Ch’in Ching handed the signed papers to Shen Liangsheng without a word when they met again the next week. The latter had given the other man a couple of days to think about it. Now that he finally got what he wanted, he did not seem overly delighted, only telling the schoolmaster, “You hold onto it.”
Maoken Apartment was only recently built on Colombo Road in the English concession. There were only four floors to the private property, and it was supposed to be exclusively for rent. Since he already made the effort, Shen Liangsheng bought out the entire top floor. However, he did not tear the wall down in case the two of them split up. It would be easier for Ch’in Ching to sell or to rent if the properties were kept in their original condition.
The apartments were only cleaned up and ready for move-in at the end of May. Shen Liangsheng took Ch’in Ching for a look around. They walked into the lobby and up the stairs. The soles of their leather shoes knocked sharply against the glassy marble floor and echoed in the seemingly empty building.
Ch’in Ching had locked the contract in his drawer since he had signed it and only found out there were two units now. He asked in a joking yet self-pitying tone, “Is the other one for you?”
Standing on the wooden floor, Shen Liangsheng had nowhere to flick his ash, so he went to the fireplace in the study to smoke his cigarette. Meanwhile, he replied in the same lighthearted tone, “Just in case. Who knows, you might get mad at me and kick me out. I’d need a place to sleep, wouldn’t I?”
The house had not yet been furnished, and its walls stood naked. From the living room, Ch’in Ching heard Shen Liangsheng’s voice coming from the study, and because of how bare the interior was, he could almost hear echoes.
He only chuckled and stood by the windows, looking out at the road. The thick layers of leaves on the trees provided shade on either side of the quiet street – a common and familiar sight in the concessions. But, for a split second, he didn’t know where he was in space or in time.
“Why? Don’t you like it?” Shen Liangsheng walked out after the smoke only to see the schoolmaster’s lone silhouette by the windows.
“Yes,” Ch’in Ching didn’t want him to misunderstand so he continued the joke. “But I mean, there are two bedrooms. You can always sleep there, duh.”
Shen Liangsheng did not reply and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist while leaning in to kiss him.
Wary of being seen from being so close to the window, he quickly broke free, but his forehead hit the glass hard at the same time.
“You have to smarten up, dumdum.”
Shen Liangsheng rubbed the spot on his forehead guiltily, not because he caused the injury but because he thought of the future. He would have to put on a show for the parents after he married, and he wouldn’t have much time for this man. Considering that, he felt a bit unhappy, but he still saw the irony of the situation which render his feelings of guilt little more than hypocrisy, like a crocodile’s tears.
Sadly, Ch’in Ching had no awareness of the crocodile, and he did not hear the implied meaning. He pulled out the latch and pushed open the windows for some fresh air.
The early summer sun was wonderful. Lush, gentle shadows of the trees made up nearly the entire view from the fourth floor. Paying no attention to other man, Shen Liangsheng hugged him again and leaned forward so that their cheeks touched. He blinked on purpose, brushing his lashes near those of Ch’in Ching.
Finding nobody on the road, Ch’in Ching did not evade the embrace again. He let his eyes close. “Yes, we all know you have long lashes, all right?”
The taller man shut his eyes too, and listened to an early-born cicada singing from the trees. Soon, the lonely insect stopped after finding itself too early for the rest of its brothers and sisters.
After inspecting the house, Ch’in Ching did not want to move in right away and did not act like the owner, either, simply letting Shen Liangsheng handle the interior design.
Shen Liangsheng normally had no interest in these things either. His secretary was the one who had arranged everything for the manor in which he lived currently. However, he saw this house as his honeymoon suite with Ch’in Ching and found the rare interest for these matters.
Ch’in Ching didn’t care for these things, but he didn’t want to spoil the fun for the other man. He dared not gloss over the subject with “Whatever” or “Do as you see fit.” It was just that his mind couldn’t help but wander off as they discussed the pattern of the wallpaper or the furniture design. He felt emotionally exhausted for some reason. Originally, he had wanted to keep ringing the bell, but now that the bell was here to stay, he didn’t feel the excitement at all. Rather, he felt a strange sense of fatigue whenever he thought of the future that lay ahead.
It was July by the time everything was settled. Ch’in Ching’s junior high class had written their exams, so although summer break had not be