The Laws of Love

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       “No,” Shen Huiming was unexpectedly showing a tsundere4 side, “I’m going to wait for you to reveal it to me little by little.”

       Suo Yang laughed out loud, “Fine, then you can wait.”

       The two walked around the park and coincidentally reached the place where they rented the boat.

       Shen Huiming said, “Do you want to row a boat?”

       Suo Yang looked at the sparkling water surface, this season, this temperature, and this time, boating couldn’t be more suitable.

       There were not many tourists in this park, it was still early, and there were only a few scattered boats on the water.

       “Okay.” Suo Yang said, “But, can I choose the pedal boat?”

       Shen Huiming was not quite concerned with the shape of the boat, but he was very curious why Suo Yang had to choose a pedal boat.

       “The others…are scary.”

       Shen Huiming didn’t expect Suo Yang to give such an answer.
Suo Yang was so cute that Shen Huiming laughed out loud immediately.

       “It turns out that you also have something to be afraid of.”

       “Of course, I’m human too.” Suo Yang said with a smile, “I’m afraid of water.”

       When he heard what Suo Yang said, Shen Huiming waved his hand, “Forget it then, let’s go do something else.”

       He didn’t want his suggestion to bring any pressure on Suo Yang.

       Suo Yang suddenly grabbed Shen Huiming’s wrist and said firmly, “No, I want to experience it, maybe because of this, I can overcome my fear of water.”

       Suo Yang learned to swim when he was in elementary school, but he choked on the water on the first day, and since then he had been afraid of water.
After that, even when the school organized everyone to go to the park on Children’s Day, he didn’t participate in the ‘swing the oar’ with the other students.

       For so many years, he always had a sense of fear for rivers and lakes.

       He didn’t like it.
He didn’t like that he had a weakness.

       In fact, he disliked exposing his weaknesses to others, but perhaps because Shen Huiming made him feel reliable, he was even willing to take risks with him around.

       Shen Huiming looked at him, suddenly grabbed Suo Yang’s hand holding his wrist, squeezed it hard, and then let go.

       “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

       With a single word, Suo Yang felt relieved.

       He was not a person who liked to rely on others, but it felt really good to have someone he could trust.

       It was even, somewhat touching.

       Shen Huiming and Suo Yang went to rent a boat, and Suo Yang smiled and pointed to the little yellow duck’s pedal boat, “Is it childish?”

       “It’s cute, that’s all.”

       After they paid the deposit and asked about the fee standard, they put on their life jackets and then followed the staff to the shore.

       Shen Huiming went up first, sat down, and waited for Suo Yang to come up.

       As Suo Yang stood there and raised his feet, the boat in front of him was shaking slightly on the water’s surface.
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and he didn’t dare to look at the water’s surface.

       As he tensed and hesitated, Shen Huiming stretched out his hand.

       “Suo Yang.” Shen Huiming looked at him and said, “It’s alright, come on.”

       Suo Yang raised his head and looked at Shen Huiming, and the moment the other party extended his hand to him, it was as if the world was silent.

       Everything was just a fleeting glimpse.
Only the hand extended towards him and the person looking at him were real.

       Suo Yang stretched out his hand and held it.

       Shen Huiming pulled him hard and rose slightly, protecting Suo Yang as he took him aboard.

       The two held hands all the time, and they didn’t let go until Suo Yang sat down.

       The boat swayed from side to side due to their movements, the swaying range was not large, but it was enough to make Suo Yang flustered.

       He held Shen Huiming’s hand tightly, and tried to look calm and collected.

       Shen Huiming turned around and briefly exchanged words with the staff, then turned to him and said, “Are you okay?”

       Suo Yang nodded.

       “Keep your feet on the pedals.” Shen Huiming was as patient and gentle as if teaching a child to learn to walk.

       Suo Yang obediently lifted his foot and put it on the pedal, and then heard Shen Huiming say, Hold my hand tightly if you’re afraid, I’ll count to three, two, one, and we’ll press the pedal hard together, and prepare to sail.”

       “Okay.” Suo Yang held Shen Huiming with one hand and grabbed the handrail beside him with the other hand.

       “Three, two, one.”

       The ‘Little Yellow Duck’ sailed and cut through the calm water, as it carried the two of them towards the centre of the lake.

