These minor disruptions, however, did not affect their life together in the slightest. Even when Ye Yunshan would casually bring up the incident now and then over the phone with Qin Weidong, it didn’t change anything. And Qin Weidong, oblivious as he might normally be to this sort of thing, still caught her meaning loud and clear.
His annoyance was written all over his face. Fang Li didn’t know what Qin Weidong had said to Ye Yunshan, but whatever it was, she stopped calling for a long time. The next time she did reach out was about three months later. Their conversation was still polite—Qin Weidong responded appropriately, reminded her to take care of her health—but there was a distinct distance in his voice, a kind of formal civility.
Like he was just completing a professor’s assignment.
Not that Fang Li could do anything about it. And frankly, he didn’t intend to. He was happy Qin Weidong had found his birth parents, but to say all this didn’t weigh on him at all would’ve been a lie.
Back in China, as the younger generation, he’d done everything he could. Even when he’d been hurting badly, he never once lost his composure with Ye Yunshan. That was just who he was, had always been.
Whether or not people appreciated it, whether or not they remembered—he didn’t really care. At the end of the day, the only person he truly cared about was Qin Weidong.
Once the semester started, Qin Weidong was busier than ever. In the high-pressure concrete jungle of New York, he seemed more and more at ease, managing everything with a smooth confidence.
Meanwhile, Fang Li had stepped into a whole new world. He thrived in the atmosphere of the music conservatory. Sometimes, he felt like the two of them had been together for so long, they’d become inseparable. Nothing and no one outside their little world could wedge its way between them anymore.
In the winter of the following year, Qin Weidong graduated early from a prestigious business school thanks to top marks in every subject. He started an internship at the New York Stock Exchange—Wall Street, the heart of global finance. During that time, the three screens in front of him never seemed to go dark. He was glued to the ever-shifting data and graphs all day long—just watching made Fang Li’s eyes hurt.
“You don’t need to work this hard…” he said.
Fang Li had never looked too closely at Qin Weidong’s bank account—money, to him, only needed to be enough.
Qin Weidong, arms wrapped around him, eyes still on the screens, said softly, “I need to take care of you. I want to give you the very best I can.”
His favorite moments each day were when he could just hold Fang Li close, maybe lean down for a kiss. He loved kissing Fang Li—could never get enough of it. And even when they did nothing at all, just kissing like that, Fang Li would feel an overwhelming sense of guilt…
Look at Qin Weidong—now that’s a man. Like the old saying back in Chongsi went: “A man’s word is as firm as a nail.” He’d made a promise as a teenager, and even now, he was living up to it.
And what had Fang Li said back then? Something about getting married and having kids?
Now look at him—living in luxury, spoiled rotten by Qin Weidong, and he’d completely forgotten all about that.
Qin Weidong looked down at him. “What are you daydreaming about?”
“Uh…” Fang Li snuggled closer, tilted his head up and kissed him. “I said I loved you back then—and I meant it. I still do.”
“You said that?”
“Uh…” Fang Li gave another sheepish grunt—this one even longer than before. Playing dumb, he asked, “Didn’t I?”
Qin Weidong let out a soft snort. “Nope.”
Fang Li really shouldn’t have brought it up—now that he had, Qin Weidong thought back on it and felt thoroughly embarrassed. He was out there working himself to the bone, pouring everything he had into their future, and this man at home couldn’t even be bothered to say a few sweet words.
Fang Li could tell just by looking at him that he was about to make a fuss again. He went to get some water, but Qin Weidong wasn’t about to let him off the hook. He gave Fang Li’s butt a firm smack. “Aren’t you going to make up for it?”
“Make up for what?” Fang Li brushed his hand away.
“Say it… say you love me.”
Fang Li thought for a moment, then looked at him and said clearly, “I love you, Qin Weidong.”
He said it, and Qin Weidong’s expression softened a little, but he still wasn’t satisfied. Straightening his posture, he added, “Say you’ve always loved me and always will—not just that, say I’m the only one you love.”
Fang Li reached out and pinched his cheek. “Aren’t you getting ready to start your own company? You’re about to be a boss, and you still say stuff like this without blushing?”
Qin Weidong was just strange that way. That mouth of his rarely ever produced anything romantic, yet when he did speak, it was calm and direct, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
No wonder he went into finance—Fang Li had heard that capitalists were experts at brainwashing people.
Qin Weidong kissed him. After the kiss, he pressed his face against Fang Li’s, speaking in a low voice like a beast returning to its den, “Lili… I could give up everything else, but I couldn’t bear it if you gave up on me.”
