Chapter 10 – Going Out
Translator: Xena
Editor: Vinny
Proofreader: Wint8
There were no classes this morning, so Chen Xiangsui had just gotten out of bed when he saw Cheng Yinian and Lu Yan chatting together, laughing and talking happily. Seemingly worried that he was still sleeping, the two spoke in hushed voices.
“Xiangsui, you’re awake. Good morning.” Lu Yan casually greeted Chen Xiangsui, who had just stepped onto the floor, then turned his attention back to Cheng Yinian.
Cheng Yinian also waved at him, then continued his conversation with Lu Yan. “Are the living habits there really that different from here?”
“Probably, since it’s a northern city, and Xunxi is in the south.” Lu Yan chuckled as he spoke, “You know, when I went out with Xu Zitang yesterday, he told me that he couldn’t get used to the food here when he first came. I asked him how it was now, and he said he had been forced to accept it. He can’t just drink the northwest wind1It’s an idiom meaning going cold and hungry, can he?”
The more Lu Yan talked, the harder he laughed. “He also said he’d never thought that the rumor on the internet that there was such a university in the south was true.”
Cheng Yinian couldn’t help but laugh. He then talked about his hometown in the same province as Xunxi. Although it was very close to Xunxi, he had never been there for sightseeing before. Though he had been to this university for more than a year, he was still not very familiar with the city.
“It’s a pity I’m busy this weekend, if I weren’t, I’d tour you around.” Lu Yan patted his chest and said, “Next time for sure. I’ll take you to try the rice flower rice krispie that Xu Zitang can’t resist. I remember you like sweets?”
“Xu Zitang likes spicy food, right?” At this point, Cheng Yinian curved his lips again, causing the dimple on his left cheek to appear faintly.
Chen Xiangsui watched the two people getting along so well and suddenly said, “Yinian, I’m free this weekend. I can take you around Xunxi.”
Cheng Yinian suddenly turned his head and fixed his gaze on Chen Xiangsui’s face. Lu Yan’s gaze was naturally drawn there as well. “That’s right, Xiangsui’s family is also from Xunxi, so he knows this place well.”
“Is that okay? Thank you.” Cheng Yinian smiled brightly, and Chen Xiangsui softly hummed in agreement. “Of course it is. But don’t thank me next time.”
Probably afraid that Cheng Yinian would misunderstand, he went on to explain, “It’s too polite.”
Even if they weren’t an online couple, they were friends and roommates who went to class together every day. Cheng Yinian could get along well with Lu Yan, but he always felt a strange sense of distance from him.
Cheng Yinian froze, and after a long moment, he nodded. “Okay, I’ll remember that.”
Lu Yan tactfully returned to his own bed, and Chen Xiangsui began talking to Cheng Yinian about interesting sights in Xunxi and various snacks. “When I was little, my grandmother often took me to the Old Street, where there were many small stalls and it was very lively. Sometimes I would sneak out with some pocket money just to buy grilled skewers to eat.”
This was the first time Cheng Yinian heard Chen Xiangsui talk about his past. He laughed. “You were quite mischievous when you were young.”
“…That’s not true. I didn’t talk much when I was young, but I was still a child and naturally loved to eat and play.” Chen Xiangsui paused for a long time at this point as if struggling to find the next topic. “I really like it there, so I want to take you to see the Old Street.”
“Sure.” Cheng Yinian smiled brightly. “Can you tell me a little more about your childhood?”
Then, Cheng Yinian listened as Chen Xiangsui recounted many amusing stories about his childhood, as well as many legends and past events related to the Old Street. Every New Year’s Eve, the day before New Year’s Day, Xunxi’s Old Street would host a lantern festival. It was said that in the past, a wealthy young man hung lanterns all over the Old Street to make his beloved happy, and somehow it developed into an annual lantern festival. Many people from far and wide would come to visit.
Cheng Yinian’s lips curved upward in a smile. It was rare for Chen Xiangsui to speak more than him during a conversation, so he listened intently, afraid to miss a single word.
……
Despite the cold weather that Saturday, the Old Street was crowded with people. Cheng Yinian barely took a few steps but the aroma of street food already wafted toward him.
Chen Xiangsui noticed his tempted expression and turned his head to ask him, “What would you like to eat? Rice Krispies?”
Cheng Yinian paused for a moment before realizing that he had been too obvious. Before he could say a word, Chen Xiangsui already bought a large bag of rice krispies from a stall and stuffed it into Cheng Yinian’s hands. “My treat.”
He looked at the bag full of krispies and was about to thank him, but suddenly remembered what Chen Xiangsui had said to him in the dormitory earlier, so he picked up a large piece of rice krispie with his fingers and handed it to him. “You try it too.”
Chen Xiangsui lowered his head and directly bit into the rice krispie, gently taking a small piece. “Very sweet.”
Cheng Yinian felt a wave of embarrassment rise up from his chest, causing it to tremble slightly. The next second, he directly stuffed the remaining half of the rice krispie into Chen Xiangsui’s hand. “This whole piece is yours.”
Chen Xiangsui didn’t seem to think much of it. He held the piece of rice krispie and handed it to the other person with a slight smile, asking, “Won’t you try a bite?”
