Chapter 8
“LEAVE CHEN HONG TO ME!” Chang Jinxing yelled. “You handle Yan Jun!”
“I don’t know their names,” said Huo Sichen.
Zhang Yuwen made two standard hand signals used by the special forces: crouch down and gather here. Huo Sichen understood and ducked over from another cover, while Zhang Yuwen popped his head up and traded gunfire with Yan Jun. Neither hit the other, but it bought Huo Sichen time.
“Were you in the military?” Huo Sichen asked in disbelief.
“Nope.” Zhang Yuwen laughed. “I learned it from TV. You handle those two over there, I’ll keep watch over the sniper. Jinxing, circle over there and scare them!”
“I’ve been hit!” Chang Jinxing yelled.
“You’ll respawn by the time you run over!”
“Why is there another player?” Chang Jinxing cried. “Lao-You, this isn’t fair!”
The owner’s laughter rang out from the woods. “Your team’s battle prowess was unbalanced to begin with!”
The fight got a lot harder with the owner joining in, but Zhang Yuwen stayed calm. He popped up, intending to shoot Yan Jun, who opened fire and ducked behind his shelter—but the ball was now in Zhang Yuwen’s court. He mounted his gun.
“It’s useless to aim for the head,” Huo Sichen reminded him as he reloaded from behind his cover. “You can only hit the body.”
“Got it. Where’s Jinxing?” Zhang Yuwen asked. “Get ready to flank them.”
Huo Sichen made an OK gesture and dashed over with his head down to support Chang Jinxing.
Now that they’d encountered their opponents, everyone quickly got into the game, fighting with such gusto that they forgot ever thinking that it was boring. Zhang Yuwen remained locked in combat with Yan Jun the entire time, neutralizing the other team’s strongest player and even trading shots with the owner a few times. Meanwhile, Huo Sichen and Chang Jinxing worked together to ambush Chen Hong and Zheng Weize, successfully putting them into a cooldown period of thirty seconds.
“Argh! I’ve been shot!” Zheng Weize seized his chance to fall into Chang Jinxing’s arms.
“Get up!” Yan Jun shouted. “He’s the enemy!”
Amused, Chang Jinxing turned Zheng Weize around and held him with one arm while pointing the gun at him with his other hand, effectively holding him hostage. Zheng Weize even played along. Yan Jun had no choice but to leave Zhang Yuwen and go over to assist.
“Where’s Huo Sichen?!” Zhang Yuwen looked around. Huo Sichen whistled at him from behind a tree. “I’m going to take Yan Jun down.
Keep an eye on the bodies.”
“Who’s Yan Jun?” Huo Sichen asked.
“The tall one!” Zhang Yuwen darted out to charge him from behind.
Yan Jun, who had been on guard against Zhang Yuwen all this time, whipped around at once. They opened fire, hitting each other. Their vests started flashing, and they ducked for cover. Yan Jun even somersaulted, his movements elegant and beautiful.
On the other side, Huo Sichen caught up with Yan Jun. Despite valiant attempts, he was unable to dodge and found himself hit again after he respawned. As Huo Sichen chased him, Yan Jun shouted, “Backup!
Requesting backup!”
The owner came to his aid, only to be ambushed and gunned down by Zhang Yuwen.
Chang Jinxing, still holding Zheng Weize hostage, was engaged in a fierce battle with Chen Hong.
“Stop being so cooperative!” This was driving Chen Hong crazy.
“But I’ve been shot!” Zheng Weize said.
Chen Hong was speechless. But Zheng Weize was just stalling for time—Chang Jinxing was so engrossed in his fight with Chen Hong that he forgot to reload. Zheng Weize ambushed him, and Chang Jinxing was hit. Yelling, Chen Hong unleashed a barrage of shots and then charged over and rescued Zheng Weize.
The red team was nearly wiped out, and the blue team successfully drove them off. Yan Jun led the remaining people up the hill.
Chen Hong’s voice drifted over from a short distance away. “We need to change our tactics…” Zhang Yuwen, Huo Sichen, and Chang Jinxing all gathered, and Zhang Yuwen laughed, shouting, “Say that louder!” Both sides cracked up, and the blue team quickened their pace and advanced toward the hilltop. At the top sat a deserted slide, a carousel, and bumper cars, resembling an abandoned amusement park.
