Chapter 41.2
See, liking someone was indeed a magical thing; it made one involuntarily want to participate in their entire life, to experience everything they have experienced, and every missed stage turned into an irreparable regret.
Of course, tracing the past of someone you like is not only about loss but also includes many amusing anecdotes that make Yu Le’s mouth almost fall open:
For example, about being late:
[“Brother Lu was caught by the inspector this morning while scaling the wall with an egg pancake in his mouth. The inspector praised his one-handed wall climb as impressive and docked him 6 points for conduct (╥﹏╥). Hug my poor Brother Lu.”]
About exams:
[“Brother Lu was caught passing notes to his desk mate during a mid-term quiz. When the proctor asked him what he was doing, he coldly said he couldn’t stand his desk mate and wanted to smash him. The ‘weapon’ was filled with answers, hahaha.”]
About skipping self-study:
[“Brother Lu led almost half of the class to skip self-study last night because his desk mate wanted to confess to a girl but didn’t know what to give. Brother Lu didn’t know either, so he dragged half the class to help him plan. It’s said that in the end, the head of the grade personally went out to catch them.”]
[“Impressive. So, what did he end up choosing?”]
About mock exams:
[“The results are out. Brother Lu once again topped the rankings, as expected. Teacher Jia asked him to prepare two speeches: one as an outstanding student representative and one as a 1500-word self-criticism. They will be read during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, hahahaha.”]
[“Well, he folded the self-criticism into a paper airplane and threw it into the office, hitting Teacher Jia on the forehead. The 1500 words became 3000. That’s a big loss.”]
About the memory book:
[“Brother Lu’s memory book on his desk is piled high, hahaha. He’s been writing it for two days, and his face looks as grim as a pot bottom. To be honest, he has never studied this seriously. Surprisingly, he hasn’t gotten angry yet. While he’s still writing and the memory book hasn’t been sent, brothers, hurry up!”]
[“Who said he hasn’t gotten angry (flips through my memory book, the previous page is full of unreadable scribbles while quietly lighting a candle).”]
And, about… confessions?
However, there were just too many confession posts about Lu Yao to pick a typical one.
What kept Yu Le in a good mood while reading through them was that Lu Yao has always coldly rejected every single confession, regardless of gender.
There was one novel perspective that caught his attention:
[“How did you confess to Brother Lu? In person? Or did you pass a love letter? Or did you give a gift?”]
[“Here’s a little tip: Brother Lu likes items with heart patterns. I’ve seen heart patterns on his water bottle, keychain, and in the corner of his backpack. Maybe that’s the last bit of girlish heart left in this tough guy~”]
Yu Le propped his chin on his left hand and clicked the mouse thoughtfully with his right.
Love… heart?
Lu Yao returned only around dusk.
He had just entered the door for three minutes when Wen Yuan rushed in with two purposes: first, to catch him just as his car arrived to share a meal, and second, to share some new excitement at his bar. Oh no, a new person, not just a new thing.
“My old classmate, a full-time interior designer and part-time magician, happened to be traveling and staying at my place. I waived his accommodation fee, and in return, he has to perform at my bar for three days.”
Wen Yuan cheerfully extended an invitation, “So, how about checking out something new at my place tonight?”
With excitement around, Yu Le, together with Lu Yao and Wen Yuan, gladly went to the bar to watch the performance after dinner.
This was Yu Le’s second visit to Wen Yuan’s bar. The first time he didn’t pay much attention, but this time he noticed that the bar was named “Mountain Colors,” which suited its local ambiance perfectly.
In early August, during the peak tourist and summer vacation season, the bar was much busier than last time.
As soon as Yu Le entered, he was greeted by a round of lively applause. He looked at the central stage and saw a young man in a black shirt skillfully flipping a high-stemmed glass back and forth. With a sweep of his palm, the glass, which was empty moments ago, now had half a glass of brightly colored red wine.
“Amazing!” Before Yu Le could even sit down, he was already clapping.
Wen Yuan led them to their usual spot and whispered to Yu Le, “Don’t be fooled. That cup isn’t one of ours; it’s his personal prop for picking up pretty boys, and it has a mechanism!”
