After the two opened up to each other, unlike books that say they used up all their luck, instead, just a few days later, good news came over the phone. Someone else was responsible for the job-related embezzlement, and Lu Yang’s father, Lu Guoxing, was cleared immediately and was a good man again.
Lu Guoxing resigned from his previous job at the private factory and followed his wife back to Lingzhou to live peacefully for a while and calm his nerves.
As for the fact that Xin Hexue and Lu Yang were dating, neither told anyone.
Admittedly, receiving blessings from family and friends for a relationship would bring more joy and satisfaction. But their situation was just as Zhuang Tongguang had said: they were still high school students, and they were the same sex. If they were childhood sweethearts, it might be seen as a perfect match, but “two male childhood friends” would inevitably seem shocking in today’s society.
Since that was the case, it was better to keep it a secret.
While Xin Hexue didn’t care much about other people’s opinions, going public would definitely trigger a series of chain reactions. For the harmony and peace of their families, and to avoid trouble, maintaining an underground relationship was the best solution.
As for Lu Yang?
Lu Yang was completely immersed in pink bubbles, why would he care for a formal status?
In Lu Yang’s words,he voluntarily climbed onto Emperor Cat Xin’s dragon bed, even if only as a concubine.
On hearing this, Xin Hexue confiscated all the martial arts, romance, and time-travel novels Lu Yang had been secretly reading.
Of course, the most important aspect was that Lu Yang had to study hard.
Otherwise, if they couldn’t get into universities in the same city, Lu Yang’s separation anxiety would become severe to who knows what extent.
At the end of the second semester of senior year two, the final exam was a joint examination for Lingzhou City. Xin Hexue scored first in science. Lu Yang was even happier than him, telling everyone he met that his childhood friend Xin Hexue got first place, and he was also the city’s top scorer in the high school entrance exam that year, so the extent of his achievement goes without saying.
Xin Hexue listened without saying a word, feeling something was off. What Lu Yang actually wanted to say was probably something like…”my boyfriend Xin Hexue got first place,” which would be even stranger. It sounded like something the auntie in the neighboring tube-shaped apartment building had said: “My husband is a civil servant.”
“…”
Putting that aside, after the summer vacation of the second senior year, they would become new third-year high school students, and Xin Hexue set his sights on Peking University.
If he relied on what was on his neck, Lu Yang definitely won’t be able to get into the same university as Xin Hexue. Moreover, due to the limitations of the major he selected, Lu Yang leaned towards specialized sports universities more rather than comprehensive ones.
In addition, he had provincial-level awards and obtained a National Level 2 Athlete certificate, he could take the independent enrollment exam for cultural subjects, which was somewhat easier than the regular college entrance exam.
After listening to Xin Hexue’s advice that time, Lin Oufei participated in the provincial competition, won a gold medal, and was now preparing for the national finals.
If he could make it into the top 60 in the national finals, he would qualify for the training team, and the guaranteed admission spots would be confirmed during the training period.
Looking at it this way, everyone had goals to strive for, and was walking on bright, wide paths.
Perhaps due to the increased academic pressure upon entering the senior year of high school, or maybe because of the bad weather during the transition from summer to autumn that year, Xin Hexue fell ill.
Lu Yang was the first to notice.
During the last self-study period, Xin Hexue was lying on the desk, elbows folded as a pillow, half his face buried in the crook of his arm. The half of his face visible showed closed eyes as if taking a small nap, but the skin of his eyelids and cheeks was flushed. When Lu Yang reached out to touch it, the temperature was frighteningly hot.
Hot breath sprayed onto the back of Lu Yang’s neck.
Xin Hexue lay on Lu Yang’s back in a daze, listening to his fast, chaotic footsteps as he went downstairs.
The long staircase spiraled like a swirling vortex, pulling the two of them downward, from the fifth floor to the first. In the quiet stairwell, only Lu Yang’s panting and footsteps echoed.
His eyelids felt hot and heavy. Xin Hexue struggled to lift them and glanced at the clock. “School isn’t over yet…”
Lu Yang was stunned. Who would care about such things? Lin Oufei would ask for leave on their behalf. Otherwise, by the time they finished explaining to the teacher, they’d only see the number one student burned into an idiot.
Xin Hexue still had the strength to laugh, calling him a dog mouth.
