He Xiaoyuan slept very soundly that night—much better than the previous night.
He fell asleep moments after lying down, forgetting to turn off the bedside lamp or say goodnight to Lu Chen on the phone. His hand still held the silver leopard brooch he always looked at before sleeping.
Messages pinged several times. The last one was Lu Chen: “Good night, boyfriend.”
He Xiaoyuan slept quietly, breathing softly, fully immersed in dreams.
The next morning, he hurried downstairs, energetic, sending voice messages with the phone at his lips: “I fell asleep the moment I got into bed.”
Second message: “Good morning, boyfriend.”
The motorized curtains opened slowly, letting in the bright, cheerful morning light.
It was officially the second day of their relationship, the third day they had been together.
The workday was much like any other—busy, with occasional short breaks to maintain a balance.
During a break, He Xiaoyuan checked a message from Xu Ruomeng: [Link #36 Great Date Spots for Couples (Spring Edition)#]
He Xiaoyuan clicked the link, thoughtful: a date, huh? Let’s see.
That weekend, Lu Chen would drive, and He Xiaoyuan received a call from Xu Ruomeng.
Xu Ruomeng, utterly baffled: “What? Climbing a mountain?”
She shook her head in disbelief: “Big bro! Are you out of your mind? Who goes on a date that leaves them with sore legs and covered in sweat?”
“Didn’t you see all the date guides I sent you?”
“Heh, the Tianshan is all bare—there’s no scenery. Can’t you just go shopping, see a movie, or visit a museum exhibition or something?”
He Xiaoyuan got blasted with that comment: “……”
He turned to look at the driver and explained to Xu Ruomeng: “I saw all the things you sent me.”
But shopping, movies, the zoo, amusement parks—they’d done all that before with Lu Chen.
Climbing a mountain, He Xiaoyuan thought: Never done it before.
Xu Ruomeng spat fire: “Never done it before, and now you want to climb a mountain?! You didn’t eat shit before, should you go do that now too?!”
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
Miss, be civil.
He didn’t know if he was comforting himself or Xu Ruomeng on the other end: “It’s just climbing a mountain.”
Xu Ruomeng: “Climbing a mountain! You’re ruining your perfect first love!”
Her voice carried loud enough that Lu Chen overheard.
Lu Chen: “Not that bad.”
Exactly.
He Xiaoyuan: “Not that bad.”
Xu Ruomeng only caught He Xiaoyuan mumbling: “Not that bad! It is that bad!”
She groaned: “You idiot! If you went shopping, you’d be holding hands in no time!”
“Watching a movie, sitting next to each other in the dark—your hands would be together before you know it!”
“Going to an exhibition, you don’t understand it—Lu Chen would have to lean over, shoulder to shoulder, explaining things!”
“You idiot!”
Lu Chen looked enlightened, letting out an “Ah,” and said: “I see now.”
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He signaled Lu Chen to keep quiet and spoke to Xu Ruomeng on the phone: “Who was just talking?”
Having guessed it was Lu Chen, he quietly hung up.
He Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
He put the phone away, turned to Lu Chen, and said: “So we should have gone to an exhibition, huh.”
Lu Chen comforted him: “It’s okay. The mountain isn’t high. After climbing, we can still go see an exhibition.”
He Xiaoyuan thought: This is our first real date—mountain climbing isn’t ideal.
He said: “Not climbing? We’ll go straight to the exhibition?”
Lu Chen smiled.
He Xiaoyuan: “What’s up?”
Lu Chen tilted his head: “Then I’d have to get close to explain things, maybe put my arm around you?”
He Xiaoyuan, trying to act proper: “Let’s still climb the mountain.”
It’s still a date—climbing a mountain is no worse than going to an exhibition. The point is participating.
Lu Chen had his left hand on the steering wheel, right arm resting on the central console, palm up, showing the way.
He Xiaoyuan reached over, fingers intertwining with Lu Chen’s, lips curving quietly: Hands are together now. I told you, the form doesn’t matter—participation does.
Lu Chen asked: “Feels okay?”
Checking if holding hands felt uncomfortable.
