CH 33

Old Yuan’s fracture wasn’t very serious, and it didn’t need surgery. The doctor told him to get some rest and it will be fine.

When the dean and the other teachers arrived at the hospital, Huo Ran and Kou Chen were already supporting Old Yuan out of the ER. 

“You’re done?” The dean asked. “So fast?’

“Did you want me to need surgery and to stay overnight?” Old Yuan laughed.

The dean was still worried, and he ran in and asked the doctors before coming back out: “I’ll drive you back home.”

“It’s fine, let’s go back to school first.” Old Yuan said. “The students must be worried.” 

“It’s already dinner time.” The dean said. “So what if they’re worried for a bit? These two won’t stay quiet either, they’ll tell everyone.”

“We texted them already,” Kou Chen said. “Everyone knows that it wasn’t too serious. Whatever you need to say can wait until tomorrow.”

“It’s almost Sports Day…” Old Yuan said.

“I promise Huo Ran and I will get first on everything,” Kou Chen said. “So don’t you worry.”

“I’m holding you two to that.” Old Yuan pointed at them.

“Of course.” Kou Chen nodded.

Huo Ran looked at him.

Old Yuan lived in the opposite direction from the school, so the dean gave them some money and told them to get a ride back to school.

Kou Chen didn’t refuse this time, he accepted the money and watched as the car drove off.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Huo Ran said: “I didn’t say anything!”

“Hm?” Kou Chen turned to look at him, “Didn’t say what?” 

“When did I promise to get first place?” Huo Ran said.

“Did you not?” Kou Chen asked in all seriousness, just barely suppressing a smirk.

“Do you know what we signed up for? How could you promise first place for everything?” Huo Ran glared at him. “100! 400! 1000! Triple jump! High jump! Relay! Did you forget that there are athletes in our school?”

“Isn’t Zhou Haichao an athlete?” Kou Chen slung an arm around his shoulder and turned his head to him, “You think I can’t beat him?” 

“Depends.” Huo Ran said. “I know you can fight, but I dunno about anything else.”

“Dude,” Kou Chen stared at him, “Huo Ranran, I always thought you were a pretty normal person… I never expected this…”

Huo Ran glanced at him and couldn’t help but laugh: “Who said I was a normal person?”

“Just a feeling.” Kou Chen said. 

“You probably can’t feel it that well through so many layers.” Huo Ran said.

“Maybe.” Kou Chen put his hand beneath his own shirt, “Like this…”

“Fuck off.” Huo Ran said. “Let’s go back to school?”

“Let’s find a place to eat,” Kou Chen said. “I feel kinda exhilarated, I don’t wanna go back to school.” 

“Not even tonight?” Huo Ran asked in surprise.

“We’ll see, do you wanna go?” Kou Chen hung off of him and stretched. “If you wanna go back you can go.”

“Let’s get food.” Huo Ran took his phone out, “Should we call the others?”

“Nah.” Kou Chen ran his fingers through his hair. “I wanna be alone with you, they’re noisy, it makes my head hurt.” 

Huo Ran didn’t think that Kou Chen would find a place that was this far away.

The school was on the east side, and Kou Chen took him westwards, across half the city.

In the car, Huo Ran watched as the roads passed by slowly. The driver kept playing some Buddhist music too, making him start to nod off. 

Unlike Kou Chen.

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He actually wanted to sleep too, but with Kou Chen’s position, they would roll onto the floor if he relaxed a bit.

Huo Ran sighed, and turned to look at Kou Chen.

From this angle he could look down at Kou Chen’s face. He’d never really noticed before, but Kou Chen’s eyelashes were shockingly long. 

“Holy shit,” He couldn’t help but exclaim quietly, “Are you wearing fake eyelashes?”

Kou Chen was sound asleep.

Huo Ran looked at him for a while, and then looked in the driver’s direction. After making sure that he couldn’t be seen in the rear-view mirror, he blew on Kou Chen’s eyelashes.

No reaction. 

He blew on them again, harder this time. He almost blew spit on Kou Chen’s face.

Still no reaction.

This is the result of extreme boredom.

Huo Ran reached out, and very carefully tugged on the eyelashes on Kou Chen’s left eye. 

His eyelid was pulled up, and then it snapped back.

Huo Ran couldn’t help but laugh, but he didn’t want to make a sound so he could only lean back and shake silently.

“Couldn’t fucking help yourself, huh?” Kou Chen suddenly said.

Huo Ran startled, and turned to look at him, “Kou Chen?” 

