take an exam

When the exam bell rang, Li Huaizhou was staring blankly at the auxiliary lines on the last math problem. His pen tip hovered over the paper for two seconds. When he handed in his paper, he walked out of the exam room clutching his pencil case. He looked up and saw Xie Mo standing under the evergreen tree in front of the teaching building, holding a bottle of warm milk.

"How did you do on the test?" Xie Mo came over and put the milk in his hand. His fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of his hand, bringing a slightly cool temperature. Li Huaizhou unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat, and even his tense nerves relaxed a little. "I should have gotten the last big question right. I was confused about the last multiple-choice question. I chose the first reaction as you said."

"That's fine." Xie Mo rubbed his hair with a smile in his eyes, "Ji Jiancheng and the others are waiting at the door."

The two walked towards the school gate and saw Ji Jiancheng waving from a distance, leaning against a streetlight. Shen Qitang stood beside him, carrying his schoolbag. Si Yanzheng, Jiang Changnan, and Zhang Yiyang were chatting and laughing together. They were still wearing their school uniforms, but they had lost the tension they had before the exam. Even their tone of voice was much lighter. "Finally out!" Ji Jiancheng shouted when he saw them, reaching out and patting Li Huaizhou on the shoulder. "I was just saying that if you didn't come, we would leave first." He said and walked towards the bus stop at the school gate. "Let's go, let's go, we agreed to relax in the private room over there in the building."

A few of them took the bus to Nanchang Street and chose a pub tucked away in an alley. A string of warm yellow lights hung at the entrance. As they pushed the door open, they found the resident singer, clutching a guitar, playing an obscure English song. His deep, raspy voice, mingled with the faint aroma of alcohol, offered a more relaxed atmosphere than the clamor of the neon lights. The owner led them up to a private room on the second floor. Opening the door revealed soft sofas and a karaoke station. On the coffee table lay several bottles of juice and beer, ice cubes clinking in their glasses with a crisp sound.

"Let me make it clear first, don't drink too much." Shen Qitang pushed the juice in front of Li Huaizhou and poured a glass for Si Yan. "If you drink too much, no one will carry you back." Ji Jiancheng had already opened a bottle of beer and raised his glass to her: "I understand, Butler Shen, just drink a little." Jiang Changnan directly placed the truth or dare turntable in the center of the coffee table. The plastic pointer made a "click-click" sound as it spun, and the first round pointed to Zhang Yiyang. "Day!" Ji Jiancheng patted the sofa and shouted, "Go downstairs and sing a line with the resident singer. You must sing it out of tune. If you don't, it doesn't count!" Zhang Yiyang wailed and stood up. After hesitating for a long time, he finally went downstairs. A while later, he could hear his off-key singing of "Little Apple" that reached the horizon, making everyone in the private room laugh.

After a few rounds, some people chose truth or dare, and when asked, "Have you ever secretly passed a love letter to a girl?", they blushed and admitted it. Some people chose dare and were forced to send a message to their homeroom teacher, "Teacher, you've worked hard," only to receive a quick reply, "Have a good rest after the exam," which only made the atmosphere even more heated. Until the plastic pointer "clicked" and stopped in front of Xie Mo, the room instantly quieted down, even the music was turned down by Ji Jiancheng. "Truth or dare?" Ji Jiancheng leaned forward, his eyes filled with excitement.

Xie Mo leaned on the sofa, paused after hearing this, and said in a light voice: "The truth."

"Then I asked." Ji Jiancheng cleared his throat and deliberately dragged out his tone, "Come on, Xie Xueba, do you have someone you like?"

The private room suddenly became so quiet that one could hear the sound of ice melting. Li Huaizhou tightened his grip on the cup. The cold wall of the cup pressed against his palm, but it didn't calm him down - he knew the answer, but when the question was really put forward, his heart couldn't help but beat wildly. He subconsciously wanted to look away, but couldn't help glancing at Xie Mo. Xie Mo was silent for two seconds, his eyes lightly swept across the coffee table, and finally landed on Li Huaizhou. There was a softness in his eyes that others couldn't understand, as if there was a ball of warm light. Li Huaizhou quickly lowered his head, staring at the juice shaking in the cup, but the tips of his ears had begun to burn. Just when he thought Xie Mo would be vague, he heard the other party say "um" softly, and the voice fell clearly in the air: "Yes."

