Chapter Text
Wisps of sunlight partially obscured by the tree outside float into the room and reflected on Xiao Dejun’s face and hair and Guanheng couldn’t stop looking. He knew he should be paying attention to their revolutionary history but it’s been taught since the beginning of time, and he’d really just rather draw. He flipped one of his worksheets and started scribbling on the blank back page.
Dejun was looking absently out the window, giving him the perfect profile to work with from behind his classmate. He wasn’t paying attention, either, Guanheng figured as the other just continued staring blankly at the distance throughout the lecture. He had a hand tucked under his chin with a pen between two fingers, his eyes too far away to notice that the classmate sitting behind him was staring and sketching him. Nothing creepy, though, it’s just a good image to draw. He doesn’t even know Xiao Dejun that well, he’s very new and very quiet. The boy arrived around two weeks ago, no one knew him as his entire family just moved into their town barely a month ago. He had a brother who also transferred recently but seemed to be much more outgoing than he was. He didn’t seem like a bad dude, though. Just shy. Guanheng accidentally bumped into him while rough-housing with Xuxi the other day and he didn’t get annoyed, just smiled very subtly when he apologized.
Shadows of leaves reflected against the front of his face and Guanheng thought those were the hardest to perfect. He got the curves of his hair, the sharpness of his jawline, and the slope of his features quite quickly especially since he’s quite used to drawing side-profiles but he wanted to get the shadows perfectly. He wished he had his coloring materials but he left them back in his locker, and for good reason, but it would have been nicer to capture how the sun is hitting Xiao Dejun’s face right when he could see them and make necessary changes rather than later when he wouldn’t probably have a perfect memory of how it looks like. He tried his best to commit it to memory, though, he’d make sure to run to his locker after this class.
He didn’t have to wait long, apparently when he had to startle back when Xiao Dejun jerked in his seat when their teacher dismissed their class and they both weren’t paying attention. He shoved his drawing into the small storage space right below the surface of his desk and turned to Xuxi. “If Mr. Yu’s here and I’m not back, tell him I had to shit. I need to get something from my locker.” He hit him on the shoulder, more forcefully than he intended, but he didn’t have time to see Xuxi’s reaction as he had already run off.
By the time he got back, Mr. Yu still wasn’t in yet and their class was a whole mess. People running around and bumping into each other, screaming, fighting, rambunctious laughter—it wouldn’t be long before one of the teachers from either side of the classroom would come in and shut them up. That wasn’t Guanheng’s problem, though. What he was most worried about was Huang Xuxi, cross-legged on his seat, staring at his drawing. “Hey!” He rushed over, snatching the paper even before Xuxi could say anything. “What are you doing? Get outta here.”
But Xuxi didn’t move. Instead, he just side-eyed the ever oblivious Xiao Dejun then back to him before raising his eyebrows suggestively. “No!” Guanheng denied even before fully air-out his thoughts. “I’ll explain later. Go away,” he pulled him by the shoulders when he was unwilling, causing his desk to bump the back of Xiao Dejun’s desk.
“Oh, shit,” he cursed and his classmate turned a little to look at what disturbed his day-dreaming. “I’m sorry. Did we hurt you?” Some shimmer of the early morning sunlight was still reflecting on his hair and he just wanted to sit back down and get back to drawing. The quiet boy smiled kindly and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just surprised, that’s all.” His voice was gentle and reassuring, a total contrast to the chaos all around them. He turned back to looking out the window and Guanheng took that chance to finally pull Xuxi out from his seat.
-
One of the very few times Guanheng saw him interact with other people was when he played football. He didn’t know if he was required to play it or if he genuinely liked it, but he was good at it either way. He wasn’t playing with their classmates but with some underclassmen so it was still kind of weird like he was watching a complete stranger.
“Hey!” Xuxi snapped a finger in front of his eyes to retake his attention. “This little crush is distracting you too much.” He teased. Guanheng scoffed, his attention to Xiao Dejun was the furthest thing away from being a crush. He a completely different ulterior motive. “What about that thing the other day, huh?”
“What thing the other day?” One of their friends, Yangyang arrived and dropped his bag carelessly on the ground and knelt on the grass beside them. He probably just finished class.
Guanheng was about to explain but Xuxi beat him to it. “I caught Guanheng sketching Xiao Dejun. Like, it was very pretty. Made with love.” Xuxi teased again, but this time, he managed to grab Yangyang’s bag and hit him square in the face with it.
