Chapter 35
Editor: Princess
They walked somewhat slowly today that by the time they reached the bicycle area, most of the school’s students had already left, leaving only scattered vehicles on the road, making it quite spacious.
Yu Pei sat on the back seat while Luo Changzhou slowly rode him toward the school gate.
He didn’t grab the corner of Luo Changzhou’s school uniform or hold onto his waist as before. He only gripped a corner of the back seat’s metal bar to steady himself.
“Changzhou, where are we going?” While waiting at a traffic light, Yu Pei leaned forward to look ahead, not knowing which direction they were heading, so he asked.
“I’m taking you to a good place for confessions.” Luo Changzhou turned back and smiled at him.
Yu Pei froze completely the moment he heard this. And for a moment, he thought Luo Changzhou had already seen through the little thoughts in his heart, however he quickly realized that Luo Changzhou’s words weren’t about him, but about himself.
He said he was taking him to a good place for confessions.
“Con-confession?!” Yu Pei was so surprised that he could barely speak clearly.
“Yes, to confess to you.” Just then the light turned green. Without looking back, Luo Changzhou pushed off with his foot and rode forward, his low voice carried softly into Yu Pei’s ears by the gentle summer breeze.
Listening to Luo Changzhou’s words, Yu Pei felt as if his soul had floated out of his body. His entire being felt light, as if freed from gravity. Even the vehicles rushing past them and the whistling wind by his ears couldn’t call his soul back.
He tilted his head back, able to hear only his own heartbeat, seeing only Luo Changzhou’s back.
The bicycle finally stopped at a bus stop near a restaurant at the foot of a small hill. Luo Changzhou pulled out the kickstand and, after steadying the bike, didn’t even bother locking it. He seemed to have also abandoned maintaining distance from Yu Pei, as he grabbed his hand and run up the mountain.
Yu Pei’s hand was held by Luo Changzhou tightly. This wasn’t their first time holding hands, but only this time did Luo Changzhou interlock their fingers, gripping so tightly that not even a needle could slip through. There wasn’t a single gap.
“Young man, you can’t park here—” The restaurant owner rushed out after hearing their commotion. He seemed to be Guangdong native, his words carrying a heavy Cantonese accent.
Luo Changzhou didn’t slow down, however he looked back at the old man, slightly out of breath, his tone carrying barely concealed happiness and excitement: “Uncle Chen, I’m Changzhou. I’m just parking for a moment.”
Yu Pei’s health wasn’t good. After running for a while, he began breathing heavily and his body felt somewhat weak, but he didn’t tell Luo Changzhou to slow down because he was so happy, incredibly happy. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would shatter this beautiful dream.
However, Luo Changzhou was constantly paying attention to his condition, so when he heard his breathing become somewhat rapid, he stopped, threw his backpack into the grass beside them, pulled off Yu Pei’s bag and tossed it aside, then crouched halfway in front of Yu Pei, tapping his back with his knuckles and saying, “Get on, I’ll carry you.”
Yu Pei felt that he should refuse. He didn’t know where Luo Changzhou was taking him, and carrying him up the mountain would definitely be tiring. However, perhaps because his breathing was too rapid then and his heart was beating so fast, he couldn’t speak. And his body, under instinctive control, betrayed his mental control, because he wrapped his arms around Luo Changzhou’s neck and climbed onto his back.
Luo Changzhou’s back was broad, with thin but firm muscles. Yu Pei rested his head on Luo Changzhou’s shoulder, watching dark green weeds sprouting from cracks between the bricks beneath their feet. He still couldn’t quite believe that he and Luo Changzhou could be so close. Close enough that they could both hear each other’s rapid, quick breathing, as if Luo Changzhou was also sick like him.
“Ah Pei.” Luo Changzhou called his name. Yu Pei couldn’t see his face, but he could tell from his voice that Luo Changzhou must be smiling.
He tightened his arms around Luo Changzhou’s neck, his lips pressed against the bone of his shoulder, his whole body trembling lightly: “Mm?”
Then Luo Changzhou really did laugh, his deep, slow voice carrying slight breathlessness: “I thought about this for a long time, I even considered sending you a text message or calling you.”
“You know what? I even wrote love letters, many of them, but I wasn’t satisfied with any.”
Luo Changzhou stopped walking and helped him down gently, supporting his body. Once Yu Pei was steady, he turned around and placed both hands lightly on his shoulders.
Yu Pei looked up at Luo Changzhou. He was backlit by the sun, so the light behind him was quite glaring. Yu Pei found this excuse for himself.
But Luo Changzhou smiled and raised his hand, gently wiping away the tears at the corners of Yu Pei’s eyes: “I felt that such important words should and has to be said to you face to face.”
“I like you, Ah Pei.”
“Probably from the first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you.”
Luo Changzhou’s voice wasn’t loud. It was even quite soft, but Yu Pei heard every word clearly. He took apart each word he said and silently read them over and over again until they were deeply engraved in the depths of his heart and soul.
