Three pairs of eyes met, their expressions a kaleidoscope of emotions, filled with complex feelings.
If time could pause, or rewind, perhaps the deathly silence of this moment could still be salvaged.
But, in reality, it couldn't.
The watch face was still in another school uniform, and Su Lian had only one thing on his mind at that moment: he needed to find time to quickly repair the watch strap and wear it at all times.
With these fatal blows day after day, he would probably end up dying of embarrassment sooner or later.
Gu Anjiu's small hand gripped the door frame as he awkwardly spoke, "Since you're busy, should I leave?"
"Are you stupid? Can't you see I fell? Come help me up."
Chi Wang lay sprawled out on the floor, nearly dying of anger, unable to care about Su Lian in his arms, feeling only the throbbing pain in his head from the collision.
Gu Anjiu had a sudden realization, his expression filled with disappointment, "Oh, you just fell."
Absurd, deceitful, all of it was unfounded excuses.
His keen eyes had already seen through everything.
Seeing the rapid changes in the other's expression, Su Lian gritted his teeth, "What else were you expecting?"
Gu Anjiu's mind raced, "If you're asking me that, I might have quite a few expectations. For example..."
"Stop right there." Chi Wang knew his friend too well; once that little mouth opened, it was all nonsense.
Realizing it was better to help himself, Su Lian slightly bent his leg, supporting his chest to change position and struggling to get up.
He reached out to grab the hanging wrist beside him, pulling Chi Wang up from the floor, "Where does it hurt? Let me check."
"I'm going, I'm going, you guys take your time checking," Gu Anjiu's feet slipped as he darted away quickly.
The door closed, and some of the dispersed mist from the bathroom still lingered, creating a slightly stuffy atmosphere. The mood once again sank into silence.
Chi Wang slowly stood up, his back, head, and his arm that hadn't fully healed all felt like they were falling apart.
He wiped his face, leaned his back against the wall, and said in a low voice, "It really hurts."
It didn't seem like he was deliberately trying to evoke sympathy; he probably did get hurt from the fall.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for not watching where I was going."
Su Lian reached out to open Chi Wang's bathrobe, leaning in to check his back. Fortunately, it was only red, with no impact injury. His hand moved up, feeling the damp back of his head, which also seemed fine. He let out a long sigh of relief.
The dim bathroom light enveloped their bodies, creating a fuzzy glow and casting a warm luster. Su Lian's gaze lingered on the broad shoulders, following the smooth muscle lines down the spine to the slender waist, ending at two slightly indented dimples.
He dared not look any further down.
His body froze, suddenly realizing that opening the bathrobe might have been inappropriate.
Chi Wang, with his bathrobe hanging loosely, the belt barely holding it together, turned his head to look at him, "Teacher Su, are you taking advantage? How come you're stripping me as soon as you get close?"
"Get lost." The clean and crisp word fell, as Su Lian turned on the faucet, washing away the marks on his calves, and splashed some cold water on his face.
Chi Wang's lips curved slightly; Su Lian was embarrassed.
-
Several days of classes flew by, time passing quickly. The temperature had suddenly dropped recently, and the treetops outside the window had turned yellow in the blink of an eye, with golden hues filling the sky. It was already the end of September.
Rumor had it that the fan club had already expanded to three full groups, but Su Lian cared little about the speed of expansion.
The more people, the heavier the psychological burden it brought him.
Even during the morning exercises these past few days, people from other schools had inexplicably started appearing to watch, those gazes falling on him were quite irritating.
However, he had also checked the recent chat records, and Chi Wang hadn't revealed any hints, keeping things well hidden.
Su Lian thought to himself, if Chi Wang didn't have any ulterior motives, perhaps he had really joined by mistake, and Su Lian had misunderstood him.
As the last class before the holiday ended and the bell rang, the whole class fell into a momentary silence before suddenly becoming excited.
After all, they were still children, always looking forward to holidays, wanting to go wild, to indulge, anything but studying.
The classroom was buzzing with noise, and Su Lian reached out to grab someone who was trying to escape, "Don't rush off, make-up classes start in two days."
"Have mercy, ancestor, I really don't want to study."
"If you could just get into the top 100, I'd leave you alone."
"...I'll give you three days at most, no more."
"Who do you think you're bargaining with?"
Chi Wang lowered his eyes and hooked his arm around Su Lian's shoulder, his tone sounding extremely considerate, "Teacher Su should rest well too, so you can bravely aim for first place in the monthly exam."
