Ye Cheng ran next door, knocking in a jumbled mess and he whispered Lu Xiao’s name, glancing back, blind in the darkness.

The door was pulled open from the inside shortly after, but the surroundings were pitch black. Ye Cheng couldn’t see anything in front of him, only knowing someone was there by their unsteady breathing.

He stared wide eyed, trying to keep his voice steady as he explained himself, “The um, the power went out… Can I stay with you for a while?”

Lu Xiao remained silent, muttering something in a bare whisper as he reached out to hold Ye Cheng’s shoulder.

“Don’t move.” He said.

His voice was a little chaotic, but Ye Cheng didn’t notice.

He waited at the door, skin prickled with goosebumps as cold sweat soaked his shirt. He didn’t dare to move before Lu Xiao came back, standing wood-stock still.

There was a faint rustling noise from inside the room, Ye Cheng realised belatedly that Lu Xiao was probably not wearing clothes just now, and he was putting the wet clothes from before on, as he himself had to do.

As Ye Cheng listened to the faint noises, he felt the darkness lurking around him, feeling very insecure. Groping towards the door frame with both hands to find something to grip to keep himself tethered.

A hand reached out, Ye Cheng grasped it back with strength.

Feeling the warmth of the hand in his grasp let him relax a little of the nervous tension that wrought his bones.

Lu Xiao’s hand was a little bigger than his, it wrapped the slender palm tightly, giving the other a sense of peace.

“Follow me, watch out for the wall.” He said as he tugged Ye Cheng forward, his grip firm as he led him towards the bed, “Can you see?”

Ye Cheng blinked, “I can’t see clearly, walk slowly.”

Lu Xiao was very patient, leading him forward inch by inch.

After he hit the edge of the bed, Ye CHeng all but collapsed onto it in relief. Lu Xiao squeezed his hand before releasing it.

The moment he let go, Ye Cheng felt less secure and sat up with his back ramrod straight.

The other side of the bed dipped as Lu Xiao laid down.

Ye Cheng swallowed, voice dry as he turned towards the general direction that the bed dipped, “Am I bothering you?”

“No.” Lu Xiao answered quickly.

The room fell into silence.

Ye Cheng bit his lip and spoke again, to break the stifled atmosphere, “How is your relative? Are you going to accompany them tomorrow too?”

There was silence around him, Lu Xiao answered after a pause: “No, they’ll be alright. I’ll go back to Jiulong with you tomorrow.”

“Mn, all right then.” Ye Cheng grabbed the corner of his wet shirt, clearing his throat as he said, “You’re wearing wet clothes, are you uncomfortable?”

Lu Xiao suddenly chuckled, “Ye Cheng, are you afraid to sleep alone?”

“I’m not.” Ye Cheng immediately denied.

The bed shifted as Lu Xiao moved to the side, a muffled pat sounded as his voice floated through the darkness, amusement evident in his tone, “If your afraid, sleep here.”

Ye Cheng’s face turned red in an instant, shame rising even though he knew the other boy couldn’t see his face in the darkness.

His physiological age was almost thirty years, but he was actually reduced to such a spectacle in front of a high school student. What a farce!

“Not afraid?” Lu Xiao raised the corner of his lips, certain of his guess as he waited for Ye Chengs response.

Ye Cheng gasped for breath, willing himself to retain his dignity. He suffered for a few seconds, finally loosing as he heard a muted scuffle from the walls around him and rolled towards Lu Xiao’s voice across the bed.

The presence next to him calmed his mind, the reassurance of being near another human dissipating the sense of fear and loneliness brought about by the darkness. Ye Cheng’s pounding heart finally calmed down.

Lu Xiao’s arms were close to his, he stretched out and tugged at his shirt cuffs, “Don’t wear wet clothes to bed, you’ll get sick.”

Ye Cheng’s eyes flickered, “I’m not sleeping naked.”

“I didn’t mean for you too…”

Silence settled between the two again, the topic making them both vaguely uncomfortable for some reason.

Obviously they were two big men, but they were as shy as little girls. They would rather wear rain drenched clothes than be naked in front of each other.

Ye Cheng laid on the pillow, eyes fuzzy as he gazed up at the darkness above. He could feel the man besides him watching him.

In the darkness, where he couldn’t even see his own fingers before his face, he seemed to feel the twinkling gaze of the other party.

“Lu Xiao,”He suddenly said, “Can you promise me something?”

This sentence seemed a bit abrupt, but Lu Xiao wasn’t surprised by it at all.

“What’s the matter?” He readjusted his posture as he waited for Ye Cheng’s next words.

“No matter what happens this year, you must stay in the No.13 high school and study hard, okay?”

Lu Xiao was stunned, taking a second to comprehend before he sneered, “Class Monitor, do you have an occupational disease?”

“It’s not an occupational disease, it’s just my expectations for you.” Ye Cheng couldn’t see his face, but he kept looking in Lu Xiao’s direction, his voice gradually softening, “Stay and go to University with me, Lu Xiao. “

The soft and honeyed words were like a heavy hammer, slowly pressing down on Lu Xiao’s heart.

No one has ever said such a thing to him before.

No, it should be that among the people he knows, there has never been someone like Ye Cheng.

Inexplicably, the best high school transfer student appeared next to him.

Inexplicably, he didn’t like him but he became his friend.

Inexplicably, while urging him to study, he came to Qingshan in a storm for him.

……

There were too many inexplicable things, and it may not be possible to sum it all up properly.

These words, not even his mother has said anything similar before.

Meng Li just complained endlessly about the bitch his Dad took off to holiday with again, saying sooner or later she would kill them.

Even if he said a word, she had never cared about his studies or daily life.

