Zhuang Hanxue’s train of thought was suddenly interrupted. He instinctively turned his head, only to find one of his former playboy-era drinking buddies, Zhai Ziping, sitting right next to him.
After not seeing each for many years, they unexpectedly reunited in a gay bar.
Zhuang Hanxue was shocked. How did he end up running into him here? He’d never heard that Zhai Ziping was into men before.
Zhai Ziping blurted out, “What are you doing here? You… are you… Did you come to the wrong place?”
Zhuang Hanxue collected himself and decided not to lie, “No, I didn’t. I know this is a gay bar. I’m dating a man now.”
Zhai Ziping was utterly astonished. He scrutinized Zhuang Hanxue with a mix of envy and admiration, firing off questions rapid-fire, “It’s been years since I last saw you, but you still look so young. Do you come here often? I’ve never bumped into you before. Never thought you’d be into this too. What’s your contact info these days?”
Zhuang Hanxue felt a bit overwhelmed. This wasn’t the time for catching up. Remembering his purpose, he replied with disinterest, “Sorry, let’s chat another time. I’m here to pick up my boyfriend.”
With that, Zhuang Hanxue finally had a moment to address the bartender, “Excuse me, do you know Qiu Zheyan? Where is he?”
The bartender did not care at first but perked up at the mention of Qiu Zheyan. He eyed Zhuang Hanxue intently, “So you’re Qiu Zheyan’s sweetheart?”
Zhuang Hanxue nodded, “Yes, he called me to say he’s drunk and asked me to pick him up.”
The bartender pointed in a direction, “There, he’s in that room. Go find him.”
Zhuang Hanxue didn’t plan on engaging with his old friend further, but as he stood up, he remembered something and turned back, “Don’t spread word about my personal life, alright?”
Zhai Ziping hesitated, then nodded, “Okay.”
Zhuang Hanxue entered the room, where people were sprawled about haphazardly. Someone lifted their head from a bottle and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Zhuang Hanxue replied, “I’m here for Qiu Zheyan.”
The room suddenly came alive like zombies rising, “Whoa, Qiu Zheyan’s lover is here!”
“I want to see what kind of beauty has Qiu Zheyan so smitten.”
“Where? Where is he? Which of the three at the door?”
Qiu Zheyan seemed to be not drunk at all. He stood up and walked over to Zhuang Hanxue, acting sweet and obedient, “You’re here.”
Zhuang Hanxue couldn’t help but laugh. He found it incredibly amusing. He’d never seen Qiu Zheyan drunk before. Was he always this funny when completely intoxicated?
Zhuang Hanxue reached out and patted Qiu Zheyan’s head, then extended his hand, “Come on, put your hand in mine.”
Qiu Zheyan, like an obedient puppy, gently placed his hand in Zhuang Hanxue’s palm.
Oh? He’s really this compliant? Zhuang Hanxue was laughing so hard his stomach hurt. Mischievously, he said, “Now, say ‘woof woof’.”
The room erupted in laughter.
Qiu Zheyan asked in confusion, “Say what? I didn’t hear clearly.”
Zhuang Hanxue repeated, “Woof woof.”
As Zhuang Hanxue waited for Qiu Zheyan to imitate a dog, Qiu Zheyan’s demeanor suddenly shifted. A faint, dark aura seemed to emanate from him as he tilted his head and smiled, “You bark so well.”
Zhuang Hanxue: “…”
The onlookers burst into laughter.
Zhuang Hanxue joined in the laughter, unsure if Qiu Zheyan was truly drunk or not. He took Qiu Zheyan’s hand, “Didn’t you call me to take you home? Are you really drunk? Come on, let’s go home.”
Qiu Zheyan became docile again, following him out. At the doorway, he turned back and said, “See that? You guys were badmouthing my wife, but look how good he is to me. I’m going home now to make a chubby baby with my wife.”
The onlookers cheered, “Alright, alright, go make that chubby baby. Let your wife give you a big, fat son, and we’ll be the godfathers.”
Qiu Zheyan called out randomly, “Wife, wife, wife.”
Zhuang Hanxue was nearly at his wit’s end, “Okay, okay. Must it be a son? How about a daughter?”
Qiu Zheyan shyly kissed him, “Fine, a daughter works too. You’re so good to me, wife.”
Zhuang Hanxue burst out laughing.
Zhuang Hanxue led Qiu Zheyan out as if walking a dog.
Zhai Ziping silently watched as Zhuang Hanxue left with a tall, handsome man.
