After leaving the dorm for the library, Xie Heng didn’t say much. However, he usually didn’t talk much, so Ji Mian didn’t notice anything unusual.
As finals approached, the library was crowded, with students everywhere studying with textbooks and handouts.
The two of them searched from the first to the third floor of the study area before finally finding a double seat.
Ji Mian opened the textbook to check the exam scope and immediately felt deflated. “Ugh, why is there so much…”
Xie Heng glanced at him, realizing that despite the amount of material, Ji Mian had the leisure to help others at noon.
“The calculation questions aren’t difficult. The types of questions from previous years are mostly the same. If you practice a few times, you shouldn’t lose points. Focus on reviewing the definitions and short answer sections,” he said, pulling out a stack of bound past exam papers from his backpack and handing them to Ji Mian. “I printed a copy for you. Start with the calculations.”
Compared to the various fragmented points of other question types, calculations were indeed the easiest to score.
Ji Mian took the papers, looking at the array of professional terms he had heard but wasn’t very familiar with, and began the exercises with difficulty.
After studying for just two hours, he felt mentally exhausted.
Moreover, he had spent more time than expected helping Jia Wenbo with the presentation, and he hadn’t had time to nap at noon.
The heating in the library was strong, and Ji Mian had taken off his outer jacket, only wearing a thin sweater, yet his ears were still red from the warmth. Once he warmed up, it was even easier to feel sleepy.
Ji Mian nodded off, finally resting his forehead on the pages. “I can’t do it anymore. I’m sleepy.”
Xie Heng was in the middle of a problem when he heard this and looked at him. “You seemed quite energetic when you were helping with the presentation at noon.”
“Hmm?” Ji Mian tilted his head slightly, his cheek pressed against the book as he looked sideways at Xie Heng.
Why did that sound a bit strange, as if it was laced with a hidden barb?
But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t pinpoint what was strange.
It must be a misperception, right?
He was so sleepy that when he looked at Xie Heng, his eyes were a bit hazy, and his expression was dazed.
Xie Heng couldn’t help but lower his voice. “Take a twenty-minute nap, and I’ll wake you.”
Ji Mian relaxed and buried his face back into the book, falling asleep peacefully.
Xie Heng continued working on the problems in front of him. After checking his answers, he put down his pen and gave himself three minutes to relax.
His gaze had initially wandered casually to the side but stopped when it landed on the patch of exposed skin on the back of Ji Mian’s neck.
Ji Mian’s down jacket was hung on the back of the chair, leaving his upper body clad only in a white low-cut thin sweater.
With his head down, his long neck was boldly exposed.
So pale.
Xie Heng recalled the heavy snowfall a few nights ago at school.
The snow began falling while everyone was asleep. Xie Heng woke up early, and the snow on the ground hadn’t yet been disturbed by human footprints.
The silver-white snow looked like a brand new canvas waiting to be painted, making him want to leave a mark on it.
A strange feeling arose in Xie Heng's heart as he thought it was absurd to associate someone’s neck with snow, lacking any logic or reason.
…
Ji Mian's finals week could only be described as a nightmare.
After two weeks of intense studying, Ji Mian, once a vibrant and cheerful person, had withered away dramatically.
Especially during the last few exams, Ji Mian didn’t even have the strength to go out to play basketball in the evenings. When he returned to the dorm, he was almost too tired to wash up.
Fortunately, he managed to pass all the subjects without any major issues.
A few days after finals week ended, students began to leave the school one after another.
Among the four people in the dorm, Ji Mian returned the earliest, with Xie Heng leaving the day after him. On the day he went home, it happened to be the weekend, and both of Xie Heng’s parents, Xie Hui and Qin Xiuzi, were there.
As soon as Xie Heng entered the house, he received a hug from his mother, who signaled to her husband, and Xie Hui stepped forward to take the suitcase from Xie Heng's hand.
“Dinner can wait a bit; do you want some oranges?”
Xie Heng nodded. “Are they in the fridge? I’ll go cut them.”
“Let your dad do it. You just got back; take a good rest.”
Xie Heng took off his coat and hung it on the rack, then took out his phone and bent down to send a message to someone.
He only sent one message before turning off the screen. However, Qin Xiuzhi, being observant, caught sight of that sentence, which didn’t sound like something her son would typically say.
[Xie Heng]: I’m home.
She blinked.
Hmm?
—
Qin Xiuzhi suspected her son might be in a relationship.
That sentence, “I’m home,” looked very much like he was sharing his whereabouts with a girlfriend.
She didn’t want to pry into Xie Heng’s privacy, but she was still curious about who that “girl” was.
Strangely, both she and Xie Hui were very outgoing people, and they had always raised Xie Heng with an open mind. Yet, despite being their son, Xie Heng naturally didn’t like making friends and had often been reminded by teachers that he was too solitary.
Qin Xiuzhi always worried about this.
She felt it was fine that Xie Heng didn’t like making friends and preferred being alone, but what she feared most was that Xie Heng might spend his whole life alone.
Now, seeing Xie Heng with someone he could share his whereabouts with, she was happier than anyone.
However, what Qin Xiuzhi didn’t know was that Xie Heng had sent that message to a boy.
