The June of Blossoming Yearning

In the exquisitely decorated wedding hall, murmurs and sound of people discussing in hushed tones could be heard. People were wondering about the bride and groom's whereabouts. The bride, of course couldn't enter before the groom. So, the guests hadn't managed to catch a single glance of either of the couple.

Before their wild discussions could come to a conclusion, Chu Ruilin walked in with Shen Zichen a few paces behind.

Looking at the finely dressed man, the tensed Chu family finally heaved a sigh of relief.

The jittery guests also settled down.

An ethereal music started playing.

The wedding ceremony finally began.

Fang Yunzhu dressed in a beautiful white silk wedding gown with pearls embroidered on it walked down the aisle with her hand held by her father.

Instead of walking up to the seat reserved for him in the front, next to his parents, Shen Zichen walked further back and sat down in an inconspicuous corner. Sitting there, he watched the whole wedding with an expressionless face.

His gaze didn't veer even an inch from Chu Ruilin's face through it all.

He watched as the couple took their vows.

When it came the time to kiss the bride, he watched as Chu Ruilin leaned down with an impassive face and pressed a kiss between Fang Yunzhu's eyebrows. Looking at that kiss, he thought it looked very much like the scene of an elder kissing his granddaughter.

He couldn't help wondering if, hours later during his wedding night, Chu Ruilin would fuck Fang Yunzhu in the same manner with an impassive face, as well.

He thought about whether that man's face would distort even a little with a pleased and satisfied expression in the throes of passion?

He wondered how that man looked like when fucked.

He wondered how his moans of pleasure would sound.

He wondered if he liked it rough or gentle.

He wondered whether he tasted sweet like the nectar of flowers or bitter like the taste of crushed up flowers.

He wondered, wondered and wondered. Then, realised that he needed a sample before he could make any final judgement.

After watching the ceremony till the end, he didn't attend the wedding banquet. Rather, he went straight back to his room. He'd somehow explain the situation to his parents, later on. His relationship with them lacked the intimacy between a child and his parents but nonetheless, it was cordial enough. They'd let him do whatever he wanted as long as it wasn't illegal or damaging the family's reputation.

After coming back to his room, he tugged on his tie and walked to the washroom to take a shower.

After a long shower, he walked out of the washroom in a bathrobe. Drying his hair with a towel, he lay down on the huge king sized bed. He was feeling a little worn out.

Gradually, his eyelashes fluttered shut and his breath evened out. He had fallen asleep.

Shen Zichen dreamed.

He dreamed about the second time he saw Chu Ruilin.

After arriving at the Chu family house, he was well taken care of. The old man Chu, looking at him had also faintly hmm-ed in approval. Soon, he started going to an elite private school.

However, even after months of arriving into the Chu family, he still hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of Chu Ruilin.

It was a moonlit night. No clouds obscured the sky, allowing a free view of the brightly twinkling stars and the glowing moon. Shen Zichen was sitting on the wooden bench rest on his balcony, looking down at the view of the lush garden, when the sound of a heart piercing beautiful music piece fell into his ears.

It was the sound of a violin.

The melody that the stringed instrument was producing at this moment was haunting, yet beguiling. There was a touch of a little loneliness in it, as well.

Tracing the source of the sound, he found that it was coming from the pavilion in the garden. Putting on his slippers, he left his room. Perhaps, he himself hadn't realised but his footsteps while walking to the pavilion were a little hurried.

When he finally arrived at his location, he saw the figure which was playing the music.

It was Chu Ruilin.

A beautiful black ebony violin rested on his collarbones, supported by his left hand and shoulder while he held the fingerboard with his right hand, playing that haunting tune. His eyes were shut closed, seemingly immersed in playing.

He hadn't realised that he was no longer alone, that all of Shen Zichen's attention was placed on him and him alone.

He played that violin for a long time and Shen Zichen watched him play for the whole length of it.

Finally, after Chu Ruilin felt like he'd played enough, he opened his eyes only to meet Shen Zichen's eyes. He was faintly startled but he didn't show it on his face.

He leisurely placed the violin back in it's shoulder case and stood up. Straightening the wrinkles on his collar, he walked out of the pavilion.

When he was about to walk past Shen Zichen, he stopped suddenly and asked, "Did it sound good?"

Shen Zichen, realising that the man was speaking to him, stammered a "Good", then thought about it and added, "What's it called?"

"It's John William's Schindler list theme" replied Chu Ruilin and walked away.

Shen Zichen couldn't comprehend a word of these english words. It wasn't his fault. He wasn't even 9 yet.

That night, Shen Zichen had a sweet and relaxed sleep, like a little wolf cub with its full belly after having it's fill of milk.

From then on, he'd encounter the sound of the violin every few weeks and every time he'd rush down to the pavilion to listen with his ears perked up and tail wagging.

Chu Ruilin too, had after a few times gotten accustomed to his attentive gaze. He'd let him listen all he wanted and later he'd even ask him about his opinion on the piece he played that day.

In the winter seasons, when he'd see Shen Zichen rushing down wearing only his thin sleepwear, he'd take off his jacket or coat and wrap Shen Zichen in it. Later, he started carrying a soft blanket with him whenever he'd go to play in the pavilion in the winter months.

Shen Zichen opened his eyes, he was feeling a little cold. He realised that he had fallen asleep in the flimsy bathrobe and that too without even drying his hair. His head was aching terribly.

He checked the time on his phone. It was 8:30 pm. The wedding banquet should have ended, by now. His phone was filled with missed calls from his parents and texts asking about his whereabouts. He quickly typed in a reply, explaining that he had been feeling a little sick and hence went back to his room to rest.

He was about to walk to his backpack to search for clothes to wear, when the room bell rang. 

Abandoning his search, he decided to open the door first.

Standing there was Chu Ruilin.

Still finely dressed, with the boutonniere that he had carefully attached on the lapels of his tuxedo, still in place. The only thing different was that his perfectly styled hair was a little disheveled now, scattered around his eyebrows, probably from having running his hands through them.

Shen Zichen was surprised for the second time by the similar scene.

"Why are you here" he inquired.

"I think i left my phone in your room while dressing up in the evening" replied Chu Ruilin in an exhausted tone.

Shen Zichen turned around and walked back inside while calling out, "Come inside and look for it yourself"

Chu Ruilin followed him, closing the door behind him.

While searching around the dressing table for his phone, he saw Shen Zichen in the mirror, who was removing his bathrobe to change into the clothes that he had just taken out of his bag.

The young man untied the sash of the bathrobe and bared his naked body without a single care, disregarding Chu Ruilin's presence in the room.

Chu Ruilin averted his gaze and spoke, "Where were you during the banquet? Ge and sister in law were looking for you. They wanted to introduce you to some people"

Shen Zichen, having finished dressing up replied, "I was feeling sick so i came back to rest. The music playing in the wedding was hurting my ears and the glaring lights in the hall were blinding my eyes. So,I had to return."