The reason Cai Shu was able to learn the news so quickly and inform Lu Yang was because his father and Lu Yang’s father, Lu Guoxing, were from the same hometown. A few years ago during the wave of factory layoffs, they traveled together to the south in search of work and to make a living.
Because of this, the Cai and Lu families were quite close.
Cai Shu told Lu Yang not to worry; he believed Uncle Lu was innocent. Father Cai had said the same to Cai Shu over the phone.
Lu Guoxing’s character was well-known among his colleagues at the power plant as they had worked with him for years, he was an honest man who wouldn’t even take a pen or a calculator from the factory for personal use. How could someone like that commit job-related embezzlement?
According to Father Cai, there was a colleague at their factory who disliked Lu Guoxing from the very beginning when they first arrived in the south and joined the factory. It was probably because they were both engineers, but despite having less seniority, Father Lu was more favored by the leaders and promoted faster.
But no matter what they speculated, Lu Guoxing was now in a detention center awaiting interrogation.
After receiving the call, Zhu Cuifeng didn’t even have time to go to the school to tell her son. She packed her bags at noon and rushed to the train station.
In the evening, perhaps after Zhu Cuifeng had arrived there, she borrowed a public phone booth to call back and entrust Xin Zhiying with looking after Lu Yang, who was now staying home alone.
“Ah, Sister Zhu, don’t you worry,” Xin Zhiying said, glancing toward Xin Hexue’s room, where the door was slightly ajar and a warm yellow light was seeping through the crack. “Lu Yang has already eaten dinner at our place. He’s doing homework with Hexue now.”
Probably hearing the phone ring, the door, which was left open just an inch, was pulled open from inside, and Lu Yang’s tall figure leaned out halfway. “Auntie Xin? Was that my mom calling?”
Xin Zhiying said yes, responding to Lu Yang on one end and to Zhu Cuifeng on the other. Then, without hanging up, she waved Lu Yang over. “Come, your mom wants to talk to you.”
Lu Yang walked silently. His usual playful grin was gone, and he replied to the instructions on the other end.
“Mhm, mhm,” Lu Yang nodded, his voice steady. “Don’t worry about me over here. I’ll take care of myself. It’s crowded and chaotic where you are, so be careful and stay safe.”
Perhaps sensing Zhu Cuifeng’s unstable emotions on the other end, Lu Yang comforted her, “Mom, it’s alright. You’ve done more than enough. Believe in Dad, believe in the people’s public servants. They’ll definitely clear Dad’s name. First, find a place to settle down and rest, and regain your energy. There will be a lot of procedures to handle later, right?”
Xin Hexue came out to the living room to get some water. He glanced in Lu Yang’s direction. Lu Yang’s tall frame cast an equally long shadow…it was not yet the broad back of a mature man, and the youthful spirit of a teenager still lingered, but he already seemed to be taking on the initial form of a man.
Xin Hexue took a sip of tea and walked over, his eyes asking Lu Yang how he was doing.
Lu Yang forced a smile and shook his head.
Zhu Cuifeng asked, “Is Xiao Xue there? Let me talk to him.”
Xin Hexue naturally took the receiver. “Auntie, I’m here.”
………
After hanging up, Xin Hexue returned to the room and found Lu Yang spreading out bedding and a pillow on a small bed.
There was a spare folding bed at home, and it was placed beside Xin Hexue’s bed. The aisle between the bed and the wardrobe was just wide enough to accommodate it.
“Are you hurt?” Xin Hexue noticed something off about Lu Yang’s movements.
He had sensed something wrong with Lu Yang’s walk when they returned during the day.
“Did you get hurt fighting those people?” Xin Hexue frowned, pulling out the first-aid kit from the dresser drawer. He grabbed Lu Yang, who was trying to dodge, his tone not very pleasant. “There were so many of them, and they had knives. What kind of hero were you trying to be then?”
“I wasn’t…” Lu Yang tried to argue, showing no sign of remorse.
Xin Hexue’s voice hardened. “Lu Yang.”
