From that day on, Xia Zhixu never went to the fifth floor to look for Xu Qichen again.
He woke up from that beautiful dream and sat dazed in bed, sweating for a long, long time. He couldn’t believe it. He must have gone crazy, to have such fantasies about his friend.
This was the greatest disaster he had had in all of his sixteen years.
So now when they went home together, he tried to maintain a certain distance from Xu Qichen, just to prevent him from discovering his thoughts.
If Xu Qichen knew, he would be disgusted, right? He’s so pure and kind.
He thought so much about these things that he had nightmares at night. The content of the nightmares was all about being discovered by others and being despised by everyone. But he did not care about the opinions of others, only Xu Qichen.
If he knew, would he still be willing to be his friend?
Surely not.
“Hey, do you wanna play basketball during PE?”
Chen Fang and Xia Zhixu walked down the stairs, shoulder to shoulder. Xia Zhixu said, “Sure.”
“You’ve been so strange lately.” Chen Fang tilted his head and looked at his face. “What are you thinking about all day? You keep sighing even though vacation begins in a few days.”
Xia Zhixu shook his head. “Nothing much.”
The two of them walked to the court where Chen Fang saw a large group of girls, which made him remember, “Class 4 also has PE today.”
The words ‘Class 4’ were like a thorn, which immediately penetrated Xia Zhixu’s heart. He struggled for a long time, but couldn’t help but lift his eyes and search around for the familiar figure. Finally, he found him amongst the assembled students, squinting in the strong sunlight. Deadly cute.
Xia Zhixu quickly looked away.
… Really deadly.
He assembled with his own class and ran around the court for two laps. The teacher then said a few words before dismissing them. There were many boys in Class 13, and they automatically gathered around Xia Zhixu to discuss playing basketball. However, Xia Zhixu’s heart was not in it. It had already flown to another class, not too far away. He only smiled and said, “It’s okay, you decide.”
Xia Zhixu was in too poor a state to make any shots, and in his confusion, he even ran into the basketball stand and grazed his elbow.
He felt very irritable. If he continued playing, he would surely lose his temper. So Xia Zhixu stepped out and walked to an empty court with an extra basketball in his arms. “You guys play, I don’t feel good today. I’ll just practise shooting.”
He stood in front of the hoop alone and tossed the ball over and over again.
As if this way, he could toss the confusion in his heart away
“You haven’t been fooling around on the fifth floor lately, I really miss you~”
Just from hearing this voice, Xia Zhixu’s eyes were about to roll out from their sockets. Just as he was about to lay up, he was immediately blocked by Xia Xiqing, who had come over.
“Hey, you’re really in a terrible state. Even I can block you now.” Xia Xiqing laughed and threw the ball back into Xia Zhixu’s arms.
“What are you doing near our class?” Xia Zhixu bounced the ball without looking at him.
“Aiya~” Xia Xiqing stretched lazily, “Little Chenchen is being confessed to, so of course I had to leave for a while. Wouldn’t it be tasteless to hang around?”
Xia Zhixu paused with his hand mid-air and raised his head. Xia Xiqing took a big step aside, and two figures appeared in his line of sight.
Standing on the edge of the football field were Xu Qichen, and a petite girl in front of him.
“Our Chenchen is handsome and talented, of course, someone would like him,” Xia Xiqing blocked the sunlight with his hand and looked at them from afar. “Hey, they look pretty good together. A boy like him must surely go out with such a cute-looking girl.”
Despite knowing that Xia Xiqing’s only fear was a world that was not chaotic enough.
Despite knowing that he was showing him this scene on purpose.
Xia Zhixu still failed to control himself.
He tilted his head, grabbed the basketball with one hand, and lifted it up.
And threw it violently towards the two of them.
With a thud, the basketball plummeted to a position less than half a meter away from both pairs of feet and then bounced high. The girl was startled by the loud noise and sudden appearance of the basketball. She instinctively hid behind Xu Qichen.
