The Long Night - Chapter 23

After a few days of vacation, school started again. It was early March, and spring hadn’t fully arrived in the north, so there were still a few more snowfalls to come.

Back at school, Yan Liao dutifully took his makeup exams and, with a bit of luck, passed them all. He had fewer classes this semester, with a full day only on Thursdays and an average of two classes on other days.

Tang Shaocheng’s course load, however, had increased. He weighed his options and quit his tutoring job, leaving him with a three-point routine: school, the law office, and home.

The days passed by peacefully.

For what felt like the hundredth time, Tang Shaocheng walked out of the classroom and saw Yan Liao waiting for him in the hallway.

The gentle early summer sun fell on the side of his face. His long, thick eyelashes were soft, and the line from his nose bridge to his jaw was sharp and clean. He had grown taller in university, and his features had become even more handsome.

It was certainly a pleasant sight to see this person the moment he left the classroom.

If only he didn’t also think about the fact that Yan Liao should be in class right now.

Tang Shaocheng patted his back and asked calmly, “Did you skip class again?”

Yan Liao leaned against the window sill, creating some distance between them. “I asked a classmate to sign in for me,” he mumbled to himself, wondering how this person knew his class schedule so well. “I just want to spend more time with you.”

“I want you to not fail any more classes this semester.”

He brought up a sore subject, even though most of them were sore subjects.

The two of them walked toward the stairs side by side. The students around them were gradually leaving. The crowded area made him feel safe, as he didn’t have to worry about Tang Shao-cheng suddenly giving him a “love lesson.” “I have megalophobia,” Yan Liao said, with a straight face. “I’m afraid of the big blackboard in the classroom.”

Tang Shaocheng almost choked on his own breath.

“…Don’t skip class to come here again,” he said, his voice full of sincerity.

Yan Liao nodded like a respected leader. “Mhm, we’ll see.”

After they left the teaching building, Tang Shaocheng gave him a stern lecture in an empty area.

Yan Liao was furious, so angry he wanted to turn into a balloon and float away. Why was this person still nagging him about school, even after he had already taken his college entrance exam?

They walked through a shady path with lush trees. Yan Liao saw a classmate who had also skipped class standing leisurely in front of the art building.

When they met, his classmate waved at them, a triumphant look on his face. “I’m waiting for my girlfriend.” He then pointed his chin toward Tang Shaocheng. “Who’s this?”

“My dad,” Yan Liao said, still angry. “He’s here to study with me. Jealous?”

His classmate laughed twice, knowing he was just joking, and played along. “Very jealous. Your dad looks so young.”

Before they could chat for a few more minutes, a girl came bouncing out. The couple hugged each other without a care in the world, like lovebirds in a pond.

Yan Liao almost ground his teeth to dust. He grabbed Tang Shaocheng and walked away. When they were far enough, he indignantly told him he should be a “boyfriend who doesn’t kill the mood.” Tang Shaocheng responded by giving his hair a hard ruffle.

The only time they could spend together was the walk from the school to the subway station.

The broadcast announced that the train would arrive in one minute. Yan Liao held onto his wrist, not wanting to let go. “Come home early after work.”

Tang Shaocheng sighed. He had heard this sentence thousands of times in both of his lives combined. He nodded. “Okay.”

In the afternoon, Yan Liao was in the studio catching up on his homework. Four classmates next to him were clacking away at mahjong tiles. In the back row, some students were eating steaming hot pot. He was the only one in the entire studio who was actually painting. He thought to himself, a little speechless, that even with all this diligence, Tang Shaocheng still had something to complain about. He hadn’t been diligent for long when his phone rang. He looked down and saw it was his advisor.

His megalophobia struck again. He was afraid of his university advisor.

“Come to my office right now… Aren’t you at a mahjong parlor? You can’t gamble, kid.”

Yan Liao had a headache. His advisor always liked to call students “kid.” If he were really that kind, it would be great, but he talked like his grandma and acted like the starting striker on a football club, kicking better than anyone.

He was called to the administrative building. He walked into the office anxiously, thinking something was wrong, but the teacher just handed him an application form.

