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Shi Wudu’s world came crashing down some time in summer, when the sun dangled from the high heavens, clouds doing nothing to stop its rays from raining down on the citizens of earth.
Some humans graciously accepted the warm greeting, their bodies a canvas for summer to leave its print, even when sun-kissed became sunburnt. Many others, like Shi Wudu, would rather take shelter under an umbrella, on top of the three layers of SPF50 cream slapped onto their skin.
It was one of those days that called for a relaxing session by the terrace pool. The holiday villa Shi Wudu rented out was perched atop a low hill, surrounded by woods and overlooking a portion of the Aegean sea, where the cruise ships carried along tourists, eager to witness the beauty of the island that was said to be bygone Atlantis.
Pei Ming was the only one actually on water, casually lying on a floating bed and drifting on the precipice of sleep as he bathed in the heat. Under their parasols, Shi Wudu and Ling Wen likewise enjoyed the warmth by the poolside—minus the risk of melanoma. They stayed glued to their phones, soaking in the quiet of the afternoon; Ling Wen no doubt checking the latest news on Twitter, be it rancid politics or asinine celebrity gossip, and Shi Wudu scrolling through his Instagram feed.
"Qingxuan is in New Zealand right now, no?" Ling Wen piped up.
"Yup. Dragged Xie Lian along to explore the wine regions," Shi Wudu drawled. He refreshed his screen. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. His feed popped up with three new pictures from Shi Qingxuan, a habit the younger brother persisted with to maintain his triad aesthetics. Even when the pictures had yet to fully load, Shi Wudu mindlessly hit like on all of them, bugging Ling Wen to do the same, at which the woman rolled her eyes but agreed to.
"Oh? Who’s this new guy?" Ling Wen perked.
"Probably Xie Lian’s boyfriend. Qingxuan calls him scary."
"No, no, I know who Hua Cheng is. Did you or did you not look at the photos?"
"What’s the big deal?" Shi Wudu snorted. Nevertheless, curiosity nudged him in the direction of Shi Qingxuan’s profile, and he froze at the middle post of the latest triad. Wary, he tapped on it to take a better look.
In the picture, with a lovely background of a vine garden, two figures faced each other with clear adoration in their mutual gaze. That was despite their opposing countenance, one a preppy youth and the other a canvas of boredom, though the latter’s eyes carried a soft light that seemed to envelop the couple in their own little bubble. They held a menu between them which frankly, did nothing to hide the blatant string of spaghetti connecting their lips.
The two figures, to Shi Wudu’s horror, were his little brother and an unidentifiable man.
It got worse.
That single post was a collage of pictures. As he swiped left, the spaghetti string was getting shorter, the lovers’ eyelids drooping. By the last picture, their eyes, along with the distance between their mouths, had been closed. The kiss they shared was sweet, with Shi Qingxuan smiling into it. Under the post, the comments all gushed over who the new guy was.
Shi Wudu, on the other hand, just felt faint.
"You okay?" Ling Wen asked, stifling a laugh as she watched her friend go from red to green to ghastly white. She was half-amused, half-concerned. The concern, of course, was not for Shi Wudu, who snapped out of his horrified trance to flash a murderous glare at her.
"I want him gone."
"Oh, I can see it in the papers alright. Headline: Eccentric Billionaire Buys Private Jet To Stalk Little Brother."
Ling Wen rolled her eyes when she was shushed with a wave of a hand. For someone as supposedly happy-go-lucky as the infamous one-night-stander, Pei Ming sure could get carried away with other people’s love lives. There was much to be said about the thrill he got at poking his nose in other people’s business.
It had been a long time since Ling Wen felt this ridiculous. The fact that she had somehow allowed Shi Wudu to coax her into joining him on this absurd trip to the other side of the world was proof that even a monkey could fall out of its tree sometimes. Especially if said monkey had a rich best friend with an extreme brother complex, though nine out of ten times, Shi Wudu was too proud to actually show his affection and would wind up getting into yet another silly sibling fight.
The three of them were posed as Lord of the Rings fans at the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata, dawdling while listening to the tour guide lady ramble on about how Peter Jackson, the director of the franchise, had stood at this exact spot with a view of the distant barren fields with no manmade structure in sight and proclaimed, "This is where the Shire will be!"
