Translator: Lynn
Hihiii, Surprise!
Thanks to @Ani King for the ko-fi sponsor! There will be 2 bonus chapters released outside the weekly schedule. Stay tuned!
Sponsored chapter (1/2)
Cheng Ke observed Jiang Yuduo’s serious expression and questioned whether it was worth continuing the conversation.
“Why?” Jiang Yuduo inquired once more.
Cheng Ke, still focused on his noodles, responded angrily, “To collect the rent.”
“It’s not due yet,” Jiang Yuduo replied. “Am I making you angry just because I didn’t understand your word? Isn’t that an overreaction?”
“It’s GAY.” Cheng Ke swallowed his noodles and hesitated before using his finger to write “GA…” on the table.
“Is it an English word?” Jiang Yuduo suddenly realized, rummaging through his pocket. “Why can’t I comprehend it?” He took out a pen and a scrap of paper from a cigarette case and placed them in front of Cheng Ke.
Cheng Ke glanced at him, picked up the pen, wrote down the three letters, and pushed the paper toward Jiang Yuduo.
Jiang Yuduo examined the paper and asked, “How do you pronounce it? And what does it mean?”
Cheng Ke laid his head on the table and replied, “However you like.”
Jiang Yuduo inquired about the word’s meaning, but Cheng Ke remained silent, closing his eyes.
After a while, Jiang Yuduo stopped asking and focused on his phone. It seemed he was searching for the word’s meaning. He sighed, sat down, and continued eating his noodles.
“Understood,” Jiang Yuduo said. “So it’s a gay bar. Lin Xu sent you there, so he must be gay as well.”
Cheng Ke nodded in agreement.
“Ah,” Jiang Yuduo acknowledged. He then put down his phone and posed another question, “Why does everyone know that you’re gay?”
“I didn’t hide it,” Cheng Ke explained. “I’m sure everyone will eventually find out.”
“I see,” Jiang Yuduo murmured, contemplating the information. He then furrowed his brow and asked, “Does Lin Xu want to pursue you? Like a man pursuing a woman or a woman pursuing a man?”
“No,” Cheng Ke responded after finishing his noodles and wiping his mouth with a paper towel. “I just want to make friends, and it might not lead to anything more.”
“Got it,” Jiang Yuduo acknowledged.
Cheng Ke cast a quick glance at Jiang Yuduo, curious about the thoughts behind his pensive expression.
The following day’s video shoot was no different from the previous day. Jiang Yuduo remained seated on a small sofa in the corner, sipping tea as he watched.
Today, there was a new person who hadn’t been present the previous day, while those who were there yesterday had all returned. Jiang Yuduo observed for a while but couldn’t identify any specific tasks assigned to the newcomer.
During Xu Ding’s break, he sat down next to Jiang Yuduo and asked, “Did you notice there are more people today than yesterday?”
“Yeah,” Xu Ding replied with a smile. “A friend of mine came by to discuss a potential collaboration with Cheng Ke.”
“Oh,” Jiang Yuduo responded, choosing not to pursue the topic further.
Regardless of the nature of their collaboration, he knew he wouldn’t understand it anyway.
The filming concluded relatively early that day, just after lunch. However, Cheng Ke stayed behind and engaged in a two to three-hour conversation with Xu Ding and his friend.
On the way to the restroom, Cheng Ke caught up with Jiang Yuduo.
“It’ll take some time,” Cheng Ke informed him. “Do you want someone to take you back first?”
“No, it’s too much trouble. I’ll wait,” Jiang Yuduo said. “You focus on what you need to do, don’t worry about me.”
“Feeling bored?” Cheng Ke asked.
“Yeah,” Jiang Yuduo chuckled. “I’m bored every day, but it doesn’t bother me.”
“You can go upstairs and take a look,” Cheng Ke whispered. “There’s a room upstairs that contains…”
“What?” Jiang Yuduo also whispered back.
“All sorts of… love, sex toys,” Cheng Ke said.
“What kind of sex toys?” Jiang Yuduo was taken aback and after a couple of seconds, he realized, “What the fuck? People actually collect these things?”
“They’re not the usual ones you can buy in stores,” Cheng Ke cleared his throat. “If you’re bored, you can explore and alleviate your boredom. The room is usually locked, but Xu Ding and I are here today, so you can go in.”
