Chapter 66
“Three and a single.”
“Joker bomb.”
“Pass.”
…
In the afternoon, Ji Zhou and the others sat on the lawn playing cards.
Yu Chucheng was nearby on his phone, sneakily looking for someone who could help him obtain the surveillance footage from the cruise ship that night. After all, he had run into Zhang Guangzhi and Zhang Mian having an argument; Zhang Guangzhi hadn’t recognized him then, but he might try to pull the footage afterward.
Yu Chucheng usually didn’t bother expanding his social circle, but he remembered one of his brother’s university classmates worked for the Chamber of Commerce. When the guy came over for dinner once, he had added Yu Chucheng on WeChat.
Yu Chucheng frowned as he scrolled through his contact list.
Crap. He hadn’t added a nickname back then, and now he couldn’t find the person.
Yu Chucheng absentmindedly picked up the water next to him, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. Suddenly, the card players went silent, all of them staring at him in unison.
Yu Chucheng licked his dry lips. “What are you all looking at me for?”
Ji Zhou looked at Yu Chucheng, then at the mineral water in his hand, hesitating to speak. Xu Mengshu and Ji Zhou’s goddess pursed their lips in silence, simply staring at the water in his hand.
“?”
Confused, Yu Chucheng looked down at the perfectly normal bottle of water. “Is there a problem?”
Duan Huaijin, having finished throwing away the trash, walked over from nearby. “You drank the wrong one. That bottle is mine.”
Yu Chucheng froze for two seconds, then quickly glanced to his left.
Damn it. To make them easy to distinguish, he had specifically peeled off the plastic label from his bottle earlier. But he had been so engrossed in his phone that he reflexively grabbed the water to his right.
“It’s fine, go ahead and drink it.” Duan Huaijin bent down and scooped up the bottle that was originally Yu Chucheng’s. “It’s the same if I drink this one.”
Yu Chucheng: “…”
A “drama-watching” smile appeared on Xu Mengshu’s face, and in her distraction, she played a card that accidentally trumped Ji Zhou’s.
“What are you doing! I only had two cards left and we would’ve won!” Ji Zhou shouted.
Yu Chucheng said nothing, pretending not to care as he sat cross-legged to the side, burying his head back into his phone to search for the contact. However, as if his ears were uncomfortable, he reached up and rubbed them vigorously twice. The water sitting next to him wasn’t touched again.
Ultimately, Yu Chucheng found the person he was looking for in the vast sea of his WeChat list, and the other party was quite enthusiastic.
However, two hours later, the contact told Yu Chucheng that the surveillance footage from Cruise Night had already been destroyed. He wasn’t sure exactly who did it, but he was certain it wasn’t Zhang Guangzhi, as Zhang Guangzhi’s reach wasn’t that long—he could at most view the footage, not delete it.
The situation suddenly became a brain-burner. Yu Chucheng felt like his “mental RAM” was running low.
The most romantic part of this lakeside park was the evening, especially during this beautiful season. The leaves of the surrounding cedar trees had turned yellow, some falling to the ground like a carpet.
“Every October, many people release Kongming lanterns (sky lanterns) by the lake at night. Let’s go together later. It’s said that if you write a wish on the lantern, it will definitely come true. Several of my classmates said it’s extremely effective.”
Seeing that Ji Zhou was on the verge of becoming “best bros” with his goddess at this rate, Xu Mengshu couldn’t help but start adding fuel to the fire.
Initially, Yu Chucheng was dismissive, hands in his pockets. “That’s stuff for couples. I’m not going.”
Ten minutes later, however, as people along the lake began releasing ignited lanterns into the night sky, the water reflected the flickering lights beautifully. It was stunning; the cedars were dyed an orange-yellow under the glow.
Yu Chucheng stood by the lake, looking up at the lanterns. His heart stirred slightly, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it really worked.
Duan Huaijin watched Yu Chucheng’s back silently, then walked up from behind. “Want to release one?”
Yu Chucheng stayed stubborn. “Forget it.”
Ji Zhou and the others had invited him earlier and he had refused adamantly; to give in so quickly now would be too much of a “slap in the face.”
The corner of Duan Huaijin’s mouth curved into an almost imperceptible smile. “I want to.”
“Then let’s go.”
Without another word, Yu Chucheng walked toward Ji Zhou and the group.
“Hey, I thought you didn’t believe in this? Why’d you come over?” Ji Zhou had already released a lantern and laughed when he saw Yu Chucheng approach.
Yu Chucheng kept a stiff face. “He wants to.”
