Chapter 3: Thinner

That night, the three of them didn’t manage to meet up. Jing Deyu had briefly gained some freedom due to Dai Yi’s birthday banquet but was then grounded for three days. Coincidentally, Lai Li had a dorm check on the first day of school, so the gathering was postponed to Friday.

Cloud Summit was a KTV-style club that only accepted members and reservations, making it quite private—perfect for business entertainment or gatherings that valued discretion.

“Sorry I’m late.” Jing Deyu pushed open the private room door, and the deafening music crashed over him like a tidal wave before vanishing in an instant. “Dear Young Master Lai!”

Lai Li didn’t even look up as he kicked out with one foot.

Jing Deyu arched backward, barely dodging. “It’s only been a month, and this is the attitude I get? Truly, human hearts have always been cold…”

Just then, Jing Zixiao sang out: “—Worship the Big Dipper! A bowl of wine for brothers in life and death!”

Jing Deyu grabbed another microphone and bellowed, “Can you switch songs, you bastard!”

Jing Zixiao bellowed back, “No!”

Jing Deyu had no choice but to sit down next to Lai Li. He poured two glasses of alcohol and raised his voice over the noise. “What happened last week? Why’d you beat up He Shuxin?”

Lai Li lounged against the sofa armrest, stretched out his arm to grab a glass, and took a sip. He waited until the accompaniment quieted before replying, “I felt like hitting him. Did I need to pick an auspicious day?”

“Strike when you must!” Jing Zixiao’s off-key singing echoed through the room.

“Fuck your grandpa!” Jing Deyu hurled the microphone at him. “Shut up!”

Lai Li tilted his head back and hit the control panel with one hand, shutting off the music entirely.

The room fell instantly silent.

Jing Zixiao clicked his tongue, tossed down the mic, and scooted over to join the chat. “How’s the past month been?”

Jing Deyu sighed. “Worse than death.”

Lai Li glanced at him.

Jing Deyu rolled up his sleeve, revealing skin covered in red marks. “I’m not showing you the rest of my body—it’s all from my dad’s beatings. They’ve all scabbed over.”

“He went that hard? Your dad must’ve been pretty pissed.”

“That’s not even the worst part.” Jing Deyu downed a glass to suppress his nausea. “My mom hired some Taoist priest out of nowhere, claiming he had a secret remedy to cure my homosexuality. She forced me to drink that crap for over half a month! Then one day I snuck into the kitchen and saw it was just a bunch of shitty herbal medicine!”

Lai Li’s eyes flickered as he sat up straight. “Did it work?”

Jing Deyu stared at him. “…Are you an idiot too?”

Jing Zixiao laughed so hard he couldn’t stop, slapping his thigh. “It definitely had an effect! At least to avoid that herbal shit, you won’t be messing with guys for a long while.”

Lai Li lay back down, genuinely puzzled. “Why do you like men anyway?”

Jing Deyu rolled his eyes. “Come on, why does anyone like anything? Why do you like women? Oh wait, I forgot—our Young Master Lai doesn’t love humans or animals, only his big bro in his eyes! Big Bro is the best in the world, got it?”

Jing Zixiao felt something off about that. Dai Linxuan was a guy—if Lai Li only had eyes for him, didn’t that make him gay too?

Lai Li narrowed his eyes, spinning the empty bottle in his hand. “I wouldn’t mind playing your dad for once.”

Jing Deyu’s wounds started aching again, so he decided to defuse the situation. “Didn’t your bro come back? Why do you still look like you swallowed a bomb?”

Lai Li narrowed his eyes again. “He seems to be sick.”

“What!? Nothing serious, right?” Jing Zixiao jumped. “Don’t say it’s a big deal—Jing Deyu’s got a big mouth and can’t keep secrets. If word gets out, your family’s stock price will tank. I invested seven figures—”

“Hey!” Jing Deyu interrupted irritably. “Who’re you calling big-mouthed?”

Lai Li said unhappily, “My bro wouldn’t get sick. He just… did some weird stuff.”

“Like what?” Jing Deyu asked.

“Can’t say.” Lai Li’s tongue felt numb from the spicy liquor, and he unconsciously prodded his healed lip corner.

“Talking half and getting struck by lightning,” Jing Zixiao warned.

Lai Li ignored him—he wouldn’t share Dai Linxuan’s private matters with outsiders. His phone vibrated nearby. He opened it to see a photo from Dai Linxuan—a thermometer.

[From Home]: This one?

Lai Li’s gaze shifted up to his own message from days ago: “Shove the thermometer up your ass and see if your brain’s melted into mush.”

Why not wait till I’m dead to reply?

