14

Two more months have passed. The scorching summer has cooled down, and the weather is still lovely today. My life remains the same. Jianjin's job has been officially hired, and he's earning a bit more money. Xia Yu said I seem to be doing well, probably because Pengpeng is feeding me well. That girl, she's a real little devil. Looking at Pengpeng's picture in my wallet, I feel content and happy even when I smile. At noon, Shi Ji called to invite Pengpeng and me to a bar for a chat that evening. I sounded out that he'd gotten a boyfriend and was planning to introduce him to our group of buddies. I was quite happy for him; after all these years in this circle, it's time for him to settle down. I called Pengpeng and told him about it, and he seemed happy too. Although Shi Ji's big mouth almost caused our breakup, Pengpeng never blamed him. He said Shi Ji's enthusiasm was just misplaced. Pengpeng said he was busy that evening; an engineering drawing from the company was waiting to be completed. I asked him if he was worried I might be unfaithful if I went alone. He chuckled, "With your looks, who else do you think would be interested in you besides me? Don't be so damn confident." I laughed too. Pengpeng is just incredibly confident in me.

When I arrived at the bar at 10:30 p.m., Shi Ji was already sitting inside waiting for me. Next to him sat three unfamiliar faces. Seeing me, Shi Ji excitedly waved to me, "Xia Xiang, over here."

I walked over, nodded to everyone, and sat down opposite Shi Ji.

A pretty waiter came over and asked me what I would like to drink. Smelling the alluring scent of his perfume, I smiled and said, "An orange juice."

"Holy crap, are you alright? Coming to a bar to drink this? Are you out of your mind?" Shi Ji looked at me with surprise, and the three people next to him were also looking at me with the same astonishment.

I replied with a smile, "Orange juice is great, it's good for your skin and complexion, you should switch to drinking it too."

"Tch! Stop being so cheeky. It's your partner who won't let you drink, isn't it?"

"Don't wrong him, this has nothing to do with him."

Shi Ji grinned and shrugged as if he couldn't stand it, then pulled the hand of the man next to him and said to me, "Let me introduce you, this is Qin Feng, my boyfriend. Xiao Feng, this is my best buddy Xia Xiang, whom I often tell you about."

Qin Feng smiled at me, his eyes looking at me in a friendly manner.

Hi, nice to meet you.

“Me too.” I smiled and looked at the man in front of me. He had an ordinary appearance, like a grain of sand in a sea of ​​people. He had broad shoulders and seemed like someone who could be relied on.

Shi Ji stared at me nervously, his lips pursed. I knew he was waiting for my rating. I took the orange juice from the waiter and secretly gave him an OK sign. Shi Ji immediately covered his mouth; he was probably overjoyed.

"Oh right, we haven't finished introducing everyone yet." Shi Ji smiled and pointed to the man next to Qin Feng, saying to me, "He's Xiao Feng's younger brother, Xiao Jie."

I nodded to Qin Jie. He was a handsome young man, refined and gentle, with large eyes. He nodded back at me, looking somewhat shy. I guessed he was no more than twenty-three.

"Next to him is his boyfriend, Xiaowen," Shi Ji continued.

I looked at Xiaowen. This was the first time I had truly looked at him properly, sitting in the far corner. Although the bar was dimly lit, and most of his face was shrouded in shadow, his eyes—those slightly smiling eyes—were surprisingly bright. I thought, he must be exceptionally handsome.

"Hello," Xiaowen said to me, straightening up. I saw his face gradually emerge from the shadows.

Xiao Wen is truly striking in appearance, with a sharply defined face, a high nose, and a slightly upturned mouth that gives him a rebellious air. His narrow, single eyes, though smiling, possess a sharp edge. Another thing that catches my attention is his hair. Like Hua Hong's, it's a stiff, bright red short hairstyle. And they seem to be around the same age.

I haven't heard from Hua Hong since he and Xia Yu came to my house two months ago. I called his house, and a woman answered, speaking in a haughty tone. She said Hua Hong had moved out and told me not to call again.

Why doesn't he contact me? Is he doing well now?

