Wen Qingci’s illness hadn’t fully recovered, so he couldn’t eat overly greasy food.
Therefore, what he ordered wasn’t prepared meals, but basic ingredients from a nearby store.
These items were somewhat heavy, and carrying them upstairs in one go wasn’t easy.
Wen Qingci stood at the entrance of the stairwell, initially wanting to let Xie Bufeng go up first, then slowly make his way upstairs.
But after a long while, the boy remained standing motionless.
He finally couldn’t help but ask: “Which floor do you live on?”
“Sixth floor,” the boy paused before answering.
Wen Qingci nodded slowly, glancing at the shopping bags beside him and said: “You go upstairs home first, I’ll carry these up slowly.”
The voice-activated lights in the stairwell had broken down at some point.
Wen Qingci could only vaguely see by the street lights outside—the boy suddenly lowered his head.
Could it be that he didn’t want to go home yet?
Wen Qingci had always been very obedient from childhood, having almost never had any conflicts with his adoptive parents, but he also knew that people who run away from home don’t easily back down.
Rainwater slid down Xie Bufeng’s face, slowly dripping from his chin.
Normally, Wen Qingci might have just gone upstairs to his own home.
But today…
Seeing this completely soaked boy before him, he couldn’t help but ask one more question: “Would you like to come to my place for a bit?”
After a few seconds, the boy suddenly nodded: “Alright.”
Then he bent down and picked up the plastic shopping bags Wen Qingci had placed on the ground.
“I’ll carry these. Which floor is your home?”
“Wait—” Wen Qingci wanted to stop him, but before he could speak, the boy had already picked up the plastic bags and stepped onto the stairs.
Oh well… Wen Qingci, having just been discharged from the hospital, decided not to push himself.
“Third floor,” he said loudly to the boy.
His clear voice echoed repeatedly in the empty stairwell.
Arriving before the boy, he turned on the orange lights in the hallway.
In an instant, the coldness brought by the heavy rain disappeared.
*
The boiling water bubbled with steam.
The dragon whisker noodles in the pot gradually softened.
Wen Qingci casually tossed in a few washed greens, then added two eggs to the soup.
After letting it simmer a bit more, he turned off the stove.
“It’s ready,” he smiled, turning to look toward the living room, “How much would you like?”
The visitor had already changed clothes and walked out of the room.
The boy in the living room was actually a bit taller than Wen Qingci.
The originally loose white T-shirt seemed somewhat tight on him, and beneath the gray plaid pajama pants, a glimpse of light honey-colored skin was visible.
But fortunately, these clothes were barely wearable.
The boy casually dried his hair with a towel: “Just a little,” he said.
“Alright.” Wen Qingci served the dragon whisker noodles and walked out of the kitchen, gently placing them on the dining table.
He smiled: “I haven’t cooked for a long time, but it should be edible.”
The pendant light in Wen Qingci’s dining room was also quite old.
The originally beige lampshade had turned orange due to oxidation.
Yet this lighting unexpectedly made the somewhat empty room feel warmer, no longer so lonely.
The boy bit his lip, suddenly saying softly: “Thank you.”
His tone was a bit awkward, as if he wasn’t used to saying these words.
“No need to thank me, it was nothing.”
Wen Qingci brought the spoon to his lips, and after a few seconds, drank the soup.
“Summer vacation has already started, right? Why are you still staying around here?” After simply asking for his name, he casually inquired.
Though this area was close to the school, the environment wasn’t as good as the new district.
According to Wen Qingci’s experience, during winter and summer vacations, the “permanent residents” of the complex would decrease by nearly two-thirds.
He saw the boy pause for a moment, then slowly shake his head and say: “My family doesn’t live here.”
“Huh?”
Could it be that he had guessed wrong?
Wen Qingci asked: “Then why are you here…”
“This is my grandmother’s home,” as the words fell, the boy slowly picked up his chopsticks, “She used to live here.”
