Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The kiss was light and brief, but Cheng Xun’s eyes snapped wide open in sheer bewilderment. His brain felt like it was surging with electricity, a roaring static backdrop to the scorching heat and the rapid, thundering beat of his own heart.

Cheng Xun stood frozen, rigid to the bone. He even forgot to breathe, let alone push Lu Xingshu away.

Lu Xingshu slowly let go. As their lips parted, his nose brushed slightly against the curve of Cheng Xun’s upper lip. They were so close that their breaths mingled, warm and frantic against each other’s skin.

Noticing Cheng Xun’s reaction—the way he was as still as a statue, his breathing nearly stopping—Lu Xingshu realized the other boy was holding his breath out of sheer nerves. He reached out, cupping Cheng Xun’s cheeks in his palms and gently shaking them.

“Cheng Xun.”

That voice finally summoned Cheng Xun’s soul back from wherever it had been blasted. Lu Xingshu’s palms were slightly cool, feeling remarkably comfortable against his burning cheeks.

Looking at the face inches from his own, Cheng Xun’s breathing grew ragged. His heart was hammering against his ribs. The features before him began to merge perfectly with the person from his dream… the sharp line of the brow, the clean, handsome eyes, and those “puppy dog” eyes that tilted slightly downward at the corners.

“You… you… you…” Cheng Xun finally found his vocal cords, but he couldn’t form a full sentence. “I… I… I…”

He had intended for Lu Xingshu to punch him to even the score, so why did things turn out like this? Why did Lu Xingshu suddenly kiss him? And why, after being kissed by a guy, was his first instinct not to throw a punch?

Cheng Xun forcefully pried Lu Xingshu’s hands off his face and took a violent step back. In his haste, he tripped over the trash can behind him, losing his balance and falling backward. Lu Xingshu reached out in time to grab Cheng Xun’s wrist, but Cheng Xun’s counter-force dragged them both down to the floor together.

The only mercy was that they didn’t land in the trash can.

Ignoring their pathetic state, Cheng Xun grabbed Lu Xingshu by the collar. Lu Xingshu, who had been trying to push himself up, stumbled and was dragged back down by the force.

“Why did you kiss me?” Cheng Xun looked up at him, his expression a mix of fierce and conflicted—looking very much like a kitten baring its claws. “You…”

Lu Xingshu knew he should explain, and logically, they shouldn’t remain lying on the floor in such a mess. But as he looked at Cheng Xun’s expression, he froze for a second, and then he laughed.

Lu Xingshu rarely laughed. At most, he’d shown Cheng Xun a faint curve of the lips before. But this time… his eyes crinkled into beautiful arcs, his thin lips pressed together as the corners turned up. It was an unmistakable, radiant smile.

Cheng Xun glared. “What are you laughing at?”

“You’re the one who told me to,” Lu Xingshu said.

“Liar! I told you to repeat…” what I did to you yesterday.

Cheng Xun stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. He painfully swallowed the rest of the words.

Did I kiss Lu Xingshu yesterday?

No way. How could I…

Memory flooded back—the dream of the person who looked exactly like Lu Xingshu, the way he had lunged forward without a care to kiss them. It wasn’t a dream.

As Cheng Xun sat there in a daze, his grip on Lu Xingshu’s collar loosened. Lu Xingshu took the opportunity to take his wrist and pull him up. Their classmates would be back from the exercises soon; it wouldn’t be good if they were misunderstood. Rumors were lethal.

Cheng Xun instinctively gripped Lu Xingshu’s wrist, looking up to speak, but Lu Xingshu shook his head. “They’re almost back.”

Footsteps approached the classroom. As Cheng Xun’s reason returned, he let go and strode to the window, rapidly drawing the curtains open. Soft sunlight poured in, dispelling the gloom. Dust motes danced in the visible beams of light.

Once finished, Cheng Xun hurried to his seat and buried his head in his arms, even covering his ears in a desperate attempt at “concealment.”

Actually, the moment he had kissed him back, Lu Xingshu had figured it out. He knew exactly what he wanted. He just couldn’t say it out loud yet.

With his face buried in his arms, Cheng Xun’s eyes were pressed against his sleeves, creating soft, watery sparks of light in his vision.

He still couldn’t remember the details of that night, but one thing was certain: he thought he had kissed a random person in a dream, when in reality, that person was Lu Xingshu. His cherished first kiss had been given away to a boy while he was completely blacked out.

Cheng Xun was currently a mess of collapse, helplessness, and emotional turmoil.

To make matters worse, the next class was math with the head teacher, “Old Ma.” Strict as ever, Old Ma didn’t miss a beat, hitting Cheng Xun with a piece of chalk for daydreaming and making him stand in the back for half the lesson.