Lai Li’s cold laugh was too obvious. A curious head leaned over, and he slammed the phone shut, shoving the intruder into the sofa cushions.

“Fuck!” Jing Deyu yelped in shock, struggling. “Murder?!”

“Peek again and I’ll really beat you.” Lai Li let go.

“You’re not dating someone, are you?” Jing Deyu rubbed his neck, muttering. “What’s so secret?”

“No one deserves my bed,” Lai Li said.

“Fuck.” Jing Zixiao laughed uproariously. “Even your bro wouldn’t say something that punchable.”

Lai Li took a sip, staring blankly at the ripples in his glass. “Don’t you guys think people are disgusting? Lying naked on a bed, swapping nothing but sweat, bacteria… and STDs.”

Jing Deyu felt targeted. “Aren’t you a person too?”

Lai Li shrugged indifferently. “That’s why I’m disgusted too.”

Jing Zixiao tsked. “Then spend your life with your right and left hands.”

Lai Li had never considered that question, just like he’d never thought about how long his life would be—maybe a century, maybe a decade, maybe the next second… Maybe life was just a big dream, and he’d wake up any moment to find his flesh long rotted.

Lai Li stared into the whirlpool at the center of his glass, nearly lost in it, until Jing Zixiao asked what he’d do in the future.

Jing Deyu sighed. “We’ll see. I didn’t plan on kicking open the closet door this early anyway.”

Jing Zixiao was dying of curiosity. “With all this drama now, are you still producing that movie?”

Jing Deyu said, “Yeah.”

Jing Zixiao pressed, “Your parents know you’re funding it to sleep with stars—how’d it pass the censors without getting stuck?”

“It’s not just my investment; the money’s already in, contracts signed.” Jing Deyu shrugged. “No matter how mad my parents are, they won’t mess with money.”

“They didn’t kick your guy out of the cast? Not worried you’d roll in the sheets?”

“We already did. Too late for that.” Jing Deyu grinned. “How do you think I got caught?”

“Badass.” Jing Zixiao gave him a thumbs-up and toasted him, then turned to poke Lai Li before he could snap. “There were tons of stars at Dai Yi’s birthday banquet yesterday—my goddess was there too, but no chance to chat. I asked for your help, but you were spaced out all night. What were you thinking?”

Lai Li ignored the last part. “She’d talk to you? You haven’t even grown pubes.”

Jing Zixiao rolled up his sleeve menacingly. “Looks like we’re fighting for real—”

Jing Deyu stopped the brewing fight. “You don’t know yet, right? Your bro’s media company just invested in a script tailored for some film queen—aiming straight for awards.”

“And?” Lai Li propped up one leg, pinching his glass in one hand while the other draped lazily over his knee.

“I heard from my parents that this film queen has a shady close relationship with your bro.” Jing Deyu said meaningfully. “He jumped into the film industry back then just for her.”

Lai Li showed no particular reaction.

Jing Deyu leaned in. “You’re not pissed?”

Lai Li countered, “Why should I be?”

Jing Deyu said, “If your bro gets married, can he still spoil you like this? His wife probably wouldn’t allow it.”

“First, Dai Linxuan will never abandon me.” Lai Li was utterly certain, waving a finger in Jing Deyu’s face. “Second, I’m not gay, so why would I care if he marries? Third, the film queen you’re talking about is Yan Luan, right? She’s forty-three. Idiot.”

Jing Deyu slunk back sheepishly. “Fine… But what if your bro likes guys? Would a male sister-in-law piss you off?”

Lai Li stared at him for a long time before slowly smiling.

Jing Deyu’s heart skipped. “Fuck, don’t smile like that—it’s creepy!”

“If my bro likes men and can’t change—” Lai Li’s lip curved, “—then I’ll kill He Shuxin, then you, and every other gay guy he comes into contact with.”

Jing Deyu rubbed his arms. “You’re sick! What do I have to do with it? Gay isn’t contagious, and do I even see your bro once a year?”

Jing Zixiao was baffled. “What does He Shuxin have to do with it? He likes girls.”

Lai Li gripped his glass harder—thankfully, Cloud Summit’s glasses were high quality. “You’ll see what it has to do with once he’s dead.”

Sensing Lai Li really wanted to knife He Shuxin, Jing Zixiao coughed and slung an arm around Jing Deyu to change the subject. “How’s it feel dating a star? Same vibe in private as online?”

“Totally different.” Jing Deyu lit a cigarette, smirking mysteriously. “Cool persona for fans, but privately? Super clingy and slutty.”

Jing Zixiao perked up. “I haven’t slept with a star yet.”

Jing Deyu shrugged. “Just pay for it.”

