"Let me tell you, I once saw a very, very big pine tree when I was climbing a mountain."
"At the time, I couldn't help but think of a line of poetry, and now I feel that it fits you perfectly!"
It's remarkable that Shang Yan, whose mind is full of math and physics knowledge, could still remember that somewhat ancient poem.
"The snow presses down on the green pine, yet the green pine stands tall and straight," Shang Yan said earnestly. "That's what I felt the first time I saw you."
He had little experience in comforting people, so he could only ramble on, "And it's not ugly at all, I think... it's very charming!"
"But I'm covered in them, won't you mind if you see them...?" Zhou Ping, who had been silent, slowly raised his head and asked.
"Why would you mind?" Shang Yan asked, somewhat puzzled. "My mom says men with scars are the most handsome. You have so many scars, so you're very handsome!"
"But speaking of this matter, I'll tell you about my parents' past when it's light out." Of course, it's about his parents in another world.
"There are still several hours until dawn, we should..."
Before Shang Yan could finish speaking, Zhou Ping turned around and gently hugged him. "Is it okay?"
"What do you mean, 'can't'?" Shang Yan was a little confused. When he noticed that the person holding him was trembling, he reached out and patted his back to comfort him.
"Ah...it should be okay, right?" Shang Yan muttered to himself, wondering if things would turn out that way.
Just as 019 was about to emit another sharp explosion, Zhou Ping simply hugged Shang Yan even tighter.
"Thank you," he said, his voice slightly hoarse, his eyes a little red.
Why are you suddenly thanking me? Shang Yan blinked in confusion. "You're welcome."
The two fell asleep again, but this time Zhou Ping held them even tighter.
[After all that, this is what you guys came up with?] 019 thought he was going to see something different, but after talking in the early hours of the morning, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.
019, [...]
"Otherwise, what else can we do?" After all, it was only a little past three o'clock, and Shang Yan was still very sleepy.
He replied to 019 with one sentence, and then fell asleep shortly afterward.
Zhou Ping just held him silently, clearly not asleep, burying his head in Shang Yan's neck and rubbing against him.
His lips curled slightly upward, and his dark eyes stared at Shang Yan for a very long time.
Shang Yan didn't care about these things... He even praised himself.
Zhou Ping, whose ears were bright red, didn't know why he felt relieved; he just wanted to hug Shang Yan.
Feeling itchy from being rubbed against his neck, Shang Yan reached out and pushed Zhou Ping's face. Zhou Ping's somewhat dazed eyes opened slightly.
"Zhou Ping, stop messing around, I want to sleep," he said, his voice slightly nasal and a little annoyed.
"Okay." Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping obediently stopped and held Shang Yan without moving.
After a while, when Zhou Ping was also getting sleepy, Shang Yan reached his hand under his clothes and touched his waist.
Zhou Ping stiffened, but still held Shang Yan without moving.
"Does it hurt?" Shang Yan asked softly as his hand touched the raised scar on Zhou Ping's back. His voice was so soft that Zhou Ping thought he was hallucinating.
"...It doesn't hurt," he replied slowly, hugging Shang Yan tightly and burying his face in his neck.
"..." Shang Yan didn't say anything more; he had truly fallen asleep.
Zhou Ping snuggled up to him, and slowly fell asleep in his arms.
The two slept until late morning. At 11 a.m., Shang Yan got out of bed, clutching his rumbling stomach.
Zhou Ping, who was standing nearby, was even faster. He quickly put on his shoes and headed to the washbasin.
The two of them had a simple breakfast: two bowls of porridge, a few side dishes, and meat buns. Only after finishing the meal did Shang Yan feel alive again.
"Shang Yan, shall we go to the zoo?" Zhou Ping asked, walking towards Shang Yan after paying the bill.
He had already booked the tickets and was just waiting for Shang Yan.
It's not far from here to the zoo; just take bus number 210 for a few stops and you'll be there. They have plenty of time and can spend an afternoon there.
Shang Yan responded and followed Zhou Ping, "So, what should we look at first?"
“Hmm… this route leads to monkeys, while this one leads to giraffes.” Zhou Ping handed his phone to Shang Yan, pointed out the route on the map, and then asked, “What do you want to see first?”
"Monkeys, huh?" Shang Yan stroked his chin. "Should we buy a bunch of bananas to feed them?"
Zhou Ping:......
Do I need to bring a gift when I visit the zoo?
Without hesitation, he nodded and walked with Shang Yan to the fruit stand.
Just after Zhou Ping made his selection, Shang Yan skillfully took the bananas from his hand and asked, "Auntie, how much are these?"
He handed it over, and the fruit vendor took the bananas and weighed them. "Ten yuan and sixty cents, you can just give me ten yuan and fifty cents!"
Zhou Ping nodded and scanned the code to pay.
"Can the two of you finish all this?" The auntie looked at Shang Yan and Zhou Ping, and knew that the two of them definitely couldn't finish all the bananas they bought.
"Ah...we're going to the zoo to see the monkeys, so we're bringing them some," Shang Yan said, then casually broke off a piece of the monkey, peeled it, and took a bite.
The aunt laughed, "Young people these days are really something..."
They even bring fruit for the monkeys at the zoo!
Shang Yan waved to his aunt and then pulled Zhou Ping away.
Zhou Ping was still carrying a bag of bananas. Seeing Shang Yan quickly finish one and reach for another, he couldn't help but remind him, "Eat less, you can't eat too many of these."
If you eat too much, your stomach might feel uncomfortable tomorrow.
"Oh." Shang Yan skillfully peeled the skin and held it to Zhou Ping's lips. "Would you like to try it? I think you picked a great one. It's delicious."
“…Hmm.” Zhou Ping silently took a bite; it was indeed very fresh.
After seeing him take a bite, Shang Yan took the banana and took a big bite, his left cheek bulging out. "This banana is so good, I'll eat some first and then give it to the monkey..."
Listening to his slurred speech, Zhou Ping smiled helplessly. Now it was hard to tell who sounded more like the little monkey.
After the two got on the bus, there were no empty seats. Shang Yan stood next to Zhou Ping, holding onto the pole.
The driver was going exceptionally fast, and the car was swaying violently.
When the train suddenly stopped, Shang Yan lost his balance and fell forward, bumping right into Zhou Ping.
"Uh..." Shang Yan looked up somewhat embarrassedly, "I lost my balance..."
It's strange, how did Zhou Ping manage to stand so steadily?
"It's okay, lean on me." Zhou Ping glanced around, just making sure he didn't fall on anyone else.
After a swaying ten-minute car ride, the two of them finally arrived.
When he got off the train, Shang Yan took a deep breath of fresh air.
After showing their tickets, the two followed the route Zhou Ping had indicated.
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