The hug was so forceful that Sheng Min felt as though his bones were trembling under Li Xuan’s grip. But he quickly realized it wasn’t himself—it was Li Xuan’s hand on his back that was shaking.
Li Xuan’s breathing was more rapid than at any other time he could recall, each breath laced with lingering fear. Sheng Min had no choice but to gently stroke his spine, soothing him as one might calm a wild beast.
“Alright,” Sheng Min said softly. “There are kids watching. Don’t set a bad example.”
The mischievous children giggled, whispering to each other, their game forgotten. They drew closer, eager to watch but too shy, pushing and shoving each other in playful chaos.
“Yeah, I was speeding. Almost ran a red light too,” Li Xuan admitted, still holding on tightly. His answer to Sheng Min’s initial question came out instinctively, like a criminal confessing before a judge. Then, as though justifying himself, he added, “I was afraid I wouldn’t make it in time.”
“In time for what?”
Li Xuan didn’t answer. His breath fell on the back of Sheng Min’s neck, brushing the fine hairs on his skin. Completely out of context, he muttered, “I haven’t felt fear like this in a long time… Sheng Min, if something happens, you have to tell me.”
“You need to know everything? How domineering,” Sheng Min murmured.
“Well, you chose me.”
“I did,” Sheng Min replied warmly, his breath brushing against Li Xuan’s ear. “That’s why I asked you to come, isn’t it?”
“I should’ve come,” Li Xuan replied decisively.
Sheng Min chuckled lightly. “Don’t be so tense. It’s fine, really… at least not entirely bad news. You don’t have to worry about dealing with an overbearing mother-in-law or an annoying brother-in-law in the future.”
It was a small, ambiguous joke, one that left Li Xuan momentarily confused. When he finally understood, he pulled back slightly, staring at Sheng Min in shock. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like… Alright, let go of me now.” Sheng Min wriggled out of his embrace, glancing at the kids behind them. “Those kids have been laughing non-stop. It’s embarrassing. Don’t set a bad example for them.”
“Sheng Min—” Li Xuan frowned.
“I’m hungry,” Sheng Min interrupted, shaking his arm. “Have you eaten?”
Li Xuan hesitated for a second.
“You promised not to lie.”
“No.”
“Breakfast or lunch?”
“…Neither,” Li Xuan admitted, resigned.
“Stop changing the subject,” he added.
“And who’s changing the subject now?” Sheng Min chuckled. “Let’s find a place to eat first.”
….
At the eastern edge of the town was a small market, sparsely dotted with a few restaurants. As night fell, the moon climbed quietly above the treetops, and most shops had already closed. Only an elderly woman with a kind face remained, tending to a small noodle shop.
“Do you have plans tomorrow morning?” Sheng Min asked as they waited for their food.
“Nothing important. I brought my laptop, so I can work anywhere,” Li Xuan replied.
“Then let’s see if there’s a guesthouse in town later. If there is, let’s not go back to the city tonight,” Sheng Min suggested, tilting his head and pointing to the hills in the distance. “Tomorrow, come up the mountain with me.”
“There aren’t any guesthouses in town,” the elderly woman overheard and interrupted before Li Xuan could respond. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked out. “If you need a place to stay, you can stay at my place. There’s an empty room upstairs—clean, I promise. My grandson left for school in the city, so his room’s free… though the bed’s a bit small. My husband and I live downstairs, so it’s quiet.”
Li Xuan and Sheng Min exchanged a glance before Sheng Min nodded. “Alright.”
“Then…” The old woman hesitated, looking a bit shy. “How about fifty yuan?”
Sheng Min smiled. “That works.”
Li Xuan, without hesitation, handed over two bills.
“That’s too much!” the woman exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, just take it,” Sheng Min said. “And one bowl of noodles without cilantro, please.”
“Alright, got it. You two can rest first,” the elderly woman, delighted and slightly bashful after earning her fee, tried her best to appear even more hospitable. “It’ll be ready soon. I’ll bring it up for you… There’s a ladder in the alley beside us that leads upstairs.”
“I thought you’d been here for the past few days.” Walking out of the shop, Li Xuan continued the earlier conversation.
“I just arrived when you called.”
Sheng Min tugged at his sleeve, and the two turned into a nameless clothing shop, purchasing two sets of plain, loosely cut but soft cotton T-shirts and shorts to use as sleepwear.
“I initially planned to head up the mountain today,” Sheng Min said softly. “But since you said you were coming, I waited for you.”
“Why go up the mountain?” Li Xuan asked, accepting the bag handed over by the shopkeeper.
“I’m not sure.” Sheng Min pondered for a moment. “No particular reason… maybe just to find a tree.”
His tone carried a hint of uncertainty, with an unspoken nervousness hiding beneath. Li Xuan felt a slight pang in his heart and decided not to probe further. Gently putting an arm around Sheng Min’s shoulders, he said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
They walked a few steps down the alley before spotting the staircase. The railing was rusted and creaked with every step. Upstairs was a small one-bedroom apartment—basic but clean. An old tungsten bulb illuminated the table, where two steaming bowls of noodles sat, their vapor rising, painting a picture of simple domesticity.
Sheng Min claimed he was hungry but barely touched the noodles, eating only a little over half and picking out the vegetables. Then he set his chopsticks down.
“Should I go make you a bowl of plain vegetable broth?” Li Xuan offered.
“I’m full,” Sheng Min shook his head. “I haven’t missed a meal today… But you need to finish yours. Skipping meals isn’t good. You’ll end up with stomach problems when you’re old.”
“Will you take care of me then?” Li Xuan teased.