"Holy crap!" Ji Jiancheng jumped up from the sofa. Jiang Changnan and Zhang Yiyang also started to make noises. "Oh my, which girl is so lucky? Are they together?" "What does she look like? Is she in our grade?"

Xie Mo didn't answer, but just raised his eyebrows, his eyes fell on Ji Jiancheng, and there was a hint of smile in his tone: "This is the next question." He stretched out his hand to spin the turntable, and the plastic pointer spun again, pointing accurately at Ji Jiancheng, "It's your turn, truth or dare?"

Ji Jiancheng howled and could only admit defeat. Shen Qitang and Si Yan huddled together, covering their mouths and laughing secretly. Si Yan even leaned close to Shen Qitang's ear and whispered, "Look, Li Huaizhou's ears are all red. Why bother asking?" Shen Qitang nodded, his eyes swept over the two people leaning on the sofa, and he gently touched Si Yan's arm. He didn't say anything, but just smiled and took a sip of the juice.

After a few more rounds, everyone had a few drinks. Ji Jiancheng had already started humming at the top of his lungs, while Jiang Changnan and Zhang Yiyang huddled together looking at their phones. The atmosphere gradually became relaxed from lively. Shen Qitang put down her cup and pointed to the karaoke station in the corner: "Stop playing, let's sing. Who's going first?" Her eyes swept across the room and finally landed on Li Huaizhou. "Huaizhou, you want to come? Our lead singer has to take the lead, right?"

"Me?" Li Huaizhou was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked at Xie Mo. The other party blinked at him. He stood up helplessly and walked to the song request desk. He swiped his finger on the screen and finally stopped at Rainie Yang's "Looking Up" - she had sung it once at "Neon" last time. Later, Xie Mo mentioned it by chance and said that he sang it well. Since then, this song has become like some kind of secret signal. Every time he sings it, he will subconsciously want Xie Mo to hear it.

As the music started, the noise in the private room gradually died down. Li Huaizhou gripped the microphone, his fingertips exerting a little pressure. The moment the prelude ended, he softly said, "If I could repeat my answer..." His voice was naturally gentle, with a hint of the clarity unique to youth. When he sang "I raise my head, and you will be waiting for me," his eyes unconsciously fell on Xie Mo, who was leaning on the sofa, holding an untouched glass of juice in his hand, looking at him intently, as if he was the only one in the entire private room.

Li Huaizhou sang very seriously, even controlling his breath just right. Until the last line "Don't let anyone separate us", the music gradually faded out. The room was quiet for two seconds, and then applause broke out. Ji Jiancheng patted the sofa and shouted, "Good, Brother Zhou, you sang better than last time."

He put down the phone and sat down on the sofa. As he leaned over to Xie Mo, he felt his hand curl around him, a warm warmth on his fingertips. "You sang very well," Xie Mo whispered, his voice low and slightly alcoholic, perhaps from the half-glass of beer Ji Jiancheng had persuaded him to drink. The scent of it tickled his ear. "Even better than the last time you sang at Neon."

Li Huaizhou's ears began to burn again. He couldn't help but lean closer to him and whispered, "Did you hear it? I thought you forgot."

"I haven't forgotten." Xie Mo's fingers gently rubbed his knees, with a hint of smile in his tone, "My boyfriend sang it, of course I have to remember it." The two of them leaned together and whispered in each other's ears, their voices so low that even Si Yan, who was standing next to them, could only see their heads leaning together and couldn't see their expressions clearly. Ji Jiancheng was already a little drunk, and he dragged Jiang Changnan and Zhang Yiyang to sing "Friends". They were so out of tune that it shook the world. Chen Qitang smiled helplessly and reached out to turn down the volume. They kept making noise until after ten o'clock. Ji Jiancheng yawned, rubbed his eyes and said, "It's not enough, let's go home. We don't have a day off tomorrow."

A few people packed up their things and went downstairs. The boss was already waiting at the door. It was Xie Mo who paid. When they reached the alley, Shen Qitang patted Li Huaizhou on the shoulder and said, "We are going the same way, Xie Mo, please send our Huaizhou back safely." As he said that, he winked at Xie Mo, pulled Si Yan and turned to walk towards the bus stop. Ji Jiancheng, Jiang Changnan and Zhang Yiyang also followed and went back to their homes. Soon, they were the only two people left in the alley.

