Chapter 142: “I haven’t been here before. He prayed for one.”
When leaving, Chen Wengang managed to score another bag of scraps from the Lu family. They were leftovers from the restaurant, which he brought back as an extra treat for Harley.
With light steps and a bag in each hand, Chen Wengang arrived at his front door. The gate wasn’t locked, just leaning loosely shut. Four furry paws were already turning in impatient circles behind the door gap, as a damp little nose poked out.
He smiled and pushed the door open.
Harley let out a bark, joyfully running in circles around Chen Wengang’s feet.
A man was sitting in the courtyard with his legs crossed and a tablet resting on his lap. Huo Niansheng looked up: “You’re finally back?”
Chen Wengang asked casually, “Still working overtime on a big weekend?”
Without waiting for an answer, he headed straight for the kitchen and bent down to open the freezer. The kitchen freezer was a double-door model with a massive capacity; the entire bottom layer was filled with chicken breasts and salmon for Harley. Only after Chen Wengang finished sorting the scraps into containers and putting them away did he notice how unusually quiet it was behind him.
The moment he turned around, Huo Niansheng wrapped his arms around him from behind: “You actually remembered to come home?”
Dragging a whole person on his back, Chen Wengang turned on the faucet and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Huo Niansheng trapped him against the edge of the sink: “Don’t you have anything to explain to me?”
Chen Wengang suddenly kissed him: “I love you.”
He spun around to return Huo Niansheng’s embrace, looping his arms around his neck to seek a deep kiss. Supported at the back of his head, the kiss became intoxicatingly deep, leaving them tangled up and reluctant to part.
Closing his eyes, Chen Wengang knew that no matter where he went or who he met, as long as he returned home, he could always find this person. He heard Huo Niansheng whisper softly by his ear, “Good boy.”
Times could not be better than they were right now.
The sun shone brightly in the courtyard. A canopy had been set up overhead, and a breeze blew through the open gate, making it feel reasonably cool.
Chen Wengang brought his laptop outside as well. Juggling two tasks at once, he organized data while softly and slowly recounting his experiences at today’s reunion. Huo Niansheng sat beside him, still reading documents; truth be told, he didn’t care all that much, and it was hard to say how much of it he actually absorbed. In the past, Young Master Huo favored a high-profile, lavish lifestyle, especially under the spotlight. Sometimes, spending over a million on opening wine in a single evening wouldn’t even be enough to serve as media gossip. To him, booking an extra room or shorting a room in a clubhouse like that was probably not worth dwelling on at all.
As for the likes of Pan Zhengyang—Chen Wengang had looked up his name online. His father’s generation had started out in manufacturing, making him a second-generation rich kid. In the eyes of an old-money heir like Huo Niansheng, unless Chen Wengang suddenly wanted a divorce because of him, he probably wouldn’t think the man deserved a second glance.
By evening, Huo Niansheng got up and went to the kitchen to cook dinner.
After dinner, the two walked the dog back from the riverbank, took showers, and played Monopoly up in the attic. Chen Wengang leaned against a beanbag chair, while Harley snuggled up on one side, its head moving up and down as it watched him roll the dice with absolute seriousness.
Chen Wengang was on a lucky streak today, buying up land consecutively and building more and more hotels. Huo Niansheng unluckily landed on one, instantly losing $4,000. Leaning against a sofa himself, he held a stack of paper notes, lazily pooling his money together. Watching his movements, Chen Wengang suddenly burst out laughing.
Huo Niansheng glanced at him with a smile: “What’s wrong? What are you laughing at me for now?”
Chen Wengang rolled over and crawled over to him: “Did you know that when this game was first invented, it was supposedly meant to satirize capitalists for creating monopolies where the big fish eat the small fish, eventually driving all small businesses into bankruptcy?”
Huo Niansheng played along solemnly: “Yes, yes. I am the small fish, destined only to be eaten.”
Chen Wengang kissed him: “You’re no small fish. You’re the biggest fish I’ve caught in this lifetime.”
He was instantly locked into Huo Niansheng’s embrace: “Then what are you? Grand Duke Jiang catching the fish?”
Chen Wengang smiled and pushed him: “Are you moving or not? Hurry up and roll your dice.”
