25

Their fingers pressed intimately together for a moment, then quickly parted.

Chen Jingshen calmly put the item into his own pocket, then picked up his pen and went back to working on the test paper on his desk.

He looked perfectly natural. No one else around noticed, except Yu Fan.

"Hurry up, don't waste everyone's time." Seeing him freeze again, Hu Pang frowned and urged him on.

Yu Fan snapped out of it.

He curled his fingers, then blank-faced, turned out his pockets and spread his palms open.

Hu Pang was satisfied. He gave a reluctant nod and looked at Wang Luan'an. "And you?"

Wang Luan'an immediately emptied every single pocket on his person, lying without batting an eye. "Director, I quit smoking ages ago. I've even forgotten how to smoke now! All that white smoke in the photo was blown out by Zuo Kuan — it had nothing to do with me or Yu Fan! We were just sitting inside getting smoked out! This guy's the worst!"

Hu Pang: "…"

Zuo Kuan: "."

Wang Luan'an refused to admit it to the death. Without solid proof, Hu Pang couldn't just pin it on him, so he let it go.

After a couple more warnings, he led the Class Eight guys off toward his office.

Just before leaving, Zuo Kuan took advantage of Hu Pang turning his back to flip Wang Luan'an the bird.

Even though they'd agreed before: if they got caught smoking, they'd take turns taking the fall.

But you're really taking it too fucking far.

Wang Luan'an blew him a kiss back.

Zhang Xianjing sighed. "Wang Luan'an, how can you lie without even blinking? And pinning it all on someone else — are you even a man?"

"Sorry, I'm a boy. And this was something we agreed on with Zuo Kuan beforehand. You wouldn't get it."

After saying that, Wang Luan'an shifted his gaze over to Yu Fan's desk.

Yu Fan's face darkened. He was just about to destroy the evidence, but Wang Luan'an beat him to it, picking up one of the books.

"Holy shit, Yu Fan, you're not being honest." Wang Luan'an said. "You're secretly studying?"

Yu Fan: "The hell I am."

"Then where'd these come from?"

"Found 'em on the ground when I was pulling an all-nighter." Yu Fan said expressionlessly. "Give it back."

Found them and then brought them to school and put them in his desk? Not even a dog would believe that.

But Wang Luan'an took one look at his expression and decided to shut up, handing the workbook back.

The school tough guy getting caught secretly studying was pretty embarrassing. He could understand his bro.

Yu Fan roughly shoved those things, along with the Textbooks he'd taken out, back into his desk drawer.

"Ah, damn it." Wang Luan'an watched the departing group and couldn't help but curse. "Which asshole ratted us out, anyway?"

Only then did Yu Fan remember his stuff was still with Chen Jingshen.

A voice came from the doorway: "Top student! The math teacher wants you in the office!"

Infected by Wang Luan'an, ever since Sports Day, everyone who saw Chen Jingshen called him 'top student'.

Yu Fan turned with a stiff face, just about to get his things back. His deskmate had already pushed his chair back, gotten up, and gone out the back door toward the teachers' office.

Yu Fan: "…"

Zhang Xianjing said, "Must be your smoke smell drifted out and bothered someone."

"Then they could've come and told us! What kind of hero rats someone out behind their back!" Wang Luan'an thought about it. "Besides, when we smoked we took turns keeping watch. There wasn't a soul near that Classroom at the time. Who could it have bothered… Did you see the photo just now? It was taken when it was Yu Fan's turn to watch. Right, Yu Fan?"

"Yeah."

Yu Fan's hands hung down under the desk, holding his Mobile Phone listlessly. He wasn't listening to their conversation at all.

He tapped open the Snake Game again. In the few seconds it took to load, he opened his left hand and looked at it.

Last time he cut his hand and bled, he hadn't felt a thing. But where Chen Jingshen had just touched him, it still felt a little numb.

Does this guy have thorns on his fingers?

Who knows what Chen Jingshen got called in for. He came back just as the class bell rang.

Chen Jingshen had just sat down when he got nudged twice with an elbow.

Yu Fan said, "My stuff."

Chen Jingshen reached into his pocket, took out the Cigarette Pack, and handed it to him.

Yu Fan took the Cigarette Pack and glanced at his fingers. Forget thorns, even his nails were clean, neatly trimmed half-moons.

After school, the Bubble Tea Shop was once again packed with a bunch of guys.

Zuo Kuan looked thoroughly pissed, glaring fiercely at every classmate who passed by, eyeing everyone like a potential snitch.

"Fuck, if I find out who told on us, I'll beat them so bad their own mother won't recognize them."

"No need, no need." Having been tortured by workbooks all day, Wang Luan'an's mood had actually mellowed out a lot. "We didn't get a punishment, just a self-criticism essay. It's fine."

"You think I care about the essay? I'm disgusted by those tattletales!" Zuo Kuan finished cursing and reached into his pocket to rummage around.

"You still dare to smoke here?" Recognizing the motion, Wang Luan'an said, "Not afraid of getting snapped for Fatty Tiger again?"

