The weather was unpredictable, and recovery from illness was slow. By the time Ye Wenyu finally got over his lingering coughs and sneezes, it was already exam time.
By coincidence, the exam location he managed to get this time was in the neighboring city, the same place where Yan Chen had gone for his training tryout a while ago.
It was the closest exam site to them, and for once, the campus network didn’t lag behind. Most of their class had successfully gotten spots, including Chi Dongting.
Compared to Ye Wenyu, who was wholeheartedly focused on studying, future landlord classmate Chi was so relaxed. Rather than calling it an exam trip, it was more like he found a legitimate excuse to go out and have fun.
Since the exam was only for one day, they would only be staying out one night. There wasn’t much to bring, so packing naturally got pushed to the night before departure.
That evening, Ye Wenyu was still staring at the extra space in his suitcase, debating whether or not to bring some review materials to go over on the road. Meanwhile, Chi Dongting was already bombing the group chat:
[I heard the liangfen and rice cakes over there are absolutely amazing!]
[And the roujiamo is super famous too, juicy and bursting with flavor! With so much meat!]
[The hotpot’s great too, I checked, there are several high-rated spots near our exam site. Let’s pick one and try it out, wuhu~]
[Oh, and! We’re lucky…there’s a lantern festival happening over there during this time!]
…
‘A lantern festival?’
Ye Wenyu had never been to one before, but he guessed it must be very lively. A local festival like that probably had all kinds of interesting souvenirs for sale.
Thinking of this, he stopped hesitating and tossed the stack of study materials aside, closing the suitcase that looked a little empty due to how little he had packed.
Just as well, it left more room to buy a gift for Yan Chen.
They had to meet at the school gate by 7 a.m., so Ye Wenyu got up early. Surprisingly, Yan Chen also got up with him.
Ye Wenyu thought he had other things to do, but after getting ready, Yan Chen took the initiative to pick up his suitcase and opened the door: “Let’s go, I’ll walk you there.”
The walk from the dorm to the school gate took less than ten minutes. He didn’t have time to sit down for breakfast, so Yan Chen stopped by the cafeteria as they passed by and came out with hot food for him, handing it over so he could eat slowly on the bus.
While waiting, Ye Wenyu asked Yan Chen, “It’s the weekend, do you still have training today?”
Hands in his pockets, Yan Chen looked relaxed, his tone lazy: “Those who got selected have training. Those who didn’t, get the day off.”
Ye Wenyu knew Yan Chen had already been selected. So that meant some people wouldn’t be getting weekends off for quite a while.
At 7 a.m., everyone gradually gathered at the school gate.
After getting on the bus, Ye Wenyu sat by the window and looked out. Yan Chen was still standing in the same spot, not leaving.
It was still early, and there weren’t many people around. Even the air seemed especially clear.
Chi Dongting was sitting right next to Ye Wenyu. Looking at the two people staring at each other through the window, he was filled with confusion.
It wasn’t until the bus pulled away and the person outside could no longer be seen that he finally couldn’t hold it in: “Wenyu, did you tell Yan Chen it’s just one exam and we’re coming back tomorrow?”
Ye Wenyu: “I did. What’s wrong?”
Chi Dongting let out a hiss: “Then why did he act like you two are saying goodbye for two or three years? He even specially came to see you off. Wenyu, it’s just an exam. It’s not like you’re going on some dangerous top-secret mission. Why so reluctant to part?”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
If it had been before, he might’ve agreed with him. But after what happened when Yan Chen went away for tryouts, his thoughts had completely changed.
When you miss someone, time drags on longer than you ever imagined. One day…one day was already very long.
At 10 a.m., the bus arrived at their destination right on time. The exam was scheduled for 2 p.m., so they had some free time beforehand.
The hotel had been booked in advance, all double rooms. Naturally, Ye Wenyu shared a room with Chi Dongting.
Chi Dongting couldn’t sit still for even a moment. He didn’t bother unpacking, just dropped his luggage by the bed, grabbed his phone, and went downstairs to explore the area.
Ye Wenyu stayed in the room alone to organize his things.
The last message with his pinned contact stopped at 8 a.m. It looked like once training began, Yan Chen hadn’t had time to check his phone.
