Watching the Setting Sun Along the Same Path - Chapter 8

After swimming, they went to retrieve their bikes. Fei Yuan had come on his big motorcycle again, which was quite eye-catching. The class monitor, who hadn’t had enough of the experience last time, was even more enthusiastic this round and asked, “Fei Yuan, can you give me a ride home?”

Fei Yuan lowered his head to check his phone for messages and replied, “No.”

“What about me? Fei Yuan, I really like you.”

“Get lost. You came on a bike, didn’t you?”

“If Fei Yuan gave me a ride, I wouldn’t care even if I came on a tricycle.”

Listening to their banter, Fei Yuan thought this group was all a bit offbeat, but he felt comfortable around them. He looked up with a smile and saw Lu Ketong standing a few steps away, clutching a swim ring, his face scrunched up again.

The class monitor noticed too and called out to Lu Ketong, “Lulu, still not happy?”

Lu Ketong said softly, “I want a ride too.” After saying it, he felt foolish and cowardly. Watching Fei Yuan being surrounded like a star, he replied, “I’m hungry. I’m heading home first.”

There was no sound of a motorcycle starting behind him. The others were still chattering away. He glared at the Doraemon on his swim ring and went to the street to hail a taxi. With cars coming and going, it was hard to get one, and someone even snatched one from him.

Sighing, he crossed the street and stood under a bus stop, lost in thought. He couldn’t help thinking how dreamlike that scene at the swimming pool had been—so dreamy it felt unreal.

“What are you doing?” Fei Yuan had appeared out of nowhere without making a sound. Lu Ketong looked around and saw the motorcycle parked in the bike lane. He must have been too lost in thought to hear it.

“Waiting for the bus, obviously. I have a bus card.”

Fei Yuan stood beside him with his arms crossed and said, “I know you do. You’ve shown it off several times.”

Lu Ketong glared at him angrily. “You know nothing! I got it just so I could ride the bus with you! The line was so long! So long!”

“Aren’t you hungry? You still have so much energy.” Fei Yuan thought the little sapling might be going through puberty, swinging between melancholy and anger. “I’ll treat you to a meal. Isn’t it time for your milk?”

The others had eaten something at the swimming pool, but the two of them hadn’t had anything and were starving. When Fei Yuan got on the motorcycle, Lu Ketong quickly followed, sitting on the back seat. He had to hold the swim ring, so he wrapped one arm around Fei Yuan.

With the wind whistling past his ears, he asked, “Am I the first one to ride on your motorcycle?”

“No.”

He hadn’t expected to be. He figured Little White Rabbit must have ridden it before, probably even wrapping both arms around Fei Yuan. Fei Yuan had no idea what Lu Ketong was imagining, but he thought back and remembered the first person was his mom. He had given her a ride because she was running late for work.

After finishing their meal and leaving the restaurant, Lu Ketong immediately got back on the motorcycle and said, “Thanks for taking me home.”

Fei Yuan flicked his forehead, annoyed by his cheekiness. Full and content, Lu Ketong grew drowsy from the wind during the ride. He buried his face in Fei Yuan’s back, occasionally nuzzling against it.

Fei Yuan only dropped him off on the street outside his gate. In the quiet afternoon with few people around, the surroundings felt particularly pleasant. Lu Ketong got off the motorcycle, rubbing his eyes and blinking afterward.

“Did you fall asleep? You kept nuzzling me.”

“No, my eyes hurt.”

Fei Yuan pressed his head, making him open his eyes, and said it was probably from swimming, though it shouldn’t be a big deal for such a short time. “Too delicate.” Fei Yuan took a closer look.

Lu Ketong’s throat tightened, and he abruptly turned his head away, blushing as he said, “I keep thinking you’re going to kiss me.”

“Did your brain get waterlogged from swimming?” Fei Yuan slapped the back of his head and told him to get lost. He pursed his lips and ran toward home, but after a few steps, he stopped and turned around, waving the Doraemon swim ring.

“What now?”

Lu Ketong shouted, “Fei Yuan, when I grow three centimeters taller, will you like me then?”

Fei Yuan ignored him, turned his bike around, and rode off. Standing there alone, he felt like slapping himself. What was he doing? It was embarrassing and stupid—so uncool.

When he got home, Wen Ning noticed something was off and followed him around, trying to coax him. What did he want? What did he want to eat? She was getting anxious.

“Lulu, did someone bully you?”

“Who could bully me?” He lay flat on the sofa, sulking. “My heart rate’s been weird lately. It keeps jumping around for no reason. So annoying.”

“Heart problems aren’t something to take lightly. How about we go to the hospital for a checkup?”

“No need. I’ll just eat something good.” Worried he might scare Wen Ning if he said more, he sat up and said, “I’m going to do my homework. I want to make the top five in the next exam. Make something for dinner that’ll help me grow taller.”

Wen Ning stifled a laugh. “Did someone call you short?”

Lu Ketong flared up again. “I’m not short at all! 176 cm is the perfect height for a male god!”

The male god trudged upstairs with his swim ring, flopped onto his bed, and rolled around groaning. His phone rang, so he turned over, propped his head on the swim ring, and answered weakly.

It was Qiu Luomin. “Lulu, I logged into your account. Why does it show you still have nine lessons left?”

Lu Ketong said, “I bought another course. I think I need to work on my English too. It’s your turn to buy now.”

“No way. My English is great.” Qiu Luomin refused to pay.

