They wandered through the open-air market, moving from one sunshade to the next. Most of the stalls sold fruits and vegetables. As they walked, Pei Cangyu’s brow furrowed deeper. Finally, as they turned their third corner, he grabbed Baishi, who was walking aimlessly. "Hey, do you even know what we’re supposed to buy?"
Baishi’s gentle smile faltered for a moment. "Um, groceries."
Pei Cangyu rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, man." He squinted at Baishi. "Have you ever even been on a picnic?"
Baishi shook his head honestly.
Pei Cangyu found it strange. "Then why do you want to go on one?"
Baishi told him earnestly, "In the magazine I was flipping through the other day, they spent more than half their time picnicking. I thought it seemed quite interesting."
"Interesting"? Who talks like that?
Pei Cangyu’s train of thought was like his heart—eccentric and straying into odd corners. He pulled Baishi close and corrected him word by word. "Repeat after me: 'fun.' The sentence is 'I think it sounds like fun,' not 'I thought it seemed quite interesting.' Use more colloquialisms so you don't sound like a mannequin."
Baishi asked, "Do I sound like a mannequin?"
"You sound like someone who’s always alone."
"But I am."
"...At least not right now."
Baishi paused, then spoke. "In the magazine I was flipping through the other day, they spent more than half their time picnicking. I think it sounds like fun."
Pei Cangyu: "...Was it really necessary to repeat the whole thing? Whatever." He asked again, "Wait, wasn't that magazine... you know? Why were they picnicking?"
Baishi shrugged—a gesture not common among Asians, yet he did it with practiced naturalness. "I don't know. Maybe because they didn't have to wear clothes."
"Bullshit. Who goes on a picnic without clothes? Didn't you invite the girl across the hall to come along, too?"
"True."
Pei Cangyu turned to look at Baishi, only to realize the man had been talking nonsense.
He lowered his head in defeat. "I'm done talking to you. Anyway, we need to buy prepared food. It's not like you're bringing a stove."
Baishi took this suggestion to heart. He nodded slowly, looking very much in agreement. "Then we should head that way."
Pei Cangyu threw up his hands and followed.
As Baishi started looking at desserts, Pei Cangyu suddenly had a realization. He leaned in close to Baishi. "I say, you just made up that whole magazine story to hide your own ignorance, didn't you?"
Baishi played dumb quite blatantly. "Is that so? I don't think so."
Pei Cangyu curled his lip and shook his head. "Why do you love posturing so much? Will you die if you don't act cool?"
Baishi continued to play dumb, picking up two pieces of cake without even looking back. "Is that so? I don't think so."
Pei Cangyu scoffed, finding it funny, and stopped pestering him.
As they were bickering, a voice came from behind them.
"Mr. Baishi?"
The call was so sudden that Pei Cangyu snapped his head toward the source. The plate in Baishi’s hand jerked, and the dessert spilled back onto the table. However, Baishi reacted quickly, slowly setting the plate down and turning around calmly.
The speaker was a sturdy middle-aged man with a greasy side-part, thick gold-rimmed glasses, and a striped shirt that didn't look like a designer brand. A camera hung around his neck. Behind him followed a slender lady who chose to wear high heels despite the pain; she wore a white veil and was secretly rubbing her feet whenever the man wasn't looking.
The man stepped forward and extended his hand. "It’s me, Old Hu, from Tianwu." His small eyes crinkled into two lines as he smiled.
Baishi reached out and shook his hand. "Boss Hu." He glanced at the young woman following behind. She had stopped rubbing her feet and elegantly lifted her sun veil to shake hands as well.
Pei Cangyu opened his mouth. His voice was raspy from sheer excitement. He managed to squeeze out the beginning of the word "Help" before Baishi’s silhouette blocked him from view.
Boss Hu noticed and looked toward Pei Cangyu, but addressed Baishi. "And this is?"
Pei Cangyu could finally speak. He hadn't organized his words yet, but he was going to say something.
Just as he was about to speak, Baishi turned to look at him. His gaze was heavy. His pitch-black pupils and taut face stood in stark contrast to the two smiling faces nearby. Baishi’s expression was so sharp that Pei Cangyu looked at Boss Hu with a sense of pity.
And so, Pei Cangyu said nothing. He lowered his head.
Baishi turned back, his gentle demeanor returning. "He’s my younger brother. He’s ill, I’m sorry."
"Oh, I see." Old Hu quickly understood that Baishi didn't want to introduce him and stopped asking. Instead, he asked if Baishi was also here for a vacation, where he was staying, if they should tour together, which sights were good, and where the best food was.
Baishi said he was here on business, staying in the next town over, and leaving that evening. He hadn't done much sightseeing and didn't know much.
