Beijing Stories (Repost) 10

Chapter Ten

From June to September, Lan Yu was even more idle, with nothing to do. He asked me to help him find work, saying
it wasn't for the money, but just to gain more practical experience. I agreed, on the condition that he go to driving school. He
received many design and drawing jobs from my friend at the construction company, and he became busier than me again.
On the day he got his driver's license, I gave him a Lexus as a gift. When he accepted it, he
smiled and said, "Great!" and that was it.

My business was in bad shape, with "sanctions" everywhere, but I didn't care because everyone was in the same boat;
it was temporary. But then, things got even worse: a warehouse caught fire,
burning all the small appliances worth over seven million yuan. Liu Zheng bore undeniable responsibility.

During a casual chat, I told Lan Yu that I was going to fire Liu Zheng: "Is it worth it? You've been friends for so many years." He said to me

while looking at a rendering he had just finished . 　　"He went too far, knowing that this is the worst time of the year, and he still sabotaged me!" 　　"It's not his direct responsibility." Lan Yu was still revising and refining. It was a pen-and-ink architectural drawing, he told me. 　　"I knew beforehand that there was a problem with the warehouse's wiring, and I told him to get an electrician to fix it." 　　"Didn't you say his child was very sick these past few days? He must have been too busy to notice." Lan Yu was always tolerant. 　　"That's his own business. Who's going to compensate me for my losses? I've already done him a favor by not suing him!" 　　"You businessmen really don't care about sentiment." He said with a laugh. 　　"In the business world, it's all about profit, not sentiment. Learn from that!" I said in a lecturing tone. 　　"What about outside of business? What about friends?" he asked casually. 　　I didn't answer; I didn't know. 　　"Even if you fire him, you can't make up for the losses. He's a good person; if you let him off this time, he'll be grateful! ... Oh no! Something's wrong!..." He seemed to have smudged a part of the drawing... 　　I didn't argue with him anymore; I was indeed considering how to handle the situation. I gradually realized that Lan Yu had a significant influence on me, but he hadn't changed at all. Aside from being taller and more handsome, and more skilled in bed, he was still the same as when I first met him. 　　With a soft knock, Liu Zheng entered my office. He never used to knock. 　　After a moment of silence, Liu Zheng spoke first: 　　"Handong, don't say anything more. I know it's my fault… I've worked with you for the past few years, and I've saved tens of thousands of yuan. Even if it's to compensate the company… I only ask one thing of you: don't take that house back yet. You know my brother is living with my parents, and I can't go back. Wait until I find a place … or maybe Shiling and Xiaowei…" Liu Zheng also lived in the "Temporary Village" unit, just like my apartment, both under the company's name. 　　He spoke with great difficulty; this was the first time we'd ever been so awkward. 　　I interrupted him: "This is the most difficult time for the company. Business was already tough, and this fire has made it even worse. Maintaining it is difficult." I deliberately exaggerated. 　　“I’ve already had Xiao Zhou draft a notice; Zhang Ming and Zhang Shunguo are both fired. They’re directly responsible .” I paused, then continued, “As for you, I’ll deduct three months’ salary. You’ll work for free for three months . I hope you learn a lesson. Don’t spread this around the company; I’ll have finance deduct it directly.” Liu Zheng looked a little surprised. 　　“How’s Xiao Wei?” I asked again. 　　“His fever hasn’t gone down yet! It’s been almost two weeks.” He frowned. 　　“I’ve already spoken to the head of internal medicine at the Children’s Hospital. You need to get the child transferred this afternoon ; that small hospital won’t do.” 　　Liu Zheng looked at me blankly and said, “That’s Shi Ling’s contracted hospital; they probably won’t transfer him.” 　　“It doesn’t matter. Just transfer him to your hospital. The company will cover the costs at the Children’s Hospital. Why worry about these things? If the child gets seriously injured from the fever, wouldn’t you regret it?” I said gruffly. 　　He didn’t look up or say anything. I said again, 　　“You must be busy these days. I don’t expect you to come to work on time. Just keep an eye on things for me from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and I’ll keep an eye on things the rest of the time. Everyone’s anxious right now, and I don’t trust anyone else .” 　　He didn’t look up for a long time. When he finally did, I saw his red, moist eyes. He was a little speechless : 　　“…Okay! I’m leaving then.” He turned and opened the door and left. 　　I had placed a favor on someone, something Lan Yu had taught me. I never expected that more than four years later, I would get it back with many times more “interest.” 　　Winter came again, and it snowed heavily. Liu Zheng invited me to his house for Sichuan hot pot and asked me to bring Lan Yu. It was a wonderful evening. 　　Lan Yu was quite popular with children; Xiao Wei quickly became familiar with him and even pulled him into his room to show Lan Yu the “little red flower” he had earned. Liu Zheng watched them go into Xiao Wei’s room and said to me, 　　“It would be so much better if he were a girl!” I knew Liu Zheng meant it, and I didn’t blame him. 　　“If he were a girl, I wouldn’t want him.” I said jokingly, “I really think he’s interesting.” 　　“That’s normal. Even raising a cat or dog for a long time, you develop feelings for it , !” Liu Zheng kindly explained. He couldn’t understand my feelings for Lan Yu, and he never would. 　　“But you’re quite the romantic!” he added with a laugh. 　　Liu Zheng’s wife, Shi Ling, was from Sichuan and had been a campus beauty at a prestigious university. She had actually “married down” to Liu Zheng . Sometimes, seeing how loving they were, I almost envied her. She was very well-mannered, warm yet appropriate. She must have known about Lan Yu, but she showed no curiosity, scrutiny, or pity whatsoever . Whatever she thought inside, on the surface, she treated him like an ordinary friend. Late at night, Xiao Wei was already asleep. The four of us drank and chatted. We were all a little tipsy. I habitually grabbed Lan Yu’s hand, which was on the table, and placed it on my lap. I held his hand and chatted with everyone. None of us…

