covered in dust
The coolness in the air slowly penetrated into his body. Bai Shunan woke up. When he was about to get up, he turned his head and saw an extra chair next to him. He couldn't help but have this thought, as if he had missed something. This thought briefly extended into the future, connected to the past, and privately explored his heart.
Zhang Wei walked over with a blanket, "Are you awake?"
Bai Shunan raised his head and looked at Zhang Wei, his eyes blank but with a hint of clarity. He asked with a questioning look, "Have you always been with me?"
"What?" Zhang Wei sat down on the chair next to Bai Shunan and answered truthfully, "I just got here not long ago..."
At this moment, Bai Shunan's gaze fell on the front. Lu Jinfeng walked straight towards Jiang Yingshan. The two of them were talking about something, and there seemed to be a hint of anger in their argument. He looked at Lu Jinfeng's solemn profile, his thoughts diverging, and he was instinctively curious.
"Have you heard, Jixian is getting married."
"I know." Bai Shunan's attention was drawn back. "He agreed to help me take care of Xiaoju because his wife likes kittens."
Zhang Wei smiled and said, "I still remember that time more than ten years ago when you guys got into a fight and were taken to the police station."
Bai Shunan's face was calm, but he was confused by the passage of time. "Has it been that long?"
"Yeah." Zhang Wei had forgotten how much she didn't want to mention the past with Bai Shunan. She wanted to change the subject, but she didn't know what to say.
"I always feel like so many things happened just yesterday..." Bai Shunan breathed slowly, trying not to let the memory make his breath hitch for a moment. Even now, countless times while walking down the street, he would suddenly look back, as if the debt collectors were still chasing him. Even without the original meaning, panic was still panic, clearly etched in the timeline of his life.
Bai Shunan turned to look at Zhang Wei, realizing something, and pinched his wrist, "Are you going to the wedding?"
"I have something to do that day, and his wedding is being held overseas, so you should go."
Bai Shunan said "hmm" softly. He looked at Lu Jinfeng in front of him, shaking his head and nodding, with a faint smile on his lips. Suddenly, he looked over and took a look.
Bai Shunan lowered his eyes, "It's about to end."
"What?"
Bai Shunan whispered, "Today."
Summer finally arrived, and Bai Shunan had his last scene.
Yun Cen reached out and placed his hand on the door handle. At this moment, he felt a slight weight on his back.
Qi Ci leaned his head against his back, Yun Cen's body shrank slightly. Qi Ci took advantage of this moment to place the hand not holding the cigarette on Yun Cen's abdomen, placing it there gently without much force. Yun Cen no longer struggled slightly, and Qi Ci's chin slowly rested on Yun Cen's shoulder. He looked tired, tilting his head to the side, and raised his hand to flick the ash towards the trash can beside him. He casually lowered his hand, holding the cigarette outward. His other hand moved away from Yun Cen's abdomen and took Yun Cen's hand instead, "Okay, let's be together."
Yun Cen lowered his head and remained silent. He let go of Qi Ci's hand, then took Qi Ci's hand and walked to the road. Ignoring the eyes of the people around them, he held hands and walked through the crowd and walked on the road.
They walked towards the crowd and into the crowd.
…
A simple farewell meal was the beginning of Lu Jinfeng's rare appearance at the table. He sat to Shun'an's left, while Ah Hua sat to his right. He was full of energy and energy, turning around from time to time to pat Shun'an and praise him. Shun'an, who always liked to be blunt with others, felt overwhelmed by the words and subconsciously began to retreat. At first, he instinctively backed away, but after bumping into Lu Jinfeng, he sat up straighter.
Li Xuanyue handed one glass of wine to Shunan after another. Lu Jinfeng stood there quietly and glanced at her. About ten minutes later, when Li Xuanyue was about to hand over another glass, he pushed the wine in front of Bai Shunan directly in front of Ahua, then raised his eyes calmly and looked at Li Xuanyue briefly for a second. A sharp coldness wandered between their eyes, and the wine in Bai Shunan's glass stopped.
When the show was about to end, Lu Jinfeng turned his head and whispered in Bai Shunan's ear, "I'll take you home."
Bai Shunan nodded slightly.
Lu Jinfeng looked at him, smiled tenderly, and nodded with him. After a while, he helped Bai Shunan into the car.
"Shun'an, do you still remember the last time you got drunk and held me tightly?" Lu Jinfeng looked at the road ahead with a slightly strange feeling similar to fear. He mentioned this matter, as if he did not forget to reveal everything and deliberately surrender.
"I have some impression."
Lu Jinfeng did everything slowly tonight, his expression and even his tone revealing a tolerant patience. Thinking that Bai Shunan was drunk, he spoke more and more slowly, leaving Bai Shunan room for thought, "What is the last thing you remember?"
