Nanye at Three

Talk about running into each other at the worst possible time. Years after their breakup, Lu Chennian runs into his ex-boyfriend Leng Nanye outside a convenience store.

No greetings, no small talk, no smiles... Nothing, let alone a hug. Whatever happened to the civility adults are supposed to show each other? Hadn't they said they still had regrets about how things ended?

But when he looks again, he realizes Leng Nanye has regressed in every way imaginable.

The scene before him is downright dramatic:

Leng Nanye is crouching in the snow in a tattered shirt. His eyes look so young, almost childlike, and utterly guileless. In other words, he doesn't seem too bright.

His words make no sense, just a stream of babbling, like a little kid.

The supermarket employee behind him complains that he's been coming into the store and stealing lollipops for a whole week.

"Daddy will definitely come pick me up today," Leng Nanye says, drawing in the snow with a certain look in his eyes.

The police notice something strange too. "What's your name? How old are you?"

Leng Nanye counts on his fingers and answers earnestly, "Nanye is three."

Lu Chennian stands behind the crowd, his fingertips trembling.

His ex-boyfriend has lost everything. Even his mind has turned that of a child.

A few years ago, Leng Nanye said over the phone, "Lu Chennian, I don't love you anymore." The two of them ended things abruptly.

Now, for some reason, he'd forgotten the whole world.

As if he wanted to bring things to an abrupt end with the world, too.

The good news is that he looks past the police and says to Lu Chennian, "Mister, can you take me home?"

Lu Chennian, suddenly made his ex-boyfriend's uncle: How about I try looking after him for a while?

/

Leng Nanye was never one to know when to stop. When he uses the logic of a three-year-old to deal with things, he nearly scares Lu Chennian to death.

He nearly destroys Lu Chennian's manhood while swatting a mosquito, then sets the kitchen on fire trying to cook some noodles. Lu Chennian says, "Why don't you go back to sleep? You're still growing."

Leng Nanye looks at his 187-centimeter-tall body and starts crying quietly. "Uncle Lu, I'm so far off the ground. I'm scared. Can I get under your covers?"

The arms around his waist suddenly tighten, and Lu Chennian is pulled over with an undeniable force.

Gradually, the faint breaths grow heavy and ragged. Leng Nanye bites down on Lu Chennian's Adam's apple, rubbing against it and refusing to let go.

When it comes to this sort of thing, he's as practiced and instinctive as ever.

"Can you just be my uncle, Lu Chennian?"

Theme: The best way to let yourself move on is to forgive others.