Picking Up Stars

捡星星

picking-up-stars

Chapter 31

Qin Fang said Xing Yan was a tight-lipped gourd, and Xing Yan didn't refute it at all.
He indeed hadn't thought about saying it, nor did he remember. He hadn't celebrated his birthday for many years. If it weren't for Si Tu mentioning it today, Xing Yan would have completely forgotten.
Han Xiaogong spoke up for Xing Yan. He took a very shallow sip of wine, smiled and said, "Celebrating birthdays is too... sentimental, but we don't have sentiments. So we only celebrate Si Tu's birthday, the only sentimental one is him."
His words were too realistic, leaving Qin Fang not knowing how to respond.
"Living is already very difficult," Han Xiaogong sat curled up on the chair, feet stepping on the edge of the chair, arms around his knees. He shook the glass in his hand, "We are world-weary, hating this world, and hating ourselves for being alive when we feel bad, so we don't celebrate birthdays. We detest this day."
What he said might be a bit extreme, but if you haven't lived with their identity, there's no need to judge whether his words are right or wrong. You are not someone else, so you don't know how hard it is for others to continue living on a certain day.
"If it weren't for Si Tu, we might have dispersed long ago." Han Xiaogong touched his lips on the rim of the glass again, glanced at Si Tu and said, "He is the core of us few, because he still has human touch. He is more like a person than any of us."
No one made a sound when he spoke. Qin Fang was the listener, and the others perhaps tacitly agreed. Han Xiaogong usually doesn't say so much either. Maybe it's because the topic Si Tu started was too suitable for talking about the past.
"So not a single one of Si Tu's birthdays has been missed." Han Xiaogong raised his glass and clinked it with Si Tu's, so everyone clinked glasses together. Han Xiaogong looked at Si Tu and said, "We hate being alive, but thank you for being alive."
"Am I that important?" Si Tu smiled, with a faint crease at the end of his eyes, not because of age, but because he loved to laugh. He drank the wine at the bottom of the glass and said with a smile, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
It was indeed as Han Xiaogong said. Qin Fang felt it himself too. Si Tu was the core of their group. Because Si Tu got airsick, they all took the high-speed rail. Because someone tried to steal Si Tu's girlfriend away, Zhou Siming went out in a rage to seek revenge. They would also gather at Si Tu's house to have a meal together.
No one else would have this level of prestige. They would all live their own lives. Si Tu's existence could make these few people soften a little.
After finishing the meal, they sat and chatted for a while, then Zhou Siming left on his own. Qin Fang drove back with Xing Yan. Xing Yan didn't drink much and had no alcohol on his breath.
The heating wasn't turned on in the car. Qin Fang was afraid he would feel hot after drinking. This slightly cooler temperature felt quite comfortable to himself. He asked Xing Yan, "Cold?"
Xing Yan shook his head and said "No".
After that, the two didn't speak again. The car remained quiet the whole time. Until the car stopped downstairs from Xing Yan's dorm, Xing Yan got out of the car. Qin Fang said to him, "Yan-ge, good night."
Xing Yan slightly lifted his chin, fingers lightly tapping his temple as if saluting him, then turned and left.
Qin Fang watched his back and chuckled. No matter what, he actually hasn't changed much. He always carried a spirit, both cool and suave.
He himself had just celebrated his birthday about a month ago. Xing Yan's birthday was quite close to his. If it weren't for Si Tu mentioning it, he would have almost missed it.
Qin Fang started taking action from the second day he found out. The first call he made was to Cheng Dong, pestering him for two days. He even personally went out of the school, dragging Hua Tong along to rob Cheng Dong.
The two cornered Cheng Dong at the small coffee shop at his school. Hua Tong grabbed Cheng Dong's shoulder, and Qin Fang said, "Be quick about it, just do me this favor."
"Big brother, you're outright robbing me..." Cheng Dong laughed while reaching for his phone, "Should I call for help?"
"Dong ah," Hua Tong snatched his phone, "How can you still not see the situation clearly? Today you have to give it whether you want to or not. Otherwise, we brothers at C University won't let you go."
"Bandits? Robbers?" Cheng Dong covered half his face, "Fang-ge, I'm calling you big brother! I waited over three months for this."
"You were waiting to give it to me," Qin Fang was unmoved, "Thanks Dong ah, good brother."
Qin Fang indeed went rogue for a bit, with Hua Tong as his accomplice. On the way back, Hua Tong even lay back and sighed, "Tsk, you've reached girlfriend level with this."
"This is brother level. Haven't you experienced it?" Qin Fang glanced at him.
Hua Tong actually thought about it seriously, then shook his head after a while, "Not yet at the moment."
"Check if your conscience is still there." Qin Fang said while looking ahead.
Hua Tong checked and said with a smile, "It's there."
"Then say it again." Qin Fang glanced at him again.
"Yes, yes." Hua Tong obediently went along and said, "I'm just Fang-ge's closest good brother."
Hua Tong had known Qin Fang for too long. When they first met, they were both still young. Later when they grew up, before Hua Tong's birthday, Qin Fang would always ask if there was anything he wanted. If there was, he could ask for anything. But if there wasn't, then forget it. Who would rack their brains to prepare gifts for each other after knowing each other for a hundred years.
Hua Tong shook his head and sighed. He was also too realistic. What brothers, I think we're just meal partners.
"But this birthday of Xing Yan's..." Hua Tong thought about it and laughed first, raising his hand to touch the car roof, "Sometimes I feel horoscopes are quite accurate."