The owner withdrew, making it three-on-three again. Another intense gunfight broke out. Zhang Yuwen thought the flags would be well-concealed, but to his surprise, they were placed in several conspicuous spots. Unprecedented chaos broke out as they fought to snatch the flags. Everyone was running around the amusement park, flipping over fences and hiding behind the rides, firing wildly.
Zhang Yuwen knew there was trouble afoot when he realized he couldn’t see Zheng Weize. “Watch out for Weize!”
Yan Jun appeared from nowhere behind Zhang Yuwen and pressed his gun into his back. “You’ve lost. Bang!”
Zhang Yuwen whipped his head around to see Yan Jun smile. He smiled too, and they both swiftly retreated. He knew Yan Jun had made a point of coming over to pay him back for the earlier ambush.
Huo Sichen dropped everything to save Zhang Yuwen, but it was too late. The sound of a flag being seized rang out from a corner of the amusement park.
Unexpectedly, the music that came with the first flag capture was “Happy Birthday.” Zhang Yuwen was too busy trying to find the second flag to roast this bizarre choice, but it was pandemonium, and he had to hide under the slide with Huo Sichen. The other three kept advancing; if Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen so much as poked their heads out, they would get shot.
Amidst the chaos, Chang Jinxing managed to snag the second flag.
The teams scattered again, trying their best to claim the third flag. In the end, Chen Hong was the one who seized it.
“Yay!” Zheng Weize, Yan Jun, and Chen Hong showed themselves.
The final score was 2–1 in favor of the red team.
Zhang Yuwen and the others put down their guns. The game was over.
Everyone was sweaty. Chang Jinxing, who often stayed up late, had almost dropped dead several times during the match. This kind of competitive game was just too intense.
Huo Sichen high-fived Zhang Yuwen and Chang Jinxing.
“You guys are amazing!” Zhang Yuwen told them.
Zheng Weize laughed. Yan Jun even pointed a finger gun at Zhang Yuwen and winked.
The owner and Huo Sichen drove the starving guys down the hill.
Back at the camp, everyone collapsed onto the sofa, physically worn out but still in high spirits. They chattered among themselves, occasionally cracking jokes and then erupting into laughter. The intense match, by transforming them into comrades in arms and adversaries, had drawn them all closer together. From a professional player’s standpoint, the match was a mess—like kindergarten kids fighting over fruit—but the two teams were still able to appreciate each other.
Mr. You handed out the prize, a coupon for a free game on their next visit. The players grumbled about pyramid schemes, but they eventually accepted it. The owner knew they would take the coupon. He’d seen this happen many times—yes, business was poor, but those groups that did come to play were always bubbling over with enthusiasm and cheer after the game was done, their relationships all the stronger for having played.
The joy was contagious, and bringing people happiness was his business’s raison d’être.
Zhang Yuwen noticed that one of his comrades in arms was missing.
“Where’s Huo Sichen?”
“He was still outside last time I saw him,” the owner said.
But before Zhang Yuwen could go talk to Huo Sichen, he returned to say his goodbyes, wearing his fisherman’s hat and carrying his fishing rod in a bag.
“I have to go back,” he said. “I still have something on tonight.”
“Aren’t you staying for the food?” Chang Jinxing asked. They all agreed: It was a pity he was leaving.
“Can we exchange contacts?” Huo Sichen asked.
Everyone agreed readily. “Of course.” Although the red team hadn’t interacted much with him, they were happy to make a new friend. Huo Sichen added all the contact details, then bade them farewell. A moment later, they heard his car engine starting, and he was gone.
“Mahjong?” Chang Jinxing asked.
“Sure,” said Zhang Yuwen. “The food isn’t ready yet, anyway.”
“It’s been a while since I last played,” said Chen Hong. “Come on, guys, let’s win back our rent.”
Everyone laughed. There were four seats at the mahjong table. Yan Jun initially said, “Count me out,” but in the end he couldn’t refuse them and was bullied into sitting down.
Zheng Weize sat behind Chang Jinxing, helping him with his tiles.
Chang Jinxing was confident in his own skills. He had indeed thought he might offset the household expenses, but after Chen Hong joked about it, he found it harder to go ahead with the plan.
Zhang Yuwen was a bad player, mostly just going along with the others. He didn’t mind; he’d be happy to toss out a bet of fifty or a hundred thousand yuan for fun, never mind five or ten.
