A knock at the door sounded. Lu Shenxing opened the door to find Xiang Shuzhen who lifted the plastic bad in her hand, "Have you had lunch? I brought roast duck."
Wu Yuan heard the woman's voice and stood up straight, stuck in place, feeling helpless.
A dim light flashed across Lu Shenxing's eyes and he turned slightly sideways.
His action wasn't large but it accurately revealed his intentions, he was inviting her in.
Xiang Shuzhen was happy that the roast duck was worth buying. She went in then saw the teenager in the room, she was stunned, "Who's this? Your student?"
Wu Yuan said, "Sir, I'll head off."
Lu Shenxing grabbed him.
Xiang Shuzhen looked at the boy then at her ex-husband. For some reason she felt something was a little bit off.
The atmosphere in the room was intriguing.
"You can eat here with us." Lu Shenxing said casually, "There are still some questions left, you can complete them after we eat."
Wu Yuan was stunned, he moved his lips slightly. What questions was he talking about? He seemed to be serious.
Xiang Shuzhen frowned, she'd finally come over and managed to get in the door, but what could she do or say in this situation. Why was it now a group gathering?
Wu Yuan was also awkward. He didn't want to eat this meal but he also couldn't just excuse himself.
Lu Shenxing put the food she had brought on the kitchen table. Although she had cooked food to share she hadn't made a lot. Lu Shenxing scrapped the sides of the dish and barely made up three bowls worth.
Under the table, he stretched out his foot to rub Wu Yuan's leg.
Wu Yuan almost poked himself in the nose with his chopstick, he stared at Lu Shenxing.
Somehow Xiang Shuzhen felt that she was being ignored. She picked up a duck leg for Lu Shenxing, "How's your dad?"
Lu Shenxing, "He's okay."
"Was your arm scalded by water?" Xiang Shuzhen frowned, "If you break the blisters it can easily get infected."
Infected? Wu Yuan's eyelashes trembled, then he felt his leg was gently rubbed, as if telling him that it was alright.
"Summer vacation is soon." Xiang Shuzhen acted the part of the hostess and asked Wu Yuan, "What's your name?"
Lu Shenxing said casually, "The roast duck is a bit salty."
Xiang Shuzhen, "I just tried it, I thought it was okay."
The topic was diverted.
Wu Yuan bowed his head and swallowed a mouthful of rice. He had seen this woman at the school gate before, more than twice even, and felt that….
She was eye-catching.
This thought, once born, grew wildly and uncontrollably, disrupting all of Wu Yuan's thoughts.
He panicked.
"I'll go back to the dormitory and get a book." He excused himself and left, his expression turning to one of horror the moment he left the door.
Why did he dislike the existence of that woman? Wu Yuan ran upstairs, his face pale, losing his way in his panic.
Wu Yuan was gone but his goal was achieved and Lu Shenxing's appetite disappeared.
"Why are you here?"
Xiang Shuzhen spoke softly, "I was just passing by, and wanted to see you."
Lu Shenxing put his chopsticks down, this woman had already made it clear she wanted to cling onto him again.
He narrowed his eyes and Xiang Shuzhen became inexplicably nervous.
"How much was the roast duck?"
Xiang Shuzhen didn't know, and just said, "Eight yuan."
Lu Shenxing took out a pile of coins from his pocket and handed over five yuan and thirty cents.
Xiang SHuzhen's face froze, "What are you doing?"
Lu Shenxing leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold.
"Since you were the one fighting for the divorce at the beginning, now that we are divorced can you act a little more self-aware?"
Xiang Shuzhen's face flushed, unable to talk back.
She was foolish and thought this man would remarry her again.
"But, you let me come in."
"That was before, now is now." Lu Shenxing made a gesture of 'I was happy before, but now I'm not.'
Xiang Shuzhen was speechless.
Lu Shenxing watched as she made to leave, saying casually, "You don't need more money?"
Xiang Shuzhen turned around and grabbed her bag.
The door slammed shut. Lu Shenxing looked pleased and put his legs up on the table, humming.
"Ding, Mr. Lu, please run laps of the playground for five minutes."
His happiness passed quickly.
"..." Lu Shenxing's face sank and he mocked, "Why don't you just crush me under a boulder for five minutes?"
"Ding, it's your choice."
"..." Lu Shenxing sneered, "Then I refuse."
"Ding, Mr. Lu please prepare to accept the punishment."
Lu Shenxing cursed 222's family, he hoped their war would never end. He walked to the door gloomily. It was noon, the sun was high and not even a bird lingered in the playground.
The rubber track had been baked under the sun and gave off a pungent smell.
After Lu Shenxing ran four laps his whole body was soaked and the sweat on his face kept dripping into his eyes. He looked like someone who'd just been fished out of the water.
The students passing by the playground frequently looked at him. Some students from class 305 even realised it was their head teacher and their words of mocking were swallowed back.
Wu Yuan walked towards the playground and from a distance saw someone lying on the ground like a starfish. Drying themselves out in the sun.