Lu Yang patted his butt, his ears reddening, and whispered, “The puppy bus was going to take you to the hospital.”
The school clinic only had Yunnan Baiyao(brand of medicine) and thermometers, so Lu Yang directly rushed out of the school gate while the security guard wasn’t looking and hailed a taxi.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious illness, just a common fever.
The fever was actually a good sign. Xin Hexue hadn’t had many fevers since childhood, and it was suspected that his immunity was too poor, and even his immune system couldn’t muster the energy to fight infections.
Lu Yang stayed by his bedside and asked worriedly if his annual physical results were all normal.
Xin Hexue smiled. “Haven’t you looked at them every year?”
Lu Yang was worried about his congenital hereditary heart disease. Fortunately, after all these years of learning to take care of his body and consciously avoiding intense exercise, Xin Hexue hadn’t experienced another acute episode like when he fainted years ago.
But this cold and fever couldn’t be taken lightly either. Illness comes like a mountain landslide, and recovery is like unraveling silk.
Xin Zhiying asked for two days of leave for Xin Hexue, and a weekend passed before he barely recovered.
When they reached their senior year of high school, time became tight. They spent half an hour commuting to and from school every day. In winter, riding bicycles easily leads to catching a cold from the wind. After discussing with their children, the parents decided it would be better for them to move into the newly available school dormitory.
Zhu Cuifeng and Xin Zhiying applied for accommodation for their two children. When asked, Mother Lin hesitated, wiping her hands on her apron. “Boarding… Xiao Fei has never stayed at school before. There are so many people in the dorms, and he’s also preparing for a competition now, it’s a critical period. Other students have different schedules. I’m not reassured with him staying at school, and his father doesn’t agree either…”
With the adults present, Lin Oufei remained silent the whole time, gaze lowered, his mood hidden under dark, shadowy hair.
On the other side, the one basking in sunshine was Lu Yang.
He and Xin Hexue were assigned to the same dorm, which made him so happy that he was like a dragon released into the sea, stirring up winds and waves.
Probably so happy he forgot his own surname and given name, Lu Yang was audacious and secretly kissed Xin Hexue in the dorm, which was seen by Yu Zao, who had run back to the dorm.
A hole suddenly appeared in the clear sky, and it seemed as if one could hear the sound of Yu Zao turning to stone on the spot.
The secret of two people instantly became the secret of three people.
Yu Zao murmured, “Impossible… One cannot get first place and also be in a relationship at the same time…”
He really wanted to drag his mother over and say, “Look, Mom, this is your favorite other people’s child.”
This must be fake, an illusion.
Actually, Xin Hexue was secretly studying with Lu Yang.
Studying what?
Yu Zao stared blankly at their slightly disheveled collars.
Discussing biological knowledge?
Fortunately, Yu Zao’s train of thought was like this. His two same-sex good friends were dating, and he focused on the dialectical relationship between “being in a relationship” and “academic performance.”
One evening after self-study, Yu Zao, unwilling to give up, noticed that Xin Hexue and Lu Yang weren’t heading towards the dorms, and his eyes lit up.
‘See, I’ve caught you two in the act of secretly studying.’
He followed them, only to arrive at Lover’s Lake, a famous dating hotspot by couples on campus. There was a grove of flame trees by the lake. The lake was a tranquil expanse of blue, and the flame tree flowers were bright red and crimson, which is very atmospheric.
Vague and indistinct figures were everywhere, in pairs.
Only Yu Zao stood alone, cold and lonely, with only his shadow as company.
Suddenly, beams of flashlight appeared, and the head teacher, with a shiny bald head that rivaled the full moon, popped out. “Stop! Which classes are you all from?”
The next day, a grade-wide notice of criticism was posted in the hallway.
Ten girls, thirteen boys.
The classmates around teased the three of them.
Tian Fengyu burst into laughter. “Lu Yang, Yu Zao, what were you doing watching other people date? How boring can you get? And you even dragged Xin Hexue into your game.”
Lu Yang threw a big arm around Yu Zao’s shoulders, patting them hard enough to make the shoulder blades creak.
Yu Zao could only force a laugh, “Haha, yeah, it was quite boring, hahaha.”
Suddenly, he became a bodyguard to these two’s love.
