The dry, chilly wind occasionally slipped through their collars, making them shiver. Chi Yu glanced at Fu Zhi’an walking beside him. Fu’s exposed neck was long and fair, with visible veins that seemed to boast the vigor of youth. As they walked side by side on the street, they caught the attention of passing girls now and then. Feeling slightly uneasy, Chi Yu turned his head away and leaned his shoulder closer to Fu Zhi’an.
Wang Xiao, with his large figure clad in a bright red down jacket, was easy to spot from a distance, bouncing around like a big ball of energy. As Chi Yu and Fu Zhi’an got closer, they could hear his voice, thick with grievance, as he sniffled and complained, “You two are so slow! We’ve been waiting here since noon!”
“Look at my delicate skin,” Wang Xiao continued, pushing his face toward Chi Yu, “Just standing in this cold is making me age faster.” Before he could touch Chi Yu’s collar, a hand smacked his face, stopping him in his tracks. Fu Zhi’an casually put his hand back in his pocket and stepped forward a bit, blocking Wang Xiao’s view.
“Did you buy the tickets?”
Wang Xiao pulled two crumpled, colorful tickets from his pocket and nodded toward the entrance. “You guys were late, so Ji Xiaoxiao went ahead and bought the tickets.” Fu Zhi’an turned his head just in time to meet the girl’s gaze. Ji Xiaoxiao raised her arm and waved at him with a half-smirk.
The amusement park wasn’t crowded around the New Year, and with the recent temperature drop, popular rides like the roller coaster and other high-altitude attractions had hardly any lines.
“The roller coaster doesn’t have much of a line!” Wang Xiao stuffed a roasted sweet potato into his bag and, grabbing Lin Chuan’s arm, dashed off. As he ran, he shouted back, “We’ll go queue up first and save you guys a spot.”
“No need to save a spot for Chi Yu.” Fu Zhi’an glanced at Chi Yu beside him, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “He’s afraid of heights.”
Chi Yu’s thoughts drifted back to a few hours earlier, to the warmth of breath and whispered words, and the red mark still faint on his collarbone. Even though they were outside now, the cold wind biting at his ankles, his ears were burning, and his lips felt dry. Ignoring the gaze he felt on him, Chi Yu stiffened his neck and ran ahead, standing behind Wang Xiao with a defiant look. “Bullshit, do I look like I’m afraid of heights?”
“I’m sitting in the front row. The rest of you can stay behind.”
Teenage bravado comes quickly and fades just as fast. As Chi Yu sat in the front row, the wind smacked against his forehead, numbing his skin. The seat next to him was suddenly occupied by a tall figure, with starry eyes and a slight, soft smile. Fu Zhi’an’s legs, long and slender, were tucked into the narrow seat, his knees brushing against Chi Yu’s. Fu Zhi’an raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“Don’t worry, Daddy’s got you.”
The real dizziness hit him like a wave, much like the sensation of being drunk, blurring both his vision and mind. The roller coaster car clunked slowly along the track, each click amplified tenfold in his chest, leaving him breathless. As his little finger was hooked by someone else’s, Chi Yu turned his head, only to see Fu Zhi’an’s face growing larger and larger, until cool, soft lips pressed against his.
The roller coaster crept slowly as it reached the peak, and even Chi Yu’s heartbeat seemed to slow down. He could almost hear the echo of his own body. The wind blew from the south to the north, making his heart feel warm despite the cold. Fu Zhi’an’s whispered words were carried away by the wind, but Chi Yu heard them loud and clear. Somehow, Fu Zhi’an had acquired the ability to set his heart on fire with just a few words, burning away all his hidden fears.
The wind roared past, blurring his vision, his heart pounding so loudly he could hear it. Their hooked pinkies tightened, silently stripping away Chi Yu’s fear. Everything around him seemed to rush by in a blur, but Fu Zhi’an’s features remained sharp, every detail clear in Chi Yu’s eyes—the half-smile, the faint creases around his lips.
When the roller coaster finally stopped, their fingers were still tightly entwined. Chi Yu turned to see Fu Zhi’an’s once-neat hair now a messy mop atop his head. Chi Yu burst out laughing. The cold wind left their faces numb, but the smiles on their faces only grew wider, like children finally getting their long-awaited candy.
Wang Xiao hurried over from the back row, oblivious to the charged atmosphere between them. He laughed as he said, “That was wild! I nearly got thrown out of the back row!” He glanced at Ji Xiaoxiao, who looked unfazed, and leaned closer to Chi Yu to whisper, “Ji Xiaoxiao’s a real tough one. She didn’t make a sound the whole time, but Lin Chuan was shaking like a leaf.”
“So much for being a hero,” Wang Xiao muttered.
Chi Yu frowned, rubbing his head as he tilted it toward Fu Zhi’an. “Lin Chuan likes Ji Xiaoxiao?”
Fu Zhi’an hummed softly, a smile playing on his lips. “Do you know who Ji Xiaoxiao likes?”
Chi Yu’s gaze faltered for a moment, and his black eyes blinked twice. He let out a cold laugh and turned his head. “Who she likes is none of my business.”
Fu Zhi’an didn’t respond, just smiled to himself, his eyelashes casting soft shadows over his cheeks.
Things escalated quickly after that, leaving Chi Yu and Fu Zhi’an standing speechless at the entrance to the haunted house. Lin Chuan, looking excited, waved them over from not too far away. “We’re the first ones in the afternoon group! Let’s go while the actors are still full of energy!”
“If you’re scared, you can stay out here,” Fu Zhi’an said, his face expressionless as he glanced at Chi Yu. After a pause, he added, “I can stay with you.”
