Chapter 27

Han Fangchi averted his gaze after saying that, but He Lezhi was still looking at him.

Han Fangchi said he didn't know why, but what other reason could there be. Every time He Lezhi dreamed of high school, Han Fangchi was in his dreams. Just as Han Fangchi had said earlier, he also dreamed of them going to university together, including the present. Dreams defied logic and reason; occasionally, He Lezhi would dream of Han Fangchi after he started working, yet he still had the appearance of his high school self.

But He Lezhi had already been pegged as being ruled by his heart. He overlooked their past relationship, and now the words "me too" were on the tip of his tongue, unable to be spoken.

"Actually, I..." He Lezhi smiled and swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"You too?" Han Fangchi finished his thought.

He Lezhi asked, "Can I say that?"

Han Fangchi didn't answer. The two of them walked into the elevator together, and He Lezhi looked at him and asked, "Do you believe me?"

"I do." There were only the two of them in the elevator. Han Fangchi pressed the close button, his eyes looking straight ahead as he said calmly, "You should."

He Lezhi nodded and said, "Yes."

Their recent lives seemed to have settled into a very appropriate comfort zone. Life was stable, without any turmoil. Work, exercise, and social life all fell within this comfortable range. Especially for He Lezhi, there was a sense of calm and ease.

It was like a peaceful residence they had built together, undisturbed and perfectly arranged in every way.

In their close interactions, they displayed a kind of familiarity that came with maturity. It was an intimacy with boundaries, silent observation, and an impassive tolerance.

Ever since He Lezhi broke up with Zhou Muyao, Han Fangchi had been like this.

He was like the He Lezhi from over ten years ago, with a lasting and steadfast companionship and gaze. Over several months, he supported He Lezhi through that embarrassing, unspeakable withdrawal period.

As time flowed by slowly, everything sharp and profound became smooth and dull; it would be polished, filled in, and smoothed over.

Zhou Muyao still contacted He Lezhi occasionally, but he was no longer persistent about getting back together. In the span of a few months, he had forced himself to accept that he had already lost He Lezhi. He seemed to have matured as well.

His withdrawal period came later than He Lezhi's. He Lezhi's started from the day of the breakup, while his began after that torrential downpour.

He no longer waited for He Lezhi downstairs at his company, nor did he ask anyone to help him win him back. Only twice, after getting drunk and losing his sobriety, did he send messages to He Lezhi, speaking of his longing and pain.

His withdrawal period would definitely be longer than He Lezhi's, because he had received more during those eight years. The pain and regret were inevitable; he had to bear it.

"Zhou Muyao" was no longer a name that couldn't be mentioned in front of He Lezhi. With time, he would eventually become a memory.

All those intense emotions would eventually settle into regret; it just might take a little more time.

The defensiveness and distance erected in the face of change, the deliberately displayed calmness and silence, also gradually disappeared with time. Throughout this process, Han Fangchi had consistently acted mature and proper, like a very reliable older brother figure, a trusted healer.

Even the matter of He Lezhi lumping him in with Zhou Muyao's side was never brought up again by Han Fangchi; he had magnanimously forgiven him.

This was because He Lezhi was transparent in Han Fangchi's eyes; Han Fangchi could see right through him. He Lezhi had always acted rationally; compared to Zhou Muyao's hysteria, he was much colder. And that decisiveness to forcefully sever all ties, in Han Fangchi's view, was like a stress response, an unconscious act of self-protection. He Lezhi grew up in a gentle environment; he was not adept at handling hurt.

And when He Lezhi truly calmed down in the proper sense and returned to his usual self, Han Fangchi's occasional moments of holding back his words during this period also began to cease.

Doctor Han was indeed a calm and reliable big brother. He was trustworthy and dependable, magnanimous and kind. But this didn't stop him from being, in essence, very capable of holding a grudge once he relaxed.

Han Fangchi's birthday was in the winter, when it was already very cold.

