Riverbay

Chapter 25

WHEN HE WOKE UP AGAIN, it was already 5 p.m., and the sun was on its way down. Everyone gathered in the park again, each having bought their own souvenirs. Zhang Yuwen, who had Huo Sichen’s coat around him, opened his bleary eyes to see Chang Jinxing taking photos of him, and Huo Sichen smiling and not stopping him. Zhang Yuwen made as if to get up to kick Chang Jinxing’s ass, causing everyone to laugh and disperse.

When they returned to the resort, everyone went to soak in the hot spring separately. “I’ll watch Xiao-Qi while you guys go enjoy the hot spring,” Zhang Yuwen volunteered. Huo Sichen wanted to stay with Zhang Yuwen, but Zhang Yuwen shook his head. “You were exposed to the wind in the park without a coat. Don’t catch a cold.”

Yan Jun smiled. “Then I’ll go take a bath.”

Chen Hong moved his belongings to Yan Jun’s room, and Chang Jinxing went over to share a room with Zheng Weize; something had definitely happened between them again today. And then everyone was gone.

The common area was strangely quiet, their game of Monopoly lying unfinished on the table. Xiao-Qi, no longer satisfied with exploring the furniture, was picking up the game money and looking at it curiously.

“Don’t tear it, okay?” Zhang Yuwen told her. He put the dice away in case she decided to eat them.

Zhang Yuwen was fond of children. If he’d had a daughter like Xiao-Qi, he probably wouldn’t date again. He would devote himself wholeheartedly to taking care of her, showering her with all his attention;

he’d spoil her and treat her like a little princess from the moment she was born— Suddenly, Xiao-Qi looked at Zhang Yuwen and said, “Yuwen?”

Zhang Yuwen froze. For one wild moment he panicked, thinking something supernatural was occurring, but then he realized what had happened. “Are you calling me? Xiao-Qi, you can say my name?”

“Yuwen?” Xiao-Qi said again in her baby voice.

“What?!” Zhang Yuwen was stunned. As far as he knew, this was Xiao-Qi’s second word, her first besides “Papa!” His name wasn’t easy to pronounce, either—how had she learned it?

Xiao-Qi, who found Zhang Yuwen’s reaction hilarious, came over to hand him the Monopoly money. “Yuwen?”

“Oh my god…” This was the first baby who had ever fully trusted Zhang Yuwen and called him by his name. He couldn’t help the tears that sprang to his eyes. He wanted to pick Xiao-Qi up, but she refused.

“Yuwen! Yuwen!” Xiao-Qi said again, and toddled away.

“Is anyone here?” Zhang Yuwen was so worked up that he wanted to find someone to show this off to. Alas, everyone was gone. Light from the setting sun streamed through the doorway, casting everything in a golden glow, and Zhang Yuwen felt that he grasped the transient meaning of existence. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life! “Oh wow,” he said. He was so moved he almost cried.

Yan Jun was the first to return.

“Sh-sh-she… She can say my name!” Zhang Yuwen exclaimed when he saw Yan Jun. “Yan Jun! Did you hear that? She can say Yuwen!”

Yan Jun wore a bathrobe, his hair still damp. His smile was striking.

“Maybe she picked it up because of how often we all say it.”

“Say it again?” Zhang Yuwen said to Xiao-Qi.

Xiao-Qi ignored him and opened her arms to Yan Jun, who picked her up. She was still grasping Zhang Yuwen’s clothes, though, refusing to let him leave. “Yuwen.”

Zhang Yuwen laughed delightedly. “You hear that?! How many words can she say now?”

“Three. This is the third. She can say ‘auntie’ too.”

Zhang Yuwen was beside himself with joy. Gradually, the others returned, and when they heard Xiao-Qi could say names now, they took turns coaching her.

“That’s not fair!” Chen Hong complained. “Hey! Yan Jun! Have you only been teaching your daughter Yuwen’s name?” Except for Yan Jun, who was in his room blow-drying his hair and didn’t hear them, they all erupted into laughter.

“Where’s Sichen?” Zhang Yuwen asked.

