Chapter 15
1320 Words
That clueless Li Huangxuan insisted on going for a nap with Zhuang Ziang.
Su Yudie said goodbye to the two of them and went back to the classroom.
Zhuang Ziang glanced at Li Huangxuan with murderous intent.
"You beast, I'm afraid I can't let you live."
Zhuang Zi'ang had brought Li Huangxuan to this two-bedroom apartment Xu Hui rented before, but this time it looked much cleaner and more pleasing to the eye.
Two small goldfish swimming happily in the fish tank added a touch of life to the home.
"This feels really nice. I really want to move out and live alone too."
Zhuang Zi'ang rolled his eyes at him: "Aren't you comfortable living in your 180-square-meter duplex?"
Li Huangxuan laughed: "Forgive me for my unrestrained and free-spirited nature."
This kid really doesn't know how lucky he is.
Zhuang Zi'ang thought to himself, if he had a family as happy as his, how could he bear to run away from home?
Taking off their shoes, the two lay side by side on the bed, staring at the empty white ceiling.
Before sleepiness arrived, they chatted.
"Son, Su Yudie is so beautiful, are you pursuing her?" Li Huangxuan asked gossipily.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I've only known her for three days." Zhuang Zi'ang immediately denied it.
"Girls like that are easy to fall in love with at first sight, what are you pretending to be?" Li Huangxuan ruthlessly exposed him.
That beast Zhuang Zi'ang, he becomes energetic the moment he sees Su Yudie.
In animal terms, this is a sign of being in heat.
They were having a pleasant conversation when this question struck Zhuang Zi'ang with a sharp pain.
His voice was low and somber as he said, "I won't pursue her. I'm not worthy."
Wouldn't it be a tragedy for someone with only three months to live to pursue a girl?
He no longer deserved love.
Li Huangxuan was bewildered by Zhuang Zi'ang's sudden despondency.
He shoved Zhuang Zi'ang: "You're not even going to pursue such a lovely girl? Are you crazy?"
Zhuang Zi'ang continued staring at the ceiling, a bitter smile on his face. "Yes, I'm sick." Li Huangxuan couldn't decipher his meaning, assuming he was just out of his mind.
Or perhaps he'd been lusting after the girl for a long time but refused to admit it.
After a moment of silence, Zhuang Zi'ang suddenly asked, "Son, if we never see each other again, will you miss me?"
"Miss you my foot! Go as far away as you can! I'm so jealous of you! You're handsome and smart, making me look like a complete waste," Li Huangxuan grumbled incessantly.
"I'm the one who's crazy, befriending the top student in the grade."
"If I do anything slightly wrong at home, my parents use you as an example to provoke me."
"How can you be so annoying? If you weren't in this world, I'd really buy a string of firecrackers to celebrate."
...Zhuang Zi'ang turned slightly to the side, a tear silently sliding down onto the pillow.
Memories flashed through his mind.
On his first day of school, he met Li Huangxuan, and they quickly became sworn father and son.
This guy is carefree and guileless, always a bit dim-witted, and never seems to know what heartbreak is.
He treats Zhuang Zi'ang like his own son.
When Zhuang Zi'ang is class monitor, he's always been his staunchest supporter.
He actively participates in class activities, making it easier for Zhuang Zi'ang to carry out his duties.
When rumors circulated about Zhuang Zi'ang and Lin Mushi, he enthusiastically helped clarify the situation.
He even claimed that Lin Mushi actually had a crush on him, and was chased around the ping-pong table dozens of times by the school beauty.
When his family cooks something delicious, he always invites Zhuang Zi'ang over.
Even Li Tianyun and Fan Ling joked that it was like raising two sons.
Li Huangxuan complained of being tired, his eyelids growing heavy.
Zhuang Ziang heard snoring beside him and turned around, staring at Li Huangxuan's profile.
Growing up in that kind of family environment, it's fortunate he met such a good friend, so his entire youth wasn't filled with bitterness.
Son, promise me, when I'm gone, don't be too sad.
It would be best if, as you said, you bought a string of firecrackers and set them off to send me off on my journey.
If you ever see the final episode of *Detective Conan* in your lifetime, please burn a set for me.
From over there, I'll bless you with a lifetime of peace.
Heavy with thoughts, Zhuang Zi'ang couldn't fall asleep.
In his half-awake state, he heard the alarm clock.
Li Huangxuan, sleeping soundly beside him like a log, drool dripping down his cheeks.
Zhuang Zi'ang kicked him off the bed: "You've dirtied my new sheets! I'll break three of your legs!"
Li Huangxuan sprang to his feet, leaped onto the bed, and began to wrestle with Zhuang Zi'ang.
"You unfilial son, are you trying to kill your father?"
The joy between boys is that simple.
On the way to school, Li Huangxuan was like a hyperactive child, sometimes shooting hoops at the air, sometimes kicking pebbles on the road.
Zhuang Zi'ang pointed to a ginkgo tree by the roadside: "Can you touch that leaf?"
Li Huangxuan wiped his nose, brimming with confidence, and asked, "What do you say now that I've touched it?"
"You're pretty good," Zhuang Zi'ang laughed.
These four words were the highest praise among boys.
To earn this honor, they would risk everything.
Li Huangxuan took a few running steps, leaped, and plucked the enormous ginkgo leaf.
The ginkgo is a tree species unique to my country, witnessing hundreds of millions of years of history.
Compared to it, humans are as insignificant as dust.
In spring and summer, ginkgo leaves are green, but they turn yellow in autumn, fluttering in the wind like butterflies.
For Zhuang Zi'ang, the ginkgo now holds an even more special meaning.
He will never forget that breathtaking moment when he first met Su Yudie under the ginkgo tree.
"Isn't Dad amazing?" Li Huangxuan proudly handed a ginkgo leaf to Zhuang Zi'ang. "These leaves are only beautiful when they turn yellow in autumn."
"Autumn is so far away, I might not see it," Zhuang Zi'ang muttered to himself.
Li Huangxuan was puzzled; he felt Zhuang Zi'ang had been acting strangely these past few days.
But on second thought, it's only human nature.
Being friends with such a beautiful girl, and even seeing a promising future together, would likely make him act strangely too.
The third period in the afternoon had only been going on for ten minutes.
Zhang Zhiyuan came to the classroom door, apologized to the teacher, and then called Zhuang Zi'ang out.
The students were all puzzled; Old Zhang had been summoning Zhuang Zi'ang far too frequently lately.
Wasn't he no longer the class monitor?
"Teacher Zhang, you call me every day, and the students are looking at me more and more strangely."
In the corridor, Zhuang Zi'ang complained.
"There's nothing I can do, your father's here," Zhang Zhiyuan said, shrugging.
"What's he doing here?" Zhuang Zi'ang asked, surprised.
Since Zhuang Zi'ang started school here, Zhuang Wenzhao had only come once, on the first day of registration.
He stayed for half an hour, then received a call from his company and hurriedly left.
From then on, whether it was the end of the semester, the start of the new semester, or parent-teacher meetings, he always found various excuses to avoid them.
Sometimes, he wouldn't even bother to make up an excuse, instead arguing, "You're not a child anymore, do you still need your parents to pick you up and drop you off?" Zhuang Zi'ang could only smile wryly.
When I was a child, I never saw you pick me up and drop me off!
- Writer
