Chapter 28 Taking You Home
It was an ordinary commuter car, with many cardboard boxes in the back seat that had not been unloaded yet. The boxes were filled with rough papers with calculations and some obscure books.
Gu Wei put them in their proper places and put the co-pilot's computer bag on the back seat. He explained, "I visited my teacher this afternoon and haven't had time to pack my things yet."
Cheng Che nodded but said nothing. He really had no topics to talk about with someone he had only met twice.
"Are you and Zimai classmates?"
"It's not a class, it's a major."
It was a completely question-answering situation. Gu Wei smiled and said, "We are about the same age, there is no need to be so formal."
Cheng Che was stunned for a moment and murmured "Oh" softly.
Outside the car window was a vast expanse of white. Dead branches covered with ice and snow flashed by like clouds and fog. The uneven eaves were covered with layers of white snow. The Spring Festival couplets, which were approaching the New Year, were particularly dazzling in the white sky and the ground, just like the red on someone's body.
Gu Wei snapped out of his distraction and casually chatted about Li Zimai, "Does he often do inexplicable things?"
Cheng Che thought back to all the strange things Li Zimai had done over the years—he'd suddenly wake up in the middle of the night to draw, claiming inspiration had struck him. He'd go out on rainy days to buy qing tuan, insisting on the one on Fanhua Road. He'd suddenly drag him to watch the stars and fireflies, insisting on taking photos from the highest vantage point on the mountain. He'd always read the entire brochure of every museum he visited...
"He disappeared when he was seven years old. His family thought he had been abducted by human traffickers, so they mobilized all their resources to find out more about him, even raiding a thieves' den. After searching for half a month, they finally found him under an overpass."
Gu Wei paused and said mysteriously, "Guess what he is doing?"
Cheng Che didn't say anything.
"He was playing checkers with a grandfather who was sleeping under the overpass."
"When my aunt came, he refused to leave and asked her to take my grandfather back with her. He asked her why they had no house to live in. He didn't want to learn cello anymore and wanted to build a house like his uncle."
The street lights outside the window passed by quickly. The capital city was particularly quiet under the cover of night. Occasionally, a car passed by, leaving behind a buzzing sound, which hit Cheng Che's heart and made him feel a little depressed. He didn't want to delve into the source of this depression.
Gu Wei continued, "When he was seventeen, he confessed to his family that he would not attend the music school that had been arranged for him. He wanted to take the college entrance examination and apply for the architecture department at Hua University."
"Although he is seventeen years old, he seems not to have forgotten the promise he made when he was seven."
"As a friend, I have always admired him. Besides his intelligence and talent, he is more perseverant and focused than the average person. Even if he starts from scratch, he can catch up quickly."
Cheng Che tilted his head, unable to see his expression clearly. Gu Wei asked with interest, "Aren't you going to ask me what he confessed to his family?"
"I don't want to know." Cheng Che suddenly said bluntly, "Li Zimai and I are not in the relationship you think."
Gu Wei caught a glimpse of his slightly furrowed brows and uneasy eyes, and whispered, "Don't feel any psychological burden. If you don't want to, just think of it as a spur-of-the-moment impulse. If you want to, you can also believe that he's serious."
A hint of hesitation flashed across Cheng Che's eyes. He tried to look calm, but his curled fingers betrayed his inner uneasiness.
Gu Wei politely changed the subject, "It's so late, isn't the school closed yet? In our school, we don't dare go out after 9pm."
He made a gun gesture and added, "The people over there are unreasonable."
Cheng Che explained, "It's closed on the 11th. I can climb over the wall and get in after that time."
Gu Wei smiled and said, "My motherland is still the best. I just want to graduate and return home as soon as possible."
"Are you graduating?"
“Soon, but I’ll probably continue my studies.”
During the half-hour journey, Cheng Che listened silently to Gu Wei talking about interesting things in school, and would reply from time to time. Gu Wei's liking for Cheng Che increased sharply. Before leaving, he gave Cheng Che an introductory book on astrophysics and said that if Cheng Che was interested, he could discuss it with him.
Li Zimai stayed at home for two whole days, and only dared to go out after he had soothed the eldest princess's mood. He rushed back to school as soon as possible, but the dormitory was empty. He sent a video call to Cheng Che, and unexpectedly, the other party answered the video call.
This is the first time in a long time.
Cheng Che was at the station. The signs inside the station could be clearly seen in the upper right corner of the video. The surrounding environment was very noisy. Cheng Che took out headphones from his bag and put them on before he could hear the other person's voice clearly.
Li Zimai accused: "You just went home? Without even saying hello? That's too heartless."
Cheng Che said "hmm" calmly. He hadn't been home for a long time, not even once since he went to college. But he couldn't be angry with his grandmother anymore. The old lady had a chronic disease of bronchitis. She would cough and gasp for breath in the winter, and her health was getting worse every year.
He looked listless, not at all as excited as a college student heading home. Li Zimai asked, "When are you coming back? Is the bus due soon?"
Cheng Che put down his phone, seemingly not wanting to look at Li Zimai's face. "I'll be back after the New Year. It'll be a while. Do you have anything to do?"
"Are you going back alone?"
"Um."
"Brother Rui is not with you?"
"He has to work overtime and will be back a few days later."
"Oh, what time is the bus?"
"Three o'clock."
After Cheng Che finished talking about the time, the person on the other end had already hung up the video in a hurry. He sat alone in the noisy train station, not looking at his phone, not sleeping, but sitting upright, watching the worldly people coming and going.