"Let him snap, snap away. I wanna say, the text named all of us, so why'd they only take a picture of Yu Fan? I'm not good enough to be in the shot?"

"…"

Zuo Kuan patted his pocket, didn't feel anything, and then remembered his smokes had been confiscated wholesale by Hu Pang.

"Yu Fan, you got any left?" Zuo Kuan nudged the guy next to him. "Gimme one."

Yu Fan took it out and tossed it over without even looking up.

Zuo Kuan caught it, muttering, "This pack's so heavy, you just buy it? … Holy shit!?"

Wang Luan'an: "What's up, you scared m— Holy shit!!"

Their voices were too loud. Not just the people inside, even a few girls passing outside looked in, puzzled.

Yu Fan wasn't far from them and was nearly deafened by the shouts.

He frowned and turned his head, annoyed. "Are you looking for trou—"

A riot of colors appeared in his field of vision. Yu Fan's voice cut off. He looked down at what was in Zuo Kuan's hand.

Inside the blue-purple Cigarette Pack was stuffed a bunch of colorful candy. Loose pieces, some single, some on sticks. The pack was so full it was almost bulging.

His last two cigarettes were squeezed into a corner, trembling.

Yu Fan: "…"

Everyone else was stunned.

Including the owner of the Cigarette Pack.

"You… this?" Zuo Kuan was the first to recover, moved. "Bro, I admit, when I took the fall alone I was a little bit aggrieved… But you don't have to comfort me like this… No matter how much you do for me now, next time we get caught it'll still be your turn to take the blame…"

Yu Fan didn't make a sound.

No wonder his pocket felt so heavy…

He thought back. It seemed like after Chen Jingshen came back from the teachers' office, the Cigarette Pack had been this heavy. He'd just been too busy looking at Chen Jingshen's hand at the time, and couldn't remember how many he'd smoked before, so he hadn't paid any attention.

Where did Chen Jingshen get so much candy?

Zuo Kuan reached out. "But since you went to all this trouble, I'll try a strawberry one…"

Swish.

The thing in his hand was ruthlessly snatched away.

Yu Fan reached into the Cigarette Pack, rummaged around, pulled out the two cigarettes from the corner, and threw them to him.

Then he dumped all the remaining stuff back into his own pocket.

Planning to take them out one by one tomorrow at School and pelt Chen Jingshen in the forehead with them.

-

That was the plan, but by Friday, none of those candies had managed to find their way to Chen Jingshen's forehead.

Both of them tacitly didn't mention it.

Wang Luan'an was unwavering, asking seven questions a day — so it wasn't until Friday that Yu Fan finally managed to get a good sleep in class.

Wang Luan'an's birthday was today. He'd booked a private room at a KTV Lounge for the evening to celebrate, so he spent the whole day running around to various sophomore classes inviting friends.

He was popular. The smokers and fighters in the grade, the quiet studious types, guys and girls alike — he got along pretty well with all of them.

So that evening, by the time Yu Fan arrived, the KTV Lounge private room was already packed.

The howling from the speakers nearly sent Yu Fan to an early grave. He looked up — sure enough, it was Zuo Kuan.

Seeing him, Wang Luan'an, sitting in the middle, deftly cleared a spot. "Yu Fan, why so late? Come sit here."

About half the people in the room couldn't help but glance over at Yu Fan.

They all got along fine with Wang Luan'an, but very few had ever spoken to Yu Fan. Some didn't dare; some had tried to strike up a conversation, and Yu Fan had ignored them.

Yu Fan came over and sat down in silence. Wang Luan'an noticed he didn't look too good and handed him a glass of beer. "What's up? Traffic jam get on your nerves?"

Yu Fan: "No."

He'd run into Yu Kaiming on his way out. They'd argued. If he hadn't had to come celebrate Wang Luan'an's birthday, they'd probably be fighting by now.

Yu Fan handed over the bag in his hand. "Happy birthday, bro."

Wang Luan'an took it. "I told you not to buy a gift. Holy shit…"

Wang Luan'an saw the hat inside the bag and froze for a second.

A while back, he'd casually mentioned while chatting with Zuo Kuan that he liked this Fisherman's Cap. Nearly six hundred bucks, but he'd just bought a pair of shoes and was short on cash, planned to buy it later.

Yu Fan had been eating at the time, head down, not looking up. He hadn't expected him to actually listen and remember.

Mainly, he knew a bit about Yu Fan's family situation. That hat was actually pretty expensive.

Wang Luan'an held the bag, a little hesitant.

"Take it. Don't be sentimental." Yu Fan said.

"…Alright, then I'll accept it." Wang Luan'an raised his glass to him. "Good brother, say no more. The birthday boy personally toasts you."

Yu Fan downed the glass of beer without hesitation.

"Wang Luan'an, are you playing or not?" Zuo Kuan, impatient, yelled from the side.

"Playing, let's continue." Wang Luan'an turned back and asked, "Yu Fan, wanna play Dice?"

