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Chapter 142: “I haven’t been here before. He prayed for one.”
When leaving, Chen Wengang grabbed a bag of leftovers from the Lu family’s restaurant and took it home to feed Halley.
Chen Wengang walked briskly, carrying a bag in each hand. When he reached his doorstep, the front door wasn’t fully closed, just slightly ajar.
Four furry paws were already impatiently pacing back and forth under the door crack, with a wet nose poking out.
He smiled and pushed the door open.
Halley barked happily and ran around Chen Wengang’s feet.
There was someone sitting in the courtyard, legs crossed, a tablet resting on their lap. Huo Niansheng looked up: “Finally back?”
Chen Wengang casually asked, “You’re working overtime on a weekend?”
Without waiting for an answer, he went to the kitchen, bent down to open the freezer. The kitchen freezer had double doors, spacious enough, with a whole layer dedicated to chicken breast and salmon for Halley. Chen Wengang divided the items and stored them away before realizing the unusual silence behind him.
Turning around, Huo Niansheng wrapped his arms around him from behind: “You don’t have anything to tell me?”
Chen Wengang suddenly kissed him: “I love you.”
He turned around, embracing Huo Niansheng, holding onto the back of his neck, lost in the moment, reluctant to part.
Chen Wengang closed his eyes, no matter where he went or who he met, as long as he returned home, he knew he would always see this person.
He heard Huo Niansheng whisper softly in his ear: “Good boy.”
There was no better time than now.
The courtyard was bright with sunlight, a canopy overhead, and a breeze blowing through the open door, keeping the heat at bay.
Chen Wengang also brought out his laptop, multitasking and organizing data while softly recounting the events of the day’s gathering. Huo Niansheng sat beside him, still reading documents, not paying much attention; who knows how much he absorbed? In the past, Huo Niansheng enjoyed a high-profile lifestyle that was extravagant and lavish, especially under the spotlight. Sometimes spending millions on a night of drinking—might not even be enough for the media to consider it gossip-worthy. Matters like booking a room or canceling a reservation at a club probably didn’t even register on his radar.
As for the likes of Pan Zhengyang—Chen Wengang looked up his name online, born into a family of entrepreneurs, a second-generation wealthy. In the eyes of someone like Huo Niansheng, from an aristocratic background, unless Chen Wengang suddenly decided to divorce him, he probably wouldn’t even bother giving Pan Zhengyang a second glance.
In the evening, Huo Niansheng got up to cook dinner in the kitchen.
After dinner, the two of them walked the dog back from the riverside, took a shower, and played Monopoly in the attic.
Chen Wengang leaned against a recliner, while Halley nestled beside him, watching attentively as he rolled the dice.
Today, Chen Wengang was on a winning streak, buying property after property, while Huo Niansheng unfortunately kept landing on them, losing a total of four thousand dollars.
Huo Niansheng also leaned back on the recliner, counting paper bills lazily. Chen Wengang watched his actions and suddenly chuckled.
Huo Niansheng glanced at him with a smile. “What’s so funny now? Laughing at me again?”
Chen Wengang rolled over and crawled over to him. “Do you know that this game was originally invented to satirize capitalists monopolizing the market? Big fish eat small fish and eventually crush all the small businesses.”
Huo Niansheng nodded solemnly. “Yes, yes, I’m the small fish, destined to be eaten.”
Chen Wengang kissed him. “You’re not a small fish; you’re the biggest catch of my life.”
Huo Niansheng hugged him tightly. “Then what are you? Jiang Taigong?”
Chen Wengang pushed him playfully. “Are you coming or not? Hurry up and roll your dice.”
With his lover in his arms, Huo Niansheng continued rolling the dice, but today luck wasn’t on his side; he landed in jail and paid fines alternately. He lost the game quickly. But Master Huo remained calm; he could afford to lose and gracefully returned the money to the bank—
“Okay, okay, big fish, bankrupt indeed. No more fish to catch.”
“You’re giving up so easily?” Chen Wengang teased as he held a thick wad of cash. “Do you want me to lend you some money?”
“I’m afraid I can’t pay it back,” Huo Niansheng held his hand, not intending to snatch it away. “Is there any other way I can repay you?”
His movements became slower and slower. Chen Wengang smirked, watching him, but remained silent. Their feet touched, knees against knees, separated by fabric, exchanging body heat. Huo Niansheng leaned over slowly, and they fell into each other’s arms.
He kissed Chen Wengang, one hand pressing on his thigh while the other leisurely slipped into his sleeve.
Halley, bored, sniffed around and knocked a deck of cards off the shelf with a clatter.
Chen Wengang shook himself free, tossing Huo Niansheng behind him, and walked over to pick it up.
He raised an eyebrow, reminiscing, “Haven’t played this in years. Last time was during summer camp.”
Huo Niansheng smiled, sitting cross-legged and collecting the Monopoly pieces back into the box. “Then it’s your turn. I’ll teach you how to play.”
However, this time, Chen Wengang couldn’t beat the expert. Somehow, they ended up betting on who would lose and have to remove an item of clothing. Chen Wengang ended up in a thin set of pajamas, only consisting of the top and bottom. They haggled, agreeing that for every game lost, one button would be unbuttoned.
The result was still a complete victory for Huo Niansheng.
Halley yawned, crawled downstairs, played with toys for a while, got tired, and then crawled back to the stairwell.
Late at night, when it was quiet, someone passed by and stumbled because the lights weren’t on. Halley didn’t bark. Instead, it looked up and wagged its tail.
Huo Niansheng gestured at it to be quiet, then with a mix of amusement and annoyance, he said in a hushed voice, “What are you doing here instead of sleeping?”
