Chapter 31 - The Unwelcome Surprise
Jiang Tong could never have imagined the truth. When Xiao Fengtai sent that photo, he wasn't in Singapore at all. Instead, he was sitting on a shuttle bus departing from Beijing Capital International Airport, heading toward the heart of the city. At the very last moment, he had signed up for a summer camp traveling to China.
The flight had been delayed, and the bus was filled with drowsy students swaying rhythmically with the vehicle's inertia. The long-haul flight in economy class had left Xiao Fengtai’s back aching and his muscles stiff, yet his mind was buzzing with an abnormal, electric excitement.
Jiang Tong hadn't replied to his message yet; Xiao Fengtai guessed he was already asleep. In any case, the photo had been a mere feint—a classic "drunkard’s interest not being in the wine." Thinking of his ingenious alibi, Xiao Fengtai couldn't help but let a smirk tug at the corners of his mouth. He loved the thrill of orchestrating a surprise for Jiang Tong. To him, this was a meticulously laid trap, a perfect crime, while his handsome, refined "police officer" remained entirely in the dark, blissfully unaware of what was happening or what was about to unfold.
Xiao Fengtai leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window. They hadn't seen each other for two weeks, yet Jiang Tong’s image grew more vivid and three-dimensional in his mind with every passing day. As he watched the river of neon lights flickering outside, he recalled the way Jiang Tong looked with his sleeves rolled up, revealing the lean, corded muscles of his forearms. He remembered the sharp angles of his jaw, the rough texture of his stubble against his palm, and the way Jiang Tong would pull him into a firm embrace the moment he stepped through the door, tossing his glasses onto the table with a careless flick of one hand. In the cool night air of Beijing, Xiao Fengtai felt a sudden, parching thirst. Every cell in his body seemed to ache for Jiang Tong—for his touch, his kiss, his gaze.
*Would Jiang Tong miss me the same way?*
The summer camp was a twelve-day program organized by the Chinese Embassy in Singapore. According to the itinerary, the students were supposed to travel through Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to witness the "magnificent landscapes of the motherland" and the "fruitful results of socialist economic construction under Reform and Opening-up." Unfortunately, Xiao Fengtai—a greenhouse flower born into the "decadent" lap of capitalism—was stubbornly unteachable. When the group received their hotel key cards, he exchanged a tacit look with the lead teacher. The check had already cleared. As per their secret agreement, he would part ways with the main group tonight and only rejoin them at the end of the camp for the flight back to Singapore.
Xiao Fengtai thought he would suffer from insomnia, but the moment his head hit the pillow, he fell into a dead faint. When he woke, his first instinct was to grab his phone. Jiang Tong had finally replied—he had indeed fallen asleep early the night before.
"Stay safe while you're out. Try to read a book once in a while."
Lukewarm, old-fashioned, and entirely composed. It was a quintessential Jiang Tong response. Fortunately, Xiao Fengtai had the room to himself; he could roll around on the bed with reckless abandon, grinning like a complete fool.
"Just woke up," he typed, springing out of bed and messaging with one hand. "Are you going to the lab today?"
"I'm almost there," Jiang Tong replied quickly this time. "I’m going to have a preliminary chat with the professor. I’ll officially start working tomorrow."
"You're already on campus?" Xiao Fengtai asked, feigning casual curiosity. "I heard the whole university is like a traditional garden. Are you doing experiments in an old building with flying eaves and verandas?"
When Jiang Tong received the message, he was just walking toward the entrance of the Biology Building. He looked up at the modern glass-curtain wall of the structure and the dusty asphalt road before him. He let out a silent laugh and snapped a photo to send back to Xiao Fengtai.
"It seems my cousin lied to me," Xiao Fengtai replied after a moment. "He came here on exchange and described Yenching University like an ancient imperial garden. Turns out the reality is just a construction site."
"Some parts of the campus are indeed beautiful. When you have a chance to come to Beijing, I’ll show you around." On a sudden whim, Jiang Tong decided to tease him. "It’s a good place for a date."
"You'd better keep your word." After sending the message, Xiao Fengtai tucked his phone away and dragged his suitcase into a taxi. He enlarged the photo Jiang Tong had sent and thrust it toward the driver’s seat. "Master, take me to this building inside Yenching University."
The only variable in Xiao Fengtai’s plan was his inability to control Jiang Tong’s schedule. To be safe, he had to get into position as early as possible and wait for the "rabbit to hit the tree." The air conditioning in the lobby of the Biology Building was pleasantly cool. Xiao Fengtai sat on his suitcase, scrolling through his phone. His thumb swiped aimlessly across the screen; he couldn't focus on any app, his mind occupied only by the increasingly loud thumping of his own heart.
Jiang Tong emerged from the elevator accompanied by a middle-aged man. Xiao Fengtai guessed this was the "renowned professor"—he looked younger than expected. He stood up from his suitcase. Jiang Tong drew closer. The sky had turned from cloudy to clear, and sunlight poured through the glass facade, bathing the corner where he stood. His back felt hot from the sun, followed by a faint, prickling itch of nerves.
