Chapter 31

Friday evening, Xu Ze arrived a little later than usual, but it was still early before his turn. He went backstage to carry two boxes of drinks to the hall to restock the vending machines.

The vending machines were scattered in different positions. When he was restocking the third one, Xu Ze opened the glass door and happened to glance up—and his gaze was immediately stuck, as if glued, fixed in one direction and unable to move.

In the right corner there was a claw machine; usually not many people played it, mostly the occasional couple would fiddle with it for a bit.

Lu Heyang was bent over, gripping the joystick, trying to grab a doll. Beside him stood a curly-haired omega in a mini skirt, peering into the glass with him, pointing at some plush toy and laughing.

The scene was pleasant to look at, and Xu Ze simply watched. In terms of gender and Pheromone, Alpha and Omega would always attract each other; Xu Ze was reminded of this at certain moments.

Cheerful music poured from the machine—Lu Heyang had caught a doll. The omega let out a cheer, and Lu Heyang bent down to retrieve it: a not-very-good-looking little shark, blue and white.

Lu Heyang handed the little shark to the omega. She took it, hesitated, then stood on tiptoe and leaned in close to Lu Heyang's ear to say something.

Having been here so long, Xu Ze was no fool. He had received many similar hints or outright advances before; he could guess what kind of words those were.

Xu Ze saw Lu Heyang turn his head to the side, lower his lashes to look at the omega—but then, quite suddenly, he raised his eyes and looked straight at Xu Ze.

Because it was unexpected, Xu Ze barely had time to react. By the time he came back to himself, Lu Heyang had already withdrawn his gaze and smiled at the omega. Xu Ze read his lips: 'Sorry.'

The omega was a little shy; she waved at Lu Heyang and ran off. Xu Ze's gaze followed the little shark cradled in the crook of her arm—roughly made, but with a kind of ugly cuteness. Xu Ze felt a small longing for that little shark; if Lu Heyang gave him one too, he would surely treasure it.

While Xu Ze was still focused on watching the omega, Lu Heyang had already walked up to him and asked: 'You know her?'

Xu Ze silently turned back, picked up a few bottles of drinks and arranged them in the slot. His movements were a little stiff; he didn't dare look Lu Heyang in the eye. He answered: 'Mm.' A server at the bar; they'd had some contact before, more or less.

'Close?' Lu Heyang moved a bottle Xu Ze had placed wrong into the correct slot and asked him.

Xu Ze stared at that bottle—it was a can, while the slot held taller bottled drinks. The difference was so obvious that anyone with eyes wouldn't have placed it wrong, yet he had.

'Sort of.' Xu Ze paused, then asked, 'Do you need her contact info?'

'You have her number.'

It sounded like a question, but Lu Heyang said it as a statement. In Xu Ze's view, Lu Heyang had asked about that omega three times in a row; he must be quite interested in her.

Xu Ze nodded, then efficiently pulled his Mobile Phone from his trouser pocket, wanting to find the omega's number to give Lu Heyang. He felt nothing particular in his heart. People who get jealous do so partly out of possessiveness; he had no possessiveness toward Lu Heyang—only a certain blankness, ah, Lu Heyang might like this type of omega.

He had just unlocked his Mobile Phone when something pressed down on his head—the brim of his cap being pushed down by Lu Heyang. Xu Ze heard Lu Heyang say: 'Just stock the drinks.'

Xu Ze was quiet for a moment, put away his Mobile Phone, and continued restocking the vending machine. After that neither of them said anything more, until Xu Ze closed the glass door of the last vending machine and said: 'I'm heading back to backstage first.'

Lu Heyang pushed his cap brim up again, as if playing some kind of switch game. He asked: 'Will you win today?'

Xu Ze glanced around. Revealing the match results in advance—if someone overheard and reported it to the manager, he'd be suspended and fined. After confirming nothing unusual, Xu Ze said softly: 'Probably...'

Before he finished, Lu Heyang raised his hand, and the back of his index finger brushed Xu Ze's lower lip: 'Shh.'

Xu Ze froze at once. The bright light from the vending machine illuminated Lu Heyang's profile clearly, like a sketch with perfect light and shadow and refined lines. Lu Heyang tilted his head slightly forward, looking at Xu Ze's eyes under the cap brim, and said: 'Shouldn't have asked you that. Sorry.'

That, instead, stirred up Xu Ze's determination to tell him. Xu Ze tilted his head and leaned close to Lu Heyang's ear. They were about the same height; Xu Ze didn't need to stand on tiptoe or look up. He cupped his hands around his mouth, like a child whispering a secret, and told Lu Heyang: 'I'll win.'

After saying it, Xu Ze straightened up, lowered his hands, his expression very serious.

