Twenty-eight

The sunshine that afternoon was wonderful; even the cicadas' chirping sounded exceptionally joyful. All the noise seemed to play a cheerful hymn to this day.

"Mom! Dad!" As soon as the exam center gates opened, Lu Yunian rushed towards his mother and father through the bustling crowd.

"You've worked hard, son."

He gave them both a huge hug, and his mother stuffed the flowers she was holding into his arms.

"Here, take the flowers. Dad also bought you some odds and ends, but I left them in the car."

“I picked them all out myself!” His dad leaned over.

"Yes! Your dad is really serious, he deserves praise." Ms. Qi patted the two of them on the shoulder. "Now, what do you want to do next?"

"I think... I'll wait for my friend to come out first."

"Oh right! Xiaoyun, your friend hasn't come out yet either, has he?"

"Yes, he's very slow-paced, I'm not in a hurry. You don't need to wait for me."

Lu Yunian then noticed that there was a boy standing next to his mother, with long hair and holding a bouquet of flowers.

Roses, daisies, baby's breath, and a few other flowers that Lu Yu Nian didn't recognize.

"What are you looking at? Don't you recognize me?"

"Oh, no, I just didn't expect you to come back to China, cousin."

“My friend is also taking the exam this year, and since I have the holiday, I thought I could come and pick him up after the exam.”

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No, I came secretly." This must be a very happy and joyful thing, and my cousin smiled brightly.

"Girlfriend?" Lu Yunian stared intently at the school gate, his mouth never stopping.

"no."

"The person you like?"

"My friend! With such a flirtatious mind, Lu Yunian, you'd better watch out for getting struck by lightning."

"The way you sent these flowers is really suggestive, isn't it? You didn't even include a sunflower, and this card says 'To my dearest...'" He had just glanced at it and only saw the prefix.

"Really not? It's okay to tell me, I'm very tight-lipped, and even if you secretly tell me, I'll definitely only wish you two a long and happy life together!"

"You're getting more and more talkative!" He shoved the flowers into Lu Yunian's hand and strode forward, "Hey! Over here!"

Ning Yi'en finally stepped out of this place.

He let out a long sigh, as if trying to drive away all the pent-up frustration.

The weather today is much better than last year—Ning Yi'en still vividly remembers the oppressive feeling of dark clouds looming over the city when she walked out of the examination hall last year, threatening to crush it but without a single drop of rain.

The sky was very blue, and the sunset had already painted a small patch of the sky, vibrant and just right.

Actually, Lu Yunian had said he would wait for him to leave the exam hall together, but since they weren't taking the exam in the same building, Ning Yi'en felt that it was rare for Lu Yunian to wait for him, and he probably wouldn't have the same excitement and enthusiasm as them rushing out of the exam hall, so he was afraid it would be a bit of a disappointment and didn't agree.

"Ning Yi'en! What are you looking at!"

Qi Yun suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hmm?" Ning Yi'en pulled her gaze back.

"I thought I was hallucinating from the exam."

"You didn't go crazy from the exam, did you?!"

"Hey!" Qi Yun waved his hand and put his arm around his shoulder. "Our chemistry is still as good as ever."

"Why are you back?" Ning Yi'en took the lollipop he offered. "Just got back?"

"Mmm," Qi Yun said, peeling a candy and putting it in his mouth. His words were a little muffled. "I had to pay extra to reschedule my flight, which was originally a few days later."

"You've worked hard, young master," Ning Yi'en said with a smile. "I'll treat you to dinner later."

"No, no, no! I want to eat what my grandma makes. But if you insist, I won't refuse."

"Don't worry, it definitely won't happen."

"Ning Nie Nie, my classmate!" Qi Yun pretended to clutch his chest in heartache. "You're the one I love most, my childhood sweetheart, my brother, my dearest friend..."

"Brother! Your flowers." Lu Yunian really didn't want to listen anymore, so he put the flowers in Qi Yun's hand.

