Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 107
Chapter 107 Extra – Sleep Solves a Thousand Worries.
Fan Xiao parked his truck on the road, waiting for the red light. The truck was half-loaded with goods and needed to be delivered to several pharmacies. He
could have taken the back street, where traffic was lighter and smoother, but he insisted on taking a detour onto this bustling street.
At the intersection, guarding the school, the red light had been holding for over a hundred seconds. Fan Xiao looked into the distance, gazing at the slanted rooftops nestled behind tall trees. Focusing on one building, Fan Xiao’s eyes softened; he knew that behind those still-ungrown branches lay his lover’s home.
The traffic light timer began its countdown. Fan Xiao looked away, about to shift gears and accelerate, but his movement faltered. He followed his gaze back halfway down the road and saw the cars parked and the people standing in front of the residential complex.
The light turned green, and the car behind urged him on, honking its horn. The truck slowly rolled out, but at the next intersection, it deviated from its planned route and changed direction.
Having changed clothes and a different car, Fan Xiao perfectly embodied understated luxury. A luxury car pulled up at the entrance of the residential complex. Fan Xiao poked his head out and chuckled, “Brother Lü? What a coincidence!”
Lü Bowen, who was leaning against the car smoking, turned around, paused for a moment, and then said, “Mr. Fan, it is quite a coincidence.”
The two tall, handsome men standing together were as eye-catching as two luxury cars parked on the side of the road with their hazard lights flashing.
Fan Xiao rubbed his cold fingertips and exchanged polite greetings in a neither friendly nor distant manner, “Brother Lü, what brings you here?”
Lü Bowen, with a cigarette between his fingers, took a final drag and then tossed the cigarette butt down the drain grate.
He stated bluntly, “I’m waiting for Shulang.”
“Shulang,” Fan Xiao repeated the word between his teeth, a deep chill hidden in his eyes. He smiled, speaking with a mischievous grin, “Brother Lü, some people, even at their age, still have no sense of boundaries. Isn’t that rather embarrassing?”
“I think it’s alright. It’s better than some people casually judging other people’s relationships.”
“Casually judging? Do relationships meant to be concealed need judging?”
Lü Bowen curled his lips, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Why put on a fake show? Isn’t it because there’s a vicious dog you can’t shake off?”
Fan Xiao, unperturbed by the teasing, looked past Lü Bowen’s shoulder towards the direction behind the man. Gradually, the smile between Fan Xiao’s brows deepened. He nodded in agreement with Lü Bowen: “My vicious dog has now been tamed. Brother Lü, why don’t you try it with your little tail? Look how devout he is; he’s come looking for you again!” As soon as he
finished speaking, the two heard the sound of a skateboard scraping the ground. Lü Bowen’s face darkened, his annoyance visibly obvious. But after being called by the sharp, youthful voice, he turned around, revealing a loving smile like that of an elder.
“Xiao Zi, what are you doing here?”
With a quick step, the skateboard bounced up, and the boy bent down to cradle it in his arms.
“I came specifically to find you,” he glanced at Fan Xiao, sizing him up, his hostility evident. “And who is he?”
“Just a friend,” Lü Bowen replied quickly.
Fan Xiao never missed an opportunity. He accepted Lü Bowen’s assessment of him as a “just a friend,” then pointed to the neighborhood and added, “The people living here are also just friends with him.”
The boy was stunned, while Lü Bowen glared angrily.
Fan Xiao seemed annoyed: “Doesn’t this kid know that you and You Shulang aren’t really a couple? I thought… Sorry, I was being nosy.”
Once explained, how could the boy not understand? He was filled with mixed emotions—happy that Lü Bowen was single, yet saddened by his own situation. The other man had gone to such lengths, simply to avoid him.
Who wouldn’t pity the boy’s plight? Fan Xiao stepped forward to comfort him: “Relationships have their ups and downs. You have to believe that sincerity works.”
“Fan Xiao!” Lü Bowen roared, “He’s not even an adult yet!”
Fan Xiao paused briefly, then patted the boy’s shoulder twice: “It’s not like he’s not going to grow up. Adulthood is just a matter of time. Love, you have to be persistent.”
Fan Xiao was punished; after 7 p.m., You Shulang kicked him out.
“I was really wrong. I’ll definitely be polite to Lü Bowen next time.”
You Shulang draped Fan Xiao’s shimmering coat over the man’s shoulders and pushed him towards the door: “You can’t use that kid as an excuse for your jealousy.” Fan Xiao
wrapped his arm around You Shulang’s waist: “Kid? That kid’s almost as tall as me. It’s just puppy love, no need to make a fuss.”
You Shulang tucked Fan Xiao’s right hand into his sleeve, then tried to tuck the other: “That kid is his ex-wife’s brother. Do you think he should avoid him?”
Fan Xiao pulled out one arm, revealing a shocked expression: “Lü Bowen isn’t gay…” “Y? How could he have an ex-wife? And he’s even flirting with his brother-in-law?”
You Shulang didn’t even bother to dress Fan Xiao anymore, simply opening the door and pushing him out. “He was a late bloomer when it came to his sexuality; he only realized it wasn’t right after he got married.”
Fan Xiao clung to the doorframe. “So he flirted with his brother-in-law?”
You Shulang sighed, patting the hand gripping the doorframe. “If he really was flirting, why would he be hiding like this? Let go. You’re being unnecessarily jealous; you’ll still be punished.”
Fan Xiao wedged one leg and his aggrieved voice through the closing door. “I’m not being unnecessarily jealous. You two… on New Year’s Day…”
“No, we didn’t kiss.” You Shulang kicked Fan Xiao’s leg away. “It was just a camera trick.”
The heavy metal door finally closed. Fan Xiao smiled and leaned against the door. He tapped the door a few times with his knuckles and said softly, “I know you didn’t kiss me, but I just wanted to hear you say it.”
After a long while, a voice without anger came from inside the door: “Get out.”
“What are you having for breakfast tomorrow? I’ll bring it over on my way.”
“Ruixiang’s steamed buns.”
“Okay.” The door was tapped again, and the well-sealed metal door couldn’t block Fan Xiao’s last words: “I love you.” After
getting dressed and buttoning his clothes from top to bottom, Fan Xiao took out his phone and found the WeChat account he had just added.
He went down the stairs and sent a message: Aren’t we not related by blood?
The other party replied instantly: No.
How long until I’m an adult?
Three months later, a good night’s sleep will solve all my worries.
He turned off his phone, put it in his pocket, and a soft murmur came from the quiet stairwell: “Sleeping with my brother-in-law, you’re really playing games.”