“Have you seen it?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
“No,” Cheng Ke replied. “I haven’t had the chance to take a look yet.”
Jiang Yuduo hesitated for a moment and asked in a hushed tone, “Do you want me to take some pictures for you?”
Cheng Ke glanced at him, held back his laughter for a while, and leaned against the wall, saying, “No need. I’m just concerned about your boredom, so I wanted to find something entertaining for you.”
“Yeah,” Jiang Yuduo smiled.
“Well, I’ll go in then,” Cheng Ke said, glancing at the people in the room. “We’ll finish our chat in about half an hour.”
“Okay, I…” Jiang Yuduo looked towards the stairs. “I’ll go up and take a look later.”
Cheng Ke turned and entered the room.
After Jiang Yuduo finished using the restroom, he paused for a moment and, seeing no one around, decided to ascend the stairs.
For the past two days, he had been sitting on the sofa, almost blending into the background of the video shooting hall. Several times, staff members approached him and startled him when they suddenly noticed him sitting there. It gave him a sense of security, a feeling of being unnoticed.
And so, this marked Jiang Yuduo’s first venture into the small galleries of this private museum.
However, as he perused each exhibition hall, he began to understand why Cheng Ke had suggested he look at those sex toys. Perhaps Cheng Ke also realized that he wouldn’t comprehend the other exhibits.
To him, a painting was just a painting, a bottle was merely a bottle, a plate was nothing more than a plate, and a piece of iron was simply a piece of iron…
He stood at the doorway of the room, lost in thought for a long while, but ultimately decided not to enter. Instead, he turned around and leaned against the railing of the corridor.
There was a small ashtray hanging from the railing. Based on his observations over the past two days, it was an indication that smoking was permitted in this area. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.
Sometimes, he wondered if he was too careless in considering Cheng Ke as a friend.
For the first time in many years, he had regarded someone as his friend after knowing them for only a few months, or even less. He didn’t even know if someone like Cheng Ke would consider him a friend or if he could accept having a friend like Jiang Yuduo. The more he interacted with Cheng Ke, the more he felt that such a friendship was destined to fade away. Perhaps he had lived a monotonous and dull life for far too long. Cheng Ke was like a small glimmer of light that, once it shone, made the surrounding darkness invisible. But once that light vanished, the original grayness would turn into pitch blackness, and it would take a long time for it to fade away. However, it was too late to withdraw now. Regardless of Cheng Ke’s thoughts, Jiang Yuduo had to protect what they had.
A friend may disappear, but a friend should not disappear because of him.
Voices could be heard emanating from downstairs, indicating that Cheng Ke and the others had finished their conversation and come out. Jiang Yuduo extinguished his cigarette, turned around, and was about to descend the stairs when he caught sight of a figure passing by outside the window on the first floor, which was diagonally across from the corridor.
Abruptly, he sharply turned his head, fixating his gaze on the window.
Beyond the window lay the parking lot, where everyone’s cars were parked. However, all he could see at the moment was a patchy layer of snow, partially covered by vehicles, and a few small areas of exposed black and yellow ground.
Just as Cheng Ke was about to dial Jiang Yuduo’s number on his phone, he spotted him descending from the second floor. The fact that this kid had spent nearly forty minutes inspecting a room filled with intriguing collectibles… It truly reflected his streetwise nature. But as Jiang Yuduo approached, Cheng Ke noticed his expression wasn’t quite right.
Though others might not have noticed, Cheng Ke could discern it clearly. Jiang Yuduo appeared somewhat nervous, and even after smiling at Cheng Ke, Xu Ding, and the others, he continued to stare intently at the window to the right.
Curiosity piqued, Cheng Ke followed Jiang Yuduo’s gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary, only a few parked cars visible through the window.
“If you don’t feel like eating, then don’t eat,” Xu Ding glanced at his watch. “Should I have the driver take you and Third Brother home?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Ke nodded.
“I’ll be back in two days from my business trip, so let’s meet up at the restaurant then,” Liang Yi chimed in.
Liang Yi was Xu Ding’s friend who had established the sand painting-themed restaurant mentioned earlier. However, Liang Yi was merely a financial contributor and wasn’t involved in the management.