“What the…” Xia Xiqing was stunned for a moment before laughing, “You’re even more terrifying than I imagined.” He reached out and patted his shoulder, “Control yourself, or it’ll be over for you.
“Not everyone is as carefree as I am, Xia Zhixu.”
Provocation done, Xia Xiqing swaggered away from the crime scene.
Xu Qichen’s gaze followed the direction of the basketball and saw Xia Zhixu. He stepped away from the girl behind him and whispered, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I was just surprised.”
Upon hearing footsteps, Xu Qichen looked up and saw Xia Zhixu running over with a bright smile on his face. His tone apologetic, “I’m sorry, I lost control of the ball. Are you okay?”
The girl saw that it was Xia Zhixu, and her expression was both surprised and happy. At the sudden concern from the cohort grass she stuttered, “It didn’t hit us, I was just startled…”
“That’s great. I was surprised, too. Luckily it didn’t hit anyone.” Xia Zhixu sighed in relief and finally looked at Xu Qichen. “And you?”
Xu Qichen stared into his eyes as if trying to decipher something. “I’m fine.”
Xia Zhixu smiled, picked up the basketball from the ground, and placed it under his arm. His tone bright, he said, “I’ll treat you to a drink as an apology, okay?”
No girl would refuse him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The girl was between them. Xu Qichen, who was completely dazed by the sun, didn’t speak a single word as they walked from the football field to the empty cafeteria. He just silently listened to them talk.
Ktf qfgrbc tf ilxfv, jcv atf qfgrbc ktb rjlv ilxfv tlw, kfgf mtjaalcu jclwjafvis.
Ktf atgff bo atfw rja lc atf mjofafglj. Wlj Itlze ybeuta atgff meqr bo wlix afj. Lf mbcrlvfgjafis rja cfza ab We Hlmtfc, ifaalcu We Hlmtfc jcv atf ulgi ojmf fjmt batfg.
Dea We Hlmtfc bcis ofia raloifv. Lf vlv cba kjca ab rla ojmf ab ojmf klat atf qfgrbc ktb mbcofrrfv ab tlw, ifa jibcf tjnf Wlj Itlze lc remt j rmfcf.
“What were you guys talking about?” Xia Zhixu asked with a smile.
The girl looked up at him in surprise and then hesitated to say a complete sentence.
Xia Zhixu guessed as if he did not already know, “Don’t tell me, was it a confession?” He put both arms on the table and leaned closer to look at her. “So Xu Qichen likes girls like you ah.”
“N-no,” The girl’s ears were red, “I was the one who…”
“Oh, I got it wrong,” he made a surprised expression.
To be honest, Xia Zhixu also did not know why he was being so mean.
But he refused to be the only one who was uncomfortable.
“I think you two suit each other.” Xia Zhixu hooked his arm with Xu Qichen’s. “Even though he doesn’t talk much, he’s really a good person.”
“I… I know…”
You know? What do you know?
Xia Zhixu looked down and laughed.
The malicious intent that surged up without any reason made him hate himself.
Xu Qichen felt flustered, perhaps because he was at a loss after being confessed to, perhaps because of the sudden basketball, or perhaps because of Xia Zhixu’s misunderstanding. In any case, he did not want to stay here.
“I’m not feeling very well. I’m going to the infirmary.” He then stood up and left without even drinking the milk tea.
The girl was obviously confused. But Xu Qichen had always hidden himself from others, so she doid not really understand him.
Xia Zhixu smiled and said, “Looks like I got in the way. I’m really sorry.” He picked up the basketball that was lying on the ground and held his milk tea cup in his other hand. “Take your time, I’ll go now.” He gave the girl a friendly smile and said, “All the best.”
Then he left.
Xu Qichen walked ahead, the dazzling sunlight almost melting him. At a distance of five or six meters, Xia Zhixu walked behind, holding his milk tea and slowly sipping it.
He thought Xu Qichen was just looking for an excuse to escape, but he was also a bit worried that he really felt ill, so he could not help but follow behind him.
Unexpectedly, he really headed to the infirmary.
