Editor: meowmiao
Proofreader: Bubbles
The school's main road was crowded with people.
Dream-Ge and Zhang Yueshan walked together with their shoulders rubbing against each other. From the different tastes of apples to their packaging, they then began to argue whether the ribbons looked good or if the laces looked nicer.
Chu Yu listened, but after a while, his attention was glued to Lu Shi again.
It seemed that once the essence of a certain emotion was determined, many things would become different.
While watching Lu Shi, or being near Lu Shi, the innermost part of his heart would always feel agitated.
Like tinder, it was firmly embellished there, incessantly scorching marks.
He wasn't looking at the road and wasn't paying attention, so he bumped against Dream-Ge's back in front of him.
Covering his nose, Chu Yu asked, "Why did you suddenly stop?"
Li Hua concisely said, "There's a situation."
Looking over Dream-Ge and up ahead, Chu Yu found several girls blocking their way.
Of the four girls, one had an apple in her hand. It was obvious that they were going to give it in person.
It was just unknown who it was for.
Chu Yu clutched his nose while chanting in his heart. Don't give it to me, don't give it to me-
"Classmate Lu Shi, sorry to bother you, can you please accept this apple?"
Her voice was thin and soft, and when it arrived at the latter half of the sentence, it became akin to a mosquito's whine.
But Chu Yu still heard it clearly.
The apple was being gifted to Lu Shi.
That certain nervousness came out again, and it was even worse than before, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Chu Yu practically held his breath while waiting for Lu Shi's answer.
Then he found that Lu Shi first inclined his face to glance at him before saying to the girl, "Sorry, I have someone I like."
In an instant, air was inhaled into his lungs.
But the next moment, Chu Yu's back slackened-
Have... someone I like?
Sitting down at the barbecue restaurant, Lu Shi and Zhang Yueshan went to the refrigerator to get drinks.
When Dream-Ge saw that those girls had walked away, he lowered his head and quickly asked, "Dang! Lu-Shen has someone he likes! There were actually no rumors about it before! School Flower, School Flower, can you reveal a few words, who is it? Who is it that unexpectedly moved our Lu-Shen's mundane heart!"
Chu Yu was lost in thought, causing him to be stunned for several seconds before he realized what Dream-Ge was asking him.
"I don't know either."
Dream-Ge didn't doubt if Chu Yu knew the inside story yet was concealing it. He merely sighed repeatedly, "Lu-Shen's secrecy is top-notch! Even School Flower doesn't know..."
Chu Yu didn't listen to what Dream-Ge and the others were saying behind him anymore. He picked up a peanut in his hand and couldn't help but look towards the refrigerator.
The students who were coming and going were all wearing the same school uniform, but when he glanced over, only Lu Shi entered his eyes.
No matter how far away, he could recognize the person from his back alone.
As he crushed the pale red membrane of the peanut, Chu Yu remembered what Lu Shi said earlier.
I have someone I like.
At the end of evening self-study, 'dongdong' sounds and vibrations came from upstairs and downstairs.
Zhu Zhifei stood at the classroom's back door. "Lu-Ge, School Flower, hurry up!"
When the three people joined up outside the classroom, they walked downstairs along with the flow of people. Zhu Zhifei was excited. "Shitou borrowed fishing rods, one for each of us!"
He then said to Chu Yu, "School flower, it's colder at night, but night fishing is really interesting. I'm absolutely not lying to you. You'll know it once you go!"
This activity to go to Qingchuan River for night fishing had been scheduled a long time ago.
Chu Yu, who was very interested, pulled up his collar. "I'm ready, I added an extra piece of clothing!"
"Quick-witted!"
Arriving at Qingchuan Road, they threw all of their school bags into Wei Guanglei's auto repair shop. After everything was sorted out, the four set out to Qingchuan River.
On this winter night, the wind blew and froze faces, so even the barbecue stall wasn't open. The riverbank was empty, and there were no cries from cicadas or frogs, adding a bit of bleakness.
