Good Morning, Miss Undercover

52

This night, Ai Dong again dreamt of Xu Zhou, a tall, handsome boy. He was sweating after a game of football, sweat dripping down his wheat colored skin, he was in the corridor, running like a mouse towards Ai Dong, crying out loud from afar. "Xiao Dong Dong, where are you going?"

And then with his thick arms seized Ai Dong like a carrying a chicken and hugged him. His arm firmly around Ai Dong's neck, laughing cheekily. "Exams are over and don't be so quiet and melancholy like a woman."

.......like a woman.

In the dream when Xu Zhou said those words, Ai Dong woke up from the dream, wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead, sat up in bed and gasped for breath.

His love for that person was his secret and has been hidden well by him. Hidden in a place somewhere in his heart, waiting for time to slowly bury this love that could not be told or spoken. Let it slowly rot, then one day maybe he can meet a woman, two people together raise a dog, give birth to a child and live the rest of his life this way.

But he had tried hard for a long time now but it seems that it could not be done or at least in his dream, it could not be done.

With his heart pounding, Ai Dong wiped his sweat as he got off the bed and went to the side of the cupboard. He lifted up the red sandalwood colored wedding invitation off the top of the cupboard and the beautiful elegant print pricked his eyes.

'You are cordially invited to the reception of Mr. Xu Zhou and Miss Lin Dai's wonderful wedding.'

Ai Dong smiled slightly, gently traced his hands over the groom's face. In the photo, the groom was laughing and embracing his new bride in his arms, using the same arm that he had put around Ai Dong's neck that year. He had become a matured, serious man, no longer the big boy's appearance that was etched in Ai Dong's memory.

Ai Dong looked desolately at the wedding invitation, he muttered a 'fuck', put the invitation back in its original place and dejectedly went back to sleep.

Ai Dong drank a belly full of red wine at Xu Zhou's wedding dinner. His former classmate sitting next to him pointed his index finger at him, laughed and ridiculed him. "Look at Dong Zi.....he is drunk. He is staring at Lao Zhou's wife."

"This bachelor have not seen a woman before..... Hey, Dong Zi, you cannot stare at your buddy's wife, Zhou Zi will poke your eyes."

"His wife is already three months pregnant and Zhou Zi has a car, a house and his wife is expecting a child. We understand you, Dong Zi, we understand."

Dong Zi who was in a drunken stupor, dizzily held onto the big hands of his former classmate whose nickname was 'Peas'. He loudly said. "Peas, you are the only one who understands me. I hate that bastard, Zhou Zi, showing off his happiness in front of us, this group of poor guys, fuck! Running in a competition, you cannot outrun him, chasing a woman, you cannot better him, giving birth to a child, you cannot outdo him......fuck, he cannot do this to his brothers......"

Ai Dong with a belly full of wine clutched his stomach, walked unsteadily to the toilet to relieve his bladder. He was about to zip up his pants when he turned his head sideways and his forehead went numb, so shocked that he took a step back.

He thought he had drunk too much so his eyes were blurred. So, he shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times to ensure that the bully standing two steps away from him was not an illusion. Ai Dong timidly greeted him. "Loong, Brother Loong.....what a coincidence, ah."

Deng Loong dressed in a western suit seemed to have come out from a banquet, without a strand of hair out of place. Just by looking at his face gave one a strong sense of oppression, absolutely domineering.