HR Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Date

Bai Ze had been waiting at the door. When Xiao Qi approached, he smiled respectfully and meticulously, saying, “Welcome back.” The heart that had been in his throat finally settled back into his stomach. He had been worried Xiao Qi would make an irreversible decision. Fortunately, Xiao Qi wasn’t stupid.

Xiao Qi pointed to the garland on his head, showing off. “I made it myself. Is it pretty?”

“It’s beautiful. Go and see, your brother has brought you something good.” Bai Ze said with a smile, “He wouldn’t even show it to me until you got back, making such a mystery of it.”

“Really? The uncle is back?” Xiao Qi ran a few steps cheerfully, then turned back to call out to Bai Ze, “Brother Bai, hurry up!”

Turning into the courtyard, he saw Zhu Yan, the big guy, sitting under the flower trellis, his two broad palms cupped together carefully in front of his chest. Hearing Xiao Qi call him, he immediately stood up and took a few steps to meet him. Looking at the rosy-cheeked, slightly breathless young boy in front of him, Zhu Yan’s rough voice unconsciously softened. He stretched out his hands, cupped, towards Xiao Qi for him to see. “Do you recognize these? You can eat them. Have a taste.”

In his broad palms was a handful of bright red wild raspberries, each one fresh and moist, composed of many tiny drupelets, exquisite and beautiful.

Perhaps he had been holding them for a long time, the one Xiao Qi pinched and put into his mouth was still warm. It tasted like strawberries, sweet and sour, but with an indescribable wild flavor. Xiao Qi was deeply moved. He pinched one and offered it to Zhu Yan’s mouth. The bear-like man’s eyes immediately reddened, and he turned his head, not daring to let Xiao Qi see.

It was impossible to tell what Bai Ze’s expression was. He stood at a distance for a while before walking over and teasing, “Brother, don’t forget your brothers just because you saw Xiao Qi. What good stuff is it? You should let me see it, too.”

“This is something only wild kids eat. You wouldn’t want it.” Saying this, he stretched his hand out towards Bai Ze. Bai Ze pinched a raspberry, tasted it, and glanced at Zhu Yan. “How do you know I don’t want it? You’re not me.”

Zhu Yan was at a loss for words. He really didn’t know if Bai Ze wanted it or not.

Xiao Qi smiled, his eyes narrowed. He stuffed a raspberry into Zhu Yan’s mouth, leaned close to Zhu Yan’s ear, and whispered something. Zhu Yan’s face lit up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly, saying “Okay, okay, okay.”

Bai Ze laughed, “What can’t you say out in the open? Are you afraid I’ll eavesdrop?”

“This is our secret. We can’t tell Brother Bai.” Xiao Qi grabbed a few raspberries from Zhu Yan’s palm, hopped forward a couple of steps, retreated, took off the garland on his head, put it on Zhu Yan’s head, waved his hand, and left, his steps so light he seemed about to fly.

Bai Ze joked to Zhu Yan, “Hmm, seeing you wearing the garland reminds me of a movie, ‘Garland Under the Mountain’.”

Zhu Yan said “Ah?” indicating he hadn’t heard of the movie’s name. Bai Ze still smiled. “I’ll catch you up on your knowledge someday.”

Zhu Yan took the opportunity to give Bai Ze the remaining raspberries in his hand as payment for Bai Ze catching him up on his knowledge in the future. Bai Ze muttered, “So stingy! And these are what’s left over from others.” He ate every last raspberry in Zhu Yan’s hand and left.

There was no one in the living room. Xiao Qi looked around, stuck his head into the kitchen, and asked Sha Tang, who was busy preparing dinner, “Where is he?”

Sha Tang spared a moment from his work to say, “Sleeping.”

No one had ever told Xiao Qi Lu Qinyuan’s name. Lu Qinyuan himself didn’t say it, and others wouldn’t say it either. Xiao Qi wouldn’t ask, so it remained vague.

Hearing that he was in the bedroom, Xiao Qi hesitated slightly before going upstairs. Standing in front of the bedroom door, he first knocked. Hearing no movement inside, he reached out and turned the doorknob, walking in.

