Mr. Good's Dream

On a Friday night, the city lights were bustling. Gu Yansheng curled up on the sofa in his apartment, his finger hovering over his phone screen. The comic link Jiang Xinchen had sent him was both intriguing and unsettling. The characters in it were very similar...

Finally, curiosity overcame hesitation and he clicked on it.

At first, I just flipped through it casually, but the more I read, the faster my heart beat. The cold-faced doctor's subconscious protection of his childhood friend, the indulgence hidden under the scolding, and the awkward alienation caused by misunderstandings...

Each scene is like a distorted yet clear mirror, reflecting every bit of his time with Jiang Lin. When watching the scene where the doctor loses control and becomes angry because he is worried about the designer getting hurt, Jiang Lin's eyes, which instantly froze when he "changed the spare tire himself" at the entrance of Shilong Town Health Center, clearly emerge.

Gu Yansheng suddenly turned off the screen, his chest was heaving violently. He shook his head, trying to drive out those overly similar images, but the character's shadow stubbornly overlapped with Jiang Lin.

He got up irritably and went to take a shower. The cold water rushed over his skin, but it couldn't extinguish the strange and burning restlessness that was ignited in his heart.

That night, he had a strange dream - the dream was no longer about the pain and comfort of the rainy night in Shilong Town, but was filled with hot, sticky, suffocating and addictive ambiguity.

He dreamed that Jiang Lin's hand was no longer through the quilt, but his fingertips, covered with calluses, were exploring all the way down his spine with irresistible force...

He dreamed that Jiang Lin's hot breath was spraying on the side of his neck, and his low voice with a hoarse magnetism was calling his name... There were no clear images in the dream, only a vortex of touch, breath and sound that was so strong that it was almost tangible, which tightly wrapped around him and made it impossible for him to break free.

He woke up with an extreme feeling of suffocation mixed with great shame and secret desire.

As the daylight dimmed outside the window, Gu Yansheng sat up, sweat dripping from his chest. His heart pounded, his cheeks burning. The lingering dream felt so real that he didn't even dare to look down to see his body's reaction. A huge panic gripped him—he was afraid.

She was afraid of the feeling of being out of control, afraid of the desires revealed in the dream that she didn't even dare to delve into, and even more afraid of facing Jiang Lin.

He couldn't imagine how he could stand in front of Jiang Lin as if nothing had happened, stay in the same room with him, or even lie on that single bed again after experiencing such a dream.

The thought of retreating took over. He grabbed his phone and frantically sent a message to Jiang Lin:

Gu Yansheng: [There's a project at the institute that needs to be rushed this week, so I might not be able to make it. I'm taking good care of Xiaofei, don't worry.]

The message was sent successfully, and he heaved a long sigh, as if he had completed a difficult task. However, an indescribable emptiness and loss welled up in his heart. He buried himself in his pillow, trying to completely forget that absurd and shameful dream.

As soon as he sent the message, Lin Yang sent him an invitation, asking if he was interested in a large-scale anime exhibition being held nearby. Gu Yansheng agreed almost immediately.

He desperately needed an outlet, a place full of life and color that could pull him out of his chaotic thoughts and shameful dreams.

The comic convention was bustling with people and full of colors. Lin Yang was obviously a senior fan. He knew all the anime characters, voice actors and peripherals like the back of his hand, and introduced them to Gu Yansheng enthusiastically.

Moreover, his photography skills are really good, and he is very skilled in composition and use of light and shadow. Gu Yansheng is also happy to cooperate, and the two of them took a lot of interesting photos.

Being in this bustling environment, and looking at the various and energetic cosplayers walking by, Gu Yansheng's tense nerves were indeed relaxed a lot.

Especially when he saw the many well-acted male-male couples, a secret resonance and sense of relief emerged. The world of gay comics he loved found a kind of reflection here, no longer a secret concern that he kept to himself.

"Brother Gu, look over there!"

Lin Yang excitedly pointed to a book signing booth not far away, "This is that lady 'Cuttlefish Ball'! Her book signing event!"

Gu Yansheng's eyes lit up. "Cuttlefish Ball" was an artist he had been following for a long time. He had a delicate painting style and was particularly good at depicting the delicate emotional tension between men. He immediately pulled Lin Yang to join the queue.

The signing process was very pleasant. The lady herself was very gentle. After getting the autograph, Gu Yansheng mustered up the courage to ask for a photo. Lin Yang took the initiative to take a photo of him and his wife. In the picture, Gu Yansheng was smiling with his eyebrows curved, which was a look Lin Yang had never seen before, with a bit of innocent excitement.

After taking the photo, Gu Yansheng asked Lin Yang, "Do you also like...Mrs. Cuttlefish Ball?" This lady only draws gay comics, and Lin Yang also...

