For some reason, Pei Cangyu’s heart remained suspended in his chest until they all sat back down. The two groups had essentially merged; the girls shared a single cake, and Laces distributed drinks from their small cooler, introducing them as having been prepared by Mr. Bai.
Bai Shi gave a slight nod and a smile.
Pei Cangyu felt a gaze from the side. He turned his head and saw the man who had been talking to Bai Shi earlier slowly avert his eyes.
The man’s name was Julio. He was about six feet tall with a sturdy build, wearing a bright yellow shirt adorned with blue flowers. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing a patch of neatly trimmed chest hair. He used a finger to hook the tab of a beer can; his fingers were covered in long hair, as were his arms. He had thick, heavy eyebrows and deep-set eyes with dark brown irises that gave off a profound, hollow feeling. His lips were thin, his cheekbones high, and though his eyes were small, the whites were prominent. This gave him a look of constant calculation. Even when he looked away, Pei Cangyu felt the man’s mind was still fixed on the two of them—a strange sensation, like being watched by a reptile. It felt ominous.
Bai Shi touched a chilled bottle to Pei Cangyu’s cheek. "What’s wrong?"
Pei Cangyu turned back. "Nothing."
He was preoccupied with heavy thoughts, but the atmosphere around them seemed pleasant enough.
As they talked, they began to introduce themselves. Laces was the quickest to jump in, acting as the host and pointing out where the introductions should start. The other group responded quickly. As they introduced themselves, Bai Shi translated for Pei Cangyu.
These people were quite a bit older than them; upon closer inspection, the youngest was likely nearly thirty, and Julio looked to be in his early thirties. They were residents of the neighboring district who had become acquainted through a hospital charity fundraiser and had come out for a picnic together.
Among them were two young women who were nurses. Laces’s eyes lit up the moment she heard this; she wanted to be a nurse herself, so she pestered them for stories.
Everyone watched with interest. At first, the nurse was explaining what classes were required to become a nurse, but for some reason, the conversation drifted into ghost stories.
Bai Shi translated diligently: "In April 1987, a body was brought into the morgue..."
Pei Cangyu reached out to stop him, speaking with exaggerated formality. "No, no, no. Let’s just let the language barrier block our communication for now..."
Although Pei Cangyu couldn't understand what they were saying, the flickering flashlights in the pitch-black night certainly set the mood.
Moreover, Bai Shi was being intentionally mischievous. Even though he stopped translating the full story, he wouldn't leave Pei Cangyu alone.
"Hiss... there was a baby inside the corpse’s stomach..."
Pei Cangyu froze and looked at Bai Shi, but Bai Shi stopped talking again.
A moment later: "Hiss... the baby could talk. The entire floor was covered in centipedes..."
Pei Cangyu: "?? What??"
A moment later: "Ah, it turns out it was her uncle."
Pei Cangyu: "What the hell??!!!!"
He was completely lost, but the story ended. Everyone else gasped, and Laces, playing along with the atmosphere, shook her flashlight so the beam darted back and forth before suddenly snapping it onto Pei Cangyu’s face. She let out a ghostly shriek. Knowing nothing of the plot, Pei Cangyu instinctively yelled along with her: "Ah—holy shit—!"
Bai Shi told the group, "He’s so scared he’s swearing."
They all burst into laughter. Pei Cangyu shoved Bai Shi several times.
He sat back down indignantly. "Oh, you want stories? I’ll tell one then. You translate."
So he began to speak, the eyes of the group fixed on him. "I’ll tell one with local flavor.
"A guy named Xiao Ming was leaving his office building after work when he saw a huge crowd gathered at the bottom. Curious, he squeezed in and asked, 'What happened?' Someone told him there was a person on the roof about to jump.
"Xiao Ming looked up and—whoa—there was a woman in a white dress sitting on the edge of the roof, swinging her legs. Xiao Ming thought, *This is exciting,* and decided to wait and watch her jump.
"Ten minutes passed, and Xiao Ming was getting hungry, but the woman still hadn't jumped. People below were heckling, and the woman was still up there crying and hesitating. Xiao Ming got annoyed and shouted up at the top of his lungs, 'Are you going to jump or not? Just do it already!'
"When he shouted that, the woman started crying even harder.
"Xiao Ming clapped his hands: 'Jump! Jump! Stop faking it!'
"Well, as soon as the words left his mouth, the woman suddenly stood up. Xiao Ming strained his eyes to see, but there was no more movement. He cursed and walked away.
