As both their starting position were closer to the front, when they were running they naturally ran in front.

After setting out from the university, in front of them was the most famous lake of Ning City. On the cold winter night, the trees by the lake were all bare, and the roads were dusted with a light layer of snow. 

After running for a while, the group gradually dispersed. Seeing Duan Jiayan running in the group at his own pace, as if he came prepared, a few runners called out to him.

“Bros, which school are you guys from?” A male student asked after observing both Lu Xingci and him. “Seeing your light sticks, you came from Ning Medical College, right? We’re from the same school then, which are you in?”

Duan Jiayan, “No, these were given to us by a lady.”

Lu Xingci continued, “We’re both in the second year of high school.” 

A male student happily said, “Little junior!”

Beside him were a few more people, there were guys and girls. After hearing they were high school students, a few of them looked over excitedly, “You two skipped classes to come here? You’re a couple?”

Lu Xingci, “No, I’m his…”

He initially wanted to say classmate but as he was about to say it, he paused and smiled, “I’m his suitor.”

A few guys started laughing after hearing this.

A few girls also laughed along while sneaking glances at Duan Jiayan and him.

Among the laughs, Duan Jiayan raised his head and looked at Lu Xingci with a deadpan expression.

Under the stare, Lu Xingci kept his smile and tried to put on a serious face, “Seniors, don’t laugh, I’m a little embarrassed.” 

Duan Jiayan, “……”

Duan Jiayan thought, “You still know what it means to feel embarrassed?”

“Not laughing not laughing, hey— you guys, stop laughing.”

“Pfft… Kids these days, they mature so quickly huh?” 

“We were the ones that grew up too late,” a girl chimed in. “I had a crush on a guy in my high school class for three years, even till the day of our graduation I did not dare confess. I regret my actions to this day.”

The girl was extraverted, as she spoke, she nodded towards Lu Xingci, “Junior, I wish you success in chasing the other junior!”

“That’s right that’s right,” The girl beside her chimed in, looking at Duan Jiayan. “Junior, do consider him a little! Once you reach university, you will realise the guys around you aren’t as good looking as the ones in high school.”

Duan Jiayan looked at the senior sisters that were more excited than even Lu Xingci and thought to himself, “I like girls, whether a guy looks good or not does not seem to affect me.” 

But because of where he is, he did not say it out loud.

Feeling complex, Duan Jiayan nodded his head.

Seeing him nod, these few university students got excited once again and passionately threw out an “After your entrance examination, do consider coming to our medical college!”, before running off in groups of twos and threes.

As the marathon’s distance was very long, everyone could initially run together at first but as it went on, most of the participants chose to walk instead. 

Duan Jiayan initially came out to have fun. As he did not have dinner before this and he was tired from the running, when they passed by a food street, he pointed it out to Lu Xingci and the both of them decided to stop here.

They entered a wonton shop and sat down.

Lu Xingci was not hungry so he sat by and watched Duan Jiayan eat. Perhaps because the food was still hot, Duan Jiayan was eating the wontons very slowly.

Over time, there were marathon runners that passed them by. 

Lu Xingci noticed Duan Jiayan looked as if he was amused by the group of people running past them. He asked, “Are you feeling better?”

“It’s okay,” Duan Jiayan kept his gaze. “Are we still running later?”

“We’ll continue running if you want to.”

Duan Jiayan nodded and continued eating. 

“Why were you unhappy tonight?” Lu Xingci asked in a casual tone. “Are you able to tell me?”

“……” After a long while, Duan Jiayan looked down and mumbled. “It’s not much actually, my mom just moved to Hai City. My mom and dad divorced when I was young and she was the one that raised me up.”

He was a little vague in his explanation and although he tried to downplay it, anyone could see the impact it had on him.

Lu Xingci fell silent. 

It was not appropriate for him to comment on other family’s matters. He had previously more or less guessed the reason for Duan Jiayan’s moodiness and was unsure of whether he should broach the topic or not. In the end, his need to better understand the other’s emotions prevailed.

However, he now truly regretted opening his mouth and asking Duan Jiayan about the matter.

The situation was worse than he expected.

