WHI – Chapter 33

Chapter 33

“What?” Lin Ting seemed not to have heard clearly.

“It’s because of you. Seeing you on the rankings, I wanted to be closer to you, to go to the same university as you, so I studied,” Wen Lan stared at Lin Ting, put down the empty can in his hand, and said word by word.

“The same university…” Lin Ting had never considered this possibility, not because of grades, but because of…

He brought the beer can to his lips, tilted his head back, and then remembered it was empty. He awkwardly put it down.

“Since I was little, my parents always favored my brother. Back then, I would stubbornly think that one day I would surpass him. But after that, I even lost the reason to try. Because no matter how hard I worked, I was always the murderer of ‘him,’ and I could never surpass him.” Wen Lan paused, giving a self-mocking smile. “Besides, there’s no one else in the Wen family. Whether I work hard or not, this mountain of wealth will have to be borne by me, right?”

Lin Ting couldn’t discern how much complex and helpless emotion was in these words, only feeling that he had opened the wrong topic.

He coughed twice, took out the New Year’s gift he had prepared from his bag – a notebook – and handed it over.

On the first page, he had written ‘Wen Lan’ in his own handwriting.

Lin Ting pointed to the scarf: “A return gift.”

Wen Lan took the notebook, flipped open the first page, and when he saw the words on it, he suddenly gasped. From Lin Ting’s perspective, the eyelashes on the side of his face trembled slightly.

Lin Ting leaned in curiously, “What? Are you that moved by writing your name?”

Wen Lan snapped the page shut and placed the notebook beside him.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Ting frowned, a bad feeling dawning in his heart.

“The whisper I wanted to tell you that day, the whisper I didn’t get to say, do you remember it?” Wen Lan exhaled a long breath, his vocal cords trembling slightly, his eyes closed.

Lin Ting seemed to realize something. “Calm down.”

“No.” Wen Lan slowly opened his eyes, turned to look at Lin Ting, his eyes holding an unclear, resolute determination. “I’ve been too calm for too long.”

Lin Ting avoided those captivating eyes and looked down at the empty beer can in front of him. “Okay.” He should have expected this, that it would all come to this sooner or later.

“Netizen 523745.” Wen Lan paused. “It was you.”

Lin Ting instantly recalled that post. Just as he was about to explain, Wen Lan continued.

“That night, I didn’t sleep. And I also didn’t sleep in the taxi.”

“That was just,” Lin Ting wanted to retort.

Wen Lan interrupted him mercilessly, “You want to say you just got carried away, right? I already guessed that you, Lin Ting, are a coward.” He continued to expose him without mercy, “You like me, but you dare not admit it.”

When Lin Ting spoke again, his voice was hoarse with emotion. “It’s all in the past, and there are only a few months left…”

“You’re afraid of dragging me down? You’re afraid that when I, the sole heir of the Wen family, appear on television, people will dig up the stain of being gay! Or are you afraid of being abandoned? Just like that Gu Jiang, who liked men but married and had children with a woman for the sake of what the world calls ‘right and proper’?” Wen Lan’s voice gradually grew louder, echoing in the empty mountain forest. “Do you not trust me, or do you not trust yourself?”

As if his entire being was being dissected, a great sense of unease made Lin Ting close his eyes heavily, then slowly open them. He got up, ready to leave. Before he could fully stand, his wrist was yanked hard. Half of his body lost its balance and he fell to the ground with a force. The snow that had fallen a few days prior had soaked into the ground, making it soft but not wet. Dead leaves, layered thickly, held their stiff shapes in the air, then made a crisp cracking sound as they were crushed. Lin Ting lay on the ground like this, looking at Wen Lan, who was sitting on him, holding the notebook.

Wen Lan slightly curved his lips. “It’s all in the past? If it were truly in the past, why would you agree to come up the mountain to celebrate New Year’s with me? If it were truly in the past, why would you write these things in the notebook?” As he spoke, he opened the notebook. Below the words ‘Wen Lan,’ were four bold characters – ‘I like you.’

The moment Lin Ting saw those words, all the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head like boiling water. It wouldn’t happen, it shouldn’t happen. A sudden cold wind blew, sobering Lin Ting. Lin Ting laughed at himself, closed his eyes. He thought he was a top student, yet he messed up something so simple.

Wen Lan was still sitting on him, bringing the notebook closer. He blew a puff of air onto it, and instantly those four words disappeared as if they had never been written. “You can’t hide your feelings, yet you dare not speak them. Top student, oh top student, after going in circles for so long, how could you forget that the temperature on the mountaintop at night is enough to make an erasable pen ineffective?”

“I lost,” Lin Ting uttered a self-deprecating laugh through his teeth, then shook his head. The next second, before Wen Lan could react, Lin Ting pressed down on the person above him, flipped over, and pinned him down. In an instant, their positions were reversed. The notebook in Wen Lan’s hand fell to the ground, the dead leaves and paper whispering a shared lament. Lin Ting sat on Wen Lan, reached out to brush away the fragments of dead leaves clinging to the other’s forehead, his fingertips lingering on his eyebrows, nose bridge, and lips: “You won. What reward do you want?”

Wen Lan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice deep and hoarse, “You.”