That kiss felt like it had landed right on the tip of Fang Li’s heart. His face flushed involuntarily. He smacked Qin Weidong on the head. “How could I…”
How could he possibly let go of Qin Weidong? Giving him up would be more painful than cutting out half his soul.
Not long after the new year, Qin Weidong wrapped up his job at the Wall Street Stock Exchange. Despite his former boss’s sincere attempts to keep him—the young Chinese man with such exceptional talent and drive—Qin Weidong chose to leave. He had other plans. He enrolled in an EMBA program to pursue a master’s degree.
He squeezed classes into nights and weekends, giving him the chance to meet renowned business leaders from different industries and build connections with many accomplished entrepreneurs.
Soon, Qin Weidong threw himself into starting his own company. From paperwork to loans to tapping into the network he had cultivated over the past two years to secure early funding—there was a lot to do. Some days, Fang Li wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of him.
In July, New York had just finished a summer rain. At a café, customers folded up their umbrellas at the entrance, droplets splashing onto the polished brown floor. The scent of hand-brewed coffee wafted in as the glass door swung open, carried along with the soft chime of a silver bell.
It was a perfect afternoon to meet a few friends for coffee and relax. But all Fang Li had in front of him was his never-changing cup of hot tea—well, with a spoonful of milk this time.
Fang Li answered the phone: “You’re done with work? I’ve already eaten—vitamins, fish oil, all taken. Pick me up…? What time?”
He glanced at his watch.
“Five-thirty? That’s too early, we’re still discussing the band performance. Okay, okay… fine, I’m at the café across from the conservatory…”
As soon as he hung up, Wu Xuxu beside him gave him a look of pure disbelief.
“Lili, your boyfriend is seriously too in love with you! Can he really not go more than two hours without hearing your voice?”
Qiao Shi, sitting nearby, burst into laughter.
“Haha, no, I don’t think two hours is accurate enough. Brother Qin literally can’t go thirty minutes without hearing Brother Li’s voice. He’ll text, call, and keep calling until Brother Li picks up. Oh my god! He’s the most thoughtful—but also the clingiest—boyfriend I’ve ever seen!”
Being teased by his two troublemaker friends was nothing new. Fang Li sighed and forked a piece of cheese into his mouth.
“Alright, laugh it up. I hope both of you end up with boyfriends just like Qin Weidong… watching your every move!”
Wu Xuxu thought for a moment.
“If he has Qin Weidong’s face and body, I can live with that!”
“You really could?” Qiao Shi laughed.
“No going to bars, no drinking, no coffee, no sweets, home before ten, smoking capped at one cigarette a day—and if you go over three, you’ll get chewed out. Xuxu, are you sure you can handle that?”
“Dear God!” Wu Xuxu exclaimed dramatically. “I might as well just go to prison! How’s the prison system in Michigan?”
“…”
Why didn’t these two go become a comedy duo?
Fang Li rubbed his forehead.
“…I think we better focus on planning the band’s performance at Blitz Square the day after tomorrow. We’ve already passed out the flyers for the fundraiser, but Brech has a fever and can’t make it. Who’s going to sing?”
Over the past two years, Fang Li and his English tutor Qiao Shi, along with Wu Xuxu from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, had become practically inseparable. A couple of years back, Wu Xuxu had formed a band made up of music students from around New York. They were affiliated with a music charity foundation and sometimes held live performances to raise funds for children with leukemia.
As the organizer, it was a great addition to Wu Xuxu’s résumé, especially since she planned to study next in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Arts.
Wu Xuxu and Qiao Shi exchanged a glance. Qiao Shi immediately caught on, coughed, and exclaimed: “Brother Li! I think you should sing!”
“Me?” Fang Li asked, surprised.
Wu Xuxu had a look of sudden enlightenment.
“Yes! You’re always the one helping Brech during rehearsals. And besides, you wrote the music for this song—Lili, you singing it would have so much more feeling!”
Qiao Shi echoed quickly,
“Yes! Brother Li, Brech can’t perform, and we’ve been promoting this for weeks. We might have a big crowd. We’ve already paid to rent the stage and equipment—otherwise, it’ll all go to waste…!”
“Exactly, Lili, you know this—this money is all of my New Year’s gift money for this year. I invested all of it into this…! I’m not like your boyfriend, that… um, kind and gentle money-making genius… you wouldn’t have the heart to watch all my hard-earned savings go down the drain, right…?”
Wu Xuxu clutched at his sleeve pitifully, almost about to wipe her nose on it.
“Don’t look at me like that…” Fang Li turned his head away.
