The old district of Songxiu City wasn’t large; after returning the bicycle, the two followed the navigation and walked back home.
Just as Wen Qingci inserted the key into the lock, the neighbor’s door behind him opened with a “creak.”
The elderly neighbor was stunned for a moment, looking at Xie Bufeng and then at Wen Qingci: “I was wondering why no one answered when I knocked earlier. So Xiao Wen went out with a friend today?”
“…Yes,” Wen Qingci nodded somewhat unnaturally and asked, “What is it, Grandma Fang?”
“Child, have you forgotten what Grandma told you last time?”
Before Wen Qingci could remember, she very thoughtfully reminded him: “Come to Grandma’s house for dinner!”
After speaking, Grandma Fang looked at the boy behind Wen Qingci: “Your friend can come along too. Xiao Wen, remember not to cook dinner tonight, come to Grandma’s house on time.”
After speaking, without waiting for Wen Qingci to refuse, she smiled and went inside, closing the door.
The neighbor’s children weren’t around, and though Wen Qingci felt that going to her house for dinner might be an imposition, he also knew that companionship was what elderly people of this age needed most.
After some hesitation, at dinner time, he brought fruit and Xie Bufeng, arriving punctually at the neighbor’s home.
“Oh my, why is Xiao Wen being so polite with Grandma? Coming over is enough, why bring fruit? You’re still a student, where would you get money?”
“It’s fine, Grandma, I also do some tutoring. Don’t worry, the fruit wasn’t expensive.” Hearing Wen Qingci say this, she finally, at the boy’s urging, put the fruit in the refrigerator.
Though Wen Qingci had specifically reminded her not to make too much food when he came, she still prepared a table full of dishes.
After the meal began, Grandma Fang kept asking Wen Qingci about school.
After a while, she suddenly seemed to remember something and said: “By the way, Xiao Wen, did you enjoy going out the day before yesterday? Is this your first time staying at a friend’s house?”
“Hmm?” Wen Qingci, who was drinking a beverage, was stunned for a moment before realizing that Grandma Fang was referring to the story he had made up to cover his hospital stay when he met her upon returning home.
Wen Qingci wasn’t good at lying.
Thinking of this, his cheeks suddenly turned slightly red with guilt.
Seeing his expression, Grandma Fang, who was already curious, leaned in as if discovering a secret.
She smiled, winked at Wen Qingci, and asked: “Why is Xiao Wen blushing? Come, tell Grandma secretly, is that ‘friend’ you mentioned actually your girlfriend?”
Wen Qingci: !!!
There was no way to explain.
The cool glass cup pressed against his lips, and after a long while, Wen Qingci neither took a sip nor put down the cup.
Sitting beside him, Xie Bufeng, who had been silent with little presence, also fixed his gaze on Wen Qingci.
At the same time, he tightened his grip on his drink glass.
The ice cubes floating in the drink transmitted coldness to the glass wall, and within seconds, a chill spread through Xie Bufeng’s palm.
He stared deeply at Wen Qingci.
He seemed even more concerned about the answer to this question than Grandma Fang.
Tell one lie, and you need countless more lies to cover it.
Wen Qingci instinctively wanted to explain that he didn’t have any so-called “girlfriend,” but before speaking, he worried that Grandma Fang would ask follow-up questions, revealing the fact that he had been in the hospital recently rather than traveling.
For a moment, he found himself in a dilemma.
“No,” Wen Qingci finally shook his head and said, “You misunderstood, that’s just an ordinary friend I met after starting college.”
Seeing Wen Qingci’s strange expression, Grandma Fang quickly waved her hand and said: “Hahaha, alright, alright, Grandma won’t ask anymore, just enjoy your meal.”
Seeing this, Wen Qingci finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took a sip of the ice-cold drink and gradually calmed down.
Thinking he had gotten past this hurdle, he forgot one thing—in most people’s eyes, the phrase “ordinary friend” was particularly intriguing.
Sitting to the side, Xie Bufeng slowly lowered his head, staring at the white bone plate for a long time without saying a word.
The summer in Songxiu City was very stuffy.
