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24 Hours Until the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Ceremony
There is one king-size bed in the hotel room.
Xie Lian bites his lower lip and furrows his brow, wondering what to do.
This room, and its one bed, will not work. He had made the booking for himself and three of his friends from college, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Hua Cheng. They graduated about five years ago and Xie Lian had kept in touch with all of them.
They are now visiting Paris for the wedding of two of their other college friends, Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen.
Xie Lian’s best friend Shi Qingxuan will also be at the wedding with their boyfriend He Xuan. They are staying with Shi Qingxuan’s wealthy brother who, apparently, has an apartment in the city.
Xie Lian rolls his bag next to the bed, sets down four keycards on the dresser, and immediately heads to the phone on the nightstand.
He needs to sort out this bed situation ASAP.
He lifts the phone to his ear and presses 0.
“You’ve reached the front desk,” says the lady at the front desk in perfect French.
“Oh hello!” Xie Lian replies in less-than-perfect French. “I am in 319, and I think there’s a mistake. I asked for two queens, and a pull out couch, and cot. There is only a king bed here.”
“Oh I am terribly sorry about that,” the woman responds. “Let me see what happened.”
Xie Lian thanks her and waits. He can faintly hear her typing and clicking away.
“Ahh, okay,” she says after a minute, and her voice is a little shaky. “It appears as though there was a request for a single king bed at some point? I see that two beds were originally booked but the reservation was changed last week.”
“It was?” asks Xie Lian, completely confused. He had certainly made no such request. “I am sorry but that wasn’t me. I need at least two beds.”
“Well, I’m sorry but our hotel is completely booked for the night,” says the receptionist. “Overbooked, if I’m being completely honest.”
Xie Lian’s stomach drops. “I see. Well in that case…may we have one or two cots brought up?”
“Ah, I apologize but I’m afraid we don’t have anymore cots available either…”
“Oh I see,” says Xie Lian, and even though she hadn’t actually helped at all with his problem, he thanks the receptionist anyway and hangs up.
He then looks around helplessly.
Four men.
One bed.
Surely they’d make this work.
Right?
Xie Lian texts everyone the room number, and decides not to mention the bed situation.
Hua Cheng arrives not long after, knocking on the door just as Xie Lian steps out of the shower. Xie Lian opens the door, towel wrapped around his waist, little droplets of water dripping down his chest from his wet tendrils of hair.
“Gege—“ Hua Cheng begins, but he seems to stumble over his next words as he looks at Xie Lian, and coughs fitfully.
“San Lang! Gosh! Come in, do you need some water?”
“No,” croaks Hua Cheng as he crosses the threshold and flings his backpack and duffel bag down. “No just…you just showered?”
“Oh! Yes sorry, I’ll get dressed, be back in a sec!”
Xie Lian scurries into the bathroom as Hua Cheng says, “oh no, gege, don’t get dressed on account of—“
As Xie Lian shuts the bathroom door there’s another knock on the main entrance. “Oh that’s probably Feng Xin and Mu Qing—can you let them in?” Xie Lian calls out.
Xie Lian puts on his jeans and hears the door open, but everything is muffled. There’s the familiar, gruff timbre of Feng Xin’s voice, Hua Cheng’s curt response, and just as Xie Lian slips his button down shirt over his shoulders, the words become a little louder.
He immediately leaves the bathroom, shirt not yet buttoned.
“Feng Xin! Glad you made it, is everything alright?”
Feng Xin glowers at him, indicating that no, everything is not alright.
“You didn’t tell me you changed the plans, and it was just going to be you and him in the room,” Feng Xin spits out as he points accusatorially at Hua Cheng.
Hua Cheng’s arms are crossed and he scoffs, but then he turns to Xie Lian and his eyes go wide again as he looks down at Xie Lian’s naked chest.
Oops! How undignified!
Xie Lian immediately buttons up his shirt.
“No, no, Feng Xin, no plans changed, it’s still the four of us,” says Xie Lian.
“Then why the hell is there only one bed?”
Oh. That.
“Well,” Xie Lian laughs awkwardly, “I guess there was a mixup.”
“A mixup?” Feng Xin repeats.
Xie Lian nods. “And they’re out of rooms. And cots. So we will have to make it work!”
Feng Xin looks like he’s about to start yelling when there’s another knock on the door.
“Coming!” Shouts Xie Lian, and he opens the door to Mu Qing, who has a scowl on his face that seems scowlier than usual.
Perhaps it’s from the plane travel.
“Mu Qing!” Xie Lian chirps. “Come on in!”