There was no one in the infirmary. Xu Qichen walked to the diagnosis and treatment room with some daily disinfection tools and drugs on the table. He picked up a medicine bottle and looked at the label on it.
After hesitating for a long time, Xia Zhixu finally came in.
“Sit there,” Xu Qichen said without looking up.
Xia Zhixu did not think much either. He obediently sat on the white hospital bed next to him, with his long legs outstretched, his feet gripping the basketball, and his eyes fixed on Xu Qichen.
When there were only the two of them left, he hid his dark side again and turned into a sun, shining and warm towards him.
Xu Qichen walked towards the water dispenser, filled a glass of water, and then walked to Xia Zhixu’s side to sit down. He grabbed his arm, poured cold water on his elbow, and rinsed the wound for him. Then he pinched an alcohol cotton ball and gently rubbed the torn wound.
“Are you here to help me deal with the wound?” asked Xia Zhixu thoughtlessly, and immediately felt a bit regretful. He should not have been so hasty.
Xu Qichen didn’t speak, lowered his head and carefully disinfected the wound. Then, he put a cotton ball on it and wiped it with some iodine. He could hardly say that even as he was being confessed to, he was watching Xia Zhixu run into the basketball stand.
At his silence, Xia Zhixu could only awkwardly change the topic, “You’re as practised as a doctor.”
“When I was injured back then, I often cleaned my own wounds.”
He finally answered, but what he said made Xia Zhi Xu feel even more distressed. The person in front of him overlapped with the person who was covered in bruises when he first met.
Xu Qichen accepted him during the most difficult times and treated him as a friend.
But he had these unspeakable thoughts towards him.
“Why have you been avoiding me?”
“I didn’t…”
“You did.”
He always had such a determined tone. Xia Zhixu hesitated and said, “You also never came looking for me.”
Xu Qichen’s hand paused. He didn’t go to him, just because he had never taken the initiative before. If he did, the ever-distant him would surely expose himself.
“So, why didn’t you come to me?” Xu Qichen turned the topic back and looked up at Xia Zhixu. “Didn’t you say I was your friend?”
The word ‘friend’ seem to be his lifeline.
“Yeah…” The wound was so stimulated that it hurt a bit. Xia Zhixu lowered his head, avoided Xu Qichen’s gaze, and pulled his arm back from his hand. His voice was muffled, “It’s my fault. I’ve been in a bad state lately. It won’t happen again in the future.”
Be good to him as before. It’s fine to continue being friends. At least he can see him every day and feel better.
… Except that he would be deceiving him.
“Let’s go.” Xu Qichen stood up.
Following behind him, Xia Zhixu asked, “You didn’t like that girl, right?”
Xu Qichen shook his head.
Xia Zhixu ran up to him, hugging the basketball. He asked hesitantly, “Then what kind of girl do you like?”
“None.”
“Oh…”
Finally, it was vacation time. Chen Fang went abroad with his parents. Xia Zhixu originally thought he could have a quieter vacation, but unexpectedly, his mother enrolled him in an Olympiad math tutoring class, which left him with no time to play. The funniest thing was her reason for enrolling.
“Oh, the teacher in this tutoring class is your mother’s friend. When you win the prize in the Olympiad next year, she will be able to advertise her class with your results. Isn’t that great? Just do your mother this favour~”
Just like that, Xia Zhixu had to attend classes every day. Occasionally, he would also chat with Xu Qichen over text.
The various holiday arrangements planned earlier had to be cancelled due to various unexpected circumstances. But he could not blame anyone either, after all, the biggest surprise was that he inexplicably fell in love with his friend.
After leaving the tutoring class, Xia Zhixu’s phone rang. It turned out to be Xia Xiqing. He hung up decisively, but the other party called again. He had no choice but to answer it.
“Hello…”
“Little Zhixu~ Good afternoon ah, has anything unfortunate happened to you this summer? Why not talk about it to make your uncle happy?”
“If there’s nothing important, I’ll hang up.”