“Go to University with me” This is something not even Chen Zhen had ever mentioned, because no one seemed to think he would make it that far- let alone finish high school.

Someone like Ye Cheng, who is always the fist of the grade, actually wants to take the University entrance exam with him.

In the more than ten years of Lu Xiao’s life, he has always been self centered.

He is arrogant, unreasonable, and a bully. Everyone is afraid of him.

But he has never had a moment like now, when he suddenly felt inferior.

In his eyes, Ye Cheng is not from the same world as himself.

Ye Cheng was so good, so dazzling, like he is the sun, with a bright future ahead of him that is completely different from Lu Xiao’s.

“Hey, why aren’t you talking?” Ye Cheng jabbed him with his elbow, a little lost as to why Lu Xiao hadn’t replied.

Lu Xiao’s face changed quickly, forcing himself to answer as normally as possible as he asked, casually, “Which university do you want to get into?”

“My ideal university is A university, “ Ye Cheng said, “But don’t be hasty, l don’t want you to be forced into A University with me if you would rather go to a different one.”

Lu Xiao didn’t have any favourite schools. Apart from A university and Nandu university, he wouldn’t even be able to recognise the names of the others.

“Understood.” He nodded silently.

Ye Cheng’s eyes curled up, “So you agree?”

“Mn.”

“Then pinky promise.”

“…?”

Ye CHeng got up and propped his arms on the bed; “You are too tall.. Doesn’t your basketball team like to give high fives? Then we will pinky promise to seal the agreement!”

He almost slipped up. High school students should all like this ‘sense of ritual’.

Lu Xiao almost wanted to roll his eyes, but he followed up and propped himself up properly to shake pinkies.

“The promise is made, and it cannot be changed in a hundred years.”

Ye Cheng hooked his pinky with his little pinky finger and tugged it childishly, then put their thumbs together and sealed the deal.

He smiled and felt very satisfied, “Once you seal it, you can’t break it.”

“We must go to university together.”

Ye Cheng laid down, his voice gradually getting quieter as sleepiness set in.

He was already tired enough before, the only reason he was able to resist the temptation was because of the fear he had of the darkness and ghosts. Now, with another person next to him, the fear has ebbed away and the sleepiness has naturally overtaken his mind.

Lu Xiao was ten centimetres apart from him, and through the dim light of the window he could vaguely see the outline of Ye Cheng laying on his side.

From the vague outline of his waist to his shoulder, his is like the darling son of god.

When Ye Cheng sleeps he likes to curl up and put his left arm on his right arm in a protective posture.

Which is a relatively insecure sleeping position.

Lu Xiao was in a daze as he gazed at him, feeling as though he had seen such a scene before- Ye Cheng peacefully sleeping next to him, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

He felt absurd with the thought. This is obviously the first time they’ve laid on the same bed together.

Lu Xiao shook his head and closed his eyes, marking it down to tiredness and mind tricks.

But that kind of reassurance couldn’t deceive anyone.

As the breathing of the person next to him gradually stabilised, he also fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Ye Cheng was awakened by a thirst.

He opened his dry eyes, feeling like a ball of cotton was stuffed in his throat.

It was raining yesterday, his clothes had gotten soaked and he even slept in such a state, obviously he now has a cold.

Glancing next to him, he realised slowly that Lu Xiao was gone, little heat remained on the sheets.

Ye Cheng got up slowly and went to wash up.

Once he stepped out of the bathroom, Lu Xiao walked through the door with breakfast.

“There aren’t any stores nearby. Make do with this for now and eat something else when you go back.” Lu Xiao tossed the bag of buns to him.

It was still drizzling outside, the ends of Lu Xiao’s hair hung with water.

Ye Cheng sniffled, his cheeks flushed abnormally red.

Lu Xiao noticed this abnormality right away, coming forth to feel his forehead; “You have a fever?”

Ye Cheng rummaged in the bag and took out the soy milk, taking a few greedy gulps before replying sullenly, “ It’s fine, I’ll just take some medicine later.”

Lu Xiao frowned, concern in his eyes as he turned towards the door once again, “Wait here, I’ll go buy some now.”

Ye Cheng didn’t want to burden him and hurried to persuade him: “Don’t worry, we’ll be late for class if you go now.”

Lu Xiao ignored his nonsense and left one word as he walked out the door: “Stay.”

Ye Cheng had no choice but to wait for him to return.

He waited a little more than ten minutes before Lu Xiao came back and gave him a a bag of medicine. Ye Cheng took the needed amount then stood up and they checking out of the hotel.

By time they left the hotel it was already nine o’clock, Lu Xiao didn’t wake him up early and they dawdled for a while to get breakfast and medicine, so when they finally arrived at school the morning class was already over.

As soon as they arrived to class, Jiang Jin shouted, “Brother Cheng, where have you been? Hua Wangchun has not been in all morning!”

Ye Cheng’s voice had a strong nasal tone as he answered listlessly, “Is he in the office? I’ll make up the fake note, don’t worry.”

“Yes, Ye Kun went to find him just now.” Jiang Jin looked at him, “How did you catch a cold?”

He looked at Lu Xiao, the hidden culprit, but there was no sign of illness on him at all.

“Why are you asking so many questions?” Said culprit glanced at him ill-natured, Jiang Jin shut his mouth wisely.

Ye Cheng ignored them and went out of the classroom and towards the teaching office.

There were voices coming from within, barely audible as Ye Cheng came up to the door, probably a students parents as he could hear Hua Wangchuns reply dimly.

“Reporting.” Ye Cheng knocked on the door, walking through a second later.

The parent with his back turned to the door turned around at his voice.

Ye Cheng’s feet stopped, freezing in place as he looked at the older man who had turned around.

After a long time, he muttered, “Dad, why are you here?”

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