Yan Cai pulled on Xia Xinghe’s sleeve all the way forward, not stopping until they reached the roaring bonfire.
Music and drumbeats blended together, with occasional static. Not terrible, but definitely not high quality.
Bonfire parties were common — big and small scenic spots often held similar events. Yan Cai had seen plenty and wasn’t particularly impressed. He didn’t bring Xia Xinghe here to enjoy the festivities, but rather to let him meet more people — to create some distance between him and Bai Qingzhou.
Even though Xia Xinghe promised to consider things carefully, Yan Cai knew his personality — stubborn and unyielding. Once he was set on someone, he wouldn’t change.
And everything that happened over the past few days — Yan Cai saw it all.
He knew it: Xia Xinghe was about to fall again.
As a friend, of course Yan Cai hoped Xia Xinghe could find love.
But Bai Qingzhou just seemed so cold and unfeeling — Yan Cai really couldn’t be at ease.
He couldn’t stop Xia Xinghe from falling for him.
He didn’t even know if what he was doing was right.
He only hoped Bai Qingzhou would pursue Xia Xinghe a bit more — show he cared more.
After all — the harder something is to get, the more people treasure it.
Yan Cai only wished that if they got together this time, they’d go the distance.
….
When they reached the bonfire, the wide open space was already crowded. People of all ages were gathered, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
The host was warming up the crowd by the bonfire. Staff handed out what were supposedly local specialty cheese balls. Xia Xinghe took one, tasted it — sour and sweet, not bad at all.
At 8:00 p.m.,
The bonfire party officially began.
The stars in the small town were far more numerous than in the city, and under the night sky full of twinkling lights, the bonfire party was lively and spirited.
After a brief introduction, the host led everyone into the opening dance. It was really just a rhythmic swinging of the arms back and forth, while circling the bonfire together. The movements were simple, but with so many people doing it in unison, it still looked beautiful.
In front of them, the blazing fire roared. Light flickered bright and dim, music pulsed with energy, and people crowded together, faces beaming with smiles. Amidst the fervent atmosphere, Xia Xinghe and Yan Cai also joined in.
Standing next to Xia Xinghe was a cheerful, outgoing young man, who danced to the beat while casually chatting with him.
The boy laughed and asked, “Where are you from? From your accent, you sound like you’re from the south?”
“Haha, I’m from the north,” Xia Xinghe replied, “but I went to university in the south, so maybe I picked up a bit of the accent.”
Since this was a place unfamiliar to him, Xia Xinghe kept a little guarded and didn’t reveal the exact location. The boy, however, was straightforward. After hearing him out, he introduced himself openly: “I’m also from the north, but I went to university in Liaohu.”
Xia Xinghe blinked. “Liaohu?”
The boy nodded. “Yeah, I still live there now.”
Sharing the same city instantly narrowed the distance between strangers. Xia Xinghe asked a bit more, and in the end, found out that the boy was actually his schoolmate, just a year below him, from the School of Journalism.
Yan Cai was also from the School of Journalism, so Xia Xinghe immediately pulled him in to confirm. To their surprise, the two actually knew each other. As soon as he saw the boy, Yan Cai froze for a moment. “Sheng Tianyi?”
Sheng Tianyi was stunned as well. “Senior Yan?! You’re here too?”
They had been in the same school and once worked together in the student union, not in the same department, but familiar enough.
What a coincidence.
Meeting someone familiar in a foreign place always felt especially warm. Sheng Tianyi immediately invited them to grab something to eat at a nearby shop. Xia Xinghe tried to decline, but couldn’t refuse his enthusiasm, so the three of them eventually went to a nearby dessert shop.
The dessert shop had plenty of choices. Each of them ordered a drink and sat on the chairs at the entrance, chatting.
Yan Cai asked Sheng Tianyi, “Are you out here alone?”
“Yeah,” Sheng Tianyi replied, “just wandering around, looking for inspiration.”
