Chapter 24
Although City B is a bit far from City C, the journey is not boring. Under the organization of the school, the students took the train on Saturday night, took a nap on the train, woke up the next day, played cards with cards, or got together to chat, and arrived at the destination at night.
In the hotel lobby, Li An distributed the room cards, and everyone headed to their rooms to rest as they had agreed on in the car. Zhang Xiaotian followed Lu Bai back to the room. As soon as the door opened, Lu Bai threw his luggage aside and threw himself directly onto the bed without even taking off his coat: "Oh, I'm so tired."
"Take off your coat first," Zhang Xiaotian opened his suitcase and took out his toiletries. "Do you want to rest for a while? Then I'll use the bathroom first."
"You use it first," Lu Bai buried his face in the pillow and waved his hand behind him, "I need to take a nap first."
Zhang Xiaotian took the things into the bathroom.
The water in the bathroom wasn't very hot, but luckily the weather wasn't cold. Zhang Xiaotian quickly showered and didn't see a hair dryer in the bathroom, so he wiped himself with a towel and planned to look for one in the room. When he came out of the bathroom, Lu Bai had also gotten up. Zhang Xiaotian saw him leaning against the headboard, sleepy and staring blankly, watching him walk out of the bathroom.
"Sleeping so soundly?" Zhang Xiaotian found it a little funny to see him with his silly blank eyes.
"I'm going to take a shower." Lu Bai didn't answer him. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, got up and went into the bathroom. Zhang Xiaotian couldn't find a hair dryer in the room, so he thought about it and opened the window to let the air dry. The sky in City B was no different from that in City C. The same dry evening breeze, the same deep blue night sky, and almost invisible clouds floating in the air. If you look carefully, you can see the movement of clouds. There was a noisy traffic under the window, and the sound of water coming from the bathroom behind him. Zhang Xiaotian watched the traffic lights downstairs change several times, took out his mobile phone and took a few photos.
Lu Bai took quite a while to shower. When he came out, Zhang Xiaotian's hair was almost dry. He sat by the window and watched videos. Lu Bai, a towel draped over his shoulders, walked over and closed the window: "Just let the wind blow, you don't have to worry about having a stroke."
"Will you?" Zhang Xiaotian looked at him. Lu Bai was wearing pajamas he'd brought from home. They were dark blue with a stick figure puppy pattern on them, which was quite adorable. Zhang Xiaotian couldn't help but look him up and down, and Lu Bai covered his eyes with his hands.
"Of course I do. No common sense at all." Zhang Xiaotian blinked in the darkness, and the darkness shrank, a little light filtering through his fingers. He heard Lu Bai add, "Don't look at it. My mom bought it."
"It's very cute." Zhang Xiaotian said.
"Your choice of words is inappropriate. I cannot accept it." Lu Bai said.
Seeing that Lu Bai still didn't move his hand, Zhang Xiaotian didn't struggle. He changed his position and leaned against the windowsill, unable to help but laugh: "I'm talking about pajamas."
"I'm talking about pajamas, too," Lu Bai said. Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Xiaotian tried to get around Lu Bai's hand and open the door, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he saw Lu Bai's back as he walked towards the door. When the door opened, it was Li An.
"Nothing," Li An stood at the door and looked inside, and said, "I just want to tell you that you will go to B University for a lecture at 7 o'clock tomorrow, so go early." When he said this, he also noticed Lu Bai's puppy pajamas, and smiled and spit out a dirty word.
"What a joke." Lu Bai stretched out his leg and pretended to kick him. "He's so handsome, you have no taste!"
"Handsome, handsome, handsome," Li An laughed and dodged, then walked to the next room, "Don't be late tomorrow!" Lu Bai punched him again before turning back to the room. When closing the door, he heard Li An's voice: "Damn, Lu Bai wore a..." Before he could finish listening, the door was closed.