The milky white curtains weren’t completely closed, and a ray of sunlight shone on the floor of the bedroom. A person was sleeping quietly on the bed, so quiet that he could hear his shallow breathing. Xiao Qi sat on a stool by the bed and waited, tilting his head to stare at Lu Qinyuan’s face. For the first time in a long time, Xiao Qi looked closely at Lu Qinyuan’s face. His sleeping eyebrows and eyes were handsome and refined, as elegant and beautiful as a humble scholar. His brow was slightly furrowed, revealing a hint of weakness.

Xiao Qi stretched out his finger and gently smoothed out the wrinkles between Lu Qinyuan’s eyebrows. He withdrew his hand only when his brow was smooth. He placed the raspberries in his hand in a small white porcelain dish on the bedside table, rested his chin in his hand, and quietly looked at Lu Qinyuan for a while. Not knowing what he was thinking, he smiled softly, got up, and left the bedroom.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, Lu Qinyuan slowly opened his eyes, with no sleepiness in them at all. He raised his hand and touched his brow, tilted his head, and saw the few red raspberries in the white porcelain dish. He reached over and slowly put them into his mouth, one by one.

Xiao Qi’s fingers were very cold, ice-cold like a dead person’s, with no vitality. When they touched his brow, the chill was piercing, instantly waking the already light-sleeping Lu Qinyuan. But after adjusting to it, he felt the coolness was comfortable, clearly and distinctly bringing a sense of clarity to his heart. When the coolness disappeared, it made him feel a kind of longing.

Lu Qinyuan suddenly remembered that Xiao Qi’s lips were also cold, but after thinking about it carefully, he wasn’t so sure.

In the evening, Lu Qinyuan pinned Xiao Qi down and demanded a kiss, sighing in his heart. As expected, they were cold, he hadn’t misremembered.

Xiao Qi was breathless from the kiss, and moved by the emotion. However, Lu Qinyuan was very calm and not lost in lust. He cupped his face, made him open his eyes. The light grey pupils intertwined with strands of lust, clean and blurred, clear and graceful. Every time he looked, he couldn’t help but sink into them a little more, but he hated his heart for being unable to control itself, wanting to completely destroy the root of his uncontrollability.

Lu Qinyuan’s gaze made Xiao Qi afraid, and he closed his eyes. Lu Qinyuan lowered his head and kissed his eyes. “The raspberries were delicious, like you, sweet and sour.” He paused, then added, “Thank you.” As if sighing.

Xiao Qi lay there like a corpse, wanting to laugh but unable to.

In the dimly lit bedroom, there was a rustling sound of dressing. Probably because the carpet was laid, there was no sound of footsteps. After a while, the bedroom door was quietly opened, and a figure flashed out.

The sky was still gray, and a hint of fish-belly white was showing in the east. Xiao Qi walked into the garden and met up with Zhu Yan, who was waiting under the flower trellis. Together, they climbed over the wall and left the villa.

They went straight along the road to the top of the mountain, where there was an octagonal pavilion, perfect for watching the sunrise.

The wind at the top of the mountain was still very cool. Zhu Yan and Xiao Qi sat side by side on the railing, facing east, watching the fiery red sun, like a flame, leaping out of the clouds. The rosy clouds spread out, dyeing the lightly stretched and slowly unfurling clouds, like a gorgeous, bright red dancing skirt, rising gracefully with the sun.

The moment the sun leaped out of the clouds, the dazzling golden light split the darkness and instantly illuminated the entire earth.

Bathed in the morning light, Xiao Qi stood up on the railing, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted loudly towards the foot of the mountain, “Ah–” The sound floated far away, and the echo could be heard for a long time.

Zhu Yan was startled by Xiao Qi’s shout and followed suit with a shout. His deep voice was like a tiger’s roar, shaking the eardrums. Xiao Qi was startled and, not to be outdone, shouted again, this time using all his strength, a sharp and high-pitched sound piercing through the air like an arrow.

