Their delayed movie date was destined to be even more delayed due to the heavy rain, but He Jianshan didn’t mind.

The winter rain was a little chilly, and, when the wind blew, the cold seeped straight to the bone. He Jianshan’s heart had been filled with fervor, so he hadn’t really felt it while he was outside. Now that he had calmed down and come inside with Lin Hui, he couldn’t help but sneeze when a sudden rush of cold air came through the door. Lin Hui quickly turned on the lights and, without even changing his shoes, ran inside to get a towel for He Jianshan. “I’ve turned on the heater. Hurry and dry off. You don’t want to catch a cold.”

Under the light, He Jianshan noticed that there were still water droplets on Lin Hui’s clothes and his hair was partly wet. Somewhat helplessly, he placed the towel on Lin Hui’s head and began to help him dry off. Lin Hui was startled and tried to stop him, but, as soon as his fingertips touched He Jianshan’s hand, it was as if he’d been shocked and he quickly pulled back.

The only sound in the air was the rustling of the towel, carrying with it a tranquil sort of tenderness.

After a while, He Jianshan said, “There. All done.”

Lin Hui nodded absentmindedly. He cleared his throat and led He Jianshan to the living room. Lin Hui then poured a glass of water for He Jianshan and casually asked as he handed it over, “Have you had dinner?”

He Jianshan shook his head.

Lin Hui was momentarily speechless. “Even if the airplane food is bad, you should at least eat something.”

He then walked into the kitchen and checked the fridge. Looking back at He Jianshan, he said, “I have pork rib soup and rice right now. I can cook up one more dish to go with it. Shall we have dinner first?”

He Jianshan nodded. “Okay.”

Seeing that he’d agreed, Lin Hui quickly put on an apron and took out some tomatoes and eggs. Meanwhile, He Jianshan leaned against the entrance to the kitchen, watching him intently. Sensing his gaze, Lin Hui stopped what he was doing and awkwardly whispered, “Stop staring. Sit on the sofa and rest for a while. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

He Jianshan thought for a moment. “Is it okay if I take a look around?”

“Sure, but do you really need to? You can see pretty much everything from the front door.” Lin Hui’s laughter mingled with the sound of beating eggs, as if the sound itself had taken on the scent of the food.

He was being quite modest when he said this. The apartment consisted of a living room and three bedrooms, one of which being a study. It definitely wasn’t big compared to He Jianshan’s place, but the layout was nice. Even at night, it was plain to see that the apartment would be bright and spacious during the day, more than enough for one person.

“The apartment and the location are both very nice. It’s a good purchase,” He Jianshan commented.

Lin Hui had already started cutting the tomatoes. He laughed and said, “I specifically asked Li Fenghai to help me check it out. You have no idea. On the day of the handover, he showed up with a contractor. They even had little hammers with them and went tapping around the place, looking for flaws. They were so nitpicky the real estate agent almost went green in the face.”

He Jianshan couldn’t help but laugh as well. “No one knows this stuff better than him.”

He Jianshan casually looked around and found that Lin Hui’s place was just as cozy as he’d imagined—wooden furniture, soft short-pile carpets, warm overhead lighting, and carefully trimmed plants in the corners. The layout of every nook and cranny simply went to show the homeowner’s care and affection. He slowly walked to the study and, upon entering, found an entire wall covered with books. The bookshelves were divided into compartments of various sizes, holding all sorts of books and decorative items in picturesque disorder. He Jianshan pulled out a random book, flipped through it, and put it back. He then turned his attention to the other objects on the bookshelves, taking them in as he walked along the length of the wall—an old stationery set, a small globe, a completed lego airplane. One of the compartments contained nothing but an illustrated handbook of plants. The ribbon that he’d tied around Lin Hui’s wrist before his business trip was now tied around the neck of a wooden cat. He Jianshan couldn’t help but take a photo of it with his cell phone. There was also—

He Jianshan stopped in his tracks. He frowned, unable to resist reaching out and taking it out.

—a fountain pen.

This was the most classic fountain pen model from premier fountain pen brand AS—Muse. The entire body of the pen consisted of a pitch black lacquer. The only exception was the ring of tiny diamonds embedded in the cap, resembling an elegant crown or stars in the night sky. Together with the touch of vermillion at the end of the pen clip and the silver nib, the pen evoked the image of a graceful dancing girl, like a descending goddess.

Muse’s name was derived from this inspiration. AS’ founder once caught sight of a girl in a black gauze dress dancing in the water and immediately fell in love with her. He was so inspired he decided to design a pen based on her. He Jianshan was familiar with this pen because he owned an identical one. It had been his tenth birthday gift, valued at ¥49,500.