“He’s still waiting for you at the hot spring,” Chang Jinxing told him. Zhang Yuwen quickly changed into a bathrobe and made his way there.

Huo Sichen was sitting on the stone area by the hot spring when Zhang Yuwen jumped in and splashed water all over his face. He watched Zhang Yuwen. “You’re in a good mood.”

Zhang Yuwen grinned but didn’t explain.

“Feeling refreshed after your nap?” Now that Zhang Yuwen had arrived, Huo Sichen got back into the water—but Zhang Yuwen, noticing how red his skin was from the steam, made him get back out in case he fainted.

“No more drinking tonight,” Zhang Yuwen said in a warning tone.

“Of course. I’d get a good beating if I wasted a beautiful night.” Zhang Yuwen didn’t reply, and Huo Sichen came closer. “Are you looking forward to tonight?”

Zhang Yuwen tried to dunk Huo Sichen’s head into the water, but Huo Sichen was ready and fended off his attack. They wrestled in the water for a while, and Zhang Yuwen realized that Huo Sichen was much stronger than him; the guy almost upended him, but ultimately, he teased Zhang Yuwen playfully for a moment and then let him go.

Once they’d calmed down, Huo Sichen asked, “What do you think it should be like when two guys are together?”

“All I know is that they can soak in a hot spring together.” Zhang Yuwen knew what he was trying to ask, but he refused to take the bait.

Huo Sichen laughed. “Uh-huh, that’s one thing.”

“You should get out of the water and drink something,” Zhang Yuwen said. So Huo Sichen got up, naked, and sat at the edge of the pool to continue their conversation.

Zhang Yuwen sized Huo Sichen up. He was a bigger guy than Zhang Yuwen. In the natural world, larger animals often played the role of the “protector”—that is, the male. In same-sex relationships, this was maybe the top.

“By the way,” Huo Sichen said, “can I ask to take the lead?”

“That’s called being the top, or ‘1,’” Zhang Yuwen said. “I knew you’d been thinking about this.”

Huo Sichen’s breathing quickened, nerves setting in. He licked his lips and looked at Zhang Yuwen. “Just an idea… I’m just throwing it out for discussion.”

Zhang Yuwen countered with a question of his own. “If I insisted on being the top, and otherwise, no deal, would you accept it? Or…take a step back and go back to being friends?”

“No, Yuwen,” Huo Sichen said immediately. “I really do love you…” Belatedly, it occurred to him that a hot spring pool wasn’t the most solemn place to profess his love. His face turned even redder as he tripped over his words, trying to explain. “I think…all of these things can be overcome. If you really can’t agree to it, and it has to be me who…um… I’ll be willing to give it a try, but…” Zhang Yuwen watched Huo Sichen silently, feeling moved. It was clear from Huo Sichen’s reaction that he had never done it with a man, and he was nervous and clumsy when it came to gay sex. It was also clear that Huo Sichen really liked him.

“It’s just,” Huo Sichen continued apprehensively, “I might not meet your expectations. I mean, it might not be totally harmonious…” Zhang Yuwen gestured for him to stop talking. Generously, he said, “Okay, sure. It’s just a position. No big deal. I want to experience bottoming too.”

Huo Sichen’s breath caught. His body reacted to those words, and Zhang Yuwen, seeing it, burst into laughter and splashed him with water.

Huo Sichen blushed.

“Even if it feels uncomfortable,” Zhang Yuwen rationalized, “there are still plenty of other ways to do it.”

“Then that’s decided!”

“Yeah, but I have a request.” Zhang Yuwen looked Huo Sichen’s naked body up and down. With his physique paired with that handsome, serious face of his, he really was gorgeous. “You have to let me top you once in a while. Can you agree to that?”

Zhang Yuwen had to have a taste of that glorious, fair, elite body.

“Sure,” Huo Sichen said without so much as a second thought.

What a bizarre conversation. Who had serious discussions about sexual roles in a hot spring pool? But this was an issue two men who wanted to be together had to resolve. Zhang Yuwen wondered if two bottoms who fell in love would also bargain with each other like this.