After shouting, Xiao Qi was stunned, unable to believe that the sound was his own.

They shouted like they were in a competition until their voices were completely hoarse, but their spirits were higher than ever. They strolled slowly back, stepping through the morning wind and dew. Xiao Qi would occasionally run to the woods by the side of the road to pick wildflowers, sorting out a large bouquet for Zhu Yan to hold. He hummed an unknown tune as he braided a garland, and Zhu Yan followed behind him, walking slowly.

Looking at Xiao Qi, Zhu Yan was reminded of his own younger sister. He once had a younger sister who was just as lively and lovely as Xiao Qi.

When Zhu Yan was still a thug, he fought fiercely and was highly appreciated by the boss. Knowing that he had a younger sister, the boss sent a cake on his sister’s birthday to show his regard. The brother and sister depended on each other. Zhu Yan wouldn’t even bear to take a bite of anything good. This time was the same. He sat beside her, watching his sister happily eat the cake, chattering to him about how she and her girlfriends had gotten into trouble together at school today, bullying a little boy until he cried. No matter how they coaxed him, he wouldn’t stop crying, and cried even harder the more they tried to coax him, what a sissy.

His sister was very naughty. Zhu Yan was often called to the school by the teacher, getting scolded like a grandson. However, as soon as he thought about being scolded for his sister’s sake, Zhu Yan’s heart felt as if it were soaked in honey.

Then, he watched helplessly as his own younger sister died in his arms.

The boss had wanted to poison Zhu Yan, whose popularity was too strong, whose ability was too great, and who was popular. The boss was afraid, afraid that he would be replaced.

Zhu Yan sat holding his sister’s body for a long time, unable to even cry out of grief. When the door was kicked open, he looked at his loyal boss, who was expressing regret. “How are you still alive? Seeing your sister dead, do you still have the face to live?” He gestured to his subordinates to take care of it.

Zhu Yan looked down at his sister, who was no longer breathing and whose body was already cold. He let out two unintelligible whimpers from his mouth. Seeing the boss about to leave, he quickly got up, grabbed the boss, and beat him to death with a flurry of punches and kicks.

The violent scene frightened the underlings who had gone with him so much that they peed their pants and forgot to even run for their lives.

Zhu Yan chased after the escaping people through the streets, filled with murderous intent, the cries for help from their mouths shrill and ear-piercing, as if the ferocious beasts chasing behind them were the scariest thing in the world.

It was at that time that he met Lu Qinyuan.

Lu Qinyuan helped with a small favor, tripping the person being chased. Watching that person being beaten to death by the Zhu Yan who had caught up, he smiled and said, “Follow me.”

Zhu Yan was silent for a long time, then said in a dry, rough voice, “I am very strong.”

“Don’t worry, I’m even stronger than you.” Because of this small favor, Zhu Yan followed Lu Qinyuan wholeheartedly.

When he saw Xiao Qi, Zhu Yan felt as if he was seeing his younger sister again. Their smiles were very similar, reflecting colorful rays of light in his heart like sunshine.

His hand hanging by his side was tugged, and Zhu Yan suddenly came back to his senses. Xiao Qi’s voice was close to his ear. “Uncle, if you take one more step, you’ll run into the wall.”

Looking ahead, they had already reached the front of the villa. Zhu Yan smiled, trying to cover it up. “Oh, we’re here. My skin is thick, I’m not afraid of bumping into things.” He took Xiao Qi’s hand and stepped into the villa together.

Turning past the shadow wall, they hadn’t walked far when they saw Bai Ze walking quickly towards them. He stepped forward and chopped apart their joined hands, saying to Xiao Qi, “Master Lu has been waiting for you for a long time. Go quickly.”

He turned and grabbed Zhu Yan, dragging him to the side. Xiao Qi walked a little further away, and could still hear snippets of conversation saying, “You’re getting too close to Xiao Qi…”

“Xiao Qi is a younger brother.” Zhu Yan’s voice was very blank.

But in other people’s eyes, it wasn’t.