The May heat was already oppressive, and even with the air conditioning on, the cinema couldn’t quite chase away the warmth clinging to the skin.
Cheng Shuoning felt a tightness in his chest. After collecting the tickets, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before the feeling finally dissipated.
He looked around for a while and finally spotted Han Tian, who had been separated by the crowd, standing not far away with a smile on his face, holding his phone.
As Cheng Shuoning made his way over, saying "excuse me" to those around him, just as he reached out to greet Han Tian, someone suddenly snatched the baseball cap off his head.
His short black hair and flawless, delicate face were instantly exposed.
A woman holding a child patted the child’s hand and returned the cap to Cheng Shuoning, apologizing, "I’m so sorry, the child is too mischievous."
Upon seeing Cheng Shuoning’s face, which was so beautiful it seemed unreal, she was momentarily stunned and instinctively asked, "Are you an artist?"
Cheng Shuoning took the cap, put it back on, and smiled at the woman, "No."
The woman apologized again and left with her child.
With the tickets collected, people began to enter the theater, and the area became less crowded. Cheng Shuoning quickly walked over to Han Tian, who hadn’t noticed his approach. Cheng Shuoning waved a hand in front of Han Tian’s eyes and tilted his head to look at him, "What are you looking at? You’re smiling so happily."
Seeing the boy’s warm and obedient smile, Han Tian immediately put away his phone, pinched Cheng Shuoning’s cheek, and said with a face full of affection, "I was just about to message you, and here you are. We really have a connection."
Cheng Shuoning stood up straight, feigning disbelief, "Really?"
"Yes." Han Tian took out his phone again, worried Cheng Shuoning wouldn’t believe him, and showed him the chat interface with him.
Seeing Han Tian’s slight nervousness, Cheng Shuoning didn’t ask further. He handed him the ticket, "We can go in now, let’s go."
Han Tian didn’t take the ticket but instead took out a tissue to gently wipe the sweat from Cheng Shuoning’s forehead, then lightly tapped his nose, his voice low, "Silly, you’re sweating all over. I shouldn’t have let you come with me to get the tickets. We got separated, and you ended up getting the tickets. I didn’t expect so many people this weekend."
Cheng Shuoning looked up, meeting the boy’s gentle eyes.
He was momentarily stunned and quickly averted his gaze.
Having known Han Tian for ten years, Cheng Shuoning knew well that Han Tian had a fiery temper and lacked patience with everyone except him, where he was always gentle and patient.
He couldn’t remember when he fell into Han Tian’s gentle trap and started liking him. But despite many hints, both overt and subtle, he never received any response.
Thinking of this, Cheng Shuoning’s slightly accelerated heartbeat calmed down. He stuffed the ticket into Han Tian’s hand and pulled him towards the ticket check.
"The movie’s about to start, let’s hurry in."
Han Tian let himself be led, not noticing anything amiss. He glanced at the ticket in his hand and smiled, "There’s still time, no rush. I’m in row 5, seat 12…"
He suddenly paused, grabbed Cheng Shuoning’s hand, pulled him in front of him, and whispered in his ear, "Ning Ning, which seat are you in row 5?"
The warm breath on his ear made Cheng Shuoning a bit uncomfortable with the sudden intimacy.
He covered his ear and moved away from Han Tian before answering, "Row 5, seat 13."
Han Tian’s tone was full of regret, "I should have bought seat 14, then together with Ning Ning, it would have been forever, what a pity."
The sincerity in his voice made Cheng Shuoning momentarily dazed, almost wanting to ask for clarification, but reason pulled him back. He explained, "When I bought them, there were only these two seats left in this row."
Asking would only yield an ambiguous answer.
"I’ll switch with whoever’s in 14 when we get in," Han Tian said, ruffling Cheng Shuoning’s hair.
Cheng Shuoning didn’t respond, and after the ticket check, he headed straight to Theater 3.
The theater was already dark, playing advertisements, and the surroundings were dim. Cheng Shuoning found the fifth row and carefully made his way to his seat.
Seat 14 on his right was already occupied. Just as Cheng Shuoning looked over, the screen lit up with white light, illuminating the boy’s expressionless face as he stared at the screen.
That face was unforgettable once seen, and Cheng Shuoning instantly recognized who the boy was.
—His deskmate, Xu Wangzhi.
