"It's him. Yang Zi. Here. At my door. The universe must be playing a cruel, exhilarating joke. Two years. Two years I buried this feeling, layer by painful layer, convincing myself it was gone, a forgotten fever dream. But the moment my eyes met his, it was like a dam breaking."
"I'm a CEO, for god's sake. I command boardrooms, navigate multi-million dollar deals. Yet, here I am, practically gaping at a common boy. A common boy who, two years ago, made me feel something I'd never felt before, something real, something that shattered my pristine, ordered world. And it's a boy. Me, attracted to a boy."
"It's unusual, it's inconvenient, it's… everything I was told to avoid. He would never accept this. He's from another world, a world I forced myself to forget so I could go back to mine. And now, his world is standing on my doorstep, holding my dinner."
"Your Noodles....Mr. Shi?" Yang Zi's voice, a little rough with surprise, cut through the silence.
Shi Wang cleared his throat, the sound rougher than he intended. "Come inside.. Yang Zi."
"No..I can't..I have to go back."
Yang Zi flinched slightly at the direct address, then quickly collected himself.
"That'll be... um, thirty-five yuan." He extended the bag, avoiding prolonged eye contact.
"Thirty-five yuan. That's all he thinks this is worth? Two years of silence, of aching absence, and now thirty-five yuan and a fleeting exchange at my doorway. No. I can't let him leave. I want to ask him if he's okay, if he missed me, if he ever thought about me after I so cruelly cut him off."
"Please come for a moment, Yang Zi."His gaze, dark and intense, pleaded with Yang Zi.
"No, thank you, Mr. Shi," Yang Zi said, his voice firm, tinged with a bitterness Shi Wang couldn't quite decipher. "Please, just the payment."
Shi Wang stood there, the warm, fragrant noodles growing cool in his hand. The door slowly swung shut, clicking softly, leaving him once more in the echoing silence of his luxurious home.
The past wasn't buried. It was standing on his doorstep, handing him dinner, and then walking away, leaving him more desolate than ever. And this time, he wasn't sure he could let it go.
As Yang Zi handed over the noodles to Shi Wang, a cold prickle of unease snaked up his spine.
He stepped back, the urge to flee overwhelming, and turned towards his bike parked outside the grand, formidable house.
Each step he took away from Shi Wang felt like a small escape, yet his mind was a storm.
"How could I have possibly crossed paths with someone who had deliberately severed all ties for two years? And how could Shi Wang behave so casually?"
"Right!" Yang Zi muttered to himself, the word tasting bitter. "He's a CEO. How could he remember me? I'm just a common boy, we're from parallel universes." He pedaled faster in his mind, wishing the distance to his bike would shrink."Hope we'll never meet again."
His frantic thoughts were abruptly shattered as a large hand clamped around his wrist.
Yang Zi gasped, startled by the sudden, firm grip. He spun around, his eyes wide, to see Shi Wang's imposing figure looming over him, a silent question in his dark gaze.
Yang Zi immediately tried to yank his wrist free, but Shi Wang's hold was unyielding, his strength far surpassing Yang Zi's.
"What's wrong with you?" Yang Zi demanded, his voice sharp with a mix of fear and irritation. "Leave my hand! Now!"
Shi Wang's eyes, however, held a flicker of something akin to plea. "Could you please accompany me for just a few minutes until I finish my dinner?" he asked, his voice softer than Yang Zi expected. "I'm all alone."
"Why the hell are you asking for my company?" Yang Zi cried out, a bitter laugh escaping him. "You're famous and wealthy... just ask your legions of fans to accompany you!"
"Just for some minutes," Shi Wang repeated, his grip tightening imperceptibly. "I'm a fast eater, you know it already."
Yang Zi rolled his eyes, a familiar exasperation bubbling up. "Fine, just for some minutes only, okay? And fucking leave my hand!"
A small, almost imperceptible smile touched Shi Wang's lips as he finally released Yang Zi's wrist, then gently, but determinedly, guided him back towards the house.
As they reached the grand doorway, Yang Zi hesitated. "Should I remove my shoes here?" he asked, a lingering habit from their past.
"There's no need," Shi Wang replied, stepping inside. "Wear them inside. I don't mind."
The words struck Yang Zi with a pang, a vivid memory flashing through his mind: countless times he had told Shi Wang to remove his shoes outside his small apartment, meticulous about keeping his tiny space clean. The contrast was stark.
Shi Wang led him into a living room that dwarfed anything Yang Zi had ever seen.
It was a palace, indeed. Lavish, oversized sofas, a massive coffee table, a huge TV screen that seemed to cover an entire wall, and a smooth, plush carpet that felt like walking on clouds.
Yang Zi was momentarily speechless, his gaze drifting, scanning the opulent space. Awards shimmered on polished shelves, honors gleamed, and photographs of Shi Wang, impeccably dressed and smiling, adorned the walls, testaments to his stratospheric success.
