They’d already waited a while to be seated, and by the time they finished, it was past eleven. Qi Nan, a famous tourist city, always overflowed with people during holidays. Stepping out, it was a sea of crowds.
Wang Yizhou and the others debated the next activity: script murder, escape room, or cards. Three guys, three ideas, phones out as they argued.
He Siheng and Tan Jing both said they didn’t care and stood aside.
He Siheng couldn’t help stealing glances at Tan Jing with his peripheral vision.
The guy’s profile was sharply defined—brows, eyes, thin lips all flawlessly perfect, giving him a slightly aloof, passionless vibe. He was always the one being secretly crushed on; no way he was the type to pine for someone else.
Even with all his suspicions, He Siheng couldn’t be sure Tan Jing liked him.
But he’d caught that hint. He couldn’t pretend ignorance or straight-up ask.
Total deadlock.
To avoid small talk, He Siheng popped in his Bluetooth earbuds and pretended to game. He played a rhythm game where every song-length round demanded full focus to max out. Anyone who knew him knew not to interrupt once he started.
Tan Jing didn’t try chatting. He just stood there, hands in pockets, gaze lingering on He Siheng’s seemingly focused face and less nimble-than-usual fingers before looking away, lashes lowering thoughtfully.
Every one of He Siheng’s games that night scored a dismal B or C.
After another distracted C, as he went to restart, a pale, slender hand extended a dark blue scarf.
His start-clicking finger paused. He looked up blankly.
Tan Jing’s expression was neutral. “Didn’t you catch a chill? Stay warm.”
His tone was calm and natural, like no big deal.
Normally, He Siheng would’ve accepted without hesitation. Now, he couldn’t take the kindness comfortably.
Some things were like cream in a puff—once you cracked it open, you couldn’t unsee it.
He Siheng refused stiffly. “I’m dressed warm enough. Don’t feel cold.”
Right after, his nose itched, and he sneezed hard.
“…”
The trio was still arguing over there. Silence fell between the two here.
After a brief pause, Tan Jing draped the scarf over his shoulders. “Don’t push it.”
This time, He Siheng didn’t protest. He mumbled a weak thanks and wrapped it around his neck, face burning.
He thought Tan Jing might tease him, but the guy just hummed faintly and said nothing more.
“Heng Bro, Class Monitor—we decided! Escape room!” Zhou Yu bounded over, triumphant like a victorious rooster. Clearly, he’d won the argument.
Escape rooms had horror elements. He Siheng recalled the last horror movie, when Tan Jing got scared enough to grab his hand. If they went, what if it happened again?
He hedged, “This late—will we even get in line?”
But Zhou Yu, eternal pig teammate, waved it off. “No worries! I got connections—team up quick!”
He Siheng’s mouth twitched. As he opened his mouth again, Tan Jing spoke. “You guys go. I’m sitting this out.”
He Siheng looked at him in surprise.
“A bit tired. Gonna head home and rest.”
With that, Tan Jing left.
Wang Yizhou, clueless, tried to stop him. “Jing Bro, don’t go yet! It’s not even midnight!”
Tan Jing didn’t turn, just raised his slim wrist in a casual wave goodbye.
Wang Yizhou muttered, “What’s up with Jing Bro? He’s been low-energy all night.”
Zhou Yu deeply agreed. “Even you noticed it? I feel the same way.”
Song Lin glanced at He Siheng and said meaningfully, “Maybe he drank too much and his body’s not feeling well.”
Wang Yizhou chimed in. “That drinking was two days ago. Does the alcohol have such a long hangover?”
He Siheng hadn’t spoken at all. He just stared in the direction Tan Jing had left, watching the boy’s slender back disappear into the crowd.
For no reason at all, that back view seemed to carry a hint of loneliness.
“Heng Bro, Heng Bro?” Zhou Yu called out to He Siheng several times before snapping him out of it. “What are you thinking about? We need to hurry. My friend is waiting again.”
He Siheng let out an “oh” and pocketed his phone, following them toward the building where the escape room was located.
The temperature that night was even lower than the weather forecast had predicted. Even with a scarf wrapped around his neck, He Siheng’s nose tip was frozen slightly red.
As they walked toward the building, it suddenly started snowing lightly.
