Zhuang Fanxin was exhausted. It was a mercy that he had no classes the next day, so he could sleep in. In the night, he curled up under his blanket, fiddling with his phone. He had just added Gu Zhuoyan, and was now deeply immersed in Gu Zhuoyan's Moments.
He had opened it rather carelessly at first, meaning to give it just a quick glance, but found himself unexpectedly unable to close the page. The room was dark, with the phone screen the only source of light. Zhuang Fanxin's fingertip scrolled down the page non-stop.
"Wow…" He opened a photo, and couldn't hold back a soft cry.
If he wasn't mistaken, the photo was of a château in the south of France, famed for its beautiful gardens. Zhao Jianqiu had once visited to attend a conference for designers. Try as he might, Zhuang Fanxin couldn't recall the actual name of the château. He flipped to the next photo, and found that they had gone from southern France to South America.
Gu Zhuoyan's footprints covered the globe. As Zhuang Fanxin skimmed down the page, he felt as if he was circumnavigating the world from under his blanket.
Aside from holiday photos, Gu Zhuoyan had a number of photos from his daily life. There were sports photos, guitar photos, even a few of Gu Baoyan. Zhuang Fanxin was rather surprised by this– he hadn't pegged Gu Zhuoyan as someone who liked to share his life.
Scrolling slowly through last year's moments, Zhuang Fanxin began to notice three faces that repeatedly appeared. These were probably Gu Zhuoyan's close friends. The best of these photos showed the four boys in horse-riding apparel, each on horseback and smiling at the camera.
He couldn't help but think of how Gu Zhuoyan had not smiled a real smile from the time he emerged from the off-road vehicle till the moment he walked away after handing the worksheets over tonight. In the photo, with his teeth visible and his deep eyes slightly curved, a powerful air of youth permeated even through the screen.
Zhuang Fanxin shook his head with regret. He wondered when his new neighbour would be happy, and be able to smile like that again.
Continuing to scroll, Zhuang Fanxin found himself interested in every photo regardless of whether they were of foreign scenes or daily life. However, Gu Zhuoyan only posted a single photo every time, as if purely to convey where he had gone, or what he had done. It seemed rather stinting.
Suddenly, he scrolled to the only post with multiple photos. There were four.
Zhuang Fanxin clicked on it. The first photo showed two people in fencing gear. Judging from the surroundings, it appeared to be a competition.
The pure white fencing uniform was flexible and form-fitting, clearly revealing the figure of the wearer. Zhuang Fanxin found his gaze drawn to the person on the right. This person was quite tall and broad-shouldered, with long and slender legs. With such a figure, it didn't really matter if their face wasn't much to look at.
After fully appreciating the first photo, he scrolled to the next. In the second photo, the tips of their weapons were blurred. The two figures stood in offensive and defensive stances; this photo had probably been taken at an especially tense moment in the match. By the third photo, the winner had been decided: the taller one was holding their weapon aloft, and in the background the spectators had risen to their feet, cheering.
Zhuang Fanxin scrolled to the final photo, and momentarily forgot to breathe.
The photo showed a single person. Gu Zhuoyan, dressed in white fencing gear, held his weapon in one hand and his helmet in the other. His figure was both relaxed and straight, a posture of triumph. He was walking towards the camera, his gaze direct. Unlike the equestrian photos, his smile in this instant was calm and aloof, filled with the satisfaction of one determined to win.
Zhuang Fanxin slowly exhaled. "How handsome…" he sighed.
Without him noticing, it was almost dawn. Zhuang Fanxin worked his way through all the photos in Gu Zhuoyan's Moments, then buried his head in his pillow, feeling like a pervert.
He slept till quite late the next morning. Zhuang Xianyang and Zhao Jianqiu had already gone to work. The house was empty of both people and food.
Zhuang Fanxin ate a slice of toast, then sat in the study doing his homework like a good boy. After finishing two sets of chemistry worksheets, he moved to the massage chair to memorise texts. The full massage function was so comfortable that he moaned after finishing the first paragraph.
Were it not for an urgent whistling noise from outside, Zhuang Fanxin would have fallen asleep. He went out to the patio to look, and saw a pickup truck pulling up to the Xues' gate. When the gate opened, the German Shepherd seized the chance to dash out.
