By the evening, Wenqing went for a check-up and found out that it was all a misunderstanding.
She wasn't pregnant at all; it was just a hormonal imbalance over the past few days. This was quite embarrassing for her, not only because of the awkwardness in front of Fang Tianze, but also because she had made a fool of herself in front of so many friends. Wenqing wanted to blame Fang Tianze, but deep down, she knew she should blame herself. After all, she shouldn't have spoken about it so easily; she should have checked first to avoid this false hope.
However, Fang Tianze wasn't at all affected. Even though Wenqing wasn't pregnant, her reaction showed that she was willing to have children with him. That alone was enough to move him. In fact, this felt like just as big of a blessing as if Wenqing really had been pregnant.
Without worrying about the friends around them, Fang Tianze rushed into the bedroom and retrieved a ring that he had secretly bought earlier, then kneeled down and proposed to Wenqing.
Wenqing had known about the ring from last year. After their two breakups, he hadn't given it to her.
Their friends all began to tease them, especially Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaishang, who started serenading various love songs in a dramatic fashion. Before long, Xiao Zhan and Mo Ran joined in, forming a sarcastic four-person choir.
Wenqing had still not fully recovered from the afternoon's events, and her heart was full of warmth. She had been thinking a lot in the past two days about the possibility of being pregnant, and her thoughts had matured. Seeing Fang Tianze kneeling, it wasn't just about her choosing him and accepting his pursuit.
It was also about Fang Tianze choosing her and willing to make such a lifelong commitment.
Wenqing extended her hand, allowing Fang Tianze to put the diamond ring on her finger.
Soon, everyone forgot about the earlier misunderstanding about Wenqing not being pregnant, and instead, they began celebrating Wen and Fang's engagement. They all went to their usual spot, where Fang Tianze generously covered the drinks, and everyone played games, sang songs, and drank until they were thoroughly happy.
In the end, Jiang Cheng passed out drunk, and it was Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo who called a cab to take him home.
Then, they called cabs for Mo Ran and Nie Huaishang.
As Nie Huaishang was leaving, he yelled out, "I haven't had enough! It's been ages since I went out drinking! You guys aren't good friends! We should keep drinking! Isn't the usual place always ours to take over? We can't stop until 3 or 4 in the morning, or else we'd be disrespecting our sponsoring contractor! Hiccup..."
After a great effort getting everyone else sorted out, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo returned home and crashed into bed, sleeping until noon the next day.
The aftermath of a heavy drinking session was always painful and uneventful. After a simple meal, they got up to wash the dishes.
Xiao Zhan, thinking of something, casually asked, "By the way, when are you going back to A City? I need to ask for time off, and is there anything else I should pay attention to?"
By this time, Wang Yibo had cooled down, and after a moment of silence, the shadow in his mind resurfaced. He didn't speak a word but walked over to the sink with the dishes. Xiao Zhan gently pushed him away, "There aren't many dishes, I'll do it."
Wang Yibo stood silently next to Xiao Zhan, and after a moment, quietly said, "Actually, I asked too suddenly and didn't think it through. If you want to meet her, it's fine. But if you don't really want to, then don't worry about it."
Xiao Zhan set down the plate, wiped his hands dry, and turned to look at Wang Yibo. "If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have agreed yesterday."
He sighed and held Wang Yibo's hand. "What's wrong? Didn't we talk it through yesterday?"
Wang Yibo hesitated, feeling conflicted. He didn't want to keep hiding the truth from Xiao Zhan, especially after they had come so close to being together. He thought about all the times he had talked to his mother, always stepping out onto the balcony whenever his father was mentioned. Xiao Zhan had never minded, but Wang Yibo always felt guilty about it.
Xiao Zhan was someone he had decided to cherish and love deeply, and now that they were about to go to A City to meet his mother, Wang Yibo couldn't help but feel that he was keeping something from him.
He sat Xiao Zhan down on the couch, looked into his eyes, and took a deep breath.
Then Wang Yibo confessed his family background. He and his mother had never been acknowledged and couldn't be publicly recognized, not because Wang Yibo's father had another family, but because they feared being targeted by enemies.
His father was involved in illegal activities, and though he wasn't running street wars every day, his underlings were involved in serious criminal operations. To make things worse, many people had died as a result of his father's actions, some of them directly or indirectly at his hands.
