‘Che, are you OK?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked.

  Yuan Gun Gun rubbed Hao Yan Che’s sweaty forehead.

  ‘Yes,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  Hao Yan Che gently kissed Yuan Gun Gun’s lips. She looked at the people staring at them and felt embarrassed. Some people smiled at her, and others looked enviously at her.

  ‘Seen enough?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘But I want to go to the toilet.’


  Hao Yan Che walked with Yuan Gun Gun to the toilet.

  ‘Che, I can go to the toilet on my own,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  ‘Um,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  Hao Yan Che waited for Yuan Gun Gun outside the toilet.

  Yuan Gun Gun went to the toilet, and washed her hands. She heard groaning and moaning from a cubicle, and ran outside.

  ‘Che, let’s go home,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  Yuan Gun Gun’s face was bright red.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. She pulled Hao Yan Che’s arm in the direction of the car. ‘Let’s go home.’


  ‘Are you lying?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  ‘No…… there are people inside the toilet……’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  ‘Doing it?’ Hao Yan Che asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  Hao Yan Che held Yuan Gun Gun’s hand, and led her to the car.

  At the Hao Mansion at eleven at night, Hao Yan Che and Yuan Gun Gun watched an animation movie on TV in bed. She ate popcorn and laughed while watching the movie. Her good mood was the opposite of Hao Yan Che’s mood.

  ‘Che, taste the popcorn,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  ‘No,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  Yuan Gun Gun didn’t mind if Hao Yan Che refused to eat the popcorn. It meant more popcorn for her.

  ‘Tomorrow you don’t need to go to work,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  ‘Are you taking me out tomorrow?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked.

  ‘No,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  ‘Oh,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  ‘I have somewhere I need to be tomorrow,’ Hao Yan Che said. ‘You’re staying at home.’


  ‘Yes…… wait,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘Where are you going? Take me with you. I’m scared of being alone.’


  ‘Qi Tu and Jia Tu will be home,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  ‘What about big brother Yi Tu?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked. ‘I haven’t seen him for a long time.’


  Yuan Gun Gun sensed Hao Yan Che was in a bad mood so she closed her mouth.

  The sounds of the TV filled the tensed silence.

  ‘Can you come home early?’ Yuan Gun Gun asked.

  ‘Alright,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  ‘I’ll stay home and wait for you,’ Yuan Gun Gun said. ‘You have to keep your word and come home early.’


  ‘I will,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  Yuan Gun Gun’s smile made Hao Yan Che want to tease her. He grabbed her box of popcorn.

  ‘Go brush your teeth,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  ‘I haven’t finish eating,’ Yuan Gun Gun said.

  Hao Yan Che held the box of popcorn above Yuan Gun Gun’s head. She didn’t want to give up, and kept reaching for the box for a long time.

  ‘Go brush your teeth,’ Hao Yan Che said.

  Yuan Gun Gun crawled out of bed, and walked to the bathroom.

  Hao Yan Che threw the half eaten box of popcorn into the bin.

  After Yuan Gun Gun returned to the bed, she regretted not eating the popcorn faster. It made her sad to waste good popcorn.

  Hao Yan Che turned off the TV and hugged Yuan Gun Gun. She was used to sleeping on his warm chest. She felt sad thinking about being separated from him in another three years. She wondered since she liked being with a sadist like Hao Yan Che if that meant she was a masochist.

  ***