Chapter 21 21. Shake and shake

During the break, the campus radio played Zhuang Yongyuan's favorite song. He walked out of the classroom, leaned on the railing in the corridor, and listened to the song intermittently. It was raining, and Zhuang Yongyuan spotted Xie Kang through the gray rain curtain.

Xie Kang was walking down the hallway. He was clutching a stack of homework, surrounded by several people, both men and women. He was chatting and laughing with them when he suddenly looked up and met Zhuang Yongyuan's gaze.

He handed the homework to the people around him, jumped up, waved at Zhuang Yongyuan, and shouted his name loudly.

Zhuang Yongyuan's face flushed, and he waved his hand slightly. He didn't dare look at the faces of the people around Xie Kang, to see if they were looking at him. He only saw Xie Kang smiling happily, then suddenly quickening his pace and jogging across the corridor.

After a while, Xie Kang appeared from the stairs, shouting "Zhuang Yongyuan! Zhuang Yongyuan!", and ran to his side, lying on the railing, facing the downpour in front of them shoulder to shoulder with Zhuang Yongyuan, with raindrops floating on their faces and bodies.

Xie Kang proudly told Zhuang Yongyuan, "I knew you would come out to listen to the music."

He sang along with the radio, shaking his head and humming: "There are so many breakfasts here, in the breakfast shop we are most familiar with..."

Zhuang Yongyuan hummed softly and said, "Why are you so happy?"

Xie Kang gave him a puzzled look and said, "What's there to be unhappy about? Don't you like rainy days?"

“I love rainy days the most.”

"Then let's have dinner together!" Xie Kang said without thinking.

"What to eat?"

"Big intestine cake, I'll take you to a place that serves super delicious big intestine cake!"

"Do you like eating large intestines?"

"What's wrong with large intestine?" Xie Kang pouted and said, "As long as it tastes good, you're prejudiced. Do you want to leave?"

"I..." Before Zhuang Yongyuan could finish, Xie Kang said, "Since you didn't say you won't go, then you have to go. I'll wait for you here after school."

The teacher kept the last class extended, and five minutes after the bell rang, he was still banging away at formulas. Zhuang Yongyuan stared out the window, bored. Xie Kang, backpack on his back, winked at him.

A few people at the window noticed Xie Kang and seemed curious about who he was waiting for. Zhuang Yongyuan heard a few comments and suddenly felt a little proud. Xie Kang was here to see him.

But after school, Zhuang Yongyuan didn't want to go out and look for Xie Kang directly because there were so many people there. He slowly packed his schoolbag until Xie Kang got anxious and knocked on the window to urge him to go. Only then did Zhuang Yongyuan go out with his schoolbag on his back.

"Where is the store you are talking about?" Zhuang Yongyuan asked him.

Xie Kang walked down the stairs briskly and said, "Just follow me."

Zhuang Yongyuan ran into a classmate at the school gate. Seeing Zhuang Yongyuan and Xie Kang together, he asked Zhuang Yongyuan in surprise, "Do you know each other?"

Xie Kang affectionately put his arm around Zhuang Yongyuan's shoulders and said, "I know him. He's my guitar teacher."

Zhuang Yongyuan felt uncomfortable with his embrace and wanted to push him away, but as soon as his hand touched Xie Kang, he pulled it back.

"Wow, Zhuang Yongyuan, you can play the guitar?" The classmates were even more shocked.

Zhuang Yongyuan's face turned red, he said "hmm", lowered his head and followed Xie Kang.

The path Xie Kang took him on became more and more remote, and the paths were all alleys that Zhuang Yongyuan was unfamiliar with. Xie Kang skillfully weaved in and out, and finally walked into an old residential compound.

Zhuang Yongyuan couldn't help but ask, "What kind of big intestine cake shop is open in the community?"

Xie Kang shook his head and said, "Not here, in Donghui."

"Donghui?" Zhuang Yongyuan was surprised. Donghui is an industrial area on the outskirts of the city, at least ten kilometers away from here.

He asked Xie Kang in disbelief, "This is too far, shouldn't we walk there?"

