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There were birds singing outside the window.
Xu Cheng pulled a tie out of the wardrobe and helped Yang Zhou put it on. The two naturally shared a kiss. "Come home early."
"Okay." Yang Zhou brushed the stray hair from Xu Cheng's forehead and straightened the crooked collar of his pajamas. His expression and movements were both familiar and natural.
The front door closed. Xu Cheng, barefoot, walked silently to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room and watched that familiar black Porsche drive farther and farther away.
The phone on the table vibrated twice, and Xu Cheng knew—the person he had arranged was already tailing that Porsche.
That's right. He suspected his husband was cheating on him.
The moment this thought appeared, Xu Cheng felt almost immediately ashamed for doubting him.
Two months ago, Yang Zhou suddenly said he had to go on a business trip. What was originally a one-week trip was postponed multiple times and eventually stretched into a full month. At first, Xu Cheng didn't think much of it.
But then Yang Zhou began going on frequent business trips, became unpredictable about when he got off work, and sometimes didn't come home at all, claiming he had to work overnight. Xu Cheng even found a woman's lipstick and a silk scarf in the pocket of Yang Zhou's suit.
Such intimate items finally made Xu Cheng wary.
But he didn't ask anything. He didn't say a word. He knew how much Yang Zhou loved him. He was afraid that once he voiced his suspicions, the damage would be irreversible.
Xu Cheng walked into the living room, still barefoot, and made his way to the fridge. He took out a bottle of cold water and drank most of it in one gulp. As the icy water went down, his reason slowly returned, and he began to feel a bit ridiculous. How could he have such thoughts? Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding, or maybe Yang Zhou had just been careless for a moment.
He needed to calm down—and then go to the kitchen to prepare lunch for Yang Zhou.
He and Yang Zhou had known each other since they were kids. They grew up together, and during college, they made their relationship official. They had now lived together for ten years. Xu Cheng was certain that in those ten years, he and Yang Zhou had been very much in sync, both physically and emotionally.
He felt happy and secure.
And he firmly believed that Yang Zhou did too.
Now, to doubt him because of some unfounded suspicions—it was truly unfair. Thinking this, Xu Cheng put the remaining half bottle of cold water back into the fridge. Even though he knew Yang Zhou would see it when he got back, he didn't secretly refill it out of guilt.
He needed these small, ordinary actions to give himself a sense of security.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food. Toast had been placed neatly on a porcelain plate, already spread with strawberry jam.
Yang Zhou had left it for him—he knew Xu Cheng had low blood sugar and needed something to eat after waking up.
The toast was still warm, and the strawberry jam was fragrant and sweet. Xu Cheng took a bite, holding the rest between his lips. He glanced at a cookbook and immediately knew what he wanted to cook today, so he leaned against the sink and planned to finish the toast in his mouth first.
Just then, his phone rang at an inopportune moment. Xu Cheng pulled out a box of shrimp and two packs of beef from the fridge, never once glancing toward the living room.
He blanched the beef to remove the gamey smell, bent down to prepare the shrimp, and got the side dishes ready.
An hour had passed.
The beef bubbled as it simmered in the pot, and the braised shrimp was just finished. The phone in the living room rang again. Xu Cheng couldn't ignore it anymore, so he put down his chopsticks and walked to the living room with brisk steps.
He wasn't nervous about the unknown, because nothing was more certain than the answer already in his heart. That's why, when he clicked on the video, he could still clearly recall the slight smile at the corner of his lips at that moment.
The woman in the video was a stranger, but Xu Cheng was all too familiar with the man standing opposite her. They were standing in front of a residential building, with the woman's arms wrapped around Yang Zhou's back and her face on his chest.
Such an intimate pose.
Xu Cheng was stunned, almost unable to look away.
He couldn't quite tell if it was anger or confusion he felt—perhaps more than anything, he was at a loss. He had seen many unfaithful men and women, and he understood how long a lifetime could be, but he never imagined that person would be Yang Zhou.
Turns out, he and Yang Zhou were experiencing the ten-year itch[1].
The alarm in the kitchen went off. Xu Cheng snapped out of it and, without even locking his phone screen, rushed to the kitchen to turn off the stove. The aroma of the beef stew had already filled the whole kitchen.