On his birthday, He Lezhi came over early in the morning, carrying a bowl of noodles. Han Fangchi wasn't up yet. The bedroom door was open, but He Lezhi didn't go in. He took off his jacket in the dining room and called out, "Fangchi, wake up a little earlier."

Han Fangchi grunted, but didn't move, pretending he hadn't heard.

He Lezhi called "Fangchi" again. When Han Fangchi didn't get up, he would call "Fangchi" every few seconds, continuing for many calls, like chanting a scripture.

Han Fangchi finally opened his eyes. Lying flat on his back, he turned his head towards the door and said, "Go for a run by yourself."

"I'm not asking you to go for a run." He Lezhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm coming in?"

Han Fangchi made a sound in reply.

He Lezhi walked over and leaned against the door, his eyes curving as he looked at him and said, "Happy birthday."

"Whose birthday?" Han Fangchi seemed like he wasn't fully awake yet, a bit dazed.

"Yours," said He Lezhi.

"My birthday?" Han Fangchi, wearing pajamas and his brain probably not functioning yet, asked again, "Today?"

"Yes." He Lezhi said again, "Please get up a little earlier and eat the noodles."

Han Fangchi picked up his phone to look, and it really was.

There were a few messages on his phone: ones sent by Han Zhimo and Han Zhiyao in the middle of the night, and another from Ms. Pang in the morning, telling him to come home for dinner. Han Fangchi replied to them one by one and accepted Han Zhiyao's 66-yuan birthday red envelope.

"Can you get up now?" He Lezhi watched him with a constant smile.

Han Fangchi sat bolt upright in bed, his pajamas and quilt all a mess from sleep.

"Where's the gift?" Han Fangchi asked.

"I didn't prepare one," He Lezhi said.

Han Fangchi got out of bed barefoot, looked around for his slippers, put them on, and said, "Why don't you prepare one? I don't have any dark gray shirts anymore."

He Lezhi first blinked, then smiled and said, "You do."

"It's ruined," Han Fangchi said.

"Mm."

He Lezhi prepared a birthday gift for Han Fangchi every year, ever since he found out his birthday in their second year of high school. He Lezhi could remember the birthday of every important person around him, though there weren't many.

After washing up, Han Fangchi came over for breakfast. His breakfast was longevity noodles that He Lezhi had woken up early to cook. There was only one long, wide noodle, and He Lezhi wouldn't let him bite it in half.

"How am I supposed to eat it if I can't bite it?" Han Fangchi found one end of the noodle and asked while holding it with his chopsticks.

"You can bite it, but only one bite at a time. You can't break it into a mess." He Lezhi sat to the side, propping his face in his hands. He was wearing a light-colored sweater, looking all warm and cozy.

Under his gaze, Han Fangchi ate the entire noodle, along with a round fried egg.

"Will you cook this for me again next year?" Han Fangchi asked.

"I probably will," He Lezhi said after a moment's thought.

"Then cook a shorter one. It was so long, I had to force myself to finish it." Han Fangchi took a deep breath and said, "I'm so full."

"Okay." He Lezhi first agreed, then added, "It's not like when you used to be hungry the moment you opened your eyes."

Han Fangchi lowered his eyes to the soup in his bowl, bowed his head to take a sip, and said casually, "When was I ever hungry the moment I opened my eyes?"

In high school, growing boys always seemed insatiable, their stomachs like bottomless pits. Back then, He Lezhi was always afraid Han Fangchi would be hungry and always kept snacks in his school bag.

They both thought of that camping trip on the grasslands, when He Lezhi had snatched Xiao Yao's food, making Xiao Yao scream in anger.

He Lezhi was still there, laughing carelessly, saying, "For the rest of the night, I kept thinking about you waking up hungry. I couldn't sleep soundly, my mind was just filled with 'Fangchi is hungry'."

Han Fangchi finished all the soup in his bowl, stood up, and took his bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash them. He came out after washing them, his hands still wet.

When He Lezhi talked about this, Han Fangchi never responded, just listened in silence.

He Lezhi thought he really couldn't remember.

However, when Han Fangchi walked up behind him, he suddenly cupped his chin from behind, smearing water from his hands all over his face and neck.

