They Were Actually Getting Married

At the stroke of midnight, Lin Qian lay on top of his comforter, elbows propped on his pillow, and sent Zheng Pingqing a message.

Lin Qian: Happy birthday :)

The reply came in a second.

Zheng Pingqing: Don't just say it. Do something to make me happy!

Lin Qian scoffed: Fuck you!

Zheng Pingqing's reply was positively eager: Don't hesitate. Get on with it!

Lin Qian: ...

Lin Qian was disgruntled: You've already got me. Isn't that enough to make you happy?

Zheng Pingqing: No.

Lin Qian couldn't help questioning himself. What fit of insanity had made him agree to date this man? Hadn't they been perfectly fine as enemies?

He tapped his chin with an index finger and replied: All right, what do you want for your birthday?

After a moment's thought, he added: Friendly reminder: I have ***** yuan left in my account. Bear that in mind when you ask.

This time, the reply took a long time. The chat window kept showing that the other person was typing, and watching it was doing terrible things to Lin Qian's heart.

All that typing—just how many presents did Zheng Pingqing want? Was he really planning to clean out Lin Qian's bank account?

Lin Qian considered unsending the message.

It wasn't as though he'd never gone back on his word to Zheng Pingqing before.

Just as Lin Qian was mourning the bank balance he imagined dwindling to zero, Zheng Pingqing's message finally arrived.

Zheng Pingqing: It won't cost anything.

Inside, Lin Qian went: ........................

That was it? He'd spent half an hour laboriously typing that?

As Lin Qian rolled his eyes, the next message arrived.

Zheng Pingqing: Marry me, Lin Qian.

Lin Qian froze. His elbow slipped, and his chin slammed down. Fortunately, the pillow cushioned the blow and averted disaster.

Still shaken, Lin Qian rubbed his chin: Do you know what you're saying?

Zheng Pingqing: I typed it out one word at a time. What do you think?

Lin Qian cackled inwardly: If you'd known it would come to this, you could've saved yourself all that trouble back then.

Zheng Pingqing: Go ahead and laugh at me. I've already admitted defeat.

Zheng Pingqing: Fuck!

Zheng Pingqing: I'm hopelessly in love with you, all right?

Watching this string of messages come in, as though Zheng Pingqing had simply given up on himself, Lin Qian could all but see his frustrated face. He laughed so hard he nearly rolled over, then hurried to reply: All right, all right, all right.

Once he'd sent it, that seemed a little dismissive—rather like that meme about how "we say 'all right, all right, all right' to his face, but deep down we all know he's a fucking idiot." He hastily followed up: Calm down. This doesn't count as losing.

Lin Qian: After all, I love you too.

Zheng Pingqing didn't reply right away, but after more than a decade of matching wits and fighting him, Lin Qian could reproduce the man's idiotic grin with practiced ease.

Sure enough, when Zheng Pingqing replied, he seemed much calmer.

Zheng Pingqing: Lin Qian, I've already wasted so many years when I should have been with you. I can't stand being that much of a fucking idiot any longer.

Zheng Pingqing: Say yes. Marry me.

Lin Qian smiled: So you finally admit you used to be a fucking idiot.

Lin Qian: But that's all right. Even if you're an idiot, my answer's yes.

Lin Qian: Bring your passport. Meet me at the airport.

Same-sex marriage wasn't legal in China yet. If two men wanted to get married, they had to go abroad.

Once again, the chat window showed the other person typing away furiously. Yet after all that time, the reply that finally came was still wildly out of proportion to the effort involved.

Zheng Pingqing: I'll be there. Don't stand me up.

At those utterly familiar words, Lin Qian gave a soft scoff. Then, despite himself, he burst out laughing.

Over the dozen-odd years they'd known each other, Zheng Pingqing had said those words to him countless times.

But back then, they had always been arranging a fight.

Who could have imagined that two people who'd once been sworn enemies, each bent on destroying the other, would one day say those words to arrange their wedding?

On the way to the airport, Lin Qian was still feeling rather strange about it all.

He opened the conversation on his phone. Zheng Pingqing's last message was still there: I'll be there. Don't stand me up.

