Chapter 29

He turned and went back to his room, too.

"Fu Cheng, your telescope is really great," Shen Yi said.

Fu Cheng said, "If you like it, I'll give you one. This one was a birthday present from my brother, so I can't give it to you."

"No need." Shen Yi smiled. "Playing with it when I come over is enough. I might get tired of it before long anyway."

Shen Yi didn't have time to move right away. He found time to sign the lease and pay the deposit, and soon the monthly exams arrived at the end of the month. The break began after the exams, and Shen Yi moved his things over little by little during the holiday.

He didn't have many clothes, just enough to fit in one suitcase. Most were for summer and autumn, with only one or two winter items. On the day he moved in, Fu Cheng came over and helped him clean.

The newly rented apartment was very clean, with only a little dust. After wiping down the bed, they put on the sheets. Shen Yi had brought his bookshelf over too, and Fu Cheng sat on a small stool, sorting the comic books and study books and putting them on the shelves one by one.

By the time they finished, it was getting late.

Shen Yi said, "Thanks for the help. Dinner's on me tonight; order whatever you want."

Fu Cheng raised his hand. "I want barbecue."

Shen Yi sat astride a chair backward, his shoulder against its back, scrolling through his phone. "Let me see what barbecue places are nearby..."

"Let's make it ourselves," Fu Cheng said.

Shen Yi paused and looked up. "Make it ourselves?"

Fu Cheng said, "My family has a grill. I..."

He scratched his head a little shyly. "I just want to experience what it's like to have a barbecue with a friend."

"Ah... the atmosphere." Shen Yi understood. "No problem. Leave it to me."

Fu Cheng asked, "You know how to grill?"

"Of course." Shen Yi snapped his fingers. "Let's go to the supermarket."

When Fu Yuhe got home, he heard Fu Cheng making a racket in the living room.

"Drink! Who says I can't drink any more?" Fu Cheng declared boldly, talking nonsense.

"Stop drinking," Shen Yi said. "Look at me."

"I am," Fu Cheng said. "One, two, three... why are there more of you?"

"You've had too much to drink." Shen Yi still sounded perfectly sober.

Fu Yuhe stood in the doorway and frowned. Waves of mouthwatering aromas reached him from the living room.

He heard Shen Yi mutter, "Good thing I didn't invite them over. If all of them were making this kind of mess at your place, your brother would kill me..."

"I'm sorry..." Fu Cheng said apologetically. "If it weren't for me, my brother wouldn't hate you."

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Your brother said bad things about me?"

Fu Cheng mumbled, "No... yes! He did!"

At the entrance, Fu Yuhe changed his shoes. He was about to go in, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. It was so noisy over there that neither of them had noticed someone come in.

Fu Cheng rambled incoherently, "Don't blame my brother. I was bullied before, and I misunderstood him... My brother got them removed from my school, and that one person told me my brother was spying on me. I was only... a teenager, going through my rebellious phase, so how could I be happy about that? I quarreled with my brother and said some nasty things that hurt him..."

Shen Yi said, "So you had a rebellious phase too."

Fu Cheng pointed an index finger at him. "Who are you looking down on?"

Shen Yi took hold of his index finger and put his hand down. "I'm not looking down on you."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm, really."

"Come on, drink, bottoms up-brother!?" Fu Cheng's voice changed pitch.

Shen Yi stopped turning the skewers over and looked back to see Fu Yuhe walking over from the entrance. He broke into a smile. "Brother, want some barbecue?"

Fu Yuhe walked over to them and glanced at the grill. His gaze settled on Fu Cheng, who was standing there obediently, grinning and showing all his teeth.

Fu Yuhe said, "..."

He glanced at the several empty beer cans lying nearby, and a dull ache started at his temples.

"Brother, want a drink?" Fu Cheng offered his brother a beer with both hands, his posture exceedingly respectful.

"...Get upstairs and go to bed!" Fu Yuhe's lowered voice was like the warning of an approaching storm.

Fu Cheng jolted. "Yes, sir!"

"Brother, don't be so harsh on him. He's drunk," Shen Yi said, straightening up.

Fu Cheng hid behind him, tugged at the hem of his shirt, and repeated Shen Yi's words quietly. "I'm drunk."

Shen Yi winked at Fu Yuhe, smiling alluringly, and ran the tip of his tongue over his lips. Something occurred to him, and he suddenly saw the light. "Brother, I'm drunk too."

"I... I need the bathroom." Fu Cheng pressed a fist to his lips and stumbled off to the bathroom to throw up.

The living room fell silent. Fu Yuhe looked at Shen Yi without revealing anything on his face, while the curve of Shen Yi's smile never changed. The two faced each other until Shen Yi broke the standoff and took a step forward.

"I'm drunk," he said.

"Are you?" Fu Yuhe didn't move, watching him quietly.

By the time Shen Yi's slender fingers gripped his collar, he still hadn't reacted. The well-defined hand crumpled his collar, its owner's breath washed over his face, and a warm, soft sensation pressed briefly against his lips.

Fu Yuhe's pupils abruptly contracted.

Shen Yi's eyes were half-lidded, the expression in them as gentle and serene as a deep-blue sea. His Adam's apple bobbed, and, just as he'd wished, he tasted the flavor he'd missed for so long once again.