CH 55

Around two in the morning, snow began to fall outside the window.

Lin Yuxing came out of the bathroom and changed into pajamas.

Inside the warm room, the temperature was pleasant, and Lin Yuxing didn’t feel cold even with bare feet. He leaned against the bedroom window and watched the snow for a while. Then, he walked out of the room, reached the balcony connected to the living room, and quietly sat down, hugging his knees, watching the goose feather-like snowflakes falling outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Before long, a blanket was draped over his shoulders.

Gu Zhongyi sat behind him, crossing his legs, embracing Lin Yuxing from behind and letting him lean into his embrace. “Be careful not to catch a cold.” Gu Zhongyi gathered both of Lin Yuxing’s hands inside the blanket.

“I’m not cold.”

“Enjoying the snow?”

“Yes.” Lin Yuxing’s gaze never left the snowflakes.

Gu Zhongyi followed his line of sight. “Not feeling sleepy?”

Lin Yuxing shook his head, with only his head visible, sticking out from the blanket. He leaned against Gu Zhongyi’s chest and raised his head slightly. “Are you sleepy?”

“Not at all.”

“Neither am I.” Lin Yuxing looked particularly spirited, even with a slightly rosy complexion. It was hard to tell if he was excited or if the warmth in his heart hadn’t faded yet, but his eyes were especially bright.

Lin Yuxing relaxed and said, “In the past, on snowy days like this, I never took the time to appreciate the snow. I was either on my way to work or tired from finishing work. Or I was buried in endless worries, hoping the snow would stop soon and the weather wouldn’t be so cold.”

He paused and continued with longing, “But now, I think it’s beautiful.”

He had missed many winter snowfalls.

Gu Zhongyi held him, his chin resting on Lin Yuxing’s shoulder through the blanket, silent.

Lin Yuxing felt a bit ticklish but didn’t push him away. He reached out from the blanket and touched Gu Zhongyi’s head. His soft hair made Lin Yuxing’s palm feel itchy too.

The bitter orange fragrance became rich and turned into strands of sweetness that entered Lin Yuxing’s heart.

“Don’t release pheromones randomly.”

“Okay.” Gu Zhongyi was obedient and restrained himself a bit.

Lin Yuxing sighed, “It’s still so sweet. Are you trying to sweeten me to death?”

Gu Zhongyi hugged him tightly, being especially clingy. “I can’t control myself when I’m with you,” he said, then nuzzled Lin Yuxing’s neck affectionately. “Your body has even sweeter pheromones than mine.”

His kisses landed on Lin Yuxing’s shoulder, gently shifting in direction until they reached the scar.

Sensitive to it, Lin Yuxing instinctively moved his neck away.

Gu Zhongyi said, “There won’t be days like that in the future.” He held Lin Yuxing’s hand, kneading his rough palm with affectionate attachment. His voice was low and hoarse. “I promise.”

Gu Zhongyi’s hand was warm, and Lin Yuxing liked it very much.

Gu Zhongyi’s mood was low, and Lin Yuxing didn’t like it.

“I had a difficult time before, and it wasn’t because of you,” Lin Yuxing lowered his eyes, not wanting Gu Zhongyi to be so concerned about his past. “If you keep acting like this, I won’t say anything about it anymore.”

But how could Gu Zhongyi tell him? Lin Yuxing went through all those hardships, and a large part of it was because of his father? to put it bluntly, because of him.

It was him and Lin Yuxing’s meeting at the orphanage that led to Lin Yuxing experiencing countless hardships.

Gu Zhongyi had lost him once and had been filled with unease and regret ever since.

Gu Zhongyi said the same thing again, “If only I had come a little earlier.”

But in Lin Yuxing’s heart, Gu Zhongyi had come early enough.

Not only early but precisely on time.

The snow fell heavier, soon covering the distant scenery with a shallow layer of white.

In the dim lights of the night, the wind carried the snowflakes away into the distance.

Lin Yuxing’s eyelashes trembled slightly with his breath. He didn’t say anything, turning around and hugging Gu Zhongyi’s neck.

Gu Zhongyi’s hands landed on Lin Yuxing’s waist, gently pulling him closer to his chest. Lin Yuxing sat up, creating a small distance between them, and their noses touched, with a glimmer of starlight in their eyes.

“Shall we go downstairs to see the snow?”

