What a Coincidence

After walking for more than ten minutes, Tong Zhao and Shi Ruohe reached the foot of Stone Bay Mountain and climbed at a steady pace up the uneven, winding stone steps.

The mountain path wound past lush bamboo groves and flowing streams.

The two stopped to rest halfway up the mountain, and Shi Ruohe took out his phone and found a few angles for some photos.

Tong Zhao drank water as he watched him take pictures. Suddenly, Shi Ruohe turned the camera toward Tong Zhao and tapped the screen a few times.

Tong Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Did you take pictures of me?"

"Yeah." Shi Ruohe watched Tong Zhao's expression uncertainly, only relaxing when he saw that he didn't seem to mind.

Not only did Tong Zhao not mind, he leaned his head over. "Let me see."

Shi Ruohe held out the screen, and Tong Zhao said, "The guy in this photo is ridiculously handsome."

Shi Ruohe laughed. "He is."

"Send me the photos later. I'll use one as my profile picture," Tong Zhao said happily.

"Okay."

By the time they reached the entrance to Wanqi Temple, the sky had grown dim. The temple was simple and ancient, filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and burning incense and candles.

Before a solemn Buddha statue, Tong Zhao knelt and prayed devoutly.

May Shu Sizhuo be healthy and happy, and may everything go smoothly for him.

The mountain was deeply quiet and sparsely populated. As the sky grew darker, candles were lit inside the temple.

Tong Zhao obtained a safety talisman for Shu Sizhuo, then made his way farther inside, paying his respects as he went. Just after he finished praying to Guanyin, he suddenly heard voices outside a window. He turned and saw a tall, familiar figure talking to a monk beyond the openwork lattice window.

Shu Sizhuo!

Tong Zhao's heart clenched, and he thought in disbelief, How could I run into Shu Sizhuo here of all places?

He held his breath and edged closer to the window, keeping himself hidden as he listened.

"...Has your wish come true?"

"Yes, Master... I came to give thanks for the wish granted and for the gods' protection."

"...Your heart is sincere, benefactor, and blessings and good fortune will follow. May you enjoy peace and health year after year, and may good luck always be with you. Amitabha."

The master turned and left. Tong Zhao peered a little closer and saw Shu Sizhuo still standing where he was, clutching something with a tassel hanging from it. The darkening night enveloped him, making him look tall and solitary.

Tong Zhao was puzzled. Shu Sizhuo came to give thanks for a wish granted? There are so many famous temples in City A. Why did he have to come all the way to Stone Bay Mountain and climb three thousand stone steps to make a wish at Wanqi Temple?

"Tong Zhao, what are you looking at?" Shi Ruohe came over.

Tong Zhao was too late to cover Shi Ruohe's mouth. Shu Sizhuo turned and looked straight at him.

It was dark outside and the light inside was dim and yellow. For an instant, Tong Zhao suddenly felt that Shu Sizhuo's eyes held a sharp, predatory look, but it vanished in a blink, replaced by a faint smile.

"Tong Zhao."

Only then did Shi Ruohe notice the person outside the window. He covered his mouth in surprise. "President Shu?"

By the time they headed down the mountain, it was completely dark. The streetlights were spaced far apart, and some were even broken.

Tong Zhao and Shi Ruohe switched on their phone flashlights, but the faint light was only enough to show them two or three steps ahead.

Tong Zhao was about to turn around and tell Shu Sizhuo to be careful when a bright beam struck him, making him squint.

Shu Sizhuo adjusted his flashlight. "Let's go. I'll light the way for you from behind."

The descent was much quicker. Shi Ruohe walked in front, Tong Zhao was in the middle, and Shu Sizhuo brought up the rear.

For a long stretch, no one spoke. There was only the sound of footsteps on the steps and leaves rustling in the wind.

With the two behind him silent, Shi Ruohe was even less willing to make a sound. He didn't even dare look back, nor did he dare speed up or slow down.

Tong Zhao kept his head down in silence. He couldn't shake the feeling that a scorching gaze was fixed on the back of his head and even his back, making him somewhat restless and uncomfortable.

Though they had parted on bad terms last time, so many days had passed that Tong Zhao's anger had faded. As he'd said before, he couldn't stay angry for that long with a child he had looked after.

So he took the initiative to start a conversation. "President Shu, what brings you here?"

After he asked, the wind whistled and the bamboo rustled. Even after they rounded a bend, Shu Sizhuo still hadn't answered.