Zheng Pingqing had transferred to Lin Qian's old school, No. 12 High School, in their junior year. That had marked the beginning of more than a decade of open warfare, covert maneuvering, and constant clashes.

Even their friends and relatives had split into two camps because of their atrocious relationship, forming rival circles notorious throughout the city for their daily skirmishes.

It wasn't until a few years ago, when word unexpectedly got out that Zheng Pingqing's father was none other than Zheng Bulu, the richest man in the city—and Zheng Bulu appeared in the news very much alive and kicking—that Lin Qian's childhood friend Xu Yao finally believed Lin Qian hadn't actually murdered Zheng Pingqing's father.

Even at the reunion for No. 12 High School's fiftieth anniversary last year, the legendary fistfights between Lin Qian and Zheng Pingqing had been one of the alumni's favorite subjects to reminisce about.

Their story was a classic case of "youthful hotheadedness ruining a lifetime of prospects," sure to inspire a sigh of regret.

...

Standing in the departure hall, Lin Qian watched Zheng Pingqing approach through the crowd.

It was the middle of the night, and he'd rushed out the door. Zheng Pingqing was dressed casually, without even a suitcase, just a bag slung over his back and a passport clutched in one hand.

Even so, he stood out from everyone around him, dazzling as ever.

"You came." Zheng Pingqing stopped in front of Lin Qian. His face was a little pale, perhaps from nerves, but his gaze was firmer than ever. "Are you sure you won't regret this?"

Before Lin Qian could answer, he went on, "Never mind. Even if you do, it's too late."

With that, he caught Lin Qian by the wrist and dragged him toward security.

Lin Qian: "..."

Lin Qian let himself be pulled along without resisting, though he did say, a little exasperated, "At least give me a chance to say something."

Zheng Pingqing paused, then kept marching resolutely forward. "You already said yes."

Lin Qian: "..."

What could he do? Resigned to his fate, he wrapped his own hand around Zheng Pingqing's wrist, a laugh rippling through his voice. "Yes, yes, I said yes. Don't be scared."

Only then did Zheng Pingqing slow down.

Lin Qian realized that the hand gripping him was actually trembling a little.

They'd fought so viciously before, at one point coming to blows whenever they met, and Zheng Pingqing had never once been afraid of him. Yet here he was now, timid and shaking, without a trace of his old world-conquering swagger.

Lin Qian couldn't help despising himself a little. All those years he'd wasted fighting Zheng Pingqing—how had he never noticed that the man was all bluster, utterly incapable of withstanding a little teasing?

Only once they had boarded and taken their seats, and Zheng Pingqing was certain Lin Qian showed no sign of backing out at the last minute, did he truly calm down. Even then, his grip on Lin Qian's wrist was still a little too tight.

"We're actually... getting married." He sounded as though he couldn't believe it himself.

Lin Qian was equally moved. "'Actually' really is the perfect word."

Had anyone suggested even a few years earlier that Lin Qian would one day agree to marry Zheng Pingqing, neither he nor any of his friends and family would have doubted that person's imminent, violent demise.

Life was simply unpredictable.

The plane took off with a roar. Through the window, Lin Qian watched the city's endless sea of lights and formally bid farewell to the childishness and recklessness of his youth.

Perhaps Zheng Pingqing was thinking the same thing. His voice came from beside Lin Qian's ear, wistful. "If only we could turn back time..."

Before he could finish, Lin Qian couldn't resist jumping in. "If we could turn back time, the first thing you'd have to do is stand up at the senior-year pledge rally and publicly declare, under your own name, that I'm the best-looking guy at No. 12 High School!"

Zheng Pingqing, who had been pouring his heart out: "..."

They were about to get married. Couldn't his partner follow the romantic script for once? Did he have to hold a grudge like this?

Looking a little aggrieved, Zheng Pingqing nodded. "...All right."

Then he bravely finished his declaration of love. "And once I'd said it, we could start dating sooner, instead of missing out on all those years for nothing..."

Once again, Lin Qian couldn't help ruining the mood. "Get a grip. That was our senior year..."

