After getting off work, Lin Hui and He Jianshan arrived at Xue Pei’s newly opened restaurant.

The restaurant, Glimpse of the Sea, was located in a popular food district in the western part of Beijing. As the name suggested, it specialized in seafood. Xue Pei purchased an old building at the end of the street and had it redesigned with ships and sea as the theme. He even hired an interior designer to redecorate it. This renovation not only upgraded the place but also enhanced the atmosphere.

Once the two were seated in a private room, Xue Pei joined them at the table, urging them to dig into the table full of seafood. He didn’t seem inclined to leave, so He Jianshan asked, “The restaurant seems pretty busy. Don’t you need to help out?”

“No worries. I’ve got plenty of staff. Besides, I’ve already put so much money into this. Why should I also have to put in work? Being the boss wouldn’t be any fun that way.”

Lin Hui smiled and glanced at He Jianshan. “At Wanzhu, the busiest person is the boss.”

“You can’t compare me to your President He. Didn’t you see? I’m like his closest friend, and I still can’t get him to show up, not even if I schedule it half a month in advance.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I? It’s all the same.”

Xue Pei shook his head. “It’s really not. If you’d come here as soon as you got back yesterday, there would be bluefin tuna on this table right now.” He then proceeded to complain even more, “I told you to come here as soon as you got off the plane. Lin Hui wasn’t working on Sunday. He would’ve been able to come, but, no, you just had to be busy. What was so important that you didn’t even have time for dinner?”

He Jianshan laughed. “I had a major life event to attend to.”

Lin Hui’s face heated up when he heard this. He didn’t dare to look at He Jianshan, simply focusing on his food.

The three of them were chatting, and, somehow, the topic shifted from the restaurant’s design to the interior decorating of He Jianshan’s apartment. Xue Pei seemed to have suddenly thought of something and asked Lin Hui, “Lin Hui, have you been to Jianshan’s place?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Have you seen his bathroom?” Xue Pei was excited now. “Isn’t it super luxurious? His bathtub in particular looks super comfortable.”

Lin Hui couldn’t help but sneak a quick glance at He Jianshan, only to find that He Jianshan was looking right back at him. The two locked eyes for a moment before Lin Hui quickly looked away and stammered, “O-oh, that…”

Xue Pei continued enthusiastically, “The first time I saw it, I was so jealous! I wanted one too, but it was too expensive. I really can’t afford to have one installed. Don’t you think it’s wasted on Jianshan? He isn’t someone who knows how to enjoy himself. He’d rather let it collect dust than use it.”

He Jianshan neither confirmed nor denied it. “Who told you I don’t use it?”

“You would use it as a fish tank before you ever take a bath in it,” Xue Pei said confidently.

“You’re absolutely right. I’m using it as a fish tank.”

Xue Pei was momentarily baffled by He Jianshan’s firm declaration. “Ah? Seriously? What kind of fish are you keeping in there?”

He Jianshan paused for a moment. “Mermaids.”

“Cough, cough—!”

He Jianshan and Xue Pei both turned to look at the culprit behind the coughing. Lin Hui said, red faced, “Sorry, this was a little spicy.”

Xue Pei saw that it was the spicy stir-fried clams. He quickly stood up and said, “I’ll tell the chef to tone down the spiciness. Jianshan said that you can handle your spice, so, if even you find it spicy, it must really be spicy.” With that, he left the room.

There were now only two people left in the room, and it suddenly became quiet.

He Jianshan placed a cup of coconut milk in front of Lin Hui. “Water doesn’t really help relieve spiciness. Drink this instead.”

Lin Hui shot him a look.

He Jianshan wanted to laugh for some reason. He put on an innocent look and said, “Assistant Lin, this is the second time you’ve used this trick.”

Lin Hui felt that his face was so hot he could steam seafood on it. He Jianshan’s words left him in an awkward position—acknowledging them meant admitting he was the mermaid in question, but ignoring them would leave himself feeling even more embarrassed. He thought to himself, dumbfounded, “Is this really the He Jianshan I know? Is he using the negotiation tactics he’d honed to mess with me?”