Mu Qing takes about five steps inside the hotel room with his rolling luggage before he stops, and stares at the bed.
“There’s one bed,” says Mu Qing.
“How observant,” replies Hua Cheng dryly.
“Haha, yeah so funny story—“ begins Xie Lian.
“It’s not a funny story, someone is incompetent,” interrupts Feng Xin, who then grabs Mu Qing by the arm. “Come on. We are going to talk to the front desk and sort this out.”
“Oh,” begins Xie Lian, “I don’t think they will but I’ll go with—“
“No. You stay here. You’re too nice,” Feng Xin yells as he swings the door open and shoves Mu Qing outside.
“You should just get another room,” Hua Cheng calls out just before the door shuts with a loud thud.
“San Lang, I don’t think they’re going to be able to get another room,” Xie Lian murmurs.
Hua Cheng walks to the door and latches the deadbolt. “There. Problem solved.”
“San Lang!” chides Xie Lian, shaking his head disapprovingly, though he can’t stop his smile. “You’re really too much.”
23 Hours Until the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Ceremony
Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s trip to the front desk was in vain.
There are no more rooms, and no more beds.
And it’s not just at this hotel. Every hotel within reasonable walking distance is booked. Apparently there’s a concert, weather problems, a sporting event, and some kind of huge convention. The city is overcrowded with visitors.
Fortunately, Feng Xin and Mu Qing are able to score a bunch of pillows and blankets. At the moment, Mu Qing is using some of them to create a makeshift bed on the one armchair. Feng Xin, meanwhile, is attempting to make a bed roll on the floor with a couple of folded blankets.
While this is happening, Xie Lian tries to offer to switch places with them while sitting on the bed.
“Gege, let them sleep on the floor, they should be grateful they’re not on the street,” says Hua Cheng, sitting atop the bed covers next to Xie Lian and leaning back against the headboard.
“Well,” sighs Xie Lian, “I do think we could fit one more on the be—“
“No,” Feng Xin, Hua Cheng, and Mu Qing all say together.
Xie Lian purses his lips but says nothing.
Why was everyone so averse to sharing one bed?
“Gege, don’t worry about them. Here, let’s look at the wedding schedule Yin Yu texted.”
Hua Cheng waves his phone, and Xie Lian relents, scooting up the bed to join Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian then gets a notification on his phone, and he pulls it out of his pocket to see that Shi Qingxuan has texted.
Bestie: OMG all hell has broken loose and I’m at your hotel WHERE IS YOUR ROOM I NEED TO TALK NOW
“Oh it’s Shi Qingxuan,” says Xie Lian as he texts the room number, “they’re gonna come up.”
“Is He Xuan with them?” Hua Cheng asks, his focus still on the wedding schedule.
“Didn’t say,” says Xie Lian.
“Hmm,” hums Hua Cheng.
It’s not long before there’s a frantic knocking at the door. Feng Xin is closest so he walks over to open it, and Shi Qingxuan bursts in.
“OH MY GOD XIE LIA—hey Feng Xin, Mu Qing—XIE LIAN MY BROTHER IS SO—oh hey Hua Cheng— HE IS SO UNREASONABLE.”
Behind Shi Qingxuan, He Xuan walks into the room, rolling two pieces of luggage.
“What happened?” Asks Xie Lian, looking between Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan.
“He said that He Xuan wasn’t allowed to stay in the loft because of his political views!”
“Political views?” Asks Hua Cheng and he looks to He Xuan.
He Xuan shrugs. “I’m a leftist. I won’t apologize for it to any centrist.”
Shi Qingxuan groans, exasperated, and clamors up onto the bed and drapes themself over Xie Lian’s lap dramatically.
“Xie Liaaaaan, why is this my life???”
Xie Lian pats Shi Qingxuan on the shoulder. “There there, you two can stay here with us until this blows over.”
“What?” Says Mu Qing.
“Gege?” Says Hua Cheng.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” mumbles Feng Xin.
Shi Qingxuan sprawls over the bed, clearly claiming that spot on the other side of Xie Lian.
He Xuan takes one step toward the bed, but stops when he looks at Hua Cheng.
“I’ll….sleep in the closet,” he grumbles.
“It’s almost six,” says Mu Qing standing up. “The rehearsal dinner is about to start.”
“It’s at a restaurant here in the hotel, right?” Asks Xie Lian.
“Across the street,” Feng Xin answers. “We’d better get moving.”
And with that, six beleaguered twenty-somethings head to the Yin-Quan rehearsal dinner.
19 Hours Until the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Ceremony
“Gege, we’re almost to bed,” Hua Cheng whispers in Xie Lian’s ear, his breath warm.
