Chapter 4

The first thing Pei Ran did when he returned to his dorm was take a shower.

The restaurant served lightly seasoned food, but the smell inside was strong. Now he felt as though even his hair smelled sour from that plate of vinegar-fried potatoes.

After his shower, he stood by his bed, casually drying his hair with one hand as he opened Su Nian's WeChat Moments again on his phone.

He and Su Nian had added each other on WeChat the first time they met, but they had never chatted.

He skipped the first post and kept scrolling.

[The chili peppers at this place are incredible. [Photo]]

Luo Qingshan had mentioned today that he had found a place with seriously spicy food. He had also said it was a shame Pei Ran didn't like spicy food, or he would have taken him there.

[Today's workout (1/1) [Photo]]

The photo showed a basketball court. Pei Ran spotted Luo Qingshan's jersey in it.

[A day at the library.]

Most of Su Nian's Moments posts from the past two months had something to do with Luo Qingshan.

Pei Ran frowned very slightly, then quickly relaxed his brow.

Pei Ran didn't know why he had suddenly decided to look through Su Nian's Moments. He had actually seen these photos in his feed before; he had simply never paid attention, or even opened them.

No, perhaps Pei Ran did know.

But his thoughts were too rude, even somewhat malicious. He couldn't go making assumptions based on one or two incidents and a few photos.

His gaze lingered on the photos for a few seconds before he closed WeChat.

A week later, Pei Ran's calendar sent him a notification reminding him that tomorrow was Luo Qingshan's birthday.

He was picking out a present in a store when Luo Qingshan called.

"So, um... babe, I'd like to submit a request," Luo Qingshan said.

"What is it?"

"I want to celebrate my birthday at karaoke this time. Is that okay?"

"It's your birthday," Pei Ran said. "Of course it's up to you."

"The important thing is whether you'll come," Luo Qingshan said. "Don't you hate those places most of all...? Those idiots talked me into it this time. They said they know someone and can get a discounted package, really cheap. But if you don't want to come, I'll pick somewhere else."

"As long as you're happy," Pei Ran said.

And so it was settled.

The next evening, Pei Ran looked at the face mask on his desk, hesitating.

Pei Ran really did dislike karaoke places. They were loud, chaotic, and dirty, with everyone's smells mixing together until they made him nauseous. Especially cigarette smoke-and the private rooms were so small... Just thinking about it made him scrunch up his face.

Wearing a mask might help, though it would be a little stuffy.

His phone rang. It was Luo Qingshan. Luo Qingshan had gone home that day, then headed straight to the karaoke place from there, so the two of them hadn't had a chance to meet.

"I've got the room. Do you know the way? Should I come get you?"

"No need." Pei Ran picked up the mask and stuffed it into his cabinet. Everyone at the bar would be letting loose; someone suddenly showing up in a mask would probably spoil their fun. "I'll use navigation."

"What are you doing here?"

Yan Zhun looked up. The person sitting down beside him was a classmate in the same major named Lin Kang. Lin Kang had also been in his class in high school. Though they weren't particularly close, they were still friends.

Lin Kang took off his light jacket and tossed it straight onto the couch. "Luo Qingshan actually managed to get you here."

"I happened to be free," Yan Zhun said.

"What are you talking about, Lin Kang? Yan Zhun and I are good buddies. What's so strange about him coming to celebrate my birthday?" Holding a microphone, Luo Qingshan heard their conversation and spoke straight into it. "We even win chicken dinners together in squads."

"Watch your wording. Yan Zhun carries you to chicken dinners!" Lin Kang immediately retorted.

"Bullshit."

The two started bickering back and forth. Yan Zhun listened to only a couple of exchanges before returning his attention to his phone.

Su Nian looked up from the song-selection console and said with a smile, "Yeah, the two of us just get carried."

"Only you," Luo Qingshan said. "Not me."

"Oh, give it a rest..." Lin Kang asked, "Didn't you say squads? There are three of you. Who's the fourth?"

Luo Qingshan laughed. "Who else? My wife."

"Pei Ran plays PUBG too?" Lin Kang asked.

"He's only played a few times, just to keep me company," Luo Qingshan said. "Ever heard of a wife following her husband's lead?"

Yan Zhun's hand paused. With an excellent hand of cards, he tapped "Don't bid for landlord."

He quit the game outright.

Luo Qingshan had booked a large private room. Within half an hour, it was full.

Luo Qingshan was something of a well-known rich kid at their university, and there was plenty of good liquor on the table.

"Luo Qingshan really splashed out." Lin Kang sat down beside Yan Zhun, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and offered him one. "Here."

"No, thanks," Yan Zhun said.

A little surprised, Lin Kang twirled the cigarette in his hand before putting it between his own lips. "What? Did you quit?"

"No," Yan Zhun said evenly. "Not smoking today."

