[BL, GL, TL] - The Wrong Kind Of Love

Sun Weiming sat at a corner table, nursing his drink. The stillness of the night was disturbed only by the soft ballad coming from the stage and the occasional sound of traffic from the street below. When the song reached a line he knew, he sang it under his breath.

"What are you doing here?" Sun Weiming huffed when he lifted his head nd spotted Jin Haoran.

Jin Haoran settled into the chair opposite him, reaching for the bottle between them to pour himself a drink. "We were supposed to have a drink to celebrate your first exhibition. Of course, I have to come."

"I'm mad at you, you know?" Sun Weiming took a long sip, his eyes fixed on the amber liquid rather than his friend's face.

"Mm." Jin Haoran nodded, his expression genuinely contrite. "I was too careless with my words."

"And the worst part is that you meant it." The accusation hung in the air between them.

"No. Not really. I just didn't think about it." He leaned forward, his voice taking on an earnest quality. "This whole time... You didn't show you were hurting, and I took it at face value. I always thought my friendship and support were more than enough for you."

Sun Weiming huffed and looked away, his jaw tight with lingering hurt.

Jin Haoran leaned back and crossed his legs. He studied Sun Weiming's face, then spoke with a smirk. "I got you that stupid glass heart you wanted."

"Really?" The excitement in Sun Weiming's voice was immediate and unguarded. His eyes shot bright, his anger forgotten.

Jin Haoran laughed heartily. "Your forgiveness is so cheap."

Sun Weiming leaned back into his chair and spoke with a pout. "You're being careless with your words again."

The chuckle that escaped Jin Haoran was fond rather than mocking.

Sun Weiming's voice returned to normal almost immediately. "Well, drinks are on you tonight."

"You're a big shot now," Jin Haoran scoffed, gesturing with his glass. "Sold your first painting. You can afford drinks."

"I've got bills to pay, Haoran... And some other stuff. My designer has this new collection..." Sun Weiming trailed off, sinking back into his chair as if the weight of his thoughts had suddenly become too much. "I met a man."

Jin Haoran raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "When?"

"Tonight. Gosh, Haoran!" Sun Weiming released a deep breath, his hands gesturing helplessly. "Every inch of him was beautiful. Sensuous. Intellectual. I... I can't explain it."

"That you had a crush?" Jin Haoran's tone was gently teasing.

"It wasn't just a crush. This... felt like an otherworldly connection."

Jin Haoran chuckled in disbelief. "Otherworldly connection?"

Sun Weiming inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if trying to center himself. "I was captivated, Haoran." He took a sip of his drink, his eyes downcast. "I would honestly have done it in the bathroom with him without thinking twice."

Jin Haoran's drink paused halfway to his mouth, his expression shifting to one of genuine surprise. "That bad?"

"He was enchanting." Sun Weiming threw his head back, staring up at the starless sky above them.

"You keep saying 'was'. I can feel a big 'but' coming."

The exasperated sigh that escaped Sun Weiming seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

"What happened?"

"He has a special person already."

"Aha!" Jin Haoran muttered as he sipped his drink.

Sun Weiming glanced at him sharply. "What now?"

"I don't want to say."

"It can't be worse than anything you've said before, can it?"

Jin Haoran hesitated, clearly weighing his words. "You just... You always fall for either the shittiest or most emotionally unavailable person in the room."

"Kick me when I'm down, will you?"

Jin Haoran sipped from his glass quietly.

"I could've sworn he felt it too, Haoran. It wasn't just physical either. It was... emotional."

"Did you kiss?" Jin Haoran asked with an amused chuckle.

"No. Almost. How did you know?"

"You're playing with your lips."

Sun Weiming's finger fell from his lips instantly, his ears flushing red with embarrassment.

Jin Haoran smiled. It's been a while since Sun Weiming had been this fascinated with someone. "Why didn't you?"

"His phone rang. That's how I knew he had a special person. It was them calling."

"I still don't... Did he tell you or..."