He waited for Gu Zhongyi for about three seconds but didn’t get a response. He pushed Gu Zhongyi’s shoulder as if being playful, but he also seemed unaccustomed to speaking like that.

“Take me downstairs to see the snow!” He smiled and said playfully.

It was a night in City C, with a temperature of minus ten degrees Celsius.

There was already a thin layer of snow on the ground.

Lin Yuxing wore a thick coat and a red scarf, bouncing ahead of Gu Zhongyi, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow.

“Ah!”

Lin Yuxing uttered and instinctively covered his butt with both hands.

Confused, Gu Zhongyi hurriedly approached and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Yuxing lowered his head and blushed, his ears turning red. He reached out and lightly patted Gu Zhongyi, whispering shyly, “It’s all your fault. I can’t even walk properly.”

Gu Zhongyi instantly understood that he was at fault.

He grabbed Lin Yuxing’s hand and hid it in his pocket, keeping it warm. His lips curved slightly, “Do you want me to make up for it?”

Lin Yuxing’s eyes sparkled.

“Can you give me money?”

“…”

Gu Zhongyi had intended to carry Lin Yuxing on his back and enjoy the snow until he was satisfied. Who would have thought that Lin Yuxing would equate “compensation” with money?

…Well, it’s not entirely impossible.

But giving money after being intimate seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.

He explained, “This kind of compensation can’t be expressed with money.”

Lin Yuxing asked expectantly, “Then what should I choose?”

“Anything else.”

“Then I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes.” Lin Yuxing rubbed his stomach and had a sudden idea. “Eating roasted sweet potatoes on a snowy day feels the warmest.”

That puzzled Gu Zhongyi. It was late at night, and it was also the first day of the Lunar New Year. Where could he buy roasted sweet potatoes for Lin Yuxing?

Lin Yuxing knew he couldn’t get them that instant, he had just said it casually.

But Gu Zhongyi thought it over and didn’t want to disappoint him. He gave Lin Yuxing a red envelope containing 200 yuan. It wasn’t a large amount, but it was a little New Year’s gift.

“New Year’s red envelope.”

Lin Yuxing had never received a red envelope before, even though he was already grown up. He didn’t know what to do, so he hurriedly gave Gu Zhongyi a red envelope as well, also containing 200 yuan

Lin Yuxing smiled and said, “Senior, I’m also giving you a New Year’s red envelope.”

They exchanged New Year gifts.

However, Gu Zhongyi was a bit calculating, “What did you call me?”

“…”

Lin Yuxing’s mind went blank. He looked down and kicked a small stone covered by the accumulated snow, unable to utter the words “Zhongyi ge” (Brother Zhongyi).

An hour earlier, Lin Yuxing called him “Zhongyi ge”, and Gu Zhongyi playfully bumped into him. If he hadn’t called him that, Gu Zhongyi wouldn’t budge…

Lin Yuxing still associated that name as a startup for indecent things, something he absolutely couldn’t say!

so he stubbornly said, “I don’t want to call you that anymore. We’re the same age, I don’t want to address you like that.”

Gu Zhongyi wasn’t anxious, nor was he annoyed. In fact, he was happy with whatever Lin Yuxing called him, and he was willing to accept it.

He didn’t argue at all, simply saying, “As you wish.”

Lin Yuxing glanced at him and realized that Gu Zhongyi was quite understanding.

Gu Zhongyi happily said, “That way of addressing each other is more interesting occasionally.” Lin Yuxing understood the meaning behind the word “occasionally.”

Lin Yuxing stopped, unable to resist giving Gu Zhongyi a kick.

The force wasn’t strong, but it was the first time he did that to Gu Zhongyi.

Due to the exaggerated movement, Lin Yuxing instinctively covered his butt again, and his waist began to ache.

He drooped his eyebrows, feeling wronged as he shifted the blame, ” senior Yang always comes up with bad ideas. I won’t listen to him anymore.”

Gu Zhongyi stopped teasing him and agreed, “Yang Qing is no good.”

Little did they know that Yang Qing, who was playing games all night at home, sneezed.

In the heated room, Yang Qing shook his legs, rubbed his nose, and happily took a sip of soda. He confidently said, “I bet Zhongyi is thanking me right now.”

Feeling a bit hungry, he went to the living room to find something to eat.

