It Seems There is Light

Shi An had to walk for more than ten minutes because of the bike that had no back seat.

He was so bad at adapting that after a week in an unfamiliar place and a two-hour ride, he was so tired that he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

He was about to turn into Qingjiu Alley from Nanxing Bridge when Yan Liang suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Shi An was dazed and confused when he was yanked into Yan Liang’s arms behind his back.

The boy’s lean but not thin body choked him instantly awake.

“Shi, Shi An,” he felt Yan Liang immediately let go of the fingers on his wrist, “Wait before going back, can you accompany me, for a walk?”

He inexplicably felt that Yan Liang seemed a little nervous.

He had just finished his ride, hadn’t had dinner yet, was carrying his luggage, carrying his guitar, and pushing a bike that no one was riding, for a walk.

That was called being sick.

Without waiting for Shi An’s reply, Yan Liang knocked down the foot stand, pulled his empty school bag and hung it on the crooked handlebars. He pushed the luggage to the side of the road: “Go, go, go, we have to hurry, the sun is going down.”

Shi An gently tilted his head, before he could say anything, Yan Liang grabbed his wrist again and pulled him to run.

This scene was so familiar that Shi An was in a trance.

There were few winter sunsets that looked this good.

They ran in the thick wine-like sunset. The sun was scorching hot, but the wind was cool, raising their hair and white clothes corners. Pedestrians smiled and turned to watch them run past, people returning home happily ringing their bicycle bells. Occasionally, a few puppies followed them with great interest, barking in the warm air.

Shi An looked at Yan Liang’s dark hair, the guitar that was undulating with his steps and the corners of his clothes that were raised high, and once again felt that they seemed to be able to run like this forever.

They passed through the dark silhouettes of the street trees, cascading deep and shallow, like they were passing through time.

Yan Liang pulled him, stopped at the place where the Nanxing Bridge looped back, and let go of his hand.

The warmth at his wrist disappeared all of a sudden. Shi An froze and subconsciously raised his hand.

“You stand here,” Yan Liang pointed to the ground, then turned and ran away in the opposite direction, “Shi An, stand still!”

Yan Liang ran in one breath to the other side of the bridge before stopping and turning back: “Shi An——can you hear——”

He folded his hands on his cheeks, and his voice reached Shi An’s ears through the wine-like sunset color.

Shi An nodded. Afraid that he couldn’t see, he stood on his tiptoes to pen an “ok” gesture.

Yan Liang’s hand dropped, and then no movement.

What is this?

Shi An tilted his head back in slight shock, but the sound of his heartbeat quickly picked up inexplicably.

So fast, so fast.

It hit his eardrums with a thud, and even his fingertips were wet with sweat.

He shook his head and tried to pat his face with both hands, but just as he lowered his head, he heard Yan Liang’s voice ring out.

What did he say?

He said.

“Shi An——” he said, “I—like—you—”

“Shall—we—be—together?”

Shi An’s hand stalled on his cheeks, and he looked up slowly in surprise to see Yan Liang’s smiling face from afar.

“This time—did you hear—it?”

Yan Liang’s hands came back to his cheeks, and his grainy teenage voice was full of unconcealed laughter.

I heard it.

Of course I heard it.

Shi An felt like he forgot how to move.

There weren’t many pedestrians along the bridge in the winter evening. Some people passed by them on bicycles; the speed was very slow and the ride was crooked. The bicycle bell jingled at the fingertips. A running child stopped and put his fingers in his mouth, and a barking dog was picked up by its owner, holding its mouth and was silenced.

The surroundings were very quiet, and dozens of pairs of eyes were almost shining.

Yan Liang across the street seemed to be more tormented than he was.

Shi An saw him turning in a few circles, and bounced in place a few times, the earphone cord hanging on his neck drew a bright arc, tinting the clouds in the sky.

Then Yan Liang turned around again, and once again gathered strength and shouted: “Shi—An you are like this—I am very—embarrassed—”

Someone snorted out a laugh and hastily covered their mouth again.

The clouds were so red that they were almost purple. It was easily reminiscent of the pointed roof of the castle in the fairy tale book, the white birds flapping their wings, and the glowing corrugated.

“Okay.”

His lips moved, and he heard his own voice, low and almost inaudible.

He lifted his head, looked in Yan Liang’s direction, slowly raised his hands and folded them over his cheeks in Yan Liang’s pose: “I said—okay—”

Shi An had never shouted at such a volume.