"What sign? When did you start researching this?" Qin Fang asked casually.
"The last girlfriend I dated was always researching these things, horoscopes, fortunes and such... Sigh, I don't even remember when I last dated." Hua Tong sighed and continued, "Isn't your Yan-ge a typical Scorpio man? Scorpio to the core."
"What are Scorpios like?" Qin Fang didn't really believe in these things. Hearing it made him want to laugh, "Aloof?"
"Not just aloof. Anyway, he's quite like one." Hua Tong said.
"Then our birthdays are so close, so I'm also a Scorpio?" Qin Fang asked carelessly.
Hua Tong glanced at him, shoulders hunched as he laughed a couple times, "You're not. It's an insult to Scorpios, Fang."
Qin Fang himself also felt his personality wasn't too similar to Xing Yan's, but it wasn't that different either. How was it insulting to Scorpios? Qin Fang glanced at Hua Tong but didn't pay him any mind.
If Si Tu hadn't mentioned on his birthday that Xing Yan hadn't celebrated his birthday for many years, if Han Xiaogong hadn't said why they didn't celebrate birthdays, Qin Fang might have just had a meal with Xing Yan and given him a birthday present and called it a day.
But after hearing those words, he couldn't let it pass by simply. No one is born to hate this world. Every child deserves to be cherished and treated kindly.
So on Xing Yan's birthday, Qin Fang stayed up until midnight to send him a birthday text message.
Xing Yan hadn't gone to bed yet and quickly replied: You're so childish.
Qin Fang immediately said: Go to sleep! You have plans tomorrow!
Xing Yan: Plans with who?
Qin Fang: Me!
Actually, before sending it, Qin Fang knew his words would be picked apart, but he sent it anyway.
Sure enough, Xing Yan asked: You want to go on a date with me?
The birthday boy is the most important. Qin Fang said: A date.
That day, Qin Fang had classes both morning and afternoon. He barely managed to finish the morning class, and definitely couldn't attend the afternoon one. Now both his roommates were free, so Shen Dengke volunteered to go to class for him.
Qin Fang finished class before 10am. He crossed more than half the campus to the other dorms while calling Cheng Dong, who still hadn't gotten up. Qin Fang urged him: "Hurry up, I'm done with class and you're still not up?"
Cheng Dong dragged out his voice: "Come on... I went to bed at 3am last night."
"Did I tell you to go to bed at 3?" Qin Fang said, "Hurry hurry hurry up."
Cheng Dong couldn't be rushed, so Qin Fang hung up and called Feng Zhe. Feng Zhe answered energetically: "Fang bro! What's up!"
Qin Fang told him: "Zhe, no matter what, you have to get Dong here within an hour."
Feng Zhe keenly sniffed out the gossip: "What's going on?!"
"I need to see him for something." Qin Fang said, "Anyway, no matter what you do, get him over here."
"OK!" Feng Zhe assured him, "He'll be there in forty minutes."
Qin Fang didn't leave while waiting for Cheng Dong, and stayed at the bottom of the boys' dorm building the whole time. He knew quite a few people there, and had to greet the ones he knew when he ran into them.
After standing for about twenty minutes, Xing Yan's call came through.
Qin Fang answered: "Happy birthday, Yan bro!"
Xing Yan was taken aback for a moment: "...Didn't you say that last night?"
"Saying it again." Qin Fang asked with a smile, "What's up?"
Xing Yan stood by the window, looking at the tall, handsome boy downstairs, and asked him: "What are you doing wandering around downstairs?"
"Ah..." Qin Fang looked up, "You saw me?"
"I've been watching you for a while." Xing Yan waved his arm at him from afar, "What are you up to?"
Qin Fang looked up at him and said, "I was going to call you in a bit."
"Then should I hang up first?" Xing Yan asked.
"Sure," Qin Fang nodded with a smile, "Don't watch me from the window."
Xing Yan laughed and really did leave the window after hanging up.
He didn't know what Qin Fang was going to do. If he came out with a bouquet of flowers later, Xing Yan would be dumbfounded. He could probably really pull something like that. Then if Xing Yan went down to accept them, he'd end up getting photographed and videoed by the girls to post online.
Xing Yan was amused by the scene he imagined, thinking too far ahead. That little handsome guy downstairs would have to act silly for a while longer, just let him do his thing.
Feng Zhe personally dragged Cheng Dong over. Qin Fang had told them to stop at the door ahead of time. Feng Zhe jumped out of the car and saw Qin Fang rushing over: "Fang bro, did I come through or what!"
"You did," Qin Fang patted his shoulder, "You were the right guy for this."
Cheng Dong still looked half-asleep and said to Qin Fang: "Mission accomplished, I'm leaving."
Qin Fang waved them off: "Go on, I'll find you guys to hang out later."
"It can't just be hanging out," Cheng Dong looked conflicted, "Fang bro, you owe me a favor."
"Can you stop nagging?" Feng Zhe pushed him, "Hey, let's go, quit yapping."
Feng Zhe quickly pulled Cheng Dong to leave. When they reached the door, he looked back and saw Qin Fang on the phone not looking at them, so he sneakily came back.
Cheng Dong was about to speak when Feng Zhe slapped a hand over his mouth, shushing him.
Qin Fang called Xing Yan, who answered. Qin Fang said: "Coming downstairs?"
"Can I come down now?" Xing Yan asked.
"You can," Qin Fang chuckled, "You're so cooperative."
"I try," Xing Yan put the call on speaker as he changed clothes and asked, "I can't look out the window, right?"
"Right," Qin Fang knew he was asking on purpose and answered with a smile, "It'd be even better if you could come down with your eyes closed."
Xing Yan finished getting dressed, picked up his phone, and sighed: "Now that's impossible."
"Come down quickly." Qin Fang said.

Picking Up Stars

Picking Up Stars

Chapter 31 - Chapter 31

Windwalker