Jiang Yuan led Xie Chengnan into the private booth, offering only five words with the brevity of a man who treated words like gold: "My brother, Xie Chengnan." Having finished his piece, he shut his mouth, leaving the roomful of people to stare at one another in silence.
Zhang Siyi was the first to snap out of it. He raised a hand in greeting. "Brother Xie, what a coincidence!" He understood immediately that his cousin had no intention of coming out to his classmates just yet.
Xie Chengnan remained calm, joking, "It is quite a coincidence. I was nearby this afternoon discussing some business. You don't mind if I crash your dinner, do you?"
Zhang Siyi waved his hands hurriedly. "Not at all, not at all! Brother Xie, please, have a seat." He then signaled the waiter to add a chair next to Jiang Yuan and set out a new pair of bowls and chopsticks.
At eighteen or nineteen, people are at an age of simple hearts and overflowing enthusiasm. Soon, someone raised a glass to toast Xie Chengnan, following Zhang Siyi’s lead in calling him "Brother Xie."
Xie Chengnan turned no one away, downing two consecutive rounds of drinks. He instantly earned their favor. Amidst a chorus of praise for his "bold and straightforward" nature, he quickly hit it off with the group of youngsters.
Jiang Yuan sat to the side, propping his chin on his hand as he watched him. He thought to himself that a tech-focused shut-in could actually be quite adept at social niceties. Compared to that night at the bar, Xie Chengnan seemed much more relaxed today; though he still didn't talk much, he wasn't nearly as silent.
Jiang Yuan figured that the man probably just preferred the company of people with simple minds.
After dinner, the group moved to a KTV lounge to continue the night.
Xie Chengnan had fully relaxed by now. He had taken off his suit jacket, his tie hung loosely around his neck, and his shirt was unbuttoned further than usual, faintly revealing the handsome lines of his chest muscles. His impossibly long legs were spread out as he sat on the sofa in a posture that was rugged and uninhibited.
Jiang Yuan couldn't help but steal a few glances. Then, he looked down, pulling at his own collar to peek at his thin, slight frame, seriously contemplating the feasibility of bulking up at the gym.
Xie Chengnan noticed his small movements and found it somewhat amusing. "Want to train your chest?"
"Is it hard?" Jiang Yuan asked.
"It’s not hard, it just requires persistence." Xie Chengnan reached out to tidy the stray hairs on the boy's forehead. "I saw that the equipment at home is quite complete. I'll teach you next time."
"Sure." Jiang Yuan was happy, feeling that the roomful of fitness equipment he’d bought just for show would finally have a purpose.
After half an hour of the boys howling like ghosts and wailing like wolves into the microphones, they finally quieted down.
Zhang Siyi turned off his mic and shouted that just drinking was boring; they should play Truth or Dare instead.
The group chimed in agreement and asked the waiter for a deck of cards.
"This many people playing cards together?" Xie Chengnan lowered his head to ask Jiang Yuan, his tone a bit puzzled.
His limited student life had been busy and dull. A game purely intended to liven up the atmosphere was foreign to him—it was probably as alien as hearing about a new research topic from the neighboring astrophysics institute.
Jiang Yuan had originally been disinterested, but seeing the "old man's" lack of worldly experience, he found it funny. "In a moment, we'll pick four sets of numbers and one 'Ghost' based on the number of people. Everyone draws a card. Whoever draws the Ghost reveals their card first and can demand a Truth or a Dare. Then, they designate someone who drew a specific set of numbers to complete it. You either fulfill the requirement or you drink."
Xie Chengnan nodded to show he understood. It wasn't until they started that he realized a game that sounded simple was anything but. The array of punishments—ranging from the innocent to the suggestive—left the serious, boring "old man" struck with wonder. For the first time, he experienced what a "generation gap" truly meant.
In the beginning, the first three groups chosen all opted for the penalty drink. Zhang Siyi rolled up his sleeves, dissatisfied. "What's the point of everyone fucking drinking? Let's change the rules. Today, we're not doing Truths and no one is allowed to drink as a penalty. We're only playing Dares!"
