On a Sunday afternoon, Lin Hui and He Jian Shan went to Luo Ting’s home together.
He Jian Shan drove while Lin Hui checked his phone and chatted. Mid-conversation, Lin Hui noticed a paper bag in the backseat and curiously asked, “What did you bring?”
“I brought a bottle of wine, and—”
Hearing “wine,” Lin Hui suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, “Oh no, you didn’t bring a bottle from your own collection, did you?”
He Jian Shan had a collection of expensive wines at home, with even the cheapest bottle costing hundreds of thousands. Lin Hui didn’t want him to bring something so extravagant as it might put Luo Ting and his wife under pressure.
He Jian Shan shook his head, “No. I went to Xue Pei’s and picked up a bottle of white wine, low alcohol content and slightly sweet, great for the whole family during the New Year. Since you said both of them are teachers and they have a child, I also got a card from Xian Chao Bookstore. With this card, they can pick a book every month for three years.”
Xian Chao Bookstore was an old and well-respected bookstore in Jinghua City, known for its wide and comprehensive selection of books. Lin Hui frequented it but had never heard of such a card. Whether it was the wine or the bookstore card, He Jian Shan had put thought into his gifts, showing how much he valued this meeting.
Thinking about this, Lin Hui felt a warmth in his heart, his lips curling up into a smile without his control.
Seeing this, He Jian Shan asked with a smile, “What’s so funny?”
Lin Hui affirmed him, “I think you have a natural talent for being a boyfriend.”
“You’re wrong,” He Jian Shan earnestly corrected. “I only have a talent for being Lin Hui’s boyfriend.”
They soon arrived at their destination. As they stepped out, Lin Hui was startled by Luo Ting and Gu Wenli standing at the door, arms crossed, smiling professionally as if preparing to welcome a state leader.
For a moment, everyone just looked at each other, no one speaking first.
Finally, Gu Wenli, the more composed host, broke the ice with a welcoming smile, “Welcome, come on in, it’s cold outside.”
Once inside, Gu Wenli excused herself to prepare dinner, leaving Luo Ting alone in the living room facing the increasingly awkward atmosphere.
Lin Hui nearly laughed out loud: The couple had lectured him before, and now, one escaped to the kitchen, and the other stood there quiet as a quail. What a well-matched couple.
Honestly, it wasn’t Luo Ting or Gu Wenli’s fault. Although they had gossiped about He Jian Shan because of Lin Hui, facing him in person brought a strange mix of formality and an inexplicable intimacy, like meeting a childhood friend from next door whom you hadn’t seen in years.
Luo Ting scrambled for topics while welcoming He Jian Shan, “Um… we have a kid, so it’s a bit messy, please don’t mind, have a seat.”
His modesty was apparent; Lin Hui noticed the house was cleaner than when he’d last visited. Casually sitting next to He Jian Shan, Lin Hui sent him a WeChat message while Luo Ting went to make tea: [Please start your performance]
Luo Ting replied with two words expressing his current state of mind: [Damn it]
After serving tea, Luo Ting hesitated before addressing He Jian Shan, “Mr. He, please have some tea.”
Sensing the other’s discomfort, He Jian Shan offered, “I’m a few years older than Lin Hui, if Teacher Luo doesn’t mind, you can call me ‘He Ge,’ or just by my name.”
Luo Ting stared at Lin Hui, silently pleading for help: I can’t say it!
Lin Hui almost burst out laughing and quickly smoothed over the odd tension, “No need to complicate things, just call him ‘President He,’ it sounds friendlier.”
Luo Ting breathed a sigh of relief, “Right, right, President He, please enjoy your tea.”
Although it was He Jian Shan’s first time in such a setting, he was more at ease than Luo Ting. Because of Lin Hui, he felt a genuine fondness for Luo Ting and Gu Wenli. It was a refreshing experience; everything here delighted him.
He Jian Shan took the initiative to start a conversation, “Lin Hui mentioned that both Teacher Luo and Teacher Gu teach at an elementary school. It must be quite challenging to manage the kids?”
Once Luo Ting started talking about his students, he became more animated, “The first and second graders are indeed tough to manage. I currently teach first grade, and at that age, it’s more about helping them develop habits than learning knowledge.”
“Did I see lots of colored paper and cut-outs of animals and insects by the entrance? Are those your teaching materials?”
Luo Ting scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, “Yes, I teach natural sciences, and I have to help the children understand the world. Sometimes it’s tough, having to draw, write, and do crafts. I’ve even been told by my students that my drawings are ugly; it’s really hard.”
“You could let your daughter do it; kids probably love playing with those things, drawing, cutting stuff.”
Luo Ting nodded repeatedly, “Wow, President He, how did you know? She really likes helping me with these. When I’m too busy, I let my daughter handle it. My wife jokes that I’m employing child labor.”
All three laughed together, and Luo Ting visibly relaxed. School was his comfort zone, and the conversation naturally transitioned from students to other topics. Apart from the initial awkwardness, the chat was pleasantly smooth, and both men seemed to enjoy themselves. Lin Hui found himself unable to get a word in, and before dinner, Luo Ting even whimsically suggested, “There’s still some time before we eat, why don’t we play some poker while we chat?”
He Jian Shan nodded, “Sounds good.”
Both turned to Lin Hui, who gave a polite but awkward smile, “…No problem.”
