Part 1
Zhou Yan opened the door and saw Liang Ruixi; he was completely stunned. “How did you…”
He saw the other party soaking wet, his usually fluffy hair plastered to his head from the rain, making him look dazed and silly.
“How did you get yourself into such a state?” Zhou Yan was amused by his appearance and stepped aside. “Come in quickly.”
Once the person was inside, Zhou Yan told him to take off his soaking wet jacket, then went to the bathroom to get him a dry towel.
“Wipe yourself off,” Zhou Yan said, crossing his arms. “It’s so late. Was it really necessary to come tonight? I thought you were coming tomorrow.”
Liang Ruixi sat on the sofa, rubbing his head, his mind still a bit fuzzy. “I checked, and I could just catch the last subway.”
Zhou Yan frowned, then scolded him. “It’s raining so heavily outside, you should have brought an umbrella.”
“It wasn’t this heavy at first…” Liang Ruixi mumbled. “Besides, carrying an umbrella isn’t cool.”
“How old are you?” Zhou Yan almost burst out laughing. “Who’s looking at whether you’re cool or not in the middle of the night?”
Liang Ruixi put down the towel, seemingly wanting to say something else, but stopped himself.
Zhou Yan quietly cursed him, calling him an “idiot,” then went to pour him a cup of hot water.
At this moment, Liang Ruixi sat there, completely dazed, his mind filled with “Who am I?” “Where am I?” “What am I supposed to do?”…
He was like Zhao Yun, poised to leap into action, only to discover his intended squishy mage target was actually a full-health, crowd-controlling tank. So, he just hopped over a wall and slunk back into the bushes[mfn]He used his in-game situation to make an example here[/mfn].
—That’s right, he hadn’t seen Zhou Yan’s unyielding courage before, but now that he had, he was cowering like an old dog.
Besides, he wasn’t even sure if Zhou Yan truly liked him or not. What if Zhou Yan was just so sentimental he’d wear a pair of slippers for seven years and use an old keychain until it died, and his feelings for Liang Ruixi were purely paternal? What was he thinking, running over here so hot-headed to say, “Brother, I get you”? Was he trying to show filial piety?
Taking the water Zhou Yan offered, Liang Ruixi secretly glanced at him again.
He definitely needed to confirm first.
“Why did you bring a bag? What’s inside?” Zhou Yan stood in front of him.
Liang Ruixi shoved the bag behind him. “Just a few clothes.”
“Ah,” Zhou Yan teased him. “You didn’t bring an umbrella, but you knew you’d get wet and need a change of clothes. Very foresightful of you.”
“……” This guy was a f*cking tank with a taunt skill, too.
“What’s wrong? Why so quiet today? Did the rain make you silly?” Zhou Yan sat down next to him.
Liang Ruixi abruptly stood up, clutching the towel, and asked solemnly, “Can I take a shower first?”
Zhou Yan paused. “Go ahead.”
Liang Ruixi quickly entered the bathroom, took off his damp clothes and pants… then suddenly remembered something. He twisted his head to examine the doorknob lock and stealthily slid the bolt.
Damn it, the last two times he came, he hadn’t even thought about locking the door!
Turning on the shower and standing underneath it, Liang Ruixi began to ponder again how to confirm if Zhou Yan actually liked him. Relying solely on a keychain and a pair of bunny-head slippers as evidence felt a bit unconvincing. He didn’t really have the right to question Zhou Yan, “Why did you pretend to be a couple with Xiao Zhi and not tell me?” What business was it of his, anyway?
Maybe Zhou Yan was simply covering for Xiao Zhi, wanting to protect her reputation, which is why he kept it a secret?
Besides, so many years had passed since that kiss in the Mount Yanlu cabin and the events at graduation. Who knows if Zhou Yan even remembered them anymore?
……
Ah, my head hurts.
Maybe I should just sing…
“Sometimes, you miss the past, but when innocence left, you didn’t say a word…”
…Damn it.
“I finally made this decision. I don’t care what others say, I just need your affirmation… hum, it really takes courage to face gossip. I just need one affirming look from you, and my hum will have meaning…”
Can’t the song “Courage” just be about facing a challenging fate?
Liang Ruixi irritably ruffled his hair.
He couldn’t just blurt it out. Turning so many years of friendship into a serious topic wasn’t an easy task.
Even if he was right, who could guarantee that Zhou Yan still felt that way about him or would be willing to admit it?
If Zhou Yan said he was overthinking things, they’d just be awkward for a bit, and he could smooth things over. But what if Zhou Yan admitted it and said, “Yes, I’ve liked you for a long time, and since you found out and came to me, should we do it tonight?” What would he do then?