“Tbe……” Lf bqfcfv tlr wbeat jcv kjr pera jybea ab rqfjx ktfc… 

“P kjr pera j ilaaif jccbsfv ktfc P gfaegcfv ab rmtbbi,” Gejc Aljsjc lcafggeqafv tlw. “P’w offilcu yfaafg cbk.”

Lf rjk Oe Wlcuml ibbxlcu ja tlw kjglis jcv abbx atf lclaljalnf ab mtjcuf atf abqlm, “Pa’r jiwbra 10 b’mibmx jcv sbe’gf cba tbwf sfa, kbc’a sbeg wbw rjs rbwfatlcu?”

“I gave her a heads up already,” Lu Xingci seemed to have remembered something and added in an indescribable tone. “She was initially quite angry.”

Duan Jiayan immediately raised his head up to look at him. 

“Then I told her that I am accompanying her daughter-in-law,” His eyes curved up, speckles of light evident in his eyes. “And she was not angry any longer. She even told me that it’s better to not go home.”

With how improper he was being, it’s obvious he’s lying.

Duan Jiayan met Lu Xingci’s gaze for a few seconds. For some unknown reason, his chest started to heat up. Duan Jiayan shifted his gaze away and spoke frantically, “Aren’t you lying? The one you’re accompanying is your desk mate.”

Lu Xingci did not refute him. 

He only smiled as he looked at him, as if he was looking at a child that was trying to remain calm and composed.

Duan Jiayan suddenly realised that ever since they’ve met, this boy seemed to do everything with a lot of certainty.

Including the matter of chasing him.

As long as he took one step back, Lu Xingci was able to hold onto his weak points. 

Even though Lu Xingci was always hot on his heels, his actions had never made him truly resistant to him before.

With this realisation, Duan Jiayan subtly lowered his head and continued to silently eat his wontons.

As the night slowly turned to dawn, fatigue started to set in.

Lu Xingci took a look at the map and realised they were quite a distance from school. Even if Duan Jiayan were to return, he would not be let in. Seeing Duan Jiayan yawn a few times, Lu Xingci asked, “Want to go home?” 

Duan Jiayan agreed and casually asked, “I’ll go home, you’re going home too?”

“I’ll send you home.”

After hearing this, most of Duan Jiayan’s sleepiness left him.

He blinked the tears that came from yawning away and said, “I don’t need you to send me home, I can just take a cab. You go home.” 

“I’ll send you home,” he repeated. “It’s so late, I don’t feel assured letting you go home alone.”

Duan Jiayan met his gaze, noting that the other was not talking, Lu Xingci said, “You’re an omega. Not only that, you’re an omega I brought out to play. If I let you take a cab home by yourself, won’t it be too much?”

An unmarked omega going home late at night does indeed carry some risks.

Even someone like Duan Jiayan who does not bother much with genders know that what he said is not without logic. 

Duan Jiayan considered it for a while and could only nod in agreement.

The house that Fu Yuan left behind had been empty for a period of time, but she still hired a cleaner to drop by occasionally so the house was still relatively clean.

Duan Jiayan opened the door and saw that Lu Xingci seemed to have no intention of leaving. He hesitated for a while before taking out a pair of slippers from his shoe cabinet.

“I’ve not worn this pair before,” he said as he wore his slippers into the house, leaving Lu Xingci by the hallway. 

Lu Xingci studied his surroundings as he changed into the slippers.

The living room was spacious with comfortable-looking furniture in light colours. Past the wall-length window was the balcony and even though it was very dark, various plants on the balcony could still be seen.

He made his way to the bookshelf and saw a lot of photos.

Some of them were photos of Fu Yuan and Duan Jiayan but most of them were solo photos of Duan Jiayan. 

It showed him in various stages of his life, mostly during middle school. Duan Jiayan in middle school was a little skinnier than he is now, with snow-white skin and features that showed off a boy’s special childishness.

Very cute.

As Lu Xingci looked at his old photos, his brows unconsciously smoothed itself out, “You’ve been staying here since you were young?”

“No,” Duan Jiayan rummaged through his fridge and found an unopened can of coke. He took one for himself and another for Lu Xingci. “We moved here after that.” 