The bartender asked, “What’s up? You know Mr. Zhuang?”
Zhai Ziping nodded, “Sort of. I never thought he’d turn gay though. Couldn’t tell at all.”
The bartender said, “His partner is a friend of mine. They’ve been together for over three months.”
Zhai Ziping ordered an expensive drink and asked curiously, “How did they get together? Can you share?”
The bartender replied, “I don’t know the details. They’re living together now, and I think my friend is keeping him as a sugar baby. I’ve heard he’s in his thirties. He’s quite good-looking indeed, and gives off a pleasant vibe.”
Zhai Ziping gasped, “What? A sugar baby? Zhuang Hanxue is being kept? Has he fallen so low?”
The bartender asked nonchalantly, “Was he doing well before? What kind of person was he? My friend mentioned he used to date many women.”
Zhai Ziping said, “Yeah, he was quite the playboy. Don’t know why, but he always attracted women. A girl once told me it was because Zhuang Hanxue was an easy target. Any decent-looking woman could easily hook up with him.”
The bartender chuckled, “Really? Is that so?”
Remembering Zhuang Hanxue’s warning and his family situation, Zhai Ziping vaguely said, “Yeah, he’s just a big fool. Don’t know if he’s still as foolish now.”
Zhuang Hanxue had already brought Qiu Zheyan home and given him some hangover medicine.
Qiu Zheyan was genuinely drunk.
When Zhuang Hanxue returned from getting medicine in the living room, he found Qiu Zheyan missing and the window open. They were on the seventeenth floor! Startled, he searched around and found Qiu Zheyan curled up under the table. He couldn’t help but laugh, “What are you doing hiding there?”
Qiu Zheyan replied, “I’m reflecting on myself.”
Zhuang Hanxue coaxed, “Come out first. What are you reflecting on?”
Qiu Zheyan said remorsefully, “I regret it. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have called you to the bar. Now they’ve discovered my treasure, they’ll all try to steal you from me. I’m doomed.”
Zhuang Hanxue laughed, coaxing him out from under the table, “Don’t regret it. I won’t even look at them, okay?”
“Besides, I’m just a man in his thirties. Only you like me. You don’t need to worry about anyone stealing me. I’m so worthless, what do you even like about me?”
Qiu Zheyan sprang out from under the table, standing tall like a big boy.
He pulled Zhuang Hanxue into his alcohol-scented embrace, holding him tenderly.
Kissing his eyes, “I like these.”
Kissing his nose, “I like this too.”
Kissing his mouth, “And I really like this.”
Then, like peeling a bamboo shoot, he started undressing Zhuang Hanxue piece by piece, kissing him and repeating, “I like you, Zhuang Hanxue. I really like you. I like you so much. How can you be so lovable?”
He was acting like a fool.
A complete idiot.
Qiu Zheyan hugged him and asked, “I’ve said ‘I like you’ so many times. Do you like me a little more now?”
Zhuang Hanxue’s heart melted as he comforted him, “Yes, of course I do.”
Every “I like you” from Qiu Zheyan felt like it was searing the softest part of his heart. He never thought he had anything worth liking, yet he had somehow captivated such an outstanding young man.
It felt incredibly fulfilling.
Afterwards, Zhuang Hanxue lay in bed with Qiu Zheyan holding him tightly, hot as a furnace. Their sweat-slicked bodies seemed glued together.
Zhuang Hanxue thought he was already quite foolish and clingy, but the usually mature and serious Qiu Zheyan turned out to be such an adorable drunk.
Zhuang Hanxue thought he should find more opportunities to get Qiu Zheyan drunk. He was so cute like this.
And it felt amazing, as if every cell in his body was on the verge of ecstasy.
Today felt different somehow… though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
Although sleeping with Qiu Zheyan had always been enjoyable, today Zhuang Hanxue felt particularly moved. Qiu Zheyan held him, his head resting on Zhuang Hanxue’s waist, really like a large dog. He stroked Qiu Zheyan’s head and said softly, “Xiao Qiu, I think I’m falling for you more and more. If you had asked me to marry you just now, I might have been crazy enough to say yes.”
Qiu Zheyan’s fluffy head nuzzled against his belly, ticklish but not waking up, not hearing a word.
Zhuang Hanxue pondered, perplexed.
Why today? Why now?
In novels or movies, these special heart-fluttering moments should be set in more dramatic, romantic scenes, shouldn’t they?
