Chapter 34: CH 34

Ye Yao woke up in the morning and was shocked to see Lu Xun at the sink.

Lu Xun was brushing his teeth with his eyes drooping, his whole face unusually haggard, turning into a dishevelled dapper man. When he sees him coming, Lu Xun, whose mouth is full of white foam, squeezes out a smile.

The smile is really not very nice.

“…… are you okay.” Ye Yao said worriedly.

“Nothing.” Lu Xun spits the foam out of his mouth and talks to Ye Yao, “I didn’t get much sleep last night watching a ball game.”

Ye Yao didn’t know if this reason was true or not, so he went along with it and said, “You can watch the game during the day, don’t stay up too much, staying up late is not good for your health.”

Lu Xun nods his head.

Seeing Lu Xun’s unconcerned look, Ye Yao couldn’t help but add: “Staying up all night also makes you ugly …… Forget it.”

Lu Xun doesn’t care about appearances at all, and he says this is even less useful.

Ye Yao had just finished his thought when he saw Lu Xun’s eyes widen. Lu Xun took a few sips of water to clear the remaining foam from his mouth and hurried out of the washroom.

Ye Yao looked out from the washroom to see Lu Xun going to the fitting mirror in the dormitory and examining his face.

Ye Yao :”……”

Xiao Pang, who was also washing up, was also stunned by Lu Xun. He and Ye Yao looked at each other and said in shock, “What happened, overnight Brother Lu is actually concerned about whether he looks good today or not?”

“I don’t know about …….” Ye Yao said, “Maybe there was a player in the game he watched last night that was so good looking that it inspired him to be competitive.”

*

Ye Yao was in class as usual when he took out his phone to swipe through it and saw another emoji sent to him by Lu Xun.

It is a chubby white duck with hot tears in its eyes drawing circles on the ground with its wings, with the words [I know you are busy, don’t forget to pay attention to me duck when you are free].

Ye Yao laughed and poked the fat duck on the screen.

Even in their current situation, Lu Xun is still trying and persistent in sending him messages to keep in touch with them, which shows how much Lu Xun values this relationship.

And why should he not.

Ye Yao has slightly mixed emotions.

Now that he no longer has to cross the river on a tightrope, and has become friends with Lu Xun at arm’s length, everything is, on the face of it, ideal.

But it’s also because of the close relationship that once existed, and now that it’s gone, Ye Yao, no matter how sensible he is, will be a bit down in the dumps.

It would be nice if there was an activity that would give him a break, like a weekend hike or something. He should be able to get used to it after a little more time.

Ye Yao was staring at his phone screen when he saw another message from Lu Xun: [Actually, I didn’t stay up last night because I was watching the football game ……]

Ye Yao has just finished reading this sentence, and in no more than two seconds Lu Xun has somehow withdrawn it.

A little later, Lu Xun sent another emoji: [Go for it today too!

After another moment, Ye Yao slowly typed: [Well, go for it.

Ye Yao : [What did you withdraw earlier?

Lu Xun’s message came back quickly: [Nothing, I accidentally clicked on the wrong one and sent you a giant ugly emoji.

Lu Xun : [Shall we go to dinner tonight?

Ye Yao glanced at the withdrawal prompt and didn’t poke Lu Xun : [Wanted to study tonight.

Lu Xun replied: [I’ll go with you? I always think about studying well too.]

Ye Yao did not refuse and replied with half-lidded eyes: [Yes.

*

After a short break at lunchtime, Lu Xun looked much better. By the time he went with Ye Yao to find an empty classroom to study in the evening, he was back to being a handsome man who looked great everywhere he went.

Any classroom that is not used for classes can be used for self-study, and Ye Yao chooses a small classroom with a few other people in it. He sits by the window and Lu Xun sits next to him.

Ye Yao is in focused learning mode.

He holds a pen in one hand and the other on the tabletop, next to the junction of his and Lu Xun’s desks.

It is easier to lose all worldly desires when the study is about various legal texts.

Ye Yao wondered how long he had been studying when his hand, which was resting beside him, was suddenly touched by something warm.

Ye Yao looked to the side and saw Lu Xun with one hand next to his.

There wasn’t much contact between the two hands, just a little side-to-side press, with a seeming tickle when they touched.

Ye Yao did not say anything, moved his hand a little to the side and continued reading.

Ye Yao’s hand was touched again before he could finish half a page of the book.

Lu Xun’s hand crossed the dividing line between their tables and pursued them doggedly.

Lu Xun’s book has not been turned over a single page.

Ye Yao did not retreat this time, he frowned slightly and lowered his voice and said in an airy tone, ” Lu Xun .”

The voice was soft enough not to disturb the others studying at the other end of the classroom, but it was like a thunderclap to Lu Xun, who was buried in his head, wondering what he was thinking.

Lu Xun looked up sharply, “Huh? What’s going on?”

Ye Yao gestures to Lu Xun to keep his voice down, then inclines his head to look in the direction of his hand.

Lu Xun also looked over, froze, and hastily withdrew his hand.