But today, the wind from the bicycle ride seemed to continuously blow by Xie Bufeng’s ears, bringing a touch of coolness.
Until this moment, that breeze finally stopped.
The overwhelming heat, like a huge quilt, covered Xie Bufeng.
Stifling, making it hard for him to breathe in an instant.
The boy’s heart also began to feel waves of sourness.
…This feeling was utterly unfamiliar to Xie Bufeng.
Both of them ate this dinner without really tasting the food.
Worried that his lie would be exposed, Wen Qingci ate with extreme tension, even forgetting to notice the unusual behavior of the boy beside him.
Only after finishing dinner, helping the elderly neighbor wash the dishes, and returning home did Wen Qingci realize: Xie Bufeng seemed excessively silent…
Though the boy normally didn’t talk much, he wouldn’t be as quiet as he was now.
Could it be that Xie Bufeng was still thinking about the morning’s events?
After turning on the living room lights, Wen Qingci turned to ask the boy: “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about? Tomorrow we can…”
He was about to say that tomorrow they could take a detour to another phone store to check, but before he could finish, Xie Bufeng interrupted him.
Light amber eyes looked at Wen Qingci.
…Making him feel somewhat guilty under that gaze.
Xie Bufeng walked step by step toward Wen Qingci, while the person opposite instinctively backed away.
After a few steps, Wen Qingci’s back heavily hit the dining room wall.
“Hiss…” A bit of pain awakened his reason.
“What’s wrong?”
The boy stared at him intently, just like before, and after a few seconds finally slowly shook his head, then lowered his eyes: “Aren’t you… going to accompany your girlfriend?”
The slightly hoarse voice reached Wen Qingci’s ears.
His voice wasn’t loud, and no special emotion could be detected, as if he was just asking casually.
“So that’s what this is about…” Hearing Xie Bufeng’s question, Wen Qingci breathed a long sigh of relief.
Seeing this, the boy looked up at him again.
Not being at Grandma Fang’s house, Wen Qingci was obviously much more relaxed: “When I returned home from the hospital, I met Grandma in the hallway. I didn’t want her to worry, so I said I had been staying at a friend’s place for a few days. All of that just now was her misunderstanding.”
Wen Qingci’s tone was very casual.
Like a breeze, it slowly lifted the heavy quilt that had been covering Xie Bufeng, making it hard for him to breathe.
An indescribable feeling of lightness and relief made the corners of his mouth curve upward.
The boy nodded, turning away somewhat awkwardly: “I understand.”
As Wen Qingci walked toward the living room, he couldn’t help but ask: “So what was wrong just now? Why were you suddenly so serious?”
Was his expression serious?
“Nothing,” Xie Bufeng averted his gaze, paused for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, “So what illness did you have?”
“Nothing serious,” Wen Qingci’s attention was successfully diverted, “Um… a few days ago someone was drowning, and I performed CPR under the sun. I might have overexerted myself, suddenly fainted, and was taken to the hospital.” He downplayed it while explaining to the boy.
“CPR?” An expression of disbelief flashed across Xie Bufeng’s eyes.
The boy realized that he seemed to know very little about Wen Qingci.
Growing up, Xie Bufeng had developed a cold personality.
He didn’t pay attention to others and had no curiosity about “strange” people.
But this time, he desperately wanted to know more about Wen Qingci.
…
The rooftop of the old residential building was accessible, and residents living on the upper floors often dried their clothes there.
The temperature had dropped a bit at night.
Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng, carrying snacks and cold cola, climbed to the top floor together.
The buildings in this area weren’t very tall.
And Wen Qingci’s residential complex happened to be located at the top of a small hill.
The night breeze blew from the city side, taking away the day’s heat.
The boy’s slightly long curly hair was brushed against his cheeks by this breeze.
They stood at the edge of the rooftop, squinting as they looked into the distance, chatting casually.
Wen Qingci’s voice was clear and gentle, just like tonight’s breeze.
His story wasn’t complicated; it didn’t take long for Xie Bufeng to piece together his life from the past twenty years through his words.
“So you’re studying in the capital now.”
“Yes,” Wen Qingci nodded and smiled, turning to ask Xie Bufeng, “What about you? Where do you plan to go?”
