Hate The Bright Moon Chapter 13

Chapter 16

Chen Shilü’s three bedrooms were all used for sleeping. He didn’t have a study, nor did he need one; he lived alone, and working in the living room meant no one would bother him. He sat on the sofa, using computer software to process the photos he had taken.

Chi Huang was right beside him, watching him adjust the pictures and asking questions from time to time: “Is there anything you don’t know how to do?”

“It’s that there’s nothing you know how to do.”

“I don’t know nothing, I have things I’m good at.”

After a while, he asked again: “Have you photographed many men?”

Chen Shilü had not photographed other men. None of the men he had dated to the point of taking pictures were as beautiful and photogenic as Chi Huang, and he usually didn’t pursue deep relationships with beautiful men. He also had no intention of a deep relationship with Chi Huang; this was purely an accident, but he was too lazy to explain it to Chi Huang.

Chi Huang assumed he was confirming it and asked, “Do you take those nude art photos for them?”

“No.”

“What about bed photos, to record the men you’ve slept with?”

Chen Shilü glanced at him: “I don’t have such pervert hobbies.”

“Is that pervert?”

“If you don’t think it’s pervert, could it be that you’re the one who’s more pervert?”

Chi Huang paused, then laughed: “I’m fine, I’m just easygoing.”

Chen Shilü didn’t think being easygoing included these things.

Chi Huang rested his chin on his hand and watched him for a while, then suddenly stood up, took off his shirt, threw it into Chen Shilü’s lap, and started unbuckling his belt: “You can photograph me, I have a pretty good body.”

“Put your clothes on.” He tossed the shirt back to Chi Huang. “I said I won’t take them. You’d better not let anyone else take them either. Who knows when your ass will end up plastered all over the major websites.”

Chi Huang smiled: “I don’t care.”

“I do care. That’s illegal and criminal, and I don’t want that kind of trouble.”

Chi Huang had no choice but to put his clothes back on and sit next to Chen Shilü: “You’re clearly very open-minded, but in some ways, you’re very conservative.”

“Desire is insatiable. Excessive indulgence only lowers your bottom line, while being overly conservative leads to psychological perversion. People need moderate restraint.”

Chi Huang leaned closer to him: “You are truly interesting.”

“You are very boring.” Chen Shilü was serious. “Settle down for a bit, don’t disturb me.”

After he said this, Chi Huang indeed fell silent. A few minutes later, Chen Shilü turned his head and saw him lying on the sofa, fast asleep.

Chen Shilü was also a good sleeper, but he had never seen anyone like Chi Huang who could fall asleep just by leaning anywhere. He honestly felt a little envious of his pig-like appetite and cat-like sleep, but for some reason, just watching him made him slightly irritated.

Chi Huang hadn’t slept all night and had only drifted off while sitting on the balcony chair as dawn approached. So, after eating and drinking his fill, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep on the sofa. When he woke up, the sky had darkened, and the light was tinged with a faint orange-yellow.

There was a light scent of alcohol in the air. Chen Shilü was no longer sitting next to him but had moved to the desk near the balcony, where the light was better. He was still fiddling with the computer, but instead of the clicking sound of the mouse when organizing photos, it was the rapid tapping of the keyboard. He looked like he was working, pausing occasionally to take a sip of the whiskey by his hand.

The glow of the twilight gave him a soft, gentle appearance, especially his profile, which had a fuzzy tenderness.

Chi Huang felt a little lost; this wasn’t a familiar feeling. Just watching him motionlessly for a long time, he felt something overflowing from his eyes and ears, gradually submerging his nose and mouth, making him feel a little suffocated. His breathing grew heavier.

Hearing the movement, Chen Shilü turned his head: “Awake?”

“Mhm.” Chi Huang propped himself up and sat, the thin blanket sliding to the floor.

