The fire escape was dimly lit.
From afar, the two figures looked almost intertwined.
Yun Ci’s jaw was held, forcing him to tilt his head back, the kiss leaving him nearly breathless.
But Yu Xun didn’t let him go, changing the angle slightly, the next kiss landing on Yun Ci’s lips, then moving down, kissing his jaw, and then his neck.
As he kissed, Yu Xun found the shirt collar in the way, so he unbuttoned the top button.
The last kiss landed in a very suggestive place, with a hint of red visible on the collarbone.
…
Li Yan’s head buzzed.
He couldn’t process it; his brain was almost smoking.
He recalled an ad page that popped up while gaming at an internet cafe: He and Him! Fire and Water! Pressed against the wall! A fierce kiss!
These keywords buzzed in his ears, perfectly overlapping with the scene in front of him.
Using the last bit of his rationality, Li Yan turned his head toward Liu Zi to see his reaction.
Liu Zi was pinching his palm hard: “I’m dreaming. Damn, I’m in a dream.”
“…”
Li Yan, still in a daze, asked, “Does it hurt?”
Liu Zi, pinching harder and wincing in pain: “Of course it hurts; it hurts like hell!”
Li Yan, still confused but a bit clearer: “Then maybe it’s not a dream.”
“…”
So what’s happening in this world?
People are very sensitive to being watched, and Yun Ci was already very tense, afraid of being caught. He vaguely felt someone looking in their direction, the gaze was like a thorn.
He slid his fingers into Yu Xun’s hair, making him stop.
Then he half-opened his eyes and glanced to the side.
At the entrance of the fire escape, it was empty except for a door that wasn’t fully closed.
“What is it?” Yu Xun asked.
“Feels like someone’s there,” Yun Ci said.
Then he added, “Maybe I’m mistaken.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Yu Xun was indifferent, thinking it was probably the student council members setting up the stage, “Even if someone sees, it’s no big deal.”
Behind the auditorium, near the park flowerbed.
Liu Zi squatted on the flowerbed, looking the same as usual, like a street hoodlum, but he wasn’t shaking this time; he was squatting very properly.
Li Yan stood.
The two of them stared at each other silently for a while.
Their escape from the fire escape was so clumsy.
The wind cleared their heads a bit, and some unnoticed details started to surface in their minds.
Like the red rose and white rose thing.
Could it be these two were showing off their relationship?
Liu Zi spoke first: “You said Yun Ci was dating someone.”
Li Yan: “And you said Yu Xun had a partner.”
“…”
Liu Zi: “Could they…” Liu Zi scratched his head and said, “Damn, I can’t continue.”
Li Yan: “Let’s calm down first. Maybe what we saw wasn’t what it looked like.”
Liu Zi: “?”
Liu Zi: “But I saw it with my own damn eyes.”
Li Yan stubbornly said: “Seeing isn’t always believing.”
Even with the undeniable truth right in front of them, thinking of how these two had fought tooth and nail for three years in West High, wanting to expel each other at every mention.
Such sworn enemies, how could they possibly be kissing?
Liu Zi: “Then what is the situation?”
Li Yan thought, how the hell would I know? I’m just saying.
“We’re stuck in a certain mindset,” Li Yan said, “because we’re too close to the situation—we might need to get someone else’s perspective.”
Liu Zi pondered: “It’s not good to talk about their situation to the people around us.”
He slapped his knee, “How about we contact an emotional streamer for advice? I have a stupid roommate who did that after a breakup.”
They were still wearing the group’s uniform stage outfits, the thin white shirts shivering in the cold wind.
They randomly clicked into a live stream and, after tipping ten yuan, started an anonymous call.
“Hello?”
Liu Zi, unfamiliar with the process, shouted at the phone, “Is it my turn? Can you hear me?”
The streamer, a guy claiming to have been in eight hundred relationships and specializing in solving emotional problems: “Yes, yes, what’s your relationship issue?”
Liu Zi said: “It’s not about me, it’s about a friend of mine.”
The streamer had heard this line eight hundred times: “I understand.”
Why did that “understand” sound so nuanced?
But Liu Zi didn’t have time to dwell on it: “A friend of mine really hates someone, you know, like an enemy, but it seems… it seems they kissed.”
The streamer said: “Sounds like hate turning into love.”
Li Yan interjected: “Impossible, absolutely impossible.”
Liu Zi agreed: “Even if everyone else in the world died, those two could never be together.”
Liu Zi clicked his tongue: “Can’t you think outside the box? Can’t you offer us some other possibility?”
The streamer was getting fed up with them: “What possibility do you want? What else could it be? Were they fighting with their mouths?”
Li Yan and Liu Zi finally heard what they wanted and eagerly asked: “Don’t say it, really, is there a possibility?”
The streamer: “…………”
Connected with two idiots.
–
After the literary performance ended successfully, the senior treated everyone to a meal.
Senior: “Although our program was indeed very bad, our cheering was definitely the strongest in the entire audience. Cheering is also a kind of effect.”
“Anyway, thank you all for your hard work preparing the program. I’ve booked a few tables, you can go over after changing clothes.”
He counted the number of people: “Where are Li Yan and Liu Zhi?”
Yun Ci and Yu Xun were late coming back from the fire escape to change clothes.
He glanced around but didn’t see Li Yan.
He thought for a moment and sent a WeChat message: [Where are you?]
Li Yan didn’t reply.
Yun Ci sent the restaurant address over, thinking Li Yan must be doing something but should come over once he saw the message.
