The Laws of Love

  Neither of them really believed that wishing on a fountain would have any effect, but it was kind of heartwarming to give each other the chance to make a wish themselves.

       They left the small square, and the two had dinner.

       After they went out of the restaurant, Shen Huiming said, “There are still 13 hours left.”

       Suo Yang stood in the autumn night wind, looked at a few scattered leaves from a tree in the courtyard of the restaurant, and said, “How time flies.”

       A few years ago, Suo Yang was the kind of person who would plan out what he would do each hour in advance after waking up, for fear of wasting any of his days, but this habit had gradually disappeared in the past two years, mainly because he found himself getting tired more and more easily, so he simply used all the rest time to sleep or relax.

       It had been a while since he’d let a day pass so full.

       “It’s getting dark,” Suo Yang said as he stretched out, “Let’s go for a drink.”

       Of course, such an item was certainly in one of Shen Huiming’s plans, but he thought he would be the one to bring it up.

       Today’s Suo Yang always took him by surprise, some actions of the other party made him respond emotionally, and he felt that he was not the only one who was enthusiastic about the two of them.

       “Are you going to choose the place?” Shen Huiming asked.

       “You choose.” Suo Yang said, “I haven’t been to a bar for a long time, so I don’t know.”

       Shen Huiming smiled, “I haven’t been to one for a long time.”

       When the two got into the car, Shen Huiming turned on the navigation and deliberately asked, “Are we going to have a small drink tonight, or are we going to get drunk without going home?”

       Suo Yang leaned on the back of the chair and said softly with a smile, “It depends on how things are.”

       Shen Huiming didn’t take Suo Yang to a place that was too noisy, so after much deliberation, he decided to go to a bar.

       He parked the car, entered the door and went upstairs.

       Suo Yang chose a seat by the window, with a wide glass window to look out, and the angle of view was very wide. From here, he could see the clock tower that had been there for hundreds of years.

       Shen Huiming ordered a drink, “The last time we drank alone was in New York.”

       It seemed like it happened just yesterday, and it seemed like a long time has passed.

       Suo Yang said, “But last time I didn’t drink to my heart’s content.”

       Shen Huiming looked at him with a smile, “Are you going to enjoy to your heart’s content today?”

       Suo Yang looked at him without speaking, feeling some mixed emotions.

       Suo Yang hadn’t really accepted anyone for so many years, and increasingly felt that he might not be able or fit for a relationship, but when he faced Shen Huiming, he always had the feeling that his ground was shaking.

       No one had ever made him feel like this before, so he offered to drink.

       Suo Yang knew himself well enough to know that once the alcohol level in his body rises to a certain level, his self-defence system would automatically be switched on, just like last time at Zhou Mo’s birthday party. Before he was sure that something was wrong with him, he had forced himself to calmly leave. He had a good grasp of his tolerance and would not make a fool of himself. Suo Yang had always been confident that he could balance his sanity and instinct. However, when he was too sober, his sanity would always deaden his instincts, even if he wanted to happen, he would be persuaded by reason. Therefore, today he wanted his instincts to come out to play, and all he needed was a little push, half a step forward was enough.

       As a person who had always been cautious, this was a rare risk that Suo Yang had taken in years.

       He leaned forward, leaned his elbows on the wooden tabletop, dragged his chin with his palms, and looked at Shen Huiming with a smile.

       “Yeah.” Suo Yang said, “I’m in a good mood today, and I want to have a few more drinks.”

       All people have desires.

       Suo Yang knew very well that he was just an ordinary person, he was not that noble, and he also had temptations that he could not resist.

       The drink was brought to him and Suo Yang picked up the glass.

       Some people were naturally attracted to each other. Suo Yang, who had not started drinking, just looked at Shen Huiming and felt that the other party was constantly hitting his innate mental state.

       The two lightly clinked glasses and Suo Yang closed his eyes as he drank.

       The mojito with mint leaves floats in the mouth with just the right amount of sweetness from the greenness.

       Just one sip of drink was not enough to make Suo Yang drunk, but when he raised his head to drink, the curvature of his jaw and the twitching of his Adam’s apple was enough to intoxicate Shen Huiming.

       Maybe the bar itself was an ambiguous place, where alcohol not only existed in the glass but also spread in the air.

       Suo Yang had very fair skin, and his face quickly turned red, but his eyes were still clear. When he looked at Shen Huiming, he gave Shen Huiming a feeling that the the feeling of a scarlet temptation that was ready to come out but was being restrained.

       This was a fatal seduction for Shen Huiming, and he even began to wonder if he shouldn’t drink with Suo Yang at all, for he was worried that he would do something to offend him.

       There were always times when people lose control.

       Shen Huiming could only do his best.

       As Suo Yang himself said, he would like to have more drinks.

       The thing about alcohol was that sometimes the more you drink, the more you don’t want to stop.

       Suo Yang had always been measured, but today he was inexplicably wronged by drinking, and he didn’t know what he was wronged for, let alone for whom he was felt wronged. He didn’t say anything, just drank one cup after another, and then looked at Shen Huiming with a smile.

       The atmosphere of the bar was ambiguous, the music was also ambiguous, and the two people sitting face to face were also ambiguous.