He certainly wasn’t mentally prepared to fall in love with Zhou Yan yet…
At most, he can just stay by Zhou Yan’s side…
……
Ugh, fine, as Zhou Yan always likes to say, ‘Take it one step at a time!’
Liang Ruixi was still humming when he came out of the shower. Zhou Yan heard him. “What song are you singing?”
Liang Ruixi paused. “‘You Were Once a Youth.’ What about it?”
“It sounds good. Can you sing it for me?” Zhou Yan asked.
“Uh,” Liang Ruixi awkwardly held the bath towel over his thighs. “Can I borrow a pair of your sweatpants first?”
“Didn’t you bring clothes?” Zhou Yan’s expression was odd.
“I only brought a T-shirt and underwear. I forgot my sweatpants.”
Zhou Yan was speechless, then turned and got him a pair of sweatpants. After putting them on, Liang Ruixi cleared his throat before starting to sing. He sang more seriously than before, and Zhou Yan listened intently while staring at him.
Liang Ruixi used to enjoy such gazes, thinking he was incredibly handsome and charming, but today, with Zhou Yan looking at him like that, he felt like a roasted chicken on a stove, about to burst into flames.
Halfway through, he couldn’t keep it up anymore. His gaze darted around, his breathing was unsteady, and he couldn’t even hit the high notes.
He didn’t dare tell Zhou Yan, ‘Can you stop looking at me?’ That would make him sound like a naive young woman who’d never seen a man in her life. Instead, he found an excuse: “I’m not in great form today.”
“I can tell,” Zhou Yan had been listening outside. Liang Ruixi’s singing in the bathroom was intermittent, switching songs every two lines, the pitch fluctuating wildly, and the lyrics sometimes clear, sometimes muffled. One song he started with full vigor, but then, perhaps forgetting the lyrics, he suddenly deflated.
“I remember you used to be really good at remembering lyrics, and even humming a tune sounded so full of emotion. Today, you’re just whimpering, like a low-battery recorder,” Zhou Yan sharply commented, then sighed, “Anyway, get some rest early. Sing it next time.”
“……”
Liang Ruixi seriously doubted if Zhou Yan really liked him…
Maybe he was just overthinking it.
Liang Ruixi listlessly entered the bedroom, and upon seeing the 1.8-meter-wide double bed, he felt uneasy all over again.
Ah, why did he used to squeeze onto a dorm bed less than a meter wide with Zhou Yan? How did he even dare to compare sizes with Zhou Yan back then? What was wrong with him?
After that “wall” collapsed, Liang Ruixi felt like the whole world looked off, everything seemed gay, even his memories changed color… he had let down the Party and the people… oh no, he wasn’t a Party member, so he had just let down his people[mfn]It mimics the standard phrasing used in political or disciplinary language in China, where someone who has done wrong is often said to have “let down the Party and the people.”[/mfn]…
When he finally got into bed, he was genuinely glad Zhou Yan had two blankets; otherwise, he might not have even dared to get on the bed.
Zhou Yan, with his back to Liang Ruixi, tidied his wardrobe, asking casually, “How was your week?”
“…Pretty good.” The events of last weekend at the bar flashed quickly through his mind. A pang of sadness hit Liang Ruixi, and he decided not to tell Zhou Yan about his embarrassing experience. Instead, he chose to talk about something irrelevant: “My company had a team-building event today, we went to Yanlu Mountain.”
“Yanlu Mountain?”
“The place we went together in freshman year.” Liang Ruixi tilted his head, observing Zhou Yan.
“Oh, I remember,” Zhou Yan seemed to have no strong reaction. “How was it?”
“Company events like that are always so formal. We just went up, took a group photo, and came back down. It wasn’t very interesting.” Liang Ruixi propped his head up with his hand and continued, “When I came back tonight, Senior Sister Fang Lu dragged me out for dinner, and I ran into…”
Halfway through, seeing Zhou Yan turn around, Liang Ruixi quickly pulled his arm back.
“Ran into what?” Zhou Yan got into bed and pulled back the covers.
“Nothing, just a few alumni from F University…”
“Oh,” Zhou Yan skipped that topic directly. “Where do you want to go tomorrow?”
“Don’t you have to work overtime?” Liang Ruixi lay flat, gripping his own blanket with both hands, covering himself tightly from the neck down.
“It’s a rare May Day holiday, I’ll take two days off,” Zhou Yan leaned against the bed, opening his phone. “What did you used to do on weekends?”
“Just go shopping with my girlfriend, have dinner, watch a movie or something… or stay home. She’d watch idol dramas, and I’d play games.”
Zhou Yan hummed in acknowledgment and said, “Then we can do that too.”