The usually eloquent Assistant Lin suddenly found himself at a loss for words!

“All you ever do is bully me,” Lin Hui muttered.

He Jianshan laughed again and extended his hand toward Lin Hui. “Here, Lin Hui.”

Lin Hui looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly put his hand into the other’s palm.

He Jianshan wrapped his hand around his.

It may have been due to the heating in the room, but He Jianshan’s palm was warm and slightly clammy. He Jianshan said softly, “See? I’m sweating. I get nervous too.”

Lin Hui laughed. “I don’t believe you.”

“I—” He Jianshan was about to say something when they heard the door click. Lin Hui immediately pulled his hand back. Sure enough, Xue Pei walked in carrying a plate of garlic razor clams. He looked up to see He Jianshan staring at him expressionlessly as Lin Hui gulped down his coconut milk.

Xue Pei held up the dish. “…These clams are really plump.”

He set the dish on the table and sat back down. “By the way, why do you guys seem so different today?”

He pointed at He Jianshan. “Jianshan’s suddenly become a lot more talkative.”

He Jianshan was the type of person who didn’t talk much, even when drinking in private, but, today, he had been uncharacteristically conversational.

Xue Pei then turned his gaze to Lin Hui. “Lin Hui, on the other hand, hasn’t said a word.”

Over the years, Xue Pei had come to know Lin Hui fairly well because He Jianshan was always bringing Lin Hui along. Whenever the three of them had a meal together, it was usually Xue Pei and Lin Hui doing the talking. Lin Hui was naturally personable, so he could hold a conversation with just about anyone.

Xue Pei’s suspicious gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them. Lin Hui kept a calm face. “I haven’t been talking much because your seafood is just too good. I’m busy eating!”

Xue Pei furrowed his brows and shook his head. “You guys didn’t have an argument over work, did you?”

He Jianshan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Xue Pei, we’re actually—”

“We’re not arguing,” Lin Hui suddenly interrupted He Jianshan. He Jianshan paused, looking at him. Avoiding his gaze, Lin Hui smiled at Xue Pei and said, “I’m just a little tired after work, so I didn’t feel like talking.”

“In that case, you should eat more, recharge your energy.”

After dinner, He Jianshan drove Lin Hui home. They’d only brought one car, anticipating that they might drink at Xue Pei’s. Sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Hui felt a little uneasy. He kept glancing at He Jianshan and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you angry?”

He Jianshan glanced at him. “I’m not angry.”

He paused and added, “Did you interrupt me earlier because you were worried that I’d reveal our relationship?”

Lin Hui was silent for a moment before nodding.

“Actually, I wasn’t planning on revealing it then. However, I’m a little curious now. Why don’t you want to reveal it?”

He Jianshan had just finished speaking when the car pulled into their destination. Lin Hui stepped out of the car and sneezed as a gust of cold wind brushed past him. Before he could react, He Jianshan had already taken a scarf from the car and wrapped it around Lin Hui’s neck. The car’s heater had kept the scarf warm. Lin Hui took a look at it and suddenly froze. After a while, he softly said, “I gave you this scarf.”

He Jianshan didn’t understand why he seemed so surprised: “Yes. You remembered.”

Lin Hui thought, “How could I forget?”

Wanzhu Corporation offered birthday benefits. All employees could receive a gift on their birthday, which included a half-day off, a five hundred yuan gift card, and a small cake. He Jianshan was no exception. However, within all of Wanzhu, He Jianshan was probably the only one to not partake. He never took the day off, the cake was always shared with others in the office, and the gift card was typically given to Lin Hui.

At first, Lin Hui didn’t know what this meant. He Jianshan had simply said, “You keep it.” Lin Hui initially thought the other wanted him to purchase something for him, so he put it in his drawer and waited for further instructions. It wasn’t until He Jianshan’s birthday the following year, when another gift card was tossed his way, that he realized the card was for him.

And so it went. Year after year, another birthday, and, year after year, another card. By the sixth year, the administrative department simply gave the gift card directly to Lin Hui. Lin Hui was really helpless. He opened his drawer, where five gift cards were already neatly stacked on top of each other. He thought, “Can this even be called a birthday?”