"No."

"Then just sit and watch me slaughter all these idiots from Class Eight single-handedly."

"Fuck you," Zuo Kuan said. "Don't think just 'cause it's your birthday I won't curse you…"

Yu Fan sat on the sofa watching them play Dice.

Some girl had gotten hold of the mic. Her voice was nice, saving his ears from the torture Zuo Kuan had just inflicted.

Would've been even better if she wasn't singing 'Father'.

Yu Fan listened for two lines and started getting irritated. He instinctively reached into his pocket for a smoke, but the moment his hand touched it, he knew something was off.

He stubbornly flipped open the lid — and met the gaze of the smiling little girl on the candy wrapper.

Damn it. Grabbed the wrong Cigarette Pack.

Yu Fan turned his head, wanting to get a cigarette from Wang Luan'an.

Wang Luan'an shot to his feet. "When Zhang Xianjing called nine sixes you didn't challenge, but when I call four threes you challenge me?? Zuo Kuan, if you have a crush on Zhang Xianjing just confess to her now, don't come to the drinking game to disgust me!"

Zuo Kuan: "Don't talk shit! Where do I have a crush on her! Girls like her aren't even my type!"

Zhang Xianjing: "You guys should stop fighting—"

Yu Fan: "…"

He turned his head back.

He picked out a lollipop, tore off the wrapper, and stuffed it into his mouth expressionlessly.

Milk flavor. Okay. Average. Not bad.

Two waiters pushed the door open and came in, each holding a cylindrical object. The lighting was too dim for Yu Fan to see clearly what they were.

By the time the two had walked to opposite sides of the room and he realized what was happening, it was too late—

"Bang! Bang!"

The Firecracker Tubes exploded with a pop, louder than the speakers. The colored streamers and glitter inside rushed out, drifting down over the entire room.

The two waiters said in unison: "Happy birthday to Mr. Wang Luan'an! May you live as long as the heavens! Peace every year! Boundless fortune and longevity!!"

Yu Fan bit down with a 'crack', shattering the candy in his mouth.

The girl sitting next to him was startled by the commotion. Covering her ears, she bumped into his shoulder.

Coming back to her senses, she looked up at him, blushing dazedly. "Sorry…"

Yu Fan moved a distance away to the other side without expression. "It's fine."

The birthday boy himself was also startled. "Holy shit!"

Zuo Kuan: "How about that? I specially arranged it."

Wang Luan'an: "You're such an idiot!"

Yu Fan thought so too.

Sucking on the candy, he stood up. He was just about to leave when someone called out to him.

Wang Luan'an looked up and asked, "Where you going?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh, perfect. Go out and meet the top student, then." Wang Luan'an waved his Mobile Phone. "He says he's at the KTV Lounge entrance."

"…"

A flicker of confusion crossed Yu Fan's face. "Why's he coming?"

"Huh? I invited him." Wang Luan'an said. "I was actually worried he wouldn't come."

"…"

Yu Fan mentally recited 'can't curse the birthday boy'. "Can't he find his own way in?"

"Well, I'm afraid he might get lost. Maybe it's his first time at a KTV Lounge. Just go meet him, will you?"

"Not going. Can't be bothered to wait on him."

Wang Luan'an went 'oh'. "Then I'll tell him to ask a waiter for directions. It's just busy here at night. He'll probably have to wait ages for a waiter…"

Two minutes later, Yu Fan appeared at the KTV Lounge entrance with a sour face.

This KTV Lounge went for an exaggerated palace style. A row of men in suits and black sunglasses stood at the main entrance as decoration, motionless, looking pretty cool.

But the girls in the lobby were all looking at the person outside the door, then huddling together, laughing and whispering.

Yu Fan spotted Chen Jingshen at a glance.

Chen Jingshen wore a simple black hoodie. Black cargo pants hugged his long legs, the whole person blending into the night. He was currently looking down at his phone.

Yu Fan tossed the lollipop stick away before walking over.

"What, waiting for a sedan chair to carry you in?"

Chen Jingshen paused at the sound and looked back.

His pupils were pitch black, shining in the dim light, like a calm lake at night, easy to get lost in.

Yu Fan met his gaze for two seconds, then looked away, saying irritably, "Let's go. Inside."

He'd just turned when his arm was suddenly grabbed and pulled back to his original spot.

"What the—"

Chen Jingshen raised his hand, his fingers threading into his hair. Yu Fan's voice died in his throat.

His chin was slightly tilted up. Yu Fan could see a stretch of his neck and the prominent Adam's apple.

Chen Jingshen's fingers moved unhurriedly through his hair. Every time his fingertip brushed against him, Yu Fan's whole head went numb.

Somehow, he suddenly remembered the way Chen Jingshen's fingers flexed when he petted a dog.

After a long few seconds, Chen Jingshen withdrew his hand and spread it open in front of him. A few colored streamers and pieces of glitter were tangled around his slender fingers.

"How'd you get so messy." Chen Jingshen said.