Chapter 78: As Long As It’s You
Bai Luochuan was wearing a rare formal suit, looking like a young master attending a banquet. His hair was also meticulously styled. He was holding his jacket in his hand, wearing only a white shirt and black trousers, and carrying the paper bag. He stood in front of Mi Yang and looked at him for a while before he said, “I went to a calligraphy and painting exhibition. Grandpa’s old friend came and sent an invitation for him to go.”
Mi Yang said, “Is Grandpa Bai back too?”
Bai Luochuan said, “No, he stayed for the banquet.”
He stood for a while, then said, “I saw your text.”
The rest didn’t need to be asked. The young master Bai had snuck out as soon as the banquet had started and had run back to Shanhai Town to find him.
The corner of Mi Yang’s mouth moved. When he looked at him again, his eyes were a little sparkling, and he couldn’t help but curve them. “Then are you going back tonight?”
Bai Luochuan’s face was still tense, and he said in a hard tone, “The driver left.”
Mi Yang turned on his flashlight, lit the way for him to go back, and smiled. “Then stay. How about you stay for one night and go back tomorrow?”
Bai Luochuan said “mm” and didn’t say much more, but he walked beside him.
As Mi Yang was taking him home, he whispered to him, “When you came in the morning, did you also tell my grandma to go? Do you know that’s ‘holding the emperor hostage to command the princes’?”
Bai Luochuan said, “I was just being prepared. Who told you to always be so disobedient?”
Mi Yang said, “About what happened during the day,” he stopped, turned to look at him, and said, “should I apologize to you?”
Bai Luochuan was taken aback for a moment. He didn’t feel any sense of relaxation, but rather became more nervous. Mi Yang was very obedient, but he had never been this obedient. His Little Good Boy still had his own ideas. A sudden apology was completely unexpected.
Mi Yang didn’t mind him and rubbed the tip of his nose. “I know you meant well by giving me the phone. I didn’t mean to treat you like that. But it’s something worth several thousand yuan. I really can’t accept it. We’re both students now and are still using our families’ money. To take something so valuable all of a sudden…”
Bai Luochuan interrupted him. “I bought that with my own money. Do you want it?”
Mi Yang was taken aback for a moment. “You bought it with your own money? Where did you get the money?”
Bai Luochuan asked him again, “Do you want it or not?”
Mi Yang thought for a long while before he nodded. “Alright then. If it’s your own money, I’ll take it. When I earn money in the future, I’ll also buy you something good.”
The corner of Bai Luochuan’s mouth lifted a little, but he soon raised his eyebrows. “I’ll make it clear to you next time. If you don’t want it, I’ll really throw it away.”
Mi Yang said, “Then you should also change your temper. You throw things out whenever you get angry. Have you forgotten about being scolded for throwing the quilt when you were a child?” He turned back and poked Bai Luochuan in the waist with his finger. “You also promised me in Beijing that you would change. Have you changed?”
Bai Luochuan held his wrist. “You were the one who threw it first this time.”
Mi Yang argued with him in a low voice all the way back. By the time they reached the old Mrs. Cheng’s small courtyard, he had basically recovered. Bai Luochuan, looking lazy, didn’t spare him and would reply with a couple of cold and indifferent sentences that were very infuriating.
When they entered the small courtyard and saw the old Mrs. Cheng, Bai Luochuan put on a “three-good youth” look again and went over to greet the old lady. He was always reserved and polite in front of elders. Whether it was the old Mrs. Cheng or Mi Hong who was talking to him, he was never impatient and would stand there and listen patiently.
The old Mrs. Cheng didn’t say much this time. She smiled and had them sit down, then got up herself. “You sit. I’ll go and have a look over there. The girls have been out playing for a while. I’ll go and ask why they’re not back yet.” She then slowly walked out, fanning herself with a cattail fan.
There was a bamboo chaise lounge with a single armrest under the tree. It was as wide as a small bed. Bai Luochuan sat down by himself and also pulled Mi Yang to sit next to him. The two of them sat side by side and looked at the moon.