Zheng Pingqing: "..."

Zheng Pingqing was undaunted. "That still wasn't as important as you."

This time Lin Qian truly couldn't help laughing. He nuzzled his head against Zheng Pingqing's neck. "All right. If we could turn back time, I'd fall in love with you sooner too."

"Mm." Zheng Pingqing held him a little tighter. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, it'll be time for us to get married."

The night deepened. The roar beyond the window was still faintly audible, and now and then a star flashed past his eyes, gone in an instant like a shooting star.

Yet Lin Qian felt unexpectedly at peace. Curled in Zheng Pingqing's arms, he fell into a deep sleep.

...

...

Lin Qian had a dream.

In his dream, time flowed backward, and he really did return to the chaos of his senior year.

No. 12 High School had a tradition of holding a collective pledge rally on the first day of senior year. As the star student who topped the rankings year after year, Lin Qian was the natural choice for student representative. He would give a speech to inspire his classmates, then lead them in taking the pledge.

But that year, thanks to the feud between him and Zheng Pingqing, the entire rally had been ruined.

For some reason, Zheng Pingqing, fresh from summer vacation, had been particularly hostile that day. With the students from the grade's underperforming class rallying behind him, he'd openly challenged Lin Qian. Every time Lin Qian said something onstage, Zheng Pingqing had contradicted him from below, leading his followers in jeering laughter and throwing the whole gathering into chaos.

When it was finally time to take the pledge, Zheng Pingqing had gone so far as to lead a whole crowd of students out, swaggering off without a backward glance.

That pledge rally had haunted Lin Qian throughout his senior year.

But none of it compared to what had happened afterward.

That was the reason Lin Qian had fought Zheng Pingqing for more than a decade, unable to forgive him.

Only two years ago, when Lin Qian's father and stepmother divorced, had he stumbled upon the truth of what had happened back then.

He and Zheng Pingqing had finally come to understand and forgive each other. And along with their regrets, they inevitably found themselves looking back on that farce, which had changed so many people's lives.

"A-Qian, wake up."

"A-Qian, stop sleeping. Every girl in our grade is waiting for you."

Through the haze, Lin Qian heard faint voices, indistinct and unreal.

"Forget the girls. We need to put Zheng Pingqing in his place."

"Has Zheng Pingqing lost his mind? Making a stand over that stupid business with Dong Mingen—is it really worth it...?" That voice was very familiar, and sounded rather disgruntled.

"Yeah, he's got issues. But you're one to talk, Xu Yao. If you suck that badly, stop trying to play video games!"

"Fuck, are you even my bro?"

"A-Qian, A-Qian..."

Someone shook Lin Qian blearily awake, and a face he knew better than almost any other came into view.

Xu Yao was his neighbor and childhood friend. They had grown up together and spent more than a decade cursing Zheng Pingqing together, forging an extraordinary bond as comrades-in-arms.

His vision hadn't quite cleared. Xu Yao's face kept bobbing in front of him. For some reason, that utterly familiar face looked oddly unfamiliar today.

Lin Qian's mind was a fog. It didn't yet occur to him to wonder how he could be seeing Xu Yao when he was still on a plane.

He only heard Xu Yao going on and on about Zheng Pingqing. "A-Qian, I think we should get Shao Sijia to beat Zheng Pingqing up... No, twice..."

Lin Qian: "..."

Honestly. After all this time, Xu Yao still hadn't accepted that he and Zheng Pingqing were together. He was still plotting to have him beaten up.

Helplessly, Lin Qian put a hand on Xu Yao's shoulder, cutting him off mid-sentence, and said with the utmost seriousness, "Xu Yao, I know this is hard for you to accept, but whether you accept it or not, Zheng Pingqing and I are together!"

Seeing Xu Yao's eyes go blank, Lin Qian hardened his heart and spoke more emphatically. "Xu Yao, Zheng Pingqing and I are getting married."

Xu Yao's eyes flew wide open. All around them came a thunderous clatter of bangs and crashes, as though an earthquake had struck.

Belatedly, Lin Qian turned his head. His entire being went: ?????????

What the actual fuck!