Twenty-one
Lu Yunian ate unusually slowly today.
It seems they want to fully appreciate every flavor in it.
When Wen Xi passed by, he jokingly asked him if he was trying to become a gourmet connoisseur or if he thought he was "Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs".
By the time he finished tidying up, the prelude to the hearing test had already begun.
My thoughts are scattered and somewhat disjointed, with seemingly unrelated points swirling in my mind.
However, there's no time for him to think tonight.
After the listening quiz, what awaits them is a rush of teachers from various subjects scrambling to finish their tests in their spare time, and a deluge of test papers flying around.
Senior year of high school.
well!
Senior year of high school!
Sigh, senior year of high school...
December 25
There are large-scale social exams scheduled for the next two days, and Jiannan School has been requisitioned as an exam venue, so students will be dismissed exceptionally early this Friday.
8 PM
"I've looked here, there, and all these random drawers, nothing."
Song Moxiao stared at the cabinet, looking worried. Actually, Ning Yi'en's organization was very neat. You could easily tell if something was there just by looking at it. But he still searched for a while, unwilling to give up.
"Then there's nothing we can do." Ning Yi'en sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a book. "You can play it offline too, why don't you try it out yourself first?"
"Why aren't there two controllers at home?" Song Moxiao tilted his head and looked at him.
"Why are there two handles in the house?" Ning Yi'en craned her neck to look back.
"Oh, I forgot you're a person."
"Of course I am alone."
"It's not just this one person!" Song Moxiao chuckled helplessly. "But I really want to play the two-player version of this game. I'll have no one to play with when I get back, and I already bought it—I bought it from your game library..."
The last half of the sentence was tinged with resentment. He opened the computer without even looking closely before downloading it, only to find that it wasn't his own computer.
"How about I conjure one up for you?" Ning Yi'en shook her head and turned a page of her book.
"Wait, I think..." Half a minute later, Ning Yi'en picked up her phone, "Let me ask first."
"Mom," Lu Yunian jumped up from the sofa, "I'm going out for a bit."
"Um, um, um..." His mind went blank for a moment, and he spun around with his phone in his hand. "Oh right, I'm going to the school. I'll stay there tonight and won't be coming back."
“Okay, sure,” his mother agreed without hesitation. “You can go straight to school tomorrow if you don’t come back.”
Qi Chu—Lu Yunian's mother—was lounging lazily in a rocking chair, scrolling through her phone. She showed no reluctance to see her son home once a week, her words only expressing a longing for the quiet night. "No need to see me off."
"You don't like me that much, huh?" he said, putting on his coat. "Aren't you afraid I'll go out on a date with my girlfriend?"
"Stop talking nonsense. You, having a secret rendezvous?" Qi Chu looked her son up and down.
“We both agree that it’s already a good thing if you don’t end up alone.” His father’s voice came from the study.
"So what are you going there for?" The mother still politely expressed her concern for her son.
"A friend asked to borrow my game controller. He's the one I told you about before, the one who lives across the hall from me."
"I'll come back after I finish delivering the goods. It's not easy to stay home for a while, and it's still early."
"It's too cold outside."
"Then just refuse them and don't even need to leave the house."
"This is different."
Lu Yunian rarely put on a scarf. "Dad, you took your bike."
"be safe."
"Hey!" While waiting for the controller, Song Moxiao lay on the floor idly scrolling through his phone—thanks to his landlady, the heated floor was more comfortable than the sofa and bed.
"Do you want some late-night snacks, like the Jumping Frog stall on the next street?"
"It's only this late? Okay, but they don't offer delivery, only late-night snacks. Shall I go get some to go?"
"Hmm. Playing games, eating late-night snacks, and having a few drinks—it's perfect!"
He sat up and leaned towards Ning Yi'en. "To welcome your best and most handsome friend who has come from afar—that is, me—what kind of wine are you going to treat me to, Hennessy or Martell XO?"
"Shameless," Ning Yi'en pushed him, "How about some dark beer?"
“Then let’s stick with the most basic one, dark beer…” Song Moxiao frowned. “It’s too bitter, it’s awful.”
"OK."
About twenty minutes later, Lu Yunian rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and used the reflection of his phone screen to fix his hair, which had been flattened by his helmet. He then admired his scarf, which he was wearing this time, which was more perfect, and his face, which was not bad (Lu Yunian's narcissistic version), before finally knocking on Ning Yi'en's door.
"It's so cold outside, Yan..." Lu Yunian swallowed the rest of his sentence.
The person who opened the door wasn't his Yanyan brother, but a strange man.
Perhaps they weren't entirely unfamiliar with each other, as there were two encounters: one where I helped open the door the day before yesterday, where I saw Ning Yi'en up close and clearly, and another where I saw her at the school gate yesterday, where she was blurry from a distance.
"You're here! Come in quickly," Song Moxiao greeted him.
"Um..." Lu Yunian was confused. "Hey classmate, where's Ning Yi'en?"
"Oh, he's too lazy to move inside, all he does is order me around." Song Moxiao turned and walked inside.
"Okay, thank you."
"Sit down," Ning Yi'en said, having changed into a trench coat and handing a cup of hot water to Lu Yunian. "I'm going to buy some things now, let's have a late-night snack together later."