Liang Ruixi: “……” Was he implying something?
Zhou Yan: “I checked the movie schedule. There’s a well-rated movie recently. Want to go see it together tomorrow?”
Liang Ruixi let out an “en”, thinking, Is Zhou Yan actually asking him on a date??
Zhou Yan: “I don’t know what time you’ll wake up. I’ll book afternoon tickets, that way you can sleep in if you want.”
Liang Ruixi: “……”
Zhou Yan: “You have to go back to the bar to sing tomorrow night, right?”
Liang Ruixi: “En, it’s the first day of the May Day holiday tomorrow, so I definitely have to go.”
Zhou Yan said, “The IMAX theater at Linshan Park Mall has a showing from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Will we make it back in time after that?”
Liang Ruixi replied, “We’ll make it.”
Zhou Yan continued, “Lunch at Raffles in Linshan Park for a hot pot for two?”
“……” Liang Ruixi recalled how, when he used to go on dates with girlfriends, he was usually the one picking restaurants, choosing movies, and buying tickets. Now, listening to Zhou Yan’s well-organized plans, he felt as helpless and bewildered as an employee whose job had suddenly been taken over. “Uh, about the meal, can I treat you?”
“How about we just split it, like before?” Zhou Yan didn’t look away. “Movie tickets are over seventy yuan, we’ll calculate the meal together tomorrow.”
“Uh, oh.” Right, he’d forgotten. When he and Zhou Yan used to hang out, they always split the bill.
Zhou Yan confirmed the plans and put down his phone. Just as he was about to turn off the light, he noticed Liang Ruixi was lying right on the edge of the bed. He patted the large empty space in the middle. “Why are you sleeping so far over there? Come closer.”
Liang Ruixi moved over a little.
Zhou Yan frowned, “What’s wrong with you today? Are you afraid I’ll eat you?”
“???” What kind of suggestive words were those?!
Liang Ruixi moved a bit further away, and at that moment, Zhou Yan suddenly leaned over and pressed down on him. Liang Ruixi internally screamed, “Dad, I’m sorry, I was wrong,” while his mind frantically chanted, “F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, f*ck…”
When his vision was almost completely blocked by Zhou Yan’s body, four bold, red capital letters immediately popped up in front of his eyes: AWSL[mfn]Ah, I’m dead![/mfn].
But Zhou Yan had only reached out to grab his phone charger from the nightstand on his side, said a casual “Good night,” and then lay back down.
The lights went out, and soon after, the room became completely quiet.
Zhou Yan was incredibly quiet when he slept; he barely shifted positions and didn’t snore. Yet, Liang Ruixi still didn’t dare to move; his whole body felt numb.
Listening to the long, steady breaths beside him, he just lay there motionless, with his hands clasped over his chest.
Recalling everything that had just happened, with a desolate heart, he silently hummed the first line of “You Were Once a Youth” again—
[Sometimes, you miss the past, but when innocence left, you didn’t say a word…]
……
An hour later, Liang Ruixi suddenly opened his eyes in the darkness.
Damn, he had insomnia.
Part 2
All night, Liang Ruixi silently sang in his head, from “Do You Love Me?” to “Overthinking,” from “Leaving the Surface of the Earth” to “Eloping to the Moon.” He went through almost every song in his mental playlist that could express his current feelings before finally giving in to sleep around four o’clock.
In the morning, no one woke him up, and Liang Ruixi slept until he naturally awoke, opening his eyes to find it was already 11:30 AM.
Zhou Yan wasn’t beside him, and there were no messages from Zhou Yan on his phone either. Liang Ruixi hastily got out of bed and went out, only relaxing when he saw Zhou Yan sitting on the living room sofa. “You’re up?”
“I’ve been up for a while already.” Zhou Yan closed his work laptop. “I said you could sleep in, but you really managed to sleep until noon.”
“You should have woken me up.” Liang Ruixi felt a little guilty.
Zhou Yan urged him, “Hurry up and get ready.”
Liang Ruixi darted into the bathroom, quickly washed his face, and, seeing his hair was messy from sleep, pulled out the hair gel he had specially brought from his bag.
This was his and Zhou Yan’s first… no, the first time they were alone together after he realized Zhou Yan might like him… let’s just call it a date. He had to look good.
When he emerged, tidied up, Liang Ruixi saw Zhou Yan holding two different-colored hoodies. “Which color do you like? Pick one yourself.”
Liang Ruixi was a little bewildered. What did he mean? Were they going to wear matching outfits?
“What’s wrong? You should be able to wear my clothes.” Zhou Yan asked, puzzled.
“My own clothes…”
“The clothes you wore yesterday aren’t completely dry yet. I hung them up to dry.”