“Who fucking knows what you would’ve done if I was actually sleep.” Kou Chen was still clinging to him, but he sounded very awake.

“Were you pretending or just not fully asleep?” Huo Ran asked.

“Not fully asleep.” Kou Chen said. “I woke up when you spat on my face.”

“…I didn’t spit!” Huo Ran rebutted in shock, “I just blew on you!” 

In front of them, the driver let slip a chuckle.

Huo Ran glanced over, and then glared at Kou Chen in a bit of embarrassment. He whispered: “What is wrong with you?”

“Are they long?” Kou Chen asked.

“Wha…” Huo Ran started, “Yeah.” 

“Did you just realize?” Kou Chen yawned and turned, going from clinging to him to leaning on him. He went to prop his leg up on the door, but then realized that it wasn’t his car and put his foot down.

“Yeah, I never noticed.” Huo Ran said. “Are you wearing fake eyelashes?”

“If I was fucking wearing them, I would’ve killed you for pulling on them.” Kou Chen said. “You touch those things and they fall out.”

“…Did you pull on Kou Xiao’s fake eyelashes?” Huo Ran said. 

Kou Chen didn’t reply, he leaned on him and laughed for a while before nodding: “Holy shit, she almost beat me to death.”

The restaurant Kou Chen took him to was next to the most pretentious bar street at the back of the most prosperous business district in the west.

It was a solo hotpot restaurant. 

Everyone got their own mini clay pot.

Kou Chen already made a reservation for them on the way to the hospital, or else they’d have no chance of eating there.

The waiter led them through the hallway, to where their seats were at the very back.

They could see out of the window beside them, and although they were only on the second floor, they looked out into the restaurant’s backyard. The arrangement of rocks and flowing water created a pretty peaceful environment. 

“Tell me,” Huo Ran sat down and looked around, before leaning closer to Kou Chen on the other side of the table and whispering, “I bet you’ve brought the girls you’ve liked here before.”

“What makes you say that?” Kou Chen leaned over as well, and asked.

“It just feels pretty fitting.” Huo Ran said.

“Then you can bring girls here.” Kou Chen smirked. 

“There’s no one to bring really,” Huo Ran leaned back into his chair. “I was pretty lost watching everyone speak during the discussion, I didn’t have anything to say.”

Kou Chen laughed, before saying: “I used to come here by myself a lot.”

“By yourself?” Huo Ran looked at him, “You don’t look like someone who would eat out by yourself.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I never really had friends, just a bunch of people to fool around with.” Kou Chen said. “After coming to your school, Chuan-ge and Chaoren would count as friends, and then you guys.” 

“Oh,” Huo Ran nodded. “What did it feel like, eating alone?”

“I wasn’t eating food…” Kou Chen said.

“You were eating loneliness, I get it.” Huo Ran cut him off.

Kou Chen laughed: “My ass, it was depression. That’s the only reason I came out by myself.” 

The waiter came to take their order, and Kou Chen ordered a spicy pot and a bone broth pot. Huo Ran ordered a tomato pot, and then added on a mushroom pot after some thought.

After the waiter left, he asked again: “What were you depressed about? In my eyes, you look like a dummy that never thinks about anything.”

“I didn’t have that good of a relationship with my dad,” Kou Chen poured himself some corn juice. “I would go out after we had a fight.” 

“Your dad… Zhifan said he’s a pretty good person, Old Yuan too.” Huo Ran said.

“I never said he wasn’t. He actually cares more about me than my sister. He spoils her, gets her whatever she wants, she can do whatever she wants.” Kou Chen took a sip. “As for me? He expects more. Saying like, ‘you’re a man’.”

“Isn’t that not a very good way of thinking?” Huo Ran said.

“Mhm, my mom said the same thing. But stuff like that isn’t something you can change that easily.” Kou Chen said. “That’s what he does. He’ll take care of my mother and she only needs to enjoy it and be an old princess… Don’t tell my mom I called her old.” 

“Mhm.” Huo Ran nodded with a laugh.

“My mom’s the princess, and my dad’s her knight.” Kou Chen sighed. “But I don’t want to be heroic, I don’t want to have to bear the burden of everything, and I don’t want to do everything perfectly. I don’t wanna be the knight, what’s wrong with me wanting to be a princess?”

“Princess Chen.” Huo Ran smiled.

“I’m warning you,” Kou Chen reached out and flicked his chin. “If I hear that one more time, you’re done for.” 

Huo Ran laughed and didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t mean it like that…” Kou Chen said.