Their crude talk grated on Lai Li. He wasn’t some saint either—just crude in a different way.

He stood and headed out. “You guys drink. I’m going to mark my territory.”

Cloud Summit’s rooms were well soundproofed, and the hallway was quiet. Late summer meant the AC was cranked, and in his ripped jeans and white T-shirt with a skull chain necklace, Lai Li felt a chill.

He knew the way to the bathroom like the back of his hand.

The men’s room had urinals, but he hated exposing himself in public. He entered a stall, sat on the toilet with its disposable seat cover, leaned back, propped his feet against the door, and bent his knees slightly.

He hadn’t drunk much tonight—not drunk, just a hazy headache. Closing his eyes brought back that morning’s scene, the sticky feeling in his throat lingering.

Compared to Dai Yi’s nonsense, Lai Li figured Dai Linxuan had just been pent up too long.

Pent up enough to not care about gender, though…

Lai Li frowned, pulled out his phone, and glared at Dai Linxuan’s thermometer photo. A nameless rage shot to his head.

Did Dai Linxuan actually do it? If he really likes men, does he like topping or bottoming? If bottoming, didn’t my rash command hit the spot?

A series of leather shoe clicks echoed outside.

Tap.

Tap.

Cloud Summit’s bathroom was spotless and spacious; the crisp clicks of leather on marble hit like footsteps on his heart, stirring waves of unease.

Lai Li looked up, sensing something, and stepped out.

Across from him, the mirror reflected a tall, slender figure leisurely drying water from between his fingers.

From behind, the man wore a soft white shirt—not formalwear—paired with light gray slacks hugging long, straight legs, and monk strap shoes.

Casual private attire.

He looked expensive, a refined gentleman—distant yet polite.

No third person would ever know what this noble young master had done to the younger brother he’d raised himself that morning.

Their eyes met in the mirror, then parted as Dai Linxuan lowered his gaze to dry his hands. Moments later, they met again.

Lai Li leaned against the door. “You look like my bro.”

“Like?” Dai Linxuan folded the paper towel into a square and tossed it in the trash. “Drunk?”

Lai Li watched him for a bit without answering. As he moved to brush past, Dai Linxuan hooked a finger into the rip in his jeans and yanked him close, pinning his lower back against the cold marble counter.

Dai Linxuan’s fingertips tapped lightly twice on Lai Li’s thigh before bracing on the marble. He leaned in slightly, sniffing at Lai Li’s neck. “Smoked?”

Even after what happened, Lai Li wasn’t afraid of Dai Linxuan’s closeness. “So what if I did?”

“Nothing.” Dai Linxuan smelled of mixed drinks—faint floral fruit notes. “Our little chestnut’s grown up. He can date, so naturally he can smoke too.”

“Don’t call me that.” It irritated Lai Li.

“What then?” Dai Linxuan asked patiently.

Their gazes tangled in the cramped air.

At twenty-two, a young man’s body was fully mature—including height. Lai Li used to crane his neck to meet Dai Linxuan’s eyes; now, he just looked straight ahead.

Lai Li inexplicably felt a bit unhappy and avoided Dai Linxuan’s question. “Who did you come to Cloud Summit to see?”

“This question should be coming from me.” Ignoring how close they stood at the moment, Dai Linxuan seemed like a genuinely caring big brother. “Student Lai Li, if I remember correctly, you promised me you’d live on campus this year. Do you know what time it is now?”

Dai Linxuan raised his hand to show Lai Li the time. The hour hand had already passed eleven.

Dai Linxuan’s wrist wasn’t slender—it looked strong, with faint purple veins and tendons clearly visible. The wrist bone protruded strikingly, sexily against the watch face.

He’d lost weight.

Lai Li wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol’s blurring effect or the overhead lights glaring too white, but his thoughts wandered. Was the food abroad really that bad? Good thing Dai Linxuan had rejected his request to study overseas back then.

“Seven minutes until tomorrow.” Dai Linxuan lowered his hand and propped himself up on the marble countertop again. “Planning to get a demerit your first month?”

Lai Li withdrew his gaze. “I checked the dorm roll before I left.”

Dai Linxuan patiently asked, “So how did you get out?”

Lai Li said impatiently, “The dorm’s on the second floor. I just climbed out the window.”

He pushed Dai Linxuan away, but his wrist was grabbed. By his ear came the other’s laughing breath. “Lai Li, you’re really not obedient at all.”

Lai Li’s motion to shake off Dai Linxuan suddenly paused. He responded carelessly, “You raised me, didn’t you, brother?”

It was probably deliberate—the word “brother” was enunciated especially heavily.