Races: Online

"Yeah, I thought it would be kind of fun doing it here," Chan Lee said. "It's kind of chilly and cool, way better than getting holed up in my room. Um, I don't have any wine with me… but do you want peaches or pomelo juice? You're up here to watch the fireworks, right?"

"Yeah. I'd trade some juice for mooncakes." He showed off the half-empty box.

"I've had too many of those—but sure."

"Oh right, you gave my parents and even Madam Dongxia a box." Han Jing said and awkwardly walked over towards her. "My mom texted me that. Man, I should have bought something else."

Chan Lee was quick to reassure with a nonchalant wave. "Hey, we only get to eat these like once a year. So let's pig out on those mooncakes, the ones I bought were red lotus bean paste—that's like the premium kind, right? The box looks expensive."

"Oh yeah. I mean, gotta splurge a little." Han Jing said and looked at the box. It really was premium—must have been the only boxes left when he got to the mall. 

How much were these things?

He just paid back then and went running out. 

"It must be great to be a fully fledged adult." Chan Lee poured some juice from a container and offered it to him. "I kind of still get an allowance from my… parents. But I've been thinking about getting a job."

"Uh you only have one glass?" Han Jing placed the mooncake box in between the two of them. A small and tiny barrier to keep the two of them comfortable with one another and not to make things weird.

"Do you remember that I invited you to go moon gazing with me a couple of days ago?" 

Han Jing reluctantly accepted the glass. "Yeah, I remember."

He really didn't think that she was looking forward to it or actually considered it for real. 

"Well, your mother said you were out with your friends when I visited two days ago—so, um I didn't exactly have anyone else with me." Chan Lee shrugged. "So why would I bring an extra glass here with me? Don't worry, we can just share." 

Han Jing looked down at the drink. He was trying to determine that the glass she shared with him… he wasn't drinking on the same side as hers. "Are you sure this is fine?" He held the glass up. "I mean yeah, I can probably run back to my house and grab a glass."

"What? Why would you do that?" Chan Lee laughed a bit at his expression. "That's too tiring, unless you're too grossed out by sharing one cup with me?" She pointed at a side away from him. "I only drank at this part, so everywhere else is clean if you're feeling bothered."

"Fine," Han Jing held the glass up and took a sip. The taste of sweet pomelo juice was actually refreshing after chewing up at least four pieces of mooncakes all by himself. "I was just afraid of cooties."

"For real? You're like a kid." She gave him an amused grin. "Who uses cooties anymore?"

"Oh, then what do you want me to say?" Han Jing raised a brow. He leaned back slightly and stared at the sky. "The adult version is probably, I do not want to get HIV by accidentally drinking some of your saliva."

"I don't think you get that from saliva?" Chan Lee grabbed her phone and did a quick search. "You can get it from kissing but only if there's some transmission of blood. So like maybe bleeding gums. Another reason to up your vitamin C, huh?" 

"Really? Huh, the things you learn." Han Jing placed the glass back down on the picnic blanket and smiled sheepishly. "Fascinating in a way—thanks for letting me know."

"Eh? It's easy enough to learn with a quick search on the net." She wagged her phone.

"Yeah, I know. But you somehow still know the gist of it. Probably just me being stupid or forgetful about sex education." Han Jing needed to shove down a mooncake down his throat right now. It wasn't something he expected to strike a conversation with the girl he thought was cute.

"It's not that big of a deal—you just kind of surf random things on the net." Chan Lee cleared her throat. "Totally normal." 

He chuckled. "How you phrased it makes it weird." 

"Well… maybe I can get a tad concerned about getting sick." Chan Lee gave him an awkward smile. "Not really diagnosed, but a little hypochondriac. A small anxiety that you'd get really sick or have an underlying medical condition."

"Oh, that's…"

"A little weird, huh?" Chan Lee picked up the glass on the picnic table and then poured some more juice. "In a way, I kind of get your concern from sharing the same glass as mine. I totally get it—so cheers."

Even she looked hesitant sharing the same glass as him, but then drank it down in one go.

"You can't get HIV but what about colds and other viruses?" Chan Lee smiled a little and then refilled the cup before offering it to him. "But yeah, that's like a little thing about me… what about you?"

Han Jing raised a brow. "What about me?"

"Do you have any stories about yourself?" Chan Lee asked. She scratched her cheek a little. "I kind of talked about myself, but I'm more interested in learning about you than the former."

"You want to know about me?"

"Yeah, leave out no details—I want to know about you." Chan Lee smiled a little, but then caught herself. She corrected herself with a sheepish grin. "I mean, share what you're comfortable with… stories are great, you know? Tell me about yourself and let me know what makes Han Jing ticks. You seem like a pretty cool guy."

Han Jing accepted the glass from her and he looked at her expression to see if she was really being serious. 

He stifled a chuckle. "You make yourself sound like some kind of reporter. You want to know about this little ol me? Did my mother put you up with this when you had dinner with them?"

"I really mean it." She frowned at him and gave him a serious look. But then she deflated and sighed a little. "I want to know your story, I want to know what kind of person you are… is there something strange about trying to get to know people? Did it come off weird?"

"Of course not—you're being honest." Han Jing raised his hand a little. "I… kind of want to know about you too. But if you tell this to every person you meet, your straightforwardness can come off differently. If you get what I mean?"

"I guess… I need to tone it down a bit?" Chan Lee tilted her head, but didn't exactly look that convinced. "But what do I say? Hey, let's hangout rather than just saying you want to get to know them."

"Yeah, something like that is enough." Han Jing scratched his head. "You have to play it a little cool or people think you're being too desperate or pushy." 

"Desperate or pushy?"

"Not you exactly—but… Some people think it's strange if you're being too honest and tell everything that's on your mind. You need a kind of filter when you're with strangers and have a guard up." 

"Well, you're not exactly a stranger—besides, don't you think it's working?" There was a twinkle in her eyes and she looked even a bit smug. "I'm learning more about you, by being honest. I didn't know that you think that way."

"Okay, you got me." Han Jing eased up a little, but he gave her a serious look. "But that's because you're talking with me and not other people." 

"Which works fine, because I am trying to get to know you… I thought that was clear?"

"Well, if you're asking for it this much—then don't beg me to stop when I actually get started." Han Jing rested a hand underneath his chin. "I have lots of stories. What kind do you want?"

"Anything that you want, just don't give me horror."

"Huh? Why would I have horror stories about my life?"

Chan Lee raised a brow. "No spooky ghosts in your highschool stories?" 

"Ah, those kinds. Let me think about it and try to see if I can recall a good one."

"You make it sound like your time in high school was a decade ago."

"...If you consider that junior highschool starts at thirteen—then yes, it was a decade ago." Han Jing cleared his throat. Knowing that made his gut hurt a little now that he realized that.

"Oh, oops." She laughed a little. "So it's actually been a long time ago."

"Don't make me sound too old, I thought you were interested." Han Jing rolled his eyes and then cleared his throat and clarified it. "About getting to know me, I mean. So quiet down and let me think. I don't think the time Mou Gu scared the crap out of me when we were at a bar counts. Bo Lifen at our club was scary, but not exactly horror genre."

"Please go ahead with anything, I'll listen regardless."

"Oh, what about something eldritch? I saw a movie with this tentacled octopus guy saving a guy from a beach. It was like a reverse mermaid story. It gave me the creeps back then... until now, that I think about it."

"Huh, that's silly."