Chapter 47

Song Ruichi put the cat down.

He took hold of Xu Er's wrist and lowered his head.

Then his cell phone rang.

In the quiet living room, the ringtone was deafening. Xu Er instinctively took a step back and pointed at Song Ruichi's pocket: "Your phone."

Song Ruichi let out a clear sigh and pulled out his phone. Two characters appeared on the screen: "Ying Jing."

Song Ruichi swiped to answer and turned on the speakerphone.

Instantly, the commotion from the other end of the line came through. Xu Er stared at the seconds ticking by, and when it reached the third second, Ying Jing spoke.

"Oh, you finally picked up. You pick up and don't say anything," Ying Jing asked, "Where are you guys now?"

Song Ruichi placed his hand on Xu Er's head, sounding quite helpless: "On the way."

Ying Jing: "Alright, alright, we're almost there. Come over and wait for you guys so we can set sail."

Without even bothering to reply, Song Ruichi hung up the phone directly.

Xu Er felt quite helpless too: "Let's go."

In the past, when Xu Er watched TV shows or movies and saw protagonists interrupted while doing something important, he always found it unbelievable, thinking it was too much of a coincidence.

At this moment, with it truly happening to himself, Xu Er felt that his own life was quite dramatic as well.

Not knowing what Song Ruichi was thinking, Xu Er really felt like swearing.

The two of them thus went out the door.

While waiting for the elevator, Song Ruichi took Xu Er's hand.

Xu Er was slightly stunned at first, but quickly calmed down. Then he heard a silly chuckle of his own deep within his soul.

There was a feeling that was both surreal yet grounded, as if everything had come very suddenly, yet was entirely within plan and reason.

On a very ordinary Friday night, Xu Er unlocked a new identity.

Song Ruichi's home was not far from the pier. As soon as they stepped out of the residential complex, they ran into a taxi. After getting in, Song Ruichi received another call from Shi Ziyi, asking if they had arrived, where they were, and telling them to hurry up because the boat had already arrived and was waiting just for the two of them.

Song Ruichi: "Mm, mm, almost there."

Eight minutes later, the two of them appeared at the pier.

Looking out, it was all friends Xu Er had met before. A few were on the shore, and a few were already on the boat.

"You're here."

Ying Jing spotted them first, and then, Ying Jing noticed their interlaced hands.

"Oh-yo."

Ying Jing smiled: "Is this an 'oh-yo' moment?"

Song Ruichi didn't answer. Instead, he pinched the back of Ying Jing's neck like picking up a chick and pushed him forward a few steps.

"What are you doing?" Ying Jing shrank his neck and turned around to escape, "What are you doing?"

Song Ruichi: "Are you very good at making phone calls?"

Ying Jing didn't understand at all: "What phone calls?"

But Xu Er understood.

When the three of them gathered together, Shi Ziyi, the biggest instigator in the entire village, spotted them.

"Oh-yo!"

Shi Ziyi let out the exact same exclamation.

"What is the situation, what is the situation, what is the situation!" Shi Ziyi pointedly directed his finger at the hands of Song Ruichi and Xu Er.

With such a shout, naturally everyone looked over.

It was a bit startling, frightening Xu Er into instantly stepping behind Song Ruichi.

Song Ruichi led Xu Er a bit to the side and gave Shi Ziyi's shoulder a light, playful punch with a clenched fist: "Happy birthday."

With the birthday wish uttered, Xu Er immediately poked his head out: "Happy birthday."

Shi Ziyi was completely amused by Xu Er: "Your boyfriend is so cute."

Song Ruichi: "I know."

Shi Ziyi raised a thick eyebrow: "Oh-yo, so he really is your boyfriend?"

Following this question, Song Ruichi turned his head and asked Xu Er: "Are you my boyfriend?"

Xu Er nodded: "I am."

Shi Ziyi let out an overly excited cheer, but was quickly pressed down by Song Ruichi.

"Stop messing around," Song Ruichi said, "We just got together."

Shi Ziyi immediately calmed down: "Alright, alright."

Shi Ziyi: "Congratulations."

Song Ruichi was very calm: "Thank you."

Shi Ziyi: "Stop putting on a front, laugh if you want to."

Song Ruichi actually laughed: "Get lost."

"I really am congratulating you," Shi Ziyi leaned closer to Xu Er: "You have no idea this guy..."

He stopped right there, turned his head, and glanced at Song Ruichi: "Not stopping me?"

Song Ruichi was fearless: "Go ahead and tell him."

Shi Ziyi: "Then I'm really going to say it."

Song Ruichi maintained the expression of 'I'd like to see what kind of nonsense you can come up with': "Go ahead."

Shi Ziyi said to Xu Er: "Do you know that our little Song here wept bitterly for you until three in the morning?"

Xu Er was startled: "Huh?"

Shi Ziyi walked away with a sense of satisfaction, leaving two chuckles lingering in the air.

Xu Er turned to look at Song Ruichi: "Huh?"

Song Ruichi deliberately let out a very long sigh: "Yes."

Xu Er: "When?"

Song Ruichi: "The Friday night of that week you ignored me."

With such precision, Xu Er naturally believed it even more.

However.

"You cried?" Xu Er wore a look of utter disbelief.

Song Ruichi said: "I cried."

Still not quite believing it, right as they boarded the boat, Shi Ziyi reappeared by Xu Er's side.

Naturally, Xu Er asked Shi Ziyi: "Did Song Ruichi really cry?"

Shi Ziyi burst out laughing instantly. He looked at Song Ruichi: "You really know how to make a mountain out of a molehill."

Song Ruichi gave a very light shrug, looking quite proud.

Xu Er finally understood the whole picture.

"He didn't cry at all." Xu Er pursed his lips.

