LA ⋆ Extra 1: A Look at Sheng Yao’s Chat History
by 🐳ᴍᴀᴍᴀ_ᴡʜᴀʟᴇʏ16:33
"Four Become Two" group chat:
「Chen Siyu: Want to grab dinner after work? Found this all-you-can-eat hotpot place in Lingjing Alleyway, unlimited durian!」
「Shuitan: I'm in! Is it the one with the wagyu beef? I saw it on my feed!」
「Chen Siyu: Yep」
「Cheng Ai: Won't that upset your stomach?」
「Chen Siyu: No idea, but if I don't eat it I'll feel like I'm losing out」
「Shuitan: Agreed agreed! Mantou, you coming? You coming?」
「Sheng Yao: It's Friday anyway, so… sure?」
「Chen Siyu: Cool, let's meet at the corridor plaza then, subway's more convenient.」
「Cheng Ai: ?」
「Cheng Ai: I'm coming too.」
「Chen Siyu: Good brother in my heart.jpg」
「Shuitan: Leave ten minutes early? Otherwise we'll be crushed!」
「Sheng Yao: Got it!」
17:01
"Dou Dizhu"[[1]]:
「Tony: Man, even the parachute executive got laid off.」
「Shuitan: A few more rounds of layoffs and the whole project tanks.」
「Mantou: What kind of world is this!」
「Shuitan: I want to get laid off too, anyone want to help?」
「Tony: I'll miss smoking with you guys whimper whimper…」
「Shuitan: Tony-zai, if you get laid off just set up a stall in the plaza.」
「Tony: Fried noodles/C++/Java/Code writing service」
17:05
「Sheng Yi: I'm not coming home this week.」
「Sheng Yao: Oh」
「Sheng Yao: [Transfer to Sheng Yi: 500 yuan]」
「Sheng Yao: Treat yourself to something nice.」
「Sheng Yi: Oh」
Sheng Yao looked up and glanced at the person three meters diagonally across from him. Cheng Ai pressed his lips together and broke into a wide smile.
「Sheng Yao: Why didn't you just say it directly?」
「Cheng Ai: Leaving a paper trail.」
「Sheng Yao: 6」
17:49
"Four Become Two":
「Shuitan: Ready, everyone!」
「Chen Siyu: Calling Tun-zai! Little island in position, come in! Come in!」
「Shuitan: Copy copy! Waiting for the elevator!」
「Sheng Yao: We're heading downstairs too!」
「Cheng Ai: Happy again, everyone!」
The hotpot place gave each person their own small copper pot, with options for red broth, tomato, or mushroom broth, and unlimited refills on dishes. The four copper pots clustered together, and Chen Siyu took a photo. Shuitan suggested taking another one with their fists bumped together over the pot.
18:27
"Four Become Two":
「Chen Siyu: Copper pots.jpg」
「Shuitan: Four fists bumped together over the pot.jpg」
「Cheng Ai: Close-up of me and Sheng Yao holding hands.jpg」
「Chen Siyu: ↑ That kind of photo doesn't need to go in the group chat, okay?」
「Cheng Ai: /smile」
20:02
When they came out, the sky was already dark. The alleyway, only two or three meters wide, had nothing but dim streetlights, and at the far end was the busy main road with neon signs flashing past.
Cheng Ai and Sheng Yao walked ahead holding hands, their shadows stretched long, so very long.
Shuitan took a photo of the two of them from behind.
「Shuitan: Cheng Ai and Sheng Yao's silhouettes.jpg」
「Shuitan: Kind of wistful, reminds me of when I first started reading danmei[[2]] as a kid.」
「Sheng Yao: Huh? What?」
「Shuitan: Just some tears of an era, you know, 'once you enter the BL fandom it's as deep as the sea, and conscience becomes a stranger from then on'[[3]], I'm dying!」
「Sheng Yao: …?」
「Cheng Ai: Good photo, keeping it.」
That night, afterward, after showering.
Cheng Ai was making fresh juice in the kitchen, Sheng Yao smoking on the balcony.
His eyes still had a slight physiological moisture, everything looked hazy through the mist.
Cheng Ai's phone was sitting on the wooden round table, and the screen suddenly lit up.
Sheng Yao hadn't meant to peek, but his gaze was drawn to it instinctively.
Cheng Ai's phone screen had been changed to that photo Shuitan took—the dim alleyway, the ambiguous light and shadow, hands held so tightly.
Shuitan had sent Cheng Ai a message:
「Shuitan: /crying you two absolutely have to be happy whimper whimper」