Xie Bufeng had been studying at an international school for several years.
Until recently, when he completely fell out with his father.
His father, who had many illegitimate children, didn’t care at all whether Xie Bufeng, his only legal son, succeeded or not, and directly transferred him out of the former “elite school” as a “lesson” for his son.
…Before Wen Qingci asked this question, Xie Bufeng had never seriously thought about this matter.
The night breeze blew from Wen Qingci’s direction, bringing a faint fragrance.
Xie Bufeng didn’t turn around, but he could feel that the person beside him was looking at him with a serious expression.
The boy’s heart began to beat “thump-thump” rapidly.
After a few seconds of silence, he said softly: “Probably… also a university in the capital.”
Closer, get closer to him.
—The voice in Xie Bufeng’s heart urged him repeatedly.
“That would be great.” Wen Qingci, not knowing what the boy’s words represented, smiled with narrowed eyes.
He turned his gaze back, looking into the distance: “When the time comes, you can come find me, and I’ll help you get familiar with the surroundings.”
“It’s a promise.” The boy’s tone was particularly serious, as if Wen Qingci had just made some extraordinary pledge.
The person standing beside him also nodded seriously: “It’s a promise.”
The environment in the Xie family was very oppressive; except for those few years with his grandmother during childhood, Xie Bufeng had only nannies for company.
Sometimes, he wouldn’t speak more than one or two sentences in an entire day.
His temperament, in the eyes of ordinary people, was somewhat strange.
The people in the Xie family and those so-called “classmates” at school also kept their distance from him because of his father.
…Wen Qingci was the first different person he had met.
“About today, I’m sorry,” the boy suddenly spoke.
“Sorry?” Wen Qingci was stunned for a moment, asking with some confusion, “Why are you apologizing to me?”
“I dragged you into trouble this morning.”
“Oh, that,” Wen Qingci took a sip of cola, showing not the slightest displeasure, and even turned to look at Xie Bufeng with a smile, “Don’t say that, today’s events were quite interesting.”
After speaking, the events of the morning reappeared in Wen Qingci’s mind.
As his words fell, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Xie Bufeng’s expression also became gentle.
That night, the wind of Songxiu blew through this city, and also through Xie Bufeng’s heart.
Leaving endless ripples that couldn’t be dispersed.
As night fell, cicadas chirped outside the window.
Xie Bufeng changed into the well-fitting home clothes that Wen Qingci had newly bought.
But he didn’t toss aside the other’s clothes.
At two in the morning, the night was thick.
Lying in bed, the boy didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy.
He picked up the T-shirt from beside him, gently placed it at the tip of his nose, trying to find Wen Qingci’s scent.
…
That summer, Xie Bufeng stayed at Wen Qingci’s home for half a month.
In the end, he was picked up by people sent by his mother.
On the day he left, he solemnly noted down Wen Qingci’s phone number.
The worlds in which the two lived originally had nothing in common.
When the boy left, Wen Qingci thought that his strange encounter with Xie Bufeng was just a fairy tale-like accident.
But he didn’t expect that on that very afternoon, he would receive a friend request on his SNS account.
Not only did Xie Bufeng immediately add Wen Qingci as a friend, he contacted him daily.
Even after school started, the boy would often appear at the gate of Wen Qingci’s school on weekends.
It was then that Wen Qingci learned that Xie Bufeng was actually studying in the capital.
Another midsummer, in the capital.
Wen Qingci had just walked out of the teaching building alongside his roommate when he heard exclamations from not far ahead.
He instinctively looked up in that direction.
—On the motor vehicle lane, a completely black heavy motorcycle was parked.
“…Wow, so handsome.”
“Is he from our school?”
“…Probably not, I haven’t heard of such a handsome underclassman at our school before.”
“Why does he look somewhat familiar… I think I saw him at the school gate a few days ago.”
“Could he be someone’s boyfriend from our school?”
“That makes sense.”
It was just after the last afternoon class, and everyone who saw the motorcycle couldn’t help but stop in their tracks.
Whispers reached Wen Qingci’s ears.
Just as he looked over, the boy on the motorcycle removed his helmet.