He may have grown up without parents and his family may have been poor, but his grandmother was always a particular person. She would cook him a delicious meal and buy him a gift every year on his birthday. Later, when he went off to college and had to celebrate his birthdays at school, his grandmother never failed to call him and insist that he celebrate properly, reminding him to eat well, to buy himself a gift, and to not be stingy with himself.

In his mind, birthdays were incredibly important. However, He Jianshan didn’t seem to care about them at all.

Lin Hui looked at the figure working diligently in the office and then down at the card in his hands. He grabbed his car keys and went out.

In the afternoon, Lin Hui returned with a bag in his hands. He immediately headed towards He Jianshan’s office.

He Jianshan was reviewing some documents when he saw him rushing in and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Lin Hui smiled. “Today’s your birthday.”

He Jianshan, realizing what this was about, went back to his documents. “You guys can distribute the cake. As for the card, you—”

A paper bag appeared before him.

He Jianshan looked up in surprise.

Lin Hui scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “You’ve given me several gift cards over the years. I never used them, so I decided to use them along with this year’s card to buy you a gift.”

He Jianshan remained silent for a long time.

Lin Hui continued, somewhat awkwardly, “Birthdays are important. You might not need the gift cards, but I think the gift I bought is okay. Do you want to take a look?”

He Jianshan didn’t move right away. He seemed to still be processing this development. For a moment, Lin Hui even felt that he was a little afraid. After a long while, He Jianshan slowly took the item out of the paper bag. The item turned out to be a medium-sized box, meticulously wrapped in dark blue striped paper. There was even a red satin ribbon tied around one of its corners.

It was a carefully packaged gift, waiting to be opened.

He Jianshan looked up at Lin Hui. Lin Hui’s eyes were full of joy, the corners of his lips curved in a proud smile. “I went to three different stores to find this color of wrapping paper. It really suits you better. The others were way too childish. Want to open it?”

He Jianshan carefully untied the satin bow and opened the wrapping paper—

Inside was a scarf, a soft light-colored cashmere scarf. When it touched his skin, it was light and airy, like a breath of air.

He Jianshan smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

Lin Hui seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“It’s beautiful. I like it very much.”

Lin Hui broke into a laugh. “Then…happy birthday.”

He Jianshan wasn’t actually in the habit of wearing a scarf. Beijing’s winters were short and heating was available virtually everywhere he went, so He Jianshan rarely had the opportunity to wear it. Still, every winter, he would always dig it out of storage and put it in his car. He always felt that maybe one day there would be a sudden cold wave and he would need this scarf to fend off the cold.

⁂

The two snapped out of the memory and looked at each other at the same time.

Lin Hui gently stroked the scarf and said softly, “I never saw you wear it, so I thought you didn’t like it.”

“It’s my birthday gift. Remember to return it to me when you’re done using it.”

Lin Hui hid in the scarf and laughed. “It’s not like you wear it often.”

The two of them talked and laughed, slowly walking towards home. It was well past nine o’clock, and not a single person was out. After all, it was winter. He Jianshan took Lin Hui’s hand and put it in his pocket.

“Alright, now tell me what you were thinking.”

The night wind rustled through the leaves. There wasn’t a single trace of the heavy rain from the day before. However, for Lin Hui, it was as if it were all still in front of him—he had yet to process the sheer amount of joy that He Jianshan’s confession had brought him.

“We’ve only been together for a day, so … I might not be … too used to it yet…”

As he said these words, he felt a little ridiculous. He’d secretly liked He Jianshan for so many years, but, now that they were actually together, he felt that things were moving too fast and he wasn’t used to it. Not to mention, they’d already done the most intimate thing lovers could do. He was a little frustrated. He didn’t know how to describe these feelings to He Jianshan. It sounded strange and overly sensitive, even to himself.

However, He Jianshan nodded. “You’re right.” He gently squeezed Lin Hui’s fingers in his pocket. “Let’s get used to holding hands first. Does this make you feel uncomfortable?”