With no new messages, the phone temporarily lost its purpose. Ye Wenyu set it on the nightstand and planned to take a nap while he had the chance.
He’d woken up too early and then sat on the bus for over two hours. Now he was feeling sleepy again.
The hotel bed was so soft it practically swallowed him whole, making him drowsy in an instant.
Half-asleep, Ye Wenyu vaguely saw someone sitting across from him. He opened his eyes groggily and realized it was Yan Chen in the chair, playing a game.
The window behind him was wide open, revealing a clear blue sky and bright sunshine outside.
“What are you playing?” Ye Wenyu wrapped himself in the blanket comfortably and turned to lie on his side, facing Yan Chen.
“A little game to kill time.” Yan Chen looked up at him, lips curved in a smile. “Did you get enough sleep?”
Ye Wenyu mumbled sleepily, “Not yet, I’m still a bit tired.”
“Then sleep a bit more.” Yan Chen freed up a hand to pull the blanket up for him, then touched his face. “I’ll wake you when it’s time.”
Ye Wenyu nuzzled into his palm. “Are you going to stay here and wait for me the whole time?”
“Yeah,” Yan Chen replied gently. “I’ll wait for you to finish the exam, then we’ll go back together.”
Ye Wenyu: “It won’t mess up your training?”
Yan Chen: “No.”
“Then wait for me,” Ye Wenyu said, eyes falling shut. “Next time you go off-campus for training, I’ll go with you too…”
Yan Chen: “Okay. Sleep.”
With Yan Chen’s soft coaxing, Ye Wenyu drifted off again. But not long after, a sharp knock at the door woke him up.
When he opened his eyes again, the chair by the window was empty, and the sky outside was no longer bright and clear…it was hazy, like it was going to rain.
That changed fast…
Where did Yan Chen go?
The knocking continued. Ye Wenyu rubbed his eyes, lifted the blanket, got out of bed, still groggy as he slipped into his slippers and shuffled over to open the door.
“Hello, Wenyu!” Chi Dongting greeted energetically. “Guess what I just found outside! They actually have our Xuan City-style ice cream pancakes here!”
Ye Wenyu froze for a second, his response a beat too slow: “Why is it you?”
This sentence confused Chi Dongting too. “Huh? Why wouldn’t it be me?”
The two people stood at the door, wide-eyed and staring at each other, completely on different wavelengths. Before long, a boy from the room next door came out and called to them, “Xiao Chi, Wenyu, aren’t you going to eat? If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the exam.”
Only then did Chi Dongting remember the important matter at hand and slapped his forehead. “Oh right! Wenyu, we have to hurry and eat lunch. The exam’s about to start.”
Ye Wenyu looked blankly at Chi Dongting, then at the classmates walking off next door, and finally turned back to glance at the empty room behind him…
He really was muddle-headed from sleep. Even a dream had felt so real.
How could Yan Chen possibly be here?
“Wait for me a second.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, ignored the faint sense of disappointment that came with waking up, and turned back into the room to get his phone.
Chi Dongting made a long “ohhh” sound, then followed him in curiously. “Wenyu, why did you ask why it was me just now?”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Ye Wenyu: “I was groggy from sleep.”
Chi Dongting: “Did you have a dream?”
Ye Wenyu: “Yeah.”
Chi Dongting: “Dreamed about who?”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Chi Dongting: “You looked so disappointed to see me.”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Ye Wenyu: “Let’s go eat. What was it you said you wanted?”
“Ice cream pancake!” Chi Dongting’s eyes lit up instantly. “I was just about to tell you, wow it smells amazing. It tastes exactly like the one from that stand outside the south gate of our school…”
Ye Wenyu secretly let out a breath of relief.
The exam started at 2 p.m. and ended at 5 p.m. Students from all over the country, like migrating ants, filed from the entrance to various buildings and classrooms, then surged back out in crowds once the exam was over.
The days were short in the second half of the year. By the time they finished dinner, it was already dark. As planned, the group headed to the downtown area to see the lantern festival.
But other out-of-town students clearly had the same idea, making the route unusually congested. The ancient town’s narrow cobblestone streets made it worse, and what should have been a ten-minute walk ended up taking nearly half an hour.
