Neither Strangers Nor Friends

不生不熟

neither-strangers-nor-friends

Chapter 28

Compared to Han Fangchi, He Lezhi was someone who didn&#x27;t hold grudges at all. Han Fangchi could remember a small matter for half a year, while He Lezhi would remember it for a day.



 The next morning, He Lezhi got up. After washing up, he figured Han Fangchi was awake and sent him a message: Sandwiches? Buns? Corn?



 Han Fangchi: 1 corn, 2 eggs, 1 soy milk.



 He Lezhi: Okay.



 Han Fangchi: Thanks.



 He Lezhi: You&#x27;re welcome.



 Yesterday was briefly unpleasant for a day, but he forgot about it after a night&#x27;s sleep.



 He Lezhi took Han Fangchi&#x27;s breakfast over and opened the door. One plastic bag held the corn, another held two eggs and a packet of unmixed soy milk powder, and a separate LocknLock container held half a box of washed cherries and a peeled orange. He placed all of this on the entryway cabinet and turned to leave.



 Han Fangchi was brushing his teeth. He peeked his head out of the bathroom and said with the toothbrush in his mouth, &quot;Morning.&quot;



 &quot;Morning.&quot; Seeing him come out, He Lezhi told him, &quot;Mix the soy milk yourself.&quot;



 &quot;Okay,&quot; Han Fangchi said. &quot;Thanks.&quot;



 &quot;You&#x27;re welcome,&quot; He Lezhi replied.



 Han Fangchi sized him up and called out, &quot;Lezhi?&quot;



 He Lezhi turned around gently, raising his eyebrows. &quot;Hm?&quot;



 Han Fangchi lowered his gaze and smiled. &quot;It&#x27;s nothing.&quot;



 &quot;Why call me if it&#x27;s nothing,&quot; He Lezhi said. &quot;I&#x27;m going to work.&quot;



 &quot;Bye-bye,&quot; Han Fangchi said.



 He Lezhi hummed in acknowledgment, closed the door, and left.



 Since he was young, He Lezhi had been a good-tempered child. Anything was fine with people he was close to. In this aspect, he was like He Qi, always having a kind and tolerant attitude, never one to fuss over things.



 Even the best of friends have conflicts. The two of them had their share of friction in high school. On two occasions, He Lezhi&#x27;s attitude toward studying was poor. When Han Fangchi was explaining problems to him, he would always make idle talk. Han Fangchi&#x27;s face would fall, and the two would have a little falling-out.



 It wouldn&#x27;t even last until the next day. He Lezhi would come over as if nothing had happened, still smiling cheerfully when he spoke. Han Fangchi was pretty much the same; he didn&#x27;t have much of a temper back then either. Seeing him smile, he would smile along, and the two silly boys would make up.



 This aspect of He Lezhi was particularly amusing. After a while, he would be like he had rebooted, forgetting everything that happened before. It was a kind of dazed amusement.



 After he closed the door and left, Han Fangchi smiled, spat out the foam in his mouth, and rinsed.



 The Spring Festival came late this year; New Year&#x27;s Eve was in February of the Gregorian calendar.



 Before the year&#x27;s end, the company settled several project fees. He Lezhi received a considerable bonus, replenishing his depleted account after buying a house. After getting his bonus, He Lezhi bought He Qi a bag as a New Year&#x27;s gift.



 He bought a floor scrubber for Han Fangchi&#x27;s place.



 He bought two bottles of sparkling wine for Xiao Yao.



 These two bottles of wine seemed a bit perfunctory compared to the other gifts. It wasn&#x27;t that He Lezhi was unwilling to buy a proper gift, but that Xiao Yao had asked for it himself.



 He Lezhi sent a message to Xiao Yao asking if there was anything he wanted for a gift. Xiao Yao was watching a live stream at the time and directly sent a link, saying: Then buy a bottle of this. I&#x27;ll try it next time I&#x27;m over at your place for a meal.



