Chapter 37

Chapter 37

With his eyes covered, his other senses were unusually sharp.

Pei Ran heard the rustling of the night wind against the leaves and Yan Zhun's heartbeat.

It wasn't until the door next door was closed and the curtains drawn that the hand over his eyes moved away, leaving the lingering warmth of the boy's palm on his eyelids.

"He's young and doesn't know how to keep a secret," Yan Zhun suddenly said after a moment of silence.

Pei Ran's head tilted slightly upward, still maintaining the angle from their kiss, his mind still somewhat dazed. "Huh?"

"Until I tell him, he won't know to keep it to himself." Yan Zhun lowered his eyelids and asked, "Do we need secrecy?"

Yan Zhun's jawline was attractive, and Pei Ran gazed at it for a few seconds before looking up into his eyes, saying earnestly, "If you want secrecy, then it will be kept secret."

Their words seemed to echo like a tongue twister. Yan Zhun chuckled silently, his voice blending into the night, somewhat deep, "I don't want to. I've never thought about it."

When Lin Xuhuan entered the room, he was still tightly gripping his towel.

The sharpshooter was sitting on the sofa in his room, scrolling through Weibo. He looked up and asked, "Who were you talking to just now... Is there a fan outside? Why are you holding onto that towel so tightly?"

Their team's location wasn't a secret, and fans often came to the base to take pictures.

Lin Xuhuan quickly walked over and sat on the sofa. "Quick, give me a slap."

A crisp sound echoed.

The sharpshooter didn't change his expression as he slapped Lin Xuhuan across the face.

Although it didn't hurt, Lin Xuhuan was still stunned. "F*ck, did you really f*cking slap me?!?"

"We're brothers. I'll definitely fulfill such a small request for you," the sharpshooter said. "What's going on?"

Lin Xuhuan had been with TZG since he turned fifteen. Every member of the team, including his coach and elder brother, was like family to him.

He felt as if he had just stumbled upon his eldest brother's secret love affair and nervously confided in his second brother.

Upon hearing this, the sharpshooter was also taken aback.

After a long moment, the assailant raised his palm. "Let me give you another slap. I think you're still not awake enough."

Lin Xuhuan replied, "Go ahead, see if I don't retaliate this time."

The assailant's expression was complicated. "Are you sure you're seeing clearly?"

Feeling humiliated, Lin Xuhuan snapped, "Damn it, my dynamic vision is world-class! Not to mention they didn't even budge an inch!"

"..."

They stared at each other in silence for a while before lighting a cigarette simultaneously, as if on cue.

The assailant said, "Well... I don't know why, but I wasn't actually too surprised about Pei Ran."

"I feel the same," Lin Xuhuan paused. "But if my brother really likes men, does that mean it wasn't appropriate for me to sit next to him bare-chested every day back at the base while we played games?"

The assailant stood up and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Brother Zheng probably never saw you as anything more than a buddy."

With those words, he dashed out the door before Lin Xuhuan could react, slipping into his slippers as he went.

With such a commotion, it would be difficult for the neighbors not to hear.

Yan Zhun's room was dark, but upon hearing Lin Xuhuan's cursing, he frowned and opened his eyes, instinctively reaching out to cover the ears of the person beside him.

Pei Ran was sleeping on his side. He slept soundly, not tossing and turning or having any bad habits. Despite Lin Xuhuan's loud voice, he merely fluttered his eyelashes and breathed evenly.

Yan Zhun freed his other hand to grab his phone and quickly typed a message.

"Approved: If you want to fight, do it downstairs."

"Lin Xuhuan: No more fighting, big brother. I'll tape myself to the bed right away."

Yan Zhun didn't feel like engaging in a banter with him and was about to put his phone away when another message swiftly followed.

"Lin Xuhuan: Um... Big brother, I just couldn't hold back and told that idiot about our situation. Is that okay? Should I go silence him? Can we talk about this matter?"

"Approved: It's up to you."

