The sun makes people dizzy, and the surge of hormones during adolescence often catches people off guard.
The overly scorching sun made Xin Hexue look like a melting ice cream. He hid within the class formation during the closing ceremony, his skin fair and clear, the only oddity being his reddened ears.
Hidden amidst the cover of dark hair and viewed from the side, they were particularly eye-catching.
Lin Oufei’s gaze swept over once, drifted away, then returned, staring for a while.
For some reason, Xin Hexue and Lu Yang had a falling out after the relay race. Tian Fengyu almost suspected it was because of his fall, causing a butterfly effect that stirred up a sandstorm in their friendship.
Thinking of the boasts he made before the race, Tian Fengyu felt the responsibility lay with him, and was about to go apologize to Xin Hexue and try to make amends.
But Lu Yang immediately overreacted and forbade him from bothering Xin Hexue.
When asked what happened, he wouldn’t say.
Tian Fengyu was confused.
The principal was speaking upfront. The students below, tired of standing, simply all sat down on the grass in the middle.
The two were far apart, and Xin Hexue never looked back at Lu Yang once.
“Pass a note for me.” Lu Yang racked his brains and came up with a solution. He folded the note over and over into a small tofu cube and handed it to Tian Fengyu, asking him to pass it forward. “Don’t open it.”
The queue for the closing ceremony wasn’t arranged by height like during the usual flag-raising ceremony. Xin Hexue and Lu Yang were almost half a class apart. The little tofu cube note drifted like a message in a bottle, crossing oceans.
Lin Oufei was the final mail carrier. He glanced back, saw Lu Yang pointing at himself from the very back of the class, understood the meaning, and ultimately handed the note to Xin Hexue.
“From Lu Yang.” Lin Oufei said. “He looks really nervous. Did he make you angry?”
Lin Oufei’s question inevitably made Xin Hexue recall the situation from an hour ago.
They were hugging so close and so tightly that any subtle bodily changes couldn’t escape each other’s perception. In a situation where even heartbeats could be shared…
Not a single slight change could escape Xin Hexue’s sharp eyes.
Especially since Lu Yang’s was so…!
Xin Hexue didn’t look back. He took the note but didn’t unfold it. With swift decisiveness, he tore it up, shredding it beyond recognition.
Since littering was unethical, Xin Hexue put the fragments into his pants pocket, imagining he was stuffing the trash into Lu Yang’s mouth, and his anger was relieved a little.
If before, Xin Hexue had no real sense of Lu Yang’s confession, always feeling it was like a bizarre, strange dream, now, the other party’s feelings were like a blazing fire that he couldn’t ignore.
Because people might blur the lines between friendship and liking, but desire was the most clear-cut signal.
It’s just that Lu Yang’s way of expressing it was a bit too abnormal.
Xin Hexue hugged his knees. The glaring light made him bury his head, acting like an ostrich. His thin white summer school uniform easily outlined his slender back.
A jacket was draped over his head, blocking the sun.
Xin Hexue was taken aback, and he slowly raised his head.
The autumn school jacket was mostly white with some sky blue patches. The jacket was very clean, with only the scent of laundry detergent after being sun-dried, and a faint trace of jasmine.
It seems Lin Oufei’s balcony also had jasmine.
“Isn’t it very hot?” Lin Oufei said. “I’m lending it to you for shade.”
After saying this, he didn’t look directly into Xin Hexue’s eyes, just turned his face away, leaving Xin Hexue with a silent profile.
The closing ceremony lasted a long time every year. The principal and leaders spoke above, while the students below weren’t allowed to use umbrellas. At most, those who were too hot would use their jackets for shade.
It’s just that Xin Hexue had forgotten to bring his jacket down from the classroom during lunch break.
Although it was a very ordinary action, he had a feeling something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.
Lin Oufei’s pursed lips relaxed. “The withdrawal form…I didn’t submit it.”
“You decided to participate in the competition?” Xin Hexue was happy for him. “That’s great.”
Lin Oufei nodded. “Mm, in December.”
December is close to the final exams in January, so study time will be tight.
“Don’t worry about class notes. If the teacher says anything important, I’ll come and tell you too.” Xin Hexue reassured him. “Just perform normally.”
Lin Oufei lowered his eyelids. “…Okay.”
What he didn’t finish saying was that the competition date was December 7th
That day was Xin Hexue’s birthday, but he had to go to the provincial capital for the competition.
He had wanted to ask Xin Hexue what he wanted… But decided to wait and see then.
………
“Seven days of National Day joy, may you be happy every day!”
The slogan was painted on the wall next to the residential area.
Having a holiday made everyone remarkable. The tube shaped buildings were filled with more laughter and joy; even the sounds of people beating their children in the evening decreased, which was quite an achievement.
