62

He shooed everyone away before Xie Yining could speak, then went back to the classroom to pack up Wen Fu's bag on his own. He led Wen Fu home without looking back, right in the middle of the Saturday afternoon rush.

The two of them walked in silence for a bit. When they reached the Bifengtang by the School Gate, Wen Fu couldn't help but tug on Fei Bolin's arm: 'Bo-ge, what is a faggot?'

Fei Bolin walked into Bifengtang and bought a grilled sausage and a milk tea to plug Wen Fu's mouth.

With milk tea in his left hand and a sausage in his right, Wen Fu was too busy eating to remember anything else.

Just as he was chewing happily on pearls and sausage, Fei Bolin suddenly asked: 'Do you know what that boy wants your contact info for?'

Wen Fu: 'Does he want my sheet music?'

'...It is possible.' Fei Bolin didn't deny it.

According to what Xie Yining said, that person from the Hanyang Class had taken a fancy to Wen Fu during the Children's Day Singing Competition and had been looking for his contact info everywhere. If the guy had just posted on the confession wall to find Wen Fu for his songs, that would be one thing, but his persistent digging for information on bulletin boards and elsewhere clearly went beyond the scope of normal friend-making.

Fei Bolin weighed his words carefully and said tactfully: 'He might not just want to be friends with you.'

Wen Fu didn't care about that at all. He took a huge sip of milk tea, finished chewing the pearls in his mouth, and then replied: 'Then what does he want?'

Fei Bolin: 'He wants to take things further with you.'

Wen Fu said nonchalantly: 'Like with Bo-ge?'

'Me?' Fei Bolin stopped in his tracks. 'What do you mean, like with me?'

'Living in Bo-ge's house, sleeping in Bo-ge's bed, and eating the food Bo-ge makes.'

After Wen Fu finished speaking, he thought about it himself and said: 'No way.'

Fei Bolin chuckled, turned to face Wen Fu, and said seriously: 'That is not what I meant. He just wants to do those things with you.'

Wen Fu looked at Fei Bolin for a while, not knowing if he understood the meaning, and only said: 'Even more no way.'

'What is even more no way?'

'I can, Bo-ge can, but no one else can.'

Fei Bolin's place was big enough for Wen Fu to run around and act out, but it wasn't that big; other than him and Fei Bolin, he didn't want anyone else squeezing in.

And replacing Fei Bolin with someone else? Even less possible.

Only Fei Bolin was allowed.

Fei Bolin didn't look like he was smiling when he heard that.

He stared at Wen Fu for a moment, wanting to say something but stopping himself: 'Do you even know how you sound when you say things like that...'

Wen Fu didn't catch the rest: 'What did Bo-ge say?'

'Nothing.' Fei Bolin turned his head and kept walking. 'Let's go home.'

He had wanted to tell Wen Fu that if that person managed to find his contact info, he should be extremely cautious before agreeing to anything, just to make sure he wouldn't be scared off by the other person's true intentions. At the very least, he should come ask him first to understand what those behaviors actually meant.

But Fei Bolin couldn't even explain it to himself.

When it came to his feelings for Wen Fu, analyzing others was just analyzing himself, and denying them was just denying himself.

Fei Bolin couldn't say it out loud.

Fortunately, the drama didn't last long. The post asking for Wen Fu's contact info, along with the thread mocking Fei Bolin that had been locked, eventually sank to the bottom. The noise of the discussion seemed to dissipate with the summer heat. Ever since the start of his senior year, Fei Bolin's grades had been consistently at the top, and Wen Fu followed right behind him, sometimes even competing for the lead when his Chinese scores were up.

This school year was supposed to pass as peacefully as the last, leading them right into university. Just like the song Wen Fu sang, good dreams stay green all year round, and summer passes in the blink of an eye.

Wen Fu had never felt a year pass faster than the time he had spent by Fei Bolin's side. The taste of the cake seemed to still linger on his lips when his birthday arrived.

