Going to Sheng Wanzhong’s house, Heng Shi drove himself, and Zou Beiqi set the destination in the navigation beforehand. Ever since transmigrating into the book, Zou Beiqi deeply felt that he was releasing car exhaust to pollute the environment in Liwan City every single day.
As soon as Zou Beiqi got out of the car in the parking space, he saw Sheng Wanzhong from afar, holding a digital camera at his own doorway and taking pictures of a golden retriever from various angles. He fiddled with the camera hanging around his neck and subconsciously walked toward the golden retriever, even forgetting that Heng Shi was following right beside him.
“Beiqi!” Sheng Wanzhong temporarily put down his camera to greet the newcomer. “Mr. Heng, hello to you too.”
“Mn,” Heng Shi replied indifferently, his gaze casually sweeping between Zou Beiqi and Sheng Wanzhong as if trying to figure out some clues from it. But obviously, he didn’t find anything, because whoever it was, both were staring fixedly at the puppy lying on the ground, holding their cameras and eager to try.
Zou Beiqi had just snapped a few pictures when the previously lazy golden retriever suddenly stood up, wagged its tail, and walked toward Heng Shi. At first glance, Heng Shi looked like someone who rarely interacted with animals; he appeared somewhat flustered facing the puppy circling around him, just standing there stiffly.
“It’s fine, it’s very well-behaved. It’s not fierce, doesn’t bite, and you can even pet it,” Sheng Wanzhong laughed upon seeing this.
This was Zou Beiqi’s first time seeing Heng Shi looking so flustered, and he couldn’t help laughing. “Heng Shi, why don’t you pet it?”
Heng Shi paused, as if pondering. After a good while, he squatted down and gently stroked the golden retriever’s head, smoothing down the animal’s soft fur. Seizing the opportunity, Zou Beiqi found the right angle, pressed the shutter to record the scene, and then leaned close to Heng Shi. “You and animals go well together.”
“I match well with dogs?”
Why did that sound a bit weird?
Zou Beiqi handed the camera over for Heng Shi to look at the photos. “Mn, it has a great atmosphere.”
“Do you like it?”
“I quite like this one.”
“Me, or the dog?”
Zou Beiqi was momentarily stunned. He wondered how Heng Shi could ask such a subtle question, but realizing they were outside, he figured Heng Shi had picked up his professional duty of acting affectionate. “You.”
Actually, he wanted to say, of course the dog.
Sheng Wanzhong was hit squarely in the face with fake dog food. “I really can’t stand you two.”
Though he said words of disdain, his hands couldn’t help capturing shots with his camera. People in photography clubs probably all had this quirk: whenever they saw a suitable scene, they wanted to capture it.
Holding the digital camera, Sheng Wanzhong showed the previous photos to both of them.
Heng Shi and Zou Beiqi squatted down, the two of them extremely close together. One of Heng Shi’s hands was still resting on the golden retriever, while his eyes were looking at the photos in the camera together with Zou Beiqi.
“Not bad, right? I’ll export the photos and send them to you later.”
“Mn, thank you, they look great.” As soon as Zou Beiqi finished speaking, a hand gently wrapped around his waist, and upon looking, he realized Heng Shi was pulling him toward his own direction.
He admitted he had stood a bit close to Sheng Wanzhong just now, but there was no need to be this sensitive; it was far from reaching the level of cuckoldry.
Zou Beiqi interacted with the golden retriever all afternoon, while Heng Shi seemed to have little interest in the animal, simply sitting to the side and watching him play with the puppy. Sheng Wanzhong also frequently joined in, and as he passed by Zou Beiqi, he couldn’t help speaking up: “Beiqi, why do I always feel like your husband’s gaze looks like he wants to kill me?”
Hearing the other person say that, Zou Beiqi subconsciously cast his gaze toward Heng Shi, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. “Really?”
Sheng Wanzhong paused. “Fine, hopefully not.”
“Send me the photos once you get the group pictures.” While stopping at a red light, Heng Shi suddenly spoke up.
Sitting in the back seat, Zou Beiqi gave an affirmative response, and before long, he received the photos sent by Sheng Wanzhong. In addition to the group photos, there were also many solo shots captured by the other person, and the chosen angles obviously had a lot of thought put into them.
Sheng Wanzhong had taken quite a few. The car drove toward the hospital, and even until he was sitting in his father’s hospital ward, he hadn’t finished reviewing all the photos yet.
His father’s spirit had improved a lot recently, and he already had the strength to hold his lunch box and eat by himself. Sitting by the bedside, his mother smiled and greeted them as she saw Zou Beiqi and Heng Shi arriving together. “What is Beiqi looking at? So engrossed.”
“Mom, it’s photos.” Zou Beiqi opened the group photo of him and Heng Shi and handed his phone to his mother.
“Photos of Beiqi and Xiao Shi? Let me see.” His mother studied the photo for a moment. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen what your wedding photos look like yet.”
Zou Beiqi awkwardly scratched his head. Even wedding rings had to be asked about by others before they were prepared; how could Heng Shi have thought to take wedding photos?
“Mom, I’ll bring them over in a bit. The pregnancy was very sudden, and things were quite rushed when we got married, so the photos were taken late and aren’t developed yet.”
“Oh, alright.”
The family sat together chatting about ordinary topics. When leaving the ward, Heng Shi and Zou Beiqi talked about the new medicine, indicating that the experimental data was optimistic and that they hoped to use this to engage in deeper cooperation with other R&D institutions, striving for an early approval and market launch.
“Thank you. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.” Zou Beiqi abruptly shifted the topic. “About the wedding photos, you…”
“Find some time to go take them. You should have free time?”
