The Long Night - Chapter 12

Tang Shaocheng was tossing and turning all night because of his words. There were two such scenes in his memory: Yan Liao calmly saying, “Let’s break up. You should find a normal person to live with,” on his hospital bed, and last night, the child gritting his teeth and saying, “Don’t ever worry about me again.”

During both of these moments, Tang Shaocheng felt a profound sense of anger. But many years later, the anger and fury had all turned to ash. All he remembered were the other person’s teary, red eyes.

When he went to school the next morning, Tang Shaocheng opened the door and saw Yan Liao waiting for him at the top of the stairs as if nothing had happened. He pretended not to see the dark circles under Tang Shaocheng’s eyes and asked casually, “What do you want for breakfast?”… So his harsh words the day before were more like a child’s way of venting his pain and helplessness. Although he had said, “I’m definitely not good enough,” he still packed his backpack full and followed him.

During the lunch break, Teacher Chen met with Yan Liao’s parents in the office. Yang Yi-hang’s parents were causing a big scene in the office.

Unexpectedly, Yan Liao’s parents stood by their child unconditionally, believing the truth was that “the other person started it.” They were firm and refused to back down, stating that if they wanted to call the police, they would see it through to the end.

Yang Yi-hang’s parents didn’t want to go to such extreme lengths, so after some discussion, they reluctantly accepted the medical compensation.

The air conditioning in the study room was on full blast. Behind the white clouds was an orange sunset. The distant sky was like mango sago with a cheese cream top.

The ceiling lights were made to look like balloons, with bright orange light bulbs covered in a round, transparent glass globe. They swayed slightly, and the shadows of the light fell on the books, like jellyfish slowly swimming in the deep sea.

“The shadows of the light”—light doesn’t have a shadow. It should be a light phenomenon. Yan Liao corrected himself and then suddenly realized that even when his mind wandered, he was still thinking about physics. His expression was a little strange.

Tang Shao-cheng was reciting his lessons in the hallway outside. His low voice would occasionally pass through the crack in the door. When he wasn’t there, Yan Liao had trouble concentrating, so he just stared at the shimmering light spots on his notebook in a daze.

The wave nature of light causes interference phenomena.

When two beams of light meet, the crests and troughs cancel each other out, creating interference fringes. In some areas, the light intensity is reduced. The dimmer light source will be swallowed by the bright light, making it look like a “shadow.”

But if two beams of light have the same frequency and are in phase, they will become even brighter when they are superimposed.

Yan Liao’s wandering gaze suddenly paused. The gel pen he was holding also tapped the book twice, leaving a black ink mark.

There was only three months left, but he had never imagined that he could become such a planned person. He had changed a lot in his studies and other areas. It was as if his life had been branded after a quick glance. He was influenced by this person, and he had also developed many of his habits.

Light with the same frequency and in phase.

A brighter light.

In the last month of their senior year, the endless exams were like being flipped over and fried in a cast iron pan. After going through the experience of a drop tower over and over again, their emotions were numb.

Classmates were gradually emptying their seats and going home. The students who were left in the classroom were still in the mood to joke around. “It’s like we were raided by bandits,” “looted,” “our families were torn apart”… Originally, the stacks of books on everyone’s desks were as high as small mountains. From the podium, you couldn’t even see a single face. Now, it felt like everyone had left.

In early June, they had their last dinner in the school cafeteria. When they were feeling a little sad, they heard a classmate passing by say, “Hey, do you know that after this class graduates, the cafeteria will be renovated? I heard a new KFC will open next to the school”… This made the two of them understand the complicated feelings of the previous students when they left.

Auntie at the cafeteria window was giving out free mung bean iced drinks to the seniors. When she was about to hand one to Yan Liao, Tang Shaocheng raised his hand to decline. “Thank you. He’s allergic to mung beans.”

Yan Liao, who was about to say that he was allergic, closed his mouth and whispered in confusion, “Did I tell you that? I don’t remember.”

But he felt inexplicably happy.

The two of them packed their things and left school a week before the college entrance exam. They put all their books in the study room to maintain their routine and not change their learning environment. In the last few days, they followed their teacher’s advice and didn’t do new or difficult problems. They just reviewed some of the basic knowledge points and things they had gotten wrong before.

On the way home, they wanted to relax, so they walked through the park they had always passed but never entered. This place was built in a remote area and had a bad location. Even old people weren’t willing to come here with their speakers to do their exercises, so it slowly became deserted.