With the cigarette in his mouth, Lin Kang walked over to the song-selection console and nudged Luo Qingshan's leg, signaling for him to move. "Get out of the way if you're not picking songs. I'll do it. Who hogs the console to play drinking games?"

Luo Qingshan cursed with a laugh. "Can't you be nicer to the birthday boy? Fine, fine. Have a seat."

Once he sat down, Lin Kang asked, "Where's your wife? Why didn't you go get him?"

"He's a grown man. Why would he need picking up?" Su Nian cut in with a smile. "Pei Ran wouldn't get lost, would he?"

"He'll be here soon." Luo Qingshan took out his phone. "I offered to get him, but he wouldn't let me. I'll message him and ask..."

The door opened. Seeing who it was, Luo Qingshan tossed aside the dice cup and hurried over.

Pei Ran was dressed much as usual, his dark jeans making his legs look long and slender. Luo Qingshan slipped an arm around his waist and kissed the corner of his mouth. "What took you so long? I was about to come get you."

Luo Qingshan's breath smelled of cigarettes. Pei Ran wanted to pull away, but remembering that it was Luo Qingshan's birthday, he forced himself to hold still.

He wasn't used to being affectionate in front of so many people. Pressing his lips together, he said, "It looked close, so I didn't take a cab. I walked."

"No need to be that frugal, Pei Ran," Su Nian said with a smile. "Doesn't it take more than ten minutes to walk here? You could've had Qingshan reimburse your fare."

Su Nian was about to say more when Pei Ran suddenly glanced at him.

Pei Ran had thick lashes and long, narrow eyes that made him look gentle and soft. But there was no emotion in that glance, and Su Nian instinctively shut his mouth.

Only after Pei Ran sat down on the couch did he come to his senses.

"Happy birthday." Without looking again at Su Nian, who sat to his right, Pei Ran handed Luo Qingshan his present. "I noticed your phone screen was broken. Here's a replacement."

Luo Qingshan paused, then took the gift from him, unable to resist kissing him again. "You're the best, babe."

"Holy shit, are you all that rich?" Lin Kang, who had seen from beside them, asked in bewilderment. "You're all giving him phones? Qingshan, can you even use them all? Want your buddy to take one off your hands?"

Pei Ran looked at Luo Qingshan questioningly.

"Oh, right. I gave him a phone too." Su Nian smiled nonchalantly. The room was dim, and an occasional beam of light fell across his face, illuminating his dark eyes. "Same model, too. Haha, what a coincidence."

Before Pei Ran could react, Luo Qingshan's expression shifted slightly.

"I'll give yours back to you later, Su Nian," Luo Qingshan said. "I'll just use the one Pei Ran gave me. Two phones would be too heavy to carry, and I wouldn't have any use for both."

Su Nian picked up a bottle from the table and gulped down a large mouthful, then shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"Babe, what do you want to sing? I'll have Lin Kang queue it up," Luo Qingshan asked, lowering his head.

Pei Ran shook his head. "I'm not singing. Don't drink too much."

"Don't worry," Luo Qingshan said. "How could I bear to make you carry me back?"

They exchanged a few more words before someone beside them interrupted.

"Lin Kang, switch seats with me," Su Nian said. "I want to smoke. I'm worried Pei Ran won't be able to stand the smell."

"Hang on, I'm picking songs..." Lin Kang said.

"I'll switch with you."

Su Nian instinctively turned. At some point, Yan Zhun had come over beside him and was looking down into his eyes.

Yan Zhun's face made it far too easy to fall for him. Su Nian's heart sped up for a few beats before settling down again.

Unlike Luo Qingshan, who had been turned gay, he had been born that way. He had also been on this path far longer than Luo Qingshan and was very good at reading people and situations. A guy with Yan Zhun's personality was only for looking at-untouchable and unattainable.

Only once Su Nian sat in Yan Zhun's old seat did it suddenly occur to him-didn't Yan Zhun smoke too?

Luo Qingshan was restless and couldn't sit still. After barely exchanging a few words with Pei Ran, he went to sit at the front, gripping the microphone and swaying it as he sang.

Pei Ran lowered his head and played on his phone. There wasn't really anything fun to do; he had cleared all the single-player games he had downloaded. He simply wanted to avoid conversation. Though he knew everyone in the room, most were people he had only exchanged a few words with through Luo Qingshan. They weren't close.

Only after losing all his game tokens did Pei Ran slowly raise his head. His mouth was a little dry, and he wanted some water, only to discover that the table held nothing but alcohol. There was no juice, much less plain water.

After a moment's hesitation, Pei Ran reached for a full glass of alcohol, only for someone to tug at the hem of his shirt.

Yan Zhun sat beside him. Though he hadn't spoken, his presence was strong. Pei Ran could even smell the faint, cool scent of pine on him, dispersing some of the murky odors around them.