Sixth floor, grandmother…
Unlike the impersonal new district, the old urban area was particularly full of human warmth.
Wen Qingci remembered that when he was very, very young, in summer evenings, the elderly from upstairs would often sit under the flower trellises in the small garden, chatting.
And it was during those times that he got to know all the residents of this building.
The boy’s words activated Wen Qingci’s memories.
“Is your grandmother’s surname Yu?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Yes, you knew her?” Xie Bufeng looked at Wen Qingci.
“Of course,” the person sitting opposite him smiled and said, “I remember her, she was very kind and kept a small dog.”
In Wen Qingci’s impression, that elderly Mrs. Yu was probably the oldest resident in this apartment building.
When he was very, very young, she already had a head full of silver hair.
Perhaps because they had shared memories, the two finally began to chat formally.
And Wen Qingci finally pieced together from Xie Bufeng’s words—he had indeed had a significant conflict with his family, which was why he had come to his grandmother’s former residence on this rainy night.
Though his family no longer lived here, the runaway boy didn’t have keys to this old house either.
Outside the window, the rain showed no signs of stopping.
As they spoke, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but look up toward the outside.
“The rain probably won’t stop tonight. You should stay here for now. We can figure out the rest tomorrow.”
“No need,” this time the boy refused, “I’ll leave once my clothes are dry.”
His tone was particularly firm.
Wen Qingci was amused by the boy’s stubbornness: “Then where will you stay tonight? Going straight home?”
“I’ll stay at a hotel. I have my phone.”
“Did you bring your ID card?” As he spoke, Wen Qingci’s gaze fell on the boy’s phone placed at the corner of the table, “And… if I’m not mistaken, your phone seems to have a bit of a problem.”
Problem?
The boy was stunned for a moment, and also followed Wen Qingci’s gaze downward, while gently pressing the power button.
—The black phone lay silently at the corner of the table, without emitting any light at all.
It seemed to have been damaged by the rain.
Xie Bufeng: “…”
Though the boy’s expression remained unchanged, Wen Qingci somehow read “embarrassment” in it.
“Just stay here for now. Your clothes won’t dry tonight anyway,” he patted the boy’s shoulder, turned to look in the direction of the bedroom, and said, “There’s no one else in my home, so feel free to stay.”
From their earlier conversation, it was clear that Xie Bufeng’s conflict with his family was definitely significant. When mentioning his father, the boy’s eyes even revealed a look beyond disgust, almost revulsion.
…This kind of relationship seemed beyond what could be simply described as “having a conflict.”
So Wen Qingci didn’t urge Xie Bufeng to go home soon, but instead told the boy: “Go back whenever you feel like it.”
Xie Bufeng finally looked up and seriously observed his surroundings.
Wen Qingci’s home had the same layout as his grandmother’s, with four bedrooms.
But at present, only one bedroom had its lights on.
Xie Bufeng belatedly realized that in Wen Qingci’s home, there seemed to be only him.
Just before he returned his gaze to the dining area,
The boy also noticed: on the coffee table in Wen Qingci’s living room, there was a plastic bag with the name of a nearby hospital printed on it, with his name written in thick marker.
…Was he sick?
“I stayed in the hospital for a few days recently.”
When Wen Qingci’s voice came from beside his ear, Xie Bufeng only then realized that he had actually spoken his thoughts aloud.
The boy, who had never actively cared about others before, suddenly felt a bit lost.
But in the next moment, he looked into Wen Qingci’s eyes and said: “I’ll take care of you.”
…So, he was planning to work in exchange for lodging?
Wen Qingci blinked gently, not refusing the proposal from this boy who clearly had strong self-esteem.
…
Wen Qingci, just recovering from a serious illness, had little strength throughout his body.
He could only direct Xie Bufeng to take down quilts from the wardrobe and lay them on the bed.
…It had to be said that the boy’s movements were quite unfamiliar.