Why during such an ordinary late night?
He couldn’t figure it out.
He’d think about it later.
On the weekend, Zhuang Hanxue streamed his usual gaming session. Qiu Zheyan had wanted to take him out, but was gently refused. “As a new streamer, I need to focus on work now. We’ll go out another time.”
So they opted for a stay-at-home date. Qiu Zheyan edited his videos and moved another computer into the study. “Let’s play together then. I’ll join your stream, okay?”
Zhuang Hanxue addressed his viewers, “Um… today’s a duo stream. Want to see it? Type 1 if you do.”
A flood of 1s filled the chat, with one spoilsport comment: [Why type 1? Are you a top?]
“Heh.” Zhuang Hanxue pretended not to see.
Qiu Zheyan asked, “Shall we play PUBG1吃鸡 (chī jī) – lit. eat chicken; (video games) PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) / battle royale game / last-man-standing game / to play PUBG (or similar game) / to win at PUBG (or similar game)? We can say we met through random matchmaking.”
Zhuang Hanxue cursed softly. “Talking about eating chicken…”
Qiu Zheyan laughed heartily. “It’s fine, I’ve never made you eat it anyway, right? You’ve always been unwilling.”
Zhuang Hanxue warned him seriously. “This kind of innuendo will get me banned, baby.”
Qiu Zheyan said, still smiling, “Alright, alright, I’ll stop. I’ll mute myself, okay? You wouldn’t go out to play, so we can only play at home.”
The comment section started flooding again: [Don’t mute! Keep talking! Continue!]
Zhuang Hanxue felt slow to react to everything, belatedly realizing they had been sleeping together for over four months.
He had even refused a marriage proposal.
And only now was he slowly beginning to taste the flavor of love.
Due to their harmonious love life, Qiu Zheyan had been particularly radiant lately.
After the New Year, work also became more organized.
Sometimes when he got off work early, he could even join Zhuang Hanxue’s streams, enjoying their love on company time.
Qiu Zheyan’s online username was [void], the same one he used when he first met Zhuang Hanxue. He had been a gaming enthusiast since childhood, and even though he didn’t play as frequently now, his skills were still far superior to Zhuang Hanxue’s. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a skilled gaming streamer. They initially hooked up because Zhuang Hanxue coveted his skills, constantly pestering him for carries.
When they played together, Zhuang Hanxue would constantly cry out “Xiao Qiu, save me!” from start to finish. Qiu Zheyan would oblige, often leaving his own character in tatters while Zhuang Hanxue was armed to the teeth.
Fans found Zhuang Hanxue’s constant squealing annoying, but Qiu Zheyan didn’t mind, even praising him as cute. He was deaf and blind to Zhuang Hanxue’s faults.
However, Qiu Zheyan wasn’t always free to play games with him.
Although gaming was fun, prolonged sessions would cut into their intimate time, which was non-negotiable.
So he usually only joined Zhuang Hanxue’s streams on weekends for a while. Whenever they played together, viewer numbers would hit new highs, making for particularly successful streams.
Friday afternoon.
Qiu Zheyan was at work when a news popup appeared in the lower right corner of his computer screen: [Jiang Ruoyun Discusses Her First Love, Says She’d Leave the Entertainment Industry to Marry if Given Another Chance]
Qiu Zheyan: “…”
He scoffed and clicked to read more.
After watching the video, he was almost certain it was about Zhuang Hanxue.
Jiang Ruoyun was cunning, choosing to publicly discuss her first love after reuniting with Zhuang Hanxue. Zhuang Hanxue had deleted her, but she had added herself back. What was wrong with this young, beautiful, rich, and idle female celebrity? Shouldn’t female stars be figuring out how to marry into wealth? Or at least find an industry elite?
Damn it, why was she competing with him for a poor, lazy bum?
This was news pushed by a certain platform.
Qiu Zheyan thought Zhuang Hanxue had probably seen it too and wondered what he was thinking.
He felt irritated and wanted to call right away, but what if Zhuang Hanxue hadn’t seen it?
As if on cue, Qiu Zheyan’s phone rang. The caller ID read: Lazy Zhuang.
Qiu Zheyan answered and heard Zhuang Hanxue whimpering, “Waa, Xiao Qiu, come back quickly and save me. Take me to the hospital. It hurts so much.”
In an instant, Qiu Zheyan forgot all about his anger. He asked anxiously, “What happened? Are you hurt? Don’t move, I’m coming right now!”
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