SYU 16. So This Was What You Had in Mind

Chen Xiucheng thought Wu Jinshan was just saying that for show. He never expected that after class at exactly 7:10 p.m., the guy would show up right on time. He sat next to him at a row of night market barbecue stalls near campus and ordered two bowls of clear broth beef noodles and a plate of boiled edamame.

A long table with two benches, over a dozen college guys sat around drinking beer, chatting, playing finger-guessing games, and having a blast skewering and eating meat. Amid the noisy, boisterous crowd, Wu Jinshan stood out completely, sitting there quietly slurping his noodles, chewing edamame, and drinking plain boiled water from the shop. He ate like it was a health campaign.

Aside from Chen Xiucheng, Wu Jinshan barely knew anyone else at the table. He was never big on group activities and paid no mind to the people around him. A few familiar faces came over to say hi, but after failing to strike up a conversation, they stopped bothering.

Still, it would have been fine if Wu Jinshan had just sat there quietly. But no, he had to butt in about everything, especially when it came to managing Chen Xiucheng.

Wu Jinshan did not drink beer, and he would not let Chen Xiucheng drink either.

Wu Jinshan did not eat barbecue, and he would not let Chen Xiucheng eat it either.

Wu Jinshan wanted to go back to the dorm, and he insisted that Chen Xiucheng go with him.

From the moment the food was served, he started nagging right next to Chen Xiucheng’s ear, going on and on about how alcohol affects brain function, the chemical reactions produced during barbecuing, and how the resulting harmful substances damage the kidneys.

Some students nearby overheard and teased, “Damn, Brother Cheng, your attending physician even came out to supervise you.” That got the whole group roaring with laughter.

Attending physician, my ass. Who didn’t know Wu Jinshan was studying veterinary medicine?

“Eat your own stuff and quit bothering your brother,” Chen Xiucheng said impatiently, waving his right hand still gloved in a disposable glove, and continued peeling his spicy crayfish. He turned to Wu Jinshan and added, “Why don’t you go back first? No need to sit here suffering if you’re already full.”

Wu Jinshan ignored the others, but when Chen Xiucheng mentioned crayfish, he switched gears and started lecturing again. “Crayfish carry multiple parasites inside, especially in the head area. Cough, cough, cough—!”

He never got to finish. Chen Xiucheng stuffed a chunk of spicy crayfish straight into his mouth. Wu Jinshan choked and couldn’t speak, coughing violently while chugging cold water, then scrambled up and dashed off in a panic to find a restroom.

“Hahahahahaha, so you can’t handle spice, huh? Hahahaha.” Even ten minutes later, when Wu Jinshan finally emerged from the public restroom, Chen Xiucheng was still doubled over in laughter, clearly enjoying himself.

Wu Jinshan’s hair was soaking wet, as if he had rinsed it under a tap. The area around his mouth was clearly reddened from the spice, and his whole body looked drained, like he had lost half his life.

Chen Xiucheng felt nothing could top the satisfaction of seeing Wu Jinshan get knocked out by spice and retreat to the toilet.

“You okay?” a voice asked. It was Song He, who had arrived and was now sitting directly across from Wu Jinshan. He casually tossed over a sealed bottle of mineral water.

Wu Jinshan caught it, drank half the bottle in one go, and after catching his breath, replied, “I’m fine.”

Song He had just been chatting with Chen Xiucheng. When Wu Jinshan glanced over, he noticed the guy had clearly dressed up. Maybe it was just the slightly loose collar revealing his collarbones, but something about him felt deliberately seductive.

Wu Jinshan remembered who Song He was, and he did not like him.

“By the way, when’s your match?” Song He steered the topic back toward him. “Xiucheng and I were just talking about the school football friendly. Are you playing?”

“Yeah. On the sixteenth,” Wu Jinshan replied tersely. When it came to anyone other than Chen Xiucheng, he was always sparing with his words and expressions.

“One of my dormmates is on the football team too,” Song He added.

Wu Jinshan let out a short hum through his nose to show he heard.

Song He pressed on, “I’ll come watch your game.”

Wu Jinshan crossed his arms and looked up at the sky, not even bothering with a nasal grunt.

Chen Xiucheng jumped in to smooth things over. “Don’t mind him. Unless he’s arguing with someone, he hardly says a word.” As he spoke, he suddenly felt his shirt get yanked hard from below.

Wu Jinshan said, “I want to go back to the dorm. You walk me.”

Chen Xiucheng glared at him. “If you want to go, go by yourself.”

Wu Jinshan grabbed his hand and gave it a little shake, as if acting cute. “Walk me back.”

Chen Xiucheng almost laughed. He glanced around at the peaceful surroundings. “Come on, you’re a grown man. What are you afraid of, getting mugged or molested?”

Wu Jinshan looked a bit pitiful. “Both.”

Chen Xiucheng gave in and reluctantly agreed to walk him. He figured that staying here would only result in being nagged to death anyway, so he might as well send him back first.