“Duan Huaijin?” Ji Zhou shot a surprised glance at Duan Huaijin. He looked like the last person who would be interested in this kind of entertainment.
“Shut up. Where’s the marker?” Yu Chucheng asked.
Ji Zhou pointed the way. “At the lantern stall over there. If you buy a lantern, you can use the marker for free.”
After Ji Zhou finished releasing a lantern with his goddess, he was curious what wish Yu Chucheng would write, so he thick-skinnedly leaned over to peek. Yu Chucheng blocked it firmly with his hand.
Ji Zhou pouted. “Why so stingy? Why the mystery?”
Xu Mengshu stepped in just in time and grabbed Ji Zhou. “Haven’t you heard that if someone else sees your wish, it won’t come true?”
With Ji Zhou causing a mess, Yu Chucheng fumbled for a long time before he finished writing.
Ji Zhou stopped trying to look, only teasing, “Taking that long—looks like you wrote a lot of words.”
Yu Chucheng looked down at what he wrote: “…”
Actually, it wasn’t many words; he just wanted to write them carefully. He hadn’t believed in this stuff, but since he was making a wish, he might as well make the handwriting legible. If there really were gods in the sky, they wouldn’t be able to grant the wish if they couldn’t read it, right?
Duan Huaijin, on the other hand, finished quickly. Yu Chucheng saw him fold the paper twice from the corner of his eye and secure it inside the lantern.
Ji Zhou: “You two release yours together and see whose drifts faster.”
Yu Chucheng didn’t even bother to roll his eyes. “Boring. You think this is horse racing?”
He deliberately dawdled to be slower than Duan Huaijin. Once Duan Huaijin’s lantern took flight, he unhurriedly propped his own up. After the fire at the base was lit, Yu Chucheng held the lantern, feeling strangely nervous. He felt the lantern was heavy in his hands.
Can this thing really fly?
Half-doubting, Yu Chucheng loosened his grip. The plump lantern immediately sagged downward.
“…………”
What was the situation? Did God think his handwriting was too ugly and refuse the lantern? Yu Chucheng stood there awkwardly, thinking maybe it wouldn’t fly because there was no wind.
Duan Huaijin, standing behind him, suddenly reached out and gripped the hand holding the lantern with moderate pressure. A dry, warm palm pressed against the slightly cool back of Yu Chucheng’s hand, effortlessly enveloping it.
Yu Chucheng’s breath hitched. His arm was guided upward by Duan Huaijin.
“You have to give it a little send-off.”
Duan Huaijin’s voice fell from above. Yu Chucheng felt his back lean against something. He tilted his head slightly and, under Duan Huaijin’s guidance, gently let go.
His “disappointing” lantern actually drifted up slowly just like that. Higher and higher, looking quite beautiful.
Xu Mengshu whispered to Ji Zhou, “Look at that atmosphere. Can’t you learn a thing or two?”
Ji Zhou watched in stunned silence as Yu Chucheng released the lantern with Duan Huaijin’s help. If he stood behind Yu Chucheng like that, he’d probably get an elbow to the ribs before his hand even touched him.
“Mama, look! So many lights in the sky!”
A “bear child” (bratty kid) was running excitedly through the crowd as if he owned the path, shoving anyone in his way. His mother chased after him, clearly struggling to keep up.
“Watch out.”
Duan Huaijin reached out and hooked his arm around Yu Chucheng’s waist, pulling him back gently to avoid the charging child.
Yu Chucheng instinctively turned his head. “Tha—”
The tip of his nose narrowly brushed against Duan Huaijin’s thin lips.
The distance between them had become so small that they could see their own reflections in each other’s eyes; even their eyelashes were distinct enough to count. With Duan Huaijin holding Yu Chucheng by the waist from behind, from the side, it looked as if Yu Chucheng was completely encircled.
“Cough!” Ji Zhou choked on his own spit.
Why does it feel like this is the perfect time for an idol drama soundtrack?
On the way back, Ji Zhou and Yu Chucheng walked at the very front.
Ji Zhou stared at Yu Chucheng’s face. “Why do I feel like your heart is beating?”
Yu Chucheng didn’t even want to deal with him. “If it didn’t beat, I’d be dead. What kind of stupid question is that?”
“That’s not what I mean.” Ji Zhou’s vocabulary was lacking, and he scratched his head, not knowing how to express it. Everyone knows a heart beats; you don’t need to “feel” that.
But walking with Yu Chucheng now, he felt like he could hear a faint thump-thump in his ears. There weren’t even any elderly people nearby doing square dancing. He really felt his brother’s heart was thumping—and it was thumping fast.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!