“……I have a lot more here.” Cheng Yinian said as he picked one up and put it in his mouth. It was the flavor he liked. “It’s really sweet, but not overly so.”
“Hmm, the rice krispies on Old Street are always just right.” Chen Xiangsui’s lips curved up and he brought half a piece of rice krispie closer to Cheng Yinian’s mouth. “This piece has extra peanuts.”
Cheng Yinian felt that Chen Xiangsui would not give up until he put the bitten piece of rice krispie into his mouth, so he opened his mouth and let the other person gently put the rice krispie in it. At the same time, Cheng Yinian’s face slightly flushed, and he unconsciously used the black-and-white checkered scarf around his neck to cover his face.
“Is it too cold?” Chen Xiangsui noticed the other’s subtle gesture and directly took hold of Cheng Yinian’s hand, remarking, “It’s too cold.”
Cheng Yinian was about to say it’s not when Chen Xiangsui quickly slipped his hand into his own coat pocket. Seeing that the person in front of him was about to pull his hand back, Chen Xiangsui’s hand also slipped inside and stuck it against the other person’s palm. “Don’t turn me down this time. Your sweatshirt doesn’t have any pockets.”
“……Hmm.” Chen Xiangsui’s reasoning was so perfectly valid that he couldn’t find any excuse to refute it, so he had no choice but to let Chen Xiangsui hold his hand.
Chen Xiangsui’s hands were warm, like a natural hand warmer. It even warmed his face.
Cheng Yinian was slowly led down the Old Street. Chen Xiangsui walked in front and introduced the old shops on the street. Cheng Yinian tried several times to pull his hand back. When the other person realized this, he paused for a moment, his face looked as if he was deep in thought. “But there are so many people, I’m afraid we’ll get separated.”
“I can hold on somewhere else.” After saying that, Cheng Yinian reached out and grabbed a small piece of the fabric of Chen Xiangsui’s sleeve. The other party didn’t seem to mind, so they continued walking peacefully until a hurried pedestrian suddenly appeared in front of him. Cheng Yinian had to let go to avoid them and quickly stepped aside, but bumped his back against the sign next to him by accident.
“Yinian, are you okay?” Chen Xiangsui immediately rushed over to Cheng Yinian, treating him as if he was a fragile object. As he asked the question, he also gave him a thorough once-over from head to toe.
Cheng Yinian felt pain spreading across his back, but seeing the other man’s earlier display, he didn’t want to worry Chen Xiangsui. He just shook his head and said he was fine, besides, he could tell that it was just a minor injury. It was almost evening when Chen Xiangsui drove back to the university dormitory with Cheng Yinian.
Chen Xiangsui passed his driver’s license exam right after graduating from high school, and his parents gave him the car the day he received his license—this was what Chen Xiangsui told him after he sat in the passenger seat and couldn’t help but ask. Chen Xiangsui was a steady driver, clearly having been on the road many times before.
They were the only ones in the dormitory. Xu Zitang was most likely in the library or the study room, while Lu Yan had many friends and had reportedly gone out with some of his friends. When Cheng Yinian entered the room, he still felt a dull pain in his back. Chen Xiangsui seemed to notice the change in his expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“On my back…” Cheng Yinian had no choice but to speak up, “I don’t know if it’s injured, but it hurt a little when I leaned against the doorframe just now.”
“Want me to take a look?”
Cheng Yinian hurriedly refused, but Chen Xiangsui continued to ask seriously, “But you can’t see it yourself.”
“…” Cheng Yinian couldn’t help but sigh. He didn’t know why Chen Xiangsui always managed to find reasons he couldn’t refuse. He had no choice but to give up on arguing and sat down on the chair in front of Chen Xiangsui, allowing him to pull up his sweatshirt. “You always wear so little,” Chen Xiangsui said.
Cheng Yinian replied that he wasn’t afraid of the cold, so Chen Xiangsui turned to touch his hand. “You’re lying. You feel very cold here.”
Although Cheng Yinian kept explaining that his hands were always cold, Chen Xiangsui sounded skeptical.
“Don’t always try to be strong.” When Chen Xiangsui saw that Cheng Yinian was wearing only a shirt under his sweatshirt, he couldn’t help but frown. He then pulled up the other’s shirt. His back bent forward slightly, with the spine in the middle protruding slightly, giving off an inexplicable sense of fragility. His skin was fair, except for a small purple bruise on the upper right corner. He looked away a little, but still reached out and gently pressed down on the injured area. “Is it here? It’s bruised.”
“Yeah, it hurts a little.” Cheng Yinian replied, “I’ll go buy some external medicine later.”
“No need, I have some here. I always keep these medicines on hand in case I bump into something while exercising.” After saying this, Chen Xiangsui reached under the table, opened a drawer, took out one of the ointment tubes, dipped a cotton swab into it, and then reopened Cheng Yinian’s shirt. His palm accidentally brushed against that smooth skin.
Cheng Yinian felt the skin that had been touched grew slightly warm. He felt embarrassed and lowered his head, instinctively shifting his body forward to avoid further contact.
However, the next second, Chen Xiangsui grabbed his waist and pulled him closer toward himself.
“Cheng Yinian, are you still afraid of me?”
