【Me · The Single Man】Last Thursday night, on a work trip in Guangzhou and bored out of my mind, I was scrolling through livestreams while browsing the community. I hadn't been in the scene long, and I kept an elder's advice in mind: don't just go bothering couples—wait until you see one openly looking for a single man, then say hello, politely. As luck would have it, I came across a traveling couple looking for someone. I immediately sent a private message, rewriting my wording three times before I dared hit send. Big Brother replied fast. We chatted about the basics—he asked when I'd arrived, where I was staying, what line of work I was in—every question easygoing, not prying, and somehow it put me at ease. In the end we agreed to meet on Saturday. I stared at that message for the longest time, my heart pounding like I'd just finished a run.
【Big Brother · The Husband】Truth be told, the one willing to speak up and go looking for a single man is usually me. She's shy; she never puts herself forward for this sort of thing. That night I came across this young guy's message—clean avatar, well-mannered words, answering each question straight, no oiliness. I handed my phone to her beside me. She pretended to be watching her show, but her eyes kept sliding toward the screen. I knew she was tempted; she just wouldn't admit it. I set the Saturday date for her, and when I looked back at her, she turned her face away—but the tips of her ears had gone red. After all these years, I know these little tells of hers all too well.
【The Wife】When he pressed the phone into my hand, my heart gave a jolt. That stranger on the screen spoke so courteously, yet just a couple of extra glances made my face burn. Say yes, or say no? Out loud I said, "Up to you," but under the blanket my fingers were picking at the sheets. That night I lay down; he was already fast asleep, but I tossed and turned. It's not that I'd never pictured it—a man I didn't know, a pair of hands I didn't know. Thinking of it, I quickly pulled the blanket up higher, as if that could cover the thought I shouldn't be having. But it couldn't be covered; it was like water, seeping out little by little from the corner of the blanket.
【Me · The Single Man】I actually had a meeting on Saturday, but with something weighing on my mind, I sat in the conference room restless the whole time, not registering a single slide of the deck no matter which one flipped past. Once I'd finally gotten through the key agenda items, I hailed a cab and rushed to the destination. I waited for Big Brother and the wife in the private room, and to cover my nerves I'd steeped a whole pot of tea until it lost all flavor, drinking it while rehearsing over and over in my head what I'd say once we met. Finally I heard the knock at the door, and my heart gave a thud—like a stone that had been hanging finally dropped—only to lift right back up again.
【The Wife】Before knocking, I took several deep breaths in the corridor. I'd checked myself in every mirror on the way, touched up my lipstick again and again, tugged at the hem of my dress over and over, terrified something wasn't right. When I actually pushed that door open and saw him stand up awkwardly from his seat, I felt oddly relieved—he was even more nervous than me. He poured me tea, his hands trembling, spilling a little, then hurriedly grabbing a napkin to wipe it. I pressed my lips together, not daring to laugh out loud, and the string that had been drawn taut inside me somehow loosened by half at his little bit of clumsiness. Still, I didn't dare say much, afraid that the moment I opened my mouth, my voice would give away how timid I was.
【Big Brother · The Husband】I'm a talkative sort—at the table I took the lead on conversation, talking shop about the industry, about the food in different places, about the odd sights I'd seen on the road, filling in every awkward silence for the two of them. She sat beside me, at first just keeping her head down picking at the dishes, saying little, but I could tell she was slowly relaxing—when she picked food onto my plate, she casually picked a bite onto his bowl too. A good sign. All these years I've taken her across the country, meeting so many people, yet every time I watch her go from stiff to at ease, there's a feeling in my chest I can't quite name—part longing, part reluctance to let go.
【Me · The Single Man】Once all the dishes had come, we ate and talked, and Big Brother's easy chatter gradually warmed up the mood. The wife said little at first, then began chiming in a line or two, her eyes crinkling when she smiled, her voice soft. After the meal I worked up the nerve again and invited the two of them back to the hotel to sit a while. The words were barely out before I regretted how blunt they'd sounded, my face going hot. To my surprise Big Brother agreed readily, and the wife didn't decline either—she just lowered her head and tidied her hair. In that moment it was like a little drum was beating inside me.
【The Wife】In the car to the hotel, I didn't say a word, just watched the neon lights along the way retreat behind us. My heart was pounding hard, my palms damp with sweat. In the room we sat and talked for another hour. I held my water glass, sipping in tiny mouthfuls—I wasn't the least bit thirsty, really, I just wanted to give myself something to do. I could feel his gaze landing on my face, on my lips as I spoke, warm, impossible to escape. Being looked at like that, I somehow didn't feel offended—instead… somewhere inside me quietly went soft. The feeling was so unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that I didn't dare admit it.
【Me · The Single Man】We talked happily at the hotel for another hour, but my eyes truly wouldn't behave—watching the wife's red lips part and close as she spoke, watching the soft curve of her waist as she rose to get water, that thought in me grew wild like weeds, and in my head I'd already run through exactly how I'd pull her into my arms. But in the end I pressed it down; I didn't want to break the rules, and I didn't want to scare her. I made plans with Big Brother to come formally next week.
【Big Brother · The Husband】As they were leaving I caught the flicker of fire the kid hadn't quite hidden in his eyes, and oddly it set me at ease—he held it in, and that was enough. Only a man willing to keep to the rules deserves to take the next step. I clapped him on the shoulder and said, see you next week. On the ride back she leaned against my shoulder, and after a while asked softly, "That guy… he's alright, isn't he?" I laughed and didn't answer outright, just squeezed her hand. I knew this week wouldn't feel short to her either.
【Me · The Single Man】Back at the room that night, I lay on the hotel bed in that unfamiliar city, tossing and turning, my head full of the wife smiling with her head bowed, and Big Brother's "see you next week" as he clapped my shoulder. Outside was Guangzhou's humid, sultry night, the air conditioner droning away. I counted the days on my fingers—this week was going to feel especially long.