It took Yan Liao a while to understand what the form was for. He thought for a moment, or maybe he didn’t think at all, and without much hesitation, he gave the form back.

“Never mind, teacher.”

Outside the window, the setting sun was a fiery orange. The clouds were like a smear of messy, runny egg yolk.

As it was almost time to leave, Li Yi-yun stopped Tang Shao-cheng. “Xiao Tang, we’re having a team dinner tonight. Sister Zhou is leaving, so we’re throwing a farewell party.”

Tang Shaocheng instinctively looked at the time.

After his internship at the law firm became stable, he rarely attended team dinners, but he had a good relationship with Zhou Yu-nan. The plan Zhou Yu-nan proposed was rejected by Li Yi-yun, but Tang Shaocheng persuaded him a few times, and they ended up using Zhou Yu-nan’s plan to win the case.

Since then, Sister Zhou had always taken care of him, so he had to attend her last dinner.

After he agreed, he sent Yan Liao a message. He waited for a reply with his fingers hovering over the screen. A hand suddenly patted his shoulder. “Xiao Tang, do you know how to drive?”

“I do,” Tang Shaocheng said, a little distracted by Yan Liao’s lack of reply. He then came to his senses. “I just haven’t gotten my license yet.”

Zhou Yu-nan laughed. “Alright, then I’ll be your driver.”

The traffic lights flickered. The summer night was livelier than in the autumn or winter. The streets were filled with outdoor food stalls and people taking walks. You could hear laughter through the windows.

Zhou Yu-nan saw Tang Shaocheng looking out the window and thought he was annoyed by the noise. She turned on the music. A song by Chyi Chin played: “In the days without me, you must cherish yourself even more. In the years without me, you must take care of yourself.” It felt fitting for some reason. She joked, “It’s a song by Chyi Chin. You young people probably haven’t heard of him, right?”

She always forgot that she was a young person, too. Tang Shaocheng hadn’t heard the song, but he politely complimented her good taste with a smile.

Zhou Yu-nan drove very smoothly, making slow, unhurried turns and brakes. The car had a rose air freshener. After getting out of the car, Tang Shaocheng instinctively lifted his arm and sniffed his sleeve. If the scent didn’t wear off by the time he got home, it would be trouble.

Cars came and went. A dozen people had booked a private room. Tang Shaocheng was in charge of ordering the food. He did everything in a calm, orderly manner. At first, his colleagues who tried to talk to him looked for popular topics among young people. Later, they realized he could talk about anything. He wasn’t one to show off and was mostly a good listener. When he did offer advice, it was always insightful.

His colleagues’ comments could all be summed up in one sentence: “A promising young lawyer.”

Every now and then, Tang Shaocheng would check to see if Yan Liao had replied. But once the table was filled with food, he couldn’t look at his phone anymore.

About half an hour later, after the wine glasses had been refilled a few times, Tang Shaocheng excused himself to get some fresh air. The loud noise was blocked out by the glass door on the balcony. The night wind howled. The moment he unlocked his phone, he was wide awake. The screen was filled with unread messages and missed calls.

It brought back some very distant memories. He called Yan Liao.

“When are you coming back?”

Yan Liao held his phone. The anxious and frustrated emotions were like a lump of ash stuck in his throat. “Why did you have to eat with them?”

Tang Shaocheng raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was relieved that Yan Liao didn’t start with an angry outburst. It was already a very good sign that he was talking like this.

“I just found out a colleague was leaving, so I came over,” Tang Shaocheng said softly. “Did you eat?”

“No. Just come back. I don’t have an appetite by myself at home.” Yan Liao was uncharacteristically not angry. His voice slowly softened. “I called you so many times.” He admitted his mistake with a hint of guilt and a little injustice. “Are you annoyed with me?”

Tang Shaocheng gave a low, helpless chuckle, feeling like he was caught. How could this kid be so lovable? “No, I’m not,” he paused. “I miss you, too.”

“Then… I…”

“Mhm?”

“Can I wait for you at home?”

The upward lilt at the end of his words was like a tiny hook, making Tang Shaocheng’s heart itch.

