Chapter 15
The transfer procedures were completed quietly.
On Monday morning, Wu Ye stood at the door of Class 3, carrying his schoolbag. His new head teacher simply nodded and said, "Your seat is in the third row."
There was no welcome speech, no self-introduction. But when he sat down, the girl sitting next to him gently pushed a class schedule towards him: "This is math class."
After class, several students came over and asked, "Are you transferring from Class 1?" There was no sarcasm in their tone, only pure curiosity.
After school, Li Ruiyuan was waiting at the same place as usual. When Wu Ye came out, he was followed by several classmates who were enthusiastically discussing a physics problem.
"Brother Yuan!" a bespectacled boy suddenly called out, "Wu Ye said you can repair motorcycles?" Li Ruiyuan was stunned for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at Wu Ye. The boy's ears blushed slightly as he whispered, "They were talking about motorcycles..."
The days after the transfer were so peaceful that it was almost trance-like. No one stuffed trash into Wu Ye's locker anymore, and no one "accidentally" knocked over his lunch box.
On the eve of the midterm exam, Li Ruiyuan noticed that the light in Wu Ye's room was on until the early morning. "Hello," he knocked on the door. "What time are you still awake?"
The door opened a crack, and Wu Ye's eyes were bloodshot: "The last big question..."
Li Ruiyuan took the exercise book and said, "Let's look at it tomorrow. Go to sleep."
On the day the results were announced, Li Ruiyuan was moving boxes in the freight yard when his phone suddenly exploded with a series of notifications:
"No. 1 in the grade!!!!" In the attached photo, at the top of the honor roll it was written: Wu Ye, total score 732.
The motorcycle nearly ran a red light. When he arrived at the school gate, he saw Wu Ye surrounded by teachers, with a ridiculously large red flower pinned to his chest.
"Good boy!" the physics teacher patted him on the back. "You're the only one in the whole school who solved that last problem!" The math teacher added with a smile, "That score would put you in the top 50 in the entire province!"
Li Ruiyuan leaned on the motorcycle and suddenly felt that the sunlight was a bit dazzling.
Mother added four more dishes to dinner. Li Xuan piled the braised pork into Wu Ye's bowl: "Brother, you're amazing!" Wu Ye kept stealing glances at Li Ruiyuan, as if waiting for something.
It wasn't until after dinner, while washing dishes, that Li Ruiyuan casually asked, "What reward do you want?" The faucet gurgled, and Wu Ye's voice mingled with the sound of water: "I want to go to Disneyland."
"The one in Shanghai?"
"From Hong Kong." Wu Ye turned off the water. "I heard...it's more suitable for adults."
The visa was processed faster than expected. On the morning of departure, Li Xuan excitedly circled her suitcase, "Will I really get to see Elsa?" Her mother carefully counted the motion sickness medication, "Ayuan, keep an eye on my little sister. Don't let her run around."
As the high-speed train passed over the cross-sea bridge, Wu Ye stared out the window. The glass reflected his calm profile and Li Ruiyuan, who dozed beside him.
Hong Kong West Kowloon Station was thronged with people. Li Xuan clutched Wu Ye's shirt tightly, "So many foreigners!" Li Ruiyuan, dragging his suitcase, frowned so hard it could kill a mosquito. "How come this place is even more crowded than Guangzhou?"
When the Disney train pulled into the station, even the mother smiled. The Mickey-shaped windows of the carriage reflected the family's rare, relaxed faces.
They arrived just in time for the parade. Li Xuan rode on Li Ruiyuan's shoulders, screaming, while her mother held up her phone and snapped photos. Wu Ye followed quietly behind, his eyes gleaming with a startling glint.
"Brother!" Li Xuan suddenly pointed at the hair accessories store. "Minnie headband!" His mother took one look at the price and gasped, "Two hundred and eighty? That's a rip-off!"
In the end, Wu Ye silently paid the bill. When he put the Mickey Mouse ear headband on Li Ruiyuan's head, the whole square fell silent.
"...Are you looking for death?" Li Ruiyuan narrowed his eyes. Wu Ye smiled, "Very cute, very suitable for you." Li Xuan had already collapsed in her mother's arms with laughter.
The strange thing is, Lee Seo-yeon didn't take it off. She finished Space Mountain with that ridiculous headband on and was even forced to give a "yeah" sign in the Mickey Mouse photo area.
In the evening, they sat in front of the castle, waiting for the fireworks. Li Xuan was so tired that she fell asleep on her mother's lap.
"I'll go get some water." Wu Ye stood up. Li Ruiyuan was stunned when he saw his back.
In the setting sun, the boy's shadow was stretched very long, completely covering his own shadow.
"Aye..." he called out subconsciously. Wu Ye turned around, his hair blown by the evening breeze, revealing his smooth forehead. At that moment, Li Ruiyuan suddenly realized that he had to tilt his head slightly to see his eyes clearly.