Wen Qingci had reason to suspect that Xie Bufeng had never done any housework in his life.
But seeing how seriously the other pretended to be proficient, he ultimately chose not to expose him.
The heavy rain continued all night.
The old-style residential building had poor soundproofing, and the sound of rain outside became the best white noise.
Before entering dreamland, the boy vaguely smelled a faint fragrance.
Faint, yet possessing the power to calm one’s heart.
The next morning, Wen Qingci was awakened by a strange smell.
He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up in bed.
Seeing the bright light on the balcony, Wen Qingci realized that he had slept for quite a long time.
He rubbed his eyes, opened his phone beside him, and slowly sat up: “…It’s ten o’clock.”
Wen Qingci’s biological clock was usually very accurate, and he rarely woke up this late.
Before he could fully wake up, a sudden “sizzle” came from the direction of the kitchen.
Wen Qingci paused, finally remembering that he had a guest in his home.
…Wait, what was Xie Bufeng doing?!
Realizing that something might be wrong, Wen Qingci immediately got out of bed and quickly walked toward the kitchen in his slippers.
Before getting close, he saw the boy standing in the middle of the kitchen, fiddling with something.
“What’s wrong?” Wen Qingci instinctively looked toward the boy, “Are you alright?”
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the bottom of the pot was emitting sizzling hot steam, looking quite terrifying.
“It’s fine,” the boy’s gaze was somewhat evasive, “Go wash up, I’ll be done soon.”
After a night, Xie Bufeng’s hair had finally dried completely.
His slightly curled hair reached below his shoulders, looking quite distinctive.
“What was that just now…” Wen Qingci asked with some hesitation.
Though somewhat reluctant, since Wen Qingci was the owner of the room, seeing him ask, Xie Bufeng paused, then had to confess honestly: “I heated the pot, wanting to boil water.”
So that’s what happened.
Heating an empty pot and then adding cold water would indeed cause a reaction.
The boy truly was as Wen Qingci had thought—completely unfamiliar with housework.
…But seeing his slightly remorseful expression, there was probably no need to remind him further.
Even as he went to the bathroom to wash up, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but think to himself: I have to say, Xie Bufeng is quite creative. This is the first time I’ve seen someone heat up a pot before adding cold water.
Thinking of this, the person washing up couldn’t help but laugh softly.
Though the boy had no cooking experience and had burned the eggs a bit,
Fortunately, Wen Qingci didn’t have very high standards when it came to food.
After breakfast, Xie Bufeng, who usually had no expression and looked cool, actually quietly breathed a long sigh of relief behind Wen Qingci’s back.
*
Modern people can’t live without phones, so after breakfast, Wen Qingci took Xie Bufeng out to repair his water-damaged phone.
Along the way, though the boy didn’t say much, he stayed close by Wen Qingci’s side the entire time.
“…This phone really can’t be fixed?” After being rejected by two shops in a row, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but question reality.
The shop owner smiled, looking quite troubled as he said: “It really can’t be fixed, this phone has been completely water-damaged. Why don’t you try asking elsewhere? Or check at a brand store.”
“Alright…”
As a college student, Wen Qingci did know a bit about electronic products.
He recognized the model of Xie Bufeng’s phone—it was a new release from a certain brand earlier this month, only available at a premium.
It was a real shame for it to be ruined by water after just a few days of use.
So after hesitating for just a few seconds, he decided: as the repair shop owner suggested, to go to a nearby brand store to take a look.
“Let’s go,” Wen Qingci patted the boy’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go to the brand store.”
“No need to bother,” Xie Bufeng shook his head and said, “I don’t have anyone I need to contact.”
He didn’t seem to care about his phone at all, completely unlike Wen Qingci.
“How can that be!” Wen Qingci looked up slightly at the boy, “Won’t you be anxious with your phone broken?”
Xie Bufeng had probably been without his phone for almost half a day, which in Wen Qingci’s view, was truly an incredible thing.