His slightly long black hair cascaded down in an instant.
Light amber eyes, together with honey-colored arms with clearly defined muscles under the black short-sleeve shirt, brought an undeniable wildness.
He was like a black panther lurking in the steel jungle of the city.
It was Xie Bufeng.
Wen Qingci instinctively stood still.
At this moment, his roommate also noticed the arrival.
The person beside him gently bumped his arm, half-jokingly saying: “Qingci, isn’t that your little brother over there?”
Wen Qingci: “…”
When he first met the boy, Wen Qingci hadn’t expected that the rebellious-looking Xie Bufeng would also be an academic star.
Not only had he successfully entered a university in the capital as he had said that day, but he was even attending the top-ranked national university across the street.
The two schools were separated by just one road.
Whenever Xie Bufeng had free time, he would come here to find him.
Wen Qingci had told his roommate that Xie Bufeng was a neighbor’s younger brother with whom he had a good relationship.
Last month when he came, the roommate had half-jokingly asked if Xie Bufeng was trying to pursue Wen Qingci, and the boy hadn’t immediately denied it…
At that time, sensing the awkward atmosphere, the roommate immediately changed the subject.
And Wen Qingci also pretended he hadn’t heard anything.
…But that was just on the surface.
“I think so.” After saying this, Wen Qingci lowered his head and took out his phone.
Always low-key, he was about to text Xie Bufeng, asking the boy to wait for him up ahead.
But just as Wen Qingci took out his phone, before he could unlock the screen, he heard Xie Bufeng’s voice from the road.
“Qingci, over here—”
The next second, the gazes of everyone around fell on Wen Qingci in unison.
Their expressions were more excited than the next, as if they had discovered some gossip.
Seeing that Xie Bufeng had already called out his name in front of everyone, Wen Qingci had no choice but to walk quickly to Xie Bufeng’s side, bearing the gazes of countless people.
Xie Bufeng handed another helmet to Wen Qingci, “We’re going to my place today.”
“Huh?” Wen Qingci was somewhat surprised, “Aren’t you with your family…”
As he spoke, Xie Bufeng had already put his helmet back on.
He nodded, his somewhat deep voice coming from inside the helmet: “I live there alone.”
The people around hadn’t dispersed yet, and Wen Qingci, still the center of attention, bit his lip and put on the helmet.
“Hold on tight to me.”
The next second, Xie Bufeng activated the motorcycle and headed toward the road outside the school.
Wen Qingci paused, then slowly embraced Xie Bufeng from behind.
Completely different from their first encounter when they were “escaping” on a bicycle.
At this moment, though no one was chasing them, Wen Qingci’s heart began to beat heavily the moment he embraced Xie Bufeng.
The slightly elevated seat forced Wen Qingci to press his chest tightly against Xie Bufeng’s back.
At some point, the boy had grown half a head taller than him…
Though Wen Qingci had long accepted the fact that “Xie Bufeng came from a well-off background,” when he actually arrived at the boy’s place, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
—Xie Bufeng actually lived alone in a detached house in the central district of the capital, with a sizeable outdoor swimming pool behind the building.
Xie Bufeng had always lived alone and disliked being disturbed.
This villa didn’t have permanent help, but every three days, someone would come for regular cleaning.
Before they arrived home, Xie Bufeng had already invited a chef from a nearby hotel to prepare dinner in the villa’s back garden.
The sky gradually darkened.
Xie Bufeng took out two cans of beer from a nearby refrigerator.
Wen Qingci casually took one, looking somewhat hesitantly at the boy opposite: “Are you allowed to drink?”
The moment these words fell, there was a soft “pop” sound.
Xie Bufeng opened the can, took a big sip of beer, then suddenly turned to look at Wen Qingci.
“Qingci, I’m already an adult, not some neighbor’s little brother.”
Wen Qingci: “…”
“I know.” Wen Qingci hadn’t expected that Xie Bufeng actually knew he had introduced him this way to his roommate.
The atmosphere at this moment became somewhat strange.
Wen Qingci instinctively wanted to move away from Xie Bufeng, but the boy turned sideways at this moment, placed his palm on his cheek, and gently caressed it.