Everyone followed the senior outside the school.
It was still the hot pot place, the one from last time.
Li Yan and Liu Zi were the last to arrive, and when they came in, both of their faces looked a bit off.
Someone joked: “Latecomers drink three cups!”
Usually, Liu Zi would retort, “You dare make me drink?” But this time, he came in silently and downed three cups of tea.
Li Yan also drank without a word and sat down in the empty seat next to Yun Ci.
“What’s going on?” Yun Ci sensed something was off and nudged him with his elbow.
“Nothing much,” Li Yan replied awkwardly.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Yun Ci said, “Did you have another fight with your dad?”
Li Yan was seated next to Yun Ci, with Yu Xun sitting one seat over.
Yes, his uncle and Yu Xun were sitting together—before, he would’ve thought it was just a ploy to make the other lose their appetite.
Li Yan’s brain was still overloaded, and he couldn’t think of an excuse. Yun Ci helped him out, saying: “Oh, right. I fought with my dad for half an hour.”
On the other side, Yu Xun lightly tapped Liu Zi’s bowl with his chopsticks: “Where did you go?”
Liu Zi’s mind was also not functioning well: “Helping an old lady cross the street.”
“…”
Yu Xun could tell he was lying, but thinking he might have something inconvenient to say, he didn’t press further and jokingly said: “Very righteous, a good Samaritan.”
At the dining table, the dishes were soon served.
The senior courteously called out: “All the dishes are here, let’s eat while it’s hot.”
It was indeed food.
A dozen plates of vegetables.
The senior explained: “Our drama club is low on funds. Besides, eating more vegetables is good for your health.”
The enthusiasm for vegetables was low, so after a few bites, people got bored and were easily distracted.
For instance, Li Yan noticed Yun Ci’s dipping sauce might be a bit too spicy.
After a few bites, Yun Ci frowned and drank several mouthfuls of water.
Then, Yu Xun, sitting next to him, naturally swapped his own bowl of dipping sauce with Yun Ci’s.
His bowl had sesame paste.
Not spicy.
“…”
Li Yan’s chopsticks shook.
After seeing what happened in the fire escape, it was hard to interpret this as Yu Xun humiliating his uncle.
After changing perspectives, he noticed many similar details.
For instance, when Yun Ci was dipping food, his sleeves were a bit long.
He didn’t notice, but Yu Xun quickly rolled up his sleeve for him.
By then, the food at their table was almost done, and everyone had put down their chopsticks and started chatting: “Check the forum to see if anyone took pictures of me. I specially did my makeup today; someone must have been charmed by me.”
“You think you can compare to those two…? Does anyone care about you?”
“…”
Those two also put down their chopsticks.
Both of their hands naturally dropped under the table, hidden by the tablecloth, making their actions invisible.
Li Yan, not knowing what he was thinking, pretended to drop his chopsticks and bent down to peek under the table.
With that peek.
He saw under the table.
The two of them were holding hands.
Their fingers were interlocked.
…
Li Yan felt a sharp pain in his eyes.
These two people’s hands didn’t use to be like this.
They used to wish they could punch each other in the face!!!
Li Yan quickly took out his phone and snapped a picture of their joined hands before standing up.
Then he scrolled through his WeChat contacts for a long time before finding someone saved as “Idiot No. 2.”
Idiot No. 1 was Yu Xun.
Idiot No. 2 was Yu Xun’s underling.
Li Yan and Liu Zi hadn’t talked in ages.
They had added each other as friends during some high school event but never chatted.
Li Yan: [dd]
Liu Zi was also on his phone and replied quickly.
Idiot No. 2: [?]
Idiot No. 2: [Who are you?]
Li Yan: [It’s Li Yan.]
Liu Zi was puzzled: [……Why would I add you? If I knew it was you, I wouldn’t have accepted.]
Li Yan: [I used some tricks to infiltrate.]
Liu Zi: [Damn.]
Li Yan, feeling a bit of “if I’m going crazy, I’ll drag you along,” sent the photo he had just taken.
Liu Zi’s eyes also stung: [……]
Liu Zi was still unwilling to face reality: [Is it possible]
Liu Zi: [They’re playing a new kind of arm-wrestling.]
Li Yan: [Can you convince yourself?]
Liu Zi: [……]
Liu Zi’s expression remained normal, his leg still shaking, but inside he was increasingly panicked.
When he panicked, he tended to drink more water.
The kettle was near Yun Ci.
He initially reached out to get it, but Yun Ci noticed.
Yun Ci’s attitude towards Liu Zi had improved a lot compared to before. Although they never managed more than two sentences at a time, he still tried to be polite at the start, so he poured him a full glass.
Of course, he didn’t expect Liu Zi to be grateful.
He was even prepared for when Liu Zi would start cursing again, ready to respond without using any curse words.
After years of conflict, Liu Zi’s first reflex was indeed to swear.
Mind your own business?
However, in the next moment.
Liu Zi stuttered: “…Damn, th-thank you.”
Yun Ci never thought he’d hear the words “thank you” from Liu Zi in his lifetime.
He found it a bit peculiar.
So he added: “Just a thank you for pouring water?”
Liu Zi didn’t tell him to get lost, instead he said: “What do you want to hear then?”
Yun Ci: “Say again, how was my dancing?”
Liu Zi swallowed the words “terrible” and actually gave him some face: “Your dancing, was pretty damn good.”
Yun Ci: “…?”
