I’ll Still Love You Even If You’re a Man - Volume 1 - Chapter 12

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This western restaurant that An Ziyan brought Mai Ding to had a special and unique ambience. Its four corners were dark, and only their table was on the spotlight. Even the chairs that they were seated on were in the shadows. All you could see were the dishes on the table, and the hands that were exposed.

For some strange reason, Mai Ding felt safer in the dark. Looking around, he saw a
platform in the middle of the room and on it, was a black piano. The whole atmosphere had a certain class that he was not accustomed to, and he felt inappropriately dressed for the place.

Once they were seated, he could roughly make out An Ziyan’s face in the dimness of the light, making the whole experience a little unreal. One waiter was laying the cutlery on the table and in a very polite tone, asked, “Excuse me, sirs. Would you like me to take your order?”

Both ordered steaks.

“How would you like your steaks to be done, sir?” the waiter inquired politely.

“Medium well, please.” An Ziyan replied.

“Er..Extremely well, please.” Mai Ding chimed in, obviously not knowing what to say.

“You just have to say 'well-done'. What kind of expression is 'extremely well'?”

The waiter smiled politely and left the two alone.

While waiting for the food to arrive, Mai Ding asked An Ziyan, “How old are you this year?” It had never crossed his mind to ask An Ziyan his age. Even though it was not important, Mai Ding felt that having more information would do no harm.

“Twenty.”

“Why are you still in school?”

Actually,Mai Ding had no right to ask An Ziyan that question in such a condescending tone. He was, after all, of the same age as him.

“Travelled for a few years, that’s why. Just need some fun.”

Mai Ding felt that the two had some points in common: both love to have some fun. The only difference was, one had his fun at home; the other was able to do so while travelling to different countries. That’s the main difference when one is from a richer family.

“So you got your driver’s license immediately when you returned to China?” Mai Ding was envious of An Ziyan for being able to drive. He never had the time to take the driving test.

To An Ziyan, Mai Ding was like an inquisitive little boy. He wasn’t irritated and so he continued to answer every question that Mai Ding had, “I don’t have one.”

“You fucking don’t have a license?!” Mai Ding hollered suddenly, disturbing the tranquility of their current surroundings. Realising he was too loud, Mai Ding continued in a hushed tone, “Don't you have any fucking common sense? The law is getting stricter. Do you want to end up behind bars?”

An Ziyan shrugged.

Mai Ding was always a rule-abiding person. To hook up with an An Ziyan who loves to throw caution to the wind, can one say that this was a blessing?

Even though Mai Ding felt that what An Ziyan did was something not to be proud of, he didn’t dare to criticise him too harshly. They have only been together as a couple for a few days. To say anything stupid would jeopardize the relationship, knowing how the slightest thing could irritate his guy. But he couldn’t just let this rest too. It was utterly unlawful and it was dangerous. So, in his mind, he was certain of what needs to be done: tomorrow he will learn how to drive.

Even after a more than satisfying meal, Mai Ding still wasn’t entirely satisfied. “Erm… Do you know that this morning, I was so afraid that I thought I would die? This dinner can’t be the only payment for what you put me through, right? This place is not bad, I'll tell you. The ambience, is very good too, but all these can’t heal the wound in my heart.”

“If it can’t heal, then let it scab.” mocked An Zi Yan sarcastically.

“You sure are a mean bastard. I took a three-hour bus to see you. All that just to hang in the sky for a few seconds?” AnZiyan had no reply, not because he was feeling a little guilty, but rather he was too lazy to respond. Mai Ding continued, “Are you regretting being with a guy? And are you afraid that others will know about me? That’s the reason why you brought me to this place, right? No one will fucking see us!”

An Ziyan didn’t understand why Mai Ding was suddenly reacting in such a strange way. But thinking back, he has always been like this. “Do you always have to talk through your ass? Is it possible to think before you speak?” An Ziyan was frowning when he softly rebuked Mai Ding. He surveyed the surrounding, and his gaze rested on that black piano at the centre of the room. He stood up suddenly. Mai Ding was wondering where he was going to. He took his seat in front of the piano to Mai Ding’s surprise. He was only in his T-shirt and jeans and some would say that his dressing made him a little out-of-place, but in reality it was a breathtaking sight to behold.

An Ziyan was looking intensely at the piano. His long fingers brushed the keys of the piano, seemingly caressing them. And with each motion, music was created and soon the whole place was filled with the melody he had created. It was overwhelming to Mai Ding’s every sensory perception. The tune that filled the air was seducing him, and he could only surrender to those melodies, captivated by everything An Ziyan was doing.

