Hearing You Say Love chapter 11
Reference Library
The private restaurant featured an exquisite Chinese-style decor, with rockeries and flowing water, pavilions and gazebos, creating a hidden and tranquil atmosphere that isolated the noise outside.
Zou Beiyuan ordered a pot of tea, and they sat facing each other on the terrace outside the private room.
This was on the fifth floor, the highest point in the area, and looking out, they saw a sea of gray tile roofs and wooden pavilions, creating a marvelous scene that intertwined the ancient and modern.
Zou Beiyuan poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward Su Ming: “Their tea is good; you should try it.”
Su Ming picked up the cup and gently sniffed it—it did smell nice. While drinking, he glanced at Zou Beiyuan, who had returned to his usual demeanor.
But he definitely hadn’t misread the situation; this guy understood what the two girls were talking about. Not only did he understand, but he also seemed shy.
This indicated that this straight man might not be so straight after all.
So when they talked about homosexuality earlier, Zou Beiyuan’s earnest demeanor… was it a sign that he was in the closet?
After finishing his tea, Su Ming played with the beautiful Jian Zhan cup in his hand, smiling as he looked at Zou Beiyuan.
Zou Beiyuan poured himself some tea, took a sip, and Su Ming was still watching him. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Have you been here before?”
Su Ming finally averted his gaze, placed his empty tea cup down, and took out his phone to type in the notes: I’ve been to this area, but this is my first time at this restaurant.
“Mm,” Zou Beiyuan said, searching for conversation. “This place is nice; the dishes have unique features.”
Su Ming asked again: You’re quite familiar with Rong City. How long have you lived here?
“I was born in Rong City and lived here until I was thirteen. Then my dad went to Ninggang for business, so our family moved there,” Zou Beiyuan replied, then asked, “How about you?”
Su Ming wrote: I’m from Yishi.
Zou Beiyuan smiled, “What a coincidence! My mom is also from Yishi.”
Su Ming nodded, not pursuing the topic further, turning his head to look outside. He had picked up a lighter at some point and was playing with it.
His fingers skillfully spun the lighter between them, flipping it from thumb to pinky, then back again.
The silver casing of the lighter had darkened from oxidation, highlighting the unique beauty of his slender, pale fingers.
Zou Beiyuan shifted his gaze from Su Ming’s fingers and poured more tea into his cup.
Su Ming turned back, gesturing to Zou Beiyuan: Thank you.
“You’re welcome,” Zou Beiyuan replied.
He understood this gesture; it was the first sign language he had learned.
They chatted slowly, gradually losing track of time until the sun began to set. Zou Beiyuan called the waiter to serve the dishes, and they moved to the private room to sit down.
Zou Beiyuan asked Su Ming if he wanted to drink alcohol. Su Ming asked him if he would drink, to which he said he wouldn’t since he had to drive. Su Ming shook his head in response.
“Or we could call a driver later,” Zou Beiyuan suggested after Su Ming shook his head. “I can drink a bit with you. What do you want to drink?”
Su Ming shook his head again and typed on his phone: The red wine you gave me the day before yesterday is still plenty; let’s drink at my house another day. I don’t want to drink today.
Based on their drinking pace, it seemed like it would take several more meals to finish that bottle of wine. Zou Beiyuan grunted, “Let’s not drink today then.”
Su Ming’s left shoulder was still uncomfortable, so he didn’t use his left hand much while eating. He avoided any food that required peeling.
Zou Beiyuan noticed this and put on gloves to peel all the shrimp, placing them on the plate. He didn’t mention that it was for Su Ming and, once finished, removed the gloves and wiped his hands with a wet tissue.
Su Ming watched him, deliberately not taking the shrimp. Observing Zou Beiyuan’s awkward expression, he found the situation with this straight guy amusing.
While eating, Su Ming placed his phone on the table. When Zou Beiyuan spoke to him, he would put down his chopsticks and type on his phone.
This method of conversation slightly interrupted the meal, and after a while, Zou Beiyuan stopped talking as much.
Whenever two people are alone in a space for too long, the atmosphere tends to change. It either becomes awkward or ambiguous.
