Lovely Allergen - Chap 14
On Saturday morning, Le Zhishi woke up early for the first time and helped Lin Rong make breakfast. The symptoms of the cold from the day before had not completely subsided. After drinking milk, Le Zhishi coughed for a while. Under Lin Rong’s urging, he took a cold medicine. After a while, Song Yu came downstairs and left after eating a few steamed dumplings. Hearing the sound of the door closing, Le Zhishi immediately left the kitchen.
“Aunt Rong, I’m leaving too.”
Lin Rong hurriedly came out. “Aren’t you going to eat more? Or are you going to have a big lunch? ” She saw Le Zhishi put on a black hooded jacket and a mask. “Baby, are you going to celebrate someone’s birthday or to cause trouble?”
“Let’s not talk about it. I’m running out of time.” Le Zhishi put on his clothes and left quickly.
The breakfast culture was deeply ingrained in the bones. The busiest time in this city was early in the morning. No matter which street it was, breakfast shops of all sizes could be seen everywhere. There was an endless stream of customers who loved breakfast.
Small shops did not have much space, so naturally, there were no rules. Everyone casually stood by the street with a bowl of noodles, chatting as they ate. Those who were in a hurry to go to work or school could even hold a bowl of hot dry noodles or tofu skin and eat as they walked. They could finish before they got on the bus or subway. This was a special survival skill.
After passing through an entire street full of smoke, Le Zhishi finally saw Song Yu at the traffic light.
Probably for the speech, he wore a more formal black shirt tucked into his trousers. The sleeves were half rolled up to his forearms, showing off his long legs and narrow waist. He was particularly eye-catching in the crowd.
Le Zhishi did not want to celebrate his classmate’s birthday. Moreover, knowing that Song Yu was going to give a speech, he was even less likely to go. However, Song Yu rejected his parents’ attempt to accompany him, so it was even more impossible for him to go.
Therefore, Le Zhishi could only secretly follow him. There should be a lot of people at the venue anyway. He would not be able to find him if he hid inside.
The light turned green, and the two of them maintained a distance of ten meters as they entered the subway station one after another. At first, he was worried that Song Yu would call for a taxi. Fortunately, they were on public transportation. Otherwise, he would have to tell his driver to follow the car in front like a stalker in a movie.
Squeezing into the next carriage at the last moment, Le Zhishi hid behind an old man and peeked at Song Yu. The old man followed his line of sight and looked forward, then turned back to look at him suspiciously.
Le Zhishi pulled up his hood and shifted half a step. His cover had changed from that of the old man to that of an office worker scrolling through his phone.
The interior of the Line 2 carriage was decorated in girly pink. Even the pillars were pink. Dressed in black, Song Yu looked strangely out of place as he stood inside. It was as if he had a natural barrier that isolated him from everything. Le Zhishi was so engrossed in looking that he didn’t realize that he was also standing there in black.
They were like two black dots in a pink bubble.
The bubble burst, and the two black dots drilled out. The big ones were in front, while the small ones hid behind the crowd. They got off at a subway station with many exits and many people. As they went up the stairs, Le Zhishi saw a young mother in front of him. She was carrying a large backpack, an oversized suitcase in one hand, and a three or four-year-old child in the other. She stopped several times because she couldn’t walk.
“Hey … Excuse me.” A white-collar worker who was in a hurry to get to work grumbled. He bypassed the mother and squeezed to the front.
“I’m sorry.” The young woman tightened her grip on the child and stepped aside. “You guys go ahead.”
Le Zhishi was originally at the back. He also followed the people in front of him who were in a hurry to leave. But in the end, he stopped in front of the young mother. “Let me help you.” He helped to lift the box and walked beside her. The young mother kept thanking him, and the child was very cute. He looked up at him and thanked him.
The stairs were very long. When they reached the top, Le Zhishi put down the suitcase. When he looked forward again, Song Yu was nowhere to be seen.
Sh * t, I forgot to follow him.