Su Lian showed no mercy, leaving no room for negotiation, "Say another word, and we'll start tonight."
Chi Wang fell silent, pressing his lips together, stubbornly resisting with silence.
"Wang, are we going or not?" Gu Anjiu looked back, saw the two at an impasse, and heaved a heavy sigh, "It's been a week, and you two are still hung up on the make-up classes?"
Guided by the principle that if he couldn't have peace, others shouldn't either, Chi Wang reached out and grabbed the person's neck, "Anjiu, you should join us in studying too. You're not getting any younger, it's time to focus on your studies and make progress."
Gu Anjiu: "...I don't believe a word you're saying. Can I say no?"
"No." The synchronized voices spoke in unison, accompanied by equally lethal glares.
Gu Anjiu looked aggrieved, mentally chanting 'can't beat them, can't beat them' as he slowly nodded.
After packing up his textbooks and putting on his backpack, Su Lian said goodbye and took the 807 bus home.
He was slowly walking along the weathered wall towards the alley when, before he even reached the door, he heard the sound of quarreling from inside the house.
The small alley was very quiet, with only the faint sound of wind all around, which made the arguments inside seem particularly jarring.
Su Lian pushed open the half-closed door. Su Huasheng was yelling, "We've been divorced for over a decade, and now you come to argue about this house? Are you crazy?"
"Originally, this house was in my name and Su Lian's. If it wasn't for Su Lian's sake, do you think I would have let you live here?" The woman's voice was sharp and aggressive.
"That sounds nice, but have you taken care of him all these years? When you left, I told you never to let me see you again." Su Huasheng raised his hand and took a big gulp of water, his chest heaving.
Su Lian leaned against the doorway, watching this farce with cold eyes. Time had left quite a few marks on the woman's face, but her elegant long dress was out of place in the rundown room.
He pressed his lips together, speechless, unable to call out that word "Mom."
Ji Ying turned her head, her voice faltering, her expression a bit awkward, "Su Lian is back."
"What are you doing here? Can't even let people have peace during the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Su Lian coldly brushed past her, walking straight into the inner room.
Su Huasheng sneered with disdain, "What is she here for? She heard some rumor that this area is going to be demolished, so she wants to take back the house. Fighting over this broken-down house, how shameless."
It was always like this when he was young, endless arguments because of poverty, day and night.
Ten years without seeing each other, and the first meeting is again because of these trivial matters. It's truly annoying.
He threw his schoolbag onto the sofa and turned to look at her, "The house is what you owe us, don't think about taking it back."
Ji Ying smiled, trying to ease the atmosphere, "I originally came to discuss this properly. Su Lian, I wanted to make it up to you."
"I don't need it." Su Lian said each word distinctly, bending his legs to sit on the sofa, slightly raising his eyes to look at her.
Although he still had the appearance of a teenager in his early teens, the angles of his features had somehow become sharp. When those deep eyes looked over, Ji Ying inexplicably felt a bit scared.
Sensing that the timing was off, she placed the box in her hand on the small table, "I'll come back another day."
Su Lian stared at the woman's retreating back, lowered his eyes silently, and cursed under his breath.
"She came to argue with me all afternoon today, it's maddening." Su Huasheng gathered up his open jacket and buried his head, smoking silently.
Su Lian still cooked dinner, and father and son tacitly avoided mentioning this interlude. The failed marriage was like a thorn in this family, deeply embedded, and to say it didn't hurt would be a lie.
But bringing up those trivialities would only bring annoyance, and no other emotions.
After the two finished eating, Su Huasheng put his helmet on and strode towards the door, "Night shift tonight, don't wait up for me."
Su Lian looked up from clearing the dishes, "You're going out on Mid-Autumn Festival too?"
Su Huasheng grunted in affirmation, explaining, "More money on Mid-Autumn Festival, gotta earn more."
"Be careful on the road." Su Lian ended up saying nothing else, silently entering the kitchen.
As the night deepened, he sat on the doorstep of their home, staring at the almost transparent moon. He had heard that this year would have a super full moon, but the joy of reunion had never had anything to do with him.
The sound of cheerful chatter drifted from the neighbor's house, making the night seem even more ironic.
Su Lian rested his chin on his hand, inexplicably recalling his recent days at school. They had been just as noisy, with time flying by unnoticed day after day.
He wondered what that group was up to now. Su Lian smiled to himself, thinking they were probably either at an internet cafe or hanging out together.
