Chapter 26: The First Christmas 1

Chapter 26: The First Christmas 1

Gu Wei stayed for an extended period this time, nearly a month, during which Yun He would often encounter him at Gu Jiabei's house. Whenever Yun He greeted Gu Wei, the latter would respond with a cool indifference. Yun He always felt constrained and uncomfortable in Gu Wei's presence, but Zhang Xunmei still insisted on having Yun He come over for lunch every day. She genuinely liked Yun He, so he didn't have the heart to refuse her repeatedly. Instead, he could only alleviate his guilt by consuming all the fruits at Zhang Xunmei's place.

The first snow of the season in the northern city arrived silently while Yun He slept. In the morning, as they headed to school, Yun He and Gu Jiabei stood downstairs, gazing at the snow-covered landscape before them, instinctively wrapping themselves tighter in their down jackets.

"It's snowing," Yun He exhaled, his breath forming a white mist.

"Two days ago, it was still chilly autumn winds, and now it's suddenly a blizzard. The weather in the north can be quite capricious," Gu Jiabei observed, standing in the snow and catching snowflakes in his palm.

"Does it snow in the city where you live?" Yun He asked, stomping his foot in the snow to gauge its depth.

"Occasionally," Gu Jiabei replied, a snowflake resting on his eyelashes before melting into a drop of water.

Gently brushing the snowflake off Gu Jiabei's eyelashes with his fingertip, Yun He asked, "Do you like snow?"

"Yes," Gu Jiabei said. "Let's go skiing when winter vacation starts."

"You know how to ski?"

"Um-hum." Gu Jiabei nodded. "You can't?"

"I can't... I told you, I don't like it when it hurts." Yun He felt a bit embarrassed.

"I'll teach you. I won't let you fall," Gu Jiabei offered his hand to Yun He.

Yun He looked around, ensuring they were alone before taking Gu Jiabei's hand. "Come on, we can't ride today. Let's walk to school together."

"Given the road conditions today, we'll probably be late even if we walk," Gu Jiabei pointed out.

"Haha, that's where you're wrong. In the north, being late due to snow is understood. Come on, I'll show you an exciting route." Yun He cheerfully led Gu Jiabei along, stopping at the top of a long flight of stairs that was entirely covered in snow, making the steps invisible.

"Here? How do we get down?" Gu Jiabei asked with a frown.

"Who said we're walking?" Yun He stepped forward to the staircase and sat right on the ground. "Watch this!"

With a whoosh, Yun He slid down the lengthy stairs as if on a slide, his bottom bouncing rapidly up and down the steps.

"HAHAHAHAHA... This is so much fun! Gu Jiabei, come down quickly!" Yun He laughed heartily, looking up at Gu Jiabei backlit by the sun.

Without hesitation, Gu Jiabei mimicked Yun He's action and sat on the ground. With a gentle push, he glided down the steps. Yun He promptly reached out to grasp Gu Jiabei's hand, pulling him back up.

"How was it? Did you enjoy it?" Yun He inquired, his tone reminiscent of a kindergarten child eagerly sharing their favorite toy.

"Not bad." Gu Jiabei brushed snow off his buttocks. "We've never had such thick snow back home."

"Of course, do you think the term 'snow nest' we use here is just for fun?"

Walking side by side, they threw snowballs at each other throughout the journey, so by the time they reached the school gate, Yun He's down jacket hood was filled with the large snowballs that Gu Jiabei had launched. Despite this, when Yun He arrived at the classroom, there were still many students who hadn't shown up. Snowy days caused even more traffic congestion than rainy days; despite prompt snow clearance, vehicles moved significantly slower than usual, and multiple car accidents were common in such weather conditions.

After taking his seat, Yun He reached into his bag and pulled out the milk that Gu Jiabei had brought for him, beginning to drink it with pleasure.

"Good morning, Yun He," a slender boy from the front row of the class approached with a refined smile on his face.

"Zheng Han." Yun He greeted with a smile.

"I didn't do my English homework last night, could I possibly copy yours?" Zheng Han said somewhat shyly.