“Oh.” Liang Ruixi chose a black one. He and Zhou Yan were about the same height, and Liang Ruixi was a bit leaner, a natural clothes hanger. In college, when he had nothing to wear, he often borrowed Zhou Yan’s clothes.
But wearing matching outfits for the first time, however, still made Liang Ruixi feel quite awkward.
He poked his head out of the hoodie collar and saw that Zhou Yan had already put the other hoodie back; he wasn’t wearing the same style as him.
Liang Ruixi: “……”
[My uneasiness is so heavy, only you don’t understand.]
Zhou Yan changed clothes in the bedroom, tidying up as he told Liang Ruixi, “There are soda crackers in the box next to the sofa. Take two to fill your stomach first.”
Liang Ruixi let out a sound of acknowledgement, then voiced his previous confusion, “I never see you eat snacks, so why do you have so many lying around?”
Zhou Yan stared at him. “Who do you think I bought them for?”
Liang Ruixi paused. Wait, could it be that Zhou Yan specifically bought all these for him?
Seeing him staring blankly at the soda crackers, Zhou Yan explained, “I looked it up online. They say the ingredients in soda crackers can neutralize stomach acid, and eating a couple when you’re hungry can relieve discomfort for people with stomach problems. But these are just for temporary hunger, you can’t live off them.”
…Damn, Zhou Yan is too thoughtful!
Liang Ruixi was both shocked and touched, unsure what to say for a moment.
Seeing him still dazed, Zhou Yan urged him again, “Come, if you keep dilly-dallying, we’ll probably eat in an hour.”
Linshan Park Mall was less than two kilometers from their place, so the two walked directly.
On the way, Liang Ruixi munched on a soda cracker, recalling the snack cabinet in Zhou Yan’s dorm. Back then, the roommates in 326 all called it Doraemon’s magic pouch, it had everything.
Liang Ruixi remembered one time he found a particularly delicious spicy strip in Zhou Yan’s cabinet that wasn’t sold at the school supermarket. After trying it once, he was so addicted he’d run to Zhou Yan’s dorm every day like a mouse.
That spicy strip was extremely spicy, and the others in 326 didn’t like it. Lu Jing joked that Zhou Yan specially bought it for Liang Ruixi, and later Shen Hui added, “Which of those things wasn’t specially bought for him by Zhou Yan?”
Liang Ruixi hadn’t thought anything of it, assuming everyone ate those snacks, so how could they be exclusively for him?
But now, knowing Zhou Yan had prepared snacks for him again, he couldn’t help but overthink it.
That’s right, besides snacks, there were also some stomach medicines in the box, and Zhou Yan didn’t have a stomach condition. If they weren’t specifically for him, who else could they be for?
So, since that night at the hospital, Zhou Yan had truly been prepared for him to show up at any time.
On the zebra crossing, people came and went. Liang Ruixi looked down at the cracker bag in his hand, his mind like a malfunctioning recorder, cycling through the song he had sung countless times during his sleepless night—
[A heart pounding wildly…] … [Actually, you’re a cruel and vicious thief, you stole my heart, my breath, and even my name…]
Because he wasn’t looking where he was going, he almost bumped into the person in front of him. Zhou Yan, quick as a flash, reached out and pulled him in his direction, frowning as he reminded him, “What are you spacing out for? Watch where you’re going.”
Liang Ruixi snapped back to attention, quickly stuffed the cracker bag into his pocket, and followed Zhou Yan to the hot pot restaurant as if in a trance.
They had arrived relatively late, so there was no need to queue. A waiter directly led them to a two-person table.
“Still a double pot like before?” Zhou Yan took the tablet menu from the waiter, glanced at Liang Ruixi’s expression, and then said, “I’ll just order directly then.”
After placing the order, he stood up and asked Liang Ruixi, “I’m going to get the dipping sauce. Do you want me to get yours?”
Liang Ruixi had just said “I” when Zhou Yan finished his sentence, “I know, a little of everything, and extra spicy.”
“En.” He silently shed a few internal tears.
[He understands me best, eyes meet, no words are needed…]
……
While Zhou Yan was getting the condiments, Liang Ruixi quietly took a photo and posted it on his Moments — this was, after all, their first date, so he had to record it.
When Zhou Yan returned, he also brought a small plate of Hami melon, which Liang Ruixi liked.
Once the hot pot arrived, with the clear broth facing Zhou Yan and the spicy side facing Liang Ruixi, Zhou Yan was the first to hand him a plate of spicy beef.
Liang Ruixi was unusually quiet today, which seemed to make Zhou Yan a bit unaccustomed. Seeing him put pieces of spicy beef into his own spicy pot, Zhou Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t you ‘defiling’ me today?”