He Jianshan felt puzzled. He had never heard of Lin Hui having a hobby of collecting pens, and Lin Hui didn’t seem like someone who would spend so much money on such an expensive fountain pen. The only possibility was that it had been a gift from someone else. The issue was that, given its name and origin, this pen was usually given between lovers or as a token of affection to someone you admired.

He Jianshan examined the pen closely. It was spotless, looking as new as the ones in store. Lin Hui must have cherished it a lot to keep it in such pristine condition. Who could have given such a gift? Before he could gather his thoughts, Lin Hui’s voice came from the other side, “President He, dinner’s ready. Come and eat.”

He Jianshan let him know that he was coming and pushed his doubts aside, carefully putting the pen back where it belonged.

On the dining table, the piping hot tomato and egg stir-fry, as well as the fragrant pork rib soup, immediately whet He Jianshan’s appetite. Fearing that he might feel uncomfortable eating alone, Lin Hui also served himself a small bowl of rice and ate with him. The two chatted while as they ate—

“I saw a lot of travel related books in your study.”

Lin Hui nodded. “Some travel from home. I don’t have time to actually go traveling, so I just have to live vicariously through other people’s experiences.”

He Jianshan was a little curious. “What do you do during your time off then?”

“Sleep, play on my phone.”

“…”

Lin Hui couldn’t help laughing. “What? You don’t believe me? I already told you I’m lazy.”

Lin Hui seemed noticeably more relaxed, perhaps because he was at home. He Jianshan chuckled as well. “Well, your time off is for resting, and sleeping is also rest.”

Lin Hui glanced at him. “I thought you were going to tell me that it’s unhealthy again.”

“I still think you should eat less paofan.”

“…Oh.”

“By the way,” Lin Hui remembered something and spoke again, “I invited your brother’s band to perform at our year-end banquet. Is that okay?”

The word “our” delighted He Jianshan. “It’s your call.”

“I heard from your brother that President He Zhao doesn’t seem to approve of him doing this. I’m worried that when the time comes…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

As they continued talking, He Jianshan inexplicably found himself thinking of the pen he saw in the study. After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn’t help but say, “On your bookshelf, I saw…a pen.”

Lin Hui was taken aback for a moment. His expression became a little unnatural. “Oh, that…”

“Was it a gift from a friend?”

Lin Hui took a sip of water and nodded. “…You could say that.”

He Jianshan suddenly felt that the tomato in his mouth seemed a lot more sour than before. He didn’t understand what “you could say that” meant. However, he kept his face neutral and continued to ask, “Was it from an ex…friend?”

“Cough, cough, cough…” Lin Hui suddenly choked on his food and began coughing violently.

How could He Jianshan not see that Lin Hui was avoiding the topic? However, he didn’t want to make Lin Hui uncomfortable. He liked the comfortable atmosphere when chatting with him and didn’t want to ruin it. Besides, regardless of whether it was an ex-girlfriend or an ex-boyfriend, they meant nothing to He Jianshan. With this in mind, he quickly changed the subject and moved on.

After dinner, Lin Hui took the dishes into the kitchen. When he came back out, he found He Jianshan standing on the balcony, looking out the balcony window. It wasn’t clear what he was looking at. Outside, the rain continued, unabated. Under the starless and moonless night, only the glistening leaves and the hazy lights of nearby buildings remained. For some reason, Lin Hui didn’t want to walk up to him. He just wanted to stay here and watch He Jianshan’s silhouette, preferably for as long as possible.

Perhaps sensing the quietness around him, He Jianshan turned his head and smiled at Lin Hui, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Hui shook his head and slowly walked to his side. “What are you looking at, President He?”

“Assistant Lin.” He Jianshan didn’t answer his question but instead said, “Call me by my name. You can drop the formalities.”

Lin Hui paused and muttered, “Aren’t you still calling me ‘Assistant Lin’?”

“That’s different.”

Lin Hui was about to ask how it was different when he suddenly realized something, and his ears immediately turned red.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Lin Hui’s heart was, quite frankly, a bit of a mess. He had too many questions he wanted to ask. For instance, what did the bow that he tied on his wrist mean, and why did he invite him to see a movie? He also had a lot of things he wanted to say, things he didn’t dare say in the past and still couldn’t say now. He had liked He Jianshan for far too long, so long that, when faced with him, he couldn’t find even a bit of “courage” left in himself. He was hesitant, indecisive, afraid that, in risking it all, he’d be left with nothing.