Having transferred to their school only two months ago, Xu Wangzhi had never scored below 720 in exams, consistently ranking first in the grade. He was aloof, never socializing with classmates, had no friends, and was rumored to spend all his time at home studying.
So encountering Xu Wangzhi here was a bit surprising for Cheng Shuoning.
"Ning Ning, switch seats with me," Han Tian nudged his arm, snapping Cheng Shuoning out of his staring, and they swapped seats.
"Hi, can we switch seats? I’m in seat 12."
"I can pay you to switch seats with me, is that okay?"
"I want to sit in seat 14, you can name your price, but please don’t ignore me."
"…"
No matter what he said, there was no response. Speaking in a low voice, Han Tian grew impatient, tugging at his tie, his face turning sour.
Cheng Shuoning pulled him back, whispering, "Let’s just sit like this."
As soon as he said this, he felt a burning gaze on him. He looked up slightly and met the deep, inscrutable eyes of the boy.
Just as he hesitated whether to acknowledge himself and greet him, the other had already turned back to the screen.
A few seconds later, the boy’s cold, emotionless voice sounded, "No switch."
Realizing those two words were a response to the earlier requests, Han Tian’s temper flared, "If you don’t want to switch, just say so from the start!"
Xu Wangzhi ignored Han Tian, acting as if he hadn’t heard him.
Cheng Shuoning advised, "Let’s switch back, it’s fine like this, don’t get angry."
Han Tian immediately calmed down, switched back with him, and said warmly, "Let’s listen to Ning Ning, no need to argue with someone like that."
The gaze from beside him was once again on him, too intense to ignore.
Cheng Shuoning wasn’t usually the type to get nervous easily, but under Xu Wangzhi’s gaze, he reflexively straightened up, not responding to Han Tian, focusing on the movie to distract himself.
It was a romance film about unrequited love. The female lead had it worse than him, having loved in vain for 18 years without any response.
About ten minutes into the movie, Han Tian whispered in Cheng Shuoning’s ear, "I’m going to the restroom, wait for me here."
Cheng Shuoning nodded, replying softly, "Okay."
*
Leaving the theater, Han Tian quickly walked to the elevator. Just as he pressed the button, a pair of hands hugged him tightly from behind.
The person behind him laughed softly in his ear, "I’ve been waiting for you, finally you’re here."
Han Tian pulled the person aside, looking at him.
He wore a purple baseball cap, obscuring his face, only his chin visible. As he felt Han Tian’s gaze, he lifted his head.
His originally delicate face became incredibly alluring with those smiling peach blossom eyes.
Cheng Shuoning’s exquisite face flashed in Han Tian’s mind, and he chuckled, pinching Cheng Meng’s chin, "It’s been so short, and you’re already impatient?"
Compared to the usually obedient and somewhat dull Cheng Shuoning, he preferred Cheng Meng, who did whatever he wanted.
Cheng Meng said nothing, stepping forward to hook his arms around Han Tian’s neck, bringing their lips together.
After the kiss, he played with Han Tian’s hair, "Aren’t you afraid that fool will find out? If he knew you were watching a movie with him on the surface but actually came to do this with me, he’d be furious."
Han Tian replied nonchalantly, "You already called him a fool, how could he find out? Besides, my acting is so good, there’s no way he’d notice."
Cheng Meng asked meaningfully, "So who do you think looks better in this cap, me or Cheng Shuoning?"
The boy holding him didn’t answer directly, only caressed his face, "Don’t ask such childish questions."
Cheng Meng bit Han Tian’s ear hard, "You’ve already given me the same cap as him, aren’t you afraid he’ll find out?"
Suddenly, footsteps approached from afar, and Han Tian pushed Cheng Meng away, glancing outside.
No one was there, only staff standing at the distant entrance.
Han Tian stepped back, cupped Cheng Meng’s face, and kissed him.
Outside the theater, it was silent, while inside, the movie reached a climactic scene, becoming noisy, with most people cursing the male lead as a foolish jerk.
Cheng Shuoning glanced at his watch; nearly twenty minutes had passed, and Han Tian hadn’t returned.
He picked up his phone, preparing to send a message, when he suddenly heard a cool voice, "Excuse me."
Cheng Shuoning instinctively pulled his feet back.
The person sat down beside him, it was Xu Wangzhi, who had also left earlier.
Thinking of something, Cheng Shuoning leaned slightly towards Xu Wangzhi, lowering his voice to ask, "Xu Wangzhi, did you see my friend in the restroom just now?"
