Zhu Jingru’s demand for a kiss went unanswered because they were both pushed towards the shallows by the tide. Their mouths were full of sand, and their hair was a mess.
Zhu Jingru couldn’t help but burst out laughing. After steadying himself in the seawater, he fearlessly met Bai Qinglin’s gaze. He saw the man’s eyes darken as he fought to catch his breath. His cold, white skin was soaked, and seawater slid wantonly down the sinew of his neck. The jade Guanyin pendant, tied with a black cord, floated out from the collar of his shirt.
His curiosity was instantly piqued. He reached out, wanting to touch the piece of jade.
The next second, his wrist, tattooed with the phoenix flower, was clamped down hard. The words were heavy with warning, “Don’t touch it.”
“Okay, I won’t.” Zhu Jingru was quick to comply. He feigned surrender and raised both hands, but then continued to stare wantonly and directly into Bai Qinglin’s eyes.
The patterns in those dark pupils were unique. When he looked at people, the corners of his eyes tilted up slightly, extremely aggressive. A primal, masculine sense of pressure washed over him.
It was indeed true that the more dangerous, the more charming. It was as if beneath a silent, desolate lake, the tides of all four seasons were hidden.
Zhu Jingru’s heart skipped a beat. As their eyes met, he called out softly, “Bai Qinglin.”
The man ignored him, turning his back to walk ashore. His soaked shirt clung to the lines of his back. He had the classic “slim when clothed, muscular when not” build—firm and well-defined.
Zhu Jingru’s view was blocked. He simply slicked his bangs back and called out again, “Bai Qinglin.”
At the shore, the lapping waves made the man stop. He turned back in the salty sea breeze, strands of his hair catching the light of the sunrise. His voice was barely audible, “What did you call me?”
Zhu Jingru immediately bent down and splashed water at him with his hands. Bai Qinglin looked helplessly resigned at being splashed.
Zhu Jingru, having succeeded in his prank, smiled until his eyes curved, looking exceptionally pleased.
The sea they were in was part of the Qiongzhou Strait. It was China’s South Sea, and also the world’s Pacific Ocean.
Zhu Jingru had once traveled from the southern shore of the Pacific to its northernmost point, chasing blue whales and seeing coral reefs along the way, all because he was curious about how vast the ocean truly was. But at this moment, he suddenly realized that it seemed all his past thrilling wanderings had been for this single instant.
Bai Qinglin turned to look at him, saying nothing, but listening intently to every word he said.
Along the coastline, the flapping of seagulls’ wings could be heard as they swooped past their shadows.
Zhu Jingru chased small fish in the shallows. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bai Qinglin leave the beach, as if to keep his distance. He smiled and continued to swim leisurely.
Five minutes later, he surfaced. An amusing thought seemed to have occurred to him. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and squinted up at the Jeep parked on the shore.
Unconsciously, the sunrise had solidified in the sky. Bai Qinglin’s clothes were dry. He put on his glasses, his expression cold and detached. He tried to hide his unease by pressing his lips into a tight line. He lowered his eyes, thinking about how the tissues used to wipe up the liquid had already been disposed of. The nervous embarrassment of being found out had made his breathing abnormally rapid. The enclosed space had been stuffy and hot, so he had specifically opened the windows to air it out for a long time. There wouldn’t be any scent left…
Scene after scene replayed in his mind. He was already so overcome with desire that the slightest touch was hard to suppress. The final release had been triggered by smelling the scarf tossed on the passenger seat.
An adult man’s desire is fierce and direct, but Bai Qinglin’s was tinged with a layer of suppression. He deliberately pretended nothing had happened. The sea breeze was faintly salty.
It was like playing hide-and-seek.
It took Bai Qinglin quite a while to find him among the cluster of reefs. Zhu Jingru was lying on a dark, mottled rock, his eyes closed as if asleep. His relaxed features were strikingly beautiful under the sun and the reflection of the sea. His eyelashes were thick, his hands spread out in a casual posture, letting the crashing waves blow through his hair and soak his entire body again and again.
The golden light highlighted the ambiguous red mole in the hollow of his collarbone, echoing the one at the corner of his eye. The red string was wrapped around his slender waist, the curve alluring. His areola, his ribs, the indented lines—everything was in Bai Qinglin’s sight.
This scene was full of story and thick with sensuality, like a black and white photograph. The person in the picture was born to be free, unrestrained, like the boundless sea, like the soaring gulls, like a gust of wind.
Only now could he be caught.
Because he was right here, he was within reach.
Bai Qinglin stood on a higher reef, his body blocking the light for Zhu Jingru. After tossing a towel onto the man’s face, he lowered his head to light a cigarette, cupping his palm around the flame. After exhaling a puff of smoke, he looked towards the distance. “How much longer do you plan on lying there?”
Zhu Jingru, who had been trying not to let his eyelashes tremble, sat up. He obediently dried his hair with the towel while glancing at Bai Qinglin. “If you’re willing to watch, I can lie here forever.”
“Zhu Jingru.”
“Hm?”
Bai Qinglin lowered his eyes and asked him, “How many people have you said that to?”
Zhu Jingru was stunned for three seconds before answering with righteous confidence, “Only you.”
Bai Qinglin turned and walked away, clearly not believing him.
Zhu Jingru quickly chased after him. “Brother Bai, although I don’t look honest, I’m actually a very proper person.”
“…”
“I was very frail as a child. The doctor said I wouldn’t live past eighteen. I figured since I managed to survive, I should at least wander around and be rowdy as much as possible. All these years, I never put my mind on relationships. Since I can remember, I’ve only had two partners, both in my early twenties, just messing around. One lasted three days, the other half a month.”