Just as he was thinking about them, his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was a WeChat call from Chi Wang.
His finger paused for a moment. What a coincidence, speak of the devil.
Su Lian answered the call: "Did you need something?"
"Teacher Su, I forgot to say earlier today - happy Mid-Autumn Festival," Chi Wang's voice was lazy and relaxed, with a slight magnetic quality distorted by the phone.
Su Lian couldn't see his expression, but he could sense the smile in his voice. Left unsupervised, he was probably holding a cigarette too.
Su Lian blinked and looked at the moon. "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you too."
"Have you had your family reunion dinner yet?"
"...Mm, I have."
"I just finished mine. My parents went off to a moon-viewing party on their own. I'm bored, so I invited the guys out for some barbecue skewers. Want to join?"
Before Su Lian could reply, Chi Wang added, "If your family allows, of course."
Glancing back at the empty room, Su Lian said self-mockingly, "They don't really care what I do."
"Then come on out. I'll send you the address," Chi Wang chuckled softly, with noisy chatter in the background. "Hurry up, we're all waiting for you."
Seeing the address, Su Lian got up and brushed himself off. He went inside to change into a dress shirt, pocketed his phone, and left.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late, and the buses were still running. The destination was about half an hour away, not too far.
Su Lian arrived at the bustling outdoor barbecue stall. Gu Anjiu, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted him from afar and waved: "Lian-ge, over here!"
"You're here," Chi Wang pulled out the chair beside him and patted it. "Sit down. What do you want to eat? It's on me tonight."
"I'm not hungry," Su Lian leaned back in his chair, feeling like the emotions he'd bottled up all night were about to explode.
Chi Wang picked up a can of cola and placed it in front of him, his long fingers hooking the tab. With a pop, a few bubbles fizzed out.
Staring at the slowly disappearing bubbles, Su Lian pushed it away slowly. "I want to drink alcohol."
His mind was too troubled; he just wanted to get drunk, determined not to go home sober tonight.
"Underage kids shouldn't be drinking alcohol."
"I just suddenly feel like it."
Chi Wang turned his head to look at him. His eyelids were thin, the corners of his eyes curving slightly downward, hiding the emotions in their depths. He looked uninterested.
He paused for half a second, then changed his tone: "Alright, but just a little."
Gu Anjiu, ever perceptive, immediately raised his hand to call the waiter: "Sister, bring us a few bottles of beer."
"It's not easy to get you to come out," Chi Wang picked up a newly arrived beer and clinked it against the others. "Cheers, friends. Happy holidays."
"Long live the holidays!" The group cheered rowdily, eating and chatting, reveling in their youth.
Su Lian was almost completely silent, only occasionally reaching for the bottle to pour more into his glass, then downing it in one go.
The taste was a bit bitter, rolling down his throat and making his heart ache with it.
One glass after another, seemingly endless. The alcohol was indeed effective; as his brain numbed, his senses dulled.
His vision blurred slightly. Su Lian turned his head and finally showed his first smile of the night: "The moon looks beautiful today. Did you see it?"
Having been quiet all this time, his sudden speech came out hoarse, as if laden with some heavy emotion he couldn't suppress.
Chi Wang looked up at the sky and said slowly, "It's hidden behind clouds now. Can't see it."
"That's a shame. You missed out." Su Lian gripped the foggy glass, intending to lean back but swaying slightly as he lost his balance.
"The moon comes every year. It's no big deal." Chi Wang steadied the glass, touching Su Lian's cold fingers as he did so. He said quietly, "You don't seem to hold your liquor well. Stop drinking."
Su Lian raised his fingertips, brushing against Chi Wang's fingers, absorbing a pitiful amount of warmth. "So you're starting to look after me too?"
Chi Wang didn't respond, his hand still in place as he pondered how to continue the conversation.
Beside them, Gu Anjiu started encouraging everyone to play party games. Standing with his hands on his hips in the center, he rapidly proposed three ideas.
The others rejected them one by one, complaining all the while. Unable to decide, the group argued noisily, nearly turning the place upside down.
"So, what happens when you get drunk?" Because of the noise, Chi Wang leaned in closer, his shoulder touching Su Lian's.
Su Lian turned to look at him, his eyes clearing for a moment before being clouded by alcohol again.
He blinked slowly, leaning forward to whisper in Chi Wang's ear, his voice almost too soft to hear.
"I suppose... I might go crazy."