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Chapter 3
Tang Xu’en wasn’t surprised to see that Ji Wei was still up at this hour and even able to instantly respond to his message.
It was as if it was very natural.
From the moment they met, Ji Wei had always been able to show up whenever he needed him, never once absent.
Tang Xu’en felt that this was God’s way of showing him that they were destined best friends.
Tang Xu’en: [I thought you were asleep. Did I wake you?]
Ji Wei: [No. It was unusual for you not to have replied to my message and I was wondering if something happened.]
Tang Xu’en: [Can I call you?]
Ji Wei: [Of course you can.]
Tang Xu’en also knew that he could call him. Ji Wei lived alone after all. He however had always been one that is polite and courteous and would always hesitate before doing something, worrying that he may be causing trouble for the other person.
Tang Xu’en hid inside his blanket and quietly talked about everything that happened tonight. For some reason, he felt that the feelings that were clogging his heart the entire time seemed to have cleared up after he was done telling Ji Wei about it. The soul that had been restless the entire time had finally returned to his body as he calmed back down. He then said with embarrassment, “I guess it probably wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Sorry, I forgot to reply to your message.”
Ji Wei asked, “Are you sad right now?”
Tang Xu’en replied, “I’m not really that sad. It’s just that….I’m a little confused. It’s strange.”
Ji Wei extended an invitation to him, “You have always been a little slow to react, always keeping your thoughts inside you. It’s not good doing that. After a few days, when you finally process everything, you’ll probably mull over it alone again. Since I can’t sleep anyway, how about we go for a drink? Our usual place.”
Tang Xu’en agreed.
Being able to go for a late night drink was a happy privilege for adults.
Tang Xu’en got up, changed his clothes and tiptoed out the door.
The place wasn’t far, just a ten or so minute walk away.
It was a barbeque and hot pot restaurant.
When the boss saw him, he didn’t even need to ask. He said, “There are two seats over there, in the right corner.”
He and Ji Wei were old customers. They even had a membership card.
This restaurant was open from night to early morning, specialising in late-night snacks. At this moment, there were quite a few customers and half of the restaurant was full.
Tang Xu’en ordered a few items from the old menu and very soon, the hot pot soup base was brought over as well as the alcohol he had ordered. He watched the steaming soup base in daze.
Tang Xu’en poured himself a glass and began drinking on his own. Unknowingly, he had already downed several glasses and had become slightly tipsy.
He didn’t notice the female customer at the table next to him looking at him.
A group of noisy people entered, giving Tang Xu’en a headache.
Tang Xu’en subconsciously looked over with a look of disdain.
At this moment, as if the moon had appeared from behind the clouds, a man stepped out from behind them. Under the dim light and amidst the noisy crowd, his clean appearance stood out. He wore a suit without a tie and had the top two buttons undone, giving him a casual yet masculine air.
He stood at the entrance and looked around. After seeing Tang Xu’en, he smiled lightly and walked over.
“You’ve already started drinking?” Ji Wei asked this before he even sat down. He proceeded to take off his suit jacket after sitting down and hung it on the back of his chair. He then rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong forearms. The veins on the back of his hands were very prominent.
Tang Xu’en said with a glum look, “I’m troubled.”
Ji Wei smiled and asked, “Talk to me about it.”
It was really like a gust of spring breeze.
Tang Xu’en proceeded to activate his chatting function. He chattered on about his concerns, “There are all sorts of worries.”
He talked until all the food was served.
Tang Xu’en, “How have I never noticed that Xiao Yuan liked men?”
Ji Wei, “Do you not like homosexuals? Can’t accept it?”
Tang Xu’en, “It’s not really like that, I don’t discriminate. I just thought that this matter had nothing to do with me and I wouldn’t encounter it in this lifetime of mine. It’s not that I have never heard of other people’s children coming out, I just never thought much of it. But now that it is happening to me, it feels a little strange.”
He then added, “But it doesn’t feel like the world is falling apart. It’s not that serious.”
After Tang Xu’en finished saying that, he downed another glass.
Ji Wei passed him some food. He peeled a shrimp that was the size of one’s palm and placed it in his bowl and said, “Then isn’t that fine? It means you can accept it.”
Tang Xu’en very naturally accepted his feeding, “Accept it? It’s not that fast.”
He repeated again for the hundredth time, as if he was reciting a certain formula or knowledge, “Turns out Xiao Yuan is gay.”
“Xiao Yuan likes men.”
Translated by KK Translates. If you’re reading it elsewhere, this translation was stolen. Don’t support epubs. Don’t support thieves
“A man liking a man means that they’re gay.”
Ji Wei laughed softly at this.
Tang Xu’en had had some alcohol and it was getting to his head. Seeing him laughing, he somehow felt agitated. Unlike his younger brothers, he had no need to put up a front in front of Ji Wei. He asked unhappily, “Why are you laughing? This is very serious. Are you here just to laugh at me?”
“My head hurts a lot right now. I still can’t figure out what is going on.”
“What does it mean when a man likes another man?”
Ji Wei lightly coughed and stopped laughing. He answered as seriously as possible, “Liking is liking. It has nothing to do with gender.”
Tang Xu’en, “I guess. Looks like there are really some men who have never liked women.”
“I have always thought that Xiao Yuan was different from the rest of us because he was so smart. Now that he has this strange quirk it seems to be more balanced out.”
Ji Wei’s hand paused briefly but it was almost imperceptible. He said, “You can’t call liking a man a strange quirk. It’s not strange. It is a very normal thing.”