When Zhang Yuwen decided to date Huo Sichen, his intent was to pursue a wholly new kind of same-sex relationship—one that was equal and mutual. There would be no big, strong top who had to care for and dote on the bottom, and no bottom relying on his top. But Huo Sichen was so inexperienced with this budding romance that he handled many of the details as if it were a heterosexual relationship. Sometimes he treated Zhang Yuwen as a girl.

But that didn’t matter. People could change.

During dinner, the mood was much livelier than the previous night.

Yan Jun and Huo Sichen didn’t drink, and Zheng Weize and Chang Jinxing sat together again. Zhang Yuwen wanted to brag about Xiao-Qi calling his name, but she was engrossed in a cartoon on Yan Jun’s phone.

“We haven’t toasted yet!” Chen Hong said.

“Oh, yeah!” Chang Jinxing put down his phone and picked up his cup.

The moment the toast was suggested, Zhang Yuwen’s social anxiety reared its ugly head. And sure enough, Chen Hong said, “Thanks to Yuwen for bringing us together.”

“Yeah!” Zheng Weize chimed in. “Thank you, Yuwen, for taking us out to have a good time.”

“It’s the work of fate, I guess,” said Zhang Yuwen, blushing.

“Thank you, Yuwen.” Yan Jun raised his cup with a smile. “You know what I want to say.”

“Thanks,” said Chang Jinxing. “You’ve changed me a lot.”

Zhang Yuwen dreaded situations like this more than anything, especially when people made genuine expressions of emotion. Every time it happened, he wanted to hide under the table.

“Yuwen is a wonderful person,” added Huo Sichen. “It’s truly a blessing to know you.”

“Stop it, guys,” Zhang Yuwen pleaded. “This is mortifying.”

“Really,” Zheng Weize continued, “my life has changed completely.

I’m so much happier than I used to be.”

Then I guess I won’t be chasing you guys for rent, Zhang Yuwen thought. “Okay, enough. Let’s toast,” he said. “Let’s all keep working hard in the coming year.”

They clinked cups, and Zhang Yuwen felt a little ashamed. After all, his motive for bringing them all together at Riverbay Road was far from pure. If anything, he was the one who’d learned from his warm, kindhearted roommates. He used to think he could live perfectly happily as a recluse, but their presence made his life so much more vibrant.

He had nothing to give to them. All he had was a bit of money.

Surrounded by his friends, for the first time in his life, Zhang Yuwen felt just how inadequate his soul was.

Thankfully, the adulation of the sub-landlord ended before long.

They were having beef hot pot, and as soon as it was served, everyone exclaimed in delight and whipped out their phones to take photos. Chang Jinxing even used his camera.

“Man, I wish I could stay here forever!” said Zheng Weize.

“I’ll bring you here again next time,” Zhang Yuwen told him.

“Isn’t home good, though?” Chang Jinxing laughed. “It doesn’t have a hot spring, but home is also very comfortable.” Thinking it over, Zheng Weize had to agree.

Hearing them speak about “home” made Huo Sichen look at Zhang Yuwen. Zhang Yuwen knew that he was thinking about how they would see each other in the future, whether they would live together, where they should spend the night, and so on. Those thoughts were a little premature.

Yes, their relationship was progressing at lightning speed, but Zhang Yuwen still had no plans to discuss cohabitation just yet. Having sex while they were dating was one thing, but cohabitation meant sharing a life… But that didn’t mean that Zhang Yuwen wouldn’t tease him about it, seeing Huo Sichen lost in thought.

Huo Sichen sat across from him in the dining room laid with tatami mats. He was shoulder to shoulder with Yan Jun, who was chatting with Chang Jinxing. Listening to them joke around, Zhang Yuwen extended his foot, clad in a white athletic sock, found Huo Sichen’s foot under the table, and stroked it.

Yan Jun stopped talking and glanced at Zhang Yuwen. Realizing he’d gotten the wrong person, Zhang Yuwen yanked his leg back. “Sorry!”