The other didn’t answer, and Cheng Shuoning tilted his head slightly.
The boy propped his face with one hand, sitting lazily, his expression icy, staring at him with dark, unreadable eyes.
Though they’d been deskmates for two months, they hadn’t interacted much.
Cheng Shuoning thought he might not recognize him, touched his nose, and was about to sit up straight when he heard him say, "No."
After saying this, he got up and left, so quickly that Cheng Shuoning had no time to react.
Finding it odd, Cheng Shuoning didn’t dwell on it, waiting another ten minutes for Han Tian before finally leaving the theater to call him.
No answer.
Worried something had happened to Han Tian, Cheng Shuoning checked the restroom but didn’t find him, so he continued calling. This time, the call was quickly answered.
"Where did you go?"
Han Tian’s voice on the other end sounded strange, "I had a stomachache, went out to buy medicine, I’ll be back soon. Watch carefully, you’ll have to fill me in on what I missed."
Concerned, Cheng Shuoning said, "Forget the movie, I’ll go to the hospital with you."
He didn’t hear Han Tian’s response, but instead heard a clear panting sound.
Cheng Shuoning froze, "What’s that sound? Han Tian?"
"It’s from my stomachache, but I’ve taken medicine and feel much better now, I’m in the elevator," Han Tian said, covering Cheng Meng’s mouth tightly, his voice gentle over the phone, "Ning Ning, are you worried about me?"
"I am. I’ll wait for you by the elevator," Cheng Shuoning said honestly, hanging up and heading towards the elevator.
He hadn’t taken two steps when someone suddenly bumped into him from behind, knocking him to the ground.
"Damn, watch where you’re going!" a rough, irritable voice exclaimed.
His forehead throbbed painfully, his ears buzzing. Cheng Shuoning opened his eyes to find darkness.
Struggling to get up, he collapsed back to the ground, his body too weak.
This time, Cheng Shuoning dared not move, touching his aching forehead, blinking repeatedly until he could see his hand clearly.
It was covered in blood.
Before he could react, the ringing in his ears intensified.
Cheng Shuoning shook his head, pale-faced, and only after a while did he slowly get up from the ground.
The fall had left him dizzy, his limbs weak. He hadn’t stood for more than a few seconds before his legs gave out again, and he fell backward.
Seeing the commotion, staff rushed over, screaming as he fell again.
Cheng Shuoning tightly closed his eyes, bracing for the pain.
But this time, instead of the cold floor, he fell into a warm embrace.
He wanted to open his eyes to thank them, but he couldn’t, and finally, uncontrollably, he slipped into unconsciousness.
*
The smell of disinfectant lingered in his nose. Cheng Shuoning opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a while before his blurred vision cleared.
Just as he sat up in bed, someone pressed him back down, "Ning Ning, don’t move."
It was Han Tian.
Cheng Shuoning’s head felt heavy, noticing he was on an IV. He looked at Han Tian, unable to recall what had happened, and hoarsely asked, "Why am I in the hospital?"
His face was pale and weak, his lips devoid of color.
Han Tian said anxiously, "You have a head injury, don’t move around."
Memories slowly returned. Cheng Shuoning rubbed his eyes, unable to remember who had caught him, assuming it was Han Tian, "Did you catch me and bring me to the hospital?"
"Hmm? Caught? Bringing you to the hospital was someone else… right, it was me who caught you and brought you here," Han Tian quickly changed his words, looking into Cheng Shuoning’s eyes, "You scared me to death then, so careless, silly. Don’t worry, I’ve already sent someone to find the culprit, they won’t get away."
Unexpectedly meeting his worried eyes, Cheng Shuoning couldn’t help but smile, speaking earnestly, "Han Tian, are you worried about me?"
"If I wasn’t worried, would I be sitting here waiting for you to wake up?" Han Tian laughed at his serious demeanor.
Before Cheng Shuoning could feel happy, he suddenly heard a voice identical to Han Tian’s say something else: You’re really foolish, getting knocked over at a movie. If it weren’t for you, I’d be at home sleeping in. Such a delicate thing.
The words "delicate thing" made Cheng Shuoning freeze, his mind blank, his hand on the blanket clenching tightly, veins bulging from the force.
After a long while, he looked at Han Tian with a gaze as if seeing a stranger, asking, "What did you say?"