Chen Ge left.

The Night Owls paid full attention during class and ran around playing during breaks. Everything seemed normal, yet they were so obviously subdued.

A silent sorrow of parting.

Xie Lan also zoned out several times during the day, unable to say what he was thinking, or even if it really had anything to do with Chen Ge.

The calmest one was still Dou Sheng. He didn’t participate in any topics related to Chen Ge.

During the long afternoon break, Dou Sheng came back from outside, placed a milk tea on Xie Lan’s desk, and whispered, “My stomach hurts a little.”

Xie Lan paused. “Stomach ache?”

In his impression, Dou Sheng had only cried out in pain when he twisted his ankle. That time he was incredibly exaggerated, but this time he didn’t make much noise. After dropping that sentence, he went back to his seat and lay down, burying his head in the crook of one arm, his other hand resting near his stomach, motionless.

When Xie Lan came back with a cup of hot water, he bumped into Dai You.

Dai You said, “He had chronic superficial gastritis in junior high. It flares up occasionally. He should ask for leave and go back to rest.”

Xie Lan nodded hurriedly, handed the water cup to Dai You, and turned to walk out.

On the way to the office, he clumsily pieced together the words Dai You said, searched for the symptoms online, and finally understood roughly after reading for a long time.

It should be chronic shallow gastritis. Xie Jingming also had this problem.

Knowing what it was made things easier. Zhao Wenying happened to be home today. Xie Lan sent messages to her and Little Ma, then went to Hu Xiujie to get a leave slip.

The process of asking for leave went smoothly, but unfortunately, Xie Lan didn’t get leave himself. After all, he wasn’t the one with the stomach ache.

When walking Dou Sheng to the school gate, Dou Sheng said somewhat helplessly, “It’s really not that serious. I’ll be fine after sleeping for a while.”

“Your lips are pale from pain.” Xie Lan squeezed his hand with heartache. “I also asked for three days of dorm leave. I’ll go back after school.”

Dou Sheng hummed. “Then behave yourself in class alone.”

“I know.”

He said that, but after sending Dou Sheng off, Xie Lan barely absorbed anything in the classes that followed.

He wanted to ask how Dou Sheng was, but was afraid of disturbing his sleep. He agonized over it until school was almost out, only relaxing slightly when Dou Sheng proactively messaged on WeChat saying the pain had passed.

There was a traffic jam on the way. When he got home, it was already 9:30. Dou Sheng was lying on the sofa visible from the entrance, scrolling through his phone with a thin blanket over him. Zhao Wenying sat nearby looking at her computer.

“You’re back.” Dou Sheng looked up, saw Xie Lan, threw the blanket aside, and got off the sofa. “I’m already better.”

Zhao Wenying pursed her lips. “Even if you’re better, put your slippers on. Stomach problems fear the cold.”

Dou Sheng gave an “oh”, turned back to slip on his slippers, and shook his phone. “The list of three shortlisted producers for the Youth on Strings OST is out. Bilibili took two spots: you and A’Ze. There’s also someone called Mr. Jiada. I just checked; he’s a formidable character.”

Xie Lan had already learned about this on his way back.

Mr. Jiada was a very famous arranger and music producer, thirty-three years old, a graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music, proficient in both arrangement and piano. He became famous when he first entered university by casually posting original arrangements on the campus network. His presence was indispensable in the arrangements of popular domestic films and anime. Although he hadn’t officially joined Bilibili, he supported a series of repost accounts.

The official Youth on Strings team really knew how to stir things up. It was obvious they wanted to give the main arranger position to Jiada, but they opened a PK round. They posted the original arrangement demos submitted by the three candidates on a webpage, set up a 28-day voting period, and would determine the main arranger based on popularity.

The demos of all three were public. A’Ze’s arrangement was flawless but lacked many surprises. Jiada’s, however, stunned him as soon as the melody started. The difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Xie Lan had never studied professional arrangement and had always followed his instincts. To his own ears, there was more than a little gap in maturity compared to the professional.

The voting channel wouldn’t open until midnight tonight, but he already knew he had no chance, and he didn’t care much.

Dou Sheng said, “I listened to them. Yours is still better.”