Zhuang Fanxin hurried down and stopped the difficult dog at his front gate. He looked toward the end of the road, but didn't see the dog's difficult owner.
Out of options, he could only bring the German Shepherd back over. Climbing up to the second floor, he saw Gu Zhuoyan sitting on the living room couch and Gu Baoyan spread out on the coffee table drawing. Despite the dog's escape, brother and sister were both here unperturbed.
Hearing the noise, Gu Zhuoyan looked up. "Sit as you please," he greeted without much warmth.
"If you don't like this dog, how about selling him to me?" said Zhuang Fanxin.
"I'll give you two thousand to take my sister away too," replied Gu Zhuoyan.
"I'm not opposed to that," Gu Baoyan said, suddenly raising her head.
Zhuang Fanxin felt his annoyance melt away, and even had to choke back a laugh. He walked over to sit on a little stool in front of the couch, facing the other at an uneven height.
The truck outside the building, the construction noises coming from the bedroom… "What's going on?" he asked.
"Renovations," replied Gu Zhuoyan.
That was fast. Zhuang Fanxin felt a slight sense of achievement, looking forward to the room's new look. Lowering his head, he noticed a box at his feet, and asked another question: "What's this?"
With a rip, Gu Zhuoyan tore open the tape and pulled a black guitar out of the parcel. It looked familiar to Zhuang Fanxin. "Is that the one you posted in your Moments?" he blurted out.
Gu Zhuoyan looked up. "You saw?"
Zhuang Fanxin gave an embarrassed laugh, and answered honestly, "Actually, I looked through your Moments all last night… I only went to bed in the morning."
Gu Zhuoyan was surprised. He spoke as he strummed lightly, "It's just a couple of photos, what's there to look at?"
There was no flaunting in his tone, only a hint of disdain. Zhuang Fanxin, who really didn't enjoy posting in his Moments, questioned further. "If you don't like them, why do you post them?"
"I know," Gu Baoyan interjected. "Gege posts so Grandpa can see."
Xue Maochen lived alone because he loved his freedom, but he often missed his grandson and granddaughter. Gu Zhuoyan was not in the habit of taking photos wherever he went, but he did it to help sate the old man's longing, and keep him updated on things that went on in their lives.
Zhuang Fanxin hadn't expected this reason. He couldn't help but feel touched. "Rongcheng has beautiful scenery too. Now that you're staying with Grandpa Xue, you can take a few photos for your parents."
Gu Zhuoyan lowered his gaze. "No need."
That moment of unhidden coldness shocked Zhuang Fanxin. He understood and quickly changed tacks. "It's fine not to take photos, I don't really enjoy it myself." To smooth things over, he added, "But it's nice to go for a walk now and again. You're already here, after all."
Gu Zhuoyan lowered his head and picked the guitar strings, unmoved.
Zhuang Fanxin quickly nudged Gu Zhuoyan's knee. "Don't be upset. Play us a song."
Gu Zhuoyan mistakenly assumed that Zhuang Fanxin was just acting coquettishly. Well, play he would. He tuned the guitar, then pressed his fingers to the fretboard and began to play. After a short piece, he noticed the emotion in Zhuang Fanxin's eyes.
"You like it?" he asked.
Zhuang Fanxin nodded longingly. His family's artistic genes leaned heavy on the visual arts, lacking the musical aspect. Ever since he was a child, he had envied those who sang well, or those talented at playing musical instruments.
Captivated, he asked, "Is it hard to learn to play the guitar?"
Gu Zhuoyan replied, "If you're sharp enough, nothing's hard to learn."
Hesitating, Zhuang Fanxin said, "People always did call me a sharp kid…"
This was a roundabout way of saying he wanted to try it. Gu Zhuoyan knew himself to be a not-unfeeling man; when his dog wanted a bone or his sister wanted junk food, he would always satisfy them. Looking at how much Zhuang Fanxin wanted to play guitar, he lifted his chin at him. "Come, sit over here and try it out."
Zhuang Fanxin was taken aback. He and Gu Zhuoyan weren't close at all; their knowledge of each other ended at their names and genders– he wasn't even sure about ethnicity. At any rate, Gu Zhuoyan only replied to him after being yelled at, so he didn't expect him to take the initiative to teach him to play the guitar.