Ling Wen had yet to watch any of the movies.
Ahead of them at the front of the tour group were two figures whose concept of personal space was far too negligible for them to be called mere friends. One scrutinised a map slash brochure of the place while the other peered over his shoulder, occasionally stealing kisses. In Ling Wen’s opinion, they made a cute pair. Of course, she kept her sentiments to herself lest Shi Wudu blew his fuse and subsequently, their covers. Just a few minutes ago, the sight of Shi Qingxuan’s boyfriend wrapping an arm around his waist had the overprotective man building up enough steam to power an engine.
Not that Ling Wen was enjoying a second of this, but she figured being caught stalking by your friend’s brother didn’t rank very high on anyone’s list.
That aside, she wouldn’t mind visiting this place again—all green pastures with traces of last night’s snow, though she personally wouldn’t choose to come to the Southern Hemisphere in June of all times. Thinking back to the bronzed beaches of Santorini made her question her life choices for the nth time that afternoon.
It wasn’t all bad. The Shire was beautiful, even through the muted filter brought about by winter. At the end of the tour, the group settled in the Green Dragon Inn, a prop-turned-pub aspect of the film set. Not trusting the men not to mess their undercover operation up, Ling Wen sat the other two down in a corner while she went up to queue, standing a bit behind Shi Qingxuan and his boyfriend.
She inched closer, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"...He Xuan, are you really gonna order the entire set?"
"Why not? It’s not like they have much on the menu."
"Haha, alright, alright—wait, no! I’m paying!"
However, before Shi Qingxuan could whip out his card, He Xuan had wound an arm around his torso, trapping him while his other hand pulled out his phone and swiftly pinged it against the card machine. When Shi Qingxuan whined in protest, He Xuan shut him up with a chaste kiss, which had even the cashier looking a bit flustered.
...Sickeningly sweet.
Ling Wen decided that bullying Shi Wudu into staying behind had been a good call.
At least that was what she thought, before she rounded a corner and spotted a tall and not-so-inconspicuous figure seething behind a pillar.
She sighed. Why had she even bothered?
Regardless, she put on her best dajie face and forced Shi Wudu back in their little corner, sitting him down and mixing together his beef and ale pie since he was too busy glaring daggers at the couple at the other end of the room.
"Keep that up and Qingxuan will definitely notice," Ling Wen said, shoving a spoonful past Shi Wudu’s pout.
"Will he? They seem a bit preoccupied," Pei Ming supplied through his own mouthful of pie. "The guy doesn’t even look like he goes to the gym. Where does all that food go to?"
"Satanic rituals," Shi Wudu hissed, which earned him a scolding from Ling Wen for talking with his mouth full.
Spread out on Shi Qingxuan’s table was every dish available on the menu. He Xuan did most of the eating, while Shi Qingxuan seemed to be livestreaming their little honeymoon, if his loud pestering for his boyfriend to smile at the camera were any indication. He Xuan must have said something in response, because Shi Qingxuan covered his face in embarrassment next, slapping the other man’s shoulder half-heartedly.
"Get him, Qingxuan!" Shi Wudu whispered.
Ling Wen felt like crying. That’s not it, chief.
By the time the three friends were finished with their food, He Xuan was halfway through his feast, and honestly, it didn’t look like he was letting up anytime soon. The man was a vacuum cleaner, only stopping to feed Shi Qingxuan every now and then, though in the end he, too, got too full to help his boyfriend clear the table.
When He Xuan was finally done, Shi Qingxuan helped wipe his mouth, not unlike Ling Wen fussing over Shi Wudu earlier on. Then the boy took out what seemed to be a handmade bracelet, smiling shyly as he fixed it around He Xuan’s wrist.
Ling Wen peered down at the slender hand next to hers, where a similar bracelet peeked through the hem of Shi Wudu’s sleeve. Her eyes flitted up to his face, and then to Pei Ming’s. The latter nodded in full understanding.
Just as Shi Wudu was about to make a scene, Pei Ming gripped his shoulder to keep him in his seat while Ling Wen shoved a clean tissue into his mouth, muffling the beginnings of a rant.
"Behave."
The drive back to their hotel in Rotorua was a measly hour’s length, but Shi Wudu looked like his soul had been sucked out of him by the end of the journey.