With his beauty in his arms, Huo Niansheng continued to roll the dice. However, his luck was truly down today; one moment he was in jail, and the next he was being fined. Within a few rounds, he lost everything down to the wire. Yet, the young master excelled in keeping a steady composure. He could afford to lose and gracefully handed all his money back to the bank—
“Alright, alright. What ‘big fish’? I really went bankrupt. Nothing left to catch.”
“Giving up so easily?” Chen Wengang pinched a thick stack of money. “Do you want me to give you a loan?”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay it back.” Huo Niansheng held his hand, though not with the intention of snatching the money. “Is there any other method of repayment?”
His movements grew gentler and slower. Chen Wengang hooked the corners of his lips, looking at him without saying a word. His feet brushed against Huo Niansheng’s feet, and their knees pressed together through the fabric, transferring body heat. Huo Niansheng slowly leaned over, and they tumbled down together. He kissed Chen Wengang, one hand pressing down on his thigh while the other unhurriedly slipped inside his sleeve to explore inward.
Bored, Harley sniffed around here and there, knocking a deck of playing cards off the shelf with a soft thud onto the floor.
Chen Wengang pulled away with some effort, leaving Huo Niansheng behind as he walked over to pick them up. Raising his eyebrows, he mused with emotion, “I haven’t played this in so many years. The last time I played was during a summer camp while camping outside.”
Huo Niansheng smiled, sitting cross-legged as he packed the Monopoly pieces back into their box: “Come over here then, I’ll teach you how to play this.”
Only this time, Chen Wengang stood absolutely no chance against an experienced hand like him. Later on, somehow, they made a bet where whoever lost had to take off a piece of clothing. Chen Wengang was wearing a light, thin set of pajamas consisting of just a top and bottom. After some bargaining, they changed the rule to unbuttoning one button for every loss.
In the end, Huo Niansheng still emerged completely victorious.
Yawning, Harley slid down from the attic. It tore at its toys to play by itself for a while, got tired, and lay back down at the top of the stairs.
In the dead of the quiet night, someone walked past and tripped slightly because the lights weren’t on. Harley didn’t bark; it just looked up and actually began wagging its tail instead.
Huo Niansheng made a “shh” sign at it, caught between amusement and exasperation as he whispered, “What are you doing up instead of sleeping?”
Harley wagged its tail even faster. Huo Niansheng bent down and carried it back to its dog bed.
Later on, Chen Wengang set a time with Lu Chenglong. They bought milk and fruit to visit their elementary school teacher at the hospital.
The adult world was probably just that realistic. Since returning from that reunion, several elementary school classmates had actively reached out to add Chen Wengang as a friend, exchanging pleasantries and fishing for information. Someone had even pried all the way to Lu Chenglong, wanting to know where Chen Wengang was studying, what his job was, and the status of his house and car.
Lu Chenglong was someone well-acquainted with the ways of the world, laughing uproariously as he spoke about it. Chen Wengang could only smile helplessly, showing him the messages on his phone. Someone had even invited him out for dinner next weekend, saying that a classmate reunion was one thing, but this was a small-scale gathering for a few people to catch up.
Chen Wengang politely declined them all on the pretext of having no time.
Moreover, it wasn’t just an excuse. At that time, he and Huo Niansheng had gone on a road trip to Zhangcheng.
They had set off on Friday night. Huo Niansheng drove on the way there; having stayed in Zhangcheng for a few years previously, he was highly familiar with the round-trip route. They didn’t go to a five-star hotel, choosing to stay the night at a guesthouse at the foot of the mountain instead. The next morning, they headed up the mountain to visit Ning’an Temple.
The mountain path was lined with bamboo forests on both sides, offering a full view of lush greenery that felt fresh and natural, blocking out the sun overhead and leaving fragmented patterns of light and shadow on the ground. Although there was a cable car, the two still climbed up step by step. The stairs were high and steep. Harley had grown a bit, but its legs still weren’t long enough; it followed them up a few steps before tucking in its tail and quitting. Fearing it would damage the dog’s joints, Chen Wengang scooped it into his arms.
Huo Niansheng, on the other hand, looked incredibly leisurely beside him: “Its stamina is lacking, it needs to step up its training.”
Chen Wengang smiled and chided, “Since your stamina is so great, why don’t you take a turn carrying it!” After a while, he asked again, “That time you guys rushed to offer the first incense sticks, did you climb up or take the ride up?”