He Xiaoyuan looked at the driver: “Feels good.”
The warmth of their palms passed back and forth between them.
He Xiaoyuan felt no resistance or dislike; Lu Chen’s large hand wrapped around his, warm and secure.
At the mountain entrance, they bought tickets and started climbing. Lu Chen naturally held He Xiaoyuan’s hand again, casually asking: “Can you manage?”
It seemed like the hand-holding wasn’t really for holding hands, just to give him a little support.
He Xiaoyuan understood perfectly, replying while climbing: “Slowly.”
Using a bit of Lu Chen’s arm for help.
Holding hands wasn’t just holding hands—it was for when he couldn’t climb easily.
Together, they ascended the stone steps, one after another, the path ahead long…
At the mid-mountain rest pavilion, they bought water and sat down. He Xiaoyuan caught his breath: “Sitting in the office too much… even this little walk makes me winded.”
Lu Chen, on the other hand, showed no sign of fatigue, drinking water calmly.
And this man was 11 years older.
He Xiaoyuan puzzled, finishing his water: “Do you work out regularly?”
Lu Chen, sitting nearby with just a folded umbrella between them, said: “I do need to keep a certain amount of exercise.”
He Xiaoyuan: “I try to play basketball when I can.”
He even had a basketball group.
Lu Chen didn’t deny it: “Also need some anaerobic work.”
“Lifting weights?”
He Xiaoyuan made a motion raising both hands.
Lu Chen: “Push-ups and sit-ups without weights are fine.”
He Xiaoyuan thought and realized he could train like that too—after all, health is wealth.
Later, He Xiaoyuan raised his phone, taking pictures of the scenery—contrary to Xu Ruomeng’s complaints, the mountain was covered in pine trees, lush and green, with plenty of natural views in sight.
Lu Chen also took pictures—of He Xiaoyuan, and the young man photographing everything.
He Xiaoyuan noticed and asked with a smile: “Are you taking my photo?”
Lu Chen glanced at a nearby vendor booth: “Want a grilled sausage?”
Continuing up the mountain, Lu Chen held He Xiaoyuan’s hand, while the other hand held a sausage—walking and eating at the same time.
It had been years since He Xiaoyuan last climbed a mountain—back in high school during a spring outing. In college, friends had invited him, but he was busy working. Now, climbing again after all these years, he felt free, eating a sausage and reliving his schooldays.
He walked and ate, heart full of happiness.
At the mountaintop, the scenery stretched in every direction. He Xiaoyuan took pictures of the view, while Lu Chen continued photographing him.
Standing close together, He Xiaoyuan switched to selfie mode, shoulders touching Lu Chen’s, framing the mountains behind them, clicking shot after shot.
As they kept snapping photos, Lu Chen’s arm naturally settled around He Xiaoyuan’s shoulders, pulling him in as he raised his phone too.
He Xiaoyuan put his own phone down, smiled at the camera, and lifted his hand in a peace sign.
They even asked a passerby to take a photo of them together. Afterward, the girl handed the phone back to He Xiaoyuan and asked, “Are you two a couple?”
He Xiaoyuan paused, surprised by the question, then smiled. “Yeah.”
The girl covered her mouth, looking like she’d just been fed the sweetest ship content. Instead, it was He Xiaoyuan who ended up feeling a little embarrassed.
On the way down the mountain, He Xiaoyuan was in an especially good mood. Lu Chen held his young boyfriend’s hand with one hand and scrolled on his phone with the other. It was still early, so he asked Chen Jun to check where there were exhibitions—if there were no public ones, then private exhibitions; if none were open, then they’d find a way to open one for them.
Chen Jun replied: “Understood. I’ll get back to you in ten minutes.”
Lu Chen put his phone away and realized he’d walked ahead, with He Xiaoyuan lagging behind. He turned around and saw He Xiaoyuan a few steps up, getting ready to jump down.
“Careful,” Lu Chen reminded him.
He Xiaoyuan jumped down, landing next to Lu Chen, who reached out and steadied him by the arm.
He Xiaoyuan looked relaxed and cheerful—youthful brightness, a liveliness that didn’t often show on him.