“I know.” Huo Ran nodded. “Men should act like men, women should act like women. But who decided what men and women should be like? And why do we have to follow those rules? Right?”

“Mhm.” Kou Chen frowned and sighed. “Anyways, my dad’s really stubborn, and I can’t explain my thoughts properly… And sometimes I feel that I’m not so different from him either.” 

“So you could only come and eat hotpot alone.” Huo Ran said.

“Yup.” Kou Chen nodded.

“Poor little boy eating his hotpot.” Huo Ran said.

“Fuck off.” Kou Chen glared. 

The hotpots smelled ravishing, especially because of the unique scent from the clay pots.

As their hotpots were served, Kou Chen ordered two bottles of Jiangxiaobai.

“Last time we had Erguotou with barbeque,” Huo Ran said. “This time it’s Jiangxiaobai?” 

“I know you can drink,” Kou Chen poured him some wine. “But my tolerance isn’t as high, how are you supposed to get me back to school if I get drunk?”

“Why should I bring you back?” Huo Ran said. “Obviously I’ll just leave you here. Say I’m going to the bathroom and then leave.”

“Do you know what it says on the bottle?” Kou Chen pointed at the bottle.

“Nope.” Huo Ran said. 

“Lemme read it for you.” Kou Chen looked at the bottle, “‘I hope that in ten years, we will still be friends, and I will still be pouring you wine.’ See that? And this is how you treat me?”

“Interesting,” Huo Ran picked up the other bottle, “Lemme see this one… ‘How many I’ll see you soons have turned into forever goodbyes’?”

“Holy shit.” Kou Chen snatched the bottle over, glanced at him, and then started to violently press the service bell.

The waiter came over, and he handed over the bottle: “Get me a new bottle, I don’t want forever goodbyes, find me something that says we’ll be together forever.” 

“Alright, just a moment.” The waiter jogged away with the bottle.

Barely two minutes later, the waiter returned with another bottle: “What about this one?”

“‘Taking off my masks’,” Kou Chen regarded the bottle seriously, “‘In front of you guys I will be my true self’… this one’s good.”

After the waiter left, he whispered: “In front of you, I am my true self.” 

“I can tell.” Huo Ran replied sincerely.

“Which one do you like more? The one in front of you or other people?” Kou Chen asked.

Huo Chen realized that he was very serious, so he thought about it in all seriousness as well. A couple seconds later, he said: “I like both of them.”

“Oh,” Kou Chen let out a breath he’d been holding, “I thought you were gonna say you hated both.” 

That surprised Huo Ran. He stared at Kou Chen for a while before saying uncertainty: “That makes you sound a bit insecure?”

“Maybe it does.” Kou Chen poured the drinks, and held his glass out to him, “Come.”

“Come what?” Huo Ran startled. Every time Kou Chen said ‘come’, what followed would be a kiss.

“A toast!” Kou Chen grit his teeth, “You want a kiss or what?” 

“To our forever friendship.” Huo Ran picked up his glass, and clinked it against Kou Chen’s.

“So halfhearted?” Kou Chen grit his teeth again.

“…I’ll still be pouring you wine in ten years.” Huo Ran did it again.

“What do mean still? You’ve never even done it.” Kou Chen kept gritting his teeth, “I fucking poured it for you.” 

“…You’ll still be pouring me wine in ten years.” Huo Ran kept going.

“Can’t you pour it for me?!” Kou Chen said, forgetting to grit his teeth this time.

Huo Ran stared at the full glass in his hand. He couldn’t be bothered to retort, so he leaned over and took a big sip from his glass, and then he picked up the bottle and topped it up for him. “Happy now? Princess Chen.”

“You’re dead.” Kou Chen said. 

“Are you scared to drink or what?” Huo Ran narrowed his eyes, “You talk so much.”

“Fuck you.” Kou Chen clinked his glass against his, and then tilted his head back and downed the whole thing. Then he wiped his mouth and pointed at his glass.

Huo Ran also tilted his head back and drank it all.

As he put the glass down, Kou Chen had refilled his already. He sighed: “You could say this is my little secret. Nobody knows I come here to wallow in loneliness.” 

“I can pretend I don’t know.” Huo Ran said.

“No way,” Kou Chen said. “From now on, come here with me.”

“Hm?” Huo Ran looked at him.

“I really like being alone with you.” Kou Chen said. “It’s peaceful.” 

“Poor you,” Huo Ran said. “Chen…”

“Think about the consequences.” Kou Chen looked at him. “You’re really not scared of death?”

“Chenchen.” Huo Ran said.

“Yes?” Kou Chen laughed.