He paused when he saw the blanket, bending down to pick it up, only to realize his chest was aching slightly. He had been lying on his stomach for too long, compressing his heart—no wonder he felt chest tightness and difficulty breathing.

“I sent you the photos.”

Chi Huang took out his phone and downloaded and saved the photos Chen Shilü had sent him one by one, but after saving them all, he felt something was missing: “What about the ones I took?”

“They weren’t good, I deleted them.”

“Deleted? Why?”

“I told you, they weren’t good. Keeping them just takes up my memory.”

Chi Huang walked over anxiously: “Don’t delete them! Those were my first photography works.”

“Yours don’t count as works.”

“But they are my works! At least send me a copy for a souvenir before deleting them.”

“They’re already deleted.”

“Hurry and find them, you can recover them, right?” Chi Huang looked genuinely anxious.

It was easy enough to find them; they were all in the “Recycle Bin.” To avoid him making a fuss again, Chen Shilü sent him the pile of “trash” he had photographed. However, he hesitated when sending his own two “cooking photos.”

Chi Huang urged him: “I want these too.”

“Let’s skip my photos.”

“Why? I won’t upload you online. And there’s no picture of your ass here.”

“…”

All the photos were sent, but Chi Huang showed no intention of leaving.

Chen Shilü saw that dusk was approaching and it was time for dinner. Should he, as a matter of custom, invite him to stay for dinner?

He grabbed his shopping bag and went downstairs to buy groceries. Chi Huang followed him the whole way, watching him skillfully select vegetables and meat.

That evening, he cooked a simple Chinese meal, which Chi Huang raved about. While wolfing down the food, he didn’t forget to compliment Chen Shilü: “You cook really well! I could guess most things about you, but your excellent cooking skills are truly unimaginable.”

“The first thing that makes living alone feel happy is knowing how to cook for yourself. You don’t know how at all?”

“Completely clueless. But I won’t starve with takeout, dry rations, and eating out.”

Chen Shilü curled his lip: “Then you really are pathetic.”

Chi Huang swallowed a large mouthful of food, feeling his throat slightly blocked.

After dinner, he actively helped clean up, suggesting somewhat shyly, “How about I do the dishes? I think I should be able to manage that.”

Chen Shilü looked at him with a conflicted expression, finally unable to hold back: “More than the question of who does the dishes, shouldn’t you be going home?”

A momentary look of embarrassment flashed across Chi Huang’s face, but he quickly recovered his smile: “Relax, I’ll go back. I said I’d help you with the dishes, not that I want to live with you. Why are you so nervous?”

Live together? What nonsense was that?

Chi Huang immediately added, “Look, it’s dark now, and you have tomorrow off. It shouldn’t matter if I stay one more night, right?”

“Why stay another night? Didn’t you say you couldn’t sleep at my place?”

Chi Huang carried the dishes and chopsticks toward the kitchen: “I’ll find a way to sleep tonight. Where do I dump the food scraps?”

“Just pour them into the sink, there’s a strainer underneath.” Chen Shilü followed him into the kitchen. “That’s not the point.”

“Anyway, you have so many rooms, you can’t sleep in all of them yourself.”

“That has even less to do with it.”

Chi Huang tilted his head and rested it on Chen Shilü’s shoulder, whining playfully: “Just one night. I’ll leave tomorrow, really.”

“…” A thought suddenly struck Chen Shilü. “Is it because I didn’t let you do what you wanted last night, and you’re waiting for a new opportunity?”

Chi Huang moved his head away and started washing the dishes, completely flustered: “Don’t think that people’s minds are full of just that kind of thing. I’m not that kind of person.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m not. It seems you have many misunderstandings about me.” He pushed a plate under the faucet. When he turned the water on, it splashed all over him. He frantically turned off the water, clutching his soaked clothes, and didn’t forget to explain, “I’m not very keen on sex.”

Chen Shilü handed him a roll of kitchen paper: “What counts as keen?”