Yan Jun understood that Zhang Yuwen had meant to flirt with Huo Sichen, so he said nothing. Huo Sichen shot Zhang Yuwen a questioning look, but Zhang Yuwen couldn’t try his move again; Huo Sichen would realize immediately what had happened. Instead, Zhang Yuwen sat in embarrassed silence. Luckily for him, Chen Hong made a joke about working out and beef, and everyone cracked up.

And then it was night. Dinner without alcohol always seemed to be missing something. When they returned to their room, Huo Sichen closed the door and embraced Zhang Yuwen from behind.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Yuwen said. “Keep your sneaky hands to yourself. I’m too full.”

“But I’m not doing it sneakily; I’m doing it openly. I want to be intimate with you.”

No sooner did Huo Sichen say these words than a voice outside interrupted his romantic wish. “Yuwen, what are you guys doing?” Chang Jinxing asked.

Zhang Yuwen laughed uncontrollably. Huo Sichen felt a little helpless. “Shhh,” Zhang Yuwen said as he opened the door, “don’t wake Xiao-Qi.”

Yan Jun stepped out of his room into the common area. “She wouldn’t wake up even if we played mahjong next to her. Want to come out and play?”

“Play what?” Huo Sichen stepped out too. “Monopoly?”

Chen Hong, Zheng Weize, and Chang Jinxing each took a seat in the common area. Everyone brought over cushions and sat around the low table. Huo Sichen’s phone rang, and he went back to the room to answer the call. Zhang Yuwen reserved the spot next to him for when Huo Sichen returned.

“Let’s play truth or dare,” Zheng Weize suggested again.

Noooooo, everyone thought at the same time, but they were all waiting for someone else to object. Instead, the word that came out of each person’s mouth was, “Sure.”

“Okay, but let’s set a theme,” Zhang Yuwen said.

Everyone relaxed a little, thinking, That’s much safer than it was on the mountain.

“Fine with me,” Chen Hong said. “Dice? Or playing cards?”

“Lemme see…” Chang Jinxing said. “What topics are suggested online for a themed truth or dare?”

“Cards, I guess.” Zheng Weize shuffled the cards. “We can use the Monopoly money and chips to play.”

“Sure,” said Zhang Yuwen. Thus, they made the decision for the absent Huo Sichen.

Zheng Weize dealt the cards, and Chen Hong distributed the chips.

They started a six-person game. “One truth per round, a total of six rounds.

The one who loses the most will do a dare.”

“Okay,” Yan Jun said. “What’s the theme?”

“Lemme see… The first one is…” Chang Jinxing said. “This!

Sexual preferences! What unspeakable fetish do you have? Let’s talk about your kinks! You must describe it in detail, no less than three thousand words.”

“Damn…” Simultaneously, everyone thought, This is too much!

“Pick something else!” Zhang Yuwen said.

“We’re better off choosing this one than the others,” Chang Jinxing said. “Trust me.”

“Damn, this is a good one,” said Chen Hong. “I’ve been curious about your sexual fetishes for a long time.” Zhang Yuwen stared at him.

“Do we drink?” asked Chang Jinxing. “It’s no fun if we don’t. Just don’t drink too much.”

“Hm…” Zhang Yuwen thought for a moment. “It’s okay if it’s just a little. Something with a low alcohol content. I’ll go buy it.”

Zhang Yuwen left to make the purchase, and Chen Hong said, “Let’s all target Sichen. I’m curious as hell.”

Huo Sichen emerged, his call finished, and everyone looked at him.

“Hm? Where’s Yuwen?”

“He went to buy some booze,” Zheng Weize said. “Maybe you can help him with his cards.”

Zhang Yuwen returned with a large bag containing fruit wine and milk wine in various flavors. The alcohol content wasn’t as high as sake, but it wasn’t low either. Everyone picked their flavor and started drinking.

Huo Sichen’s phone rang again, and he apologized and stepped away to answer the call. For a while, everyone played their cards carefully, fearing that they would be targeted.

“Remember, we agreed on this theme, okay?” Chang Jinxing said.