Caught off guard, He Lezhi let out a low cry, forced to tilt his head up as his chin was held.

"So you do remember?" Han Fangchi asked, raising an eyebrow.

He was acting like a high schooler, childishly gripping He Lezhi's chin between his thumb and forefinger, while deliberately flicking water all over his face with his other hand. He Lezhi protested with muffled sounds.

"Didn't you forget all about it?" Han Fangchi stared at him.

The back of He Lezhi's head was forced against Han Fangchi's ribs, his mouth pinched shut so he couldn't speak, his eyes glittering with anger.

"I didn't want to bring this up with you, but you had to mention it yourself." Han Fangchi, maybe because it was his birthday, was acting forceful, without a trace of his usual composure. He wiped all the water from his hands onto He Lezhi's face and said, "Let's see how you forgot. I'll help you remember."

He Lezhi's hair and face were a mess from his rough handling, and he couldn't fight back. Some time had already passed since that incident, and He Lezhi never expected Han Fangchi to bring it up again now.

"Let me see you forget again," Han Fangchi threw out as he let him go.

The moment he was released, He Lezhi shot to his feet, the stool scraping loudly against the floor.

"Han Fangchi!" He Lezhi said, speechless. "How old are you!"

"Half a year older than you." Han Fangchi swaggered back to his room to change clothes.

He Lezhi, with a face full of water, could only wipe it with his sleeve. His eyes were wide as he stared at Han Fangchi's back, saying, "You held in this bit of anger until now to let it out?"

"I'm not done yet. You just wait," Han Fangchi said as he entered his room.

He Lezhi was so angry he laughed. He picked up the two paper bags by the door and tossed them into Han Fangchi's room, throwing them on the floor without looking inside before turning and leaving.

Han Fangchi picked them up and looked. It was a jacket and a gray shirt.

"Thank you," Han Fangchi said politely.

"Happy birthday!" He Lezhi said reluctantly, then grabbed his jacket, closed the door, and left.

It was as if Han Fangchi's age had suddenly halved. He Lezhi went home, washed his face again, and changed his clothes. Even as he was leaving for work, he found it incredible that Han Fangchi could hold such a small grudge for half a year.

He Lezhi hadn't prepared dinner for him; he would surely have a place to eat for his birthday.

In the afternoon, Han Fangchi sent a message, saying he was going out for dinner that night and asking if he wanted to come.

He Lezhi was temporarily not on good terms with him and didn't reply to his message.

Fangchi: Coming?

He Lezhi put his phone aside, pretending he hadn't seen it.

Fangchi: Xiao Hei should be going.

He Lezhi wouldn't go, but Han Fangchi still asked him every time, just as a formality.

He Lezhi still hadn't replied. When it was time to get off work, Han Fangchi asked: Did you not see it or are you not replying? If you didn't see it, I'll have to give you a call.

Lezhi: .

Fangchi: Got it.

After work, Han Fangchi first went home to eat, then went to Xiao Yao's group. He didn't drink, so going over was mainly to fulfill his role as the birthday boy. He couldn't contribute much and was ready to go home after sitting for a while.

Before leaving, Xiao Yao said to him, "I'm coming to your place for dinner this weekend."

"There's no food at my place," Han Fangchi said.

Xiao Yao said, "Then I'll go to Lezhi's place."

Zhou Muyao was sitting far away, talking to someone else, and didn't notice the two of them.

Han Fangchi said, "Then you'll have to ask him if he's busy this weekend."

Xiao Yao asked, "Why? You don't know?"

Han Fangchi had no way to explain the childish conflict between them that morning, which he had started. He just smiled and said, "You should ask him yourself."

"What's wrong with you two?" Xiao Yao said.

"Who?" Zhou Muyao sat up straight and looked over.

"Don't ask, you don't know them," Xiao Yao said without turning his head.

"Oh." Zhou Muyao turned his head away again.

"I'm leaving." Han Fangchi raised his arm slightly, opened the door, and went out.