"Don’t be such a baby," Ling Wen snorted.
"Now, now, dajie. It’s only natural for Shui-di to feel upset. After all, he practically raised Qingxuan, didn’t he?"
Shi Wudu barely paid attention to either of his friends, instead mumbling on about how the bracelet was supposed to be exclusive. At least, that was what Pei Ming managed to make out from his drivel.
"Come on, Shui-di! We’re in New Zealand, let’s enjoy ourselves, eh? Let’s drink to death!" Pei Ming exclaimed, pulling Shi Wudu into a headlock. Normally, that move would earn him an elbow to his solar plexus, but as it were, Shi Wudu was too out of it to even react.
Nevertheless, a warm trip to the sauna and spa later, Pei Ming was determined to help his friend out of this… slump. It was like looking after a child, except said child was only a few years younger and had more zeros in his bank account than Pei Ming dared to imagine.
They were an unlikely trio, they were. Ling Wen who got through life on scholarships and fundings, Shi Wudu who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth before he worked to turn silver into gold, and Pei Ming who just coincidentally happened to be their soccerhead classmate. Yet their friendship was one that lasted a decade now, and was still going strong. People had wondered if things ever got awkward between the three of them, but well…
"That’s neither here nor there," had been Ling Wen’s go-to reply. Pei Ming would just nod along.
That night, with an arm each on their shoulder, Pei Ming and Ling Wen carried an inebriated Shi Wudu from the bar back to their penthouse suite. The man was still spewing nonsense about his little brother and a mangled version of He Xuan’s name, but after a bit of scotch he had started crying about how grateful he was for the other two for following him all the way to New Zealand.
"Qingxuan might be leaving me but —hic!— at least I got you two..." Shi Wudu sniffled.
"For the last time, Qingxuan is not leaving you," Ling Wen scowled, her own words a slur after a few drinks, while Pei Ming had to hold back a snort. Thinking back to it, it was a wonder how they had managed to keep Shi Wudu’s emotional drunk side a secret up until now.
Once they got inside, they slumped onto the bed, not bothering to change out of their clothes. The bed was just big enough to accommodate the three of them, though it made no difference since Ling Wen and Pei Ming were throwing their limbs all over Shi Wudu in a double octopus hold. The sandwich was a comforting weight on the latter.
"Once I grow old… who’s gonna take care of me…"
"You’re still at it?!" Ling Wen hissed.
Pei Ming chuckled, gently taking hold of Shi Wudu’s chin to face him. "Obviously, we’ll be the ones to take care of you, Shui-di."
"...You will?" Shi Wudu glared in an almost pout, but when he felt Pei Ming rub their noses together, their faces only a breath away, he found his lips parting almost naturally, to the other man’s amusement.
"Don’t go deciding things on your own," came Ling Wen’s terse admonishment, though it carried no bite. In the corner of his eye, Pei Ming spotted soft lips brushing against the junction between Shi Wudu’s neck and shoulder, delighting in the audible shiver that left the otherwise haughty man.
"Of course we will," Pei Ming coaxed, bringing his lips closer but not quite touching. The teasing action drew a low whine out of Shi Wudu’s mouth, and when he threw a leg over Pei Ming’s, the latter snorted at his friend’s obvious bulge.
The kiss was slow and wet, more tongue than anything as they kept their eyes on each other throughout. Pei Ming let Shi Wudu rut against his thigh as the latter moaned into the kiss and chased his high. Once or twice, he checked in with Ling Wen to see if she was alright.
"I’m fine," Ling Wen yawned, obviously more sleepy than anything. "Take care of him first."
Pei Ming nodded, before diving back into the kiss. He had taken his shirt off but kept his hands to himself, letting Shi Wudu take what he needed. It wasn’t long until the younger man reached his high, breaking the liplock to moan into Pei Ming’s collarbone as he rode out his orgasm. After a few minutes, Shi Wudu’s soft pants dialed down into quiet breaths. The man had finally fallen asleep.
A hand lay on Pei Ming’s hip, rubbing soothing circles. "You need help?"
"Nah," he replied, bringing Ling Wen’s hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles. "I’ll sleep it through."
She made a sound of acknowledgement, before tightening her hold around Shi Wudu’s torso. Pei Ming likewise snuggled closer, and the two soon joined their friend in slumber.