OAS Extra 3 – Daily Life pt 2

Summer: The Season of Breakups

Summer had arrived. Really arrived. The height of the season, and the heat was unbearable.

The near-forty-degree temperatures baked the world until everything went from bursting with life to clinging to it.

After barely surviving the workweek, He Ziwei lay sprawled across the couch in nothing but underwear. One leg flung over the armrest, the other dangling to the floor. It was a pose of complete liberation. If he could, he’d have stuck his tongue out too.

Tang Zhou wrung out a damp towel and wiped him down. He Ziwei shoved him away. “Quit it. Feel this water. It’s so hot it might as well be bathwater.”

The air conditioner in their rental was ancient. It had been running non-stop for days, and finally gave out in the middle of the night. But they weren’t the only ones. When they called the landlord, the reply came back that a repairman wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. And so this lovely Saturday had begun with them being roasted awake.

By the afternoon, watching He Ziwei sprawled out half-dead, Tang Zhou finally said, “Wanna head out? We can sit somewhere air-conditioned at the mall.”

He Ziwei loved the idea instantly. The more they thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed. Even though they broke into a sweat just from getting dressed, the promise of cold air made them genuinely excited. With firm resolve, they headed out.

The moment they stepped outside the building, the heat smacked He Ziwei in the face like a punch. The hot wind surged in waves through the air, crashing down on them one after another. He hesitated for a second, but they had already changed clothes, so he forced himself to take that first step forward.

The asphalt was completely exposed to the sun, and the heat shimmered through the air, distorting the view. The newly laid tar outside the apartment complex looked like it was about to melt. The shopping plaza was four bus stops away, and luckily the bus stop was right outside their gate. In the spirit of saving where they could, He Ziwei decided they’d take the bus.

At this hour, the bus wasn’t exactly empty, but there was still plenty of space. He Ziwei stood about a step away from Tang Zhou. Tang Zhou was browsing movie listings on his phone and started to move closer to ask what He Ziwei wanted to watch. He had barely taken a step when his chest bumped into a hand.

The heat was unbearable, and tempers were running high. Tang Zhou naturally ran warm to begin with. He Ziwei gave him a look of pure disgust and nudged him away. “You’re drenched in sweat. Stay away from me.”

Tang Zhou looked at the sweat-drenched nape of He Ziwei’s neck and the sheen already forming on his shiny forehead, and silently backed off. This was love, goddammit.

The two of them stood barely a meter apart and started communicating through WeChat like undercover agents setting up a drop. Tang Zhou wanted to see the new 3D blockbuster. He Ziwei insisted on a domestic comedy. They argued across two stops and still hadn’t settled anything.

Finally, He Ziwei got mad.
Are you here to watch a movie or to go on a date with me?

Tang Zhou: …

Tang Zhou: Baby, weren’t we just here for the air-conditioning?

He Ziwei: …

He Ziwei knew he was being unreasonable, but he still had to fight back: Keep acting like this and you’re going to lose me.

Tang Zhou: …

In order not to lose He Ziwei, the very principled Tang Zhou finally compromised: Baby, I want to watch the comedy.

There was no helping it. This, goddammit, was love.

The tickets were bought, the bus had arrived, and with forty minutes left before showtime, they decided to grab a drink. On the first floor of the shopping plaza was a Starbucks they had passed countless times but never entered. Since this technically counted as a date, a sudden flicker of interest sparked between them.

Tang Zhou ordered two Frappuccinos. He Ziwei took one sip and scrunched his face. “Why is this so sweet? Do they not charge for sugar here?”

Tang Zhou took a sip too and wholeheartedly agreed. Not only was it sweet, it was ice-cold as hell. “Should we just not drink it?”

He Ziwei shot him a glare and scolded, “Why are you so wasteful? If our life philosophies are this different, maybe this relationship isn’t going to work out.”

But the relationship carried on regardless. In the end, they walked into the theater with both Frappuccinos in hand. The domestic comedy lasted about a hundred minutes. Cringe dancing, cringe acting, cringe jokes, it was all so cringe that He Ziwei spent the whole movie gnawing on his straw while sneakily glancing at Tang Zhou. Only after confirming that the man wasn’t asleep did he finally relax a little. Somehow, he even managed to finish the whole Frappuccino without realizing it. Forty-two yuan, and all he could taste was ice.

As they left the theater, He Ziwei struck first. “I’m really disappointed in modern domestic comedies. But thinking about how I watched it with you… it doesn’t seem quite as bad.”

He picked the film, stole the lines, and Tang Zhou had nothing left to say. All he could do was pat the top of He Ziwei’s head and nod. “Yeah. Baby, you’re the best part of the movie.”

He Ziwei flushed and looked away, clearly embarrassed. He cleared his throat, tugged on Tang Zhou’s sleeve, and turned to walk out first. It was getting close to dinner time. After dragging Tang Zhou through such a terrible movie, he was feeling a bit guilty. But he also figured the rift in their love could still be patched. After thinking it over, inspiration struck. “There’s a really good hot pot place nearby. Didn’t you say you were craving hot pot last time? Let’s go.”

Tang Zhou had probably said that over a month ago. Hot pot in this kind of heat made no sense at all, but looking at that eager expression on someone’s face, he gave a kind nod anyway.