Lu Xun scratches his face and looks a little uncomfortable.

“I didn’t mean to do it.” Lu Xun lowered his voice to explain, “I was thinking about something else and I don’t know how ……”

Without any command from his brain, his hands had quietly gone against his will and sneaked up on Ye Yao.

Damn.

“So that’s it.” Ye Yao said, “Then I’ll sit a little further away.”

Ye Yao pulls his chair to the other side so that he is at a distance from Lu Xun.

“Keep reading the book.” Ye Yao said.

Lu Xun seemed to want to say something, but in the end he said nothing, pursed his lips and nodded.

Ye Yao reads quietly for a couple of pages, then he suddenly realises that something doesn’t seem right.

Lu Xun’s hands did not come over again and his feet were honestly restrained under his desk by the desk bar. Everything seems to be fine, except for ……

Lu Xun’s upper body was separated from his by a distance, but now it was less than two hands away, and if Lu Xun continued to lean towards him, it wouldn’t be long before his shoulders met his.

Ye Yao : “……”

Ye Yao did not move his chair, but simply inclined his upper body to the other side. This time instead of focusing on the book, he focuses on Lu Xun, who is next to him.

After he veers to the other side Lu Xun slowly tilts again, his upper body, which was at a ninety degree right angle to the chair, slowly bends to eighty and seventy degrees ……

What is this, a spell to separate the butt from the upper body?

Ye Yao poked Lu Xun’s shoulder as he saw that he was about to be pressed against the wall, “I know you have good eyesight, but you don’t have to look so far away from the book.”

Lu Xun snapped back to his senses and looked at his posture, then at where the book was, and hurriedly straightened his posture.

“I really didn’t mean to do it!” Lu Xun explained, “I don’t know why I just ran over to your side.”

Ye Yao sighed softly as he watched Lu Xun turn the book over several pages in a row, holding his pen ready to study again.

“I’m gay, Lu Xun.” Ye Yao said softly, “Think about it, think deeper, think until you’re a little nauseous, and you’ll stop leaning in subconsciously.”

“I’m thinking …… I’m thinking very hard.” Lu Xun whispered.

Ye Yao believed it and continued to study on his own.

Next to him, Lu Xun’s mind slips away from the textbook altogether.

Ye Yao told him to think carefully and deeply.

This was something Ye Yao himself agreed to let him think about in depth.

As if by divine decree, Lu Xun’s mind began to wander, and what he had previously been reluctant to think about in depth, and felt would be disrespectful to Ye Yao, was opened up to him by such a divine decree.

Ye Yao likes men, so when he expresses his affection he will take the person’s hand, put his arms around the person’s waist and rest his head on the person’s shoulder.

If the person wants to duck down for a kiss, then Ye Yao will tilt his head up and deliver his pale red lips.

The man holding Ye Yao, whose face had been a blur, somehow turned into Lu Xun’s familiar silhouette, quelling Lu Xun’s anger.

It is only right for such a person to hold Ye Yao.

…… has a dry mouth and wants lots of water to nourish it.

Disgusting? How can it be disgusting, it’s a source of life.

…… He’s probably crazy and wants to stick to this person for the rest of his life.

*

After the study session, Ye Yao packed up his books and returned to the dormitory with Lu Xun from the building.

On the way back there was the milk tea shop with a sign in front of the shop with the new drink flavours.

Lu Xun didn’t pay attention to the flavours, he was drawn to the milk tea cups on the top.

On the cup is a little person reaching out to the side, and with the two cups of milk tea leaning together, the two little people manage to hold hands.

The milk tea shop was across the street, so Lu Xun spoke to Ye Yao and ran over to buy some, and managed to get two cups after a short while.

Lu Xun puts two cups of milk tea together so that the two little people are holding hands and then turns the cups around so that the two little people have their tummies and faces close together.

“Have a hug and be happy.” Lu Xun said.

Of course the milk tea could not answer him, but Lu Xun was satisfied. Only when he reached Ye Yao did he separate the milk teas and handed one of them to Ye Yao.

As soon as Ye Yao took the milk tea, it was the equivalent of him and Ye Yao holding hands and hugging.

Ye Yao, oblivious to what Lu Xun had done, stuck his straw in and continued walking with Lu Xun to the dormitory.

Lu Xun bought strawberry milk tea, I don’t know what’s going on with this guy lately, from pink jumper to pink strawberry milk tea, the image of the cool guy who only wore black, white and grey clothes and only drank lemonade in high school is gone, and even his aesthetic preference is getting more and more pink, he looks as if he is in love.

A couple walked past them, drinking the same milk tea as they did, and the girl probably noticed this and smiled at them.

“There are so many couples in college, and it’s not like high school where you get caught.” Lu Xun watched the couple walk away, sighing before falling silent, then he gently bumped Ye Yao’s shoulder.

“What about you, do you want to fall in love? When you went out to meet that girl, you said that you were too busy studying and looking for a job during university to have a relationship, but that was just a random excuse, right?” Lu Xun asked.

