In the heat of the moment, Qi Yan had to brake. At that moment, Song's hands had already slipped inside Qi Yan's clothes, frantically groping him, almost wiping the sweat from his upper body. If Qi Yan hadn't held her down, she wouldn't know where she would have gone next.
Song Fei wasn't satisfied with the experience; her eyes and eyebrows were furrowed, and she wasn't very happy.
Qi Yan found that even Song Fei like this could make him feel happy. He wanted to sigh helplessly, but what came out of his mouth was a murmur: "When you're well-fed and warm, you think of lust. But with hunger and cold, don't be wild."
Song Fei awkwardly withdrew his paw and said sullenly, "Seeing something but not being able to eat it, there is nothing more painful in the world than this."
Qi Yan gestured with his chin toward the window: "The most painful thing in the world is there."
Following the direction indicated by Qi Yan, a desolate figure came into view.
Song Fei felt awkward. She had been so engrossed in the kiss that she had completely forgotten there was an audience member next to her. Now, realizing it, she felt a little embarrassed, but she still forced herself to pretend to be natural and called out to the other person, "Xiao He?"
With his back to his two comrades, He Zhiwen didn't turn his head, as if a beautiful woman was dancing gracefully on the bright moon, completely unable to look away: "Um, just pretend I don't exist, you guys continue, as long as you're happy."
Song Fei felt even more guilty about his thoughtfulness, so she quickly volunteered, "I know you must be a little confused right now, let me explain my relationship with Qi Yan in detail..."
"No need!" He Zhiwen's refusal was firm and decisive.
Song Fei was displeased. Zhao He was like this, and He Zhiwen was like this too: "How come you students in Class Two have no curiosity about this world at all!"
"..." It's precisely because they cherish this world that they don't want to be dragged into the door of the new world!
"Actually, Qi Yan and I..."
"I won't listen to this bastard's chanting!"
Qi Yan had seen people who hid their coming out, but she had never seen anyone who was so eager to come out. She had seen people who subtly inquired about their friends, but she had never seen anyone who would cover their ears and refuse to listen when their friends offered to tell them. The two comrades in front of her, whose relationship was completely reversed, were truly bizarre.
But it was precisely this eccentricity that gave him an unprecedented sense of ease.
Perhaps the situation has already deteriorated to the point where it can't get any worse. Compared to the possibility of being devoured by zombies, even shouting to the world that "I fucking like men" is insignificant. To put it bluntly, who cares? If you shouted that you have bread, you might attract some covetous people. But with homosexuality, no one is competing with you, and no one has the time to come and criticize.
This is the worst time.
But then again, it doesn't seem so bad.
Qi Yan pulled Song Fei, who was still tormenting He Zhiwen, close to her, ruffled her hair, and said softly, "Let's make up now."
Song Fei rolled her eyes at him: "Otherwise, should I give you a certificate of reconciliation?"
Qi Yan was speechless. She was about to say something like, "You can't even be serious for two minutes," but then she stopped herself and ended up saying nothing.
Song Fei was prepared to be retorted, and had even prepared his own retort, but Qi Yan didn't play by the rules, leaving him feeling incredibly frustrated: "Was there something you were going to say? Just say it, don't hold back, I can handle it."
Qi Yan was speechless. Song Fei's eager expression was more than just bearable; it practically screamed, "I'm fucking looking forward to it!"
But he didn't want to go back to the old ways. Song Fei was impulsive and acted on instinct, but Qi Yan wasn't. He would remember the mistakes he made, and he would avoid the obstacles he stumbled over. Falling into the same pit twice wasn't his style. Wang Qingyuan said he didn't respect Song Fei, so from now on, he would learn to respect him: "I was wrong before. I always unilaterally demanded that you follow my pace without putting myself in your shoes. Actually, you're better than me in many ways—"
Although He Zhiwen resumed his moon-gazing posture, he was still listening intently. He was preparing to jot down some touching phrases to use when pursuing love in the future, but what did "better than me" mean?! Can't people just talk properly when they're in love these days?!
"What are you doing!" After yelling, Qi had more to say.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, He Zhiwen turned around and saw Song Fei using an even more forceful action than before, pinching his own face in front of... uh, his current partner's face.
"Take off your [illegible]." Song said confidently, "You are not Qi Yan. Qi Yan would never admit his mistakes, much less say that he was blind and did not realize that I, Song Fei, am actually a very outstanding and handsome man."
Qi Yan and He Zhiwen: "They didn't say that in the first place!!!"
Annoyed, Qi Yan pulled Song Fei's hand away. She realized that she couldn't go through the motions with Song Fei; she should just give him a simple and direct answer: "I won't argue with you anymore. No matter what disagreements we have, I swear I will discuss them with you properly."
Song Fei was somewhat dazed by Qi Yan's unprecedented tenderness, unable to distinguish between dream and reality, and repeated uncertainly, "You swear?"
Qi Yan lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she raised them again, staring intently at the person who might be entangled with her for the rest of her life, and said each word deeply and firmly: "I will try my best."
It was reality, Song Fei was certain of it.
"Then I swear, I will never waste my days again, and I will strive to be as hardworking and ambitious as you!"
"real?"
"I'll try my best."
"..." What to do if your boyfriend is petty? Qi Yan's answer is, just bear with it.
Love at twenty is like the weather in June—sunny one day, rainy the next. Song Fei didn't know how long their relationship would last, or how far they could go together, but he hoped it would last longer, and go further. He couldn't be responsible for the future; he could only cherish the present.