I didn't mind any of that; it was a sense of belonging I'd never felt before. We no longer needed to hide or conceal anything; everything felt
so natural and harmonious.

But the cold snow outside was still falling...

With the May Day holiday and the school anniversary celebration, Lan Yu had almost a week off, and our Southeast Asia trip
finally happened. We had a great time. Nobody knew us. We could even show a hint of intimacy on the street
. I'd always thought that regularly changing sexual partners was interesting and exciting; I
never imagined that having a steady partner could be just as blissful, even the intense possessiveness and jealousy were
thrilling.

Once, in a restaurant, I went to the restroom. When I came back, I saw Lan Yu staring at
a rather handsome Singaporean guy. I went over and gave him a hard smack on the head. He was very
embarrassed. I told him I absolutely wouldn't allow him to like anyone else, not even a glance, or I'd kill
him. He blushed terribly and didn't say a word for a long time. Later that night, he spent the whole evening trying to please me.

Actually, he's much more sensitive and picky than I am, and it's getting worse. If he saw me
talking to other young and pretty boys or girls, he would become serious and silent, forcing me to coax him. Also
, if I wanted to have an affair, I would be extremely careful and discreet; I absolutely couldn't
let him find out. I don't complain about these things.

I had Lan Yu as a steady partner, but that didn't completely stop me from sleeping with women. I
slept with them not out of physical need or because I liked them, but out of psychological need. I just wanted to prove
I was a normal man.

I remember when we went to see a ladyboy show, he asked me what the difference was between them and women. I said they
were all men, most of them still had their genitals, some had had them removed. He said it was disgusting. I asked him if he wanted
to　　　　　 find someone to play with, and he looked at me in surprise and said, "Are you crazy?"

I know Lan Yu is a rather conservative and traditional person, but I don't know how he views his current
behavior. I haven't discussed our relationship with him, but I feel we both think it's definitely not normal
behavior.

China back then was much more closed off than it is now; it was difficult for us to find a proper way to understand our
feelings, and we unconsciously avoided understanding them.

URL 1:https://www.sexlove5.com/htmlBlog/208686.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=208686&aspx=1

Previous Page : Beijing Stories (Repost) 8

Next Page : Beijing Stories (Repost) 11

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

Beijing Stories (Repost) 10

comment Open a new window to view comments