"Kill it with what," Shi Shanyan leaned over, took out a beer, and said, "a cat's meow?"

The vending machine, in the middle of a lively tune, inappropriately began to "meow," flashing with colorful lights. A few kids ran over chasing a dog, crowded around the vending machine, and meowed loudly along with it, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

A flush was spreading unstoppably across Yan Junxun's fair face. He retreated a few steps, clutching the groceries, as if startled by the laughter of the human cubs, or perhaps startled by Shi Shanyan.

The beer can opened with a pop, cold vapor wafting from the opening. Shi Shanyan held the beer out in front of Yan Junxun. To keep his voice from sounding too excited, he could only lower his volume as much as possible and slow his pace of speech. "My treat. Have a few sips before you go."

Yan Junxun looked as if he was about to flee the scene at any moment. His gaze flickered back and forth between Shi Shanyan and the beer, and he refused stiffly, "Thanks, but no. I have to go home. Goodbye!"

He said "Goodbye" with too much force, as if he were sulking at the air.

"Then I'll throw it away," Shi Shanyan said, moving his arm over the trash can. "I don't drink."

The vending machine chimed in cooperatively, "Oh my, what a waste, meow—"

Yan Junxun clutched the reusable bag tightly, his gaze fixed on the beer. He kind of hated it.

The afternoon sun was scorching, baking a strange smell out of the freshly paved asphalt. Yan Junxun frowned at the smell as he sat on a bench, drinking beer. His free hand kept a tight grip on the reusable bag, as if it would sprout legs and run away on its own if he let go.

Shi Shanyan sat on the other end of the bench, his arm draped over the backrest, watching Yan Junxun drink beer.

Yan Junxun suddenly turned his gaze and said, "I'm going to call Jiang Lian."

"Go ahead," Shi Shanyan said nonchalantly. "When you do, remember to say hi to the system for me."

"What are you planning to do?" Yan Junxun asked. The thoughts in his head were all jumbled together, about to melt from the summer heat, like a malfunctioning machine that didn't want to move at all.

"Hmm..." Shi Shanyan's fingers, resting on the bench, tapped an irregular rhythm. He turned to look at the open space in front of them. He didn't seem to have decided yet, saying, "What to do... Holidays are the most boring. I just want to find some fun." He looked at Yan Junxun again. "The market isn't a great place to be, is it?"

"Crowded," Yan Junxun said, pausing for a moment before adding, "and hot."

"That's rough. Mind if I see the groceries you bought?" Shi Shanyan gestured with his finger toward Yan Junxun's reusable bag. "All I ate in prison was paste. I haven't seen fresh vegetables in almost four years."

It wasn't convenient.

Yan Junxun clutched a corner of the reusable bag.

"It's fine if it's not convenient," Shi Shanyan said agreeably. "I just wanted to come chat with you and, while I was at it, have a can of beer with you."

He mentioned the beer, as if he had smashed the system's camera just so he could come and buy Yan Junxun a can of beer.

The beer in Yan Junxun's throat went down with a gulp. He met Shi Shanyan's "selfless" gaze. His conscience wasn't moved, but his hand was. He pushed the reusable bag toward Shi Shanyan.

That group of kids was still running around foolishly, boisterous and not afraid of the sun in the slightest.

While Shi Shanyan was looking at the reusable bag, Yan Junxun finished the beer in one go. He threw the can away and said to Shi Shanyan, "I'm going home."

"Goodbye," Shi Shanyan said first.

Yan Junxun was cut off. His index finger brushed against the side of his leg as he said, "I can call a car for you. You should go back."

"Goodbye," Shi Shanyan repeated emphatically, tilting his chin up slightly. "I'm going to stay here. The system nags like my mom. I'd rather sleep on this bench tonight."

Yan Junxun paused for a moment, then asked, "Is your mom very noisy?"

Shi Shanyan liked it when Yan Junxun used words with a double-meaning; it sounded so obedient, making a corner of his heart itch. At that moment, he even wanted to do something to make Yan Junxun angry, to bite him until it hurt, just to keep himself from sinking too deep into this ticklish pleasure.

"What did you say?" Shi Shanyan said deliberately. "I didn't hear you clearly."

"I said," Yan Junxun repeated, looking at the group of children, "is your mom very noisy?"

"What?"

"Your mo..." Yan Junxun began, then belatedly realized. "Fuck you!"

Shi Shanyan burst out laughing. He said, "I don't know. I've never met her or spoken to her, but I think she must be a madwoman, and mad people are pretty noisy."

"Why a madwoman?"

Shi Shanyan propped up his head, not very interested in the question. But he was still cooperative. "Because I'm a madman."

The rush hour at the market had passed, and the crowd had long since dispersed. Only a few male vendors, their shirts open to expose their bellies, were huddled in the shadows at the entrance, chatting idly. The group of kids was like a gust of wind; they ran around for a bit and then scattered.

No matter what happened, Shi Shanyan only ever expressed happiness. He seemed to have been born without "sadness," lacked pity, and was even more incapable of empathy. He appeared indifferent to many things, an indifference that manifested through boredom. He was the absolute dominant one; even the concept of "mother" was just an accessory to him, imagined to fit his own characteristics.

Yan Junxun gave up; he wasn't particularly interested in this question either. He stood up, picked up the reusable bag again, and said to Shi Shanyan, "Goodbye."

Shi Shanyan replied, "Goodbye."

Yan Junxun turned and walked away. After two steps, a child ran out from the side, kicking a deflated ball. He walked to the roadside, told himself not to look back, and then looked back.