Xie Bufeng’s fingers still carried the coolness of the beer.
The sensation on his face constantly reminded Wen Qingci: the current atmosphere was somewhat ambiguous.
“Go ahead and drink.” Wen Qingci unnaturally averted his gaze.
But Xie Bufeng’s fingers remained on his cheek.
“You know I’m not talking about drinking.”
Wen Qingci’s alcohol tolerance was average; he had drunk some fruit wine during dinner, and now the alcohol seemed to have taken effect, making his brain feel dizzy.
He finally looked up at Xie Bufeng, completely unguarded.
The boy’s figure was clearly reflected in his jet-black pupils.
…At this moment, Wen Qingci’s eyes held only him.
This realization was like a match thrown onto a dry grassland in Xie Bufeng’s heart.
In an instant, the fire spread wildly.
Xie Bufeng originally didn’t dare disturb Wen Qingci, but those clear eyes compelled him to do what he had thought about countless times but never dared to do on this night.
…Tonight’s breeze was too gentle.
Just like when he rode the bicycle through Songxiu.
A voice in his heart told Xie Bufeng: if he didn’t express his feelings today, he would surely regret it immensely in the future.
Xie Bufeng’s finger gently rubbed across Wen Qingci’s lips.
The warm and soft sensation disrupted his breathing.
Xie Bufeng didn’t speak, but leaned in and firmly kissed Wen Qingci’s lips.
“Ah…”
The person sitting beside him instinctively avoided it.
Under the urging of alcohol, waves of dizziness came over him.
At this moment, Wen Qingci actually lost his balance.
He instinctively backed away, unexpectedly stepping on the edge of the swimming pool.
Then, he fell heavily downward.
Wen Qingci tightly closed his eyes.
But instead of falling heavily into the water as expected, he was embraced by the person beside him.
Then together, they fell into the water that had been warmed slightly by the sun throughout the day.
Wen Qingci wasn’t a strong swimmer.
He instinctively gripped the wrist of the person beside him tightly.
Even so, this sense of near-death instantly awakened Wen Qingci’s brain, which had become somewhat sluggish from alcohol consumption.
Everything that had happened in the past became clear in this moment.
…And even more than that.
Along with this, large segments of strange yet familiar memories also rushed into Wen Qingci’s mind like a flood at this instant.
These memories seemed to come from that strange dream he had while hospitalized.
…Accompanied by a stinging pain in his forehead, he saw himself dressed in moon-white robes, quietly embracing Xie Bufeng under a tall magnolia tree.
He also saw the heavy snow in Taishu Palace, and the Yin River Grand Canal outside Songxiu Prefecture, shining like a silver ribbon.
Even the huge dragon boat on the river, adorned with red silk.
And in the Imperial Medical Bureau, that small bedroom that could only accommodate two people.
The story that happened in another distant world was all awakened at this moment.
Wen Qingci’s fingers slowly tightened around Xie Bufeng’s hand.
The boy swam with him toward the surface, and finally they both emerged.
Air instantly rushed into his lungs.
By the moonlight, Wen Qingci saw: Xie Bufeng was gazing deeply at him.
The boy’s gaze was more complex than at any other moment.
Love, sadness, fear, and many emotions he couldn’t distinguish.
Even Xie Bufeng’s breathing had completely fallen into disarray at this second.
He remembered too—Wen Qingci’s instinct told him.
Xie Bufeng raised his hand again, placing it on Wen Qingci’s cheek.
The boy’s fingers were trembling.
“Wen Qingci…”
Moonlight reflected on the pool water, illuminating Xie Bufeng’s light amber eyes.
Wen Qingci saw very clearly: tears had formed in the boy’s eyes.
This time, he didn’t avoid it like before.
Instead, he slowly raised his hand and placed it on the back of Xie Bufeng’s hand.
“I’m here, I’m here…” Wen Qingci murmured.
His voice carried a heavy nasal tone.
The suddenly appearing memories were still somewhat chaotic.
But the undeniable palpitations in his heart constantly reminded Wen Qingci that it was all real.
A tear fell from the corner of Xie Bufeng’s eye.