He was happy that Ye Yao had said that before, but in retrospect, it was probably just a casual remark that he was not comfortable saying the real reason, after all, he was with Ye Yao at the time.

“……” Ye Yao didn’t want to answer the question, “What’s the point of asking that, to introduce me to someone?”

In the past, that would have set Lu Xun on fire, but now he pushed down the boredom in his eyes and continued to discuss it in a calm manner, “Come on, what was the type of person that made you realise you were bent?”

Halfway through the conversation, Lu Xun’s calm voice and appearance changed slightly, a slight change that added a hint of hostility to him, but he still smiled: “That man wasn’t even with you, so you let him bend so silently, you don’t still want to secretly treasure him in your heart, do you?”

Lu Xun’s eyes were fixed on Ye Yao, trying to catch any hint of movement on Ye Yao’s face.

But Ye Yao’s face did not waver, and he did not seem in the least bit resentful or displeased with the man for his words.

“Don’t ask that question.” Ye Yao said calmly.

Lu Xun’s heart began to feel a little uncomfortable, his tone seemed to be a joke but his voice was tight: “You’re really going to protect him from anyone?”

Ye Yao took a look at Lu Xun this time.

It is difficult for Lu Xun to put into words what this glance feels like.

“Yeah, first love,” Ye Yao withdrew his eyes, “of course you have to protect it.”

*

After this conversation Lu Xun lapsed into silence and Ye Yao did not initiate a conversation, and the two walked back to the dormitory area in silence.

Just when Ye Yao thought Lu Xun probably didn’t want to talk to him anymore today, Lu Xun suddenly broke the silence.

“Ye Yao,” Lu Xun said, “do you think that I sometimes act a bit strange?”

“……” Ye Yao is speechless, Lu Xun finally realizes that he talks too slutty a lot of the time and is determined to change his ways and be a normal person no?

“Have you finally found out.” Ye Yao said, “If you were acting all normal, you wouldn’t have changed schools in the first place and you and I wouldn’t have met.”

“…… I’m not talking about that.” Lu Xun scratched his hair as he glanced at Ye Yao and spoke quickly, “I mean, do you ever feel that I don’t act quite straight sometimes?”

Ye Yao didn’t say anything as he resumed drinking his nearly drained milk tea.

Lu Xun tightened his grip on the milk tea, the water from the cup making his palm damp. It wasn’t too noisy here, so Ye Yao couldn’t have missed what he said, could he?

Ye Yao sucked up the milk jicama at the bottom of the milk tea and chewed it, he inclined his head to Lu Xun and saw the tension in Lu Xun’s eyes.

Ye Yao let out a soft laugh, “What are you thinking, you’re not straight yet, there’s no straight in the world.”

“But-” Lu Xun tried to speak, but was interrupted by Ye Yao.

“Do you think it’s not straight to cuddle all day now?” Ye Yao shook his head, “That’s what straight men do, right? It’s only when you’re bent that you get tied up in the face of the same sex, and the more you do that, the more you show that you’re open and free of evil thoughts.”

Ye Yao gave Lu Xun a pat on the shoulder with his free hand: “Don’t cheat yourself.”

When we arrive at the dormitory, Ye Yao pushes the door in first, with Lu Xun watching his back from behind.

Is this really the case with ……?

*

Wen Ke and Xiao Pang were talking in the dormitory and were very happy. When they saw Ye Yao coming back, Wen Ke said to him, “Ye Yao Ye Yao, have you seen the class group, are you going?”

“Didn’t look, where to?” Ye Yao asked as he pulled out his phone.

Wen Ke quickly answered: “It’s a sorority, two classes of people go out together, it is said that this time do not have to pay the fee, some big brother think that the two classes of the cost of the calculation is too much trouble, directly he himself all pay!”

Xiao Pang rolls around in a small circle on his single bed, excited: “I wonder if I’ll meet a girl who wants to develop a revolutionary friendship with me?”

Ye Yao took his mobile phone out and opened it to the class group and saw the notice.

The event did not force everyone to participate, but it was stressed that there was a lot of food and it was a waste of time not to go. The head of their class even came to talk to him privately and asked if he was going.

The event was at the weekend and Ye Yao did not immediately reply to the class leader, but he did have this in mind.

Enriching his life and shifting his attention elsewhere will also help him get used to the regressive but harmonious relationship he now has with Lu Xun more quickly.

Ye Yao first asked Ms. Wang if he could take a day off for the weekend and got a positive reply before he was ready to answer the class monitor’s private chat.

Before the reply could be sent, a man came up to him and grabbed his wrist.

…… a hand he knew well.

Ye Yao looked up slowly and saw Lu Xun, whose eyes looked as if they were on fire.

Lu Xun lowered his voice: “Are you really going to go?”

“Why not?” Ye Yao asked rhetorically, although he had no intention of finding a date at the event, just a break, but nevertheless said, “It’s just a normal choice for single people.”

Lu Xun’s face suddenly sank.