Xie Lan paused. “Hmm?”

“His arrangement is technically amazing; even a small segment is very rousing, but it feels a bit too commercial.” Dou Sheng picked up the iPad next to him. “I just listened to all the works of his I could find. Actually, when he wasn’t famous yet, he was a bit like you—strong emotional rendering power. Now, maybe he’s too mature, and it doesn’t touch the heart instead.”

Xie Lan was shocked. “You didn’t rest properly? Why were you listening to his songs?”

Dou Sheng smiled. “Checking what our odds of winning are.”

Hearing this, Zhao Wenying said from the side, “I think so too. I listened along for a while, and I also think Lan-lan’s is better.”

“Right?” Dou Sheng rarely formed a united front with her. “I think so too.”

Xie Lan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Hurry up and rest. Did you take medicine?”

Dou Sheng nodded. “Took it. My stomach doesn’t hurt anymore, don’t worry.”

“Mm.”

With Zhao Wenying right there, Xie Lan was anxious inside but dared not show too much.

After all, having a guilty conscience, he was terrified of not measuring his behavior correctly and letting Zhao Wenying spot some clues.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up his schoolbag. “Then I’ll go upstairs to shower first. If you can sleep, go to bed early.”

“Mmhmm.” Dou Sheng nodded in tacit understanding. “That’s what I plan to do too.”

The two went upstairs one after the other. Standing at the door of the bedroom, in a blind spot under the stairs, Dou Sheng finally squeezed Xie Lan’s hand.

“I’m really fine, don’t worry.”

Xie Lan sighed. “Why did your stomach suddenly hurt?”

Dou Sheng mumbled, “Maybe I drank the ice cola too fast at noon, or maybe my stomach just wanted to make trouble. My stomach hasn’t acted up in a long time; calculating by time, it was about due for an episode.”

“…You’re too…”

Footsteps came from the bottom of the stairs. Xie Lan had to swallow the words on the tip of his tongue and pushed open the door to his room.

He took a quick shower. When he came out, Zhao Wenying was still next door.

Judging from the voice, Zhao Wenying should be standing at Dou Sheng’s door, interrogating him about his daily life and diet.

Usually, she seemed very carefree, but right now she was just like any mother complaining about her child not taking care of their body. She asked about everything Dou Sheng had eaten in the past few days and criticized him for drinking ice drinks and staying up late.

Dou Sheng responded with hums and ahs, his voice very low; sometimes Xie Lan couldn’t even hear what he was saying.

After a while, the talking stopped over there. Zhao Wenying knocked on his door and came in carrying fruits and cookies.

Zhao Wenying said gently, “Lan-lan, have some late-night snacks. You kids need to eat something at night to study.”

Xie Lan quickly said thank you, then felt a bit awkward.

The desk was empty. He had been back for a while but had been worrying about Dou Sheng and hadn’t even opened his schoolbag.

He held back, but couldn’t help asking, “Is Dou Sheng eating?”

“His stomach hurts, it should stay empty for a bit.” Zhao Wenying shook her head. “I don’t know if he’ll be hungry later. I made some porridge and kept it warm. If you get hungry, go down and serve yourself.”

Xie Lan nodded. “Okay.”

“I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. I put two kinds of medicine in Dou Sheng’s schoolbag. Please remind him to take them after meals tomorrow, half an hour apart. He needs to take them for two days, three times a day.” Zhao Wenying sighed, squeezed his shoulder, and whispered, “Usually, help Auntie watch over Dou Sheng a bit. His constitution is good, he just has this one problem. It’s almost summer; he can’t eat cold things too fiercely, and definitely can’t eat them together with very hot things.”

Xie Lan nodded repeatedly. “I will pay attention.”

Zhao Wenying patted him and smiled. “Same for you. You both pay attention.”

---

Zhao Wenying left. Xie Lan was thinking about going next door to check on Dou Sheng and spend some time alone with him.

But Zhao Wenying came up to check on Dou Sheng every so often. From 9:30 when he got home until almost midnight, Xie Lan kept his ears pricked for any movement next door but couldn’t find an opportunity.

