[In Yu Han's bedroom - Morning]
The morning light struggled to pierce through the heavy curtains, but it couldn't hide the dark circles under Yu Han's eyes when he finally stirred awake.
He pushed himself out of bed, feeling a general sluggishness, and padded out towards the living room.
Yang Zi and Jiang Shao were already there, both cradling mugs of steaming coffee. Jiang Shao, ever the early bird when it came to socializing, looked up and smirked.
"Well, look who decided to join the land of the living," Jiang Shao said, taking a sip.
Yang Zi nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "So you finally woke up, Sleeping Beauty. Get ready quickly, we're going shopping."
Yu Han blinked, still half-asleep. "Shopping? Why?"
Jiang Shao rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh.
"What's wrong with you, Yu Han? Did you hit your head last night? Don't you remember? Tomorrow is Chinese New Year Eve! How can you forget about it?" His tone was annoyingly playful.
"Oh, yes..." Yu Han rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. I was just... really busy with work."
Yang Zi set his mug down. "Right, well, work can wait for a bit. Go quickly and eat your breakfast. We don't have all day."
Yu Han turned towards the bathroom, then stopped abruptly. "Hey, Yang Zi," he called out over his shoulder. "When will Uncle and Aunt be coming?"
"They'll be here by evening," Yang Zi replied.
Jiang Shao's eyes lit up, his fork already imagining future feasts.
"Finally! Tonight I'll get my favourite dish to eat! Your mother really cooks Kung Pao Chicken so well, Yang Zi. My stomach is already rumbling just thinking about it!" He looked at Yang Zi, a hopeful glint in his eye.
Yang Zi chuckled, a hint of mischief in his gaze. "Don't you have to be at your own home for Chinese New Year, Jiang Shao?"
Jiang Shao gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Yeah, I will, eventually! But don't you want to invite me to your house for a proper reunion dinner first? You're so cruel, Yang Zi! My heart is broken!"
Yang Zi just shrugged, a small smirk on her face. "Yes, I'm so cruel."
After a while, Yu Han emerged from his room. The dark circles were still there, but he was now fully dressed, meticulously put together.
The messy hair was styled, the crumpled sleepwear replaced by smart-casual clothes that accentuated his frame. He looked, as always, undeniably handsome.
Jiang Shao stared, coffee mug halfway to his lips. "Look at him! The zombie we interacted with earlier this hour was so different. And now... he looks like he walked off a magazine cover!"
Yu Han sighed, a hint of weariness still in his voice. "I'm ready. Shall we go now?"
Then, a sudden, strange idea seemed to spark in his mind. He paused, his eyes widening slightly.
"Wait!"
Before Yang Zi or Jiang Shao could ask, Yu Han immediately walked, almost paced, towards Jiang Shao.
Jiang Shao, bewildered by the sudden close proximity, stumbled back slightly.
"What?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Yu Han, without a word, grabbed Jiang Shao's hand. Jiang Shao yelped, about to protest, when Yu Han, with an unnerving calm, guided his hand and placed it firmly at his own crotch.
Jiang Shao and Yang Zi's eyes widened in unison, twin expressions of absolute shock. Jiang Shao's face went from bewildered to bright red in an instant.
"What the fuck, Yu Han?!" Jiang Shao bellowed, immediately pushing Yu Han away as if he'd touched something contaminated.
He shook his hand vigorously, a look of profound disgust on his face. "Ewww! My hands! You just... ewww!"
Yang Zi, equally flabbergasted, jumped up. "Yu Han! This is too much! What has gotten into you since you came back last night?"
Jiang Shao scrambled behind Yang Zi, peeking over her shoulder at Yu Han, who was now standing still, looking somewhat dazed.
"He's crazy, right?" Jiang Shao whispered loudly into Yang Zi's ear, though Yu Han could clearly hear him.
Meanwhile, Yu Han stood there, a peculiar emptiness in his chest.
"What?! he thought, his mind racing. I didn't feel anything... Why only Li Hao's touch sends shivers through my body? If I am gay, then I should feel something, but it was nothing."
He shook his head, pushing the confusing thoughts away. "I'm sorry, guys," he mumbled, his voice a little strained. "Let's go."
After that bizarre event, Jiang Shao stayed firmly hidden behind Yang Zi, maintaining a significant and visible distance from Yu Han all the way to the apartment door.
______________
The air buzzed with an electric energy, a vibrant tapestry woven from a thousand joyous threads.
As Yu Han, Yang Zi, and Jiang Shao finally pushed through the last archway, they were swallowed whole by the heart of the marketplace, utterly transformed for Chinese New Year.
Crimson lanterns, glowing like benevolent eyes, swayed gently overhead, casting a warm, ruddy light on everything below.
