Lu Mingyue put on his suit jacket, straightened his bowtie once more in the mirror, and curled his lip. "What a pain... When can I finally retire?"
The dressing room door was suddenly pushed open, and the floor manager came in to urge him: "Hurry up."
Lu Mingyue raised a hand, putting on a good-natured smile. "Yes, yes, I’m coming."
He tied back his slightly long hair. Seeing the manager’s face darken, he could only crinkle his eyes further. "Right away."
Lu Mingyue waited at the kitchen entrance. The sous-chef pushed the door open: "X7." An assistant then rolled out a cart. Lu Mingyue took the X7 dish from it, removed the stand, held it in his hand, and walked out.
He approached a table near the fountain. A woman was sipping red wine, her gaze fixed on the man across from her. The man, dressed in an expensive black suit, was fidgeting nervously. He gripped his hands and let go, glancing at the woman before quickly looking away, seemingly trying to summon some sort of resolve.
Lu Mingyue paused for a moment, watching the atmosphere build. Finally, the man swallowed hard, reached into his pocket, and began to speak of love.
Lu Mingyue smiled. Seizing that exact moment, he stepped forward and set the dish down, blocking the man’s movement as he reached for the ring. The woman looked at him with a hint of amusement; the man looked up with a face full of impatience, glaring at Lu Mingyue with irritation.
Internally, Lu Mingyue curled his lip. He wanted to advise the girl that this fellow’s temper wasn't great. But it was none of his business. He introduced the dish with a smile, topped off their wine, and lingered intentionally. Only after seeing more sweat gather on the man’s forehead did he finally depart.
*The first drumroll rouses the spirit, the second flags it, and the third exhausts it.* Lu Mingyue looked back lingeringly; he wanted to go over there one more time later. He wondered how this compared to being interrupted mid-intercourse. Would they look back on this day and only remember how lousy the proposal felt, eventually leading to a breakup?
He found the thought funny. Just as he turned his head, he saw Pei Cangyu standing at the entrance.
Pei Cangyu was looking at him. The floor manager was politely asking if he had a reservation and for how many.
Lu Mingyue didn't move, and neither did Pei Cangyu; he just stared. The manager stopped asking. He knew exactly who this person was; the boss didn't bring people here often.
Lu Mingyue finally sighed and walked over to him. He tilted his head, signaling for Pei Cangyu to follow, and Pei Cangyu did.
They entered the dressing room. A man was currently changing; he greeted Lu Mingyue and left once he was finished. Lu Mingyue looked around to confirm they were alone.
Pei Cangyu looked at him. "You're here too."
Lu Mingyue fixed his gaze on him. "Is this place only for you?"
Pei Cangyu shook his head. "That's not what I meant."
Lu Mingyue leaned against a locker, staying more than two meters away.
"I mean, he comes here to see you, doesn't he?"
Lu Mingyue laughed. "You make it sound like we're having an affair." He arched an eyebrow. "Put that way, it's actually quite thrilling."
"The day he brought me here, he left the table to settle the bill. He never leaves the table to pay." Pei Cangyu wasn't swayed by Lu Mingyue's antics. "At the time, I thought this place was different. We came back twice after that. Once, when he went to pay, I followed a bit and saw him talking to someone. I couldn't see the face clearly. But a week ago, at this same time, I guessed I would see that person if I came now. Turns out, it's you."
Lu Mingyue said with a beaming smile, "My apologies. But we're innocent; nothing happened."
Pei Cangyu nodded. "That's not what I'm here to talk about."
Lu Mingyue's face stiffened slightly. "Don't be like that. Don't you want to have a row with me over it? I quite like that kind of drama. Don't you want to threaten to tell my workplace and ruin my reputation or something?"
"No. I didn't come for that."
Lu Mingyue rolled his eyes boredly and sat on a stool. "Then what do you want? Let me say this upfront: I'm not giving him up. We—"
"Can you let my friends go?"
Lu Mingyue froze for a moment, turning to look at Pei Cangyu.
Pei Cangyu took a few steps toward him, looking up at him. "After I discovered them, I came here, and you came too. I don't know when Bai Shi realized he was being followed, but if even I could notice, he certainly should have."
A look of helplessness appeared on Lu Mingyue's face. "You came all this way just for that?"
Pei Cangyu nodded vigorously. "Yes."