Yan Zhun still underestimated Lin Xuhuan's ability to spread information.

The next morning, he got up quietly to freshen up and went out for a morning run. As he descended the stairs, TZG's members had just finished an all-nighter and were gathered around the dining table eating noodles.

The coach, who was in the middle of lecturing them about avoiding all-nighters during competition periods, fell silent upon seeing Yan Zhun coming down.

"Up so early?" The coach cleared his throat and asked.

Yan Zhun bent down to tie his shoelaces. "Mm."

The others wore varied expressions, throwing questions like "Did you sleep well?" and "Was the heating enough?" at him. It wasn't until the assault specialist asked, "Did our training disturb you, bro?" that Yan Zhun finally frowned.

"Alright, enough talking. Hurry up and finish your food, then go back to bed." The coach took a sip of milk before looking at Yan Zhun again. "Going for a morning run?"

Yan Zhun acknowledged him and was just about to pull open the door when the coach called out again.

"Hey, wait a moment." The coach hesitated, "Um... do you need the bed in your room changed?"

Yan Zhun: "?"

The others were barely holding back their laughter while the coach, with a suppressed smile, tried to maintain a straight face. "I don't mean anything by it. That bed is only 1.8 meters wide; I'm worried you might be cramped. If it's not comfortable for you, I'll have someone change it this afternoon."

Yan Zhun looked at Lin Xuhuan, "…."

Everyone thought Yan Zhun was going to scold Lin Xuhuan with a cold face, and Lin Xuhuan also felt so. He even lowered his head, trying to pretend he didn't hear anything.

But Yan Zhun paused for two seconds, then took out a headphone from his pocket and put it on one ear, "No need, it's enough to sleep."

During the morning run, Yan Zhun received a call from home.

He stopped by the bridge, waiting for his breathing to calm down before answering, "Mom."

"Little Zhun," Yan's mother asked, "Have you moved out of school?"

After all, the conflict was with his roommate. After they returned from the hospital, Yan's mother had asked Yan Zhun to change dorms or move out of school.

"I've moved."

"Okay, where did you rent a place?"

Yan Zhun looked at the river view for a moment before saying, "I've moved to the base."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and it took Mrs. Yan quite some time to figure out what "base" referred to.

Yan Zhun had expected her to express confusion or curiosity, but after a long wait, all he heard was, "Are you settling in well?"

He gripped his mobile phone tighter and replied, "Yes."

"Alright, since you're living there, you should contribute some rent. Try not to trouble others too much," Mrs. Yan said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Remember to eat on time and take good care of yourself."

When Yan Zhun returned to the base, Pei Ran had already woken up. As soon as he opened the door, he bumped into Pei Ran coming out of the bathroom, carrying a faint scent of mint from his recent hygiene routine. With his unchanged sleeping position, one side of his hair was slightly curled up, and his loose T-shirt gave him a laid-back appearance.

"Already up?" Yan Zhun asked.

"Mm-hm," Pei Ran replied, looking up at the sweat on Yan Zhun's forehead, his voice laced with sleepiness. "Went for a run?"

"Just for a bit," Yan Zhun said, reaching to smooth down Pei Ran's hair but remembering his sweaty palms and retracting his hand. "I'll take a shower, wait for me."

By the time Yan Zhun came out of the bathroom, Pei Ran was sitting on his chair, on a call.

"Teacher Yun... Yes, it has been a while," Pei Ran said, his eyes lowered, reminiscent of his in-class demeanor. "I'm doing well, how about you?... The class group chat? I check it occasionally, but sometimes I'm late, and everyone has finished their conversation, so I don't say much."

At the mention of "Teacher Yun," Yan Zhun raised an eyebrow and silently walked over to stand beside Pei Ran, gently pushing down the strands of hair that had fallen over his face.

The surname "Yun" was uncommon. He recalled that Pei Ran's class advisor during his second year of high school had that same surname.

