Qin Fang estimated that there wouldn't be anything good coming out of his mouth, so he asked, "What progress again?"

Han Xiaogong asked on the phone, "What are you two doing?"

Qin Fang said, "Eating, do you have something?"

Han Xiaogong asked again in a drawling tone, "With whom?"

"With my roommates," Qin Fang asked him again, "Do you have something?"

Xing Yan looked over from the side and said to Qin Fang, "He doesn't have anything, no need to pay attention."

Han Xiaogong laughed lightly again and said, "Ah, no, I don't have anything."

So Qin Fang asked, "Then I'll hang up?"

"Okay, bye." Han Xiaogong said.

Qin Fang also said to him, "Bye."

After hanging up the phone, Qin Fang put the phone back beside Xing Yan and laughed, "He's really idle."

"He is indeed idle," Xing Yan said, "Nothing else besides taking photos."

"Really carefree." Qin Fang shook his head and said.

Seeing that they were about to be out-drunk by Xing Yan, those three lazy guys started playing tricks later on, hiding and being lazy, not wanting to let this newly joined friend beat them all.

No matter how well Xing Yan could drink, he was a little tipsy in the end. His eyes were a bit red, but nothing else could be seen.

After going out the door, Qin Fang pointed at those three and said, "You three scoundrels."

Shen Dengke laughed very villainously, "We are just being enthusiastic."

Xing Yan sat in the passenger seat and pulled the seat belt to fasten it. He didn't talk much when he was drunk, lowering his head slightly, quieter than usual.

Qin Fang asked him something and he would just "hmm" or shake his head lightly, reacting slower than normal, his eyes occasionally dull.

Hua Tong and Xing Yan were in the same dormitory area, so Qin Fang had to send them back first.

When they arrived downstairs at the dormitory building, Hua Tong said a few words with a silly laugh and got out of the car. Xing Yan closed his eyes and leaned on the car seat, not moving. Qin Fang didn't know if he was asleep, so he touched his arm, "Yan-ge?"

Xing Yan slowly opened his eyes, and Qin Fang said again, "We're downstairs."

Xing Yan looked outside for a moment, but still didn't move. He closed his eyes again and said in a low voice, "I want to go for a drive."

Qin Fang blinked and laughed, then nodded, "Okay, I'll send them back first."

After sending his two roommates in the back seat back, Qin Fang didn't leave in a hurry. The car was parked downstairs, and he asked Xing Yan, "Where do you want to go for a drive?"

Xing Yan shook his head lightly.

Qin Fang felt that Xing Yan was quite cute when he was drunk, his dullness contrasting with his usual self. Qin Fang didn't ask him again, and drove out, not too fast or slow, without any destination.

Xing Yan was originally looking out the car window, but after a while, he turned back and looked ahead. Suddenly, he asked Qin Fang, "Do you like driving around like this, or do you like me driving you around?"

"There's no doubt about that," Qin Fang didn't hesitate at all, "There's no comparison, there's no joy in this, I like your car."

Xing Yan turned his head to look at him, didn't say anything, just "hmm"ed.

Qin Fang was a friend who was very comfortable to get along with, and there was no fault to pick with him. He was quite cheerful usually and could chat with anyone, but just like now when Xing Yan was a bit dull and didn't want to talk after drinking, Qin Fang would quietly take him for rounds and rounds, driving to the outer ring road, without saying a word, not disturbing at all.

Later, Qin Fang parked the car by the river, opened the car window, and turned off the engine.

There were young couples and families of three walking along the river after dinner. A child picked up a small stone and threw it into the river. There were many flying insects around the small lights by the river.

Xing Yan looked in that direction and slowly said, "Actually, the four of us should have eaten together today."

"Hmm?" Qin Fang looked at him, "Why?"

Xing Yan asked him, "What's the date today?"

Qin Fang looked at his phone and said, "September 6th."

Xing Yan was still looking in the direction of the river. The water was as gentle during the day as it was dark and terrifying at night. But fortunately, there were dim yellow lights by the river, which made everything seem peaceful. Xing Yan cleared his throat and nodded, "Hmm, from this date on, we had no home."

Qin Fang's heart sank.

Xing Yan said, "It's been too long, we've become numb."

Qin Fang pursed his lips, and asked softly after a moment, "You guys..."

"How did we lose our homes?" Xing Yan finished the question for him.

Qin Fang nodded.

Xing Yan said, "Chemical plant explosion."

Xing Yan was quite calm when talking about these things. He might be saying these because today was a special day, or maybe just because he had been drinking today.

The chemical plant explosion was easily suppressed in that era without the internet. A large sum of compensation was given, but people outside the province didn't know about it at all.

From that day on, complete families became broken, and there were too many such families. Lucky children could still be left with a single parent, while unfortunate children could only learn to grow up on their own.

Some were taken away by elders to leave there, while others had roots there and couldn't leave. They lived cautiously while depending on others, and when the elders also passed away, they could only gather with others in the same situation and grow up together savagely.