His chest and eardrums were vibrating, and he maintained this position, bending deeply.

Can you hear that?

Someone applauded, and the bicycle bell jingled even louder.

Shi An propped himself up on his knees and looked up, Yan Liang was running towards him.

The appearance of the youth running was the most moving, as if he could run through the wild flood of the universe.

Shi An also straightened up and ran forward in Yan Liang’s direction.

A dog that no one knew to whom it belonged to, was untied and happily ran over. It’s tail flapping his butt with the movement, sprinting between Yan Liang and Shi An.

Shi An wanted to stop running, but he was caught off guard and fell straight forward.

He felt Yan Liang’s slender fingers grip his sides strongly, and the clean scent of soap on the youth’s collar softly wrapped around his nostrils.

Yan Liang gripped Shi An’s waist and lifted his entire body up.

“Yah!” Shi An was taken aback and he held Yan Liang’s shoulders in panic, both legs struggling and fluttering a few times.

It turned out that Shi An could be as clumsy as a waddling duck at some point.

This time it was Yan Liang who looked up at him.

Shi An’s already somewhat round eyes widened slightly. The long, curly eyelashes mixed with the soft orange-red light trembled once and for all, and the thin lips opened slightly, faintly revealing the neat end of the teeth inside.

Yan Liang then realized that Shi An’s lower eyelashes were also so long that he quickly thought of a soft, fluffy dandelion.

“Put me down, put me down…” Shi An’s voice was so small and soft that Yan Liang could almost done for.

Yan Liang turned around and put Shi An on the wooden bridge railing, with both hands still holding his waist.

Shi An pursed his lips, looking at him with his light-colored eyes.

The two people froze in their movements like fools.

“What, what…” Shi An went over Yan Liang, glanced at the circle of onlookers for a while, intentionally or unintentionally, “You, are you trying to say something…”

The red cloak-like sunset covered between heaven and earth, but Yan Liang still felt that Shi An’s face was probably already red.

“I, I want to,” Yan Liang inexplicably stammered along, his earlobes burning hot: “Want to, play, play guitar for you…”

“Then, then you play…” Shi An slightly tilted his head and averted his eyes.

“I don’t dare to let go,” Yan Liang’s Adam’s apple moved up and down: “You, what if you fall into the water?”

Here comes the problem.

But the person was put up by his own hand.

“I’ll hold it for you!” A girl next to him who hid her face behind her phone suddenly spoke up.

“No! No way!” Yan Liang held Shi An’s waist, turning his head and flashing his teeth at her. His voice suddenly smoothed out.

Shi An blinked sluggishly, his heart beating so fast that he couldn’t breathe a little.

Not giving.

Afterwards, he realized that he couldn’t suppress the corner of his mouth that was going to heaven.

“Can’t fall,” Shi An gently pushed away his hand, and hugged the bridge railing protruding pier, “I hold it very tight.”

Yan Liang inexplicably thought of the squirrel holding the hazelnut child.

God, his Shi An is so cute.

Yan Liang was stunned by his own thoughts. The corner of his eyebrows twitched, and he hurriedly corrected his expression. He stepped back and stood still, taking the guitar off his back to tune.

The fingertips condensed with the light and gently and quietly dyed the strings.

“Shi An, listen well.” Yan Liang smiled and lifted his head, his eyelashes cutting through the thick shadows of light.

Listen.

…

“You always feel down and depressed
You always feel disappointed
There is always too much confusion about
The future of life
You always pretend that you aren’t hurt
You always smile and try to be strong
Fear of interacting with love
Give up the struggle
You look into my eyes
You remember my voice
Don’t worry about wind and rain1metaphorically can also mean trials and hardships
Don’t forget I’m still standing
Here…”

The sound stopped, the strings were quiet, Yan Liang looked up into Shi An’s eyes, the ends of his eyes smiling in thin creases.

“Hey, Shi An,” he said, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the panel, “Hello, I’m Yan Liang, and then, well, I-”

The strings moved, the tone rose, and the boy closed his eyes.

“Just want to be your sun
Your sun
In your heart
At the bottom of your heart
No matter how far it is
Don’t be afraid, I’m by your side
Want to be your sun
Your sun
In your heart
At the bottom of your heart
Even if I can’t be by your side
I’ll keep fighting for you
To——
glow…”

 

 

T/N: Finally, the confession!!!

 

1metaphorically can also mean trials and hardships