Boss Hu was sharp enough to realize this wasn't a good time for a chat. He handed over a new business card, said a hasty goodbye, and pulled away his young wife, who had wanted to talk to Baishi a bit longer.
Baishi turned to look at Pei Cangyu. Pei Cangyu acted as if nothing had happened and continued picking out desserts. Baishi watched him for a moment before taking the plate from him. Neither of them said a word.
Pei Cangyu suddenly thought that he had probably just saved two lives.
***
They bought some food and drinks. Pei Cangyu gnawed on a long, stuffed flatbread as he walked. He wasn't as fastidious as Baishi, who adamantly refused to eat outdoors.
"Are you really not eating? Aren't you hungry?" Pei Cangyu asked while chewing, his cheek bulging as he ate.
Baishi shook his head. He wasn't walking in the direction of home.
"Where are we going?" Pei Cangyu asked, his pronunciation muffled by the food in his mouth.
Baishi looked at him. "Don't you think we should change our appearance?"
Pei Cangyu finally swallowed. "Change it to what?"
Baishi looked thoughtful. "Something less recognizable."
"Oh." Pei Cangyu understood. "Then can I shave my head?"
"No."
Pei Cangyu kicked Baishi’s calf in a fit of pique. Baishi said nothing, simply turning his head to wait for him to catch up.
Pei Cangyu was familiar with this road. He soon realized they were approaching the bank. This was a good sign.
Even though they passed the bank, Pei Cangyu memorized the route they took.
They walked further and further into a secluded area. Baishi was taking Pei Cangyu to a place that seemed less than legitimate.
The street was quite narrow with no signs. There were only characters written on the walls or various drawings, mostly in black. Although there were no explicit indications, one could quickly tell that business was being conducted here. As for what kind of business, one only had to look at the people emerging from the low-slung houses—spitting out smoke, clutching their bandages, buckling their belts, or adjusting their veils—to know it wasn't anything respectable.
As a veiled woman left one of the houses, Pei Cangyu craned his neck and caught a glimpse of a crystal ball through the parting bamboo curtains. In the next second, a pair of skeletal hands, like withered branches, covered the ball. Pei Cangyu looked up slightly and met a round, cat-like face—so young, a stark contrast to the hands.
Startled, Pei Cangyu hurriedly withdrew his gaze and caught up with Baishi, though he cast a hesitant glance back.
"What is it?"
"Are there fortune tellers here?"
Baishi followed his gaze. "Probably."
"How much further?"
"We're here."
They stopped in front of a two-story house. The building was very low and dim. Set against the setting sun, it looked even more desolate, with the red glow of candlelight flickering inside. Compared to the places they had passed, it was somewhat livelier. A man brushed past them, glanced at Baishi, and ducked through the curtain. From within the dim house, a pair of slender, soft black arms reached out to wrap around the man's waist.
Based on intuition, Pei Cangyu knew exactly what kind of place this was.
He suddenly felt a bit shy. "...This isn't right. I don't have experience with this. Usually, I only do it with people I know..."
Baishi didn't hear him. He walked straight inside, and Pei Cangyu hurriedly followed.
The house was larger than he had imagined. It was noisy inside, with groups of men and women scattered in various corners. Sitting by the door was a stout woman with heavy bags under her eyes and red eyeshadow. She looked to be about fifty, with a fierce countenance. she looked up at Baishi, the whites of her eyes showing. Next to her was a thin, young, fair-skinned woman whose eyes lit up when she saw Baishi. She stood up, uncrossing her arms. Her snow-white arms were like opening flowers, tracing an elegant arc in the air before resting gently on her waist. She blinked slowly at Baishi.
Baishi didn't notice. He seemed to know the stout woman and said something to her. The woman then prepared to lead him upstairs. Baishi hesitated, then turned to Pei Cangyu. "Do you want to come up with me?"
Pei Cangyu had assumed he would have to follow. Did this mean he didn't have to?
"Do I have to?"
Baishi looked at him. "Wait for me here." He glanced at his watch. "Half an hour."
He turned to the woman, presumably telling her to look after him, and then made a casual downward pressing motion with his palm. It was a gesture full of authority. The woman submissively stayed behind, and Baishi went upstairs alone.
The woman with the snow-white arms changed her posture, crossing her arms again as she watched Baishi’s retreating back with dissatisfaction. A man quietly touched her waist, coaxing her away. Her arms then draped over his shoulders.
Pei Cangyu watched her swaying, slender arms. She looked like a beautiful spider.
The woman who had been given the instructions used her arm to shove Pei Cangyu aside. She picked up the things they had bought and, without a hint of care, tossed them heavily behind the counter. Pei Cangyu winced at the sound, remembering there were several glass jars inside.