He had always celebrated his birthday in secret, whether he was with his foster father or during the days he spent wandering in Rongzhou. His birthday was the only marker he had to track time during those chaotic dozen years. Through the cold shifts of the four seasons, Wen Fu numbly ate the bitterness that time whipped onto him: spring meant mosquitoes everywhere, summer meant food rotting at will, autumn meant fluctuating temperatures, and winter meant a quilt as frozen as an iron plate. Only his birthday belonged to him—the only day worth celebrating.

Before, he would sneak away a few coins he had stolen when his foster father wasn't looking. During the times his foster father went out to play cards, he would run to the street and use that tiny window of breathing room to buy the best food he could afford. Nothing lasted forever, and Wen Fu couldn't be like other kids who cared about toys or souvenirs; only food could be truly felt in the moment. What you put in your mouth was the only thing you could count on.

It wasn't always instant noodles, though. In many cases, Wen Fu didn't have the conditions or the patience to find hot water and wait a few minutes for the noodles to soak before enjoying them. A box of instant noodles and a ham sausage like the one he bought at Lin's Convenience Store last year was a rare and luxurious thing for him.

But this year was different.

Wen Fu had spent a winter with an electric blanket that stayed on all night, a spring with new clothes, new shoes, and clean bedding, a summer with endless iced watermelon and a cool roof, and an autumn where Fei Bolin reminded him to add layers every morning and evening. This year, he was even slow to realize it was his birthday. After eating a big bowl of noodles early on, he sat there staring blankly at the bottom of the bowl, unable to finish the soup. Fei Bolin walked over with milk and asked what he was thinking about. He pointed at the bowl and said: 'Today's noodles, there was only one strand.'

It had been a huge effort to eat it, one bite after another, not daring to bite it in half.

'Longevity noodles are supposed to be one long strand.' Fei Bolin inserted the straw into the milk and handed it to him, then sat down and asked, 'What do you want to eat for your birthday?'

October 26th, 2014, was a Sunday. They had just finished their midterms and could relax for a bit and have a slow lunch.

Wen Fu realized it was his birthday. He couldn't be blamed for that—every day spent by Fei Bolin's side was better than every birthday he'd had in those years.

He thought about it casually and said: 'Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.'

Fei Bolin: 'You've been eating that every weekend for the past two months.'

Wen Fu nodded, mimicking a line from an anime he watched last night: 'It's a really good habit.'

Fei Bolin: '...'

'Alright.' Fei Bolin quickly compromised. 'Anything else?'

Wen Fu: 'Can I have instant noodles?'

Back when he didn't have the means, eating instant noodles on his birthday was a luxury. Now that they were together, Wen Fu rarely had the chance to eat them—because Fei Bolin thought they weren't healthy and rarely agreed to let him have them.

But Wen Fu thought instant noodles were really delicious.

He probably wouldn't have guessed that even ten or eight years later, when he had the means and Fei Bolin wasn't by his side, eating instant noodles would still be something he had to do in secret—because a woman named Stella wouldn't allow it.

Fei Bolin took a step back: 'Fine.'

Wen Fu's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to speak, Fei Bolin cut him off: 'But only one box, no more.'

Wen Fu's eyes stopped lighting up.

Fei Bolin glanced at him: 'You can add two "Meihao" ham sausages.'

Wen Fu's eyes lit up again and again.

The shop wasn't open today, which suited Wen Fu perfectly. After finishing the Chinese mock exam paper he hadn't completed last night and having Fei Bolin check his mistakes, he sprawled on the sofa to watch anime.

When Fei Bolin came home with groceries in the evening, he was carrying a large bag. Wen Fu didn't pay much attention. A while later, Fei Bolin took the bag and went out again, saying he was going to Aunt Wu's Home to drop something off.

Wen Fu kept his eyes glued to the screen and only answered by bobbing the back of his head: 'Got it.'

About an hour passed, and Fei Bolin still hadn't returned after Wen Fu finished two episodes of anime. He tilted his head to look around and tentatively called out: 'Bo-ge?'

No response. Fei Bolin really hadn't come home yet.

Wen Fu's eyes darted around. He quickly sat up from the sofa, opened QQ, and contacted Su Haoran.