The streetlights flickered faintly, making it hard to see the ground. When they reached a downhill part, both of them missed a step. Yan Liao’s nerves were already tense these past few days. He twisted his ankle and cried out in pain.

“Who built stairs here? This sh*tty plaza isn’t even for dogs. What a waste of time building stairs! It’s murder. They should have donated the money to the school to install air conditioning.”

He took two steps in the plaza that not even dogs would come to, and then he quickly switched to hopping on one leg. He hopped to Tang Shaocheng’s side like a lame rabbit. “I twisted it.”

Tang Shaocheng squatted down and pulled up his pant leg. “Is it serious?”

“It’s not. I didn’t hurt a bone.”

Yan Liao tried to twist his ankle. When he twisted it to a certain angle, there was a dull pain, like a small hammer hitting it. He hissed and took a deep breath. Tang Shaocheng had already bent down. “Get on.”

There was still a long way to go home, but he instinctively didn’t want to refuse this kind of intimate contact. Yan Liao didn’t hesitate and lay on Tang Shaocheng’s back. His arms naturally wrapped around his neck.

His gaze moved from Tang Shaocheng’s hairline to the skin on the back of his neck. He suddenly felt a dry throat. After looking for a while, he turned his head and looked at the tall, lush broad-leaf plants on the side of the road, his expression unconsciously happy and proud.

Those stairs were built so well.

The little plaza was also great. It had trees, chairs, and a breeze. It was a famous historical site. It should really be listed as a World Heritage Site.

Yan Liao happily thought about these random things. When he heard Tang Shaocheng ask, “What are you smiling about?” he realized that his lips had been parted in a smile the whole time. He made things worse by whistling and stammered, “…The weather is nice today.”

Tang Shaocheng also chuckled lightly, as if he knew what the child was thinking. He echoed, “It is nice.”

Yan Liao’s face was a little red. He changed the subject. “I must have gotten heavier this past half a year.”

His chin was resting on Tang Shaocheng’s shoulder. His lips were very close to his ear when he spoke, and he suddenly had a strange urge to bite it. He quickly pursed his lips as if he were hiding something and swallowed.

“You’re not heavy.”

Tang Shaocheng walked steadily. His arms were supporting Yan Liao’s thighs, and his breathing was even after a short distance. As if he wanted to prove something, he bounced him up slightly.

Yan Liao, afraid of falling, quickly hugged his neck tightly with his arms, like a vine clinging to him. His chest also pressed more firmly against his broad, strong back.

Through two thin layers of summer school uniform, he felt the temperature of the other person’s skin. His fingertips suddenly felt numb. It was as if a hot current ran through his spine. His heart beat so fast it felt like his ribs were going to break. His breathing paused, and he suddenly buzzed like a mosquito. “I’m a little… short of breath,” and he quickly added, “…The college entrance exam is the day after tomorrow.”

“Don’t be nervous. Relax. Go to bed early these next two days. It will be over soon.”

Tang Shaocheng’s voice was gentle and low, like a gentle hand stroking the top of his head. Yan Liao felt his wildly beating heart calm down, but the force of his arms around the other person didn’t lessen.

He lowered his eyes. His long, thick eyelashes cast a shadow on his cheeks. “How come you’re never nervous?”

Tang Shaocheng said slowly, “I am. When I saw you in the office last week, my heart stopped.”

…Yan Liao remembered his miserable and shameful appearance. He gritted his teeth in embarrassment. “You were nervous that I had offended someone and that you would get revenge on you as my friend.”

Tang Shaocheng laughed happily again.

He walked a little further. Yan Liao was also silent, as if he was about to fall asleep. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but he suddenly moved again, wanting to chat.

“I’ve always had a very strange feeling, like a dream. You suddenly noticed me, and we suddenly became friends.” Yan Liao was lying on Tang Shaocheng’s back. Because he couldn’t see the other person’s expression, he spoke without any reservation, as if he was talking to the dark night. “I feel like my whole life has changed. Sometimes I’m afraid that these things are fake, and I’m also afraid that one day you’ll disappear.”

Tang Shaocheng listened quietly. He didn’t say anything for a long time, so long that Yan Liao thought he wouldn’t say anything more. Then he spoke in a very soft voice. “Don’t be afraid. It won’t happen.”