The summer heat in the small town had faded a lot, especially at night. The courtyard was a good place to cool off.
Mi Yang wanted to ask him what had happened between him and Wang Bing and the others, but the young master Bai refused to say. Mi Yang didn’t insist and just sat on the bamboo chaise lounge with him, looking at the stars through the branches.
Mi Yang used what he had just learned and pointed out the few constellations the old Mrs. Cheng had taught him. “See? The one that looks like a spoon is the Big Dipper. The brightest one is Mizar, in the middle… not that one. Let me show you.”
Mi Yang held Bai Luochuan’s hand, raised it, and slowly traced a spoon shape in the starry sky, whispering, “Like this. When the handle points south, it’s summer all over the world.”
Bai Luochuan’s hand was being held, and his fingertips tingled, but he didn’t pull away. He asked him again, “Then which one is Mizar?”
Mi Yang, holding his hand, moved it up a little, his finger tapping the back of his hand. “Here, it’s right here.”
Bai Luochuan felt his hand tingle again, very lightly, like being bitten by a small bug. But it went straight to his heart, both itchy and painful, and his face also started to heat up. He grunted in response. It was only when Mi Yang let go of his hand that he pretended to casually clasp his hands together, rubbing the back of his hand with his fingers until the itch subsided.
The weather was very good. The sky was a deep blue, and you could still see the clouds drifting by.
Bai Luochuan sat there, looking up. Besides the night sky, there was also the large tree above their heads. The tree’s shadow fell, forming a shrouded area, like a deserted island.
Bai Luochuan’s heart stirred slightly.
He suddenly grew fond of this tree. It had marked out an area with its shade. Inside were him and Mi Yang. Outside were the road, the houses, and everyone else.
Everyone except him and Mi Yang.
Bai Luochuan smiled. Seeing Mi Yang look over, he quickly coughed into his hand to cover it up.
Mi Yang asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Bai Luochuan’s heart also calmed down. He glanced at him. “Nothing. What have you been up to these past two days?”
Mi Yang said, “Just the usual. I went to Grandpa’s to learn things. He’s old, and I’m not at ease with him eating alone, so I’d make a meal and eat with him before coming back. And then my other grandma would insist on feeding me another meal. The old lady thinks I’m not eating enough outside and that I’m being wronged. If I don’t eat, she’ll cry from heartache. What can I do? I have to eat. These past few days, I’ve been so full I can barely walk…”
Bai Luochuan chuckled and moved a little closer to him. “Let me feel.”
Mi Yang pushed him. “Stop it.”
The young master Bai was strong, and Mi Yang couldn’t push him away. In the end, he let him reach into his clothes and feel his little belly. It wasn’t as soft as before, but it had the resilience of a young man, and his skin was delicate and fair. Bai Luochuan’s hand covered it and squeezed. “It is a little fatter. That’s good.”
Mi Yang was tickled by his touch and pulled his hand out. Bai Luochuan’s hand came out, but he himself leaned over, bonelessly resting against Mi Yang, his chin on his shoulder as he asked, “I’ve been wanting to ask. Where’s your little sister?”
Mi Yang said, “She’s out.”
Bai Luochuan said, “Oh, that’s why it’s so quiet. Where did she go?”
Mi Yang said, “She went with my other cousins to catch cicada nymphs… oh, golden cicadas. They’re probably not going to sleep tonight. Yesterday, Grandma told them the Thirty-Six Stratagems. When they heard about ‘shedding the golden cicada skin,’ they all said they wanted to observe it all night.”
Bai Luochuan asked him, “Why didn’t you go?”
Mi Yang looked up at him and saw the person’s lips curled into a smile, clearly on purpose.
Bai Luochuan took his hand, the smile on his lips not yet faded, and whispered, “Of course you didn’t go. You’re afraid of bugs, you little crybaby.”