The person being asked didn't try to hide anything, but instead rolled his eyes and said with a hearty smile, "I like it, Brother Gu. I'm a long-time fan of Senior Wife, hehe, but I didn't expect that Brother Gu also... likes it, hahahaha."

Gu Yansheng seldom reveals his "little hobby" in front of others, but Lin Yang's pure and sunny mood also infected him at this moment, and he also sincerely revealed his hobby to him.

The two hit it off immediately on the topic of Mrs. Squid Ball and chatted enthusiastically.

In the evening, the two of them had a buffet at a well-reviewed Cantonese tea restaurant near the comic exhibition. Gu Yansheng was in a good mood and shared interesting stories from the autograph session and his favorite comic plots with Lin Yang.

Lin Yang came back with a plate full of exquisite dim sum. As soon as he sat down, he pointed at a plate of emerald green dim sum in surprise and said, "Brother Gu, look! There are small blue dragons here! Don’t you like shrimp dumplings? Try this? I’ll get it for you..."

Before he finished speaking, the screen of the phone that Gu Yansheng had placed on the table lit up, and a familiar ringtone sounded - Jiang Lin.

Gu Yansheng's heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed the phone almost instantly. Lin Yang saw clearly that the moment he saw the caller ID, Gu Yansheng's eyes seemed to light up instantly, and there was a bright light that he himself had not even noticed and was difficult to conceal. That pure light,

It was a brightness that was not even achieved when we were talking about our favorite comic book wife just now.

"Hello? Jiang Lin?"

Gu Yansheng's voice softened unconsciously, with a hint of intimacy that he himself was not even aware of.

Jiang Lin's usual steady voice came from the other end of the phone: "Yeah. How's Xiaofei today? Have you fed him?"

"I've fed him and taken him for a walk. He's chewing on his toys at home and is very well behaved." Gu Yansheng reported naturally with a relaxed tone.

"Yeah." Jiang Lin responded. After a brief silence, he asked as if it was a routine matter, "Recently... have you been going for psychological counseling on time?"

"Yes, yes, I just went last week and the doctor said my condition is quite stable." Gu Yansheng answered quickly, as if to prove that he was obedient.

At this moment, the thoughtful Lin Yang used his serving chopsticks to pick up a crystal clear "little blue dragon" and placed it on the plate in front of Gu Yansheng. His voice was filled with the joy of discovering a treasure, "Brother Gu, this little blue dragon looks really good! Come and try it?"

On the other end of the line, Jiang Lin's voice paused for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. However, his question carried a subtle, formulaic inquiry: "Are you out? Having dinner with friends?"

Gu Yansheng, with a bit of joy at sharing in the fun, answered truthfully, "Yes! I'm having dinner at the comic convention with Lin Yang! By the way, Jiang Lin, I got lucky today! I got a signing with Mrs. 'Cuttlefish Ball'! I even got her autograph and took a photo with her! Lin Yang took the photo for me, and it was great!"

His tone was innocent and excited, as if he was back in his student days, eager to share his gains with those closest to him.

This unconscious and unreserved joy was a side of him that the calm and reliable "Senior Gu" would never show in front of Lin Yang or other colleagues.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Lin listened to Gu Yansheng's cheerful tone, and when he heard that it was the intern again, an inexplicable, dull feeling quietly blocked his chest.

His fingers holding the phone tightened unconsciously, and his fingertips turned slightly white. With his other hand on the desk, he picked up a pen and unconsciously drew deep, messy ink marks on the blank medical record paper.

He tried to keep his voice steady, even more calm than usual. "Yeah, that's good. Just have fun." He paused and added, "Xiao Fei... don't forget to add water."

"I know, don't worry!" Gu Yansheng was still immersed in the excitement of the day and didn't hear the subtle, almost perfectly hidden strangeness in Jiang Lin's tone.

"Okay then, I'm hanging up."

Jiang Lin's voice sounded calm.

"Yeah, bye." Gu Yansheng hung up the phone, the smile on his face still lingering. He seemed to be in a better mood after talking to Jiang Lin. He picked up the "little blue dragon" with great interest and took a bite. "Hmm, it tastes really good! Lin Yang, you have good taste!"

Lin Yang looked at his bright smile and responded with a smile, but a glimmer of thought flashed across the depths of his eyes.

He keenly noticed that the phone call just now made Gu Yansheng glow with an unusual brilliance, and the person on the other end of the phone obviously occupied an extremely special place in Gu Yansheng's heart.

On the other end of the phone, in a small house in Shilong Town, Jiang Lin slowly put down his phone and his eyes fell on the messy ink marks on the medical record in front of him, which expressed the owner's chaotic mood.

Outside the window lay the quiet countryside, but inside the house, the clamor of a city restaurant and... that young voice of Lin Yang filled the air. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, trying to suppress the unfamiliar, irritating feeling in his chest.