“Okay,” Tang Shaocheng said, the corners of his mouth turning up. The alcohol in his blood was making his heart beat faster. “I’m coming back now,” he said gently into the phone.

He was too busy with too many things to realize there was anything wrong with this kind of indulgence. He just thought Yan Liao was clingy because he was young.

When he returned to his seat, Li Yi-yun looked at him, surprised. “Are you in love?”

If there had been a mirror in front of him, he would have seen that the word “sweet” was practically written all over his face.

Other colleagues looked over curiously. “Does Xiao Tang have a spouse, too?” A female colleague next to him rolled her eyes. “It’s called a partner. Can you not use work jargon when you’re not at work? I’m finally getting a break.” His colleagues usually thought of Tang Shaocheng as a calm, unsmiling workaholic, and they rarely saw him with a relaxed expression and a smile. Now that they finally had a chance to tease him, they weren’t going to miss it.

“Mhm, I have to head back first,” Tang Shaocheng said, shaking his phone. He joked, “My partner is hurrying me.”

Li Yi-yun smiled broadly and told him to go. “Oh, good. You’re finally acting like a young person.”

Tang Shaocheng smiled, put on his coat, and apologized to Zhou Yu-nan before leaving. Outside, the night was a hazy blur of traffic. It was a wonderful feeling to know that someone was waiting for him to come home.

When he got out, he felt that the rose scent on him hadn’t faded. In fact, because he had been sitting next to Zhou Yu-nan all night, he had picked up her perfume. He went to a convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He cupped his hand to shield the flame, which flickered in the wind. He exhaled a white puff of smoke.

He used to do this before, too, walking slowly from the parking lot to the elevator to finish one cigarette. It really wasn’t anything new.

But before he got downstairs, he saw Yan Liao waiting under a streetlamp. His eyes looked dark in the night, but the moment they met Tang Shaocheng’s, they lit up like a shooting star.

He saw him run over in a few steps. It wasn’t cold in the early summer night, but the wind was a little strong. Yan Liao’s nose was slightly red, and he had a bit of a runny nose from the wind. He saw the flame in Tang Shaocheng’s fingers that he hadn’t had time to hide. He pointed a finger at him. “Why are you smoking?”

Yan Liao imitated his tone. “You’re a bad influence.”

Tang Shaocheng narrowed his eyes. The alcohol in his body was slowly fermenting. It took him a long time to remember which life this conversation was from.

Yan Liao raised his hand and took the half-burned cigarette from his lips. Tang Shaocheng thought he would put it out, but instead, Yan Liao bit into it, like he was used to it, and took a drag. “Ah, that’s nice.”

“Put it out.”

Tang Shaocheng pinched the back of his neck, trying to be stern. But since he wasn’t a good example, he had no real authority. Yan Liao still said “okay” obediently and put the cigarette out on the trash can with his fingers. With his now free hand, he naturally took the hand of the person next to him.

“When I came back today, I saw a kid in the plaza of our complex using the trash can lid as a drum.”

As they slowly walked home, Yan Liao reported on his day in great detail, as if to fill in every moment of the time they were apart. He deliberately left out the part about his advisor calling him to the office. Tang Shaocheng listened attentively. He was in a good mood tonight, perhaps because the alcohol content in his body was just right. He would smile at even the most ordinary things.

When they got home, Yan Liao pounced on him. Maybe it was because he had been drinking and his eyes were blurry, but Tang Shaocheng had the illusion that his tail was wagging. Tang Shaocheng ruffled his soft hair. “Are you hungry? Eat something first.”

He had packed up two boxes of food from a restaurant on the way home. After he heated them up in the microwave, Yan Liao shuffled around the living room in his slippers. “Is it ready yet?” He held a bowl in his hands like a little beggar. “I’m starving.”

Tang Shaocheng resisted the urge to smack him on the head. “Next time, don’t wait for me. If you can’t cook, can’t you order takeout? Look at what time it is.” He kept nagging, but Yan Liao said, “I know, I know,” and they both knew he would do the same thing next time. After the microwave beeped, Tang Shaocheng took the plate out and sighed, completely helpless.

