Jiang Ruotang settled on the edge of the coffee table, slowly leaning towards Lu Guifan. 

Through the thin lenses, Jiang Ruotang could see Lu Guifan’s eyes. 

Lu Guifan’s expression was faint, reminding Jiang Ruotang of the statues of gods in shrines, worshipped by the world for desires in exchange for incense.

Will you be moved? 

Jiang Ruotang curved his eyes and smiled. Despite being so nervous his heart almost stopped, he still maintained a composed demeanor—truly suffering to save face! 

He extended a hand and gently lifted Lu Guifan’s chin, his thumb covering Lu Guifan’s lips. 

So this was the feel of his lips—a little soft, yet a little resilient. Jiang Ruotang held his breath and leaned closer. He didn’t know if Lu Guifan had closed his eyes like himself at that moment. As he kissed his own finger, Lu Guifan’s shoulder briefly stiffened as if by illusion. 

Perhaps it was because Jiang Ruotang’s nose almost touched his cheek when he turned his head, or perhaps it was the unfamiliar warmth and the first time someone had breached Lu Guifan’s personal space that made him uncomfortable. His lips seemed to slightly part, allowing Jiang Ruotang’s thumb pad to feel a subtle force, as if Lu Guifan was responding to him. 

Jiang Ruotang gently shifted, his lips moving upwards along his own finger. His nose came to rest beneath Lu Guifan’s glasses, slowly pushing the frames up.

Lu Guifan’s hand was originally casually resting on the sofa armrest. 

As he felt the frames slowly losing weight, in an unnoticed corner, his fingers tightened, knuckles turning white. Jiang Ruotang’s nose felt like a feather, subtly brushing his skin. The faint warmth transmitted made Lu Guifan’s heart feel pulled and tugged by an invisible force, rising with the moving glasses. 

The upper edge of the frames lifted Lu Guifan’s bangs, and everything moved towards an uncontrollable place.

The surroundings were quiet. Jiang Ruotang knew he had to stop. He retreated, abruptly widening the distance between them. The pressure on Lu Guifan’s lips vanished, followed by an unprecedented sense of vast emptiness. From his bones to his brain, he instinctively chased after Jiang Ruotang’s warmth. However, Jiang Ruotang merely held his glasses in both hands and put them back in place.

“How was it? Did it feel cinematic?” Jiang Ruotang’s hands were still resting on Lu Guifan’s shoulders, conveniently shielding his flushed ears.

Jian Sha and the others were dumbfounded. “I… I just thought you really kissed the class monitor…” Cai Ji swallowed.

“How could that be? I kissed my own finger!” Jiang Ruotang explained.

Zhao Changfeng scratched the back of his head, “It felt both deep and a little suggestive, don’t know why…”

Jiang Ruotang showed an expression like an old man on the subway looking at his phone. “I can understand ‘deep’, but what’s with ‘suggestive’? My lips didn’t even move!”

Jian Sha delivered a brilliant summary: “But I think you just used your nose to take away the class monitor’s purity. You lifted not the class monitor’s glasses, but his chastity!”

“What the heck?” Jiang Ruotang turned to look at Lu Guifan, “Class monitor! Was I very protective of you?”

Lu Guifan’s ears had already returned to their normal color. He said faintly, “So that’s how fake kissing scenes are filmed.”

Jiang Ruotang replied, “That’s right, and not just this, there’s also wrapping cling film, which is really unnecessary.”

Jian Sha looked at Bai Yingchuan for confirmation: “No way? Wrapping such a thin film, the touch and temperature would be almost the same as a real kiss, wouldn’t doing that be pointless?”

Bai Yingchuan had been silent throughout. Jiang Ruotang’s fake kiss ignited endless imagination within him. When his nose lifted those old glasses, Bai Yingchuan’s heart nearly pumped out of his chest. He felt an urge to pull Jiang Ruotang over, bite his nose hard, make him cry, make him hurt, make him beg for mercy, make him regret provoking someone else in front of him.

“Bai Yingchuan?” Jian Sha’s voice instantly brought Bai Yingchuan back to reality. He had never imagined he would one day be filled with such boundless imagination for another person.

