LIAH 40. Time Doesn’t Mean Anything

Pei Siyin had been thinking about Song Shengyang, but no matter what, he still had to celebrate Haha’s birthday properly.

On the last day of the holiday, after they finished eating Haha’s birthday cake, Pei Siyin slipped out to the balcony off the living room and made a video call. The other end picked up almost immediately.

It was around noon, and Song Shengyang looked like he had just finished something. The top two buttons of his dress shirt were undone, and his tie was pulled loose at the collar. Pei Siyin leaned in close to the camera and scolded him playfully. “Why aren’t you properly dressed?”

“I am,” Song Shengyang chuckled. “It’s lunch break.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. I’ll eat later.”

Pei Siyin adjusted the camera and turned it toward Haha, who was happily eating snacks. “She asked where you were today and saved you a piece of cake.”

The cake was shaped like a pig. When they were cutting it, Haha had insisted Pei Siyin save the biggest piece. After he told her that Song Shengyang couldn’t make it, the little chub was upset for a moment, then angrily devoured two big slices.

“But don’t worry, she ended up eating all of it anyway.”

Song Shengyang laughed on the other end. “She didn’t overeat?”

“Not really.” Pei Siyin adjusted his position. “Just made her tummy stick out a bit.”

They chatted for a while. Then someone knocked at the office door on Song Shengyang’s side. Pei Siyin was about to hang up, not wanting to disturb him, but Song Shengyang said it was fine. He propped up the phone so that Pei Siyin could see his entire upper body.

A secretary had brought in documents for him to sign. Pei Siyin had seen him in a suit before, but it was his first time watching him in work mode.

The phone camera was angled from the side. Shifting light behind him fell across the slope of Song Shengyang’s neck and the pronounced Adam’s apple that Pei Siyin loved to bite. His profile was sharply defined, his nose straight, his lashes lowered as he flipped through the pages. A ring identical to Pei Siyin’s sat on his left ring finger.

Pei Siyin crouched on the balcony, resting his chin on one hand, silently watching.

Dappled sunlight filtered onto the floor beneath him. Warm light bathed his skin, making even the color of his eyes seem lighter. As he stared at Song Shengyang, just after he finished signing, a sudden smile lifted the corners of his lips, but a sour ache rose in his nose.

“Song Shengyang,” he said softly, “I miss you.”

The voice rang clear from the phone into the spacious office. Something hit hard in Song Shengyang’s chest. He raised his hand, the one with the ring, and gently tapped the lens, his finger curled slightly. “I miss you too.”

By the time the sun set and Song Shengyang finished his day’s work, he sent a message to Pei Siyin asking for tomorrow’s flight number so he could pick him up at the airport.

But the one who usually replied in seconds stayed quiet tonight. He wondered if he had already fallen asleep.

Song Shengyang sat on the couch, rubbing at his damp hair with a towel. The TV was playing a financial news program in the background. The lights were off, and the pale yellow glow of the screen flickered across the room.

With his head lowered, he turned the ring on his finger, gently brushing it with his fingertips.

It was hard to believe how much could change in just one month. The broken shadows cast by the ring danced across his eyes. With a small smile on his lips, all he could think about was Pei Siyin.

Later that evening, Tao Jinsong called and asked if he wanted to hit the bar and pick up girls.

“Pick up what?” Song Shengyang rejected him flatly. “What kind of decent person goes to a bar at night? Tao Jinsong, I’m telling you, you shouldn’t go either. Places like that are a mess. Bad for your mental and physical health.”

“…Song Shengyang, are you out of your damn mind?” Tao Jinsong sounded utterly speechless. No one loved bar hopping more than this guy, and now he was the one calling it unhealthy. “If you’ve got issues, go see Jiang Haolin. He’s your buddy, he’ll give you a twenty percent discount.”

The light from the TV kept flickering. Song Shengyang clicked his tongue, held up his left hand, and turned it this way and that. “I’m a taken man now. Don’t ask me to do that kind of thing anymore. If it’s just a meal, I’ll consider it.”

Tao Jinsong, who had been so dismissive just moments ago, immediately let out a string of exaggerated “yo”s. “Who is it? Who’s the unlucky one?”

He was already annoyed that Pei Siyin hadn’t responded, and now Tao Jinsong was adding to the irritation. Song Shengyang put him on speaker, raised his voice, and said, “Start saving for your wedding gift. Bye.”

Then hung up.

Every minute of waiting for morning felt like torture. Song Shengyang tossed and turned on the couch, waking from shallow sleep over and over. Eventually, he gave up and picked up his phone, scrolling through photos and videos of Pei Siyin.