Just past midnight, it had been over ten minutes since Zhao Wenying last made a sound. Xie Lan had just made up his mind to go next door to see his boyfriend when he opened the door and ran right into Zhao Wenying.

Xie Lan: “…”

Zhao Wenying was holding hot water, about to knock on Dou Sheng’s door. She was surprised. “Lan-lan isn’t asleep yet?”

Xie Lan: “Um… going to sleep now.”

Back to the room, close door, lights out.

From next door came Dou Sheng’s numb voice, “I’m really fine now…”

“What do you mean fine?” Zhao Wenying’s tone was displeased. “You only know how to tough it out. If you really get an ulcer and need a gastroscopy, you’ll be the one suffering!”

His phone vibrated.

• Dr. Dou-zi: Go to sleep… My mom’s maternal love has exploded.

Xie Lan sighed, lay on the bed, and looked at the words on the screen in the dark.

• Bing Ru Gao Huang: Are you really okay?
• Dr. Dou-zi: Yeah. I think my ears might be the problem now. Listened to too much nagging, there’s an echo in my ears.

Xie Lan chuckled softly.

• Bing Ru Gao Huang: Auntie is very good.
• Dr. Dou-zi: Are you okay? I was afraid you’d miss Auntie Xiao.

Xie Lan paused for a moment when he saw the character “Xiao”.

In the two years since Xiao Langjing left, whenever he saw scenes of other mothers caring for their children, he would feel somewhat uncomfortable. But this time, he didn’t.

• Bing Ru Gao Huang: I’m fine. Just wanted to be alone with you for a bit.
• Dr. Dou-zi: Sigh, me too. Want boyfriend.
• Dr. Dou-zi: Cat crying.gif

Zhao Wenying suddenly raised her voice, “Can you listen to me and stop playing with your phone?”

Xie Lan’s hand trembled, and he hurriedly stuffed the phone under the pillow, daring not send any more.

Fortunately, Zhao Wenying didn’t have the habit of checking her child’s phone. She added, “Wait a moment, I’ll fill a hot water bottle for you. No air conditioning tonight.”

After a long time, WeChat vibrated again.

Dou Sheng shared a violin piece and said: Goodnight, boyfriend.

Xie Lan replied: Goodnight.

He put on his headphones and closed his eyes, but couldn’t fall asleep immediately.

It was only today that he suddenly realized how free his and Dou Sheng’s living environment usually was.

Zhao Wenying was mostly not at home, so whether at home or at school, they could stick together anytime, anywhere. This was the first time he encountered a situation like today—wanting to see him but feeling guilty and daring not to.

But the more concerns there were, the itchier his heart felt.

In his earphones was the elegant and soothing sound of a violin. Xie Lan tossed and turned several times before finally falling asleep.

But he didn’t sleep soundly. It started raining outside in the night. A low rumble of thunder rolled by, and he woke up instantly.

01:45.

The white light of the phone glowed in the dark night. There was a small red dot on WeChat.

It was sent by Dou Sheng an hour after they said goodnight.

• Dr. Dou-zi: Miss you.

Three small characters on the screen made Xie Lan’s heart skip a beat.

The sound of rain outside the window was loud, but the rainy night felt so quiet.

There was no movement next door; Dou Sheng was probably asleep too. Xie Lan hesitated for a moment, but still replied.

• Bing Ru Gao Huang: Woke up. It’s raining outside. I’m going to get some water.
• Bing Ru Gao Huang: I miss you a little too.

He put down the phone and couldn’t stop sighing, rubbing his cheeks hard.

They lived right next door, yet it had come to this.

He got out of bed speechlessly, picked up his water cup, and pushed open the door.

His soft-soled slippers made no sound on the floor. Wutong (the cat) walked right by Xie Lan’s feet. This cat was usually aloof but also somewhat clingy. Whenever Xie Lan was home, it insisted on following him, accompanying him everywhere, rubbing its soft fur against Xie Lan’s ankles. Its temperament was surprisingly similar to Dou Sheng’s.

One person and one cat went downstairs together. Xie Lan didn’t turn on the lights, just used his phone for illumination.