"Thank you." Lu Yunian was a little flustered. "How about I go with you?"
"No need, it's cold." He patted Lu Yunian's shoulder. "Why don't you two play some games first? I won't be gone for long..."
"Go on, go on, stop nagging, you're not a child anymore." Song Moxiao pushed him away. "Goodbye, Aunt Ning."
"I'll wear your scarf." Ning Yi'en's voice came from the entrance.
"Okay, sure!" Song Moxiao agreed instinctively, but...
Wait a minute, I don't have a scarf here either. My neck was freezing when I went out today, and Ning Yi'en even asked me why I wasn't wearing one. I remember he told me he would buy one tomorrow.
Well, the words have already been spoken, so let it be.
Then, as if remembering something, he cast a meaningful glance at the newcomer. Their eyes met, and Lu Yunian awkwardly looked away.
"that......"
The two sat at opposite ends of the sofa. Lu Yunian was pairing devices via Bluetooth, his expression and body language showing some awkwardness and unease.
After what seemed like an eternity of frozen silence, Song Moxiao finally spoke first.
"Want a cigarette?" He gestured to Lu Yunian with the cigarette pack.
"No need, I don't smoke." Lu Yunian looked up at him, but immediately moved her hand back to the controller. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Song Moxiao. Mo means 'dark and colorful,' and Xiao means 'carefree and unrestrained.'"
"Hello, Lu Yunian."
Neither of them offered to shake hands, and the atmosphere became tense and awkward, even though this was neither of their intentions.
"You don't need to look at me like that." After a long silence, Song Moxiao finally spoke.
Is there some misunderstanding?
Lu Yunian felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Bro, classmate, no, no, no! I'm straight! A staunchly straight man, heaven and earth can bear witness."
What is this kid thinking? Song Moxiao silently closed his eyes.
"I didn't say you weren't straight." Wait, what's going on here?!
But he didn't care; he was determined to say those two sentences.
"What I mean is, Ning Yi'en and I are just good friends and childhood friends, so naturally I'm not your rival in love, and there's no need to hate me."
If I liked him, we should have been together a long time ago.
Wait, wait, wait, wait!
Lu Yunian stood there, frozen.
"Brother, how about... you give me a cigarette?"
"Here." Song Moxiao tossed him the cigarette case. "I don't have a lighter, so I'll use the fire in the kitchen. Open the window."
"Thank you." He took a cigarette and put it in his mouth, walking straight towards the kitchen.
[Looks pretty good.]
Ning Yi'en received the message while leaving the restaurant with a takeout bag.
Song Moxiao sent it along with a video.
The first few seconds of the video are chaotic, with the phone shaking erratically, causing the image to appear distorted. At the same time, the background game music is turned down.
Immediately following was the sound of the kitchen stove being lit; the perspective was fixed, and the camera was focused on the kitchen.
The young man in the video is tall and slender, and the pure white turtleneck sweater he is wearing perfectly accentuates his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
In the video, his hand was casually tucked into his pocket, a few stray hairs framing his forehead. The kitchen lights were off, only the faint glow of the firelight making his face appear even more defined.
With deep-set eyes and a high nose bridge, he initially appears somewhat melancholic, but the cigarette in his mouth adds a touch of nonchalant and unrestrained charm.
Bending over
bowing
Flames ignited in his eyes, like a bottomless lake suddenly set ablaze.
A few seconds later the firelight disappeared, and stars lit up one by one on the lake's surface.
The boy held the cigarette between two fingers, turned around, and gave him a very standard and enthusiastic smile that revealed a canine tooth.
The video ended, and it seemed to get a few degrees colder outside. The howling wind kept trying to get into his body through his neck. Ning Yi'en buried half his face in his scarf, slipped his phone into his pocket, and ignored the message.
Minors are not allowed to smoke; don't set a bad example for children.
Ning Yi'en only typed and sent the message after the convenience store's heating restored color to her face.
“Received, received, moral exemplar…” Song Moxiao casually sent a voice message. The game sounds in the background were much louder, and you might not be able to hear the second half of his sentence unless you tried your best: “…idiot, I don’t know what you would do without me.”
However, Lu Yunian cannot be entirely considered to have smoked.
Immediately after lighting it, before it even had a chance to be inhaled, I was choked hard.
At the same time, he suddenly realized that he could have lit it in his hand, so why did he hold it in his mouth and risk burning his face by getting close to the flame?
Oh! Maybe it's because his dad always sneaks a cigarette when his lighter is confiscated. But...
He couldn't figure it out in the end. The smell of smoke entered his nose—this cigarette, judging from its packaging and aroma, was probably high-quality and certainly not cheap, but it wasn't exactly a friendly option for someone who didn't smoke.
Lu Yunian's thoughts returned to the problem caused by the cigarette itself.
like……
"Senior!" "Yanyan...Brother Yanyan!"
"Liking someone means unconsciously wanting to get closer to them..."
"Liking someone is just a very unique feeling..."
"My idol..."
When my heartbeat once again matched that rainy day when we first met, the chaotic thoughts floating in my mind suddenly found their answer, and many confusions that I hadn't had time to think about were all encompassed by a single word.
--like.
So it turns out, it was me who liked him.
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