005

The dormitory is located on the second floor of the four-story building on the other side, still allocated based on sequence numbers. 

As a result, Lian Pu and Lude share a room.

The room is dim and cramped, with bunk beds and two small wardrobes occupying all the space. In contrast, the washrooms on both sides of the hallway are considerably more spacious.

After finishing washing up, Lian Pu returned to the room, only to find the lights already turned off. With no curtains on the small window, he made his way to the bed by the moonlight. 

In the faint moonlight, he saw Lude lying on the narrow metal bed with his legs curled up, not as elegant as usual. Lian Pu watched for a while before climbing up to his own bunk. He propped his head with his hand, bent his legs, and twisted his fingers between Lude's words "sorry for offensive." 

As the harsh light from the opening door shone in, he closed his eyes and breathed steadily.

Lie Pu did not sleep well, encountering many unpleasant scenes in his dreams. However, he felt a sense of peace when his mother gently patted his shoulder from his childhood memories. The patting became more urgent, prompting him to break free from his dream, opening his slightly dazed eyes.

Lude's face appeared in close-up in Lian Pu's eyes, holding a small flashlight in his other hand. Before Lian Pu could react, Lude covered his mouth. The touch was gentle, like a feather brushing against his cheek, but Lian Pu's breath on Lude's palm made him itch.

Seeing Lian Pu gradually regain clarity in his eyes, Lude withdrew his hand and familiarly said, "Let's talk." Pausing for a moment, he added, "After 2 am, they won't check the rooms."

Lie Pu sat cross-legged, looking down at Lude with a stern and cautious expression, asking, "Was there an offence?"

"I apologise for what I said that day," Lude replied without specifying, but both knew what he meant.

"I didn't take it to heart." Lian Pu sighed silently before grabbing Lude's collar, "Do you know how dangerous this is?"

He remembered Lude's purpose of enduring hardships to accomplish some ambition, and being cautious was essential in this confinement.

"Do you know how dangerous it is here?" Lude returned the question to Lian Pu.

"What's freedom without risks?" Lian Pu stared at Lude, released his grip, and replied, "If it's not risky, why bother discussing cooperation?"

Lude dimmed the brightness of the flashlight by one notch, responded with an "OK," and then inquired, "You are not homosexual, so how did you end up in this hell?" 

Lian Pu glanced at Lude, and countered, "You are the young Master of the Xing family, so how did you find yourself in this place?" 

Lude grasped the bed frame and railing and pulled himself up, then performed a gymnastics-like rotation, sitting on the edge of Lian Pu's bed, one leg bent with the foot placed on the top rung of the bed ladder, turned his head towards Lian Pu and said, "Lian Pu, has anyone ever told you that you are quite lovely?" 

"No," the tone of Lian Pu's response was not far from answering a simple question. 

"Then I am the first one, lucky me." Lude chuckled softly as if he had won a lucky draw and continued, "It's a very cliché story. My family wanted me to enter into an arranged marriage, but I refused. I told them I was gay, and things spiralled out of control. Three months ago, my father sent me to this hell." 

With that, Lude gave Lian Pu a look that said 'your turn.' 

Lian Pu leaned his head against the wall, gazed up at the dimly lit ceiling, and turned to say, "My mother found me reading 'Farewell My Concubine' in the study, along with other literature related to same-sex relationships." 

"So, were you pushed into this hellhole, or did you plan to come here on your own?" 

In the moonlight, Lian Pu glanced at Lude and had to admit that this person really understood him. 

"Once the prosperous Cantonese opera Bai family, later the wandering Bai opera troupe, from Guangzhou to Hong Kong Island and then to Chung Ying St, it has been decades." Lian Pu's words were vague and unclear, the emotions that had been pent up inside him were reflected in Lude's eyes. Lian Pu continued, "For decades, no matter where she went, it was all warfare, all chaos, she was truly scared. Finally, she managed to revive the Bai family of Cantonese opera... But I asked her, when Mei Lanfang played Consort Yu, do you think she loved Xiang Yu?"

The Beijing Opera "Farewell My Concubine" is considered a classic masterpiece in the Meipai genre, deeply cherished by Bai Ting. However, it vividly portrays the struggles and complexities of the opera troupe members, depicting the inextricable entanglement of their lives. Bai Ting perceives "Farewell My Concubine" solely as the story of Xiang Yu and Consort Yu, failing to acknowledge the underlying narratives and dismissing the possibility of a love story between two men.

Over the past eighteen years, Lian Pu failed to comprehend his mother's unwavering integrity and earnest intentions. In this era, traditional opera no longer adheres strictly to the traditional rules and techniques, yet passing it on remains the steadfast belief of opera practitioners; literature may evolve through humour and self-awareness, but it must align with societal progress and evolution.

The Cantonese opera Bai family prohibits the dissemination of literature contradicting their repertoire, while the Lian family in Jiangnan prevents their descendants from indulging in vulgar literature, thus losing the dignified bearing that the Lián family should uphold.

Although Lian Pu understands, he does not entirely agree with Bai Ting's stubbornness, failing to see a distinction between love among men and other emotions. Their discussion escalates into an argument, with Bai Ting losing control and sternly questioning Lan Pu: "Do you also like men?'

Stunned by his mother's inquiry, Lian Pu eventually arrived at this place."

Upon hearing Lian Pu's brief description, Lude asked, "Have you ever been scared coming in here?"

 Lian Pu, with a knowing expression, countered, "Have you?" 

The two exchanged a smile, where all words merged unspoken. 

Lian Pu was unclear about what methods were used here to alter a person's sexual orientation. He had only glimpsed the inhumane "therapies" from abroad in the school library and, coupled with the experiences at this conversion therapy centre throughout the day, it was not difficult to imagine the physical and mental torment those people endured. 

It was nothing short of a hellish ordeal.