       Suo Yang’s heart was beating fast.
He didn’t know if it was because of nervousness or because of the hand he was holding.

       Suo Yang could probably understand the reason why he was afraid of water—floating, helpless, not in control of his body, and even his breath could be taken away at any moment.

       He didn’t like this sense of uncertainty, and the feeling of his fate spiralling out of control made him feel panicked.

       It was already a breakthrough when he reached the shore.
He thought that he would be too nervous to speak when he got on the boat, but to his surprise, everything was much more relaxed than he had imagined.

       “I learnt to walk in this park,” Shen Huiming said while stepping on the pedals to Suo Yang’s rhythm, “I also learnt to ride a bicycle here.”

       He pointed to the road they had come from, “It’s over there, on that road.”

       Suo Yang looked in the direction of his finger, knowing that it was impossible, but it was as if he saw the child Shen Huiming walking there step by step with his parents, and the adolescent Shen Huiming speeding past with his classmates on bicycles.

       He missed Shen Huiming of that era.

       Lovely, childish, youthful and soaring.

       Suo Yang suddenly felt a little regretful, if they could have met earlier, wouldn’t they have had a chance…

       Suo Yang put away these unrealistic fantasies.

       He smiled and said, “Are you bringing me here to reminisce over the years?”

       Shen Huiming also smiled, “Oops, you found out.”

       He did.

       He brought Suo Yang to see the place where he grew up and let Suo Yang know that he really wanted the other party to come and see his world.

       Since Suo Yang had no intention of opening the door for him yet, he had no choice but to take this step first.

       “I want to show you my favourite place,” Shen Huiming said, “I have always said that there is no word ‘best’ in life, every moment is brand new, every moment is the best, every moment is the most worth cherishing and remembering.
But the truth is, people are biased.”

       Shen Huiming stepped on the pedal, and the boat swayed and took them farther and farther away from the shore.

       He said, “My favourite time should be before the age of seventeen.
I can’t say that it was a carefree time because there was always something to cause headaches, such as forgetting to wear a red scarf when I went to school or having a parents’ meeting when I didn’t do well in an exam.”

       As he listened, Suo Yang slowly relaxed and sat beside Shen Huiming with a light smile.

       The two chatted while they roamed the lake.
The little snippets that Shen Huiming narrated seemed to fill the gap between the two of them for so many years.

       Shen Huiming’s thirty years.

       Suo Yang’s twenty-seven years.

       The two non-overlapping worlds were pulled in front of Suo Yang by Shen Huiming through storytelling.

       And their hands were held together from beginning to end.

       After the lake tour was over, the two returned to the shore.

       Shen Huiming let Suo Yang go ashore first, and himself guarded behind.

       This time, although Suo Yang was still a little nervous standing on the swaying boat, he did not feel as dizzy as when he arrived, because someone was holding his hand all the time, and not only that, he was also protecting him from behind.

       When he came back to the ground from the boat, he really knew what it meant to have ‘his feet on the ground’.

       Suo Yang breathed a long sigh of relief, and Shen Huiming asked with a smile, “How is it? Do you feel alive now?”

       Suo Yang rubbed between his brows, “It’s better than I imagined.”

       “Then do you dare to board the boat when you are alone?”

       Suo Yang looked at him, thought for a while, and replied, “Maybe it won’t work.
Maybe it won’t work if someone else is around.”

       This sentence was a pleasant surprise to Shen Huiming, he suppressed his laughter, and asked Suo Yang as calmly as possible, “So, I’m the only one who can?”

       Suo Yang smiled, didn’t say anything, and turned around to go elsewhere.

       The autumn wind swept by, and a fallen leaf fell on Suo Yang’s shoulder.

       Shen Huiming quickly followed him and lifted his hand to pick up the leaf on his shoulder, holding it in his hand and playing with it.

       “I’m taking it back and making a specimen.”

       Suo Yang looked at him suspiciously.

       “It’s got your autumn on it.”

 

===

 

       It was already noon when they came out of the park, and the two were tired from walking and playing.
When they got back to the car, Shen Huiming handed Suo Yang a bottle of water.

       When Suo Yang took it and thanked him, Shen Huiming was a little exasperated, “When will you stop being so polite to me?”