Just as he went down a few steps, another clap of thunder sounded outside. He suddenly felt the thunder from somewhere behind him was subtly clearer than from other directions.

Xie Lan’s heart moved. He looked back, and sure enough, Dou Sheng had come out.

Dou Sheng was wearing plaid pajama pants and a familiar black tank top, his hair a bit messy.

Holding his phone, he stood at the top of the stairs, hooking the corners of his lips at Xie Lan.

Wutong gave a rare soft cry, hard to say if it was a “meow” or a “whimper,” like acting spoiled towards humans.

Another muffled thunder rolled outside, but Xie Lan’s mood suddenly became very good.

He turned back upstairs silently, stood at the top of the stairs, and whispered, “Stomach doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“Stopped hurting long ago.” Dou Sheng sighed, a trace of melancholy flashing in his eyes. “If I knew, I wouldn’t have come home. Rare to be sick, I thought I could get comfort from my boyfriend.”

Rare to be sick?

Xie Lan felt helpless and whispered, “Hu Xiujie said you had this problem in the first year of high school too, so she approved your three-day evening study leave.”

Dou Sheng hummed. “Old problem from junior high. It rarely flares up, but every time it does, it feels terrible for three to five days.”

Mentioning junior high, Xie Lan couldn’t stop thinking about Dou Sheng’s father. Dou Sheng seemed to know what he was thinking, squeezed his hand, and proactively said, “People really shouldn’t mistreat their bodies just because they’re in a bad mood. The mood will improve, but the body won’t recover. Big loss.”

Xie Lan gave a hum, was silent for a moment, then suddenly frowned.

Dou Sheng’s past hadn’t been mentioned for a long time.

Since returning from the Three Gorges, his relationship with Dou Sheng had been somewhat subtle.

They were very intimate, secretly hugging and kissing, hearts beating and throbbing in numerous intentionally or unintentionally created moments.

But they also seemed very cautious. Dou Sheng seemed to be carefully maintaining a thin layer of window paper, daring not to poke through it. And in his panic, Xie Lan always forgot to delve deeper. Unknowingly, it had been almost a month.

It wasn’t until this old matter was brought up again that Xie Lan suddenly remembered something.

He looked at Dou Sheng for a while and said seemingly casually, “How did your mood improve back then?”

According to Dou Sheng’s previous story, it was mostly due to his so-called “Light.”

Who was the Light?

Dou Sheng froze. “Huh?”

Xie Lan didn’t speak, just looked at him. After a while, Dou Sheng gave another “Ah” with a falling tone. “It was a violin player. I listened to his pieces every day. He accompanied me for quite a long time, and gradually I got better.”

Violin player.

Xie Lan suddenly remembered the crush Dou Sheng had made up before, and an indescribable annoyance rose in his heart.

After the confession, he had once thought the violin player was just an allusion to himself.

He frowned at Dou Sheng. Dou Sheng added, “It’s that friend of mine who plays violin really well. But I know him, he doesn’t know me. Just… don’t know if you’ve heard of him, called Paganini.”

Xie Lan was shocked, unable to believe his ears. “Niccolò Paganini?”

“Yeah.” Dou Sheng nodded. “Seems so. He’s a foreigner. Do you know him?”

Xie Lan: “…”

Paganini, early Romantic musician, one of the most famous violinists in history.

He instinctively felt Dou Sheng was teasing him. But mentioning this “Light,” Dou Sheng’s expression suddenly became very devout. He poked his phone twice and opened a playlist called “Paganini Masterpieces: 24 Caprices” on a music app to show him.

“Here, it’s this person. I walked out of the valley by listening to him play.”

Xie Lan’s gaze trembled. “This… should be played by someone else, because…”

Dou Sheng looked innocent. “Because what?”

Xie Lan clenched his fist.

Because he’s already dead.

If he remembered correctly, he died in 1840.

He couldn’t describe the pity he felt for the musical idiot at this moment. Although his heart settled instantly, he still felt the world was confusing.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he whispered, “Forget it, let’s not talk about him. I’m going down to pour hot water. I’ll bring you a cup.”