Lin Oufei, who had been bowing his head resting by the window in the classroom, lifted his head. His face didn’t look good, and his voice was gloomy. “It’s so noisy.”
Cicadas had already begun screeching desperately on the treetops, their screeching sound making ears buzz.
The students in the classroom complained incessantly, their voices changing the day and night, bringing with them the sweltering heat of June.
Textbooks were torn apart page by page, falling like goose-feather heavy snow, mixed with a sudden downpour of blue rain(probably the blue school uniform jackets), marking the end of their high school careers.
………
“Mung bean red bean popsicles, ice cream cones, white herbal jelly…”
The hawker’s cries wandered through the streets and lanes.
It was the height of summer in July; the world had become a steamer basket. The asphalt road seemed ready to emit white smoke, and the sun had baked the poplar leaves until they gleamed with an oily sheen.
A green fan blew directly toward the head of the bed. The blue wave-patterned curtains allowed spots of light to flash and leap onto the windowsill, making beads of sweat sparkle like dew.
Xin Hexue pushed the person away, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, his lips moist and bright red.
He hadn’t rested for long before Lu Yang pounced again, like a dog that had never been full and was starving and desperate. His fully-grown, tall and sturdy frame was enough to restrain Xin Hexue, and his arms with defined curves formed a confined world.
“Mmh… slow down…”
Xin Hexue’s neck arched like a swan submitting to the blade. His hand gripped Lu Yang’s collar tightly, his knuckles turning white from tension.
Actually, according to his habits, he preferred grabbing the other person’s hair. Usually, it led to two outcomes: either he pulled hard enough for the other person to loosen the intensity of the kiss from the pain, or exciting him so much his eyes turned red.
However, above Lu Yang’s two thick, sharp eyebrows, his head was only covered with a short layer of stubble.
With a light snap, Xin Hexue pulled a button off Lu Yang’s collar, which rolled off and disappeared without a trace.
The fan whirred, but the temperature in the room seemed to rise infinitely.
Sweat stung the corner of Lu Yang’s eye, burning fiercely and driving him into a deeper, unquenchable thirst.
He kissed fiercely, almost swallowing Xin Hexue’s every gasp and using his body to confirm each tremor he evoked.
First love drenched them head to toe, leaving both drenched in sweat.
“Stop.”
Xin Hexue had no choice but to draw the ceasefire symbol first. Lu Yang could only kiss his eyelids, the upturned tip of his nose, then nuzzle against him stickily. By the time Lu Yang sat back up properly, a honey-colored flush had spread across Xin Hexue’s neck.
Lu Yang’s Adam’s apple rolled up and down.
………
The classic summer TV drama that aired every year was playing in the living room. The noise was deafening, and Zhuang Tongguang stared fixedly at it, but his mind couldn’t register a single thing that was happening on the screen.
He glanced at the tightly closed bedroom door…there wasn’t even a crack.
Someone knocked at the front door.
Zhuang Tongguang immediately went to open it. His gaze first fell on the visitor’s hand holding a watermelon and the gift in the other, then finally on the face.
As if finally finding a cup of water in the desert, Zhuang Tongguang strode towards the closed bedroom and knocked heavily. His face was expressionless, only his movements were urgent. “Xiao Xue, Lin Oufei is back from summer camp.”
Not long after, yet it felt like a very long time…
Zhuang Tongguang felt that every second was agony. He even lifted his wrist to check his watch three times, each interval less than a second.
The door was pulled open from inside the room.
Xin Hexue wore a smile, looking fresh and clean. Even his clothes were neatly arranged. “Big Brother?”
Zhuang Tongguang’s gaze lingered on his face for two seconds before shifting away, his eyes cutting into the room like a blade.
Lu Yang was crawling out from under the bed, holding a puzzle piece, a delighted grin spreading across his face. “Xin Hexue, I found the puzzle piece you lost!”
On the desk lay an unfinished puzzle, and there were comics spread out on the bed, the fan making the pages flutter noisily.
‘Good.’
Zhuang Tongguang breathed a sigh of relief. “You chat first. I’ll go cut the watermelon. By the way, the air conditioner is broken. It’s hot in the afternoon, don’t keep the door closed, it gets stuffy.”
Xin Hexue’s eyes curved. “Okay.”
Lu Yang quickly fumbled left to right, stuffing the button that had popped-off into his pocket.
