'Till Death Do Us Apart 長相守

Chapter 7

VII

The following week, Shen Liangsheng asked Ch'in Ching out to dinner again. He subtly mentioned during the meal that the spectacles were ready and asked him to come over on Sunday to pick it up.

Shen Liangsheng made it sound casual, but the schoolmaster read between the lines - the glasses were ready, but he hadn't brought them over. Instead, he wanted him to come to his private home. Not even Ch'in Ching could pretend to be oblivious now.

"Mhm," Ch'in Ching replied as though unconcerned as he swallowed a pao. Shen Liangsheng, on the other hand, glanced up at him when he heard his consent before returning to his congee and moving on to next topic.

As agreed upon, Ch'in Ching went to Shen Liangsheng's manor on Sunday. A servant told him that the master had an unplanned visitor and politely asked him to wait.

Ch'in Ching had been sitting in the main lounge drinking tea for less than half an hour when he heard voices drawing near. Shen Liangsheng walked into the room with a middle-aged man, the two exchanging pleasantries the entire way. Seeing Ch'in Ching, the former gave a curt nod while the latter took a longer look at the stranger. He didn't recognize this friend of the young businessman, but he did not request an introduction.

Shen Liangsheng came back only after seeing his other visitor to the car. He patted Ch'in Ching on the back and took him upstairs to the den. Shutting the door behind him, he told his guest to have a seat while he brought over a case from the fireplace ledge.

Instead of doing as he was told, Ch'in Ching followed the man and watched as he opened the case and took out a pair of silver-rimmed glasses. "Did you pick those?"

"Yes. Try them on?" Shen Liangsheng passed them to him and removed the pair sitting on his face. "And I'll be keeping these."

"What do you want those for?" Ch'in Ching put the new spectacles on and started to blink from the initial discomfort.

"Pray to them every day. Thank them for bringing you to me."

Ch'in Ching was at a loss for words. He shook his head and chuckled weakly, but stopped at the sight of Shen Liangsheng staring at him.

"What is it? How do they look?" he asked uneasily.

Shen Liangsheng refused to answer and stared into his eyes. Their eyes stayed locked in silence.

Shen Liangsheng was back in his usual attire today, possibly because of the earlier visitor. Even at home, he was in a crisply pressed suit, his hair meticulously held in place with pomade. Having become used to seeing him in more casual clothes, Ch'in Ching had a hard time readjusting to this stiff, patrician version.

It was the last day of October, and winter was creeping in to the North. The fireplace in the den was lit, and a white tiger pelt was spread before it. It was easy to see from the colour and texture alone that the rug was worth its weight in gold. Beauty came with a price - a deadly one.

Shen Liangsheng reached up and slid his finger along the frame, across the leg and finally to Ch'in Ching's face. He stopped at the rouge mole, gently stroking it.

"The first time I saw you, I thought to myself, what a beautiful mole," he breathed.

"Is that why you gave me these glasses?" Ch'in Ching's eyes closed at his touch. Before he realized it, he had taken a step towards the man.

"What say you?" Shen Liangsheng stepped closer as well. They were not far to begin with, and now they were so close they were breathing as one.

"What do you want me to say?" Ch'in Ching's question sounded like blissful sweet-nothings in Shen Liangsheng's ears, and the latter replied in the same manner.