Closing the laptop, Xie Lan flipped his notebook back to the front and continued writing his debate draft.

His phone vibrated beside him; it was a voice call from Dou Sheng. Just as Xie Lan was about to answer, the call was canceled, and Dou Sheng sent a message instead.

RJJSD: Where did you learn so many idioms?

Xie Lan replied: Daily accumulation.

RJJSD: Bullshit.

RJJSD: [Douzi stunned.jpg]

Looking at the sticker of the cartoon Douzi with its jaw dropped, Xie Lan couldn’t help but curl his lips.

Actually, saying “daily accumulation” wasn’t wrong. He had seen all of these from Dou Sheng’s fans. Whenever they talked about Night God, these idioms appeared with very high frequency, so he just looked them up and memorized them.

To be honest, his performance wasn’t even that great. The fans had written poems, filled in song lyrics, and gone much further down the road of secretly cursing behind Dou Sheng’s back. Unfortunately, he hadn’t memorized those.

The phone vibrated again; Dou Sheng sent another message.

RJJSD: Shocked Douzi for a whole year.

Xie Lan laughed so hard he dropped his phone on the desk, making a loud clatter in the empty classroom.

This matter spread quickly on the website. Before afternoon classes, Xie Lan searched and found screen recordings already available. His DMs exploded—some Night God fans came to curse, but more of his own fans came to send strings of “laughing while pounding the floor” emojis.

Food-Loving MR.X, always running on the frontline of gossip, also sent a congratulatory telegram.

– Savage, bro.

– That showmanship made my scalp tingle.

– What exactly is your relationship with Douzi? Cousins? Good friends? Classmates? Business partners?

– I’m the first UP you followed, are you really not going to reply to me…

Xie Lan glanced at the chemistry teacher walking onto the podium with exercise sheets and casually perfunctory-replied with one word: Mhm.

MR.X: ……

Dou Sheng didn’t mention the matter again that afternoon. Wednesday afternoons were usually full of classes he didn’t listen to much—Chemistry, Biology, and English—but for once, he listened exceptionally earnestly and even took notes. Xie Lan wanted to say a few words to him but felt too embarrassed to disturb him.

But Xie Lan could feel that Dou Sheng was in a good mood.

When Dou Sheng was in a good mood, he fidgeted a bit more than usual. He would wave those good-looking paws of his, pinching the exam paper for a while, pulling at the curtains for a while, and then simply cracking his own knuckles, performing a finger yoga session.

After the last class ended, Che Ziming and the others went to the small dining table service for dinner. Xie Lan took his prepared debate draft and went to the laboratory building alone.

The Debate Club’s first activity was only an hour long. The text message notification earlier said that this activity was mainly for ice-breaking, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

But as soon as Xie Lan entered the classroom, he was instantly dumbfounded.

There were only eight people in the room, half male and half female, gathered around a long table. Some sat on stools, some sat on the table. On the table sat cola and braised chicken feet.

Braised chicken feet?

A strange aroma permeated the room. Xie Lan’s hand, raised to knock on the door, froze in mid-air.

“Someone’s here!” A girl with a high ponytail sprang up. “Welcome, new member!!”

Xie Lan felt a bit numb. “Excuse me, is this the Debate Club?”

“Yes!” The girl immediately introduced herself. “I’m Rong Xinxin, the president of the Yinghua High Debate Club. These are all our senior members. You must be Xie Lan, right?”

Xie Lan was silent for a moment, suddenly having a bad premonition. “That’s me. How did you know?”

Rong Xinxin smiled and said, “There’s only one new member this year.”

Xie Lan: “??”

A boy next to her gnawing on a chicken foot added, “Should say, surprisingly, there is one new member this year.”

Xie Lan: “……”

So the so-called ice-breaking referred to Xie Lan unilaterally breaking the ice with the existing eight members.

He stiffly finished a two-sentence self-introduction. The group put down their chicken feet and gave him a warm round of applause for ten seconds.