“You’re so stingy. After these nine lessons, I won’t buy any more. I’ll hire a private tutor at home, and you can mooch off me.” After saying that, he felt a bit better and more energetic. He asked, “Qiu, what’s it like to like guys?”

Qiu Luomin paused for a few seconds before replying, “I’ll ask my mom for you another day.”

Lu Ketong said, “If you don’t like guys, why were you flirting with Little White Rabbit?”

“I was just testing if I liked guys or not. I didn’t even get a chance to figure it out before I got knocked out. I had it rough too.” Sensing something off, Qiu Luomin asked, “Lulu, don’t tell me you like me?”

Lu Ketong dodged the question. “Who likes your dad? I don’t even like my own dad.”

Just before hanging up, Lu Ketong suddenly stopped Qiu Luomin and stammered, “What’s Little White Rabbit’s name?”

After hanging up, he rolled around on the bed for a while, then lay there clutching his stomach, lost in thought. Little White Rabbit’s name was Shen Duoyi. It sounded nicer than his own name, he thought. He even imagined Fei Yuan calling Shen Duoyi “Duoduo.”

Is this what it feels like to like guys? Does this mean he likes guys now? Why? He was supposed to seduce Fei Yuan to piss off Lu Ruopei, then dump Fei Yuan to get revenge for his friend.

It’s all Lu Ruopei’s fault. If he likes guys, it’s because he inherited the problematic genes. Lu Ruopei ruins everything!

The next day at school, he spotted the class monitor walking with the study committee member from Class One from afar. Even though they were a meter apart, he could still sense the sweet, tender atmosphere between them.

Once in class, Lu Ketong kicked the class monitor in the butt. The monitor turned around, ready to hit him, and said, “Are you rebelling? Don’t you know I’m second only to the homeroom teacher!”

He pretended to be the school broadcast station and shouted, “The class monitor is having a puppy love! He beat up a classmate for love!”

After being chased and beaten around, nearly tripping in the narrow aisle, he ran back to his seat but turned and flopped onto Fei Yuan’s desk. Fei Yuan was expressionlessly reading a book and flicked him on the forehead.

The class monitor said, “Lulu, if you fall in love, it’s puppy love. I’m already seventeen, you don’t understand the flower season and rainy season.”

Lu Ketong looked at Fei Yuan and asked, “Do you understand?”

Fei Yuan retorted, “Do you know why the school forbids puppy love?”

The class monitor patted Fei Yuan’s shoulder, thinking, I leave the kid to you. Lu Ketong felt Fei Yuan wouldn’t say anything he wanted to hear and was about to turn away, but Fei Yuan smiled at him.

Just like that day at the swimming pool.

He mumbled, “Afraid it’ll affect studies.”

Fei Yuan leaned forward, away from the chair back, staring into Lu Ketong’s eyes, and said, “Because people in their teens are especially foolish. They see someone good-looking and want to look a few more times. After looking too much, they think they like them. If someone flirts with them a few times, they think they’re incredibly charming and attractive.”

But really, it’s all nonsense.

Lu Ketong felt so wronged. Hadn’t he just been messing around with the class monitor for a bit? What’s the big deal? He glared, huffing and puffing for a long time but couldn’t come up with any rebuttal. When the teacher entered the classroom, he turned around as if saved.

Just like that, Fei Yuan had peace for the whole morning, and the little sapling wilted all morning.

“Lulu, not going to eat? Want me to bring you something?”

“Don’t worry about me, you guys go ahead.” After the classroom emptied, Lu Ketong put on his earphones, planning to listen to the rest of the lesson. The teacher with a slight accent was still wearing the same clothes, his glasses glinting with wisdom.

He listened for five minutes and then turned it off. What was he doing this for? He had only listened to the lesson to explain it to Fei Yuan, and now he didn’t want to listen at all. The empty classroom was left with just him. He took a carton of milk from his desk drawer and muttered to himself, “Life is probably like this, but milk still has to be drunk.”

Damn it, Lu Ruopei is so tall! Why didn’t he pass on the good genes? Lu Ruopei is harming people again!

As lunch break approached, classmates gradually returned. Fei Yuan took off his school uniform jacket, holding it in his hand, his broad shoulders and arm lines fully visible. Lu Ketong thought, of course you want to look a few more times at someone good-looking! What’s wrong with liking them after looking too much?

He turned around. Fei Yuan was untangling his earphone cord, and the question on the tip of his tongue changed: “What kind of music do you like?”

“Crosstalk.”

The bell rang. Fei Yuan put on his earphones and lay sideways on the desk, clearly not wanting to talk. Lu Ketong turned back and resumed listening to his math lesson. Maybe Qiu’er was right—what’s the point of falling in love? Getting into Tsinghua is more important.

But that guy Fei secretly used his umbrella and laughed at him on the basketball court.

But that guy Fei helped him with his duties and gave him a Doraemon swim ring.

The classroom was quiet. Lu Ketong gently turned around, tilting his head to stare at Fei Yuan. Fei Yuan had his eyes closed, listening to crosstalk as he fell asleep. Lu Ketong lowered his head and whispered super softly, “Fei Yuan, are you asleep?”

Fei Yuan didn’t react. He whispered even softer, “When will you like me?”

He was almost moved by himself. What flower season and rainy season could compare to his adolescent sentimentality? After saying it, he turned back around, feeling less stifled. Behind him, Fei Yuan’s eyelashes fluttered, and then he slowly opened his eyes.

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