Lu Yang fell silent, hesitated twice, and said in a low voice, “I didn’t get hurt during the fight. It’s not that serious.”
Xin Hexue sat on the edge of the bed, opened the first-aid kit, and looked at Lu Yang calmly, pursing his lips. “Pull it up.”
Lu Yang pulled up his trousers and sure enough, there was an injury on his leg. But it didn’t look like a knife cut or from a fight; it seemed more like a bruise from a fall.
Xin Hexue asked, “How did you get like this?”
Lu Yang hesitated for a long time before blurting out, “I fell into a ditch while riding my bike.”
Xin Hexue thought for a moment. If it was Lu Yang, it wasn’t impossible.
[I can’t say I climbed up to peek at you at five in the morning and fell on the way down because it was too dark to see, right?]
[I’d have no face left then.]
Unfortunately, his inner voice ruthlessly betrayed Lu Yang’s pride and dignity.
Xin Hexue’s dark eyelashes fluttered slightly. Between blinks, a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
He gave Lu Yang a light, sideways glance, his eyes seeming to hold tiny hooks. “So careless?”
“Mhm, I was distracted at the time,” Lu Yang said.
Xin Hexue nodded, accepting this explanation.
Seeing that he had managed to bluff his way through, Lu Yang relaxed.
It was then that Xin Hexue stood up and leaned against the windowsill where he could see the deep blue night scene outside. He said, “I think there might have been a thief in my house last night. When I woke up, the window was open, and the wind blowing in was so cold it made me sneeze twice.”
“Impossible, I always close the window…”
Hearing that he had caught a cold, Lu Yang’s heart tightened, and he subconsciously blurted out the words before catching himself and freezing awkwardly.
Xin Hexue locked the two window panes, then turned and leaned leisurely against the windowsill, his posture like a lazy fox.
“Were you peeking at me?”
Lu Yang surrendered and simply sat on the folding bed, his head lowered as he confessed, “You haven’t been going to and from school with me lately. And you go to the office during breaks. You know how far apart our seats are. I hardly get to see you all day.”
From his vantage point at the very back of the classroom, all he could see was Xin Hexue’s back and the back of his head.
He couldn’t see Xin Hexue smile, he couldn’t see him drink water, and he couldn’t see his expression when talking to others.
Lu Yang was going crazy.
All he could do was cowardly get up at five, climb through the window, secretly watch Xin Hexue, and hurry back down before he woke up and left for school.
Sensing his meaning, Xin Hexue narrowed his eyes slightly. “So now you think it’s my fault?”
“Who started keeping distance first?”Xin Hexue asked.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he smiled wordlessly.
Having lived in this small world for eighteen years without memories, his mentality seemed to have truly regressed, like a child needing to clarify who was at fault first.
Why bother arguing with an eighteen-year-old?
[Gege, why didn’t you lift my memory seal earlier?] Xin Hexue asked.
K’s seniority finally dropped back from uncle, making him thirty years younger and returning to his youth.
Could it be said that Xin Hexue was very capable?
K: [If the method of transmigration involves sealing memories from the beginning, the shortest countdown to unlocking those memories is eighteen years.]
So, it was like a magic spell in a fairy tale that expires at midnight. When the clock struck midnight at eighteen, the seal broke.
Lu Yang didn’t dare think it was Xin Hexue’s fault, and was stammering through an explanation.
Xin Hexue didn’t plan to argue with him anyway. He poured some medicinal wine on the bruise on Lu Yang’s leg and rubbed it vigorously, the heat causing Lu Yang to shout in pain.
“Shut up,” Xin Hexue said coldly. “Who told you to climb through the window?”
Clearly, they had argued about the window-climbing issue more than once before, and the final result was establishing three rules, one of which stipulated that Lu Yang could only enter Xin Hexue’s house through the door in the future.
After applying the medicinal wine, it was almost time for bed.
His regular biological clock had already made Xin Hexue yawn twice. He washed the residual medicinal wine off his hands, returned to the room, and immediately prepared for bed.