After speaking, he gently tugged the boy’s wrist and led him out of the repair shop.
Wen Qingci, who was looking down at his phone to navigate to the brand store, didn’t notice that Xie Bufeng’s gaze slowly fell on his wrist.
His earlobes also turned slightly red at this moment.
—In fact, he was also somewhat uncomfortable without a phone, but somehow, thinking that fixing his phone might mean leaving Wen Qingci, Xie Bufeng instinctively felt some resistance.
…Could it be because he hated that home so much?
At this moment, the boy didn’t understand where this emotion came from.
“Found it,” Wen Qingci looked at his phone, finally slowly releasing Xie Bufeng’s wrist, “Let’s walk there, it’ll take just over ten minutes.”
“Alright.”
On both sides of the sidewalk in the old district, tall French plane trees that were decades old had been planted.
The branches of the tall plane trees shattered the sunlight.
Turning it into scattered spots of light, falling on Wen Qingci’s cheeks.
He didn’t talk much, nor was he overly enthusiastic.
He just walked toward the brand store, casually chatting with Xie Bufeng about interesting things that had happened here in the past.
…No one had ever told the boy these things before.
It was all somewhat unfamiliar to Xie Bufeng.
But he, who usually “hated listening to nonsense,” surprisingly enjoyed it.
“Wait—”
Just as they reached their destination, Xie Bufeng suddenly stood still, tightly gripping Wen Qingci’s wrist.
“What’s wrong?” Influenced by the boy’s tension, Wen Qingci also suddenly became nervous.
He instinctively looked toward the other side of the street.
—At the intersection not far away, several completely black sedans were parked, with a few burly men standing beside them.
At this moment, they were looking around in all directions.
Xie Bufeng pulled Wen Qingci, retreating inch by inch toward a small side road.
Though not understanding what was happening, Wen Qingci still lowered his voice: “Do you know them?”
“They’re my… dad’s people. I got out of the car here last night, they’re probably trying to find me and take me back.”
Xie Bufeng said the word “dad” with particular reluctance.
Holy crap?
Wen Qingci looked at Xie Bufeng, then at the black cars not far away.
Though he had already realized the boy came from a well-off background, he certainly hadn’t expected it to be “well-off” to this extent.
Most importantly, those men in black looked like they weren’t to be messed with.
…Who knew if Xie Bufeng would be punished after being taken home by them.
Thinking of this, his movements also became lighter, and he even unconsciously held his breath.
Throughout all of this, Wen Qingci never pulled away from the hand that Xie Bufeng was gripping.
“Scan the code.” Xie Bufeng’s voice came from beside Wen Qingci’s ear.
Extremely tense, he paused for a moment before realizing that Xie Bufeng was reminding him to scan the shared bicycle nearby.
“Alright.” Wen Qingci immediately took out his phone.
The next second, with a clear “beep,” the electronic lock on the bike automatically popped open.
But before Wen Qingci could breathe a sigh of relief, from the corner of his eye, he saw the men at the intersection looking in their direction.
This is bad.
There was only one bike parked nearby.
“You ride the bike and go first,” Wen Qingci quickly handed the shared bicycle to Xie Bufeng, “Take a detour before coming back. By the way, do you remember where my home is? Third floor, east unit. I’ll wait for you at the door later.”
In his urgency, Wen Qingci’s speech also became particularly fast.
Before Xie Bufeng could take the shared bicycle, Wen Qingci seemed to remember something and tapped his forehead forcefully, saying: “No, no, my home is right below your grandmother’s place. They might find this building. Why don’t you lay low and come back in the evening?”
“No need,” as he spoke, Xie Bufeng had already taken the bicycle and steadily straddled it, “I’ll take you with me.”
—This was a Songxiu City municipal bicycle, with a rear seat that could carry another person.
This…
Though Wen Qingci was slim, he was still about 1.8 meters tall.