The bite of melon in Liang Ruixi’s mouth nearly sprayed directly into Zhou Yan’s soup. He immediately remembered how, when they used to eat hot pot, whenever Zhou Yan had clear broth, he would always take his own spicy beef and dip it in Zhou Yan’s pot, jokingly calling it “defiling” the other party.
Actually, it wasn’t initially phrased that way. A long time ago, one time when he was eating hot pot with Zhou Yan, he accidentally dropped his spicy beef into Zhou Yan’s pot.
At that time, Zhou Yan ate no spice at all, not even adding soy sauce or rice vinegar to his dipping sauce. Seeing this, he immediately flared up: “Liang Ruixi, you’ve polluted my soup!”
Liang Ruixi quickly scooped out the meat, then, with a playful grin, said, “You have such a big pot of soup, while it’s just a tiny piece of meat. How could it pollute it?”
Zhou Yan frowned, pointing at the layer of red oil floating on the clear broth. “It’s all red now.”
Liang Ruixi argued, “Your soup is too bland. Wouldn’t it be better if I added some flavor for you? Try it, maybe it’ll taste better.”
Zhou Yan took a sip of the soup, his brows furrowing even deeper. “It’s so spicy.”
Liang Ruixi pouted. Since it was already “polluted,” he might as well go all out. He secretly tossed a few more pieces of spicy beef into the pot when Zhou Yan wasn’t looking.
When Zhou Yan discovered it, he was furious. “Do you want to die or something?”
Liang Ruixi diligently blanched two pieces of meat for him and placed them in his bowl. “Look at you, so pampered, you can’t even eat a little spice. Try it more often, it’s really good.”
Zhou Yan angrily retorted, “What does not eating spice have to do with being pampered? Don’t twist my words! I just don’t like spicy food!”
Liang Ruixi paid him no mind, humming to himself that Zhou Yan should just wait, if he didn’t teach him to eat spicy food by graduation, he wouldn’t use the surname Liang.
It seemed he took pleasure in annoying Zhou Yan. Afterward, every time they ate hot pot, Liang Ruixi would secretly throw spicy meat into Zhou Yan’s pot. Even though Zhou Yan’s side was clear broth, it would always end up “dirty” because of him.
The most intense time, Zhou Yan got so angry he scooped up a bunch of various condiments, such as oyster sauce, minced garlic, soy sauce, satay, and mustard, and dumped them all into Liang Ruixi’s pot, angrily saying, “I’m going to pollute yours!”
Liang Ruixi got excited at this. He grabbed a large ladle and scooped soup from his own pot into Zhou Yan’s. “Come ah! Let’s hurt each other! Let’s defile each other!”
He mixed the soup equally between both sides, stirred it, and continued eating. As he ate, he pouted, trying to provoke Zhou Yan: “I’m not scared! I can eat spicy food, so I’m invincible! Can you, Zhou Yan?”
Zhou Yan, not sure what came over him that day, actually grabbed his chopsticks and competed with Liang Ruixi. Afterward, one was burned to death by spice, and the other choked to death by saltiness. They both rinsed their swollen lips in the bathroom, still bickering. Liang Ruixi said that Zhou Yan was “too delicate and couldn’t handle new things,” and Zhou Yan said that Liang Ruixi was “stubborn and liked to show off.”
After that, mutual scooping of hot pot broth and bickering seemed to become their habit.
In their sophomore or junior year, Liang Ruixi, Zhou Yan, Xiao Zhi, and one of his girlfriends went to Haidilao together. Everyone had different tastes, so they ordered a four-section pot.
As soon as the pot arrived, Liang Ruixi started scooping red oil towards the opposite side, shouting, “I’m going to defile you, dye you with my color!”
Everyone at the table was silent until his girlfriend playfully whined, “Liang Ruixi, what are you doing?!” Only then did he react. The person sitting opposite him wasn’t Zhou Yan. He quickly said, “Sorry, I got the wrong pot. I meant to defile Zhou Yan.”
Another silence fell over the table. His girlfriend was a bit embarrassed then, and Liang Ruixi frantically motioned for a waiter to change the pot, but the waiters were busy. In the end, Zhou Yan and she had to switch places.
It had been three years since graduation, and he and Zhou Yan hadn’t eaten hot pot together again. Hearing Zhou Yan suddenly say that now, Liang Ruixi felt somewhat abashed.
Ah, “defile” and all that…
How could he have said something like that back then?
Liang Ruixi lightly coughed, primly pushing a piece of spicy meat into Zhou Yan’s pot.
Seeing Zhou Yan staring at him with a strange expression, Liang Ruixi’s hand trembled, and he pushed a few more pieces in.