“What do you do now?” Yan Cai asked again.
Sheng Tianyi smiled a little awkwardly. “Sometimes I write scripts for people. I guess you could say I’m a freelancer.”
“Oh, what a coincidence,” Yan Cai exclaimed, placing a hand in front of Xia Xinghe as he introduced, “Xiao Xia writes too. You two might have a lot in common.”
Sheng Tianyi’s eyes widened instantly. “Really?”
Xia Xinghe nodded. “Mm, though I write fiction.”
“That’s great!” Sheng Tianyi grew excited. “Can I ask you a few questions about plotting? I’ve been stuck on a section for a long time and just can’t get it right.”
“Go ahead,” Xia Xinghe said. “I wouldn’t call it guidance, but we can chat about it.”
Writers always have plenty to discuss, and creative work often overlaps. Their talk quickly moved from casual to passionate. Sheng Tianyi nodded in sudden realization again and again, while Xia Xinghe also drew fresh inspiration from him.
Originally, it was Yan Cai who knew Sheng Tianyi, but now he could hardly get a word in. Sheng Tianyi’s gaze toward Xia Xinghe shifted from normal to admiring, and finally, he even asked if they could exchange WeChat.
Xia Xinghe naturally agreed, opening his QR code for him to scan—just as Bai Qingzhou and Nie Xingchao happened to walk over and saw the scene.
Xia Xinghe was chatting happily with another boy, and they were adding each other on WeChat.
Bai Qingzhou frowned slightly, a wave of displeasure sinking in his chest.
Yan Cai, who had been idly playing on his phone, immediately perked up when he saw them arrive—especially after catching sight of Bai Qingzhou’s unhappy expression, which made him laugh out loud.
“Well, well, you two came too?”
Nie Xingchao raised an eyebrow. “Why, we can’t come?”
“Not talking about you,” Yan Cai glanced at him, then fixed his gaze on Bai Qingzhou, teasing, “So our aloof Senior Bai is interested in this kind of event too?”
Their exchange drew the attention of the others. Sheng Tianyi looked up absentmindedly, and when his eyes fell on Bai Qingzhou, his expression froze. “Holy—Isn’t that Senior Bai from the Clinical School?”
Bai Qingzhou had been a well-known figure in university. Not only had his speeches been widely circulated, but generations of underclassmen had admired him ever since.
Sheng Tianyi was clearly a fan as well. Seeing him in person now, he couldn’t help but get excited.
“Hello, Senior Bai. I’m Sheng Tianyi from the School of Journalism, Class of 12. I really loved your speech at the freshman ceremony back then…”
Sheng Tianyi’s tone brimmed with enthusiasm, but Bai Qingzhou’s expression remained cool and detached. Sheng Tianyi rattled on for a long while before Bai Qingzhou finally gave a slow, indifferent “Mm,” which barely counted as a response.
The cold reaction made Sheng Tianyi falter, the mood turning slightly awkward. Xia Xinghe quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“It’s fine, Xiao Sheng,” Xia Xinghe said with a smile. “Senior Bai has heard your admiration. He’s just like that, don’t take it to heart.”
Bai Qingzhou’s brows pinched faintly, but Sheng Tianyi quickly recovered. “Ah… no, no.”
He laughed. “Back in school, I already heard that Senior Bai was the ‘cool and aloof’ type of campus idol. Seeing it now, the reputation is well deserved.”
Sheng Tianyi’s emotional intelligence was high. With one line, he dispelled the awkwardness. Everyone laughed together, and the lively mood returned—except Bai Qingzhou, whose face remained cold.
Outside, the bonfire party continued to bustle with noise and excitement. Amid the crowd, Bai Qingzhou and Nie Xingchao also sat down in the dessert shop. Nie Xingchao ordered a rich, sweet bowl of mango sago, while Bai Qingzhou asked for a plain glass of lemon water.