【@DuoLaiMi: You there?】

Su Haoran replied to him quickly.

【@ONE PIECE: What's up】

【@DuoLaiMi: Did you help me log in and collect my rewards today?】

【@ONE PIECE: I think not yet... I forgot!】

【@DuoLaiMi: Remember to do it in a bit】

【@ONE PIECE: Alright】

【@DuoLaiMi: And my pets】

【@ONE PIECE: Got it, got it】

【@DuoLaiMi: Thanks】

【@ONE PIECE: No big deal】

【@ONE PIECE: Wanna go out and hang out sometime?】

Last month, Xie Yining and Fei Bolin signed up for the Provincial English Thematic Competition together. To practice, Fei Bolin specifically went to an internet cafe one Sunday afternoon to find a question bank. Xie Yining wanted to go too, and Su Haoran and Wen Fu, the two tag-alongs, naturally followed them there.

The two competing were busy looking for questions and didn't pay attention to what Wen Fu and Su Haoran were doing next to them.

As soon as Su Haoran turned on the computer, he went straight to LOL. He was playing with gusto when he glanced over and saw Wen Fu staring blankly at the huge computer screen.

—Wen Fu didn't really know how to use a computer.

Whenever he came to the internet cafe before, Fei Bolin would help him pull up the anime site, and he would just curl up in his chair and watch episode after episode. Today, Fei Bolin clearly saw Su Haoran was there and silently handed the task over to him while he went off to do his own thing.

But the problem was, other than Slam Dunk and a few other famous sports anime, Su Haoran didn't know anything else. He didn't know where to find the anime Wen Fu wanted to watch, and if he asked Fei Bolin or Xie Yining, those two were busy squeezing every second to find questions.

Su Haoran just opened 'Roco Kingdom' for Wen Fu to play by himself.

As it turned out, once Wen Fu started playing, he couldn't stop. Even after leaving the internet cafe, he would worry about his pets every day. The catch was that the game could only be played on a computer, and Wen Fu didn't dare tell Fei Bolin he wanted to go to the internet cafe to play games, so he could only ask Su Haoran to help him log in and level up when he went home on weekends.

Luckily, Su Haoran had time and patience. After all, he was the one who got Wen Fu into the game. Even though it was a bit childish, Su Haoran held onto his sense of responsibility and spent an hour every weekend doing his best to help Wen Fu take care of his pets and clear levels.

Wen Fu wouldn't ask, and he wouldn't say anything; if Wen Fu asked, he'd send a screenshot.

Seeing the pets in the screenshots gradually evolve and level up, Wen Fu felt restless with excitement.

Just as he was feeling that way, Fei Bolin opened the door and came home.

Wen Fu closed his phone and looked up. Before he could even look at Fei Bolin's hands, his nose caught the scent of cake and cream.

Fei Bolin had gone to Aunt Wu's Home to make a cake.

When he went out to buy groceries today, he stopped by the supermarket to buy the best cream. There was no oven at home, but Aunt Wu had one. She liked to tinker with baking and desserts in her spare time, and she used to invite Fei Bolin over to eat them every now and then.

Fei Bolin didn't eat much, so eventually, once Aunt Wu understood his tastes, she stopped calling him over.

That evening, Fei Bolin took eggs, flour, and a box of cream to Aunt Wu's Home to make a birthday cake for Wen Fu, and made one for Aunt Wu while he was at it.

This was his first time making something like this. He followed the recipe and ratios he found online step by step, and it actually looked quite presentable.

He just didn't know what to draw with the cream.

Seeing Fei Bolin struggling, Aunt Wu walked over to the cupboard, brought over the red beans she had just boiled, and used a spoon to scoop up two and place them on top: 'Well, childhood sweethearts picking red beans, two little innocents hoping for white hair—why not just draw two bamboo stalks?'

Once Fei Bolin heard that, he really did mix some green cream and painted two bamboo stalks on it.

He couldn't find number candles, so Fei Bolin drew the number '17' on the cake.

