Chapter 30
The tension brought on by the college entrance exam quickly dissipated in the June heat like the ebbing tide. Summer vacation had just begun, and the days were like a brand new reel of film, filled with the light of infinite possibilities. For Su Rui, the core of this light was Ling Yao.
Freed from the burden of schoolwork, Ling Yao seemed to have shed an invisible armor, spending more time in Su Rui's old house. He no longer wore that reserved, fussy demeanor. Sometimes, dressed simply in a white T-shirt and shorts, he'd walk barefoot on the damp cement floor, helping Grandma Su Rui pick vegetables. Though his movements were clumsy, they carried a sense of ease and down-to-earthness he'd never experienced before.
That morning, just as the sun was getting a bit scorching, Ling Yao knocked on Su Rui's door. He was waving his car keys in his hand, a bright smile on his face. "Don't stay home. The weather is nice today. I'll take you somewhere."
There was no carefully planned long journey, just a quiet grassy slope on the outskirts of the city, overlooking part of the city skyline. Ling Yao unloaded the prepared picnic mat and a large insulated basket from the trunk, his movements smooth and with the joy of presenting a treasure.
"Here, spread it out." He handed the mat to Su Rui and opened the basket himself. Inside was not any expensive imported food, but freshly cut fruits, sandwiches, and even a few boxes of snacks that Su Rui had casually mentioned last time that they were delicious.
Su Rui watched him take out the items one by one and arrange them neatly. Her heart felt like it was slowly being filled with warm water, a warm feeling. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on Ling Yao's focused face, making him look incredibly soft.
They lay side by side on a soft picnic mat, the shade of the trees perfectly shielding them from the increasingly intense sunlight. The fresh scent of grass and soil, warmed by the sun, mingled with the delicate fragrance of wildflowers nearby. Ling Yao leaned sideways, resting his head on his hand, and looked at Su Rui. He reached out and gently wiped a few crumbs from the corner of Su Rui's mouth with his fingertips, his movements natural and intimate. "You're so stupid, you ate everything." He said with a smile, not a trace of disdain, only a lazy doting.
Su Rui's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't immediately lower her head as usual. Instead, she looked back at him with crooked eyes. Ling Yao, now stripped of all his sharp edges, was like a large, sun-baked cat, revealing only his soft belly. This realization filled Su Rui's heart with courage and sweetness.
They shared a pair of headphones, listening to a random stream of light music, occasionally chatting about the future—insignificant dreams, wild imaginations, tacitly avoiding the heaviness and uncertainty. Most of the time, they just lay quietly, listening to the wind, the chirping of insects, and the sound of each other's breathing close to them.
Later, Ling Yao ran to a nearby store and returned with two ice cream cones in his hands. He carefully handed the chocolate-covered one to Su Rui. "Eat it quickly, it's melting," he urged, but first he lowered his head to lick his own vanilla cone, leaving a little white foam on the corner of his mouth.
Su Rui took the cone, the cool touch dispelling the summer heat. He took a bite, sweet and crisp, the rich chocolate aroma melting in his mouth. He couldn't help but smile at Ling Yao's childish way of eating, his heart overflowing with joy. In this moment, there were no class differences, no other people's gazes, only shared sweetness and the breeze blowing across the grass. He almost thought they would stay in this summer, on this grass, forever.
After finishing his ice cream, Ling Yao lay back down, his arm naturally extended for Su Rui to rest on. His other hand occasionally played with the ends of Su Rui's soft hair. "Let's come out more often," Ling Yao said, his eyes closed, his voice a little muffled by the sun. "Just the two of us." "Okay," Su Rui replied softly, closing her eyes as well, feeling the steady heartbeat beside her and the warm red light filtering through her eyelids.
The air was filled with the sweet aroma of grass, ice cream, and Ling Yao's reassuring, clean scent of soap nuts. Su Rui thought, this was probably the concrete smell of happiness.
He was immersed in this gentle ocean, unaware of the possessive strength of the arm resting on his head, nor did he dwell on the subtle desire to isolate him from the outside world behind the words "just the two of us." He simply and wholeheartedly loved this summer, and the young man beside him who seemed to have become so gentle just for him.
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