If he remembered correctly, it was also this teacher who, despite facing immense pressure from all sides, had fought for a two-month suspension for the student who had accidentally injured Luo Qingshan. The incident had caused quite a stir at the time and was known even to those in other classes.

Pei Ran allowed Yan Zhun to fix his hair without resistance.

After nearly ten minutes on the phone, Pei Ran finally hung up.

"Are you hungry?" Yan Zhun asked.

"I am a bit," Pei Ran replied.

"Auntie has gone back," Yan Zhun said. "I'll cook for you. There's noodles and dumplings in the fridge. What would you like?"

"I'll have whatever you're having," Pei Ran said.

Yan Zhun felt inexplicably pleased by this simple response. He said, "Alright, your boyfriend will make you a little extra, with an extra fried egg."

Yan Zhun had only turned around when Pei Ran seized his hand.

"I'll be attending our high school class reunion on the seventh of next month," Pei Ran said.

High school class reunion.

That meant teachers, classmates, and Luo Qingshan would be there.

Yan Zhun's eyes drooped, and after a long while, he replied, "Okay."

Then he asked again, "Where is it?"

"I'm not sure yet. I haven't had time to read the group chat messages. The teacher mentioned it's at a local hot spring resort hotel," Pei Ran said. "It's quite far, so we might have to stay overnight."

Yan Zhun grunted noncommittally, his emotions indiscernible.

Pei Ran waited quietly for a while, but Yan Zhun didn't say anything more. He quickly pressed his lips together and asked, "Are you busy that day?"

Yan Zhun was taken aback. "What?"

"I'll book my own room. I won't be sharing with any classmates." Pei Ran paused. "…I inquired, and it's allowed to bring a companion. Of course, if you're occupied, I can go alone."

-

On the day of the reunion, the sky was gloomy, as if rain could pour down at any moment.

The organizer was the former class monitor, and the meeting point was at the entrance of their alma mater. Two large buses had been rented to transport everyone there together.

This sudden decision for a reunion was due to their former homeroom teacher, who was about to retire and move to another province. As a result, most of the classmates were present. Even before the designated time, over twenty people had already gathered at the school gate.

As Luo Qingshan arrived, he was immediately engaged in conversation by old classmates. He managed a smile and responded briefly before lifting his gaze to scan those who had assembled.

Assuming his old classmate mistook his search for a past adversary, he quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, we didn't invite those idiots."

The three boys who had once led the bullying in their class had long been ostracized after graduation. Naturally, no one had invited them to this reunion.

Luo Qingshan asked, "That's good to know. What about our teacher?"

"Our class monitor asked him to wait in the car with his wife, just in case it rains." The old classmate glanced behind Luo Qingshan and inquired, "Pei Ran isn't with you?"

"No," Luo Qingshan paused, feeling slightly awkward as he pulled out his phone. "Shall I give him a call and check..."

"The call has just been made," the class leader said, appearing behind them. "He said he'll be right there."

Rush!

The rain poured down heavily, catching everyone off guard. They quickly raised their backpacks as shields and dashed towards the bus.

"It's quite a heavy rain. Let's wait on the bus," someone suggested.

"…Go ahead first," Luo Qingshan said, holding an umbrella. "I'll wait for Pei Ran at the station. I'm worried he might not have an umbrella."

"No need," the class leader replied. "He's coming with his partner. This umbrella won't cover three people."

Luo Qingshan paused in his tracks. "What partner? Whose partner?"

"Pei Ran's," the class leader explained. "He specially messaged me about it and even booked a separate room for them."

Just then, someone nearby cried out, "Pei Ran is here!"

Luo Qingshan turned around, stunned.

Under the drizzle, Pei Ran and Yan Zhun walked side by side under a shared umbrella. The gray umbrella was held low, obscuring their eyes and thus their emotions; all that could be discerned was that the two of them were standing unusually close beneath it.

Only one of them carried a backpack.

Their belongings were packed together.