He Ziwei finally dug up a three-week-old promo post on WeChat, copied the address into the Gaode Maps app, and started searching. Turned out the restaurant was only about 800 meters away. Tour Guide He was raring to go and marched forward with enthusiasm, looking just short of waving a tiny flag and calling out, “This way, comrade Tang Zhou!”

Every city has those mysterious little alleys, tucked between glitzy storefronts like hidden worlds waiting to be discovered. He Ziwei had just stepped into one of those. He pinched his nose and made his way past the fifth giant green garbage bin, carefully sidestepping the trickles of sewage on the ground. With Tang Zhou trailing behind, they wandered around like headless chickens for three laps. Even the fruit vendor at the corner stand started shaking his head in sync with them.

He Ziwei stared at the location marker, which overlapped perfectly with the destination point on the map, and fell into deep thought. Tang Zhou couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He took the phone from his hand, studied it for a while, then looked around. After a moment, he nudged He Ziwei and pointed across the street. “Could it be that one?”

Only half the shop sign remained. Inside, the place was piled with all sorts of renovation materials in complete disarray. A paper notice was taped to the glass door, saying the store had closed for remodeling last week and would reopen in half a month.

He Ziwei began to suspect today was his personal tribulation day. Feeling guilty, he glanced at Tang Zhou, then pulled out a pack of tissues and handed one over. “Wipe your sweat.”

Tang Zhou took it, pulled out a sheet, and slapped it right onto He Ziwei’s forehead.

Overheated and teetering on the edge of existential collapse, they ended up circling back to the shopping plaza. Both were drenched in sweat and clearly dehydrated.
Noticing the cracks forming on He Ziwei’s lips, Tang Zhou suggested they grab a drink.

There was a well-reviewed milk tea shop by the road, but the line was long. He Ziwei scoffed at milk tea for being “too cutesy,” and ordered a fresh lemon green tea instead. It took seven or eight minutes to get ready. Tang Zhou pierced the cup for him. He Ziwei took a sip and frowned. It was sour, and not just sour, but sour mixed with a heavy dose of artificial sweetness. Frankly, it was disgusting. He lost all faith in the beverage industry.

Tang Zhou immediately knew he didn’t like it just by his face. Two minutes later, they were tucked inside a small convenience store. He Ziwei was happily chugging from a bottle of mineral water. Tang Zhou, on the other hand, was sipping that overly sour lemon green tea through a straw.

He Ziwei knocked back half the bottle, then solemnly summarized their day. “We, the humble working class, the poor and exploited proletariat, simply aren’t meant to live like the bourgeoisie.”

Tang Zhou gave him a sideways glance and finished the last sip of tea. “Say that in human language.”

“Only idiots go out during the day,” He Ziwei grumbled, then after a pause, looked up and mumbled, “Let’s go home. There’s still leftover rice from yesterday. You could fry it up for me?”

Tang Zhou pulled out his phone and ordered a car. “Let’s go. One last act of bourgeois decadence.”

At the gate of their apartment complex, they picked up some cucumbers, carrots, and ham. With the green onions and eggs they already had at home, dinner came together quickly. After dinner, they sat a meter apart on the couch. A random variety show played in the background while they both stared at their phones.

Thinking back on today’s “air-conditioning expedition,” He Ziwei slowly realized he had probably been a petty little drama queen from start to finish. A surge of guilt hit him, and he suddenly wanted to make it up to Tang Zhou. Quietly, he scooted closer and kissed his cheek.

Tang Zhou, naturally, was more than happy to accept the gesture. He pulled him into his arms and kissed him right back. After a bit of lip and tongue, both of them were getting a little worked up. It had been three days since they last did anything. Tang Zhou gave his ass a firm squeeze in a clear invitation. But just then, He Ziwei whispered, “Can we do it with me on top this time?”

“Sure,” Tang Zhou murmured, gently biting his upper lip, indulgent as ever. Still, he asked casually, “Baby, I thought you didn’t really like that position?”

He Ziwei went quiet for a moment, then mumbled softly, “This position has less contact with the bedsheet. Maybe it won’t feel as hot…”

“….” Tang Zhou took a deep breath and let go of him. “Baby, I think we should calm down a little.”

Summer. Scorching heat. Even animals in heat wanted to hibernate. At night, the two of them lay in bed together without even bothering to cover themselves. Both were naked, limbs sprawled like two slick, slippery fish.

He Ziwei was too hot to sleep. It felt like there was a fire burning inside him. “Tang Zhou, are you asleep?”

“No,” Tang Zhou replied with a lazy drawl.

“What do we do if we can’t sleep?” He Ziwei asked gloomily.

“If we can’t sleep, I’ll fuck you,” Tang Zhou said, voice drifting between drowsy and alert.

“…” He Ziwei stated his position firmly. “I’m asleep. Fuck me tomorrow.”

“…” Tang Zhou leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, then pulled back. “Sleep, baby.”

And so the restless, heat-stricken night passed without any passionate bursts of desire.

The next day, after the air conditioner was finally repaired, He Ziwei set the room temperature to eighteen degrees. The entire place felt like winter had arrived. Tang Zhou came out with a thick quilt in his arms, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a knowing smile. “Tomorrow, huh?”

He Ziwei shivered a little, and then joined his boyfriend in riding the waves of love.