DCISBS chapter 65

Lu Nanyang was so surprised he nearly forgot to slow down at the pedestrian crossing. He quickly hit the brakes and looked at Xie Quan. “Is that a metaphor or a literal observation?”

Xie Quan clicked his tongue. “Do I look like some lovestruck teenage girl who uses cheesy metaphors? Did you eat candy just now?”

“Nope. I only drank water. There shouldn’t be any particular taste.” Lu Nanyang even moved his tongue around to double-check.

“Really? But…” Xie Quan pressed his lips together—the faint sweetness still lingered strongly on his tongue. It reminded him of a kind of candy he’d eaten as a child, which melted with a light fruity fragrance.

“You really tasted something?” Lu Nanyang kept glancing back at him. “But my mouth doesn’t feel sweet… Still, I guess it’s a good thing you tasted something, right?”

His face flickered between worry and joy, making Xie Quan chuckle. He pressed Lu Nanyang’s arm. “Eyes on the road.”

Lu Nanyang finally snapped back to his senses and quickly turned his eyes back to the road ahead.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing. Recovery from psychogenic taste loss often starts with taste distortion,” Xie Quan said, leaning back in his seat with a relaxed smile.

“Really? You’re not just making something up to fool me, are you?” Lu Nanyang glanced at him. “Should we make time to go to the hospital and get checked out? What if there’s some unusual pathology…”

Xie Quan pressed on his head and pushed him back. “I’m the one studying medicine. Don’t question my judgment. Drive. Eyes. On. The. Road.”

Lu Nanyang chuckled softly, then couldn’t stop—the movement of his chest betrayed his continued laughter.

“Idiot,” Xie Quan commented.

“I’m just really happy,” Lu Nanyang said with a grin, resting his head back on the seat. “Not being able to taste anything was miserable. I couldn’t even imagine how bad it was. Now that there’s finally a sign you’re recovering… that’s really great.”

Xie Quan didn’t reply.

Thinking about all the effort Lu Nanyang had put in just to help him eat properly lately—all those search histories on his phone—something deep inside Xie Quan, cold and solid, unexpectedly began to melt.

It felt like that morning sun he had captured in a photo—warm, soft, and not overbearing.

Just then, Lu Nanyang suddenly pressed the accelerator without warning, speeding up. Their car quickly passed the vehicles in the adjacent lane, rapidly approaching the speed limit, yet he showed no sign of slowing down.

Lu Nanyang shot straight through a green light at an intersection. Xie Quan looked back in surprise. “You missed the turn. We were supposed to turn at the last intersection.”

“I didn’t miss it. We’re going this way,” Lu Nanyang said, not only refusing to slow down but pressing the gas even harder. The speed quickly soared to a concerning number.

Xie Quan instinctively gripped his seatbelt tighter and shouted, “Lu Nanyang, are you insane?! Turn around!”

But Lu Nanyang ignored him completely, even accelerating again.

What the hell was wrong with his brain today?!

Just as Xie Quan was about to grab the steering wheel, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up. The buildings on either side disappeared, replaced by open farmland and wastelands. The deep blue sky was split in two by the road. Clouds floated steadily above, moving along with their car.

Xie Quan’s mind went blank. For a moment, he forgot what he was just about to do.

He had never been on this road before. The scenery was both beautiful and unfamiliar. On the flat asphalt road, theirs was the only car. Even at this high speed, they felt like a tiny bug crawling across a vast land.

“See that lighthouse ahead?” Lu Nanyang asked. “The white one on the right!”

“What?” Xie Quan was still processing.

Lu Nanyang pointed, and Xie Quan followed his hand. Sure enough, a stone lighthouse stood faintly visible in the distance.

He knew that lighthouse. It was built on a seaside cliff and served as a beacon for ships at sea.

It was a landmark of Yuncheng City. Almost every corner of the city offered a view of it. Tourists always made a point to visit, but Xie Quan had never been there.

The closest he had ever gotten was a spring field trip in high school. The class was supposed to picnic by the lighthouse, but halfway there, it suddenly rained heavily. They had to cancel the plan, and the bus took them back to school to resume study hall.

Amid all the groaning complaints from his classmates, Xie Quan had glanced at the lighthouse once and left. He felt nothing—no expectations, no regrets. All he had thought at the time was, “I hope my clothes don’t get soaked. It’s a hassle to wash them.”

Lu Nanyang turned his head and smiled at him. “Didn’t you say you’ve never been to the seaside? No better day than today. Let’s go see the ocean!”

“Are you crazy?” Xie Quan said, stunned. “All my luggage is still in the trunk!”

“It’s not like we left it in the middle of nowhere. It’ll be fine there!”

And with that, Lu Nanyang stepped on the accelerator again. The car was now moving as fast as it would on a highway.

Even though there were barely any cars on this road, Xie Quan’s heart jumped into his throat. And to his complete surprise, Lu Nanyang rolled down both windows.

The fierce wind immediately rushed in from both sides, tossing their hair into chaos in seconds.