Lu Mingyue looked up at him, seemingly unwilling to discuss the topic. He remained silent for a while, looking at Pei Cangyu with a faint smile. He loosened his bowtie, pried open the manager's locker, and opened a bottle of red wine for himself. After uncorking it, he set the cork aside and took a swig directly from the bottle.
When he set it down, he saw Pei Cangyu's expression and shrugged. "No manners, right? That's just how I am."
Pei Cangyu looked at the cork. "Are you planning to stuff that back in later?"
Lu Mingyue nodded. "I'm a coward."
Pei Cangyu was speechless. Lu Mingyue chuckled.
He stood up and circled Pei Cangyu, as if inspecting a horse in a stable. His gaze swept up and down with a scrutinizing air. Then, he gave an ambiguous smile and reached out to swat Pei Cangyu's backside.
Before his hand could make contact, Pei Cangyu instinctively dodged to the side. Lu Mingyue's palm struck only air.
Pei Cangyu was more embarrassed than he was, even explaining, "There was a breeze, so I just..."
Lu Mingyue looked at the ceiling and shook his head helplessly. He went back to rummaging through the manager's locker, looking for cigarettes.
Pei Cangyu stared at him and suddenly asked, "You..."
Lu Mingyue turned. "Hmm?"
"What's your name?"
Lu Mingyue propped himself against the locker door. "Lu Mingyue."
"Was that... always your name?" Pei Cangyu saw his expression stiffen and quickly added, "Have you ever changed it?"
Lu Mingyue slammed the locker door shut and walked toward him. Using his height advantage, he looked down at him, his tone distant. "What do you mean by that?"
Pei Cangyu looked at Lu Mingyue honestly. "Where... did you go to middle school?"
Lu Mingyue didn't answer. He simply crossed his arms and returned to his chair. "Weren't you here to plead for your friends?"
"Yes." Seeing him retreat, Pei Cangyu took a step forward. "I hope you'll let them go. If we were classmates before..."
Lu Mingyue raised a hand to cut him off. "Forget the attempts at familiarity. I'm weary of the past."
Pei Cangyu choked on his words, then asked, "Then what can I do?"
Lu Mingyue was growing impatient. "You're thinking too simply. With the way they're following us, it's not just Bai Shi—even I find it dangerous. Besides, we have no obligation to explain our reasons to you." Lu Mingyue pointed a finger at him. "You need to understand your own situation."
"They..." Pei Cangyu paused here. "Who else is there besides Fei Zuohua?"
Lu Mingyue arched an eyebrow, his tone slightly displeased. "Your middle school classmates. Your friends."
Pei Cangyu had intended to ask who the man next to Fei Zuohua was last time, but Lu Mingyue clearly hadn't expected that. Pei Cangyu froze, taking a few seconds to process, while Lu Mingyue also sensed something was off.
Before he could react, Pei Cangyu stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "My friends? Who?"
Seeing his expression, Lu Mingyue knew that if he didn't speak now, Pei Cangyu wouldn't let it go. It was harmless enough anyway. "A guy named Kong, and another one called Monkey—I heard someone call him that."
Pei Cangyu instantly froze in place.
Seeing him look like he’d short-circuited, Lu Mingyue waved a hand in front of his eyes. When there was still no reaction, he figured the kid was in shock. He had no interest in providing psychological counseling for a child, so he stuffed the cork back into the bottle, smeared over the puncture mark, and haphazardly returned it to the manager's locker.
Then he turned around and was startled by the burning intensity in Pei Cangyu's eyes.
"You can't touch them." Pei Cangyu's grip on him was like a pair of pliers.
Lu Mingyue gently pried his hand away. "Little friend, I don't call the shots on this."
Pei Cangyu raised his voice, his brown pupils looking like they held a small, flickering flame. His entire being suddenly seemed to brighten as he looked straight into the depths of Lu Mingyue's eyes. "Do you just do whatever Bai Shi says?"
Lu Mingyue nodded slowly.
Pei Cangyu frowned. "What does Bai Shi plan to do?"
Lu Mingyue didn't answer, but the answer was obvious.
Pei Cangyu took a deep breath and stared at Lu Mingyue. "What will it take for you to stop?"
"Betray Bai Shi?" Lu Mingyue shook his head. "I've never tried that."
"You're afraid of him, aren't you?"