       Suo Yang took a sip of the water and said as he screwed on the cap, “I’m used to it.”

       “Alright, take your time.” Shen Huiming glanced at the time.
It was still early, and it was not suitable for eating or watching movies.
He raised his hand to pick at his hair and said, “Do you mind accompanying me to get a haircut?”

       “No problem.”

       Shen Huiming’s hair should really be cut.
He was busy a while ago and went to the hospital after he finished his work, and after he came out of the hospital, he chased Suo Yang to Berlin.

       Before they set off, Shen Huiming called his hair stylist and asked him if it was convenient for him to go there.
After he received the approval, he drove Suo Yang there.

       The place where Shen Huiming cut his hair was not far from his company.
When he passed by, he still thought that maybe he could take Suo Yang to his company on the way.

       He found out that he was a villain indeed, and having lured Suo Yang to his side, he couldn’t wait to flaunt him around and let everyone see him.

       But he didn’t tell Suo Yang about this plan in advance, for fear that Suo Yang would feel embarrassed.

       The two of them parked the car and went to get the haircut first.

       When they entered, Shen Hui Ming’s hair stylist was already waiting at the door, and as soon as he saw him, he smiled, “What’s wrong with your hair? Are you going to change careers to be an actor, and play a tramp?”

       Suo Yang followed behind Shen Huiming and looked over after hearing the sound.

       The hair stylist was a young man, very white and thin, not very tall, it was already autumn, but the temperature inside was nice, he was still wearing short sleeves and had a flower arm tattooed on one arm.

       Shen Huiming responded with a smile, “Mocking me as soon as I get here.”

       After talking to the other party, he immediately turned to look back at Suo Yang, making sure that the other party was following him.

       The hairstylist noticed this man just now, and they stared at him for a long time before they came in.

       “Friend?” The hairstylist leaned against the bar to look at them.

       “Yes,” Shen Huiming smiled at Suo Yang, and said to the hair stylist, “He came with me.”

       The hairdresser tilted his head and looked at Suo Yang, then smiled softly, straightened up, turned around and walked in with light steps, “Come on, I’m waiting for you specially.”

       Shen Huiming and Suo Yang walked side by side behind the hairstylist, “No need to queue today, we should be able to finish the cut soon.”

       Suo Yang smiled, “It’s okay, there’s no rush.”

       In this barber shop, each hairstylist had their own independent workroom, which had no door and was spacious, with a workbench in front and a waiting sofa at the back.

       After the hair stylist took them there, he asked his assistant to wash Shen Huiming’s hair first, then pointed to the sofa behind and said to Suo Yang, “Handsome guy, you can sit there.”

       Suo Yang politely thanked him, then sat down by the side.

       As Shen Huiming went to wash his hair, the hairstylist glanced at Suo Yang, turned around and got him a glass of water.

       “Thank you.” Suo Yang smiled at him.

       The hairstylist leaned on the back of the chair and looked at him with a smile, “Are you dating Ming ge?”

       Suo Yang was very calm.
He held the paper cup in both hands, and looked up at the other party with a smile, “Just friends.”

       The hairstylist curled his lips and smiled, “Oh, just friends for the time being, and hard to say about it in the future.”

       Suo Yang smiled and said nothing.

       “It’s alright, you guys are well-matched.”

       Suo Yang listened to his tone of voice and could probably guess what he was thinking.

       “Handsome, what do you do for a living?”

       “What?”

       “It’s nothing, just curious.” The hairstylist said, “I see that you have an unusual temperament.
What’s the word for it…”

       The hairstylist tapped his forehead vigorously, but couldn’t remember, turned his head and shouted outside, “Andy! What is the word you use to describe your idol?”

       “Gentle as jade!” The man called Andy was nowhere to be found, but his voice overpowered the music in the shop, “Baby! Are you going to be in the pit5?”

       “Into the pit my ass.” The hairstylist muttered in a low voice, then turned to Suo Yang and said, “That’s the word, gentle as jade, looks like a cultured person.”

       Suo Yang was amused by him, but he just smiled and didn’t say much, let alone tell the other party his profession.

       The hairstylist saw that he was not willing to talk, and he didn’t know whether it was Suo Yang’s personality, or that Suo Yang still looked down on him and didn’t want to talk to him, so he felt bored, so he stopped talking.