At this moment, Wen Fu smelled the cream and swallowed his saliva, then saw what Fei Bolin was holding.

He scrambled up from the sofa, leaned over to Fei Bolin's side to sniff it, and asked: 'Did Bo-ge buy this?'

He thought about the price of a cake—nearly three hundred yuan—and backed away, saying: 'I don't like it.'

After saying that, he swallowed again, his gaze fixed on the cake, unable to look away.

Seeing him so greedy, Fei Bolin figured if he waited any longer, Wen Fu wouldn't be able to hold back his drool. He lowered his eyes and chuckled: 'I made this.'

Wen Fu was stunned. Before his brain could react, he had already reached out a fingertip to wipe some cream and put it in his mouth.

Fei Bolin couldn't be bothered to correct his habit at this point and just asked: 'Is it good?'

Wen Fu nodded and reached out again, but Fei Bolin pulled away.

'Make a wish first.'

The supermarket still had regular small colored candles. Fei Bolin stuck seventeen of them into the cake and lit them with Wen Fu. They turned off the lights, and the two of them stood over the cake, their faces glowing slightly red in the candlelight, locking eyes.

Fei Bolin suddenly remembered that Wen Fu was waiting for him to make a wish.

After his last birthday, Wen Fu had assumed that the other person present at a birthday celebration was the one who had to make a wish.

'Alright.' Fei Bolin said softly. 'Then I hope... you can grow up a little more.'

The candlelight beneath Wen Fu's eyes flickered slightly: 'Grow up to be how big?'

Fei Bolin didn't know how big he should be. If he had to put a specific number on it, Wen Fu wasn't small anymore. At this time last year, he was Wen Fu's age, and he didn't seem as clueless as this. But even imagining Wen Fu a year older, even at eighteen, Fei Bolin felt Wen Fu wouldn't be any different from when he was sixteen.

In the year he'd been by his side, Wen Fu didn't seem to have grown anywhere except for his body—Fei Bolin would notice his pant legs getting short every two months. His brain was filled with nothing but eating, sleeping, studying, and watching anime; beyond that, it was just Fei Bolin.

This was exactly what Fei Bolin had hoped for, and yet it was also not what he had hoped for.

Fei Bolin shook his head with a helpless smile: 'Never mind... no need to grow up.'

Being like this now wasn't bad.

In Wen Fu's world, only Fei Bolin was allowed, and no one else was—that wasn't bad either.

-

On the night before the New Year's holiday, they had just finished their third monthly exam. Some people sat silently at their desks resting, while others huddled in groups to check their answers. The entire grade was immersed in the relaxed atmosphere of having just finished the exams. No one was in the mood to study quietly during the evening session, and no one even bothered to move their books back into the desks they had emptied out.

Fei Bolin was in the office as usual, discussing the final difficult problems with the math and science teachers. As expected, he wouldn't be back until the very end of the last period.

Su Haoran spotted that Xie Yining was in the restroom and that no one was around Wen Fu. He quietly crouched in front of Wen Fu's desk, showing only his eyes: 'DuoLaiMi?'

Wen Fu had just eaten dinner and was tired from the exams in the afternoon. He was spacing out, his mind blank. He tilted his head expressionlessly, asking what the other wanted.

Su Haoran raised his eyebrows: 'Wanna go play games?'

Wen Fu: 'Not going.'

If Fei Bolin came back and found out he'd snuck out of the classroom to play, he'd be thrown out again when he followed Fei Bolin into the bathroom to shower at home.

Su Haoran: 'You're not even playing Roco Kingdom?'

Wen Fu's eyes suddenly lit up: '...Roco Kingdom?'

Seeing him hesitate, Su Haoran started pushing hard: 'Let's go! The teachers are all in the office grading papers tonight. We'll climb over the wall, go out for just an hour, and come back. No one will know!'

Climbing walls and crawling through holes used to be a daily routine for Wen Fu, but ever since he came to Fei Bolin, Wen Fu hadn't done a single thing involving scaling walls or jumping over roofs. The most rebellious thing he'd done was hide next to the sewer pipes with Xie Yining and Su Haoran to watch anime in secret.