“Should be around then.”
“What do you mean by ‘should’?” Heng Shi let out a cold hum. “Right, almost forgot, you probably have to go see your future new partner, my Beiqi?”
The words “my” were emphasized in his tone.
“I haven’t got my eye on anyone.”
“Best if you haven’t.” Heng Shi dropped those two words indifferently, not knowing whether he believed it or not.
Heng Shi sent Zou Beiqi the location of the photo studio, saying he had time available over the weekend. Zou Beiqi had no objections, and that very day he was driven in a sedan and dropped off at the entrance of the photo studio. Presuming they had been notified in advance, the staff quickly led them to the shooting area.
The photos were shot on location outdoors. Zou Beiqi went to the fitting room to put on the same white suit as Heng Shi, and was instructed by the photographer to pose in various intimate postures. A certain subtle feeling welled up in his heart again; he suppressed his mental discomfort and let Heng Shi wrap his arm around his waist from behind, with his chin resting lightly on his shoulder, warm breath puffing against the side of his neck.
That difficult-to-adapt feeling was instantly magnified at this moment. When the photographer pressed the shutter, he couldn’t help gently pushing Heng Shi back away from him. “My neck is ticklish.”
“Uncomfortable? Let me see.”
“No, you’re too close to me.”
Heng Shi sneered. “Can’t even handle acting?”
“It’s not that I can’t handle it. I just don’t know how to describe that feeling.”
“Is that so?” Heng Shi’s gaze swept across the side of his head. “Has it got something to do with your ears being red?”
“Huh?” Zou Beiqi raised a hand to touch his own ears, and sure enough, they were somewhat burning, but the outdoor temperature was very high, and wearing a suit jacket made it practically impossible not to sweat. “Maybe it’s just too hot outside.”
“Bear with it.”
The photographer began shooting the next pose. Heng Shi looked into Zou Beiqi’s eyes, and immediately afterward made a posture as if he were about to kiss the other person, though they didn’t actually touch.
The sound of the shutter flashed quickly, and Heng Shi consciously stepped back a few steps. “Your face is red now too.”
“Is that so?” Zou Beiqi pretended not to care and gave a touch with his hand; it was hot.
“Change clothes and go back. It’s hot here.”
“Mn.” Why did he say such a serious line, yet his face wore an expression as if he were about to mock him? Zou Beiqi practically suspected the other person’s next line would be a sarcastic, “Is that all the capacity you’ve got?”
Zou Beiqi returned indoors to change out of the suit and put back on his loose T-shirt. In reality, Zou Beiqi wasn’t the kind of high school student experiencing first love; he knew his reaction just now was entirely influenced by Heng Shi.
Whether he was willing to admit it or not, there were two facts laid out before him: first, he had feelings for men; and second, Heng Shi was someone who could influence his feelings, or rather, a certain type.
Just like how in the past his heart would skip a beat when he saw a type of girl he liked, yet it didn’t mean he liked or loved them.
Well, he admitted it: the homosexual atmosphere in this book world had indeed infected him.
Zou Beiqi thought he would break down or feel lost, but he was unexpectedly very calm, especially when touching his lower belly, which made him even calmer than being dead.
The child was already conceived, so the matter of being gay didn’t seem to carry much shock value anymore.
“What are you thinking about?” Heng Shi could tell he was absent-minded from the rearview mirror.
“Nothing.” Zou Beiqi paused. “Just figured some things out.”
“The weather is indeed very hot?” Heng Shi smiled.
Zou Beiqi: “…” He sometimes really hated how well Heng Shi’s brain worked.
He made up an excuse for himself: “I mean, you still shouldn’t get too close to me.”
“Maintain the previous agreement?” Heng Shi added, “Keep a distance.”
“Concern is reasonable; I mean physical contact. Acting too.”
“Understood. In front of outsiders, I’ll control it well and reduce unnecessary contact.”
Zou Beiqi offhandedly gave an “Mn” and reassuringly leaned against the back seat of the car to rest. The photo studio was quite a distance from home, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep, only being woken up when Heng Shi gently pushed his shoulder as they arrived at their doorstep. “We’re here.”
“Oh.” Zou Beiqi was probably not fully awake; the moment his feet hit the ground, he inevitably staggered slightly, and Heng Shi reached out with quick eyes and hands to steady him. “How is your body?”
“I’m fine, just a bit sleepy.” Zou Beiqi hurriedly pulled his hand away from Heng Shi’s side. The latter paused for a moment before following behind Zou Beiqi, making sure the other person’s steps were steady before heading upstairs on his own. “I’ll be working in the study, find me anytime if something comes up.”
Zou Beiqi gave an affirmative response and casually sat down in front of the living room sofa, only to notice that a photo frame had been added next to the cabinet, embedded with the group photo Sheng Wanzhong had taken of them earlier.
There was some distance between the first floor and the study, so Zou Beiqi simply sent a WeChat message: [Did you get the group photo developed?]
Heng Shi: [Mn.]
[There should be one. In case someone visits and discovers that the newlywed couple doesn’t even have a single photo at home.]
Zou Beiqi: [Oh.]
[Then what about the wedding photos?]
Heng Shi: [Hang them in the bedroom.]
Zou Beiqi: […]
[Don’t you find it cringey looking at them?]
Heng Shi: [Mainly to hang them in your bedroom.]
[So, you can open your eyes every day and clearly recognize who your husband is, and stop interacting with other people.]
Zou Beiqi: [?]
Very well, out of the few words he had explained, Heng Shi didn’t believe a single punctuation mark.