49

During the break that Saturday morning, the day of the basketball league match, Fei Bolin wasn't around, and Xie Yining and Lu Yuqiu sat at their desks peeling tangerines and chatting.

Xie Yining said, 'I heard the School Uniform for the class of 2014 got redesigned. It's insanely ugly.'

Lu Yuqiu said, 'Seriously?'

Xie Yining nodded. 'Purple. And it's not even pure cotton.'

Lu Yuqiu said, 'Synthetic?'

Xie Yining said, 'And the uniform fee didn't go down.'

'School really knows how to rip people off.' After peeling hers, Lu Yuqiu casually handed half the tangerine to Wen Fu, then kept talking to Xie Yining. 'The uniforms from our year and earlier looked way better.'

'Come on, it's a School Uniform. How good can it look? No matter what, it can't get uglier than the 2014 one.' Xie Yining also handed half of her peeled tangerine to Wen Fu and went on, 'You going to the game this afternoon? You could bring our group leader some water while you're at it.'

'I'm not going.' Lu Yuqiu smacked her lips over the tangerine. 'My mom's picking me up for dinner this afternoon. Wait, nobody's bringing the group leader water? No way.'

Xie Yining let out a 'ha.' 'Back in first year there were tons of girls doing it. He wouldn't take water from any of them. After a while, what girl would still bother?'

'True.' Lu Yuqiu thought back on it. 'When we first started school in first year, I always thought he was kind of gloomy. He's a lot better now. But seriously... doesn't it feel like the group leader knows how to do a little bit of everything?'

She started counting on her fingers. 'He's good at volleyball, pretty solid at basketball too. Before, in PE, his group got first place in ping-pong too. His long-distance record's still on the School board. And I remember you asked him before, right? Doesn't he play piano too?'

Xie Yining spat out a tangerine seed. 'He said being good physically is just natural for him. As for piano, he learned when he was little. He can play cello a bit too.'

She broke off a slice of tangerine back from Wen Fu's hand. 'I asked him before if he knew golf, and I think he does. He just hasn't played in a long time.'

Lu Yuqiu laughed. 'Then you two can spar sometime.'

'Oh, please.' Xie Yining pulled out a tissue and wiped her hands. 'I've already switched from art to regular academics. My family doesn't have the kind of money for golf anymore.'

'Su Haoran's family does.'

'Get lost.'

Xie Yining gave Lu Yuqiu a joking shove, then turned and noticed that at some point Wen Fu had started eating tangerine and listening to them with his big eyes wide open.

'What are you thinking about now, Do-Re-Mi?'

Wen Fu looked at Xie Yining, then at Lu Yuqiu, shook his head, and said, 'Boge isn't gloomy.'

Lu Yuqiu said, 'I know. I meant back in first year. You hadn't come yet then.'

Xie Yining narrowed her eyes at him. 'How come you've been calling him Boge all the time lately? You two that close now?'

Wen Fu sat up a little straighter and just looked back at both of them without saying anything.

Lu Yuqiu's eyes shifted. She traded a look with Xie Yining, then deliberately steered him along. 'If he's not gloomy, then are you bringing him water this afternoon?'

Perfect. They'd found a fill-in.

At least if word got out, nobody could say Fei Bolin, dignified leader of Group Four, handsome and put together as he was, didn't even have anyone bringing him water at a basketball game.

So what if it was a guy? Water was still water.

Wen Fu lifted his chin. 'I'll do it.'

Anyway, they were heading home together after.

Lu Yuqiu turned to Xie Yining. 'Then are you bringing water for Su Haoran?'

'Nope.'

'Really not?'

'Whoever wants to can do it.'

In the first half of the basketball game that afternoon, Xie Yining really didn't show up.

Su Haoran kept looking off the court while dribbling. He got distracted and missed an easy two-pointer, and his teammates were getting more and more pissed. 'If this keeps up, get off the court and let the sub in. Get back on when Xie Yining gets here.'