“Does jumping down count as anaerobic exercise?” he asked curiously, already preparing to jump again.
Lu Chen smiled. “It does.”
When Chen Jun called back to say there was a public exhibition open all day, Lu Chen hung up and asked He Xiaoyuan if he wanted to go see it afterward.
“Sure,” He Xiaoyuan said. “Where is it? Far?”
Lu Chen gave him the address. He Xiaoyuan checked the time. “Then should we hurry down? If we drive over after, we can still make it in time for dinner.”
They decided to run. He Xiaoyuan claimed that running downhill, Lu Chen might not be able to beat him.
Lu Chen took off his jacket. “What if I lose?”
“You tell me,” He Xiaoyuan said.
“The winner gets to make the loser do one thing?”
“Deal.”
The moment the words left his mouth, He Xiaoy
Lu Chen smiled.
Back in the car, He Xiaoyuan thought about the wager and asked what Lu Chen wanted him to do.
Lu Chen started the car. “No rush. I’ll tell you later.”
At the exhibition hall, the show that day was modern oil paintings.
He Xiaoyuan basically didn’t understand them and asked if Lu Chen did.
Lu Chen said, “Depends.”
He Xiaoyuan: ?
Lu Chen said, “If you want me to lean in and explain it in your ear, then I understand. If you don’t want that, then I don’t.”
That kind of unseriousness was rare for him.
He Xiaoyuan unbuckled his seat belt and pushed the door open, marveling as he complained, “Did you leave your brain back on the mountain just now?”
Lu Chen said, “Put your jacket on.”
Inside the exhibition hall, oil paintings were displayed one after another along the walls. Lu Chen and He Xiaoyuan started from the entrance and moved through them.
There weren’t many people inside, and it was extremely quiet. Even the faintest conversation sounded conspicuously hushed.
So Lu Chen didn’t speak. He walked beside He Xiaoyuan, silently looking at the paintings with him.
After only a couple of works, their hands found each other. He Xiaoyuan immediately understood why Xu Ruomeng had recommended exhibitions instead of hiking—when you look at art, your heart settles. Holding hands, what you feel is the warmth in each other’s palms and the quiet companionship of the person beside you.
They stopped in front of a painting titled Heart. A huge heart on the canvas was formed from bright, clashing colors gathered together. He Xiaoyuan looked at it; Lu Chen looked at it too. They turned to meet each other’s eyes. At that moment, what was in their hearts was probably the brightest color in the painting.
…
That evening, after dinner out, Lu Chen drove He Xiaoyuan back to his apartment.
He Xiaoyuan remembered the wager from the hike and reminded him, “There’s still something you haven’t had me do.”
Lu Chen answered with a low “Mm.” “I didn’t forget.”
Curiosity bubbled up again. “What is it?”
“Wait a bit.”
When the car stopped downstairs, He Xiaoyuan unbuckled his seat belt. “You can tell me now, right?”
Lu Chen unbuckled too. He didn’t speak, only raised a hand and crooked his finger toward the passenger seat.
?
He Xiaoyuan leaned his ear over, thinking Lu Chen was going to whisper.
Lu Chen said softly, “Let me kiss you.”
He Xiaoyuan: “…”
He Xiaoyuan turned his head and glanced at Lu Chen. That was it?
Lu Chen asked, “Is that not okay?”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t say anything, just blinked.
Lu Chen didn’t force it. “Will you feel uncomfortable?”
Not really.
Lu Chen said, “Just your cheek.”
“I’ll do it. You can close your eyes.”
He Xiaoyuan considered it.
A moment later, the dome light went out and the car grew dark. He Xiaoyuan closed his eyes, his world going black as he waited.
He didn’t wait long at all. He felt warm breath near his cheek, then something soft, with a hint of coolness, gently touched his face—just a brief contact, then gone.
Lu Chen’s voice followed. “Okay.”
As He Xiaoyuan opened his eyes, he was so embarrassed he turned to look out the window: a kiss on the cheek…
Oh god, seriously…
He Xiaoyuan smiled despite himself, shy and pleased.