Songxiu City was located in a hilly region, and the roads in the old district weren’t very flat.
Could Xie Bufeng really manage with him?
As if seeing the concern in his mind, Xie Bufeng supported the bicycle with one foot and looked up at Wen Qingci: “Don’t worry, get on.”
Seeing that the group of men in black had already gotten into their cars and were heading this way,
Wen Qingci, somewhat worried about becoming a target of their “anger,” finally steeled himself and sat on the back of the bicycle.
The next second, the somewhat clumsy shared bicycle shot off like an orange-yellow lightning bolt toward the other end of the small road.
Wen Qingci: !!!
To maintain balance, he had to gently wrap his arms around the boy’s waist from behind.
Perhaps it was an illusion.
At the moment he embraced Xie Bufeng’s waist, Wen Qingci felt that the boy’s body trembled slightly because of his action.
“Beep beep beep—” The sound of car horns came from behind.
Wen Qingci looked back and instinctively held Xie Bufeng tighter: “They’re less than a hundred meters away from us, but don’t worry, the road conditions here aren’t good, so it’s not convenient to drive.”
The old district was just like this, not only were the roads somewhat uneven,
But in earlier years, there were no separate lanes for non-motorized vehicles, so bicycles or electric bikes would often travel on the main road.
Driving here required extra caution, and it was difficult to pick up speed.
“Alright.”
The boy’s voice came over deeply.
His hands rested lightly on the handlebars; though it was an uphill road, Xie Bufeng not only didn’t slow down but actually rode a bit faster.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration in his heart.
As a Songxiu City resident, he had of course ridden municipal bicycles before.
These bikes were of good quality, definitely sturdy, but they were also quite difficult to ride.
Like a clumsy iron lump.
But now, it became as agile as a racing bike.
Under the tall plane trees, the boy in black clothes rode the bicycle, swiftly weaving through the small roads.
The person sitting behind him held tightly to the boy’s waist, occasionally looking back to observe and tell him the current situation.
Probably also realizing that the roads in the old district weren’t easy to navigate,
The few cars that had been closely following them suddenly turned around and went in another direction.
Familiar with the area, Wen Qingci promptly warned: “They seem to be taking a detour to cut us off ahead.”
The mood that had just relaxed a bit became tense again.
The boy sitting in front tightened his grip on the handlebars at this moment.
Wen Qingci was right; almost as soon as he finished speaking, a black sedan suddenly emerged from the intersection ahead, stopping directly in front of them.
“Hold on tight to me.”
The boy’s voice was carried to Wen Qingci’s ear by the wind.
The person on the back seat accordingly tightened his arms.
Their bodies pressed tightly together at this moment.
Wen Qingci had thought that Xie Bufeng’s cycling speed was already very fast.
But he hadn’t expected that the boy could accelerate even more!
This was a bit too abnormal…
The door of the black car ahead opened, and several men got out, looking in their direction.
They gritted their teeth, even rolling up their sleeves, looking as if they were about to fight.
They blocked the entire lane.
Seeing this, the cars behind impatiently honked their horns.
Accompanied by the noisy horn sounds, Xie Bufeng tightly pursed his lips and rode straight toward one of the men on the ground.
“Are you crazy!”
“What is he doing—”
Seeing his reckless behavior, the faces of the men in black ahead turned somewhat ugly.
The horn sounds mixed with the screams of passersby around, making even Wen Qingci, as a “passenger,” increasingly tense.
Just as he was worried about what might happen if Xie Bufeng was really caught and taken home by these people,
A second before the shared bicycle would have hit the man in black, Xie Bufeng suddenly adjusted the handlebars, brushing past the man’s body and riding through the gap.
The man instinctively reached back to grab them, and Wen Qingci at this moment moved forward again, pressing his body tightly against Xie Bufeng’s back.
At this moment, both of them felt each other’s heartbeats with absolute clarity.
“Damn it!”
A burst of angry curses came from behind them.