 So He Lezhi spent 398 yuan to buy two bottles, which also came with a bunch of miscellaneous freebies, and that&#x27;s how one New Year&#x27;s gift was taken care of. Xiao Yao slipped He Lezhi two supermarket gift cards, telling him to buy New Year&#x27;s goods.



 He Lezhi said, &quot;I don&#x27;t want them. My mom has already bought everything.&quot;



 Xiao Yao clicked his tongue and said, &quot;People gave me a lot of them, and there&#x27;s no expiration date. Just keep them.&quot;



 &quot;Do you want some?&quot; Xiao Yao asked Han Fangchi.



 Han Fangchi retorted, &quot;Does my family not celebrate the New Year?&quot;



 &quot;Oh, okay, okay. Can&#x27;t you just talk properly?&quot; Xiao Yao then gave him two cards as well and asked, &quot;So did you get me a gift? Lezhi gave me a gift. You didn&#x27;t, so on what grounds do you get my cards?&quot;



 Han Fangchi: &quot;Didn&#x27;t you just ask him to buy you one bottle of wine? I bought the other one.&quot;



 &quot;Let me see the order,&quot; Xiao Yao said, holding out his hand.



 &quot;Deleted it,&quot; Han Fangchi said.



 &quot;It was 398 in total, and you two scammed two thousand worth of cards from me,&quot; Xiao Yao said. &quot;I&#x27;ll never be able to settle accounts with you two in this lifetime.&quot;



 &quot;Did I ask you to settle accounts?&quot; Han Fangchi asked him.



 &quot;Okay, okay, fine, fine.&quot; Xiao Yao squatted there studying the floor scrubber and said, &quot;I give up, I give up.&quot;



 He Lezhi was laughing uncontrollably on the side. &quot;How about I buy you a floor scrubber too?&quot;



 &quot;Wait until I move to a new place. My current house is so messy it would trip itself up,&quot; Xiao Yao said.



 Later, just before the festival, He Lezhi scheduled a housekeeping service for him, which gave his house a deep cleaning and reorganization. It was said to be sparkling clean, with bright windows and spotless tables.



 On New Year&#x27;s Eve, everyone returned to their own homes. Han Fangchi went home and gave red envelopes to every family member, and in turn, received red envelopes from his parents. His family had a strong sense of ceremony, and they always celebrated holidays and birthdays properly.



 Just like every year, Han Fangchi left right after dinner, saying he was tired.



 His phone was flooded with New Year&#x27;s greetings and all sorts of random messages from various group chats. Han Fangchi scanned through them quickly; as long as there were no messages from the hospital, it was fine.



 He had just gotten into his car when He Lezhi&#x27;s call came. He answered it via the car&#x27;s Bluetooth and said, &quot;Lezhi?&quot;



 &quot;It&#x27;s me!&quot; He Qi&#x27;s voice came through the speakers, bright and clear. Her voice was extremely pleasant, the voice of a singer, after all.



 &quot;Happy New Year, Auntie,&quot; Han Fangchi said with a smile.



 &quot;Very good! Fangchi, where are you? Have you finished eating at your place?&quot; He Qi asked.



 &quot;We&#x27;ve finished. I just left my parents&#x27; place and was about to go back and sleep,&quot; Han Fangchi answered.



 &quot;Come here, come here! Little Aunt and her family have all left. It&#x27;s so boring with just me and Lezhi at home. Hurry over.&quot; He Qi called out to him with a laugh. &quot;The two of us said we&#x27;d stay up for the New Year&#x27;s vigil, but we&#x27;re about to fail. How can we stay up when it&#x27;s this dry and dull? Come over and the three of us can play Fight the Landlord.&quot;



 When she spoke quickly, it was like singing. It made the festive atmosphere feel even stronger, and set against the backdrop of the constantly exploding fireworks outside, it created a very lively feeling.