Lu Mingyue desperately wanted to say no, that his feelings for Bai Shi were pure love, but he wouldn't even believe those words himself. Normally, one isn't as subservient to a lover as he was. He wanted to comfort himself by saying his total compliance was because he was a born romantic, that sacrificing everything for a lover was a common ailment of the sentimental. But deep down, since middle school, no matter what stage his relationship with Bai Shi reached, he was always a little afraid of him. This fear was part of where Lu Mingyue's sense of security came from.
He could have easily used talk of love and sorrow to push and pull with Pei Cangyu, but facing such a pair of honest, sincere eyes—eyes he could see right to the bottom of, where the entire past lay exposed without even an attempt at hiding—Lu Mingyue could tell at a glance what Pei Cangyu was thinking. He said exactly what was on his mind; he was easy to read.
In that silence, Pei Cangyu took his lack of denial as confirmation that he feared Bai Shi.
Pei Cangyu patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. I have a way. Bai Shi won't hurt you."
Lu Mingyue found it funny. "What way?"
Pei Cangyu was somewhat mysterious. "I can't tell you yet."
There was a knock on the dressing room door, and then it was pulled open. The newcomer looked at the lingering Pei Cangyu and Lu Mingyue, standing at the door unsure whether to enter or retreat.
Lu Mingyue quickly reached out. "It's fine, he was just leaving."
As he spoke, he placed both hands on Pei Cangyu's shoulders and led him out. Near the door, he leaned close to his ear. "Don't come back. I'll tell Bai Shi."
Pei Cangyu turned his head stubbornly. "I'm coming back."
Despite saying that, the next time he saw Bai Shi, Lu Mingyue said nothing.
Bai Shi was just passing through, waiting for him in the back alley. He was smoking a cigarette he had just lit. He never leaned against anything when he stood; he stood very straight on his own. Seeing Lu Mingyue running toward him, he spared him a glance. "Fast enough."
Lu Mingyue gave a small smile. Bai Shi took the cigarette away and tilted his head back to blow out a puff of smoke. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Lu Mingyue looked away.
"Is there anything?"
Lu Mingyue shook his head. "No. Everything is normal."
Bai Shi nodded and was about to turn away when Lu Mingyue called out to stop him. "...The matter with the Mayor, how is it going?"
Bai Shi turned to look at him. "Don't ask."
Lu Mingyue nodded instinctively. A clap of thunder sounded in the sky, rumbling over from the distance.
Lu Mingyue looked up at the heavy dark clouds and hurriedly called out to Bai Shi, "I'll go get you an umbrella."
Bai Shi glanced at the sky and didn't look back. "No need."
Lu Mingyue didn't want to argue. He turned and ran back, moving incredibly fast. As he passed through the kitchen, everyone watched his fluttering coat tails. He was like a sprinter, breaking into a sweat over the short distance. By the time he got back outside, Bai Shi had only just reached the mouth of the alley.
Lu Mingyue ran to his side and handed him the umbrella. Bai Shi didn't reach for it. "I said no need."
"It's going to pour. I saw the weather report."
Bai Shi gave him a look, said nothing, and walked away.
The rain fell soon after. Lu Mingyue watched Bai Shi's back; in moments, he was soaked through, looking like a drowned rat. But this sudden rain had its benefits—it came fast and left fast.
Back in middle school, Bai Shi had told him that if you wanted to evoke sympathy, a soaked cat, a fawning dog, melting snow, or a scar that you tried to hide were all good tools. Bai Shi had spoken with great authority back then, like someone summarizing years of experience. At the time, Lu Mingyue had really wanted to tell him: *No, it has nothing to do with those things. Because it's you, even an arrogant cat, even a vicious dog, even a frozen mountain in the dead of winter, or even just a mosquito bite would make me feel for you.*
Lu Mingyue walked back, the rain drenching him as well.
The next day, he saw Pei Cangyu again.
Pei Cangyu was aggressively blocking the back door. His first words were: "You didn't tell him, did you?"
Lu Mingyue put on a smile. "Take a guess."
"That means you have your own plans. Let's cooperate."
Lu Mingyue leaned back. "No, I just didn't have time to say it yesterday. I'll say it today. I'll definitely say it today."
Pei Cangyu stared at him. "You're lying."
Lu Mingyue smiled. "I am not."
Pei Cangyu frowned, nearly losing his temper. "How can you be like this?"
Lu Mingyue was speechless. *Is he an elementary schooler?*
But his mischievous streak surfaced again. "Like what? Tall, rich, and handsome? Or the versatile type?"
