Picking Up Stars

Picking Up Stars

Chapter 16 - Chapter 16

After many hot days, it finally turned cloudy recently. In the past two days, Xing Yan also started leaving early and returning late, disappearing for the whole day.

With the sun not being so fierce, Han Xiaogong no longer needed to hide from it at home. One early morning, he came over and knocked on Qin Fang's door.

As soon as Qin Fang opened the door, Han Xiaogong said with a smile, "Hey handsome."

"Morning." Qin Fang greeted him back.

Han Xiaogong followed him inside and sat on Xing Yan's bed, asking Qin Fang, "Do you have any plans today?"

"Nothing at the moment," Qin Fang didn't intend to go back to sleep. He went over and folded the thin blanket. "What's up?"

"Then will you go out with me?" Han Xiaogong tilted his head and asked him, "I need a photographer."

"Photographer?" Qin Fang turned to look at him and shook his head, "I'm not professional, just messing around."

Han Xiaogong laughed and brushed his hair back, saying, "You have the foundation, just take some casual shots."

After seeing Han Xiaogong many times, Qin Fang no longer felt the initial sense of confusion. But today, after Han Xiaogong put on light makeup, Qin Fang started to feel muddled again. As long as he didn't speak, Qin Fang always felt like there was a young girl in front of him. But regardless of gender, he was undoubtedly beautiful.

Han Xiaogong wore a pair of white shorts, fully exposing his calves. On top, he had on a simple light green T-shirt. His whole look was very refreshing, clean, and summery. Even though he was still wearing men's clothing, it was very gender-neutral. Qin Fang politely complimented, "You look nice."

Han Xiaogong immediately laughed, "You're complimenting me like a girl."

Qin Fang indeed said it out of the courtesy he would show a girl, so he felt a bit awkward, "Sorry, do you mind?"

"Of course not," Han Xiaogong waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine."

When Qin Fang walked outside with Xing Yan, they looked like two youthful and energetic young men. But when he was with Han Xiaogong, the whole vibe changed, appearing like a well-matched couple. Han Xiaogong walked in front while Qin Fang followed behind to take pictures of him. Two young girls beside Qin Fang whispered, "Your girlfriend is so pretty."

Qin Fang originally wanted to say that he was also a guy, but it was too much to explain to the passing girls, so in the end, Qin Fang just said with a laugh, "Thank you."

After the girls left, Han Xiaogong asked him, "What were you laughing about just now?"

Qin Fang said, "They complimented my girlfriend for being pretty."

"She is pretty indeed." Han Xiaogong walked a few steps faster, then turned his head back and smiled at Qin Fang, a sweet and beautiful smile. Qin Fang had a good rapport with him and immediately took a photo.

Han Xiaogong came over to take a look and gave Qin Fang a thumbs up.

Han Xiaogong said that today was just for taking casual photos. He hadn't updated his Weibo for a long time, so he wanted to post some lifestyle shots, nothing too formal. So they didn't need to be too particular about it and would just shoot whatever they came across. He also took quite a few photos himself, saying that he would post them together later; otherwise, it would look cramped with only his own photos.

After shooting for half a day, the two returned after having dinner. When they came back, Xing Yan was sitting on the steps in the courtyard, playing the harmonica. One leg was bent while the other was stretched out in front. Seeing them return, he glanced up and then lowered his eyes to continue playing.

Qin Fang was carrying a bag of non-alcoholic beer. He walked straight over and sat down next to Xing Yan, opening a can and placing it beside him.

Xing Yan finished playing the tune and took a sip of beer, asking, "You went to take photos, right?"

Qin Fang nodded, "Sherlock Yan is amazing as always."

"What else could he find you for?" Xing Yan asked him, "You're the easiest to talk to around here."

Qin Fang smiled, "I don't have anything else to do anyway."

Qin Fang had also played the harmonica when he was young, but he tossed it aside after a few days. Xing Yan used the harmonica to play old songs, songs by Lo Ta-yu, which Qin Fang found pleasant to listen to.

