“Weren’t you going to show me around?” Xie Cen fixed his gaze on Qin Yu’s expression, realizing the other wasn’t joking, then averted his eyes.
“Yeah,” Qin Yu replied with an innocent look.
“What’s this?” Xie Cen pointed at the two bottles of beer Qin Yu had just retrieved from the snack stall’s cooler.
“Beer? It’s Snow Brand.” Qin Yu was baffled by Xie Cen’s seemingly stupid question, making him question reality. What kind of sheltered rich kid was this?
“It’s 3 p.m. Why are you bringing me to drink?” Despite his verbal protest, Xie Cen obediently sat across from Qin Yu.
The roadside stall was a temporary, low-budget business. The table and chairs were tiny, making sitting feel like squatting on the curb. Even the small table wasn’t as high as their bent knees. Their long legs were suddenly a disadvantage, with nowhere to put them. Two grown men in formal attire looked completely out of place amidst the homey atmosphere.
“Showing you around,” Qin Yu replied slyly. “C City doesn’t have many good places to visit. Tourist spots are either sold out or packed with people. Not worth it.”
He skillfully opened both beers and handed one to Xie Cen.
He seemed unconcerned whether the other wanted to drink, acting purely on instinct.
“Besides,” Qin Yu continued, lowering his arm.
“What interesting things could two men like us do together? Wouldn’t you find it boring?” Qin Yu explained systematically, refusing to admit he was simply lazy and wanted to make money while sitting.
Alright, he had put some thought into it. After all, Qin Yu had spent a while devising the most cost-effective way to get away from downtown.
Little did Xie Cen know how popular these stalls became after work hours. They were cleverly beating the rush.
“I wouldn’t,” Xie Cen said, picking up the beer Qin Yu had placed on the table and taking a hearty swig.
Qin Yu was struck not by Xie Cen’s answer, but by his straightforward action. Witnessing this, he was stunned for a moment. Truly, appearances could be deceiving.
“Haha, I didn’t eat enough at lunch. Why don’t we order some snacks? Drinking on an empty stomach isn’t good,” Qin Yu seized the opportunity to voice his hidden agenda. It wasn’t that he had a big appetite, but the portions at that restaurant were pitifully small. This was the second time he’d had such a frustrating experience, and he really couldn’t understand it.
Xie Cen smiled without comment, which Qin Yu took as agreement.
Strangely enough, the two actually started eating by the roadside. They ate for over three hours, shocking passersby with their midday feast that looked more like a late-night snack. People couldn’t help but stare in astonishment at the atmosphere between them.
After three hours, Xie Cen couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled Qin Yu up from the tiny stool and led him to pay the bill.
As they were leaving, the owner, finding their behavior odd, couldn’t help but say:
“Young man, there’s no storm in life you can’t weather. Just hang in there, it’ll get better.”
The owner spoke in accented Mandarin that sounded oddly endearing.
Though he seemed to address both of them, his concerned gaze was fixed on Qin Yu, who had drunk more bottles of beer.
After all, Qin Yu was a regular here, and his face was familiar to the owner. The owner had a deep impression of this tall, handsome young man.
“Yeah, business is rough, and my partner left me. I’ll get through this patch,” Qin Yu said, his face the picture of inconsolability. This was his peak acting performance; he fancied himself an Oscar-worthy actor.
The owner did not expect this young regular to have weathered such storms at his age and felt sorry for his plight.
He patted Qin Yu’s shoulder, offering heartfelt words of comfort. He even set aside his work, leaving the braised dishes to cool.
The owner cursed Qin Yu’s non-existent ex, calling them worthless while encouraging Qin Yu to look ahead.
Seeing Qin Yu seemingly comforted, the owner turned to Xie Cen, speaking in his distinctively accented Mandarin:
“And you, young man, what’s your story?” The owner, confident in his counseling skills, switched to one-on-one mode.
Unexpectedly, Xie Cen’s response stunned everyone, including Qin Yu.
“I’m the one who left him. I came to reconcile.”
He delivered this bombshell in the calmest tone imaginable.
The owner’s jaw dropped. Mindful that they were paying customers, he swallowed his words.
“Haha, young love, eh? A little conflict is understandable,” the owner laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.
“Just talk it out. You might clear up any misunderstandings, haha.”
Another forced laugh from the owner.
Finally, unable to continue the awkward conversation, the pair hastily left.
“Let’s go,” Xie Cen said to Qin Yu.
“Where to?”
“The movies.”
Qin Yu was about to decline, given the late hour, when Xie Cen showed him two movie tickets he’d bought online an hour ago.
When had he done this behind his back?
Qin Yu: Black Question Mark.JPG
They navigated to the nearest cinema. As they were about to enter, Qin Yu, with time to kill while Xie Cen bought popcorn, searched for the movie on his phone.
What he found shocked him.
It was a recently released LGBT film! No wonder the huge theater seemed like they had it to themselves.
Qin Yu rubbed his forehead in distress, thinking his luck had run out, stuck with a guy trying to force himself on him.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, things are moving a bit fast here!
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