BL - One Night In Pingjing 74 The Next Time I Ask You Out, You Have To Say Yes

Feeling strange, he pulled away from the hug. He then cleared his throat. "Do you know Hua Zhendan and his boyfriend are the reason I wanted to be in a serious relations.h.i.+p? It's such a shame that they'd break up. They were so sweet together."

Xuan Chaya wasn't interested in any of that. At the moment, the only thing he wanted was to know his chances with Cheng Jian. "Do you remember when I told you Lan Haiyang was in love with you?" he asked.

"I do." Cheng Jian nodded.

"What do you plan to do about it?"

"What's there to plan about?" Cheng Jian asked, clicking his tongue. "I told you he doesn't feel that way about me."

"What if he did?"

"That's not possible."

"Why not?"

"We've been friends for a very long time. It's just not possible for Lan Haiyang to see me as more than a friend. We even kissed one time. There was nothing romantic about it. It was just awkward."

Xuan Chaya's feelings were suddenly conflicted. He was unhappy to find out Lan Haiyang and Cheng Jian had kissed before. Yet, he was happy to know that Cheng Jian hadn't thought it was romantic. He pressed on. "If he actually had feelings for you? Would you go out with him?"

"I can't see Lan Haiyang as anything more than a friend." Cheng Jian said, adamantly shaking his head.

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"If I asked you to date me, would you?"

Cheng Jian was perplexed. "Aren't you straight?"

"What does that matter if I like you?"

"Do you like me?"

"I do."

"How? Since when?"

"I had a good feeling about you when I first chatted you up. And I liked you from the moment I met you. More than I like a lot of people. Now, I'm realizing that I may like you more than normal." When Cheng Jian said nothing, he asked. "So, if I asked you to date me, would you go out with me?"

Cheng Jian shook his head in response. "No. Of course not."

Xuan Chaya felt a pang of pain shoot through his chest at Cheng Jian's unexpected response. "Why not?"

"You're paying me to pretend to be your boyfriend. If I became your real boyfriend and you paid me for it, I would feel like a prost.i.tute."

Xuan Chaya sighed. He had made Cheng Jian quit his job, pack up his life and come live with him. It would be selfish to not take responsibility for that. "Okay. What about when all of this is over and done with? When you no longer have to put on a show for my mother. If I asked you out then, will you go out with me?"

"I don't know." Cheng Jian shrugged.

Xuan Chaya touched Cheng Jian's arm lightly. Evoking another bout of uneasiness the other could not comprehend. "Cheng Jian. I want you to keep me in mind. Not as a friend, but as someone who is really into you. Keep your heart open for me, will you? The next time I ask you out, you absolutely have to say yes."

Cheng Jian nodded and picked up his phone. "Okay. But, I'll call Hua Zhendan and give him the good news first." As he navigated his contact, he immediately got a video call request from Lan Haiyang.

Smiling, he said to Xuan Chaya. "What are the chances that Lan Haiyang would call just when we finish talking about him?"

Xuan Chaya snorted. "You said you don't see him as more than a friend. Yet, you're so happy to see his call."

Cheng Jian smiled at the expression on Xuan Chaya's face. "Are you jealous? It doesn't matter if you're not, I'll still tell Lan Haiyang you are."

"You'll tell me what?" Lan Haiyang asked. Staring into Cheng Jian's face.

Cheng Jian didn't realize he had already picked up the call. "Ah! It's Xuan Chaya."

Lan Haiyang was curious. If Xuan Chaya had done something to upset Cheng Jian so soon, he wouldn't forgive him. "What did Xuan Chaya do?"

Lan Haiyang shook his head. "He's jealous I'm talking to you."

"He doesn't want you talking to me?"

"No. That's not it. He just says—Hey, Lan Haiyang. Are you in love with me?"

Lan Haiyang was certain that wasn't something Cheng Jian had noticed all on his own. "Did you get that idea from Xuan Chaya?"

"Of course."

"What did he tell you?"

"He says you're in love with me."

"And what did you think about that?"

"I thought it was crazy, of course. You can never see me as more than a friend, am I right?"

Lan Haiyang nodded with a slight smile. "But if I did?"

"Then how would that work? I  could never see you as more than a friend myself." Cheng Jian said cluelessly.

Lan Haiyang nodded. "How are you doing over there?"

"I'm fine. I'm great, actually. Xuan Chaya is really nice."

