170: A chance encounter with childhood friend Wang Jianguo

At 9 PM, Lei Zhen drove alone to Langqing Plaza near Guanyin Temple. There were several gay bars there, the most famous of which was a high-energy club called HUNK Club.

The corridor on the second floor of Langqing Plaza was bathed in the ambiguous, misty purple glow of neon lights. Heavy metal beats, mixed with the scent of alcohol and perfume, spilled out from the half-open door of HUNK Club.

Lei Zhen tugged at his collar and pushed the door open.

Scattered colorful lights fell upon the moving figures, outlining various flamboyant outfits.

Some wore cropped sequin tops with cargo pants, others oversized rainbow hoodies, their silver chains jingling softly with their dance moves.

The hydraulic stage in the center of the dance floor was illuminated by blue spotlights, where two muscular men were dancing passionately to K-POP music, sweat trickling down their taut bodies.

Below the stage, people cheered with glow sticks, whistles mixing with the beats in a continuous rhythm.

Booth seating lined the walls, with groups of three to five people squeezed onto the leather sofas. Some whispered to each other, others clinked cocktail glasses.

Behind the bar, a bartender twirled bottles, the crisp clinking of ice against glass occasionally cutting through the music. Amber liquor arced in the shaker before being poured into glasses garnished with mint leaves.

It was Lei Zhen's first time in such a place, and he felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

He found a random spot to sit down and looked around.

Just then, a waiter came up: "Sir, what would you like to order?"

Lei Zhen smiled at him: "A cocktail, please. Thank you."

The waiter quickly brought a cocktail. Lei Zhen scanned the code to pay, then sat down and took a small sip of his drink.

He then realized that many people in gay bars actually dressed quite normally; not all gay men were effeminate.

However, there were indeed many couples here, and quite a few single gay men like himself.

He scanned the area, hoping to spot the tall person he was looking for, but clearly, no one approaching 1.9 meters in height had appeared in this bar yet.

Lei Zhen was about to leave for the next bar when, just as he prepared to stand up, a dark figure suddenly appeared beside him. On closer inspection, it was a man dressed flamboyantly, wearing sunglasses.

Not only did this dark figure block his path, but the eyes behind the sunglasses seemed to be staring intently at him, scrutinizing him up and down.

Lei Zhen felt a sudden clenching sensation and was about to walk around him, but the other party immediately called out his name.

"Lei Zhen, are you Lei Zhen?"

Lei Zhen was startled. He never imagined he'd run into an acquaintance here!

Yet, the other person's appearance was completely unfamiliar to him.

"You... you know me?" Lei Zhen pointed to himself.

"Aren't you Lei Zhen? I'd recognize you even if you were turned to ashes." The man finished speaking and sat down opposite Lei Zhen, his movements smooth and somewhat alluring.

Lei Zhen could only sit back down: "May I be so bold as to ask, who are you?"

The man took off his sunglasses. Lei Zhen saw the other's face: it was a big man with delicate makeup, even a bit of smoky eye shadow.

But Lei Zhen still didn't recognize who this person in front of him was.

"You haven't changed much, still so handsome," the man said.

"You... you've got the wrong person, right?" Lei Zhen replied.

"It's me, Jianguo! Wang Jianguo from the Orphanage back then. Have I changed that much that you don't recognize me?"

Lei Zhen's eyes widened. He looked closely and remembered instantly: "Wang Jianguo, you really are Wang Jianguo? The one who used to sleep on the bunk above me?"

The man opposite him smiled sweetly: "What do you mean I slept on your bunk? I was below you, you slept above me."

Lei Zhen twitched his mouth: "Right, right, I remember now. That was over a decade ago. I remember when we were kids, you'd often climb up and sleep with me..."

Speaking of which, Lei Zhen paused: "You wouldn't happen to be...?"

"I am," Wang Jianguo nodded shyly.

"When did this happen?" Lei Zhen's expression was solemn: "You weren't already... back in the Orphanage, were you?"

"Actually, I was still quite naive back then. One time, the Orphanage organized an outing, and my leg cramped up while swimming. You saved me!"

"There was something like that, I think."

"I was holding onto you tightly, and you kept comforting me. From then on, I felt especially safe with you. Later, every time we showered together, I'd get this inexplicable urge..."

"Hold on?" Lei Zhen quickly raised a hand to stop him from continuing: "I knew you always stared at me when I showered! You didn't start getting interested in men back then, did you?"

Wang Jianguo smiled alluringly: "It's hard to say now, but I started having feelings for you back then."

"Oh my goodness?" Lei Zhen shuddered just thinking about it. He and Wang Jianguo had often slept in the same bed back then, and every time, he'd turn his backside towards him.

"Are you a zero or a one?" Lei Zhen asked cautiously.

"Whatever you like," Wang Jianguo said, "I can be anything."

Lei Zhen realized the other party must have misunderstood: "Jianguo, you might have it a bit wrong. I understand your feelings, but the thing is, I'm not gay. I'm straight, and the kind that has no flexibility; I'd break before I bend."

Wang Jianguo paused: "You're bi?"

"No, no." Lei Zhen waved his hands repeatedly: "How did 'bi' get involved now? I'm not bi either. I like women, I'm the offensive type."

"Then why are you here?" Wang Jianguo glanced at him, his small mouth slightly pursed.

"I'm looking for someone. This person owes me money and disappeared. Someone said he was gay, that's why I came," Lei Zhen explained.

Wang Jianguo scrutinized Lei Zhen: "You're just trying to fool me. I see you're even wearing makeup. What straight man wears makeup? Lei Zhen, I can accept that you're not interested in me, but it's a bit hurtful to say such things to reject me. Is being gay so shameful?"

Wang Jianguo seemed to be angry, so Lei Zhen quickly explained: "Brother, I'm really not lying to you. Don't you remember, when we were at the Orphanage, didn't I often take you to peek at the older girls showering? I truly only like women."

"You, you're just a pervert." Wang Jianguo smiled flirtatiously: "Are you really here looking for someone?"

"Yes," Lei Zhen nodded: "Have you seen a gay man who's 1.9 meters tall, thin and tall, and likes to wear perfume?"

Wang Jianguo paused: "Yes, I have. Not only have I seen him, I even dated him. But that scoundrel fell for a fat guy and dumped me."

"Ah? Really?" Lei Zhen was surprised: "Are you sure the person I'm talking about is your ex-boyfriend?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Wang Jianguo pouted: "I know most people in the whole community. The only one who's 1.9 meters tall is him. Who else could it be besides him?"

Lei Zhen quickly pulled out the perfume bottle, opened it, and handed it to Wang Jianguo: "Smell this. Is this the scent of the perfume he usually uses?"

Wang Jianguo sniffed it casually and immediately said: "That's the scent. I even bought this perfume for him; it cost me over a thousand yuan."

"Was it from that perfume shop called Midnight Temptation?"

"Yes, did you buy yours there too?" Wang Jianguo was a little surprised.

It seemed there was an eighty to ninety percent chance he was right.

Lei Zhen never expected that his childhood friend actually had a male-male relationship with the criminal. What a coincidence!