He suddenly stood up and went into the room. When he came out again, he was carrying a guitar. After tuning the strings, Qin Fang followed along with Xing Yan's tune and harmonized, the melody not quite clear, occasionally playing a wrong note, but it didn't affect anything.

"Sing a song," Xing Yan said.

Qin Fang readily nodded, "Okay, what should I sing?"

"You decide," Xing Yan slowly wiped the harmonica and turned his head to look at Qin Fang.

Qin Fang thought for a moment, tried the strings, and started playing directly. He chose a song that he felt matched their current life.

Everyone has an acre of land in their heart/

Everyone has a dream in their heart/

A seed, ah, a seed/

Is the acre of land in my heart/

He played a bit slower than normal, so his singing was also slower. His voice was very pleasant to listen to. A handsome boy playing the guitar and singing had a lot of charm, regardless of what he sang.

What to use it to grow/

What to use it to grow/

Grow peaches, grow plums, grow spring breeze/

Xing Yan harmonized with him, the harmonica and guitar, the summer night and the evening breeze.

Han Xiaogong leaned against the doorframe, watching the two of them with his arms crossed, his gaze penetrating through them and looking far away.

That is the acre of land in my heart/

That is the dream in my heart that never wakes.

...

Before Qin Fang came here, it was because of Xing Yan's one word, "stepping". On an impulse, he followed him here. After staying for so many days, he had almost forgotten about it. But on this day, Xing Yan told him that he would take him to step on the wind tomorrow.

Xing Yan told him, "There will be quite a few people."

Qin Fang said, "It doesn't matter."

Xing Yan nodded, and Qin Fang said, "How do we chase the wind? I'm a bit curious."

"You'll know tomorrow," Xing Yan said.

Qin Fang slept for a while, or rather, half a sleep. Xing Yan woke him up at three o'clock. When he was woken up, he was still a bit dazed, squinting his eyes. Xing Yan bent over and called him, "Get up."

"Mm." Qin Fang responded but didn't move for a long time.

When Xing Yan returned from washing up, Qin Fang still hadn't gotten up and had fallen asleep again. Xing Yan walked to the side of his bed and flicked some water on his face, "Get up."

The slight coolness on his face woke Qin Fang up. A drop happened to land on his eyelid. Qin Fang sat up and said, "I'm coming."

While Qin Fang went to wash up, Xing Yan kept packing things. When Qin Fang returned, Xing Yan asked him, "Do you have a windbreaker jacket?"

"Will this one do?" Qin Fang tugged at a thin sports jacket and asked. He had brought it to wear on rainy days. When he came, he only had a backpack with him and didn't bring many things.

Xing Yan tossed him a denim jacket, "Wear this."

Qin Fang caught it and put it on. Xing Yan told him, "Wear long pants."

"Mm." By the time Xing Yan turned around to pack things, Qin Fang had already put on his pants.

"We won't be back today, might be gone for a few days. Bring everything you need," Xing Yan said again.

"Okay." Qin Fang immediately turned to pack his toiletries.

In the end, Xing Yan packed Qin Fang's belongings together with his own into a backpack, and also brought two thin sleeping bags. Qin Fang didn't ask a single question and was very cooperative. When they went out the door, it was actually Xing Yan who laughed first and asked him, "You're not going to ask me where I'm selling you to today?"

"Anywhere is fine." Qin Fang carried the things and said to him, "I won't resist."

"Resisting is futile anyway," Xing Yan said while opening the courtyard gate, "Once you follow me, there's no turning back."

Qin Fang stepped out with one foot, smiling faintly, "I won't look back."

The unwavering Qin Fang, following the unrelenting Xing Yan... got into a beat-up van.

Originally, before leaving, Qin Fang had the illusion that they were going to wander, but when he saw this broken-down vehicle, he wanted to turn around and go back to sleep.

The driver greeted them, and Xing Yan called him "Guo-ge".

