CY – Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Days passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for the holiday.

During the National Day holiday, Xu Yan went home, and Zhou Bin went to see his girlfriend. Only Zhang Xiaotian and Lu Bai, who were about to depart, were left in the dormitory.

“We’ll be on time if we get to the station half an hour early. The neighboring city isn’t a famous tourist spot, so there won’t be too many people.” Lu Bai checked their IDs and luggage. “Make sure you have your ID card and student ID, and your change of clothes for the next few days.”

“I’ve got everything.” Zhang Xiaotian slung his backpack over his shoulder. “You checked everything yesterday, didn’t you? Why are you acting like a primary school student going on a spring outing?”

“I’m just excited,” Lu Bai chuckled. “If you’ve finished checking, we can head over to the station and wait.”

“Then let’s go.” Zhang Xiaotian said.

The nearly two-hour car ride felt both long and short, and before they knew it, they had arrived in another city. They first went to the hotel they had booked in advance to drop off their luggage.

After getting their room card, Zhang Xiaotian, following behind Lu Bai, suddenly realized that they would be sharing a room. It was different from the dormitory. In the dormitory, Zhang Xiaotian worked after class and slept when he returned, leaving no time for overthinking, and there were other people in the room. But now, he didn’t need to work, and these three days and two nights were their first real time alone together. It was only then that Zhang Xiaotian felt nervous.

It had been so long, and it wasn’t the first time they had shared a hotel room.

Zhang Xiaotian began to psych himself up.

“302, this way, Tian’er.” Lu Bai found their room using the key card and beckoned Zhang Xiaotian to come in quickly. Inside was a standard double room. Zhang Xiaotian put down his backpack and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. As soon as he turned on the faucet, Lu Bai walked in.

“This shower room is quite spacious, isn’t it? Big enough for both of us to shower together?” Lu Bai commented on the shower room.

What inappropriate things to say, he hadn’t changed at all. Zhang Xiaotian washed his hands, not wanting to engage with him.

“Hey, I’m asking you, why aren’t you talking to me?” Lu Bai asked.

“Can’t you shower by yourself? Do you need me to shower with you?” Zhang Xiaotian finished washing his hands and was about to turn around when Lu Bai leaned in. He rested one hand on the edge of the sink and touched the mirror with the other, effectively trapping Zhang Xiaotian in his embrace.

So close. Zhang Xiaotian unconsciously held his breath, his heart rate suddenly accelerating. They were so close he could see the details of his eyelashes.

“Didn’t they say if you put your finger on the mirror, you can tell if there’s a camera in it?” Lu Bai seemed genuinely interested in the mirror. He looked for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. He turned to Zhang Xiaotian again. “Can you tell?”

“I, I…” Zhang Xiaotian felt a string in his head snap, emitting a harsh buzzing sound. He opened his mouth several times before finally finding his voice. “I can’t either.”

“Then we won’t look.” Lu Bai smiled at him and stood up, walking out of the bathroom. “There’s nothing interesting to see between two guys anyway.”

After Lu Bai left, Zhang Xiaotian let out a heavy sigh.

Can I really maintain our friendship? Zhang Xiaotian touched his still pounding chest. It seemed he would have to keep his distance from him in the future.

The two cities were not far apart, so the weather and scenery were similar. However, there was a famous rafting spot here, and they decided to start with that.

It was an artificial river channel lined with artificially planted trees on both sides. At the starting point was a small dock with many double kayaks.

“How long will it take from here to the end?” Zhang Xiaotian looked down the river, unable to see the end.

“About half an hour,” the owner said, pulling over a green kayak and handing them life jackets. “We’ll give you both a paddle later. If the kayak veers off course, just push it against the wooden stakes on the riverbank.” He then demonstrated the action of using a paddle.

It looked a bit intimidating, but once they were in, Zhang Xiaotian found it quite comfortable. It wasn’t as fast as he imagined; instead, it was a gentle ride, allowing him to look at the trees on both sides. It had rained the day before, and the path was still wet. Everywhere he looked, he saw vibrant green foliage glistening with moisture. In the shallower parts, there was thick silt, and the water wasn’t clear, nor could he see any fish.

“If I had known it would be this slow, I would have brought my camera.” Lu Bai placed the paddle by his feet and asked Zhang Xiaotian, who was opposite him, “What do you think?”

“It’s great, very comfortable.” Zhang Xiaotian was engrossed in watching the trees. “Lu Bai, there’s a bird over there!”

“Where?” Lu Bai followed his gaze but saw nothing. He shifted his weight forward, stretching his neck as much as possible. “Where? I don’t see it.”

“You’re looking too late!” Zhang Xiaotian couldn’t help but laugh at his silly expression, his whole body shaking with laughter.

“What are you laughing at?” Lu Bai was still craning his neck. “Are you teasing me? Is there really a bird?”

“There is, you’ll see it soon.” Zhang Xiaotian laughed heartily. “Sit back a bit, or you’ll fall out.”

The inflatable boat drifted downstream with the current. The air around them was moist and fresh. For a while, the only sounds were their laughter. Zhang Xiaotian, after laughing enough, straightened up and looked at Lu Bai, who was sitting facing him. He had thought he would never see Lu Bai again, but now they were not only meeting but also roommates, and now they were even traveling together. The void that he thought would remain a regret was now perfectly filled, a feeling almost like a dream. Coincidentally, Lu Bai also looked at him, and when their eyes met, it felt like a burning flame, heating Zhang Xiaotian’s chest, making him unable to look away.

