Chapter 27
Editor: Princess
With Luo Changzhou’s words, Yu Pei felt as if a cute little cat had moved into his heart, its tail tip occasionally scratching at him, teasing him all the time, but Luo Changzhou just wouldn’t tell him until school was over.
Yu Pei thought that what should have been a dull and boring senior year of high school, in the eyes of his classmates, had completely changed ever since he met Luo Changzhou. He began to look forward to seeing him at school every day, to seeing his smile, to wondering if he would bring him some sort of surprise again today.
And today, Luo Changzhou had strung his appetite up high. Five minutes before the last class ended, he had already packed up his school bag, twisting and turning restlessly in his seat as he stared at the language teacher at the podium.
There were quite a few other students in the class as anxious as he was, waiting for the bell to ring, since this was the last class of the day, and everyone was eager to go home as soon as possible.
Although the language teacher, Mr. Huang, had poor eyesight, he could still sense the impatience in the room. He sighed and said slowly, “Sigh, I can keep your bodies here, but I can’t keep your hearts. Let’s end class a few minutes early today.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the students cheered, “Grandpa Huang, we love you!”
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded, gathered his test papers, and left the classroom. Within seconds of his departure, the once crowded classroom was already half empty.
Yu Pei held his school bag, watching as Luo Changzhou deliberately slowed down his packing. He was anxious but didn’t dare to rush him, so he asked softly, “Changzhou, school’s over now. Can you tell me what we’re going to eat later?”
Luo Changzhou smiled, shook his head, and said, “Not yet.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the eyes of the teenager who had been eagerly anticipating this all day widened as he looked at him, asking in protest, “Why?”
By this time, Luo Changzhou had already finished packing his bag. He slung it over his shoulder, then reached down and grabbed a corner of Yu Pei’s sleeve, tugging him towards the classroom door. “Let’s go. You’ll find out when we get there.”
Yu Pei didn’t say anything else this time because all his attention had shifted to the spot where Luo Changzhou was holding his sleeve.
On the day Luo Changzhou transferred in, he had already noticed that Luo Changzhou’s fingers were slender and strong, his nails neatly trimmed into clean, rounded shapes, and they looked especially good when he held a pen. He had secretly stared at them many times.
And those hands, those artistic-looking hands, had written his name, taken notes for him, handed him a warm heat pack, held a spatula to make him delicious egg pancakes, and was even, held his hand.
He followed a few steps behind Luo Changzhou, lowering his head to look at his hands. He bit his lip slightly, and the fingers hidden in his sleeves curled up just a little, as if that could hold onto the warmth Luo Changzhou had once left between them.
“Hop on.” Luo Changzhou sat on the bicycle and patted the back seat.
“Oh.” Yu Pei snapped out of his memories and carefully held onto Luo Changzhou’s waist as he climbed onto the back seat.
But for some reason, the bicycle, which had been standing perfectly still, suddenly wobbled just then. He lost his balance and fell forward, his arms wrapping around Luo Changzhou’s waist as he pressed against his back.
Under his arms, his waist was lean and firm, and the scent of faint ebony and sandalwood filled his nose—it was Luo Changzhou’s scent. Hugging his waist, Yu Pei rested his cheek against his back, his ears filled with the sound of a loud, rapid heartbeat. He didn’t know if it was his own or Luo Changzhou’s. All he knew was that, at this moment, they were so close, so close that it felt like their hearts had leaped out of their chests and were pressed tightly together, beating in perfect sync—so close.
“Are you okay?” Just then, Luo Changzhou’s hand dropped from the handlebars and lightly covered the back of Yu Pei’s hand. “Your hands are so cold.”
The moment his fingers were wrapped in Luo Changzhou’s warm palm, Yu Pei froze, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he slowly lifted himself off Luo Changzhou’s back, adjusted his grip around his waist, and whispered, “I’m fine.”
“That’s good. Hold on tight, we’re going.”
The warmth left, and his fingers turned cold again. It felt like all his emotions left with it. Distracted, Yu Pei muttered an “Mm”. It wasn’t until he saw the pedestrians on the roadside that he suddenly remembered—they were still at school.
This realization startled him so much that he immediately let go of Luo Changzhou’s waist, changing to just pinching the fabric of his shirt with two fingers.
However, when a few pairs of boys riding bicycles together passed by, he realized that many of them were also holding onto the waists of the ones in front. It wasn’t unusual at all. But his own reaction had been so dramatic—because he was guilty.
Guilty of what? Yu Pei didn’t know. He just felt like he was treading on the edge of something dangerous and ambiguous, and on either side of him were dead ends with no way back. The only path forward was a deep abyss with no visible end. But in the depths of that abyss, he could faintly see Luo Changzhou’s figure.
“Do you know where we are?” Luo Changzhou’s deep and pleasant voice rang above his head.