…
This year, on New Year's Eve, Xie Heng spent it with his parents. Since both of the grandparents lived far away and due to Xie Hui’s work, they couldn’t reunite with the grandparents on New Year’s Eve and had to return on the first day of the new year instead.
After ten o'clock, the Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV, and the couple from the Xie family sat closely together, looking affectionate. Xie Heng had long been accustomed to his parents being affectionate and consciously sat at the side.
His phone, left aside, vibrated.
Upon opening it, he saw someone had sent him a message.
Lu Zhou: Happy New Year, Heng Ge.
Xie Heng’s eyes moved slightly.
After the holiday began, Ji Mian’s frequency of initiating conversations with him had dropped significantly compared to when they were in school, with only a few messages of random complaints every two or three days.
This was normal; once school was over, they had much less common ground to discuss.
Moreover, Ji Mian had never lacked friends.
Xie Heng had sat beside Ji Mian in class long enough to witness how he responded to messages.
Ji Mian had many friends, and among them were quite a few social butterflies. Sometimes when they all bumped into each other, he’d be bombarded with messages from ten or more people, and Ji Mian would repeatedly switch between chat windows, typing at lightning speed, like a love-struck player.
Of course, it only looked that way. Xie Heng knew better than anyone Ji Mian’s character.
But still, he wouldn’t take the initiative to chat with Ji Mian online. For some reason, he didn’t want to be just another person in his chat window.
He thought for a moment and typed a few words in the chat box, tinged with teasing.
[Xie Heng]: Group message?
Lu Zhou: Did you see the last two words? “Heng Ge”! How could this be a group message?
Xie Heng curled his lips, a clear smile in his eyes.
Qin Xiuzhi was watching a skit and turned to see her son wearing a gentle smile, stunned for several seconds.
She no longer cared about whether the skit was funny or not; her curiosity grew stronger. “Are you chatting with a friend?”
“Yeah.”
Qin Xiuzhi smiled and said, “You look so happy; you must be talking to your girlfriend, right?”
Xie Heng froze. “No, it’s my roommate.”
Qin Xiuzhi covered her mouth and laughed.
Xie Heng helplessly explained, “It’s really not.”
“Then it’s not.” Qin Xiuzhi's eyes were bright with mischief, clearly unconvinced.
Xie Heng: …
He wanted to say something else when another message popped up in the chat.
Lu Zhou: You’re my Heng Ge; I can’t group message anyone else!
Seeing this, Xie Heng paused for a moment.
This implied he was different from the others?
Lu Zhou: Hehe, the group message is coming at midnight.
Lu Zhou: Aren’t you an early sleeper? Just wanted to wish you good luck for the new year two hours in advance.
Xie Heng suddenly felt warm in his heart.
He typed a few words.
[Xie Heng]: Happy New Year.
After sending that message, he felt it wasn’t enough. But he couldn’t articulate what exactly was lacking.
Before he knew it, in a moment of impulse, he called.
As soon as the call connected, Xie Heng realized what he was doing and almost hung up, but unexpectedly, the other side answered.
“Hello?” A clean voice came through the receiver, sounding somewhat surprised.
Xie Heng pressed his lips together, brought the phone to his ear, and replied, “Hello.”
Qin Xiuzhi was so excited this time that she couldn't even speak, staring at her husband with wide eyes.
Her husband! She... she... her son is on the phone with someone?
Xie Hui looked equally surprised.
Neither of them heard Ji Mian’s voice on the line and assumed it was a girl. They exchanged glances, both reading each other’s thoughts.
Our son is doing well!
Xie Heng was unaware of what his parents were imagining.
When he was face to face with Ji Mian, they had things to talk about, but now with the distance of a phone call, he felt somewhat awkward about what to say.
But he didn’t want to hang up immediately.
“I didn’t expect you, Heng Ge, would actually call someone,” the person on the other end said.
“Didn’t.” Xie Heng lowered his eyes, not telling the truth, “I slipped and accidentally pressed the wrong button.”
Hearing Xie Heng's explanation, the person on the other end chuckled lightly, not doubting him. Ji Mian also believed that Xie Heng wasn’t the type to call people.
The phone receiver was close to Xie Heng's ear, and that laughter felt like it was right beside him.
He also heard that the background sound on the other end of the phone was the Spring Festival Gala, just like here.
Suddenly, a tightness filled Xie Heng’s chest, and a warm feeling wrapped around him, making it hard for him to breathe. At that moment, Xie Heng understood the charm of the Spring Festival; under the same sound frequency, everything seemed to be connected.
“Heng Ge? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“…”
Xie Heng wanted to say “Happy New Year,” but with his parents around, he felt a bit awkward for some reason. He decided to stand up and walk away to listen to the phone.
He walked to a corner of the dining room, didn’t turn on the light, and his figure was concealed in the darkness, yet within the sounds of the Spring Festival Gala, he didn’t feel lonely.
Xie Heng stood with his back to the two people in the living room, facing the wall as he spoke, resembling a young boy in the throes of first love.
Qin Xiuzhi watched her son’s silhouette with his head bowed in the dark, and her lips couldn’t help but curve upward.
Oh~
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