Chapter 6
At night, the room was lit only by a dim energy-saving light. Li Ruiyuan tore open the instant noodle package, and the moment the hot water poured down, the smell of cheap essence filled the air.
"Eat." He pushed one of the bowls in front of Wu Ye.
The two of them ate noodles on the coffee table, their slurping sounds particularly clear in the quiet room. Wu Ye was wearing his newly bought tracksuit, with the thread from the tag still hanging on the cuffs.
Li Ruiyuan finished his noodles and the soup in a few mouthfuls before speaking: "I'll go back to school tomorrow."
Wu Ye paused for a moment, "Can I..."
"No." Li Ruiyuan interrupted him, "I didn't pick you up to be a follower."
The sound of a motorcycle whizzing past outside the window made the glass buzz.
Wu Ye looked down at the oil floating in the bowl of instant noodles and said, "I know all the answers to those questions."
"If you know everything, then get full marks." Li Ruiyuan threw the empty bowl into the trash can. "Don't make excuses."
The boy pursed his lips, his fingers unconsciously picking at the peeling leather on the edge of the coffee table. His new tracksuit looked too bright under the light, like a stolen costume.
"Brother Yuan." Wu Ye's voice was very soft. "Why didn't you go to school before?"
Li Ruiyuan laughed and lit a cigarette. "I'm poor." The smoke blurred his expression. "My father gambled away all our money, and my mother took my brother and me and fled to Guangzhou. Besides, my grades weren't very good to begin with."
He flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Do you know where we've lived? Under an overpass, in an unfinished building, in a shipping container." The flickering cigarette butt illuminated the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth. "Studying? You can't even eat enough to study."
Wu Ye's instant noodles had become clumpy, with the oil solidifying into white lumps.
"You're different from me," Li Ruiyuan suddenly said in Mandarin. "You're a student of Guangya."
He stood up and kicked the shopping bags at his feet. "It took me a month of moving goods to buy these clothes and shoes." His voice suddenly turned cold. "Don't waste this opportunity."
Wu Ye raised his head suddenly, his eyes reddening frighteningly: "I didn't—"
"Focus on it," Li Ruiyuan interrupted him, "Don't think about these crooked things."
He went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, the water splashing loudly. When he came out, Wu Ye was still in the same position, like a frozen statue.
"Go to bed." Li Ruiyuan turned off the TV. "I'll take you to school tomorrow."
In the darkness, they lay back to back, Wu Ye's new tracksuit rubbing against the sheets, making a small noise.
"Brother Yuan." After a long time, Wu Ye said softly, "I can get into Tsinghua University."
Li Ruiyuan didn't look back: "Yeah."
"And make money." The voice was filled with stubborn tears, "A lot of money."
The air conditioner was humming outside, and a wild cat was calling outside the window. Li Ruiyuan turned over and kicked the quilt halfway over.
"Idiot," he said, his voice unusually gentle. "Go to sleep."
The clock struck twelve at midnight and faintly came from a distance.
Li Ruiyuan was sleeping soundly, breathing steadily and deeply, with one hand casually resting on the pillow.
Wu Ye opened his eyes in the darkness.
Moonlight filtered in through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the profile of Li Ruiyuan's face. His brow, always furrowed, relaxed, and his eyelashes cast fine shadows under his eyes. When he slept, he looked less fierce.
Wu Ye quietly moved half an inch to that side.
The new sheets had the cheap scent of laundry detergent, mixed with the faint smell of tobacco from Li Ruiyuan. Wu Ye held his breath and gently rubbed his forehead against the back of the other's hand, which was resting on the pillow.
Warm.
As if encouraged, he leaned forward again. His nose almost touched Li Ruiyuan's shoulder, and he could feel the body temperature coming from under the fabric.
He quietly raised his finger, hesitating in mid-air for a long time before finally landing lightly on the bridge of that handsome nose, vaguely tracing the outline.
Li Ruiyuan moved in his sleep.
Wu Ye immediately withdrew his hand, his heart pounding. He waited for a few minutes, and when he saw no sign of the other party waking up, he slowly approached again.
This time he was bolder. His fingertips gently touched the lips that always spoke harsh words. They were softer than he had imagined.
Car lights flashed past the window, and the room suddenly lit up. Wu Ye saw the small scar at the corner of Li Ruiyuan's lip, which was left by the last fight.
As if possessed by some strange force, he moved forward.
The kiss was light, like a feather brushing across the cheek, carrying with it the desperate devotion of a young man and a throbbing heart that was destined to have nowhere to rest.
Li Ruiyuan suddenly snorted.
Wu Ye stumbled back, nearly falling off the bed. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, making his eardrums buzz.
But Li Ruiyuan just turned over, and his arms unconsciously came over and wrapped around his stiff body.
"Hmm..." the person in the sleep mumbled vaguely, "It's itchy..."
Wu Ye froze. The arm pressed heavily against his waist, the heat seeping through the thin fabric into his skin.
He lay there motionless until the moonlight slowly shifted and morning light appeared outside the window.
When the first ray of sunlight came in, Li Ruiyuan frowned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Fuck." He cursed hoarsely and took back his arm from Wu Ye. "Why do you sleep like a corpse?"
Wu Ye turned his back to him and said in a muffled voice, "Get up immediately."
When the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Li Ruiyuan sat on the bed and rubbed his temples. He touched his cheek and felt that he had dreamed of being licked by a wild cat last night.
The sun was growing brighter, illuminating the shopping bags I'd left on the floor the previous night. The new pair of basketball shoes lay neatly at the door, ready to go at any moment.
Li Ruiyuan kicked the shoe box: "Hurry up, we're going to be late."
In the bathroom, Wu Ye looked at his red ears in the mirror and splashed cold water on his face.
The morning light is just right.
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