Translator: HillarybyHillary
Editor: Eric Rasputin
Quality Check: Isalee
First Published on Chaleuria
Fang Chi saw Gao Zhun standing there with his back facing him. He was wearing a deep brown fur coat that was loosely draped over one side and nothing underneath as he seductively exposed his shoulder and most of his back. On his left foot he wore a black stiletto heel while his right foot was currently lifted in the process of putting the other heel on. The angle of the other heel showed off the iconic bright red sole of the Louboutin’s.
“Hey…” Fang Chi leaned against the wall as he blatantly flirted with Gao Zhun as if he was a woman.
Surprised by Fang Chi’s sudden comment, Gao Zhun panicked and blushed as he rushed to explain himself, “I saw them in the closet when we checked in this afternoon. They must’ve been left behind by some kind of ‘celebrity’…”
Fang Chi cautiously walked toward Gao Zhun as he wanted to box him in, yet at the same time, he was a little hesitant. “Interesting…” he said, “I’m quite surprised.”
“Do you still like women?” Gao Zhun questioned in a masochistic manner, then immediately regretted his words and added, “If you like it, there are also lingerie and stockings…”
Fang Chi stared at Gao Zhun with an almost obsessive gaze, then reached under the fur coat to directly touch his skin. Gao Zhun shuddered in response and reflexively shrunk away. Noticing his retreat, Fang Chi instantly reached over to the closest surface and put down his champagne flute before swiftly tugging the fur coat and lifting Gao Zhun up to carry him back to the bedroom. The moment Fang Chi gently lowered Gao Zhun down onto the soft mattress, he leaned back to skillfully remove one high-heel after the other. “Charles,” Gao Zhun cooed, imitating how Zuo Linlin used to call out Fang Chi’s English name, “Charles!”
“Holy mama!” Fang Chi blurted out jokingly, then proceeded to desperately rip off Gao Zhun’s slippery-smooth fur coat and undo his own belt as if he was an uncontrollable beast in its mating cycle. Suddenly, something sprayed out from within Gao Zhun’s fur sleeve, showering Fang Chi’s face in a light mist.
Gao Zhun giggled before quickly kicking off the other heel and twisting out of Fang Chi’s arms to escape to the other end of the large king-sized bed. Fang Chi was still dazed by the sudden action as he wiped his face and sniffed the sweet fragrance in the air — it seemed to be some kind of women’s perfume. Although his eyes burned with desire, Fang Chi pretended to be angry as he glared at Gao Zhun. The cheeky fella clearly had another surprise hidden up his other sleeve as he pulled out a little tube of bright red lipstick.
Fang Chi’s eyes widened as he pounced on him. He ignored the other man’s pleading protests as he roughly enveloped Gao Zhun’s lips with his own. The lipstick smeared everywhere, from his lips, chin, cheeks to his earlobes — everything was red.
***
It wasn’t until three in the morning that they finished up. Fang Chi walked out of the bathroom and lazily flopped onto the bed as he chuckled to himself. Gao Zhun was still in the shower; his light grey silhouette could be seen moving around through the frosted glass partition. Suddenly, Gao Zhun’s phone started to ring. Fang Chi looked at the screen and saw an incoming call from an international number, so he ignored it. But the caller was adamant about getting through as they repeatedly called back four or five times. Eventually, Fang Chi reluctantly picked up, “Hello?”
The line was silent for a while, so Fang Chi thought it was a prank call. Just as he was about to hang up, a middle-aged woman’s voice came through the phone, “Are you that… that… Fang Chi?”
Fang Chi was stunned, “Who are you?”
“You bastard!” Although it was clearly an insult, she sounded more like a victim with her trembling voice as she sobbed, “Shame on you!”
Fang Chi nervously got off the bed to knock on the bathroom door, then reached in to hand over the phone. The moment Gao Zhun glanced at the number on the phone, his face paled. He was still dripping wet from his shower as he walked out and took a deep breath before taking the phone and muttering, “Mom.”
Fang Chi hurriedly grabbed the closest towel and started to wipe down Gao Zhun’s wet body as he followed behind him like a personal butler. Completely oblivious to the other man’s actions, Gao Zhun frustratedly complained into the phone, “Was it Zuo Linlin that told you this? Didn’t you hate her the most?” Although Gao Zhun was annoyed, he also felt somewhat fearful at the same time.
Gao Zhun’s silence dragged on for a long while as the trembling voice of his mother’s scolding could be heard over the phone. He didn’t make a sound apart from sniffling here and there from walking out of the shower dripping wet. Just as he was about to head to the wardrobe to grab his clothes, he noticed Fang Chi nervously sitting on the edge of the bed with a damp towel twisted and crumpled into a messy ball between his fingers. Gao Zhun walked back to Fang Chi and motioned for him to get in bed first.
“We are already together,” Gao Zhun enunciated every word carefully as Fang Chi turned off the lights and got into bed. Using Fang Chi’s chest as his pillow, Gao Zhun entwined his arms tightly around the other man’s waist, then added, “I was the one who went after him.”
Fang Chi listened quietly while lightly running his fingers through Gao Zhun’s damp hair in an attempt to soothe him. He could hear from the raised voice in the phone that Gao Zhun’s mother was getting more and more worked up. Likewise, Gao Zhun’s muscles were also getting tenser by the minute as if he was about to explode at any moment. Fang Chi reached down and gently kissed Gao Zhun’s forehead before whispering in his ear, “Don’t be angry at your mom. Even if she scolds you, it’s only because she loves you.”