Song Ruichi: "You seem quite disappointed."

Xu Er tilted his head, indicating that he indeed felt a bit disappointed.

Song Ruichi: "Are you satisfied to have driven me to tears?"

Xu Er happened to have that exact meme saved, and he burst out laughing immediately.

The boat was about to set sail, and everyone had found their spots. Song Ruichi and Xu Er chose the stern.

After sitting down, Xu Er naturally placed his hand in Song Ruichi's palm, letting him hold it.

Xu Er asked, "So you actually knew I was ignoring you that week."

Song Ruichi: "I'm not an idiot."

Xu Er's eyes narrowed: "Why do I feel like you're taking subtle jabs at me?"

Song Ruichi tucked Xu Er's hand into his pocket: "Cold?"

Xu Er shook his head: "Not cold."

Song Ruichi said again, "The boardwalk lights are on."

"Yeah," Xu Er looked at the glowing wooden boardwalk across the water: "Have you ever been there?"

Song Ruichi shook his head: "No. What about you?"

Xu Er recalled: "I only went once, with Chen Nan. Oh right, when we passed by over there," Xu Er pointed in a direction and gestured, "we saw a rat this big!"

Song Ruichi chuckled at Xu Er's hand gesture: "Afraid of rats?"

Xu Er shook his head: "I'm not. Chen Nan is."

The wind was quite mischievous. As if wanting to teach Xu Er a lesson just moments after he claimed he wasn't cold, a gust of wind suddenly slapped against his face.

"Now I'm cold."

Xu Er shivered, suddenly thinking of the video he scrolled past yesterday—the snow in the north had already piled up quite thick.

City A was rather awkward; clearly every winter was this cold, yet it never snowed, always falling just a bit short.

With his mouth still moving, Xu Er continued the story about the rat: "After Chen Nan saw the rat, he leaped, not expecting the rat to leap too. He jumped right in front of the rat, and then his scream—my ears almost went deaf. Chen Nan never went back there again."

Xu Er added, "Song Ruichi, let's go see the snow."

After saying this, Xu Er turned his head to meet Song Ruichi's gaze.

The two of them laughed together.

It was a bit erratic, but obviously Song Ruichi had already grown accustomed to this side of Xu Er.

Song Ruichi: "To the north?"

Xu Er's idea became slightly more concrete.

Since that was the case, let's make it a bit more specific: "How about tomorrow? Are you free tomorrow? And the day after."

Song Ruichi laughed: "Let's go?"

Xu Er: "Let's go!"

The two of them began discussing it right then and there, and within a minute, settled on City W as their destination for tomorrow. In the very next minute, they purchased plane tickets for 9:00 AM the next morning.

The moment the flight information popped up on his phone, Xu Er had only two words in his mind: Wow.

In the past, others would accompany Xu Er on his wild impulses, but now that person was Song Ruichi, and it felt all the more different.

At this moment, Xu Er was excited to the extreme; he couldn't wait to fly to City W right now.

The wind outside was growing stronger, and just as someone inside the boat called out, the two of them went inside.

Next came the board game session. This group of people seemed a bit drunk and were now sobering up on the boat.

They played the game very slowly and chaotically. Referring to the time Xu Er played mahjong with them before, rules were simply not rules.

Xu Er genuinely liked Song Ruichi's group of friends; they were so much fun.

It was just getting very late into the night, and Xu Er was starting to reach his limit.

After yawning twice in a row, Song Ruichi asked him, "Sleepy?"

Xu Er secretly nodded twice.

Song Ruichi: "We can head back first."

Xu Er: "Would that be impolite?"

Song Ruichi: "It's no longer Shi Ziyi's birthday anymore."

Xu Er burst into a chuckle, pointing at Song Ruichi: "How can you be like this?"

"We'll stop briefly at the next pier," Song Ruichi patted Shi Ziyi's shoulder: "We're heading back first."

Shi Ziyi: "Going back already?"

Song Ruichi: "I'm a bit tired."

"True, and you even made a special trip back to celebrate my birthday," as if knowing what Song Ruichi was about to say, he immediately cut him off: "No need for pleasantries. You guys didn't get to eat my birthday meal today, I'll make it up to you next time."

Song Ruichi: "How could I be so embarrassed, President Shi."

Shi Ziyi: "You'd better be embarrassed."

Xu Er had been worried about being a buzzkill, but hearing the two of them talk like that put his mind completely at ease.

Moreover, he really, really liked Song Ruichi's snarky attitude.

Upon reaching the next pier, Shi Ziyi had the boat dock.

Learning that Song Ruichi was leaving, Ying Jing also came over to ask: "Why are you leaving already? Isn't tomorrow the weekend?"

Song Ruichi said, "We're going to City W tomorrow."

Ying Jing was surprised: "City W? What are you going there for?"

Song Ruichi: "To play."

Shi Ziyi heard it too and asked, "So sudden?"

Song Ruichi: "Want to see the snow."

Shi Ziyi asked Xu Er: "You're just letting him drag you along like this?"

Xu Er smiled sheepishly: "I wanted to go."

Shi Ziyi let out a scoff: "You two are such soulmates," he said to Song Ruichi, "Now someone is here to join you in your madness."

Song Ruichi: "We're going crazy together."

Shi Ziyi: "Alright, alright."

Going crazy together.

What a wonderful way to put it.

On the way back, Xu Er yawned a few more times until Song Ruichi pressed his head gently, letting him rest on his shoulder.

The car was warmer than outside, and Song Ruichi was warmer than Xu Er.

"So sleepy?"

Song Ruichi's hand didn't move away; instead, he stroked Xu Er's cheek.

It was warm and cozy, feeling extremely pleasant. Xu Er couldn't help but rub against it: "Not too bad."