Will you still love me even if I'm a man?

Chapter 22: Counting our blessings

Author: Angelina
Translator: Adrian Julian

The two boys have been out for the entire day and now they are walking home. Mai Ding's phone started to ring and when he looked at the phone, it was his old friend, Huang Hai. Mai Ding had earlier texted some of his old friends, asking for a get together. He was a little surprised that Huang Hai was returning his text message so soon.

'This bugger. Calling me when it's already so late into the evening.' Mai Ding pretended to complain.'You texted something about a get together? I tell you, if it has anything to do with Zhu, I am not going.' Huang Hai was usually a jovial and easy going guy. Today, however, he was not the same person.

Zhu was another of Mai Ding's friend. The three of them used to get along very well and were often together but during high school, the two of them decided to get a job and the group slowly broke up.

'Why? What happened?' Mai Ding tried to find out.

'That person.' Huang Hai began. 'To think that I treated him like a brother of my own. He actually stole a customer of mine. Does he think he can use me just like that to prosper? My dear Ding, if he is going to be around at this get together, I'm definitely not going. If he's there, I'm not.' And with that he cut the line, leaving Mai Ding a little heavy-hearted.

'Why did this have to happen?' Mai Ding thought to himself. The two of them used to be so close. Can people really change so fast? 'AnZiyan.'Mai Ding called out. 'Do you think being in school shelters us from the complications of society? The three of us used to be close friends. We would even die for each other. Yet today we have become enemies.' Mai Ding couldn't accept the fact that his friends were no longer together.

Even without knowing what had transpired on the phone, An Ziyan could roughly guess what had happened. He knew Mai Ding treasured his friends deeply. Friends to Mai Ding were very important and he knew that this incident had a huge impact on his boy. 'This is a cruel dog-eat-dog world. Don't think too much about it. Just stay by my side and let's quietly live our own lives.'

'Can we escape to some beach paradise?'

'And both of us go topless, wearing only grass skirts?' AnZiyan chirped in sarcastically.

Mai Ding suddenly thought of something worth sharing. He took his new driving license out and showed it to An Ziyan. 'Look here. What is this? It's my driving license! So next time, I'll be the one driving.'

AnZiyan looked at the license. Mai Ding thought that he was definitely going to praise him. After all, Mai Ding actually got his driving license even before An Ziyan. Mai Ding was wondering how An Ziyan was going to praise him.

'Mai Ding.' AnZiyan began.

'Yes?'

'I remembered very clearly that you said you were only eighteen years old.' The license said something different altogether. Mai Ding was actually the same age as An Ziyan!

***

AnZiyan drove Mai Ding back home, but because it was still early, Mai Ding was afraid that his neighbours would see the both of them. He hurriedly got off without even a proper goodbye.

Once he was at home, Mai Ding's father caught hold of him and began his interrogation. 'When are you ever going to get a girlfriend?'

Ever since Mai Ding turned twenty, Mai Ding's dad would hound him with this question. Mai Ding did not understand why his father was rushing him to get himself hooked. He suddenly thought of An Ziyan and started to laugh to himself.