Mi Yang tried to resist. “I’m not.”
Bai Luochuan said, “You didn’t even dare to touch the few silkworms we raised before.”
Mi Yang: “Hey, I did put in mulberry leaves, okay…”
Bai Luochuan: “You were even scared to tears the first time.”
Mi Yang, flustered and angry: “…That’s enough!”
Bai Luochuan lay on the bamboo couch and chuckled for a while, then suddenly said, “There’s also a tree in Grandpa’s courtyard. It’s said to be a tree of heaven.” He softly recited a couple of lines from Zhuangzi, with a hint of relaxed casualness, “In ancient times, there was a great tree of heaven, which took eight thousand years as its spring and eight thousand years as its autumn. The tree’s time is much longer than ours.”
The wind blew through the leaves, making them rustle. There were very few pedestrians outside, only the sound of insects and the occasional chirp of a cicada.
Bai Luochuan held his hand and suddenly said, “Little Good Boy, let’s not fight anymore, okay?”
Mi Yang said, “Mm.”
Bai Luochuan’s eyes curved into a smile as well. A few stray strands of his neatly styled hair fell onto his forehead, making him look even more like a lively young man. His handsome face could attract people’s attention even when he wasn’t smiling, and when he did, it was like a spring breeze, making it impossible to look away.
The ones who had been catching golden cicadas came back. Hearing the children’s chattering voices getting closer and closer to the small courtyard, Bai Luochuan suddenly pulled Mi Yang up, and they ran to his bedroom, even turning off the lights.
The Cheng family’s small courtyard was similar to a courtyard house. Mi Yang was staying in a separate room on the side. When the door and windows were closed, it was pitch black inside. Mi Yang fumbled in the dark for a few times, being careful not to trip, and asked him, “What are you doing?”
Bai Luochuan said, “Shh, don’t talk.” As if he was not at ease, he even went to find Mi Yang’s mouth and gently covered it.
After a while, they heard someone come in. There was the sound of a little girl’s voice, with excitement, “We caught so many! I want to show my big cousin!”
Mi Xue’s voice was particularly clear and crisp, “No, you can’t show my brother!”
Another child asked, “Why?”
Mi Xue said, “It’s too ugly. My brother doesn’t like ugly things.”
The little girls were chattering outside. At the urging of the adults, they took their things and went to the main hall together.
Bai Luochuan suddenly lowered his head and asked in his ear, “Then do you like me?”
The tips of Mi Yang’s ears turned red, and he said nervously, “Huh?”
Bai Luochuan was close to his ear and chuckled. “I’m asking if you like me. My face is pretty, right?”
Mi Yang’s face was burning. “It’s, it’s alright, I guess.”
Bai Luochuan said proudly, “So you like me?”
“You, why did you turn off the lights just now? I can’t see anything…” Mi Yang changed the subject, his heart about to jump out of his throat. “I’m going to change and get ready for bed.”
Bai Luochuan said, “Wait a bit.”
Mi Yang didn’t know what he was waiting for, but since the young master Bai was in a rare good mood, he was happy to coax him, so they waited in the dark room for a while.
Not long after, Mi Xue’s voice came again. The little girl ran over, pushed the door, and said with a “huh,” “Why is the door closed? Brother, brother, are you asleep?”
After calling for a while and getting no response from the dark little room, the little girl left by herself.
Mi Yang’s mouth was still covered by Bai Luochuan. After his little sister had left, he pulled his hand down and whispered, “What are you covering it for? I’m not going to shout. When did you lock the door?”
Bai Luochuan snorted and didn’t answer him.
Mi Yang thought about it and felt like laughing. Bai Luochuan’s skill of locking the door had been there since Mi Xue was a little over a year old and could walk. It was steady, accurate, and ruthless, a single move to defeat the enemy.
The two of them secretly washed up, then went back to the room in the dark and lay down together. Bai Luochuan was a bit taller than Mi Yang. Now, when the two of them were lying in bed, Mi Yang could accidentally kick his calf when he turned over.