The men in black, having realized what happened, turned and ran after them.
But they couldn’t keep up with Xie Bufeng’s speed.
“Hahahaha.”
Sitting behind, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The wind under the plane trees was cool and gentle.
Sitting in front, Xie Bufeng also narrowed his eyes and laughed along with him.
“That was amazing!” Though not much older, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but exclaim half-jokingly, “Is this what young people are like? How do you have so much energy?”
Xie Bufeng seemed to have inexhaustible strength.
Sitting behind him, pressed against his body, Wen Qingci could even feel that despite having ridden for quite a while, the boy wasn’t even breathing hard.
The golden lightning swiftly weaved through the small paths, with the black sedans falling further and further behind.
Seeing that they had left them far behind, Wen Qingci finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped giving directions to Xie Bufeng.
The boy navigated through the small streets of the old district by instinct.
Under the plane trees, scattered gold covered the ground.
Bright and shining.
Though they had already escaped their pursuers, Xie Bufeng hadn’t slowed down at all.
The cool breeze swept past, lifting the short strands of hair.
Wen Qingci had never been physically strong since childhood, often skipping physical education classes.
This seemed to be the first time he had done something so thrilling.
But he discovered… not only did he not dislike it, he even vaguely enjoyed this experience.
The cars on the road became fewer, and the noisy sounds in his ears also stopped.
At some point, Xie Bufeng had ridden the bicycle up a small hill.
This was a narrow one-way road, with ivy-covered walls of residential complexes on both sides.
There was only this one bicycle on the road, racing as if in flight.
At the highest point of the hill, Xie Bufeng finally stopped pedaling, letting the bicycle coast downhill with momentum.
Even Wen Qingci had never been here before.
He saw—on the other side of the old district, the silvery Yin River Grand Canal wrapped around the entire city like a long ribbon.
Before he could see clearly, the surrounding scenery rushed past behind them.
The bicycle sped downhill.
In a daze, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but have the illusion—that he and Xie Bufeng seemed about to rush out of this small path, out of Songxiu, and into that long river in the distance.
Then be enveloped by the soft waves.
He finally couldn’t help but close his eyes.
The cool breeze and the fresh scent of surrounding vegetation became particularly clear in this moment.
Along with them, what also became clear was… the shape of the boy’s abdominal muscles under his hand.
Wen Qingci: …
The distance between himself and Xie Bufeng seemed a bit too close.
The bicycle gradually came to a stop at the end of the long slope.
“It’s so hot,” Wen Qingci somewhat unnaturally jumped off the back seat, pretending to be afraid of the heat to hide the slight redness of his cheeks, “What would you like to drink?”
Without waiting for the boy to answer, he quickly walked into the convenience store not far away.
One shouldn’t drink anything too cold after exercise; Wen Qingci came out with two cans of room-temperature cola.
By this time, his complexion had finally returned to normal.
“Here.” Wen Qingci handed the drink to Xie Bufeng and sat beside him on the low flower bed.
A cool breeze blew by, bringing with it the scent of unknown flowers.
With a soft “pop,” the cola was opened.
Wen Qingci paused, then suddenly slowly raised his hand with the cola.
The boy beside him looked at him with some confusion.
Wen Qingci’s originally pale skin had taken on a slight redness.
His long eyelashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings.
There was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Sunlight penetrated through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, shining on that drop of sweat, emitting a fine light like crushed diamonds.
…Though he hadn’t been particularly nervous when being chased on the bike earlier,
At this moment, the boy’s heart was beating heavily at an abnormal rhythm.
He even held his breath, fearing to disturb the butterfly before him.
Seeing Xie Bufeng motionless,
Wen Qingci smiled and gently clinked his cola against Xie Bufeng’s.
“Cheers,” he said.
The boy paused, then slowly tilted his hand.
The metal cans, in the brilliant noon sunlight of Songxiu City, secretly shared a kiss.
##
