Chapter 22

As the time passed 9:30 pm, the shopping mall began to clear out. Xiang Mo and Du Chi took the direct elevator to the cinema, and unlike the other floors of the mall that were deserted, this place was bustling with young people.

 

Looking at the promotional materials placed around the cinema, Xiang Mo realized that a commercial blockbuster had been released a few days ago. Xiang Mo didn’t mind watching commercial films, but he preferred to avoid crowded times like weekends. He chose a documentary because he knew there would be fewer people, which is why he bought tickets for Sunday evening.

 

They collected their tickets, had them checked, and entered the theater. The cinema was full of young people gathered together, unlike the other parts of the mall that were empty.

 

Xiang Mo noticed various details that he hadn’t paid attention to before, like clues in a puzzle game, emerging one by one in front of him.

 

He saw that Du Chi’s phone case had the words “早日退休” (Early Retirement) written on it.

 

He noticed that Du Chi would pre-fold the ticket stubs, making it easier for the staff to tear them off.

 

As people passed by them from time to time, Xiang Mo realized for the first time how tall Du Chi was compared to others.

 

The empty theater was playing pre-show advertisements for an audience that wasn’t there. Xiang Mo looked at the ticket stub in his hand and headed toward his seat in the seventh row. However, just as he reached the sixth row, Du Chi grabbed his wrist and asked, “Aren’t we sitting together?”

 

The red marks on his wrist hadn’t completely disappeared yet. They were the result of Du Chi pulling him forcefully in the bathroom earlier when he demanded that Xiang Mo take responsibility. Although they were not supposed to touch each other casually, it seemed like this person was getting more familiar with it.

 

Since they knew each other, there was no need to sit separately. However, Xiang Mo wasn’t sure if Du Chi liked having someone next to him while watching a movie—after all, people who watched movies alone in the middle of the night usually had their own preferences. So, he assumed that they wouldn’t affect each other and didn’t suggest sitting together initially.

 

But now that Du Chi had proposed it, he didn’t have to refuse.

 

“Okay.”

 

Xiang Mo followed Du Chi and sat in the middle of the sixth row. As he relaxed in the theater, enjoying his exclusive space, he couldn’t help but think about how long it had been since he had watched a movie with someone else.

 

Before long, the lights dimmed, and darkness enveloped the theater. With the appearance of exotic scenes, the theater was filled with the music of ancient Egypt.

 

The documentary specifically showcased the burial artifacts unearthed from King Tutankhamun’s tomb, including masks, reliefs, daily items, and more.

 

Xiang Mo rarely had the chance to experience an exclusive screening, so he fully relaxed and enjoyed his own space. However, having such a tall person next to him made it different from watching a movie alone.

 

For example, right now, Xiang Mo couldn’t help but turn his head and look at Du Chi, asking, “Do you know about the artistic style of ancient Egypt?”

 

After turning 25, one’s expressive desire tends to decrease year by year. Posting on social media becomes less frequent, and deep conversations with unfamiliar people are also less common.

 

Xiang Mo couldn’t quite explain why, but at this moment, he just wanted to talk to Du Chi. Perhaps it was because he felt that in this documentary channel, Du Chi understood him the most.

 

“Yes, the highly ordered style,” Du Chi said in a volume that didn’t require hushed tones, considering there were no other people in the theater. “I’ve been to the pyramids, and they are geometric figures with accurate proportions and precise lines.”

 

“I really like this kind of style, especially the sculptures at the entrance of the Abu Simbel temples, they have a disciplined aesthetic sense,” Xiang Mo said with a hint of regret, “but I haven’t been there yet.”

 

“Why not?” Du Chi started a casual conversation with Xiang Mo, “If you want to go, I can be your tour guide.”

 

“After opening my studio, I don’t have time to travel far,” Xiang Mo thought about it and realized he couldn’t spare the time. Then he asked Du Chi, “Where else have you been?”

 

“Many places,” Du Chi replied, “The Temple of Karnak, Hagia Sophia, Notre-Dame de Paris, and so on.”

 

“Then you must know the difference between Gothic and Baroque architecture.”

 

“Of course.”

As they chatted, the topic had already veered far from Egypt. Xiang Mo, who used to dislike chatting during movies, didn’t realize that he was now addicted to talking with Du Chi. A faint smile occasionally appeared on his lips.

Sitting to Du Chi’s left, when Xiang Mo turned to chat, the light from the screen fell on his side face, revealing his clear dimple.