But Chen Hong was different. He was addicted and played for an hour, despite his poor skills. Everyone felt awkward about winning money from the sub-landlord—winning from him when they hadn’t even paid the rent yet, what kind of monster would do that?—so they set Chen Hong up as the fall guy instead. He became the whole table’s target and suffered the greatest losses in the end, with a few hundred going to Chang Jinxing. Far from moping, though, Chen Hong was happy to lose and displayed extraordinary sportsmanship. He remained jovial throughout.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuwen managed to maintain his dignity as the sub-landlord because Yan Jun kept giving him tiles. He only lost a bit of money to Chang Jinxing. Yan Jun, for his part, lost a little to Zhang Yuwen; debts reassigned, he paid Chang Jinxing instead. Crediting Zheng Weize for his win, Chang Jinxing handed the winnings over to him for safekeeping and tasked him with buying groceries. That way, Chang Jinxing could cook for everyone when Yan Jun officially moved in the next week.
When dinner was ready, the dishes served were unexpectedly sumptuous, featuring ginger duck, poached chicken, braised pork, and a huge fish that Huo Sichen had caught that afternoon. The owner’s wife was a great cook, and she prepared the fish three ways: braised fish belly, steamed fish head, and fried fish bones.
Even Chang Jinxing was shocked. “Why weren’t there this many dishes the last time I was here?” he asked.
The owner laughed. “We have an extra fish today. A-Chen usually doesn’t take home what he catches. He left it for everyone to enjoy. That’s why it looks like so much.”
The dinner was a perfect end to a joyful day. Chang Jinxing took lots of photos of their shared memories, and in the bus on the way back, Zheng Weize fell asleep against his shoulder. Aside from the small snag when they were assigned to different teams, Zheng Weize had fulfilled his wish: He spent all of his time with Chang Jinxing.
Chen Hong stood with Yan Jun and Zhang Yuwen, chatting with them off and on. Zhang Yuwen had one hand on Chen Hong’s shoulder while he sent messages on his phone with his other hand. The light from the phone illuminated his face.
“Are you chatting with Huo Sichen?” Chen Hong asked.
“I was thanking him for the fish. How long have you known each other?”
“Not long. He’s a member of my gym,” Chen Hong lied. “Have you told him about our group’s relationship?”
The question was a little odd, but Zhang Yuwen knew Chen Hong was referring to the roommates’ sexual orientations. Maybe Huo Sichen had picked up on it? “I didn’t say anything. I don’t know whether or not he could tell.”
“I think he could,” Yan Jun chimed in. “He was observing each of us pretty closely. I could just be overthinking it, though.”
“What if he’s gay? Don’t we still have a room? Maybe we can ask him if he wants to stay there,” Chen Hong joked.
“That’s the landlord’s room,” said Zhang Yuwen. “It’s not for rent.”
In No. 7 Riverbay Road, there was one bedroom that was always locked. It had been his deceased grandparents’ bedroom when they were alive, and their photographs were still inside. Zhang Yuwen always kept the room intact. Whenever he felt sad or happy, he would spend a little time alone in it.
“I don’t think he’s gay.” Zhang Yuwen followed the information on the messaging app and found Huo Sichen’s Facebook, which contained some landscape photos. “These scenery photos have no filters, and his selfies aren’t retouched either. It’s clearly a straight guy’s work.”
“I guess he’s either a boss or a senior employee,” Chen Hong said.
Zhang Yuwen didn’t comment, just scrolled through the app a bit longer and then closed it. The bus arrived at the station. Chang Jinxing and Zheng Weize were sound asleep, but after the other guys woke them up, they groggily disembarked to transfer to the subway.
“I’m getting off here,” Yan Jun said suddenly as they pulled into Jiangnan’s Jinqiao Station. “I had a great time today, thank you.”
Everyone said, “How polite,” and burst into laughter again. Without saying another word or looking back, Yan Jun turned and got off the subway car. His goodbyes were always so abrupt.
Yan Jun got off one stop before Riverbay Road and had to walk some distance to pick up Xiao-Qi. He was late by an hour, which pricked at his conscience. He’d been having so much fun outside that he hadn’t even thought about lonely Xiao-Qi waiting in the childcare center all afternoon.
The others rode one more stop to Riverbay Road. As soon as they set foot inside, Chang Jinxing and Zheng Weize perked up, each making a loud fuss as they went to take their respective showers. Chang Jinxing wanted to invite them to the bar, but Zhang Yuwen, utterly exhausted, vetoed the motion mercilessly.
Outside, it began to drizzle. Winter was just around the corner. The lights of Jiangnan District blazed as shops on the bar street opened for business. Saturday night was just beginning.