Chapter 32 Part 2

It was clear that those boys were indeed good friends with Luo Qingshan. Just mentioning his name was enough to get them talking on the spot. Pei Ran listened quietly for a while until someone finally asked: "He didn't come with you?"

Pei Ran hummed in agreement, then said: "We've already broken up."

The scene instantly fell silent.

The boys were stunned at first, then exchanged awkward glances, looking at each other in dismay.

It wasn't really their fault for being so talkative. After all, just last month, Luo Qingshan had mentioned Pei Ran in their group chat, saying he'd bring Pei Ran out to hang out with them when he had time.

"I-I see." The boy in the lead scratched his hair awkwardly.

"Yeah," Pei Ran said, "is there anything else?"

"No..."

Pei Ran nodded: "Goodbye, then."

Yan Zhun was leaning against the front desk, playing on his phone. The owner chatted with him for a bit, but seeing his lack of interest, he fell silent.

Yan Zhun wasn't actually doing anything. He was swiping his phone screen, but not a single message registered in his eyes.

Luo Qingshan used to like showing off their relationship. He would always call Pei Ran in their dorm room without avoiding him. Yan Zhun had heard it all, the things he wanted to hear and the things he didn't, countless times already.

At first, Yan Zhun would go out for a smoke to avoid it. Later, he got used to it, listening in silence.

Maybe a long time passed, or maybe it was only a moment, but Yan Zhun started to feel restless. He tapped on the counter and asked the owner: "A pack of cigarettes."

"We're out of the brand you like." The owner took out his own. "I just opened the last pack. Take one to satisfy your craving, but you have to smoke it outside. Smoking is prohibited in here."

Yan Zhun took it and stuck it between his lips.

"I'm done, shall we go?"

The owner was just about to hand Yan Zhun a lighter when he saw Yan Zhun suddenly reach up, take the cigarette from his lips, and clench it in his fist.

Then, with a natural expression, he turned around and said to the person behind him: "Okay."

As the two left the internet cafe, the owner was still mulling over Yan Zhun's previous action, finding it strangely familiar.

It was like, it was like...

It was just like his own reaction when he pulls out a cigarette and his wife suddenly appears in his line of sight.

The night was cold and the wind was sharp; the dew was heavy in the late hour. The other shops on this street had already closed for the night, with only a few barbecue stalls still lit up. The two walked in silence. All the taxis had gone to the nightclub street next door to pick up customers, and this was a one-way street, so all the cars that passed by had their "Occupied" signs on.

Pei Ran kept his eyes down, wondering how to start the conversation.

He felt that Yan Zhun was a little unhappy.

When the rain first started to fall, a drop landed on the tip of Pei Ran's nose, icy and cool.

Winter rain comes without warning. A downpour began, and the customers sitting by the street eating skewers were first startled, then scrambled to their feet in a flustered panic, seeking shelter inside the shops.

Just as Pei Ran was about to raise a hand to shield himself from the rain, an arm wrapped around his waist. Yan Zhun led him to a nearby convenience store.

They didn't go inside. The eaves of the building provided a dry spot for them. The store owner had even placed a long bench there for customers to eat braised snacks and sugarcane.

The eaves weren't wide. Both of them had to pull their legs in while sitting to avoid getting wet.

Although they had only been in the rain for a short while, Pei Ran was still damp. The ends of his hair were clumped together by the rainwater.

Yan Zhun went into the supermarket, bought a pack of tissues, and pulled one out: "Come here."

Pei Ran wanted to say he could do it himself, but after a pause, he obediently moved his head closer.

Pei Ran's hair was very soft. Yan Zhun's movements were a bit stiff at first, but they unconsciously became lighter as he continued to wipe.

They were very close. Pei Ran's scent drifted into his nostrils. The sound of the rain masked all the other noises in the world. At this moment, it was as if only he and Pei Ran were left in the world. In the dim light, those thoughts that were suppressed in the corners, difficult to speak of, resurfaced again.

Yan Zhun held his breath and let go of his soft, black hair.

"Alright."

Pei Ran hummed in response and looked up at him.

The emotion in Yan Zhun's eyes was thick and heavy. He met his gaze in silence, and only after a long while did he say in a hoarse voice: "Don't look at me like that."

Pei Ran said: "Why."

Yan Zhun's gaze fell below the tip of his nose. He said: "I might do something bad."

After speaking, Yan Zhun retracted his gaze, crumpled the half-damp tissue in his hand into a ball, and then smoothed it out again.

He could feel Pei Ran still looking at him, quiet and enticing.

Yan Zhun's Adam's apple bobbed lightly. Just as he was about to say something, his shoulder was gently bumped, and immediately after, the corner of his mouth was touched very lightly.

Pei Ran's heart was pounding. He had already gotten used to this strange physiological reaction. The corner of Yan Zhun's mouth was cool, much like the rain around them.

He had only kissed him for a brief half-second and was about to pull back, the roots of his ears flushing red, when a hand suddenly gripped the back of his neck, pulling him forward.

Yan Zhun didn't let him retreat, turning his face to bite his lips.