Chapter 4

Shang Zhier was a day student and did not live on campus. After the evening self-study class, he followed the fat man and the tall man towards the equipment room.

The sky was dark and the wind rustled the leaves.

"Where is the teacher?" Shang Zhier stared at the empty equipment room, which was covered in dust and had cobwebs on the ceiling.

The fat man winked at the tall man from behind him, "He'll ask you to clean the cabinet over there in ten minutes."

There is a very long and wide rectangular cabinet in the equipment room, which contains some miscellaneous items.

"Here..." Before Shang Zhier could finish his words, a sudden force from behind pushed him in.

The fat man quickly locked the door and threw the key out.

"What are you doing?" Shang Zhier asked in a cold tone.

"What are you doing?" the tall guy said. "Don't think you're so great just because your family has a few bucks. Wearing glasses every day to show off, pretending to be a cool, cool man! Do you think Tao Ning is really friends with you? He's just hanging out with you because you're rich."

Shang Zhier remained silent, his fists clenched so tightly that they made crackling sounds.

After the tall and fat man left, it was completely dark. The equipment room was getting darker and darker, and there was no light in the cabinet. Next to Shang Zhier was a human skeleton used for teaching. He touched his trouser pocket and found that he had forgotten even his cell phone in the classroom.

Yan Huai was using the internet to send messages in the toilet cubicle. When two people came in to pee, he pressed the mute button.

"Oh, that Four-Eyes guy is so stupid. He followed me to the equipment room when I told him to. What an idiot. Hahahaha." The tall man laughed.

"Hmm, let him suffer a little and know who has the final say."

After the two of them zipped up and left, Yan Huai came out of the cubicle and glanced at the dark sky outside the window.

Yan Huai took the key he had obtained from the security guard and unlocked the equipment room, shining a flashlight inside. "Shang Zhier, are you there?"

The equipment room was empty and quiet. Yan Huai didn't get an answer. He walked in step by step, and the flashlight shone into the room through the gap between the cabinets.

"Are you in there?" Yan Huai asked, looking at the locked cabinet door.

"exist."

The voice was very small and weak, and no emotion could be heard.

Yan Huai held the flashlight in his mouth, turned the key into the keyhole, and the cabinet door opened.

A pale skeleton leaning against it startled Yan Huai. He moved his eyes downwards and saw Shang Zhier squatting with his head buried in his □□.

You won't cry, will you? Yan Huai thought so, squatted down, looked at Shang Zhier face to face, and comforted him softly: "It's okay, it's okay."

Suddenly, Shang Zhier hugged him fiercely, and due to the inertia of their bodies, they both fell to the cold ground.

The flashlight rolled to the corner, and there was only a vague light in front of Yan Huai.

Yan Huai thought Shang Zhier was frightened by his sudden hug. He felt the arms around him trembling. He patted his back and said, "It's safe now. Don't be afraid."

Still a child, Yan Huai thought.

Yan Huai started school late, a year older than his classmates. Shang Zhier skipped a grade in elementary school, making him a year younger than his peers. Yan Huai was a full two years older than Shang Zhier, and at that time, he looked at Shang Zhier like a child. If a child was bullied or wronged, he would just comfort him.

Yan Huai patted Shang Zhier on the back and said, "Skipping a grade isn't all that great. Everyone in the same grade is older than you, so you can't fit in. Your young age also prevents you from handling relationships smoothly, leading to isolation." Those with a positive attitude can completely ignore others, even feeling like they don't want to be associated with them. Those with a negative attitude, however, will find every day at school a torment, leading to academic decline.

No matter which one it is, everyone is eager to fit in.

Shang Zhier propped himself up with his arms and got up from Yan Huai.

Yan Huai was relieved to see that he didn't cry. He stood up and patted the dust off his pants. "It's late. You don't live on campus, right? I'll accompany you to the school gate."

"The cell phone and test papers are still in the classroom." Shang Zhier looked up at him.

Yan Huai nodded when he heard it, "Let's go back and get it."

Shang Zhier picked up the flashlight on the ground, turned off the switch, and held Yan Huai's hand.

Yan Huai turned around and stared at his face, then at the hands they were holding.

Forget it, if the child wants to hold the hand, let him hold it. He is strong enough not to cry.

Yan Huai pulled him out of the equipment room and locked the door.

On a summer night breeze, you can hear the sound of fish rolling in the water as you pass by the small fountain.

The two teenagers held hands tightly and walked through the lush woods, one in front and the other behind. At first they walked, and then slowly turned into running. They ran up the stairs quickly and got their schoolbags from the classroom.

Shang Zhier was carrying a schoolbag, with his cell phone and water cup in his hands. He felt a sense of loss in his heart because he would not be able to hold Yan Huai's hand.

The car had been waiting at the school gate for a long time.

"Go back and have a good sleep, it's okay." Yan Huai rubbed his head.

Shang Zhier nodded and walked towards the car.

He turned around to say something, but saw that another classmate had already walked away with Yan Huai.

It turns out that Yan Huai is not just his.

It's not just good for him.

Yan Huai held the script. High school was already a distant memory for them. He wanted to continue exploring and understanding Shang Zhier, and wanted to better understand Xiang Shui. Moreover, he was now skeptical about Shang Zhier's sexual orientation.

"Shang Zhier, why did you suddenly hug me?" Yan Huai murmured to himself, "And why did Xiang Shui accept Zhao Yan?"

