Who is that young man? This year's new calendar?" The woman was eager to try. "Do you need me to cover for you?"
You Shulang opened the car door and got out, saying helplessly, "Mr. Shi, please forgive me."
The woman's car attracted attention, and the shining headlights caused the two people confronting each other to look over subconsciously.
The empty gaze was taken away and then quickly returned. You Shulang, who got off the car, attracted their attention like a magnet.
Qin Zhiyang straightened his back, with an expressionless face, scratched his trousers with his fingers, and was the first to call out "Brother You".
Fan Xiao was still in the same posture, leaning lazily against the motorcycle, his eyes passing from You Shulang to the woman driving the car.
His inquiring gaze changed and he gave a smile, nodding to the woman as if they were old acquaintances meeting.
The woman smiled back, but she stopped You Shulang who was driving around the car. She held the steering wheel, leaned forward slightly, and lowered her voice: "If you have to choose one, choose the new calendar. The old almanac, although it looks good, is definitely not an easy one to use."
You Shulang leaned down to hold the car window and helped the woman fasten her seat belt.
"Mr. Shi has a good eye, but I don't want any of them, new or old."
The woman shrugged, looked at Fan Xiao with a gloating look, then started the car and glided out.
You Shulang nudged his stomach with his knuckles, took a deep breath, and turned to face the two men.
"Something wrong?" He asked lightly.
Qin Zhiyang rushed to take the lead before Fan Xiao: "Brother You, I'm here to apologize to you."
You Shulang nodded, and didn't ask why he was apologizing. He just said, "I know." He raised his chin towards Fan Xiao, "What about you?"
Fan Xiao then changed from leaning to standing, blocking the cake box hanging on the handlebars with his body.
"It's okay, I'm just passing by." His eyes traced You Shulang's face, and he frowned suddenly, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Since you're fine, don't block the way." Without answering Fan Xiao's question, You Shulang walked sideways between the two people without touching anyone's clothes, and walked deeper into the community.
Fan Xiao glanced at the thin figure walking away, his eyes filled with worry. While thinking, he heard Qin Zhiyang's gentle sarcasm: "Aren't you here to deliver the cake? You didn't even dare to say a word when you met, you don't look like a good person."
Fan Xiao has never been merciful to his love rivals, let alone provoking them right in front of him. He brushed off the dust from riding a bicycle and replied incoherently: "Boy, I'm angry. Be quiet and you'll get scolded less."
And he said, "I am not that good, but I have been with him day and night, so I at least understand him better than you."
Qin Zhiyang's face became even colder. The word "bastard" touched his sore spot. He was not a good person and knew that the knife should be stabbed into the softest place.
"You do understand Brother You better, so you know how to hurt him the most, don't you?" Qin Zhiyang was high and mighty, like a judge who was sentencing someone. "People's wounds will always heal, but the pain they once caused will always remain fresh in their memory. Brother You will feel pain every time he sees you."
He gave his judgment mechanically and confidently: "So Fan Xiao, you will never have the chance to get back together with him again."
With a short haircut and cold eyes, Fan Xiao was more fierce than before. His expression changed several times, but he finally smiled, as if to fool a child: "You are right, please go back now. Those boys have circled your sports car for several times. Don't be naughty and carve some words on it, it will not look good."
Qin Zhiyang felt like he had been hit hard in the chest, and some bad memories were brought up.
He suppressed his anger and remained calm: "Brother You is my first love, I will not give up."
It was like being entangled by a bared puppy, which made Fan Xiao a little annoyed. He wanted to smoke, but couldn't bear to do it. He could only take out a cigarette and rub it slowly between his fingers. He spoke with bad intentions: "Boy, there is one thing I should correct you. First love, at least, should be mutual. If you are too passionate, it can only be called unrequited love."
He smacked his lips and said, "Xiang Lian must be in unrequited love, otherwise she wouldn't have stayed in the cold kiln for eighteen years."
Qin Zhiyang's face turned pale. He had been known as a mature young man since he was young, but now he started to speak without thinking.
"I'm younger than you, richer than you, and more handsome than you. Even if I'm unrequited love, I still have a way out. Unlike you, your way has been blocked by yourself!"
Qin Zhiyang said such childish words in a very balanced way, and Fan Xiao was somewhat impressed by him.
He was wearing work clothes, looking unrestrained and cool. He raised his hand to call a few children not far away: "Come on, judge for yourself, who is more handsome between us?"
Fan Xiao smiled very gently and quietly patted the motorcycle body with his hand, the meaning was self-evident.
Choose me and take you for a ride.
The children's eyes sparkled, and just as they were about to answer, they saw another man patting his sports car.
With a press of the remote control in his hand, the canopy of the sports car slowly folds up, looking very cool.
"You're handsome! You're the most handsome!"
Qin Zhiyang was pointed at by the children. He glanced at Fan Xiao and slowly raised the corner of his lips.
"Fuck!" Fan Xiao held the cigarette in his mouth and scolded the kids, "Superficial."