Zhou Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Just that little bit?”
Liang Ruixi directly gave him half. “Is it enough?”
“Not enough,” Zhou Yan looked at him and said, “I want more.”
Liang Ruixi: “……”
Zhou Yan frowned. “Why are you spacing out? Give it all to me.”
“Here,” Liang Ruixi dumped the rest into Zhou Yan’s clear broth pot. “Here, all for you…”
…Wait, wait a minute.
What was he even saying just now?!
-Not enough, I want more…
-Here, all for you…
Oh god, was it appropriate for him to be saying such suggestive things at the dinner table?!
Liang Ruixi was so mortified he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself, but then he saw Zhou Yan bend down and take a plate of spicy beef from a nearby food cart, generously sweeping a spoonful into his oil pot. “I ordered two plates. Look at you, being so stingy just now. You think I’d shortchange you?”
Liang Ruixi: “……”
[The wind is cold… in real life, cracks are inevitable…]
……
Exchanging spicy beef seemed to be a required ritual before they ate hot pot. After that, Zhou Yan didn’t let Liang Ruixi do anything else. He divided all the lamb, pork belly, bean curd skin, and other dishes half-and-half between them.
Once the clear broth boiled, Zhou Yan first scooped a small plate of vegetables for him. “Your stomach isn’t great, don’t just jump straight into the extra spicy stuff.”
Liang Ruixi obediently accepted it and ate. After finishing, he scooped a bowl of vegetables from his own pot for Zhou Yan, which made Zhou Yan feel a little confused.
It seemed this was the first time they were so “respectful” while eating hot pot. But after being used to their usual bickering, this harmonious atmosphere felt genuinely strange.
Part 3
After having the hotpot, there wasn’t much time left, so the two went straight to the floor where the cinema was located.
Zhou Yan went to pick up the tickets, and Liang Ruixi, seeing a bubble tea shop nearby, wanted to buy some bubble tea.
After a quick discussion, they split up. The line outside the bubble tea shop was quite long. While waiting, Liang Ruixi opened his phone and saw a message from Wei Ran that had been sent five minutes earlier: “Are you at Raffles City in Linshan Park?”
Liang Ruixi replied, “Yeah ah.”
Just as he finished typing, he heard someone call his name from behind. Liang Ruixi turned his head and saw Wei Ran.
“Damn, it really is you,” Wei Ran said happily. “If I hadn’t seen the location in the picture you just posted on your Moments, I wouldn’t have known you were here!”
“What a coincidence. What are you doing here?” Normally, Liang Ruixi would be very happy to run into Wei Ran, but today he felt a nervous sensation, like he’d been caught red-handed.
“Watching a movie ah, what about you?” Wei Ran glanced at the two cups of tea in his hand and teased, “Out on a date with your girlfriend?”
No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Yan appeared in their sight, holding a bucket of popcorn.
Wei Ran: “F*ck, how are you two still together!?”
Liang Ruixi’s mouth twitched: “We’re just here to watch a movie.”
Zhou Yan was momentarily stunned to see Wei Ran: “What a coincidence?”
Wei Ran was initially quite happy, but seeing their annoyed expressions at being disturbed, he felt a bit sulky: “I was just wondering about you guys. It’s been so many years since graduation, aren’t you tired of each other yet?”
Wei Ran didn’t know they had grown distant after graduation, thinking they were still as close as before.
But to Liang Ruixi, who had recently become aware of his feelings, those words felt incredibly awkward. He clutched the two cups of bubble tea, wishing he could disappear into the ground.
Zhou Yan, however, was much calmer than him, even playing along seriously: “Aren’t we both still single? So we just make do for now.”
Liang Ruixi: “……”
Half a month ago, there was still gossip in the group chat, so Wei Ran knew about their individual situations and said speechlessly, “Anyone who didn’t know would think you two were actually together.”
Liang Ruixi coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject: “What movie are you watching?”
Wei Ran told them the movie title, and it turned out all three were seeing the same showing. This movie had been very popular recently, and with limited IMAX theaters and showtimes in the city center, it wasn’t surprising for a few people to run into each other at the cinema.
Zhou Yan: “By yourself?”
Wei Ran gnashed his teeth: “Can’t a person come to watch a movie alone?”
Zhou Yan: “Of course you can.”
Liang Ruixi: “You don’t look like you’d have a date, come with us.”
Wei Ran: “F*ck!”