"Exactly, exactly," a boy who had drawn the Ghost twice in a row agreed. "I've killed off so many brain cells coming up with these, and you guys just waste them with a single glass of booze. Is that fair to me?"
"Fine, fine, no drinking it is."
The rules were changed on the spot.
This time, Zhang Siyi drew the Ghost. With a wicked grin, he proposed the punishment: "The two people who have the number 3—one acts as the pole, and the other does a pole dance."
Everyone who hadn't been picked started jeering and cheering.
Xie Chengnan sighed. He used two fingers to flip over the card lying face down on the table. He had hit the jackpot.
Jiang Yuan had a look of someone watching a show. "Do you know how to dance?"
Xie Chengnan gave a bitter smile. "What do you think?"
Just as he spoke, He Luoluo, who was sitting diagonally opposite them, stood up. He said hesitantly, "Brother Xie just needs to stand there. I can dance."
Jiang Yuan arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Xie Chengnan didn't think much of it. He cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks; asking him to dance was lethal enough, let alone a pole dance.
He Luoluo picked a dance track himself. When he turned around, he saw Xie Chengnan standing in the middle of the floor, one hand in his pocket, looking down at him.
The man’s tall frame cast a shadow over him. Unlike the youthful greenness of people his own age, every inch of this man radiated the pheromones of a mature male. He Luoluo stole a glance and couldn't help but feel his face flush and his ears burn.
Jiang Yuan had originally been enjoying the spectacle, but as the music started and He Luoluo reached out to rest his hands on Xie Chengnan’s shoulders, the corners of his mouth began to drop bit by bit until they were pressed into a tight line.
He Luoluo indeed knew how to dance; it was clear he had some training. With his hands on Xie Chengnan, he twisted his waist and swayed his hips in a provocative, close-contact dance that made the group clap and hoot.
Xie Chengnan felt a bit awkward but didn't feel right interrupting. He had originally thought it would just be a matter of striking a couple of poses to get it over with, but he hadn't expected the other party to dance so earnestly.
Being rubbed against by a young boy who was looking up at him, panting slightly with wet, beckoning eyes, was an experience that was truly hard to describe.
The music stopped abruptly.
Jiang Yuan stood by the song selection console and said coolly, "Alright, let's keep playing."
He Luoluo lowered the leg he had just hooked around Xie Chengnan’s waist, looking slightly embarrassed.
The group of straight guys didn't notice the shift in atmosphere. They clamored to start a new round, letting the matter pass.
When Xie Chengnan returned to his seat, Jiang Yuan shot him a frigid glare. He was completely baffled. "What's wrong?"
"Was it fun?" the young master asked with a cold face.
"It was a bit awkward," Xie Chengnan told the truth. "Do you guys usually play like this?"
Jiang Yuan thought about it; when this group played Dares, they really did joke around like this. A pole dance wasn't actually a heavy punishment, but once the subject was replaced with Xie Chengnan, he felt a bit unsettled.
Before he could think further, a new round began. This time, it directly hit him and Xie Chengnan. The punishment was to eat a piece of fruit together without using their hands.
The boy who drew the Ghost laughed wildly. "Brother Xie, how are you so unlucky!" Having said that, and fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough, he picked a cherry from the fruit platter. "Eat this, eat this. One bite and it's done. Safe and painless."
The room was filled with jeers.
Xie Chengnan had a headache. He felt like his kid was about to go ballistic.
To his surprise, Jiang Yuan put his hands behind his back and took the lead by catching the cherry in his mouth. He tilted his head up to look at him with a half-smile, his eyes filled with playfulness, teasing, and some indefinable emotion.
Xie Chengnan looked down. The youth's crow-wing lashes trembled slightly, and his pale, thin lips glistened with a hint of moisture.
The music switched to another song. A female voice in the speakers hummed softly, the singing lingering and soulful, tugging at one's heartstrings.