Snowflakes drifted down in fluffy white clusters.
Without any particular reason, He Siheng suddenly remembered something from his childhood. Late one night, he had discovered it was snowing, snuck over the wall, and knocked on Tan Jing’s bedroom window, inviting him to watch the snow together.
But Tan Jing’s first reaction wasn’t to look at the snow. Instead, he dragged him into the room, wrapped a blanket around him, and fussed over him like a little adult, saying he was dressed too lightly and afraid he’d freeze.
Tan Jing’s kindness toward him was always subtle and understated.
A crystal-clear snowflake brushed past He Siheng’s nose tip and landed on the dark blue scarf.
He Siheng’s footsteps halted.
“You guys go ahead and play. I have something to do first, so I’ll head out.”
With those words, he turned and left, ignoring Wang Yizhou calling after him from behind. He ran headlong toward Starry Sky Plaza without looking back.
On New Year’s Eve, traffic was jammed everywhere, especially on this commercial street. Tan Jing probably would’ve passed through Starry Sky Plaza first to find a less crowded spot to hail a cab.
Starry Sky Plaza was far more crowded than usual. He Siheng pushed through the throng with difficulty, looking ahead, looking around everywhere, but he couldn’t spot that figure anywhere.
They had only parted a few minutes ago, so Tan Jing definitely hadn’t gone far.
He Siheng pulled out his phone and called Tan Jing while searching. He didn’t see anyone, and the call wasn’t picked up.
He didn’t give up. He kept calling the unanswered line until the fourth time, when it finally connected.
Without waiting for the other side to speak, He Siheng blurted out, “Where are you? Have you gone back already?”
Tan Jing didn’t answer. He was silent for a few seconds before asking, “You… called to find me. What’s up?”
That question really stumped He Siheng. He’d just acted on impulse to come find him, but he absolutely couldn’t say that outright.
He Siheng stammered, “J-Just… don’t rush back. We’re out for New Year’s. Play to your heart’s content before leaving.”
Tan Jing let out a chuckle laced with self-mockery. “If I’m there, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself, right?”
The words were blunt enough, directly pointing out that he’d seen through He Siheng’s avoidance of him that night.
He Siheng choked, feeling extremely guilty. “I never said that. Don’t pin the blame on me.”
Tan Jing fell quiet for a long time. Just as He Siheng thought the call had dropped, he suddenly heard him let out a long sigh on the other end.
“I’ve said it before—I’m always a coward. So some things, I’ve hidden them for so many years and never dared to say them, afraid that once I did, we couldn’t even be friends anymore.”
The boy’s voice was warm and gentle, his lowered tone like the snow falling that night—carrying a deep helplessness that he couldn’t suppress despite his restraint.
“I didn’t pick up your first three calls. ‘Third time’s the charm.’ The fourth time, I’ll take it as your chance to me.”
He Siheng was slightly stunned. “What chance?”
The final ten seconds of the year began. The massive screen on the Starry Sky Plaza building lit up with a countdown.
The crowd around him stopped to watch, counting down in unison: “Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
In the cold air drifting with fine snow, He Siheng faintly caught that familiar pheromone scent.
On the winter night’s long street, the warm, faint grass-and-wood fragrance brought him a sense of peace amid the restless crowd.
“He Siheng.”
The boy’s voice came through the phone, pure and untainted, carrying the clarity of youth.
No—this soft call didn’t exist only in the phone.
He Siheng turned toward the sound.
The voice’s owner stood just a few steps behind him. Under the deep blue night sky, fine snowflakes dusted his black hair, and the plaza lights fell on his lean shoulders.
The countdown in the crowd continued like rhythmic drumbeats, pounding one by one against He Siheng’s heart.
Everyone else looked up at the building screen, but they only had eyes for each other.
“You’ve already noticed it, haven’t you?”
Amid the noisy countdown, the boy raised his brows slightly, gazing at him with a light smile, his eyes shimmering with colorful lights.
As the final number was shouted out, cheers of “Happy New Year!” erupted from the crowd.
At the dawn of the new year, his beautiful lips parted and closed, his gentle voice piercing through the clamor, clear as day in He Siheng’s ears.
“I like you.”