"He hadn't gone far when he heard a roar of voices behind him. Oh, he figured she must have jumped.
"So Xiao Ming went home.
"But for the next few days, he had a constant cold and felt dizzy. A fortune teller on the street told him his brow was dark—a sign of terrible luck and a 'bloody disaster' to come. Terrified, Xiao Ming went to see a Taoist master.
"The master calculated with his fingers and asked, 'Did you build a bridge to someone's death?' Xiao Ming immediately said no, but then he remembered the woman who committed suicide. Did goading her count?
"The master slapped his thigh. 'That’s the one! She died because of what you said. Her resentment won't dissipate, and she’ll come for you on the seventh day when her soul returns.'
"Xiao Ming turned pale and asked the master how to break the curse.
"The master said it was fine; if she couldn't see him, she couldn't kill him. He told him to take a talisman on the seventh night and hide. If he could avoid her for that short window of time, he’d be safe.
"Xiao Ming felt a bit relieved and asked where he should hide.
"The master said that since she died from a fall, her body would be stiff. She wouldn't be able to bend her waist, turn her head, or twist her body. He just had to stay out of her line of sight.
"Xiao Ming took the talisman and went home.
"On the seventh night, he drank two cans of beer, grabbed the talisman, and crawled under his bed.
"She’d never be able to see him under the bed, right?
"At midnight, all the lights in Xiao Ming’s house suddenly flickered out. Immediately after, he heard a series of loud *thuds* coming from the hallway. *Thud. Thud.* The sound was incredibly heavy.
"Xiao Ming gripped his talisman, wondering why it sounded like a *thudding* noise.
"Then he heard a *creak—* the door opened.
"The thudding grew louder and louder. Xiao Ming watched through the gap under the bed, watching, watching...
"And suddenly, he saw the woman’s face!
"She died from a fall—head first!"
He finished the story.
The scene suddenly went silent.
Pei Cangyu nudged Bai Shi. "See? It’s even educational. It teaches people not to heckle when someone is suicidal."
Laces swallowed hard. Pei Cangyu wanted to scare her even more.
He suddenly widened his eyes and pointed behind Laces, his hand trembling perfectly as if he saw something.
The others looked over in confusion, but they all leaned toward Pei Cangyu and away from Laces. Though they saw nothing, they were searching with serious expressions.
Laces didn't dare look back. She closed her eyes, let out an "Ah!", and scrambled across the picnic cloth to dive into Pei Cangyu’s arms.
Pei Cangyu held her, patting her back, laughing heartily at the prank.
Perhaps it was the rustling of the woods, the dimness of the moonlight, or the lack of lamps, but the effect of the story was better than expected. Laces was crying, ninety percent of it due to Pei Cangyu scaring her rather than the story itself.
Pei Cangyu became flustered. He looked to Bai Shi for help, and Bai Shi took over, steadying Laces.
Setino laughed as well, walking around to squat beside her. Laces also realized her crying was a bit silly; after a few sobs, she broke into a smile and playfully punched Pei Cangyu a couple of times. The group stopped telling ghost stories after that.
One of the men suggested a toast. They raised their drinks and clinked glasses. A night breeze suddenly picked up, bringing a chill and the sound of rippling water.
Someone suggested going for a swim, and the idea was quickly met with enthusiasm. The men stripped down to their underwear, and the girls, in their undergarments, ran barefoot toward the river.
Those who didn't go sat there, feeling the wind and watching the stars, observing the people laughing as they entered the water under the hazy moonlight.
Pei Cangyu turned to ask Bai Shi, "Aren't you going?"
Bai Shi raised his hand slightly. "No."
Pei Cangyu noticed that Bai Shi’s hand still hadn't healed.
"When will a hole like that finally heal?"
Bai Shi lifted his hand and turned it over. "Maybe it never will."
The girls called out to them. Those on the bank moved closer to the river but didn't enter the water, sitting down by the edge instead. Setino scooped up water and splashed it on those on the shore, coaxing a few more in.
Pei Cangyu and Bai Shi were splashed as well, but neither went in. Bai Shi wiped his face and continued watching them, the river water shimmering with bright ripples under the moon.
Pei Cangyu tilted his head back and took a large gulp of beer. He drank too fast, choked, and began to cough.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, then leaned back on his hands, swinging his legs as he watched the group.