He explained his opposition to his father and his reluctance to be involved. Wang Yibo had refused his father's offer to join the business and had a falling out with him. Now, they could hardly even speak to each other.
Xiao Zhan couldn't believe it when he heard about Wang Yibo's father being involved in such activities.
Curious, he asked, "Illegal activities, what kind of things are we talking about?"
Wang Yibo frowned, still uncomfortable even talking about it.
"Everything you can think of, he's been involved in."
Xiao Zhan couldn't believe it. "Murder, arson, drugs, prostitution?"
Wang Yibo didn't deny it but looked at Xiao Zhan with a sad gaze.
That meant everything? For Xiao Zhan, it was beyond comprehension! His boyfriend's father was a gang leader? With shady business dealings? It sounded unreal... He came from an ordinary family, and although he knew about Jiang Cheng's luxurious lifestyle, he never encountered anything like the extreme things Wang Yibo was talking about.
Xiao Zhan didn't say anything at first, but in Wang Yibo's eyes, his silence spoke volumes. Wang Yibo tried to stay calm, but his eyes betrayed the hurt.
"These things are all evil; he's got no excuse. He just does it because he likes it. Xiao Zhan, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I should've told you when we started dating, but I didn't because I was afraid you would mind."
Xiao Zhan looked at Wang Yibo. "Afraid I'd mind, and then what? What did you think would happen?"
Wang Yibo looked dejected. "Afraid you'd regret accepting my confession."
Xiao Zhan suddenly smiled. Every time he thought Wang Yibo was too careful, he would laugh like this. His laughter was clear, like a bell, with a sly twinkle in his eyes.
"Wang Yibo, why do you think I'm so narrow-minded? Where you come from doesn't matter. It's you I accept, not your family."
Though Xiao Zhan was smiling, his words were serious.
Before Wang Yibo, he had never really been in a serious relationship, but the junior he liked was the one he wanted to be with. It wasn't as important as air and sunlight, but whenever Wang Yibo was around, everything just felt right, and his heart would beat faster.
Because of this feeling, Xiao Zhan couldn't easily give up.
It had nothing to do with anything else. It was just about love.
Wang Yibo hugged Xiao Zhan tightly, clearly moved. Over the past two days, Xiao Zhan had deeply touched him, and Wang Yibo was more determined than ever to cherish and love Xiao Zhan.
"Xiao Zhan!" Wang Yibo closed his eyes and shouted his name loudly.
"You're really the best!"
Xiao Zhan was charmed by Wang Yibo's sweetness and ruffled the younger man's hair, stealing a kiss.
Later in the afternoon, Jiang Cheng woke up with a splitting headache. He vaguely remembered what had happened the night before—drinking with Nie Huaishang, the teasing from everyone, and ending up totally wasted. Now, with his excitement gone, he looked around at the white walls and felt a sense of melancholy. He decided to drive to their usual spot, hoping to have a quiet drink by himself. To his surprise, he ran into Nie Huaishang again.
"...You here to waste time too?"
Jiang Cheng sat down next to Nie Huaishang, sighing as he picked up his drink.
"Who else would be here with me? Only us single folks have no rights, just the two of us living this miserable life. Misery loves company, huh?"
Nie Huaishang laughed and raised his glass to Jiang Cheng.
"It's not just the two of us single folks, Mo Ran counts too."
Jiang Cheng didn't expect Nie Huaishang to mention Mo Ran, and he was a little surprised.
"Wanna call him over? You haven't given up on him, have you?"
Nie Huaishang shook his head.
"I gave up long ago. He rejected me really hard. If not, he wouldn't have gone back to the team. But if you want me and Mo Ran to move on, I also feel embarrassed. Too much face was lost. We need a friend to help us out, don't we?"
Jiang Cheng grumbled, "Wait, you're making me the one to play matchmaker?"
Nie Huaishang nodded eagerly. Jiang Cheng pouted but thought that having three people drinking together was more fun than just two, so he dialled Mo Ran's number.
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and Mo Ran had probably woken up early since he hadn't drunk much the night before.
When Mo Ran learned that Nie Huaishang was also there, he paused before laughing, "I'm coming over, be right there."
Jiang Cheng hung up the phone with a meaningful look. "He's coming, he'll be here soon."