       Suo Yang said, “I thought you would take me to a lively bar.”

       As he spoke, Shen Huiming had just returned from downstairs with another drink.

       “What? Want to dance?” Shen Huiming stood by the table, or rather, stood next to Suo Yang. He looked down at the person sitting there as he uncapped the bottle of fruit wine.

       Suo Yang was still sober, and of all the drinks today, none were stronger than the one Zhou Mo had brought him last time.

       He looked up at Shen Huiming, smiled and said, “I don’t want to, it’s too noisy there.”

       Shen Huiming put the opened wine by Suo Yang’s hand and sat back across from him again.

       Suo Yang looked at Shen Huiming, listened to the song, and stroked the wine bottle with his fingers.

       “Let’s play a game.” Shen Huiming said suddenly.

       “What game?”

       Shen Huiming took out two boxes of dice from the desk drawer, “Compare the number, and then tell the truth.”

       Suo Yang laughed, “Such a childish game?”

       “Yes, because I find that it’s always me asking you questions and you don’t seem to want to know me too much.” Shen Huiming pushed one of the boxes of dice to Suo Yang’s hand, “Or, if you want, we don’t have to play, you can ask me questions directly, and I will answer them in every detail.”

       “Why?” Suo Yang put his palm on the dice.

       “Because I want you to get to know me better.” Shen Huiming replied seriously, “I want you to know everything you want to know. The people I like are not interested in me, and that makes me frustrated.”

       Suo Yang stared at him for a while.

       It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ask, and it wasn’t that he wasn’t interested.

       Suo Yang was just used to only asking others  “How can I help you?” and “Can I help you?”

       Before meeting Shen Huiming, he never gave others a chance to really ask him real questions. Even if he did ask, it was always in a roundabout way and he would not give a clear answer.

       He didn’t like being probed and every trace of him was studied like he was a specimen.

       But obviously, this principle did not apply to Shen Huiming.

       He also wanted to ask Shen Huiming a question, but he was worried that he would offend him.

       The two looked at each other. Suo Yang took a sip of wine suddenly, and when he put down the bottle, he smiled and shook the dice in his hand.

       “I’ll guess big.”

       “Then I’ll guess small.” Shen Huiming looked at him and smiled, and the two rolled the dice together and opened them at the same time.

       Suo Yang won.

       This was exactly what Shen Huiming had in mind.

       Suo Yang looked down at the dice and hesitated for a long time before finally asking, “Have you ever been in a stable relationship?”

       Shen Huiming originally thought that Suo Yang would remain tense, but unexpectedly, this time he finally gave up struggling.

       “No.” Shen Huiming said, “It’s shameful to say that you are the first person to make me think this way.”

       Suo Yang laughed softly, didn’t say anything more, and continued to roll the dice.

       Suo Yang won the second round again.

       “Why me?”

       “The book you gave me tells me that this is the fate of love,” Shen Huiming paused, “but if I were to speak for myself, the only reason is that as soon as you appear, I can’t see anyone else. So, it can only be you.”

       This wasn’t the first time they had talked about their relationship, and the purpose of Shen Huiming’s presence at Suo Yang’s side had been clear to them from the start.

       It was just that, in the past, the discussion was always done in a light-hearted and joking manner, but now it was very serious.

       “I’m nothing much.” Suo Yang said.

       “As far as that is concerned, it’s up to me.” Shen Huiming looked at him, “Your image with me is defined by me.”

       “What kind of image do I have with you?”

       Shen Huiming laughed, “Hey, why are you cheating? How many questions have you asked after winning once?”

       Suo Yang was startled, then smiled helplessly.

       However, in the next round, it was Shen Huiming who won.

       “Did you have fun spending time with me today?”

       Shen Huiming had other questions he wanted to ask; Suo Yang’s views on some topics—love or sex, and there were many things he wanted to know how Suo Yang saw them, but the most urgent thing was to know whether the other party was happy because of him today.

       Not just happy, but happy because he felt happy.

       “Very happy.” Suo Yang said, “I haven’t been this happy for a long time.”

       Before Shen Huiming could say more, Suo Yang had already started to roll the dice.

       “I won.” Suo Yang surprisingly seemed a little eager, “What kind of image do I have with you?”

       Shen Huiming lightly pointed to the empty wine glass with his finger, and there was a piece of green mint leaf lying in the wine glass, which was the glass that Suo Yang used to drink Mojito just now, “Such an image.”

       Suo Yang didn’t understand and looked at him quizzically.

       “It looks clear and tastes refreshing, but when you really drink it, you can get drunk very quickly.”

       Suo Yang smiled softly, “Get rid of these vague metaphors, I want to hear the simplest answer.”

       “Before you were indifferent and restrained, and politely kept a safe distance from everyone.” Shen Huiming took a sip of wine, then looked at him again, “Then…”

       Suo Yang waited quietly.

       “I’m a little drunk.” Shen Huiming said, “Maybe some words will go too far.”

       Suo Yang still didn’t say anything, just looked at him.

       “Then occasionally I think you’re actually quite cute, and as for now,” Shen Huiming looked straight at Suo Yang, the music in the store was in the gap between the two songs, and he said softly, “Now, it’s this moment of you looking at me that’s sexy and makes me want to kiss you. “