Chapter 10
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Sun Chen’s lack of pickiness meant that their tasks of buying clothes and a phone didn’t take long. After an early lunch, they chose a Hollywood suspense film as one of the main activities for their date. Liu Cheng wasn’t particularly interested in the movie, but what surprised him was that Sun Chen, who seemed fully engrossed in the film, suddenly tapped lightly on the back of his hand. Liu Cheng had never heard of this way of flirting before, but the sensation of Sun Chen’s fingers was inexplicably pleasant.
On the big screen, the movie’s protagonist was using Morse code to tap out a message on his phone… Liu Cheng suddenly realized that Sun Chen’s taps might be Morse code.
He glanced at Sun Chen’s fingers, then at his side profile, which still seemed focused on the movie. “Xiao Chen, what are you saying?”
Sun Chen didn’t answer, but the man sitting on the other side of Liu Cheng chuckled softly and then whispered, “He’s saying your hairstyle is dumb. Not the cool kind of dumb—just plain dumb.”
Before Liu Cheng could even think about his hairstyle, he first noticed that the person sitting beside him was someone he knew. And beside this acquaintance was one of his close friends, He Zaifeng, who was closer to him because they shared the same orientation.
At this moment, Lin Dun, He Zaifeng’s boyfriend whom he had formally introduced to their group of friends about a month ago, reached over Liu Cheng and started tapping on Sun Chen’s hand. Sun Chen stifled a laugh and whispered to Liu Cheng, “Your friend agrees.”
What’s wrong with my hairstyle?!
Before Liu Cheng could find the words to respond, Sun Chen and Lin Dun continued their Morse code conversation over Liu Cheng’s lap, as if they had hit it off instantly. This was making Liu Cheng increasingly anxious, so he turned to He Zaifeng, hoping he would subtly remind his boyfriend that his hand was getting dangerously close to Liu Cheng’s lower body. But He Zaifeng just watched Lin Dun and Sun Chen “chat” in silence.
“What are you two talking about?” Liu Cheng finally couldn’t help but ask.
The two didn’t stop their coded exchange, but Sun Chen briefly reassured him, “Don’t worry, we’re not discussing how ugly your turtleneck is.”
At this, Liu Cheng sympathetically glanced at his friend, who was also wearing a turtleneck. He Zaifeng remained calm and continued watching the movie.
To be honest, Liu Cheng also thought the sweater was pretty ugly.
The two Morse code experts kept chatting over Liu Cheng’s legs for quite a while, seemingly hitting it off like old friends who had finally reunited. They even occasionally paused their conversation to whisper about the movie’s plot. To be honest, Liu Cheng couldn’t focus on what was happening on the screen; these two were busy guessing that a certain character might be a mole.
When the movie ended, the two who had communicated so thoroughly reached a unanimous conclusion—
“Let’s go karaoke together.”
Back when He Zaifeng had suddenly gathered all their friends for an urgent meeting, announcing that he was going to formally introduce his boyfriend to everyone the following week and seriously demanding that no one speak ill of him, Liu Cheng had laughed at this friend, who had always been so carefree in relationships, for finally settling down. And now, he was even more frustrated. As they left the theater, with the other two heading to the restroom, Liu Cheng took the opportunity to complain to his friend, “Can’t you take your guy and leave?”
He Zaifeng remained stoic. “You couldn’t either, could you?”
Liu Cheng was momentarily speechless.
He Zaifeng then asked, “Wasn’t your last lover Gu Qingqiu?”
Liu Cheng had completely forgotten about that person. Up until this moment, he had genuinely believed he was dating Sun Chen. He had been so absorbed that it wasn’t until He Zaifeng suddenly mentioned Gu Qingqiu that he snapped back to reality.
“Whatever you do, don’t mention Gu Qingqiu to Sun Chen!” Liu Cheng urgently warned.
He Zaifeng was momentarily surprised. “Sun Chen? Isn’t he the guy you used to complain about, the one you couldn’t stand?”
“…Let’s not talk about the past.”
“But wasn’t Sun Chen Gu Qingqiu’s boss? Doesn’t he know about your relationship with Gu Qingqiu?”
“Sun Chen lost his memory, so I lied and told him we’re lovers.” Liu Cheng trusted his friend enough to be honest.
This revelation made He Zaifeng frown. Generally speaking, He Zaifeng was the most morally grounded among their group of friends. “So you’re just playing with Sun Chen?” he asked disapprovingly.
Liu Cheng quickly shook his head. “I’m not playing with him. I really like him. But if I don’t say this, we’ll never have a chance to be together.”
“You’re more likely to lose your chance with him by doing this,” He Zaifeng pointed out sternly.
“There’s such a thing as a well-intentioned lie.”