Taking off his jacket, sweater, knitwear…
Layer after layer, like peeling the outer shells off a winter bamboo shoot.
Then he burrowed under the covers to change into pajamas.
The living room light was also off, and outside the window was peaceful and quiet.
Lu Yang came in behind him and turned off the bedroom light. Only the dim yellow glow of a bedside lamp guided his way.
Seeing the bulging blanket on the bed, Lu Yang’s tense nerves relaxed, and a smile unconsciously curled at the corners of his mouth. He returned to the side of Xin Hexue’s bed. The bedding was thick and warm, just like many nights before. He and Xin Hexue lay parallel in this room.
“Lu Yang.”
Xin Hexue’s voice came from under the covers, muffled by the thick layers.
“Mhm?”
Lu Yang turned over, facing Xin Hexue’s side.
Soft silky black hair spilled over the edge of the blanket as Xin Hexue poked his head out, his face flushed a light pink from being buried inside.
“Do you need comfort?”
His voice was calm, revealing a quiet, gentle strength.
Lu Yang chuckled hoarsely. “I’m fine.”
At times like this, anxiety was useless and would only make the waiting period more agonizing.
“Even if the result really isn’t good, I’ll keep studying hard and get into university. Isn’t it said that the better the university, the cheaper the tuition? I can also work part-time in college… After graduating, I’ll work hard and support my mom.” In fact, Lu Yang had already prepared for the worst after hearing what Cai Shu said in the afternoon. But he has always been optimistic.
He turned back onto his back, arms crossed behind his head and looking at the ceiling. “Besides, Old Lu might not be reliable in other things, but he really isn’t the type to engage in job-related embezzlement.”
“When I was a kid and secretly used a factory machine to roast a sweet potato, he was so angry he jumped up. Remember?” Lu Yang recalled the past and chuckled to himself. “That roasted sweet potato was delicious, right?”
“How come I remember it being burnt?”
Seeing he was truly okay, Xin Hexue also turned over.
They lay on their backs looking upward, as if a sky full of stars had fallen onto the ceiling.
“What did my big brother say to you that night?”
Xin Hexue suddenly asked.
Lu Yang fell silent.
Sure enough, the root of the problem lay here.
Xin Hexue understood.
After a while, just as drowsiness was taking over Xin Hexue, Lu Yang finally spoke in a low voice about what Zhuang Tongguang had said that night.
Xin Hexue was silent for a moment, then said, “You understand my personality, right?”
Lu Yang pressed his lips into a line.”I know.”
Xin Hexue only did what he liked, and what he believed was right. He looked gentle and soft, but he possessed the steadfastness of resilient bamboo.
This was also one of the things that fascinated Lu Yang.
So, the theory of a happy life of a good job, marrying a wife, and having children that Zhuang Tongguang spoke of held no reference value for Xin Hexue even if millions aspired to it.
He didn’t need validation from the world; he could live a brilliant, fulfilling life on his own.
“I know,”Lu Yang repeated, his voice slightly hoarse. “I was the one who was scared at the time.”
“What were you afraid of?”
He heard Xin Hexue ask.
“I was afraid I wasn’t good enough.”
—Xin Hexue is different from you.
This was what Zhuang Tongguang said at the time, as if there was a chasm as wide as an abyss between him and Xin Hexue.
Even though Lu Yang had been chasing after Xin Hexue mindlessly all along, he had actually been on high alert from the moment Lin Oufei appeared.
He wasn’t as smart as Lin Oufei, and when it came to family background, he couldn’t compare either.
Smart people obviously got along better with other smart people.
In third grade, a Lin Oufei transferred from the provincial capital. What about in the future? Would there be a Li Oufei, a Zhang Oufei?
Lu Yang wasn’t confident he was the best choice.
He was afraid that he would eventually lose even the title of “best friend”.
Xin Hexue raised an eyebrow in slight surprise after hearing this.
Was this really the thought process of a stupid dog?
“But not anymore,” Lu Yang rallied, his eyes sparkling. “Can other people protect you like I did today? When I saw that knife so close to you, my heart felt like it was going to explode.”
