In his third year in Wenzhou, Shao Mingyin experienced a rare break from spending the New Year alone. Without any relatives to visit in this city, he spent the entire short holiday with the boy from Lanzhou.

To be precise, they were entangled with each other every night.

Shao Mingyin’s holiday lasted until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, and for those six days, he didn’t leave the house. Having tasted the forbidden fruit and enjoyed its sweetness, it was impossible for the two young men to exercise restraint. Apart from eating and sleeping, they spent the first few days doing what lovers typically do. Liang Zhen, being in the prime of his youth, was particularly vigorous. By the third day, Shao Mingyin had been worn out; he was so delirious that he even called Liang Zhen “daddy” without realizing it. Liang Zhen, however, seemed to have endless stamina.

From the fourth day onwards, Shao Mingyin transitioned from not wanting to go out due to indulgence to being too exhausted to go out — he found it difficult even to lift his legs out of bed, let alone leave the house.

As a result, Liang Zhen took on Shao Mingyin’s usual roles: cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning. He did it all efficiently, though his mind wasn’t really on these tasks. As soon as he tossed aside the cleaning cloth and washed his hands, he would return to bed where something more appealing awaited him.

Shao Mingyin still hadn’t recovered. His body felt sluggish, and when Liang Zhen’s hands caressed him, his attempts to push them away felt more like gentle scratching than a serious attempt to stop him. It seemed more like he was inviting further advances.

Fortunately, Liang Zhen understood the limits. He just caressed, and when he squeezed Shao Mingyin’s warm thigh, he suddenly remarked, “Your legs were really shaking earlier.”

Shao Mingyin felt a headache coming on. He knew Liang Zhen was referring to the previous night. That particular position, who knows where Liang Zhen had learned it, allowed him to penetrate deeply, but apart from his toes, Shao Mingyin had no other points of leverage. The position was enjoyable, but after half an hour, his legs began to cramp and the trembling was beyond his control, a reflex of his muscles. This helpless reaction deeply satisfied Liang Zhen’s ego inherent in any man. Feeling embarrassed, Shao Mingyin refused to admit it afterward, but Liang Zhen had been nagging him since last night, just wanting to hear him admit it.

“What have you been eating to grow so much? It feels like you’ve grown taller again,” Shao Mingyin attempted to change the subject, his voice hoarse from earlier exertion. “Does beef and mutton really make you taller?”

“Not just taller,” Liang Zhen hugged him, rubbing against him, “It makes everything grow.”

“How long are you down there?” Shao Mingyin asked.

Without hesitation, Liang Zhen replied, “I think it’s around twenty, twenty-one centimeters.”

Shao Mingyin burst out laughing, “Kid, do you even know what twenty-one centimeters is? That would be lethal.”

“Well, isn’t it? it’s deadly,” Liang Zhen kissed him, “Deadly satisfying for you.”

…

Happy times always seem short-lived, and just like that, their cozy New Year holiday came to an end. As much as Liang Zhen hated to part, he couldn’t keep Shao Mingyin from going back to work. He still had a few weeks before his school term started and, having nothing else to do at Shao Mingyin’s place, he started learning how to cook. Initially, his efforts were disastrous; eggs burned to a crisp, and boiled lettuce floated in a sea of oil. Despite his complaints, Shao Mingyin still ate what he made. By early March, Liang Zhen could prepare a few decent home-cooked meals.

With the new term, Liang Zhen had fewer classes and plenty of time to work on new songs. During this period, Jewish, whom Liang Zhen had met before the New Year, came to see him. Jewish had gone to Hangzhou to take Liang Zhen’s place in a competition and did quite well, although he didn’t win. They had agreed to collaborate on a song after the New Year, but Jewish had been busy with his photography work and the warmer weather delayed things. This time, Jewish not only came to discuss the new song but also to propose the idea of a small tour.

Liang Zhen learned that Jewish, besides being a rapper, also acted as a temporary manager for friends in the circle, helping to arrange and coordinate performances in Wenzhou and other cities. Jewish didn’t take a cut; he was genuinely passionate about helping Wenzhou’s rappers rise. He was the one who had secured the Underground Eight Mile Battle authorization last year, a task previously handled by K, who had since reformed. Jewish and his team’s efforts ensured that the competition took place in Wenzhou, aiming to keep the hip-hop spirit alive in the city.

Liang Zhen definitely wanted to tour, but he felt it was too soon. He had released less than ten songs officially and didn’t belong to any label. He didn’t want to rely on too many guest performers either. In no rush for money, he preferred to first release a paid digital album and then tour. Jewish agreed, suggesting that if their collaboration was ready, it could be included in the album. If the album came out by June, touring during the hot summer months of July and August would be perfect.