And then, An Ziyan began to sing. In English.
"Nobody wants to see us together
It’s ok because I have you; we have each other
Nobody wants to see us together
That’s ok because I have you, we have each other
We will fight on
Yes, we will fight on

I believe we will continue to fight on
We will fight to have our right to love
Nobody wants to see us together
But it’s ok because I have you, we have each other
Nobody wants to see us together
Nobody believes that our love is forever
I’m feeling, I’m hoping, I’m praying
That it’s only going to get better
It seems that people will only think for themselves
They won’t respect personal boundaries
But you must know, you must remember
You are always my number one
And I will keep you satisfied"
(T/N: "Nobody Wanna See Us Together" by Akon)

Because it was in English, Mai Ding couldn’t understand every word, but he got the gist of it. When he saw An Ziyan walking towards him after singing that song, he was just feeling overwhelmed. He couldn’t help but love this guy even more. Every small little thing that An Ziyan did was able to captivate him.

But very quickly, An Ziyan was able to drag Mai Ding back to reality. “There. That’s the romantic beginning to the date you wanted.”

“You sound as if you were forced!” An Ziyan shrugged and waved to the waiter to call for the bill. After paying for dinner, both of them sauntered out of the restaurant. It was already getting dark outside. As both of them walked down the lane together, Mai Ding quietly wrapped his arm around An Ziyan’s, enjoying the company. “You even know how to play the piano. Is there anything you don’t know?” Mai Ding said in envy for his guy could do anything in his eyes: play the piano, drive a car, even his school results were stellar. To Mai Ding’s, An Ziyan was almost like a demigod*.

(* - half god, half human)

“There is something that I don't know how to do.”

“What is it?” Mai Ding asked in all earnestness.

And gently, An Ziyan held Mai Ding’s face in his hands, pulled him closer. “I don't know how to do things to hurt you.” And with that, he kissed Mai Ding, taking him by surprise.

After the kiss, Mai Ding became aware of his surroundings. Fortunately no one was around. Mai Ding could sense that he was blushing. “Why is it that you will always say such words to me in such a setting? Why can’t you do it when we are alone somewhere? Just feeling a little wary and difficult when this happens suddenly.”

An Ziyan adjusted the mirror of his car so that it faced Mai Ding. “Could you also ensure that your facial expression matches what you are saying?” he said sarcastically. It was then Mai Ding also realised that he was obviously glistening, and it was this that betrayed his real feelings. He was obviously relishing every word, every action. An Ziyan realised it was getting late, and it was time they headed home. “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

“Can you stop asking me such embarrassing questions with that serious face of yours? Who wants to sleep with you? I’ve already promised by parents that I’ll be home tonight. If I’m not home, they’ll be worried.”

An Ziyan really wanted to laugh. His lover was really such a mama’s boy. “Come, let me send you home then.”

But for some strange reason, Mai Ding didn’t want to get into the car. “You don’t have a license to drive. I don’t want to be your partner in crime.”

An Ziyan saw that Mai Ding was being rather self-righteous again. “You sure about that?”

“Yes I am very sure. And you shouldn’t drive too. Let’s take the public bus together. Leave the car here and get someone from the company to drive the car home.”

He must be joking, right? “So are you coming in or not?” An Ziyan asked one more time.

“No. I told you just now. The police is becoming stricter at the moment.”

An Ziyan took out some cash and folded the notes together so that each fold would look like a flower petal. In reality, it looked like a crumpled mess of paper. He passed the ‘flower’ to Mai Ding and said very matter-of-factly. “Here’s the romantic ending to our date. Use the money to go home.”

“You call this a flower?” Mai Ding asked, flabbergasted. “And you call this a romantic end? Such a lack of effort.”

Before Mai Ding could finish, An Ziyan had already driven off, sending Mai Ding into a rage. That moron! You actually chose your car over me! And left me here all alone! In a fit of anger, Mai Ding threw the ‘flower’ in the direction where An Ziyan had driven off. “You fucking idiot! You said that you won’t hurt me!” But no matter how angry Mai Ding got, An Ziyan was not there to listen to what he says.

The more Mai Ding thought about it, the angrier he got. But he also knew he couldn’t blame An Ziyan. “He did try to seek my opinion. But I rejected his offer to send me home.” Mai Ding thought, and under his breath, he was cursing himself.

After some time, Mai Ding finally picked up the ‘flower’ that he had thrown away and slowly walked towards the bus stop. He was still frustrated. “I said I won’t take your car, and you actually just left. Couldn’t you have stayed a while more? I could've changed my mind. I could be your partner in crime too.”

Suddenly, after saying that, the headlights of a car shone in his direction. An Ziyan had not gone very far. He was actually parked in one corner all this while. He drove his car to where Mai Ding was and opened the car door. This time, Mai Ding didn’t want to criticise him any further and obediently got on. 

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To be continued...