He stood there in silence, knowing full well that it was impossible for Jiang Tong not to see him. Xiao Fengtai was certain their eyes met for a fleeting second in mid-air, but Jiang Tong’s gaze merely skimmed over him like a dragonfly brushing the surface of the water before turning away.
He walked right past him without looking back.
Jiang Tong and the middle-aged man walked out the door, laughing and chatting, and continued their conversation at the entrance. From a distance, Xiao Fengtai could only catch fragments of sentences—nothing but flavorless pleasantries. The two waved goodbye; the professor turned back toward the elevator, while Jiang Tong walked away from the Biology Building without a backward glance.
In all the scenarios Xiao Fengtai had imagined, the only difference was the degree of Jiang Tong’s surprise. He stood frozen, unable to believe what had just happened.
*Did I see the wrong person?*
However, just as he was about to convince himself to keep waiting, Jiang Tong returned. His face was expressionless. Before Xiao Fengtai could even speak, Jiang Tong grabbed his suitcase and strode out of the building at a brisk pace.
The campus was shaded by green trees, but unfortunately, ancient trees couldn't absorb the heat from the air as easily as they did carbon dioxide. Jiang Tong’s strides were long and urgent. Xiao Fengtai had to jog to keep up, quickly breaking into a hot sweat.
"Put my suitcase down!" he finally snapped, shouting at Jiang Tong’s back. Jiang Tong ignored him, maintaining his forced-march pace.
Grievance, confusion, and anger fermented into a volatile mix. Xiao Fengtai’s temper flared. He caught up and gave Jiang Tong a hard shove. "I told you to put my suitcase down!"
Jiang Tong stopped abruptly. He turned and looked down at Xiao Fengtai, his eyes dark and heavy, like the leaden sky before a midsummer storm. Xiao Fengtai realized, with a sense of profound absurdity, that Jiang Tong was furious—more furious than he had ever been, even when Xiao Fengtai had first provoked him with senseless arrogance.
"Does your family know you're in Beijing?" Jiang Tong asked, his voice dry.
"I’m here for a summer camp—" The sheer pressure radiating from the older man forced Xiao Fengtai to tell the truth. "But I ditched the group. I’m supposed to rejoin my classmates in two weeks."
"I know what you're thinking, and you're right." He straightened his back, flashing Jiang Tong a slightly mocking smile even as his eyes began to sting. "I kept it from my family, I kept it from the school, and I kept it from you. I just dragged my luggage to Beijing to find you on a one-sided whim."
Jiang Tong’s expression softened, perhaps belatedly realizing how hurt Xiao Fengtai felt. He lowered his voice. "Where are you staying? I’ll take you back."
"It’s too late," Xiao Fengtai whispered. "They’ve already left for Shanghai."
He was lying. The summer camp’s itinerary in Beijing had only just begun. But Jiang Tong’s reaction gave Xiao Fengtai a familiar, sinking premonition. For one of the few times in his life, he let his tongue outrun his brain.
If Jiang Tong thought he was homeless and had nowhere to go, how would he react?
Jiang Tong frowned in thought for a moment, then began searching for flight information on his phone.
"I’ll send you to Shanghai," he said, calm and resolute. "We’ll take the high-speed rail this afternoon. You can rejoin your classmates tonight."
"I’m not going," Xiao Fengtai said instantly.
"Don't be difficult," Jiang Tong said irritably. "Give me your passport number. I’m booking the ticket now."
"I said I’m not going to Shanghai!" Xiao Fengtai grew desperate. "Jiang Tong, why exactly do you not want me to stay in Beijing?"
He couldn't understand Jiang Tong’s unusually cold and adamant stance. If the roles were reversed, Xiao Fengtai knew he would be desperate for Jiang Tong to stay. Away from the social networks of Singapore, they could be free in Beijing, doing everything a normal couple could do. He had dreamed of such a day.
Unless Jiang Tong really was hiding something from him—like a second girlfriend in Beijing. Xiao Fengtai had experienced such things personally and had seen similar dramas play out countless times among his peers. For now, he refused to consider that possibility.
Jiang Tong looked at him as if he were being completely irrational. "Do you have any idea that legitimate hotels won't let a minor check in alone? If you stay in Beijing, where will you live? Under a bridge with the vagrants?"
"Why can't I stay at your house?" Xiao Fengtai said offhandedly. "Just say I’m your junior from Singapore, visiting Beijing for the summer. I can share a room with you; we can just set up an extra cot."
Jiang Tong rarely spoke to Xiao Fengtai about his family. Xiao Fengtai had unilaterally assigned him the background of a typical Mainland student in Singapore: a middle-class urban family, not wealthy but not wanting for money either. His parents were likely well-educated, and though it was a blended family, the atmosphere was surely warm and harmonious, hence their willingness to invest in Jiang Tong’s education.
Jiang Tong didn't look like the child of a wealthy Mainland family. However, since he was a Beijing local and could afford to study in Singapore, the family ought to have a decent apartment. Xiao Fengtai, accustomed to villas and detached condos, felt he had already lowered his standards significantly.
Yet, Jiang Tong’s expression looked as though he had been slapped across the face.
"You won't want to live at my house," he said quietly.
***
**GLOSSARY OF NEW TERMS**