“Take care of you?” Sheng Min feigned seriousness. “I’ll send you to a nursing home.”
“Then we’d still have to share a room there,” Li Xuan played along, then reconsidered. “Actually, never mind. I’ve heard they mistreat the elderly. Just keep me at your place instead.”
Sheng Min pursed his lips, remaining silent. Li Xuan nudged his shin lightly with his shoe. “What’s wrong? Are you planning to abandon me?”
Knowing he was being teased, Sheng Min tapped his chopsticks against Li Xuan’s bowl. “Eat first. I’ll think about it.”
Li Xuan obediently finished his noodles and even polished off Sheng Min’s leftovers. After drinking a glass of water, he remarked, “It’s a bit salty.”
“The elderly lady was heavy-handed,” Sheng Min poured him half a cup of water as a refill and casually asked, “Is this the type of glass you broke?”
Li Xuan nearly choked on his water. Sheng Min continued slowly, “I can picture you at eighty, with all your hair white, reigning supreme in the nursing home. It’s not like anyone would dare hit you; you’d probably be the one hitting them.” He grabbed Li Xuan’s hand, which Li Xuan tried to pull back, only to be met with a light glare.
“It was slightly bigger than this glass,” Li Xuan admitted after a pause.
“Who did you throw it at?”
“What do you take me for?” Li Xuan feigned exasperation. “Why couldn’t it have been someone throwing it at me instead?”
“Fine, whoever dares throw something at my boyfriend, I’ll throw it right back at them,” Sheng Min retorted amused.
Li Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re not suited for such things.”
“Then explain it to me,” Sheng Min said, his fingers lightly brushing over the cut on Li Xuan’s palm. In the dim light, Sheng Min’s face remained strikingly beautiful, a stark contrast to the modest surroundings. Li Xuan hesitated briefly before giving in under his gaze. “The person—you probably know him… Zhao Jizhe. Do you remember him? He’s out of prison.”
“That makes sense; he was due for release… And then?” Sheng Min thought for a moment. “Didn’t you plan to give him the internet café near the university back then? I talked to Zhu Zhou about it.”
Li Xuan nodded. “I did, but he didn’t want it.”
“What does he want, then?”
Li Xuan hesitated before replying, “…He wants to join the company.”
“So you argued about it?”
“More or less.”
“But you eventually agreed,” Sheng Min observed.
Li Xuan leaned closer. “Are you upset?”
“I’m only upset that you’re an idiot—arguing with someone and ending up hurt yourself. Was he hurt?”
“No.”
“That makes it even more infuriating,” Sheng Min said flatly. His eyes dropped to the cut on Li Xuan’s palm and the faint scars on his fingers. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
Sheng Min shot him a glare and pretended to press on the wound. Li Xuan didn’t flinch, watching him indulgently. In the end, Sheng Min didn’t press down, instead lowering his head to blow softly on it. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Does he want to join the company for himself, or is it because of you?”
The question was intriguing. Li Xuan pondered before replying, “…We met at the orphanage. I left long ago, but he stayed behind.”
“And you feel it’s your responsibility to help him leave?”
Li Xuan denied it. “I don’t have any responsibility toward Zhao Jizhe. I just want him to understand that I’m not going back there… Of course, there are other ways to resolve this, but I hate this feeling…”
He struggled to articulate further.
“Being accused?” Sheng Min suddenly asked. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Sheng Min reached out to smooth the crease between Li Xuan’s brows. “Just a guess.”
“Something like that,” Li Xuan admitted with a slight smirk. “It’s absurd, isn’t it? I’ve been accused by so many people; what’s one more? Who does he think he is? But I can’t stand it—I want to prove I’m not wrong. If he thinks I owe him, I’ll make sure he leaves convinced otherwise!”
His voice wasn’t loud, but the weight of his words was evident. Realizing he’d let his emotions get the better of him, he looked at Sheng Min. “Do you think I’m wrong too?”
“Too?… Has this caused tension within the company?” Sheng Min asked.
Li Xuan pressed his lips together. “I’m starting to think Qi Boyuan might’ve called you already.”
Sheng Min refilled his glass with water and watched as Li Xuan finished drinking before speaking. “It’s okay. If this is what you want to do, then do it. I won’t interfere or care about anything else. Just… if you end up getting yourself two more scars, then I will be angry.”
“What happens if you’re angry?”
“I’ll go smash him.” Sheng Min replied calmly.
Li Xuan looked at him for a moment, his expression softening as the tension drained from his face. He chuckled. Sheng Min smiled faintly as well. “Take the bowls back downstairs. I’m a bit tired and want to sleep.”
As he spoke, Sheng Min moved to stand, but Li Xuan caught his hand. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’ve told you everything. What’s been going on with you these past few days?” He brought Sheng Min’s hand to his lips and kissed it lightly.
“You’re relentless,” Sheng Min sighed, smiling lightly. “But I guess I can’t escape from you.”
He stayed silent for a long time, yet Li Xuan waited patiently, gazing at him with unwavering attention. Finally, he spoke softly: “It’s nothing, really. Just like I told you this afternoon… Do you remember when we first met, and you told me you were an orphan? Well, now I am too. Though, I suppose I always was… My father found me and took me in.”
Li Xuan had already pieced together parts of the story, but hearing Sheng Min say it aloud made his chest tighten. His grip on Sheng Min’s hand involuntarily grew firmer. Sheng Min winced but only gently patted Li Xuan’s hand. “Be careful with your injury. I’m fine. That’s enough now. I’m going to shower. Take the bowls back downstairs.”