Vaguely, as he passed Yang Zhou’s room, he heard some inappropriate sounds coming from inside. Luckily, their rooms were far from their parents’ room. Otherwise, how could their elderly parents have a peaceful sleep with that going on?

Yang Qing had nothing to say about his older brother’s lack of virtue. After all, he was a doctor at C University. He was anything but serious.

He picked up a few candied oranges from the coffee table and returned to his room. After peeling the oranges, he chewed on them, feeling the sweetness in his mouth but bitterness in his heart. “I envy those who spend the night together, welcoming the New Year in each other’s arms.”

Thinking about it, he sent a message to a newly created group, with a lingering desire to play another game: [my two adorable juniors, shall we play another round?]

Gu Nuan: [I won’t play anymore. If I don’t go to bed soon, my dad will hang me on the balcony.]

Yang Qing: [You’re already 19, and you’re still a daddy’s boy? Come on, let’s play another round.]

Gu Nuan: [No, because I’m a daddy’s boy.]

In an instance Gu Nuan’s game ID went offline.

Yang Qing: [What about Su Li?]

Su Li: [Not playing anymore. I need to video chat with my boyfriend tomorrow at noon, so I have to sleep.]

Yang Qing:…

Yang Qing: [I didn’t expect that even though you’re average-looking, you already have a boyfriend. Are you all in such a hurry to find someone, even though you’re only in your freshman year?]

Su Li: [Do you have any manners?]

Su Li: [No wonder I heard you’re always getting dumped. It seems there’s a reason for it.]

Su Li’s game ID was “Youtiao dipped in soy milk,” and it immediately went offline.

Yang Qing was left in his lonely state.

……..

On the other side, Lin Yuxing’s shyness came and went quickly. He looked up at the moon, and the snowflakes landed on his slightly long eyelashes, casting a faint shadow.

Soon, those snowflakes melted away.

Under the moonlight and streetlights, Lin Yuxing’s profile looked exceptionally beautiful.

He held hands with Gu Zhongyi and walked slowly on the road, leaving behind long footprints that extended to the lonely dreams he once had.

“Senior.”

“Yes?”

“Did I tell you that when I was a child in the welfare institution, I knew a boy named ‘A Yi’?”

Gu Zhongyi’s footsteps paused, and for a moment, his expression stiffened.

In the dim light, Lin Yuxing didn’t notice Gu Zhongyi’s discomfort. He turned around and looked at their footprints, exhaling a breath of white mist.

“He was my first friend, the first person who was kind to me besides my brother.” There was nostalgia and loneliness in Lin Yuxing’s tone as he pretended to casually say, “I often took him to play in the sandbox on the playground. It was the same back then, our footprints side by side, it felt good.”

And now, he wasn’t alone anymore.

Lin Yuxing clearly remembered that A Yi had some issues with his feet, so his footprints were deep and shallow. But the way he tried to keep up with him left a deep impression.

Gu Zhongyi’s Adam’s apple moved, and he asked, “Do you know how he’s doing now?”

“I don’t know.” Lin Yuxing shrugged indifferently and slowly started walking back. “He only stayed in the welfare institution for two months before his family took him away. We were too young at the time and couldn’t exchange contact information.”

Even if they had exchanged contact information in the welfare institution, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

The welfare institution was like a transit station, with people coming and going. Everyone was like a passing traveler, heading in different directions and embarking on different lives.

A heaviness seemed to sink within Gu Zhongyi’s body, making his steps heavy.

He moved his lips and asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time, “Do you want to see him?”

“Can you help me find him?”

Gu Zhongyi replied, “Yes.”

As long as Lin Yuxing wanted, A Yi could appear now.

Lin Yuxing fell silent for a moment and answered, “I don’t want to.”

“…”

“I used to think about it, but now,” Lin Yuxing laughed helplessly, “it’s not necessary anymore.”

So many years had passed, and they both had their own lives. Lin Yuxing didn’t want to trouble Gu Zhongyi or disturb A Yi.

Gu Zhongyi fell silent.

Lin Yuxing mistakenly thought Gu Zhongyi’s silence was because he was tired and took the initiative to say, “Are you tired? It seems like the snow is going to stop.” He tiptoed and brushed off the fine droplets of water on Gu Zhongyi’s hair. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Gu Zhongyi moved slowly, and the smile in his eyes disappeared at some point.

“Okay.”