Xie Lian is drunk. He is a lightweight, which means that it only took him two glasses of champagne to get to this point. He doesn’t like drinking, but there were lots of toasts.
After dinner the group separated into two parties, each taking one of the grooms out for a last-night of bachelorhood.
Xie Lian might have felt compelled to join if Hua Cheng hadn’t stepped in, and offered to walk him back to the room.
Xie Lian clings to Hua Cheng’s arm, leaning against him. Hua Cheng’s presence is grounding, his broad chest pressing into Xie Lian’s back.
They stumble into the bathroom where Hua Cheng helps Xie Lian brush his teeth and change into pajamas.
Once that is done, they make their way to the bed. Hua Cheng pulls back the covers and helps Xie Lian slide between the sheets.
It’s warm and Xie Lian snuggles down, looking up at Hua Cheng with a contented grin. Hua Cheng, however, steps back, his cheeks unusually red.
“A-are you going back out?” Xie Lian asks with a hiccup.
“No. I’ll stay. If that’s alright with you.”
Xie Lian nods his head in an exaggerated movement, and he pats the bed next to him. He can’t really keep his eyes open. “You should come to bed.”
Hua Cheng gasps. “Gege I…I can sleep on the floor.”
Xie Lian’s eyes are closed now, but he pouts. “Bed, San Lang.”
“…alright gege.”
The bed next to Xie Lian dips. Xie Lian nestles back into his pillow, and turns to face Hua Cheng.
He squints his eyes open, blearily able to make out Hua Cheng’s face looking at him.
Xie Lian clumsily reaches his hand up and pats Hua Cheng’s cheek.
“So handsome,” Xie Lian murmurs.
“Ge…gege,” Hua Cheng murmurs back.
“Night night,” says Xie Lian and then immediately passes out.
15 Hours Until the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Ceremony
“I swear to fucking Christ, Hua Cheng open this door.”
Xie Lian groans and his eyes blink open. He somehow inched his way towards Hua Cheng in his sleep, and now his face is pressed against Hua Cheng’s shoulder.
He’s more sober than he had been when he fell asleep, but still disoriented.
What was all the commotion?
“Huh?” rasps Xie Lian.
“Ignore them, gege,” Hua Cheng mumbles. It’s then Xie Lian realizes there’s an arm slung around his waist.
Oh, well, that was…
“I literally will call hotel security if you don’t open this fucking door,” Feng Xin shouts.
Xie Lian begins to sit up, but he’s pressed back down. “I’ll go,” murmurs Hua Cheng, who gets out of bed and saunters to the door. He opens it just a sliver with the deadbolt still latched.
“You woke up Xie Lian,” says Hua Cheng. “I’m not really sure you should come in.”
“For fucks sake,” says Mu Qing.
“San Lang,” Xie Lian manages to say. “Let them in…”
“Yes, gege.”
10 Hours Until the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Ceremony
Xie Lian wakes up feeling just a little hung over. Next to him Shi Qingxuan is sprawled out and slightly snoring. On the other side of the bed the covers are disheveled, but there’s no sign of Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian looks around and notes how crowded the room is. Feng Xin and Mu Qing are in their makeshift beds, and He Xuan’s feet are sticking out of the closet.
Inexplicably at the foot of the bed is Quan Yizhen, curled up like a dog, snoring.
The bathroom door then opens. “Morning gege,” whispers Hua Cheng, hair damp. “I was going to go to the lobby to get you some coffee if you’re interested.”
“That’s so nice,” Xie Lian croaks out, his mouth dry.
“Would you two shut the fuck up, we’re trying to sleep” Feng Xin grumbles.
“Oh! Sorry!” Xie Lian whispers.
“Don’t you talk to Xie Lian like that,” Hua Cheng says, even louder than before.
There are several annoyed groans throughout the room.
“Ahh, San Lang! I’ll take that coffee!“ Xie Lian says quickly, not wanting to bother everyone.
“Of course, gege,” Hua Cheng says, and as he leaves Xie Lian gets up to shower.
When he gets out, Mu Qing and Feng Xin are bickering, He Xuan is gone, and Shi Qingxuan has somehow taken over most of the bed—still fast asleep.
Quan Yizhen is still at the foot of the bed, snoring away.
“Don’t you fucking dare, I am going next,” says Mu Qing as he rifles through his suitcase.
“You got the window seat, dick, I get to shower first,” counters Feng Xin, also rifling through his own suitcase, as though racing Mu Qing.
“Um, why is one of the grooms here?” Asks Xie Lian.