The lantern festival was even livelier, packed wall to wall with people. Stepping through the gate felt like entering a dazzling alternate world, with lights and lanterns everywhere the eye could see, overwhelming in their brilliance.
With such a spectacle before them, even two eyes didn’t seem enough and everyone looked excited.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful! I saw this on the news before but didn’t expect it to be so stunning in person.”
“That rabbit lantern is huge…and it blinks!”
“Look, they have a cable car over the festival grounds! We can ride it to get a bird’s-eye view.”
“Ah! There’s a whole gaming area! Let’s go, let’s check it out.”
…
Only Ye Wenyu didn’t feel excited about anything.
This lantern festival wasn’t what he had imagined. There were no stalls selling trinkets, no unique souvenirs…his plan to bring a gift back for Yan Chen had fallen through.
With that, the festival itself also lost its charm.
“Wenyu, what’s wrong?” Chi Dongting turned around to share his freshly bought pineapple candied hawthorn skewers, only to see Wenyu looking unenthusiastic. “You don’t like lantern festivals?”
Ye Wenyu shook his head. “No, I’m just a little tired.”
“Was the exam too draining?” Chi Dongting, whose performance wasn’t great, tried to guess without really understanding what a top student’s exam experience felt like. “Should we head back first?”
“It’s okay. I’ll go back on my own.” Ye Wenyu could tell that Chi Dongting hadn’t had enough fun yet and didn’t want to dampen the other party’s mood. “You go ahead and hang out with them.”
The sky had gone completely dark. The walk back was no longer crowded. There were still a few food stalls by the lantern festival gate, but they thinned out quickly as he got farther away.
Cars sped past, their headlights flashing by in waves. Ye Wenyu walked at an unhurried pace. For a moment, his thoughts wandered back to that inexplicable dream from the morning, leaving his mind restless. Then, he began considering what he should bring back for Yan Chen tomorrow.
It wasn’t just about reciprocating a favor, he genuinely wanted to give something, so he had to choose carefully. He didn’t want to just grab something random to fill the gap.
But judging by how things were going, there was no way he’d end up like Yan Chen and bring back a whole bag of stuff. He’d just have to pick the best one, something that suited Yan Chen the most…
His thoughts suddenly cut off, and his steps froze.
Ye Wenyu stood still, staring in a daze at the familiar figure standing at the hotel entrance. For a moment, his mind went blank, and he didn’t know how to react.
The other person quickly noticed him too, turned, and walked over.
It was the same outfit from that morning when he’d seen him off: a black jacket, light-colored jeans. It was nothing special, but he wore it in a way that was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
The scene overlapped subtly with the dream, leaving Ye Wenyu dazed. When Yan Chen finally stopped in front of him, he even discreetly clenched his hand tight.
The sharp press of fingernails into his palm brought a very real sting. This wasn’t a dream.
Yan Chen really came.
The joy of a dream come true surged in, instantly clearing away the earlier gloom, and his mood became sunny in the blink of an eye.
“Why did you come over?” He looked up at Yan Chen, his tone light as he guessed at the reason. “Another trial training?”
Yan Chen reached out to press down a lock of hair the wind had lifted. “Nope.”
Ye Wenyu: “Then what brought you here all of a sudden?”
Yan Chen smiled. “Someone finally finished their exam, so I thought I’d come celebrate with him.”
Who that “someone” was, there was no need to say it out loud.
So there was no trial training, no other reason…Yan Chen had come all this way just for him.
The unexpected answer swelled into a colorful bubble in Ye Wenyu’s chest, floating higher and higher, refusing to land.
Words crowded in his throat. He opened his mouth, only to find he didn’t know how to express anything. All he could think was that tonight, the night sky was unbelievably beautiful, and even the breeze passing by carried a scent he liked.
Yan Chen withdrew his hand. “Why are you coming back alone?”
Ye Wenyu answered obediently, “I just went to see the lantern festival with my classmates.”
Yan Chen: “It was not fun?”
“It’s not that it wasn’t fun, just that…”
Ye Wenyu didn’t finish his sentence, because he suddenly thought of something. He looked serious as he asked, “Yan Chen, do you want to see the lantern festival?”
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