Before I could gush about how "my admiration for you is like the surging Yangtze River, continuous and unending, or like the overflowing Yellow River, out of control", Cheng Yu hung up the phone.
Okay then.
At a time like this, I'd better not disturb him having lunch with his boyfriend.
I'll visit him later to express my gratitude.
-
When I got back to the office, Qi Jiayuan had been waiting for my result for so long that his neck seemed to have stretched.
When he saw me looking both ashamed and proud, he immediately understood. Qi Jiayuan slapped his thigh and said, "I told you your gay bestie is both beautiful and kind-hearted!"
I nodded. "I really didn't expect him to be so reliable."
Qi Jiayuan said, "He's given us such a great gift. If we don't show our appreciation, won't it make us seem so ungrateful?"
Me: "How do you want to show our appreciation?"
Qi Jiayuan: "How about some cigarettes and wine?"
Me: "That's so tacky. He doesn't smoke, and I don't think he has the habit of drinking either."
Qi Jiayuan: "You're right. He's willing to help us not because of my face. It's mainly because of the deep sisterhood between you two... If the gift is too expensive, it might even sully your pure friendship, right?"
I knew this stingy guy wasn't that generous. "What do you want to do?"
Qi Jiayuan put his arm around my neck and whispered, "You buy a gift for your gay bestie as a friend. It doesn't have to be too expensive. The most important thing is the thought. I'll pay for it, okay?"
I thought about it. This was indeed the most suitable plan. Cheng Yu helped us out because of me. If I gave him a gift of equal value, it would turn this friendship into a commodity. "Okay, I'll think about what gift to buy for him."
Qi Jiayuan: "...I heard that all bottom guys lack a top in their lives. How about you give me to him?"
Me: "Get out of here!"
-
Since I was going to buy a gift for him, I couldn't just ask him directly. I had to think hard about what his favorite things were.
At this point, I realized that I didn't understand men at all.
And I knew even less about Cheng Yu.
He seemed very rich and had good taste. But his house was simple and clean, without any fancy knick-knacks. I couldn't tell what his hobbies were. He seemed to have no interest in anything. What should I buy for him?
For this reason, I asked all the guys around me and did some online research.
I came to a conclusion -
Guys can't resist the temptation of AJ shoes.
I couldn't understand this at all.
Just like guys can't understand why girls have so many lipsticks.
Isn't it just a pair of sneakers?
Do they really need to buy so many pairs?
They all look almost the same, and they're extremely expensive. Some guys even buy them and don't wear them but just display them?
I just couldn't understand.
But since everyone said so, Cheng Yu was a guy after all. He was so handsome, and sneakers would suit him well. Guys always wear sneakers, right? He should like them.
So I checked online. The better shoes had been jacked up by scalpers to prices five or even ten times higher than the original price.
I'd be crazy to buy them!
Then I looked for some more normal ways to buy them -
Queue up?
Huh?
Queue up all night?
My little head was full of question marks.
For just a pair of shoes?
Queue up all night?
But then I thought, if I queued up all night and could save a month's salary, it would be worth it.
-
I did some research.
I took a fancy to a limited-edition co-branded AJ. Coincidentally, it was going to be on limited release in the next couple of days.
It was a high-top shoe in a caramel color. Although I didn't understand much about shoes, it looked quite nice and was more in line with Cheng Yu's taste.
Here we go.
First, I had to sign up online and get a lottery number. The results of the lottery would be announced the next day. Only if I was lucky enough to win the lottery would I be eligible to queue up at the store.
Then there would be an offline lottery. That meant on the day before the release, I had to go to the physical store to get another lottery number. It would probably take all night to queue up, but there was no guarantee that I would be able to buy the shoes. Because if I wanted to buy the right size, I would have to draw another lottery...
What the hell! Is this buying shoes or buying lottery tickets?!
-
Thankfully, I was quite lucky. I won the first round of the online lottery.
So the next day, I asked Qi Jiayuan for leave and said I was going to queue up at the shoe store.
Qi Jiayuan said, "How can I let you do this kind of tough job? Let Zhang Yuan go!"
I rolled my eyes. "It's clearly stated that only the person whose ID is used can queue up to be valid."
Zhang Yuan: "I'm grateful for AJ's policy."
A bunch of heartless guys.
Qi Jiayuan comforted me and said, "You'll have a tough day tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I'll arrange for all of us to go to the mountains for a three - day hot - spring vacation. How about that?"
I thought about it. I'd never been to a hot spring before. "Okay!"
-
Then I carried a small folding stool and went to queue up.
While queuing, I found that there were guys in front of and behind me.
A tall guy in front of me couldn't help asking me, "Are you a scalper?"
Me: "No, I want to buy a gift for a friend."
Guy: "A guy?"
Me: "Yes."
Guy: "Wow, he's really lucky to have a girlfriend like you. I'm so unlucky. I have to come and queue up myself..."
A short guy behind me looked at me sympathetically. "I advise you to find someone who loves you. Don't be a love - beggar. Love - beggars end up with nothing in the end."
I was speechless. "He's not my boyfriend!"
The tall guy turned around and scolded the short one. "You love - beggar! You even saved a month's living expenses to queue up and buy shoes for your girlfriend. How dare you talk about others!"
The short guy gave me a helpless look. "We're all poor souls in the same boat. We can only pray that we'll end up with everything in the end."
Me: "I'm really not a love - beggar!"
Tall guy: "Really? If not, why are you suffering through a whole night in the cold, with the temperature dropping and the rain coming down, just to buy him a pair of shoes to make him happy?"
Me: "..."
I fell silent.
I was actually speechless!
In the middle of the night, the rain got heavier.
Our long queue huddled under the eaves of the shoe store, sheltering from the wind and rain. It was quite miserable.
These guys were here for their faith and their love. What the hell was I here for...
There were so many gifts I could choose from. Why did I have to be so stupid and choose to buy an AJ, which was harder to buy than climbing to the sky?
-
Finally, the dawn of hope arrived.
The rain stopped, the sky brightened, and the store door opened.
The guys in front started to buy shoes one by one.
Some who didn't win the lottery left crying.
I've never been so nervous, not even when I checked my college entrance examination results.
The store started counting down. There were only three pairs left of the limited - edition co - branded AJ I wanted.
The people in front of and behind me, including myself, all thought there was no way we could get one.
Then, when there was only the second - last pair left, I was selected!!!
Damn it! At this moment, I felt like I was blessed with good luck!!!
"Wait, this shoe is size 43." The tall guy asked me, "What size shoes does your boyfriend wear? Although you've won the lottery, the size might not be right for you. If it happens to be my size, I'll pay five times the price to buy it from you."
I was stunned. Right! There was also the factor of the shoe size!
The problem was that I didn't know what size shoes Cheng Yu wore!
I quickly called Cheng Yu. "Hello! Urgent! What size shoes do you wear? How big? Hurry up..."
Please, please, please let it be size 43!
Then Cheng Yu said, "43."
Wow! I'm so lucky!!!
The tall guy was still asking, "Well, what size shoes does your boyfriend wear?"
I was so excited that I forgot to hang up the phone. I jumped up and down happily. "My boyfriend wears size 43 shoes!!!"