Zhou Zefeng gradually stirred awake, and the first thing he saw was the school gate beyond the car window. The ground outside had long since dried, making it obvious that the rain had stopped quite a while ago.
He was the only one left in the car. An unknown jazz track was still playing from the stereo. Catching the faint scent of orange blossom from the car freshener, Zhou Zefeng quietly committed both the brand and the name of Lu Zhao’s playlist to memory before turning his gaze outside. Not far away, Lu Zhao stood by himself, smoking a cigarette while talking on the phone.
Lu Zhao looked incredibly serious while talking on the phone, perhaps discussing something related to work. A nearly burnt-out cigarette butt was clamped between his well-defined fingers with smoke curling in and out of his thin lips. It was already early autumn, and nightfall arrived swiftly. Beneath the fading glow of the sunset at the horizon stood Lu Zhao, dressed in a white shirt with his tie loosened around his neck. His clean-cut silhouette looked like an unreachable painting.
His gaze drifted lower, taking in the belt snugly outlining Lu Zhao’s slim, toned waist. The tailored suit trousers accentuated the firm, perky buttocks, leaving Zhou Zefeng suddenly aware of a tightness in his throat.
Suddenly, as if sensing someone’s gaze, Lu Zhao turned his head and caught Zhou Zefeng, who hadn’t had time to pretend to be asleep. After ending the call, he grounds the cigarette beneath his shoe, extinguishing it before pulling open the car door and sliding into the seat.
“You slept quite soundly. Do you really have insomnia?”
Although the remark was delivered in a sarcastic, teasing tone, it sent a shiver through Zhou Zefeng’s entire body. The man before him carried with him the cool crispness of early autumn, mingled with the lingering scent of tobacco. While it gave Zhou Zefeng an inexplicable sense of peace, it also hit him alongside the thundering sound of his own heartbeat.
It was clearly his own car, yet he had gone outside to smoke. He clearly could have woken him up, yet this car had been parked at the school gate for who knows how long.
Zhou Zefeng suddenly caught a glimpse of something: beneath this man’s iceberg-like, rigid exterior, there seemed to be a soft, gentle lining hidden away. This wasn’t unfamiliar; as early as their very first meeting, he had shown the exact same vulnerability in front of Xuebing.
No, there were still signs. After being offended by a stranger, Lu Zhao had still cooked dinner for him, patiently listened to his frustrations, and despite telling him to get out, had ultimately made sure he arrived safely at the school gate. Could this fortunate man be the first-person Lu Zhao had ever treated this way?
Lu Zhao was a miraculous person. He was clearly like a block of ice, yet drawing close to him always allowed one to draw warmth; even though they had only met a few times.
A light drizzle began to fall outside again, pitter-pattering against the car window, easily masking the sound of Zhou Zefeng’s heartbeat.
“I’m leaving. I’m borrowing your umbrella; I’ll return it tomorrow—if I can manage to book an appointment with you.”
Zhou Zefeng practically fled in panic. He swept out like a gust of wind, cleanly opening the umbrella, and ran into the campus.
Lu Zhao didn’t have time to process the words he said before leaving. Looking at the completely pristine, flawless umbrella over Zhou Zefeng’s head, he helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead and laughed.
/
“Dr. Lu, you’ve been looking great lately.”
When the newly hired nurse at the station said that, Lu Zhao was momentarily stunned. He had been in terrible condition lately, so how could he possibly look good?
She giggled and said, “The head nurse just showed me your old photos. You looked way too thin then. You look much better now.” Noticing the unreadable expression on Lu Zhao’s face, the head nurse standing next to her quickly tugged at her sleeve.
“Did I gain weight?” Lu Zhao pulled at the stiff corners of his mouth.
The young girl finally realized something was amiss and hurriedly said, “No, no! I meant your complexion looks a lot better!”
Lu Zhao smiled gracefully and said, “Don’t be nervous. I really have been exercising less over the past six months.” With that, he walked into his office, and at that very moment, his phone chimed with a new text message.
It was from that anonymous number again.
[Your waist is so slim.]
Lu Zhao put down his phone and looked down at his faintly defined abdominal muscles. Thinking that this person must be living in a fantasy world, he angrily added the number to his blocklist.
He had been too busy over the past six months and had dropped his habits of going to the gym and night running; his only exercise was walking Xuebing. The young nurse’s words and this text message actually awakened a sense of crisis in Lu Zhao.
He dug out a gym card from his drawer that had been sitting there for months. Seeing that it wouldn’t expire for another half a year, he thought he needed to get his old, good physique back. Otherwise, when he felt like hooking up with someone again, wouldn’t his body become a laughingstock?
After finishing work, Lu Zhao dropped by the gym on his way home. Xiao Zhu at the front desk still remembered him and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “Mr. Lu, several really handsome trainers have joined the gym and swimming pool recently, and there are quite a few customers who are good-looking too.”
Lu Zhao smiled at her. “Thank you.”
Lu Zhao remembered that when he had come here six months ago to sign up and purchase a training package, it had simply been on a whim to start exercising. The trainer who sold him the sessions had been tactful and perceptive, his face was unremarkable, but his physique was solid and well-built. He was also somewhat interested in Lu Zhao and often said flirtatious things to tease him. Lu Zhao hadn’t minded, he wasn’t particularly invested anyway, and it felt like things would just naturally fall into place. However, after buying the card, Lu Zhao discovered that the trainer actually had a girlfriend.
Coincidentally, some things happened at that time, leaving Lu Zhao with no time to come to the gym. After everything was settled, he found the whole thing tedious and never returned; from then on, Lu Zhao kept his distance from straight men.