Even though Wei Ran wasn’t ugly, his round face had a certain cuteness to it. It was just that he wasn’t very tall, only a bit over 1.7 meters. Compared to handsome, tall, and long-legged guys like Liang Ruixi and Zhou Yan, he naturally wasn’t as striking. What’s more, Liang Ruixi was the type of handsome guy who really stood out, so when an ordinary guy stood next to him, they would be completely overshadowed. However, they were all old classmates, and it was precisely because they knew each other so well that they spoke so casually.
The movie they chose was two hours long. To avoid affecting their viewing experience, Liang Ruixi and Wei went to the restroom beforehand.
Liang Ruixi took the opportunity to ask Wei Ran, “Hey, do you still remember Zhou Yan’s treasure chest for snacks back in college?”
Wei Ran: “I remember, why?”
Liang Ruixi: “Just wondering, were all those snacks Zhou Yan specifically bought for me?”
Wei Ran revealed without hesitation, “Yeah ah!”
Liang Ruixi was secretly startled, it was true! He asked, puzzled, “Why? Didn’t you guys eat them together back then?”
Wei Ran: “Didn’t we only eat them to go along with you?”
Liang Ruixi: “Huh?”
“Huh what?” Wei Ran explained, “When Zhou Yan bought them back, he told me that he was afraid if he bought them just for you, you wouldn’t accept them, so he told me to eat some too. Even Lu Jing knew and felt embarrassed to eat them.”
Indeed, looking back, Shen Hui didn’t seem to eat many snacks, just like Zhou Yan. Lu Jing also didn’t like sweets, only occasionally grabbing a couple of chips when they opened a bag.
Only Wei Ran and he ate more, especially things like “strange-flavored peanuts” and “pickled chili chicken feet.” At first, the two of them would even fight over them, but he was quick, so most of it ended up in his mouth. Later, Wei Ran didn’t fight over them as much, and Liang Ruixi even teased him about how he’d learned to be modest.
Wei Ran said sourly, “Who told you to be Zhou Yan’s ‘little wife’? Zhou Yan is now the student union president; if I steal your food, I’m afraid Zhou Yan will make things difficult for me later.”
At that time, quite a few people were already shipping him and Zhou Yan as a couple. Xiao Zhi would occasionally even use an anonymous account to post fanfiction about them on the forum as well. It spread throughout the male dorms for a while, and almost everyone who saw them would crack a joke or two. Liang Ruixi was used to it and just thought Wei was making excuses because he couldn’t beat him.
Now, looking back, Liang Ruixi found it hard to believe. Could it be that they were all cooperating with Zhou Yan? But if that was all Zhou Yan’s arrangement, wouldn’t they have found Zhou Yan’s motives a bit strange? Or perhaps, back then, they also thought, like him, that this was just one of Zhou Yan’s ways of showing his “paternal love”?
Liang Ruixi was flustered: “When did he tell you that?”
Wei Ran: “It’s been so long, how would I remember? Probably just casually chatting during a late-night dorm talk…”
As he was speaking, Liang Ruixi’s phone rang, and he quickly answered.
“Why aren’t you out yet? Constipated?” It was Zhou Yan.
“Coming, coming.” Liang Ruixi hurriedly put away his phone and went out with Wei Ran.
Zhou Yan stood outside with his arms crossed, and when he saw them, he complained, “If you didn’t come out soon, I’d have thought you and Wei Ran got into a fight and fell into a cesspool.”
Liang Ruixi: “How could that happen? If we really fought, he’d be the only one falling in, and I’d definitely be perfectly fine.”
Wei Ran: “???”
Soon it was time to check tickets, and the three of them lined up to go in together. But Zhou Yan and Liang Ruixi had bought their tickets together, so their seats were connected. Wei Ran, seeing them with both bubble tea and popcorn while he had nothing, and then having to sit alone in the cinema as well, suddenly felt like he’d consumed tons of PDA.
—Truly, among three people, there’s always one that was considered as too many.
Liang Ruixi was still a bit distracted after sitting down. Zhou Yan whispered, “What’s wrong with you today? You’re a bit off.”
It wasn’t just today; he’d been “off” since he arrived last night. But Liang Ruixi certainly couldn’t let Zhou Yan know that his mind was full of “how much do you love me,” so he could only vaguely say, “Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep.”
Zhou Yan wondered, “We clearly went to bed together last night, and you still haven’t had enough sleep after sleeping for so long?”
This phrase “went to bed together” once again made Liang Ruixi’s imagination run wild.
Zhou Yan saw his dazed eyes and sighed, “If you’re still sleepy later, just lean on me and sleep.”
Liang Ruixi: “……” Lean, lean on whom?