“You—” Xie Quan tried to speak, but his voice was instantly swallowed by the wind.

Then, Lu Nanyang took a deep breath and, with full volume, yelled into the roaring wind: “Let’s go see—the o—ceaaaaaan!”

His voice was scattered by the wind, and only the word “ocean” faintly lingered in Xie Quan’s ears.

Xie Quan looked at him in astonishment. Lu Nanyang quickly turned back with a bright smile and shouted, “Try it! It’s a great stress reliever!”

Xie Quan’s eyes flickered uncertainly. Just when Lu Nanyang thought he would respond with “immature,” “lame,” or “crazy,” Xie Quan suddenly turned his head and yelled into the wind, “Medical research thesis—go to hell—!”

Lu Nanyang immediately burst into laughter so hard he nearly choked on his own saliva. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his laughter trailed far behind them on the wind. When he finally managed to calm down, he rolled the windows back up and steadied his breath.

The small space inside the car suddenly became quiet again, the wind noise sealed out. They could clearly hear each other’s breathing.

Lu Nanyang slowed down a little and turned to look at Xie Quan. The latter was still catching his breath, a dazed expression on his face as if thinking: I actually went along with that craziness?

“Xie Quan,” Lu Nanyang called.

Xie Quan turned to him, his light gray eyes slightly misty from the wind.

“You said no one ever took you to the sea when you were little. Then you got too busy with school. And later, you figured it didn’t matter anymore,” Lu Nanyang said softly. “But now? Going to the seaside with your boyfriend—doesn’t that count as meaningful?”

It took Xie Quan a few seconds to remember that these were the words he had once said on the rooftop on that rainy day.

So much time had passed that even he had nearly forgotten it ever happened—but Lu Nanyang had kept it in his heart all along.

The setting sun slanted across Lu Nanyang’s side profile, dyeing the fringe of his hair and the collar of his sweatshirt a vivid red. His index finger tapped idly on the steering wheel, and the gaze he cast toward Xie Quan carried a lazy, teasing smile.

Xie Quan deliberately avoided his eyes, propping his elbow against the window and lightly biting his fingernail. “Meaning is something people assign.”

The sea, the lighthouse, the sky, the farmland—none of it had meant anything to him before.

But with Lu Nanyang, everything could become meaningful.

However, things didn’t go as planned. This spontaneous and thrilling trip was abruptly cut short when they were stopped halfway by construction workers.

“What’s going on?” Lu Nanyang rolled down the window.

“You can’t pass here,” the worker said impatiently, waving them off. “Can’t you see it’s under construction?”

“Is there another way to get to the beach?” Lu Nanyang pressed.

“Nope. The seawall’s being renovated. You didn’t know about such a big project?” the worker replied. “Come back next week. You can’t get through now.”

“But…” Lu Nanyang looked toward the lighthouse just within reach, a face full of frustration.

The worker, however, had lost interest in talking and simply waved them off before walking away.

Now they understood why they hadn’t seen a single other car on this road.

Lu Nanyang angrily slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

The sky had darkened, and the last sliver of sunlight had disappeared below the horizon. Streetlights flickered on one by one, casting a lonely glow on their solitary car, making the scene feel all the more desolate.

“It’s already this dark. Even if we made it to the beach, we wouldn’t be able to see anything,” Xie Quan said. “Let’s go.”

Lu Nanyang’s lips pressed into a tight line. He gripped the steering wheel reluctantly, hesitating for a while before speaking in a low voice, “Your project finally ended, and today is Qixi…”

Xie Quan stared at him for a moment. Although Lu Nanyang still looked upset, he sighed and reached out to release the handbrake.

At that moment, Xie Quan placed his hand over Lu Nanyang’s, palm fitting just right on the back of his hand.

Lu Nanyang paused and turned to look at him. “Hm?”

“Let’s leave the car here. We’ll get out,” Xie Quan said, opening the door and stepping out first.

“Huh?” Lu Nanyang was puzzled, but still followed him out and locked the car.

When he looked up again, he saw Xie Quan already walking straight toward a nearby patch of tall grass.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Lu Nanyang shouted, but Xie Quan didn’t respond. He simply turned around and waited for him.

With no other choice, Lu Nanyang followed behind.

There were no streetlights around, but luckily the moon was bright. Under its silvery glow, they walked one behind the other through grass that nearly reached their shoulders.

The grass brushed against Lu Nanyang’s neck, making it itch a little. The ground beneath was uneven, and just as he was about to stumble, Xie Quan reacted quickly and grabbed his hand, holding it as they continued forward.

Just when he thought this patch of wilderness would never end, the tall grass suddenly parted on both sides, and the view opened up to reveal a small, serene lake. The water was crystal clear and smooth like a mirror, reflecting the moon and stars in the night sky. A gentle breeze rustled through the reeds along the shore, making a soft rustling sound.

Lu Nanyang was so taken aback by the view that he was momentarily speechless.

“It’s okay if we can’t see the sea,” Xie Quan said softly. “As long as I’m with you, even a lake is beautiful.”