The sports car was full of children, and Qin Zhiyang's face, which looked like "don't get close to me", also showed a bit of complacency. He started the car and turned the steering wheel, but was stopped by someone.
Fan Xiao propped up the windshield, held onto the car door, and said solemnly, "If you want to protect You Shulang, you should stay away from him."
"Why?"
"Because you are a little lunatic, we are the same kind of people, and I will not allow anyone to hurt him again."
"…"
After picking up Tiantian from the neighbor's house, the child read to his classmates, took a bath, and went to bed on time. You Shulang received a sweet goodnight kiss.
He closed the bedroom door and put more pressure on his stomach. This was You Shulang's recent problem. With his tight academic schedule, heavy project tasks, and taking care of Tiantian, he often ate at irregular times and took cold or hot food at random. This caused him to suffer from stomach problems, which would occur from time to time and were very tiring.
I had just finished taking the stomach medicine at home, and I wanted to bear it for a while, as it had happened often before. But this time it was very severe, with cramps in my stomach and sweat all over.
After putting on his coat and picking up his keys, You Shulang planned to go downstairs to buy medicine. Before leaving, he took another look at the bedroom, still worried about Tiantian being home alone.
Go quickly and come back soon. You Shulang made his plan, quickly closed the door and walked downstairs.
The street lights in the old neighborhood are sparse and dim, and the lighting coverage is very narrow. It is usually difficult to walk at night, but now I am walking on the red brick road, so I don't have to worry about anything else.
After walking a few steps, I heard sporadic noises not far away. The sound was not loud, but it was unsettling at night. The old community had insufficient security, and there were always people who took advantage of the situation. You Shulang covered his stomach with one hand and picked up a red brick from the road with the other hand and held it tightly.
The bench in front of the building was not within the range of the streetlight, so the noise came from there. A vague figure walked from outside the light to inside the light, and the outline gradually became clear.
Before You Shulang could call out his name, the other party spoke first: "Shulang, is it really you?"
"Fan Xiao?"
Holding the red brick, You Shulang's eyes were cold: "Why are you here?" He looked along the building towards his room, "Are you spying on me?"
"No." Fan Xiao explained hurriedly, "Just now in front of the community gate, I saw that you looked bad, with obvious blue-gray under your eyes. I thought you might be feeling unwell. So that's how you are. If you're sick, you can tell from this."
He pointed under You Shulang's eyelids, with his fingertips far away, fearing that he would be disliked.
"I'm a little worried, so I want to stay here for a while."
It was late summer, and Fan Xiao had already put on long-sleeved clothes. It was cold at night, and he was afraid of the cold, so his ears were already red from the cold.
"Always guarding?"
"I always wait until you turn off the lights."
"All?"
Fan Xiao hesitated for a moment and changed the subject: "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
You Shulang turned and walked out of the community: "I'm fine, you can go back."
"Are you really not feeling unwell somewhere?" Fan Xiao chased after him, held You Shulang's shoulders, and without giving him any time to explain, he raised his hand and touched his forehead.
"No fever." He breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at You Shulang covering his abdomen with one hand: "Does your stomach hurt or does it hurt?"
"None of your business." You Shulang pushed him away. As their bodies were torn apart, the cramps came again. You Shulang was in so much pain that he couldn't straighten his back, and his forehead was wet.
Fan Xiao hugged him and broke out in a cold sweat: "What's wrong? Is it your stomach? Is your stomach hurting?"
You Shulang was unable to deal with him and uttered an impatient "hmm".
"I'll take you to the hospital." Fan Xiao picked up Princess You Shulang.
Even though there was no one around at night, You Shulang felt ashamed and angry. When they were together, they often hugged each other in bed and out of bed. Fan Xiao seemed to have this habit, and he used it to show off his bravery. Although it was not very comfortable, You Shulang was willing to indulge him at that time, and was tossed back and forth by him, and only complained in his heart.
But I could hug her before, but now I can't. You Shulang struggled, but his stomach hurt more and more, and he became weaker and breathless.
"I don't need to go to the hospital. I can just buy a box of medicine and I'll be fine after taking it." He had no choice but to compromise and give a solution.
Fan Xiao pushed him up, held his arms tighter, and walked faster, without saying a word and refusing to accept any suggestions.
"Fan Xiao, Tiantian is still at home, I'm worried."
The rapid pace slowed down and Fan Xiao looked at the person in his arms.
"Take some medicine and it will be fine. It's like this every time."
"Every time? Do you often have stomachaches? It turns out you were fine before?"
Just like You Shulang had caught Fan Xiao's pigtail, his words now revealed a flaw. He broke free from Fan Xiao's embrace, landed on his feet, and tried his best to straighten his back to avoid looking too weak and embarrassed. He ignored Fan Xiao's question and just said, "I'll just go out and buy some medicine."
"I'll take you home now, and then I'll go buy medicine." Fan Xiao made all the decisions without any room for argument...
The water had just started to boil when there was a knock on the door.
You Shulang subconsciously glanced at his watch. Six minutes was not enough to walk from the community to the pharmacy.