Rong Xinxin beamed. “Actually, we all know you. Math-Physics A Class Xie Lan, right? Who in the sophomore year hasn’t heard of you by now? Good lord, when I received the application form, I stared at it for a long time. You actually came.”

Xie Lan fell silent upon hearing this, his hand touching the debate draft in his pocket, feeling a tinge of sadness.

He hesitated for a moment but still asked, “Are we the only ones? Are daily activities just eating and chatting?”

“Can’t say it’s only these few people.” Rong Xinxin sat on the table swinging her legs. “Recruitment this year really didn’t go smoothly. We plan to do another round in two days, striving to pull in another seven people to make four teams. Then we can organize two rounds of competition.”

Xie Lan breathed a sigh of relief, but Rong Xinxin immediately added, “Of course, it would be best to directly recruit fifteen, so us eight can retire on the spot.”

Xie Lan: “?”

The boy who had been gnawing on chicken feet sighed faintly. “Prospective seniors now. Homeroom teachers are applying pressure; we don’t have much energy left either.”

Rong Xinxin: “So Xie Lan, keep an eye out during the recruitment later, focus on the freshmen. Find fifteen people, and you are the next Debate Club President!”

Xie Lan’s expression gradually became bewildered.

“Want a chicken foot?” The boy extended an invitation.

Xie Lan: “…No, thanks.”

For the one-hour activity, the first forty minutes were spent eating and bullshitting. Only when the food on the table was almost gone did Rong Xinxin clap her hands and ask to hear the materials everyone prepared.

Those few people fished out materials from under their butts, out of takeout bags, and from beside the trash can, and began to share passionately.

Xie Lan, who was already deeply dazed, was dazed once again.

Chicken Foot Brother stepped one foot on a stool, holding his draft in his left hand and using a chicken foot in his right to point at the landscape, speaking with surging passion: “We are the opposition; gender symbols should not exist. Arguments organized include: Does ‘Ladies First’ reflect the virtue of courtesy or society’s inherent perception of women’s weakness? Buying toy guns for little boys and dolls for girls—is it following the child’s nature, or limiting the natural expression of children’s hobbies? When female employees are asked about birth plans upon hiring, does it represent cruel workplace gender discrimination…”

Rong Xinxin sat on the table swinging her legs as she listened. “It’s average. For the last point, you have to think about how to relate it to the debate topic. Arguments about gender discrimination that are too blunt are a bit off-topic.”

Chicken Foot Brother nodded. “I just wrote it casually, throwing a brick to attract jade.”

Writing casually, and yet writing better than Xie Lan.

Then everyone showed their magical powers, quoting classics and referencing current events, savoring China’s thousands of years of cultural ethics while gnawing on chicken feet. It made one suspect that eating these chicken feet could increase intelligence.

Xie Lan covered his own debate draft, autistically closing himself off.

He had clearly shown it to Dou Sheng, and Dou Sheng said there was great improvement.

Rong Xinxin finally noticed him: “Student Xie Lan, you are the proposition, right? What are your arguments?”

Everyone naturally looked over.

Xie Lan was silent for a moment, then unfolded the paper and braced himself. “I also prepared for a few days and listed about three points.”

Rong Xinxin: “Please speak.”

Xie Lan read: “First, the existence of gender symbols helps people better establish an understanding of themselves and guides people to abide by norms.”

“Stop!” A boy looked confused. “What does that mean?”

Chicken Foot Brother said faintly, “Don’t tell me you want to say gender symbols help me know I’m a male so I enter the left side when going to the toilet.”

Rong Xinxin laughed hahaha and hit him. “Can you stop being funny?”

Xie Lan: “……”

That was exactly what it meant.

Perhaps because his expression was too solemn, the room full of people stopped laughing, their smiles gradually disappearing.

The scene was momentarily supernatural.

Xie Lan sighed. “Second, the existence of gender symbols helps people better identify others and allows people to plan social boundaries.”

Rong Xinxin was shocked. “This seems to be born from the same mother as the previous one.”

“But the perspective switched.” Chicken Foot Brother put down the chicken foot. “As expected of someone who shoots videos, awesome.”