The night wind blew, bringing a hint of winter chill. Li Huaizhou couldn't help but shrink his neck and leaned closer to Xie Mo. "Are you cold?" Xie Mo took off his scarf, wrapped it around his neck, and tied it gently, his fingertips brushing his chin. "Did you drink in the private room just now? Your face is so red."

"I just took a small sip." Li Huaizhou touched the scarf around his neck. It had the scent of Xie Mo on it, mixed with a hint of mint candy, which made him feel at ease. "Ji Jiancheng insisted on persuading me to drink more, so I didn't dare to drink more." He looked up at the night sky. The moon was hiding behind the clouds, revealing only a faint halo. The snow on the ground had not melted yet, and it made a "crunching" sound when stepped on. "You just now... why didn't you just say it when Ji Jiancheng asked you?"

Xie Mo took his hand and walked slowly forward, his fingertips gently pinching his palm, as if thinking about how to answer. After a few seconds, he spoke, "Didn't you say you didn't want others to know?" His tone was very light, but with a hint of seriousness, "Let's take it slowly." He turned to look at Li Huaizhou, his eyes appearing particularly clear in the night, "You don't like being surrounded by people asking questions, right?"

Li Huaizhou was stunned for a moment, then nodded. He really didn't like it - although Ji Jiancheng and the others were friends, if he was really questioned, those teasing words and inquiring eyes would make him feel uncomfortable. Xie Mo was always like this, always able to accurately perceive his thoughts, and even when answering questions, he would consider his feelings first. The two walked slowly along the roadside, not talking much, but not feeling awkward at all. When they passed a convenience store that was still lit, Xie Mo stopped and pulled him in. "What do you want to eat?" He picked up a rice ball and turned to ask Li Huaizhou, "I didn't eat much at the bar just now, so I want to fill my stomach."

Li Huaizhou looked at the snacks on the shelf and reached out to pick up a pear and milk-flavored candy. "I want this too." He put the candy on the cashier and watched Xie Mo pay. He felt warm in his heart. When he walked out of the convenience store, Xie Mo handed him the rice ball, unwrapped the candy wrapper, peeled a candy and put it in his mouth. The sweet taste of the pear spread on the tip of his tongue, mixed with the lingering breath of singing just now, and it was particularly clear.

"There's still a week left before the holidays, and the results should be out," Xie Mo said as they walked, gently hooking his fingers around his. "It doesn't matter if you don't do well on the exam, we can make up for it next semester."

"I'm not nervous." Li Huaizhou bit the candy and said in a vague voice, "Anyway, you are here. Even if I fail the test, you will help me make up for it, right?" He looked up at Xie Mo with a sly smile in his eyes, like a cat that stole some fish. Xie Mo couldn't help but laugh and reached out to rub his hair: "Yes, even if you get a zero, I will help you make up for it." He paused and added, "But believe in yourself..."

Walking to the alley of "Neon", Li Huaizhou untied the scarf around his neck and handed it back to Xie Mo: "Here you go, give it to me tomorrow." But Xie Mo didn't take it. Instead, he reached out and put the scarf back around his neck and tied it gently: "Wear it, I like it." He looked into Li Huaizhou's eyes, was silent for two seconds, then slowly leaned over and kissed him lightly on the forehead. The movement was very light, like a feather falling on the skin. "Go in, get some rest early, and see you at school tomorrow."

Li Huaizhou's face flushed instantly, he nodded, and turned to walk into the corridor. When he reached the second floor, he couldn't help but stop and leaned on the railing to look down - Xie Mo was still standing downstairs, looking up at him with a gentle smile in his eyes. Li Huaizhou waved his hand and whispered, "Go back quickly, be careful on the road."

Xie Mo also waved and turned to walk back. Li Huaizhou watched his back disappear around the corner before turning back to walk upstairs. His fingers gently touched the scarf around his neck, as if it still had the warmth of Xie Mo's fingertips. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. When he got home, he folded the scarf and placed it next to his pillow. "Yes," and the look in his eyes when he looked at him, his heart seemed to be filled with something, very comfortable.