Wearing a big smile on his face the whole time, Cheng Jian sang Xuan Chaya's praises to Lan Haiyang. From his promise of breakfast in bed, to the nice breakfast, to letting him have his way with the Hua Zhendan project.

When he was done, Lan Haiyang said just one thing. "Give him the phone, I want to talk to him."

Cheng Jian obliged.

When Xuan Chaya got the phone, Lan Haiyang said to him, "I want to talk to you privately."

Nodding, Xuan Chaya went into the bedroom and locked the door. Cheng Jian, suspicious, pounded on the door but Xuan Chaya paid him no mind.

"My friend likes you." Lan Haiyang said.

"Does he?" Xuan Chaya asked. A slight smile playing around the corner of his mouth.

Lan Haiyang nodded. "He isn't aware of it, but I am." He paused, then asked, "How do you feel about that?"

"I like him too."

"You're not straight anymore?"

Xuan Chaya shook his head. "All I know is that I like him."

"In that case, I'll only repeat what I told you before. If you don't take care of him and dare to hurt him, you'll answer to me."

Xuan Chaya caught himself smiling. "Is that your way of giving me your blessing?"

Nonchalantly, Lan Haiyang replied. "Call it what you want."

"Thank you."

"Is that it? I expected a little more push back from you. Like the last time we met."

"I realize how important you are to Cheng Jian. I don't want to fight with you if I can avoid it."

Lan Haiyang nodded. Xuan Chaya was reasonable after all. He advised him. "Cheng Jian takes time to open up to people. You may notice his idiosyncrasies, but his feelings will be mostly unreadable. Both to you and to him. You can't deal with him unless you exercise patience."

Xuan Chaya nodded with a smile. "Not a problem. For him, I'll have plenty patience."

***

Xiao Maiguo returned to an empty living room. Guilt and fear clouded his heart. His fling with Ben had been harmless till Ben had confessed his love. In that moment, it had become more than some way to get off. It had become real. It had become an affair. He didn't feel like he could face Yun Peng now. Yet all he wanted was to see him, hug him and let him know he loved him.

When Xiao Maiguo entered the room, Yun Peng was perched on the edge of the bed. Tinkering with some electronics. Yun Peng looked up at him, but said nothing.

"Hey," Xiao Maiguo said.

"Hey," Yun Peng replied. "You came back."

The words echoed in Xiao Maiguo's ears, making him panic. Had Yun Peng been suspicious? He had hidden this thing—this affair very well, hadn't he?

He made a beeline for Yun Peng. Kneeling down in front of him, he wrapped his arms around Yun Peng's neck and mumbled, "I love you."

Yun Peng ran his hand down his back in tender comfort. "I love you too," he replied.

Xiao Maiguo broke the hug and proceeded to kiss Yun Peng deeply. As Yun Peng returned the kiss, he could barely contain the tears that gathered in his eyes. He had kissed Ben on numerous occasions. Light, deep, short or long kisses. They had varied. But none could elicit the pa.s.sion that Yun Peng's did. None could make him feel as if he could die and nothing else would matter, but that kiss. Yun Peng ignored him and treated his feelings carelessly. So what? When he pulled, didn't Yun Peng always push?

When he broke the kiss, a teardrop trickled down one of his cheeks. Yun Peng noticed it and wiped it with one finger. "Don't cry, okay?"

The consolation was more than Xiao Maiguo could bear. Yun Peng didn't ask what was wrong. Couldn't this only mean he knew the answer all too well? What if he had left him? What would he do then? He broke into an uncontrollable sob.

Yun Peng wrapped his hands around him in a soothing embrace. Saying nothing until Xiao Maiguo stopped crying.

Looking into his tear-streaked face, Yun Peng asked, "Should I draw you a bath?"

Xiao Maiguo nodded. When Yun Peng left, against his better judgement, Xiao Maiguo pulled out his phone to check it. He had placed it on silent mode, but knew that Ben would've called at least, a couple of times.

He was right. Ben has also sent text messages. The first one read, "Are you seriously mad at me because I confessed my feelings to you?"

The second one had only two words, "I'm sorry."

The third message only deepened Xiao Maiguo's guilt. This time, not for Yun Peng, but for Ben. Ben had fallen deeply in love with him and it was his fault for encouraging him. The third message read, "I take it back. All of it if that's what will make you happy. Just please, don't cut me off."