Playing drunk

Shan Ye froze for a moment. He looked down and saw a thin black jacket, still warm with body heat, carrying faint scents of tobacco and laundry detergent.

"I'm not cold-" He looked up to tell him he didn't need it, but Fan Jin had already turned toward the parking lot. He wore only a white short-sleeved shirt, his back straight and his shoulders broad.

Shan Ye wrapped the jacket tightly around himself and jogged after him.

Once they were in the car, with the heater running, Shan Ye sat in the passenger seat, still clutching Fan Jin's jacket, reluctant to put it down.

"Here's your jacket." He held it out.

Fan Jin didn't take it. "Keep it on."

Shan Ye pressed his lips together in a smile and draped the jacket over his legs. The car was quiet except for the low hum of the heater. He turned to watch Fan Jin drive, one hand on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed ahead.

"Fan Jin, what made you suddenly decide to pick me up?"

Fan Jin didn't answer.

"Did you miss me?" Shan Ye leaned a little closer.

Fan Jin's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "Sit properly."

Shan Ye smiled and settled back into his seat without asking again.

The car left the airport parking lot and merged into traffic. The streets slid past outside the window, frame by frame: Muzhou's gray sky, bare plane trees, pedestrians hurrying along the roadside bundled in coats.

Shan Ye leaned against the seat and gazed out the window, then suddenly said, "Muzhou's better after all. It was too warm down south. So hot I had to wear short sleeves." He shook his head. "I couldn't get used to it."

He turned to look at Fan Jin's profile, the corners of his mouth lifting. "It's better to be back."

Fan Jin drove him home.

"You really won't come up for a bit?" Shan Ye asked.

Fan Jin shook his head. "Go on up."

Although they were close now, they still hadn't defined their relationship, and Fan Jin had been keeping a careful distance between them. They couldn't be too intimate, but they couldn't be distant either.

Shan Ye was impatient, but he understood Fan Jin and didn't push him to give an answer right away.

Taking things slowly, one step at a time, was nice too.

The next evening, Shan Ye went to a dinner gathering with his colleagues.

They had chosen a restaurant near the school. Almost everyone from the Foreign Languages Group was there, filling a large table. Yu Chuan sat beside Shan Ye and poured him a glass of red wine.

"We've got to have a proper drink tonight. That business trip was exhausting."

Shan Ye waved a hand. "I can't drink much."

"Who'd believe that?" a colleague across the table teased. "You look like you can hold your liquor, Mr. Shan."

Shan Ye smiled and took a sip from his glass.

Dish after dish arrived, and glass after glass went down. Shan Ye really couldn't hold his liquor. After two glasses, his face was red. Halfway through his third, he leaned against the back of his chair, his gaze already unfocused.

Noticing something was off, Yu Chuan leaned over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Shan Ye waved a hand, but his speech was already a little slurred. "Just a bit dizzy."

"You... you really are that bad at drinking." Yu Chuan took his wineglass away. "No more. Have some food."

Shan Ye picked up a mouthful of cold appetizers with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed a couple of times before pulling out his phone. A message from Fan Jin was on the screen: "What time will you finish? I'll pick you up."

He stared at the message for several seconds, then typed, "Around nine."

After sending it, he set his phone facedown on the table and picked up another mouthful of food.

His phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw Fan Jin's reply: "Don't drink too much."

Shan Ye smiled at the screen, replied, "Okay," then put his phone away and picked up his wineglass again.

He hadn't listened at all.

By the time he finished his fourth glass, Shan Ye was completely gone. He slumped over the table, his cheek pressed against its surface, his eyes half closed as he mumbled, "...You guys keep drinking..."

Yu Chuan looked somewhat amused beside him and patted his shoulder. "Shan Ye, let me take you home."

"Not going... I still want to drink..."

"You can't even hold your chopsticks steady, and you still want to drink?" Yu Chuan helped him up from the table. Shan Ye leaned his full weight against him, his steps unsteady, barely able to stand.

A colleague helped carry his jacket and bag, laughing. "Mr. Shan really can't hold his liquor."

"You can say that again." Yu Chuan supported Shan Ye as they headed outside. Shan Ye's head rested crookedly on his shoulder, and he was mumbling something unintelligible.

A black sedan was parked by the curb outside the restaurant.

Fan Jin sat in the driver's seat and checked his phone. Eight thirty. It wasn't nine yet; he had arrived early.

He glanced through the restaurant's glass doors and happened to see Yu Chuan helping Shan Ye out. Shan Ye was hanging off him, his face buried against his shoulder, unable even to stand straight.

Fan Jin pushed open the car door and got out.

Yu Chuan looked up and saw him. He paused, then smiled. "Mr. Fan? What brings you here?"

Fan Jin didn't answer. He walked up to Yu Chuan and reached out to take Shan Ye.

"Thanks. I'll take him."

Yu Chuan didn't let go. He kept supporting Shan Ye, as though vying for something, invisible sparks flying between the two men.

Fan Jin lifted his eyes to him. "You can let go now."

Yu Chuan smiled and slowly released his hold. Fan Jin took Shan Ye, who opened his eyes blearily. When he saw who it was, he immediately relaxed, leaning his head against Fan Jin's shoulder.

"Fan Jin..." he mumbled, his nasal voice soft.

Fan Jin steadied him and headed toward the car.

Yu Chuan followed, watching Fan Jin open the door and carefully settle Shan Ye into the passenger seat, then bend down to fasten his seat belt. His movements were gentle, as though he were an entirely different person from the one who had spoken so coldly a moment ago.

Fan Jin closed the door and turned to go back to the driver's seat.

Yu Chuan called out to him. "Mr. Fan."

Fan Jin stopped and looked back.

Yu Chuan stood beneath the light outside the restaurant, his expression serious. "Do you actually like Shan Ye or not?"

Fan Jin frowned but didn't answer.

Yu Chuan stepped forward. "If you don't like him, or don't like him that much, then let me pursue him."

Fan Jin's gaze visibly changed.

"He's a good person," Yu Chuan said. "I don't want to give him up to anyone else."

He paused, a hint of provocation creeping into his tone. "Besides, we're around the same age. Our education and experiences are similar too. We're compatible in every way."

The wind passed between them, carrying the chill of late autumn.

That remark had clearly angered Fan Jin, and his tone was no longer friendly. "What does whether I like him have to do with you?"

Yu Chuan's brows twitched.

Fan Jin stood where he was, his back straight, his gaze sweeping over Yu Chuan's face with a quiet, unspoken pressure.

"But who he likes and who he wants to be with..." He paused. "I don't need to tell you that, do I?"

Without looking at him again, Fan Jin opened the door, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the car.

Yu Chuan stood frozen, watching the taillights disappear from view, leaving him with a wisp of exhaust.

Shan Ye had fallen asleep as soon as he got into the car. He lay still, occasionally mumbling something.

The car stopped in Spring Breeze Alley. Fan Jin hadn't taken him home, but had brought him back to his own place instead.

For some reason, Shan Ye suddenly woke up again as they were getting out.

He opened his eyes and blearily saw Fan Jin unfastening his seat belt. His lips moved forward without his realizing it, brushing Fan Jin's cheek.