 &quot;I...&quot;



 Before Han Fangchi could finish, He Qi continued, &quot;We&#x27;re waiting for you. I&#x27;ve already taken out the playing cards.&quot;



 Han Fangchi could only smile and say, &quot;Okay, Auntie.&quot;



 He heard He Qi say to He Lezhi over the phone, &quot;Done!&quot;



 He Lezhi said in a low voice, &quot;Amazing. It had to be you.&quot;



 This wasn&#x27;t the first time Han Fangchi had spent the New Year at He Qi&#x27;s place, not even the second or third.



 He had come over during university, and later on, after He Lezhi got together with Zhou Muyao. Back then, Zhou Muyao hadn&#x27;t reconnected with his family yet; his father still hadn&#x27;t forgiven his great act of insubordination. So at that time, it was He Qi, He Lezhi, Zhou Muyao, and Han Fangchi who spent the New Year together at home.



 He drove to He Qi&#x27;s house. On New Year&#x27;s Eve, the residential community&#x27;s gates weren&#x27;t closed, so cars could come and go freely. Han Fangchi drove his car directly to He Qi&#x27;s front door. Just as he parked, He Qi had already opened the door and was waiting for him.



 Han Fangchi greeted her with a smile. He Qi waved at him, and when Han Fangchi reached her, she pulled him inside, brushing the firecracker debris from his hair. &quot;Thank you for your gift. It&#x27;s just what I wanted.&quot;



 He Qi&#x27;s New Year&#x27;s gift was a set of yoga clothes and a jar of face mask, both of which she used regularly.



 &quot;Lezhi helped me pick them. I don&#x27;t know how,&quot; Han Fangchi said honestly.



 &quot;You paid for it, so you bought it. If you really don&#x27;t know how, you can just ask me directly next time. I&#x27;ll tell you what I&#x27;m missing, hahaha,&quot; He Qi said.



 The heating in He Qi&#x27;s house was excellent; even the first floor was incredibly warm. He Qi and He Lezhi were both in pajamas. Han Fangchi took off his jacket, revealing a black fleece-lined sweatshirt underneath. The jeans he was wearing were tight around his knees when he sat down.



 He started sweating after sitting for a while; the floor heating was practically drying him out.



 He Lezhi asked him, &quot;Should I find a set of pajamas for you to wear?&quot;



 &quot;Sure,&quot; Han Fangchi nodded.



 &quot;Then come upstairs with me to change,&quot; He Lezhi said.



 He Lezhi&#x27;s room was on the second floor, as was He Qi&#x27;s. She was currently tidying up the room for Han Fangchi to stay in tonight.



 He Lezhi opened the closet and squatted down, rummaging through it.



 &quot;You still have this?&quot; Han Fangchi said, pointing at a set of blue pajamas.



 &quot;Which one?&quot; He Lezhi looked in the direction he was pointing and said with a smile, &quot;All my pajamas from when I was a kid are still here. My mom doesn&#x27;t throw them away. She says looking at them reminds her of how old I was when I wore them.&quot;



 That set was the one Han Fangchi wore every time he stayed over at He Lezhi&#x27;s house in high school. It was still hanging neatly in the closet.



 &quot;You probably can&#x27;t fit into them now,&quot; He Lezhi said, his eyes curving into a smile.



 The pajamas were loose and baggy, so even though Han Fangchi was a bit taller and more built than He Lezhi, he could still wear them.



 It was much more comfortable after changing clothes. After washing up, Han Fangchi went downstairs. The three of them really did huddle on the sofa and play Fight the Landlord for half the night. He Qi said it was boring to play for nothing and that there had to be real winnings. The three of them created a small group chat, and for every round with a winner and loser, they would transfer money to each other in the group.



 When they tallied the final score, only He Lezhi had lost. He Qi and Han Fangchi had both won quite a bit from him.