By the time class ended, Cheng Xun was completely wilted. He was the first to bolt out to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. As the water dripped from his chin, his mind cleared slightly. He touched his lips with the back of his hand, and Lu Xingshu’s handsome face and perfect lips flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

Cheng Xun: “…”

His cheeks began to burn again, forcing him to splash even more cold water.

It was just because I was drunk. An accident. A fluke. Besides, I forgot it anyway.

It could have ended there, but he just had to drag Lu Xingshu into a corner and demand an explanation. He just had to force the guy to “retaliate”…

Ask, ask, ask. Why did you have to ask?!

Cheng Xun ruffled his hair in utter frustration, a look of despair on his face. “I’m such an idiot!” he cursed under his breath.

Now, the awkwardness between them was so thick that even the students sitting in front of them could sense it. Cheng Xun sent a WeChat to Xie Qiubai saying they’d eat lunch together and was the first to vanish when the bell rang.

Lu Xingshu watched his retreating back from his seat, chin in his hand, lost in thought. Since he had the breakfast he’d forgotten to eat in his desk, he decided to skip the cafeteria.

Even though Cheng Xun was the one who suggested the meal, he sat in the cafeteria picking at his food with a heavy expression, clearly lacking an appetite.

“Cheng Xun, what’s up with you?”

Seeing no reaction, Xie Qiubai launched a barrage of nicknames. “Xun-ge? Brother Cheng? Xiao Xun?”

Cheng Xun shivered, rolled his eyes, and snapped, “Don’t copy Grandma.”

“Tsk, what actually happened? Look, I picked the most isolated corner of the cafeteria. Just say it. My lips are sealed, total secrecy.” Xie Qiubai looked sincere, though Cheng Xun didn’t quite believe the “sealed lips” part.

“So, if… I mean if,” Cheng Xun hesitated, building up his courage. “If someone accidentally got drunk, accidentally kissed you, and then forgot everything the next day, what would you do?”

Xie Qiubai chewed on a pork rib, processing the information. “What else? It’s not like I’d make a girl take responsibility. Besides, it’s just a kiss, not like I lost a limb. If anything, I’m the one who gained…”

“What if it’s a guy?” Cheng Xun interrupted flatly.

“…something.” Xie Qiubai finished his sentence out of habit, but his expression shifted from nonchalance to a disgusted scowl. “Then I’d give him two punches.”

Cheng Xun stopped moving and sighed inwardly. Right. That’s the correct reaction. Two punches. Simple.

The problem was, Cheng Xun didn’t want to hit Lu Xingshu. He wasn’t really that angry; he was just overwhelmed by the post-kiss awkwardness and the confusion of how to face him.

Am I really gay? Just because of one kiss? Oh wait, two kisses…

Xie Qiubai’s brain hadn’t connected the dots to Cheng Xun himself yet. Seeing his friend’s troubled face, he tried to offer some comfort. “Since it was a ‘drunk’ thing, don’t overthink it. People do crazy stuff when they’re wasted. Look at all those hilarious drunk videos online. Relax, even if it’s a guy, you haven’t lost a limb.”

“Right, a person doesn’t just ‘turn gay’ instantly…” Cheng Xun muttered, his voice being swallowed by the noise of the cafeteria.

His “type” had always been fair, beautiful, gentle girls. It certainly wasn’t tall, solid, cold-faced high school boys. He must be overreacting.

Xie Qiubai looked confused. “What was that?”

Cheng Xun pinched his own cheek hard and forced a smile. “Nothing. It was all a misunderstanding. It’s fine now.”

“Oh…” Xie Qiubai bit into another rib and finally noticed the most unusual thing about today. “By the way, where’s your Lu Xingshu? Usually, you two are like blood brothers. Why didn’t you call him for lunch?”

Cheng Xun froze. He realized that at the mention of Lu Xingshu’s name, his heart skipped a beat in total chaos.

“Uh, he… he said he wasn’t hungry,” he stammered.

“Huh?” Xie Qiubai thought for a moment; he didn’t recall Lu Xingshu having the appetite of a bird. But since Cheng Xun said so, he didn’t push it, though he did offer a reminder: “Don’t forget we have PE this afternoon. If he doesn’t eat anything and faints while running, that’ll be embarrassing.”

Xie Qiubai was right.

Cheng Xun stopped wallowing. He finished his lunch, then went to the school store to buy two pineapple buns and a can of Coke. He remembered those were things Lu Xingshu liked.

As he paid, Cheng Xun suddenly paused.

I know Lu Xingshu’s preferences a little too well.