       He turned around, looked in the mirror, and subconsciously compared himself in the mirror with the person sitting behind him.

       Suo Yang suddenly raised his eyes and just met his gaze.
The hairstylist didn’t dodge and smiled at him.

       Shen Huiming came back from washing his hair, and as soon as he came in, he looked at Suo Yang who was sitting there.

       Suo Yang smiled at him, put down the water glass, and got up to take the phone and car keys that Shen Huiming handed him.

       “It almost fell out just now when I was lying there washing my hair.” Shen Huiming said.

       “You should have let me hold it for you before you went.” With Shen Huiming’s things in his hand, Suo Yang moved to the side and watched Shen Huiming go over and sit in front of the worktable.

       Instead of going back to the sofa to sit down, he stood and watched.

       The hairstylist was neat and skilled, and he didn’t talk too much when cutting Shen Huiming’s hair, which was really good.

       Suo Yang stood there looking at Shen Huiming.
The other man’s eyes were closed and his eyelashes were covered with a little bit of hair that had been cut, making him want to go over and help him blow it out.

       The waiting time was longer than the two of them expected.
Suo Yang could tell that in the end, they were just trimming some insignificant parts.
The hairdresser seemed anxious to cut and repair them one by one.

       That hand holding the scissors was thin and white, and they were very dexterous.
He carefully styled Shen Huiming’s hair, obviously delaying time on purpose.

       Shen Huiming naturally found out, and asked, “Suo Yang, what time is it?”

       When he asked Suo Yang the time, he was actually tactfully urging the hairstylist.

       Suo Yang glanced at the phone and found that it had been cut for almost an hour.

       However, only Shen Huiming was in a hurry, while Suo Yang was really not in a hurry.
He stood there a bit lost in thought, his thoughts fell on the hairstylist.

       The hairstylist understood what Shen Huiming meant, “What’s the hurry? If you don’t get a good cut, you’re ruining my reputation.”

       Shen Huiming smiled, “Can we not be in a hurry, both of our time was very precious today.”

       The reason why he asked Suo Yang to come and cut his hair with him was that he thought that this matter was quite personal, and only those who were close to him would accompany him to have a haircut.

       However, he didn’t expect it to be so slow.

       The hairstylist pouted again, “What for? A date?”

       Shen Huiming smiled and said, “Yes, can’t you see it?”

       Suo Yang laughed softly, and when he raised his eyes, he found that the hairstylist was looking at him.

       “I can see it now.” The hairstylist stopped talking and announced after a few minutes that the cut was done.

       Although the hairstylist seemed to not really be in a good mood, the cut was pretty good.

       Shen Huiming went to the cashier to swipe his card, while Suo Yang walked slowly behind.

       “I’m envious of you,” the hairstylist said beside Suo Yang, “I told you.
He just won’t look at me.”

       Suo Yang turned to look at him.

       “I make a lot of money a month,” the hair stylist muttered, “but it’s not the same.
No matter how much I earn, I’m not at the same level as him.”

       Suo Yang listened to his words, was silent for a few seconds, and said softly, “Don’t say that, you just haven’t met the right person for you.”

       “Huh?” The hairdresser didn’t expect Suo Yang to comfort himself.

       “Thank you for your hard work today,” Suo Yang said with a smile, “He looks a lot more refreshed.”

       The hairstylist stared at Suo Yang and then smiled too.

       “It’s okay,” said the hair stylist, “Next time you come to see me, I’ll give you a 20% discount.”

       After swiping the card, Shen Huiming came to look for Suo Yang, holding a red immortal flower bear in his hand.
It was not big, it was packed in a transparent box and tied with a black ribbon6.

       He conveniently handed the little bear to Suo Yang.

       “A top-up gift.” Shen Huiming said, “It looks cute.”

       Suo Yang looked at the little bear in his hand and leaned closer to smell it through the package.

       “Can you smell the fragrance?” Shen Huiming asked with a smile.

       “It seems to be okay.” Suo Yang handed the little bear in front of him, and Shen Huiming was really cooperative, so he leaned over to sniff it.

       The hairstylist standing on the side pouted and said, “Alright, you guys should go now.
Not only do I have no one to date, but I also have to continue working, please let me live!”