"Yes! I also prepared flowers for you." Qi Yun stuffed the flowers into Ning Yi'en's arms again. "I'm so good to you—hmm! These flowers suit you especially well."

"So these flowers were given to me by you."

"how!"

“Very good, brother.” Ning Yi’en looked at the bouquet of flowers. “Who gives roses after the college entrance exam? I thought someone was going to…”

He glanced at Lu Yunian, who was playing on his phone next to him, and thought, "I thought someone was going to confess their feelings."

"Mom," Lu Yunian looked up, "Are you leaving or not?"

"Hey, weren't you waiting for your friend?"

“My friend…he’s here.”

"Oh? What a coincidence that you know Xiaoyun too. Ning Yi'en, isn't she?"

"Yes, hello Auntie."

"What a handsome young man!" Qi Chu smiled at him. "Our Lu Yunian always mentions you at home. At first, I thought you were a girl. Let me tell you, once he was at home..."

"Mom!" Lu Yunian shouted with all his might.

"Alright, alright, I won't tell you. You're such a big kid, and you're still so shy."

"Hey, Yi'en, where are your parents? Would you like to have dinner with us?"

“My grandma was coming, but I was thinking of going out by myself later, so I told her not to come.”

"Eating, in fact, is also..."

"Ning Yi'en," Qi Yun interrupted him, pointing behind him, "Uncle."

"Uncle? What uncle?"

Ning Yi'en has mild myopia and wears contact lenses most of the time. Today she happened to be wearing glasses, which she put in her bag right after the exam.

He squinted and tried to see in the direction Qi Yun was pointing, but he could only see clearly when "Uncle" walked up to him.

"Oh, Dad."

"Dad?" The questioning voice came from Lu Yunian, who was pretending to be busy playing on his phone but was actually just swiping aimlessly on the main screen.

Lu Yunian secretly took a closer look and found that Ning Yi'en's features were indeed very similar to his, handsome and striking, but the man's features had a more rugged and weathered look.

"Um."

"Why are you here?" Ning Yi'en asked, somewhat surprised.

"I won't be long..."

"No, what I mean is, why didn't you tell me?" Ning Yi'en felt that her calm tone just now would definitely make his father misunderstand.

"Oh, I was just afraid of hurting you again like last time. If anything goes wrong, I'll atone with my death, even if I'm torn to pieces..."

"Dad!" Ning Yi'en called out to him, "Jokes aren't funny. Don't do that, and don't keep talking about death."

"Okay, okay, I won't talk about it anymore," Ning Feng said, taking out a bag from behind his back. "I was in a hurry today and didn't have time to order flowers, but I've already bought you a phone and an iPad. Here, the latest top-of-the-line model. As for the computer and stuff, you can choose whatever you want and I'll transfer the money to you. I don't know anything about laptops or specs."

"It was just replaced last year, Dad."

"This year is different; this year we will have a completely new look."

"If you really don't want it..." Ning Feng thought for a while, but couldn't come up with a solution.

"If you really don't want it, just pawn it to me, I'll take it for you at a 90% discount," Qi Yun chimed in from the side.

"Okay, I'll take it. I'll consider selling it to you for double the price."

"cut."

"Take it, take it. You and your dad are family, aren't you?" His dad handed him the bag. "Hey! Someone gave you flowers. These flowers are pretty." Ning Feng looked around.

"no……"

"It's okay! Anything is fine as long as En is happy."

...Just as you think.

But Ning Yi'en didn't explain further, and he didn't think his father could really sense anything.

"Let's go eat together. Mom should have gotten off the high-speed train by now. I've made a reservation at a restaurant and invited Grandma too."

“She told me a few days ago that she had to go on a business trip and couldn’t come.”

"You've changed your plans, haven't you? I asked your mom yesterday and she said she'd come."

“Okay. You can come with me.” He turned to ask Qi Yun.

"Let's go, I haven't seen Grandma in so long." He put his arm around Ning Yi'en's shoulder again.