"No... it's just..." Pei Cangyu couldn't find the words. He felt like he was trying to prove "a tree is a tree"—something so obvious, yet he had to explain it. To tell someone on a dark path "do not kill," only to be asked "what's in it for me." Though Pei Cangyu had run wild on Heping Road, it didn't mean he truly understood the logic of a desperado.
For the next half hour, Lu Mingyue watched as Pei Cangyu repeatedly explained, "Everyone is a good friend, they're all good people. For example, Apple, he's like this... for example, Monkey, he's like that..."
Lu Mingyue really wanted to say he didn't know either of those people and it was none of his business, but honestly, he was a bit shocked that Pei Cangyu could remember so many things from the past so clearly.
He asked, "You remember so clearly because you think about it often?"
"Yeah," Pei Cangyu said without thinking. "I need it."
"Need what?"
"Just this." Pei Cangyu didn't know how to explain and scratched his head. "Good things. You have to remember the good things. I need that."
Lu Mingyue looked at Pei Cangyu, who was somewhat confused because he couldn't express himself clearly, and nodded. "I understand."
"You understand? That's great, I didn't even know how to put it."
"So what if you remember good things?" Lu Mingyue asked with genuine curiosity.
Pei Cangyu had been listing his friends' virtues; being interrupted, he stopped. "It just..."
He couldn't think of the answer. The scene fell into silence.
Lu Mingyue leaned against the wall and waited for a long time. Finally, he patted him. "Go on home."
***
Two days later, he came again.
Lu Mingyue looked at the boy standing at the entrance like a "husband-waiting stone." Every guest passing by gave him a look, which gave Lu Mingyue a headache. His look was too flashy—why was there a bit of silver on his eyebrow? Couldn't it be washed off? And that buzz cut, that young and handsome face, paired with his righteous gaze, pursed lips, displeased expression, oversized jacket, and two straight, thin legs in uniquely designed sneakers—he stood motionless at the door. From the perspective of a professional "Top," Lu Mingyue had to admit that Bai Shi really knew how to dress someone.
Pei Cangyu stood there with a persistence that suggested he intended to achieve enlightenment right there on the spot, but his outfit was far too fashionable. He looked like some kind of trendy, fierce little Buddha—the kind that carries hammers and guns.
No matter how composed Lu Mingyue was, he couldn't withstand everyone staring at him.
He finally beckoned to Pei Cangyu, bringing him into the back alley.
"What now?" Lu Mingyue lit a cigarette. *It's going to rain again, damn it.* "I'm not changing my mind. If you have this much time, go persuade Bai Shi instead."
Pei Cangyu shook his head. "I thought of it."
"What?"
"Remembering good things," Pei Cangyu said, "gives you courage."
Lu Mingyue looked up. "Courage? To face rumors..."
Pei Cangyu frowned. Lu Mingyue laughed. "I thought you were going to start singing."
"Having courage means," he looked at Lu Mingyue, "relying on yourself."
Lu Mingyue watched him with the cigarette in his mouth. Pei Cangyu gazed back fervently.
It started to rain.
"Aren't you leaving? The rain's getting heavy."
Pei Cangyu looked up at the rain. "I..."
"I'll give you an umbrella. Wait here for a second."
Pei Cangyu nodded blankly. "Oh, okay. Thanks."
Lu Mingyue walked back slowly, got an umbrella, and returned. Pei Cangyu was still waiting there obediently, his hair damp. He handed the umbrella to Pei Cangyu and patted his shoulder again. "Next time. No rush."
Pei Cangyu wanted to say something else, but the rain was falling so hard he couldn't be heard.
So, Pei Cangyu could only say goodbye.
Lu Mingyue leaned against the wall and watched him slowly walk away.
He looked up at the sky. It was raining, yet the moon was out, though it was blurry and hard to see.
He went back and got another umbrella, walking in the direction Pei Cangyu had left.
Pei Cangyu felt a tap on his shoulder by the roadside. He turned to see Lu Mingyue holding an umbrella. The latter smiled at him and handed him the umbrella. "Let's swap. I like that one better."
"Oh." Pei Cangyu swapped umbrellas with him.
Lu Mingyue smiled. "Goodbye."
Pei Cangyu nodded. "Yeah."
Lu Mingyue walked back. Looking up, he saw the green eagle painted on the inside of the umbrella. He felt he had been a bit impulsive; he had originally intended for Bai Shi to discover it. But in the end, he hadn't done it.
He didn't know why.
The next time Pei Cangyu came, Lu Mingyue agreed to his request.
***