He sat next to Gu Zhuoyan, having to lean close as he placed his hands upon the strings. After a few rhythmless strums, Gu Zhuoyan prised his fingertips from the guitar, taking control like a puppeteer controlling a marionette.
In bits and pieces, they played half a song. Gu Zhuoyan understood why music teachers were so expensive now. Exhausted, he turned and asked, "Satisfied?"
"Mhm, very," replied Zhuang Fanxin.
His clearly enunciated words revealed how especially sincere he was. Done speaking, he gazed into the other's eyes and saw through them, as if through a revolving lantern, the pictures he had seen the night before.
He said, "I want to learn horse riding too."
Gu Zhuoyan didn't know what to say. "Ask your dad."
Zhuang Fanxin said, "And I want to learn fencing."
Give an inch, and he takes a mile. Gu Zhuoyan eyed the German Shepherd at his feet in silence. It's all your fault. But manners and poise could not be forgotten. He said, perfunctorily, "What else would you like to do? Don't stand on ceremony."
Zhuang Fanxin paused. "I want to see you smile."
Stunned, Gu Zhuoyan didn't know how to react. He looked away and pretended he hadn't heard. Zhuang Fanxin saw Gu Zhuoyan's embarrassment. Fearing he had offended him, he quietly moved to the end of the sofa.
He changed the topic. "…actually, I really want to see what xiao mei is drawing."
Zhuang Fanxin leaned over the coffee table to watch Gu Baoyan drawing, and didn't raise his head for a long moment. He had only meant to use the child as an excuse to escape the awkwardness, but in a trance, he began to draw alongside her.
Among her hundred-and-something watercolour pencils, Gu Baoyan disliked black the most, so Zhuang Fanxin took the black and began to scrawl. His hands were exceedingly skilled, finishing a drawing in a few minutes, then signing his name at the bottom of the page out of habit.
"Gege, when did you start learning to draw?" asked Gu Baoyan.
"Three," answered Zhuang Fanxin.
"I'm too late, then," Gu Baoyan sighed with regret.
Zhuang Fanxin consoled her with words of encouragement. Remembering that he hadn't finished memorising his texts, he rose and took his leave.
As his footsteps were fading away, Gu Zhuoyan noticed that Zhuang Fanxin hadn't taken his drawing. He picked it up. The drawing depicted a pair of hands with clear joints. The lines of the left hand were brash and sharp, while the right's were soft and natural. Under this hand were six very fine lines– the six strings of a guitar.
Gu Zhuoyan took the drawing and went out to the balcony. Looking down, he saw Zhuang Fanxin's silhouette walking out. He pulled out his phone and called. Zhuang Fanxin stopped and looked back, then picked up his call.
"You left your drawing."
"You can have it," said Zhuang Fanxin.
"Why are the two hands different?" asked Gu Zhuoyan.
Zhuang Fanxin turned back around, his back towards the other, and walked as he spoke: "The left hand is the present, the right hand is the future. You're not too happy now, so I hope you'll be happy in the future."
Gu Zhuoyan felt as if he had been jabbed. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know why you're in Rongcheng, but I hope you'll like it here," Zhuang Fanxin said gently. "Right now, your hand holds a dog leash, and plays the guitar. Maybe here, in the near future, you'll be putting it on a friend's shoulder, or even holding the hand of someone you like."
Gu Zhuoyan felt his heart move. He gazed quietly at the back of Zhuang Fanxin's head. He had to admit that artists really were more romantic than ordinary; and he also had to admit that at that moment, Rongcheng seemed very beautiful.
After a few seconds had passed, he opened his lips. "Hey neighbour, turn around."
Zhuang Fanxin stopped once again and turned to look up at the balcony. He saw a slow smile blooming on Gu Zhuoyan's face; not toothy, but from the heart.
He smiled too, his other hand rubbing his trouser pocket lightly.
Why was it so flat?
"Hey neighbour, don't laugh," said Zhuang Fanxin, "…but I forgot my keys."
This time, Gu Zhuoyan smiled with teeth. He said pleasantly, "Then come up and play more guitar."
—
1. A revolving lantern 走马灯, literally walking-horse-light, is a type of traditional Chinese lantern with scenes that rotate when a candle is placed inside (the heat pushes air currents through a paper fan mechanism in the lantern, turning the scenes on the axis).