His whole mood dropped, but he didn't argue. Just as he was about to call timeout and swap with the substitute, Xie Yining finally strolled over carrying a bottle of water.

Su Haoran instantly turned into a monkey from Flower-Fruit Mountain and bounced right back onto the court.

Class 6 played an excellent second half, pulled four points ahead of the next class over, and beat Class 7 three to two in the end.

The whistle blew, and Wen Fu shot down from the stands and popped up in front of Fei Bolin, handing over the bottle of electrolyte water in his hand.

Right then, Lu Yuqiu had just gotten back from dinner with her mom and wandered over to the basketball court to see how they were doing.

Fei Bolin wiped his sweat with a towel while drinking water. After he finished, he looked around and asked, 'Where's Su Haoran?'

Wen Fu said, 'Getting yelled at.'

Lu Yuqiu suddenly popped over. 'Where? I wanna hear.'

Wen Fu pointed toward the corner under the outer wall of the gym.

A minute later, Lu Yuqiu had coerced Wen Fu and Fei Bolin into going over to eavesdrop.

The three of them poked their heads out around the corner in ascending height order, all eyes fixed on the two people not far away.

Su Haoran stood ramrod straight with his hands at his sides, listening to Xie Yining's lecture with the devotion of a true believer.

Xie Yining had her arms folded and her brows drawn tight. She was still cursing him out, but she was obviously not as angry anymore. Who knew how far along she was in the scolding by now.

The three of them held their breath and listened.

Xie Yining said, 'What I don't get is this: what makes you think the thing you like is automatically more elevated than the thing I like? Even if we go with your version and say The Legend of Basketball Kings really is more polished than Kuroko, that's about the work itself. What does that have to do with you? You like it, so suddenly you're better than everyone else and get to laugh at people? Did that work plate you in gold or something? Then if I start liking something even more elevated someday, does that make me one rank above you? Then what's the point of Jump making so many anime? Everybody should just go like the very best one, right? Since liking the very best means you get to look down on everyone else.'

Su Haoran lowered his head as far as it could go. 'Gomennasai—'

Wen Fu looked up at Fei Bolin and whispered, 'He says Japanese too.'

Fei Bolin covered Wen Fu's mouth and corrected him, deeply helpless, 'Japanese is Japanese. Don't copy Xie Yining and call it that.'

Wen Fu blinked.

Fei Bolin let go.

Over there, Xie Yining moved on to the next item. 'And those crappy jeans of yours. I don't even want to get started.'

They all turned their eyes to Su Haoran's pants.

It was obvious Su Haoran really loved those jeans. He hadn't even been willing to change out of them for the basketball game that afternoon, determined to present Xie Yining with his most perfect visual state.

What wasn't obvious was how many pairs of this brand of jeans Su Haoran actually owned. For the last two weeks, he'd worn a different pair almost every day. The only thing that never changed was the very noticeable 'm' logo on the butt.

Xie Yining said, 'These jeans? Walk down the street and eight out of ten people are wearing them. The other two are the group leader and Wen Fu. Can you please stop wearing them? They're seriously ugly.'

Su Haoran said weakly, 'They're in style this year.'

Xie Yining said, 'So you wear whatever's in style? You don't have any taste of your own?'

Su Haoran's voice got even weaker. '...Mine are authentic.'

Xie Yining said, 'And?'

Su Haoran straightened with absolute resolve. 'Then I'll change when I get back. Ningning—'

He was just about to go over and wheedle at her when Xie Yining suddenly turned her head. 'How much longer are you three going to keep listening?'

Fei Bolin immediately grabbed Lu Yuqiu and Wen Fu and hauled them away.

After the three of them said goodbye, Lu Yuqiu went back to the dorms, Fei Bolin went to the sports room to change first, and Wen Fu waited outside for him with his schoolbag on.

Since it was the weekend and school had let out, Wen Fu was allowed to play on his phone on campus, so while waiting for Fei Bolin he leaned against the wall with his head down and watched anime.