“It’s true. It’s not being overly sentimental, but mainly sometimes when filming kissing scenes, the actors might not be of age yet, and they’re afraid the other party’s parents would mind,” Bai Yingchuan said.

“Oh, if that’s the case, I can understand.” Jian Sha looked at Jiang Ruotang, “Honestly, if that kissing scene just now were in a TV drama, the single-episode ratings would definitely skyrocket! Both pure and seductive, it really has to be you art students.”

“Of course,” Jiang Ruotang showed a smug little expression, “Don’t underestimate our art students’ aesthetics and composition!”

Sister Juan brought sliced fruit, perfectly missing Jiang Ruotang’s impromptu performance. Everyone chuckled, egging him on.

Around ten o’clock at night, tired from singing, the group of young people went to the terrace to set off fireworks.

Cai Ji sighed, “The last time I set off fireworks was in elementary school. My mom was still with me then; she took me to the general store downstairs to buy three small golden fish for a dollar…”

Jiang Ruotang comforted him, “Next year at this time, you’ll be with your mom, and your whole family can watch fireworks together.”

“Mhm!” Cai Ji nodded with a smile.

Zhao Changfeng had long arms and legs, so the important task of lighting the fireworks was given to him. They should have found an incense stick, but they hadn’t prepared any, so they rummaged for guest cigarettes. Zhao Changfeng muttered quietly as he lit a cigarette. “If the coach finds out about this, I’m afraid I’ll have to kneel on nails.”

Perhaps because of the cold weather, Zhao Changfeng pressed the lighter for a long time, but the small flame died out before it could even fully light the cigarette. Cai Ji, rubbing his hands, came over and asked, “Is it ready?”

“Is this lighter out of fluid?” Zhao Changfeng complained.

“Let me do it,” Jiang Ruotang walked over. In his previous life, he smoked quite a bit, and among everyone present, he was probably the only expert at lighting cigarettes. Zhao Changfeng was almost a head taller than Jiang Ruotang, yet he lowered his head and handed over the cigarette, looking as docile as Jiang Ruotang’s bodyguard.

Jiang Ruotang bit the cigarette, turned his head, pressed the lighter with one hand, and shielded the wind with the other. The flame illuminated his chin and lips. Jiang Ruotang lowered his eyes; wind swirled past his hand, and as the flame flickered, light and shadow danced across his eyebrows and eyes.

Bai Yingchuan stood at a not-too-far, not-too-close distance, feeling as if Jiang Ruotang at that moment didn’t belong to this world. There was a detachment in his composure, as if he had seen through everything. He possessed a very unique kind of beauty, just like his name, like a begonia, elegantly winding and extending its branches, adorned with tightly closed buds, yet mysteriously leaving one guessing whether those buds contained only green leaves or emerald-like flowers.

“You smoke?” Lu Guifan’s voice sounded in Jiang Ruotang’s ear.

“Yes, but don’t worry, I don’t smoke—because I want to live a long life,” Jiang Ruotang curved his eyes at Lu Guifan.

Lu Guifan said nothing more; he believed Jiang Ruotang didn’t smoke.

Jiang Ruotang handed the lit cigarette to Zhao Changfeng. Zhao Changfeng lowered his leg, extended his arm, and lit the fuse of the firework that looked like a small package of explosives. First, there were tiny sparks, then an astonishing cascade of silver fireworks—white, gold, red, and colorful—illuminating everyone’s faces. Cai Ji held a long pole, which Zhao Changfeng lit for him, and he raised it towards the sky.

Suddenly, a ringing sound startled Lin Lu, who nearly fell to the ground. Cai Ji’s shoulders hunched, like an ostrich. Jiang Ruotang stood there, both his ears warm. The piercing sound ripping through the sky didn’t scare him; instead, the sound was muffled because someone was standing behind him, covering his ears. His back was almost pressed against the other person’s chest. Despite the thick down jacket between them, Jiang Ruotang could clearly feel the rise and fall of the other person’s breathing. Like a warm sea, Jiang Ruotang subconsciously wanted to sink into it. It was Lu Guifan.

“Bang—bang—bang—” Over a dozen colorful firecrackers shot into the sky, and Cai Ji almost dropped it. Everyone else covered their ears.