The room was silent for a few more seconds. Xie Lan sighed wildly in his heart and braced himself to read the last one. “Third, men and women are inherently different. Forcibly erasing gender symbols is in itself a form of gender insecurity and a euphemistic admission of the existence of gender discrimination.”

Rong Xinxin let out a long breath. “This one works. This one sounds workable immediately.”

Xie Lan was expressionless. “Oh.”

This one was written by Dou Sheng, who couldn’t stand watching anymore.

In a debate competition, there are four positions: the first debater opens with the arguments, the second and third debate on the spot, and the fourth gives the closing statement.

Dou Sheng had said before that Xie Lan would likely be assigned as the first debater, where the workload is basically pre-match. Xie Lan also felt that the impromptu difficulty for the first debater was lower and suited him better.

However, after Rong Xinxin roughly pointed out everyone’s issues, she said to Xie Lan, “I found that you have a spirit of daring to speak. Regardless of whether the viewpoint holds water, you dare to open your mouth and say it. Actually, you can be a heroic second debater.”

Xie Lan: “Huh?”

“Then it’s settled.” Rong Xinxin checked her watch. “This topic is actually very old, mainly to revive everyone’s brains which have been dormant for a holiday. Before the midterm exam, the main task is recruitment. Student Xie Lan will be responsible, Hammer and Claw Bro will coordinate. Once we have enough people, we’ll start the competition in June and complete this semester’s club tasks.”

Xie Lan’s pupils quaked: “I’m responsible?”

Chicken Foot Brother put the last chicken foot into the takeout box and handed it to him. “Thanks for your hard work. Don’t have too much pressure. If we really can’t find enough people, the few of us can just play an exhibition match and muddle through cutely.”

Xie Lan: “……”

Stepping on the bell for evening self-study, he returned to the classroom. Just as he sat down, Hu Xiujie stormed in holding a stack of papers.

“Monitor, close the door.” She skillfully split the papers into four stacks and distributed them to each group. “Do a set of science comprehensive tests for evening self-study. According to exam requirements: closed book, no talking.”

The class wailed. Even the elite class had deep bitterness toward surprise exams.

Xie Lan was already a bit numb. After the impact of the Debate Club, nothing could shock him further.

While tidying his desk, Dou Sheng whispered, “How was the Debate Club? Did the president approve of you?”

“Sort of approved,” Xie Lan paused. “She even wants to pass the throne to me.”

Dou Sheng’s head snapped up. “??”

Xie Lan could only sigh.

The header of the science comprehensive paper was marked with “Math-Physics A,” meaning the difficulty was abnormal.

Xie Lan worked on it until he became autistic. He had barely managed to recognize most of the common nouns in the three subjects, but the stems of all the major questions on this paper were at least three hundred words long. Looking at the whole paper, it was all blocks of dense, dancing characters that made him dizzy.

Finally enduring until school let out and the papers were handed in, as soon as Hu Xiujie left, the class exploded.

Che Ziming turned around and cursed, “Ate so much for dinner, and the exam made me hungry again.”

Wang Gou sighed. “I’m hungry too. Being a student in a big city is so hard.”

Dou Sheng threw his pen into his empty schoolbag. “How about going to Gao Kao Zhuang Yuan? Someone still owes a meal for the math placement.”

“Tonight?” Xie Lan froze. “Does the dorm not have a curfew?”

“The dorm only closes doors after nine, and bed checks aren’t until after ten. There’s a place behind the dorm building where we can climb in. We still have two hours.” Dai You came over from the front and whispered, “I’m also a bit annoyed from the test. Let’s go.”

Said and done. Liu Yixuan came along too, pulled in by Dou Sheng.

The Gao Kao Zhuang Yuan shop was very small but kept quite clean. Che Ziming and the others, afraid of being caught by teachers getting off work if they ate outside, asked the owner to push the only two small tables in the room together. Six guys and one girl barely managed to sit down.

Che Ziming grumbled as he made space for Yu Fei’s injured foot. “Say, with that big foot of yours, how much space do you take up?”