As Luo Ting fetched the cards, saying, “Come on, let’s move to the table,” Lin Hui followed and nudged him, whispering, “Didn’t you tell me you wanted to ask him about stocks if he came over?”
“Pfft, what do you know? Talking about stocks isn’t as fun as playing Fight the Landlord with your husband.”
The three of them played and chatted, reminiscent of Luo Ting’s college days. He couldn’t help but laugh, “We used to play cards in the dorm too. And Lin Hui, you had a habit when playing; if you had smaller singles, you’d always play those first. Basically, at the start of each game, when it was your turn, you’d definitely play a single. So we gave you a nickname—‘Zhi Zhi,’ because you liked playing small ‘zhi zhi.’ Hahaha.”
Lin Hui sighed, “Enough already, how do you remember all this?”
But He Jian Shan seemed to enjoy the newly learned nickname, chuckling as he played his hand, “Zhi Zhi, it’s your turn.”
Lin Hui blushed and lightly kicked him under the table.
When it was time for dinner, it was Gu Wenli’s turn to shine. Although the meal was simple homemade fare, Lin Hui had seen the photos Luo Ting posted on social media; the dishes were on par with New Year’s Eve standards, certainly the highest effort. Touched and amused, Lin Hui couldn’t help but recommend to He Jian Shan, “Teacher Gu is an excellent cook; you’re in for a treat today, eat up.”
He Jian Shan nodded with a smile, “Thanks to you.”
Seeing this, Luo Ting dramatically clutched his chest, “I’m full just from watching.”
Everyone at the table laughed.
Gu Wenli looked at Lin Hui and then at He Jian Shan, “I’ve heard some of the stories about you and President He from Lin Hui, and I’m so envious~”
Luo Ting nodded, “But it’s driving me crazy. She questioned me that night, asking why I couldn’t do the same?”
Lin Hui and He Jian Shan looked at each other, shaking their heads in amusement.
“Then I said, ‘Because you’re not Lin Hui, a perfect male lead needs a perfect female lead.’”
“So I figured it out, do what you can with what you have. Being perfect like President He in everything isn’t something everyone can handle.” Gu Wenli laughed a bit, “If it were me, I’d feel too pressured.”
He Jian Shan paused for a moment.
After dinner, He Jian Shan took on a new task: assembling LEGO. While cleaning, Luo Ting had accidentally broken a corner off his daughter’s cherished LEGO set. Luckily, the instruction manual was still there, but neither spouse was adept at such detailed work. Initially, they planned to ask Lin Hui for help, but He Jian Shan volunteered instead, and Lin Hui helped Gu Wenli clear the table.
He Jian Shan patiently fitted the small pieces together, while Luo Ting leaned against a wall covered in pink hearts, chatting sporadically. After a while, he couldn’t resist pulling out a cigarette and placing it in his mouth, “President He, don’t mind me, I’m just faking a smoke. I know you don’t like the smell of cigarettes, Lin Hui told me.”
He Jian Shan, curious, asked, “Lin Hui mentioned me to you?”
Luo Ting bit the cigarette, thinking: He’s mentioned you more times than I can count. Unrequited love isn’t easy; if Lin Hui didn’t talk about it with friends, he’d have been suffocating.
He Jian Shan waited but Luo Ting didn’t continue, prompting him to ask, “Teacher Luo, would you mind telling me what he said?”
“It’s nothing much, just chit-chat. I talk about school kids, he talks about your company, Annie, Li Fenghai; I’m pretty familiar with all that.”
He Jian Shan smiled as he placed a flower beside the little house.
As if opening a floodgate, Luo Ting continued, “Actually, Lin Hui was the youngest in our dorm, but he was the most mature one in our dorm, or I should say our class. Maybe it’s due to his family situation, but he’s always been extremely independent, determined not to trouble others if possible. If you treat him well, he’ll repay you tenfold, everyone likes him. Originally, he was supposed to go to Wan Zhu, and none of us from the dorm agreed, you know, it was a big leap since he had a spot reserved for postgraduate studies. Our teacher in the major really liked him, we all thought he’d follow the teacher after graduation, but he gave it up for Wan Zhu.”
He Jian Shan frowned, “Can I ask why he didn’t continue his studies?”
“He said he lost motivation. He was studying horticulture for his grandmother, but she passed away before he graduated. She died in the summer, during the school holidays, while he stayed on campus to help a teacher with a project for a competition, he was the only undergrad in the team. The competition was crucial, linked to the entire team’s efforts, so he couldn’t leave immediately, not even for a final goodbye. Later, a senior from the team told us that the day he received the call from home, he sat on a bench in the school stadium and cried all afternoon, then went back to work.”
“I admire him, really, I don’t know why at the same age he can be so strong. If it were me, I definitely couldn’t manage.”
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Luo Ting fell silent for a long time before snapping out of his reminiscence, “What were we talking about? Right, we often talk about work, Wan Zhu, and then, mostly about you.”
Luo Ting paused, removing the cigarette from his mouth, looking at He Jian Shan, “He said you’re too tired, and he wants to help you share more, whether it’s work or anything else.”
He Jian Shan stopped what he was doing.
“President He, as his good friend, I have to say this about your relationship with Lin Hui—” Luo Ting took a deep breath, raising his thumb,
“Your taste is damn good.”
Author’s note:
President He: Thanks, I think so too.
