Bo Jin didn’t linger.
Winter in the south is a different kind of cold; the temperatures might not be low, but the chill seeps right into your bones.
Xie Ruan had come downstairs in a hurry, only wearing a thin shirt with an open collar that revealed a bit of his neck and collarbone, looking just plain cold.
Holding the thermos, he followed Bo Jin. “I’ll see you off.”
“Why?” Bo Jin asked with a teasing smile, glancing back at him. “Can’t bear to let me go?”
He clasped Xie Ruan’s hand and slipped it into his hoodie pocket, leading him forward. “Fine, come home with me, then.”
At this early hour, the path in front of the complex was quiet. The mango trees on both sides of the street swayed in the wind, making a soft rustling sound. Bo Jin grinned, unable to control the smile tugging at his lips as he held Xie Ruan’s hand.
When had he started to like Xie Ruan?
He wasn’t sure.
At first, he just found his straightforward loyalty amusing, and he couldn’t resist teasing him.
But the more he teased, the more he couldn’t let go.
“Who isn’t willing to let go of you!” Xie Ruan retorted with mock irritation.
Yet he didn’t struggle at all, as if he’d follow Bo Jin anywhere without resistance.
“Alright, it’s me who can’t let you go.” Seeing his awkward expression, Bo Jin’s fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. There’d be plenty of time in the future, no need to rush. Keeping him in the cold too long wouldn’t be good.
He let go, gently pushing Xie Ruan forward. “Go back inside. I’m heading off.”
Xie Ruan blinked and realized that Bo Jin had brought him to the guard booth at the complex gate.
“See you this afternoon.” Bo Jin put in his earbuds and turned to leave.
He’d only taken a couple of steps when Xie Ruan’s voice called after him. “Hey.”
Bo Jin took out an earbud and looked back. “Yeah?”
Xie Ruan kicked a pebble by the roadside and muttered, “Thanks for… everything.”
“No need for thanks between us. I’m leaving now.”
“Yeah.”
Back in his room, Xie Ruan opened the thermos.
Warm steam and a delicious aroma wafted out immediately.
Inside was a thick, fragrant shrimp congee. The rice had broken down, and a large, juicy shrimp sat amid the creamy white grains. Finely chopped scallions sprinkled on top were still bright green, unfaded despite the long time in the thermos, making the dish look irresistibly appetizing.
The shrimp he missed out on last night had found its way back to him in this unexpected way.
Though he knew it was just a coincidence, Xie Ruan couldn’t suppress the warmth spreading through him, slowly banishing the sadness and frustration.
He felt an odd urge, grabbed his phone, adjusted the angle, and snapped a few photos of the shrimp congee, posting them on his private moments feed.
[Your Bro Xie]: [pic][pic]
After secretly looking at the post for a long while, he finally sat down to enjoy his breakfast.
Warm, flavorful shrimp congee filled him up, and the warmth spread from within.
After finishing, Xie Ruan meticulously washed the thermos and placed it back in his room, intending to return it to Bo Jin when he went to school. Realizing it was getting late, he sat down and started working on his assignments.
In the afternoon, they would be going to the resort, so he had no real desire to study and needed to write as much as he could to avoid being unable to finish it later.
The teachers in the advanced class were tough, likely worried the students would lose focus during the break, so they assigned a ton of homework. Despite hurrying the entire morning, Xie Ruan had only completed a small portion.
Seeing Chen Wei call him for lunch, Xie Ruan packed up what he would need to bring later, grabbed his backpack, and headed to the living room.
Chen Wei noticed and was startled. “Are you going out?”
“Yeah,” Xie Ruan served himself a bowl of rice and sat down. “Going to the resort with a classmate. I won’t be back tonight.”
Surprised that he’d be staying overnight, Chen Wei couldn’t help but ask, “Which resort? With boys or girls?”
Xie Ruan picked up some greens with his chopsticks, told her the location, and then added after a pause, “It’s a boy.”
He wasn’t sure why, but he felt compelled to add, “He… he’s very good at studying; he’s our top student.”
Hearing this, He Jinqing, who was eating across from them, glanced up at him for the first time.
Top student? Given his son’s grades, how could he possibly be hanging out with the top student? Chen Wei didn’t believe it.
She looked at Xie Ruan with a complicated expression. Though he’d been rebellious before, he had never lied to her—when had that changed?
Chen Wei opened her mouth to say something, but under He Jinqing’s gaze, she changed her words: “Alright, have fun. I’ll transfer next month’s allowance to you later.”
Xie Ruan responded with an “Mm,” lowered his head, and kept eating without another word.
He had agreed to meet Bo Jin and the others at the school at 2:00 p.m., but Xie Ruan didn’t want to stay at home any longer. After eating, he grabbed his backpack and left.
As he closed the door, he heard He Jinqing sneer, “You really believe he’s going out with the top student? He couldn’t even come up with a believable excuse; he’s just trying to fool you.”
Next, Chen Wei’s gentle, somewhat regretful voice came through, “Sigh, what’s happened to him…?”
“He’s like this now; what do you expect for the future? Still dreaming, huh? Our Chenchen’s our real hope.”
Xie Ruan heard nothing else, shutting the door with a click before heading to the elevator. Strangely, he didn’t feel sad or upset at all.
With time to spare, he wandered around outside, bought a pile of snacks at a convenience store, and then leisurely headed to the subway station.
He arrived at the school just in time—1:45 p.m.