"Han Xiaogong was bullied the most," Xing Yan unscrewed a bottle of water, took a sip to moisten his throat, and said, "Because he was the prettiest and looked like a little girl."

"Indeed," Qin Fang nodded, "Boys like this are easily bullied."

"He only knew how to cry," Xing Yan laughed mockingly, "He came back crying almost every day. One time he was stripped naked and even had a shoe print on his butt."

Qin Fang frowned and couldn't help but say "fuck".

"Zhou Siming went out with a knife that day," Xing Yan blinked slowly and continued, "I went too."

"Zhou Siming and I were responsible for the fighting," he might have been amused by his own wording, bending his finger to rub the tip of his nose, "He and I pretty much grew up fighting with others. Even if we couldn't win, we had to fight, otherwise there would be no end."

Him saying these things made Qin Fang's chest feel heavy and want to curse.

Xing Yan took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and turned his head to ask him, "Do you mind?"

Qin Fang shook his head, "I don't mind, I didn't even know you smoked."

"I learned very early," Xing Yan lit one, "I quit later."

Qin Fang reached out to take Xing Yan's cigarette and said, "Give me one."

Xing Yan raised his head to dodge, biting the cigarette and looking at Qin Fang, his eyes half-closed from the smoke, and said, "Learn something good."

Actually, it wasn't that Qin Fang didn't know how to smoke. He had smoked when hanging out with those rich kids, but he wasn't addicted. Xing Yan's words made Qin Fang also want to light one up, but Xing Yan wouldn't give him one.

Xing Yan looked different when smoking compared to his usual self. The lines of his jaw would be more prominent when he was biting the cigarette.

Qin Fang didn't actually know why Xing Yan was telling him these things. It didn't seem like something Xing Yan would say. He always kept his distance and wouldn't actively share his own affairs with others. Qin Fang guessed that Xing Yan was probably still drunk.

After finishing a cigarette, Xing Yan got out of the car, extinguished it, walked a few steps and threw it away. Qin Fang also got out of the car. As he walked over, Xing Yan said, "Actually, the me you see isn't that real. A lot of times, I'm just pretending."

Qin Fang didn't take it seriously and asked, "Pretending what?"

Xing Yan looked at him and said, "Pretending to not be that... dark."

Qin Fang actually laughed and said, "Then in the future, you don't need to pretend. Just be however you are."

Xing Yan still looked at Qin Fang. He stared for a long time without speaking. Qin Fang, after being stared at for so long, raised his eyes to meet his gaze.

"You're too simple," Xing Yan said, "Can see through you at a glance."

Qin Fang raised his eyebrows, "Then what did you see?"

Xing Yan thought for a bit, finally lowered his head and laughed, saying softly, "See that you're a fool."

Qin Fang was called a fool by him again. After a couple steps, he caught up to Xing Yan. He raised his arm and Xing Yan thought he was going to put him in a chokehold again and was about to dodge. But Qin Fang just reached out and put his arm around Xing Yan's shoulders, giving him a really tight hug.

Qin Fang wrapped both arms around Xing Yan. The two were so close in height that when Qin Fang spoke, his mouth was right by Xing Yan's ear. Qin Fang's hand patted forcefully on Xing Yan's back as he said—

"Yan-ge, hang in there."

Xing Yan was held by Qin Fang, chest to chest, feeling the passionate, powerful heartbeat of the youth before him. Xing Yan closed his eyes, smelling the scent of Qin Fang's shampoo in his nostrils.

For this meal with his roommates, Qin Fang impulsively invited Xing Yan, or maybe it can't be called an impulse, ever since he travelled with Xing Yan he kept thinking about the guy, wanting to hang out with him. Anyway, it was from this meal that Qin Fang learned a lot about Xing Yan, which was actually also an accident.

Understanding each other's secrets is a powerful means of bringing a relationship closer.

Qin Fang originally thought Xing Yan might regret saying so much after sobering up the next day, but it seemed he didn't. The guy was too normal, as if he hadn't said anything.

But Qin Fang couldn't act like he hadn't heard. Anyway, from that night on, Xing Yan became a bit different in his heart.

The originally cool youth turned into a pitiful child in Qin Fang's eyes. Whatever he did, he subconsciously wanted to bring Xing Yan along. Whether going out to eat or going out to play, he always had to call and invite him. But Xing Yan rarely had time to go out with him. After all, he was a top student.

Hua Tong was curled up in Qin Fang's dorm room, squatting on his chair playing games. He said, "Qin heartless Fang, why did you invite me to dinner today? Is it because your Yan-ge is in the lab?"

Qin Fang laughed a couple times without responding.

"Like a bitter wife," Shen Dengke chimed in from across, "Tong-er, you need to find a way to win back my Fang's heart."

"Your Fang doesn't need me to win him back," Hua Tong said. "Tomorrow's Xing Yan is today's me. When your Fang starts chasing girls, you'll also have to stand aside."

"That's inevitable," Shen Dengke said with a grin. "When chasing someone, what use will he have for you guys?"