Shi Shanyan wasn't looking at Yan Junxun. He was propping his face on his hand, watching the child kick the ball, whistling from time to time to cheer the child on. The slanted sunlight fell on his legs while his upper body remained hidden in the shade. He had nothing with him. Though he showed no signs of dejection, he looked as if he were sitting there waiting for someone to take him away.

Sometimes.

Yan Junxun wanted to cut off his own thoughts. 'Dammit.'

Sometimes, the very absence of sadness was sad enough. Look at this happy lion, lingering by the side of a backward, dilapidated street in this godforsaken Docking Area, making it impossible for one to just leave him behind.

'None of my damn business.'

Yan Junxun felt like the reusable bag in his arms was deathly heavy, and the sun beating on his back was unbearable, yet he couldn't move his feet.

'It's all that can of beer's fault.'

Yan Junxun chastised himself, then called out, "Hey."

Shi Shanyan waited for him to continue.

Yan Junxun looked unhappily at his white shoes, his tone dejected. "Let's go."

Yan Junxun's sports car had been totaled. The Supervisory Bureau said they would apply for compensation on his behalf. In any case, he was carless, so he could only take Shi Shanyan on the Docking Area's public bus.

For developed areas like the Light Rail District, public buses were something out of a history textbook. But for the Docking Area, it was the only form of public transport available. It had no conductor; a detection system would automatically deduct the fare based on identity information.

"Did you bring the temporary ID number Jiang Lian gave you?" There were many people around, so crowded that Yan Junxun had to tilt his head up to speak.

Shi Shanyan lowered his head to listen to him, fumbled in his pocket for a moment, and nodded.

Yan Junxun was getting a little breathless from the crush of people. His body couldn't adapt well to the Docking Area's weather, a fact that had long since been exposed. The bus was extremely loud when it arrived at the stop, sounding a bit like the Light Rail. When the doors opened, Shi Shanyan was a step slow and ended up standing behind Yan Junxun.

Yan Junxun felt less like he had walked onto the bus and more like he'd been swept on by a human wave. It was even more stifling inside, the cool air from the A/C unable to dispel the stench of sweat. Yan Junxun stood facing an empty window. If he didn't want to be pressed against the filthy curtain, he would have to be pressed against Shi Shanyan.

The bus was already full, but the stream of people boarding didn't stop.

Yan Junxun watched the distance between himself and the curtain shrink. He lifted the reusable bag a bit, wedging the groceries between himself and the curtain. His Communicator was still stuffed in his pants pocket, but he didn't have a free hand to get it out. He decided that, starting today, he hated pumpkins. Panda had made him buy four of them, and they weighed down the bottom of the bag, as heavy as if they were filled with iron.

"My..." Before Yan Junxun could finish his sentence, the doors screeched shut.

The transport system said softly, "Welcome aboard..."

But the bus's start was anything but friendly; it was as if someone had kicked it from behind, lurching forward without warning.

Cries of "Aiya!" rose and fell within the carriage as everyone, squeezed together, stumbled in the same direction.

Yan Junxun's face was about to be shoved into the groceries. He tilted his head back, and before he could speak, he felt a hot, ticklish sensation on his ear and the side of his neck.

Shi Shanyan had one hand braced beside Yan Junxun, holding a carton of milk in the other. He lowered his head and said, "Something wrong?"

"My Communicator is in my pocket."

'Stop breathing!'

Yan Junxun couldn't control the spreading flush; the base of his ears turned bright red from Shi Shanyan's breath. He wanted to gasp for air, but it felt wrong, as if he were some kind of pervert. As he spoke, he forced himself to think about Panda, about a Turtle, about a whole damn pile of irrelevant things—anything but Shi Shanyan.

"Do you need to use it?" Shi Shanyan murmured, close to Yan Junxun's ear.

This was different from before. They were pressed right up against each other.

Yan Junxun could clearly hear the smile in Shi Shanyan's voice, and it made him—it made him remember the sound of Shi Shanyan drinking water.

Yes.

'I might just be a pervert.'

Yan Junxun thought, conflicted and confused.

Who the hell doesn't drink water? Even a Turtle drinks water. But no, no one had ever managed to drink water like Shi Shanyan—to drink in a way that Yan Junxun couldn't forget, in a way that made Yan Junxun perceive it as "sexy."

'That gulping sound was amazing.'

That's what a voice in his head said.

'His voice is amazing, his body is amazing, and so are his looks.'

Shi Shanyan watched Yan Junxun's spreading blush. His gaze was dangerous, but his voice remained unhurried, as if he hadn't noticed a thing. He hid a tiny bit of temptation inside a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and placed it in the palm of Yan Junxun's hand.

Yan Junxun's thoughts tripped over one another, tumbling around in his head. He forgot what he had just said; he first needed to silence the chaotic voices in his mind. Things were just as he had predicted! It was a mess now. He wanted to call for help from his little blackboard, from the sound of rain, or from Arte—

The bus braked suddenly, and Yan Junxun's face almost brushed against the window. He broke out in a sweat amidst the blare of a horn, but he didn't gasp, nor did he touch the curtain on the window. Because Shi Shanyan had raised a hand to cover his mouth and nose, as if refusing to let the curtain touch him.

"Do you want it?" Shi Shanyan asked politely, as languid as a lion just waking from a nap.

'Want what?'

Yan Junxun's breathing grew ragged against Shi Shanyan's palm.