He left, then returned holding a bottle of mineral water. He stood in front of Lu Shenxing and looked down at him.
"What?" Lu Shenxing squinted his eyes against the sun and stared at him, panting, "Do you want me to get fat?"
Wu Yuan wanted to throw the water at him, he spoke faintly, "Then carry on."
"Come back!" Lu Shenxing stood up and licked his dry lips, "Give me a sip of water."
Wu Yuan twisted opened the lid and gave him the water.
Lu Shenxing poured the water on his head. After he pushed back his wet hair he said, "I'm already divorced."
Wu Yuan paused, and seemed to feel that sense of suffocation release his heart.
"Help me." Lu Shenxing didn't give Wu Yuan a chance to escape. "Fuck, it's too hot today."
Wu Yuan didn't move as Lu Shenxing lay on him. The smell of sweat surrounded him and he frowned, disgusted, before slowly helping Lu Shenxing back to his room.
When they got in the door, Lu Shenxing was energetic again. He walked to the right side of Wu Yuan and stood there.
"Although I've been married before, I don't have any feelings for women."
Wu Yuan looked at him suddenly, disbelief written all over his face.
"I like you quite a lot." Lu Shenxing smiled, "You kids are all curious, do you want to know how much I like you?"
I'm not curious, Wu Yuan retorted silently.
"Look, I'll fill the cup with how much I like you."
Lu Shenxing poured the remaining water into an empty cup, the water level going higher and higher, climbing up until…
It was full.
Lu Shenxing stared at Wu Yuan with dark scorching eyes, telling Wu Yuan with his actions, see, I can't even pick up this cup, I like you so much.
It was the most naive thing he'd ever done, and he did it willingly.
It's sometimes necessary to read books that are sickly otherwise it's difficult to play the handsome role.
Wu Yuan's heartbeat slowed, then beat wildly again.
He had received a lot of love letters before, all kinds, affectionate, sincere, full of promises and confessions. But he has never been at such a loss.
Wu Yuan's fingers tightened. He walked a road that wasn't bright, and was always met with contempt, ridicule, rejection and disgust.
Li Mu's words suddenly sounded in his mind, and Wu Yuan's expression changed, "Gay men tend to get AIDS."
Pfft- Lu Shenxing burst out laughing. He held the table and leaned forward, almost out of breath.
Wu Yuan's face turned green, then red.
Lu Shenxing wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, "Who told you that?"
Wu Yuan pursed his lips, "Forget it."
Lu Shenxing smiled like a big bad wolf, "That's just a lie people tell to children…"
"AIDS and gay love aren't linked at all, men and men can pass it, men and women can too. There's nothing abnormal about either relationship."
Wu Yuan started, he thought being straight was different from being gay, that he wasn't like the others.
"Of course, women loving women are normal too," Lu Shenxing showed his white teeth.
Women can be with women? Wu Yuan was stunned, like he'd just opened the door to a whole new world.
"Humans and animal can even fuck." Lu Shenxing said amazingly.
Wu Yuan opened his eyes wide, feeling that if he continued to listen to this man, he might blow his mind with that calm tone of his.
"Just ask me if you want to know about anything, you'll realise that the world is a beautiful place."
Lu Shenxing wiped the sweat from his face and neck with a towel. After running around on a hot day, he felt like he'd eaten that bowl of rice for nothing.
Wu Yuan swallowed unconsciously.
Following the boy's line of sight, Lu Shenxing raised an eyebrow. You even want to jump me now.
Probably realising that his gaze was wrong, Wu Yuan quickly closed his eyes and tilted his head to look into the distance.
"Stay there, don't move." Lu Shenxing ordered him as he went to wash. He showered quickly, fearing that the teenager in the living room would run and hide again.
Wu Yuan stood in a daze as the scent of jasmine filled his nose. He turned his head and saw the man wearing only lounge pants coming towards him, accompanied by a slight mist that had not yet dissipated.
"Come here," Lu Shenxing patted his thigh. "Sit here."
Wu Yuan's face read, 'are you kidding me?'.
"I dreamed of you last night. "Lu Shenxing didn't force him, and just spoke to himself. "Have you ever dreamed of me?"
Wu Yuan was dumbfounded, "No!"
His red ears sold him out.
"Wu Yuan, sometimes you wind yourself up too tightly." Lu Shenxing spoke leisurely. "It's not a disease to like men. Some people like carrots and some people like cabbages. Each has its own advantages."
Wu Yuan trembled, and his chest rose and fell abruptly.
Lu Shenxing looked at the clock on the coffee table and touched his lips. There was five minutes before class, it was enough.
He threw Wu Yuan over his shoulder and strode into the bedroom.
There was a shout in the room followed by the sound of a heavy object falling on the ground.
The first class in the afternoon was Chinese. As they sat staking notes Wu Yuan rubbed his waist.
"Twisted waist?"
Wang Hui patted Wu Yuan on the shoulder. Wu Yuan sat with his butt hovering an inch about the chair, the pen in his hand stuck into the paper, his whole body was in pain.