Chapter 11 - Hooked on Teasing 

During dinner they didn't bring up the topic again, but He Bing still couldn't hold back. Out of nowhere he asked, "Do you go to those kinds of places often?"

Liao Yucheng looked up at him. "What?"

"You know, places like last night. Bars where a lot of... people like you gather."

Liao Yucheng said, "I rarely go. That friend I was with last night is also gay—he was the one who suggested checking out a gay bar."

He Bing remembered that guy from last night who'd not only touched Liao Yucheng inappropriately, but also planned to take him home. A chill ran through him and he couldn't help saying, "You should stop going to places like that. They seem pretty sketchy."

"Sketchy?" Liao Yucheng clearly didn't get what he meant.

"If I hadn't gotten there when I did last night, someone might've taken you away. I saw this guy feeling you up," He Bing's face heated just talking about it, "and he even said... he said he was going to sleep with you!"

"What?" Liao Yucheng acted shocked. "My friend didn't mention that."

"Your friend wasn't even there! What kind of friend leaves you alone when you're that drunk? The other guy was even worse—acting like such a pervert right there in public. It was completely out of line!"

He Bing sounded completely outraged, like some sort of righteous crusader. Liao Yucheng had to fight not to laugh. He said seriously, "I'll be more careful from now on. It won't happen again."

"Good. Just watch out yourself and don't let creeps like that take advantage of you." He Bing kept worrying. "And when you're looking for someone in the future, you need to be careful. Make sure you find someone decent."

Liao Yucheng smiled. "How decent? Like you?"

He Bing suddenly remembered—last night when he was arguing with that guy, in the heat of the moment he'd said Liao Yucheng was his. Even though it was something he just blurted out in the moment, Liao Yucheng's words now made He Bing feel embarrassed. He said, "I'm pretty decent. At least way more decent than that guy last night."

Liao Yucheng teased, "So I should use you as my standard for finding a partner?"

He Bing's face burned even hotter, though some part of him felt oddly flattered. He didn't dare meet Liao Yucheng's eyes, just stared down at his food. "If... if you think that's good. Someone like me probably isn't even good enough for you anyway."

Then he thought about the guy Liao Yucheng had a crush on and felt inexplicably irritated. "Though I don't think I'm any worse than the person you like."

Liao Yucheng smiled. "That's true."

He Bing glanced up at him, asking carefully, "By the way, what'd you drink so much last night?"

Liao Yucheng's expression immediately dimmed. "It's nothing. Just feeling a bit stressed from work. I wanted to go out with a friend and relax with some drinks, but the alcohol was too strong and I accidentally got wasted."

Even someone as dense as He Bing could tell Liao Yucheng wasn't being truthful. Although he wouldn't share the real reason, He Bing could guess it probably had to do with that person. Since Liao Yucheng didn't want to talk about it, He Bing could only let out a small "oh." Seeing the mood at the table was growing cold, He Bing suddenly perked up, his tone turning cheerful. "Hey, after we finish eating, want to go out for a bit?"

Liao Yucheng asked, "Where to?"

"Anywhere. You said you're stressed, right? Drinking isn't a great way to deal with that." He Bing suggested, "There's a park nearby where lots of people exercise at night. We could go—walk or jog, whatever." Then he had an even better idea. "Right! Let's go ride bicycles! Whenever I'm upset, I like to go ride at night. After riding a big loop and working up a good sweat, all my worries disappear."

Liao Yucheng smiled at him. "But we don't have bicycles."

"There are public bicycles everywhere on the street. You can get just use your transit card to check one out."

"But I don't have a transit card."

"Oh." He Bing scratched his head. "Then we'll get one bicycle and take turns riding it."

Liao Yucheng thought about it, grinning. "How about you ride and I sit on the back, then I ride and you sit on the back?"

He Bing slapped his thigh. "Perfect!"

To avoid being caught riding with a passenger, they pushed the bike to a quieter stretch of road. He Bing let Liao Yucheng ride first and climbed onto the back seat. Liao Yucheng called back, "Hold on tight, don't fall off."

"Sure." He Bing wasn't worried. "My legs are long—if anything happens I can just stick my foot down."

"Better safe than sorry." Liao Yucheng reached back for He Bing's hands and placed them on his waist. "Hold on tight."

He Bing's hands gripped Liao Yucheng's waist. Even through the fabric, he could feel the firm, toned muscle beneath. Not long ago, He Bing had kneaded this same waist without restraint, but now his touch was more careful, almost attentive. Maybe because now he was aware of Liao Yucheng being gay, normal physical contact suddenly felt loaded with something subtly different. It made him feel uncomfortable—though maybe that discomfort had started even earlier. 

Liao Yucheng put his foot on the pedal. "Here we go."

He Bing responded, "Let's go."

The night breeze still carried some lingering heat. He Bing was heavy, and before long Liao Yucheng's back was soaked with sweat. Liao Yucheng always seemed so fresh and clean—even the smell of his sweat wasn't unpleasant. Sitting close behind him, with the wind blowing from the front, He Bing's chest and lungs filled with Liao Yucheng's scent. Just as He Bing's grip unconsciously tightened, Liao Yucheng suddenly said, "Remember when we first started middle school? We rode bikes to school together every day."

He Bing remembered those days too. He shouted back through the wind, "Yeah! I hated the colour of my bike so much I had someone repaint it."

"I remember you made it blue, but I always thought it looked even uglier after."

He Bing burst out laughing on the back seat. Then somehow Liao Yucheng suddenly slammed on the brakes. He Bing, mouth still wide open, crashed hard into his back—smashing his nose, getting the dampness from Liao Yucheng's back all over his face, his arms wrapping tight around him in panic. The sudden jolt set his heart racing and left him gasping. He asked, "Wh-what happened?"

Liao Yucheng pointed at a chihuahua on the sidewalk barking at pedestrians. "I thought it was going to run into the street. It scared me."

He Bing let out a breath. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Liao Yucheng felt He Bing's arms locked tight around him and gave his arm a light pat, voice full of amusement. "It's okay. Just hold on tighter."

Still not recovered from the scare, He Bing had a sneaking suspicion that Liao Yucheng had done that on purpose to tease him. He let out an indignant huff through his nose and hugged Liao Yucheng even tighter.