[When embracing, not close enough]… [How much he loves me]…
Just then, his phone vibrated a few times. Liang Ruixi took it out and saw that Wei Ran had sent him several messages: “I remember now, it was probably after we came back from Yanlu Mountain. One time during a dorm chat, he said that when school started, he noticed you never bought snacks at the campus supermarket. One time, he bought a box of egg yolk pastries, gave you one, and you kept talking about how good it was for a whole week.”
Egg yolk pastry? Liang Ruixi was stunned.
Wei Ran continued to explain, “At first, he couldn’t quite figure out why you liked it but didn’t buy it yourself. He also said that back then he didn’t know your family situation and thought you were being stingy. After he found out, he felt really bad and decided to buy more different kinds of snacks to share with you, telling us to eat together.”
Wei Ran: “Zhou Yan wouldn’t say those kinds of things in front of you, and he couldn’t make it too obvious either. We’re all classmates, who doesn’t have pride…”
The lights in the cinema dimmed completely, and Liang Ruixi quickly finished reading Wei Ran’s last few messages.
Wei Ran: “Don’t overthink it. You already ate them, and it’s not like Zhou Yan is short on that cash either.”
Wei Ran: “He’s so good to you, I’m just envious. You’re asking me about this after so long, I even suspect you’re deliberately showing off your affection to me…”
The brightly lit screen was especially noticeable in the darkness. Liang Ruixi, afraid Zhou Yan would notice, replied, “Watch the movie first,” and stuffed his phone back into his pocket, turning his gaze to the big screen.
Zhou Yan had chosen a Hollywood film, a heroic movie with fight scenes. These kinds of movies are usually just for fun and don’t require much thought, which Liang Ruixi had always liked. Ten minutes into the movie, some audience members were already chuckling at the plot, but Liang Ruixi’s mind was still consumed by Zhou Yan buying him snacks.
He genuinely didn’t remember the egg yolk pastry incident at all. However, he indeed didn’t have a habit of buying snacks before, which was related to not having pocket money when he was little. His dad passed away when he was seven, and his mom disappeared when he was thirteen or fourteen. The grandparents on both sides at most covered his tuition and provided food.
But Liang Ruixi didn’t feel he was too hard up. In fact, during their student days, everyone’s finances weren’t independent, and looking back, it was always a bit tight. For example, in dorm 326, besides Zhou Yan and Shen Hui, whose family backgrounds were clearly better than his, he felt that Wei Ran and Lu Jing’s spending levels were similar to his own. Not to mention those students who truly came from impoverished areas and relied on poverty scholarships to get by; compared to them, Liang Ruixi felt he was already quite well-off.
After college, his aunt would still give him a thousand yuan a month for living expenses. If it wasn’t enough, he could always do part-time jobs during winter and summer breaks. Moreover, after he got into F University, his high school even gave him a twenty-thousand-yuan scholarship, so the period right after enrollment was the wealthiest time in his four years. Otherwise, how would he have had the confidence to pull Zhou Yan to dine out at the restaurant near the south gate of the campus?
But spending habits aren’t something that can be changed overnight. At eighteen or nineteen, who isn’t tempted? He had just moved from a small place to a big city then, and everything he saw was new; he wanted to try everything. But he still felt that snacks were too expensive. Things like potato chips, ice cream, and small cakes tasted good, but they didn’t fill him up, and it was better to save the money for meat.
He thought he was hiding it well. Just as Wei Ran said, they were all classmates, and who doesn’t have pride? Precisely because of this, Zhou Yan’s subtle acts of kindness, brought to light after so many years, made his heart surge even more…
He turned his head to look at Zhou Yan. Under the glow of the screen, Zhou Yan’s face shimmered faintly.
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Though his appearance was serious and proper, it inexplicably exuded a sense of deep affection.
Just then, Zhou Yan noticed his gaze and looked over. Their eyes met, and Zhou Yan, thinking he wanted popcorn, offered the paper bucket in his direction. Liang Ruixi quickly grabbed a handful, hiding the tumultuous emotions he felt at that moment.
The hero in the movie was about to leave his cozy home for an adventure, bidding farewell to his old father. He thought his father didn’t know, but the old man understood everything and secretly slipped his childhood favorite “hero candy” into his pocket. The deep father-son bond brought tears to one’s eyes.
Liang Ruixi finally got into the movie. His thoughts continuously shuttled between the movie plot and his own memories. The two emotions intertwined, making his eyes well up with emotion.
How could Zhou Yan be so good to him?
How could Zhou Yan love him so much?
While frantically munching popcorn, he secretly vowed to himself — he definitely had to find a chance to call the other party “Dad” someday!
[Little Interlude]
Liang Ruixi: What if Zhou Yan wants me to… you know, but I can’t get it up?
Zhou Yan: You’re definitely overthinking it.
![After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Your-paragraph-text-1.png "After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]")