"No. It rang. I glanced down at the screen. Contact was saved as baby."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, I know!" Sun Weiming rubbed a hand against his chest, as if trying to soothe an actual ache there.

Jin Haoran scoffed. "What kind of a person in a relationship almost kisses someone else?"

Sun Weiming played with the ring of his glass, his silence speaking volumes.

"I thought we were dealing with an either-or situation here, but no, you just zeroed in on someone who's both shitty and emotionally unavailable. At the same time."

Sun Weiming wanted to be mad, but he couldn't argue with the logic. Pouting, he muttered, "He really liked my painting."

Jin Haoran scoffed, then asked. "Who is it then? Someone I know?"

"I don't know... Never caught his name."

"And you would've let him have you in the bathroom?"

"Haoran. You didn't see him, okay?" Sun Weiming propped his elbows up on the table, his expression intense. "You didn't hear how his voice softened when he spoke about my work. You didn't see how his eyes seemed to make an imprint on my soul. The way he could have been mistaken for a piece of art inside the gallery."

Sun Weiming looked straight at Jin Haoran, his gaze unwavering. "If you saw him... You would've understood."

---

Jin Haoran strolled into the lobby of his apartment building. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed a familiar figure curled up in the fetal position on one of the lobby couches, seemingly asleep.

With furrowed brows, Jin Haoran approached and squatted beside her. "Chen Xinyan," He called softly. "What are you doing here?"

Chen Xinyan's eyelids fluttered open gently, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Haoran-ge? I fell asleep waiting for you." She suppressed a yawn. "I didn't realize how tired I was."

Jin Haoran frowned as he took in her appearance. "Why are your eyes swollen? Have you been crying?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do or where to go." Her eyes fell to her lap, her voice softening as she pouted. "I'm so ashamed. I ruined everything."

He pulled her up from the couch. "What happened?"

She wrapped her arms around herself and sniffed, clearly trying to hold back tears.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "It's cold out here. Let's go to my place first."

When they entered his apartment, Chen Xinyan immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

He ran his hand along her back gently, his concern evident. "Tell me what happened, Xinyan. Whatever it is, I'll handle it for you."

She slowly pulled away from the hug, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's not public yet..." She sniffed again, her eyes still downcast. "But there's a class-action suit being filed against Xinchen Manufacturing."

"Huh? Why? What happened?"

"They're saying bad sustainability practices. That Xinchen Manufacturing caused a cancer cluster in... I can't even remember what the place is called." She burst into tears again.

Jin Haoran pulled Chen Xinyan into a hug, his heart pounding from the news. It had triggered a long-forgotten memory. A memory of a much younger him staying up late nights to draft a proposal for implementing better sustainability practices at Jinyutec. It was the one thing he could ever remember being passionate about. How had he forgotten about all of that?

"If I were better at my job..." Chen Xinyan's crying increased, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He sighed and ran his hand along her back in soothing circles. "You're wonderful at your job, Xinyan. This isn't your fault." His mind still drifted. It disturbed him that he could forget something that used to be important to him—something that affected lives, the planet. Something bigger than him.

"My dad... he'll be so disappointed in me."

He sighed. "He won't, I promise."

Chen Xinyan pulled away, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "Aren't you disappointed in me?"

Jin Haoran ran his hand along her hair with gentle affection. "Of course not."

She scurried back into his embrace and nestled her face in his neck.

"It's late, Xinyan. You get some sleep. I'll help you with this however I can."

"Okay, Haoran-ge. I knew I could count on you." She said and hugged him tighter, pressing her body against his. Hidden from his view, a dark, sinister smile spread across her face.

---

The way his eyes seemed to make an imprint on my soul. The words lingered in Sun Weiming's mind as he stepped into his apartment, replaying the evening's events like a film reel.

He really liked my painting.

I would love the honor of being the first person to buy your work.