Qi Yan didn't know what Song Fei was thinking, but based on his understanding of Song Fei, the man probably wouldn't think too far ahead. But it didn't matter; he would never let go again, nor would he give the other a chance to escape. Some people are destined to be plagued by romantic entanglements, some by villains; he was destined to be plagued by Song Fei. So be it, it's fine.
She was drenched in sweat. She hadn't felt anything when she was nervous, but now that the air had cooled down, she could feel the damp chill in her clothes. Even though the windows were tightly closed, it still felt like a draft was constantly getting in. Qi Yan rubbed her nose and finally couldn't help but sneeze.
Song Fei then realized something was wrong and quickly said, "No, you have to take your clothes off." He then reached out to help Qi Yan take them off.
Qi Yan quickly hid behind him. He hadn't brought any change of clothes. The classroom had no electricity or heating, so wet clothes were better than nothing.
Song Fei failed to catch the person twice in a row, and probably understood the other party's concerns. She said irritably, "I didn't ask you to take off all your clothes. Just take off your inner clothes and leave your down jacket on."
The inner layer of clothing was wet, but the down jacket was dry.
Qi Yan initially wanted to endure it, but she increasingly felt a chill emanating from inside her clothes. After much deliberation, she took it off. Once she put her down jacket back on, before she could even adjust to the strange sensation of the down lining against her skin, she realized Song Fei was nowhere to be seen. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked around, fearing that the man might be up to his old tricks again.
Splash!
Achoo!
As expected, Song did not disappoint and tore down the entire curtain in the blink of an eye.
Whether out of revenge or not, the curtains were completely covered over his head without being wasted. After struggling for a while, he finally poked his head out from under the dusty rag: "Achoo—Ptooey, ptooey, it's been so many years since I washed it!"
"It probably hasn't been washed since this campus was built," He Zhiwen kindly explained. "We avoid it when we study; if you touch it, three pounds of dust will fall off. Why would you want to clean it?"
"To keep warm," Song Fei rolled her eyes, though the effect was practically negligible in the dark, "otherwise, how are the three of us going to get through the night? Friction generates heat."
"..." He Zhiwen wanted to believe that Song Fei was just making a fuss, but why couldn't he shake the image of two people kissing and touching each other? Ugh, he might be sick.
For now, they had to improvise. Song Fei pulled down the curtains of both windows, while Qi Yan pushed her desk against the wall to make a makeshift bed. The three friends lay huddled together—Qi Yan, being the lightest-clothed, was sandwiched between Song Fei on either side, with He Zhiwen as her cushion, enjoying the bliss of having two wives. The curtains in the physics department were incredibly thick, perhaps for radiation protection, and after a short while, they actually provided a bit of warmth.
It was nearly 2 a.m. when I finally lay down peacefully.
Qi Yan was extremely tired and soon fell asleep.
As Song Fei listened to the breathing behind her gradually even out, she hesitated for a moment before gently turning over. Then, she secretly admired her current partner's good looks by the moonlight before finally settling into his arms, completely satisfied.
Qi Yan seemed to sense something, shifted slightly, found a comfortable position, and hugged the person in his arms again.
Song Fei quietly reached out and hugged him back, finally closing her eyes peacefully in the tight embrace.
He Zhiwen sighed, turned over, and realized that he and Qi Yan had formed a simple, back-to-back position like good brothers. Only then did he relax and go to sleep.
That night, the radio martial arts team was scattered in four different places. Some were exhausted and slept, some were cold and awake, some fought bloody battles, and some hid in the shadows. They didn't know each other's situation, but they believed in each other.
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
The moment Song Fei woke up, he thought he was in 440. The long-awaited sunshine generously shone on him. His nose was slightly cool, but his body felt warm, just like countless early winter mornings.
Just as he lazily rolled over with his eyes half-closed, he heard the creaking and groaning of the table legs below.
Qi Yan looked well; it was unclear whether it was because of the sunlight or because she had slept well last night.
But Song Fei was still worried, so she finally pulled Qi Yan over and pressed her lips to the other's forehead.
This was something Song Fei learned from his mother. According to his mother, if your lips feel slightly cool when you touch your forehead, you're fine; but if your forehead feels hotter than your lips, you have a fever. Song Fei wasn't sure if there was any scientific basis to this, but at least in his mother's experience, whenever she said she had a fever after touching her lips, it was always proven to be true. Song Fei didn't know if it was because his mother's lips were accurate, or if this method of measuring by touching the forehead itself carried some kind of curse.
Fortunately, Qi Yan's forehead felt cool against her lips.
"It should be fine," Song Fei said, hoping Qi Yan could rest assured.
However, it seems that the results have been minimal.
"Are you sure?" Qi Yan frowned slightly. "I don't feel well."
"You just said everything was fine and not to worry, but now that I've taken the test, you're saying something's wrong." Despite her teasing, Song Fei's heart still raced. She leaned forward uncomfortably, pulling the other person's shoulder down, then pressed her lips to his forehead, muttering to herself, "Not hot at all..."
"It could also be a low-grade fever," Qi Yan offered several possibilities.
"So you're determined to burn a fever, aren't you?" Song Fei was puzzled. This time, she switched hands and touched the other person's forehead, but there was still no unusual heat. "It's perfectly normal."
Qi Yan took his hand away, frowned slightly, and said with a serious and upright expression: "Don't use your hand, it was fine just like that."
Song Fei: "..."
Standing by the window, He Zhiwen gazed at the clear sky.
He recalled that when he used to play RPG games, he could keep pressing Enter during character dialogues to speed up the conversation and quickly start the next stage of his journey.
Looking back now, it was such a thoughtful design.