'Good.' Lu Heyang smiled. 'He Wei said he wants to play pool today. If you're done with the match and have nothing else, join us?'

Xu Ze wouldn't refuse. He had been worrying all along, afraid that after Lu Heyang had been kissed by him, Lu Heyang might mind, distance himself, or feel disgusted. Xu Ze had almost painfully prepared himself for that—but Lu Heyang hadn't.

Not every Alpha, upon realizing a same-sex person's feelings for them, could generously maintain their original attitude. Being able to keep their current relationship, Xu Ze felt content, and decided that from now on he would restrain himself, tuck away his thoughts, and not do anything that would make things difficult for Lu Heyang.

'Okay.' Xu Ze said.

Number 17 won. In the first half he symbolically let two punches land on his face; in the second half he fought cleanly and decisively, wrapping things up quickly.

'Wow, Xu Ze is in a rush to clock out.' He Wei, still unsatisfied, said: 'Does he have something urgent? Then is he still coming to play pool?'

'He will.' Lu Heyang said.

After Xu Ze came off stage, Lu Heyang and the others got up and left, heading to the pool hall in the southeast corner. Six or seven minutes later, Xiao Feng, who had been cracking sunflower seeds nearby, said: 'Number 17 is here!'

Lu Heyang turned to look. Xu Ze was pushing open the glass door; he wasn't wearing his cap, and the moment he entered, even from far away, he saw Lu Heyang. As he walked toward the pool table, his gaze never left Lu Heyang's face—but when he actually arrived in front of him, Xu Ze didn't look at him anymore, his eyes fixed on the balls on the table.

'Did you put medicine on it?' Lu Heyang asked.

Xu Ze looked up; the light flashed briefly in his eyes. He answered: 'No, it doesn't hurt much.' To prove it really didn't hurt, he pressed his own bruised, reddened corner of his mouth: 'It's fine.'

The water on his face hadn't dried yet—he had clearly washed his face and come straight over. He must have scrubbed hard and fast removing the greasepaint, so his face still had reddened marks from being rubbed, here a patch, there a patch, mixed with water traces, like a piece of drawing paper with uneven coloring, yet somehow looking very clean.

For several seconds, Lu Heyang didn't speak. Xu Ze felt inexplicably nervous, so he took the initiative to find a topic: 'Can you play?'

Lu Heyang picked up a cue from the table: 'No. Teach me.'

'Mm.' Xu Ze also took a cue, rubbed some chalk on the tip, then bent low and broke. He fixed his eyes on the target ball; his left hand pressed down on the dark green table, fingers clean and slender. A pendant lamp hung above the table, illuminating half of his clean, handsome profile.

From bending down to striking, it was a smooth three seconds. A crisp sound; as the ball dropped into the pocket, Xu Ze straightened up.

Lu Heyang watched that ball disappear into the hole, then looked at Xu Ze. Xu Ze's expression was focused. He chalked Lu Heyang's cue as well, then raised his head to say something—but the moment he met Lu Heyang's eyes, he stalled.

'Hand...' Xu Ze hurriedly shifted his gaze, adjusted his left hand into position on the table. 'The grip, like this.'

Lu Heyang, like a dutiful beginner, pressed his palm onto the table and moved his fingers, looking very earnest in his study, with a touch of awkwardness.

'Not very good at it.' Lu Heyang said to Xu Ze after trying.

'Can I touch your hand?' Xu Ze asked.

Lu Heyang didn't answer directly, only moved his hand closer to Xu Ze. Xu Ze hesitated for a second, then reached out and arranged Lu Heyang's fingers one by one. After that, he set his own hand down five centimeters away, bent at the waist and took hold of the cue, demonstrating the full posture.

He Wei was playing with Gu Yunchi at the next table. Midway through, something felt off, and he looked over at Lu Heyang and Xu Ze's side.

'No way—Lu Heyang isn't bad at pool. What is he doing?'

Gu Yunchi didn't look up: 'Worry less.'

'Turn your body a little, this arm flat against the table, shoulder up.' Xu Ze was still teaching devotedly on this side. His whole body was leaning over; through the white T-shirt, one could see the raised spine and muscle lines, his waist narrowing and sinking into a subtle curve.

Lu Heyang watched him for a while, then bent down as well, raised his shoulder and gripped the cue. Xu Ze's profile was right beside him. Lu Heyang suddenly asked: 'What shampoo do you use?'

A rather unexpected question. Xu Ze suspected he'd misheard. He turned his head, only to find he and Lu Heyang were so close—too close. Xu Ze immediately turned back, looking at the table. He named a brand, and thinking Lu Heyang definitely hadn't heard of it, added: 'It's very cheap.'

