Chapter 29
On Saturday morning, Xiao Yi drove a low-profile SUV to Fu Yu’s house to pick him up.
Fu Yu got into the car and was somewhat surprised, “Why are you driving this?”
He had expected Xiao Yi, with his flamboyant personality, to show up for their date in a flashy sports car, like a Ferrari.
“Don’t you like it?” Xiao Yi fastened his seatbelt after Fu Yu got in.
“No, this is fine,” Fu Yu replied.
“Did you think I’d drive a supercar or something?” Xiao Yi asked.
Fu Yu asked, “Isn’t that the kind of image you used to project?”
Xiao Yi replied with a touch of hurt, “No?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to mock you. It’s just that back when you were in college, you gave off that impression,” Fu Yu explained.
During their college days, Xiao Yi had been quite famous throughout the school and the Chinese student community. Everyone knew about his wealthy background, and many people wanted to befriend him. Xiao Yi had also embodied all the typical flaws associated with rich heirs: lack of academic interest, partying, drinking, and lavish spending. Every time Fu Yu saw him, he seemed ready to go out and live it up, which was quite different from the low-key person he had been in high school.
Xiao Yi sighed, “I haven’t been partying like that all the time! It’s not easy for me to maintain the image of a playboy rich kid. Those people can easily spend hundreds of thousands in a single night. If I partied like that every day, my brother would have disowned me a long time ago.”
Fu Yu wondered, “Why do you want to maintain that image?”
Xiao Yi hesitated, thinking whether to reveal his true feelings or save face.
But Fu Yu asked first, “Is it related to me?”
Xiao Yi confessed, “Yes.”
Fu Yu’s heart skipped a beat as he listened to Xiao Yi’s words. He thought that revealing this might make Fu Yu feel guilty and try to make amends. However, after Fu Yu said, “I’m sorry,” he continued with, “I thought you would come and apologize to me sooner or later. But I waited for four years, and you never reached out to me. You were always surrounded by a group of people, and I realized that maybe you didn’t really need me as a friend…”
Xiao Yi’s heart suddenly felt tender, and he quickly replied, “I do need you, I need you more than anyone else.”
“We were both so foolish,” Fu Yu sighed. “If only we could go back to high school.”
“It’s not too late to start now. Alright, let’s not dwell on these sad things. Let’s focus on our date,” Xiao Yi said, his expression changing. He squinted his eyes and grinned, “And then let’s figure out how to deal with that scumbag.”
“I have an idea that might make him reveal the truth,” Fu Yu shared his plan with Xiao Yi, and as they discussed it, they found that their ideas aligned perfectly, quickly formulating their strategy.
Xiao Yi reached out and ruffled Fu Yu’s soft hair, teasing, “Our Yu Yu has quite a few mischievous ideas, huh?”
Fu Yu’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
Half an hour later, they arrived at their destination. Fu Yu looked at the building in surprise and asked, “Here?”
“Yeah, do you remember?” Xiao Yi asked.
Fu Yu naturally remembered. It was the aquarium they had visited during high school. At that time, Xiao Yi had just moved to his desk as his new seatmate, and they weren’t very familiar. However, their relationship had started to improve gradually after that event.
“Let’s go,” Xiao Yi said.
The staff member who was guiding them into the aquarium couldn’t help but cover her mouth in surprise. She hadn’t expected this handsome man, who exuded an aura of coldness and restraint, to be so skilled in romantic conversation. Even an outsider like her felt her heart fluttering in response.
Xiao Yi had an embarrassed expression on his face, and his ears turned slightly red. He wished he could embrace Fu Yu right there and shower him with affection.
He took Fu Yu’s hand and walked inside, not forgetting to give the staff member a meaningful look. She immediately understood and retreated.
Once they reached a quiet, deserted area inside the aquarium, Xiao Yi slowed down his steps. He held Fu Yu’s hand and admired the colorful array of fish in the aquarium. Fu Yu was genuinely interested, reading the descriptions of each type of fish carefully. Contrary to Xiao Yi’s concerns about Fu Yu finding this date too childish, he seemed content.
When they arrived at a familiar spot, Xiao Yi stopped and Fu Yu stopped with him, silently asking why they had halted.
“Do you remember what we talked about that day when we came to the aquarium?” Xiao Yi suddenly asked.
Fu Yu thought for a moment and replied, “We seemed to have argued about the concept of freedom, and I mentioned that perhaps we could be friends.”
