Shan Ye deliberately dawdled on the way there and back, stopping every few steps to talk and drag things out. But it still went by so fast. "We're here already." Shan Ye glanced at the hotel entrance.
"Go on upstairs." Fan Jin had walked him back to the hotel.
"Okay. I want to come see you again tomorrow, Fan Jin." Shan Ye's eyes shone with anticipation.
Fan Jin said, "Mm."
Shan Ye's eyes curved into crescents as he smiled at him. "Okay, then. Good night, Fan Jin. Get some rest."
He turned and headed toward the hotel, but doubled back after a few steps. Leaning close to Fan Jin, he said, "Don't forget to accept my WeChat request." He winked, then quickly ran back into the hotel.
Fan Jin watched his figure disappear from sight, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He lit a cigarette and headed home.
When Shan Ye got back, Yu Chuan was leaning against the doorway of his room, waiting for him. Shan Ye stopped and asked, "What are you doing outside my room?"
"Need something?"
Yu Chuan smiled. "I just saw you two downstairs, looking like you couldn't bear to part."
"So sweet!"
Shan Ye narrowed his eyes. "You were spying."
"What are you doing tomorrow? Going to see him?"
"Yeah."
Yu Chuan said he wanted to come too, and Shan Ye agreed. They had come together, after all. It wouldn't be nice to leave him alone at the hotel.
Shan Ye went into his room, planning to take a shower. He had just finished taking off his clothes when his phone chimed.
Somehow, he had a feeling, so he ran naked to the bedside table to get his phone.
-"Enigma" has accepted your friend request. You can now start chatting.
The instant Shan Ye saw those words, he almost jumped into the air. He accepted! After all this time trying to add Fan Jin, he finally accepted!
Shan Ye stared at the other man's simple profile picture and Moments feed, looking them over again and again.
He sent a message first: [Fan Jin, are you home yet?]
He hadn't expected Fan Jin to accept so quickly. He had only been back for a few minutes.
The reply came: [Almost.]
Shan Ye wanted to keep chatting with him, but he was stark naked. He typed as he headed toward the bathroom.
While he showered, he kept his phone close by, glancing at it whenever it chimed.
It chimed several times, but none of the messages were from Fan Jin. He wasn't disappointed, either. Just having Fan Jin accept his WeChat request was enough to make him happy.
Meanwhile, downstairs at an old apartment building.
Fan Jin stood at the courtyard gate, one hand in his pocket and his phone in the other.
The screen showed the accepted friend request, and the other man had already sent a message.
He stared at the profile picture. It was a photo of Shan Ye himself, his eyes curved with a smile, sunlight falling across his face. He looked impossibly fresh and pure.
Fan Jin's thumb hovered above the screen. He paused for two seconds, then typed a brief reply and sent it.
Then he turned off the screen and slipped his phone into his pocket.
He took out his cigarettes, put one between his lips, and lowered his head to light it.
As the smoke rose, he leaned against the wall and briefly closed his eyes.
He hadn't meant to accept.
Shan Ye got up early the next morning, happy just thinking about going to see Fan Jin. He picked out a light-colored trench coat and combed his hair neatly.
Yu Chuan was up too, waiting for him at the door.
The two of them followed the address Fan Jin had given Shan Ye the night before.
White walls, black roof tiles, and the scent of flowers all along the way.
By the time they reached the gate, Shan Ye's heart was beating a little faster.
"Is this it?" Yu Chuan asked.
Shan Ye looked up at the entrance. "It should be." He tried knocking.
"Fan Jin!"
The gate opened quickly. Fan Jin wore a simple gray top that day. He saw Shan Ye first, then the colleague beside him.
His expression wasn't as stiff as it used to be. It had softened considerably.
"Come in." He opened the gate a little wider and stepped aside to let them through.
Grandma saw Shan Ye and Yu Chuan and smiled until her eyes narrowed. "Jin's friends are here! Come in and sit down." She was sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine with a blanket over her legs.
Shan Ye obediently went inside and handed her the pastries and fruit he was carrying. "Grandma, I brought you something to eat."
"Oh, you're too kind, dear."
Fan Jin brought them stools. Shan Ye sat down with a smile, his gaze naturally clinging to Fan Jin.
Yu Chuan thanked him, then bowed slightly in greeting. "Hello, Grandma. Hello, Mr. Fan. Sorry for imposing."
As he spoke, he casually shifted closer to Shan Ye, leaving very little space between them.
Fan Jin's gaze swept over Yu Chuan's face, and he gave a slight nod in greeting.
Fan Jin went inside to get them something to drink, and Shan Ye quietly followed. Standing beside him, he said softly, "Fan Jin, my colleague said he wanted to come see you and Grandma. I didn't tell you beforehand."
"It's fine. Go back out." Fan Jin didn't look up as he made tea for them.
Shan Ye and Yu Chuan were both fairly outgoing and gentle, and they kept Grandma thoroughly entertained.
Grandma couldn't help saying, "You two are completely different from Jin."
"Huh? How?" Shan Ye asked.
"He..." Grandma looked at Fan Jin inside the house. "He's so quiet. He hasn't smiled since his mother passed away. The boy doesn't like to talk, either."
"I worry about him." As she spoke of Fan Jin, tears glimmered in her eyes.
Shan Ye's gaze went a little blank. Watching Fan Jin's busy figure from behind, he suddenly felt an ache in his chest. He had known Fan Jin for so long, but had never heard him talk about his family.
He rubbed his fingertips together.
Grandma said, "Knowing Jin has friends like you puts my mind a little more at ease. I just want him to get married soon. With a family, he won't be lonely."
"By the way, are either of you married?" Grandma asked, looking at them.
"...Oh." Shan Ye and Yu Chuan exchanged a look. "N-not yet, Grandma."
After answering, Shan Ye lowered his head and picked up an orange to peel.
What was he supposed to do? Grandma wanted Fan Jin to get married and have children, but he was a man... He was never going to be able to start a family with him.
Yu Chuan could tell what Shan Ye was thinking. He smiled at Grandma and said, "Young people get married later these days. Some choose not to marry at all."
Grandma grew a little anxious. "How can they not get married? A man needs to start a family and build a career, to shoulder the responsibility of a household." Then she asked, "Don't your parents push you?"
Shan Ye paused. "They do. They definitely do." Though the person they pushed him to find was a man.
He had come out to his parents at eighteen. They respected his sexual orientation and only wanted him to be happy.
"If you know any suitable girls, introduce them to Jin." Grandma smiled, her eyes narrowing.
Fan Jin came out just in time to hear that. He frowned. "Grandma."
Shan Ye watched him bring out a plate of fruit-the fruit Shan Ye had brought.
Shan Ye pressed his lips together and listened to their conversation.
"What will you do in the future if you don't get married..."
"We'll talk about it later."
"The man in the next bed at the nursing home already has several great-grandchildren. Every time they visit, they run all over the place."
"That's their family."
"...You have to bring someone home this New Year."
Shan Ye looked up at that, his gaze shifting between Grandma and Fan Jin. He didn't dare speak. Fan Jin was getting a lecture; if he spoke up now, he would probably get scolded too.
He popped a grape into his mouth. Yu Chuan did the same.
The battle gradually escalated.
Grandma said earnestly, "I don't care what kind of person you bring home. You just need someone by your side."
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