Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 3
Chapter 3 I Want to Be in a Relationship
2024-10-13 07:08 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
Don’t you think that death is also a kind of liberation and redemption?
As the warm sake was poured into the cup, You Shulang overheard a casual remark from Fan Xiao.
“Kuokunke”.
Fan Xiao clasped his hands together in thanks to You Shulang before taking a sip from his cup. His deep, resonant voice softened slightly when he spoke Thai. It was almost coquettish, with a hint of amusement at the end of his words, like a feather gently tickling one’s heart.
You Shulang loved men, and he had to admit that the Thai phrase he’d just heard had momentarily stirred his heart. He’d heard other men speak Thai before, but none had sounded as sexy and alluring as Fan Xiao. You Shulang chuckled to himself, realizing his momentary lapse in attention.
“What did you just say? What liberation and salvation?” He poured himself a drink and asked, holding the glass.
“It’s nothing, I’m just still thinking about what happened this afternoon.”
Upon hearing this, You Shulang gently clinked his cup against Fan Xiao’s: “A toast to your heroic deeds.”
Fan Xiao shook his head and smiled, then raised his glass: “To you as well.”
Two hours earlier, You Shulang and Fan Xiao were still at the hospital, while a mother and child were hanging outside the railing on the third floor. The woman’s desperate screams seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Her hands, gripping the railing, slipped down several times, only to be pulled back with great effort. The child she was holding slid down from her chest to her abdomen, making everyone’s hearts leap into their throats once again.
“She probably won’t last until the rescuers arrive,” You Shulang judged, his expression furrowed.
Fan Xiao raised an eyebrow and asked, “The firefighters said that if a woman falls, she can’t be saved, but if a child falls, she can be saved. What if the woman and child fall together…?”
You Shulang clearly heard a cool tone in the voice, but when he looked over, he only saw a worried look on the man’s face.
He withdrew his gaze, his short, thick eyelashes fluttering twice, and said in a deep voice, “In order to avoid more serious consequences… we have no choice but to…”
Before he could finish speaking, a woman gasped in surprise, followed by a chorus of gasps.
Looking up again, the woman was being pulled inside by several security guards through the glass fence.
Some people stretched out their arms to hug the child, but the woman was too exhausted and let go, leaving them with nothing!
“Child!” everyone shouted!
The baby, not even 100 days old, plummeted straight down in front of everyone’s eyes, while the woman’s screams came from above, sending chills down everyone’s spines!
The incident happened so suddenly that while everyone was still in shock, You Shulang, who was closest, had already grabbed his clothes and rushed out! His movements were so swift that those who were loosely holding onto his clothes didn’t even realize what was happening until the clothes slipped from their grasp. Only Fan Xiao held on tightly and was pulled along by him, forced to follow.
Fan Xiao’s eyes were unreadable, his hands gripping the hem of his clothes, his eyes fixed on You Shulang.
You Shulang looked up, he didn’t have time to calculate the position, the thin child was like a rapidly falling bomb, crashing down with the wind!
“Oh my god!”
Holy crap!
No!
The crowd cried out in unison, and many even covered their eyes!
Bang! A muffled thud rang out, and the usually bustling hospital fell silent instantly…
He heard heavy, rapid breathing. In a moment of seemingly frozen time, You Shulang heard his own heavy breathing. His mind was blank from excessive tension, and all he could see was Fan Xiao, who was also breathing slightly heavily.
The silence was broken by deafening cheers. Only then did You Shulang come to his senses and look down at the child sandwiched between himself and Fan Xiao.
A loud cry arrived late, and You Shulang’s eyes instantly blurred with tears. A doctor quickly took the child away for examination, and more people rushed over to express their heartfelt praise.
You Shulang was adept at handling such situations, but today he made a mistake and hid behind the tall Fan Xiao. His mind was blank, and he only remembered the man in front of him turning his head and softly leaving behind the words: “You cried?”
He hadn’t shed a tear since he was ten, but today he was defeated by the cry of a baby.
With his slender, fair fingers encircling the ceramic cup, You Shulang smiled sincerely: “Cheers to us.”
The two seemed to share similar interests and drank quite a bit. You Shulang rarely had such a relaxed moment, so he leaned against the wall of the Japanese-style private room, lit a cigarette, and slowly smoked it.
He was surprised that Fan Xiao was still using matches to light his cigarette. Looking at the brightly colored cigarette box with Thai writing on it, he asked, “Is this cigarette good?”
Fan Xiao tossed the cigarette pack over and raised his chin: “You’ll know once you try.”
You Shulang stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, downed a glass of sake in one gulp, and then touched the cigarette again.
The moment his finger touched the lighter, he heard a “whoosh” sound. Fan Xiao struck a match and sent the flickering flame across the table to You Shulang.
The match carried a faint smell of burning gunpowder; this ancient method, used in modern times, adds a touch of solemnity to the ordinary act of lighting a cigarette.
You Shulang glanced at Fan Xiao through the blue glow of the fire before leaning closer, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Fan Xiao extinguished the match, saw You Shulang exhale a long puff of smoke, and asked, “Was it good?”
You Shulang was about to nod, but then paused and shook his head, laughing, “I can’t get used to it, it smells like rouge.”
Given You Shulang’s way of dealing with people, he generally wouldn’t try to save face for others, especially in trivial matters like offering cigarettes. When asked how the taste was, he would always reply “not bad.”