“You have a good memory,” Xiao Yi said, somewhat taken aback.
He had thought that Fu Yu had long forgotten that conversation and had brought up the question to lead into a heartfelt confession. But now that Fu Yu remembered it so clearly, Xiao Yi wasn’t sure how to proceed.
“That day left a deep impression on me too. After all, it was the first time I had actively suggested making friends with someone,” Fu Yu said sincerely.
This took Xiao Yi by surprise, “The first time? We had just met back then. How did you know we could be friends?”
“I can’t explain it, it was just a gut feeling. What about you? Why do you like me?” Fu Yu turned to face Xiao Yi, throwing out an unexpected question. His eyes reflected the ripples of light from the water above, clear and dreamy, just like that moment when they first met.
It felt like time had reversed, and the person in front of him hadn’t changed at all. He was still as pure and wonderful as he had been at sixteen or seventeen.
Xiao Yi gently reached out and caressed Fu Yu’s face, his movements tender, “Maybe it’s because of what you said to me that day here. Since then, I couldn’t help but care more and more about you.”
Thinking of the dolphin toy on the bedside table in Xiao Yi’s room, Fu Yu rested his chin on his hand for a moment, coming to his own conclusion, “So, when I suggested being friends, were you actually thinking of pursuing me?”
“…” Xiao Yi’s hand paused for a moment, and he looked away somewhat guiltily, “Kind of…”
“Just because of that? You shouldn’t be lacking in friends,” Fu Yu remarked.
Xiao Yi shrugged, “I might not lack friends, but those so-called friends are not genuine at all.”
He had never told Fu Yu these things before because he felt embarrassed. In junior high, he had a few classmates he thought were true friends, but one day, he overheard them talking behind his back, saying that he was only acting tough because of his wealthy family and that he could do whatever he wanted without worrying about getting expelled from school. He had never actually done any of those things they accused him of, and the few times he had gotten into fights were to defend his so-called friends. They not only didn’t appreciate it but also viewed him this way.
This incident hurt Xiao Yi deeply, and combined with his rebellious teenage phase and his parents being too busy with work to spend time with him, he decided to become someone who nobody dared to approach. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about making fake friends, and he could live a carefree life on his own.
Looking back years later, as he grew older and wiser, he realized how immature his behavior and thoughts had been in his youth. Although his parents didn’t have much time for him, their love and care had never been lacking. He had rejected everyone, effectively turning away potential friends.
But when it came to his choice of school, he had never regretted it and even felt fortunate. Otherwise, he might not have met the person who would change his life forever.
Xiao Yi looked deeply into Fu Yu’s eyes, “Although my feelings for you might not have been entirely pure from the beginning, I can assure you that you are my first real friend.”
Whether it was friendship that gave birth to love or love that gave birth to friendship, Xiao Yi couldn’t distinguish it himself. He only knew that from the first day he moved to the seat next to Fu Yu, he felt that Fu Yu was different from others.
Fu Yu, as a person, was incredibly pure and straightforward, devoid of ulterior motives or scheming. However, his transparency and directness in dealing with people and things made him appear enigmatic and hard to approach, even for someone his age.
His aloofness wasn’t a deliberate attempt at superiority; it was an innate personality trait. He didn’t intentionally want to “stand above the mundane,” he just preferred quiet independence and had no desires or ulterior motives. He was honest, kind, and straightforward, but his extraordinary good looks, with his clear brows and slightly downward-curving thin lips, gave him an air of aloofness.
Now, this handsome face displayed an apologetic expression, “I’m sorry for associating your first experience of friendship and love with negative memories.”
Xiao Yi smirked and playfully lifted Fu Yu’s chin, leaning in, “What are you saying? The subject of my first friendship and love is standing right in front of me, isn’t he?”
A gentle kiss followed. Fu Yu didn’t shy away and kept his eyes slightly open, watching Xiao Yi’s thick eyelashes up close. He felt the warmth of Xiao Yi’s lips and his restrained breath.
In that moment, he suddenly felt that things were unfair.
Xiao Yi had started caring about him and liking him from such a long time ago, but what about him? He had only recently begun to understand his own feelings, and even then, it wasn’t nearly as deep as Xiao Yi’s. Their love was unbalanced.
He wanted to catch up, to reciprocate Xiao Yi’s feelings with the same intensity.
Perhaps having such thoughts was the beginning of falling in love.