“Okay,” Xu Ding replied. “Xiao Ke and I will take care of the rest.”
The group made their way to the parking lot together, and as they passed the window once more, Cheng Ke took another glance but failed to detect anything unusual. The parking lot appeared empty. He even paid specific attention to the base of the wall beneath the window, only to find a layer of undisturbed snow without a trace of footprints from stray cats or dogs.
Xu Ding drove Cheng Ke and Jiang Yuduo back. During the car ride, Jiang Yuduo remained on edge, casting a couple of anxious glances over his shoulder.
Once they left the outskirts of the city and returned to the bustling streets, he seemed to relax a bit. Throughout the journey, he remained silent but didn’t appear lost or devoid of things to say.
Upon their arrival downstairs, after Xu Ding’s car departed, Jiang Yuduo finally broke the silence, as if he had been holding back for a considerable time. “Did you see something?”
“Huh?” Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“The people in the parking lot,” Jiang Yuduo stated.
“No,” Cheng Ke replied. His assumption was correct—Jiang Yuduo was indeed anxious about that.
Frowning at Cheng Ke’s response, Jiang Yuduo inquired, “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Cheng Ke responded softly. “The parking lot is visible from that window. If someone were truly there, there would be footprints, wouldn’t there?”
Jiang Yuduo stared at him in silence.
“There isn’t a single footprint from the wall to the parking lot,” Cheng Ke stated. “I checked thoroughly.”
Jiang Yuduo remained silent for a prolonged moment, his gaze fixed on Cheng Ke, his eyes filled with complex emotions that Cheng Ke couldn’t decipher.
“You didn’t see anything,” Jiang Yuduo softly responded, “so why did you bother checking for footprints?”
Cheng Ke sighed. “You looked troubled when you descended the stairs. I thought you had seen something, so I took a closer look in the parking lot.”
“But you didn’t tell me,” Jiang Yuduo frowned.
“What could I have said?” Cheng Ke questioned.
This time, Cheng Ke could perceive the emotion in Jiang Yuduo’s eyes—a profound unease. It was a gaze he had never witnessed before, one that instantaneously conveyed the person’s evident anguish.
When Jiang Yuduo spoke again, his voice was low and husky. “Cheng Ke.”
“Huh?” Cheng Ke replied.
“You don’t believe me,” Jiang Yuduo asserted.
Cheng Ke was taken aback, uncertain of how to respond.
“You don’t believe me,” Jiang Yuduo softly repeated, “do you?”
“I don’t know what to believe…” Cheng Ke struggled to answer. Jiang Yuduo’s current state made him feel a faint sense of fear, yet it also evoked empathy. He wanted to embrace Jiang Yuduo and pat his back but didn’t dare. All he could do was rub his arms through his coat. “I don’t know what happened.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jiang Yuduo said.
Dinner remained an unresolved issue. The refrigerator, empty except for yesterday’s remnants of eggs and ham sausages, appeared to be a mere power-consuming appliance. Jiang Yuduo had turned it into a makeshift cabinet.
“Takeout?” Cheng Ke suggested as he picked up his phone.
Jiang Yuduo remained silent, seemingly hesitant.
“Alright, ordering takeout is bothersome. Why don’t we… order a few dishes?” Cheng Ke suggested. “I’m usually alone, and ordering just one dish feels dull, but ordering two is too much..”
“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo nodded in agreement.
Cheng Ke pondered for a moment and proceeded to order a large bone soup, steamed pork, and sweet and sour pork ribs.
“Do you think that’s enough?” he asked Jiang Yuduo.
“You…” Jiang Yuduo looked at him, “How do you stay in shape?”
“Huh?” Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“Two meat dishes and a soup—no vegetarian option?” Jiang Yuduo sighed, “No wonder you have to go to the gym.”
“Enough with that,” Cheng Ke chuckled. “I simply enjoy eating meat. If you want something vegetarian, you can buy some fruits.”
“Where can I find fruits?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
“We’ll buy them tomorrow,” Cheng Ke replied.
The meat and vegetable dishes arrived promptly. Cheng Ke felt a bit exhausted after engaging in deep conversations with Xu Ding and the others throughout the day. It had been a while since he had to use his brain like this. He grabbed some food and ate alone.