"Damn!" Lu Bai felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't noticed anything wrong with wearing it at home, but now he was embarrassed. He stood at the door and saw Zhang Xiaotian still smiling at him, and his face felt a little hot.
"Listen, you have to get up early tomorrow. Go to bed and stop laughing!" He couldn't help but raise his voice a little, and walked towards his bed while speaking, not daring to look at Zhang Xiaotian.
"I'm not laughing." Zhang Xiaotian obediently walked to the bed and lay down, his eyes still fixed on Lu Bai. Lu Bai turned over and covered himself tightly with the quilt, reaching out to turn off the ceiling light.
"Go to sleep!" Only his rough outline could be seen in the darkness. Zhang Xiaotian looked at him for a while, turned his head to face the roof and closed his eyes.
Perhaps because he was a bit attached to his bed, Zhang Xiaotian took a long time to fall asleep that night and woke up very early the next day. Seeing Lu Bai sleeping soundly, he went out to have breakfast. The temperature was getting colder by the day. Zhang Xiaotian had a quick bite downstairs, packed some soy milk, millet porridge, and a few buns, and returned to his room. Lu Bai was no longer in bed. Zhang Xiaotian was about to send a message to ask when the bathroom door swung open and Lu Bai walked out.
"You didn't even call me and went to eat breakfast by yourself. Tian'er, you're not very considerate." Lu Bai wanted to protest a few more times, but when he saw the various breakfasts on the bedside table, Li Ke changed the subject and said, "Tian'er, you're so nice!"
Zhang Xiaotian sat down in silence, watching Lu Bai eat breakfast. Perhaps because he'd been up all night, Lu Bai no longer cared if his pajamas looked childish. His hair was a mess, tufts here and there, and he slurped his porridge, finishing half the cup in one gulp. Zhang Xiaotian looked at how tightly he was dressed and realized he'd never shared such an intimate moment with anyone before. He felt a little uncomfortable, not knowing what to say, so he just watched him eat.
"Would you like to eat some more?" Lu Bai asked him as he saw him staring at him eagerly.
Zhang Xiaotian shook his head and looked down at the time. It was six forty.
"I'll be done soon." Lu Bai chewed a few mouthfuls and swallowed them, then drank the soy milk and smoothed it down his throat. He quickly put the garbage into a plastic bag and tied it up, then turned around and started to change his clothes. "Wait a few minutes!"
Aside from the winter and summer holidays, high school life rarely offered moments like this when you didn't have to wear a uniform. You could put on your favorite clothes and hang out with your classmates and friends, even if you were attending a lecture. Zhang Xiaotian was wearing only a simple T-shirt and jacket, and it took him a while to find his way into the crowd. Lu Bai had tidied himself up a bit, even wearing a chain around his neck.
Li An suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started chattering all morning: "Hey Lu Bai, you look quite energetic. Why aren't you wearing your puppy pajamas from yesterday?"
"Look if you want to. How dare you?" Lu Bai raised his foot and kicked. The two exchanged a few moves in a formal manner. Zhang Xiaotian stepped away for fear of being affected.
"You don't understand aesthetics, that's just childish!" Lu Bai and Li An exchanged a few words before walking towards Zhang Xiaotian, saying to him, "Besides, who would discuss a male classmate's pajamas in public so early in the morning? Pervert!"
"Oh my god, Lu Bai!" Li An was about to rush over again, but he caught a glimpse of a bus in the distance and quickly ran over there like a squad leader, not forgetting to give Lu Bai the middle finger before leaving. Lu Bai bared his teeth and returned the gesture, turning around and walking side by side with Zhang Xiaotian again. After taking two steps, his hands became dishonest and he insisted on hooking Zhang Xiaotian's neck.
"Alright, alright." Zhang Xiaotian couldn't break free, so he leaned over and followed him. "What's wrong? Can't you just walk quietly?"
"Have fun out here!" Lu Bai's arms relaxed a little, but he didn't let go. "Don't be so bored, have fun!"