Le Zhishi stretched his neck to look around, but he couldn’t find Song Yu’s figure no matter how hard he tried. Le Zhishi tried to walk forward a little more, circling around and around. Unknowingly, he came to a chain milk tea shop near the exit. Next to it was the lost and found counter, but there was no lost item and no staff.
He still lost him.
There was no chance for him to watch the speech.
Le Zhishi tried hard to do some thinking in his mind, trying not to be too disappointed. Desserts would make him feel better, so he decided to buy a cup of milk tea and go home. He would treat this trip as an early morning walk.
“Hello, what would you like to drink?”
“Hmm …” Le Zhishi looked down at the menu. “Five sweet milk green with rare coconut.”
After ordering, he subconsciously reached into his trouser pocket, but found it empty.
He seemed to have left his phone on the sofa.
Seeing that the staff was starting to get busy, Le Zhishi frantically searched his body, hoping that he might have accidentally left his money in the clothes when he wore them last time.
But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find anything. He wished that a big hand would appear behind him right now, pick him up, and shake him vigorously. It would be good if he could shake out something.
The staff pushed the milk tea over with both hands. “Hello, your milk tea.”
“Ah, thank you.” Le Zhishi didn’t know whether he should extend his hand or not, and his hand froze in mid-air.
The staff smiled. “Would you like to pay by cash, Alipay, or WeChat?”
Le Zhishi’s ears turned red. He looked like he was seriously thinking about whether he could go back to get the money and send it back. “Hmm …”
“WeChat.”
A familiar voice came from behind him.
He turned around abruptly and saw Song Yu scanning the QR code on his phone with a cold face. After scanning, he took the milk tea away, put it to his mouth with a straw, and took a big sip. He turned around and walked away as if Le Zhishi didn’t exist at all.
“Hey …” Le Zhishi turned around and followed him. “My milk tea …”
Song Yu frowned and stopped in his tracks. He looked at the cup of milk tea as if he didn’t like it. “It’s so sweet.”
How could it be sweet if it was five parts sweet? Le Zhishi didn’t say anything. Song Yu stretched out his hand and handed him the milk tea. Le Zhishi immediately took it with both hands and followed him closely. “Why are you here?”
Song Yu pointed at the counter next to the milk tea shop behind him. “Lost and found.”
Le Zhishi looked back and quickly turned around. He saw Song Yu raising his eyebrows. “Why are you following me?”
“I …” Le Zhishi was stumped, but he couldn’t hide it. “I just wanted to take a look. I won’t disturb you. I’ll go home after I’m done. You didn’t let Uncle and Auntie come, and you definitely didn’t let me come. So, I was forced to follow you secretly. “His voice became softer.” And you didn’t tell me. ”
The two of them walked out side by side. The light shone on them, and it was very bright. Song Yu narrowed his eyes. “Tell you what?”
“About you participating in the City’s Three Good Candidates Election Speech.” Le Zhishi took a sip of milk tea. “I almost didn’t know.”
Song Yu said indifferently, “The people who have the appointment are not on my list.”
Le Zhishi felt that Song Yu was implying something, but his first reaction was to deny it. “I didn’t make the appointment!” He was a little angry and rushed forward. “I didn’t agree to go. Song Yu gege, you misunderstand me every time. The last time at the school hospital, it was also … ”
A bicycle quickly rode past the side of the road. Song Yu quickly grabbed the man’s arm and pulled him to his side. Only then was he able to narrowly avoid it.
“Okay.” Song Yu let go of Dong Xuebing’s arm. “Watch the road, little social butterfly.”
Dong Xuebing was mocking him. It must be.
Just when Le Zhishi was about to explode, he heard Song Yu say again.
“Remember to bring your mobile phone the next time you follow someone secretly.”
Song Yu looked at the traffic lights in the distance. When the lights changed, he took a step forward. “I won’t look for you if you get lost again.”
Hearing the word ‘again’, Le Zhishi could not hold back his anger and let it all out.