Yu Pei snapped out of his thoughts and looked around, then said in surprise, “This is… the Weigela Path?”
It was already mid-summer, but the Weigela flowers along the path were still blooming, stretching out like a pink silk ribbon of sunset. It was beautiful. Because it was summer, the sun hadn’t set yet, but the moon had already appeared in the sky, faint and white.
“But—” Yu Pei was puzzled. “Aren’t we going to Orchid Ford Lane?”
“If we go fifty meters ahead and turn right, we’ll be there soon.” Luo Changzhou chuckled, his voice carrying a rare gentleness in the summer breeze. “I thought this path looked nice, so I wanted to bring you here.”
Listening to his words, Yu Pei’s cheeks burned. He whispered, “It’s really beautiful.”
However in the next second, Luo Changzhou’s action nearly made him cry out—he grabbed Yu Pei’s hand and pulled it back around his waist. “The road here is a bit bumpy, so hold on tight, don’t fall off.”
“Oh…”
Yu Pei’s cheeks burned even hotter, but his heart felt like it was soaking in honey, turning soft and sweet. He held onto Luo Changzhou’s waist, closed his eyes against the summer breeze, and felt that there had never been a moment in his short life more blissful than this.
Ten minutes later, Luo Changzhou stopped in front of a small shop and said, “We’re here.”
Yu Pei hadn’t even turned around yet when he smelled the delicious aroma of food. He got off the bike and turned to see that Luo Changzhou had brought him to a small pot rice noodles shop. And not far away, the shop owner was busy cooking, and the steam rising from the small black pots blurred his face, but his loud call was clear: “Pot rice noodles for Table 8 is ready—”
“We’re having pot rice noodles today.” Luo Changzhou stood beside him and announced it like it was something important. Then he asked, “This place has the best pot rice noodles on Lujiang Road. Ah Pei, have you been here before?”
Yu Pei shook his head. “No.”
He had always lived a boring life, just school and home, so how could he have had the chance to come all the way to a remote alley for pot rice noodles? It was embarrassing, really—he was a native of Nancheng, yet he had never tried Nancheng’s pot rice noodles.
Luo Changzhou smiled, took his hand, and led him inside. “Then today, I’ll treat you to some.”
Yu Pei pressed down the wild thumping of his heart and stood beside him.
“Boss, two bowls of small pot rice noodles.” Luo Changzhou handed over a fifty-yuan bill.
“Huh?” Yu Pei asked him, “Didn’t we agree that I’d treat you?”
“It’s not expensive.” Luo Changzhou took the change from the owner. “You can treat me next time.”
Yu Pei didn’t argue with him. He sat with Luo Changzhou at table fifteen, waiting for the rice noodles, and under the table, he secretly touched the hand that Luo Changzhou had just held, as if by doing so, he could hold his hand again.
Just at this moment, Luo Changzhou suddenly let out a low chuckle.
Yu Pei thought his little action had been noticed. He nervously raised his eyes to look at him and asked, “Changzhou, what are you laughing at?”
“Do you remember?” Luo Changzhou’s lips curled high, and in his deep blue eyes, Yu Pei’s reflection was clear. “The first time we met at the start of the semester, it was the fifteenth.”
Yu Pei froze in place. A few seconds later, his ears burned red. Fortunately, at that moment, the rice noodle shop owner called out loudly, “Table fifteen’s rice noodles are ready—!”
“Let’s go get the noodles.” Luo Changzhou didn’t seem to notice his reaction and walked over, grabbing his arm.
Yu Pei had no choice but to stand up and follow him, then the two of them carried a small pot of rice noodles to the condiment table.
Small pot rice noodles were served one bowl per pot. The noodles would be cooked in broth, then the shop owner would add minced meat, some pea sprouts, and a few tomato slices for flavor. Finally, the pot would be handed over for customers to add their own seasonings.
Today, Yu Pei had already had his hand held twice by Luo Changzhou, so his mind was a little dazed, and without thinking, he scooped up a spoonful of chili to add to his bowl. But in the next second, his hand was grabbed by Luo Changzhou again. Luo Changzhou held his hand firmly, shaking off most of the chili, and told him, “Asthma patients shouldn’t eat too much spice. You can only add a little.”
Yu Pei’s thoughts weren’t on how much chili he could add at all. His mind was completely focused on the fact that Luo Changzhou had held his hand again. Even after he carried the noodles back to the table, his face was still warm. All he could think about was:
Luo Changzhou held his hand.
He held it three times!
Yu Pei felt lightheaded, like he was floating. He thought the rice noodles he was eating today were the best he’d ever had. So when Luo Changzhou asked if they tasted good, he just kept nodding. “Good, good.”
Luo Changzhou then asked him, “Then, Ah Pei, do you like it?”