“Violence!” Xuxi laughed through the pain. Yangyang probably had around four electronic devices in there and he just hit Xuxi with it. “Can we steer away from violence?”
“Maybe if you just shut your trap.”
“Okay, I’m gonna have to see this drawing. Let me decide which side to take.” Yangyang sat up straight and opened his palm. He was always on the side of the tormentor so he didn’t have a lot of hopes but he gave him the drawing anyway.
“It isn’t finished yet, but I think I got most of the shadows right… I think.” Yangyang studied the picture quietly and seriously for a while which was sort of uncharacteristic for him
“He did the entire coloring thing during Yu’s class, stared at him and shit.” Xuxi murmured, leaning into Yangyang.
“I was bored, and that was just right in front of me, what was I supposed to do? Commit that thing to memory and not immortalize it?”
“So you wanted this,” Yangyang raised the picture and made it face him while Xuxi dramatically narrated. “Beautiful image of Xiao Dejun immortalized so you’ll never forget it ever?” Yangyang had a shit-eating grin on his face that meant he had decided and he decided to torment Guanheng.
Guanheng immediately reached for the paper and frantically looked around if anyone had seen it. “That’s private!” He hissed before sliding it carefully back into his clear book of drawings. “That image was nice so I thought I’d draw it.” He clarified again.
“Oh, that drawing was too pretty. It was definitely made of love.”
Guanheng sighed in defeat, knowing his friends will keep teasing him and none of his explanations would make them stop. “Shadows… on face…” he tried to plead one last time before he was distracted with Xiao Dejun right where they were hanging out. He was suddenly so thankful he put the drawing back in his bag. Now he realized that it is really difficult to explain his sketch. But to himself, he really knew that it was just because it was a very inspiring image draw.
Three upperclassmen ran after Dejun and pulled, and the boy immediately flinched, faking kind smiles—it wasn’t his usual, genuine ones. “Hey, come with us, play with us.”
“Oh, I’m tired.” They’ve stopped near them and Guanheng is hearing their every word. “I was just playing, sorry.” The discomfort was clear on the boy’s face especially since he had around six hands on his body at that moment—completely unnecessarily touching.
“Our boss wants to see your pretty face.” Xuxi’s jaw tightened—these upperclassmen had a weird, backward group thing and they recruited him back when they were freshmen because he was “useful in fights”. He said they weren’t much, just a bunch of weak assholes who relied on their group for the least bit of notoriety and were especially terrified of Xuxi. They constantly harassed students, especially new ones, but Xiao Dejun seemed to have attracted a certain type of fancy from the head asshole. He was very pretty. But also currently very uncomfortable.
Guanheng didn’t know what came over him but he was up in no time, making big strides towards the four and squeezing himself in between, facing Xiao Dejun head-on for the first time in his life. He literally had never seen him this up close before in his life. “Dejun!” He smiled widely and kept eye contact while he removed the hands-on his terrified classmate one by one. “Did you listen to Yu’s class today? I wasn’t, so I was wondering if you’d teach me about that thing?”
Now all the hands were off him, there was an urgency behind his eyes. “Yeah! Sure!”
“Hey,” one of them pulled Guanheng back quite forcefully which made him stumble back a little but he didn’t back down. “We were talking to him.”
“I thought you were done. He already said no.” One of the assholes was reaching out for Dejun’s wrist but he got there first, clasping the bony wrist in his hand. “I left my notebook by the lockers, though. Should we get them together?” He smiled again.
“Hey! We were talking to him!”
“And I said, you’re done,” Sensing the tension, he saw Xuxi stand out of the corner of his eyes. “Right, Xuxi?” With the way the three startled, it was obvious they didn’t realize he was nearby. The three looked at each other, looking unsure. “Let’s go!” He tugged Xiao Dejun’s wrist very lightly and he voluntarily moved towards him as consent before he started walking off with him.
As soon as they were well away from earshot, Guanheng spoke up. “Do you need help getting your things?”
Xiao Dejun looked back, prompting Guanheng to do the same. “They’re gone.” He murmured.
