…
The dream fragmented after that, becoming blurry and indistinct. In the middle of the night, Zhu Ran woke to the hum of the air conditioner. He exhaled softly, got out of bed, and drank half a bottle of ice water.
After finishing the water, he pressed the remaining half against his cheek, thinking with some annoyance: How many years has it been? Why am I still dreaming about childhood…
Zhu Ran lay back down but couldn’t fall asleep no matter what. He opened the door and stepped out of the bedroom. All was silent; the Milky Way hung high in the night sky, and the sea was pitch black, shedding its daytime serenity for a sinister menace.
Zhu Ran wandered aimlessly along the coast and unwittingly arrived at the dock.
In the dead of night, a speedboat secretly pulled in. Huo Boyan stood on the shore talking to someone dressed in a suit, looking every bit the elite company executive.
What business required talking here in the middle of the night?
Zhu Ran was curious but didn’t want to pry. He prepared to turn and leave when Huo Boyan looked up and spotted him. Huo Boyan said a few words to the other man, then turned and walked toward Zhu Ran. His expression was calm, without a trace of last night’s sleaziness, and he spoke in the caring tone of a good older brother. “Out so late? Can’t sleep?”
Perhaps because Huo Boyan’s tone was too gentle, or maybe because Zhu Ran felt guilty for misunderstanding him earlier, he lacked confidence. Zhu Ran nodded and explained good-naturedly, “Woke up in the middle of the night and went for a walk.” He paused, then added, “Sorry, did I interrupt you?”
“No, it’s handled,” Huo Boyan said. “Some bugs got mixed into a shipment at the port.”
Bugs in port cargo? Bedbugs? Fleas? Woodworms? Cockroaches? Zhu Ran imagined the scene and broke out in goosebumps.
“Bad damage?” He forced himself to ask politely, suppressing his discomfort.
“It’s fine,” Huo Boyan said. “Extermination’s already started.”
“That’s good.” Zhu Ran sighed in relief. As a northerner, he’d long heard tales of southern cockroaches’ terror and couldn’t bear to picture them emerging from an international shipping container.
Zhu Ran had zero interest in the topic. He offered some vague comforts to Huo Boyan and left as quickly as he could.
He shouldn’t have gone over earlier. It was all Huo Boyan’s fault—he was now plagued with thoughts of bugs!
Back in his room, Zhu Ran thoroughly inspected every inch, confirming it was spotless before covering up and sleeping. In the end, his dreams were filled with all sorts of bugs.
The next morning, Zhu Ran got up with a bird’s nest on his head, still feeling like bugs had crawled over him. He took another shower before barely suppressing the disgusting sensation.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Huo Boyan again at the restaurant as soon as he stepped out. Their eyes met, and that familiar nauseous feeling returned.
Zhu Ran: “…”
He carried his tray and silently chose a table as far from Huo Boyan as possible.
Not long after, Huo Junlin entered the restaurant. His gaze swept the buffet area and stopped when he saw Zhu Ran.
Zhu Ran gave a perfunctory smile, praying Huo Junlin wouldn’t come over.
The next moment, Huo Junlin placed his phone opposite Zhu Ran and ordered a coffee from the waiter.
Zhu Ran: “…”
Two minutes later, Huo Junlin sat down across from him with his tray. “Why’d you head back so early last night? I thought you’d come back later.”
“Drank too much, felt unwell.” Zhu Ran lied on instinct, then realized Huo Boyan was there too and looked up warily.
The other man smiled faintly, not calling out the lie.
Even so, Zhu Ran felt guilty. Fortunately, Huo Junlin didn’t notice his little move and said happily, “Your tolerance is that low? I thought you were shy and avoiding me on purpose.”
Zhu Ran: “…Not that bad.”
He wasn’t shy, but he really didn’t want to interact with Huo Junlin anymore.
After breakfast, Zhu Ran declined Huo Junlin’s various invitations and lay on a beach chair reading.
Huo Junlin wasn’t the clingy type and only came over at noon to remind him, “Still reading? Time for lunch.”
Zhu Ran hummed without taking his eyes off the e-reader’s screen.
“That good?” Huo Junlin squatted in front of him with an overly sunny expression. “What’s it about?”
Zhu Ran said, “A pair of siblings commit incest; their eldest son runs away to become a male prostitute, then returns to commit incest with his adopted daughter. The second son is a pedophile who wants to marry a 9-year-old girl; the youngest daughter and the adopted daughter both fall for the same man and drive him to death on their wedding night.”
Huo Junlin’s smile froze on his face as he blinked in confusion.
“Like that…?” He tried to control his expression but couldn’t hide his shock. “I thought the book you were reading would be more… more that way.”
He fumbled for words, unsure what to say.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Zhu Ran said with his artistically shattered beauty of a face. “I just like these kinds of depraved works.”
Huo Junlin’s face cycled through various colors before he dryly squeezed out, “That’s… good too. Art knows no high or low brow. I occasionally watch brainless short dramas myself.”
Zhu Ran said nothing more. Huo Junlin lingered awkwardly for a bit, then got a phone call, said goodbye to Zhu Ran, and left.
Zhu Ran put on sunglasses and continued reading. Just then, a voice came from behind. “Didn’t expect you to enjoy teasing people.”
Zhu Ran turned and saw Huo Boyan standing not far away in his morning linen shirt, looking at him with a half-smile.
Zhu Ran looked away expressionlessly. “I didn’t expect you enjoyed peeping on people either.”
Author’s Note:
Zhu Ran was reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. He deliberately described it as an explosive incest story to lower Huo Junlin’s impression of him. Huo Boyan knew, so he said Zhu Ran was teasing him.