"We'll have free time after that." Zhang Xiaotian grabbed Lu Bai's arms with both hands.
"What's the difference?" Lu Bai asked him. "Can you really listen to that lecture? There's bound to be a lot of people playing games. Yin Li just sent a message asking if I want to play Ludo on my phone."
Zhang Xiaotian remained silent. But this wasn't the reason for him to get so inexplicably high with Lu Bai.
After arriving at University B by bus, the leading staff member distributed passes at the school gate. This pass granted free daytime access to most areas of the university during their time in City B. On the way to the lecture hall, the staff member briefly introduced himself as a University B student, occasionally answering questions. Soon, a group of chattering high school students gathered around him. Zhang Xiaotian listened intently to the man's words, keeping a close eye on the campus.
Some colleges have morning readings, but most people are still eating breakfast. Their schedules perfectly avoid the morning rush hour for University Student B, so no matter where you go, you'll find it relatively quiet. Tall trees dot the campus, and occasionally you'll hear a bird sing, a song you've never heard before. When you look towards the sound, you can't see any birds, only the swaying shadows of the trees. Most of the teaching buildings have been renovated, but occasionally you'll stumble upon an old building, standing quietly amidst the hazy shadows, making it hard to tell whether it's real or not.
This school is really quiet.
Led by the college student, the group arrived smoothly at the classroom where the lecture was held. After they took their seats, the man briefly explained the requirements.
"Everyone, try to keep your heads up, don't talk, and don't use your phone." At this point, the man covered the microphone and added, "This lecture will be recorded in its entirety. Since there aren't many of us, that means almost everyone will be on camera. We hope everyone will cooperate."
It seems that flying chess is out of the question. Zhang Xiaotian listened, propping up his head and looking out the window. There were already many students on the street, walking along the streets, large and small, entering different buildings. Many of them also entered the old buildings, which now seemed real.
Footsteps gradually filled the hallway as the lecturer arrived, belatedly arriving. Everyone was cooperating, watching as several cameras were set up. While the lecture was still filled with clichés about "ideals" and "goals," it was a short one, and thankfully, it concluded quickly, allowing everyone to return to their own places. The teacher leading the group from No. 4 Middle School reiterated the validity period and scope of the passes, and instructed everyone to return to the same entrance by 11:00. They would then be transported back to the hotel. He ensured everyone, however distracted, had heard the instructions before releasing them.
Yin Li looked at the tour route she had just sent to everyone on her phone and said, "After taking a closer look, it seems there's nothing much to see."
"I really want to go to the 'Corridor of Life' in this laboratory building." Han Chengcheng pointed at one spot, "and here too."
"Let's go then." Yin Li said, then looked at Zhang Xiaotian and the other man, "Are you two coming together?"
"Let's go." Lu Bai said, Zhang Xiaotian nodded, and the four of them walked directly to the "Corridor of Life".
There were a lot of people on the road. Zhang Xiaotian followed Lu Bai closely, bumping into his arm from time to time as he dodged people on the road. After bumping into him a few times, Zhang Xiaotian felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Why are there so many people?"
"What?" Lu Bai heard him speak and asked him with his head down.
"Nothing." Zhang Xiaotian replied, and then pulled him to walk a few quick steps. After passing the corner in front, the road became wider and less crowded, so the two slowed down.
"There are indeed a lot of people." Lu Bai glanced at Zhang Xiaotian's hand holding his, "Maybe it's during the break."
"Did you hear what I said?" Zhang Xiaotian looked at him. "Then why are you asking me?"
"Just asking." Lu Bai gestured to Zhang Xiaotian to wait for the two girls behind him. The two girls stood under the shade of the trees at the entrance of the laboratory building, waiting for the other two.
It was cool in the mornings and evenings, and getting hotter as noon approached. His coat was becoming difficult to wear. Zhang Xiaotian wanted to take it off and hold it in his hands, but when he looked down, he was blinded by a light from nowhere. Seeing this, Lu Bai also looked down and realized it was the pendant on his necklace reflecting the light.