Xin Hexue smiled slightly.
“What did my mom say to you on the phone?” Xin Hexue had asked him two questions that evening, and now it was his turn to ask.
Xin Hexue said nonchalantly, “Nothing much. Auntie asked me to keep an eye on you so you don’t skip school or neglect your homework.”
“She also said…”He slowed his pace.
“What else did she say?”Lu Yang asked, his curiosity piqued.
Xin Hexue turned over, mysteriously beckoning Lu Yang with a finger. Lu Yang then threw off his covers, sat up and leaned over to the edge of the bed, closing the distance between them.
Xin Hexue’s gaze swept over him and said softly, “She said you like me the most and listen to me the most.”
Although the “like” Zhu Cuifeng meant differed from Lu Yang’s current feelings, having his thoughts exposed by an elder made Lu Yang cough lightly. He admitted frankly, “Of course.”
He continued earnestly, “I like you the most.”
Xin Hexue moved quickly, suddenly grabbing Lu Yang’s collar.
Caught off guard, Lu Yang’s head hit the nearby dresser with a thud. Then came the soft sensation of lips covering his.
Shadows overlapped.
His eyes widened.
[Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me Xin Hexue kissed me]
‘So noisy…’
Xin Hexue took Lu Yang’s hands and covered his own ears.
The bedside lamp cast a dim yellow hue, bathing Xin Hexue’s snow-white face, magnified by the proximity and highlighting his fine, even black eyelashes.
Was this a dream?
Fireworks exploded in Lu Yang’s mind, more dazzling than New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Outside was a snowy December night, but his palms were sweating with heat. He couldn’t help but rub Xin Hexue’s slightly cool earlobes, then climbed onto the dragon bed.
With a slight exertion of his hands, he deepened the kiss without hesitation.
The air was thick with youthful exuberance; Lu Yang poured all his courage into this kiss, prying open Xin Hexue’s teeth, swallowing his breath, and taking all the air needed for survival. It was as passionate as a young sailor encountering a storm on his first voyage and knowing that tomorrow was the end of the world.
Xin Hexue’s lips were sucked bright red, and his breathing became disordered. After pausing to adjust his breathing rhythm, he said to Lu Yang, “You don’t need to be the best.”
“If you’re afraid, you just have to keep chasing me, holding onto me, and making it impossible for me to abandon you, understand?” Xin Hexue’s arms rested around the back of Lu Yang’s neck.
The blood flowing into his heart was scalding hot.
Only then did Lu Yang understand what it truly meant for a heart to feel like it was about to explode. At the peak of happiness, one actually feels like crying instead.
[Lu Yang Love Value 99]
Xin Hexue issued the highest directive. “So, from now on, no matter how stupid the question is, you must report it to me. Don’t use your brain to think about it.”
Lu Yang nodded vigorously, his gaze suddenly freezing again.
The intense kiss had made them both oblivious to the extent of their movements. Several buttons on Xin Hexue’s pajama top had come undone, revealing a deep collarbone and smooth chest. Just a little more and he would have seen…
Lu Yang felt so overwhelmed he rolled off the bed.
“Where are you going?”
Xin Hexue propped himself up on his elbow, puzzled.
Lu Yang lowered his head, and was almost at the bedroom door when he heard this question. Remembering that he had just said he would report everything to Xin Hexue, he said honestly, “I’m going to take care of my little brother.”
Xin Hexue said without thinking,”Aren’t you an only child?”
K chuckled at the host’s innocent eighteen-year-old self.
When he came to a realization, Xin Hexue took a deep breath, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Send my regards to your little brother.”
This made Lu Yang shiver. As he left the bedroom, he closed the door behind him, not daring to look Xin Hexue in the eye. “You, you go to sleep first.”
A pen was thrown at the door, hitting the back of the panel and falling to the floor. Xin Hexue pulled the covers over himself and went to sleep.
Outside, the snowy night was filled with only quiet, scattered lights. The days in December were short.
The longest and hottest summer of their lives was about to begin.