The next evening, on the set, it was snowing heavily.

Yan Huai finished putting on makeup, put on a long down jacket, and slowly ate a roasted sweet potato in her hand.

He searched everywhere for Shang Zhier's figure, and finally found him squatting next to the stove, poking something with a small wooden stick.

"What are you doing?" Yan Huai walked over and patted Shang Zhier's shoulder.

Shang Zhier didn't look up. "Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes."

"Let me play with it." Yan Huai squatted down curiously and stretched out his hand towards Shang Zhier.

Shang Zhier looked at him twice and placed the wooden stick in his palm.

Yan Huai flipped the black potato left and right with a wooden stick in his hand, poking it. "This one moves. Is it cooked?"

"Let's take it out and have a look." Shang Zhier said.

Yan Huai moved the small potato in the middle to the side, and it fell into the snow. Yan Huai wrapped the potato with his sleeve, picked it up, broke it open, blew on it, and took a bite with a grimace: "It's so hot! It has no taste."

"Conditions are limited." Shang Zhier took out a small bag from his pocket.

Yan Huai gave him half of the potato and came over to look at it: "What is this?"

"How about the black pepper left over from the fried chicken?" Shang Zhier sprinkled it on the potatoes.

"Have some." Yan Huai held the potato close to his face.

He was so close that Shang Zhier could smell the aroma of potatoes, as well as his unique scent and the smell of cosmetics.

In fact, he doesn't need to wear makeup at all. Shang Zhier thought that he looks better without makeup.

Shang Zhier opened the bag and sprinkled some on Yan Huai's potatoes.

Yan Huai held the potato in his hand and ate it. Sprinkling some black pepper on it made it taste much better. After he finished half of the potato, the crew was about to start filming.

He rinsed his mouth and took off his long down jacket. The cold wind blew in from the bottom of his sleeves, and Yan Huai shivered.

Xiang Shui skipped evening self-study today. He had a yearbook in his bag. He walked to the garbage dump and picked up an iron basin from a pile of waste.

The garbage in winter smells better than in summer, not as smelly.

He just took out the yearbook and threw it into the basin.

A dark shadow rushed out from behind him and snatched the notebook away. He turned around and looked at Zhao Yan with clenched fists, his eyes full of anger and irritation.

"Yearbook," Zhao Yan flipped through it with relish. "Such precious memories shouldn't be preserved well."

“Give it back to me!”

Zhao Yan dodged Xiang Shui's fist and continued, "So your name is Xiang Shui? You even have your birthday and zodiac sign. Let me see, you love beef noodles the most, and hate...durian? Tsk, you're not lucky. Durian is quite delicious."

The veins on Xiang Shuiqi's face bulged. He was half a head shorter than Zhao Yan and his physical reaction was not fast. He looked around for something that could help.

"Let me see what your classmates have said about you," Zhao Yan turned the page. "Are you... a pervert?"

Xiang Shui found the right moment and kicked a beer bottle at Zhao Yan's feet. With a bang, Zhao Yan fell to the ground.

He rushed forward, snatched the yearbook, threw it into the basin, and quickly slid a match in.

He never wanted to see these humiliations and injuries again, so he just wanted them to disappear.

Zhao Yan scrambled to his feet and hugged his shoulders: "You treat your savior like this, it really hurts."

Xiang Shui was too lazy to pay attention to him, nor did he shake off his hand. He just stared at the flames in the basin.

The flames devoured the paper crazily, and the vicious, cruel, and disgusting handwriting disappeared completely, turning into dust and drifting away in the wind.

Zhao Yan said, "It's better to burn them. They are just scum."

Xiang Shui looked at him in surprise. He didn't expect Zhao Yan to say that.

"Don't you like beef noodles?" Zhao Yan said, "I'll treat you. I know a place that's really delicious."

"Click--"

Yan Huai patted the flames on his trouser legs and grabbed a few balls of snow to put out the fire: "I was scared to death, my trouser legs were burned."

He Xuan pointed at his shortened trouser legs and laughed heartily: "Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Don't you feel the heat?"

"I feel it," Yan Huai said, putting on his down jacket. "I don't dare to move until the director says 'cut.'"

Lu Zheng was also amused: "It's good. The shorter trouser legs suit the character. Let's wear it like this."

Late at night, the crew finished work.

Yan Huai took the hand warmer handed to him by Yuan Meng and walked into the shed. Shang Zhier was still discussing with Lu Zheng. He stood outside the shed and did not go in to disturb them. He held the hand warmer in his left hand and made a snowman with his right hand.

Shang Zhier glanced at the person squatting at the door and said, "Okay, I'll be leaving first. You should get some rest as well."

Lu Zheng: "Let's go eat some maocai together later?"

"No more eating," Shang Zhier shook his head. "My cold hasn't healed yet."

He walked straight out of the shed. Yan Huai looked up and looked at him, "Is there a car to go back?"

Shang Zhier: "No."

Yan Huai sighed: "You are a screenwriter, but there is no car to pick you up. How pitiful."

Shang Zhier's mouth twitched. God knows how long his driver has been forced to take leave. He asks himself every day when he can go back to work. He says he feels uneasy on paid leave.

He remained calm and continued, "Give me a ride and I'll treat you to a midnight snack."

Yan Huai stood up and said, "Okay."

"By the way." Yan Huai turned around.

Shang Zhier: "What's wrong?"

"What you said last time," Yan Huai paused, "does it still count if you become my desensitization target?"