BIAC CH 8

Chapter 8: “Rabbit? No rabbit here—just beef.”

That evening, Du Jianyou invited Tang He out to the night market. He insisted on driving so Tang He wouldn’t have to bring his Ferrari and risk it getting scratched at the market entrance. But when Tang He came downstairs and saw a flashy red Volkswagen, he was a little stunned.

“Your red car isn’t exactly low-key either. Why are you only worried about mine getting scratched?” Tang He teased as he got into the car and settled into the seat.

“Sure, they’re both red—but are you really comparing a Golf to a Ferrari?” Du Jianyou rolled his eyes, then glanced back at Tang He with a frown. “Bro, we’re just hitting up the night market. Why are you dressed to the nines in a full suit?” He crooked his finger at Tang He as he said it. Tang He leaned toward him, puzzled, and replied, “Couldn’t help it. There was a long executive meeting just now. By the time it ended, you were already downstairs waiting, so I didn’t have time to change…”

He trailed off.

That was because Du Jianyou was looking at him with a sly smile in his eyes. One hand reached over to grab Tang He’s tie, loosened the knot with a finger, and smoothly pulled it off. With a flick of the wrist, he tossed the dark blue tie into the back seat. The whole process took less than twenty seconds.

But those short seconds made Tang He feel like prey about to be devoured.

His mouth suddenly felt dry, and he instinctively swallowed. Du Jianyou noticed the bob of his Adam’s apple and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. Then, turning forward nonchalantly, he started the engine. “Forget it. Let’s just go like this. Buckle up,” he reminded. “Let’s move! We’ve waited long enough for this night market—let’s go!”

Snapping back to reality, Tang He quickly took off his jacket and buckled his seatbelt. He even rolled up his sleeves and unfastened his cufflinks, trying to look more casual.

After scrambling to adjust himself, Tang He couldn’t help recalling what just happened.

It wasn’t like he’d never had a woman undo his tie before—in fact, everything that could be undone had been undone. At nearly forty, he was no novice when it came to intimacy. He’d always indulged himself, taking pleasure as it came, in every form. What hadn’t he seen?

But just now… Du Jianyou…

That was a man. And the implication in his hands had been so blatant—yet his eyes were open, straightforward, almost innocent.

Tang He forced himself to stop thinking. He felt ashamed. How could he be having such strange thoughts about someone so pure and unsuspecting—someone who was, moreover, a man?

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to relax his stiff body.

Though they said, “Let’s go!” enthusiastically, rush hour traffic had them stuck for a while before they finally reached the night market Du Jianyou had mentioned. Even then, they had to drive in circles several times before finding a parking spot. Still, Du Jianyou was excited as ever, practically dragging Tang He along, eager to reach the beef hot pot stall he loved as a kid.

“Quick, quick, quick! You have to line up. If you’re late, you won’t even get a drop of soup!” The beef soup stall was near the entrance of the night market, and a long line had already formed before they even got close. Tang He wanted to give up, but seeing Du Jianyou’s excited expression, he resigned himself to fate and walked to the end of the line. Du Jianyou grabbed Tang He’s arm and called into the shop, “Auntie Jian, remember me? I’m Tutu^[1]!”

The boss lady, busy ladling soup and sweating profusely, yelled out, “Tutu, what tutu? We sell beef here. Rabbit meat’s across the street.”

“Ah, I finally came back, and you’re already trying to eat me up. Don’t you love me anymore?” Du Jianyou grinned as he shouted playfully, not giving up on his act.

At that moment, the boss lady had just finished preparing a bowl of beef noodles. She handed it off to a server, then looked up at the visitor. “Hey, why are you blocking the entrance? Tutu? TUTU! Ah, it really is you! Where the hell have you been?! Haven’t seen you in years, still so handsome. Quick, quick, come inside and sit—same as usual, right…?” She slapped Du Jianyou’s arm hard, with such force that he staggered back a couple of steps. Tang He quickly caught him and pulled him back. The boss lady turned and shouted, “Old Jian! Tutu’s back! Two bowls of the special, large ones!”

“Got it, got it! Tutu, bring your friend in and have a seat,” the boss man at the back called out happily.

“Uncle Jian, hello! Then I won’t be polite—we’re going in.” Du Jianyou smiled, rubbing the arm that had been struck like steel, and dragged Tang He along. They passed through the front of the shop, weaving through customers, and headed into a smaller living room in the back—it looked like the owner’s private home.

“Auntie Jian and Uncle Jian were good friends with my mom. When she was too busy to take care of me, I’d come here to play. They also have a daughter—she’s probably working out of town now,” Du Jianyou explained as he led Tang He into the living room. He was just about to go out and grab their soup when he heard Tang He call out, “Tutu?”

“Huh?” Du Jianyou turned around to see what Tang He wanted.

“Tutu,” Tang He said again.

“…What is it?” Du Jianyou looked confused—until he saw the mischievous expression on Tang He’s face. That’s when it hit him.