He thought he would be the first one there, but, from a distance, he saw Bo Jin already waiting by the school gate.
Bo Jin had switched to a black jacket and was looking at his phone. His high nose bridge and sharp side profile gave him an aloof, unapproachable air when he wasn’t smiling.
This jerk, acting all high and mighty.
An idea crossed Xie Ruan’s mind, and a mischievous smile curved his lips. He snuck up behind Bo Jin, planning to give him a surprise.
He’d known Bo Jin for so long but had never seen him lose his cool. It was about time.
Three steps, two steps, one step… Holding his breath, Xie Ruan got close and was about to pounce when Bo Jin, still looking at his phone, suddenly turned around.
By then, it was too late to stop, and Xie Ruan found himself falling right into Bo Jin’s arms.
Above him, a low chuckle sounded.
Xie Ruan froze, realizing that Bo Jin had noticed his little stunt and, instead of saying anything, had played along and waited for him.
Sneaky jerk.
Feeling his ears heat up, Xie Ruan patted Bo Jin’s arm to signal him to let go. “How did you know I was here?”
He thought he’d hidden it well—Bo Jin hadn’t even looked up. Did he have eyes in the back of his head?
“I recognized your footsteps.” Bo Jin lifted his hand, gently brushing the back of Xie Ruan’s neck. The itch that had been lingering since morning was finally relieved.
His footsteps?
He could tell just from that?
Xie Ruan wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt a little happy. Trying to keep the smile off his face, he nudged Bo Jin aside. “You’re pretty impressive.”
“Of course.”
Xie Ruan opened his phone’s camera, checking if his hair had gotten messed up. “Can’t you be humble for once?”
Bo Jin smirked. “A life of skill requires no humility.”
“…I’m done with you.”
As they talked, Sun Haoxiang and the others arrived one by one.
There were five of them, too many for one car, so they called for two.
He Mingjie was eager to soak in the hot springs, practically itching to fly there, and turned to Bo Jin. “Brother Bo, who’re you riding with?”
“Old He,” Sun Haoxiang patted him on the shoulder, sighing, “Your low emotional intelligence isn’t your fault, but saying stuff like that is. Do you even need to ask? Obviously, he’s riding with Little Xie, right, Brother Bo?”
Bo Jin glanced down at Xie Ruan, laughing softly. “Mm.”
He Mingjie looked back and forth between them, finally catching on and slapping his leg in realization, “My bad, my bad.”
Pan Yu, adjusting his glasses, let his gaze shift between Xie Ruan and Bo Jin. Was it just his imagination, or did something feel different between them…?
Ugh, why did these guys have to get all weird and cheeky out of nowhere?
Bo Jin teasing him was one thing, but now Sun Haoxiang and He Mingjie were joining in? As if he’d allow that!
Were they forgetting he used to be a seasoned fighter?
Xie Ruan narrowed his eyes and gave both of them a little kick before tossing half his snacks at them. “Are we leaving or not?”
He hadn’t kicked hard, just enough to get their attention, but Sun Haoxiang let out a loud, exaggerated wail, clutching his bag of snacks dramatically. He whined to Bo Jin, “Brother Bo, aren’t you going to do something?”
Bo Jin, ignoring Sun Haoxiang’s look of shocked indignation, reached over to take a pack of dried mangoes from his hands, laughing. “He’s the boss of me.”
What nonsense. Xie Ruan had had enough and opened the car door. “Boss? I’m no one’s boss. Now, get in the car.”
“You’re not going to step in?” Bo Jin raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Alright, then I’ll just take a stroll up on the rooftop when school starts?”
Xie Ruan: “…”
D*mn it!
Xie Ruan: “No way!”
Bo Jin: “Hmm?”
Gritting his teeth, Xie Ruan forced out two words, “I’ll manage.”
Only then did Bo Jin look satisfied, tearing open the packet of dried mangoes and handing it to Xie Ruan before getting into the car.
The resort was up in the mountains, far from the city. The drive would take about three hours, with lots of tunnels and mountain roads, so not much scenery to look at. Bored and unwilling to risk car sickness by looking at his phone, Xie Ruan settled for snacking.
He took a piece of dried mango and was about to eat it but, as if remembering something, he offered it to Bo Jin. “Want some?”
Bo Jin’s taste is different from Xie Ruan’s; he usually avoids sweet and sticky things like dried mango. But…
Bo Jin squinted slightly—what Xie Ruan handed him was different.
Instead of reaching out, Bo Jin leaned in and bit the mango from Xie Ruan’s hand. “Sure.”
Bo Jin was careful not to touch Xie Ruan’s fingers, but Xie Ruan’s cheeks still grew hot.
It must be because the car was stuffy!
“Can’t you just use your own hands?” He tossed the bag of dried mangoes to Bo Jin as if he’d been burned.
“Just thought it was convenient.” Bo Jin didn’t push it, knowing that teasing him too much might mean he’d refuse to go to the hot springs with him later. Handing back the bag, he said, “Go ahead, I’m done.”
Xie Ruan shot him a glare before taking another bite of mango as though he were biting Bo Jin.
The black car drove steadily toward the resort.
Maybe it was the bumpy road, or perhaps something else, but, at some point, Xie Ruan and Bo Jin’s legs ended up resting against each other.
There was plenty of space, but neither of them moved away.
The scenery outside continued to blur by as they both looked out their respective windows, reflections faintly showing their smiles.
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