He was totally absorbed when a tall guy in a basketball uniform came barreling straight toward him to go claim a court. He couldn't stop in time, and Wen Fu's head smacked right into his chest.

'Ow—sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to!'

Wen Fu didn't even look up. 'Daijoubu.'

'Dai what?' The guy spoke quietly, so the other person hadn't heard him clearly. He bent down closer, and only after leaning in did he get a clear look at Wen Fu's face. Startled, he said, 'Wen Fu?'

Only then did Wen Fu lift his eyes.

The guy across from him was tall and broad, not much smaller than Fei Bolin, with thick brows and big eyes and a wheat-colored tan that screamed sun exposure. The moment their eyes met, he broke into a grin.

'You...' The guy lifted a hand, wanting to clap Wen Fu on the shoulder, but Wen Fu dodged with quick reflexes. The two of them instantly opened up a whole step of distance between them. The guy was clearly surprised and more than a little awkward, so he could only smoothly redirect the raised hand to the back of his own head and laugh. 'You don't recognize me anymore?'

'Xiao Fu.'

Fei Bolin had changed and was walking out slowly from behind. Seeing someone talking to Wen Fu, he called out to him before he even got there. 'Wen Fu.'

The moment he heard him, Wen Fu ran straight behind Fei Bolin to hide.

Maybe the raised hand from that guy a second ago had startled him. Wen Fu clutched Fei Bolin's arm and stayed visibly on guard the whole time.

Fei Bolin patted Wen Fu's head, looked up at the other person, then lowered his head and asked Wen Fu, 'Your friend?'

Wen Fu shook his head. 'Don't know him.'

'Don't know me?' The guy pointed at himself. 'Me. You don't remember? I'm Qi Yichuan.'

Fei Bolin looked at Wen Fu again, asking with his eyes.

Wen Fu shook his head again. 'Still don't know him.'

'It's just...' Qi Yichuan took an anxious step toward Wen Fu without thinking.

Wen Fu immediately stepped back, and Fei Bolin lifted a hand to block in front of him too.

Qi Yichuan laughed helplessly. He couldn't come up with a good explanation on the spot, so all he could do was repeat, 'Me.'

He scratched the back of his head, thought for a second, then his face went red first. His voice dropped a little too. He glanced at Fei Bolin, then said to Wen Fu, 'When we were little, next to your family's courtyard... I tried to kiss you, and then... you punched me so hard my nose bled. That one...'

For the third time, Fei Bolin looked down at Wen Fu.

Wen Fu still shook his head.

At that point, Fei Bolin's expression had turned pretty bad.

Recognized him or not, trying to kiss Wen Fu just because he felt like it at that age? Getting punched till his nose bled served him right.

People on the basketball court were calling Qi Yichuan's name.

Qi Yichuan answered, probably because he was in a hurry but didn't want to let Wen Fu go. He simply held out a hand. 'It's fine if you can't remember. Give me your phone. I'll leave my contact info and find you another day.'

Wen Fu just stared at him without moving. He clearly didn't trust him and didn't want to give him his contact info either.

Qi Yichuan bounced the basketball on the ground. 'When you were little, you lived in Yanjin County! In that staff apartment courtyard next to First People's Primary! First floor!'

Wen Fu's eyes widened, and he hesitated a little.

Qi Yichuan kept pressing. 'On the left side of that courtyard there was a row of ping-pong tables, and on the right there was a swing too! One time we took turns on it. After you were done, it was my turn, but you didn't feel like pushing me, so you shoved me straight off and I fell on the ground!'

In Wen Fu's memory, there really was a faint, blurry impression of the place where he'd lived as a child.

He seemed to be on the verge of remembering that in that little courtyard with the concrete ground, there really had once been a playmate who kept him company on the swings.

But that little stretch of time had been too brief, not enough to leave a clear mark in the tangled mess of his memories.

Qi Yichuan said, 'Just trust me. Why would I lie to you?'

Slowly, Wen Fu handed over his phone.