He pulled a few bills out of his pocket, counted them, and placed them in the middle of the table. Then he told Lin Lu, Zhao Xi, and the others that he had something to do and to enjoy the food and drinks without him.

It was still fairly early. They had come out around seven because someone had said they were starving, and now it was just past eight.

On the way back, Wu Jinshan didn’t stay quiet. He kept talking, though the subject had shifted from hygiene and health to musings on life. He insisted that quality mattered more than quantity in friendships, and that Chen Xiucheng should stop treating everyone like a buddy.

Chen Xiucheng had no interest in listening to his self-righteous lectures. He muttered, “Yeah, yeah, I won’t be friends with them. You’re the best. I’ll be friends with you.”

The early summer night still carried a bit of a chill. Now and then, a breeze swept past, making the tree branches creak. It was hard to say if it would rain the next day.

Wu Jinshan suddenly stopped walking. It was as if he hadn’t quite heard what Chen Xiucheng said. After a moment, he caught up and repeated, “Be friends?”

Chen Xiucheng didn’t think much of it. Happiness, for him, was a simple thing. He hopped ahead playfully, waving his arms in the air, trying to catch invisible stars in the night sky. With a lighthearted grin, he replied, “Yeah, sworn brothers or whatever. What else could it mean?”

Wu Jinshan followed behind and didn’t speak for a while. Not until they passed the traffic light at the next intersection did he suddenly say, “I don’t like Lin Lu.”

Chen Xiucheng rolled his eyes. “Tch. There are loads of people you don’t like. Who do you like, huh? Is there even a single human on Earth that meets your standards?”

Wu Jinshan reached out and gently pressed down his wildly flailing arms. “Quit chasing stars. Watch where you’re going.”

Chen Xiucheng was about to say, Aren’t you here with me?, but when he turned around, Wu Jinshan was nowhere to be seen. After a quick look around, he spotted him standing in front of a street stall.

Curious, he walked over to see what Wu Jinshan was buying. To his surprise, Wu Jinshan was cradling a palm-sized frog, gently rubbing its head and prodding its little webbed feet with his fingers. Then, he pulled out some money and bought it.

The frog was round and plump, bright green all over except for its white belly. Two eyes, each as big as a ping-pong ball, took up most of its head. The black pupils caught the gleam of the streetlights, and the golden rings around the eyes sparkled brilliantly.

Wu Jinshan kept toying with the frog’s tiny feet, each no bigger than a peanut and smaller than its eyes. He seemed fascinated by it, totally absorbed. Chen Xiucheng found the whole sight so bizarre that he was momentarily speechless.

“Didn’t know you were into this sort of thing,” he muttered, shoulders twitching. “Pretty unique taste.”

The night market snack street connected to a small vendor street, nestled between two major universities. It was a place where many young people came to enjoy cheap and simple pleasures.

Most of the people walking past were students from the nearby schools, often couples. Standing there beside a tall grown man holding a frog toy already felt awkward enough. With Wu Jinshan’s noticeable height and build drawing extra attention, Chen Xiucheng felt even more out of place.

He couldn’t help but tug Wu Jinshan forward, urging him to walk faster. But Wu Jinshan was still busy playing with the frog’s feet, and then handed the frog ball over to Chen Xiucheng.

Chen Xiucheng broke into a cold sweat and politely declined. “You like it, then keep it.”

Wu Jinshan signaled for him to take it. “I didn’t say it’s for you. Hold onto it for me. Take good care of it.”

Chen Xiucheng was speechless. Seeing that his hoodie had a front pocket, Wu Jinshan shoved the frog into it.

Their dorm floor was unusually quiet tonight. Most people had gone to the dinner gathering Chen Xiucheng had organized.

In the still corridor, the sudden ringtone of an incoming call rang out clearly. Chen Xiucheng quickly picked it up. Lin Lu’s voice came through the receiver:

“Did Jinshan make it back to the dorm? We switched locations. Now we’re at the KTV from last time. You coming?”

What? ‘Jinshan’ didn’t make it back? Wu Jinshan’s face darkened. He snatched the phone and hung up. “Why are they giving people nicknames like that?”

No one was in Room 502 either. Big Brick had night class and wouldn’t be back until ten, and Fu Hexi always worked late and never returned before eleven.

Wu Jinshan seemed a bit on edge. The moment they entered the room, he didn’t wait for Chen Xiucheng to turn on the lights. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his waist from behind and used his body to press him toward the bed.

Chen Xiucheng was about to bring up the phone call when he stumbled forward and was suddenly pinned onto the mattress.

The room was dim, with only a sliver of shifting light filtering in through the gap in the curtains. His eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness, and he couldn’t make out Wu Jinshan’s face clearly. But he could feel the other’s breath right next to his cheek, hot and rapid.

Chen Xiucheng finally understood what this was about. The corners of his lips curled up, and he reached out to teasingly scratch the stubble on Wu Jinshan’s chin.

“So this is why you dragged me back so early,” he said playfully.