“I think someone like you is keen. I can tell you really like it and enjoy it.” Chi Huang roughly wiped his clothes and looked up at Chen Shilü. “I just don’t know how to interact with people otherwise, and I don’t have anything else to do.”

“How can a person have nothing to do if they want to do something?”

“It’s just that I don’t want to do anything. Everything is boring.”

“Hmm, you only want to have sex, so you are keen on that.”

“…” Chi Huang shrugged. “Let me stay one more night. I promise I won’t bother you.”

Unable to resist his shameless persistence, Chen Shilü let him stay. Judging by the daytime signs, Chi Huang wasn’t the noisy or troublesome type. He could tolerate him for one more night. Chen Shilü returned to his room, and Chi Huang went to another room, showing no intention of “attacking” him.

At first, Chen Shilü thought he was employing a tactic of retreat to advance, but when the time passed midnight and the room next door remained quiet, Chen Shilü found himself tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Why did he insist on letting Chi Huang stay? He didn’t want to be friends with him or develop any other kind of relationship. A bored, idle man—though sometimes genuinely cute, that was entirely due to his beautiful skin.

Truthfully, this person was useless except for his looks, and such a handsome man was right next door, in his apartment, sleeping in his bed, under his blanket… In the darkness, the tendrils of desire began to stretch and spread…

Chen Shilü knocked on the door next door: “Are you asleep?”

Chi Huang leaned against the doorframe: “If I was, you woke me up.”

“I don’t believe you woke up that fast.”

Chi Huang’s eyes held a smile: “I couldn’t sleep. I was waiting for you.” He gently wrapped his arms around Chen Shilü’s waist and pulled him inside. In the darkness and silence behind the door, he bit his ear, “What do you want to do? I’ll listen to you.”

Considering that Chi Huang had given him things to do all day, from taking photos to cooking, Chen Shilü said, “I’m tired, I don’t want to move.”

Chi Huang’s hand swept forcefully yet slowly down his back and waist. The fabric rustled as it was rubbed. He grabbed one of Chen Shilü’s thighs, lifted it, and sent his voice deeper into his ear canal with the tip of his tongue: “Tell me how you like me to move…”

Chi Huang realized then that this was Chen Shilü’s true demeanor when aroused: he, too, would become soft and clingy, not hesitating to please and give. After they finished, he would share an intimate, long kiss, turning the brief pleasure into a complete sense of happiness.

Chi Huang lay on his back, smelling the scent of his skin.

“What are you smelling?”

“Your scent.”

“What do I smell like?”

“A very healthy smell, like some kind of delicious and healthy food.” Chi Huang racked his brain for a comparison. “Delicious things are usually unhealthy, and healthy things are usually not delicious. You are delicious but healthy. Do you understand that feeling?”

Chen Shilü laughed, but said, “Stop smelling me, you sound like a dog.”

“Everyone else says I’m more like a cat,” Chi Huang said this with unusual seriousness.

“You’re a mix of cat and dog, alright.”

“Why don’t you keep a kitten or a puppy? Fish can’t communicate emotionally with you.”

“It’s just that the emotional needs of cats and dogs are troublesome, and fish are very beautiful.”

“Then I’m more like a fish, like that beautiful and fierce fighting fish you keep alone.” Chi Huang blinked his deep, beautiful eyes, which resembled a whirlpool, threatening to suck in a soul if one wasn’t careful.

Chen Shilü looked away: “I’ve never met anyone who describes themselves like that. You’re too narcissistic.”

Chi Huang just smiled, flipped Chen Shilü over, and rested his chin on his chest: “Darling, one more time?”

Chen Shilü swallowed: “No.” He got up. “Do you remember what I said? The essence of satisfying desire lies in restraint.”

“Then at least sleep here. Maybe I can fall asleep with someone next to me.”

“The essence of good sleep lies in being undisturbed.” Chen Shilü finally kissed Chi Huang’s forehead. “Good night, baby.”