A beer mug was held up in front of me. I turned around and saw it was Xiaowen. He smiled at me and said, "What good news have you thought of? Come on, cheers!"

I didn't understand what he meant, so I picked up the glass of orange juice and said, "Can I drink this?"

Xiao Wen laughed and said, "You're really funny. Now I know why President Shi keeps talking about you."

I still don't understand. Who are you? You're the boyfriend of Shi Ji's current boyfriend's younger brother. Why would Shi Ji keep bringing me up in front of you? It's pretty strange, isn't it?

I glanced at Shi Ji without saying a word, and he smiled and said to me, "You're my best buddy. I told them about your glorious deeds."

Glorious deeds? I was quite puzzled. When did I, Xia Xiang, ever have any glorious deeds? Has Shi Ji, that big mouth, been talking about me again?

"Xia Xiang, people in our circle who can live with their friends for three years are a rare breed. Everyone is wondering how you and Zhang Peng can stay together for so long. Aren't you tired of it?"

I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, thank goodness, it was just this. If Shi Ji had done something like having a Mercedes-Benz and cheating on me, I wouldn't have been able to handle it.

I chuckled and said, "How could I be annoyed? We're still in our honeymoon phase."

After he finished speaking, a gasp of surprise rang out.

"No way!! You two have been together for three years and you're still in the honeymoon phase? You must be kidding me!" Shi Ji was the first to shout, and people from the two tables next to me immediately turned to look at me.

"Can't you be a little gentler? What's the big deal? Can't we just be happy?" I said.

Shi Ji looked at her man and was dumbfounded.

Seeing him like that made me incredibly happy. I felt truly proud to be with Pengpeng for three years. How many people in the gay community have been together as long as we have?

Then the music started, and the sound of a steel pipe being swung around and swaying, a sound that hadn't been heard in a long time, came from the pipe.

Every weekday at 5:00 PM, boys perform pole dancing at the bar.

I looked up at the bar, where a young, powerful body was writhing passionately on a raised steel pipe. I saw that many people below the bar were becoming restless.

Qin Jie took a small sip of beer and said to Xiao Wen, "He danced quite well."

Xiaowen smiled but didn't say anything, just drank her wine and looked at me.

I thought to myself that this guy was a bit strange. Who stares at someone they've just met like that? It's not like we're on a blind date!

Shi Ji leaned on Qin Feng's shoulder and asked me, "Why didn't Zhang Peng come?"

I took a sip of orange juice and said, "He's busy working on the drawings and can't find the time. He said he'll have you bring Qin Feng to our house for dinner next time."

"Hehe, that's good. It's not easy to get to eat that kid's cooking. Let me think, when was the last time I ate it? Hmm... it was around your birthday last year."

"Then next time you come, I'll have him make a few more, until you're satisfied, okay?"

"Okay, I'll pack up the rest."

"Sure, I'll prepare a few more lunchboxes. Hehe."

Shi Ji put his arm around Qin Feng's and smiled with satisfaction.

Xiaowen's gaze has always bothered me. When he talks to Qin Jie in hushed tones, when he picks up his wine glass, when he buries himself in the shadows, I can always feel him watching me. It's a look of amusement, a look of complete ease.

But I didn't know him before, did I? Why was he looking at me like that? It's impossible for him to be interested in me or want to do anything with me, because I neither have that feeling nor that narcissism. So, I lowered my head.

The music changed to soft jazz, and I heard the men's voices of regret.

Someone walked up to our table and stood down. The person said, "Xiaowen, where should I sit?"

I was startled, looked up, and saw Hua Hong.

Hua Hong was equally startled when he saw me. He stood there frozen, wearing the tight-fitting, backless leather outfit I had glimpsed from the bar earlier.

"Sit next to Shi Ji's friend, his name is Xia Xiang, the same name as someone you know," Xiao Wen said, patting Qin Jie's hair. She looked at me.

At that moment, I understood why he kept looking at me. He knew I knew Hua Hong, and perhaps he knew something I didn't, which was why he always had that amused look on his face.