“You moved here in high school?”

Duan Jiayan gave an ‘en’ and said, “I studied in San Zhong in middle school. My mother and Teacher Zhao were university classmates. She eventually found San Zhong too chaotic and transferred me to Yi Zhong in high school.”

“No wonder……”

“Hmm?” 

“Didn’t you hear? Ning City’s San Zhong, a bloody storm all night long.” After he said that, he seemed to find the chuuni slogan interesting and curled his lips. “They say it’s best to carry a knife around when studying there.”

“They’re exaggerating,” Duan Jiayan laughed along. “I’ve never carried one.”

“Were you the school tyrant in San Zhong as well?”

Duan Jiayan shook his head sincerely, “I was too small back then and couldn’t defeat the current school tyrant. I was the one getting beaten up.” 

“……” Lu Xingci looked at the photo of Duan Jiayan in middle school and subtly frowned.

It seemed that love does indeed affect people’s judgement.

He just could not understand how someone that looked this handsome, with the words ‘cute’ written all over his body, could get beaten up.

“But in the year I graduated, the seniors from the first and second year of high school all chased after me and called me ‘daddy’, congratulating this dad on his graduation.” Duan Jiayan thought back to his glory days and conclude, “Impressive.” 

Right after his ‘impressive’ fell, Lu Xingci saw his graduation photos.

Perhaps because San Zhong this school was really too wild, the students in the graduation photo pretty much did not wear their uniforms.

In a sea of middle schoolers, Duan Jiayan’s physique could be considered to be tall.

He stood in the last row, wearing a white round-necked t-shirt. Even in the sea of people taking their graduation photos, his collarbone was very prominent. 

He lazily looked towards the camera, the corner of his lips slightly curled up.

Even though he was young, his handsome face was still able to reveal his tender yet fickle temperament.

“I want to know you a little earlier,” Lu Xingci said after a while. “I don’t want you to be beaten up by others.”

He spoke softly and mildly, his words carrying flavours of gentleness. 

The feeling of his chest heating up once again surfaced in Duan Jiayan.

“Lu-ge, you can’t look down on the past school tyrant. Even if you knew me back then, it’ll be of no use,” Duan Jiayan kept his eyes open and tried to speak in a relaxed tone, not letting the hint of exhilaration in his heart leak out. “It also took me two years before I successfully took over his spot and rubbed his face into the ground.”

“Then I’ll get beaten up with you, that’s possible too,” Lu Xingci muttered, seeming deep in thought.

“……” Duan Jiayan mumbled, “Who would dare beat you up, are they looking to die?” 

After he was done talking, Duan Jiayan suddenly felt a sourness rush into his nose. He tried to bear with it but failed and gave a yawn.

This was his nth time yawning tonight. Seeing exhaustion in Duan Jiayan’s brows, Lu Xingci kept his gaze from the photos. He was like a guest that did not want to trouble his host, he spoke gently and politely, “It’s so late, I should be going. You have an early night.”

Duan Jiayan looked at the time.

It was half-past midnight. 

He asked hesitantly, “Is your chauffeur coming?”

Lu Xingci looked into his amber eyes and said naturally, as if he did not find it a trouble, “He knocked off work at 12 midnight, I’ll go get a cab home.”

Duan Jiayan, “……”

Duan Jiayan opened his lips unconsciously as he watched Lu Xingci walk towards the living room. He did not forget to throw away his empty can of coke before making his way to the hallway, evidently about to change into his shoes. 

As Duan Jiayan watched the scene in front of him, he could not help feeling like he is bullying the other.

Suddenly, Duan Jiayan blurted, “Why not stay here, it’s too late.”

After he was done talking, Duan Jiayan realised what he had done and almost bit his tongue

What was he doing? 

With the kind of relationship they currently have, he’s actually asking Lu Xingci to stay?

After hearing this, Lu Xingci paused and turned around to look at him.

He did not miss the vexed look that flashed across the other’s face. Even though he was feeling happy on the inside over the invitation, on the surface he still remained calm and composed, “Won’t that be too much trouble?”

As he spoke, without waiting for Duan Jiayan’s reply, Lu Xingci splendidly blocked the other’s retreat, “I’ll sleep on the sofa then.” 