However, Liang Zhen was no longer supported by his father. Now, it was just him and Shao Mingyin. With a modest police officer’s salary, Shao Mingyin didn’t mind supporting Liang Zhen, but could Liang Zhen really keep living off him?

Thus, Liang Zhen considered finding a part-time job, though not one that involved handing out flyers or working at a bubble tea shop — those were time-consuming and low-paying. Nor could he busk on Nantang Street; another run-in with city enforcement would be disastrous. After some thought, he felt quite useless apart from singing. Eventually, he contacted a bar owner and decided that his path in rap should include the quintessential experience of performing in bars before making it big.

Liang Zhen was actually quite optimistic, and the interview went smoothly as well. The boss barely listened to him sing, just took one look at his face and asked him to report for duty the next day. The salary offered was higher than what Liang Zhen had imagined, and with guest song requests counted separately, he could earn 150 yuan for singing an hour each night, and it was paid daily. This amount of money was quite substantial for him at the moment, practically a windfall. It was like sending charcoal in snowy weather. Liang Zhen signed a one-month contract with the boss and went home to share the good news with Shao Mingyin. However, Shao Mingyin wasn’t as willing.

Shao Mingyin asked him, “I thought you looked down on earning this kind of money.”

“It’s not like I’m becoming a DJ at a nightclub,” Liang Zhen replied. “The environment at that bar is decent, although I can’t sing my own compositions, but I can choose what I want to sing.”

Since Liang Zhen had already signed the contract, Shao Mingyin didn’t know what else to say. But it was evident from his expression that he had reservations. Liang Zhen persisted, not willing to stop until Shao Mingyin expressed his concerns.

“I’ve seen reports about rappers becoming famous. When asked about their past experiences singing or performing, they avoid talking about it if they can. They don’t see that period as enjoyable; they feel…” Shao Mingyin looked at Liang Zhen, unable to hide his concern.

“Feel what?” Liang Zhen actually guessed it. “Are you trying to say it’s hurtful to pride, embarrassing? That rappers compromise for money by performing?”

“Liang Zhen,” Shao Mingyin explained, “we’re not short of money. You don’t have to put yourself through this.”

“Wow, you’re really nice,” Liang Zhen laughed. Men in love really couldn’t focus, he thought. He was touched that Shao Míngyin would even read reports about rapper celebrities just because of him. Now, his mind was filled with rainbow bubbles because of the “we” he mentioned.

“Shao Mingyin, you’ll spoil me like this,” Liang Zhen hugged him. “Don’t worry, I’m not forcing myself. With you here, I won’t feel forced to do anything.”

Liang Zhen really wasn’t feeling forced. He had been living a good life for too long. Singing at the bar was more of a novelty to him, and it was only for a month. His studies weren’t too heavy, and it was a good choice to earn some extra money before the Jewish holiday break. He even joked with Shao Mingyin that the money he earned that month could cover the rent and maybe even contribute to future music video expenses. Seeing Liang Zhen’s good mood, Shao Mingyin temporarily put aside his worries. He still had many night shifts. Since Liang Zhen started his part-time job, Shao Mingyin only went to the bar on the first day out of concern and didn’t go again afterwards.

As Liang Zhen’s novelty wore off, he started singing from 10 to 11 PM, the busiest time at the bar. Most people came to drink, and not many cared about the singer on stage. Liang Zhen would sing safe songs. His voice was good; when he sang “Hometown,” he sounded unrestrained, and when he sang “Those Flowers,” he was tender. Even though most people just wanted to drink, upon hearing his voice, they would look up, see the handsome young man on stage, and wouldn’t hesitate to applaud after each song. This was when Song Zhou would timely raise a hundred yuan note and pretend to be a fan shouting,

“Hey handsome! I want to hear you sing XYZ!!!”

If it was your first time at Liang Zhen’s bar residency, you’d already have this passionate song-requester, Song Zhou, in front of you, and you might also be moved.

But if you had been to the bar more than once, you would have heard Song Zhou’s passionate song requests more than once. Without knowing they were friends, you might easily mistake Song Zhou, who seemed to have plenty of money, as someone paid by the bar.

However, Song Zhou wasn’t there for Liang Zhen. On Liang Zhen’s first day at the bar, during the last ten minutes, Song Zhou suddenly sat near the stage, nearly making Liang Zhen forget his lyrics. After finishing, Liang Zhen sat at Song Zhou’s table, about to ask why he came alone, but Song Zhou gestured to wait and enjoy the music first.

“Leave me alone,” Song Zhou stared at the stage, “I want to immerse myself in the music first.”

Liang Zhen: ???