“Oh, that,” says Mu Qing. “Yin Yu didn’t want to see him the night before the wedding. He said it was superstition but I think it’s because his husband-to-be is an annoying drunk.”
“You guys got him drunk?” Asks Xie Lian, and right then Shi Qingxuan stirs and stretches.
“It was his fault,” says Mu Qing, jutting his chin towards Feng Xin.
“Are you for real Mu Qing?” Feng Xin spits back, dropping whatever toiletries he was holding. They scatter over the floor. “Goddammit now look at what you made me do.”
Mu Qing fires some retort back and the pair continue to argue, all while Shi Qingxuan slowly gets up, grabs their bag, and saunters into the bathroom.
It isn’t until the shower starts running that the squabbling pair realize they missed their chance to use the bathroom next.
1 Hour Until the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Ceremony
“Should we wake him up?” asks Xie Lian, staring at Quan Yizhen.
The groom is still sleeping at the foot of the bed. According to the schedule Yin Yu provided, the wedding guests should be arriving in an hour, with the ceremony beginning 30 minutes after that.
Hua Cheng had just treated Xie Lian to a late lunch, and now they are planning to get ready for the wedding. Shi Qingxuan disappeared with He Xuan at some point, while Feng Xin and Mu Qing had been given a number of tasks to help set up for the ceremony and reception. Xie Lian had offered to help, but Yin Yu assured him that his presence was all that was required.
“He’s not really your problem, gege,” says Hua Cheng, nodding to Quan Yizhen. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Xie Lian furrows his brow. “I think we should text Yin Yu. At least see where his clothes and toiletries are.”
Hua Cheng sighs, digging out his phone. “Alright, one minute.”
Just then, Feng Xin and Mu Qing burst into the room. The former is covered in cake frosting. The latter is smirking.
“Oh no! What happened?!” Xie Lian asks.
“Someone was clumsy,” answers Mu Qing.
“I was not, you buffoon,” retorts Feng Xin.
Mu Qing scoffs, “You’re the buffoon!”
“Your husband is asleep on my bed. Take care of it,” Hua Cheng says into the phone, his voice loud over Mu Qing and Feng Xin’s yelling.
Suddenly another phone rings somewhere in the room, playing I Will Always Love You, and everyone shuts up.
“Is that…Whitney Houston?” asks a baffled Xie Lian.
Quan Yizhen bolts up right then, pulling the ringing phone from his pocket, and answering with a garbled, “Hrmhrumhm?”
On the other end of the line, Yin Yu’s voice is clearly yelling, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET BACK UPSTAIRS AND TAKE A SHOWER—”
Without another word, Quan Yizhen runs from the room.
“Problem solved,” says Hua Cheng stepping next to Xie Lian.
“One problem anyway. Feng Xin, please don’t tell me you fell into the wedding cake,” Xie Lian says.
Feng Xin stares at Xie Lian for a moment. “It was the backup cake.”
“Backup cake?” Asks Xie Lian.
Mu Qing snorts. “Apparently Yin Yu was worried something would happen and he ordered two cakes. Thank God I was carrying the real cake.”
Feng Xin scrapes a handful of frosting from his hair and throws it at Mu Qing.
“Gege, why don’t we just head down early. We can sit at the bar, they have some nice mocktails I can order for you.”
Xie Lian sighs as he watches Mu Qing lunge at Feng Xin. “I think that’s a good idea.”
3 Hours into the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Reception
Xie Lian needs to grab his portable phone charger.
The ceremony was beautiful, Quan Yizhen cried, and now the reception is going strong. Xie Lian was recording video the whole time and his phone is now at 1% charge.
He unlocks the room tries to open it, but the deadbolt is latched.
There’s frantic murmuring inside, but the room is totally dark.
“Who is there?!” calls out Feng Xin.
“Xie Lian—I need to charge my phone.”
“Okay one sec,” says Feng Xin. And then there are more frantic whispers, some rustling and footstep and finally the light turns on as Feng Xin approaches. He shuts the door, unlatches the deadbolt, and opens it.
Xie Lian blinks at him, unsure how to react to Feng Xin’s appearance.
Feng Xin’s hair is completely messed up, shirt untucked and mis-buttoned, and only one sock is on.
Xie Lian decides to say nothing and quickly scurries around Feng Xin, muttering, “Sorry, I’ll just be—“
As Xie Lian rounds the corner he momentarily forgets how to speak. Next to the bed, Mu Qing is pulling up his trousers, his bare chest completely covered in hickeys.
Xie Lian slowly turns towards Feng Xin, who looks white as a ghost.
“It’s…not what it looks like…” says Feng Xin.