“Don’t ah! We haven’t seen each other in so long, don’t you miss me at all?”
“3, 2…”
The voice on the other end finally became serious. “Today is the anniversary of Xu Qichen’s parents’ death. Surely you didn’t forget?”
Xia Zhixu was frozen in place. The pedestrians on the road were extremely noisy, leaving his mind blank.
“Or rather… Did you not know?”
Yes, he did not know. And he had never asked, because he did not want to bring up a topic that would upset Xu Qichen.
Xia Zhixu asked in a low voice, “You’re lying, right? How did you know?”
“I’m not like you. If I want to know something, I’ll just ask.” Xia Xiqing, who was still sitting in front of the drawing board on the other end of the phone, could only hold the phone with his shoulder and said, “I can’t be bothered to waste time talking to you anymore. I’ve told you everything I need to say. Do what you will. Cya.” And he hung up the phone.
For a moment, Xia Zhixu simply stood staring at the bustling street.
So it was a day like this when he lost everything.
Xu Qichen, who had just returned from the cemetery, went home alone. His aunt was not home yet. He opened the refrigerator and took out two tomatoes.
Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name outside the window. Xu Qichen walked to the window with some confusion and looked down.
It was Xia Zhixu, who was still panting from running.
This fool, why did he just come here without considering whether he was at home or not?
Then he remembered to check his mobile phone.
Ah, it’s dead. No wonder he ran over without informing him.
Xu Qichen left the tomatoes on the table and went downstairs.
“Why are you here? Did something happen?”
Xia Zhixu grabbed Xu Qichen’s wrist and inexplicably dragged him forward, walking straight out of the estate to the bus stop.
“Where are we going? I haven’t told my aunt…”
Xia Zhixu took out his phone and handed it to him. “Call her. We’ll be back before 9 PM,” he said and dragged him onto a bus. After sitting side by side, Xia Zhixu took out two lollipops from his pocket and gave them to Xu Qichen. Xu Qichen smiled and took them, tore open the packaging, and put them in his mouth. He didn’t ask Xia Zhixu where he was taking him, and Xia Zhixu didn’t say anything. The two of them just sat quietly.
The bus took longer than he imagined. After some time, Xia Zhixu felt a weight on his shoulder sink and looked beside him.
Xu Qichen had actually fallen asleep.
He slept with his mouth slightly opened. The lollipop looked like it was about to fall out. Xia Zhixu reached out and gently took out the lollipop from his mouth.
Xu Qichen’s head moved, causing him to think he was awake. Unexpectedly, Xu Qichen just shifted to a more comfortable position, breathing steadily.
All his senses seemed to condense on this small shoulder, and Xia Zhixu dared not move. His nerves were tightly stretched, afraid of waking him up.
And the shiny lollipop in his hand was like the apple that the snake in the Bible seduced Eve to eat.
Incredibly tempting.
In the end, Xu Qichen was awakened by Xia Zhixu.
When he got off the bus, he was still a bit confused. When a scorching river breeze rushed towards his face, he realized that Xia Zhixu had taken him to the riverbank.
“I brought you out for some fresh air.” Xia Zhixu originally wanted to pull his arm, but he changed his mind. He handed Xu Qichen the lollipop in his hand. “You fell asleep, so I removed it.” Xu Qichen took the candy in a daze, hesitated for a moment, and then put it into his mouth. It was still cool and sweet.
Xia Zhixu led him onto the bridge and said, “The sunset looks great from here. My grandfather lives nearby, and when I was a child, he often brought me here.” He leaned both his hands on the railing by the bridge. “He told me, if you’re unhappy, just tell the Yangtze River. When the wind blows, it’ll blow all your troubles away.”
This bridge was very long, spanning the entire Yangtze River. The warm red sunset seemed crushed and scattered on the river surface, sparkling and beautiful. Xu Qichen leaned against the railing of the bridge and after a while, he spoke heavily, “Who told you?”
Xia Zhixu knew he was asking about the death anniversary.