Fei Bolin watched him hand it over, then looked away without saying anything.

Qi Yichuan quickly used Wen Fu's phone to call a number, and pretty soon a ringtone went off in his pocket.

He pulled out his brand-new phone, hung up, then handed Wen Fu's phone back. 'That's my number. Save it when you get back, okay?'

As soon as he finished, his teammates started yelling for him again. Qi Yichuan ran off in a rush, but after two steps he still remembered to turn back and call to Wen Fu, 'Don't forget to save it. I'll look for you tomorrow!'

Wen Fu glanced at the number he'd just dialed from his phone, didn't save it, exited the screen, and went right back to watching anime.

From above, Fei Bolin caught that little move and curved his lips in a smile.

But the more he thought about it on the way back, the more wrong it felt.

A staff apartment building? That meant Qi Yichuan had known Wen Fu no later than when he was four, and after four, Wen Fu had left his hometown.

A childhood playmate from when they were four. Why had Qi Yichuan remembered him for that long?

Fei Bolin walked down the alley, turning back now and then to look at Wen Fu following behind him.

Could it be Wen Fu had just been that pretty as a child? Pretty enough that even after more than ten years, someone still couldn't forget him?

Fei Bolin suddenly remembered what Qi Yichuan had said about wanting to kiss Wen Fu when they were little and getting punched for it. His gaze darkened all at once.

Wanted to kiss him. So did he actually kiss him or not?

And then on the other hand, what kind of rotten little brat tried to put moves on someone else's little brother at four or five?

Fei Bolin frowned and looked back at Wen Fu again, and even his expression carried a little irritation aimed at Qi Yichuan.

Wen Fu, sharp as ever, shivered in the April air, looked up, and realized Fei Bolin's face had gone cool and stormy.

He thought it over and assumed he'd been dawdling again, so he hurried up in a few quick steps to catch up. Seeing Fei Bolin still looked unhappy, he reached out and took his hand. 'Boge?'

Fei Bolin's tone was stiff. 'What?'

Wen Fu put away his phone and looked up at him. 'What are you thinking about?'

Fei Bolin sounded thoughtful. 'How did you and Qi Yichuan know each other?'

Wen Fu said, 'Don't know.'

Fei Bolin said, 'Think about it?'

Wen Fu thought about it. 'Don't know.'

'Why did he kiss you?'

'Don't know.'

Fei Bolin fell silent.

And that silence lasted all the way into the night.

That night after they closed up and got home, since the weather was getting warmer, Fei Bolin figured that after today's basketball game he should switch the sheets and quilt at home for lighter ones. He had just finished changing them when Wen Fu started wriggling all over under the blankets like a caterpillar.

Every time Fei Bolin changed the sheets, Wen Fu liked doing this. He loved the smell of fresh bedding.

Fei Bolin would haul him out again and again, and Wen Fu would burrow right back under the covers and squirm around again and again.

But that night, no matter how much Wen Fu thrashed around under the blanket, Fei Bolin didn't do a thing.

Wen Fu thought that was weird. He poked his head out from under the blanket and saw Fei Bolin folding the old sheets while lost in thought.

Whenever Fei Bolin got lost in thought, Wen Fu would secretly take out his phone and watch anime.

Sure enough, he watched all night and Fei Bolin never stopped him once.

Wen Fu hoped Fei Bolin could stay lost in thought forever.

At one-thirty in the morning, Wen Fu lay on his pillow and finished the last episode of the anime Xie Yining had downloaded for him. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.

He turned off his phone. His eyelids were fighting to stay open. He pulled the blanket over his head, took a deep breath of that fresh new-bed smell, scooted close to Fei Bolin, and drifted peacefully off to sleep.

Then at three in the morning, right in the middle of a great dream, someone suddenly started aggressively rubbing his hair.

Wen Fu got rubbed awake and sleepily opened his eyes to meet Fei Bolin's bright, wide-awake stare.

'Why did Qi Yichuan want to kiss you?'

...