Seeing that the young master himself could talk about sleeping on the sofa, Duan Jiayan had no way of declining his initial invitation.

If Song Yi were here and saw his arrangement with Lu Xingci, he just might get strangled by him.

Even Duan Jiayan felt that making Lu Xingci sleep on his family’s sofa was wronging him a little.

However, at the moment, the other party who did not seem to feel wronged in the slightest just continued asking, “Does your house have a spare blanket? If not, do you have thicker clothes to spare?” 

“We do.” Before he knew it, Duan Jiayan got pulled into Lu Xingci’s rhythm and gradually gave up on the question of whether or not to have him sleepover. “I have two newly washed blankets, I’ll go take it.”

Lu Xingci watched Duan Jiayan head into his room to take the items with a slight smile on his face.

Really easy to coax.

Just as he thought, his looks did not match his personality, Duan Jiayan was actually a very soft-hearted person. 

As it was already quite late, both of them washed up and each went to their respective rooms to lie down.

After lying down, Duan Jiayan closed his eyes.

However, though he was clearly feeling sleepy just moments ago, he was now much more awake after finally lying on his bed.

Various thoughts entered his head one after another. He first thought back to the airport, to Fu Yuan and He Yunsheng. After he finally got those fragmented thoughts out of his head, he then recalled the night marathon and the fluorescent lights he saw there. 

The colourful fluorescent light shone brightly in the sea of people, just like a river sparkling at night.

His thoughts finally concluded with a pair of dark eyes.

There was an undisguised desire in those pair of eyes. His voice was soft as he told him what he wanted.

F*ck. 

Duan Jiayan realised that this incorrigible fellow was sleeping in his family’s living room.

They were separated by just a few walls.

Having missed the optimal time to fall asleep, most of Duan Jiayan’s fatigue had left him. Realising that he would not be able to fall asleep anytime soon, he got up from bed and wanted to go see if Lu Xingci was asleep.

He did not lock his room door. As he pushed the door open, he tried to shout in a hushed manner, “Lu Xingci?” 

There was no reply even after a long while.

Duan Jiayan tiptoed into the living room and slowly made his way to the sofa before quietly calling out the other’s name again.

The boy on the sofa had his eyes closed, looking relaxed and breathing steadily.

Duan Jiayan studied him for a while and after seeing no signs of him waking up, could not resist whispering, “Are you a pig? You can’t even recognise a bed?” 

No response.

Duan Jiayan suddenly felt that this was rather interesting. He bent over and studied the other while saying, “Say, don’t you feel wronged having to sleep in this small corner?”

His gaze travelled down to the boy’s long legs, “You can’t even extend your legs fully, even I feel wronged for you.”

Lu Xingci seemed to be sleeping very soundly. With the light from the windows, Duan Jiayan’s eyes gradually adapted to the dark and he could clearly make out the figure in front of him. 

A sharp nose and thin lips.

After closing his eyes, the shape of his eyes was nice to look at. Even though his eyelashes were long, they were not curved so whenever those pair of eyes looked at someone, it will tend to exude a feeling of laziness.

After staring at the face for a long while, he could not resist sighing, “Not bad looking after all.”

As he spoke, he seemed to have amused himself, “Our Lu-ge, even though he’s not as good as me by just a little bit, is still the most handsome out of all the good looking people out there.” 

He sneakily gave Lu Xingci a once over while muttering to himself. Gradually, he could feel his mouth getting dry though he did not think too much about why he was reacting in such a way.

After he had enough of looking, Duan Jiayan made to stand up.

Just as he was standing up, his arm was suddenly tugged back down.

Caught off guard, Duan Jiayan was immediately pulled into the embrace of the person lying on the sofa. For a moment he was unable to find his strength and was just about to slide down when Lu Xingci reached out to catch his waist and let him sit on his body. 

They were very close to one another.

Duan Jiayan stared into the eyes that were really close to his in slight astonishment.

The arms around his waist tightened and hot air from the boy’s breathing reached his ears, his hoarse voice carrying slight traces of sleepiness.

“Can’t sleep?” 

The author has something to say: Aren’t you the same?