But Xu Cheng couldn't bring himself to look at that video again. He let the phone go dark on its own as it finished playing.
Just like always, he packed the meal neatly, sliced the fruit, and placed everything carefully into a thermal lunch bag. Then he went to the bedroom and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
There was still half an hour before Yang Zhou's lunch break.
Xu Cheng left the house and took the subway to Yang Zhou's company.
The CEO's office was on the top floor. Xu Cheng swiped his card and entered the elevator. As the doors opened, he was met with Yang Zhou's eyes.
Seeing him, Yang Zhou hesitated.
But Xu Cheng spoke first. "Something going on?"
"A project hit a snag. I need to make a quick trip to Hong Kong City," Yang Zhou replied as he stepped into the elevator, casually pulling Xu Cheng in with him. "I just finished a meeting and didn't get a chance to tell you yet."
Xu Cheng frowned. "But you haven't had lunch."
"I'll grab something on the plane," Yang Zhou said, taking a small step back and placing his right hand on Xu Cheng's waist, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be back soon."
Xu Cheng was silent for a few seconds. "Want me to help you pack?"
"No need," Yang Zhou said, withdrawing his hand. "Someone over there will take care of it."
The elevator soon arrived at the basement level. The driver brought the car around and Yang Zhou motioned for Xu Cheng to get in.
"I'll drop you home first."
Xu Cheng didn't move. "You go ahead. I'll grab a taxi myself."
Maybe because it was urgent, Yang Zhou - uncharacteristically - didn't insist. He simply leaned down, pressed a kiss to Xu Cheng's forehead, and told him, "Wait for me at home."
Just as the car door was closing, Xu Cheng couldn't hold it in any longer and finally spoke, "Yang Zhou, I have something I need to ask you."
Yang Zhou saw his lips move but couldn't make out the words, so he rolled down the window. "What?"
"Nothing," Xu Cheng said, taking a deep breath. He didn't want to burden him at a time like this. "We'll talk when you get back."
The Porsche soon pulled out of the underground garage, leaving only Xu Cheng standing where he was, holding a white thermal lunch box in his hand.
Yang Zhou was always busy, often away on business trips. Every time, he would let Xu Cheng know a few days in advance and promise exactly when he'd be back—never vague, never careless. Xu Cheng had packed his luggage countless times, taken him to the airport even more. Yang Zhou had never left him alone in an underground parking lot like he just did.
Xu Cheng wasn't the unreasonable type, but once he started thinking about the little routines he'd grown used to, it was easy to notice things were different.
It was only now that Xu Cheng realized—Yang Zhou had changed a lot.
He took the elevator back up to the first floor. As he walked out the front doors of the office building, he tossed the lunchbox in his hand into a trash bin.
The house was quiet, with a light on in the entryway.
Xu Cheng locked the door behind him. The air still carried the scent of cooked food. Only then did he remember he hadn't had lunch yet. So he walked into the kitchen, brought the leftover dishes to the table, and sat down. But once seated, he found he no longer had the appetite to eat.
Even now, he didn't feel anything like anger. It was more like a dazed sense of disconnection.
What did normal couples do when one of them cheated?
With that thought, Xu Cheng picked up his phone and opened a search engine.
First, he would need to prepare a divorce agreement—one that both parties had to sign. Xu Cheng thought it over slowly for a few seconds. It shouldn't be difficult, he figured. After all, for Yang Zhou, it really couldn't be better if he brought up the matter first.
Then the two of them would need to bring their identification and marriage certificate to the marriage registration office.
Xu Cheng's thoughts paused. He and Yang Zhou didn't have a marriage certificate—they were homosexuals, and same-sex marriage was not legally recognized or protected.
So their 'divorce' would just be a matter of saying it out loud.
There were no assets entangled, no children to consider. Once the words were said, everything could be cut off—clean and complete.
Xu Cheng smiled self-deprecatingly, stood up, dumped the untouched food into the trash, placed the dishes into the dishwasher, and pressed the start button.
His whole person seemed completely beaten.
In the living room, the lights were dimmed low and the television was playing a breaking news report.
"On June 13, 2038, the bionic robot developed by Cheng'an Group entered the trial phase and is expected to be officially put into use within ten years. This robot uses an implanted chip model to link data with memory..."