Zhang Yuwen played dumb. “What theme?” He had two sets of cards; his own hand was almost done, but Huo Sichen’s set was practically untouched.

Huo Sichen returned. “I’m really sorry. So much stuff came up tonight.”

“No worries,” the other guys said mischievously.

The card game was intense. They all knew that the moment of social embarrassment would eventually come calling, but they wanted to put it off for as long as possible.

Unexpectedly, the first round’s loser was the person who’d suggested the theme—Chang Jinxing! At one point, he had only one pair of cards left, but the others were too fast, catching him off guard as they outmaneuvered him. He was stunned.

Everyone started laughing, not having expected Chang Jinxing to be the first to lose. “Spill it!”

But Huo Sichen, who was still unaware of the stakes, looked confused. “Is there a rule I’m missing?”

Doubled over with laughter, Zhang Yuwen gestured to Huo Sichen to just listen and find out.

“I…” Chang Jinxing just couldn’t bring himself to say it. He could fabricate one, yeah, but this bunch of guys would see right through him.

“Don’t make it up,” Chen Hong warned. “We’ve been buddies for so long, you think we can’t tell?”

Chang Jinxing glanced at Chen Hong, then braced himself and said, “I…kind of, like…um…wanna experiment with…P-spot highs.”

“Oh, wow.” Everyone was scandalized. Zhang Yuwen was surprised too, though it was entirely plausible.

Huo Sichen still looked clueless. “Are we playing truth?”

“But I’m a top,” Chang Jinxing clarified.

“Aw, so what if you’re a bottom?” Yan Jun said. “What’s wrong with being a bottom? C’mere, gimme a kiss.”

Blushing, Chang Jinxing pushed Yan Jun away. Huo Sichen whispered to Zhang Yuwen, “What’s a P-spot high?”

Just as Zhang Yuwen was about to explain, Chang Jinxing clarified, “Prostate orgasm.”

“Oh, yeah. Prostate orgasm.”

Huo Sichen looked like he wanted to ask where the prostate was, but he wisely kept quiet.

Zheng Weize looked conflicted, as if the top he had a crush on was no longer pure. Chang Jinxing explained, “I had a girlfriend who I tried it with once or twice, and somehow, it became a bit of a kink. Of course, most of the time, I’m just fantasizing.”

“A lot of straight men are into it,” Chen Hong said. “I have a client who enjoys being rimmed by his wife.”

Zhang Yuwen didn’t find it all that shocking; instead, he was -intrigued. The way Chang Jinxing looked as he composed himself and candidly discussed his preferences was actually a little sexy. It was a stark contrast to his playboy persona.

“Is a prostate orgasm really that good?” Zhang Yuwen asked.

“It’s okay, I guess?” Zheng Weize said. “It depends on the top’s technique. If you do it yourself, you can pinpoint the good spots more accurately.”

Back when Zhang Yuwen was with his ex, he couldn’t figure out if his lover felt good or if he was just playing along because he loved Zhang Yuwen. He believed that he did feel pleasure, but over time, the frequency of their lovemaking decreased.

“So it’s an intense sensation?” said Yan Jun.

“You wanna try?” Chen Hong asked Yan Jun. Yan Jun waved his hand dismissively, and everyone laughed again.

“None of you have experienced it before?” Chang Jinxing asked.

“The three of them haven’t,” Chen Hong said. “I have, once.”

“Whoa.” Zhang Yuwen struggled to imagine Chen Hong as a bottom, but there was a sexy contrast in seeing an athletic man in that role.

The positions weren’t always set in stone among gay couples. Some people sought novelty and excitement, so they’d switch roles a few times to spice things up.

“Right?” Chang Jinxing said to Chen Hong, “It feels good.”

“It hurt at the start,” Chen Hong said, “but yeah, it does get kind of pleasurable later, I guess.”

“Maybe you didn’t find the right position,” Chang Jinxing said.

“Size and technique matter too.”

“I used to hook up with a guy who had been a bottom before,” Zheng Weize chimed in. “His technique was amazing. He made me come every time, like wave after wave of pleasure crashing into me.”

