Chapter 67: —

When they got home it was almost midnight. Wen Fu darted to the TV and pressed the power button with his hand. Fei Baolin took one look and knew the kid had been mashing the power button on and off for fun while he was out — new thing in the house, and cats are the most curious creatures alive.

The TV came on to CCTV-1. A host in a big red gown smiled warmly and started the countdown: 'Ten... nine... eight...'

Wen Fu stared at the screen, focused, waiting for midnight. Then he turned his head and realized Fei Baolin wasn't next to him.

He ran to the bathroom on instinct. Sure enough, Fei Baolin was standing at the sink.

Because he'd been inside a KTV and even leaned against the wall of a public restroom stall for a while, Fei Baolin had rushed straight to the bedroom the moment they got home, stripped off his clothes in a flash, and then spent forever washing his hands.

If he hadn't known he still had to cook later and would end up smelling like cooking oil, he'd have washed himself head to toe without a second thought.

He caught Wen Fu sidling up in his peripheral vision, grabbed his hand, and shoved it under the faucet. 'Perfect timing, wash your hands.'

The second Fei Baolin wasn't paying attention, Wen Fu shut off the faucet and pulled him toward the living room. 'Countdown's starting.'

Fei Baolin was mid-handwash when Wen Fu yanked him away. He was still grumbling to himself about when the kid had gotten so strong, but in the blink of an eye he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Wen Fu in front of the TV, dumbly waiting out the last three seconds of the countdown.

'Three... two... one...'

'Hap—py—new—year—!'

Inside the TV, cheers erupted. Outside, the two of them sat with their hands on their knees, ramrod straight, treating the most ceremonial moment of New Year's Eve with grave formality — shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, eyes fixed on the screen. Like they were posing for wedding photos.

Wen Fu was solemn because he was naturally solemn. Fei Baolin only looked solemn because his brain hadn't caught up yet.

How did he get dragged over here so fast...

Did Wen Fu drag him...

It felt like his feet hadn't even touched the ground before he was sitting in front of the TV...

Is Wen Fu really that strong...

Was he faking it this whole time...

But normally the little cat just lets himself be picked up and follows along...

But just now...

But usually...

Fei Baolin, his brain still numb from that one sip of Beer at Yuntop, was off in space. Wen Fu poked his arm.

He turned his head woodenly and heard Wen Fu speaking in that usual quiet, low voice — but his eyes were faintly shining.

'Bo-ge, second year.'

Wen Fu said, 'Happy New Year. Happy this year too.'

Happy next year too.

Fei Baolin blinked, then let out a soft laugh.

'Do we have to count every year?' he asked. 'In ten years do we say ten?'

Wen Fu thought for a moment, then answered, 'We still have eighty-two years to say.'

'Why eighty-two?'

'Bo-ge's gonna live to a hundred.'

'Then won't I turn into an old man.'

'Then I'm a little old man.'

'You're not a little old man, you're a little old cat.'

'Not a little old butterfly?' Wen Fu tilted his head. 'Or a little old bird. Bo-ge, why do you see me as so many things?'

'...'

'...'

'Hahahahahahaha!'

Fei Baolin held it in for a while, then couldn't anymore, and finally laughed out loud, his eyes crinkling.

Wen Fu watched him with those dark eyes, feeling like something was off about Fei Baolin tonight.

Fei Baolin, still hazy from the slow-acting alcohol, dimly understood why Wen Fu kept turning into different animals in his eyes.

Probably because all the cuteness in the world, when you add it up, is just two words: heart-flutter.

-

The New Year passed in a rush. The countdown was over before Fei Baolin even started cooking.

When he got to the kitchen he specifically checked the plate that had held the rock candy and strawberries, along with the bowl Wen Fu had eaten noodles from — not a single bite left over.

Even though the cat had run halfway across the city to find him, not one scrap of food got left behind.

Fei Baolin quickly washed the dishes — before going out he'd told Wen Fu not to bother washing them, since the kid couldn't get them clean anyway and skipping it saved trouble — then started cooking in an orderly way.

Even though it was past midnight, Fei Baolin still took half an hour to make Wen Fu's favorite — squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.

Once the simple New Year's Eve dinner was ready, Fei Baolin called Wen Fu in to carry the food out.

He was about to say something, but his brain took a turn and he tried, tentatively: 'Meimei!'

