What Are Your Tastes? chapter 24

 Am I meddling too much?

Inside the private room of Baihe Hotel, it was quiet, with the waiters moving on the carpet, and even the sound of footsteps was inaudible.

His ID card, household registration book, and several old photos were spread out on the table. Zhou Yanchuan looked at these things in silence for a while. The middle-aged woman opposite him was nervously rubbing her hands, while the young man beside her seemed indifferent, reaching out with his chopsticks to grab the cold dishes in the middle of the table.

The woman tapped his hand. After giving Zhou Yanchuan a scrutinizing glance she said tentatively, “Yanchuan, did your mother ever mention…”

“She did.” Zhou Yanchuan interrupted her. In fact, he didn’t need to look at so much information; just hearing the name, he knew that the woman in front of him was his aunt, and the young man was his cousin. They had just arrived in Sen city that day from their hometown in Lin Province.

Zhou Yanchuan had never been to his mother Zhang Hong’s hometown. The place and the relatives who still lived there only existed in Zhang Hong’s words. But when she died, no one from her hometown came to mourn her.

He knew his mother had a younger brother. Before Zhang Hong came to Sen city, her relationship with her brother should have been good, to the extent that young Zhou Yanchuan often heard her mention this uncle he had never met. Later, when her health declined, she still tried to save money and send the extra back home to support her brother.

“Where’s my uncle?” Zhou Yanchuan glanced at his aunt.

“He… he’s not well!” The woman sighed heavily, “His legs haven’t been able to walk since last year, and the family’s breeding farm is losing money… Otherwise, why would I bring Zhang Hao here to seek a livelihood? Our family is so blessed to have someone like you, Yanchuan…”

“When my mother passed away,” Zhou Yanchuan’s tone was somewhat stiff, “Did you two know?”

“Well…” The woman was flustered at his direct question, feeling embarrassed. Even the young cousin looked a bit uneasy. After a moment of eye contact between them, his aunt adjusted her tone and said, “Yanchuan, it’s not that we didn’t want to come. Your mother had such a big fallout with your grandfather; he declared he didn’t recognize her as his daughter. How could we have any contact? Now that the old man is gone, Zhang Hao’s two sisters are married and like water thrown out of the house, with no backbone at home, we can only turn to you…”

Zhou Yanchuan sneered inwardly. If he were still the porter or repairman he used to be, barely scraping by in some corner of this city, these people would probably avoid him like the plague. He had always understood the ugly side of human nature and never dared to harbor overly rosy illusions.

His aunt brought his cousin to the city with the purpose of finding him a stable job. They arrived without prior notice and only contacted him after settling in. Today’s dinner was arranged close to their rented place, as they were not familiar with the city.

“Let’s go to my place,” Zhou Yanchuan put down his teacup.

“You mean—”

“In his current state, he should be able to manage a security guard job, right?”

His aunt’s previously joyful face fell at his words. “Yanchuan, isn’t a security guard job… a bit too low?”

To her, this suggestion might have seemed like an insult. But Zhou Yanchuan meant no such thing. Although he had no fondness for them, he still considered his mother’s feelings and extending a small helping hand was no skin off his back.

The premise was that Zhang Hao could handle the job he was offered.

He couldn’t think of any other position besides security guard. After all, he had endured hardships himself and didn’t have any notions of job hierarchy. He explained calmly, “Zhang Hao has no education and no driver’s license. He doesn’t meet the basic requirements for other positions.”

“You didn’t go to college either…” she muttered softly, but Zhou Yanchuan still heard her.

“Auntie,” he said earnestly, “the jobs I did before were not even as good as a security guard.”

“If he wants it, he can take it. If not—then you’ll have to find another way.”

“Alright! Any job will do,” she quickly changed her tune and pulled Zhang Hao closer. “Hurry up and thank your cousin.”

The young man reluctantly mumbled, “Thanks, Ge.”

Zhou Yanchuan saw through their little schemes. They were saying thank you, but who knew what they were cursing him in their hearts. Anyway, this was as much as he could do. As long as they didn’t cause trouble openly, he didn’t mind pretending.

“Are you planning to stay here?”

“Not me,” his aunt replied. “I’ll go back once Zhang Hao is settled.”

Zhou Yanchuan looked up and said to Zhang Hao, “You can apply for a company dormitory, but it’s shared.”

“The company has dormitories?” Zhang Hao showed little reaction, but his aunt’s eyes lit up. “Is it free?”

“Yes, it’s part of the company’s benefits, and it’s very close, within the park.”

“That’s great,” she answered for Zhang Hao, “Yanchuan, we’ll need you to arrange that.”

The company indeed had such benefits. Zhou Yanchuan mainly felt that Zhang Hao’s current area was too chaotic, with nightclubs and gay bars along the street, a mix of characters. This kid didn’t seem like a trouble-free type, and at under twenty years old, he might be easily influenced by his environment. So Zhou Yanchuan nodded, “Alright.”

The meal was exhausting.

Right next to the Baihe Hotel was the gay bar “Charm.” This was the liveliest time of day as the neon lights came on.

The bar was filled with men, hugging, leaning on each other, touching, even kissing… displaying all kinds of intimate poses. There were hardly any singles, and those who were, were dancing in the middle.

…

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Tao Jin took the glass from the stranger but didn’t drink immediately. He almost never drank, and the sharp smell of the liquor told him it was strong.

“Isn’t the point of coming here to let loose?” the man said again.

Tao Jin’s fingers scraped the rim of the glass, and he took a deep breath before bringing it closer to his lips. Before he could take a sip, another hand suddenly snatched the glass away.

Lu Yunchu sat down next to him, not looking at Tao Jin but staring sharply at the man who had approached. “Do you know he’s not even an adult yet?”

“You know each other?”

“None of your business.”

Under the spinning lights, Lu Yunchu’s face became clear. The man, initially annoyed by the interruption, became interested when he saw Lu Yunchu’s looks. “You’re an adult, right? How about I buy you a drink?”

Lu Yunchu pushed the glass back to him expressionlessly. “You drink first, then I’ll drink.”

“That ruins the fun, doesn’t it? Aren’t we here to have a good time?” The man leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and waved his fingers at them, focusing on Lu Yunchu. “Are you two together? You don’t seem like a pure top. I wouldn’t mind a threesome…”

“Get lost.”

Tao Jin trembled slightly and tugged at Lu Yunchu’s sleeve. “Teacher Lu—”

“Hmph,” the man sneered. “A teacher? No wonder.”

“Are you leaving or not?”

Picking up someone at a gay bar was easy. If one target failed, there were plenty more. Although displeased, the man wasn’t stubborn. He stood up with his drink, muttering as he left, “Crazy, coming here and acting all noble…”

After the stranger left, only the two of them remained in the small booth. Tao Jin’s palms were sweaty, and he didn’t dare look Lu Yunchu in the eye, clutching his collar tighter and tighter.

“Did I meddle too much?” Lu Yunchu asked.