SG 33

When the car started again, Yan Anqing leaned back. His ears grew hot for no reason. He reached out and turned the air vent upward so that the cold air could blow on his face.

Monday mornings had the fewest people in business districts. After rush hour passed, there were no traffic jams on the road. Sunlight shone on the glass walls of the office buildings on both sides of the street and reflected a harsh glare.

Chu Baiyan drove into the underground parking lot. He had checked online yesterday and found that a restaurant in this area had good reviews. It mainly served Cantonese food, had many desserts, and offered booth seats.

“What do you want to eat?” Chu Baiyan chose a booth near the window, picked up the tablet from the table, opened the menu, and handed it to Yan Anqing.

The high backrests of the sofas blocked the view around them and created a half-enclosed space. That setting made Yan Anqing relax. He flipped through the tablet, selected a few dishes based on the pictures and descriptions, and pushed the tablet back to Chu Baiyan.

After looking at the dishes that Yan Anqing had already chosen, Chu Baiyan added a few more that suited his taste. Reviews said the portions were small, so two people could order several kinds.

The waiter soon brought out the desserts they had ordered first.

“People online say this mango Napoleon is their signature dish.” Chu Baiyan used a knife to cut it into small pieces for Yan Anqing.

He picked up a piece with a fork. Between the crispy pastry layers were cream and diced mango. When he bit into it, the flaky pastry, smooth cream, and sweet fresh mango blended together perfectly. The texture was rich and balanced.

“It’s really good.” The corners of Yan Anqing’s eyes curved down as he smiled. He put the rest of the piece into his mouth and stuck out his tongue to lick off the cream left on the fork.

Chu Baiyan scooped a bite of his own Black Forest cake. The mild bitterness of the chocolate melted on his tongue. He smiled as he watched Yan Anqing take another bite of the mango Napoleon. A ring of cream soon marked his lips.

When only one piece of the mango Napoleon was left on the plate, Yan Anqing lifted it with the fork and held it to Chu Baiyan’s mouth. “You eat too.”

The mango and cream quickly softened the bitterness left by the Black Forest cake. After Chu Baiyan finished it, he pushed his own dessert toward Yan Anqing. “Want to taste this one?”

Yan Anqing took a small bite. From his expression, he didn’t like it much.

More dishes came out one after another. Each portion was small but delicate. Seven or eight plates filled the table.

Because of the trauma from childhood meals outside, Yan Anqing had never liked eating out for a long time. His grandparents were old and didn’t like going out either, so he had become used to eating at home for all his meals.

But today’s meal with Chu Baiyan was completely different. The booth separated them from others, the environment wasn’t too noisy and every dish suited his taste.

Yan Anqing wasn’t picky about food. When he cooked, he only cared that it was done. But when he ate something he liked, he became happy.

Chu Baiyan observed that he could tell how much Yan Anqing liked a dish by how much his eyebrows curved down while he ate.

He ate the most of the cheese fish fillet, golden rice rolls, crystal shrimp dumplings, and pineapple shrimp fritters. When he found something he really liked, he even picked up a piece to share with Chu Baiyan.

Lunch ended very pleasantly. By the end, Yan Anqing felt full and burped without meaning to.

“If you like it, we can come again. Next time we’ll order different dishes and try everything on the menu.” Chu Baiyan picked up the pot of white peach oolong tea on the table and poured a full cup for him.

“I want the mango Napoleon again. The pineapple shrimp fritters are good too.” Yan Anqing named the two dishes he liked the most.

After they finished eating, it was still early. They walked out of the restaurant and wandered through the mall without a destination. Yan Anqing never went out and didn’t know what to do for fun. Chu Baiyan wasn’t much better, and it was his first time there too.

“What do you want to do this afternoon?”

Yan Anqing looked around. His eyes stopped at the entrance of the cinema.

“Watch a movie.”

When he was little, his grandma had taken him to the movies, but they were always cartoons. Even then, he rarely managed to finish a whole film. Watching movies had always been difficult for him because he often couldn’t understand what the main character wanted to express.

In college, he took an elective course on classic film appreciation because he thought having a teacher explain things would make them easier to understand. But after listening to the explanations, he understood even less.

Like when a rainstorm was supposed to represent the main character’s sadness, or when a broken plate meant a relationship had ended.

He never understood what rain or a broken plate had to do with the characters’ emotions. If he hadn’t attended every class, he probably would’ve failed that course.

But today, when he saw the cinema, he wanted to watch a movie with Chu Baiyan. Because Chu Baiyan always had a way to make things he didn’t like into things he liked.

He checked the movies showing today on his phone. He skipped the abstract Hollywood blockbuster and the thriller, leaving only a comedy and a romance film. The comedy will start in an hour, and the romance one started soonest.

“I got the tickets. Do you want popcorn?” On the way to pick them up, Chu Baiyan asked casually as they passed the popcorn stand.

Yan Anqing shook his head like a rattle drum. He couldn’t eat another bite.

There weren’t many people watching movies on a Monday. Chu Baiyan bought couple seats. He had noticed that as long as the surroundings were blocked, Yan Anqing felt much more relaxed.

They found their seats. Only a few people were scattered around the theater. When the lights went out, Yan Anqing instinctively grabbed Chu Baiyan’s hand. As the opening sequence appeared on the big screen and the light grew brighter, their hands stayed joined.

Neither of them had read reviews before. Chu Baiyan had picked the showtime at random. The movie was about a couple who had dated in college and broken up after graduation because of real-life problems, then met again after years of work, and the man started to pursue her again.

At first, Yan Anqing could follow the story. But as it went on, he started furrowing his brows.

“That girl said she hated that guy and told him to stay away from her, that she hated him. Why did he still hug her?” He leaned close and whispered into Chu Baiyan’s ear.

“Because he wanted her to feel that he still loved her.” Chu Baiyan had no experience with romance himself and explained as best as he could.

“Why didn’t that girl push him away?” Yan Anqing couldn’t understand. If she said she hated him, why would she let him hug her?

“She probably still had feelings for him.” Chu Baiyan found the plot ridiculous too.

The story moved forward. The man got drunk and went to the woman’s door in the rain. When Yan Anqing saw that, disbelief filled his face.

“That girl said they broke up and told him not to come again. Why did they kiss?”

Chu Baiyan regretted his choice. He should have waited and watched the comedy instead. How was he supposed to explain a story that only made sense through emotion?

“Because the girl still liked the guy…”

“If she liked him, why did they break up? Breaking up means not liking each other. If they broke up, why did they kiss?” Yan Anqing looked like he was discussing an academic problem.

Chu Baiyan laughed. “You’re right. The director messed up. People who break up shouldn’t kiss.”

“You can only kiss if you like someone.” Yan Anqing looked pleased to find agreement.

“What’s liking someone?” Chu Baiyan grew curious about what liking meant to him.

“Liking is just liking. Liking means wanting to be together and never leaving for any reason.” That was his understanding. His grandparents had always stayed with him and never abandoned him.

Their hands grew sweaty from holding each other. Chu Baiyan nodded. “Right. When you like someone, you never leave for any reason. You can only kiss if you like them.”

The furrow between Yan Anqing’s brows smoothed out. He leaned in and kissed Chu Baiyan’s cheek. When he was little, Grandma always said she liked her baby the most and would kiss his face like that.