The wind tousled the strands of hair on Chi Yu’s forehead, making the crease between his brows even more pronounced. He looked awkward, as always. Fu Zhi’an raised his hand and gently pressed his index finger against the crease, rubbing it a couple of times before letting his hand fall back to his side.
“Let’s go home.”
As he turned to leave, the boy sitting on the steps suddenly grabbed his sleeve. Fu Zhi’an looked down at Chi Yu’s pale arm, noticing the faint blue veins that were visible due to the blood flow. He turned his head slightly but didn’t say anything.
“I think… I’ve liked you for a long time.” Chi Yu’s grip on the sleeve tightened, his gaze fixed firmly on the ground. Just as Fu Zhi’an thought he wouldn’t say anything more, Chi Yu suddenly smiled, a look of resignation crossing his face. He lifted his head and grinned, saying, “That’s my secret.”
Chi Yu’s pale fingertips, the wrinkled sleeve, and the slightly teary eyes all seemed just right in that moment.
Fu Zhi’an sighed helplessly. He turned his wrist and took hold of Chi Yu’s hand. There was a thin layer of sweat on his palm, and his fingertips felt cool as they lightly rested on the back of Chi Yu’s hand. Chi Yu awkwardly turned his head away, but his hand stayed obediently in Fu Zhi’an’s grasp, much like a large, grumpy dog. Fu Zhi’an decided to sit beside him, holding his hand and giving it a gentle shake. Then he lowered his head and chuckled softly.
“What are you laughing at?”
Fu Zhi’an looked at Chi Yu’s puzzled expression and slowly reached out with his other hand, moving it toward Chi Yu’s head. Chi Yu frowned, leaning back slightly, his dark eyes fixated on Fu Zhi’an’s smiling face. The hand hovering in the air showed no sign of retreating, and sunlight bathed Fu Zhi’an’s pale arm in a soft golden glow.
In a standoff like this, one side must give way, and Chi Yu decided it would have to be him.
With a scowl, Chi Yu straightened up and glanced at the hand hovering above his head, then reluctantly lowered his head as if resigning himself to fate. Fu Zhi’an smiled and brought his hand down, gently ruffling Chi Yu’s fluffy black hair. The contrast between Fu Zhi’an’s snow-white fingers and Chi Yu’s dark hair made the gesture both gentle and bold.
“Are you petting a dog…?” Chi Yu shot him a sharp look, his eyes fierce, but he didn’t move a muscle.
Fu Zhi’an twirled a lock of Chi Yu’s hair between his fingers, playing with it for a moment. “What should I do with you?”
“What?”
“I mean,” Fu Zhi’an said, withdrawing his hand and staring intently at Chi Yu’s face, his gaze tracing from his eyebrows to his eyes, down the bridge of his nose to his lips.
“I used to just worry about girls. Now I have to worry about boys being interested in you too. What am I supposed to do?”
Chi Yu was momentarily stunned. He met Fu Zhi’an’s gaze, then suddenly raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Then you’d better start pleasing me. Who knows, maybe if I pity you enough, I’ll just settle down with you for life.”
Fu Zhi’an lowered his lashes, lightly brushing his fingers against his nose. When he looked up again, there was a softness in his expression, as if his smile had been dipped in honey.
“When you’re an adult…”
“I’ll make sure to please you properly.”
Seeing the change in Chi Yu’s expression, Fu Zhi’an grinned and stood up. But he had barely taken a few steps when something hard smacked the back of his head. A black backpack lay on the ground. As he bent down to pick it up, his fingers had barely brushed the bag when it was snatched away by an irate Chi Yu.
“Stop making dirty jokes,” Chi Yu grumbled, frowning as he patted Fu Zhi’an’s chest. Despite his attempt to act tough, the rapidly reddening tips of his ears made it impossible to take him seriously. Maybe realizing he had lost the upper hand, Chi Yu hurriedly threw out the comment before briskly heading toward the school gate.
Fu Zhi’an chuckled, lazily adjusting his collar as he trailed behind him. “Slow down a bit. I’m exhausted from playing basketball.”
“You’re such a wimp. Can’t even handle a little bit of exercise.”
Chi Yu stopped, hands in his pockets, and leaned against a nearby wall, casting a mischievous smile back at him.
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