Sun Weiming grunted and threw himself on his bed, the emotional whiplash of the evening proving to be a bit much for him. Suddenly, his phone rang, tearing him away from his thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Weiming! I have wonderful news. Your painting has sold!" Ms. Shen's voice was bright with excitement.

Sun Weiming had been waiting for this call all evening. "How much?"

"Five times the listing price. Can you believe it? For a debut piece, this is extraordinary."

Sun Weiming's eyes widened. "Five times? Are you serious?"

"Completely serious. You should be celebrating right now. This kind of price for an emerging artist... It's going to put you on the map."

Sun Weiming grinned from ear to ear. This was more than he had anticipated. "To whom?"

"Oh! Business giant, COO Jin Haoran of Jinyutec. He's your friend, isn't he?"

Sun Weiming's face fell. As much as he loved that Jin Haoran would support him that way, Sun Weiming wanted the work to go to someone who actually liked it. Someone who appreciated it. Him. "There was someone else who bid on the work, Ms. Shen."

"Well... couple of other people did—"

"It might've been the first person..."

"Oh! Li Tao?"

Sun Weiming sat up suddenly. "Li Tao? The musician?"

"Yeah!"

"With the scarf around his neck... And the—"

"Yes. Do you not know what he looks like?" Ms. Shen's voice was amused on the other end.

Sun Weiming laughed softly, the pieces clicking into place. "I feel like the work resonated with him the most. Can we sell it to him?"

"Ah... no! Gallery rules. It has to go to the highest bidder. It increases the value of the work in the long run. And well... the gallery's percentage from this sale is more than Li Tao's full bid. Li Tao would either have to match or surpass Mr. Jin's bid. Which wouldn't be possible because the auction closes at midnight, and we haven't been able to reach him."

"Oh, I see."

She had started speaking again before he could collect his thoughts. "Usually, in a blind auction, we don't inform buyers they've been outbid, but Li Tao really liked your work."

Sun Weiming smiled. Then frowned. "And you can't reach him?"

"No, we couldn't. I doubt he'd be willing to match Mr. Jin's price anyway. Five times the selling price is really too much for this piece."

"I see."

"Yeah. Anyway... congratulations on your first sale. This was a big night for you. Finish your other collection fast, okay? That will be the centerpiece for the next exhibition."

"Thank you," he muttered and ended the call.

Sun Weiming felt his heart throbbing with a mixture of elation and longing.

Why couldn't they reach Li Tao? Was Li Tao... busy with his lover? Did Li Tao run his hands on his lover's body the way Li Tao had gently touched his face? His lover must have gently moaned Li Tao's name—Li Tao.

Li Tao.

"Ugh," he grunted.

Li Tao had praised his work to him, not knowing he was the artist. He had criticized Li Tao's sound to Li Tao, not knowing who Li Tao was. As that thought settled, Sun Weiming chuckled in spite of himself. The irony wasn't lost on him. What a great story to tell our kids about how we met, Sun Weiming thought, and blinked as if to wake himself from the fantasy.

Try as hard as he might, nothing could stop the thoughts circling in his head.

Sun Weiming glanced at his palm, studying the place Li Tao had marked him. The words were pretty much faded, but he recognized some characters. His heart beating fast, Sun Weiming typed Li Tao's name into his music app along with the characters he could make out, and the song appeared. With a small smile, he connected his headset and, placing it on his ears, sank into his bed.

The sound of gentle instruments flowed into his ears.

He closed his eyes with a smile on his face. You'll like this song.

When he heard Li Tao's soft and sweet voice, he felt peace settle into his bones.

He grabbed his bolster and hugged it tightly as the music washed over him, each sentence conveyed a feeling that Sun Weiming could relate to.

In the darkness beneath his eyelids, Sun Weiming imagined Li Tao had composed this piece for him alone.

He understood now... how Li Tao must have felt when he had seen his painting—why he had loved it so much—why he had thought of him as a genius.

Sun Weiming could see it all very clearly now.

He could love this music.

He could hold onto the memory of what had almost happened.

It just had to be enough.

This... This wasn't such a bad night after all.