This van was indeed a wreck. Even with the windows closed, it felt like wind was coming in from all directions. Qin Fang thought to himself, is this what they call stepping on the wind?

Xing Yan glanced at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and suddenly asked the driver, "Guo-ge, what's the price for this one today?"

Guo-ge didn't quite understand and looked at him through the rearview mirror, "Huh?"

Xing Yan pointed to Qin Fang beside him, "This quality should be worth a bit more money, right?"

The driver saw his smile and nodded, "Let's discuss the details with Old Wu later. How are his liver and kidney functions?"

"Pretty good." Xing Yan said, "Young."

Guo-ge solemnly looked at Qin Fang through the rearview mirror and said, "If his kidneys are good, I'll give you 200,000 for him."

Qin Fang glanced at Xing Yan, then at Guo-ge, without saying a word. He took out his cell phone and held it to his ear.

Xing Yan said, "He's calling to report the kidnapping."

So Qin Fang put down his phone, raised both hands, and said to Xing Yan, "Boss, let me go."

"It wasn't easy to trick you here," Xing Yan said expressionlessly, "Impossible to let you go."

Qin Fang looked at him and after a long while said, "...Then I beg you."

"..." As soon as he said this, even Xing Yan with his poker face couldn't hold it anymore. He turned his head and laughed softly. Xing Yan didn't turn his head back for quite a while, always looking out the window on the other side of the car.

Guo-ge also laughed and said, "It's rare to see Xiao Xing smile."

Qin Fang clicked his tongue, "He's just pretending. So childish at this age."

Xing Yan reached back and tugged on his ear, the faint smile still visible at the corner of his eye. Qin Fang bumped Xing Yan with his arm and also laughed.

The beat-up van sped along for nearly an hour. Qin Fang always felt it was about to fall apart. Finally, it pulled up to the entrance of a factory.

Guo-ge honked the horn and got out of the car. Qin Fang also followed Xing Yan out of the car.

A slightly chubby middle-aged man came out from a door. They walked over. Xing Yan nodded to him and called out, "Wu-ge."

The fat man always had an affable smile, very approachable. "Xiao Xing has gotten even more handsome. And who is this young handsome fellow?"

"He's my friend." Xing Yan turned to Qin Fang and said, "From now on, follow Wu-ge. I'm selling you here."

He was really getting into the act. Qin Fang inwardly mocked Xing Yan's childishness while cooperating fully. He grabbed Xing Yan's wrist, "Yan-ge, don't abandon me."

Xing Yan tried to pull his wrist away, but Qin Fang didn't let go.

Wu-ge and Guo-ge both laughed and said, "Some people haven't arrived yet. Do you two want to go first or wait and go together?"

Xing Yan said, "Let's go together. I can't carry my things."

Guo-ge said from the side, "Put your things in my car."

Qin Fang followed Xing Yan into the factory area. They went around a workshop and saw a row of warehouses in front of them. The warehouse doors were wide open. Xing Yan walked in and turned back to Qin Fang, "Come."

Before Qin Fang had fully entered, he was already stunned by what he saw.

In his eyes, there were motorcycles everywhere, all kinds, probably 180 of them. Qin Fang originally had no concept of vehicles and couldn't say he particularly liked them. But no man could resist everything before his eyes. It tugged at a man's soul from the depths.

Xing Yan led him through this area to a tarp-covered section and stopped.

His hand patted the tarp, and he turned back to Qin Fang, the corner of his mouth curling up, his eyes unusually filled with a passionate light. He said to Qin Fang, "I'll take you to find freedom."

With that, he lifted his hand and pulled the tarp. In that instant, Qin Fang's breath caught for a moment. That feeling surged up again—

He wanted to wander with the person in front of him.


Windwalker
Windwalker

I'm Windwalker, your friendly neighborhood translator who loves nothing more than getting lost in a good book. When I'm not translating, you might find me hiking through nature or curled up with my cat. I hope my translations bring as much joy to you as they do to me!

Give me feedback at moc.ebircssutol@reklawdniw.


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