Shen Zhifei smiled but didn't say anything.
Meng Fanxing followed behind them, his legs still a little weak. He waved to Song Xianji for help, but the two men were tall and had long legs, and they left him behind after just a few steps.
He didn't dare to get too close to Hao Wei, afraid that she would dislike him again. He wanted to turn back and ask Song Lang for help, but he saw Hao Wei standing in the back aisle, taking out a pack of tissues from her pocket and handing it to Song Lang.
"Wipe it off, your lower lip is cut." Hao Wei handed the tissue forward again.
Song Lang then noticed a slight stinging sensation on his lower lip.
He hesitated before taking the pack of tissues, nervously wondering if she had seen something, but Hao Wei turned and walked away with Xu Xiaojun in her arms.
My heart is in even more turmoil.
This trip was a success; we ate, played games, and even watched a movie that wasn't great. Although we didn't achieve Meng Fanxing's goal of "holding hands and kissing," it was still a smooth and fulfilling trip.
Meng Fanxing reluctantly said goodbye to her goddess, and Song Xianji didn't linger either. After saying their goodbyes, they went home to their respective mothers.
On the way back, Meng Fanxing was particularly excited and kept talking nonstop.
"Hey, do you guys think I have a chance? I think things are progressing pretty fast between Hao Wei and me."
The two people next to them, who were making rapid progress, exchanged glances and quickly looked away. Shen Zhifei remained relatively calm, but Song Lang's heart was pounding.
"Speaking of which, what were you two doing in the back row during the movie?" Meng Fanxing nudged Song Lang with her elbow, smiling ambiguously. "Is it because Xu Xiaojun has a crush on you, and you don't want to avoid her?"
"Stop talking so much nonsense. Get out of here." Feeling guilty, Song Lang pushed and kicked Meng Fanxing towards another road when they reached the fork in the road.
"Hey, hey, what's your hurry? Did I hit the nail on the head?!" Meng Fanxing shouted at him as she walked backwards, and Song Lang gave her the middle finger.
After Meng Fanxing walked away, only the two of them remained walking side by side, and the winter wind seemed to grow colder.
Song Lang zipped his coat all the way up, then tucked his chin into the collar, but his nose was still red from the cold.
Shen Zhifei pushed his bicycle beside him, noticed that he was terribly cold, lifted his leg onto the bike, and said to Song Lang, "Get on."
"Oh, okay." Song Lang lowered his eyes, spread his long legs and sat in the back seat, but his hands didn't know what to do.
The moment Shen Zhifei started pedaling, Song Lang leaned back due to inertia. Shen Zhifei turned his head and said to him, "Hold on to me and sit tight."
Song Lang said the same thing again, "Oh, okay," but his fingers were clenched into a delicate, orchid-like gesture as he held onto a small corner of Shen Zhifei's clothes.
Shen Zhifei reached behind her back with one hand, grasped Song Lang's wrist, and put it into the pocket of her down jacket. "Put it here, it'll keep you warm."
"oh oh--"
"Is this all you can say?"
Song Lang swallowed the rest of his words, his hands in his pockets tightened slightly, and he whispered, "No."
The two remained silent the entire way until they entered the residential area, at which point Shen Zhifei said, "Don't feel pressured about the movie today. Just pretend it never happened..."
"You really think so?" Song Lang interrupted him, and the car lurched.
After a moment of silence, Song Lang gripped his waist tightly through his clothes and whispered, "I can't pretend nothing happened. Every single time... I remember it all very clearly."
The car stopped.
Shen Zhifei braced himself on one leg, his back ramrod straight, as if awaiting Song Lang's verdict.
Song Lang stood up and pulled his hands out of the two warm pockets, the cold wind stinging him.
He stood to the side and behind Shen Zhifei; he didn't have the courage to stand in front of him.
"Um," he thought for a long time before asking, "how...how did you know you liked boys? Am I also...?"
He didn't elaborate on what it was, but he knew Shen Zhifei understood.
Shen Zhifei gripped the handlebars and turned to look at him, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a pale gold hue on him.
His expression was focused and infinitely gentle.
"When you read a poem and want to recite it to him, when you encounter a heavy rain and want to know if he has an umbrella, even if it's just a piece of bread from breakfast, you want to share it with him immediately. You want to kiss him, you want to hug him, and you want to be with him every day in the future. So what does his gender matter?"
Song Lang couldn't take his eyes off him.
He could clearly see his own silhouette in those eyes, which were pale in color from the setting sun.
For a moment, he desperately hoped that this image could be imprinted in Shen Zhifei's heart.
He wanted to be the first person he thought of.
Chapter 036
Both middle schools are scheduled to start the new semester on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
After the Spring Festival, we can have a few days of crazy fun as a final celebration. But we still have to attend extra classes a week before school starts, ostensibly to get into study mode early.
Therefore, on the morning of the tenth day, Shen Zhifei arrived at Meng Fanxing's house on time.
"Huh? Why are you alone? Where's Dalang?" Meng Fanxing saw him enter the room alone, and looked behind him but didn't see anyone.
“He’s sleeping,” Shen Zhifei said, taking out his textbook and getting straight to the point. “Today we’re going to preview solid geometry.”
"Huh? Can you give me some time to process this..."