The first semester ended, and the fifteen-day break came. Lan Yuning's ring tone went off, and he glanced at the unknown number.
This was the sixth time this unknown number was ringing.
At first, he thought it was just spam, so he ignored it. The second time it rang, he ended the call, and it kept on going and going that he started being concerned.
Leaning back in his chair, he finally picked up his vibrating device and hovered it above his ear.
"Hello?"
"Why didn't you pick up? I thought I got the wrong phone number for a second, but everyone I asked kept giving me the same one."
He peeked at the number again before placing his phone near his ear.
Anyone could recognize that loud and distinct voice anywhere that he was surprised to even hear this voice.
"Gu Xiao?"
"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I asked everyone for your number since I forgot. Are you studying?"
He shifted his seating position and let out a short, "Yes."
Gu Xiao laughed. "Why did I even ask?"
"...What do you want?"
"Stop studying tomorrow. I want to hang out with you."
Lan Yuning took his phone slightly away from his ear and paused for a moment.
Those words caused him to blink in confusion. Hang out with him? A person who everybody labelled as a cold person that always appeared so sour?
He remembered when he dragged him around to the arcade, karaoke bar, and to eat, but did Gu Xiao not find him boring?
He knew his personality wasn't as likeable like Song Anwen's, so why?
"Is Zhang Yongyin going?"
"What? No, it's just you. Why? Do you not want to?"
He listened to this boy whine for a good three minutes. He never understood how he always had so many things to say, but he still listened.
The boy from the other side finally stopped talking and took a long breath from speaking for too long. If he spoke anymore, it felt like he was going to faint from lacking oxygen.
"Ok."
"Really? Ok, I will text you later since I'm out of battery. Bye-bye!"
...
"You're going out today?" Gu Heiyu asked, eating her bowl of ice cream.
"Yeah, I'm going to Water World."
"With the two coupons you won from the community physics competition two years ago? You told me you used it last year, and how has it not expired yet?"
"No. I used that one ages ago. I got this from uncle."
She was still amazed that he had won the physics competition, but since the prizes included a card cashed with money, how could he refuse to not win?
Gu Heiyu even remembered how hard he studied for it while neglecting his other school subjects, but she was also guilty since she coerced and forced him to do it for the money.
"Who are you going with?"
"Student President."
She coughed out blood and looked at him like a stranger. "I feel sorry for him. Well, while you have fun, I'm going to have to work."
Gu Xiao ignored his sister and skipped out of the door. Although only one day of the break had passed, he felt an urge to see Lan Yuning.
He knew he was probably studying his head off, like always. Although he never mentioned that time when Lan Yuning's father hit him, he was still worried, yet he knew he shouldn't pry, so this was the only thing he could do for him.
...
Taking the train lines around B City, Gu Xiao arrived at the front entrance of the water park.
His phone vibrated, and he saw the message from Lan Yuning that he was at the front entrance.
Darting his head left and right, he squinted his eyes to look for him, but it only ended in failure. Just as he was about to send him another message, a voice from behind sounded.
"Hey."
Hearing the call, Gu Xiao looked back and eyed the person's appearance.
The figure was entirely covered with a jacket, sunglasses, a black bucket hat, and a face mask.
Both his body and face were covered entirely that the moment Gu Xiao turned around, he flinched a little from fear.
He needed to blink twice to confirm his vision or ears were not tricking him because that voice was definitely Lan Yuning's.
"Student President?"
"What?"
"I mean, I understand the sun might not be good for the skin, and you might get skin cancer, but is someone trying to murder you? Do I need to call the police? Why do you—I mean, or are you famous around here?"
"I will take it off later," he said and whipped his head left and right to ensure no one was tailing him.
Lan Yuning grabbed Gu Xiao's wrist, and without delaying any more time, they headed inside the water park.
Lan Yuning finally took off his mask and sunglasses when they walked into the changing rooms, and the moment he did, even Gu Xiao himself felt a rush of air enter his lungs.
At one point, he thought the person beside him might've not even been Lan Yuning since he couldn't see any of his body beside his knees and below.
Taking off his shirt, Gu Xiao noticed Lan Yuning hesitating to change.
"It will feel uncomfortable if you leave your jacket on since it'll get wet."
Lan Yuning, who still had his back faced towards Gu Xiao since his locker was on the other side, muttered, "Can't I just sit in the shade?"
"What? I'll get bored by myself! Don't worry, I won't force you to go on the high slides, so relax."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
After some good pushing and shoving, Lan Yuning had no choice but to give up.
Whenever he was reluctant to do something, Gu Xiao always managed to get him to do whatever it was after a few words.
Seeing this, Gu Xiao let out a laugh and thought how adorable it was, and it didn't look like he was angry despite the contempt in his face.
Lan Yuning took off all his layers, and Gu Xiao gaped at how many pieces of clothing there were under that jacket.
Especially with this slightly warm weather, just wearing even two layers was unbearable for him.
When he took off his shirt, his torso was pale, like his skin was bathing in a soft light of the moon. He had a slim waistline, and the indentions of his back dimples were clear to the eyes. It was the first time Gu Xiao saw his nape clearly, even though his hair was quite short.
Since he exercised more, Gu Xiao's body was more slightly toned and firm compared to Lan Yuning.
When Lan Yuning closed his locker and turned around, Gu Xiao was drawn into his dark eyes, and a chilling sharpness trickled down his chest.
"What?" Lan Yuning said.
Gu Xiao brought his mind back down and pushed out his thoughts.
Yet, his eyes always managed to land back to Lan Yuning despite telling himself to look somewhere else.
"Ah, let's go, let's go," Gu Xiao said, and quickly exited the changing rooms.
Perhaps his body was absorbing the heat of the sun, but Gu Xiao's face was receiving the sun's rays with a slighter burn than usual.
Yet, it wasn't only Gu Xiao who thought the warm weather was particularly scorching today.
Despite it being average temperature, Lan Yuning, too, found this moment to be unbearably warm. When he watched the back hurry away outside, his ears were strangely burning.