Lin Hui shook his head. He thought, “How could it possibly be uncomfortable? If anything, it was too comfortable.” Their bodies were in perfect sync. This deep, soul-stirring tremor and longing almost made it difficult for Lin Hui to face himself.

He Jianshan chuckled softly. “Are you wondering how I can be so calm about this whole dating thing?”

He Jianshan had guessed right. Lin Hui was wondering about it. He was even a little indignant about it. “I was the one who liked him first, so why does it feel like I’m not as good at this dating thing as he is?”

“Do you consciously pay attention to the way you breathe?” He Jianshan suddenly asked an unrelated question.

Lin Hui shook his head.

“I’ve always been on my own, so it took me a long time to become aware of ‘love’. It’s too difficult to distinguish, like breathing. I wasn’t conscious of it at all. However, once I figured it out, everything I said and did with you became as natural as breathing.”

Love tamed time. It melted into every second, every glance, and every passing moment. He Jianshan could no longer separate it from his life.

As if remembering something, He Jianshan laughed again. “Actually, when I was walking down this street to find you yesterday, I kept thinking, ‘Why is this street so long? Why haven’t you shown up yet?’ I wanted to ask you to see a movie with me. I wanted to tell you that I wanted to pursue you. I was wondering if I should apologize first or just get to the point. I thought about a lot of things. My mind was a mess. Even when I finally saw you, I was still thinking, ‘What in the world should I do?’”

Lin Hui was stunned. He didn’t know that someone as rational and calm as He Jianshan could also feel panicked like that.

“If you ask me what I like about you, I probably still can’t give you a clear answer.” He Jianshan was a little helpless. “It’s hard to put into words. Even though you’re by my side, even though your hand is in mine, I—”

He Jianshan stopped walking and turned to look at Lin Hui. “I still miss you.”

“I’m saying all this to tell you, Lin Hui, that it’s me who can’t be without you. It’s me who couldn’t wait to make our relationship official. In this relationship, the initiative is entirely in your hands.”

“Don’t worry about anything, and just do what your heart tells you. Accept if you want to accept. Refuse if you want to refuse. If you want to toy with me—”

Lin Hui couldn’t help but shout, “That’s not an option!”

His voice was so loud that even the wind seemed to be startled into silence. The two of them were quiet for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

He Jianshan tidied a tuft of Lin Hui’s hair that had blown onto his forehead and looked at him intently. “Like anyone that’s in love, you can ask me to do anything.”

After a long time, Lin Hui whispered, “Can I?”

He Jianshan nodded.

Lin Hui’s eyes brightened. He pulled his hand out of He Jianshan’s pocket and stepped back.

“Hug me. He Jianshan, hug me. “

Winter was wonderful.

Lin Hui thought, “I never knew that winter could be so warm—”

Not from the heater or the sunshine, not from coffee or milk tea, not from thick clothes or the duvet at six in the morning. It was from wearing He Jianshan’s scarf and then being hugged tightly by He Jianshan.

They shared each other’s heartbeat, warmth, and love, said or unsaid.

He thought, “This winter truly is wonderful.”

---

The Author Has Something To Say:

It seems like everyone is a little surprised by how “skilled” President He is. In fact, President He has always been skilled. He knew how to cheer Lin Hui up in the bar, treating him with drinks, playing his favorite songs, even writing him a little note. In Changning, he said that the fact Lin Hui didn’t continue to study horticulture was “a loss for everyone else, but a blessing for me”. At that time, he still hadn’t realized his feelings, but he’d already started flirting unconsciously. He’s a little slow to warm up in terms of relationships, but he isn’t dull. In fact, he’s very articulate. I think I mentioned before that, whenever he’s chatting with people at the dinner table, no one can take their eyes off of him. It’s just that there’s always an element of performance when he’s working. Lin Hui felt that he seemed tired because he’s not a person who likes to talk yet his position requires him to do so much of it. However, it’s different when he’s in a relationship with Lin Hui because he has love driving him. When he devotes himself wholeheartedly, he really is very passionate and capable, and he also has a strong desire to perform. Tsk, men…