Fireworks exploded densely around them, accompanied by the lively sound of firecrackers.

It was beautiful, but the air was clearly becoming more polluted with each passing minute. Earlier, when they looked up, they could see many stars, but later, only the brightest ones remained visible.

Qin Fang tugged at the red clothes he was wearing and looked up at Xing Yan.

Xing Yan lit a cigarette and watched the fireworks exploding not far away, his eyes sparkling with clusters of colorful lights.

Xing Yan gazed at the sky, while Qin Fang gazed at his eyes.

Qin Fang raised his hand, took the cigarette from Xing Yan's hand, and put it in his own mouth, taking a puff.

Neither of them had a smoking addiction, but Xing Yan might smoke a couple of cigarettes after drinking alcohol. Over time, Qin Fang discovered this habit of his.

He took a puff and then returned the cigarette to Xing Yan's mouth. Xing Yan bit the filter, his lips touching Qin Fang's fingers. Qin Fang then caressed his lips.

"Yan-ge," Qin Fang called out to him.

Xing Yan looked down at him, signaling him to speak.

Qin Fang didn't say anything at first, but smiled. Xing Yan asked, "What are you smiling about?"

"Smiling about what I'm going to tell you," Qin Fang said.

Xing Yan raised his eyebrows. "Go ahead."

Qin Fang then raised his hand, pointing at the sky, tracing the few brightest stars he could see, a smile on his face. After a moment, he said, "Actually, Qin Fang is a name I changed myself. My real name is... Jian Xingxing."

Xing Yan followed the direction of his finger and looked up. When Qin Fang finished speaking, he paused for a moment, then lowered his head, as if he hadn't heard clearly. "...Huh?"

Qin Fang couldn't hold back his laughter. He first wiped his face, then pointed to the brightest star and said, "You heard it right. It's Xingxing, Jian Xingxing."

Xing Yan blinked, then started laughing. At first, he only laughed lightly, but later, he laughed harder and harder, laughing so much that he couldn't hold the cigarette in his mouth. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and extinguished it beside him.

Xing Yan was still laughing, and Qin Fang also joined in, feeling a bit embarrassed. After all, such a cute name didn't really suit him. Now, saying this name was either funny or embarrassing.

Qin Fang said, "You've laughed enough. If you keep laughing, I'm going to blush."

Xing Yan then stopped laughing, but the smile on his face couldn't be wiped away immediately.

"My grandfather and my father's surname is Jian. I also had the surname Jian when I was a child. My grandfather gave me this name, but he didn't put much thought into it anyway," Qin Fang said. "But when I was a child, I thought it sounded pretty good. Every time I said it, I was very proud."

"It really sounds nice," Xing Yan said with a smile. "I think it sounds good too."

Qin Fang shifted to a more comfortable position lying on Xing Yan's leg and continued, "My mother broke ties with her family back then to follow my father. Her father... that is, my maternal grandfather, never let her return home again. So from the time I was born until now, I've never seen my maternal grandmother's family."

Xing Yan didn't say anything, gently rubbing Qin Fang's ear with his hand.

"My mother passed away due to illness. She had always been in poor health. She left too early. I don't even remember her. I was too young at that time, but I always knew she loved me very much. Less than a year after she passed away, my father married Dong Yin. After Yangyang was born, I changed my surname to Qin. My mother's surname was Qin. I wanted to let her know that someone still cherished her memory."

Qin Fang smiled as he said this. "When my grandfather was around, he would call out 'Xingxing, Xingxing' all day long, thinking the name sounded great and very impressive. Later, no one else could say it with my grandfather's impressive tone, so I changed it."

There was still a hint of laughter in his eyes. Xing Yan leaned down and kissed his eyes. Qin Fang closed his eyes, his eyelashes brushing against Xing Yan's lips. Xing Yan softly called him, "Xingxing."

Qin Fang responded with a "hmm" sound with his eyes closed, but after a while, he couldn't help but laugh.

Xing Yan was from the south. His Mandarin was usually very standard, but when saying such words alone, one could still hear a slight difference compared to northerners.

It sounded like "Xin Xin." Qin Fang said to him, "Xingxing... Can you say this 'er' sound?"

Xing Yan tried, then shook his head with a smile.

"Don't push yourself," Qin Fang sat up, shaking his head with a smile. "Better not say it."

On this New Year's Eve, they shared a childish secret of Qin Fang's on the rooftop. Qin Fang later said, "If you tell anyone, I'll silence you."

Xing Yan nodded, biting his lips inward, indicating that his mouth was sealed.

This New Year's Eve was too happy, starting from the moment they hugged in Xing Yan's bed in the morning, and lasting all the way until the evening. Qin Fang looked at his watch and said to Xing Yan, "It's almost the new year."