When he was five years old, he followed Song Yu to the park to play. He wanted to eat ice cream, so Song Yu took him to buy it. At that time, a person selling hydrogen balloons passed by with a bunch of beautiful hydrogen balloons in his hand. Le Zhishi’s attention was attracted by a small fish-shaped balloon. He followed the person’s butt and left. After Song Yu paid the bill and turned around, he couldn’t find any trace of him.
If Song Yu had not found the park staff and called Le Zhishi’s name on the radio, he did not know if Dong Xuebing would have been able to find him.
That experience gave Le Zhishi the fear of being lost and alone, but he did not know what kind of memory it left in Song Yu.
He only remembered that when the park staff led him to meet his brother, the tears on Song Yu’s face were still wet.
That was the first and last time he saw Song Yu cry.
The venue was located in the city’s Youth Association’s auditorium. The staff sat at the door to register, and everyone lined up to enter. In front of Le Zhishi stood a pair of parents with their daughter.
“Family relationship. Yes, we are her parents.”
After the previous group left, the staff looked up at the two of them, especially when he saw Le Zhishi’s face.
Song Yu showed his ID. The staff nodded and pointed at Le Zhishi’s identity. “This is your …?”
“Family,” Song Yu said.
Le Zhishi thought of the parents just now. They were real family members, but he was not. However, there did not seem to be any other suitable description. If he were to use a more narrow definition as a brother, it would be even more wrong.
The staff looked a little confused at first, but he still nodded and gave Le Zhishi a bystander’s ID. “After you go in, sit according to the volunteers’ arrangement.”
“Thank you.”
Le Zhishi sat in the back row. Most of the people around him were parents, so his presence was particularly conspicuous.
Song Yu settled him down and prepared to leave the auditorium to go to the reserved seats. Le Zhishi noticed that two people appeared behind him. Both of them were very good-looking, especially the one on the left. When he smiled, his canine teeth were exposed, and he was very bright. He was completely different from Song Yu’s handsomeness.
That person quietly walked to Song Yu’s side and bumped his shoulder. “Long time no see!”
Song Yu turned around, his expression unchanged. “Xia Zhixu.” Then he looked back and his gaze fell on the gentle and fair-skinned boy next to Xia Zhixu. He nodded, and the other party did the same to him.
The way they greeted each other was very quiet.
“You and Xu Qichen are both here. Can Jingjian have two seats in one class?” Song Yu asked.
“You can’t just label me like that. Qichen and I have been in different classes since the second year of high school. He’s in liberal arts and I’m in science. If word gets out, people will think that Jingjian got in through connections. ” As Xia Zhixu spoke, he intimately hugged Xu Qichen beside him. “But we were in the first year of high school when we last played in the inter-school basketball league. It’s normal that you don’t know about the division of classes.” With that said, he still had a smile on his face, and his gaze shifted to Le Zhishi.
Le Zhishi felt the attention of this gaze and stood up. “Hello, senior.”
“This is …” Xia Zhixu looked at Song Yu, waiting for an answer.
Before Song Yu could speak, Le Zhishi followed suit. “I’m his family.”
With that said, he glanced up at Song Yu, but he didn’t catch anything from his expression.
“Family?” Xia Zhixu seemed to have hit a funny spot. It wasn’t until Xu Qichen nudged him with his arm that he held back his laughter. “I’m sorry, I misunderstood for a moment. The main thing is that you two really don’t look alike. This younger brother must be of mixed blood. He’s so white and his eyes are so beautiful. ”
As he spoke, he looked at Song Yu and asked tentatively, “Cousin? Cousin? Don’t tell me I’m the kid next door. ”
“I live in his house.” Le Zhishi answered first, but his thoughts were still stuck in the part he didn’t understand. He asked rather bluntly, “What did you misunderstand?”
Song Yu glanced at him, and Le Zhishi added, “Senior.”
“Uh … Well,” Xia Zhixu seemed to be trying to change the topic. He glanced at Song Yu, then turned to Xu Qichen and said, “If only I had such a cute younger brother. I’ve always wanted a younger brother.”
Le Zhishi said that he wasn’t his younger brother, but unexpectedly, no one answered. Xu Qichen, who had been silent, said to Xia Zhixu, “I want that too.”
