Winter Wind (YiZhan)

17. Distance

"What does it mean," Xiao Zhan suddenly asks. "When someone ambushes you with a blowjob and then says "that was my heart?"

At his question, his party of two others immediately go silent.

Before now, the atmosphere was filled with chatter and laughter, three childhood friends sitting around a small electric campfire in the backyard of his parent's house, and enjoying an endless supply of beer.

After a long pause, the laughter returns and it is directed at Xiao Zhan. However neither of them notice that he is not exactly smiling.

"Are you crazy?" Xiao Wu asks, leaning over to smack the side of his arm. "What kind of question is that?"

"And so out of the blue," Li Ping adds. "Maybe the rumors are true, that you've really lost it."

Xiao Zhan sighs at the reminder, and lifts his bottle of beer to his lips.

"Seriously though, what kind of question is that?" Xiao Wu asks.

"It's from the drama I'm currently filming," he replies, and the jaws of both friends drop.

"What?" Li Ping spits. "They're going to air that on national television?"

"Of course not," Xiao Zhan replies. "That part's been cut out. I read it in the original novel."

"Seriously Xiao Zhan what's the name of this new drama you're filming?" Xiao Wu lobbies. "What book is it adapted from?"

"You know I can't tell you that," he replies as he continues with his drink.

"Hey! Stop pushing him," Li Ping rebukes Xiao Wu, and instantly the latter's hands lift to the air in surrender. "Alright alright. I'm sorry. That's against your contract's rules."

It isn't exactly, but Xiao Zhan has just grown accustomed to doing as much as he can to keep the public aspects of his life away from these intimate friends, both for their sakes and his.

Because as he has since learned, if there is no ammunition, then it becomes quite difficult for a shot to be fired.

"It's alright," Xiao Zhan replies. "But I really want to know what you both think about the question. I can't figure it out. It sounded really strange to me."

"Well, that's because it is strange,"Li Ping responds. "Who says that?"

"I don't think it's strange," Xiao Wu counters.

Li Ping rolls his eyes. "Of course you don't."

"Seriously!"

Xiao Zhan's attention immediately perks up. "What do you mean?"

So Xiao Wu goes on to explain. "You could interprete it in two ways. First of all, this person is in love with you and they're doing this ..." he seems to struggle with finding the right words.

"Blowing you?" Li Ping interrupts with sparkling eyes and a mischievous smile on his face. "Sucking your dick? I don't- I don't understand why he's fumbling over this."

Xiao Wu gives him a sharp look and continues. "They're doing this kind of thing because they love you, and they want you to have a great time. Or because they love you and you don't know it, so they're trying to show you."

At his words, both Xiao Zhan and Li Ping glance at each other, and then back at their spectacled, graduate assistant friend.

"What?" Li Ping spits.

"That sounds like the same thing to me," Xiao Zhan responds, running over the words in his mind.

Xiao Wu takes a long drink of his beer. And then he smiles. "Exactly."