What Are Your Tastes? chapter 45

Does Gender Matter?

After relaxing, a delayed fatigue swept over him. On the way back, Lu Yunchu took a nap.

When he woke up, he was momentarily confused. The passenger seat didn’t feel like a bed, his legs couldn’t stretch out, and his feet felt slightly numb.

Realizing where he was, he quickly turned his head. Zhou Yanchuan was leaning his head to look at him, seemingly ready to keep watch if he hadn’t woken up on his own.

“Did I sleep for a long time?”

“No,” Zhou Yanchuan averted his gaze unnaturally, “We just arrived.”

A small light in the car illuminated Zhou Yanchuan’s side face slightly darker.

Although Lu Yunchu was suspicious, he still felt sleepy, not bothering to dwell on it.

“Let’s go up.”

It was getting late. They were no longer children, long past the enthusiasm for staying up all night, and Lu Yunchu looked half-awake. After going upstairs, Zhou Yanchuan only reminded him to rest well, saying nothing more.

“Okay, good night.”

Zhou Yanchuan himself, however, didn’t fall asleep so easily.

Actually, he had told a little lie earlier. His car had been parked in the garage for almost ten minutes before Lu Yunchu woke up.

He watched the other person sleep in the car.

The night was off for both of them. Lu Yunchu had an unpleasant argument with his mother, but what about him?

Was it because of an unexpected hug? He touched his chest, feeling a bit warm.

There’s nothing wrong with men hugging. After winning a basketball game in middle school, several boys even made a human pyramid. Zhou Yanchuan, as straight as a steel rod, would never be so delicate about such trivial things.

But he clearly felt his heartbeat was faster than Lu Yunchu’s during the hug. His emotions were stirred.

With the series of events starting from Wu Lan’s arrival, it was hard not to be affected.

Lu Yunchu was sad, and Zhou Yanchuan was heartbroken. Yes, he was heartbroken for him. After all, he didn’t know before that Lu’s parents might hit him or that he was almost driven out of his home.

But the emotions he labeled as “heartache” disturbed him, and he couldn’t sleep well that night. It felt like as soon as he closed his eyes, he could feel Lu Yunchu’s warmth and heartbeat when he hugged him.

Should he really care about a hug with a friend this much?

On the morning of the third day, Zhou Yanchuan visited Mo Ziyang’s house to see An Wan.

Mo Ziyang had gone to his wife’s hometown with his wife and kid the day before and would stay there for four or five days. The nanny wouldn’t return until the next day, so An Wan was home alone.

Zhou Yanchuan helped her prepare lunch, and they had a simple meal together.

“Auntie, haven’t you gone out for a walk these past two days?”

“I have, Ziyang always arranges activities for me,” An Wan said with a light laugh. “I’m too lazy to fuss now. Walking around the yard is fine. The neighborhood Ziyang chose is nice, like a big park. I’m even thinking of selling my house and moving here.”

“That’s good, living together as a family to look after each other.” An Wan’s health wasn’t great, so she should live with her children.

“Yeah, Ziyang also wants you to get a house here.”

“Yes, he mentioned it,” Zhou Yanchuan touched his nose. “But I’ve gotten used to living in Blue Bay. Besides, living alone in a big place feels strange and inconvenient with all the stairs.”

All the houses in Mo Ziyang’s community were duplexes, the smallest being nearly 300 square meters. Zhou Yanchuan felt there was no need for one person to have such a big house, and it wasn’t convenient either.

Recently, he had no plans to change houses, especially with Lu Yunchu living next door, which meant they could often have meals or go out together.

Why did he think of him again?

Zhou Yanchuan was lost in thought for a moment. An Wan continued from where he left off, “You young people have your own ideas. Living comfortably is what matters most. Take Yuan Yuan, for example—”

An Wan suddenly paused, realizing she had said something she shouldn’t.

“Dr. An… What about her?”

“Anyway, you’ll find out sooner or later,” An Wan stared at her hands. “Yuan Yuan said she wants to live with a girl.”

Zhou Yanchuan’s hand shook slightly. If he guessed correctly, An Yuan was probably referring to Lu Yunchu’s friend, the girl named Ning. He had seen her at the hospital when he was hospitalized, and she had brought him fruit with An Yuan.

“She said it herself?”

“Yes, she told her parents,” An Wan continued. “My sister-in-law is a bit upset, but after Yuan Yuan’s previous unhappy marriage, they didn’t dare pressure her too much. They only talked to me about it.”

“What about you?” Zhou Yanchuan asked. “What do you think about it?”

“Me…” An Wan’s frown relaxed. “I think it’s not a bad idea.”

“Really?”

Lu Yunchu and his friend were probably inherently homosexual, destined to live with the same sex. But An Yuan wasn’t. She had been married and had had multiple relationships before, clearly not like them.

Could sexual orientation change so easily? Zhou Yanchuan was skeptical. What surprised him more was An Wan’s indifferent attitude toward it.

“She didn’t find the right man. I even told Ziyang, if only she had been with you—”

“A-Auntie,” Zhou Yanchuan was embarrassed by An Wan’s imagination. “Let’s not talk about me. We’re not really suitable either.”

“Yes, yes, you young people value free love. You need a spark, not just an arrangement by elders,” An Wan teased. “I just wanted to say, Yuan Yuan was once bitten, twice shy. She doesn’t want to get married again.

“She and that girl… probably get along well. Being companions, marriage, and family aren’t that complicated. Two people supporting each other is what’s important! Being together, having things to talk about, not just staring at each other. Then having someone to go with you, that’s it. Whether it’s a man or a woman, it’s the same thing.”

“So actually—” Zhou Yanchuan didn’t know how to describe his confusion and thought for a long time. “Even if she never liked girls before, she can still live with one?”

“Exactly, her mom can’t understand that,” An Wan didn’t mind. “Getting along takes adjustment. But if she wasn’t confident, she wouldn’t have told us.”

Zhou Yanchuan didn’t touch his food for a while, and An Wan urged him, “Eat, it’s getting cold!”

“Oh, okay.”

“Why are you so surprised?” An Wan joked. “I thought you young people were more open-minded than me.”

“No, I don’t think it’s bad,” Zhou Yanchuan was afraid she’d misunderstand. “I just didn’t expect it. An Yuan must have her reasons, nothing to interfere with.” He looked down and ate his rice.

Zhou Yanchuan’s understanding of love was simple too. He agreed with An Wan’s last words, finding someone to get along with and live peacefully. Having someone to go places with was also nice.

So maybe—gender isn’t that important?

No way, Zhou Yanchuan almost choked on his soup. An Yuan is An Yuan. How could he even think like that, or even feel a bit envious?

He definitely didn’t feel anything for men.