At the front, Shi Ruohe's eyes shifted, and he grew nervous too.

Tong Zhao thought Shu Sizhuo was ignoring him and frowned slightly. Only then did a low voice sound behind him.

"I made a wish before. I came to give thanks for it today."

Tong Zhao's brow relaxed. "You came all this way. This temple must really be effective."

Shu Sizhuo stared at the back of the person ahead of him. "It is pretty effective."

Tong Zhao grew curious again about what Shu Sizhuo had wished for.

Although he had known Shu Sizhuo at eleven and at nineteen, sadly, he didn't know the twenty-seven-year-old Shu Sizhuo. He didn't know what someone his age would worry about, or what wish would make him travel such a great distance.

As he was thinking, something pitch-black suddenly scurried across the ground beneath him. Tong Zhao's foot, not yet on the ground, froze. When he realized what it was, he jumped back in fright. "Fuck! A rat!"

The jump sent him crashing into Shu Sizhuo's arms. Shu Sizhuo stepped back down a stair to steady himself and caught Tong Zhao.

The flashlight beam swung wildly before finally pointing at the sky.

Tong Zhao's shout gave Shi Ruohe a terrible fright, and he hurriedly looked back.

It was too dark. He could only see two dark figures pressed together, and the words of concern suddenly caught in his throat.

Also because it was so dark, no one saw the cold sweat on Tong Zhao's forehead or his face, pale with fright. A full five seconds passed before he recovered enough to realize that a pair of strong arms was holding him.

"S-sorry." The cold sweat hadn't yet faded, but Tong Zhao's face was already burning. He hurriedly pretended to be calm and stepped out of Shu Sizhuo's arms, returning on trembling legs to the step he'd been on. He smiled apologetically. "That rat scared me to death."

His arms were suddenly empty, too quickly for Shu Sizhuo to take in the feeling. He curled his fingers and directed the flashlight back onto the steps ahead.

Shi Ruohe asked quietly, "Are you afraid of rats?"

"Yeah." Tong Zhao patted his chest, still shaken. "Those things look too creepy."

"Then... if you're still scared, I can walk next to you."

"It's too narrow to walk side by side! I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's go!"

"Be careful, then."

Before Shi Ruohe had finished speaking, a cold voice came from behind him. "Are we going or not?"

In the dim light, Shi Ruohe thought Shu Sizhuo glanced at him, his gaze icy.

They continued down the mountain, and the atmosphere was no longer as quiet and awkward as before.

Far out at sea, a brightly lit cruise ship stood out.

Tong Zhao looked at the ship and said, "I heard there's a deck dinner party on the island across the water tomorrow night. Are you going too?"

He didn't specify who he meant by "you," but everyone knew who he was asking.

Shi Ruohe didn't even look back. With his hands in his pockets, he continued down the stone steps at the same steady pace, still wondering whether Shu Sizhuo's icy look earlier had been his imagination.

"Yeah," Shu Sizhuo answered from behind Tong Zhao. "Why?"

Be careful tomorrow night. You might have an unexpected romantic encounter.

Sometimes Tong Zhao didn't quite understand himself either. What difference would asking make? What could he change?

"Nothing." That was all he could say in the end.

By the last part of the descent, Tong Zhao's calves were trembling a little, and he couldn't help slowing down.

Behind him, Shu Sizhuo lowered his eyes to glance at his legs. He said nothing, but watched him more closely in case he fell.

They finally reached level ground at the foot of the mountain. Tong Zhao turned and asked Shu Sizhuo, "Where are you staying?"

Shu Sizhuo put away his flashlight and answered succinctly, "By the sea."

Tong Zhao thought it was probably one of those hotels by the sea too.

He didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he tucked his hand into his pocket and squeezed the protective talisman he had obtained at the temple, wondering how to give it to Shu Sizhuo without him noticing.

Hand it straight to him? That would seem strange. Slip it into his hat? It could easily get lost if he didn't notice it while taking off his clothes.

When he had asked for the talisman, he really hadn't considered how to give it away, and he hadn't expected Shu Sizhuo to appear before him so suddenly.

Tong Zhao thought about it all the way back. When he looked up again, he found they had reached the hotel entrance. Coming back to his senses, he turned to Shu Sizhuo in surprise. "You're staying here too?"

Shu Sizhuo gave the nearby sea a reluctant look, then looked away and tilted his head toward Tong Zhao. "Oh, you too? What a coincidence."

His tone was flat, with no hint that he thought it was a coincidence.