“Why are you staring at me?” Lu Bai tidied his hair. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Zhang Xiaotian finally managed to tear his gaze away from Lu Bai’s face, focusing only on Lu Bai’s hand holding the paddle. “I was just thinking about what we said before about traveling together sometime.”

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.” Lu Bai tapped the paddle against the bank, and the kayak drifted towards the opposite shore. “You should start thinking now about where we’ll go next.”

“That’s thinking too far ahead.”

“Not at all, think of two more, and make a list.” Zhang Xiaotian felt Lu Bai’s gaze intensely upon him, his tone carrying a hint of promise. “Then we’ll go to one, and tick it off… Whoa!”

Suddenly, water from somewhere splashed onto Lu Bai, startling them both. Zhang Xiaotian looked back and saw a child from another family with a water gun spraying everywhere. The adult sitting next to the child quickly restrained them and loudly apologized.

“Damn, you scared me. Is this water clean? You soaked me!” Lu Bai wiped his face. “Tian’er, do you have any tissues?”

“I have some here. Here you go.” Zhang Xiaotian took out his tissues and handed them to him. “And you said you were going to bring your camera.”

“Good thing I didn’t,” Lu Bai said, wiping the water from his face. He quickly made a funny face at the misbehaving child.

“Immature,” Zhang Xiaotian teased him again.

“We should buy water guns too,” Lu Bai said, lifting the hem of his wet shirt.

“Are you done?” Zhang Xiaotian asked. “What would you do with a water gun? Spray me back?”

“I’d buy a water gun,” Lu Bai said, dusting off his pants. Suddenly, he scooped up a handful of water and splashed it towards Zhang Xiaotian. “Of course, I’d buy a water gun to spray you, hahahaha!”

“Hey! Lu Bai!” Zhang Xiaotian only had time to close his eyes before he was completely drenched. “You just said the water wasn’t clean!”

“I’m all wet, I can’t let you stay dry!” Lu Bai splashed him again, his movement a bit too large, causing the kayak to wobble.

Zhang Xiaotian no longer bothered to cover his face and quickly grabbed the handles on both sides. “Stop messing around! Lu Bai! We’ll capsize!”

“Tian’er! Quick, look behind you!” Lu Bai suddenly sat up straight. “Look over there!”

Zhang Xiaotian instinctively turned his head, and a flash went off. “What?” Zhang Xiaotian hadn’t reacted yet.

“Ah, so it was a camera.” Lu Bai had a mischievous grin on his face.

“You were sitting up straight the whole time, and you didn’t tell me.” Zhang Xiaotian gave him a sideways glance.

“If I had told you beforehand, you wouldn’t have known what expression to make. This way is perfect; it’s all about the surprise attack!” Lu Bai said.

Just spouting nonsense. Zhang Xiaotian pouted.

Soon, they reached the end. Staff members collected their life jackets and kayaks.

“We took some beautiful photos of you both midway, twenty-one in total. Would you like them?” an older woman with a QR code asked.

“No, thanks,” Zhang Xiaotian said. They would surely be ugly.

“Yes, why not? I want two!” Lu Bai immediately paid. Shortly after, he returned with two photos. Zhang Xiaotian took one and saw that they were indeed ugly.

“They’re so ugly, your faces are all distorted. Why did you buy them?” Zhang Xiaotian scolded him. “You really have too much money.”

“Just keeping them as a souvenir, and besides, they’re not that bad, hahahaha. I don’t mind you!” Lu Bai felt pleased with himself and carefully put away the photos like treasures. “Let’s go, we can go somewhere else.”

They strolled around for a while longer, had lunch at a nearby food stall, and returned to the hotel for a short rest.

“Tonight, we’ll go to the night market. I heard it’s famous here too,” Lu Bai said, looking at his itinerary.

“You really just think about eating wherever we go,” Zhang Xiaotian remarked.

“What’s wrong with that? Food is heaven, and eating is a big deal!” Lu Bai tutted. “Besides, my itinerary isn’t just about food.”

“Then tell me, what else is there?” Zhang Xiaotian propped himself up on the bed, only showing one eye.

“Plenty!” Lu Bai scrolled through his phone. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the historical museum, and in the afternoon, we can go to the zoo.”

“Okay, I’ll take a short nap. We’ll go to the night market tonight.”

The excitement from rafting had worn off, and Zhang Xiaotian felt tired all over, as if he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

“Sleep, you look exhausted,” Lu Bai’s voice seemed distant. After struggling to hear those words, Zhang Xiaotian fell into a deep sleep.

Zhang Xiaotian slept until dark. When he opened his eyes, he was still a bit disoriented. Lu Bai must have covered him with the blanket. The room was dark, with only the faint white light of a phone illuminating Lu Bai’s face.

Zhang Xiaotian called out to him, “Lu Bai. Why didn’t you turn on the light when you woke up?”

Seeing that he was awake, Lu Bai got up and walked to the light switch. “I just woke up too. Close your eyes, I’m going to turn on the light.”

Zhang Xiaotian obediently closed his eyes.

The light was flicked on with a “snap,” making the darkness outside seem even deeper.

“What time is it?” Zhang Xiaotian asked.

“Eight o’clock.” Lu Bai walked over and sat beside Zhang Xiaotian.

Zhang Xiaotian looked out the window. “Is it still possible to go to the night market?”

“Of course, it is,” Lu Bai said. “Get ready, and we’ll head downstairs.”