It was the first time Chu Yu went night fishing. With his head lowered, he looked at the road carefully as he walked along the riverbank while listening to Wei Guanglei's instruction on how to choose the position of where to fling the rod.
After a while, Zhu Zhifei interrupted Wei Guanglei. "If you ask me, School Flower, you can randomly choose a place to cast your fishing rod, don't listen to Shitou's teaching-based-on-experience fucking nonsense. The water quality of Qingchuan River is good, there are many fish, why the need to overthink choosing here or there."
Wei Guanglei carried the fishing rod and glared at Zhu Zhifei, unconvinced. "Wait 'till Laozi catches eight or ten catties of fish, let me show you what scientific fishing is!"
After deciding on a good place, Wei Guanglei and Zhu Zhifei cast their rods one after another. Both of them were serious, prepared to fight a win-or-lose battle.
Chu Yu thought, if they were this close, it was unknown who would catch fish first. In any case, the river bank was long, so he just continued to walk forward for a while.
Watching the dark water surface, Chu Yu was pondering whether he should decide on a place when Lu Shi, who had not spoken, suddenly said, "Continue walking."
Chu Yu had no objections. Holding his fishing rod, bait, and tin bucket, he followed Lu Shi and they continued walking forward for a while.
It wasn't until Wei Guanglei and Zhu Zhifei had become blurry figures in the distance and their words couldn't be heard that Lu Shi stopped and tapped the ground with his fishing rod. "Here."
Chu Yu hung the bait and flung the rod unskillfully.
The fishhook fell into the water, leaving a few ripples on the surface.
A faint mist lingered on the river while the water was like green ink. A few sparse lamps could be seen in the distance. When the wind blew, the light spots that were visible to the eyes would sway and flicker.
Chu Yu casually sat down on the ground.
Not a moment later, Lu Shi cast his fishhook and sat down beside him.
Two slender fishing rods were placed in front of them, side by side with fish lines extending far away, hanging above the river.
In the quiet, neither of them spoke.
There was only the soft wind blowing away the scent of Lu Shi's body, which was caught by Chu Yu.
Putting his hand into his clothes' pocket, Chu Yu shook the warm baby hidden inside.
He wanted to ask Lu Shi, you said during the day that you have someone you like.
Who is it that you like?
But he didn't ask.
There seemed to be an answer, hanging in his throat.
But there was an eagerness in his heart that made him finally call out, "Lu Shi."
"Mm?"
The youth's voice was soft and gentle.
It was softer than the mist floating on the river, and gentler than the wind during the midsummer night.
Chu Yu thought, why was there so much hesitation?
Like, then like it is.
He asked, "You said during the day that you have someone you like. Who is it... that you like?"
Lu Shi turned his head.
His face was a little fuzzy in the dim light.
But Chu Yu could accurately outline every inch of his features in his heart.
He heard Lu Shi reply, "I thought my actions were obvious enough."
Lu Shi's voice was a little low, a bit husky, and the final syllable was bitten softly.
"Chu Yu, do you want to go out with me?"
At this moment, Chu Yu was not nervous at all.
The tinder embellished on the apex of his heart was blown by the wind, and within seconds, his blood vessels, limbs, and bones were burned.
He heard himself say, "Yes."
"Chu Yu."
As he called out this name again, Lu Shi raised his hand and pinched Chu Yu's chin with two fingers.
He leaned closer, rubbed the tip of their noses against each other, then moved next to Chu Yu's ear before saying softly, "I want to dye you with my scent, and I want to engrave my name on you."
At that moment, his eyes were pitch black, akin to a deep swamp.
"I'm not a good person, and soon, I might even carry infamy. The love I can give you is heavy, dirty, and with many things that will hurt you. Despite this, do you still want to be with me? Chu Yu."
On the banks of Qingchuan River, the lighting was dim and the stars sparse.
Lu Shi asked such a question.
Chu Yu gazed at Lu Shi's profile in the dim night as he replied softly, "Mn, I do."