But today, he actually told the truth to someone he had only met twice, which even he found somewhat unbelievable.
He thought that this person might have saved a child with him, or perhaps he was the only one who saw him cry.
How pretentious! You Shulang chuckled self-deprecatingly, dismissing his slightly tedious thoughts.
Suddenly, the phone rang in the private room. You Shulang picked up his phone and saw that it was Lu Zhen.
He was about to get up and go out to answer the call, but Fan Xiao gestured for him to stay. The man patted him lightly on the shoulder and said in a low voice, “I’m going to the restroom. Don’t bother me.”
You Shulang was somewhat pleased with Fan Xiao’s thoughtfulness. He was usually the one who was considerate of others, so it was quite nice to be taken care of now.
Lu Zhen had just finished get off work. He was a print model, relatively unknown and not well-known in the industry. However, he had only graduated from university last year and had only been in the business for a short time, so he was still full of hope and dreams for the future.
Lu Zhen has a lively and outgoing personality, which complements the calm and meticulous You Shulang perfectly. The two met three years ago at a promotional event held by You Shulang’s company. Lu Zhen, who was still a college student at the time, was one of the many models invited to the event.
You Shulang is very charming at work; he is composed, measured, and decisive. This man, who effortlessly controls the overall situation, makes the naive Lu Zhen fall in love at first sight.
Pursuing You Shulang was no easy task; it took Lu Zhen a full six months. This had greatly frustrated Lu Zhen, who had been admired since childhood. But even today, he is glad that he didn’t give up, because You Shulang was so gentle and considerate after they became a couple. From him, Lu Zhen experienced all the joy of being cherished by his lover.
When Fan Xiao returned to the private room, You Shulang’s phone call was still ongoing.
A smile played on the man’s lips as he held the phone in one hand and the cigarette he had described as “rouge” in the other. His voice was low and husky, then trailed off with an ambiguous glint, his amber eyes brimming with a seductive smile.
When Fan Xiao returned, he said a few words to the other end of the line. It seemed that the other party was being affectionate again. He chuckled and whispered a coaxing “good boy” before ending the call.
Fan Xiao’s eye twitched. His gaze toward You Shulang was direct and blatant. He exuded an aura of displeasure, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable, churning with unreadable emotions.
Sitting on the tatami mat, he lowered his eyes until he heard You Shulang ask, “What’s wrong?” Then he raised his eyelids and smiled, saying, “You and your girlfriend have a really good relationship.”
He’s got that easygoing and friendly demeanor again.
“I really envy you for finding your soulmate.” He finished his drink and poured himself another one.
You Shulang laughed and said, “Soulmate? It’s not that exaggerated.”
“You love her very much?” Fan Xiao seemed to enjoy this topic and pressed for more information.
You Shulang was taken aback. He wasn’t the type to talk about his feelings all the time, and because of his sexual orientation, he had never discussed this topic with anyone.
“Yes, that’s right.” He replied perfunctorily, intending to quickly move on.
Fan Xiao sighed like an old friend, “Alas, it seems I’m still all alone.”
You Shulang flicked his cigarette ash, unconcerned: “It must be because you’re too picky.”
Fan Xiao didn’t refute it, but smiled and admitted, “That’s part of the reason.”
Perhaps it was the relaxed atmosphere, or perhaps the alcohol was getting to him, but You Shulang abandoned his self-control and asked rather casually, “Mr. Fan, what kind of person are you looking for?”
Most Japanese food is served cold; only the sukiyaki is still steaming. Fan Xiao’s smile faded, and through the thin steam, he looked directly at You Shulang.
“I think your girlfriend is great,” he said.
Suddenly, both fell silent.
Fan Xiao saw a hint of displeasure and doubt in You Shulang’s eyes. It wasn’t until the man’s knuckles holding the wine glass slowly turned white that he smiled again: “Did I misexpress myself? I don’t speak Mandarin often and I always make a fool of myself. I meant, your girlfriend must be very good. I trust your judgment. If she has any sisters, could you introduce them to me?”
This explanation was a bit far-fetched; at least You Shulang had never heard Fan Xiao make a fool of himself with his words before, except for this time. But he couldn’t think of any other reason to explain the strange feeling that had resurfaced in his heart, so he could only believe that it was a slip of the tongue and not a targeted provocation.
He raised his glass and said calmly, “It’s a real shame he didn’t have any sisters.”
After the meal, both of them were slightly tipsy. They said goodbye at the entrance of the Japanese restaurant, called a designated driver, and got into their respective cars.
As the car door closed, You Shulang’s slight intoxication vanished completely. This was his philosophy of life: when drinking with others, if the other person got drunk while he remained sober, it was a form of power-up and a sign of being unsociable. Nobody likes you remembering their unsightly drunkenness unless you’re drunk too.
Therefore, unless it’s a business banquet that requires You Shulang to be sober, he usually maintains the same level of intoxication as the other party when attending banquets. For example, today, Fan Xiao is slightly drunk, so he is also slightly drunk.
Meanwhile, Fan Xiao in the other car was completely sober. In the dimly lit environment, only a roof light was on, shining down on the man’s well-defined face, illuminating his prominent brow bone and nose, while his eyes were shrouded in dark shadows.
“Find out who You Shulang’s girlfriend is?” A smile played on his lips, also hidden in the shadows. “I think I should start a relationship.”
