He Yuan didn’t know why he agreed, but he found himself getting into Xiao An’s car.
There was nothing better to do anyway—he might as well kill some time.
A drive wasn’t complete without the wind, and Xiao An rolled down all the windows, letting the cool air flow through the car.
“Want some music?” Xiao An asked, glancing at him.
“No.” He Yuan replied curtly.
He thought it was ridiculous to let music drift out of open car windows, but Xiao An acted like he hadn’t heard a word. He reached over and turned on the stereo, blasting English rock music that filled the car with energy.
“Give it a shot; you might end up liking it,” Xiao An grinned.
He Yuan’s first thought was that this guy was insane, but as the music played on, it struck a nerve. The beat was like a burst of fireworks against the dark backdrop of the quiet road, sparking something deep within him.
The wind was refreshing, the view wide open, and theirs was the only car on the road. The scene brought an unexpected sense of freedom, like there were no barriers ahead.
After a while, He Yuan’s lips moved on their own: “Go faster—there aren’t any cars around.”
Xiao An smirked and pressed down on the accelerator, the speedometer needle climbing higher as the car sped along the suburban road. The sounds of the rushing wind, the roaring engine, and the blasting music were like a sharp blade cutting through the stillness, plunging them into the untamed wilderness.
“This is like something straight out of Silent Hill,” He Yuan murmured.
“Feels like we’re never coming back, doesn’t it?” Xiao An’s voice cut through the wind, his hair messy and fluttering across his forehead.
“You do know the way back, right?” He Yuan asked, suddenly concerned.
He realized just how reckless this entire situation was—he barely knew Xiao An, yet here he was, speeding along a deserted road with him.
Xiao An’s grin widened. “If I told you I’ve just been driving randomly and don’t know the way back, would you be scared?”
“No,” He Yuan replied flatly. “I know the way.”
“Damn,” Xiao An laughed, shaking his head. “Genius student with a photographic memory. Figures.”
He Yuan said nothing, letting the conversation fade as the car gradually slowed down.
Xiao An broke the silence with a mischievous grin. “Want to know something really scary?” He pointed at the dashboard. “We’re almost out of gas.”
He Yuan stared at him, dumbfounded. “Then why were you driving so fast earlier?!”
“You’re the one who told me to go faster,” Xiao An replied, blinking innocently.
He Yuan: “…”
It seemed he had asked for this, but who just blindly follows orders?
“How much is left?” He Yuan unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned forward to check. His jaw clenched when he saw the gauge barely hovering above empty.
Good grief—taking someone on a joyride with an almost-empty tank of gas? Who does that?
“It’s fine. I’ll call someone to bring gas,” Xiao An said, stepping out of the car and dialing his phone.
He Yuan followed, standing in the dim light. The sparse streetlights only added to the eerie stillness, and there wasn’t a single building or sign of life nearby.
“They’re all a little drunk,” Xiao An said, frowning as he ended the call. “Do your people have a car?”
“We came in the landlord’s car,” He Yuan replied. “He dropped us off and left.”
Xiao An sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Then we’ll have to wait till later.”
He Yuan rolled his eyes, but Xiao An didn’t seem the least bit bothered. He popped open the trunk, pulling out what looked like camping gear.
“What are you standing there for? Come help!” Xiao An called out, dragging out a barbecue grill.
—
Xiao Guangming returned from his evening jog, wearing a dark tracksuit and carrying a towel around his neck.
Despite his busy schedule at the hospital, he always made time for exercise to maintain a balanced, healthy lifestyle. As he passed by his neighbor’s house, he noticed lights on in the garden and a figure squatting among the plants. From the outside, all he could see was a round head bobbing up and down.
His wife had mentioned that the neighbor, He Jian, ran a cosmetics company and was a well-known figure in the industry. Although Xiao Guangming wasn’t particularly interested in business, he figured it was time to introduce himself after a week of living next door.
“Calabash Brothers, Calabash Brothers, seven melons on one vine…” An out-of-tune voice drifted from the garden, followed by a cheerful, “La la la la—ah!”
He Jian stood up, holding a freshly cut gourd in his hand. The two middle-aged men locked eyes, and for a moment, both their blood pressures seemed to rise.
“Good evening,” Xiao Guangming greeted politely. “I just moved in next door.”
The distance between their villas was at least a hundred meters, but He Jian beamed and immediately waved him over.
“Doctor Xiao, come in and sit!” He Jian said enthusiastically, opening the iron gate.
Before Xiao Guangming could decline, he found himself being ushered in and seated at a table set up in the garden, a bottle of wine already opened.
He Jian, speaking with a local accent, poured him a glass. “Perfect timing—I’ve been having this dull ache in my leg at night.”
Xiao Guangming sighed internally. It seemed even his neighbors wouldn’t spare him from work.
As he began to examine He Jian’s complaint, the latter downed his wine with a grimace. “My eldest daughter is too busy with the company, and my youngest barely pays attention to me. I told him my leg hurts, and he just told me to go to the hospital for a check-up.”