Bai Luochuan snorted. “I’ve been getting cramps a lot these past two nights, and you’re still kicking me.”
Mi Yang said with envy, “You’re growing taller. That’s great.”
Bai Luochuan said, “Can’t you say something nice?”
Mi Yang thought for a while, rubbed the edge of his small pillow, and said with a slightly embarrassed smile, “Actually, I went to find you this afternoon.”
Bai Luochuan’s heart immediately softened.
After a while, the young master Bai rolled over and hugged him. “I got you a copybook this afternoon. I was thinking that if you didn’t come to find me tomorrow, I’d send it over to you… It’s in the paper bag I was carrying just now.”
Mi Yang said, “Ah, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Bai Luochuan said, “Earlier? You were still strolling on the street with those people in the morning! I counted. There were about ten of them, right? It was really lively. There were four or five girls, right? You were even talking to the girl next to you. Are you very close?”
Mi Yang lowered his eyes. “That girl is very pretty, right?”
Bai Luochuan held his chin and made him look at himself, his voice low and angry. “What, you’re thinking of puppy love?”
Mi Yang’s eyes dodged a little. “No, I was just asking.”
Bai Luochuan sneered. “You’re not being good anymore.”
Mi Yang: “What?”
Bai Luochuan held him a little tighter, eagerly grinding his teeth through his clothes. “When we were quarantined in the hotel, you did whatever I said. You were so obedient. What’s wrong with you now? You went out to play with them, you always speak up for them, and you’re even planning to have puppy love. You’re not being good at all. I’m going to punish you.”
Mi Yang was pinned down on the bed and was also a little unhappy. “What are you doing? Didn’t we just make up? Bai Luochuan, let go. It hurts, it hurts!”
Bai Luochuan bit the soft flesh on the back of his neck and ground his little sharp teeth again. The person under him shivered and said nice things to beg for mercy before he let go. He rubbed it hard with his thumb. “You need to be taught a lesson!”
Mi Yang rolled to the innermost part of the bed, wrapped in a towel blanket, and touched it himself. “You definitely broke the skin. It really hurts!”
Bai Luochuan said, “Come here.”
Mi Yang refused but was grabbed by him and blown on a couple of times. “It’s not broken. The mark is just a little deep.”
Mi Yang said in a muffled voice, “Don’t bite next time. It hurts.”
Bai Luochuan flicked his forehead. “Then you should also learn your lesson. I’m not stopping you from making friends. I never stop Zhou Tong and the others. But Wang Bing and the others are not okay. They have problems.”
Mi Yang was about to ask when Bai Luochuan pushed him down to sleep. “I’m sleepy. I was with Grandpa and the others for a long time today, and then I ran back in the middle of the night. I’m really very tired.”
Mi Yang was full of questions, but the young master Bai had already closed his eyes, indicating that he was about to enter a state of sleep. He could only go to sleep with his doubts.
Bai Luochuan had that dream again.
The scene in the dream had changed, but the little guy in his hands had not. It was still his favorite one, and his only one.
He was not as impatient as before. Instead, he wanted to see his face first, to see clearly who he was. His heart was beating like a drum, and he couldn’t wait to confirm the thought in his mind.
The person turned over. First, his soft and fluffy hair, which was a little damp with sweat and stuck to his face. A palm-sized face, fair skin, a straight nose, and a pair of slightly drooping puppy eyes, just like when he was a child. When he was wronged, he would look at people softly, both pitiful and cute. Now, he had probably been bullied badly and was about to cry. He opened his mouth and called his name, “I didn’t run away. I’m here…”
…
When Bai Luochuan heard him speak, he woke up.
The feeling in his lower abdomen had not yet been relieved, and his whole body was burning with a boiling heat.
His Adam’s apple rolled a couple of times. He suddenly raised his hand to cover his eyes and laughed silently. It was just as he had thought.
—It was indeed “him.”