Xing Yan responded with a "hmm" and pointed to a golden firework in the distance, saying, "That one looks very nice."

It was indeed very beautiful, the most beautiful of all they had seen tonight.

After watching it, Qin Fang looked down at the time again and found that half a minute had already passed. He immediately pulled out a red envelope from his pants pocket and gave it to Xing Yan. "Happy New Year, Yan-ge."

Xing Yan raised his eyebrows, took it, reached into the pocket of his jeans, and also took out a red envelope.

Qin Fang raised his eyebrows. "You have one too?"

"Of course." Xing Yan smiled and gave the red envelope to Qin Fang. "Happy New Year. I hope you... I hope Xingxing will always be happy and never sad."

Never sad. These words were very touching to hear.

Qin Fang held the red envelope in his hand. He didn't know when Xing Yan had gone to buy it and hadn't seen him prepare it.

They had both secretly prepared them, secretly stuffing them into their pockets in the morning, carrying them for a whole day. The red envelopes were both imbued with each other's body temperature.

Qin Fang clasped his hands together and patted the red envelope, saying, "I've been quite happy since I met you."

Xing Yan looked at him but didn't respond to his words. He only shook his head with a faint smile.

Xing Yan lowered his head to open the red envelope Qin Fang had given him. Inside was not money, but a piece of paper. He took it out and looked at it. In the flickering light, Xing Yan struggled for a long time to make out what was written.

— IOU, owe Xing Yan a star, express delivery not yet arrived.

Xing Yan immediately laughed. Qin Fang said, "I'll make it up to you when the express delivery arrives."

"Okay." Xing Yan folded the paper and put it back into the red envelope.

Qin Fang also opened the red envelope Xing Yan had given him. Xing Yan was more straightforward. Inside was a stack of money. But in addition to the money, there was also a small card. Qin Fang used his fingers to take it out.

"I know you're not short of money, so I'm giving you something practical," Xing Yan said to him.

Qin Fang looked at him, then lowered his head to look at the card. There was a single word written on it.

— Okay.

"I'm giving you a voucher. Take it, and no matter what you say, I'll agree to it once." As Xing Yan said this, he tapped the card in Qin Fang's hand with his bent knuckle.

Qin Fang quite liked this, and asked, "Anything at all?"

"Anything." Xing Yan nodded.

Qin Fang asked again, "For example?"

Xing Yan lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said, "For example, letting you beat me up, for example, giving you all my bank cards, for example, still wanting to be together, for example... if you want to break up--"

"I don't want to, shut up." Qin Fang interrupted him, put the card back, frowned slightly and said, "What kind of crappy examples."

Xing Yan lowered his head and laughed, then said, "For example, if you want to kiss me now, you can also use it."

Qin Fang said, "Wanting to kiss you doesn't require using a card, I'll kiss you if I want to."

Xing Yan put his hands behind him, propping himself up on the ground, his body in a half-reclining posture, looking at Qin Fang provocatively.

Qin Fang carefully put the red envelope back in his pocket, then clapped his hands and pounced on Xing Yan like a hungry tiger--

They kissed on the rooftop, and continued kissing after returning to the room.

Outside the room, fireworks went off all night, the curtains in the room half-drawn, the sky alternating between brightness and darkness, the muddled air adding the subtle panting unique to boys.

The single bed was a bit narrow, and it was really hard for two boys to let loose, the wooden bed often making warning sounds, unable to bear the weight.

But the two tussling paid no attention to it.

This was the first time Qin Fang had... tussled with someone in bed. Although they didn't go all the way, they kissed, hugged, and... touched, it was too exciting.

You touch me and I'll touch you, no one loses out.

Touch touch touch touch... touched until the sky was damn near bright.

This night was too wonderful, sitting on the rooftop for half the night, then returning to the room and touching for another half.

After finishing the touching, they squeezed together and slept in Xing Yan's bed, skin against skin, neither willing to let go, and no one willing to leave. At this point, Qin Fang's heart no longer had any thoughts of being straight or not. While touching, he was more into it than anyone, panting more joyfully than anyone, looking gayer than anyone.

For a pair of young lovers in the throes of passion to only roll into the same bed today was also quite a big deal. Their love was very pure, holding hands and kissing were all major events, so today could be considered a major development.

Mutual love, mutual attraction, both very intoxicated, very infatuated.

Before sleep, the person before your eyes is the one you love most. Touching eyebrows, kissing ears, if you really like them, take another bite. Continue dreaming of the person before you as you fall asleep, wanting to make love even in dreams.

Actually, they had only known each other for less than a year, from spring to winter.

An encounter in youth, where dreams are sweet.

The author has something to say:

Fang: I have a se...

Little sisters: Xingxing, your name is Jian Xingxing, we all read the story intro.

Fang: ...cret.