The topic of his younger brother seemed to be inescapable, and Le Zhishi didn’t want to explain.
Xu Qichen looked at him with a subtle smile on his handsome face. “You haven’t said your name yet.”
Le Zhishi felt that his brother’s eyes were misty, like the sad characters in comics. After thinking for a few seconds, he felt that the word melancholy was more appropriate.
Seeing that Le Zhishi didn’t answer immediately, Xu Qichen said his name again and extended a hand to him. This was very serious for Le Zhishi. After all, not many seniors in high school would introduce themselves to a junior high student like this.
He immediately took his hand and said honestly, “I was distracted just now. Sorry.” And answered his question, “My name is Le Zhishi.”
Xu Qichen read it softly, and the smile in his eyes deepened. “Good rain knows the season.”
“I like this line too, but I wasn’t born when it rained,” Le Zhishi said.
Song Yu glanced at him.
Not born when it rained, but it came when it rained.
Xia Zhixu interrupted, “You really can’t change your bad habit of analyzing people’s names. If you ask me,” he pointed at Le Zhishi, “you guys are ‘stones of other mountains.'” He then pointed at Song Yu, “‘jade can be used to attack jade.'”
Le Zhishi’s eyes widened, as if he knew something incredible, and he was unusually happy about it.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Song Yu used the fact that he was about to start his speech to fend off Xia Zhixu’s follow-up teasing. The three of them prepared to leave, leaving Le Zhishi, who was still thinking carefully.
“Sit here and don’t run around,” Song Yu said before leaving.
Le Zhishi watched the three of them walk to the candidate seats. Xia Zhixu and Xu Qichen’s backs were very close, their arms touching each other, just like the two popsicles he had eaten when he was a child. Before eating, he had to break them apart.
Looking at Song Yu again, he was the lonely popsicle that had been broken apart and only had one popsicle left.
The campaign speech was not as intense as he had imagined. Everyone just took turns to go on stage and finish what they had prepared. The three good students in the city were all very outstanding students. Xia Zhixu and Xu Qichen were also the same. One of them spoke with a naturally popular and sunny aura, while the other spoke slowly, making people have the desire to continue listening.
But in Le Zhishi’s eyes, Song Yu was different from the others as soon as he stood on stage, but he couldn’t tell what was different. He only felt that the light on the stage naturally gathered on his shoulders.
The review team below the stage didn’t make too many suggestions. After the last person finished, they said that the results would be announced within two weeks.
The whole process took the whole morning. Le Zhishi’s legs were a little numb from sitting, and his throat was not very comfortable. He kept coughing while suppressing his voice.
It was almost 11: 30 in the afternoon, and the audience dispersed. Song Yu walked back from the front row with the two boys from other schools.
It suddenly started to rain heavily outside, and none of the four of them had brought an umbrella. They couldn’t stay in the venue, so Xia Zhixu suggested that they go to the Japanese restaurant across the street to eat. Maybe the rain would stop after they finished eating.
“Let’s rush over first!” Xia Zhixu took off his jacket and naturally put it on Xu Qichen’s head. He put his hand on Xu Qichen’s shoulder and hugged him as they rushed into the rain.
Watching this process, Le Zhishi fell into a strange contemplation. After a while, he unzipped his hooded jacket and took off his jacket to give to Song Yu.
Song Yu frowned as if he didn’t understand what he was doing. “What are you doing?”
“Just like them.” Le Zhishi looked at him and said in a simple tone. His expression seemed to be telling him that he also had a jacket and could block the rain for him.
“We’re not like them.” Song Yu stood under the eaves and didn’t extend his hand.
“Why?” Le Zhishi’s big eyes showed a kind of childish innocence as he tried to find the reason why Song Yu refused. “Because they’re friends and we’re brothers?”
Song Yu took the jacket, grabbed his arm and put it on him. He even helped him put on the hood. His right hand slid down Le Zhishi’s head and the back of his hand pressed against his forehead for two seconds.
“They’re not friends, and we’re not brothers.”