When he opened the door, he saw Fan Xiao with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. He was speechless for a moment and just handed over the medicine.
You Shulang stretched out his fingertips and hooked the medicine bag. He retracted his arm slowly and finally let it hang at his side. He said "thank you" and closed the door at the same time.
The door that was about to close was suddenly stopped by a big hand. Fan Xiao's breath was unstable and he spoke incoherently: "I'll make some porridge for you... and leave after it's done."
"No need." You Shulang refused decisively at the door panel.
He tried to close the door again, but still couldn't resist. You Shulang simply opened the door and looked at Fan Xiao coldly.
Inside and outside the door, they stared at each other in silence. Under You Shulang's deep, indifferent and obscure gaze, Fan Xiao slowly stopped breathing and stood up straight.
He knew best when he could offend You Shulang and when he couldn't. Now it was the latter. If he took even one step into the room, his retreat would be difficult.
Lifting his heavy legs, Fan Xiao took a step forward, stepped past You Shulang, walked into the room, and said softly, "I'll make you some porridge, and we'll leave after it's done."
After making medicine for You Shulang and watching him drink it, Fan Xiao locked himself in the kitchen, like a trustworthy gentleman, fulfilling his promise.
The sound of the range hood, the clinking of cups and plates, slowly mixed with the aroma of rice, filled the entire room, creating a false sense of warmth at this midnight.
Sick people are fragile, and You Shulang's mind is full of random things. In the past, he often leaned against the door to watch Fan Xiao cook. The mouth-watering food was three-tenths in the pot and seven-tenths on the man. The wild desires in the fireworks of the world can best mobilize people's senses. The two of them often rolled into bed before eating.
Shaking his head, You Shulang pushed aside the confusing images. This pushed away a bit of rationality. He thought, You Shulang, you actually let the wolf into the house again.
During this period, Fan Xiao also walked out of the kitchen once, when the clock hands coincided at 12 o'clock.
The sound of turning off the lights came at the same time as darkness, the kitchen door was gently pushed open, and the flickering candlelight illuminated Fan Xiao's extremely gentle face.
A ball of fire was carefully protected and brought to You Shulang, reflecting into his pupils.
"Happy birthday." Fan Xiao's voice spread in the air, with a little sweetness and stickiness, "Your stomach is uncomfortable today, so you can't eat cake. Just blow out the candles and make a wish."
A thin candle was inserted into Tiantian's egg yolk pie. The seemingly weak flame surged with huge heat, making people feel hot for no reason.
You Shulang leaned back on the sofa, away from the flames.
"Make a wish?" His gaze shifted from the candlelight to Fan Xiao's face, "Guess what I would wish for?"
The eagerness faded away little by little, and the corners of Fan Xiao's lips slowly straightened and shrugged down. You Shulang took everything in, sneered, stood up, walked to the wall, and turned on the light.
The lights were so bright that a candle flame was insignificant.
"I don't know when I was born and I never celebrate my birthday."
"But we clearly agreed before that every year on this day..."
The pain brought on anger, and You Shulang was a little impatient. He sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and his pale face was cold: "Promise? Does the promise count? Didn't you say before that you would be good and obedient, but what about the facts?"
He spread out his palms, pressed his temples with his thumb and ring finger, and lost his patience: "Is the porridge ready? If it's ready, get out of here!"
Fan Xiao stood under the incandescent light holding a candle, was silent for a long time, and then said: "Then I will make a wish for you."
He closed his eyes and whispered a wish: "May Director You and Tiantian always be healthy and happy."
Bang! With a loud bang! You Shulang smashed the half-empty plastic water bottle against the wall in anger!
Huh, Fan Xiao gently blew out the candle...
After taking the medicine and drinking half a bowl of porridge, You Shulang's complexion looked better.
Fan Xiao insisted on clearing the dishes. After You Shulang had vented his anger, he remained silent, as if there was no such person in the room.
After drying his hands and walking out of the kitchen, Fan Xiao saw You Shulang already sleeping on the sofa.
After finding a quilt and dimming the lights, Fan Xiao sat on the floor in front of the sofa and quietly stared at You Shulang's sleeping face.
He sat there for a long time, and finally at a certain point, when he could no longer hold back his rationality, he slowly leaned over, little by little, and moved closer to the person sleeping on the sofa.
A little closer, I could smell the scent of wild roses; a little closer, I greedily inhaled the warm breath.
The warmth that broke through the skin, the distance between Fan Xiao and You Shulang was only the thickness of a piece of paper.
Their breaths had long been intertwined, and the person he had been thinking about was right in front of him, but Fan Xiao stopped at the distance of a piece of paper.
"Director You is testing me, right?" he suddenly said, "What will happen if I kiss you?"
"You will die." You Shulang replied without opening his eyes.
Fan Xiao raised the corners of his lips, his eyes full of tenderness under the dim light: "I'm leaving now, you have a good rest, if you need me, I'll be there whenever you call."
Fan Xiao's lips touched You Shulang's hair that was hanging in the air, which was considered a kiss.