Chapter 30.2 (1/2)
Deep in the Act
Translator: Kotoni
Editor: Cien
Quality Check: Isalee
First Published on Chaleuria
Chapter 30.2
Sitting in his office, Gao Zhun spent the day in misery. He was so lost in despondence that he could not focus on his work at all. Although the exhibition secretary came to see him on multiple occasions, Gao Zhun redirected the staffer to Justin every time - until Justin left work early, just after three, to tend to some personal matters. Only then did Gao Zhun force himself to browse through some of the projects on hand. Even so, he remained distracted while waiting for time to pa.s.s. When the clock struck half past four at last, he left promptly for Fang Chi's clinic.
Secretary Li was still at work when Gao Zhun arrived. Amicable as always, she made some tea for him. Then, checking through the visitor logbook, she informed him, ”It's the last appointment for the day, and it'll be over soon.” Gao Zhun thanked her with a smile and sat down on the bench. Indeed, the door opened no more than five minutes later, and a tall young man came out of Fang Chi's office. He had a pair of lively, double-lidded eyes, and a full jawline characteristic of his youth. He was dressed in a suit and wore a silver-plated bespoke ring on his right middle finger. Gao Zhun recognized the ring; it was the work of a Polish independent artist, he remembered.
”Justin?” Gao Zhun called out in surprise.
Justin was even more surprised to see Gao Zhun in the clinic. His large eyes widened. They glimmered with delight at first - l.u.s.trous as the melting waters in spring - before flas.h.i.+ng with the panic of a schoolboy caught red-handed while playing truant. At last, his gaze settled back into the calm composure of a grown man. ”Good evening, Sir,”1 he greeted Gao Zhun with respect, an odd accent in his voice. ”How come…?”
Realizing that Justin was asking about the purpose of his consultation, Gao Zhun panicked for a moment. In the very next moment, however, he recovered and a.s.sumed the airs of a superior. ”I've been feeling rather stressed lately, so I'm here to wind down. What about you?”
”Me… Me too,” Justin replied. It was a blatant lie, but Gao Zhun had no intention to probe any further. He was not interested in the least. ”How's the preparation coming along for that Aestheticism2 exhibition we decided on last week?” Gao Zhun asked.
”The preliminary work is already complete. The other party will be working with…” Out of habit, Justin began leaning his tall figure toward Gao Zhun as he spoke. a.s.sailed once more by Justin's suffocating, oppressive presence, Gao Zhun dodged his advance and backed away. Just then, the door to the office opened a crack. Wiping his gla.s.ses as he stood in the doorway, Fang Chi called out to Gao Zhun in a polite but familiar tone, ”Coming, Mr. Gao?”
Of course Gao Zhun was coming. Dropping a casual ”rest well” as he brushed by Justin, Gao Zhun strode into the office. Only after the door closed again behind him did he heave a sigh of relief and begin breathing normally again.
”You know each other?” Fang Chi asked, sounding rather grave.
”That was Justin,” Gao Zhun answered as he put down his bag, disbelief evident in his voice. ”What was he doing here? What kind of… issues does he have?”
”Just the usual insomnia.” Fang Chi closed the patient's record on his desk, concealing the notes he had jotted down about Justin's condition: h.o.m.os.e.xual fantasies about superior at work.
”Is it because of exhaustion?” Gao Zhun muttered to himself. ”He doesn't seem to be the type to have trouble sleeping.”
Fang Chi's voice took on an edge of displeasure all of a sudden. ”You care that much about him?”
Gao Zhun was stunned. After a brief pause, however, he rushed to explain himself. ”No, I'm just…”
Fang Chi gestured for Gao Zhun to stop. He knew full well that he was overreacting. He also knew why he was behaving this way, remembering his consultation with the young man just now. In his mind, the therapist saw the young man before him again, talking about his desire for his boss. In a besotted manner, the young man confided, ”I think he's interested in me too.”
”What makes you think so?” Fang Chi asked as he recorded down his observations.
”Sometimes, he'll steal glances at me from his office window. When I get near him on purpose, his response… seems really shy. I think he's trying to seduce me!”
”Has he ever expressed such intentions or feelings in explicit terms?” Unaware of the superior's ident.i.ty at the time, Fang Chi delivered his questions without any emotion.
”No. He wouldn't.” The young man's large eyes rolled in excitement. ”He's waiting for me to make the first move.” As if he were having a friendly discussion rather than a therapeutic consultation, he continued, ”Given his age and the fact that he's my boss, there's no way he could ever take the initiative.”
”Is there a huge gap between you? In terms of age, I mean.”