“Herring is so cooperative today; even with his foot like that, he still came to eat with us.” Dai You stuffed a printed menu into everyone’s hands. “Order. Today Che Ziming and I are treating, going Dutch. Don’t be polite.”

Che Ziming roared, “Don’t be too impolite either!”

Everyone at the table laughed. As the only girl, Liu Yixuan sat between Dai You and Yu Fei, smiling as she flipped through the menu.

Wang Gou whispered, “Can I order this roasted beef fat? Never had it.”

“Order it! Order thirty skewers for my hype-man!” Che Ziming shouted.

Wang Gou’s dark face blushed. “Thanks, kinda makes one happy.”

Xie Lan couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone.

The shop was small, the tables and stools were small. Everyone’s schoolbags were thrown to the side, stacked one on top of another. Xie Lan’s bag was stacked with Dou Sheng’s, and Dou Sheng sat right next to him.

Ordering was left to others. Rarely not playing on his phone, Dou Sheng smiled faintly as he looked out the door.

The wave of people leaving school hadn’t finished yet. Students and parents passed endlessly outside the door curtain.

“What are you thinking about?” Xie Lan nudged him with his elbow.

Dou Sheng came back to his senses. “Thinking about what happened at noon.”

Liu Yixuan, who had looked down to check the menu, looked up and said, “I saw the thing at noon too. Xie Lan is so brave; I didn’t know you could face haters like that.”

Xie Lan curled his lips. “When are you coming back to make videos?”

Beside her, Yu Fei also turned to look at her. Liu Yixuan gave an embarrassed sigh. “Dou Sheng told me about your music project. I really want to join. I was digging myself into a hole the last couple of days, but I’m much better now. And after watching your livestream at noon, I feel like being hated on isn’t that big of a deal.”

The owner brought up the first plate of grilled skewers, a large handful of roasted beef fat.

Che Ziming immediately grabbed a few to distribute to those around him. Yu Fei took two skewers, kept one for himself, and casually handed the other to Liu Yixuan.

“Being a UP, there are too many things like this. It’s best just to ignore them,” Dou Sheng said faintly. Then, suddenly relaxing his brows into a smile, he turned to Xie Lan and said, “But I’m different. Someone just had to stand up for me. Tsk, really can’t do anything about it.”

Xie Lan, having just taken a skewer of beef fat, glanced at him. Coldly.

Dou Sheng’s leg gently nudged him. “Truly gifted when scolding people. Demon, as expected of you.”

Xie Lan coldly withdrew his gaze. “Publicly announcing lying flat. Indifferent, as expected of you.”

“From now on, I have someone covering me on Bilibili.” Dou Sheng stretched, turning sideways to extend his two long legs. “This poor, lonely little UP is moved to tears.”

Liu Yixuan couldn’t help saying, “Small UP with 1.3 million fans, please shut your mouth.”

Hearing this, Xie Lan subconsciously curled his lips.

That’s right, Dou Sheng already had 1.3 million fans. With the recent videos and livestream activities, his fan count had flown up.

Xie Lan didn’t feel at all that his two songs had brought attention to Dou Sheng. During that livestream, he had only appeared to play the violin on a whim, and his presence in this persona video wasn’t strong either. Those who stayed to follow Dou Sheng were people who genuinely liked Dou Sheng’s videos.

Dou Sheng deserved this affection.

The barbecue shop had a wide variety of skewers. Everyone looked out for Xie Lan, so half of the order was non-spicy. Xie Lan tasted one of everything.

It was his first time eating barbecue skewers. A bit salty, but very fragrant. Aside from a few organ parts, everything else was delicious, especially the toast cubes grilled until the crust was crispy, dipped in the condensed milk from the small saucer. He unknowingly ate a large handful.

Six or seven people chatted about their own things. Wang Gou and Dai You were discussing the final big question in physics just now. Liu Yixuan complained to Che Ziming about the group of haters. Yu Fei drank two sips of liquor, and the whole person fell into an unprecedented daze, sitting there spacing out.