“Whoever you told, must have told me.”
He seemed to be blaming Xu Qichen. But if he never asked, how could Xu Qichen bring it up? He didn’t want to seem like he was asking for sympathy.
“I guess you didn’t sleep well last night. You fell asleep so quickly on the bus.”
Xu Qichen nodded. The warm river wind whistled as it blew past his ears. He did not sleep at all last night. The moment he closed his eyes, he would recall that night. The sharp, fragmented crashing sound, and nothing but red in his vision.
“Just treat me like air, like I’m not here,” Xia Zhixu smiled. “Tell all your troubles to the river. The lighter ones will be blown away, and the heavier ones will sink to the bottom of the river. They will never trouble you again.”
He said it like it was true. Xu Qichen turned around and leaned over the railing like he did.
When he spoke, his voice was very light, as if it would really be blown away by the wind. “… Are you well?”
“I miss you so much.”
Xia Zhixu’s heart wrenched. He couldn’t even say the words “mom and dad”.
He heard a crying tone in his voice, but when he turned to look, he saw that Xu Qichen was not crying. His lips were tightly closed, as if he could not speak anymore.
Xia Zhixu could not resist reaching out and patting the back of his head. “They miss you too. They must be praying for your happiness every day.”
Xu Qichen lowered his head and buried it in his arms. Xia Zhixu’s palms were warm as if possessing some peculiar healing power, which gradually calmed his painful and manic heart through gentle caresses.
He raised his head slightly, peeking over his arms, looking at the sunset not far away, gradually sinking like his thoughts.
“If only my heart could be like a house. If it feels stuffed, I would empty some furniture. If it feels dirty, I would clean it up and throw out the garbage. With just a little time and effort, I could give it a whole new look.” His voice was muffled and he chuckled softly, “But it’s impossible. It’s not a house, it’s a decaying tree root infected by various bacteria. I can’t clear the bad emotions that corrode me, I can only let it rot, bit by bit.”
“Then pull it out and put it under the sun.”
Xu Qichen looked up and saw his smile, sincere and bright as the sun.
Xia Zhixu retracted his hand. “Actually, if the heart was like a house…”
He paused. Xu Qichen looked at him.
Xia Zhixu shook his head. “Nothing.”
If it were really a house…
I would want to move in and clean it for you every day.
As for the pay…
A smile from you will do.
The two of them stood on the bridge for a long time. The river wind made their hearts full and swollen, while the sugar in their mouths had already melted and eaten away.
A couple suddenly passed by behind them. The man was complaining, “Why did you bring me all the way here? The bridge is so long…”
The woman replied, “This is the first bridge that was built across Yangtze River. Haven’t you heard the legends? They say two people who cross this bridge together, will be together forever.”
“Stories like this are told to trick girls like you.”
The two of them walked past noisily, leaving behind a so-called legend, which actually made Xia Zhixu and Xu Qichen feel uncomfortable.
“Let’s go back the way we came,” Xia Zhixu said awkwardly.
Xu Qichen remained silent for a moment and looked up at the unfinished half of the journey.
“Since we’re here, we might as well cross it.” He added, “It should work for friends too, right?”
So they can be a pair of friends forever?
Xia Zhixu’s tiger teeth were grinding against the inner wall of the mouth, feeling vaguely uncomfortable.
“I guess.”
So they started walking to the opposite bank.
Xia Zhixu looked at the surging river under the bridge and said, “Speaking of it, I really like that poem.”
“A bridge flying from north to south, turning a chasm into a passage?”
“En.”
“It’s very grandiose,” Xu Qichen affirmed.
Xia Zhixu walked silently, not thinking about the grandeur or whether it matched the scenery in front of him.
He was just wondering if the insurmountable chasm in his heart could one day become a pathway.
He laughed at himself.
“Something funny?”
“Oh, nothing much.”
It’s not too bad, having something to dream about.
…..i guess the legend about the bridge did come true…?.cause they are gonna be together forever ..hehe…
I’m not crying, not at all(´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)