The atmosphere at the table was warm, lively, and harmonious. Sheng Tianyi was excitedly chatting away with Xia Xinghe, while Nie Xingchao and Yan Cai bickered back and forth. Only Bai Qingzhou sat silently at the side, his thin lips pressed together, pale eyes fixed on Xia Xinghe’s smiling expression as he quietly watched his conversation with Sheng Tianyi.
The lemon water in his glass swayed slightly, its taste sharp and sour.
By eleven o’clock that night, the bonfire party finally came to an end.
For nearly the entire evening, Xia Xinghe had been chatting with Sheng Tianyi. Sheng Tiangyi was sweet-tongued and talkative, often making Xia Xinghe laugh heartily. Their relationship progressed quickly, to the point they were already calling each other “ge.”
Though it was late, Sheng Tianyi still wasn’t ready to part. Since his lodging wasn’t far from the inn where the others were staying, he warmly invited Xia Xinghe to walk back with him.
“Sure,” Xia Xinghe agreed naturally.
On the way back, the two continued talking, their cheerful voices and laughter echoing in the still night—so clear… yet so grating.
Following behind them, Bai Qingzhou clenched and unclenched his hand at his side, knuckles turning white.
He couldn’t bear to keep watching the intimacy between the two in front of him, but he also didn’t know how to voice his dissatisfaction. Finally, he left them with a short, “You two go on ahead. I’ll take a walk,” and strode off in the opposite direction.
Late into the night, Bai Qingzhou stood on a high slope, gazing silently into the distance.
The lights of the ancient town were sparse, only a faint lamp glowing in the far distance.
The night wind blew against him, but his chest felt heavy, as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing on his heart—an unfamiliar kind of defeat.
Bai Qingzhou believed he had already done everything he could.
Setting aside those earlier ridiculous accidents, even after lowering his pride to openly admit to Xia Xinghe that he was pursuing him, Xia Xinghe’s reaction had still been indifferent.
It struck Bai Qingzhou belatedly that perhaps his way of expressing himself was wrong. Otherwise, how could someone Xia Xinghe had only just met already be laughing with him so easily, while despite their reunion lasting this long and his supposed honesty, his own relationship with Xia Xinghe remained awkward, as if separated by an unbridgeable distance?
But feelings weren’t like math problems with standard answers, nor like surgical procedures where practice makes perfect. For once, this consistently brilliant, outstanding genius had stumbled badly, and had no idea what to do.
He wanted to rush over and pull that Sheng fellow away, to tell everyone Xia Xinghe was his. But Xia Xinghe hadn’t accepted his pursuit—so he didn’t even have the right to be jealous.
The feeling was bitter and unbearable.
Now, with no one around and emotions choking his chest, Bai Qingzhou could no longer restrain himself. He punched the tree beside him, sending a flurry of leaves rustling down to gather at his feet. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind.
“Bai Qingzhou? Is that you?”
That voice… it sounded like Xia Xinghe.
Bai Qingzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He actually came looking for him?
Wasn’t he chatting happily with that Sheng guy?
Silence.
Joy, displeasure, jealousy, frustration—all kinds of emotions tangled and churned in his chest, leaving Bai Qingzhou unsure how to respond. He could only answer with silence.
After a moment, Xia Xinghe called again, “Bai Qingzhou?”
Even without a reply, he still cautiously moved closer.
One step, two steps—the rustle of his footsteps was unusually clear in the still night. The distance between them narrowed, when suddenly, a sharp snap echoed in the darkness, breaking the quiet atmosphere.
A wave of searing pain shot up from Xia Xinghe’s ankle.
“Bai Qingzhou!” Xia Xinghe cried out, tears springing to his eyes from the pain, his voice trembling. “Come quickly! My leg—something’s clamped onto it!”
Bai Qingzhou’s brows furrowed deeply, and in that instant, all his tangled emotions were cast aside as he strode over.