“Uh huh,” said Xie Lian.
“What do you mean, of course this is what it looks like. We knew we’d be caught sometime,” retorts Mu Qing.
“So you guys are…” begins Xie Lian.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing just glance at one another, and don’t say anything.
“Okay, well, I’m gonna get my charger and let you guys uh…anyways let’s talk after the wedding!”
Xie Lian runs to his bag and digs out the charger cable as quickly as possible.
1 Hour After the Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu Wedding Reception Ends
“…So apparently the front desk told Feng Xin and Mu Qing that a room was suddenly available and they took it,” Xie Lian tells Hua Cheng.
The reception was finally over, and Xie Lian is now back in the hotel room, alone with Hua Cheng. Both had washed up for bed and changed into pajamas, and Xie Lian now sits at the foot of the bed, texting with Feng Xin.
Hua Cheng meanwhile is leaning against the desk and checking his phone.
“He Xuan also made up with Shi Wudu, apparently,” says Hua Cheng. “So it should just be us in here tonight.”
“Oh I’m glad!” Exclaims Xie Lian.
“You…are?” asks Hua Cheng, taking a step closer to the bed.
“Of course! Shi Qingxuan was really upset. I’m glad things got sorted out with her brother”
“Oh. That. Right,” says Hua Cheng, taking a step back. “Do you…uh…want to go to bed? I can sleep on the floor.”
Xie Lian laughs. “Don’t be silly, San Lang. We fit four of us in here last night. And besides…weren’t you the one to request one bed?”
Hua Cheng trips over nothing and finds purchase on the desk. “Gege, why do you…”
“San Lang, you’re the only one who asked for the confirmation booking number. Besides me, you’re the only one who could.”
“I’m…sorry gege,” Hua Cheng says, keeping his face turned to the ground.
“San Lang, why did you want a room with just the two of us?”
Hua Cheng’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of crimson red. “I just…prefer spending time with just the two of us,” he admits, looking utterly embarrassed.
It’s endearing, really.
“That I can understand,” says Xie Lian. “Honestly, I prefer spending time alone with you too. But what I can’t understand is why you requested one bed if you were planning to sleep on the floor.”
“Gege,” Hua Cheng whines, “Gege, I…”
Xie Lian scoots up the bed towards the pillows—it isn’t exactly the sexiest or most graceful movement, but it does make a certain point.
“Come on, San Lang,” he says, patting the mattress next to him. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Hua Cheng stares at Xie Lian with wide eyes. A small whimper escapes his lips as he nods, and then he carefully makes his way to the bed, lying down awkwardly atop the comforter.
“San Lang, you’re as stiff as a wood plank. You don’t seem comfortable at all. Is this really how you thought it would go with just the two of us sharing a bed alone? What did you want to happen?”
“Gege I….I really can’t say…”
“Can’t? Or don’t want to?”
“Gege…”
Xie Lian, growing bold and just a little impatient, wiggles closer to Hua Cheng.
“Did you perhaps want something like this?” Xie Lian asks, his voice softer and a little more intimate than before. Then he leans in and lightly kisses Hua Cheng’s cheek. It’s barely a kiss, really. It’s just a soft, tentative brushing of lips over soft skin, nothing overly bold or confident.
Hua Cheng, however, reacts as though it’s the first time he’d ever been touched. He gasps, and reaches out to grab Xie Lian’s arm.
“Gege,” he warns, their faces close enough to share breath. His voice is low and a little husky. “Gege, you’re playing with fire.”
It was Xie Lian’s turn to blush now. “O-oh?”
Hua Cheng nods, his gaze darkening. “I’m afraid if gege doesn’t stay on his side of the bed, then this San Lang won’t be able to hold back.”
“S-San Lang,” Xie Lian whispers, his heart racing and voice a little shaky. “San Lang…don’t…don’t hold back.”
There’s a beat, a frozen moment in time after Xie Lian’s words. The pair hold eye contact, the tension building and building until it explodes. Hua Cheng pounces, lips finding Xie Lian’s, hands tangling in Xie Lian’s hair. The kiss quickly turns desperate and ravenous. Hua Cheng acts like a man dying of thirst and Xie Lian is a freshwater spring. Tongues meet, hands wander, and moans erupt as skin is revealed, and the pair finally put an end to the years of unspoken feelings and desires.
After several hours of intense lovemaking, the roiling heat between the couple finally cools to a temperate simmer. Xie Lian begins to drift off, snuggling against Hua Cheng’s bare torso.
Just before Xie Lian falls asleep he thinks to himself that he’s glad there was only one king-sized bed in the hotel room.