Three seconds later Wen Fu appeared at the kitchen door, head tilted: 'Bo-ge?'

Fei Baolin pressed his lips into a smile. 'Come carry the food out.'

By the time they ate it was already late. Wen Fu was about to mix the leftover sweet-and-sour sauce from the fish plate into a third bowl of rice when Fei Baolin stopped him: 'No more. Your pancreas can't take it.'

Wen Fu licked his lips and scooted off to one side to watch the Spring Festival Gala replay.

Until Fei Baolin finished cleaning up in the kitchen and called out 'meimei' again — then Wen Fu, on his own, grabbed his clothes and ran to the bathroom to wait for their shower together.

Fei Baolin was getting more and more used to the name. Like there really was a little sister living in the house.

On a winter break morning, Wen Fu was sleeping in. Fei Baolin, cooking noodles in the kitchen, called out without looking up: 'Meimei.'

In the bedroom, Wen Fu hadn't even opened his eyes yet, but answered with his nose first: 'Mm?'

Then he rolled over, rubbed his eyes, and got up groggily, his hair a mess, wearing Fei Baolin's oversized old pajamas.

By early spring, on a weekend, Wen Fu was curled up next to the Space Heater at Lin's Convenience Store, warming himself and watching anime. Fei Baolin was sorting stock by the shelves in the corner when his phone rang — the restaurant next door ordering Beer on short notice. He hung up and called across a few rows of shelves: 'Meimei.'

Wen Fu's eyes stayed on the screen, but his mouth answered on reflex: 'Bo-ge?'

'Go grab two cans of Beer, put them in a small bag, I'll deliver them in a bit.'

'Oh.'

One early-summer evening, Fei Baolin was collecting laundry on the balcony. It looked like rain. He squinted at the sky and called: 'Meimei!'

Wen Fu ran over and carried the few fragile potted plants from outside into the room, while also checking the soil to see if the watermelon seeds he'd secretly buried last year had sprouted.

Neither of them thought anything was strange about it, but both silently agreed the name was only for at home.

Outside the house, Fei Baolin was still the model-student Fei Baolin, and Wen Fu was still the quiet Doremi — just an ordinary pair of not-too-close, not-too-distant deskmates under the sun. Their most intimate gesture was Fei Baolin occasionally calling out 'Xiao Fu,' and Wen Fu occasionally calling out 'Bo-ge.'

During this time Xu Wei called Fei Baolin's phone twice, but since he'd been blocked, no notification showed up on Fei Baolin's end.

After that Xu Wei didn't come looking again, quiet as if he were lying in wait for something.

Time, like a drop of sunlight gathering in a morning water glass, slipped with the slightest tilt — and in a blink it was May.

Today was the day the third-years had been specially approved to take graduation photos. From the afternoon until evening self-study, the entire third-year grade could move freely around their teaching area and outside the Teaching Building, looking for spots to take pictures.

After Xie Yining polled everyone's preferences in the group chat, she asked the homeroom teacher for permission to hire an outside photographer for their own class photo set.

Unfortunately, the school's announcement of the photo date came out of nowhere, and most classes didn't have time to order class shirts for the shoot. So on photo day, out on the field, every grade had at least thirty classes all wearing School Uniform.

Luckily for Class 6, the grade and the School approved their request for an outside photographer. When the last class of the day ended at noon, the entire third-year grade fell into a faint festive mood.

After all, it was rare — in days where even bathroom breaks had to be timed down to the minute, getting a whole half-day to relax was too precious.

Lu Yuqiu went with Xie Yining to the School Gate to meet the photographer. Su Haoran insisted on tagging along, so the job of getting lunch for them from the cafeteria fell to Wen Fu and Fei Baolin.

Xie Yining had the graduation photo schedule planned pretty tight. Since they'd hired an outside photographer, it'd be a waste not to do a full set — so besides the whole-class group shot on the plaza, they needed to take pictures at all the School's landmark spots, plus extra time for separate boys' and girls' shots. Class 6 got out at 12:15, and after eating they had to assemble for photos before 1:00, otherwise there was no way to finish everything before sunset.

Luckily the class was cooperative — basically everyone had shown up by around 12:50.

Fei Baolin and Wen Fu had gotten lunch for Xie Yining and the others early, and were the first ones back in the classroom.

