Chapter 12 – Goodnight (Part 2)

When Fu An got off the car, he was blown alert by a gust of wind from outside. His nose twitched and he turned around to meet Qi Qianze’s gaze through the car window, adjusting his coat collar as he faced him.

 

Qi Qianze understood, and nodded at him.

 

Fu An was suddenly in a very good mood, like a flower was unfurling in his heart, quietly bursting forth into bloom.

 

The car window rolled down, Fu An said: “Then I’m leaving now.”

 

Qi Qianze made a sound in agreement and watched him, as if he wasn’t planning to do anything, just looking at him was all.

 

Fu An was stared at by this gaze and didn’t know how he should move. He suddenly felt that Qi Qianze was feeling very wronged, and moreover, that that wronged feeling was precisely because he was leaving.

Fu An’s legs seemed to have been tied down by something. He stood in the same spot for half a minute, then said again: “Then I’m…… leaving now.”

 

Qi Qianze nodded.

Then when Fu An turned away, Qi Qianze got out of the car.

Qi Qianze turned three steps into two1, and strode right in front of Fu An. Fu An stopped and waited for him. It seemed that he’d expected this.

 

“Fu An,” Qi Qianze squeezed his wrist, “You’re not allowed to run away.”

His touch was the warmest thing in this refreshingly cool night, so warm that Fu An’s inner heart slightly trembled.

 

“Did you hear me?” As Fu An didn’t respond, Qi Qianze asked again.

 

Fu An nodded and said “Okay.”

 

Qi Qianze almost let go, but the warmth in his hand seemed to have reminded him of something. He suddenly raised Fu An’s wrist, lowered his head, and let a kiss fall on the inside of Fu An’s forearm, then gently slid down, ending at Fu An’s slightly curled up palm. 

 

Fu An was startled by this unexpected action. Goosebumps rose on his skin and his hair stood on end. He felt that in the next second he would reflexively yank his hand away, but all the way until Qi Qianze let him go, he hadn’t taken action.

Qi Qianze had become nauseatingly affectionate, thoroughly reddening Fu An’s face.

 

This counted as an adult’s temptation, with a seductive allure that a younger person could never show. And this allure also included Qi Qianze’s obsessed expression, like he was drunk. Then that drunkenness was transferred through the place where their skin touched, and invaded Fu An, making him drunk along with Qi Qianze.

 

“Qi Qianze…..” Fu An couldn’t help but call his name.

 

Qi Qianze very properly refrained from doing any more. He looked into Fu An’s eyes, said: “In a few days, let’s go on a date.”

Fu An was taken aback for a bit, feeling that he’d heard gibberish2: “What, what did you just say?”

 

“Da, te3.” Qi Qianze repeated it word by word, then said, “You don’t have to worry about it. When the time comes I’ll take you out, you just need to come.”

 

Fu An opened his mouth: “I’m really busy this month……there’s a lot of things to do, my  schedule probably can’t match up with yours……”

 

“No problem,” Qi Qianze said, “Then when there is time, I’ll take you out.”

Seeing that Fu An didn’t move, Qi Qianze continued: “You go back, I’ll watch you.”

 

After this it was hard for Fu An to say anything else, because the more he stood, the longer they’d spend out in the cold. Qi Qianze wasn’t wearing much, and was continuously being buffeted by the wind. 

 

Fu An casually tossed out the light phrase, “Then I’m really leaving,” then strode away, slowly disappearing from Fu An’s sight.

 

Qi Qianze didn’t get in the car. He stood outside the car and lit a cigarette, but only took one puff before putting it out. He opened his phone, looked at the things sent in the class group chat, and responded to their messages addressing him one by one. Only after he finished did he see that the pinned message had lit up with a little red circle with a “3” on it.

 

—— I’m home.

—— Tell me when you get back. I’ll be sleeping now.

——Goodnight.

 

Above these messages was Qi Qianze’s old message Happy birthday happy4!, which had always been pitifully alone. After enduring two entire months, there was finally a response.

Qi Qianze looked at these lines for a very long time, before finally sending back a message: “Okay, goodnight.”

1

That he took big steps

2

A literal translation is the gibberish code that comes out when you program something wrong

3

It’s two characters: 约会

4

The second happy is in English