him, but by this point he was used to it.
“Your third leg is rock solid,” Zhang Yuwen said, teasing.
“It hasn’t gone soft at all today with you around.”
Hearing noises from outside, they put on their bathrobes. Zhang Yuwen stopped to buy a drink as they passed the vending machine outside the pool, and a thought popped into his head: Should Huo Sichen and I sleep together tonight? Huo Sichen was clearly up for it.
But if they did, who would top? Huo Sichen clearly wanted to… Zhang Yuwen didn’t mind bottoming this time, but once they’d established those roles, he was bound to be relegated to bottom status in the future; he’d only get to top occasionally. Zhang Yuwen was still not mentally prepared for that. He liked Huo Sichen, but not so much that he was willing to bottom all the time.
Two men dating was interesting for the sense of equality that came with it, but that was also where the trouble came in. It was sometimes hard to strike a balance when it came to sex.
Sipping his iced drink, Zhang Yuwen returned to his room and looked at his phone, killing time until dinner with his roommates later.
Huo Sichen came over to sit beside him, so Zhang Yuwen put down his phone and looked at him. He suspected that Huo Sichen had the same question on his mind.
“What time is dinner?” Huo Sichen asked.
“Seven.”
“What time is it now?”
“Four thirty. It’s still early.”
Huo Sichen wrapped his arms around Zhang Yuwen’s waist. Zhang Yuwen thought about it. This time, he’d been proactive himself. It was as if they had their most honest communication while they were soaking in the hot spring.
So, with their bathrobes partially covering them, he straddled Huo Sichen’s waist, savoring the taste of forbidden fruit.
“I have no experience with guys,” Huo Sichen said in a small voice.
“It’s all purely instinct.” He buried his face in Zhang Yuwen’s chest, his breathing growing urgent. His eyes seemed to have lost all spark of rational thought, leaving only desire behind.
“But I think… Hm,” Zhang Yuwen said, the hint of a smile in his eyes. “There’s still something we haven’t discussed.”
“You mean the positions?”
“Do you want to be the top?” asked Zhang Yuwen.
“Can I?” Huo Sichen was a little nervous. “It’s my first time, but I’ll do my best to learn.”
Zhang Yuwen thought about it for a moment. “So, did you bring it?”
“Bring what?” Huo Sichen asked, perplexed.
Zhang Yuwen stared at him. He let go and rolled off of him, wanting to laugh out loud. “You didn’t bring anything, and you still want to top?”
“I really don’t know. What do we need? I’ll buy it now.”
“Lube.”
“Oh. I…don’t have it,” Huo Sichen said. “We need that?”
Zhang Yuwen held his forehead in one hand. “You really do have no experience,” he deadpanned.
Huo Sichen put on his bathrobe. “Where do they sell it? I’ll go now.”
Zhang Yuwen motioned him over, and Huo Sichen gave him a questioning look. Zhang Yuwen had him sit in front of him without saying more.
He slipped off Huo Sichen’s bathrobe, grasped his dick, and gently stroked it. Huo Sichen’s body reacted instantly, stiffening and tensing up.
“Sleeping with a guy is different,” Zhang Yuwen explained. “You need to use lube or it’ll hurt, especially when you have such a big…” Huo Sichen’s lips parted as if he meant to say, I had no idea, but Zhang Yuwen kissed him before he had the chance to speak. Gradually Huo Sichen relaxed, relishing the taste of his lips.
An expert in sex Zhang Yuwen was not, but he was adept. As he kissed Huo Sichen’s chest, sucking on and licking his nipples, he stroked him with his hand. Only the sound of Huo Sichen’s urgent breathing lingered in his ears.
Huo Sichen shifted awkwardly, adjusting his legs to let Zhang Yuwen lie in his arms, and looked down at Zhang Yuwen with -bewilderment in his eyes. When their eyes met, Zhang Yuwen felt the sudden pull of curiosity. Huo Sichen acted like a virgin!
Male or female, this guy couldn’t have had sex more than ten times, and he’s already twenty-eight or twenty-nine. How did he manage that?
“Does it feel good?” Zhang Yuwen asked him.
Huo Sichen’s breathing was shaky, but he turned and pinned Zhang Yuwen to the floor.
“Hey…” Zhang Yuwen looked up at Huo Sichen, whose bathrobe he’d stripped off. Then Huo Sichen kissed him, rubbing his dick between Zhang Yuwen’s legs.
What kind of innocent boy behavior was that? Zhang Yuwen found it funny. But the dry, burning, skin-to-skin contact of his naked body rubbing against another guy’s felt good.
“I like you,” Huo Sichen said in a low baritone. He spoke quickly, as if he was anxious to tell Zhang Yuwen his feelings. “No, I love you.
Yuwen, I love you.”
Zhang Yuwen felt unaccountably touched. He wanted to reply, “I like you too,” but Huo Sichen kissed him, cutting off his words. Their breathing grew ragged as Huo Sichen pressed against him, rubbing up and down.