The wind blew gently, the river flowed slowly, and the coolness of early summer drifted over them. Pei Cangyu looked at Bai Shi. Bai Shi was staring ahead, his gaze unfocused.
Pei Cangyu suddenly asked, "Why did you kill him?"
Bai Shi blinked, turning to look at him. "Who?"
"Pei Yueshan."
Bai Shi looked at him. Pei Cangyu tried to read his expression, but all he saw on Bai Shi’s face was a sense of blankness—like someone who didn't know their directions being asked which way was east. He didn't know, and he didn't seem to care.
Then, Bai Shi’s expression gradually settled into a calm stillness. He looked at Pei Cangyu quietly. "What do you think?"
Pei Cangyu asked directly, "Are you in love with me?"
Bai Shi said nothing. He simply looked ahead, the light of the lake reflected in his eyes.
Perhaps it was the moonlight that made him look somewhat melancholy. He spoke, his voice soft, reciting words he had once read in a book.
"Aldonza approached Don Quixote and asked him why he went to such lengths to help her, what it was he truly wanted. He replied, 'No, I want nothing.' Aldonza didn't believe him; she thought based on her own experiences, assuming he must desire her body. So she loudly accused him of lying. Don Quixote replied, 'I want nothing, save for one request.' Aldonza shouted, saying, 'See? Another lie.'"
But he didn't want those things.
"He said, 'Only let me serve you, and keep the memory of your face in my heart. That is enough.'"
Bai Shi turned to look at Pei Cangyu. "He answered, 'I dedicate my victories to you. When I am defeated and face death, let me call your name in my heart.'"
Pei Cangyu gazed into Bai Shi’s eyes.
He could hear only the sound of the wind and his own breathing.
The people in the water came running back. A light rain began to fall from the sky. They ran back, intruding upon the conversation between Pei Cangyu and Bai Shi. Everyone started packing up their things, saying their goodbyes, hugging, kissing, and promising to meet again. Bai Shi shook hands with people, but Pei Cangyu could hear nothing but the wind and his own breath, his eyes fixed on Bai Shi the entire time.
They walked all the way home. Pei Cangyu didn't say a word. Bai Shi politely said goodbye to the sisters, saw them to their door, and chatted with the neighbors for a moment before coming back to unlock their own door. He led Pei Cangyu inside, put their things down, went to the bathroom to turn on the water, and told Pei Cangyu to go take a shower while unbuttoning his own shirt.
From beginning to end, Pei Cangyu stood still. Even though he was inside the room, he could still hear the wind and his own breathing.
Bai Shi passed by him. "Go take a shower," he said, walking forward.
Pei Cangyu lowered his head and reached out to grab the hem of Bai Shi’s shirt. Bai Shi stopped.
"What is it?" Bai Shi asked him.
Pei Cangyu let go and walked toward the bathroom.
Later, he lay on his back in bed with the lights off, listening to the ticking of the second hand. Bai Shi came in after drying his hair; likely thinking Pei Cangyu was asleep, he moved quietly to spread out his own bedding and lay down on the floor.
There were plenty of rooms, but for the sake of surveillance, there was no other choice.
Pei Cangyu wasn't sleeping. He listened to the ticking of the clock as Bai Shi gradually grew quiet.
The second hand ticked past eight thousand seconds, and Pei Cangyu’s eyes remained open.
He threw back the covers and sat up, walking barefoot to Bai Shi’s side. He sat down, lifted one side of Bai Shi’s blanket, and slid inside. He looked at Bai Shi’s back, reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, and lightly kissed Bai Shi’s neck.
His hands and feet were trembling. He had only kissed him once when Bai Shi woke up.
Bai Shi gripped his hand with great force, only letting go once he realized it was him. He looked at Pei Cangyu with confusion.
Pei Cangyu leaned in again to kiss Bai Shi’s cheek. Bai Shi looked even more surprised and didn't move.
Pei Cangyu grew bolder. He wrapped both arms around the back of Bai Shi’s neck, closed his eyes, and kissed his mouth—pressing against lips that did not open.
Bai Shi calmly pinched his face and pulled back slightly, staring at him.
Bai Shi should have said something—asked what he was doing, or if he was sure.
Pei Cangyu’s eyes stared back, slightly dazed, his lips full and glistening. He was dissatisfied with being pulled away and tried to lean in again.
Bai Shi held his face, slowly leaning in as his hand wrapped around Pei Cangyu’s waist.
And so, the kiss became intense.