"Of course not. How long will it take to walk?" Xie Kang said as he led Zhuang Yongyuan to the carport. He patted the seat of a black and red motorcycle, tossed Zhuang Yongyuan a helmet, and said as he put on a pair of suede gloves, "I'll take you there on my motorcycle."

"Is this your car?" Zhuang Yongyuan asked him, touching the shiny front of the car.

"How could my parents buy me a motorcycle?" Xie Kang laughed and said, "It's my uncle's bike. He secretly lent it to me."

"Can you ride a motorcycle?"

"I learned it last year." Xie Kang shrugged and said, "Are you worried that I won't be able to ride well?"

Zhuang Yongyuan quickly shook his head and said, "No, I'm afraid of being caught by the school."

"This place is so far from school, I stopped here specially." Xie Kang looked at Zhuang Yongyuan, patted his head and said, "You reminded me to take off the school uniform, otherwise others will know we are students at a glance."

Zhuang Yongyuan nodded, took off his school uniform coat and put it in his schoolbag. A gust of cold wind blew, and he couldn't help shivering. Xie Kang, who was getting on the bus, saw him and asked Zhuang Yongyuan with concern, "Are you cold?"

Without waiting for Zhuang Yongyuan to answer, he took off his dark denim jacket and handed it to Zhuang Yongyuan: "Put it on."

He didn't give Zhuang Yongyuan a chance to refuse and immediately turned around and got in the car. Zhuang Yongyuan held his coat, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly put it on.

It’s the coat again. When I put on this coat, the scent of Xie Kang is everywhere.

Xie Kang turned around and called to him, "Get in the car."

It's not like Zhuang Yongyuan had never ridden a motorcycle before. When he was a child, Zhuang Fu often rode him to visit relatives or for family outings. But he couldn't remember the last time he rode on Zhuang Fu's motorcycle.

After getting in the car, Zhuang Yongyuan couldn't help but ask Xie Kang, "Is it necessary to travel so far to eat big intestine cake?"

Xie Kang smiled foolishly and said, "This one is really delicious."

Zhuang Yongyuan was still nervous and asked, "Are you really okay?"

The rumbling of the engine answered him. Xie Kang twisted the handlebars and steered his motorcycle gracefully onto the road. The wet, rain-soaked streetscape flew backwards, and a wind tinged with the smell of rain blew past them. Halfway through, the streetlights on both sides of the road suddenly illuminated. Xie Kang cheered and accelerated, passing the pickup truck in front of him.

Zhuang Yongyuan was nervous at first, but after getting used to it, he started to get excited. It was just like that when he was with Xie Kang, he would just be happy with him for no apparent reason.

But this happiness did not last long, just like the last time in the mall. However, after a short walk, Zhuang Yongyuan felt as lost and self-blaming as he was at the beginning.

In the few movies that Zhuang Yongyuan had seen, there was always a plot like this: a man rode a motorcycle with the person he liked, and deliberately rode the motorcycle very fast, taking the opportunity to let the person he liked hug his waist.

Xie Kang didn't say such a line, and Zhuang Yongyuan held his hands on both sides of the seat.

He hated his own anticipation. He knew why he had such a thought, but the last time he had such a thought, it had ended badly.

His heart was beating fast, and the hood of Xie Kang's sweatshirt was jumping in front of his eyes.

Xie Kang ran towards him in front of others and hugged him. Xie Kang would come to the music store every now and then to talk with him, practice piano with him, and listen to music together. Xie Kang took him to many places to eat, drink, and have fun. Xie Kang took him on his motorcycle. Xie Kang gave him his coat.

Zhuang Yongyuan held on tighter. Xie Kang was too good to him. He couldn't understand Xie Kang, and even less so himself.

He shouldn't be like this. He and Xie Kang are not from the same world. He's already failed once before. Pingnan is not suitable for someone like him. Is he going to be so foolish as to make himself sad again?

Zhuang Yongyuan suddenly wanted to take off Xie Kang's jacket. Perhaps he should jump out of the car and take the bus home. He shouldn't be on the back of Xie Kang's motorcycle.

The light at the intersection turned red. Xie Kang stopped the car, turned around and asked Zhuang Yongyuan nonchalantly, "By the way, how about you hold onto my waist? The road ahead is very bumpy, and it would be safer if you hold onto me."