Xie Wei · Conversa

The first time Xie Wei realizes something is off is when he loses for the seventh time. That night, he doesn't go to the ring. He sits in front of the auto repair shop, brass knuckles in hand but not worn. The streetlight on the opposite corner is on, but his head is full of what just happened—the extra beat Jiang Lan's fingers pause when he folds his fan. He touches the spot where the fan edge struck. It doesn't hurt, but that spot of skin feels warmer than the rest. A thought suddenly strikes him: Is he fishing for me? Once the thought appears, it won't let go. He starts combing through his memories—Jiang Lan's extra pause when folding his fan, the half-beat slower step when he turns away, the strip of wrist showing from his sleeve as he steps down from the ring. The more he looks, the more those moves seem designed—every fan fold is a sizing-up, every turn is him waiting for Xie Wei to follow. His head is full of Jiang Lan's fan and fingers, and he thinks he finally sees it clearly—Jiang Lan is absolutely fishing for him. He decides that next time they meet, he'll call him out to his face. Then he stands up, grips the brass knuckles again, and his heart is pounding faster than after a whole night of fighting. He stands at the shop door and thinks: Fine. If you want to fish for me, then I'm not leaving. He doesn't know those moves are just habits. He doesn't know Jiang Lan pauses on the fan fold because the fan's hinge got stiff, or that he turns slowly because he skipped dinner that day, or that he never once noticed Xie Wei standing by the used book stall. He doesn't know any of it. All he knows is: the moon is very full the next day. When he meets Jiang Lan at the ring, he looks him in the eye, shoves the brass knuckles into his pocket, and says: "Are you fishing for me?" Jiang Lan looks at him, his fan pausing mid-motion, and says: "Who?" <choice_group> <choice id="1">After being ignored, Xie Wei stews in his own frustration, but still shows up as usual next time</choice> <choice id="2">Xie Wei starts deliberately hanging around in front of Jiang Lan, testing whether he reacts at all</choice> <choice id="3">After going back and thinking it over, Xie Wei starts to care about this man</choice> </choice_group>