“You idiot!” Du Jianyou blurted, a little flustered, then turned around and went out to fetch the soup.

“When I was little, my pronunciation wasn’t great. The other kids would copy the adults calling me Dudu, and eventually it turned into Tutu. Hey, stop laughing and drink your soup while it’s hot.” Du Jianyou explained helplessly, patting Tang He’s arm and urging him to drink. He never imagined Tang He would laugh so hard at a childhood nickname.

“So cute…” Tang He chuckled, pressing his lips together. He imagined a bunch of kids running around yelling “Tutu” in their baby voices—such an innocent and playful image.

“Childish.” Du Jianyou gave him a glare and sipped his soup. “Ah, this is the flavor I remember. So good.”

Only then did Tang He remember the bowl in front of him. When they’d entered the shop, he’d seen a large pot of beef bone broth bubbling away, filled with herbal pouches and vegetables. Once customers ordered, the boss would lay thin slices of beef in a white porcelain bowl, sprinkle on some shredded ginger, then pour the steaming hot soup over the edge of the bowl, blanching the beef into delicate curls of light pink—perfection.

Now, in front of him, the broth was rich and creamy white, the beef tender, pink, and full of flavor. Tang He took one bite and was instantly blown away—completely forgetting what he had just been laughing about.

Du Jianyou brought over the owner’s secret dipping sauce and told Tang He to try the beef with it—another layer of taste.

At first, Tang He was a bit hesitant about so-called “night market food,” but this bowl of beef soup completely changed his perspective. He was starting to like the night market.

“Delicious, right? Told you I wasn’t lying! This is the owner’s special—double beef! The key is in the freshness of the meat…” Du Jianyou boasted on and on, as if he were the one who made the soup. Tang He finished his bowl and wiped his mouth, satisfied.

“This is so good. How’s the soup made? It doesn’t look complicated—I want to try making it at home.” He really meant it. That way, he could have it anytime.

“You? Forget it. That big pot of bone broth alone takes two days to simmer. And the broth needs a ton of bones and vegetables to get that rich flavor. Here, lick your lips. Feel that stickiness? That’s collagen.” Du Jianyou licked his lips for demonstration. “You won’t get that from your little pot at home! If you really like it, I can help you pack up some broth, and we can do beef slices at home.”

“…” Tang He was suddenly flustered by Du Jianyou’s unconscious move—his mind flashed back to the kiss they’d shared at the hotel. His body tensed slightly. He quickly took a few deep breaths to calm down, then finally replied, “That’s a great idea. We can use the broth for hot pot. Let’s try it next time at home.”

They chatted excitedly. Tang He wanted another bowl, but Du Jianyou refused, saying there was still plenty more to eat and they couldn’t get full just on beef soup. He dragged Tang He out to pay, but Uncle and Auntie Jian firmly refused to take their money. They even apologized for being too busy to chat and told Tutu to come by again next time. Du Jianyou smiled and agreed, and Tang He sincerely praised the food—he’d definitely return.

After that, Du Jianyou took Tang He to several more stalls: the famous shrimp rice, stinky tofu with an unforgettable smell, oversized oyster vermicelli, and they even bought fried chicken cutlets to eat while walking. Tang He didn’t have the strongest stomach and had secretly taken an antacid before they arrived. But now he gave up worrying about health or hygiene and let Du Jianyou feed him whatever. In the end, his stomach was on the verge of bursting.

Du Jianyou, still looking regretful, pointed at a nearby stall and sighed dramatically. “That’s my mom’s favorite—herbal pork rib stew. So good. How could I forget to save room for it…” He clutched his chest in exaggerated despair. Then he wobbled over to a nearby tofu pudding stand and insisted dessert was a separate stomach altogether, forcing Tang He to share a bowl of peanut tofu pudding with him before he finally gave in.

Tang He felt like he was going to explode. His stomach was sloshing with soup and dessert. He thought they were finally heading home—but nope.

Du Jianyou led him further down a side alley, away from the food stalls.

“Let’s walk it off,” he said casually, patting his belly. As they strolled, he greeted a clothing vendor auntie, chatted with a woman selling hair accessories… Stall after stall, Du Jianyou introduced everything to Tang He. There were goldfish scooping games, pinball shooting booths… Some stalls were run by Du Jianyou’s old neighbors; others were new faces, yet he still managed to quickly bond with them. This night market was clearly his turf.

As they walked, Du Jianyou spotted a few claw machine games and ran over excitedly. Tang He followed and peered inside curiously. “What’s this? Machines for selling little plushies?”

“This is a claw machine. Haven’t you played it before? I’ll show you how it’s done.” Du Jianyou pulled out a coin and inserted it into the machine. Music blared, lights flashed, and the claw machine came to life.

While explaining to Tang He, Du Jianyou skillfully moved the joystick and pressed the buttons, accurately grabbing a little yellow chick. Just as the claw arm was about to drop it into the chute, it suddenly jerked—and the chick fell back into the pile with its companions. Du Jianyou was so frustrated he cursed out loud, “This claw’s too loose! What a scam!” Even as he ranted, he was already fishing out more coins, determined to be scammed again.