However, something was definitely different. Something had changed between him and He Jianshan. That secretive and ambiguous mood was like a thread, gently pulling them together. Lin Hui didn’t know if this change was because of that one incident, but it was enough to stir up a storm in his heart. Like pressing the play button of a game, everything was just beginning, and he had already fallen prey.

The wind whistled through the gap in the window and then departed again.

Lin Hui said, “I saw this one documentary. I think it was about a minority group that worships the wind, as in the wind that’s blowing outside right now. When spring comes, they hold an event called ‘wind running’, which is kind of like an obstacle race where they run against the wind from one side to the other. While they’re running, they have to pick up various fruits and utensils, symbolizing a year of harvest. Apparently, the gusting wind is supposed to blow away their bad luck and bring them good fortune.”

Lin Hui lowered his head and laughed. “What about you? Are you a fan of these kinds of natural phenomena? What season do you like? What weather do you like?”

He Jianshan turned his head and looked at him.

For some reason, he couldn’t help wanting to keep looking at Lin Hui—his eyebrows, his upturned lips, that hint of light on his shoulder. He was so absorbed in looking that he almost forgot to answer the question. “…I like…I like…the rain.”

“Rain? Do you mean a gentle drizzle or is it something more like…” Lin Hui asked, gesturing outside, “…this kind of rain?”

He Jianshan still couldn’t bring himself to look away. He nodded. “Yes.”

Lin Hui looked puzzled. “Why? Isn’t it inconvenient to travel in such heavy rain?”

He waited for a long time but didn’t get an answer from He Jianshan.

The temperature inside had risen, and, even standing on the balcony, Lin Hui was feeling a little warm, parched. He wanted to go pour two glasses of water, but, as soon as he turned around, he suddenly felt a hand around his wrist. Surprised, Lin Hui looked into He Jianshan’s eyes and found them shining so brightly it made his heart race.

He Jianshan’s throat bobbed. He slowly pulled Lin Hui closer to him, reaching out to touch his face before gradually moving to his lips. His thumb kept stroking Lin Hui’s bottom lip, almost as if he were comforting himself yet also restraining himself.

Lin Hui’s heart was beating like a drum, and his eyelashes were trembling intensely.

Slowly, He Jianshan drew closer, his familiar scent instantly enveloping Lin Hui, and their breathing began to intertwine.

“Can I?” He Jianshan’s voice was low and hoarse.

Lin Hui’s hands curled into a fist, and, after a long time, he said, “…I don’t know.”

“In that case,” He Jianshan earnestly suggested, “why don’t we just blame it on the rainy weather?”

Lin Hui couldn’t help but laugh, and He Jianshan laughed too. They were close, too close. Their laughter seemed like butterflies fluttering in each other’s ears.

Lin Hui felt a wave of bitterness rise up in his heart. He kept feeling that this was a dream, a dream that he could not be more familiar with, a dream he’d had countless times before. He stared motionlessly at He Jianshan, not even noticing the reddening of his eyes. In a very soft voice, he asked, “Are you…for real?”

The He Jianshan who invited him to the movies. The He Jianshan who wanted to kiss him. The He Jianshan who was standing here right at this very moment. Were they real? Lin Hui felt doubtful.

He Jianshan’s heart felt as though it had been pierced by a needle, the sharp pain causing his hand to freeze. He didn’t know why Lin Hui had such doubts. He had never experienced such feelings before. No one had ever told him that, among the myriad of emotions of love, there would also be those that pained you to tears.

“He wants an answer,” He Jianshan thought.

Tonight, he’d avoided two questions, but, now, he wanted to answer them.

“Assistant Lin,” He Jianshan began, slowly closing his eyes before opening them again. “You asked me what I was looking at. I was looking at your reflection. You asked me why I like heavy rain. It’s because we first met on a rainy day like this. You ask me if I’m being serious. All I can say is—”

He Jianshan paused. He carefully observed the person in front of him, the light reflecting in his eyes. “I—”

Lin Hui began to tremble. He stared intently at the person before him, his eyes red.

“—have completely fallen in love.”

He Jianshan leaned down and kissed him.

The Author Has Something To Say:

There are lots of songs about unrequited love, but, if I had to choose one for Lin Hui, it would be Faye Wong’s “Reservedness”. After this chapter, Lin Hui can finally bid this song farewell.

The Translator Has Something To Say:

I highly recommend listening to the song as you read the chapter! In fact, any of Faye Wong’s songs are a total vibe. I feel like this one in particular has a very classic Disney kind of feeling.