Jiang Yuduo, as usual, ate with great concentration and refused to share or snatch any food.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Cheng Ke asked while munching on his meal.
“I didn’t do anything today,” Jiang Yuduo replied. “I just sat there without exerting any energy.”
Cheng Ke sighed, “I truly admire you for being able to stay like that all day long…”
As he spoke, an explosion resounded from downstairs, startling Cheng Ke. It was followed by another explosion.
All the cars parked downstairs began blaring their horns, creating a cacophony of honking sounds.
“Fuck!” Cheng Ke realized it was firecrackers being set off, but Jiang Yuduo had already approached the window, peering down.
Cheng Ke set down his chopsticks, looked at Jiang Yuduo, and waited for a while. Seeing that Jiang Yuduo had no intention of returning to the table to resume eating, he said, “It’s just a child setting off firecrackers. It’s almost Chinese New Year.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jiang Yuduo said but remained in place.
Cheng Ke ignored him, lowered his head, and continued eating. After he finished a bowl of rice, Jiang Yuduo returned to the table.
After dinner, Cheng Ke felt like watching a movie, preferably not a horror film. However, Jiang Yuduo remained silent for almost an hour after they finished eating.
There seemed to be no reason for him to be nervous, but he appeared highly vigilant.
Cheng Ke didn’t know how to help him relax, and it seemed impossible to achieve. Lying on the sofa felt suffocating, and the state of not knowing what to do was frustrating. He drifted off in a daze, feeling that the cat resting on his lap was about to be touched by him. So he turned on the projector, randomly selected a film, and started watching. It happened to be a romantic movie, but Cheng Ke paid little attention to it other than knowing that the two characters were in a relationship.
When the movie was nearly over, his phone rang.
There was an incoming message.
The ringtone suddenly made him feel breathless, and he picked up the phone to check the message.
The chat was from Lin Xu.
— Brother Cheng, are you free tonight?
Cheng Ke read the message but didn’t respond immediately.
Are you free tonight? Available.
In truth, he didn’t really want to go out, but the current feeling of depression and unease was making him uncomfortable. He hesitated until the phone’s screen went dark, then he picked it up again and navigated through a few taps, eventually landing on Lin Xu’s Moments1WeChat Moments/WeChat Circle of Friends = news feed of your profile. Lin Xu didn’t post frequently, mostly sharing photos. Cheng Ke couldn’t imagine finding any private photos there. They were mostly work-related, captured casually during their job. Somehow, it made him feel good.
After gazing at Lin Xu’s profile picture for a while, he sent a message back to him.
— Where at?
Lin Xu quickly replied, saying “The same place as last time.”
Cheng Ke pondered for a moment and asked again.
–- Who else is coming?
—- Only me, I’m drinking alone.
— Okay.
“Huh?” Jiang Yuduo looked up at him.
“I’m going out for a bit,” Cheng Ke said, “I made plans to meet a friend for a drink.”
Jiang Yuduo remained silent for a moment, subconsciously glanced at the time on his phone, and then replied, “Oh.”
Cheng Ke didn’t bid him goodbye. He stood up, put on his coat, and when he was ready to leave, he noticed that Jiang Yuduo was staring at him with a puzzled expression. Cheng Ke contemplated for a moment, then walked up to Jiang Yuduo and said, “Pen and paper.”
Jiang Yuduo took out a pen and a torn cigarette case from his pocket and handed him the paper. Cheng Ke wrote down the name of the bar on it.
“I’ll be at this place,” he said.
Jiang Yuduo looked at the piece of cigarette wrapper, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.
He didn’t want Jiang Yuduo to worry too much, but from his perspective, he couldn’t find any valid reason to disclose his destination to him. In the end, he chose to say nothing.
A car pulled up in front of Jiang Yuduo, and Chen Qing poked his head out. “Third brother.”
“Have you already gone home?” Jiang Yuduo opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
“Yeah, but there’s nothing to do at home.” Chen Qing turned the car around. “Where are you heading?”
“To a bar called Leisi.” Jiang Yuduo provided Chen Qing with the address.
