“Hi, handsome.” Zou Yang’s voice was hoarse when he spoke.

Standing outside the window looking at Fan Jun leaning on the recliner, he thought he was going to shed tears that second, but he didn’t.

To stabilize his emotions, he had picked up the small stone beast decoration outside the window that looked very much like Da Hei, and he also thought he was going to cry right then, but he still didn’t.

Then he walked into the shop, saw He Chuan, then walked into the inner room, and saw Fan Jun…

All his emotions from the past half year—the good, the bad, the expectations that fell through, the bitterness, the hatred—all jammed in his throat, squeezing his vocal cords hoarse.

But he didn’t cry.

When he heard Fan Jun’s “Hi, handsome,” he just felt his whole person loosen up.

He never realized he was tense anywhere, but in this second, he genuinely felt relaxed—the kind of relaxation that comes with a sigh of relief, the kind of relaxation when everything hanging in the air finally lands safely.

And then he didn’t know what to say.

He had grinded Lu Ze to get Fan Jun’s vague work address—a shop opened by He Chuan on a certain street in the trade city, a shop selling antiques.

Then he made his way here, transferred through four streets, and finally found this slightly nostalgic-looking street.

It took three and a half hours.

During this long time, his mind was completely empty.

He hadn’t thought about anything. He hadn’t imagined what the scene of their meeting would be like, nor had he thought about what to say when they met.

A sound of the door being crashed open came from behind him.

“Xiao Bai! Xiao Bai, stay! My goods… Xiao Bai! Stay!” He Chuan’s voice was desperate and firm. “Xiao… Fan Jun! Fan Jun!”

Then he felt a gust of wind behind him, accompanied by the sound of the curtain being ripped open.

When Zou Yang turned his head, Xiao Bai practically ran in standing on its hind legs, whining all the way, mixed with a few out-of-control barks that sounded like crying.

Although Zou Yang was no longer afraid of Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai’s size when standing up was very tall, and rushing up to him still carried a lot of pressure.

He rolled back and forth between shock and the stunned heartache of seeing Xiao Bai’s eyes, his whole person solidifying in place.

“Xiao Bai! Stay!” Fan Jun hurriedly gave Xiao Bai a command.

But Xiao Bai didn’t listen. It barked even louder, as if acting spoiled, or as if it wanted to say something.

This was Zou Yang’s first time seeing a moment when Xiao Bai wouldn’t obey.

Before he could figure out how to comfort Xiao Bai’s excited emotions, Xiao Bai had already pounced behind him, looking like it wanted to hug him. A dog weighing eighty or ninety pounds just threw itself onto him like that.

In this instant, Zou Yang couldn’t mount any defensive posture. Pushed by it, he bumped into Fan Jun. He subconsciously gave Fan Jun a push too, trying to steady himself.

Behind Fan Jun was the recliner; he couldn’t step back to support himself. Pushed by Zou Yang, he fell backward directly. He reached out and grabbed Zou Yang’s arm as if wanting to borrow some leverage, but ultimately, probably afraid that Zou Yang’s injuries hadn’t fully healed, he didn’t exert any force and flopped heavily back onto the chair with a clang.

“Xiao Bai!” He pointed at Xiao Bai. “Are you crazy! Stay!”

Xiao Bai was still whining, excitedly patting and hugging Zou Yang’s back, frantically licking his clothes.

Half-carrying it, Zou Yang didn’t dare move too much. He could only support himself on the recliner’s armrest with one hand, and reach the other hand behind his back to pat Xiao Bai: “Good Xiao Bai, good Xiao Bai.”

But to be honest, his comforting was slightly perfunctory.

He kept looking at Fan Jun.

Fan Jun had lost a lot of weight, looked a bit haggard, and had an extra scar on his face.

He looked even more unapproachable than before.

His left hand probably hadn’t recovered well yet. The dumbbell he had seen him using from outside the window was only 1.5 kilograms… so the reason his hand grabbed his arm and then let go was because he couldn’t exert any force…

Zou Yang couldn’t help but frown.

“Bai! Stay! Brother Xiao Yang is angry!” Fan Jun shouted again.

Hearing the word “angry,” Xiao Bai suddenly paused. It immediately backed away from Zou Yang’s back, took two steps back, and sat upright, although it was still whining.