Before the words fell, Lin Ting’s body pressed down. His lips, chilled by the cold wind, became hot and fiery the moment they touched the other. Wen Lan seemed not to have anticipated this sudden change, and for a moment, his lips and tongue were stiff, unsure how to respond. Lin Ting moistened Wen Lan’s slightly dry lips and then, parting his lips, probed inside. The love that had been suppressed for so long finally poured out uncontrollably, like a torrential flood, between their lips and teeth. His movements were almost rough, his sharp teeth biting down hard on the corner of the other’s lips. Wen Lan let out a muffled groan but responded to this ferocity, returning his dissatisfaction to Lin Ting just as fiercely. In the silent forest, only the sound of mingled breaths and moisture could be heard.

“Hiss.” Lin Ting felt a sharp pain on his tongue. He stopped, his nose rubbing against Wen Lan’s nose as they looked at each other from a close distance. “You bit me?”

“Learning from you,” Wen Lan said, not backing down. The dissatisfaction in his eyes had already melted into deep affection. Wen Lan reached out, cupped the back of Lin Ting’s head, and rubbed it, then pressed it against his neck. Lin Ting’s nostrils were filled with the sandalwood scent of Wen Lan. For the first time, he inhaled greedily from this soft spot. The other’s ragged breaths brushed against his side neck, seeping into his spine through his pores, making his whole body tingle. He finally closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up.

“Got a smoke?” Lin Ting asked.

“Can you handle it? You need a smoke after a kiss? In the future…” Wen Lan stopped mid-sentence, coughed twice, and sat back in his original position.

“Hurry up,” Lin Ting acted as if he hadn’t heard the unfinished sentence. He sat beside Wen Lan and waved his hand in front of him. Wen Lan took out his cigarette case from his pocket, put one in his own mouth, and offered one to Lin Ting.

The night had completely fallen. Two sparks became the only points of light in the forest, flickering on and off.

“That’s enough,” Wen Lan extinguished his cigarette butt and then took Lin Ting’s out of his mouth and put it out. “Smoking is harmful to your health.”

Lin Ting almost laughed out of exasperation. “Fine, let me see what the great young master Wen wants to do by bringing me to this remote mountain on New Year’s Eve.”

“Anyway, I’ve already done what I wanted to do most,” Wen Lan casually rubbed his lips.

“Stop being cheeky,” Lin Ting pinched his chin and gently shook it left and right. Seeing the atmosphere about to spiral out of control, they both turned their heads away in time.

Wen Lan spread his arms and lay down on the ground, patting the spot beside him. “Come, let’s watch the stars.”

Pillowed on the thick, soft earth and dry fallen leaves, Lin Ting felt an unprecedented sense of stability. As far as his eyes could see, the dense branches of the forest, which should have been sprawling in the sky, were reduced to a fine, vascular network in the powerless winter. The dazzling blue starry sky replaced the leaves. Each twinkling star was carefully supported by the branches, as if they had grown there from the beginning.

Lin Ting stared at this scene of a thousand trees and silver flowers for a long time before he said with emotion, “It turns out nature is quite bright even without lights.”

Wen Lan turned his head and smiled at him. “Top student, is that all you can come up with after holding back for so long? Shouldn’t you recite a poem or something?”

Lin Ting pushed his face away with a finger. “If you’re cheeky again, I’ll really hit you.”

Wen Lan took the opportunity to pinch his finger. “What are we now? Deskmates? Friends? Or… spring friends…?”

Lin Ting suppressed his laughter and turned to face him. “I remember someone said no dating within the group, right? Then it’s settled, looks like we can only be deskmates.”

“That can’t be counted like that. Report it to me, and I’ll go through the process and approve it for you.”

Lin Ting laughed for a long time, then looked at the brightest star and said, “Aeronautical University… I want to go there.”

“Okay,” Wen Lan said. “If I get into Aeronautical University, you promise me that from now on, every New Year’s Eve, you’ll watch the stars with me.”

“Alright, pinky promise.” Lin Ting extended his little finger, and it lightly hooked with Wen Lan’s. The safety buckle on the red string on their wrists clinked. Wen Lan leaned in, his deep eyes darkening. Lin Ting knew what he was thinking in an instant, and a smile curved his lips.

“Don’t smile, I’m serious,” Wen Lan said.

“Mhm, mhm, serious, serious.” Lin Ting said this, but the smile on his lips couldn’t be suppressed, until Wen Lan straddled him and leaned down.

“Making such a fuss over a kiss,” Lin Ting smiled as he looked up. Wen Lan’s hair was caught in the branches of the starry sky, and the dark blue light filtered through the gaps in his hair into Lin Ting’s eyes. He reached out, grabbed Wen Lan’s collar, and pulled him closer. The kiss, mixed with the scent of tobacco, fell like spring rain. Unlike the rough release just now, this kiss was almost sacredly gentle and devout. Lin Ting could feel the other’s tongue trembling slightly as it swept across his teeth and then up to his palate, exploring every inch with meticulous care. Lin Ting followed the other’s movements, pushing his tongue further, then gently sucking on the trembling spot until it was soothed and calmed. If one were to fall into the mire, they might as well be thoroughly defiled.