“I really like you, Ah Pei.” Luo Changzhou smiled, looking at him with focused, gentle eyes. The deep blue in his eyes was like the ocean, embracing his entire reflection. “Are you willing to like me?”
Yu Pei never forgot this day’s scene, even many years later. It was as if on that day, Luo Changzhou was light condensed from scattered stars that suddenly burst open in that instant, falling to every place around him, forcefully fusing into his flesh, blood, and bones. That light was so dazzling, brilliant enough to illuminate every dark corner of his life. Making it so that from that day forward, his life became complete and bright, like the brightest morning star on the horizon before dawn, never to fall.
“I… I…” Yu Pei’s voice trembled as he spoke. He raised his hand and shakily grasped the corner of Luo Changzhou’s clothes, then it was as if he finally had support that gave him the courage to speak the love from the bottom of his heart: “I like you too, very much…”
“Do you like me the way I like you?” Hearing this, Luo Changzhou immediately pulled him into his arms, his lips lightly touching Yu Pei’s ear. Yu Pei felt as if there was a small flame there, warmly melting into his heart.
Yu Pei could no longer speak. He could only raise his hands to hug Luo Changzhou’s waist tightly, nodding continuously. It turns out that his greatest fortune wasn’t meeting Luo Changzhou, but being liked by him.
“Silly boy.” Luo Changzhou lowered his head and kissed the crown of his head. “I had originally planned to tell you on your birthday, but I didn’t expect there would be a little fool who would secretly cry because of my confession, crying so pitifully that I thought you didn’t like me.”
“No!” Yu Pei lifted his head from his arms and anxiously explained, “I just… I just thought you were joking with me…”
“Do I look like someone who would make that kind of joke?” Luo Changzhou asked him with deliberate seriousness.
Yu Pei lowered his head and said softly, “No… but I felt you wouldn’t like me…”
Luo Changzhou asked him again, “Why would you think that?”
“I’m not good enough. My grades are poor, I can’t do anything, and I have many illnesses… while you’re so excellent, with so many people who like you. They’re all better than me…” Yu Pei exposed all his wounds to Luo Changzhou.
Luo Changzhou moved his hands from Yu Pei’s shoulders downward. Then he pressed the back of Yu Pei’s head, forcing him to look up at himself. And looking into his eyes, he said solemnly, word by word: “But you’re the most important to me. None of them are as important as you.”
“If you’re willing, I’ll like you.”
“If you’re not willing, I’ll still like you.”
“In any case, no matter what, I’ll like you, like you forever.”
“Because I think my luckiest thing was moving to South City with my parents and then meeting you.”
Yu Pei could no longer suppress his emotions. He hugged Luo Changzhou and buried his face in his shoulder, sobbing softly.
This was during the last few months of his seventeenth year, and in this seventeenth year of his life, he had shed more tears than in all his previous sixteen years combined. Previously, it was due to the uncontrollable nature of depression, but now it was because of happiness and joy, because he had met the person he liked most.
Yu Pei decided that from this moment on, that no matter how excellent Luo Changzhou was, he would strive to stand beside this excellent person and be with him forever.
“Alright, alright. Does my liking you make you this sad? You keep crying.” Luo Changzhou laughed as he pulled out tissues from his pocket and cupped his face to wipe his tears.
Yu Pei sniffled and felt somewhat embarrassed, explaining in a muffled voice: “No, I’m just too happy…”
Smiling, Luo Changzhou coaxed him: “If you’re happy, then you should smile. If saying I like you makes you cry, then if I kiss you, will you cry even harder?”
“Let’s try and see.” After saying this, Luo Changzhou didn’t wait for his reaction. He pinched Yu Pei’s chin and lowered his head to gently press against his lips.
Yu Pei stopped crying now. His face turned red and his mind began to go completely blank, leaving only that hint of blue in Luo Changzhou’s eyes reflecting his own face.
The soft, warm sensation on his lips was so clear. Every warm breath Luo Changzhou exhaled fell on his face, intertwining with his rapid breathing. These sensations seemed infinitely slowed down, replaying repeatedly in his perception.
Gradually, Yu Pei’s body relaxed and his eyelashes lowered gently, allowing Luo Changzhou to tighten his embrace.
This kiss was like a spark igniting gasoline. It suddenly burst into fierce flames the moment they touched. Luo Changzhou’s hand pressing against Yu Pei’s head began to apply force, making him press closer to himself. Their hot, moist breaths mingled in the air, adding fuel and heat to the ambiguous atmosphere.
The flames in Luo Changzhou’s heart burned higher and higher, fiercely crashing against the beast imprisoned in the cage of his rationality. But he couldn’t bear to be rough with Yu Pei. What’s more he was afraid Yu Pei couldn’t accept more intimate closeness yet. So he only parted his lips slightly, turning and caressing Yu Pei’s lips until those soft petals became wet and red, before finally releasing him and asking with a smile, “Do you still want to cry?”
Yu Pei’s eyelashes still held tears, wet and trembling when lowered, as adorable as his flushed earlobes. He kept his head down, pressed his heated, soft lips together, then blushed as he murmured softly, “I don’t want to.”