When this round was over, Cai Ji could barely hear anything and shouted to everyone, “This is like going to conquer the sky!”

Jiang Ruotang turned his head. He and Lu Guifan were so close that their noses almost brushed each other’s lips. He smelled Lu Guifan’s fresh, reassuring scent again. When everyone turned around, Lu Guifan had already lowered his hands.

Finally, it was time for the countdown. They listened to the TV and closed their eyes to make wishes. Jiang Ruotang felt that everything was beautiful like an illusion. Zhao Changfeng, whom he wanted to protect and repay, was right beside him, calling him “Brother” again and again. He had friends like Cai Ji and Jian Sha, and Lu Guifan, thoughtful and meticulous, protected him just like in his previous life. If there really are gods, please let all this last forever.

Everyone finished setting off the remaining fireworks, and it was almost one in the morning; it was time to sleep. Jian Sha was the only girl, and she had her eye on the princess room on the first floor. Zhao Changfeng and Cai Ji chatted arm-in-arm about which episode of their anime they were on. The remaining people were Bai Yingchuan, Lin Lu, Jiang Ruotang, and Lu Guifan.

“There are two more rooms, my room and Xiao Gao’s room,” Jiang Ruotang said with a smile. “How should we divide them?”

For Lin Lu, he absolutely wouldn’t let Jiang Ruotang and Bai Yingchuan sleep together. If those two were to “compare notes” in bed, some of Lin Lu’s previous provocations would be completely exposed, making it difficult for him to maneuver between them in the future. “I’m sensitive to beds; I’ve always slept in Ruotang’s room every time I came over to play, from elementary to middle school!” Lin Lu’s meaning was clear: he wanted to sleep with Jiang Ruotang. In that case, Bai Yingchuan and Lu Guifan would sleep together in Xiao Gao’s room.

“Huh? Bai Yingchuan and the class monitor sleeping together? Will those two be speechless?” Jian Sha asked.

Jiang Ruotang glanced at Bai Yingchuan, catching his slightly furrowed brow. He was outwardly gentle but actually a bit arrogant. Sleeping in the driver’s room would probably displease him.

“Haha, Bai Yingchuan and Lin Lu are more familiar with each other, so you two can sleep in my bedroom! I’ll sleep in Xiao Gao’s room with the class monitor!” Jiang Ruotang turned back to Lu Guifan, “Is that okay, class monitor?”

“Okay.” Lu Guifan softly responded.

Bai Yingchuan stared at Jiang Ruotang for a while, but Jiang Ruotang acted as if he felt nothing, clattering up the stairs to get his pajamas and toiletries, then came back down. This was actually the best decision. After all, Bai Yingchuan and Lin Lu came from much wealthier backgrounds than the others. If they were to sleep in the driver’s room, they might feel somewhat slighted. Now that they were staying in the owner’s bedroom, there was nothing to complain about. Lin Lu was also beaming, never expecting to sleep with Bai Yingchuan on New Year’s Eve.

“Sleep tight, babies!” Jiang Ruotang said with a smile, turning to go with Lu Guifan to Xiao Gao’s room.

Watching his retreating figure, Jian Sha commented, “Jiang Ruotang is going to sleep with his male god. This night will be filled with pheromones, sparking endless fantasies~”

Zhao Changfeng said speechlessly, “You’re talking about things we don’t understand again!”

Jiang Ruotang, however, almost stumbled because of the phrase “sparking endless fantasies.” Damn it, I wasn’t thinking anything before, I was purer than mineral water! With Jian Sha putting it like that, I feel like I’d be letting down sharing a bed with Lu Guifan if I don’t fantasize about something.

Xiao Gao’s room was about the size of Lu Guifan’s living room, with a 1.8-meter wide bed, modern minimalist desk, and wardrobe. In fact, there weren’t many traces of Xiao Gao’s personal life; he would only sleep there at most four or five times a month if he came back late from socializing with Jiang Huaiyuan. Sister Juan had already changed the sheets and duvet cover to Jiang Ruotang’s chestnut plaid set. Two pillows lay side by side. Although it was Xiao Gao’s room, the air was filled with Jiang Ruotang’s familiar scent, which Lu Guifan found comforting. The room was heated, and the air was a little dry.