Guanheng promptly let his arm go and tried to keep it by his side, but he didn’t exactly know what to do with it so he just let them grab the cloth of his uniform slacks. “Do you need help with your things? I can walk you home if you don’t feel safe.” Guanheng isn’t usually like this, he keeps to himself and only sticks to Xuxi and Yangyang, he would speak when spoken to and would sometimes initiate conversations with people he’s known for years. But not like this. Not intervening in a potentially problematic situation and offering to walk people home. Maybe it’s just his painter-muse/protector-protectee dynamic that’s making him act out of normal.
“That’s not necessary,” Xiao Dejun smiled. “My brother is probably waiting for me anyway.”
“Well then,” he shrugged. “Take care.”
He watched Xiao Dejun walking away before thinking about his most recent actions. It was weird, he was weird and was about to have to explain to Xuxi and Yangyang. They were looking at him with intense judgment and he could see it from far away while he walked back. “ Dude. ” Xuxi said as soon as he sat back.
“Don’t call me dude.”
“Do you have a crush on him? Be honest. I’m not teasing this time, I’m seriously asking.”
“I told you, I don’t. He sits in front of me in class, he seems lonely sometimes, he doesn’t talk to anyone, I just thought maybe he needs someone sometimes. And don’t pretend like you wouldn’t have stepped in yourself, eventually.”
Xuxi suppressed a smile but stopped himself from saying anything. “Whatever you say.”
-
Xuxi never let it go after that. Even though he never said anything about it, he could feel the teasing stares whenever Xiao Dejun was within their vicinity, which meant he always gave Guanheng the teasing looks all the time during class. He almost broke his no verbal teasing rule when they spotted Xiao Dejun started walking towards them while they were quietly jamming so songs by their usual spot under the tree near the field. His hair was swaying along with the cold autumn wind while he clutched something round between his hands, cradling it very gently. Guanheng thought he was just passing by but he kept going in their direction.
“He’s coming here, oh my god, oh my god.”
“Calm the fuck down. Wait, do you like him?”
“I can’t even support you without being accused?”
Their little banter cut off time in waiting for Xiao Dejun and by the time they’d stopped hitting each other, he was already standing in front of them. He held out the soft white thing he’d been holding so gently which turned out to be a meat bun. “Thank you for the other day.” He smiled softly at Guanheng before turning to Xuxi and Yangyang. “I’m sorry I only got one, I thought he was going to be alone. If I had known I would have bought some for you too.”
Xuxi was positively beaming. “You can do it next time. Come, sit with us.” Xuxi offered, patting the vacant space beside Guanheng. He looked hesitant but it was obvious that the offer excited him. “We were just singing some songs and talking, nothing serious.”
He didn’t talk a lot, but by the way he was reacting to things, it was apparent that he wasn’t the complete silent type but could actually be more talkative if he wanted to be. He was expectedly attentive, though, he looked at every single person who talked and nodded along with what they were saying. He had a beautiful voice, too, that was a wonderful surprise for all three. They’ve always had nice voices but Dejun’s was different. It was more controlled, more practiced. He tried to be quieter when he sang along with them but Guanheng could hear him clearly and made sure to point that out to the others.
They all walked out of the school together knowing Dejun is probably going to be invited to hang out with them again. They liked him, he noticed. Guanheng liked him, too. He wasn’t as shy as he initially thought, apparently he really just didn’t have friends yet. He went home that day constantly reminding himself to hide his drawing deep in his drawers because if Xiao Dejun was going to be his friend, he absolutely cannot find out about the drawing.
-
It was not difficult to integrate Dejun into their group especially because Xuxi is too friendly and approachable to refuse. Come to think of it, his persistence and optimism were how he adopted Guanheng and Yangyang in the first place. Dejun had pretty fun stories of his own and he wasn’t completely shy and avoidant when given the chance to speak. Guanheng wasn’t either, but he wondered why amongst the combinations, it seemed like it was him and Dejun who weren’t clicking the most.
“It’s because you know you have a sketch of him to prove your painful crush on him and it’s making you awkward,” Xuxi said when he pointed it out.
“Not every artist is in love with their model, Xuxi, you watch too many movies.”
“Who said anything about love? I was just insinuating you have a crush. Unless…” he raised his brows, both in surprise and suggestion.
“ No! ” He kicked Xuxi’s chair just in time for Dejun to walk into their classroom, already amused by the interaction he witnessed the moment he arrived.