Pei Ran instinctively leaned back a little and turned his head. "What is it?"

Yan Zhun reached into a pocket near the bottom of his jacket and took out a bottle of mineral water.

Pei Ran: "..."

"Bought it on the way and forgot to drink it. It's unopened," Yan Zhun said. "Want some?"

It was only a bottle of water, so Pei Ran didn't stand on ceremony. He reached for it. "Thank you."

Yan Zhun unscrewed the cap before handing it over.

Pei Ran took a gulp and felt alive again. He turned to thank him once more, only to find Yan Zhun staring at him without moving.

More precisely, he was looking at the area below his nose.

Pei Ran blinked and instinctively wiped the corner of his mouth. "What is it...? Is there something on my face?"

Yan Zhun didn't answer. He simply averted his eyes and turned to join the drinking game beside them.

Pei Ran was a little puzzled. Before he could think about it further, someone hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him over.

Having sung his fill, Luo Qingshan returned to Pei Ran's side and started a four-person drinking game with Lin Kang and the others.

Lin Kang shook the dice. "Usual rules. One full glass each time, no leaving enough to raise goldfish in. No special treatment for the birthday boy! Pei Ran, are you playing?"

"He's not. He doesn't drink." Only after saying this did Luo Qingshan remember, and he hurriedly asked, "Babe, are you thirsty? Should I order you some juice?"

"No, I have mineral water." Pei Ran slipped unobtrusively out from under Luo Qingshan's arm. The position was uncomfortable for him.

Luo Qingshan was the star of the party, so everyone kept targeting him in the drinking game, calling his bluff no matter what he bid.

"Fuck, you're calling me when I've only bid once? What's wrong with you, Lin Kang? Trying to take me down with you?" Luo Qingshan laughed in exasperation, then drank as he spoke.

"Remember how you treated me on my birthday?" Lin Kang said. "I'm settling old scores now..."

Leaning against the couch, Pei Ran watched Luo Qingshan's face grow redder the more he drank.

In contrast, Yan Zhun had barely drunk at all. He sat with his legs loosely spread and his elbows braced on his knees. The hand holding his dice cup was clean and long-fingered, making even his dice-shaking look more commanding than everyone else's.

"Why don't you let Pei Ran play for you? You're so bad at this, you won't even last until the midnight session," Lin Kang jeered.

Luo Qingshan laughed and cursed at him a few times. His phone on the table suddenly lit up with a new message notification.

Luo Qingshan picked up his phone and unlocked it. After reading the message, his smile stiffened, and he discreetly moved the screen a few centimeters closer to his face.

A few seconds later, he put his phone down and answered Lin Kang. "No one... nothing. Let's keep playing."

After another round, Luo Qingshan set his dice cup upside down on the table.

"Hang on. I'm going to the restroom."

"What?" Lin Kang said. "Scared? Trying to escape with a bathroom break?"

"Fuck off. I need to take a piss, and I'll ask a server to bring some juice while I'm at it." He nudged Lin Kang with his foot. "Move over. Let me out."

Luo Qingshan hurried out of the room. Lin Kang snorted. "Look at him rushing off, taking those huge steps. He's definitely not going for a piss. He's chickening out!"

Lin Kang had only just sat back down when someone tapped his shoulder again.

"Sorry for the trouble. Could you let me through again? I need to make a call," Pei Ran said.

Out in the karaoke lounge's corridor, Pei Ran walked slowly with his head lowered.

After looking through Su Nian's Moments that day, Pei Ran had reflected on his behavior.

First, he shouldn't suspect his own boyfriend over a few little things. Second, he shouldn't make any malicious assumptions about Su Nian just because the two of them were close.

It was perfectly normal to have friends of the same sex whom you got along with. Girls called them besties; guys called them brothers. He couldn't deprive Luo Qingshan of the right to make friends just because he liked men.

Besides, gay people weren't that common.

Yet after Luo Qingshan hurried out, his first reaction had still been to look for Su Nian, who had also left the room at some point.

By the time Pei Ran came to his senses, he was already near the restroom entrance.

He rubbed his temples and couldn't help laughing at himself, ultimately deciding to go back. But as soon as he raised his head, the smile froze on his lips.

Not far away, he saw Luo Qingshan.

Luo Qingshan stood straight at the side of the corridor, his hands hanging at his sides, motionless.

Su Nian was hugging him.

It was a lovers' embrace. Their bodies were pressed close, Su Nian's head resting on Luo Qingshan's shoulder as he seemingly spoke.

Ten or so seconds later, Su Nian lifted his head and kissed Luo Qingshan's chin.

Pei Ran froze where he stood. Before he could decide how to react, everything suddenly went black.

A large hand covered Pei Ran's eyes, and the cool scent of pine surged wildly into all his senses.

"Don't look. It'll dirty your eyes." It was Yan Zhun's voice.