Jiang Ruotang finished his shower, dried his hair, and stood grinning in front of Xiao Gao’s full-length mirror. “What are you doing?” Lu Guifan asked, standing beside him.

“My lips are too dry.” When he brought up lips, Lu Guifan remembered how Jiang Ruotang had been almost touching him while singing karaoke earlier. His heart tightened violently, and blood rushed downwards.

“Do you have any lip balm in your room? Or I can ask Jian Sha if she has any.” As soon as Lu Guifan picked up his phone, Jiang Ruotang pressed his hand down. “Class monitor, are you silly? You can’t just casually let others use your lip balm; that would be an indirect kiss.”

It was better not to mention it, but at the mention of “indirect kiss,” Lu Guifan looked down and happened to see Jiang Ruotang’s finger. Wasn’t that the medium for their indirect kiss just now?

“Then don’t pick at it. If it breaks, it’ll bleed.”

“Mhm, got it.” After saying that, Jiang Ruotang’s tongue quickly licked his lower lip. It was as quick as a kitten licking a can, but Lu Guifan felt a strange sensation deep in his heart; he felt like he was that can. No… he should say… he wanted to be that can. He took a deep breath, turned to the bed, and calmly asked, “Which side do you sleep on?”

“Haha, I’ll sleep next to you.” Jiang Ruotang joked to the mirror, then thought he sounded quite rhythmic. Lu Guifan glanced at his carefree back, pulled up the blanket, and slipped in. This was the driver’s room, but the bedding was high-end. The mattress was neither too soft nor too hard, unlike Lu Guifan’s single bed, which only had a soft pad on a wooden board. The comforter was soft and fluffy, and the duvet cover was very skin-friendly. Lu Guifan, on the other hand, was wearing a set of plaid pajamas that had already started to pill, feeling a bit stiff to the touch, and out of place with this bed.

“Class monitor, did you apply face cream?” Jiang Ruotang asked.

“I didn’t bring mine.” Lu Guifan wasn’t particular about these things. When the weather got cold, he only thought of applying face cream when his face started feeling tight, and he used a large 15-yuan tub of moisturizer from the supermarket.

“I squeezed too much; let me put some on you.” Jiang Ruotang ran over and sat beside Lu Guifan. Lu Guifan instinctively reached for his glasses on the bedside table. Subconsciously, he really wanted to see Jiang Ruotang’s expression clearly as he approached him, but Jiang Ruotang’s palm was already on his face, and he smelled the faint scent of men’s face cream. Jiang Ruotang didn’t want the other person to wear glasses; that way, Lu Guifan wouldn’t be able to see his facial expression. He could openly touch Lu Guifan’s skin, unreservedly admire the beautiful contours of his eyes, stroke his nose, his chin. Even for only a dozen seconds, a hidden sweetness bloomed in Jiang Ruotang’s heart, layer after layer.

“Class monitor, aren’t you going to do practice problems anymore?”

“It’s too late, of course not.”

“Great, let’s sleep.” Jiang Ruotang didn’t go around to the other side of the bed but lay on top of Lu Guifan, then rolled over. Lu Guifan instinctively raised a hand to support him. The moment he held Jiang Ruotang’s waist, the real and warm touch almost scalded Lu Guifan. He wanted to squeeze him tightly, squeeze him hard, to make this mischievous boy, who brought up such inexplicable emotions in him, cry out in pain. However, Jiang Ruotang had already burrowed under the covers.

Lu Guifan moved towards the edge of the bed. He felt that his pajamas were too coarse and would make Jiang Ruotang uncomfortable. But Jiang Ruotang gently grabbed him, “There’s only one blanket. If you stay so far away from me, it won’t be warm.” Lu Guifan moved a little closer to Jiang Ruotang. Jiang Ruotang’s arm reached out, wrapped around Lu Guifan’s waist, and pulled him closer.

“Class monitor, are you uncomfortable sleeping with someone else? If I’m making you unable to sleep, I can go up and sleep with Lin Lu and them,” Jiang Ruotang asked. Probably because they were close, Jiang Ruotang’s breath, when he spoke, surged towards Lu Guifan like waves, making him tense yet unconsciously addicted to chasing and feeling it.