Yu Le couldn’t see what mechanism a small cup could have. He sat in a side seat and said, “It’s still impressive.”
Wen Yuan said, “I’ll pass on your feedback later. He’ll be thrilled to hear it. By the way, his name is Du Shuang; you can call him Dog Shuang.”
Wen Yuan then demonstrated, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting loudly, “Dog Shuang! Enough with the small tricks. Give us something grander!”
Du Shuang, from a distance, snapped his fingers in acknowledgment, raised both hands to quiet the audience, and then theatrically pulled out a pocket watch from his shirt pocket with a mysterious smile. He said nothing and wrapped the silver chain of the watch around his hand.
“What would you like to drink?” Lu Yao asked Yu Le.
Yu Le replied, “Juice, please. I don’t feel like drinking alcohol tonight.”
Lu Yao placed the order, and soon a server brought the drinks. He ordered Yu Le a lime orange juice that had a beautiful gradient from green to yellow, with two uneven ice cubes that turned out to be two crystal-clear roses.
Yu Le took a sip and couldn’t take his eyes off the stage, curious about what the grand scene would be.
Du Shuang held the pocket watch high, made a magical gesture, and swiftly closed it from bottom to top. When the audience looked again, the pocket watch had vanished, replaced by a large wall clock that he held in his arms. Up close, the time on the clock was clearly visible.
“WOW~ Impressive!” Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Du Shuang smiled and made a “shh” gesture, then bent over and pretended to struggle with the clock, turning the second hand forward, one tick at a time.
“Damn,” Wen Yuan laughed and cursed, “After years, this guy is still so showy.”
Yu Le watched intently, “What’s he going to do? Is he going to make the clock from Century Square disappear?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Shuang suddenly lifted his head with a beaming smile, showing all eight of his teeth, and exaggeratedly pointed at the clock, signaling everyone to look.
The second hand was at fifty-five.
Fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine.
At the moment it pointed to zero, he abruptly threw the clock with force, and it flew directly towards Yu Le and the others.
“Oh my!” Wen Yuan exclaimed in shock.
Gasps and screams came from all sides, and Yu Le was also startled. He quickly retreated to Lu Yao’s side.
But instead of the imagined heavy object crashing down, what landed gently on them was a soft, feathery touch.
Lu Yao patted Yu Le’s head, “It’s okay, open your eyes.”
Yu Le slowly opened his eyes, and before him were white petals drifting down, warmed and illuminated by the soft lights, creating a spectacularly romantic scene.
The silence in the air lasted for two seconds before an outburst of applause and cheers.
Wow.
Yu Le admired the magician’s grand display, and only then did he realize that the glass in his hand was being covered by another hand, preventing the free-falling petals from drifting into it.
Yu Le blinked and quickly took a sip before the hand moved away, then leaned his face on it, facing Lu Yao. The light in his eyes was fragmented into tiny stars by the falling petals, and he smiled mischievously and flirtatiously.
Lu Yao also watched him, gently raising his hand, and just before Wen Yuan turned around, withdrew his hand.
Before withdrawing it, he turned his palm over and, just like Yu Le had done with the big yellow dog before, playfully scratched Yu Le’s chin with his fingertip.
A small expression of affection, from emergence to disappearance, so subtle that no one noticed.
“Alright, for the next little magic trick, I need to select a lucky audience to assist me~”
Du Shuang clapped his hands, scanning the room before finally settling his gaze on Yu Le. He stepped forward with a new deck of cards and leaned in with a smile, “Hello, young sir. May I have the honor?”
Yu Le nodded, “Sure, how can I help?”
Du Shuang fanned out the deck of cards and handed it to Yu Le, “Here, please hold this with your left hand.”
A full deck of cards was quite bulky, and Yu Le, far less skilled than Du Shuang, found it challenging to hold the deck single-handedly without it falling apart.
Fortunately, before the deck could collapse, a larger hand came around from behind, wrapping around his hand to securely hold the cards.
Du Shuang beamed, “Alright, now please draw a card from this deck, the Ace of Hearts.”