Around 12:30, when only the two of them were in the classroom, Xie Yining walked in with two photographers.

The main photographer up front was in constant discussion with Xie Yining, repeatedly confirming the locations and working out the details to avoid wasting time. The assistant photographer in the back was chatting with Su Haoran — his voice reached the classroom before he even walked in.

Fei Baolin was just thinking the voice sounded familiar when they came in one after another.

The main photographer was a man in his thirties with a trendy haircut and an artsy beard. The assistant in the back had his face blocked, but his build looked pretty young.

The next second, Xie Yining stepped forward to grab her boxed lunch. 'Oh? Class monitor, you're both back already?'

Her stepping aside revealed the face of the person behind her.

The person smiled at Fei Baolin: 'Long time no see, Baolin, Wen Fu.'

Fei Baolin's face went cold in an instant.

It was Meng Yu.

— A couple days ago, Meng Yu had been bored and wandered over to his photographer friend's Management Studio. He happened to see the class roster his friend had received from a high schooler booking graduation photos — first he spotted Fei Baolin's name, and scanning down by surname, sure enough there was Wen Fu. So Meng Yu had snuck in under the guise of assistant photographer.

Wen Fu didn't know Meng Yu at all.

He just glanced at Fei Baolin, realized something, and then turned an equally cold gaze on Meng Yu.

'Don't pull a face the second you see me.' Meng Yu took a step toward Wen Fu. Fei Baolin instinctively raised a hand to block in front of him.

'Look at you.' Meng Yu pointed at Fei Baolin and laughed. 'Xu Wei was right about you.'

Bad temper through and through.

On that side, Wen Fu's ears automatically picked up 'Xu Wei,' and his face grew even less friendly.

'Be nice, I'm here to take your photos today.' Meng Yu joked. 'If you piss me off later, don't blame me when I make you look ugly.'

The main photographer up front turned to ask him: 'Didn't you say you were sneaking in to hang out? What photos are you taking?'

Meng Yu laughed. 'Just messing with them — look how ugly their faces are.'

Xie Yining had been trying to get a word in earlier and couldn't. Now she finally had a chance, pointing at Meng Yu: 'You know the class monitor?'

Meng Yu was about to answer when Fei Baolin cut in first: 'Mutual friend. Met once. Not close.'

His tone was flat. The face that had gone dark a moment ago had recovered — not exactly pleasant, but no different from usual.

'What about Doremi then?' Xie Yining leaned in front of Wen Fu, examining his frown from every angle, almost reaching out to touch it. 'Does Doremi have some grudge against him?'

Fei Baolin glanced at Wen Fu.

Still hadn't switched out of angry mode.

He raised his hand, pressed his palm down on top of Wen Fu's head like a mountain, and casually twisted it, turning Wen Fu's face toward the desk. At the same time he pulled a carton of Jule Milk from his bag. 'Drink your milk. Stop glaring.'

'Oh.'

Told to drink milk, he drank milk. Wen Fu's face changed in one second — he ducked his head, clamped the straw in his mouth, and stopped looking at Meng Yu.

Meng Yu, arms crossed, was still chatting Fei Baolin up: 'He listens to you pretty well?'

Fei Baolin ignored him.

Xie Yining could tell something was off between these people, but time was tight. In just a few minutes, most of the class had shown up, and she didn't have time to ask in detail. Besides, even though Meng Yu had a camera around his neck, when she'd booked the photographer the other party had told her Meng Yu wouldn't actually shoot — he was just coming in to observe. And on top of that, Fei Baolin was supposed to organize and run the photo session with her today, and they'd both be counting heads later — each busy with their own thing, no chance to even talk.

Once everyone was assembled, Fei Baolin and Xie Yining led the boys' and girls' lines left and right, following the photographers out to the playground.

Wen Fu was at the very back of the line. The moment Fei Baolin turned around, Meng Yu slipped up to Wen Fu's ear: 'I have something of Fei Baolin's to show you.'

Wen Fu didn't respond.

Meng Yu said: 'If you don't come with me, I'll go to the academic office this afternoon and report him for assault — assault, you know? Even after graduation it goes on his record.'

When Fei Baolin turned back, Wen Fu was gone.

By then Class 6's line had already reached the Teaching Building, and crossing the cement plaza they'd looped around to the back of the playground. To make sure he wasn't seeing things, Fei Baolin scanned the people at the back several times — no Wen Fu anywhere.