“My… pajamas are old and a bit stiff. I’m afraid they might chafe and make you uncomfortable.”

“Huh? I’m not the Princess and the Pea; I’m not that delicate.” Jiang Ruotang looked at Lu Guifan’s brows and eyes, feeling only immense joy and wanting to cling to him tightly. “But since you said that, I’m curious. Can I touch your pajamas? How stiff can pajamas be?”

Lu Guifan found that as long as Jiang Ruotang honestly expressed his wishes, he simply couldn’t refuse.

“You’re such a child. The pajamas are all pilled. What’s there to touch?”

“Touching it won’t make me lose a piece of flesh.” Jiang Ruotang’s palm rested on Lu Guifan’s back, lightly stroking, feeling the abrasive texture brought by the small pills, strangely getting a little addicted. For Lu Guifan, this was like torture. Not only Jiang Ruotang’s palm but also his fingertips, stroking his shoulder blade through the rough fabric. He had to use all his self-control to remain relaxed.

“How long are you going to touch?” Lu Guifan spoke. After speaking, he suddenly realized his voice was deep, even hoarse. He wondered if Jiang Ruotang noticed.

“Alright, no more touching. Actually, the feeling of those little bumps in my palm is really interesting. When I was little, I liked to touch a small blanket to sleep; I couldn’t sleep without it. That blanket also had little pills on it, and it felt just like your pajamas.” Even with the lights off and his eyesight poor, Lu Guifan could imagine that Jiang Ruotang’s eyes must be curved, with a smile on his lips.

“Class monitor…” Jiang Ruotang’s voice sounded.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m itchy, can you scratch me?” Lu Guifan subtly sighed. He wondered if he’d caught it from Jiang Ruotang; there was an itch deep in his spirit too.

“Where is it itchy?”

“Below my right shoulder blade.” As he spoke, Jiang Ruotang turned his back to Lu Guifan. His movement created a breeze, full of Jiang Ruotang’s scent. Lu Guifan scratched him through his pajamas. Jiang Ruotang twisted unhappily, “Ugh, it’s not satisfying scratching through clothes. Just reach in!” Jiang Ruotang pulled his pajamas up, signaling for Lu Guifan to reach in from the hem. Lu Guifan held his breath, his throat bobbing up and down.

After waiting for a while, Jiang Ruotang didn’t hear any movement from Lu Guifan. Only then did he feel he had been too “presumptuous.” He turned around cautiously and said, “Then… never mind, I’ll scratch it myself…”

“It’s okay, I’ll do it.” Lu Guifan reached in and tentatively touched Jiang Ruotang’s back. “Is it here?”

“A little higher… a little to the left…” Jiang Ruotang shrugged his shoulders and wiggled, rubbing himself against Lu Guifan’s fingertips. “Hahaha, class monitor, a little harder! You’re not scratching a kitten!”

“Kitten? You’re like a little pig who played in the mud, rubbing against me like a tree.” This analogy made Jiang Ruotang laugh. Lu Guifan’s fingertips could feel the vibration from his chest, and his own heart resonated with it. That uncontrollable sense of palpitation surged like tides, cyclical and relentless.

After scratching for a while, Lu Guifan’s hand stopped and gently rested beneath Jiang Ruotang’s shoulder blade. He quietly asked, “Sleep?”

“Mhm, sleeping.” Jiang Ruotang’s voice was a little slurred, probably from sleepiness, sounding very docile and obedient. After a while, Lu Guifan finally removed his hand, slowly pulled down the back of Jiang Ruotang’s pajamas, and carefully covered his lower back. His palm and fingertips still retained the other’s warmth and touch.

Perhaps it was the new environment, but Lu Guifan felt no sleepiness at all. This allowed him to subtly feel Jiang Ruotang sleeping beside him. The other person was slightly curled up, one hand on the pillow, breathing steadily. He wondered if he was asleep.

Lu Guifan moved his fingers. This was the first time he had wanted to actively touch someone. The quieter it was, the easier it seemed for endless imagination to arise.

Like that fake kiss during karaoke, he had never known that someone approaching him could bring such intense and subtle feelings. Even the slightest brush of a nose felt like a torrent rushing into his heart, on the verge of breaking its banks.