Yan Liao ate obediently and fed him a bite from time to time. He suggested, “Let’s watch a movie together later.”

“You fall asleep halfway through every time,” Tang Shaocheng said, amused.

After they cleaned up the dishes, the sound of rushing water came from the kitchen. Yan Liao sat lazily on the sofa. He saw Tang Shaocheng’s coat on the coat rack and, as if by some strange impulse, went over and secretly sniffed it. When Tang Shaocheng walked into the living room, he quickly moved back to his spot, his face sheepish at being caught. “I didn’t do anything.” He was so clumsy that Tang Shaocheng’s heart ached for him.

Yan Liao propped himself up and rubbed his lips against Tang Shaocheng’s neck. “Am I being a good boy?”

It was almost summer, and the wind outside was howling. It looked like it was going to rain tonight. “Yes, you are,” Tang Shaocheng said, tugging at Yan Liao’s open collar. He could see his fair, slender collarbones. “Wear your clothes properly. Don’t catch a cold.”

“I don’t want to.”

Yan Liao sat back on the sofa lazily, pushing Tang Shaocheng’s leg with some force. He complained, “Why do you have to be in charge of everything?”

Tang Shaocheng chuckled. He took a hold of Yan Liao’s calf and squeezed the soft part. “Didn’t I tell you I was here to study with you?”

He sat down next to Yan Liao. Before he was even settled, Yan Liao climbed onto his lap, straddling him. He leaned in and kissed his lips. “What’s wrong? Are you still holding a grudge, you stingy person?”

“Who’s holding a grudge? Who’s stingy?” Tang Shaocheng smiled, his eyes squinting. He cupped Yan Liao’s butt and gave it a squeeze. “One more kiss.”

The person on his lap obediently leaned in again. Their lips and tongues tangled. When they separated, a silvery thread of saliva connected them. Tang Shaocheng’s hands were on his knees. “Wipe your mouth.”

Yan Liao licked the corners of his mouth and deliberately stared at him. Tang Shaocheng was so helpless with the clinginess. He said patiently, “If you catch a cold, you’ll have to take medicine. You’re too old for syrup, you know?”

“…You’re so annoying.” Yan Liao held Tang Shaocheng’s hand and rubbed his cheek against his palm. “It won’t be cold under the covers.”

Tang Shaocheng used his finger to gently brush his face. When Yan Liao was soft and clingy, he couldn’t resist him. “Fine.” He then carried him to the bedroom in that position.

After getting under the covers as he wished, Yan Liao wrapped himself around him like a little snake. Their noses touched, and their lips and teeth tangled. The air around them seemed to hum.

Tang Shaocheng stroked his face and kissed the tip of his nose. Yan Liao suddenly propped himself up with his arms and then ducked under the covers again.

The clothes rubbing against his skin made a soft rustling sound. Tang Shaocheng’s body was exposed to the slightly cool air. He instinctively moved his leg to cover himself but suddenly paused. It was a difficult feeling to describe. He leaned back and sighed comfortably.

His calmness and rationality were like a shattered mirror, with cracks spreading like a spiderweb.

When Yan Liao poked his head out, his cheeks were flushed from lack of oxygen. His moist, red lips were slightly parted as he gasped for air.

“Where did you learn that?”

Tang Shaocheng pulled him into his arms, his thumb brushing away the mark on his lower lip. The full feeling of it made him want to lean down and bite it.

“From a movie,” Yan Liao said, lying on his chest. He looked up lazily, the corners of his light red eyes turning up. “That’s why I asked if you wanted to watch it.”

Tang Shaocheng glanced at him. Well, it was normal for people his age to watch those things. Maybe he just hadn’t paid enough attention to the kid lately. He thought of something and couldn’t help but smile. “When I’m not at home, you watch that?”

Yan Liao’s head shot up like a rabbit with its ears perked. He then, in one smooth, unhesitating motion, ducked back under the covers. “You’re so annoying.” The muffled voice came from underneath.

Tang Shaocheng laughed, not really caring about hurting his pride. He then heard Yan Liao grit his teeth. “Yes, I was watching and thinking of you and…” The last two words were cut off by a short gasp.