“No, I’m not angry, I’m just…” Zou Yang hurriedly explained.

“What’s going on here?” He Chuan froze at the door, looking with a face full of horror through the curtain that Xiao Bai had torn.

Zou Yang straightened up and turned around.

“Hey?” He Chuan suddenly pointed at him. “Hey! Zou Yang! It’s Zou Yang, right!”

“Mm.” Zou Yang smiled.

“Why did you run over here?” He Chuan walked over quickly. “You were injured together with him, right? Are you all better?”

“I’m better.” Zou Yang nodded, went over, and rubbed Xiao Bai’s head, touching its eye. Xiao Bai’s right eye no longer showed a very obvious scar; right now, it looked like a winking dog.

“I was wondering what was wrong with this dog!” He Chuan smiled. “Must be a long time since it saw you.”

“Half a year.” When Zou Yang said this, he suddenly felt very emotional.

From the time he met Fan Jun until now, it had been nearly a year, yet they had actually spent more than half of that time separated.

“I’m taking time off.” Fan Jun stood up.

“Sure,” He Chuan said. “I’ll be at the shop all day today.”

Zou Yang walked out of the shop and looked at the pedestrians passing in front of him.

Before entering the shop, he hadn’t felt this way. It was just now that he suddenly realized everyone seemed to be very happy, everyone was smiling.

A little kid running past him pulled at the corners of his mouth and made a funny face at him.

Normally he wouldn’t spare an extra glance and would just find it annoying. But now, he actually raised his hand, pulled at the corners of his mouth, and returned a funny face.

“Let’s go,” Fan Jun walked out and said behind him. “Let’s find a place to… sit for a bit.”

“Mm,” Zou Yang walked down the steps. “Where to?”

“There’s a…” Fan Jun pointed down the street. “Pretty nice coffee shop.”

“Okay.” Zou Yang nodded.

The sunlight was very nice today.

Going for a coffee.

Sitting for a bit.

The emotions he hadn’t had time to savor earlier suddenly became intense in this instant.

He was seeing Fan Jun. They were standing together, shoulder to shoulder. With a slight sway while walking, his shoulder could bump against Fan Jun’s shoulder…

Just like before, but not entirely the same anymore.

Fan Jun was no longer in Nanzhouping.

They weren’t going to a steamed bun shop either.

The surroundings weren’t the messy street scenes anymore.

He couldn’t describe the feeling.

It was so novel that it made him uncontrollably tremble slightly.

Walking silently forward for a distance, Zou Yang wanted to say something and turned his head to look at Fan Jun.

Fan Jun quickly turned his face to look at him as well.

“Is…” Caught off guard by this glance, Zou Yang instantly forgot what he wanted to say, so he just grabbed a random phrase from his mind, “Where are we going?”

Fan Jun looked at him, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: “A coffee shop, didn’t I… just say that?”

“You did,” Zou Yang quickly nodded. “A coffee shop with nice sunlight.”

“Did… I say that?” Fan Jun grew confused again.

“…I said it,” Zou Yang couldn’t help laughing. “Fuck.”

“That coffee shop is pet-friendly, so…” Fan Jun shook his left hand, showing a leash. “I was afraid it would make a fuss if I left it at the shop, it’s been too long since it saw you.”

Only then did Zou Yang suddenly realize Xiao Bai was pressing against Fan Jun’s left leg, tilting its head looking at him, grinning.

“Good Xiao Bai!” Zou Yang immediately walked around to Fan Jun’s left side, rubbing its head as he walked, looking down at its eyes. “Does its eye affect its daily life now?”

Fan Jun didn’t speak.

“Fan Jun.” Zou Yang looked up and called him again.

“Mm?” Fan Jun turned his face.

“Does its eye affect its daily life?” Zou Yang asked.

“It’s alright, not much of an impact.” Fan Jun smiled.

Zou Yang didn’t speak, just looking at him.

There weren’t many people around right now, and this street wasn’t like the adjacent commercial streets where music played everywhere; it was relatively quiet. But when Fan Jun listened to him speak, he tilted his head at a greater angle than before.

Fan Jun’s left ear’s hearing seemed to be…

“Still can’t hear… It’s fine,” Fan Jun handed the leash to him. “You walk him.”