Even on the day of the college entrance exam, Tang Shaocheng’s mother was away on a business trip. In the morning, the two of them called each other. To catch her flight, his mother omitted all the pleasantries and said in a serious tone, “You must get a spectacular score to prove to others that even as a child from a single-parent family, you’re not inferior to them.”

Tang Shaocheng didn’t say anything and calmly hung up the phone. He checked the documents and stationery in his backpack himself. When he walked into the living room, he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw Yan Liao’s mother standing outside in a beautiful lotus root pink cheongsam. “Let’s go. Auntie will drive you there.”

“…Thank you.”

Tang Shaocheng’s expression was stunned. He followed her into the elevator. He remembered that this was the first time someone had ever driven him to an exam.

When he got downstairs, he saw Yan Liao in the back seat of the car, holding a book of must-memorize classical Chinese. He looked up and saw him. His black eyes were sparkling, and he said in a tone that was hoping for praise, “I got up earlier today.”

It was said that in the past few years, it would always rain on these two days of the college entrance exam, but for their year, the air was humid and stuffy, like a tropical rainforest.

Outside the exam hall, they heard a student say that it was “the day before the end of the world.” Yan Liao stood under a tree. Tang Shaocheng stood next to him, fanning him with his transparent pencil case.

There was a vendor selling watermelons on the side of the road, but no student went to buy one, probably afraid of getting an upset stomach.

There were also TV reporters gathered at the entrance. Last night, a classmate had said in the class group chat, “The first person to come out of the exam hall, remember to tell the camera to cancel the make-up days for holidays”… The more Yan Liao tried to relax, the more his mind was filled with random things. He couldn’t stop for a second. He even had to remind himself, “Humans need to breathe.”

He sat on the steps. Tang Shaocheng stood in front of him, his back blocking the sun. He looked as if he was in control of everything, like a parent accompanying him to the exam, and he could calmly reassure the child.

Just as Yan Liao’s mood got better, he heard a classmate next to him loudly discussing, “I bet on this question,” and he collapsed forward again, his head hitting Tang Shaocheng’s chest. “I can’t do this.”

Tang Shaocheng’s abdominal muscles were hard. He felt like his head was a little concussed from the impact. His chin rested on the other person’s clothes. He looked up with his misty eyes. “…Even you’re hurting me.”

“Let me rub it for you.”

Tang Shaocheng chuckled and then rubbed the child’s hair. Yan Liao didn’t move. He just stayed pressed against him, looking up at him. After a while, he suddenly raised his arms and hugged Tang Shaocheng’s waist, burying his face in his abdomen.

A flock of birds flew across the clear, blue sky. The sound of their wings flapping quickly was like an intense drumbeat. Their gray-white feathers spiraled down.

Tang Shaocheng lowered his head, his fingers a little too casually brushing against Yan Liao’s exposed ear. He felt the arms around his waist suddenly tighten. Neither of them said another word.

Before they were about to enter the exam hall, their class leader said he wanted to give them one last word of encouragement. He shouted with a firm voice, “Let’s all die together!” He was beaten by a few girls who shrieked, but the atmosphere was a little more relaxed, and a group of people filed into the exam hall. Tang Shaocheng patted Yan Liao’s shoulder. “I’ll wait for you.” Yan Liao smiled at him. “Who knows who’ll be waiting for who?”

The two of them separated on the first floor and walked to the security check in front of their respective classrooms. Just before they went in, they both turned back to look at each other at the same time. The gentle light quietly fell on them.

After the broadcast announced the exam rules, the bell rang. The teacher on the podium used a utility knife to open the sealed exam papers and answer sheets and distributed them one by one according to their seat numbers.

Tang Shaocheng vaguely felt that this scene was a dream replayed. When the Chinese exam paper was handed to him, it still had the faint smell of printer’s ink. He quickly scanned the questions from beginning to end. He had no memory of them, but he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he were being reunited with an old friend.

Over the course of two days, he answered the questions smoothly from beginning to end. He felt that he might even do better than he did back then. The last subject was English. With about fifteen minutes left until the end of the exam, most of the people in the exam hall had already finished their papers. A relaxed and free atmosphere flowed silently through the air.

Tang Shaocheng didn’t sit up straight until the bell for collecting the papers rang. He watched the teachers walk back and forth until the exam papers, answer sheets, and scratch paper on his desk were all cleared away one by one. The bell rang for a long time, like a retreating tide. It was so long that when he stood up and walked out in a daze, he had a slight ringing in his ears. The last moments of his high school life came to an end with that bell.