Sleep gradually overtaking him as Pei Siyin’s voice echoed softly from the video.

A window in the living room was cracked open, and the wind slipped through the gap. With no blanket over him, the breeze lifted the hem of his pajamas.

Late-night television was looping the evening news. The anchor’s voice was barely audible. The phone was tucked under a throw pillow, and Pei Siyin’s voice sounded muffled. Dream and reality began to blur together. Song Shengyang’s eyelids felt heavy, though a sliver of consciousness still lingered.

The faint sound didn’t wake him. The night air that drifted in from the doorway was cut off at the entryway.

Half-awake, he heard Pei Siyin’s voice again from somewhere above. A soft blanket settled over him, wrapping him in familiar warmth. The sound from the video had stopped. Still dazed and disoriented, Song Shengyang forced his eyes open and found himself face-to-face with the Pei Siyin from his dream.

Another dream?

Someone was shaking his arm. All the sounds around him had quieted to a hush, even Pei Siyin’s voice.

“Don’t sleep here. You’ll get sick.”

He still thought he was dreaming, until Pei Siyin crouched in front of the couch looked up at him and smiled.

“You’re back.” Song Shengyang shot upright, sleep gone in an instant.

The room was dark. A faint bluish glow from the screen still lit the space behind Pei Siyin. He was wearing a white shirt, the coolness of night clinging to him. Song Shengyang pulled him closer onto his lap and touched his face. “Why are you so cold?”

Pei Siyin straddled him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “Baby.”

So that was why he hadn’t replied to the message.

A surge of joy and contentment welled up in Song Shengyang’s chest, overflowing in waves. At first, he was stunned. But once he had Pei Siyin in his arms, worry immediately set in. “Why did you come back so late? Why didn’t you ask me to pick you up?”

“It’s a surprise.” Pei Siyin kissed the corner of his mouth. “Are you happy?”

Song Shengyang had given him surprises. Of course, he could return the favor. But more than anything else, he had missed him. The moment Haha’s birthday ended, he couldn’t wait another second and booked the next available flight home.

“I’m happy.” Song Shengyang held his hand tight. “But it’s too late. It’s not safe out there.”

Pei Siyin looked into his eyes and touched his forehead to his. “I was careful. I used crosswalks. No one hit me.”

Song Shengyang laughed under his breath. “I crashed my car and ended up meeting the love of my life. Who’s luckier than me?”

“You’ve got a point,” Pei Siyin smiled. “Let’s go to bed. It’s freezing in here.”

After the long trip back, Pei Siyin was too exhausted to shower. He changed into pajamas and curled up beside Song Shengyang in bed, letting himself be held from behind.

The darkness made it impossible to see. Song Shengyang stretched out his left hand, the one wearing the ring, and laced their fingers together. His breath warmed the back of Pei Siyin’s neck. Eyes wide open, he held him closer.

“What is it?” Pei Siyin tried to turn around, but Song Shengyang pressed his hand down against the mattress.

He steadied his breathing, chest rising and falling before he finally said, “I want to take you to meet my friends.”

So that was it. Pei Siyin had sensed something and thought it was something serious.

“Of course.”

“That’s not exactly what I mean.” Song Shengyang inhaled sharply and chose his words carefully. “I mean like a wedding. I want to host a dinner and invite my friends.”

Pei Siyin froze. His breath hitched, heart pounding wildly. The hand clasped in Song Shengyang’s squeezed tighter. In the darkness, his expression was hidden, so he forced his voice to stay steady. “Are you serious?”

But his racing heartbeat betrayed him.

It wasn’t that he doubted Song Shengyang. If it were just meeting friends over dinner, that would be fine. But Song Shengyang had assigned too much meaning to this meal. Pei Siyin wasn’t hesitating for his own sake. He was thinking of him.

Now that he had said it aloud, Song Shengyang actually felt more relaxed. He kissed Pei Siyin’s earlobe, his nose brushing behind his ear. “Yeah.”

“But don’t ask me why, because I don’t know either. I just know I want to be with you. I want you to meet my friends, meet my family, and that will never change. You’re the one who said time doesn’t mean anything, so I’ll prove it with action.”

The same words, but used to prove two entirely different things.

When Pei Siyin had first chased after him, Song Shengyang thought seven days wasn’t enough.

When Song Shengyang said he wanted to marry him, Pei Siyin thought a month was still too short.

But in the end, the answer never changed. What they shared was a love given completely, with nothing held back.

So finally, Pei Siyin turned over with eyes still damp from silent tears, leaned in close, and kissed him softly as he whispered against his lips.

“Yes.”

-END-