Chen Yifang hadn’t fully accepted the fact that her son liked boys. However, with the college entrance exams looming, she decided to let other matters slide for now. She placed a dumpling into Fu Zhi’an’s bowl, offering him a small smile.
She held onto another hope. The affections of the young are often intense but short-lived. From the moment they get together, it’s already the peak of their relationship, and everything after that is just a downhill journey. Fu Zhi’an was still young, and he hadn’t met that many people yet. As Chen Yifang stirred the dipping sauce, she thought that, perhaps, after some time, they wouldn’t even need her to intervene. The two of them would naturally go their separate ways.
Fu Zhi’an wasn’t aware of his mother’s thoughts. The constant sound of raindrops hitting the window made him uneasy. He turned his head, staring out at the rain, which seemed to have grown heavier than before. Regret began to creep in—he should have left the umbrella with Chi Yu. If Chi Yu hadn’t managed to catch a cab by now, he was probably drenched…
“What’s today’s date?”
Fu Zhi’an suddenly asked. The man sitting beside him glanced at his phone and mumbled, “29th…” Fu Jianguo paused, then muttered, “November 29th… isn’t it Wen Hua’s…” Before he could finish his sentence, Fu Zhi’an abruptly stood up and walked to the door. He hesitated for a moment before detouring into the study.
When he reappeared, Fu Zhi’an was dressed in a black jacket, his head lowered. “Don’t wait up for me tonight.” He tossed this sentence behind him as he shut the door, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Chen Yifang’s words of advice and pleas for him to stay went unspoken as Fu Zhi’an disappeared, leaving only a sigh on her lips. Fu Jianguo had also put down his chopsticks without her noticing. He covered his face with both hands, rubbing vigorously as if trying to scrub away his exhaustion.
“So many years have passed, yet this is the first time I’ve forgotten Wen Hua’s memorial day.”
The rain was even heavier than Fu Zhi’an had anticipated. Despite holding an umbrella, he couldn’t stop the wind-driven raindrops from splattering onto his clothes. The dim car headlights cut through the rain, and Fu Zhi’an raised his arm, squinting through the downpour as he tried to hail a cab.
Although the cab’s “vacant” sign was lit, it flicked off as soon as the driver saw him. Fu Zhi’an’s bangs were already soaked, clinging to his forehead in strands. He casually pushed his hair back, raising his arm to try again.
A black sedan pulled up in front of him, splashing muddy water onto his pants, soaking his ankles.
The driver, a man with a gold chain, leaned out the window and yelled, “Hey, buddy, where you headed?”
“Lin Yuan,” Fu Zhi’an replied, opening the door and closing his umbrella as he got in.
“Lin Yuan, huh? That’s pretty far, and with the rain and traffic, I’m gonna lose money just taking you…”
“I’ll pay double,” Fu Zhi’an interrupted. The man instantly shut up, licking his lips before grinning. “Alright, we’ll take the back roads through the outskirts. It’ll be quicker that way.” Fu Zhi’an didn’t respond. Instead, he pulled out his phone, typing out a string of words before deleting them one by one.
He thought for a moment, then typed a few words and hit send:
I’m on my way. Don’t wander off.
Fu Zhi’an closed his phone and leaned back against the seat with a sigh. Chi Yu probably wouldn’t see the message, considering he hadn’t answered any of the calls before. The car’s radio buzzed with static as the driver occasionally muttered some offhand curses.
Fu Zhi’an hooked his finger around the umbrella’s handle, thinking about how he’d grab Chi Yu by the collar and give him a good scolding when he found him. Maybe, if that didn’t vent his frustration enough, he’d even kick him a couple of times. He took a deep breath, furrowing his brows as he closed his eyes.
But none of those thoughts materialized into actions. The moment he saw Chi Yu, it was as if the rain had doused him entirely, extinguishing all the anger and panic that had been building up inside him.
He didn’t even need to search for him because nobody would be sitting on the ground, alone, on a night like this, silently staring at a tombstone.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Chi Yu slightly turned his head, just in time to meet Fu Zhi’an’s stern gaze. The bangs that usually covered his forehead were pushed back, revealing clean, sharp features that now carried an unfamiliar coldness.
He wanted to smile and say, “You look pretty cool like that.” But when Chi Yu tried to force a grin, he found that he couldn’t.
Fu Zhi’an crouched down, though Chi Yu was already drenched through, he still stubbornly tilted the umbrella toward him. This time, Chi Yu didn’t push it away. He stood up, casually wiping his face with his hand.
“Let’s go.” Chi Yu turned around and walked a few steps before realizing that Fu Zhi’an wasn’t following him.
He turned back, about to call out to him, but the words stuck in his throat. Raindrops clung to his eyelashes, yet Fu Zhi’an didn’t even blink. Wearing a black jacket, Fu Zhi’an carefully took a flower out of his pocket, and after confirming that the petals were intact, he let out a small sigh of relief, a faint smile curving his lips.
He used his sleeve to wipe the water off the tombstone, placing the flower in the center before stepping back and bowing deeply.
Chi Yu watched as he walked toward him, and suddenly everything felt surreal. It was as if this person had traveled across mountains and rivers, just to be here, just to be with him.
“Want a hug?”
Chi Yu shifted his gaze away from the lily and avoided Fu Zhi’an’s probing eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. “Don’t gross me out…”
The rest of his words got stuck in his throat as he was pulled into a tight embrace, the clean scent of laundry detergent filling his senses. The wet clothes clung to their bodies, and the arms wrapped around his back tightened, so much so that he could even hear Fu Zhi’an’s steady, strong heartbeat.
His fingers, which had been hanging loosely by his sides, clenched and unclenched before finally wrapping around Fu Zhi’an’s waist.
Forget it. Just for a while.
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