"That's good." He reached out and grasped the pendant. Seeing Zhang Xiaotian looking at his hand again, he waited until he had taken off his coat before opening it. Zhang Xiaotian leaned over to his palm and couldn't help but fiddle with it. It was a pair of unpatterned rectangular metal pieces, one large and one small, with blunt edges and a smooth surface. The style was very simple, and there was no discernible symbolic meaning.
Zhang Xiaotian didn't ask, but Lu Bai still replied: "It doesn't have any meaning, I just wore it because it looked nice." He lowered his eyes, and Zhang Xiaotian's neat whorl of hair fell into his sight. Lu Bai couldn't help but tilt his head back, as if he just felt the autumn heat at this moment.
"What are you doing?" Yin Li's loud voice came at the perfect moment. Zhang Xiaotian quickly stood up and subconsciously stuffed both hands under his coat.
"Nothing, just... showing Xiaotian my necklace." Lu Bai coughed twice and said, "It's in this building. Let's go."
After saying that, without waiting for anyone, they turned around and walked into the building. Yin Li said "Oh" and did not forget to tease Lu Bai about being a show-off. Only Han Chengcheng paused after hearing this, looked at them suspiciously, and said nothing.
The so-called "Corridor of Life" is a section of the medical school displaying various human specimens, from tissue slices to organ specimens. When things we normally wouldn't notice are presented directly before our eyes, the scene is truly spectacular. The four of them walked around, stopping and starting, and even Lu Bai, who had no interest in the objects, took a few photos, making the trip worthwhile. Zhang Xiaotian stared at a blood smear and was about to take a picture with his phone when he heard the sound of a shutter behind him. Zhang Xiaotian turned around and saw Lu Bai holding up his phone.
"What are you looking at?" Lu Bai covered his face with his phone. "Move aside once you're done taking pictures. Others want to take pictures too."
Zhang Xiaotian raised an eyebrow, then left his phone behind and walked sideways out of the camera's range. Lu Bai took another photo, then saw Zhang Xiaotian waiting for him, so he put away his phone and walked towards him.
"What are you looking at later?" Zhang Xiaotian asked him.
"I won't watch it anymore." Lu Bai said without any expression. "I'll go back to the car later."
Zhang Xiaotian looked at him and felt that he seemed to particularly like this place. After arriving at this floor, he didn't leave with him. Every time he looked back, he saw him standing not far away looking at the exhibits, as if he was extremely interested in every specimen. Zhang Xiaotian thought he liked these things and wanted to chat with him, but he looked reluctant to talk. He was about to give up, but then he remembered the photos he hadn't taken earlier, so he said, "Can you send me one of those photos later?"
"Didn't you take the photo?" Lu Bai asked him.
"No." After all, you looked like you were in a hurry to take the photo.
Lu Bai didn't say anything.
Zhang Xiaotian tilted his head to look at him and found that Lu Bai didn't look at him as usual.
"Hmm?" Zhang Xiaotian asked again, "Did you hear me?"
"Okay, okay." Lu Bai suddenly covered his face with his hands, "Wait!" After saying that, he took out his mobile phone and tapped the screen a few times. Zhang Xiaotian's phone vibrated.
Zhang Xiaotian frowned as he looked at the unclear photos on his phone. He smacked his lips and finally said, "Thank you."
"Hmph." Lu Bai looked inexplicably happier.
Han Chengcheng, who was walking behind the two of them, frowned thoughtfully and couldn't help but nudge Yin Li with his elbow.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Yin Li was still sorting out the photos she had just taken.
"Do you feel..." Han Chengcheng hesitated and didn't continue. Yin Li waited for a while, but didn't get her answer, so she asked again: "What's wrong?"
Han Chengcheng shook his head, "Nothing."
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