So, Mo Ran, Nie Huaishang, and Jiang Cheng each got a cocktail, and the three of them raised their glasses to their single status.
The old bar, a place full of laughter, lonely tears, arguments, and shouting, had now added one more memory: a cheers to friendship.
***
2016
The wind and rain were shaking, and even the summer had a slight chill in the air. The rain fell in a fine mist, almost as if it were on the verge of stopping, with distant mountains shrouded in a thin mist.
Jiang Cheng parked the car and walked up the steps with Xiao Zhan. Wang Yibo and Mo Ran had already arrived; Wang Yibo was wearing a simple black shirt, while Mo Ran, who seemed to still have work to do in the afternoon, was dressed more formally in a black suit.
Jiang Cheng and Xiao Zhan walked up to them, and the four exchanged greetings, but said nothing more.
A few minutes later, Nie Huaisang arrived. He was the last to come, but he brought the largest two bouquets of white lilies.
This was a cemetery located on the outskirts of B City, nestled between the mountains and waters, with excellent feng shui.
The group, dressed in black and holding fresh flowers, walked in silence deeper into the cemetery. The rain continued to fall lightly; although it was midsummer, the surroundings felt cooler, and the chill seemed to grow stronger as the group proceeded.
They walked for less than ten minutes before stopping in front of a grave.
It was clear that this was a beautifully constructed tomb. The tombstone was made of high-quality glossy granite, and the entire monument, including the surrounding additions, exuded an air of affluence.
Nie Huaisang led the group in bowing and offering flowers. The others followed suit, bowing and presenting their flowers.
Nie Huaisang smiled at the person in the photo on the tombstone.
"This year, two good friends came to visit you. They finally made it back from abroad."
Wang Yibo and Mo Ran stepped forward. Wang Yibo nodded.
"It's been a long time. We're back from abroad."
Mo Ran opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only sighed. He held onto Wang Yibo's arm without speaking and stepped back.
One by one, the others came forward, exchanging pleasantries and mentioning some trivial matters from their lives. Nie Huaisang even shared some gossip about other students from B University.
After a while, the rain grew heavier, and Wang Yibo opened an umbrella to shield himself and Mo Ran. Jiang Cheng held an umbrella over himself and Xiao Zhan.
Nie Huaisang glanced around and then opened his own umbrella.
"We'll talk more next time. We'll come to see you again. You take care over there, alright?"
They turned and walked away. The rain fell onto the tombstone, but it couldn't dampen the photo etched onto it. In the photo, the young man wore a broad, cheerful smile.
Below the photo were three characters carved in neat, deep script:
Fang, Tian, Ze.
The group walked in the opposite direction but did not leave the cemetery. Instead, they arrived at the far side of the cemetery.
Other than the gentle rain, there was no other sound. They walked deeper into the cemetery until they reached a more remote area. Though still part of B City's best cemetery, the price of this area could not compare to that of Fang Tianze's tomb.
At the last tomb in a row, they slowly stopped.
Earlier, Mo Ran had remained silent at Fang Tianze's tomb, but now he bit his lip and his eyes began to redden. Like Xiao Zhan, when Mo Ran's eyes reddened, the color quickly spread to the corners, giving him a particularly vulnerable look. Mo Ran bit his lip, trying not to let any soft sobs escape. Even Nie Huaisang's expression had become solemn and sorrowful, and he no longer made any jokes.
The photo on the tomb in front of them was of a very beautiful, intelligent young woman.
This photo was taken when she and Fang Tianze were about to travel abroad. The two of them had hurriedly taken a passport photo together. Later, Fang Tianze caught a cold, and the trip was cancelled. The photos they had taken became useless.
It was only much later that the photo was put to use, and it had been kept until this very moment.
Mo Ran couldn't hold back any longer and a tear fell from the corner of his eye.
In the silence, Xiao Zhan stepped out from under Jiang Cheng's umbrella and walked up to the tomb. He bent down, smiled, and gently touched the tombstone, as if he were tenderly embracing an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
Xiao Zhan's voice was soft and gentle.
"We've come to see you again. This time, even Mo Ran and Wang Yibo came back. We're all doing well, just the same as before."
"...What about you? How are you and Fang Tianze over there, Wenqing?"
The woman in the photo smiled softly.
For a while, there was no other sound, just the wind and rain, stirring in the air.