The Laws of Love

Article 3: It is difficult to separate passion from love, infatuation from adoration.

       These words were not spoken by Shen Huiming, nor by Suo Yang, but it was printed in the book they had read together.

       In many ways, Suo Yang was convinced of this. Especially those who had been alone for a long time but had always longed for companionship, often made hasty decisions because of a momentary distraction, mistaking passion for love, and infatuation from adoration.

       But not him.

       Even though he had drunk a lot of wine, even though the atmosphere was always somewhat stimulating, he was still sober. For Suo Yang, his instincts had only pushed him to break down the wall he had built for himself and take a small step forward, but the rest of the step was a choice he had made with his senses.

       Today, so far, he had only been in a trance in the moment of climax, but at other times, he knew exactly what he was doing, who he was doing it with, and why he was willing to do it.

       Why?

       Of course, it was because he fell in love with Shen Huiming.

       Suo Yang lay on the carpet in front of the window and kissed Shen Huiming, still wearing the other party’s pyjamas.

       Two people who had showered smelled the same from head to toe, and from the outside to the inside. They were different people but had the most ambiguous connection.

       Shen Huiming looked at him through the moonlight, “Will you regret today’s impulsiveness after dawn tomorrow?”

       “I never make decisions on impulse,” Suo Yang lay there looking at him, his hands resting on the soft carpet, “let alone confusing passion and love.”

       Shen Huiming smiled, “So, you love me?”

       Suo Yang tilted his head and looked out of the window, his eyes were full of nourishing spring water, but he refused to answer.

       “Do you love me?” Shen Huiming gently pinched Suo Yang’s chin, forcing him to turn back and look at him, “Now, do you love me?”

       It was actually not easy for Suo Yang to say the word ‘love’. The word was too heavy, and he could not open his mouth without complete certainty and courage.

       “What are you afraid of?” Shen Huiming kissed the tip of his nose, “Or you’re still…shy?”

       Suo Yang laughed, “I was thinking, how can I make myself look more trustworthy.”

       “What?”

       “Isn’t it more practical to do something than to talk about love?” Suo Yang looked at him, “Words can be deceiving.”

       “Then, if you say you love me, are you lying to me?”

       Suo Yang discovered that Shen Huiming seemed to have come here specially to ‘subdued’ him. In the past, he could dismantle everyone’s schemes, but in front of Shen Huiming, he could only be dismantled.

       “No.” If he didn’t like it, he didn’t love it either. Suo Yang was someone who couldn’t even be bothered to lie.

       Shen Huiming also laughed, lowered his head and bit Suo Yang’s chin lightly, then pulled Suo Yang’s hand on the carpet to wrap his hand around his neck.

       “Let’s kiss again for a while.” Shen Huiming said, “I’ll kiss you until you are confused so you can say something I like to hear.”

       “Okay,” Suo Yang looked at him and smiled, “Then you can try.”

===

       It was still early when Suo Yang woke up, and when he counted on his fingers, he had only slept for less than four hours.

       Lying on a strange bed in a strange room, he didn’t feel the uneasiness he expected. His ears were filled with the steady breathing of Shen Huiming, who was still holding him and enjoying his sleep.

       At six o’clock in the morning, through the gaps in the curtains, one could guess that today was another fine day.

       It turned out that autumn was not bleak, but at some point, it was vibrant.

       He got out of bed carefully, washed up briefly, and took a glass of warm water.

       Suo Yang walked to the window of the living room. He looked outside and drank water leisurely, remembering the wish the two of them made by the fountain yesterday—a wish that tomorrow they both would be in a good mood.

       It seemed that the wish really came true.

       Suo Yang heard movement behind him but didn’t look back, he knew who it was.

       Shen Huiming hugged him from behind, leaned up sleepily, and rested his chin on his shoulder.

       “So early?” Shen Huiming said and yawned.

       Suo Yang smiled, “Did I wake you up?”

       “I woke up as soon as you moved.” Shen Huiming kissed his neck, “Why don’t you sleep a little longer?”

       “I can’t sleep anymore.” Suo Yang said, “Go to sleep, you don’t have to stay with me.”

       “That won’t work.” Shen Huiming just hugged him like that, and looked out the window with him, “If you sneak away behind my back, wouldn’t I suffer a big loss?”

       Suo Yang patted him helplessly.

       “Are you hungry?” Shen Huiming laughed enough, and asked softly, “Shall I make breakfast?”

       “You do?”

       “Did you forget what I said before?” Shen Huiming straightened up, took his hand and walked towards the kitchen, “I didn’t learn anything else during the years I went to school in the States, but I’m very good at cooking.”

       The two entered the kitchen. Suo Yang leaned against the door and looked at him with a smile.

       Shen Huiming opened the refrigerator and asked, “What do you want to eat? Chinese or Western? Or, one of each?”

       Suo Yang smiled, “Just cook a bowl of noodles.”

       Shen Huiming took out a pack of sliced noodles from the refrigerator, “You can cook noodles, but you can’t do it casually.”

       After he took out the noodles, Shen Huiming took out the tomatoes and eggs, scalded the tomatoes in boiling water, peeled off the skin, cut them into pieces, and stir-fried the eggs in a hot pan with cold oil.