 He Lezhi protested, &quot;You two must have ganged up on me!&quot;



 He Qi stretched her arms, ruffled his hair, and said with a loud laugh, &quot;With those terrible cards of yours, whoever&#x27;s on your team is bound to lose.&quot;



 He Lezhi lost for half the night. Frustrated and exasperated, he sat there with his legs crossed.



 Han Fangchi stood up to get a bottle of water. When he returned, he came up from behind and placed two red envelopes in front of He Lezhi, letting them go. The envelopes slid smoothly down the slippery fabric of He Lezhi&#x27;s pajamas and into his pocket.



 He Lezhi tilted his head up to look at him.



 Han Fangchi took a sip of water and said, &quot;My parents gave them to me. They&#x27;re for you.&quot;



 &quot;Is this to make it up to me? Because you won so much from me?&quot; He Lezhi asked.



 Han Fangchi hummed in agreement, twisted the cap back on the bottle, set it aside, and said to him, &quot;Don&#x27;t cry from losing.&quot;



 &quot;Can you go easy on the teasing, Han Fangchi,&quot; He Lezhi said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.



 Han Fangchi tapped him on the top of his head. &quot;Going to bed. I&#x27;m exhausted.&quot;



 He Lezhi tucked the two red envelopes away, stood up from the sofa, and followed him upstairs.



 The playing cards and fruit peels on the sofa, coffee table, and even the carpet were left untouched. Blankets were piled up messily, and the lights were left on. They&#x27;d deal with it tomorrow after they woke up.



 It seemed like this was how the New Year should be. Everyone was busy and flustered, making a mess of the house together. Without that, it wouldn&#x27;t feel like New Year&#x27;s Eve.



 He Qi liked it this way, and so did He Lezhi.



 Before entering his room, Han Fangchi said to He Lezhi, &quot;I&#x27;m going to sleep. Good night.&quot;



 &quot;Go to sleep,&quot; He Lezhi smiled. &quot;I won&#x27;t wake you up for breakfast tomorrow morning. Just wake up naturally. We won&#x27;t be eating either, so you don&#x27;t need to get up.&quot;



 &quot;Okay,&quot; Han Fangchi said.



 Before Han Fangchi closed the door, he heard He Lezhi speak again. His voice held a hint of a smile and the weariness of having stayed up late.



 &quot;Thanks, Fangchi.&quot;



 Han Fangchi turned back to look at him. He Lezhi was standing at the door of his own room, smiling at him. Under the small hallway light, he looked incredibly gentle.



 Han Fangchi raised an eyebrow. &quot;For what?&quot;



 He Lezhi&#x27;s lips curved, a shallow dimple appearing on one side of his face.



 &quot;You know.&quot; He Lezhi lifted his chin, looking at him. &quot;You know everything I want to say.&quot;



 After the most festive night of the year, all the excitement and noise returned to silence. The night sky, which had been filled with fireworks all night, was left with only hazy white smoke and a dim moon. The streets were deserted after the crowds had dispersed.



 For He Lezhi, this had been a year of some twists and turns.



 When all the changes and setbacks of the year were nothing but lingering smoke, He Lezhi, in this extremely quiet space, seriously thanked Han Fangchi.



 Han Fangchi stood in place, meeting his gaze for a few seconds.



 Since he was young, He Lezhi had always been a bit more sensitive and sentimental than other boys. This was something Han Fangchi knew from the very beginning of their acquaintance. These traits were also exactly what Han Fangchi had needed and relied on back then.



 The two of them stood half a hallway apart, quietly looking at each other. Under He Lezhi&#x27;s gaze, Han Fangchi gradually raised an eyebrow.



 &quot;Now I know everything again,&quot; Han Fangchi said.



 &quot;I don&#x27;t know,&quot; Han Fangchi averted his gaze and went into his room. &quot;I don&#x27;t know you that well.&quot;

Neither Strangers Nor Friends

Neither Strangers Nor Friends

Chapter 31 - Chapter 28

OldSenpaiOwl