OVTTGTBE Chapter 13

First Snow

First Snow

The atmosphere at the table fell into an awkward silence once more, but this time, it was Bai Yao who was speechless.

He awkwardly held the wet wipe for his hands, repeatedly wiping the back and palm of his hand, thinking, “Well, the tables have turned.”

“Bai Yao, I have to criticize you here.”

Li Jinyang said earnestly, “Since things have changed, why didn’t you tell us? Isn’t this bullying little Liu? Bro, really sorry, it’s Bai Yao’s fault for not telling us clearly.”

“Don’t blame Bai Yao.”

Liu Yucheng proactively took the blame, “It’s all my fault. Don’t let me affect your relationship… hiss.”

Bai Yao was about to explode with anger, but he didn’t know how to retort, so he secretly reached his hand under the table and pinched Liu Yucheng’s thigh hard.

Was Liu Yucheng always this eloquent? Oh, he was quite the talker online. So, he was switching personalities like changing hairstyles in the game?

“Bro, have some tea.” Zhang Yifang held the water bottle and poured a cup of tea for Liu Yucheng, then used the glass turntable on the table to turn it to Liu Yucheng, “You’re sick, drink more hot water.”

“Thank you,” Liu Yucheng said politely.

After ordering, Li Jinyang looked at them with a grin and asked, “So, what’s the situation between you two now? Are you secretly holding hands under the table again?”

“No, we haven’t made up. I’m still single.”

Bai Yao said unhappily, “This topic can end here.”

Since he said so, the other three didn’t continue to discuss it, and the topic gradually shifted to the game.

When Bai Yao was chatting with them, Liu Yucheng sat quietly on the side and listened, not interrupting, and only answering when others asked him something.

He didn’t touch his phone from beginning to end.

In order to get him to glance at WeChat, Bai Yao deliberately took out his phone and flipped through his WeChat Moments in front of him; but Liu Yucheng sat there very properly, as if he hadn’t brought his phone out at all.

Could it be that Liu Yucheng doesn’t look at his phone after he sits down at the table?

Bai Yao carefully recalled for a while, and it seemed that it was true. In the past, when the two of them made appointments to eat together, he would always take out his phone first to play videos; Liu Yucheng didn’t seem to look at his phone very often when he was with him.

Forget it, maybe he’ll look at it when he goes to the bathroom later. Bai Yao thought, then he’d find a reason to go with him, keeping an eye on him, and the men’s restroom in this restaurant doesn’t have partitions in the middle…

The dishes were served one after another, and Bai Yao asked the waiter for an empty cup and poured some warm water into it.

“Bai Yao, what are you doing? Are you planning to eat spicy food with us today?” Zhang Yifang asked.

“There are beans in that dish, I don’t eat them.”

Bai Yao handed the cup of warm water to Liu Yucheng, “But he can eat them, but he can’t eat spicy food. This cup of water is for you, I saw they also ordered boiled fish in chili oil, you can dip it in warm water if you want to eat it.”

Eat some spicy food, drink more water, and go to the bathroom more often.

Liu Yucheng pursed his lips and looked at him. However, the stars of gratitude in his eyes were too subtle to be noticed by Bai Yao, who instead asked him, “Why are you staring at me? If you don’t get rice soon, it’ll be divided up by them.”

Liu Yucheng accepted the cup of warm water with both hands, as if receiving a sacred decree.

He didn’t expect Bai Yao to be so considerate, knowing that he couldn’t eat spicy food and even pouring water for him.

Not only that, but he was sick today, and although Bai Yao said he had no choice and couldn’t refuse, Liu Yucheng had known for a long time that he was all talk and no action.

Bai Yao not only accompanied him to the hospital, but also stayed with him while he was on an IV drip, and even lent him his shoulder to lean on…

Does this mean that Bai Yao still has feelings for him, and there is hope for them to get back together?

Wanting to go to the restroom to calm his inner emotions, Liu Yucheng slowly stood up, holding onto the table, and said, “I’m going to the restroom.”

“What? You’re going to the restroom?” Bai Yao looked up at him and immediately stood up, “I’ll go with you. I’m going too.”

See.

Bai Yao was starting to cling to him like when they first started dating.

Both of them going to the restroom, even if it was only for a short while, meant he could be alone with Bai Yao again.

A long-lost sense of happiness instantly welled up in his heart, and Liu Yucheng said softly, “Let me support you.”

“Right, right, the floor in this restaurant is very slippery, support Bai Yao, don’t let him fall,” Li Jinyang reminded.

Since that was the case, Bai Yao didn’t refuse.

The two of them went to the restroom together. Bai Yao kept observing Liu Yucheng out of the corner of his eye, and when he saw that he neither took out his phone nor looked like he was about to unzip his pants, he couldn’t help but say, “In such an empty men’s restroom… do you stand this close to other guys too?”

Although it’s not like he hasn’t seen it before, this is too impolite!

He was thinking of taking a leak since he was already here, but now he was too embarrassed to go to the bathroom.

Liu Yucheng turned to stare at his legs, “Do you need me to support you?”

“I don’t need it, stay away from me! Go to the farthest stall!”

“Okay.” Liu Yucheng obediently went.

While standing in front of the mirror washing his hands, Bai Yao deliberately washed them for a while longer. He saw Liu Yucheng carefully avoiding the needle marks on the back of his hand, washing his hands, drying them, and finally taking out his phone from his pocket.