He thought Lu Heyang didn't like the scent, and was awkwardly about to get up and move away, when he heard Lu Heyang say: 'Smells good.'

Xu Ze was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, with a crisp click, Lu Heyang took his shot—at an almost impossible angle, he cleanly sent Xu Ze's target ball into the pocket. Xu Ze slowly blinked, straightened up, and sincerely praised him: 'You play really well.'

'You teach well.' Lu Heyang leaned against the pool table and asked, 'Do you come here often to play?'

'Mm. Play with others.'

Lu Heyang curved his lips into a smile, but Xu Ze felt he wasn't really smiling—instead he looked rather cold, in any case hard to describe. Lu Heyang asked again: 'Play with who?'

'Other fighters, or some customers—they ask me to play with them.' Xu Ze answered honestly.

'Number 17's playing-partner service is paid, you know.' Xiao Feng came over carrying a box of cut fruit and set it on the table edge. 'Number 17 can also play pool blindfolded.'

Seeing Lu Heyang raise an eyebrow slightly, Xiao Feng, very perceptive, immediately said: 'I'll go get an eye mask!'

He quickly brought over a black eye mask. Xu Ze looked at the table, confirmed his target ball and angle, then put on the eye mask. Lu Heyang noticed that after Xu Ze put on the eye mask, his previously pressed-together lips parted slightly—he must be a little nervous.

He wondered whether Xu Ze was this nervous too when he played blindfolded with others.

'Will you go to tomorrow's event?' Before Xu Ze started, Lu Heyang asked.

Xu Ze nodded, paused, then asked: 'Are you going?'

'Yes.' Lu Heyang said. 'Has the teacher sent you your room number?'

'Sent it. 1203.' Xu Ze paused again, couldn't help asking, 'And you?'

'1205. He Wei's in 1204.'

'Mm.'

These few lines of conversation successfully made Xu Ze forget the angle he'd previously determined. But he didn't take off the eye mask to check again; instead, by feel, he bent down, pushed the cue tip forward bit by bit, and stopped the moment it touched the cue ball.

Lu Heyang reached out and lightly held his waist, drawing him slightly toward himself: 'A little to the left.'

Following his instruction, Xu Ze shifted left, and even with the eye mask on, he still accurately fixed on the 3 ball. The light shone on him; Xu Ze's nose was quite straight, his mouth slightly open, the shape of his lips tilting up just a little—not thin, with just the right amount of softness, perhaps the gentlest part of that otherwise cool face, the kind that looked like it would be nice to kiss.

Xu Ze held his breath and struck. Someone nearby suddenly cheered and shouted for some reason, so Xu Ze didn't hear the ball drop into the pocket. He asked Lu Heyang: 'Did it go in?'

'What do you think?' Lu Heyang countered.

'I don't know.'

Xu Ze was about to take off the eye mask to look, but Lu Heyang held his wrist to stop him and said: 'It went in. Do you want watermelon or cantaloupe?'

A question out of nowhere. Xu Ze answered: 'Watermelon.'

A few seconds later, he smelled watermelon, right at his lips. Lu Heyang said: 'Open your mouth.'

His heart started beating faster. Xu Ze lowered his head and opened his mouth, but he aimed wrong—he bit down on Lu Heyang's fingers holding the bamboo skewer, as if he'd kissed Lu Heyang's hand.

Xu Ze awkwardly said sorry, then bit into the piece of watermelon.

After eating the watermelon, Xu Ze pushed up the eye mask and looked at the table, then blindfolded himself again and struck without a moment's delay—but because he was too nervous, he missed.

Not hearing the ball drop, Xu Ze stood there, looking a little disappointed.

Of course, not because he missed the shot, but because if he missed, Lu Heyang wouldn't feed him watermelon.

He was about to take off the eye mask when something cool pressed against the corner of his lips—watermelon. Xu Ze heard Lu Heyang say: 'Because you missed, as punishment, this piece of watermelon will be smaller.'

This wasn't a punishment, Xu Ze thought blankly. He stuck out the tip of his tongue, licked the watermelon, made sure he wouldn't touch Lu Heyang's fingers, then slowly bit the watermelon into his mouth.

So failing could also come with a reward. For Xu Ze, losing meant bruises and blood all over, meant someone would be disappointed, meant coming up empty. But Lu Heyang always did the opposite—after Xu Ze lost a match, he'd send him expensive new gloves to pre-celebrate the next victory; when Xu Ze missed a shot, he'd use a small piece of watermelon as a punishment that couldn't really be called punishment at all.

Xu Ze suddenly felt Lu Heyang was strange, and this strangeness made Lu Heyang become even more special in Xu Ze's heart.