On the first day of National Day, the happiest was Lu Yang. He and Zhu Cuifeng went to pick up the birthday cake, and even the wind on the way felt comfortable.
Lu Yang put his hands behind his head, walking without a care. He sighed, “Mom, it’s a good thing you named me. If Dad had named me Lu Guoqing (National Celebration), I’d never have been able to hold my head up.”
One Lu Guoxing, one Lu Guoqing. With his father’s naming style, who could tell if they were brothers or father and son?
Lu Yang thought about it and found it hilarious.
The birthday cake they bought was a large double-layer fruit cake. There were many of them, and even though they could eat a lot, it would feel too sweet, so it was just enough to give everyone one slice each.
The cake was more about the sense of ritual; the main event was the meal cooked and eaten together by the three families. Nothing compares to home-cooked food.
Lu Yang stuffed the candles the shop provided into the bag and walked back, carrying the cake box.
Zhu Cuifeng started chatting with an auntie she met on the roadside, while Lu Yang waited impatiently under the shade of a tree. “Mom, I’m heading back first!”
Zhu Cuifeng’s expression changed. “Wait for your mother!”
She hastily said goodbye to the auntie she’d coincidentally met, caught up to Lu Yang, and said, “Can’t you wait a bit longer? Is a tiger going to eat you?”
Lu Yang: “You always say ‘just a quick chat,’ but it always takes the whole day. The cake won’t taste as good later.”
“I haven’t seen that Auntie Chen in so long. Back in the day, we were so close,” Zhu Cuifeng said, swatting Lu Yang’s shoulder. “Why haven’t I seen you going to find Hexue lately? Did you two have a fight? Did you break up?”
“…No.” Lu Yang said. “Your son would rather break himself in half than break up with Xin Hexue.”
Zhu Cuifeng thought about how inseparable and sticky Lu Yang and Xin Hexue had been since childhood and felt that was probably true.
“Then why aren’t you going to find him to play?”
“I want to, isn’t it that he doesn’t agree…”
Lu Yang’s voice trailed off, becoming quieter and quieter. Zhu Cuifeng had only asked casually and didn’t pay attention to what her son was muttering.
She looked at her watch. “It’s almost time. Dinner should be almost ready. I’ll cook you a bowl of longevity noodles later.”
It didn’t matter how much he ate; it was mostly about the sense of ritual, just like the cake.
Dinner was, of course, with all three families together, at the Lu house.
There were many dishes of meat and fish, simple home-style cooking, and freshly baked osmanthus rice cakes.
The osmanthus flowers were shaken down by Xin Hexue and Zhuang Tongguang together in the morning, and the rice cakes were also made by the two brothers and Xin Zhiying together.
Zhuang Tongguang had not mentioned beforehand that he was coming back for the National Day holiday. He arrived home late last night. When Xin Hexue woke up in the morning and saw him, he thought he was still dreaming, so he pinched his brother’s arm and found that this Zhuang Tongguang could feel pain.
They were all together again.
The evening breeze on the corridor balcony was cool, and the poplar leaves rustled softly.
“Big Brother, you seem to have gotten a lot darker.” Xin Hexue said, taking a bite of honeydew melon.
Zhuang Tongguang asked him, “Is being darker not good-looking?”
Xin Hexue shook his head. “It’s not that, it’s just I’m not used to it yet.”
It felt a bit unfamiliar visually.
Even though it had only been a month, Zhuang Tongguang seemed like a different person.
With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge…his eyes were still the same eyes, his nose was still the original nose, but the healthy tan, one shade darker, made him look more handsome and his facial features were more distinct.
How to put it…
Had he grown up?
Xin Hexue chewed the fruit flesh; the honeydew juice in his mouth was sweet and refreshing.
“Big Brother, I heard people say that everyone starts dating in university. Is there any girl you’re interested in?” he asked curiously.
Zhuang Tongguang: “No, your brother just wants to focus on his studies right now. Why are you thinking about these things?”
A sensitive nerve twitched, and Zhuang Tongguang looked serious. “Don’t think about these things for now. Puppy love can be distracting.”
Why was everyone warning him about the dangers of puppy love?
Did he look like someone who would easily fall into puppy love?
“I was just asking casually, I was not thinking about puppy love or anything.”
Xin Hexue threw the melon rind into the trash bin, feeling inexplicably guilty.
It was all Lu Yang’s fault.
It had been over twenty-four hours since the relay race, and Xin Hexue hadn’t acknowledged Lu Yang. He didn’t reply to messages, didn’t answer calls, and now he only spoke to Lin Oufei and Zhuang Tongguang.
This had Lu Yang running around in anxious circles, secretly watching him from a corner.
Xin Hexue glanced at him sideways and gently curved the corners of his lips.