*Didn't need to ask*
*Don't know the reason*
*Everything that I believe*
*Is right here*
*Not thinkin' bout tomorrow*
*Couldn't catch it if I tried*
*World is spinning too fast*
*So I'll wait 'til it comes to me*
*I am you*
*You are me*
*We are one*
*Take me in your arms*
*And flow through me*
*I'll flow through you*
Xie Chengnan felt an unfamiliar restlessness crashing through his limbs. His throat was incredibly parched. Looking at that cherry held between the youth's thin lips was like a traveler in the desert seeing an oasis—it was enticing to the extreme.
He wanted to lean in, yet his rationality screamed at him, pulling him back.
His Adam's apple bobbed. Finally, Xie Chengnan couldn't help but lower his gaze and lean down.
The cherry was too small. Even though he was being cautious, their warm lips still brushed against each other in that narrow space.
Xie Chengnan thought of the nights he spent racing heavy motorcycles on the track; his body felt weightless, and his soul seemed ready to drift into the sky. He was somewhat dazed and didn't notice the sudden contraction of the pupils in the youth's half-closed eyes beneath him.
Jiang Yuan thought he must be drunk. Otherwise, why would his heart be beating so violently—beating so hard that his entire being felt a bit dazed?
Even after the party ended, Jiang Yuan hadn't quite come back to his senses.
Xie Chengnan called for a designated driver. Seeing that Jiang Yuan seemed out of it, he asked with concern, "Did you drink too much?"
"Huh?" Jiang Yuan took a few seconds to react. "Seems like it."
He shook his head as if trying to shake himself awake.
Xie Chengnan held his head steady, amused. "Stop shaking. You'll only get dizzier."
Jiang Yuan looked up at him blankly, feeling that even this man's voice was incredibly sexy tonight.
He patted his own face, muttering, "I think I'm so drunk I'm numb. I can't even feel it when I hit myself."
"..." Xie Chengnan withdrew his hand, which had been stung by the accidental slap, and sighed. He grabbed the young master's hand and led him into the car.
Jiang Yuan fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.
Xie Chengnan stood by the head of the bed holding a glass of water, his expression somewhat dark and unreadable.
For the first time, he seriously contemplated the question of his own sexuality.
During his years abroad, life had always been very tense. At first, it was financial tension; later, it was the tension of time and energy.
When his brain was awake, it was always running at high speed, thinking about complex algorithms, programs, and mechanical structures until he was exhausted. Then, he would quickly enter a deep sleep mode, rarely even dreaming.
High-intensity mental work had turned him into a person with few physical needs. Probably only his morning physiological reactions confirmed that he hadn't developed some kind of functional disorder.
He didn't know if he had been possessed today. From the moment of that touch—which couldn't even be called a kiss—his brain had been in a state of oxygen deprivation. Even thinking had become a bit difficult.
Jiang Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked at him quietly.
Xie Chengnan held his breath, his body stiffening slightly.
But the boy seemed to be in a state between dreaming and waking. His eyes were a bit confused as he called out almost inaudibly, "Xie Chengnan?"
Xie Chengnan leaned down and said softly, "It's me. Do you want some water?"
"I have class tomorrow morning," the youth's voice was raspy. "Remember to wake me up."
"Okay." Xie Chengnan rubbed his soft hair and said gently, "Go to sleep."
The youth fell asleep without any guard.
Xie Chengnan let out a low sigh and placed the water glass on the nightstand.
Let it be like this, Xie Chengnan thought. He didn't want to be the person who led Jiang Yuan astray. His kid shouldn't have to suffer like that.
He could stay by his side like an older brother, taking care of him, and then leave him at a time when he was no longer needed.
Weren't an adult's forbearance and restraint exactly what he was best at?
The door was closed once more. Inside, the youth was in a deep sleep. Outside, the man who had glimpsed his own heart for the first time stood in silence for a long time. It wasn't until the sky began to lighten that he finally turned and walked away.
***
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