Now that he was being asked to climb a wall and skip class, Wen Fu subconsciously glanced toward the office.

Su Haoran kept tempting him: 'The head teacher won't know! The group leader is going to be discussing problems with him all night; neither of them will come out!'

Wen Fu didn't want to skip class because Fei Bolin would be angry.

But Wen Fu really wanted to play Roco Kingdom.

He looked at Su Haoran again.

The other was anxious: 'I'll take the fall if anything happens! If you hesitate any longer, we really won't have a chance!'

Wen Fu didn't speak.

Su Haoran: 'Your pets are about to reach adulthood and they haven't even seen you!'

Wen Fu's eyes flickered.

Su Haoran: 'Don't be an irresponsible dad!'

Wen Fu's fingertips picked at the wood veneer on the desk.

Su Haoran: 'Think about your baby waiting to be fed!'

Wen Fu stood up: 'Let's go.'

Ten minutes later.

Two sneaky figures slipped into the small internet cafe at the Alley Entrance.

Su Haoran turned on a computer and plopped into the chair, frantically opening LOL, calling for his teammates to get online, not wanting to waste a single second.

Wen Fu sat in front of the computer, looked at the screen, then at Su Haoran, and said softly: 'My game...'

'Oh, forgot about you.' Su Haoran turned his head to look at him, then looked back, opening Wen Fu's Roco Kingdom with one hand in less than half a minute. 'Hurry up, we only have an hour.'

Wen Fu slowly found his pet list. Seeing the various top-level pets spread out before him, he let out a tiny 'Wow,' then stared intently at the screen, his voice replying to Su Haoran filled with a bit of admiration and obedience: 'Mm!'

The two were busy with their own things, focused intently on their respective screens, forgetting that something called time was slipping away.

Until, after who knows how long, two cold, chilling voices appeared behind Su Haoran and Wen Fu respectively:

'Is it fun?'

'Is it fun?'

'...'

'...'

Su Haoran let go of his keyboard: 'Ahhhhhhhhh!'

Wen Fu let go of his mouse: 'Ahhhhhhhhh!'

The two were grabbed by the scruff of their necks and forced to turn around, meeting the icy gazes of Fei Bolin and Xie Yining.

'Good for you, Su Haoran,' Xie Yining grabbed him and pulled him out of the chair, 'it's one thing for you to climb the wall, but you're corrupting DuoLaiMi!'

'Ning-ning...'

'Do you have any idea that Gu Mingchun told us to come find you! Get out of here with me right now!'

Su Haoran was dragged out.

The remaining two stood silently in front of the computer desk.

Wen Fu peeked at Fei Bolin, looked down at his feet, peeked at Fei Bolin again, and finally reached out to tug on Fei Bolin's clothes: 'Bo-ge...'

Although Fei Bolin's face was cold, he didn't intend to blame Wen Fu. For one, they had just finished exams, and Wen Fu had been forced by him to do so much Chinese work this month that he was almost sick of it; he had originally planned to let Wen Fu have a good rest during the evening session. Secondly, the game Wen Fu was playing wasn't really something highly addictive—even elementary school kids would get bored of it after a few times, so Wen Fu was probably just doing it for the novelty.

What he hadn't expected was that Wen Fu would be pushed by Su Haoran to climb the wall, run out of school, and enter an internet cafe.

Fei Bolin was just about to calm his tone and start reasoning with Wen Fu when someone at the corner table one aisle over suddenly stood up.

'...Fei Qi?'

Hearing this long-forgotten name, Fei Bolin didn't react at first.

He didn't even realize it was calling him.

Until that person called out to him again.

'Fei Qi?'

Fei Bolin went stiff all over.

He was stunned for a moment, let go of Wen Fu, raised his head, and slowly looked toward the sound.

Fei Bolin squinted slightly. His vision, not as good as it used to be, took him a good while to carefully identify the person who had called out the name he'd had before he was four years old.

After a long time, he said in a tone devoid of emotion:

'Xu Wei?'