Zou Beiyuan felt like they should drink a little. He was used to lively atmospheres; when he went out with friends, even if he didn’t drink, others would, and the mood would always be lively.
He then recalled the last meal when Su Ming asked him if he got bored hanging out with him.
He didn’t find it boring, but since he didn’t know sign language, he couldn’t communicate seamlessly with Su Ming like Chen Muchao did. Instead, he worried that Su Ming might find him boring.
At that moment, Su Ming picked up a shrimp and ate it. When he noticed Zou Beiyuan’s gaze, he smiled at him, eyes curving. Feeling a bit awkward again, Zou Beiyuan asked, “Does it taste good?”
Su Ming nodded, gave a thumbs up, and squinted, showing a face full of enjoyment.
In the silent community’s system of expression, facial expressions are also a form of language, and Su Ming was clearly skilled in using this language. As a result, his facial expressions were always more vivid than others’.
Zou Beiyuan had never seen anyone with such a range of expressions. It was as if whatever Su Ming thought immediately showed on his face. Even without words, he could often understand Su Ming’s thoughts just by looking at him.
His eyes also had a rare liveliness, as though the heavens had taken away his voice but gave him everything else to express himself.
..
After the meal, there were fewer people on the old street.
As night fell, the shops lit up with warm yellow lights, casting layered outlines of the flying eaves and curving corners of the ancient-style buildings, giving the illusion of being in a fairytale.
Su Ming took out his phone to take pictures of the buildings and street scenes. Zou Beiyuan asked, “Do you want me to take a picture for you?”
Su Ming didn’t answer, continuing to take pictures as they walked. After they reached the street corner, Su Ming typed a message on his phone: [I’m collecting scene references.]
“For your comic?”
Su Ming nodded and typed: “I’m adding them to my reference library.”
Zou Beiyuan, curious, asked, “What kind of things are in your reference library?”
It was inconvenient for Su Ming to type while walking, so he sat on a bench under a streetlight and typed: [Lots of things. Landscapes, people, interesting things that happen in life, bits of inspiration, and so on.]
As he typed, Zou Beiyuan sat next to him, leaning close to see Su Ming’s phone screen.
Noticing that Su Ming was using the Wubi input method, Zou Beiyuan was surprised. “Do you use Wubi to type faster? I haven’t seen anyone use it in years.”
Su Ming’s fingers paused for a moment before typing: [I don’t know pinyin.]
Pinyin is something taught in first grade, so without thinking, Zou Beiyuan asked, “Why?”
This time, Su Ming paused even longer before replying: [I went to a school for the deaf and mute when I was young. We didn’t learn pinyin.]
Su Ming typed very quickly, almost as fast as normal speech.
His head was lowered, with his hair falling over his eyes, hiding his emotions. Zou Beiyuan could only see his straight nose and naturally upturned lips.
They were sitting close enough that Zou Beiyuan could faintly catch a pleasant citrus scent from him.
Suddenly, Zou Beiyuan felt a bit thirsty.
“When you were young, didn’t you wear a cochlear implant?” he asked softly.
[Hmm.]Su Ming only typed that one word on the screen.
That morning, Zou Beiyuan had read in a children’s book that the optimal age for cochlear implant surgery was between one and three years old. Could Su Ming’s inability to speak be related to this?
He had always been curious whether Su Ming’s inability to speak was due to vocal cord issues or something else. Why could Chen Muchao, who also had a cochlear implant, speak like an ordinary person?
These were questions he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Instead, he placed his hand on Su Ming’s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze in a brotherly way.
Su Ming quickly turned off his phone screen, stood up, and smiled at Zou Beiyuan, signaling with his eyes: Let’s go.
Back home after a shower, Su Ming took out the medicated massage oil prescribed by the doctor to apply to his shoulder.
But after reading the instructions, he ran into trouble. The instructions said: “Pour the oil into the palm, warm it with both hands, and massage the affected area in a clockwise motion for 15 minutes once a day.”
Su Ming tried, but his right hand couldn’t reach the affected area on his left shoulder. He thought about going to a physical therapy center to get help the next day.
Then, after staring at the instructions for a while, he picked up his phone and bit his lower lip as he sent Zou Beiyuan a message: [I can’t reach my shoulder. Could you help me apply the medication?]