"Then we're leaving." Ning Yi'en took his hand away, turned around and greeted Lu Yunian and the others. "Goodbye Auntie, goodbye Uncle."

Then he raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, then lowered it again, and finally patted Lu Yunian on the back, saying, "Bye, enjoy your vacation."

bother!

Lu Yunian thought about it again and again but still couldn't figure it out.

He didn't want to ask Qi Yun, and Ning Yi'en dared not ask either.

Just as he finally mustered the mental strength to ask Ning Yi'en to meet him, and before he could even think of how to phrase it in the chat, Ning Yi'en's message popped up first.

I'm going back to Jingzhou today. I'll bring you a gift when I get back.

This is even more annoying!

Lu Yunian was so angry that he pounded the bed, but he could only blame himself for being too useless.

June 17th Coffee Shop

The coffee shop was nearly empty on a weekday afternoon. Lu Yunian sat alone on the small terrace, ordered a coffee, and waited for Ning Yi'en.

He was still very uneasy, subconsciously sipping his coffee in small sips until the cup was empty before he even noticed.

"I'm a little late." Ning Yi'en sat down next to him. "I just went home and changed my clothes."

"You came back today."

“Yes.” Ning Yi’en scanned the order code on the table, added two items to her cart, and then handed her phone to Lu Yunian.

"Then you promised me you'd come out, so you should have rested at home."

“Being with you isn’t a chore. Here, this is my birthday present.” Ning Yi’en took out a box and placed it in front of him.

“Thank you! Ning Yi’en, it’s me.” Lu Yunian looked at him solemnly, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” — But the emphasis only lasted a second.

"Okay, we'll talk about it when we want to. Let's take it apart and see."

It is a beautiful, glossy cinnabar bracelet.

There was an exquisite handwritten card on it, and you could tell at a glance that it was Ning Yi'en's handwriting—beautiful and strong, just like him.

Always be your own star

"Happy birthday, Lu Yunian, happy eighteenth birthday." Ning Yi'en looked into his eyes. "Always be yourself, you..."

"I'm sorry, Yan Yan. But I have something I want to tell you... I'm afraid if I don't say it now, I won't dare to say it anymore." Lu Yunian spoke very quickly, as if afraid that if he didn't speak quickly, he wouldn't be able to get the words out.

Originally, Ning Yi'en's eyes were looking at him, but perhaps out of shyness, they shifted to his own hands.

"I never thought I was this cowardly before, but in some things I have to admit I am a complete coward."

After you helped me that morning, I dragged my friend to the senior high school building to look for you twice, but... it's funny, we didn't find you either time. My friend even joked that I liked you and that you were my crush...

At the time, I didn't realize it at all. I just thought I simply wanted to be friends with you, and I was so afraid of being rejected, so I figured I might as well keep the good memories in my heart, at least it would be more dignified.

"Isn't that incredibly stupid?" He grinned at Ning Yi'en, his smile endearingly goofy.

"Silly! That's what you mean." Ning Yi'en tapped him on the head. "But maybe I was visiting my mom the few days you were looking for me."

"Senior high school students also take long leave..." Lu Yunian deviated from the topic for a moment, but then brought himself back to the main point.

"Anyway, I was so stupid that I didn't even get your contact information until the day I saw you in the hallway. I remember the sun was shining brightly—as bright as you were. My mind was foggy, and I felt like I was dreaming."

Actually, I'm feeling really dizzy right now. It all feels so unreal, like we've become friends... I hesitated for a long, long time about what to say today, because I was afraid that if I did, we wouldn't be able to be friends anymore.

You are so wonderful, Ning Yi'en. I always felt that meeting you was already a blessing. I shouldn't ask for too much, but..."

Lu Yunian paused for a moment, turned his back, and then turned back.

So I…

Before she could even utter the words of confession, tears welled up in her eyes.

“I…” He looked up at Ning Yi’en, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Hmm? You..." Ning Yi'en moved closer to him, her eyes filled with laughter, and she drew out the last syllable of her words.