“Shoosh!” He beamed at Xuxi, all-teeth smiles at the nickname that Xuxi himself suggested. He slumped on his seat and sat sideways just like Guanheng was. He turned to him and smiled a little. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Dejun.” He smiled back in an attempt to make himself seem approachable.
“Dejun, do you want to come over to mine and Guanheng’s place tonight?” Guanheng raised his brows in surprise—it’s not that he was against it, he was just surprised. Xuxi just hadn’t talked to him about it.
“Wait, you two share a place?”
“Yeah, I wanted to live independently early to practice my skills for uni, and Guanheng’s place is too inconvenient for him. So we share.” That was a very nice and evasive way of explaining Guanheng’s predicament without lying. “We can watch a movie. We have popcorn.”
“Well, you do make some very convincing points,” Dejun smiled. “I’ll ask my mom. If she says yes, then sure, why not. She doesn’t really mind much so.” He shrugged.
“Nice!”
—
Dejun had eventually become a more regular part of their daily lives. From hanging out under the usual tree by the football, watching movies and eating unhealthy amounts of noodles in their shared apartment, and even the rare study weekends at the cafe near their apartment. Dejun’s father was always away from work while his mother preferred having the house to herself so she let Dejun come with them whenever he can. At that exact moment, Xiaojun was sitting on their couch, watching an underrated animated film with Xuxi lying flat on the floor by his feet while Guanheng watched them from the kitchen counter. Dejun had a bowl of popcorn on his lap and he fed Xuxi through dropping kernels to his open mouth. It was a weird sight but it was also cute. He’d never seen Xuxi bond that well with anyone else other than him—he wasn’t jealous, he liked it. It’s like his little family had become bigger.
Dejun turned to look at him. “Xuxi is asking for water,” he smiled sheepishly.
“Doesn’t he have hands?” He complained but turned to get a bottle anyway. He dropped a bottle of water on Xuxi’s stomach, earning a grunt from him and a giggle from Dejun. Guanheng turned to him, smiling at the pleasant sound before sitting beside him. “What is so good about these terrible movies?”
“Not a lot of people have watched them,” he answered simply, handing him the bowl of popcorn. “So it becomes something only we share. Like an exclusive club of people who’ve seen terrible movies.” He beamed, satisfied with his explanation.
“I don’t understand it but okay,” Guanheng smiled at him. “If you enjoy it then it’s fun.”
They smiled at each other—one of the few moments that they actually interacted with each other because, for some reason, they acted quite awkwardly around each other. It was always one of them and Xuxi or sometimes even lower year Yangyang who had a different schedule, but never just the two of them.
“Someone please feed me,” Xuxi groaned from the floor. “My jaw is about to cramp.”
Guanheng rolled his eyes much to Dejun’s mirth before dropping a whole fistful of popcorn onto Xuxi’s face.
-
They were supposed to meet at a coffee shop to study but Xuxi was running late so it was just him, papers strewn all over the table—perfectly mirroring the mess in his brain. He does not remember this part of the class at all. What was he doing then? He could vaguely recollect the terms so they must have really breezed through this. He does doze off occasionally but not long enough to miss entire lessons.
Ah, the Dejun drawing class.
It seemed weird how long ago that seemed when it’s just been three months since they’ve befriended him. Since then Dejun has become even more of a permanent fixture in their daily lives especially since he shared their classes. It became less awkward between the two of them as they got more opportunities to talk.
They were fairly similar, although Dejun was a lot more emotional and expressive and Guanheng had a more out of this world humor.
The sound of heavy rain outside distracted him from his own thoughts, following by the sound of the chimes as Dejun rushed into the cafe, wet from the rain. He wasn’t completely soaked but he was wet enough to trigger shivering. He was still all smiles, two front teeth poking out adorably as he apologized. “I got held up.” He explained. “Where’s Xuxi?”
“Dunno,” Guanheng shrugged, distracted by how cold the other must be. He reached for his handkerchief deep inside his bag and opened it flat. “Come here,” he reached across the table where Dejun sat and tugged on his sleeve to make him sit nearer. The other boy was obviously confused but he moved to the nearest seat anyway. He used his handkerchief to wipe some of the stray droplets off his face before putting it on top of his head, before running it back and forth in an attempt to dry. “You might get a cold.” He mumbled.
He didn’t know what came over him at that moment, all he could think of was how uncomfortable he must have been. “Did your bag get wet?”
Dejun shook his head.