The liquor was “Lao Cun Zhang” (Old Village Chief), a type of Baijiu unique to China. Gao Kao Zhuang Yuan was out of beer today. The owner didn’t dare give students too much Baijiu, so after hesitating for a long time, he poured a small half-cup for everyone, free of charge.

Xie Lan leaned his nose to the cup and sniffed. He could already predict how choking this liquor would be.

Dou Sheng drank his small half-cup in two gulps and said to Xie Lan, “Thirty-eight degrees (alcohol content). You’d better not.”

Xie Lan glanced at him. “Even you can do it, why can’t I?”

Saying this, he hesitated no more, raised the cup, and took a sip.

Spicy, rushing. An unprecedented stimulation rolled down his throat, half burning his esophagus, half rushing straight to his skull.

He held it in for a few seconds, but still turned his head away and started coughing.

Laughing, Dou Sheng reached out and rubbed his back. “Last time I was just too lazy to drink with my mom, but you really are a lightweight.”

Hearing this, Che Ziming leaned over: “Xie Lan dares to drink with Auntie Zhao?”

Xie Lan was startled. “What about it?”

“Auntie Zhao has a huge capacity.” Che Ziming gave a thumbs up. “Dou Sheng’s tolerance was trained by his mom. Thinking back to those years—”

Before he finished speaking, Xie Lan keenly perceived that Dou Sheng kicked him under the table.

Then Che Ziming’s tone shifted, and he sighed. “Forget it, forget it. Let the past remain in the past.”

“What happened?” Xie Lan turned his head to look at Dou Sheng.

Dou Sheng smiled faintly. “Nothing. There was a period where I drank with my mom every day. Drank until I got sick of it, which leads to me rarely drinking with her easily now.”

This statement seemed to contain a lot of information, but Xie Lan couldn’t quite analyze the meaning behind it.

He only noticed that Dou Sheng seemed a bit distracted, because even though he had stopped coughing, the hand on his back didn’t stop. It was still gently stroking, stroke by stroke.

Through the thin T-shirt, the presence of Dou Sheng’s fingers was very strong, spreading across his entire back.

After a long time, Dou Sheng finally came back to his senses and withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.

He took a long breath, lifted his arm, and skillfully draped it over Xie Lan’s shoulder.

“What now?” Xie Lan was speechless.

Dou Sheng sighed, his low voice audible only to the two of them. “The alcohol content of this liquor seems to be a bit beyond my ability. If I can’t make it back to the nest later, trouble Second Cat to lead me back.”

“Pretend.” Xie Lan scoffed. “Aren’t you the Master of Lying Flat? Why don’t you just lie flat on the street?”

“Don’t wanna.” Dou Sheng pressed his forehead against his shoulder. “Second Cat, your heart is so cruel. As expected of a Demon.”

Actually, Xie Lan also felt a bit dizzy. He had clearly only taken that one sip, but presumably because the alcohol content was high and he drank it too fast, his head gradually became a bit chaotic too.

Once it passed ten o’clock, Liu Yixuan said she had to go back. Dai You got up to pay the bill, and everyone went their separate ways.

Che Ziming went back to his grandmother’s place. Yu Fei hailed a taxi on the spot, taking Liu Yixuan along for the ride. The remaining four were exactly one dorm room.

After ten, the peak of seniors leaving school had passed. There wasn’t a single person on the road; the street that was usually bustling with noise suddenly fell silent. The streetlights weren’t on, and faces were barely visible relying on some lights from inside the school.

Xie Lan stood by the roadside with them accompanying Yu Fei to wait for the car. Unknown when it started, Dou Sheng wasn’t circling him anymore; instead, Xie Lan was dizzily draping his arm over Dou Sheng’s shoulder, his other hand pulling at Dou Sheng’s arm.

He just felt his feet were a bit floaty. His mind was relatively clear, but he had to hold onto something to stand steady.

“Are you okay?” Dou Sheng asked with a smile. “I feel like you’re about to hang on me.”

Xie Lan said coldly, “Nonsense.”

Dou Sheng curled his lips and chuckled low. “I’ve discovered you learn these improper words really fast.”