"I love you!" Lu Yunian said, his eyes closed, tears streaming down his face. "If... if you didn't..."

"Hmm!"

More unspoken words were left unsaid, and Ning Yi'en leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it's fleeting.

“Go on.” He winked at him, as if he hadn’t done anything and had just been sitting there quietly listening to him.

"Oh right!" Lu Yunian took out a small box. "A gift."

A silver ring.

"For me? You're going to propose to me?"

"Then I can't propose to you even if you want to. But could you accept my confession?" Lu Yunian looked at Ning Yi'en with tears in his eyes and a pitiful expression.

“If I don’t agree, what are you going to do?” Ning Yi’en pointed to the ring. “Hey, what’s this made of?”

"If it were platinum, I originally wanted to buy gold, but my mom said you might not accept something too expensive, so I bought this one... If you think it's too expensive, I'll just say it's silver."

"You've told me everything..."

"Just accept it, even if you don't want to, okay?" The two of them had somehow clasped hands together. "Yanyan... Brother..." Lu Yunian shook his hand.

"But if you really don't want to, I'll just throw it into the school lake... consider it a clean break for myself."

"Are you willing to part with it?" Ning Yi'en held out her hand to him. "Here you go."

"You'll help me throw it away?" Lu Yunian turned his hand over and placed it in his palm. "I probably won't be able to bear to."

"Are you really stupid!" Ning Yi'en felt both amused and annoyed, and touched his forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"What."

Then, Lu Yunian suddenly realized that Ning Yien's action just now was to ask him to put a ring on his finger.

"Yanyan! I take back what I just said, okay? It was so silly." Lu Yunian solemnly put the ring on Ning Yi'en's finger.

"So, will you be my boyfriend?"

"We've already kissed. If you still think we're friends, I'm going to make trouble for you."

"!"

"Yanyan~" Lu Yunian clung to Ning Yien.

Ning Yi'en didn't say anything, she just lowered her head and ate her tiramisu, the spoon making a few clinking sounds as it hit the plate.

Are you angry with me?

"No. I was just thinking about how I ended up with such a silly boyfriend."

"I was really stunned just now. I kept thinking about what I would do if you rejected me." Lu Yunian rubbed his face against Ning Yi'en like a child. "Actually, I've already thought it through. If you have a boyfriend, I'd be happy to be your mistress!"

“Where did I come from… You don’t think Qi Yun is my boyfriend, do you?” Ning Yi’en put down her spoon and looked at Lu Yunian. “I’ve never thought you were so insecure before.”

“You and Qi—my cousin—seemed very close. He specially flew back to pick you up after your exam, and there were roses too. I really thought at the time that…” Lu Yunian’s voice trailed off, as if he had suffered some great injustice.

“Qi Yun is a complete idiot.” Ning Yi’en said with a hint of helplessness. “He ordered roses just because they look nice, he didn’t think of any meaning for them. But it’s normal for anyone to misunderstand when they see them. My first thought was that he was going to confess his love.” He patted Lu Yunian’s head. “You’re jealous.”

"Isn't it because I'm afraid I can't compare to my brother... He's richer than me, a student who studied abroad, has a Jingzhou residency, and is your childhood friend. And in terms of looks... he's still not as handsome as me."

"Yeah, you're handsome." Ning Yi'en scooped up a spoonful of tiramisu and brought it close to his mouth.

"Does this count as a kiss?" the sweet tiramisu asked. "An indirect kiss?"

"You're so childish! That doesn't count." Ning Yi'en shook her head. "This is the way to count."

Breaths mingled, eyes momentarily blurred, the person you love was so close.

Time seemed to stand still, but that moment arrived in a flash.

A brief and awkward kiss.

The lips seemed to carry the rich aroma of milk, as well as the freshness and vibrancy of sparkling water, just like this kiss.

Their fingers were intertwined, or perhaps they gripped even tighter because of nervousness.

Ning Yi'en

"Hmm~"

"My heart is beating so fast, I like you so much, I'm so happy."