“Take the handkerchief and dry your hair,” he ordered gently before removing his own denim jacket. “And take this,” he offered it to the shivering boy. “It must be cold.”
“It is,” Dejun smiled and took the jacket gratefully. “Thank you.”
“I’m gonna get you something hot. Chocolate, coffee, or tea?”
Dejun suppressed a giggle, earning a confused look from Guanheng. “It’s nothing,” he denied but his lips were still turned up. “I just had this weird moment of association and I thought you were gonna do the coffee, tea, or me, thing.”
Relief flooded in Guanheng’s chest—for a while there, he thought Dejun was making fun of him. Even though they’ve become more comfortable than before, it was still apparent that he knew Dejun less than Xuxi did. He wanted to be on par, if not surpass his best friend but he didn’t know where to start.
“I don’t drink caffeine, so, hot chocolate, please.” He does this thing where even his littlest smiles reach his eyes, and it’s absolutely genuine and warm and pleasant that Guanheng likes so much.
By the time he was back at their table, Dejun had hunched over his books and notes that he’d left open. “Oh my, did you understand this? Can you teach me this?” He pointed at the notes he’d been agonizing over.
He carefully handed the mug of hot chocolate before frowning. “I have no idea what happened here,” he groaned. “I wasn’t paying attention when this was discussed, honestly.”
Dejun snorted. “Same. I can still remember this day, it was really special.” A sudden rush came through Guanheng, his heartbeat picked and he was borderline panicking. Did he notice him? Did he know that he was practically ogling him that entire class? “I wasn’t paying attention because I was watching two squirrels fight.”
His entire sketch—the magnificent slope of Dejun’s neck, the angle of his jaw, the sparkle in his eyes—all because of fighting squirrels. Guanheng couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s really funny! They fight all the time! At that same tree! I’m gonna point it out to you the next time it happens.”
“Please do.”
Studying—as well as Xuxi—had been completely forgotten. Guanheng even closed his books and somewhere late in the afternoon, he put them back into his bag. They ate there, ordered pasta and flavored sodas, ate their cookies, well up into pasta again for dinner while the rain just kept pouring outside. They just kept talking, about the school, about Dejun’s family and how they all pretty much had individual lives. His father was a traveling entertainer, his brother lived with their aunt in an apartment near the school, Dejun spent the entire day at school, so his mother started preferring having the house to herself that she practically shoos him away especially during weekends. “When you and Xuxi hadn’t come into my life, I’d come here and read all day.”
Guanheng frowned. Dejun was smiling but he couldn’t help but feel sad thinking about Dejun sitting here, friendless and alone. They should have adopted him sooner. “You will never be alone next time.” He murmured quietly. “The next time you wanna leave your house, come here and invite me, or you can just go straight to our apartment you’re always welcome to hang out with us. You’re part of the family now.”
The smile that bloomed on Dejun’s face fell in time with the bloom in Guanheng’s chest. It was genuine gratefulness—and it made him feel so good. His smile eventually turned sheepish. “I have to tell you, though, Xuxi already invited me to the family.” Guanheng snorted. Of course, he did. He’d actually be more surprised if Xuxi hadn’t done that. “But hearing it from you… it feels more special. Complete.”
They talked even more after that. About school. Dejun’s old school. The squirrels. “How about you, Guanheng? Where do your parents work?” There they are, the questions he expected but was still hesitant to answer. But he convinced himself. It’s Dejun. It’s fine. He’s part of the family now. “I don’t have them,” he answered quietly. “Parents, I mean.”
Dejun was dumbfounded for a while, as expected, but he recovered quickly. “Who’s taking care of you, then?” He asked in the gentlest voice possible. Even the way he worded his question was kind.
“Me.” He shrugged. “I was in an orphanage since birth but didn’t get adopted. At thirteen they put me in this sponsor system where they look for people who want to boost their social standing through sponsoring orphaned children. I got paired with a nice, old, Finnish couple who vowed to take care of everything until I finish college. They even give me generous allowances and stuff. It’s better than you imagine, don’t worry.” He assured Dejun who’s frown got deeper while he talked.
“But who’s taking care of you?” He emphasized it further, telling him he wasn’t asking about who’s supporting him financially. “Who’s there when you’re sad? When you’re sick? Who scratches your back when it itches?”
“Xuxi. Most of the time.”
“When he isn’t there?”