Intricate paper-cut decorations adorned every stall, portraying auspicious symbols of prosperity and good fortune. The scent of roasted chestnuts mingled with sweet glutinous rice cakes, the tangy aroma of oranges, and the subtle perfume of incense sticks burning at small, makeshift altars.
Lively folk music, punctuated by the rhythmic clang of gongs and the pop of distant firecrackers, filled the air, a constant, cheerful hum.
Families, dressed in their brightest new clothes, laughed and jostled good-naturedly, children clutching red envelopes tightly, their faces smeared with sugar from candied hawthorn skewers.
Red couplets, bearing poetic wishes for the year ahead, hung from every doorway, their calligraphy bold and elegant.
The trio strolled along, carried by the cheerful current of the crowd, their own spirits buoyed by the infectious festivity.
They stopped at a stall brimming with traditional new year snacks, buying a bag of crunchy tanghulu and some fragrant nian gao.
Further on, Jiang Shao insisted on picking out a small, intricately painted dragon decoration, while Yu Han chose a few more red envelopes, though he already had plenty.
"This is amazing, isn't it?" Jiang Shao exclaimed, his eyes wide as he gazed at a lion dance procession winding its way through a narrow alley. "It feels like the whole city is celebrating!"
Yu Han nodded, a serene smile on his face. "Indeed. There's nothing quite like the energy of New Year's."
Yang Zi, however, was a little quieter, his gaze drifting from face to happy face. He found himself drawn to a smaller, less boisterous corner of the market, where a bookstore displayed its wares with large, inviting signs – "New Year's Discounts!" and "Festive Reads!" Curiosity piqued, the trio veered towards it.
As a self-proclaimed bibliophile, Yang Zi immediately gravitated towards the shelves, his fingers tracing the spines of various volumes.
He loved the quiet intimacy of books, a stark contrast to the boisterous market outside. His eyes scanned rows of fiction, poetry, and history, before landing on a display of magazines.
And there, on the front cover of a prominent economic magazine, a familiar, strikingly composed face stared back at him.
It was Shi Wang.
Yang Zi froze, the bustling market and the cheerful chatter fading into a distant hum.
Shi Wang's image, sharp and unyielding in a tailored suit, dominated the page. The headline below him spoke of groundbreaking achievements and unparalleled success in his industry. Yang Zi stood there, motionless, the vibrant New Year's joy suddenly hollow around him.
His mind, unbidden, replayed their last unexpected encounter.
Shi Wang's words, spoken with a quiet resignation, echoed in his ears: "Chinese New Year? I suppose I'll be celebrating it by signing another pile of documents, maybe reviewing some quarterly reports. Plenty of work to be done."
A deep ache settled in Yang Zi's chest. Even amidst this wave of communal warmth and celebration, "how could someone be so alone? Why did he seem to have no one standing beside him, no family, no friends to share this time with? How could he possibly manage everything, bear all that responsibility, truly alone?" The thought was a bitter pill, a sharp contrast to the buoyant festivities surrounding him.
He stared at Shi Wang's composed, almost severe face on the magazine, and a profound sadness, tinged with something akin to admiration and concern, weighed heavily on him. He felt an inexplicable longing, a wish that Shi Wang wasn't quite so... solitary.
"Woah, hold on a second! I know him!" Jiang Shao's enthusiastic voice sliced through Yang Zi's reverie, making him jump. Jiang Shao's finger pointed directly at the magazine clutched in Yang Zi's hand.
Yu Han, slightly less animated but equally curious, gently took the magazine from Yang Zi's unresisting grip. He looked closely at the cover.
"Indeed, that's Shi Wang." His expression was calm, as if seeing Shi Wang on the cover of a major publication was simply an expected, unremarkable event.
Jiang Shao whistled softly. "I had no idea he was such a prominent figure. I mean, I knew he was successful, but this level... wow!"
Yu Han nodded, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. "Yes, he is. A force to be reckoned with, certainly. Though I haven't seen him in quite a while."
He then glanced at Yang Zi, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Do you happen to know where he is these days, Yang Zi? You two were rather close back then, weren't you?"
Yang Zi flinched, his brow furrowing instantly, the lingering ache in his heart now twisting into something sharper.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" he snapped, his voice a little too loud, drawing a brief glance from a nearby browsing customer.
"How would I possibly know where he is? Can't you see this? He's successful, busy, practically untouchable! And 'close'? Don't be ridiculous. We were never 'close.' Just... shut up, okay?" He felt a prickly heat rise to his face, a mix of embarrassment and something raw he couldn't quite name.
How could Yu Han even suggest such a thing, after all this time, after Shi Wang ghosted them for two years?
Yu Han blinked, taken aback by Yang Zi's sudden, sharp outburst. "Whoa, Yang Zi, what's with the sudden temper? Let's not ruin the festive mood with arguments."
He carefully handed the magazine back to Yang Zi. "Come on, I'm starving. All this walking and talking has made me incredibly hungry. Let's find somewhere to eat."