No Meng Yu either.

His heart sank. He was just about to head back when Gu Mingchun called from the front: 'Fei Baolin, Xie Yining, you two come here and mark your spots.'

For the photo, the visibly tall people in the class had to mark their spots. Fei Baolin and Xie Yining — one was class monitor, one was tall — naturally had to go.

He stood at the mark, not very patiently, waited until the class had loosely lined up behind him, then said to Gu Mingchun: 'Teacher, Wen Fu's not here.'

The moment he said it, another boy who'd been next to Wen Fu coming down the stairs spoke up: 'He said he went to the bathroom.'

Gu Mingchun was busy finding seats for the class's other subject teachers one by one — no time to worry about who was in the bathroom. He just said simply: 'Then let's wait for him a bit.'

Fei Baolin immediately turned to head back toward the Teaching Building.

He'd barely left the crowd when Gu Mingchun called: 'Fei Baolin, where are you going?'

He was too conspicuous — his grades and his personal image meant he had to sit front row center for the photo. The center originally had three student spots: him, Xie Yining, and Wen Fu, with the principal and teachers in the row in front. Now that Wen Fu was gone, Fei Baolin and Xie Yining couldn't be missing too.

But Fei Baolin had no intention of stopping: 'I'm going to find Wen Fu.'

'Come back.' Gu Mingchun waved him over and clicked his tongue. 'Wen Fu went to the bathroom, and then you disappear too — people missing here and there all over the class, are we taking photos or not?'

Seeing Fei Baolin say nothing, Gu Mingchun soothed: 'You come back. I'll go find him.'

Fei Baolin had no choice — he couldn't brush off Gu Mingchun in front of all those teachers and classmates. He could only go back to the middle.

Gu Mingchun, on his end, said a word to the grade director and the principal, then jogged off to the Teaching Building bathrooms to look.

After about ten minutes, the classes still waiting on the playground started getting noisy — whispers big and small all complaining about where Wen Fu had gone, where Gu Mingchun had gone, and the other classes were still waiting for the principal and grade director to come over for their group photos.

Before long Gu Mingchun came jogging back alone, slightly out of breath, apologetic-faced, nodded to the leaders up front, and told the photographer: 'Forget it, let's shoot first — this kid, dropping the ball at the crucial moment, can't find him anywhere.'

He wiped his sweat, sat down to Fei Baolin's front right, and glanced at Fei Baolin as if by accident — meaning he couldn't leave right now.

The photographer half-crouched in front, holding up the camera: 'Everyone stand ready — one, two, three — smile!'

A soft click — the shutter went off.

On the afternoon of May 28, 2015, the sky was cloudless and clear, and Wen Fu's figure did not appear in Class 6's graduation photo.

The instant the group photo was done, while the principal and teachers up front were getting up to leave, Fei Baolin took off running toward the Teaching Building, slipping into the crowd without a trace.

-

Wen Fu and Meng Yu weren't in the Teaching Building. They were on the walled path behind the cafeteria — a corner no one would come to for a photo.

Meng Yu had led Wen Fu here, but didn't rush to show him anything. Instead he asked: 'Wen Fu, where do you live?'

Wen Fu said nothing.

Meng Yu said: 'Did you transfer in? Why hadn't I heard of you back in Rongzhou? You're so good-looking.'

Wen Fu frowned.

He couldn't figure out why Meng Yu was talking so much nonsense.

What did his looks have to do with Meng Yu? Even if he grew up to be a celestial being he didn't want to hear a single compliment from Meng Yu. If Fei Baolin complimented him he'd be secretly pleased for days — but Fei Baolin never called him good-looking. Not only didn't he compliment him, he was always scrubbing his shoes and washing his clothes while asking why he was always so sloppy.

He wasn't actually sloppy. He just liked sitting on the floor at home. Fei Baolin mopped the floor every day until it shone — not a speck of dust to be found. If Fei Baolin had seen what he looked like wandering around with his foster father back in the day, he wouldn't be calling him sloppy now.

But he knew Fei Baolin didn't mean it. Fei Baolin called him sloppy with his mouth, but every day after drying his hair he'd rest his chin on top of Wen Fu's head and sniff lightly. Fei Baolin absolutely adored him — he was even secretly proud of how clean Wen Fu looked every day. Fei Baolin just didn't let on.

