Kiss you at Sunset (BL) - Chapter 14
Zhou Shiluo and Li Xu found a small restaurant and had a simple home-cooked meal. Neither of them drank alcohol; they just chatted casually, their scattered conversation inevitably making Zhou Shiluo reminisce about the past.
Li Xu had an excellent memory. He could recall every single thing that happened in high school in vivid detail, which made Zhou Shiluo suspect that this guy kept a little notebook dedicated to remembering everyone who had ever wronged him.
As for their previous conflicts, it was as if they had come to a silent agreement—neither of them brought it up.
After the meal, Zhou Shiluo considered that since Li Xu was new to the capital and unfamiliar with the place, he should perhaps invite him to stay over. He didn’t mind having Li Xu stay, but he was worried they might end up arguing again over the apartment.
To his surprise, despite claiming he had quit his job and come to the capital to rely on Zhou Shiluo, Li Xu had already arranged everything. He had rented a one-bedroom apartment in the Third Ring and had even secured a job, planning to complete the onboarding process that afternoon.
Since there was still some time before Li Xu had to report to work, Zhou Shiluo dragged him along to go shopping.
Even though he wasn’t particularly close to Jiang Yutang, the man had warmly invited him, so it only felt right to bring a gift.
He had never given anyone a gift before. In the past, birthday celebrations among friends usually involved treating each other to a meal. The only things that could count as gifts were the bouquet of flowers he got his mother every Mother’s Day and the same lipstick set he gifted Tan Cui for her birthday every year.
The first two years, when she received the “death Barbie pink” lipstick, Tan Cui said nothing. By the third year, she finally snapped and gave Zhou Shiluo an earful.
Zhou Shiluo was bewildered. He had genuinely thought pink lipstick looked good on girls.
The two wandered around the mall for ages but couldn’t settle on a gift.
Li Xu suggested a belt or wallet, but Zhou Shiluo found high-end ones too expensive and cheap ones too tacky. Li Xu then proposed an electric shaver, but Zhou Shiluo thought gifting a man a shaver was just odd.
Exasperated, Li Xu sighed dramatically, “You’ve never put this much thought into buying me anything.”
Zhou Shiluo nudged him with his shoulder and laughed. “Can you even compare to him?”
Li Xu dragged out an exaggerated “Hmm” and then sensibly conceded, “I know I can’t.”
“You need a beating,” Zhou Shiluo scoffed, unwilling to entertain him.
Li Xu trailed behind at a leisurely pace, his eyelids drooping as he asked, “Think about it—what does he lack?”
Zhou Shiluo was about to retort with a “How would I know?” when a thought suddenly struck him. Remembering Jiang Yutang’s joke at the dinner table, he quipped, “He’s missing a girlfriend.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Li Xu abruptly stopped in his tracks, his gaze shifting toward the distance. Confused, Zhou Shiluo followed his line of sight—and was immediately greeted by the sight of an unmanned adult store.
The store wasn’t large, and through the frosted glass window, he could vaguely make out the display of life-sized dolls inside.
Zhou Shiluo turned his head back in a daze. He and Li Xu exchanged an awkward glance, and suddenly, the same ridiculous thought occurred to both of them. They burst into laughter at the same time.
In the end, Zhou Shiluo settled on a vintage DVD store and, using his professional judgment, picked out a few films he considered decent. He had them gift-wrapped as his present.
He remembered that Jiang Yutang had mentioned an interest in movies before. Though modern technology made watching films more convenient, Zhou Shiluo believed that a true movie lover didn’t just passively watch—they would want to collect and treasure their favorite films as personal possessions.
After parting ways with Li Xu, it was still early. Not wanting to go home and laze around, Zhou Shiluo drove to a furniture store.
He followed a sales assistant to check out some sofas. He wasn’t too picky about the design, but the prices were downright intimidating. In the end, after much internal struggle and some persuasive sales talk, he picked a model that was reasonably well-balanced in all aspects.
After scheduling the delivery, he made it to Jiang Yutang’s party just before sunset.
At six in the evening, Zhou Shiluo pushed open the private room door right on time. He had expected a crowd of unfamiliar faces, but to his surprise, there were only four people inside. Zhou Shiluo hesitated for a moment—if not for Jiang Yutang walking over with a smile, he would have thought he had entered the wrong room.
Apart from Jiang Yutang, the others included Feng Jiayang, whom he had met once before, and two unfamiliar girls.
Jiang Yutang strode over. “Zhou-ge, we’ve been waiting for you! Come in!”
Zhou Shiluo returned a polite smile and stepped inside, offering his congratulations as he did so. “Happy birthday.”
Then, he handed over the gift. “A little something for you.”
Jiang Yutang’s eyes widened in disbelief. He accepted the gift with both hands, stared at it for a few seconds before reacting, then turned to the others in the room and shouted, “Holy sh1t! My first birthday gift of the year!”
He placed the gift on a nearby table and dramatically threw his arms around Zhou Shiluo, acting as if he had been deeply wronged. “Zhou-ge, you’re the best!”
Zhou Shiluo felt he was being a bit over the top. Instinctively, he reached out to push the guy off him, but Jiang Yutang clung on too tightly. Unable to shake him off, he resigned himself to patting Jiang Yutang’s back with a helpless smile. “Alright, enough of that.”
Feng Jiayang set his phone down and reminded Jiang Yutang, “If you don’t let go soon, you might not even know how you end up dead later.”
Right on cue, the door to the private room swung open.
Zhou Shiluo, facing away from the entrance, didn’t see who it was. He turned his head with some effort, just as Jiang Yutang also looked up.
Upon recognizing the newcomer, Jiang Yutang immediately released Zhou Shiluo. His expression stiffened as he swallowed nervously, scrambling for an excuse. In the end, he could only muster a fawning, “…Jin-ge.”
Yang Jin gave him an indifferent look, then swept his gaze across the room before stepping inside without a word.
He wasn’t alone. Behind him was a girl—one Zhou Shiluo found familiar. She was the same girl Yang Jin had defended in a fight before. It seemed she particularly liked braided pigtails; she had worn them last time, and again today.
Yang Jin walked past Zhou Shiluo without sparing him a glance.
He grabbed a beer can from the table and then silently seated himself in the corner.
Zhou Shiluo was perplexed—who had pissed this guy off now? Figuring he had enough self-awareness to stay out of it, he picked a seat farthest from Yang Jin.
Jiang Yutang nudged Feng Jiayang, motioning towards Yang Jin with his chin. Feng Jiayang deliberately played dumb, shaking his head with an amused grin.
Left with no choice, Jiang Yutang grabbed a beer and braced himself. Right in front of Yang Jin, he chugged half the can before pleading, “Jin-ge, it’s my birthday today—give me some face, please?”
Yang Jin glanced at him, reluctantly clinking his beer against Jiang Yutang’s and gritting out, “Scram.”
Jiang Yutang instantly beamed. If Yang Jin was cursing him out, it meant he wasn’t really mad.
With the ice broken, the party began.
Zhou Shiluo couldn’t drink and didn’t sing, so he needed something to do. After scanning the table, he grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds.
A few rounds later, feeling a bit of eye strain from the dim lighting, he excused himself to the bathroom—unaware that what he would overhear next would shake him to the core.