The boy suddenly leaned in and firmly kissed Wen Qingci’s forehead.
As if searching for that familiar cinnabar mark there.
At the same time, those chaotic memories in Wen Qingci’s mind suddenly became docile.
The person in those memories was himself.
That imperial physician from Songxiu named Wen Qingci was indeed himself.
He had truly experienced all those incredible things in another space-time.
“…I’ve finally found you.” Xie Bufeng pecked Wen Qingci’s cheeks, then pressed his lips to his ear.
“I thought I would never see you again,” he murmured over and over.
“Everyone in the Valley of Divine Physicians searched with me for three whole days, but we couldn’t find any trace of you.”
In Wen Qingci’s last memory, he had returned to the Valley of Divine Physicians with Xie Bufeng.
And one night while soaking in a hot spring, he had succumbed to drowsiness and fallen into a deep sleep…
Could it be that from that moment on, Xie Bufeng couldn’t find him?
In an instant, Wen Qingci didn’t dare to think carefully about what had happened that day.
Even less did he dare to consider what Xie Bufeng must have felt after discovering his disappearance.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“Don’t say ‘sorry.'” Xie Bufeng bit Wen Qingci’s chin firmly.
The pain traveled along his nerves to his brain.
But this time, not only did Wen Qingci not push him away, he even gently stroked the boy’s slightly curly black hair.
“I swear, I won’t lose you again, I failed to…” Xie Bufeng’s gaze became hollow for a moment, and he murmured, “I should have kept you in my sight, locked by my side. Even heaven… shouldn’t be able to steal you away.”
Xie Bufeng’s tone was calm yet frenzied.
As he spoke, he gradually tightened his grip on Wen Qingci’s wrist as if possessed.
The pain became clear in that instant.
“Alright,” Wen Qingci, as if not feeling the pain on his wrist, slowly moved forward and said softly, pressing his forehead against Xie Bufeng’s, “I’ll stay by your side, not going anywhere, okay?”
His tone was gentle, like a bedtime whisper.
This familiar gentleness instantly soothed Xie Bufeng’s anxious and uneasy heart.
He slowly released his fingers, kissing Wen Qingci’s forehead and eyelashes.
The boy’s slightly hoarse voice came from beside Wen Qingci’s ear.
“You must love me, love me forever.” A cold drop slid down Wen Qingci’s neck, whether pool water or the boy’s tears was unclear.
“No matter where you are, I can find you.”
As long as you love me, that’s enough.
A strong wind blew, bringing a rustling sound.
Accompanied by chaotic kisses, Wen Qingci’s brain became somewhat foggy from lack of oxygen.
He interlocked his fingers with Xie Bufeng’s.
Once again, they slowly fell into the pool water.
In the second before his consciousness was completely devoured by madness, Wen Qingci clearly realized—regardless of time, space, or identity, he and Xie Bufeng would meet again and again, fall in love again and again.
Just like the moon, whether waxing or waning, always hanging in the sky.
–The End–
T/N: Hey everyone!
And that’s a wrap! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ What a wild ride this has been – from ancient imperial palaces to modern swimming pools, our boys really went through it all, didn’t they?
First off, THANK YOU for sticking with me through this entire translation journey! (´∀`)♡ Your comments, corrections, and enthusiasm kept me going even during those super long chapters.
I also want to apologize about the whole chapters 1-86 situation – I know that was a mess and super frustrating (´;ω;`) But honestly, watching you all help each other find solutions and workarounds was amazing. ヽ(´▽`)/
Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng’s story across time and space has been such a joy to translate. (。♥‿♥。)
Thanks for loving these characters as much as I do, and for being so patient with my occasional translation hiccups! (^◡^)
Until the next project! ٩(◕‿◕)۶
Also dont forget to rate and leave comments on NU!
Check out my other translations here~
Thank you for the translation! If I may add to the list of maybe translations, https://www.novelupdates.com/series/school-life-during-the-ancient-times/
this looks interesting! ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
Thank yoau for ur recommendation
Lovely extras in modern verse. I love the bicycle scene and also glad that they have their memories from the ancient time as well. Thank you for your hard work in translating and sharing this 😍❤️