Obligingly, Zhang Yuwen spread his legs and wrapped them around Huo Sichen’s waist like he was ready to bottom, but Huo Sichen didn’t enter him. He couldn’t anyway, not without lube; he could only rub himself against Zhang Yuwen’s lower abdomen.
They tangled together, bodies and mouths. Zhang Yuwen had never had sex that was pure friction. If someone had suggested it to him in the past, he would’ve made them pay a forfeit. Yet Huo Sichen’s actions felt beautiful to him, like the long-lost, golden innocence of youth.
A stream of heat sprayed Zhang Yuwen’s abdomen. Huo Sichen stopped, panting violently, his handsome face flushed to the tips of his ears as he avoided Zhang Yuwen’s gaze. Speechless, Zhang Yuwen looked down at himself, then at Huo Sichen, who seemed mortified.
“You haven’t come yet,” Huo Sichen said. “I’ll clean it up for you.”
What the hell? Zhang Yuwen thought. He motioned for Huo Sichen to sit against the wall with their bathrobes under them, had him hug him from behind, and began to pleasure himself.
He leaned his head back on Huo Sichen’s shoulder and looked up slightly. Understanding him, Huo Sichen pinched his nipple with one hand and caressed his chest with the other, leaning in to kiss him. It was just like Zhang Yuwen’s fantasy from the night before. Using Huo Sichen’s cum as a lubricant, he stroked himself.
“You came so much…” Zhang Yuwen said in a husky voice between kisses.
Huo Sichen blushed even more. This was overwhelming. His cum was in Zhang Yuwen’s hands, making slick sounds as he moved, as if they were having a full-scale, deeply intimate exchange through this gesture.
Zhang Yuwen felt Huo Sichen getting hard again—the guy’s refractory period was barely three minutes! “You—” “Hush,” Huo Sichen breathed, then kissed Zhang Yuwen. Zhang Yuwen quickened his movements. Huo Sichen reached out to help, but after a while, Zhang Yuwen nudged his hand away and continued on his own.
Before long, Zhang Yuwen came. Unlike the previous night, it was a normal amount.
“Whew.” Zhang Yuwen got up and went to the bathroom for a shower. A moment later, Huo Sichen joined him, fully naked. Zhang Yuwen smiled at him. Huo Sichen looked sheepish, like a high schooler.
“Is this how it is with men?” Huo Sichen asked. He plastered himself against Zhang Yuwen’s back, pressing his erect member between Zhang Yuwen’s legs.
“Yeah, but you can’t,” Zhang Yuwen replied, putting a stop to this inquisitive exchange. He was lathered all over in body wash.
“Hm?”
“Because it’ll sting a lot if body wash gets inside. You can’t use it as lube.”
“All right, I get it.” Huo Sichen politely shifted his dick away from Zhang Yuwen’s opening, where it had been raring to go. “You’re very experienced.”
Under normal circumstances, Zhang Yuwen would’ve assumed that Huo Sichen was teasing him. Based on his performance today, though, he thought that Huo Sichen might really be a virgin.
“My ex and I tried it once,” Zhang Yuwen explained. “He said it felt terrible.”
Huo Sichen embraced Zhang Yuwen from behind, whispering, “You must have excellent technique.”
Zhang Yuwen pinched Huo Sichen’s cheek and smiled. “You wanna find out?”
Huo Sichen’s expression clouded over, but Zhang Yuwen didn’t say more. He just patted him, then stepped out, dried his body, and put on his clothes.
It was already past six, and his roommates were in the common area.
Chen Hong, Chang Jinxing, and Zheng Weize were playing cards.
“What are you guys doing?” Zhang Yuwen glanced at his roommates, feeling a bit guilty. Everything seemed normal with them, though.
“Waiting for you two,” Chen Hong replied. “Can we go eat now?”
“Dinner isn’t until seven. Where’s Xiao-Qi?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
Yan Jun had taken her outside to play and practice walking in the garden. Zhang Yuwen went looking for them. A moment later, Huo Sichen emerged from their room and came to the common area.
Zhang Yuwen glanced into the sitting room. They’d switched from cards to Monopoly. Huo Sichen looked like his usual self; nobody would be able to tell by looking at him that anything had happened.
While Zhang Yuwen was looking at Huo Sichen, Yan Jun was looking at Zhang Yuwen. Their eyes met, and they both started laughing.
“Why are you laughing?” Zhang Yuwen asked.
“Why are you laughing?” Yan Jun picked Xiao-Qi up and let her walk on the bench.
“I’m not laughing at anything,” said Zhang Yuwen. “You seem happy today.”
Yan Jun smiled. “It’s my birthday.”
Zhang Yuwen’s jaw dropped. He’d seen Yan Jun’s ID before—to think he’d forgotten! “No way. I thought it was… Oh! Your lunar birthday!”
“Yep,” Yan Jun said. “Don’t tell them.”
“So, you’re a Capricorn.”
“Yeah, I am.”