Xie Lan hmphed, took a deep breath, and a moment later, unable to hold up any longer, rested his forehead on Dou Sheng’s shoulder.

No wonder Dou Sheng liked doing this. It was really comfortable.

But Dou Sheng stiffened. A moment later, he smiled and said in that low voice, “Even comes with revenge.”

The taxi finally arrived. Dai You and Wang Gou helped Yu Fei into the back seat, and Liu Yixuan sat in the passenger seat herself, waving goodbye to everyone.

“Send a message when you get back,” Dou Sheng said, then looked at Yu Fei. “And you, hear me?”

Yu Fei gave two impatient grunts of acknowledgment, closed the door, and let the driver turn around.

Holding up his dizzy consciousness, Xie Lan lifted his head from Dou Sheng’s shoulder. The car just happened to turn on its high beams. He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the car turn around and leave in the night.

Perhaps because he was too close to Dou Sheng right now, turning his head slightly allowed him to see those eyes up close.

When the car drove away, dragging that trail of warm light and shadow, it reflected in those dark eyes, drifting further and further away until the darkness covered them again bit by bit. Those eyes were silent in the dark night, yet bright as lacquer dots.

It seemed that whenever this kind of moment occurred, he would detect a sense of loneliness in Dou Sheng.

It wasn’t necessarily a very unhappy emotion, just a faint feeling, as if the person he was holding onto had withdrawn from the current situation. Jokes aside, Dou Sheng always lived within an invisible magnetic field wrapped around himself.

In his dizziness, Xie Lan looked down at his shoulder.

He really was hanging on Dou Sheng now. Thinking about it this way, he guessed he had also stepped into that invisible magnetic field.

“Your alcohol tolerance is simply ridiculous.”

He heard Dou Sheng’s murmur, carried with a sigh.

Although dizzy, Xie Lan was still cool. He hmphed into his shoulder, “Give you two coins. Send me back to the dorm.”

Dou Sheng laughed until his shoulders shook. “That’s what you said last time you got drunk. The price went up this time; you want a like too.”

“Give you two coins, and the like is submitted automatically.” Xie Lan was speechless. “I think your Bilibili account was stolen, right?”

Dou Sheng laughed so hard he almost dropped him.

After Xie Lan finished his complaint, he didn’t make any more noise. He was a bit tired. His left hand hooked around Dou Sheng’s shoulder, his right hand pulled at his arm, and he buried half his face into Dou Sheng from the back right side. Truly just hanging there.

Dai You and Wang Gou walked in front. The two guys who viewed studying as life, regretting not meeting sooner, were forever chatting about homework and exams.

Dou Sheng walked much slower than usual. He exhaled gently, dispersing the vague drunkenness.

It had been a long time since he was dragged to drink by Ms. Zhao Wenying. His level seemed to have declined; he felt a bit buzzed without drinking much.

A certain fellow hanging on him had his face buried at the junction of his shoulder and back, rubbing against him gently.

Who knows how many nerves are distributed on a person’s shoulder blade. Through the clothes, he seemed to feel Xie Lan’s lips. As they walked with bumps and stumbles, the lips touched and parted from his shoulder blade.

Like a soft woodpecker, leaving behind shallow kisses one by one.

---

Author’s Note:

Knock knock knock.

Lazy Egg swayed in from outside: “Good morning, I want to borrow some facial cleanser.”

The one typing glanced at it: “What for?”

Lazy Egg said reservedly: “Watched a movie together yesterday, accidentally fell asleep on Bean Egg’s shell. Seems like I left a drool mark.”

“Just wipe the drool mark off, why be so particular?” The one typing laughed: “Take it yourself.”

Lazy Egg nodded: “Thanks.”

A while later, Bean Egg walked past the door whistling.

The one typing couldn’t help asking: “In a good mood today?”

“It’s alright.” Bean Egg looked back and walked over coolly.

He said mysteriously: “Last night watching the movie, Lazy Egg seemed to have stolen a kiss from me.”

The one typing: “Ah, this…”