By the time Chi Yu rushed out of the school gates, that black silhouette was already long gone. Frustrated, he frowned and muttered a few curses under his breath.
He could have caught up to Fu Zhi’an and explained everything, but just as he was about to, the school guard stopped him at the gate. Normally, the guard would turn a blind eye to his comings and goings, but today, the man stood firm, demanding to see a permission slip. As Fu Zhi’an walked further and further away, Chi Yu anxiously shook the iron gate, glaring back at the guard with a menacing grin.
No matter how much Chi Yu tried to look intimidating, to the guard, who had seen all sorts of troublemakers, he was just a little kitten baring its teeth.
“Oh, what? You gonna bite me now?” The guard chuckled, rubbing his beer belly. “No permission slip, no exit!”
“Then how did that guy in the black hoodie get out?”
“He had a slip,” the guard said, waving a piece of paper, the neat handwriting on it barely visible.
Fu Zhi’an, always the model student, could get anything he wanted with a smile. Chi Yu could imagine girls practically shoving entire books of permission slips at him, hoping to catch his attention. The more Chi Yu thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He angrily ruffled his hair, shoving one hand into his pocket. As he felt something crumpled in there, his hand paused.
He smirked at the guard, pulling out a wad of paper. “Hey, I tossed my slip in there earlier.” Without waiting for the guard to respond, Chi Yu balled up the paper and threw it forcefully into the guardhouse. It landed perfectly on the threshold.
As the guard turned around, grumbling, to pick up the paper, Chi Yu gripped the gate tightly, placed his foot in the gap of the iron bars, and began to climb. The gate, which hadn’t been replaced in years, creaked under his weight. But he didn’t have time to worry about that—he pushed himself upward with determination.
“You little rascal!” The guard shouted angrily, realizing he’d been duped as he unfolded the paper to find a piece of chewed-up green gum inside. He reached for Chi Yu, but only managed to catch the hem of his pants. Chi Yu nimbly scaled the gate and, without hesitation, jumped down, landing smoothly on the other side.
Ignoring the guard’s shouts, Chi Yu sprinted toward the nearby park.
The dusky light of the setting sun cast an ambiguous, golden hue over everything. On the grass, a boy sat with his head bowed, lost in thought, his shadow stretching out long behind him. Chi Yu watched Fu Zhi’an’s slender figure from a distance before finally walking over.
Chi Yu had known Fu Zhi’an for what felt like forever. While everyone else played in the dirt as kids, Fu Zhi’an was already sitting quietly with a storybook. As they grew older, Fu Zhi’an’s maturity only became more pronounced, along with that polite but distant demeanor. In Chi Yu’s memories, Fu Zhi’an’s face always wore a subtle, inscrutable smile, like he was content with everything, yet indifferent to it all.
So when Chi Yu saw the stern profile of Fu Zhi’an’s face, he hesitated.
“What are you doing here?” Chi Yu’s voice was hoarse, lower than usual. He cleared his throat, trying to sound more casual. Fu Zhi’an didn’t respond, his gaze fixed calmly on the distant lake. The breeze ruffled his slightly wavy black hair, revealing his smooth forehead.
Chi Yu wanted to say more, but then he noticed the white cigarette between Fu Zhi’an’s fingers, slowly burning.
He had no idea that Fu Zhi’an smoked.
Chi Yu swallowed the words he was about to say and sat down next to Fu Zhi’an, stretching his long legs out on the grass. The setting sun sank closer to the distant locust trees, and the breeze was just the right kind of gentle.
“Fu Zhi’an.”
A soft “hmm” was all he got in response. Fu Zhi’an raised the cigarette to his lips, took a slow drag, and then lowered it again.
Chi Yu pulled out his phone, quickly typed something into the search bar, and then cleared his throat, reading aloud in a serious tone: “The dangers of smoking. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes can affect heart function, and smokers are three times more likely to develop heart disease than non-smokers. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, smoking will accelerate coronary artery hardening, leading to coronary heart disease…”
He didn’t need to look to know that Fu Zhi’an’s temple was probably throbbing with annoyance right now. The cigarette in his hand had burned down to nearly the end, but Fu Zhi’an showed no intention of taking another drag.
Just as Chi Yu was about to continue, his wrist was suddenly grabbed and pressed down hard. He turned his head, only to feel a force pulling him forward. His mind went blank for a moment, but then his lower lip was captured by Fu Zhi’an’s mouth, and he could almost hear the faint sigh that escaped from Fu Zhi’an’s throat.
“You’ve smoked now too,” Fu Zhi’an murmured against his lips, his voice low. “Can you shut up now?”
Chi Yu’s ears buzzed as the warm breath on his neck sent a shiver down his spine. That brief kiss felt like fireworks exploding in his brain. Maybe it was the reckless thrill of youth, or maybe it was that strange, inexplicable urge in his heart, but Chi Yu smirked at Fu Zhi’an, his eyebrows raised in challenge.
“Do you even know how to kiss?”
“You’re supposed to use your tongue, you know?”
The cigarette that had been dangling from Fu Zhi’an’s lips slowly fell. He picked up a nearby wrapper, snuffing it out, then met Chi Yu’s defiant gaze with a faint smile. Maybe it was the sound of the breeze rustling the water, but for a moment, Chi Yu found himself flustered by Fu Zhi’an’s smile. Then, with a clean, clear smile, Fu Zhi’an leaned in and kissed him again, bringing with him the hazy scent of smoke and a slight upward tilt to his eyes.
His tongue gently pried open Chi Yu’s mouth, sliding in with ease, turning the kiss into something much more intense. Chi Yu could barely breathe as he clutched at Fu Zhi’an’s shirt, only to feel a sharp pain in his lower lip.
The softness of Fu Zhi’an’s lips abruptly left his, and the thin air rushed into his lungs as if all at once. There was a shadow in Fu Zhi’an’s eyes that Chi Yu couldn’t quite decipher.
“Kissing involves closing your eyes,” Fu Zhi’an whispered in his ear, his voice rough.
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