Yun He was somewhat surprised. Zheng Han was one of the few boys in the class who was not loud and boisterous. He was quiet and introverted, diligently studying, and was a quintessential good student. This was the first time Yun He had seen Zheng Han without his homework done, and it was even more unheard of for him to ask someone to borrow homework to copy.

"Sure." Yun He didn't inquire further, instead taking out his homework notebook from his backpack and passing it over.

"Thank you." Zheng Han was not one for many words. After expressing his gratitude, he took his homework book and returned to his seat, where he silently began to copy his homework.

During the break between classes, Yun He and Lin Yong headed to the restroom. As they passed by Gu Jiabei's classroom, Yun He, out of habit, glanced inside. Gu Jiabei was there, wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, attentively copying notes from the blackboard.

"A gentleman's facade, corrupted within" - Yun He gazed at Gu Jiabei's profile, and this phrase echoed in his mind.

"Gu Shuai is nearsighted?" Lin Yong was also looking at Gu Jiabei.

Yun He halted in his tracks and gazed earnestly at Lin Yong. "Some people wear glasses for studying, while others do it to appear sophisticated. Which category do you think Gu Jiabei falls into?"

"A poser!" Lin Yong exclaimed, enlightened. "Neighbors really are different – you know so much more."

Yun He modestly waved his hand and proceeded towards the restroom, where he bumped into Zhao Ming just as he was exiting. Zhao Ming shot Yun He a grim look. Yun He knew that Zhao Ming was a vindictive person, and the fact that everyone now knew about him being beaten by Gu Jiabei had dealt a severe blow to his ego. However, Zhao Ming wasn't skilled enough in fighting to retaliate against Gu Jiabei.

"As his friend, pass on this message to Gu Jiabei," Zhao Ming hissed as he walked past Yun He. "The humiliation he inflicted on me, I'll make sure to repay him sooner or later."

There was no way Yun He would deliver such melodramatic words to Gu Jiabei.

Yun He didn't look at him and walked straight into the bathroom, where the smell of smoke still lingered.

From that day on, Yun He and Gu Jiabei stayed at school for lunch. One reason was that the weather was getting colder, with slippery roads due to snow; the other was that Gu Wei had been staying at home, and Yun He really didn't want to see his seemingly casual but ever-watchful gaze. It seemed Gu Jiabei shared this sentiment, and so the two agreed to have their lunches at the small food street behind the school from then on.

While walking along the food street, if they were alone, Yun He enjoyed playfully hooking his finger around Gu Jiabei's palm. But as soon as any nearby students passed by, he would quickly withdraw his hand, putting on an indecisive expression about what to eat for lunch. Gu Jiabei generally observed him coolly throughout this.

"It's almost Christmas," Yun He said one day after lunch, leaning on his desk and looking at Gu Jiabei beside him.

Gu Jiabei was sitting in Wang Xiaomi's seat. Wang Xiaomi lived close to the school and went home for lunch every day, leaving her spot occupied by Gu Jiabei during that time.

"Mm-hmm," Gu Jiabei replied, also leaning on his desk, face-to-face with Yun He.

"I love the atmosphere of Christmas the most, even though I've never properly celebrated it before. There's just something about it that I adore," Yun He whispered. Two other students sat some distance away, both in front of Yun He. If they didn't turn around, they wouldn't see Gu Jiabei and Yun He.

"The jingle bell vibe?" Gu Jiabei asked with a smile, squinting slightly against the sunlight shining directly on him.

"I'm not sure, I just like that feeling. It always feels like something good will happen on such days," Yun He secretly held Gu Jiabei's hand under the desk.

"Then let's spend Christmas together this year," Gu Jiabei squeezed Yun He's hand gently.

"Let's celebrate next year together too," Yun He suggested.

"Something to ponder about," Gu Jiabei replied with a smile, lifting his gaze.

"Every single year from now on, we'll celebrate together!" Yun He glanced at the classmates in front, then swiftly leaned closer to peck Gu Jiabei's eyelid.

"You're quite daring..." Gu Jiabei remarked, his eyes curving into a crescent moon as he continued to rest his cheek on the desk, looking at Yun He.

"No one will notice," Yun He whispered assuredly.