“Just me.” He didn’t know how lonely it sounded until he voiced it out. Dejun was quiet for a while before reaching for his hand. “If it’s okay with you… I wanna be there for you.”
Like family. A real one. It is—real.
—
They had to leave when they realized it was getting too late and the rain had stopped completely. The roads were empty and quiet and they were walking comfortably on the road, not fearing speeding cars. “How are you gonna go home?” Guanheng asked.
“In a taxi, I guess.” Dejun sounded hesitant but he still tried to look around.
“Why don’t you sleep over our place? We have an extra mattress.” Dejun looked surprised by the suggestion. He’d been over a lot and he’d even stayed quite late, but he’s never been invited over for the night. “You can borrow my clothes, I think we’re the same size.”
“I—,” he was still hesitating so Guanheng decided to back away.
“But if you don’t want to that’s fine! We can keep walking until a taxi comes by.”
“No it’s not that,” he reached over to his sleeve and tugged it. “It’s just that, I don’t have extra underwear.”
“Oh, I have extra.” Guanheng offered without any thought, not noticing how weird it sounded until Dejun froze. “I meant unused ones!” He clarified, laughing at his own lapse. “Xuxi gave them to me last Christmas and I never opened them.”
“Oh! Well, sure! Let me just call my mom.”
It wasn’t difficult to ask his mom, she said yes right away. She just had to give her their full names and their address and she hung up. They had to enter quietly, though, Xuxi could be asleep already.
When they came into the apartment, it was dark and quiet—too quiet. “Wait, isn’t Xuxi here?” He turned the lights on and the room had been exactly the way he left it. He checked his phone for the first time in hours and found that Xuxi had actually texted him.
Got too caught up in the rain so I’m going straight home. Parents’ home, not the apartment. Dad wants me home for my brother’s birthday anyway, he’s picking me up. Sorry, I can’t come with you and Dejun. See you at school on Monday.
He quickly typed in a “got home safe?” before facing Dejun again. “He’s not here, he’s at his parents.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged nonchalantly—they just got way past the awkward stage he didn’t want to go back to square one. “You can sleep on his bed, then, at least he has a bed. I just have a mattress on the floor.”
“Can’t I just use the spare mattress? I don’t want to sleep in his room without him there.”
“You’re right,” Guanheng smiled. “But I don’t want to leave you out here in the living room. The mosquitoes will kill you. You’ll have to stay with me in my room.”
“Sounds nice.”
They got ready for bed, Dejun borrowing a white shirt, gray shorts, and of course, the unopened box of underwear. “You can use the laundry for your clothes so you’ll have something to wear tomorrow.” He instructed right after he came out of the bathroom and Dejun already was lying on the mattress on the floor, right next to Guanheng’s.
When they finally settled on their individual mattresses, Guanheng turned the lights off, turned a soft lamp on, and laid down only to scroll on social media. Dejun cleared his throat, prompting him to put his phone down. “How long have you been living here?”
“Xuxi got this apartment from his parents last year, they have no idea I live here, too. They just pay everything without wondering why Xuxi needed two air conditioners. They’re rich like that. I just help out with food and other maintenance stuff since Xuxi’s parents take care of everything anyway.”
“Why did they get him an apartment?”
“Xuxi wanted to come here, he didn’t want to be in the same school as his brother. Their parents compare them a lot—they’re supposed to be harmless but Xuxi takes them to heart. So he wanted to be in a different school, even if it meant he lived in a different city. At least, here, he can shine alone and not share a spotlight with his brother.”
“That makes sense.”
“How about the orphanage? They just let you move?”
“To be honest, they were glad to have one less mouth to feed and one less body to clothe. They’re already stretched with the other kids. I have a comfortable apartment I don’t have to pay for, I have a sponsor who pays for everything, they didn’t mind.”
Dejun rolled to his side, facing him. “Doesn’t it get lonely? Around the holidays for example.”
“It does,” he answered honestly. “But I’m used to it. Besides, when I finish college and get a job, I’m gonna be with someone, maybe build a family of my own—then I’ll never be alone again.”
Dejun sighed. Probably pitying him and his entire unstable life. “For now, there’s Xuxi and me, and Yangyang, too.”
“I’m happy.” He answered, and for once, he meant it.
They both stayed up until four in the morning just talking and joking around, and after that, nothing was ever the same again.