“Well… isn’t that what you should do?” Xiao Guangming asked, though he knew his words wouldn’t land.
He Jian shook his head with a bitter smile. “He’s almost twenty-one. Not young anymore, but the older she gets, the less she cares about family. Now he’s earning his own money, supporting himself, and doesn’t need me.”
Xiao Guangming, feeling a pang of sympathy, took a big sip of wine. “My youngest son is no better—he spends money like water and doesn’t take anything seriously. I don’t think he even wants to be a doctor anymore.”
“Let them be,” He Jian said, leaning back with a chuckle. “My son’s obsessed with building houses, so I just let him do his thing. Society’s cruel, Doctor Xiao. If we don’t let them face it, they’ll never understand.”
Xiao Guangming felt that there was some truth in it and nodded.
“Once they’ve suffered outside and know how hard it is to carry bricks, they’ll naturally cry and shout to return to their daddy’s arms.” He Jian raised his glass, speaking with confidence.
“Indeed.” Xiao Guangming clinked glasses with him, thinking He Jian was truly a businessman who understood the art of playing hard to get.
The two middle-aged men found a shared topic and drank together. As they talked, their spirits lifted, and they felt the fire of camaraderie ignite.
“We’ll keep in touch in the future,” He Jian stood up to see him off. “We mustn’t let the wings of the geese get any harder.”
—
“Look, don’t they smell great?” On the deserted grassland in the suburbs, Xiao An held a pair of chicken wings in his hand, rolling them on the grill.
The smell of burning fat was particularly enticing, with oil sizzling as it dripped into the fire below.
“The mutton’s burning,” He Yuan quickly tried to salvage a batch of skewers, but it was too late—they’d already turned black.
The charcoal fire was crackling and flaring wildly. Grilling meat at this temperature required skill, and if one wasn’t careful, it was easy to ruin everything.
“Don’t eat the burnt ones. Save them for my friends—they like it that way.” Xiao An handed a perfectly roasted chicken wing to He Yuan.
He Yuan took a bite. The skin was slightly charred, but the inside was tender. The flavor, however, was bland. Seeing this, Xiao An grabbed a sauce brush and added a layer of honey glaze.
He Yuan hesitated but took another bite. He wasn’t a fan of sweet flavors on meat, but he finished it quickly anyway.
They weren’t great at barbecuing, wasting most of the ingredients in the process. But they still managed to fill their stomachs by picking at the unburnt bits and pieces.
After casually tidying up, the two lay on opposite sides of the mat Xiao An had spread on the grass.
The mat was thick enough to cushion the ground beneath them. On the small folding table sat a portable gas stove keeping a pot of tea warm. Above them, the thin clouds drifted by, revealing a sky full of stars.
“After eating this box of barbecue, what are your friends going to eat tonight?” He Yuan asked, breaking the silence.
Xiao An leaned back lazily. “Who cares? If they’re hungry, they can just suck their fingers.”
He Yuan let out a quiet laugh through his nose.
Hearing it, Xiao An turned to look at him, stunned for a moment, before laughing as well.
Maybe they were kindred spirits. In this moment, it seemed they could get along quite well after all.
He Yuan glanced at the stars for a while, then checked his phone. It was already past midnight.
Sleep wasn’t an option in this environment. He Yuan scrolled idly on his phone when a message popped up from An An.
An An: Brother, what are you doing right now? [Little Yellow Bird Peeks Out.jpg]
Although Xiao An didn’t seem like the type to snoop on someone’s phone, He Yuan turned his back to him, typing discreetly.
Wall: Nothing.
After a brief pause, he added: With a co-worker.
Just as he sent the message, Xiao An’s phone buzzed twice behind him.
He Yuan’s phone was always on silent, but Xiao An had clearly left his on vibrate.
An An: Do you have to work so late? Night shifts are so tough
An An: I just finished two practice papers. The questions were too hard!
An An: Brother, what if I can’t keep up with school? [Little Yellow Bird Crying.jpg]
He Yuan chuckled faintly and typed: Then I’ll introduce you to a job painting walls.
But fearing the other person might actually take it seriously, he deleted it and instead wrote: Don’t worry, there are many schools.
Another buzz came from behind him.
He Yuan frowned slightly.
A wild thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it as impossible.
He sent another message: What are you doing?
This time, Xiao An’s phone didn’t vibrate again, possibly drowned out by the sound of an approaching car horn.
Xiao An’s friends had finally arrived.
At the same moment, He Yuan received a picture from An An.
Opening it, he saw a half-completed high school math test paper on a desk. In the corner of the paper was a doodle: Sending a little heart to my brother.
Judging from the neat handwriting, it didn’t seem like the person was a bad student.
He Yuan stared at the picture for a while, analyzing it carefully. Meanwhile, Xiao An had run off to greet his friends.
In the end, He Yuan decided he was just overthinking things. After all, how could such a coincidence possibly be real?
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