“Don’t try to pin your fear on me.” Chi Yu’s face was pale—whether from the roller coaster or his mood, it was hard to tell. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “If you’re scared, I totally understand…”
Before he could finish, Fu Zhi’an walked up to the entrance and turned back, raising an eyebrow as he mouthed: “If we’re going down, we’re going down together.”
Screams echoed through the haunted house, starting at the entrance and continuing all the way to the exit. Wang Xiao was the first to burst out of the curtains, his face flushed. Chi Yu and Fu Zhi’an emerged right behind him, just in time to hear Wang Xiao’s raspy voice, hoarse from screaming. His throat was so raw from the high-pitched screams that even speaking now sounded like a ghostly wail.
“Chi Ge, you’re something else—not a peep out of you in there!” Wang Xiao guzzled water from his bottle, finally managing to catch his breath. “But man, you pack a punch! Those actors inside looked scared out of their wits.” Chi Yu’s expression was dark as he irritably unzipped his jacket. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Wang Xiao, come with me.” Before Wang Xiao could react, Chi Yu had already hooked an arm around his neck, dragging him along. Chi Yu, with a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes, leaned in close. “When we get to the bathroom, I’ll find the deepest puddle and drown you in it.”
Once Chi Yu’s figure disappeared around the corner, Fu Zhi’an finally relaxed, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He licked his dry lips, walked to the side, and pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket. His fingers trembled slightly as he recalled the hand that had grabbed his pant leg in the haunted house. Fu Zhi’an lit a cigarette, taking a long drag and feeling a little more at ease.
Halfway through the cigarette, just as Fu Zhi’an was calming down and considering lighting another before Chi Yu returned, he thought he heard a familiar female voice. Cigarette between his fingers, Fu Zhi’an walked toward the source of the sound. A girl with long hair stood with her back to him, her voice cool and detached.
“At home, I always peel my apples.”
The boy standing in front of her kept his head down, even when she turned to leave. Only when she turned her back did he lift his hand slightly, but he still didn’t reach out to stop her. When Ji Xiaoxiao turned around, she saw Fu Zhi’an. His expression was neutral, as if he hadn’t seen or heard anything. As she got closer, she noticed the faint glow of a cigarette in his fingers, the white smoke curling around his wrist.
“I knew you weren’t any good,” Ji Xiaoxiao said with a cold smile, brushing her long hair back and holding out her hand.
The flame of the cigarette illuminated her eyelashes. Ji Xiaoxiao took a deep drag and leaned back against the wall, her voice cutting through the silence.
“I’m going abroad,” she said suddenly. Sensing his gaze, she flicked the ash off her cigarette before continuing, “Not everyone has a brain like yours, blessed by the heavens. I can’t get into a top university here.”
“Too many distractions—transferring schools wouldn’t help either. Might as well go far away.” In Fu Zhi’an’s memory, this was the first time Ji Xiaoxiao had spoken so much to him. Although they weren’t far apart in class, they both understood each other’s secrets without needing to say much. Maybe she flicked the ash too hard because the burning tip of the cigarette broke off, leaving only the charred end.
Fu Zhi’an took out his lighter, relit her cigarette, and after a pause, said, “The love letter you slipped into Chi Yu’s drawer—I took it.”
Ji Xiaoxiao fiddled with her nails absentmindedly, murmuring, “I know.” Though she disliked Fu Zhi’an, she had to admit he was an honest person, through and through. But around her, Fu Zhi’an always seemed a little guilty. Stealing that letter was probably the sneakiest thing he’d ever done in his short life.
“But now that I think about it, it’s better he’s with you than with some other girl,” Ji Xiaoxiao took another drag, the smoke curling away as she sighed softly, her voice losing some of its sharpness. “But honestly, I’m a little jealous of you—being there for his innocent childhood and all the good days to come.”
She turned to him, eyes slightly red, and smiled. “It’s really unfair.”
Fu Zhi’an glanced at the cigarette burning low between his fingers, bringing it to his lips. “Then you’ll just have to keep being jealous,” he replied, his voice light. “It’s never going to be yours, so you can be as envious or jealous as you want.” Ji Xiaoxiao squinted at him, her lips curling into a smirk as she stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“Fu Zhi’an, you really are no good.”
Caught off guard by her sudden closeness, Fu Zhi’an froze. Before he could step back, Ji Xiaoxiao laughed and retreated, flicking the cigarette in her hand. As she walked away, she called out, “See you around.”
If Fu Zhi’an hadn’t understood Ji Xiaoxiao’s intentions before, he certainly did when he turned around and met Chi Yu’s dark eyes. Rubbing his temples, Fu Zhi’an sighed. Chi Yu looked at the cigarette butt on the ground and said coldly, “You’re smoking with partners now?”
Fu Zhi’an leaned back against the wall, his eyes curving into crescent shapes as he smiled.
“You think this is funny?”
Fu Zhi’an shook his head, but the smile didn’t fade. He spread his arms, his voice soft. “Not anymore. Come here.”
“Like hell I will.” Chi Yu turned his head in disdain, clearly about to walk away. But Fu Zhi’an took a step forward, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him into his arms, resting his forehead on Chi Yu’s shoulder. He nuzzled closer, his voice muffled. “If you want to be the mom, that’s fine. Just let me hold you for a while.”
“I’ll call your mom later and tell her you’re out here claiming random people as your mom.”
“Mmm.” The arms around Chi Yu’s waist tightened, and he felt Fu Zhi’an snuggle closer, his breath warm against Chi Yu’s neck. The smile in his voice was unmistakable.
“If you’re interested in that, you can go ahead and talk to my mom.”
Chi Yu opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He suddenly didn’t know whether he should tell Fu Zhi’an to get lost or imitate what Fu Zhi’an had done on the roller coaster and softly say, “I love you.”
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