As he spoke, he was about to go downstairs. Just as he turned, Dou Sheng’s arm suddenly blocked his waist, pulling him back, whispering, “Not drinking water.”

The house was very quiet. Dou Sheng whispered in his ear, “When I’m sick, I want boyfriend’s comfort.”

The surroundings were quiet for a moment.

Xie Lan lowered his gaze slightly and whispered, “How do you want to be comforted?”

Dou Sheng didn’t answer. His arm pulled Xie Lan back another two steps. Xie Lan’s back pressed against the white wall behind him. Dou Sheng’s hand rubbed near his hip bone for a while, then he leaned in to kiss him.

They had kissed a few times in the past few weeks, but stopped at a light taste. Because Xie Lan would react to light kisses, and once the reaction came up he got a bit agitated, he would push Dou Sheng away.

But perhaps it was triggered by wanting to see him but being unable to all night.

Dou Sheng held the back of his head, deepening the kiss continuously. Xie Lan also tried hard to respond, closing his eyes to listen to their intertwined breaths and the heartbeats that were close yet separated by two layers of fabric.

After a long time, as if using up the last bit of oxygen stored in their bodies, they let go of each other simultaneously.

The rain outside was loud, but the house was pitch black and quiet. After Xie Lan let go, he felt his cheeks burning, the corners of his mouth hurting a little, and his limbs going soft.

The black eyes opposite him lost focus for a moment.

Dou Sheng opened his mouth, his voice low and a bit hoarse. “You…”

Just as he started speaking, the doorknob of the master bedroom downstairs suddenly clicked.

Hearing the noise, Wutong immediately turned and ran back. Xie Lan’s blood ran cold. Watching the doorknob press down to the bottom, he almost instinctively turned and followed Wutong back.

The moment the door opened, Xie Lan hadn’t walked into the blind spot yet. In his peripheral vision, Dou Sheng slipped on the spot, skillfully sliding just off the top step so his ankle wouldn’t hit anything hard. His body fell accordingly, his hands already reaching down to prepare a buffer posture before the fall.

Before anyone could react, Dou Sheng fell down the stairs in a sitting position.

Probably because the posture was standard, he fell step by step, with appropriate speed and steady posture—thump, thump, thump, thump—all the way to Zhao Wenying’s feet, who had just come out.

By the time Zhao Wenying looked back, Dou Sheng was almost on the ground. Her gaze was naturally captured. By the time she looked up to the top of the stairs in shock, Xie Lan had already hidden in a corner she couldn’t see.

“Son?!”

Dou Sheng sighed and groaned, saying somewhat resentfully, “Mom, why did you suddenly come out? You scared me into slipping.”

Xie Lan: “…”

He pinched his own thigh, pressed his lips together tightly, and silently pushed open his door.

Wutong slipped in through the crack, and Xie Lan followed, closing the door soundlessly.

Almost got caught.

But not getting caught was still a win.

Xie Lan suddenly felt satisfied.

The corners of his lips hurt a bit from the kiss just now. He went into the bathroom, turned on the light to check, and found the area near the corner of his mouth was slightly swollen, but not very obvious.

He couldn’t stop worrying a little, only hoping there were no marks on Dou Sheng’s mouth, or that the lights wouldn’t be turned on—in short, don’t get discovered.

It was past 2 AM.

Listening to the sound of Dou Sheng being escorted back to his room to sleep by Zhao Wenying, Xie Lan finally felt at ease.

Drowsiness hit him. Resisting the urge to sleep, he sent Dou Sheng a “Cat Cheers” sticker. When exiting, his fingertip trembled and accidentally opened Bilibili, stopping at the DM list page.

The top message from a stranger, the pop-up window seemed to have the keyword “Original.”

Xie Lan’s vision was blurry. He clicked it casually.

@Hei Yi Zhu Gong (Lord in Black): Regarding the original arrangements you uploaded on the creator voting page for “Youth on Strings” which requires original work, how much of it is actually original?

Hmm?

What is this?

So convoluted.

Xie Lan brought the phone closer, trying to read the sentence clearly.

But before the phone reached his eyes, his vision blurred again. His thoughts struggled for half a second, then with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the phone away directly.

Whatever, so sleepy.