The woman ignored him, sitting down to flip through a greasy, dog-eared magazine. It was a special edition featuring golf girls. Pei Cangyu was bumped by a passerby. The man was drunk, babbling a string of words at Pei Cangyu through alcoholic breath. Pei Cangyu didn't understand a word, and the man's spit sprayed all over his face. He stepped back, which the man took as a concession, and he moved on.
Pei Cangyu glanced around the noisy hall. He thought that slipping out now probably wouldn't be a big deal. He leaned over to the woman flipping through the magazine and told her he was going out, not expecting an answer.
The woman didn't even look up, waving him away impatiently, uninterested in whatever he had to say.
Only when he got closer did Pei Cangyu notice the woman had a massive Adam's apple. He looked down at her swinging legs and saw a distinct silhouette between them. In every sense of the word, this was a man.
Pei Cangyu didn't waste time. He left immediately. He didn't have much time.
Following the route in his mind, he ran to the bank. It looked like it was closing; they weren't letting anyone else in, but he could see customers inside still finishing their business.
Pei Cangyu ran over and pounded on the door, but the security guard by the entrance shook his head, having no intention of opening up.
Cold sweat began to break out on Pei Cangyu’s forehead. If Baishi found out he had run here, there was no telling what he would do. This was one of his few chances.
His face flushed with anxiety as he pounded on the door relentlessly, gesturing to explain his purpose. The guard had already turned his back to him, slowly taking off his hat and preparing to finish his shift.
Pei Cangyu was almost in despair.
Just then, he saw a familiar figure inside, giving instructions to the guard. Pei Cangyu recognized him as the manager who had handled Baishi’s business earlier and waved frantically at him.
The manager seemed to remember him as well. He opened the door and asked with a smile how he could help.
Pei Cangyu didn't understand the local language and immediately asked if he spoke English.
The manager smiled politely and said that of course he did.
The manager invited Pei Cangyu into a private room to talk. Pei Cangyu shot a quick glance at his watch and refused. He didn't have much time; he needed to settle this quickly.
Pei Cangyu said he had gone out for a walk, ended up nearby, and got lost. He asked the manager if he could provide a map.
The manager smiled and said of course, since it was Pei Cangyu’s first time here.
Pei Cangyu sat on the sofa, waiting anxiously as the manager looked for a map. He kept glancing at his watch, bouncing his leg and biting his fingernails.
The manager returned and handed him the map. "By the way, is your illness any better?"
Pei Cangyu froze. "What?"
The manager said, "Your illness..."
They stared at each other for a moment.
Pei Cangyu caught a flash of doubt on the manager's face. Perhaps the eye contact didn't last long, but to Pei Cangyu, it felt like an eternity. During that time, his throat went dry from a sudden, surging thought, and he licked his lips.
The manager laughed. "No, no. I heard your voice was a bit raspy and thought you had a cold. My apologies."
"Really..." Pei Cangyu murmured.
The manager didn't answer. "Shall I help you contact Mr. Baishi?"
"No need." Pei Cangyu stood up. He had no doubt that the moment he stepped out of here, the manager would call Baishi.
Now was not the time to run. Pei Cangyu followed the manager out dejectedly. The manager maintained a polite smile from beginning to end, seeing him to the door and bidding him farewell. At the very last moment, his eyes flicked toward the map.
Pei Cangyu suddenly thought: it was fine for the manager to tell Baishi he had been here, but he couldn't tell Baishi he had a map.
The manager held the door open for him and was about to turn back inside.
Pei Cangyu steeled his heart. He grabbed the manager's tie, pulled him toward himself, leaned in, and kissed him on the lips.
The manager was stunned for a good three or four seconds before he pushed Pei Cangyu away and stepped back. He stared at Pei Cangyu with a look of pure shock—an expression that was almost comical on his face.
Pei Cangyu said nothing and turned to leave.
Pei Cangyu felt that if he had tried to make a deal with the manager—telling him not to tell Baishi certain things or else—the manager, with his eagerness to please a big client like Baishi and his own cleverness, would have found some way to drop a hint to show his loyalty while keeping his own hands clean. It was better this way, saying nothing at all. The manager wouldn't necessarily want to get involved in something like this. Even if he did, he would have to guess the meaning behind it, and while guessing, he wouldn't act rashly. This gave Pei Cangyu some breathing room.
After all, having dealt with Baishi for so long, Pei Cangyu had gained some experience.
As it turned out, his guess was correct. By the time he returned to that dark hole of a building, Baishi was still upstairs. The manager didn't seem to have even called him.
Pei Cangyu breathed a sigh of relief and tucked the map into his inner pocket.
***