Considering it was Lu Yang’s birthday, he would call a truce for today.
When the birthday cake box was opened, he took out the gift he had prepared early and gave it to Lu Yang.
It was a pair of running shoes, which were quite expensive. He had saved his pocket money for two months.
Lu Yang was so moved his eyes welled up with tears. He said he couldn’t bear to wear them and would sleep holding the shoes from now on.
Xin Hexue called him a lunatic and said he’d take them back if he didn’t wear them.
Lu Yang hurriedly tried them on, securing them on his feet.
The others also presented their gifts. When all eighteen candles were inserted into the cake and lit one by one, everyone sang “Happy Birthday” in unison. Lu Yang said, “Lights off, lights off! I need to blow out the candles and make a wish.”
The cake surface was decorated with frosting, featuring swirling colorful buttercream waves, symmetrical eight-petal flower shapes, and a “Happy Birthday” chocolate plaque standing in the center.
The candles were all thin, only in red, yellow, and green colors, stuck in the cake like a traffic light convention.
The lights went out. The candle flames were bright, and everyone sat around the large round table.
Xin Hexue placed a silly-looking paper crown on Lu Yang’s head, and the latter closed his eyes and made a wish seriously.
He looked very devout, even frowning with the effort.
After a while, he opened his eyes and blew out all the candles in one go.
In the moment the surroundings darkened, Xin Hexue’s hand was caught by Lu Yang under the table.
Only then did he realize how scorching hot Lu Yang’s palm was. Through their tightly clasped fingers, a throbbing pulse rushed towards Xin Hexue.
When the lights came back on, before Xin Hexue could shake him off, Lu Yang immediately let go voluntarily, and even cautiously watched Xin Hexue’s expression.
Xin Hexue simply acted as if nothing had happened and handed the cake knife to Lu Yang. “Cut the cake.”
The inside of the cake had fruit, layered to prevent the cream from being too greasy. This was just the appetizer, they still had the proper meal to eat later.
Once they started eating the cake, Lu Guoxing slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Look at my memory! I forgot to buy drinks!”
Xin Hexue said he needed to go to the convenience store to buy something anyway, so he might as well go now and get the drinks and alcohol too.
Lu Guoxing entrusted him with the task apologetically, and pressed the money into Xin Hexue’s hand.
“Go and come back quickly.” Xin Zhiying instructed. “We’re eating soon.”
Xin Hexue nodded.
Before he had even finished descending the stairs of the tube shaped building, Lu Yang caught up from behind. “Let’s… go together.”
Xin Hexue: “…Mm.”
They walked forward with their heads down, not speaking.
There was an autumn shower in the evening, and the night air was especially refreshing in the cool breeze. Puddles by the roadside held the silvery streetlights of the residential area, their shimmering surfaces reflecting the figures of the two walking side by side.
The distance between them varied, sometimes close, sometimes far, maintaining an ambiguous proximity.
The path to the convenience store was a bit long, and not talking seemed too deliberate.
Xin Hexue kicked a pebble he had just named “Lu Yang,” watching it roll into a puddle.
He looked up and asked Lu Yang, “What wish did you make just now?”
As if waiting for him to speak, Lu Yang immediately looked up at the question. “Ahem, if you say the wish out loud, it won’t come true.”
Xin Hexue’s gaze drifted to Lu Yang’s flushed earlobes and felt that this person was full of nonsense, who knows what wish he had made.
Lu Yang’s most urgent wish right now was…
He guessed, “Was it to be with me?”
“I won’t say. I told you, it won’t come true if I say it out loud.”
Lu Yang said firmly, guarding it like a sealed bottle.
[You underestimate me too much.]
[I am very greedy.]
He doesn’t just want to be with him? Then what else did he want to do?
Xin Hexue suddenly remembered the previous incident. The evening breeze seemed to stop, causing heat to rise on his face as well.
Could it be he wanted to go even further…
This Lu Yang!
He glared at him angrily.
Just then, Lu Yang turned his head, and a gust of wind blew through the treetops towards them.
[I wish for Xin Hexue to be free from illness and disaster, safe and peaceful, and also happy.]
His world was very small.
Like his gaze, it only had room for Xin Hexue.
Xin Hexue’s lips parted slightly, a flicker in his eyes.
Without noticing, they had walked into a dimly lit area between buildings. It was quiet all around, except for the frogs croaking from the outskirts.
Lu Yang lost his focus, staring at the faint gleam of moisture on Xin Hexue’s lips. His Adam’s apple moved with difficulty. “…I want to kiss you. Can I?”
Long, thick eyelashes fluttered quietly.
Xin Hexue turned his face away, feigning calmness. “If you ask, the answer is no.”
When the little cat says this, it means he wants a kiss.