Wu Xuxu kept tugging on him. “Lili!! This is the biggest event our band has ever had! And it’s at the start of the year! You know how superstitious we Chinese are—I am too. If our first performance of the year goes badly, it’ll mean bad luck for the whole year!”
Fang Li replied speechlessly, “It’s already July. How is this the start of the year? And you’ve been in the U.S. for three years now…”
“But we Chinese must never forget our roots…!”
Wu Xuxu clung to his sleeve again. “Lili! You don’t want to see this event we’ve worked so hard to plan fall apart, do you? This is Blitz Square—it’s such a rare opportunity! Qiao Shi and I practically wore our tongues out convincing the management to give us a half-hour slot. There’ll definitely be a big crowd this time. We might even raise a few thousand dollars! Those sick kids are still counting on our help…!!”
Fang Li tried to pull his sleeve free—he had no doubt Wu Xuxu would actually wipe her nose on it. This girl once got drunk and grabbed him and Qiao Shi by the hair like steering wheels…!
He struggled to pull away, finally breaking. “Fine…! Fine…! I’ll try, okay? I’ll see if I’m a good fit for the stage… now let go already, or we’ll get arrested…”
As soon as he agreed, Wu Xuxu instantly released him—so fast that Fang Li nearly stumbled.
She sat down primly like a proper lady and high-fived Qiao Shi happily. “It’s settled, then! Tomorrow’s the rehearsal! Lisa from the band will prepare your outfit!”
Fang Li said he was going to the restroom. He didn’t say another word of refusal. Once he was gone, the two co-conspirators finally exhaled in relief.
“I told you, didn’t I? Brother Li wouldn’t say no. Actually, he loves singing. He sings at home all the time. I’ve heard him—he’s just as good as any student from a music conservatory. It’s just… Qin Weidong doesn’t seem to like it. That’s why these past two years, Brother Li’s only written and played music for us—he’s never once performed his own songs on stage.”
Qiao Shi lifted the mocha in front of him. “Honestly, Brother Qin is great in every way… except he’s way too possessive. I don’t agree with that. If you love someone, you should let them freely enjoy the things they’re passionate about—shouldn’t you?”
Having spent over two years with Fang Li—from auditing classes in Brooklyn to joining their band—Wu Xuxu had, of course, met Fang Li’s boyfriend, Qin Weidong.
They’d even shared meals together. Qin Weidong had always behaved like a gentleman around women. In the few times they interacted, all she really noticed was that whenever he was around, his gaze never strayed from Fang Li.
As for anything else, naturally she didn’t know as much as Qiao Shi, who often visited Fang Li’s place to help him with English and had gotten to know him more deeply.
“He sounds kind of pitiful… Lili really is the gentlest boy I’ve ever met…!”
Pfft—Qiao Shi spat out his mocha: “Cough! Cough cough—gentle?!”
“Qiao Shi! That’s so rude!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Qiao Shi hurried to wipe his mouth with a napkin. “Um, I take it back. You probably just haven’t seen Brother Li when he gets mad at Brother Qin. One time I was in the bathroom—they must’ve forgotten I was there—your Lili never argues past the third sentence…”
“Isn’t that proof of his good temper? Don’t tell me Qin Weidong doesn’t know how to be the bigger person?”
Qin Weidong was so tall, and Lili so skinny, his face small, his fingers delicate!
Qiao Shi burst out laughing, clutching his stomach: “You fool…! Of course not—if the argument goes past three sentences, Brother Li throws punches! Totally beats up Brother Qin, hahahaha. You really should’ve seen it, it was epic—hahahaha…”
Wu Xuxu tried to picture it, but just couldn’t imagine gentle, quiet Fang Li laying a hand on his tall, silent boyfriend. Qiao Shi was definitely exaggerating…!
She cleared her throat and said, “Enough laughing. So, our gift was the right one, wasn’t it?”
Their band had just turned two years old. It was also the second anniversary of Fang Li, one of the founding members, joining them. Everyone had had their turn on stage, honing their skills, but Fang Li had always stayed behind the scenes, quietly supporting them.
So they decided to give him a gift.
Wu Xuxu had originally thought that Fang Li simply didn’t want to be on stage. But after a recent rehearsal, she’d seen him alone, adjusting the mic, and softly singing a song.
She studied musical theater—she knew what it looked like when someone longed for the stage. It hit her then: maybe Fang Li did want to stand in the spotlight. She wasn’t sure, so she talked it over with Qiao Shi—and to her surprise, they were instantly in sync!
“It was definitely the right choice!” Qiao Shi said.
Axolotl Translations 
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