Yu Le couldn’t see the card faces, “I don’t know which one is the Ace of Hearts. Just pick one?”
Du Shuang nodded, “Don’t worry, just pick any. I’ll make sure you get it.”
So, Yu Le picked a card at random and was about to pull it out when Du Shuang stopped him, “Wait, pick another one.”
Yu Le asked, “Why?”
Du Shuang said confidently, “Pick another one. This one isn’t it.”
Yu Le was silent.
Laughter erupted around them.
Yu Le had to pick another card, only to be stopped again by Du Shuang, “Try another one. This one isn’t it either… Not this one. Not this one. Try again.”
After five or six attempts, Yu Le commented, “So you’re guaranteeing I’ll get it this way, making me try card by card?”
Du Shuang earnestly promised, “I guarantee it.”
Alright, although Yu Le was convinced Du Shuang was just joking, he obediently tried the seventh card.
This time, just as Yu Le drew the card, before he could even flip it, Du Shuang dramatically exclaimed, “Congratulations!! You’ve drawn the Ace of Hearts! Successfully triggering the reward exchange mechanism~”
Immediately, he pressed down on the deck of cards, and in the blink of an eye, before Yu Le could even sense it, the cards vanished and were replaced by a vibrant red rose.
Du Shuang, having shed his earlier theatrics, bowed to Yu Le with a gentlemanly demeanor, “Flowers for the beautiful person, hope you like it~”
“Damn! You!” Among the enthusiastic applause was Wen Yuan’s furious shout, “I was wondering where the best rose in my yard went. So it was you! Come over here and take a beating!”
Du Shuang was prepared and quickly escaped, “Hehe, if you have a flower, pick it while you can. What are you so upset about?”
Wen Yuan chased after him, “Hey, don’t hide! You should be taught a lesson!”
Du Shuang: “It’s all flattery, I’m not a flower~”
The two childish figures ran off, taking many curious gazes with them, leaving behind a quiet corner with just the two of them.
Yu Le gently withdrew his hand from Lu Yao’s, leaving the rose in his hand.
Lu Yao idly turned the flower in his hand, contemplating whether to throw it away or leave it as trash for someone to clean up. Yu Le suddenly turned to him and smiled, “What are you thinking? Aren’t you going to give it to me?”
…
Under a cloudless sky and with the bright moon hanging high, the bar’s excitement continued. The two of them slipped away from the commotion, enjoying the night breeze and walking leisurely back on the dry bluestone slabs.
Yu Le was quite amused playing with the rose Lu Yao had given him. Suddenly, he had a whim, “Actually, I can do a magic trick too.”
“So impressive.” Regardless, Lu Yao praised first and asked, “What magic trick?”
Yu Le stopped and faced him, “Hold out your hand.”
Lu Yao obediently extended one hand to him.
Yu Le asked him to use his other hand to hold the flower, then, starting from the tips of Lu Yao’s fingers, Yu Le alternated hands to carefully push the blood slowly towards his palm’s base. The palm slightly paled due to the lack of blood.
It was a little game he used to play in middle school, and it was rare he still remembered it.
Once the blood had moved to an appropriate distance, Yu Le used his left hand to hold Lu Yao’s wrist to prevent blood from flowing back. With his right hand, he drew the shape of a heart just a centimeter above Lu Yao’s palm, then slowly released his left hand.
The blood rushed back into his palm, causing a slight tingling sensation, and the area where he had drawn the shape felt more intense, as if the shape had really been etched into his skin and was pulsing with the blood.
Although he knew it was just an optical illusion, Lu Yao still felt a shiver in his heart.
He initially wanted to ask how it was done, but when he looked up and met Yu Le’s gaze, he suddenly felt embarrassed by his childish act. He simply covered his hand, pressing his palm against Lu Yao’s, hiding a breeze that passed by inside.
Lu Yao silently smiled and raised his eyes in inquiry.
Yu Le cleared his throat and tightened his grip on Lu Yao’s hand, raising an eyebrow and asking,
“Don’t you want to hold hands, gege?”