"Sit," Shi Wang instructed, gesturing towards one of the sprawling sofas, before disappearing into the kitchen to grab bowls and chopsticks.
Yang Zi sank into the cushions, surprised by the sheer depth and comfort. He literally fell into the sofa, its softness enveloping him completely. In a moment, Shi Wang returned, balancing two bowls.
He sat down beside Yang Zi, not too close but close enough, and began to arrange the noodles, offering one bowl to him.
"No, I'm not hungry," Yang Zi immediately refused, shaking his head. The truth was, his stomach was growling, but the thought of eating with Shi Wang, here, now, felt impossibly awkward, a violation of the invisible boundary between their new realities.
"Yang Zi," Shi Wang said, his brow furrowed slightly. "We've eaten many times together. Why are you refusing now?"
"Because that time I didn't know anything about your status," Yang Zi thought, a sharp retort he couldn't voice. "How can I eat with you now, knowing all this?"
Out loud, he simply said, "I'm just not feeling hungry right now. You just eat fast, or I'll head back."
Hearing the last words, Shi Wang quickly served himself, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat, his movements economical and swift, just as Yang Zi remembered.
As Shi Wang ate, Yang Zi's gaze drifted across the room again, landing on a formidable pile of documents stacked on a large desk in a corner, a pure mess amidst the pristine luxury.
"How can you manage all these things alone?" he blurted out, then glanced at Shi Wang.
Shi Wang took another mouthful of noodles. "It's my responsibility," he said casually, his voice a little muffled.
"You live alone in this big house?" Yang Zi asked, the question escaping before he could filter it.
Shi Wang swallowed. "Huh? Maybe... Liu comes sometimes, otherwise, I just live like this."
He's really alone, Yang Zi thought, a strange ache forming in his chest. Even being this popular, he has no one on his side. The thought was surprisingly poignant.
"Chinese New Year is around the corner," Yang Zi continued, his voice softer, "and you're managing such a pile of documents... Don't your family visit you?"
Shi Wang paused, glancing up at Yang Zi's face, a complex expression in his eyes. "Do you think I have someone on my side to celebrate this? I'll just sign some documents and receive the wishes as usual." His gaze drifted away.
"What about your parents?" Yang Zi pressed, ignoring the warning bells in his head. "Are you not going to visit them?"
Shi Wang's gaze dropped downward, fixed on the noodles in his bowl. "My parents are not in this world," he said quietly, almost a whisper. "I was brought up by the Li family."
Yang Zi felt a cold wave of shame wash over him. He cursed himself internally, his face flushing hot. What an absurd question to ask!
"I'm really sorry," he said immediately, his voice filled with genuine regret. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Shi Wang looked up then, a faint, sad smile touching his lips. "Don't apologize. It's not your mistake."
A heavy silence descended upon the room, thick with unspoken words and tangled emotions. Yang Zi's mind was a literal mess.
He desperately wanted to ask Shi Wang why he had cut off all ties so abruptly, so completely, two years ago. But the courage simply wasn't there, sealing his lips shut.
On the other side, Shi Wang wanted nothing more than to prolong this moment, to stay with Yang Zi for as long as possible. He silently prayed for time to stop, knowing it couldn't.
Then, the silence was abruptly shattered by the insistent ringing of a phone.
Beep beep.
It was Yu Han's call, buzzing urgently on Yang Zi's mobile. He snatched it up, answering immediately. Yu Han's worried voice crackled from the other end.
"Yes, I'm coming in a few minutes, wait for me," Yang Zi said quickly into the receiver, then glanced at Shi Wang, who was just about to finish his noodles. "I'm going now... Yu Han is waiting for me."
Shi Wang had no other choice but to nod, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Yang Zi stood up, a sense of relief mixed with a strange regret swirling within him, and started to leave.
"Wait, let me walk you outside," Shi Wang said, rising quickly. He disappeared into another room for a moment.
In the meantime, Yang Zi's eyes drifted to a small, framed photograph on a side table. His eyes shot open in surprise.
It was a childhood photo of Li Hao and Shi Wang, their names neatly scribbled in the corner. Both were smiling, their faces bright and innocent.
Yang Zi stared, amused. "They were like this in childhood? he thought, bewildered. Then what happened? Why does Li Hao hate him so much now?"
His thoughts were abruptly broken as Shi Wang reappeared, carrying something.
They walked outside into the cool evening air.
Just as Yang Zi was about to hop onto his bike, Shi Wang suddenly draped a jacket over his shoulders, his large hands lingering for a moment.
Yang Zi startled, surprised by the sudden, intimate gesture, but Shi Wang's expression was casual, almost practiced.
"Look at the weather," Shi Wang said, his voice gentle. "How can you wear such thin clothes? Drive carefully." He gave a small wave as Yang Zi, still bewildered, watched him turn and re-enter the grand house, the heavy door closing softly behind him.
Yang Zi stood there for a long moment, the jacket a warm, heavy presence on his shoulders, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and a prickle of something he couldn't quite name.