What’s more, ever since the incident, he had never invited another man to his bed again, choosing instead to develop a new hobby.
After changing his clothes, Lu Zhao got onto the equipment. The girl at the front desk meant well with her advice, but Lu Zhao had no intention of looking for romance. Still, if someone happened to catch his attention, it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question either; he simply found himself a little restless at the moment.
Lu Zhao looked around while training. Quite a few people had taken off their shirts, but he wasn’t in the mood to appreciate them, constantly comparing them to Zhou Zefeng.
When he finished, Lu Zhao was drenched in sweat. He was used to swimming a few laps in the pool after working out. After changing into his swim trunks, he entered the indoor pool area. The children’s swimming class had just ended, so the pool was mostly empty with only a handful of people inside.
He stepped into the pool like a fish entering the sea. The muscles warmed by the workout gradually soothed as they sank into the water, and both his tired body and strained mind began to ease into relaxation. However, after swimming just a few laps, he felt a bit tired. He stood up in the pool to rest, thinking to himself that his physical stamina really was declining by the day.
As the sky deepened into night, the vast pool slowly emptied, and before he realized it, he was the only one left there. Lu Zhao was about to get out of the water when his ankle suddenly tightened. Someone grabbed him and yanked him downward. Caught completely off guard, Lu Zhao lost his footing and was violently dragged under.
Lu Zhao’s goggles were still pushed up on his forehead, leaving him blind underwater. He thrashed and choked on several mouthfuls of water. One of his legs was being tightly held by someone, leaving him unable to stand properly. He struggled desperately, but couldn’t break free, and in the process, a sudden cramp shot through his leg.
Right then, Lu Zhao felt a powerful arm wrap around his waist and lifted him upward. His leg was hurting so badly he was losing sensation in it. The moment he broke the surface, he coughed uncontrollably, cursing between gasps, “Damn it, who—”
“Shh, it’s me, it’s me.” A wet hand covered Lu Zhao’s mouth, the voice incredibly familiar. He wiped his eyes with his hand and finally saw the person in front of him clearly.
“Zhou! Ze! Feng! Are you out of your mind?!” Lu Zhao glared at him furiously, the tendon in his leg throbbing with pain.
Zhou Zefeng couldn’t help but smile, his eyes crinkling. Since the day of the ruined orgasm, he was finally seeing the swearing, bristling Lu Zhao again instead of the strictly business Dr. Lu. His mood instantly brightened, and for once, he didn’t talk back.
His hand was still resting on Lu Zhao’s waist. It felt just as soft as it did that day on the sofa. For a moment, he actually forgot to move it away, unable to resist giving it a squeeze. Meeting Lu Zhao’s icy glare, he was snapped at, “What the hell are you laughing at? Take your dog paws off me!”
“Did it cramp?” Noticing that Lu Zhao’s leg was bent in an unnatural posture, Zhou Zefeng plunged straight into the water. Before Lu Zhao could even refuse, a pair of large, strong hands closed around his calf and began massaging it underwater.
Zhou Zefeng’s palms were burning hot against the cold pool water. The stark contrast gave Lu Zhao goosebumps. Moreover, from above the surface of the water, he could only see the crown of Zhou Zefeng’s head; an angle that inevitably made his mind drift toward inappropriate images.
Zhou Zefeng stared at Lu Zhao’s long leg underwater, remembering that this was the very same leg that had stepped on his ankle to seduce him that day. The movements of his hands grew heavier and heavier.
After about a minute, Zhou Zefeng surfaced, though his hand still held onto Lu Zhao’s leg without letting go. “Do you feel any better?”
Seeing Zhou Zefeng looking at him with a serious expression, Lu Zhao couldn’t help but feel the atmosphere shift into something slightly strange and unnatural. There was some distance between them, and everything looked perfectly normal above the surface, yet underwater, Zhou Zefeng was still rubbing his leg.
“That’s enough. Let go of me.” Lu Zhao pulled his leg away, his tone hostile. “What are you doing here?”
Zhou Zefeng replied, “Why can’t I be here? I’m a coach here, I’m working part-time.”
The girl at the front desk hadn’t been wrong; a handsome new guy really had arrived. Lu Zhao was exhausted and didn’t feel like pressing charges over Zhou Zefeng’s prank. Just as he made a move to get out of the pool, Zhou Zefeng pulled him back again.
“Lu Zhao, let’s race.” Zhou Zefeng looked completely eager as if he was already itching to get started.
“No time.” Lu Zhao turned around.
Zhou Zefeng swam over to block his path and said, “Is it because you don’t know how? Otherwise, why did you just cramp up?”
Lu Zhao took a deep breath. “Didn’t you sneak up on me? Plus, you’re a professional. It’s not fair.”
“Then what are you good at?”
“Freestyle.”
“Fine. Butterfly is my worst stroke. In a moment, I’ll use butterfly and you use freestyle. How about that? Pretty fair of me, right?”
“……” Lu Zhao felt insulted. With things pushed to this point, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Grinding his teeth, he said, “No need. We’ll both do freestyle. If we’re racing, then so be it.” After all, he had been on the university swim team back in the day.
Zhou Zefeng immediately beamed with joy.
Yet, the moment he lined up against the wall to start, Lu Zhao regretted it. His calf was still aching faintly. Furthermore, he was already twenty-eight this year, while Zhou Zefeng was twenty at most. The gap in their physical stamina was massive; how had he let himself get so impulsively dragged into such a bizarre race?
Lu Zhao felt that whenever he was around Zhou Zefeng, he inexplicably became prone to acting on pure impulse.
