People around them seemed to have hit a pause button, frozen in place, while Chi Yu felt his hand getting a little hot from holding Fu Zhi’an’s. He hesitated, then turned his head back in disbelief, asking slowly, “What did you just say?”
Fu Zhi’an met the bright, glistening eyes of the boy in front of him. Just as he was about to speak, someone tugged at his sleeve from the other side. Following the slender, fair wrist upward, he saw a girl wearing thick glasses. Noticing both of them looking at her, she seemed a bit nervous.
“Uh, Wang Xiao said you’re going to play a tree in the play. Is that true?”
Fu Zhi’an’s mood soured instantly at the random interruption, his expression turning cold. He responded indifferently.
“Fu Zhi’an,” Chi Yu muttered, lowering his gaze, seemingly confused.
“I get what you’re trying to do.” Chi Yu suddenly raised his head, lifting his eyelids with a disgruntled look on his face. He clicked his tongue twice, then snapped, “Are you trying to get me into some gay relationship so that you can be the only school heartthrob?”
“Let me tell you, that’s not happening.”
Fu Zhi’an’s eyelid twitched. He sighed softly, shaking his head with a faint smile. Looking at Chi Yu’s face, full of naive innocence, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry. He just couldn’t understand how someone this big could still not get the message.
Now, he finally understood what those girls who sent him love letters felt like.
The two of them strolled slowly towards the internet café. Usually, Chi Yu would be delighted just to touch the keyboard, but today, his face remained dark, with the occasional curse escaping his lips. Fu Zhi’an didn’t turn on a computer. Instead, he sat on the sofa nearby, pondering how to confess in a way Chi Yu could understand.
“Damn it! This jungler is just wandering around while I’m here fighting! Is he out shopping or something?”
Fu Zhi’an glanced at the score in the upper right corner: 5/12/0.
“You’re not fighting; you’re getting ganged up on.” Fu Zhi’an leaned on his hand, comparing whether the computer screen was darker or Chi Yu’s face. Chi Yu’s gaming style matched his personality—brave but reckless. No matter how many opponents there were, he’d charge in with his sword, ignoring the signals from his teammates.
Chi Yu ignored him, respawned, and immediately teleported to the enemy’s second tower.
Within three seconds of landing, he was beaten down by three enemies and died again.
Chi Yu took his hands off the keyboard, stewing in some unknown anger. Normally, he’d die in the game and laugh it off, but today, he was unusually irritated. For some reason, he kept recalling the way Fu Zhi’an had looked at him with those clear eyes and asked, “Have you ever considered liking boys?”
It was driving him nuts.
Cool fingers brushed his cheek, making Chi Yu instinctively flinch back, his skinny back pressing against the sofa. Fu Zhi’an’s fluffy head rested halfway on his shoulder, the scent of minty shampoo filling the air. His long eyelashes drooped, covering the flicker in his eyes. With one hand on the mouse, Fu Zhi’an pulled the keyboard towards him, a slight smile on his lips as he took control and guided the character into the jungle.
Chi Yu had never seen Fu Zhi’an play games before. In his mind, excelling at studies and being a gaming pro were two things that couldn’t coexist.
Fu Zhi’an’s pale fingers danced across the keys, skillfully dodging the enemy’s controls one after another. In the final wave, he flashed to avoid the opponent’s ultimate, made a slick move to control the enemy’s backline, and with an ignite and his own ultimate, took down the enemy’s main damage dealer. Chi Yu stared at the chat box in the lower left corner:
Little Strawberry: “That was awesome!”
Shudiahduf: “Whoa, did someone else take over?”
I’m a Pretty Girl: “Are we about to make a comeback?”
Fu Zhi’an withdrew his hand and sat back in his seat, glancing at Chi Yu’s stiff expression with a smile. “I could sprinkle some rice on the keyboard, and even a chicken would play better than you.”
Chi Yu lost interest. After helping his team take down the Baron, they pushed all the way to destroy the enemy’s base. Tossing aside the mouse, he noticed Fu Zhi’an had already picked up a workbook, lazily doodling with a pen.
“Not playing anymore, I’m going home.”
Fu Zhi’an didn’t reply, just grabbed his bag and followed behind. The last rays of twilight stretched out, casting long shadows on the ground. Chi Yu looked at the shadows of the two of them—one in front, one behind—like a sticky couple that couldn’t be separated, the golden light of dusk stretching their shadows long. Chi Yu felt his ears burning and, for some reason, turned around with a raised eyebrow and said, “You’re such an annoying jerk!”
“Yeah, okay.”
“You were probably born just to carry my shoes!”
It felt like punching cotton—Chi Yu just couldn’t find a way to vent his anger. So he squatted on the curb, turning his head away in a sulk, his eyes lazily drooping. He muttered under his breath, “Tch, you’re really no fun.”
A willow tree not far away swayed in the wind, its shadow casting a flickering light on the boy’s face. Chi Yu watched as their shadows drew closer until they finally overlapped. Fu Zhi’an’s white sneakers appeared in his view, standing right in front of him.
“No matter what you say, I’m fine with it.”
“If I say it like this, do you get it?”
The noise from the nearby alley seemed to stop all at once. Chi Yu looked up and met the boy’s clear, innocent eyes. The wind blew a few strands of hair in front of his face, leaving Chi Yu dazed, letting the hair obscure his vision. Fu Zhi’an reached out, gently brushing away the strands on Chi Yu’s forehead, and then softly ruffled his hair.
“What do you want me to understand?”
Fu Zhi’an tilted his head slightly, a gentle smile on his lips, and with a softness in his voice that Chi Yu had never heard before, he said, “Maybe something like… strolling down the path with you on a summer evening, or in winter, smiling as I slip my cold hands under your shirt, and when we make eye contact, being able to smile without hesitation.”
“And whenever something weird or interesting happens, I can just turn my head and say to you, ‘Look at that.’”
Chi Yu’s posture, which had been straight and tense, gradually relaxed. He lowered his head, his arms hanging over his knees. Their shadows on the ground intertwined, the dull gray now tinged with the warm gold of the setting sun, bright and captivating.
“Yeah, I get it.”
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