When the fireworks exploded, the whole park was in an uproar. Wu Ye came back with an ice cream and stood beside him naturally.
"It's melted." Li Ruiyuan pointed at the dripping cream. Wu Ye lowered his head to lick it off, his tongue accidentally brushing against his fingers. They both froze.
Brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky, illuminating the boy's red ears. Li Ruiyuan pulled his hand back abruptly, only to meet Wu Ye's penetrating gaze.
"Brother Yuan." Amid the sound of fireworks, Wu Ye's voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh. "I'm taller than you."
This sentence was like a thunderclap that split the clamor. Li Ruiyuan looked up and took a closer look. He had indeed grown taller, about three or four centimeters taller, and his shoulders had broadened. He was no longer the skinny boy.
"What are you so proud of?" He sneered, gesturing with his hand, "I'm still a bit of a jerk at 23." Wu Ye suddenly bent down and rested his forehead against his: "Now I'm looking down on you."
His breath was so close, carrying the sweet scent of ice cream. Lee Seo-yeon could count his fluttering eyelashes and see his own reflection in his pupils.
"What are you doing..." The rest of the words were swallowed up by the exploding fireworks.
Wu Ye just smiled, took a step back and pointed to the sky: "Look, the biggest one."
It was late at night when we returned to the hotel. Li Xuan was fast asleep, clutching her newly bought Stella Lou, while her mother sorted through the photos she had taken that day.
"This one looks great," she pointed at the screen. "Yuan actually wore a headband." In the photo, Lee Seo-yeon, sporting Mickey Mouse ears, was reaching out to pinch Wu Ye's face. The boy's eyes curved in a smile, his usual gloom gone.
There was a sound of running water in the bathroom. When Li Ruiyuan opened the door, he saw Wu Ye measuring his height in front of the mirror. There were a few fresh scratches on the wall.
"1.89 meters." Wu Ye turned his head, his eyes sparkling, "five centimeters taller than you."
Li Ruiyuan threw the towel over: "What are you showing off?"
At night, the two of them squeezed into the bed of the standard room. The Hong Kong moonlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the boy's sharply defined profile.
"Brother Yuan." Wu Ye suddenly said, "If I keep growing taller..."
"how?"
"You can't treat me like a child anymore."
Li Ruiyuan chuckled in the darkness. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, why do you want to go to Disneyland?"
Moonlight streamed across my pillow. Wu Ye's voice was flat. "When I was a kid, I always saw Disney ads when I passed by the Guangzhou subway station."
"Other kids kept crying about going, and I thought...I wanted to go once when I grew up. Then I met you, and I decided that we had to go together no matter what."
Li Ruiyuan was stunned. He recalled the years when he took Wu Ye to squeeze into the subway, and the boy would always stare at the billboards in a daze. It turned out that it wasn't envy.
"Good night," he turned over, his voice a little hoarse, "We still have to go to Ocean Park tomorrow."
In the early hours of the morning, Li Ruiyuan felt a warm breath brushing his neck. Wu Ye unconsciously hugged him in her sleep, her long legs pressing him so that he couldn't move.
"It's so heavy..." He complained in a low voice, but did not push it away.
In the early morning light, Li Ruiyuan opened his eyes. The young man's sleeping face was so close, his eyelashes casting a light shadow. He raised his hand, as if compelled to do so, to indicate the height difference between them.
As his fingertips brushed against the ends of his hair, Wu Ye suddenly opened his eyes. In the morning light, there was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes, only a clear and gentle look.
"I caught you." The boy laughed, "You were measuring me secretly."
On the return train, Li Xuan chattered about her travel plans. Her mother, looking through photos, suddenly exclaimed, "Aye, this photo looks like you when you were young!"
The photo was taken in front of Cinderella's Castle. Wu Ye stood sideways, his jawline sharp and his eyes etched with a familiar arrogance.
Li Ruiyuan stared at the photo for a long time.
The crowd was thick as they exited the station. Wu Ye naturally hoisted Li Xuan onto his shoulders, his other hand protecting his mother. Li Ruiyuan followed behind, dragging his suitcase, watching the boy's broad shoulders block the flow of people.
The Guangzhou night breeze was warm. While waiting for the bus, Wu Ye suddenly squatted down and said, "My shoelaces are undone." He bent down to tie Li Ruiyuan's shoelaces, his fingers nimbly tying a knot.
The street lights cast their shadows on the ground, one sitting and one standing, yet they miraculously blended into one.
"Let's go." Li Ruiyuan reached out and pinched his face, "Go home."
Neon signs lit up one after another, like a never-ending dream of prosperity. The figures of the young men gradually faded away, blending into the city's myriad lights.
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