Halley wagged its tail even faster. Huo Niansheng bent down and carried it back to the dog’s nest.
Later, Chen Wengang and Lu Chenlong arranged a time. They bought milk and fruit and went to the hospital to visit their elementary school teacher.
The adult world is probably just like this. That day after the gathering, several elementary school classmates took the initiative to add Chen Wengang as a friend, inquired about his well-being, and subtly probed Lu Chenlong’s whereabouts, asking where he studied, what job he did, and about his family’s situation.
Lu Chenlong was accustomed to the ways of the world, laughing heartily as he spoke. Chen Wengang could only smile helplessly and showed him the messages on his phone. Some people even invited him out for dinner again next weekend, saying that the gathering was just a small gathering of a few people to strengthen friendships.
Chen Wengang politely declined, citing a lack of time.
Besides, it wasn’t an excuse. At that time, he and Huo Niansheng drove to Zhang City.
They set off on Friday night, with Huo Niansheng driving. He had spent several years in Zhang City before, so he was very familiar with the route back and forth. They didn’t stay at a five-star hotel but spent the night in a guesthouse at the foot of the mountain. The next morning, they went up the mountain to visit Ning’an Temple.
On both sides of the mountain road were bamboo forests, full of fresh and natural greenery, blocking the sun overhead and casting fragmented shadows on the ground.
Although there was a cable car, the two still climbed up, step by step. The steps were high and steep. Halley had grown a bit, but its legs were still not long enough. It followed the people, climbing up one step at a time. After climbing a few steps, it gave up, so Chen Wengang, fearing it might strain its joints, carried the dog in his arms.
Huo Niansheng, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. “If you’re not fit enough, you need to exercise more,” he remarked.
Chen Wengang smiled teasingly. “You’re fit, why didn’t you carry it then?”
After a while, he asked, “The time we raced for the incense offering before, did we climb up or take a seat?”
Chen Wengang rarely talked about past lives, only saying “before.” Between them, there were actually too many “befores,” but no matter which point, it seemed that Huo Niansheng could understand immediately. He smiled and said, “Of course we climbed. Otherwise, how could we be sincere when we faced the Buddha? To worship the Buddha, we had to first enter the mountain gate. Who could and who couldn’t, we knew after climbing once.”
“Could you do it?” Chen Wengang nudged him.
“What kind of question was that? What did you mean by ‘could’?”
After Cheng Wengang carried it for a while, Huo Niansheng took the dog back. After a few exchanges, Chen Wengang suddenly laughed, saying that they looked like a couple taking their child out.
Halley didn’t feel ashamed. It rarely got to play in such a faraway place and was just happy, panting with its tongue out, looking around.
Because of the summer vacation, there were more people coming and going in the temple, making it livelier than usual, but it wasn’t as crowded as popular tourist attractions.
Chen Wengang didn’t speak when he entered the temple. He just looked up at the nearly towering Buddha statue, lost in thought.
After leaving the main hall, he just wandered around, looking around as if he were a curious tourist.
A group of monks passed by beside him, wearing brown robes, their eyes straight ahead, their expressions solemn, as if wandering in their own world. Regardless of how many people came and went in the temple, they had already transcended the mundane world and were no longer troubled by worldly matters.
Chen Wengang grew tired and leaned against a pine tree in the backyard, with Huo Niansheng leaning beside him. They remained silent, holding hands underneath.
A few young people wanted to take a photo together. After looking around, one of them came over and requested their help. Chen Wengang let go of Huo Niansheng’s hand and took the camera.
Returning the favor, the lead girl took a photo of the two of them together.
She enthusiastically said, “I heard that the amulets here have been blessed and are especially effective. Did you pray for one?”
Chen Wengang smiled and said, “Yes, we did.”
The girl exclaimed, “Oh, you’ve been here before.”
Chen Wengang pointed to Huo Niansheng. “I haven’t been here before. He prayed for one.”
Huo Niansheng put his hands in his pockets and showed a friendly demeanor, returning them a modest smile.
Chen Wengang neither prayed to the Buddha nor sought an amulet. He wasn’t particularly ceremonial; perhaps he wouldn’t even find the amulet Huo Niansheng had once given him. He didn’t usually burn incense or pray to Buddha; he might not even feel comfortable asking for blessings.
After resting enough, Huo Niansheng led him away.
Chen Wengang looked back at the pine tree behind him. He was still thinking about his words: in the future, their ashes would be buried under the tree, nurturing life, becoming soil, becoming tree trunks, becoming pine needles, becoming a part of nature. That would be enough; there was really nothing else to ask for.
After descending the mountain, they visited various famous landmarks in Zhang City.
Huo Niansheng was like a living map, so the media was not wrong when they said he was well-versed in food, drink, and entertainment. He seemed to know every corner of the city was worth enjoying. Chen Wengang didn’t plan anything; he just followed him.
They bought souvenirs on the streets, ate pigeon at a century-old shop, and encountered bioluminescent plankton in a bay.
The waves shimmered with a faint blue light, making the entire sea area dazzling and dreamy. Chen Wengang leaned on the railing, and neither he nor Huo Niansheng said to leave.
The sea breeze blew gently, and they watched for a long time while holding the dog. Chen Wengang leaned his head on Huo Niansheng’s shoulder and looked up at him. Huo Niansheng’s eyes reflected countless twinkling lights, as if they were stars for a moment. But as soon as he moved, these lights disappeared.
He lowered his head and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
After returning to the hotel, Chen Wengang received a call from Zheng Baoqiu, asking if he wanted to attend a charity dinner next month.
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