“Mm.” Zou Yang took the leash and led Xiao Bai back to Fan Jun’s right side.

The coffee shop was at the end of this street, right where it connected to another commercial street with a completely different style.

Fan Jun led him up to the third floor and they found a corner table on the outdoor glass terrace.

“Do you come here often?” Zou Yang looked outside; they could see the street view below and the continuous gray tile roofs, which had quite a vibe.

“Been here once,” Fan Jun scanned the QR code. “What are you drinking?”

“Do you have any recommendations?” Zou Yang leaned back in his chair, looking at him.

“I’ve… only had the latte.” Fan Jun said.

“Then I’ll have the latte.” Zou Yang kept looking at him.

“It’s not very good.” Fan Jun said.

“Doesn’t matter.” Zou Yang said.

The sunlight spilled down at a slight angle. Fan Jun wasn’t wearing a hat, so he could clearly see his face, the bridge of his nose, the corners of his eyes, his lips.

Still the familiar look, yet carrying a tiny bit of unfamiliarity.

It was hard to tell if it was because of time or because of changes.

But Zou Yang didn’t want to decipher it for now.

The waiter brought the coffee and also gave Xiao Bai a cup of cream.

Zou Yang took a sip; it really wasn’t very good, tasting like it was watered down, but it also truly didn’t matter.

During these few months, he had thought a lot at the beginning. Slowly, those thoughts faded away, leaving only suffering and waiting. He hadn’t even thought about what would happen if they reunited, nor how they would reunite, let alone what it would feel like.

But really seeing this person, being in the same space, the same time, makes you realize that this is a feeling no amount of rich imagination can capture.

“Did you go look for Lu Ze?” Fan Jun looked at him.

“Mm,” Zou Yang smiled. “How did you know?”

“I figured you wouldn’t go ask Uncle Lu.” Fan Jun glanced down at his coffee, then looked back up at him, his gaze slowly sweeping from his face down to his neck.

“Lu Ze’s lips are pretty tight, I stayed at the new-new hall the whole day before he told me.” Zou Yang said.

Fan Jun didn’t speak; his gaze slowly moved to his wrist.

Zou Yang also glanced at his own wrist. Under his bracelet was a deep red circular scar; there was a similar one on his neck that could be seen if he took off his scarf, just slightly fainter.

“The doctor said they’ll fade slowly.” He said.

“Mm.” Fan Jun let go of his coffee cup, slowly reached his hand over, and gently tapped a fingertip against his wrist. “Have your other injuries completely healed?”

This seemingly imperceptible, gentle tap was like a special effect; Zou Yang felt everything in front of his eyes sway slightly along with his heartbeat in that second.

“It’s been so long, if they weren’t fully healed I’d be ruined.” He said with a smile.

As soon as he said it, he regretted it again.

Fan Jun clearly hadn’t fully healed yet—his ear, his left arm…

“That… gunshot wound of yours…” He quickly changed the subject.

“It’s fine,” Fan Jun said. “I’ll go get the remaining fragments taken out next month and then it’ll be fine.”

So it still wasn’t completely healed.

“What does it look like now?” Zou Yang asked.

“It’s just…” Fan Jun didn’t quite know how to answer this question. He subconsciously pulled at his collar. “Do you want to see?”

At a glance, Zou Yang saw his collarbone first, and instantly felt like his head was going to catch fire, burning fiercely.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” he quickly waved his hands. “Just asking… what it looks like.”

“A not-so-round semi-circle.” Fan Jun even gestured the size with his fingers as he spoke.

Zou Yang stared at him for a while and started laughing.

Some things about Fan Jun had changed—you could feel it. In certain aspects, he seemed more at ease. But some things were still the same.

In the moment that sense of familiarity washed over him, his eyes grew scalding hot.

He cried while smiling.

He didn’t even have time to lower his head to hide it.

Fan Jun didn’t speak. He pulled a tissue, leaned forward, rested his arm on the table, and gently pressed the tissue against his eyes.

Zou Yang didn’t take the tissue. Instead, after a brief pause, he forcefully pressed his eyes into Fan Jun’s hand.

Fan Jun didn’t move, just kept his hand raised like that.