When the topic turned to Chinese art history, Du Chi focused on Xiang Mo’s right face and suddenly asked, “Why don’t you like kissing?”

The topic shift was quite abrupt, and Xiang Mo was taken aback. They were having such a good time chatting that he unintentionally spoke his mind, “Because that’s something only lovers do.”

“Meaning you can’t kiss without feelings?” Du Chi raised an eyebrow.

Xiang Mo detected a teasing tone in his voice. He turned his head away, looking at the screen, and replied, “Yes.”

“I never expected you to be so childish, artist.” Du Chi chuckled and continued, “But I’m also childish.”

“There’s no man in the world who isn’t childish.” Xiang Mo wasn’t upset, he said in a calm tone, “We’re quite similar.”

“Yes,” Du Chi repeated Xiang Mo’s words in a low voice, “We’re quite similar.”

As the film ended, the nearby commercial film also came to a close. A large number of young people crowded in the elevator, waiting for the only two elevators to arrive at their floor.

The mall had already closed for the night, and everything was pitch dark except for the cinema. If it were just Xiang Mo alone, he would probably wait for the peak to pass before taking the elevator. However, Du Chi was different; he took action as soon as the elevator arrived and pulled Xiang Mo by the waist, using his height advantage to bring him into the elevator.

The overweight warning didn’t go off, and the impatient crowd kept pushing in.

Quickly squeezed to a corner of the elevator, Du Chi was in front, and Xiang Mo was behind. Their shoulders were pressed closely together. From this moment on, no matter how much the people in front of them pushed, Du Chi didn’t lean back anymore, leaving enough space for Xiang Mo to stand.

Looking at the numbers on the elevator panel getting smaller, Xiang Mo unconsciously felt that being with Du Chi was indeed quite comfortable.

It was the kind of comfort that came from changing his habits and still not feeling uneasy.

The journey back was even quieter. The streets were in deep sleep, and only the streetlights accompanied them.

Xiang Mo and Du Chi continued talking about the topics they discussed in the cinema. By the time they arrived home, they both seemed a bit reluctant to stop.

Sanmao excitedly ran out to greet them, while Sanmei followed lazily behind, curling up like a catworm near the door of the studio, looking at the two humans and the dog in the courtyard.

After spending some time comforting Sanmao, Xiang Mo and Du Chi went upstairs one after the other and reached the door of the second-floor bedroom.

Suddenly, Du Chi stopped in his tracks, and Xiang Mo slowed down the motion of opening the door.

Unspoken understanding surged between the two, and Xiang Mo didn’t resist when Du Chi invited himself into his room. However, the chat they had just now had been so enjoyable, and it was rare for Xiang Mo to open up his true self and have a spiritual connection with someone else. He didn’t want it to end with a meaningless sexual encounter.

From Du Chi’s appearance, it seemed like he had the same concerns; otherwise, with his temperament, he would have already pressed Xiang Mo against the door.

Of course, besides this reason, it was already past midnight, and Xiang Mo didn’t want to disrupt his regular sleep schedule.

Or rather, his desire to sleep was not yet surpassed by the urge to get intimate with Du Chi.

“Goodnight,” Xiang Mo said.

Du Chi’s expression remained unchanged, still exuding a lazy and casual demeanor. Clearly, he wasn’t eager for a sexual encounter either. But he still stood there without moving, looking at Xiang Mo and asking, “Can I have a goodnight kiss?”

The satisfying tacit understanding seemed to have deviated. Xiang Mo raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “I told you, that’s—”

“I know,” Du Chi casually interrupted Xiang Mo, “but I still want to kiss you.”

Xiang Mo was taken aback by his words. What did he mean?

Before Xiang Mo could react, Du Chi took a step forward, wrapped his arm around Xiang Mo’s waist, and lightly planted a kiss at the location of his dimple. “Goodnight.”

As the motion-activated lights in the hallway turned off, the footsteps from the third floor disappeared just as they reached the top.

The faint light from the kitchen failed to drive away the darkness in the hallway. Xiang Mo stood dazedly at the bedroom door, never before having felt his heart race so uncontrollably—

Du Chi: Uh-oh, I got carried away.

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2 Responses

  1. Ana says:

    I know this is too much information but I just came back from a trip to Egypt and actually saw all of the things mentioned, so I got super duper excited with this chapter. by the way, superb translation! And I’m loving this story. Thank you so much…

  2. Cocole says:

    When you can find comfort talking about ‘boring topics’ with someone, you’ll know that that person is special to you.

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