“Then are you able to find the prostate with accuracy?” Yan Jun asked Chang Jinxing.

“Yeah. It’s like a chestnut. You can’t thrust at it too hard because it’ll hurt, and you can’t go too deep either, or you’ll hit past the P-spot.”

“What’s past the P-spot?” Huo Sichen asked.

Everyone was struck speechless. Huo Sichen stared right back at them.

“It’s deeper inside the body, and it’ll hurt,” Zhang Yuwen explained. “Doesn’t matter if it’s a man or woman. If it’s too long, it’ll feel uncomfortable.” This knowledge belonged only to those with hardware of a certain size and sufficient experience.

“The prostate point is actually quite shallow,” Zheng Weize added.

“Five inches is usually enough. The rest depends on technique. Kissing and caressing are important too.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Zhang Yuwen agreed. Bigger wasn’t always necessarily better when it came to hardware. At most, it just looked sexy.

“Then do you like being the bottom?” Zheng Weize asked.

“Actually, I don’t want to be the bottom,” Chang Jinxing said. “I just have this kink.”

“Oh,” Zhang Yuwen said. “So you’re like a straight guy who likes being pegged.”

“You can also play from the front,” Chen Hong said. “You can reach the prostate by going the front route too.”

“How do you know so much?!” Everyone was seeing Chen Hong in a new light.

“I’ve tried that,” Chang Jinxing said. “It’s more intense, but also easier to get an infection.”

“What’s the front route?” Huo Sichen asked.

Zhang Yuwen held his forehead in one hand. “Urethral play.”

It was Huo Sichen’s first encounter with this topic. He felt like he was in a cramming session before an exam, and his brain cells struggled to keep up.

“All right,” Chang Jinxing said. “Let’s continue?”

“Wait,” Chen Hong said. “This doesn’t count as a fetish, right? It’s just something that any normal bottom likes!”

“But I’m a top!” Chang Jinxing insisted as he shuffled the cards.

Yan Jun caught on too. “He almost got away with it!”

“Really!” Chang Jinxing said. “I really only have this one kink. You have to consider each person’s individual circumstances…” Zhang Yuwen burst out laughing, and Chang Jinxing started dealing the cards again so that nobody would press further.

Huo Sichen started taking his cards seriously in the second round, but it was clear from his expression that he was still reeling from the previous conversation. “Does a prostate orgasm really feel that good?” he asked Zhang Yuwen with slightly furrowed brows.

Everybody heard the question. They chorused, “You wanna try?”

and hooted with laughter, which finally woke Xiao-Qi up. Yan Jun quickly went into his room to pacify her, and everyone resumed their conversation with gusto. This time, instead of razzing Chang Jinxing, they moved on to Chen Hong’s short-lived relationship from the previous year.

“All right, guys, shush,” Yan Jun said. “Keep your voices down.”

Playing cards flew across the table, and the fruit wine started to take its hold over them all. As the alcohol kicked in, their conversation became even more uninhibited, and Zhang Yuwen felt himself getting hard.

Chang Jinxing played his last card. “Your turn now, Yuwen!”

“Finally,” said Chen Hong, who had forgotten all about targeting Huo Sichen.

Zhang Yuwen’s hand this round had been terrible, and he knew he couldn’t run from it, so he was ready. “I like it…outdoors. Outdoor sex, I guess.”

“Oh.” While not as shocking as Chang Jinxing’s confession, it was still a relatively uncommon kink.

“Like, in school buildings,” Zhang Yuwen continued. “On the rooftop, in the classroom, on the campus grounds…but you have to be very careful of security cameras.”

Huo Sichen looked at Zhang Yuwen with surprise.

“What about the restrooms?” Yan Jun asked.

“Too dirty for me. The environment has to be clean.”

“Then have you ever done it outdoors?” Zheng Weize asked curiously. “Uh, sorry for asking, Sichen-gege…” “I don’t mind,” Huo Sichen said. “Not at all. I’d like to hear the answer too. Tell us.”