Until someone blocked his view, Cheng Che looked down and saw the familiar pair of sneakers. He was still thinking that this person, like Li Zimai, liked to wear this style of shoes and his feet were the same size as his.
"What are you thinking about?"
Cheng Che's absent-mindedness was finally interrupted. He slowly looked up and saw a tall boy wearing a black baseball cap. He was breathing slightly, with a few beads of sweat hanging on his forehead. On his high nose bridge sat the square-framed glasses that he only wore when drawing.
Cheng Che lowered his head subconsciously, as if he didn't dare to look at him again.
Li Zimai suddenly put his hat on Cheng Che's head and squatted down to look at him. "What's wrong? You look so touched."
Cheng Che's gaze just happened to fall on his beautiful and slender fingers, on the kneecap under his fingers, and on his calf which seemed to be kneeling on one knee. He dodged and was erratic. He was increasingly unsure how to face Li Zimai.
"I'll go get you some snacks and water. You can eat them on the high-speed train."
Li Zimai stood up and warned sternly, "Don't run away secretly, or I'll be angry."
Cheng Che suddenly grabbed his hand, and then tried to let it go as if it were a hot potato, but Li Zimai refused. Instead, he pinched half of his hand, squatted down again, and coaxed him, "What's wrong? Don't you want me to leave? Then let's go buy it together?"
Cheng Che rarely shook him off, but just said sullenly, "No, I don't want to eat."
His mood was extremely low, without any ups and downs, and his whole body was limp, as if he had no strength at all. Li Zimai rarely saw him so negative, and subconsciously raised his hand to touch his forehead, "Are you sick?"
Cheng Che dodged it with his face turned sideways, and slowly and unnoticeably pulled his fingers out from under his palm.
Li Zimai hesitated for a few seconds, then retracted his hand and asked tentatively, "Do you want me to drive you home?"
Cheng Che shook his head, his lips moving slightly. After a long moment, he uttered a weak, breathless sound, "...I don't want to go back."
Li Zimai said seriously: "Then don't go back. I will take you back to my home to celebrate the New Year."
Cheng Che's lips curled up with a hint of helplessness, "Are you always so capricious, bringing anyone home casually?"
Li Zimai said: "I will only take you home."
Cheng Che was burned by the burning emotions in his eyes. His heart felt numb, as if there was a bright spark beating there. He could obviously pinch it out while the spark was still weak, but Cheng Che didn't want to and didn't want to. He would rather feel that strange, stinging light than let his heart return to the lifeless darkness.
Li Zimai added, "Or if you don't want to go to my house, I can take you to your favorite place to celebrate the New Year, just the two of us."
Cheng Che avoided his gaze and sighed inaudibly, "What kind of New Year's celebration is that? New Year's celebration should be spent with family."
"I can be your family."
This was a sweet love statement even more touching than "like." A hint of hidden expectation flashed in Cheng Che's eyes, but it quickly faded. He seemed unable to cope with such directness and could only drive the other party away, "You go back, I'm going in."
"Wait a minute, it'll be quick."
Li Zimai ran to the nearest supermarket and bought some bread, beef jerky, mineral water, and cola. He handed a large bag of snacks to Cheng Che and said, "I don't know how many hours you'll be sitting here. This should be enough."
Cheng Che lowered his head and hesitated to answer. His fingers gripping the luggage handle tightened unconsciously, and he rejected him again with silence.
Li Zimai stuffed the snacks into his hands, gently held his shoulders, and took a step forward. "Come in quickly, and let me know when you get there."
As the Spring Festival travel rush approached, every ticket gate was packed with people. Cheng Che mixed into the line and was quickly lost. Li Zimai had to concentrate very hard to notice the ends of his hair and the black hat pressing on it.
Cheng Che looked at Li Zimai across the crowd. Li Zimai subconsciously smiled at him and waved. Such a tall figure immediately attracted a lot of attention. Cheng Che heard someone say, "Is that person a celebrity?"
"He's so handsome."
He is so handsome and so great. Cheng Che has heard of Li Zimai from many people, familiar and unfamiliar people. It seems that everyone knows that Li Zimai is so good. He is the person that Cheng Che can never reach no matter how hard he tries.
【Ｌｉ】：Let me know when you get home.
Li Zimai waited until he entered the gate and sent him a message before leaving the station. His car was parked haphazardly in the temporary passenger drop-off area and had been towed away.
[Cheche transfers money to you: 200 yuan]
[Cheche]: Thank you for the snacks.
Li Zimai clicked to pay. He knew that if he didn't click to pay, there would definitely be no next time. Having been with Cheng Che for so long, he knew Cheng Che's principles better than anyone else.
[Li]: You said you would treat me to a meal when you return to school.
[Cheche]: I never said that.
[Li]: Brother Zhang said he would treat me to a meal. You yourself said that you would treat me, and you also said that I would not go to the bar. When did I say that I would not go?
[Cheche]: If you want to go, go ahead. It’s none of my business.
【Ｌｉ】：Are you sure this is none of your business? Do you want others to take care of me? Are you sure?
[Cheche]: It’s up to you.
Cheng Che turned off his phone on the high-speed train and didn't want to reply. He hated how Li Zimai always gave him privileges, always hinted that he could cross the line, and used this seemingly inoffensive but actually tough and unyielding method to exploit his weaknesses.
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