But how did Meng Yu figure it out?

How would Meng Yu know he'd transferred, or have heard of him? Wen Fu figured Meng Yu's brain was broken — Meng Yu's ears weren't attached to Fei Baolin, so of course he shouldn't know Wen Fu's business.

He felt Meng Yu's whole body giving off a disgusting aura. Specifically which person? Of course — Fei Baolin.

But no need to dig into that. Whoever Fei Baolin hated, he hated.

So Wen Fu, his head full of nothing but Fei Baolin, opened his mouth: 'What did you want to show me?'

Meng Yu smiled, opened his phone: 'Let me show you a photo.'

Wen Fu thought it was a photo of Fei Baolin. But when Meng Yu held the phone up to his face, Wen Fu realized the person in the photo was himself.

It was him from middle school — beaten black and blue behind the grove for stealing money from the boys' dorm.

Wen Fu was even more baffled.

What was there to look at?

'Didn't you say you were going to show me Bo-ge?' Wen Fu asked.

A strange expression crossed Meng Yu's face — basically not understanding why Wen Fu was so calm. He looked down at the phone, then back at Wen Fu, and asked: 'Isn't this you?'

Wen Fu said: 'That's me.'

Meng Yu looked at him with that strange expression again.

Now both of them thought the other one's brain was broken.

Meng Yu said: 'You stole money in middle school and got beaten up like this.'

Wen Fu didn't even blink: 'Yeah.'

He didn't get what Meng Yu was on about. Was Meng Yu going to tell him how many times he'd stolen money in middle school, how many meals he'd eaten a day? He didn't have that kind of time — he still had to get back and take graduation photos with Fei Baolin.

From Meng Yu's eyes you could tell he'd become certain Wen Fu's brain was broken — not suspected, certain. Of course, the look Wen Fu gave Meng Yu back said the same thing.

'Didn't you say you were going to show me Bo-ge? If you're not showing me, I'm leaving.'

Wen Fu said it and turned around — really about to leave.

Meng Yu called him back.

Wen Fu turned back and was met with the phone screen suddenly thrust in front of his face.

This time the screen showed Fei Baolin — Fei Baolin at the Yuntop KTV.

In the picture, sitting next to Fei Baolin was an adult woman with a sexy look and sexy clothes, leaning against his left arm and pressing into him.

And Fei Baolin had no reaction to it.

Meng Yu made sure Wen Fu had seen clearly, then took the phone back. 'Looks like you care about him more than yourself — what's that face?'

Wen Fu didn't know what expression he was making. Once the phone left his line of sight, what was in front of him was Meng Yu's face — and Meng Yu's face was now extremely annoying to him, more annoying than a minute ago. Wen Fu shifted his gaze, and somehow it automatically fell on Meng Yu's phone — but the unresponsive Fei Baolin on the screen suddenly made Wen Fu feel a little annoyed too.

Wen Fu's gaze had nowhere to land. He didn't know where to look that wouldn't annoy him, so his eyes wandered around the cement path behind the School cafeteria.

Meng Yu suddenly bent down to his eye level: 'Gonna cry?'

Cry?

Wen Fu's brow knit — and with a slap, he hit Meng Yu across the face.

The sound froze both of them — and Fei Baolin, who had just arrived behind them.

Meng Yu covered his face, stared at Wen Fu in shock for two seconds, and felt two parts of humiliation welling up inside him.

Then he realized the other eight parts were because getting hit actually felt good.

Meng Yu's eyes lit up. He grabbed Wen Fu's wrist and thrust the other cheek forward: 'Here, hit me again.'

Wen Fu was so disgusted he wanted to throw up.

He wanted to kick Meng Yu right in the crotch he'd thrust forward.

Just as Wen Fu was about to break free, Fei Baolin's hand reached from behind and pulled his arm out of Meng Yu's grip.

At the same time, Meng Yu's other cheek got slapped.

Both of them looked up in unison.

Fei Baolin looked down at him calmly: 'Done? Can we go now?'

Now Meng Yu's two parts of humiliation turned fully into ten. His hard-on immediately wilted, but his face was swelling up.

Fei Baolin had shown no mercy either time.

He was about to blow up when he heard Wen Fu, trailing behind Fei Baolin, parroting like a little cat: 'Done? Can we go now?'