Tang Xu’en added, “Haa, looks like he will be going down a difficult road in the future.”
Read from https://kktranslates.home.blog/“At least as his eldest brother, I should give him some support. When I saw the other families causing a ruckus back then, I felt that it was terrible. What use is there to beat the child? It’s a new era now and a new society, we can’t always be conservative. I should approach it with a more open and enlightened view.”
“Say, do you think there are any books about homosexuality that I can read? I want to know more about it.”
Ji Wei, “I’ll find some books for you later.”
Tang Xu’en nodded with satisfaction. Ji Wei was well educated and had studied at a prestigious university overseas. He was much more knowledgeable than him. Asking Ji Wei about it was definitely the right decision.
Tang Xu’en sighed again. He picked at the hem of his pants and said with concern, “That man is so old, he’s four years older than me!”
“But he seems to be very rich. When I searched him online, he was on the ‘Billionaires List’. He’s from a completely different world from us.”
“Old Ji, you come from a good background yourself. Do you know him? He’s called Meng Tianyou. Can you help me look into what kind of person he is? I’m afraid of Xiao Yuan being deceived.”
As he said that, he took out a business card from his pocket, “Here, this is the business card he gave me.”
“Take a look.”
Ji Wei readily accepted it, “Alright, I’ll help you look into it.”
So reliable.
Tang Xu’en thought this to himself. He felt a lot better now.
It was very nice being able to have a drink with Ji Wei.
He still wanted to complain about Xiao Yuan insisting on finding such an old man who was not even a local.
Can’t he find someone like Ji Wei?——
A local who lives nearby, young and knowledgeable.
He then remembered that Tang Yuan had actually thought that he and Ji Wei were a couple! Tang Xu’en’s face that was already flushed red from the alcohol slowly turned even more red. He stared at Ji Wei, the light in his eyes stirring. It was as if his eyes were glued to Ji Wei’s face.
Tang Xu’en spoke about it as if it was a joke, “That’s not it.”
“I was just thinking about Xiao Yuan and remembered something funny. Xiao Yuan, that child, is such a fool.”
“He actually said to me that he thought you and I were a couple seeing how well we got along with each other and how we would always go out to play together. That was why he felt comfortable coming out to me.” After saying that, Tang Xu’en laughed “Hahahaha.”
Ji Wei stiffened for a moment. He lowered his head and let out a sound from the bottom of his throat. He seemed to have laughed but he also didn’t seem to have laughed. He had a helpless look on his face.
The alcohol had made Tang Xu’en’s cheeks flush red and head dizzy. He let out a hiccup and said softly, “Xiao Yuan is really talking nonsense. He actually said that you like me. Wouldn’t that tarnish your reputation?”
Ji Wei poured himself a glass, drank from it and said calmly, “Firstly, you should change your way of thinking. Even if I really did like you, it will not tarnish my reputation. You shouldn’t regard liking a man as a bad thing.”
“Didn’t you say that you wanted to accept this new concept of homosexuality?”
Such good reasoning! As expected of Ji Wei!
Tang Xu’en nodded blankly at this.
After that.
Ji Wei continued as he helped him pour another glass, “Besides, someone as good as you deserves to be liked.”
Wow! This man is too good with his words!
Tang Xu’en blushed at this praise of his. Feeling embarrassed, he turned his attention to drinking.
Translated by KK Translates. If you’re reading it elsewhere, this translation was stolen. Don’t support epubs. Don’t support thieves
The two ate and drank for more than an hour.
They didn’t eat much but they did have plenty to drink. More precisely, Tang Xu’en was drunk.
Of course, one shouldn’t drink and drive.
Ji Wei supported him out. Tang Xu’en was practically hanging onto him as he drunkenly pestered him, “You said you would teach me about homosexuality. When will you teach me? I’m so anxious right now, I really want to know more about it.”
The two figures overlapped as they stumbled past street lamp after street lamp.
“It’s just a man liking another man. It’s very simple.”
“I just don’t understand how a man can like another man. Aren’t their body structures the same?”
“There are still individual differences.”
“I don’t understand. I still don’t understand.”
When they reached the entrance to Tang Xu’en’s place, Tang Xu’en realised that he was home. He struggled to stand on his own but it was a little too difficult. It was as if he was glued to Ji Wei, “I’m home now.”
At this moment, Ji Wei suddenly grabbed his wrist. He had only pulled him gently but Tang Xu’en was unsteady on his feet and he fell onto the other person again.
Ji Wei caught him. In a half embrace, he patted Tang Xu’en’s back and leaned closer such that his lips lightly brushed against his cheek, leaving a faint ticklish sensation. He asked warmly in his ear, “Do you want to go to my place to continue drinking? Aren’t you feeling anxious? I’ll find some literary movies about gay people for you to watch so that you can have a better understanding of this topic. How does that sound?”
Read from https://kktranslates.home.blog/Good idea.
Tang Xu’en thought this. He still somewhat had some reason left in him. He shook his head and asked, “It’s so late. Won’t I disturb you?”
Ji Wei said, “I don’t like to leave things for later.”
“The earlier it’s addressed, the earlier you would feel at ease. There is no point picking a good date, let’s just do it today.”
Tang Xu’en, “Okay.”
Ji Wei was so busy with work yet he was willing to go along with his nonsense late into the night. He almost wanted to cry. It was very touching.
This friendship of Ji Wei’s is surely very moving.
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