The tears quickly soaked through the tissue, slowly seeping between Fan Jun’s fingers. The blazing sunlight made his whole body feel warm and toasty, but he could still feel that Zou Yang’s tears were very hot.

In his peripheral vision, he could see people at a few other tables occasionally glancing over, and a waiter even walked out from the inside to look, but it didn’t matter.

No one could know what kind of mood Zou Yang was in at this moment.

Only he was the one closest to understanding this feeling.

After a good while, Zou Yang finally raised his head, pulled two tissues from the side, and haphazardly wiped his face.

Fan Jun withdrew his hand, looking at him.

“I’m fine,” Zou Yang sighed, his eyes and the tip of his nose red. “It’s just like this, can’t control it.”

“Mm.” Fan Jun responded.

Zou Yang picked up his cup and took a sip of coffee: “Should we…”

“Change to another cup?” Fan Jun asked.

“Yeah,” Zou Yang frowned. “This latte is really not good.”

“Okay,” Fan Jun grabbed his phone and held it out to him. “Take a look, what do you want to drink?”

“I want to eat that flaming ice cream.” Zou Yang said.

“Okay.” Fan Jun nodded.

The flaming ice cream was soon brought over and placed on the table.

It was a white ice cream shaped like a snow mountain, drizzled with some red and yellow jam of unknown flavor.

Zou Yang stared at it blankly.

“Is it wrong?” Fan Jun leaned in and asked softly.

“Shouldn’t it…” Zou Yang also leaned in, “have fire?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never had it,” Fan Jun looked at the ice cream. “Does that jam represent fire?”

“Red and yellow just represent tomato and scrambled eggs to me.” Zou Yang said.

“Then this is a tomato and scrambled eggs rice bowl,” Fan Jun said. “Want to change it? I’ll eat this one, you can pick something else.”

“No need,” Zou Yang scooped a spoonful and tasted it. “The taste is okay, sweet and sour.”

“Then it is tomato and scrambled eggs.” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang didn’t speak. He took two more bites before laughing: “Fuck.”

Fan Jun looked at him. This distance, this voice, this smile.

Under the sunlight, it carried a slightly dreamy feeling, just like the countless times he had thought of Zou Yang, only now it held an unbelievable sense of reality.

“How long have you been working at He Chuan’s shop?” Zou Yang asked while eating.

“About three months.” Fan Jun said.

“Helping him sell goods?” Zou Yang asked.

“Driver, bodyguard, shop assistant.” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang looked up at him: “How much a month?”

“Five thousand,” Fan Jun said. “Business trips and things are calculated separately. If there’s a business trip, there’s more money; if there’s no business trip, it’s quite relaxing.”

“Oh.” Zou Yang pondered.

“It’s pretty good, he’s basically doing me a favor,” Fan Jun said. “After all, in my current condition… I can’t do any other jobs.”

“Mm.” Zou Yang took a bite of ice cream.

“Is Da Hei still at your place?” Fan Jun asked softly.

“Yes,” Zou Yang nodded. “You haven’t seen him yet, have you?”

“Mm.” Fan Jun smiled. “But Lu Ze showed me photos. If you can’t keep him after school starts… you can give him to me.”

“Where do you live?” Zou Yang asked.

“On the second floor of the shop,” Fan Jun said. “The space is actually quite big.”

“He Chuan lets you keep pets? A cat and a dog?” Zou Yang pushed the ice cream in front of him. “Want a taste?”

Fan Jun scooped a spoonful and put it in his mouth. Zou Yang was very close to him; when he spoke, he could even feel the air between them vibrating gently.

He didn’t taste the ice cream at all.

“He doesn’t mind. Da Hei is timid, doesn’t destroy furniture, and has very little presence.”

Zou Yang didn’t speak, just looking at him.

“How are you doing?” Fan Jun asked.

“What?” Zou Yang seemed to have zoned out.

“How… are you doing, recently.” Fan Jun held his spoon, scooped another spoonful, and prepared to seriously taste what flavor this ice cream was. Thirty-six RMB just to taste ice was too much of a loss.

“Just like that,” Zou Yang said. “I miss you a lot.”

Fan Jun’s hand jerked, and a spoonful of ice cream smeared onto the tip of his nose.