Chen Wengang rarely spoke of his past life, simply calling it “the past.” There were actually too many “pasts” between them, but no matter which point in time it was, Huo Niansheng seemed to understand instantly. He smiled: “We climbed, of course. Otherwise, how could we show enough sincerity before the Buddha? To enter a temple and worship Buddha, one must first enter the mountain gate. Who can make it and who can’t is made clear after one climb.”
“Then can you make it?” Chen Wengang nudged him.
“Watch your words. What do you mean ‘can I make it’?”
After Chen Wengang carried the dog for a while, Huo Niansheng took it over. Passing the dog back and forth a few times, Chen Wengang suddenly smiled, remarking that they looked just like a married couple taking their child out for an excursion.
Harley felt no shame at all. It was rare for it to travel to a place this far to play, so it only knew happiness, panting with its tongue out as it looked left and right.
Because of the summer vacation, people were coming and going inside the temple, making it livelier than usual. However, compared to hot tourist spots, it hadn’t reached the point of being shoulder-to-shoulder.
Chen Wengang stopped talking once they entered the temple, keeping his head tilted up to look at the giant Buddha that reached almost to the ceiling, lost in thought. Upon exiting the grand hall, he just looked around, strolling back and forth a few times like a purely curious tourist.
A group of monks walked past in a line beside him. Dressed in brown robes, they kept their eyes straight ahead with solemn expressions, appearing to walk within their own world. No matter how many people came and went in the temple, having already stepped out of the mortal realm, they were no longer troubled by worldly affairs.
Tired from walking, Chen Wengang leaned against a pine tree in the backyard. Huo Niansheng leaned right next to him, and they stood in silence, holding hands out of sight below.
A few young people wanted to take a group photo and looked around. One of them came over to ask for help; Chen Wengang let go of Huo Niansheng’s hand and took the camera. To return the favor, the leading girl took a photo of the two of them together.
She said enthusiastically, “I heard the amulets here have been consecrated and are exceptionally effective. Have you guys requested one?”
Chen Wengang said with a smile, “We have.”
The girl let out an “oh”: “So you’ve been here before.”
Chen Wengang pointed at Huo Niansheng: “I haven’t been here before, he was the one who requested it.”
With both hands in his pockets, Huo Niansheng acted very amiable, returning a modest smile.
Chen Wengang hadn’t worshiped the Buddha to make a wish, nor had he requested an amulet. He wasn’t a person who paid particular attention to a sense of ritual, and as for an amulet, he probably wouldn’t find another one like the one Huo Niansheng had once given him. Worshiping gods and Buddhas without burning incense regularly, only bowing upon seeing a Buddha—he was afraid he would be too embarrassed to pray for protection.
Having rested enough, Huo Niansheng took his hand to lead him along.
Chen Wengang looked back at the pine tree behind them, still thinking about those words—burying their ashes under a tree in the future to nourish life, becoming the soil, the trunk, the pine needles, and a part of nature. This was entirely enough; there was truly nothing left to ask for.
After descending the mountain, they toured around various famous landmarks in Zhangcheng. Huo Niansheng was like a living map, so when the media used to say he was an expert in dining and entertainment—a true playboy—they weren’t wronging him either. He seemed to know every corner of this city worth enjoying. Chen Wengang hadn’t made a single travel plan, content to just follow him.
They bought souvenirs in the streets and alleys, ate squab at a century-old classic establishment, and encountered “blue tears” at a certain bay. The waves rolled with a glowing blue light, rendering the entire sea area brilliant and dreamlike. Chen Wengang leaned over the railing, making no move to leave, and Huo Niansheng didn’t rush him either.
The sea breeze blew fiercely as they held the dog and watched for a long time. Leaning against Huo Niansheng’s shoulder, Chen Wengang tilted his head up to look at him. Huo Niansheng’s eyes reflected countless speckles of light, appearing as brilliant as a starry sky for a fleeting moment. But the moment he moved, those lights and shadows vanished.
He lowered his head and asked Chen Wengang softly, “What is it?”
After returning to the hotel, Chen Wengang received a phone call from Zheng Baoqiu, asking if he wanted to attend next month’s charity gala.