       Suo Yang looked at him with a smile as he drank the water. The scene of Boss Shen, who had come out of a high-end office building, changed his trousers and shirt and wore his pyjamas to work in the kitchen, was also so heart-warming.

       Two bowls of sliced noodles with tomato and egg were ready soon. Shen Huiming and Suo Yang sat at the dining table with the noodles in their hands.

       “A very simple breakfast,” Shen Huiming said, “I will cook you a grand meal when I have a chance in the future.”

       Suo Yang picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of noodles, “Who would have thought that Boss Shen, who dominates the shopping mall, was also a good man at home?”

       Shen Huiming, who was praised just because of a bowl of noodles, was very happy, and said a little proudly, “Am I now having a plentiful harvest in my career and love?”

       Suo Yang ate his noodles with his head down, smiled and didn’t answer.

       “You,” Shen Huiming had no way to find, “you didn’t pamper me either.”

       Suo Yang was almost choked by his words, quickly swallowed the noodles in his mouth, and took a sip of water to keep the noodle down.

       Then, Suo Yang coughed lightly and said, “I’m a bit envious of you.”

       “Envious of me?”

       “Envious of your harvest in love and career.”

       After Suo Yang finished speaking, he lowered his head and snickered, and Shen Huiming, who was sitting in front of him, laughed until he was full even without eating noodles.

       It turned out that being in love was really interesting.

       Suo Yang, who never had any expectations for love, now had to admit that he really enjoyed being in love.

       People who were in love probably had fun doing anything as long as they were together, even if they didn’t do anything but lean on each other and drink a glass of water, it was all fun.

       Their ‘24-hour date’ was spent kissing.

       Twenty-four hours ago, he never thought the date would end like this.

       “I’m a bit sad.” Shen Huiming said, “It’s the first time I feel that 24 hours have passed so quickly.”

       “I feel okay,” Suo Yang said to him holding back a smile, “When I’m not flying, everything was almost the same as napping.”

       Shen Huiming pinched Suo Yang’s nose angrily and helplessly, “You’ve really learned to joke around.”

       Suo Yang laughed out loud, “Surprised?”

       “So cute.”

       “Using cute to describe a man…”

       “It means that I really like this man.” Shen Huiming said, “Do you think I’m cute?”

       Why is it so corny? Although he complained in his heart, Suo Yang said, “Kind of cute.”

       He closed his eyes and enjoyed Shen Huiming’s hug and kiss, enjoying the taste of cherry-soaked taste of wine that he had never experienced before.

       The 24-hour date was over, but every subsequent time they spent together would add up to a long and wonderful date. Suo Yang hoped that this date could continue until they were seventy and eighty, their hair turned grey, Shen Huiming retired from the company, and he could no longer stand in the cabin as a flight attendant.

       At that time, they could still kiss, still hug, and still look at the stars together at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

       However, at that time, they would be two old men who were travelling around the world, going to a church in Berlin to hold their wedding, and going to New York to meet old friends from the past. The two old men would hold hands until the end of their lives.

       His heart raced at the kiss and he suddenly realised that he seemed to be thinking too far ahead.

       The relationship had just begun, and he was already fantasizing about growing old together.

       “What are you thinking?” Shen Huiming pulled him up from the sofa.

       Suo Yang’s cheeks were flushed from the kiss, and he said to him, “Thinking that I’m flying to Rio de Janeiro tonight.”

       “Tonight?” Shen Huiming subconsciously turned to look at the time.

       “Yeah.” Suo Yang told him, “I have to catch the flight at eight o’clock in the evening and I have to be there by five.”

       “That’s less than eight hours,” Shen Huiming said, “You can catch up on sleep and take a good rest.”

       “Are you going to the office?” Suo Yang didn’t say anything, but he hoped that Shen Huiming could accompany him.

       “Well, there was a backlog of things waiting for me to deal with yesterday.” As he spoke, Shen Huiming had already stood up from the sofa.

       Suo Yang did not show any displeasure, but went to the bedroom with him, “It’s been a long day, then I…”

       He originally intended to go into the bedroom to change his clothes, and then go out with Shen Huiming. As the other party went to the office, he would go home to catch up on his sleep.

       In the end, just after following the other party into the room, before he could react, he was thrown on the bed.

       When he met Shen Huiming’s smiling eyes, Suo Yang knew he had been fooled.

       He said with a mixture of tears and laughter, “Why are you still doing this trick?”

       “Because I want to see you acting like a baby,” Shen Huiming said, “I thought you would hug me and not let me go.”

       Suo Yang laughed, “I’m not that kind of person.”

       “I know, but what if?” Shen Huiming said, “You won’t show it to others, maybe you will show it to me?”

       Suo Yang looked at him quietly and bit his lip lightly.

       “Want to see?” Suo Yang asked.

       “Can you act like a baby?”

       Actually… no.

       He couldn’t act like a baby, but Suo Yang knew how to do other things.

       He hugged Shen Huiming and turned over on the bed, “Don’t go, sleep with me.”

       He pulled off the quilt and wrapped them around them.

       At a quarter past nine in the morning, Shen Huiming unbuttoned Suo Yang’s pyjamas with his fingers.

       Was it just sleeping?

       Of course not.

       Anyway, they still had eight hours, Suo Yang only needed six hours to catch up on sleep, and the other two hours could be used to do things they loved to do.