Xu Cheng curled up on the sofa, feeling feverish. Even the news on the TV began to blur, overlapping with fragments of memory.
He saw a pair of feet. The black soles of the feet were connected to thin calves, and above them were tattered shorts full of holes and old clothes salvaged from somewhere. The owner of those feet quickly crossed the river stepping over jagged river stones. The water reached his chest, yet he moved like a raft gliding over the surface—swift, light, and effortless. In just a few strides, he reached the opposite riverbank.
"Xu Cheng! If you don't come over, I'm leaving." Yang Zhou called out, but didn't move. His feet, smudged with riverbed silt, were still planted firmly on the stones.
The river water rose past Xu Cheng's calves and he took a step back. "I'm scared."
Yang Zhou didn't ask; he didn't need to. As if picking up on some invisible signal, he waded back across the water and crouched down in front of Xu Cheng. "I'll carry you over."
Xu Cheng lay on Yang Zhou's bony back, his chest pressing against the boy's protruding shoulder blades, the sharp edges digging in with a dull ache. He thought of his father's broad back, so he reached out and patted Yang Zhou's shoulder. "You're so thin."
Sweat beaded on Yang Zhou's forehead and slipped down along his brow bone into his eyes, but he didn't blink. "You're not heavy either."
Xu Cheng bit his lip. Just as the rising smoke from cooking fires in the village came into view, he asked Yang Zhou to put him down. "Will you come find me later?"
"No." Yang Zhou straightened up, wrung out the wet legs of his pants forcefully, and lifted his head to meet Xu Cheng's eyes. "There's still a lot of work to do."
Xu Cheng pouted. "Your work will never be finished, but I only have one birthday a year."
"Alright, alright," Yang Zhou sighed in surrender, "I'll come."
He lied. As Xu Cheng stepped through the doorway of his home, he heard insults and the sound of beatings from the house next door. That's how he knew—Yang Zhou wouldn't be coming today.
After dinner, the family gathered around the stove for warmth. Mother Xu added a few lumps of coal to the fire and sighed softly, "That boy is really pitiful."
Xu Cheng said nothing. He thought of the birthday cake he'd hidden away. The moon outside was full, so round and bright it lit up the stone path as if it had been polished to a shine—each step kicked up a trail of flowing moonlight.
Xu Cheng couldn't sleep. He quietly stood at the top of the stairs, where there was a window.
Yang Zhou whispered his name. "Xu Cheng!"
Xu Cheng was startled and poked half his head out, just in time to see Yang Zhou hiding behind a haystack. His face was swollen, his lips bruised, and his outstretched arm had purple marks.
Xu Cheng knew he had been beaten.
"Does it hurt?" He didn't ask why Yang Zhou had been beaten, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.
"It doesn't hurt." Yang Zhou smiled, rubbed his hand across Xu Cheng's face, and pulled it back. "Happy birthday!" He held out his hand again, a keychain in his palm—a tiny ceramic pony.
Xu Cheng pressed his finger to his lips. "Shh, wait for me." Yang Zhou placed the tiny pony on the windowsill and stood atop the haystack, looking up and waiting.
Xu Cheng appeared shortly after, holding a paper cup. Inside was a slightly deformed birthday cake. On top of the cake was a piece of chocolate molded into the words "Happy Birthday."
Yang Zhou blinked, carefully took the birthday cake from Xu Cheng, but didn't eat it right away. He looked up at Xu Cheng's pointed chin and asked, "Did you make a wish?"
"No," Xu Cheng looked down at him, and amused by his silly expression, he teased, "I have so many wishes, I might never finish making them all!"
"You can borrow my birthday too to make a wish," Yang Zhou said, his gaze lifting to meet Xu Cheng's lips curved like a crescent moon. He couldn't help but smile back.
The night breeze carried the scent of wildflowers and the stone path was aglow in the clear moonlight. Yang Zhou huddled in the haystack, talking to Xu Cheng, until they heard Mother Xu's voice calling from the house.
"ChengCheng! Where are you? It's the middle of the night! Why aren't you in bed?!"
Xu Cheng jumped in surprise, not daring to stay any longer. "Remember to cover yourself with the straw and don't catch a cold. I'll come see you tomorrow!"
[1] 十年之痒. same as seven-year itch, just a different number.
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