EAY Chapter 70

by Volare

Talking About Dreams Again

After Li Tianyi finished speaking, the living room remained silent. He pulled a kitchen paper towel to wipe his hands and looked at the three of them one by one, “Why have you all gone mute at the same time?”

Meng Nan said, “I didn’t expect you to have such a philosophical side.”

Shi Ran also said, “It seems I need to learn the art of getting along from you in the future.”

Qi Ye immediately looked at him, “Are you also going to study abroad?”

The other two laughed, and Shi Ran quickly waved his hand, “No, no, our company hasn’t mentioned anything about that recently.”

Li Tianyi said with a mischievous smile, “Qi Ye, if Shi Ran goes too, you can come find me for company.”

“No way.” Shi Ran refused, “Qi Ye can’t go find you.”

Li Tianyi: “Come on, I’m straight, okay?”

Shi Ran: “No, it’s just that your lifestyle is too delicate. Qi Ye would definitely have to take care of you. I’d rather Qi Ye live with Meng Nan, at least it wouldn’t be so tiring.”

Meng Nan said smugly, “I would definitely be a very good roommate.”

“Hey, what’s going on? You guys were just praising me. Shi Ran, didn’t you say you wanted to learn the art of getting along from me? Hmph, I’m not teaching you anymore.” Li Tianyi put his hands on his hips.

“Okay, okay, just kidding. You’re definitely a good roommate, otherwise how could we have gotten along so well for four years in college?” Shi Ran comforted him. “Hurry up and get to work, philosopher. I’m a little hungry.”

–

“Qi Ye, where’s the wine opener in your house?” Li Tianyi asked. “I secretly took this red wine from my dad. I don’t know what brand it is, but I can’t guarantee my dad’s taste in other things, but his taste in wine is definitely top-notch.”

Qi Ye found the bottle opener and sat down next to Shi Ran.

After everyone tasted it, Li Tianyi was curious about their feedback. Unfortunately, none of them knew much about wine and couldn’t taste any difference.

Shi Ran said, “Don’t steal your dad’s good wine next time. Just buy a bottle at the supermarket.”

“No way, just because we don’t understand it now doesn’t mean we won’t understand it in the future. Our sense of taste needs to be trained.” Li Tianyi said confidently, “You guys are my best friends, you deserve the best wine.”

“Li Shao’s mouth is getting better and better at talking.” Shi Ran admired.

Meng Nan deliberately said, “So, we’re best friends now? I remember when we were in college, you always said your best friends weren’t by your side, and you envied Qi Ye and Shi Ran, didn’t you?”

“People change.” Li Tianyi curled his lips, then opened his arms. “Anyway, without realizing it, you guys have become my best friends. You can’t change.”

Qi Ye: “We’re people too.”

Shi Ran couldn’t help but laugh and continued to put meatballs into the pot.

Li Tianyi: “Don’t become annoying, and don’t become too realistic, at least not too realistic in front of me.”

Shi Ran patted him. “Don’t worry, with you coming over so often, the two of us are practically living under your nose. We can’t change much. If we change, we’ll change together.”

Meng Nan didn’t forget to rub salt into the wound, “Your girlfriend will be gone for two years, so you’ll probably be bothering us even more often, right?”

Li Tianyi glared at him. “Don’t underestimate me!”

After eating for a while, the rain outside showed no signs of stopping. The few of them started talking about indoor camping in college. Li Tianyi said, “I remember we all talked about our dreams back then, right? Do you guys remember?”

Shi Ran nodded first, “I remember. Mine was just to get a normal job and support myself and my Grandpa Shi. I guess I’ve achieved that now.”

Li Tianyi: “Tsk, that’s too low of a bar. Dreams should be more difficult, more ethereal. Like Meng Nan’s, to travel around the world, how wonderful!”

Meng Nan said listlessly, “Wonderful my ass. I haven’t even left the province yet. Having a dream that’s too big is also pretty torturous. I think Shi Ran’s is pretty good. And Qi Ye’s, it seems like he said something similar to Shi Ran, right?”

Shi Ran raised his chopsticks. “I remember that too. He said, ‘To live an ordinary life with the person I love,’ right?” He raised his eyebrows at Qi Ye.

Qi Ye nodded and said, “I don’t think my dream is ordinary. You need enough luck to have it.”

Meng Nan said, “That’s true. Ordinary life isn’t easy, and living with someone you love is even harder. Many people try their best but can only achieve one of those things.”

Shi Ran felt that he was really lucky. He said softly, “And I don’t think dreams have to be something unattainable or glamorous, right? Can’t we have simple dreams, like saving money to buy something you like, going to a really nice restaurant, and, having a gathering like this with friends on a rainy day, and so on, isn’t that right?”

“Well said.” Meng Nan nodded. “Then, do you think I should change my dream? I really don’t know when I’ll be able to achieve my dream of traveling the world.”

Li Tianyi said, “That’s so cool, why would you change it?”

Qi Ye: “You just need to ask yourself if you still want to. If you still do, then you don’t need to change it. Even if you don’t achieve it in the end, it’s not a big deal.”

Meng Nan: “My feeling is—I’m already too tired to even think about it. Just leave it like that, I won’t change it. I can only discuss topics like this when I’m with you. If I talk to my colleagues at the company, they’ll think I’m from Mars.”

Shi Ran raised his cup. “Come on, let’s drink to all of our dreams!”

“Wait a minute.” Li Tianyi said angrily, putting his hands on his hips. “You guys are going too far, aren’t you missing something?”

The others pretended to be dumb. Meng Nan said, “No, haven’t we all talked about everyone’s dreams?”

“Hey!”

After holding back for a while, Shi Ran laughed and said, “Okay, okay, I won’t tease you anymore. Your dream is the most special, to not have another heartbreak, right?”

Meng Nan said the same thing, “I really have nothing to talk about with you spoiled young masters who are obsessed with love!”

“Hey, I’m a love philosopher now.” Li Tianyi said smugly. “And a mature and reliable lover.”

“Yes, congratulations to you for also achieving your dream. Can we drink now?” Shi Ran asked patiently.

“Okay, we can.” Li Tianyi raised his cup proudly. “Cheers!”

That day, the few of them made a lot of noise until very late. After eating the hotpot and cleaning up, they started playing cards, then played games, and watched two horror movies. During this time, the rain still didn’t stop, and the laughter of the few of them didn’t stop either. Several times, Shi Ran was worried that they were laughing too loudly and the neighbors would come to complain, but luckily, they didn’t.

Later, they were too tired and fell asleep on the sofa. In a daze, Shi Ran felt someone putting a blanket on him and gently helping him into a more comfortable position. He moved slightly a few times and fell into an even deeper sleep.

Even though he was leaning against Qi Ye’s arms, he still woke up the next day feeling sore all over. When he got up, Qi Ye had gone to the bathroom to wash up. Meng Nan looked like he had been awake for a while and was typing rapidly on his phone. From his expression, it was obvious that he was replying to work messages. And Li Tianyi hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, but he had already started having a mushy phone call with his girlfriend.

The dream was completely over, and everyone had to return to real life to do their own things. But Shi Ran still thought, it’s really good to have friends, they can let you dream once in a while.

“You’re awake? Let’s go out for breakfast later.” Qi Ye, who had just washed up, was particularly handsome and refreshed, wiping his hair with a towel, with water droplets still on his face.

Of course. Shi Ran thought in his heart, the best one is still his boyfriend.