"I fell to the ground."
Lu Jinfeng waited for a while and realized that this was the end. He said frankly, "It's good to just remember this."
Lu Jinfeng glanced sideways at Bai Shunan, who was looking out the window. His cheeks were softly curved, a faint hint of drunkenness. Lu Jinfeng focused his gaze forward, his tone a bit softer this time. "Shunan, can you tell me exactly how you fell in love with me back then? Was there a specific moment..."
His tone softened again, "I really want to know."
Bai Shunan looked at the scenery passing by outside the window and raised his gaze. "When I was waiting for the red light, your poster was displayed on the big screen in the distance."
"We were classmates back then." Lu Jinfeng had a relieved and helpless smile on his face. "But you didn't like me because of me. I'm a little curious, do you just follow whoever you like?"
"No..." As soon as he said that, Bai Shunan's face turned even redder. "Generally speaking, no. I followed you because it was on the way to the shop where I work part-time, and I really wanted to follow you."
"Really?" As if to confirm something, Lu Jinfeng spoke again, "Did you really like me back then?"
"Um."
Lu Jinfeng lowered his head and chuckled.
"A few days ago, it was my mother's birthday. I went home and gave her two gifts. That night I didn't eat and went back to my room. I leaned on the quilt and felt warm. I thought of you." Lu Jinfeng waited for the red light and was silent for a while. "I think we should break up."
Bai Shunan murmured a soft "hmm." He continued to stare out the window. The lights reflected in his eyes changed, and the passing scenery disappeared forever. His drunkenness had not subsided, but his inner thoughts gradually became misty. He said quietly and slowly, "It feels like a dream from yesterday. When I woke up, I found that I was still in yesterday."
Lu Jinfeng let his heart churn and turmoil, he kept looking forward, "Do you hope this is a dream?"
Bai Shunan looked at Lu Jinfeng and couldn't help but hesitate to speak. The blush that had appeared on his face had faded away, and he lowered his head as if nothing had happened.
"Do you feel a lot more relaxed now?" Lu Jinfeng's confusion subsided for a moment. He opened the windows on both sides, letting in the wind and making the air less stuffy.
"Maybe a little, I can't tell."
Lu Jinfeng was a little surprised by Bai Shunan's half-hearted answer. He wanted to escape and start over tonight. It seemed that only the sound of the wind filled his ears, reminding him that everything was moving forward. At the same time, because of the length of the night, something was out of control. "I thought you saw me again. I thought you were panicked, and you were surprised or delighted, but I didn't expect you to look at me as if you didn't recognize me. I said my name, and you were so calm. When I touched you, you weren't surprised. I thought you forgot me, and I had accepted this. But then I found out that you didn't forget me. You remembered me, you recognized me. For a moment, I would rather you forgot me... Even the student ID that came to me was back in your hands, and you said nothing."
“…”
"Like you are now, I confessed to you, and you said nothing."
"What should I say, or what do you want to hear me say?" Bai Shunan looked at the sky in front of him. The moon was completely covered by clouds. "And then?"
…
After arriving at the destination, Bai Shunan unbuckled his seat belt. He looked at Lu Jinfeng and instantly knew what he was going to say. He whispered, "Goodbye."
Lu Jinfeng was stunned for a second, and he said anxiously: "Goodbye."
Bai Shunan smiled drowsily, a little drunkenly, and he responded again: "Goodbye."
The car door closed, and Lu Jinfeng's gaze passed through the car window and fell on Bai Shunan's back. He looked at the corner where the back disappeared for a long time. He looked, and the lights turned on and off, over and over again. He drove away, waiting for the red light in the distance. The seconds flashed, and he turned his head to look at the distant building and saw himself. Lu Jinfeng shifted his gaze and looked at the side of the road. People waiting for the red light were standing in disorder. At this moment, Lu Jinfeng seemed to see what the past was like. The urging voice from behind sounded, and he waved away the emerging scene. Lu Jinfeng continued to drive forward.
He shook his head, not knowing what expression to make for a moment. He frowned out of habit, feeling incredulous, with a hint of loneliness in his eyes. "This time, we're actually saying goodbye."
He suddenly felt a surge of resentment, tangling the scenery ahead while trying to calm his turbulent heart. It wasn't like untangling a tangled mess of yarn, but rather letting it tangle, leaving it there, never to be cared for again, perhaps to be discarded someday. Lu Jinfeng silently digested everything, still recalling those repeated "goodbyes." The boy who had cried under his covers years ago because of a sudden departure finally received a reassuring farewell tonight, as if their encounter years later was merely a farewell to make up for the sudden departure, severing the connection. From then on, when he opened the dusty box, what greeted him was no longer the hidden student ID card, nor that youthful face.
From then on, the past was covered with a layer of cloth, and the cloth was covered with a layer of dust.
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