Through the mirror, Bai Yao tried his best to read some expression changes from his face; however, Liu Yucheng looked at it as if he was looking at a piece of junk mail, and after reading it, he calmly locked the phone screen and put it back in his pocket.

No reply, no emotional fluctuations.

Bai Yao couldn’t help but wonder – was it because he blocked him for too short a time, and he didn’t even notice?

He replied to [Peach Milk], but [Peach Milk] didn’t react, so what’s going on? They were chatting so flirtatiously last night, does it not count, or is he reflecting?

With this doubt, Bai Yao returned to the table.

During the meal, when he and Zhang Yifang were happily discussing the game, the phone in his pants pocket vibrated twice.

Bai Yao took out his phone and saw that it was a reply from [Peach Milk], and quickly glanced at Liu Yucheng.

Liu Yucheng was drinking soup with a spoon. Bai Yao didn’t notice when he replied.

The content of Peach Milk’s reply was only two words: Okay.

Okay? Okay for what? He typed such a long paragraph, and he only replied with “Okay”? However, this kind of puzzling reply was indeed very Liu Yucheng.

Does it mean that [Peach Milk] plans to change someone to flirt with in the future, or is he planning to slow down their progress?

It’s not that Bai Yao wanted to flirt with him, although now that he thinks about it, it feels unprecedentedly exciting… it’s just that Bai Yao really couldn’t figure it out. At this time, he shouldn’t just reply with “Okay,” such a perfunctory word, right?

As a result, even after finishing the meal and paying the bill, Liu Yucheng looked at his phone, but [Peach Milk] never sent a second message.

“Bai Yao, it’s starting to snow outside!”

As soon as they came out of the mall, Zhang Yifang said excitedly.

Hearing the word “snow,” Bai Yao immediately quickened his pace and rushed out of the mall, and then Liu Yucheng grabbed him, preventing him from falling into a dog-eating-mud situation.

“Slow down, it’s slippery.”

The shoes Bai Yao wore today were not non-slip, and he almost slipped just now, “…Okay, you support me.”

“Oh no. I accidentally saw a scene of dog abuse.”

Li Jinyang quickly covered his eyes and said with a grin, “Then we’ll go ahead first? Not waiting for you?”

Seeing that Bai Yao didn’t say anything, Liu Yucheng nodded, “Okay.”

The sky outside was completely dark, and snowflakes were blown around by the wind under the warm yellow streetlights.

Liu Yucheng supported Bai Yao with one hand, and the two of them slowed down their pace, walking and enjoying this year’s first snow.

As a child who grew up in the South, Bai Yao was obviously much more excited than Liu Yucheng, and kept talking.

“Liu Yucheng, you grew up in the North, can you ski?” Bai Yao asked him.

Liu Yucheng shook his head with a light smile, “I can’t.”

“Hey, don’t look at me as a southerner, I’m actually very good at skiing.”

Bai Yao looked up, enjoying the coolness of the snowflakes falling on his forehead, and said with a smile, “When I was a child, my mom took me to travel to a very far place, and I remember there was a ski resort there, and I learned it very quickly… It’s actually like learning to ride a bicycle, the younger you are, the faster you learn.”

“If there’s a chance in the future, I can teach you how to ski.”

“Okay.”

Bai Yao didn’t realize what he had blurted out until a long time after Liu Yucheng responded.

They had already broken up, and Liu Yucheng’s fever had subsided.

Tonight, they would each go back to their own dorms, and there would be no future.

After crossing the traffic lights, the two of them walked to directly under a streetlight, and Liu Yucheng stopped.

Bai Yao didn’t know what he was going to do, but he also stopped, looking up at him.

Liu Yucheng’s face, which usually looked a little gloomy, had more defined lines under the light of the street lamp, and his dark eyes looked even more melancholic.

Seeing him pursing his lips and not speaking, Bai Yao simply opened his mouth and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

White breath diffused between the two of them.

Liu Yucheng moved closer, and suddenly raised his arm. Bai Yao thought he was going to kiss him, and subconsciously closed his eyes.

“There’s some…”

Liu Yucheng gently touched his hair and said in a low voice, “There’s a very beautiful snowflake on your hair, look.”

Bai Yao opened his eyes and only saw a drop of water on Liu Yucheng’s fingertip. The snowflake had already melted quickly when it touched his finger.

Yes, what was he daydreaming about just now? This was on the street, Liu Yucheng couldn’t possibly kiss him.

Bai Yao stared at him blankly, watching his eyes gradually become lost, and then lowered his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

When they were about to reach the school gate, a young man’s voice suddenly rang out behind them.

“Liu Yucheng.”

Hearing this voice, Liu Yucheng stopped again, but didn’t turn around. Bai Yao turned around and saw a boy who looked like a middle school student.

He looked a bit like Liu Yucheng, but also not quite like him.

“Liu Yucheng, your phone is out of service, I’ve been looking for you so hard!” The boy walked up to them with a grin, “I sneaked out of the house to join you, why did you come to such a far place to go to school? The train ticket was really expensive, and I don’t have any money left for food.”

“Who is he?” Bai Yao looked at Liu Yucheng and asked directly.

Liu Yucheng didn’t answer. But his face now looked so bad that even Bai Yao could tell that “he was very unhappy.”

“Brother, you’ve made such rich friends? Hehe, are you my brother’s classmate?”

The boy immediately changed his address, sizing up Bai Yao’s brand-name clothes from head to toe with glowing eyes, and said politely, “Hello, I’m Liu Yucheng’s cousin, my name is Liu Angran.”