“It’s quite far,” Chen Qing remarked. “Jegger-LeCoultre is going to a fun place. If I were to go to a bar now, I’d pick a nearby one.”
These three letters, G-A-Y, bring happiness, but perhaps not in the sense you think, Jiang Yuduo contemplated.
What is the joy of homosexuality? Finding a boyfriend or girlfriend is more complicated than for others.
After driving for a while, Chen Qing glanced in the rearview mirror. “Third brother, the car behind us…”
“I know,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
The car behind them had exited their community and had been following them for almost three streets now.
“It’s turning a corner,” Chen Qing informed.
“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo responded.
Once the car turned, no other vehicles followed them.
However, Jiang Yuduo didn’t feel safe. After all, they were not only the targets, but Cheng Ke as well. Following the navigation’s instructions, they arrived at the street where the bar was located. Jiang Yuduo gazed out of the car window. The streets filled with bars all shared a similar appearance. Neon lights illuminated the darkness, yet no matter how many lights there were, they couldn’t fully brighten the streets. The music changed every ten meters, evoking laughter and tears, happiness, and sadness. The emotional expression became monotonous and frenzied in such an environment.
“Keep going, it should be around here,” Chen Qing observed outside. “Everything is blinding because of the lights. San-ge, you should take a look too.”
“What am I looking for?” Jiang Yuduo asked him.
“The bar, does it have the same2类似 is translated to similar, thus the same name name?” Chen Qing pondered for a moment. “Oh, I think it’s two words…”
“Leisi,” Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brows.
“Yes, Leisi… that’s the one!” Chen Qing pointed ahead.
Jiang Yuduo looked in the direction he indicated. There was a prominent sign, mainly silver with a black hollow in the middle and two simple black characters.
“Yes,” Jiang Yuduo nodded. “Find a place to park.”
Chen Qing drove the car slowly, and they had moved about 20 meters when another car happened to drive away.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Chen Qing exclaimed and swerved the car, attempting to grab the parking spot. He pressed the accelerator to get half of the car’s body into the space, and then quickly reversed while cursing, “Fuck you! It’s too late to compete with your uncle for a parking spot! You idiot! Let me show you how your uncle parks the car!”
Jiang Yuduo slapped him on the arm. “I’ll give you ten seconds. If you don’t get out and teach him a lesson, shut up!”
Chen Qing fell silent.
After parking in the designated spot, the car that they had contended with drove past them, and the driver turned to give them a provocative look.
“Exciting,” Chen Qing commented as he opened the car door and stepped out.
Jiang Yuduo sighed. Like Chen Qing, even if there were ten of them, they wouldn’t draw a second glance. He opened the door and exited the car, walking slowly toward the front of the vehicle, staring at the man. After two seconds, the man averted his gaze, and his car continued moving forward.
“How is my mighty aura, great right?” Chen Qing said.
“Now you look foolish,” Jiang Yuduo replied and returned to the car.
“Aren’t you going in?” Chen Qing was taken aback. “Aren’t we sitting here?”
“Yeah,” Jiang Yuduo responded, lowering his head to light a cigarette.
“No, something might happen to Jaeger-LeCoultre,” Chen Qing was a bit perplexed. “We won’t be of any help here.”
“I’m afraid I might run into him if I go in,” Jiang Yuduo explained. “I don’t want him to know that I’m out for a drink. I prefer to tail him.”
“You’re protecting him, so why not let him know?” Chen Qing frowned. “Besides, we often go to bars, so why can’t we go in for a drink? There are so many people, how many will recognize someone like you in a crowd at first glance?”
“…Do you know what kind of bar this is?” Jiang Yuduo sighed.
“Isn’t it just a bar?” Chen Qing looked at him.
“This one is special,” Jiang Yuduo said.
“To whom?” Chen Qing was stunned.
Jiang Yuduo didn’t respond, but simply stared at the bar’s entrance. At that moment, about seven or eight men entered, and most likely, they were all… men. If he and Chen Qing were to go in, it wouldn’t attract too much attention.
And as Chen Qing had mentioned, if something happened to Cheng Ke, it would be too late by the time they found out, while sitting in the car.
“To whom?” Chen Qing asked once again.
“Fine,” Jiang Yuduo gritted his teeth and pushed open the car door. “Let’s go in.”
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