Just as Zhu Jingru finished speaking.
The smoke from Bai Qinglin’s nose was scattered by the sea breeze. He asked bluntly, “Why did you break up?”
“The three-day one was because of a bet. An Italian painter. We both thought the other person wasn’t as good-looking as ourselves.”
“The next one.”
“The half-month one was a boxer. We got together because he could fix cars, and I happened to want to ride a motorcycle abroad. We broke up because he couldn’t stand me asking him to fix my tires every day.”
Bai Qinglin was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Zhu Jingru’s slightly chapped lips.
“Brother Bai, I’m actually very normal, it’s just that…”
Bai Qinglin interrupted him, “Who said you weren’t normal?”
Zhu Jingru froze for a moment. His clear, amorous peach-blossom eyes blinked slowly. His racing heart lost its rhythm, as if he was certain Bai Qinglin could understand his absurdity and strangeness.
Bai Qinglin was unwilling to meet Zhu Jingru’s gaze, because he couldn’t ignore the fact that the man still hadn’t put on a shirt. His chest rose and fell with his breathing. Zhu Jingru had a very good figure—the curve of his dimples of Venus, water droplets sliding down the seam of his pants and inside, then spreading to hide in his buttocks, the fleshiest part of his entire body.
As luck would have it, his phone vibrated. It was Yue Chuan. Bai Qinglin walked a short distance away to answer.
“Old Bai, did you buy condoms?”
“Hello? Why aren’t you talking?”
“How was last night?” Yue Chuan yawned to himself. “Zhu Jingru asked me for your ID number. I snuck into your room this morning to look for it, then figured I might as well just stuff your ID card into your pocket. It’s your first time, you should be the one to get the room.”
Bai Qinglin bit down on the cigarette holder, leaving a mark. “When are you going to fuck off back?”
Yue Chuan was startled. “Fuck, I haven’t heard you swear in so long.”
“Stop doing useless things.”
“Useless? I think you’re enjoying it a lot. I’m not exaggerating, if he took a fancy to me, I’d immediately set off firecrackers and blow up the whole street.”
For some reason, Bai Qinglin didn’t like hearing Zhu Jingru’s name from someone else’s lips. He issued a final ultimatum, “There won’t be a next time.”
“What if he asks me again, and asks for my help?”
After extinguishing his cigarette, Bai Qinglin stared at Zhu Jingru, who was waiting not far away. “He won’t.”
The Jeep drove forward. Bai Qinglin was driving while Zhu Jingru sat in the passenger seat, holding two photos. They were of the scene by the reef.
“A photographer passing by took them. She came to give them to me when you went to take the call.” Zhu Jingru liked them a lot because they had captured Bai Qinglin as well. Besides the hot pot restaurant, this was their second private photo together.
Bai Qinglin glanced at them casually and continued to focus on driving.
Zhu Jingru found Bai Qinglin’s dismissive attitude incredibly wicked. The hands on the steering wheel were in firm control, the half-rolled-up sleeves gave off a strong sense of security. With glasses on his face, a high nose bridge, and thin lips, he was the very picture of a refined scoundrel.
At a green light, Zhu Jingru deliberately touched the back of Bai Qinglin’s hand. “Brother Bai.”
Bai Qinglin looked straight ahead. “Behave.”
Zhu Jingru suppressed a laugh.
After returning the Jeep, Zhu Jingru specifically got a hotel room to take a shower. The dirty clothes he changed out of, except for his underwear, were all taken to a laundromat by Bai Qinglin to be washed and then dried.
When he returned, Bai Qinglin realized that if the latticed curtains were pulled back, the entire bathroom was visible.
For a moment, he felt a wave of heat.
He simply stood silently at the door of the hotel room. After standing for a long time, he felt it was unnecessary.
In the bathroom, Zhu Jingru’s fingertips rubbed the red string around his waist. Who would have thought that after being a rogue for so many years, he wouldn’t dare to be too wild when he met someone he liked? Otherwise, he would have streaked out naked one way or another.
He comforted himself as he showered: Can’t rush it. Haste makes waste. A watched pot never boils. Haste won’t catch the big fish.
After getting cleaned up, they returned to Nanhai. It was only four in the afternoon. The bullet train was quiet. Because they hadn’t been able to buy tickets together, they sat one behind the other, both by the window.
Zhu Jingru propped his head on his hand, lost in thought. He then slipped the photo through the gap between the seat and the window.
He sent another text.
[Brother Bai, I can’t touch the jade Guanyin, and you won’t let me kiss you. You have to at least take the photo, right?]
Bai Qinglin didn’t reply. They left the high-speed rail station in silence. Upon arrival, he hailed a cab for Zhu Jingru and silently arranged everything, clearly not intending to continue traveling together.
Zhu Jingru leaned his head on his arm, which was draped out the car window. He saw Bai Qinglin stop and watch him leave.
The city at night was a bustling stream of traffic, as if nothing had ever happened.
Zhu Jingru made a special trip to intercept him at the café before closing time. Perhaps it was too impulsive, perhaps too presumptuous, but he couldn’t control himself. He was curious about that jade Guanyin, and even more curious about what Bai Qinglin was thinking…
Li Wenxue greeted him, “He was at the back door before. I blinked and he was gone. He probably left early. You two really missed each other this time.”
“It’s fine.”
Zhu Jingru didn’t show his disappointment. He sat at the window seat as usual, thinking. No matter how he sat, he couldn’t get comfortable. He got up and went to the back door.
Compared to the large glass door, the wooden one was much narrower.
In the trash can by the door lay kitchen waste—dirty, damp, and a photo torn in two.
It happened to tear the two of them right down the middle.