He Zaifeng was about to say something more, but Sun Chen and Lin Dun returned at that moment. He Zaifeng chose not to confront Liu Cheng in front of them and fell silent.
Lin Dun noticed the sudden silence between Liu Cheng and He Zaifeng. “What were you two talking about?”
Before He Zaifeng could say anything, Liu Cheng quickly interjected, “We were just saying how we thought only girls liked to go to the bathroom in pairs.”
He hadn’t meant to tease them; it was just a thought that had popped into his head, and unable to come up with anything else, he blurted it out.
Lin Dun quickly laughed. “You might not realize it, but sometimes confident guys like us enjoy going together too, to compare, you know?”
He laughed so sincerely that it was hard to tell if this was a deliberate retort. Liu Cheng, now subtly insulted, couldn’t come up with a response.
Sun Chen looked at Liu Cheng and said, “From a biological standpoint, reproductive ability isn’t directly related to the size of certain organs. And from a sociological standpoint, a man’s abilities aren’t primarily based on reproductive ability, so there’s no need to feel inferior.”
…Are you two teaming up to mess with me?!
He Zaifeng proved his worth as a true friend, stepping in to change the subject. “Alright, shall we head to karaoke? Let’s go get the car first.”
Liu Cheng hadn’t been to a KTV in years and didn’t know if this was the current trend, but when the four of them arrived at the private room, they didn’t sing much. Instead, they quickly turned the room into a mini bar.
“Let’s play truth or dare!” Lin Dun suggested, looking like someone who had been deprived of bar-hopping for ages, eager to have fun despite the small group of four.
It seemed reasonable enough for a KTV to offer drinks, but cards too?
Yes.
Reality quickly answered Liu Cheng’s question. So, having never played such a childish game before, Liu Cheng was forced to join in because Sun Chen didn’t object. The so-called truth or dare game took a turn when Lin Dun enthusiastically suggested that Liu Cheng take a dare and kiss He Zaifeng. Both men immediately scowled, and from then on, everyone tacitly agreed to only choose “truth.”
Sun Chen appeared particularly “kind” during the game, always asking harmless questions, especially when he cutely asked He Zaifeng why he liked Lin Dun.
Before He Zaifeng could answer, Lin Dun eagerly grabbed the microphone and responded, “Of course, it’s because I’m so gentle and considerate.”
Behind him, He Zaifeng silently shook his head at Sun Chen and Liu Cheng.
Lin Dun didn’t even turn around. “I saw you shaking your head, He Zaifeng. So, what’s the real answer?”
He Zaifeng reached out and held Lin Dun’s hand, the one still holding the microphone. “It must be because you did too many bad things in your past life, so in this life, you got stuck with someone like me to love you.”
Liu Cheng was stunned.
Even though they had clearly had too much to drink, hearing something like that come from someone as stoic as He Zaifeng was unbelievable. Liu Cheng stared in disbelief at his friend. Suddenly, his friend pulled out a deck of cards and proudly announced, “Lin Dun can memorize a deck of cards after just one look.”
Sun Chen might have also been drunk, or maybe it was just his straightforward nature. “I can do that too,” he said.
And so, Liu Cheng finally understood why Sun Chen and Lin Dun had hit it off so quickly. After all, there aren’t many eccentrics in the world; meeting one of your own kind must feel like a reunion of kindred spirits.
But then again…
Thinking of this, Liu Cheng couldn’t help but compare Sun Chen and Lin Dun. The two were so different. Lin Dun was cheerful, always smiling with a hint of boyish charm, yet his eyes held a mature depth. Sun Chen, on the other hand, rarely smiled. Even when he was happy, it was just a slight smile. When he was silent, he seemed inscrutable, but if you got to know him, you’d find a near-childlike innocence and simplicity at his core.
Suddenly, Liu Cheng felt like he couldn’t breathe.
He realized that he was deceiving Sun Chen, who was so simple and innocent.
The thought made him inexplicably uncomfortable.
The karaoke session finally ended with everyone too drunk to drive, so they waited for a designated driver to take them home.
Sun Chen was fumbling around, looking for his coat. Liu Cheng was about to help him when Lin Dun came over and whispered something in his ear.
“Sun Chen suggested this double date because he wanted to learn from us, to see how he could come to like you. He’s trying so hard to figure it out, so I think it means he already likes you.”
In that moment, Liu Cheng felt as though he had been struck by a revelation.
Just now, all of Sun Chen’s “cute” truth questions were about dating and love. He wasn’t being “kind” with his questions—he genuinely wanted to know the answers.
Sun Chen was earnestly trying to figure out how to become Liu Cheng’s true lover as quickly as possible.
Liu Cheng knew that this realization should make him happy, but instead, something inside him burned hotter than the alcohol in his system, scorching him with a pain that left him speechless.