Tang He had already figured out how it worked. He wandered around a few machines, eventually picking one for himself and starting to play.

Before long, Tang He finished his game and walked back to Du Jianyou, who was getting more and more irritated.

“Stop playing already.”

“No way! I’ve already fed it so many coins and haven’t caught a thing. I’m not giving up!” Du Jianyou kept protesting as Tang He pulled him away.

“I got one. You can have it.” Tang He said calmly.

Du Jianyou was stunned. “You actually got one?” Half of his face darkened.

“…” Tang He reached into his pocket and pulled out two small bunny plushies, handing them to Du Jianyou.

“Two? How many tries did you take?”

“Two.”

“…” His whole face darkened.

Seeing Du Jianyou’s sour expression, Tang He quickly explained, “I missed on the first try. On the second try, I accidentally hooked the loop and two fell out.”

“Beginner’s luck,” Du Jianyou muttered, too annoyed to say more.

“Yes, yes, just lucky. So do you want my bunny or not? Bunnyyy~”

“…” Is he done yet? “No.”

“Okay, then I’ll keep them.” Tang He promptly stuffed the plushies back into his pocket.

“Hey…” How could you? If you’d just pleaded with me a little, I might’ve taken them…

Du Jianyou was frustrated and walked off with his head down. Tang He followed behind, quietly chuckling.

As they walked, they passed another machine. Du Jianyou’s spirit suddenly returned—it was his specialty: the taiko drum game^[2]. He dashed forward, grabbed the drumsticks, and finally looked at ease as he began to inspect the settings.

“Why so aggressive?” Tang He didn’t understand what Du Jianyou was rushing for.

“You don’t know? This taiko game is really popular! Since no one’s here right now, if you don’t move fast, someone will swoop in and take it!”

“You know how to play the drums?”

“No, but I know how to play Taiko no Tatsujin.” Du Jianyou answered honestly.

“As good as your claw machine skills?”

“Can you not talk?” Du Jianyou yelled at him, eyes flaring with mock anger. If I don’t show off a bit now, are you going to think your Black Cat has no tricks up his sleeve^[3]?

He confirmed the settings, inserted coins, and selected the highest difficulty. He held the drumsticks loosely, leaving space for wrist movement. Knees bent, he took a low stance with a slight forward lean, ready to begin.

As the music started its rhythmic beat, Du Jianyou’s drumsticks followed suit. His whole body moved with the rhythm—squatting, leaping, twisting, turning. Every strike of the drumstick landed precisely on beat, even the rapid triplets and quintuplets were clean and powerful, neither rushed nor delayed. Whether striking the drum face or rim, he didn’t miss a beat. Combined with his lively movements—raising the sticks high, turning his body—it looked like a performance, full of flair.

Tang He couldn’t follow the prompts on the screen. He was only focused on Du Jianyou—the confident, intense expression on his face, eyes fixed on the screen, every movement fluid and in sync.

Each time Du Jianyou raised his arms, his shirt lifted slightly, revealing the trim lines of his waist tucked into his pants. With each motion, that slender waistline flickered in and out of view. A flicker of irritation sparked in Tang He’s chest, like a tiny flame catching hold—psst—singeing his nerves.

He felt a bit stifled. He didn’t want anyone else to see this.

The final drumbeat hit precisely in sync with the fast-paced ending of the music, suddenly stopping. Du Jianyou was still frozen in place, one arm raised with a drumstick, one leg bent forward in a firm stance. Silence followed for two seconds—then a burst of cheers and applause erupted behind them.

Only then did they snap back to reality and realize that a large crowd had gathered to watch. The machine proudly played the victory tune and displayed the score—Du Jianyou had broken the machine’s previous high score and taken the top spot.

Tang He gave him a thumbs-up. Du Jianyou, surrounded by a crowd and embarrassed, flushed red, threw down the drumsticks, and quickly pulled Tang He through the throng and over to a quieter alley.

“Why’d we run? You looked so cool just now, Drum King!” Tang He, still catching his breath, leaned against the wall, laughing and teasing.

“Did I look good? Was I amazing? Wasn’t I awesome?” Du Jianyou lifted his head like a happy child, his face glowing. Tiny beads of sweat sparkled on his forehead and nose tip. He looked at Tang He with bright, curved eyes, eagerly waiting for praise.

“You looked great. Really. You were so cool playing the drums. Awesome.” Tang He smiled brightly, genuinely proud of him.

He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Du Jianyou’s sweat—first his forehead, then his nose tip. They were standing close—so close they could smell each other’s faint scent of sweat, mixed with citrus soap or minty tobacco.

The surroundings were silent, so silent that the thumping beat from the game still seemed to echo in their ears—like a drum beating in their hearts.

“Xiao You?” A voice called out abruptly, breaking the moment and pulling them back to reality.

(To be continued…)