Gao Zhun obediently listened to Fang Chi’s advice. However, he was still unable to fully relax as his muscles grew tenser still. After a while, Gao Zhun started talking again, “Mom, you’ve always been such an independent and strong woman. Sometimes I… I’m afraid of you.” Gao Zhun was panting by the end of his sentence as he was obviously nervous about finally admitting his deepest fears. With signs of an oncoming panic attack, he hesitated for another moment before continuing, “There’s something I’ve never dared to tell you but…”
Fang Chi realized what Gao Zhun was talking about and shivered as goosebumps covered his entire body. Although he didn’t dare to assume what Gao Zhun would actually say next, he did want to be closer to the man just to support him through this challenging experience and to better perceive the subtle changes in Gao Zhun’s emotions. However, before he could even open his mouth, tears fell freely from Gao Zhun’s reddened eyes as he admitted, “I was raped… by a man.”
This was a very long story, Fang Chi thought to himself. He pulled the duvet aside as he got up and walked over to the mini-fridge to grab a bottle of cold water for Gao Zhun.
***
It was just past eleven on Thursday as Gao Zhun waited at the intersection of Pujiang University’s south gate entrance. When Fang Chi left that morning, he had said his interview would finish at around half past ten and that he would meet him there. However, the meeting had obviously been delayed. Gao Zhun anxiously lit a cigarette and waited on the side of the road. He had decided to take the metro that morning since this area was known for being hard to find parking spaces. With the midday sun blazing down, he found a shaded area under a nearby building and waited. Across the road was an army compound, and by the entrance was a soldier standing guard with a rifle. The soldier was tall and well-built, dressed immaculately in his uniform with his back ramrod straight. Gao Zhun couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
Oddly, the soldier was also glancing at him but for an entirely different reason. It was rare for people in this area to be this formally dressed, so Gao Zhun stood out like a sore thumb. He was like a shimmering presence amid a desert with his styled hair, tailored navy blue suit and glittery cufflinks and buttons. Although Gao Zhun wasn’t exceptionally tall, his delicate and luxurious fashion style easily made him stand out.
Gao Zhun locked eyes with the soldier for a split second. Although the two had clearly been stealing glances at each other, the chance of their eyes meeting seemed so ordinary that it was almost like a subconscious gesture. Just then, a woman dressed in a fluttering skirt sauntered over; she had a relatively mature aura as her hips swayed left and right. Her appearance cut right between their vision like a pair of scissors as she stopped right in front of Gao Zhun. She gave him a once over as she reached into her purse to pull out a box of cigarettes before placing one on her lips, asking, “Do you have a lighter?”
Gao Zhun never considered himself a gentleman. He didn’t spare a glance as he answered indifferently, “No.” He didn’t even bother with common courtesy as he outright lied to her. Shocked, the woman glared fiercely at him before storming off in a huff.
The soldier was stunned by Gao Zhun’s behavior. What man wouldn’t be willing to spare a minute, or even a lifetime, for such a sexy and alluring woman? This mysteriously dressed man had unexpectedly and rudely dismissed her; the soldier was beyond puzzled but would soon know why. Gao Zhun hurriedly finished his cigarette, but instead of stubbing out the butt by his feet, he deliberately flicked it to the sewer a few meters away. He then unbuttoned his suit jacket and started to fan it roughly in an attempt to get rid of the lingering smoke. The soldier couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he thought, he must be waiting for his girlfriend.
Gao Zhun reached down and picked up his bag to look for a piece of gum. Suddenly, another person came around the corner. The sound of their ringtone could be heard even before the person appeared:
Blue hydrangea, cold cash divine,
Cashmere, cologne, and white sunshine…
What a coincidence, Gao Zhun thought. It was Lana Del Rey’s “Old Money.1” He had heard this song just last weekend when he was entangled in bed with Fang Chi as they both reached their orgasms simultaneously. The lyrics were cut short as the phone was picked up, “Hi, Supervisor Yan. Mmmm… Yes, it went very well. Thank you.”
It’s Fang Chi’s voice, Gao Zhun thought excitedly as he jerked his head around and saw that familiar pair of frameless glasses and that warm and genuine smile. It really was him.
The soldier stared at them in utter shock as he watched Gao Zhun happily wrap his arms around Fang Chi’s waist and hugged the other man without reservation. Their bodies pressed tightly together without a wisp of air between them. Gao Zhun’s expression instantly changed from the previous look of indifference to an expression of faint arousal as his lips parted invitingly. The ringtone from a moment earlier started to ring again, but the two seemed so caught up in each other that it was completely ignored.
The rifle on his back suddenly felt a lot heavier as the weight of it cut into his shoulder. The soldier averted his gaze in a panic. With his eyes concentrated elsewhere, he seemed to be able to fool himself into thinking the world was the same as before. Only the mysterious lyrics of that English song could be heard in the background:
But, if you’d send for me you know I’ll come,
And if you’d call for me ,you know I’ll run,
I’ll run to you, I’ll run to you , I’ll run, run, run,
I’ll come to you , I’ll come to you, I’ll come, come, come…
Footnotes:
- Lana Del Rey’s “Old Money”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TGULdbFzyc