He Yuan was frozen in place.
The burly man in front of him clenched his fists, put his arms together in front of his chest, and shook his body left and right.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble.
“Little brother, are you alone? Do you want to take a picture with me?” The man spoke with a voice like a bell. People around him were taking pictures of him.
He didn’t care at all. He just posed for others to take pictures, completely uninterested in flirting with He Yuan.
Hearing this, He Yuan’s heart settled down.
Fortunately, this was not Xixizi, and the voice was obviously different.
He Yuan walked towards the entrance of the club, and Xixizi’s voice call came again.
“Brother,” Xixizi’s voice was vaguely embarrassed, “I just recognized the wrong person. I took a photo of someone wearing a red sweater, but I didn’t recognize him.”
“I know.” He Yuan was still a little shaken and asked just to be sure: “What are you wearing?”
“I…” The other party hesitated for a moment before saying, “A brown one with a reindeer head…”
Xixizi’s voice was drowned out by the noise outside the call. He Yuan looked ahead and saw that it was time to organize people to enter the hall.
As a result, the crowd surged towards the entrance and pressed together.
“There are too many people, let’s go in and look for each other inside,” He Yuan said.
“Okay,” Xixizi agreed.
He Yuan walked into the colorful crowd. The entrance mainly checked the V Station account page and invitation letter, so the line moved quickly.
Within 20 minutes, everyone had entered.
The entire hall could seat about 3,000 people. In addition to special guests, the other ordinary UP hosts invited chose their seats according to the order of entry.
After He Yuan entered, the first person he saw was Pick Up a 98K.
Before leaving, he had posted a photo of himself in the group. On his white coat, “Enjoy life while you can” was written in calligraphy.
The venue was nearly full. He Yuan spotted him in the back row and walked over. The other party also noticed him but obviously did not recognize him.
He Yuan did not take off his mask and asked, “Gun brother?”
“Hey, I am.” The other party was half a head shorter than He Yuan, had curly hair, and looked to be in his twenties. “Who are you?”
“Wall,” He Yuan said.
Meeting in person really felt surreal. The boy in front of him widened his eyes and shouted, “Fuck, Wall!”
He was so loud that people in the front rows turned around. “Fuck, is Wall here? Where’s Wall?”
He Yuan reacted quickly and pressed Pick Up a 98K down with one hand. He didn’t want too many people taking pictures of him.
If someone managed to piece together the upper and lower halves of his face, it would be over.
“Sister Goose and Huahua are over there.” Pick Up a 98K sat down, pointing diagonally in front of him. “That area is full, we can’t get through.”
He Yuan glanced over but couldn’t tell who was who among all the heads.
“Where’s your little Xixizi?” Pick Up a 98K asked. “I thought you’d meet up first.”
“I haven’t found him yet.” He Yuan frowned and took out his phone.
He had entered relatively late, and just as he sat down, the curtain on the big stage in front pulled open, and the host stepped out.
The six people were chatting lively in the group chat, everyone very excited.
Pick Up a 98K: Take a look [photo]
Pick Up a 98K: Me and your big Wall [grin.jpg]
The selfie posted only showed them from the chest down, but He Yuan’s red sweater was particularly eye-catching.
What is Xixizi Eating Today: Where are you guys? [Little Yellow Bird Tears.jpg]
What is Xixizi Eating Today: As soon as I came in, I was called to help carry the props.
Huahua Kindergarten: Hahaha, how did that happen?
What is Xixizi Eating Today: Maybe because I’m taller.
He Yuan saw the word “tall” and felt a chill run down his spine. He shuddered instinctively.
The others in the group reported their row numbers, and now Xixizi was the only one left, sitting in the front row of the hall, diagonally opposite He Yuan.
Huahua Kindergarten: Xixizi is closer to us [waving.jpg]
White Goose: But he’ll definitely find Wall first [see through.jpg]
What Xixizi Eats Today: [Little Yellow Bird folds its wings and squats.jpg]
Pick Up a 98K: Let’s have a meal together after this.
===
…
“No need to retake, you can take the make-up exam next semester.” Xiao An’s breath came out white in the cold air as he spoke.
“Why do you have to delay it until next semester?” Xiao An’s mother couldn’t believe it. “You might as well not come home. Every time you mess up, you embarrass your father.”
“It’s not that serious,” Xiao An sniffed. “Lots of people fail.”
Xiao An’s mother was confused. “Then why are you crying?”
“I’m not. I’m cold.” Xiao An shivered but didn’t dare enter the hall, afraid he’d hear the two-dimensional music inside and get scolded again.
He was wearing a very loose brown sweater today, with a hood in the shape of a reindeer head with antlers. He was braver below, wearing a pair of shorts that exposed his legs.
But winter had arrived, and his knees were red from the cold.
His mother scolded him for more than half an hour. By the time Xiao An stood up stiffly, he could barely walk.
Life really wasn’t easy for young girls.
Xiao An re-entered the venue and heard the host speak cheerfully: “Now, we will randomly select a UP host to come on stage to participate in the event—”
The rather exaggerated spotlights swayed among the crowd.
Xiao An didn’t want to disturb anyone, so he stayed in the back row where there were enough people standing.
He remembered that Wall and Pick Up a 98K were in the back row. His heart, still heavy from being scolded, suddenly jumped with excitement as he counted the rows to find them.
At a glance, he spotted the person in the red sweater.
He didn’t even have time to be excited before a strange sense of familiarity struck him.
At the same time, the rotating spotlights suddenly stopped—right on the person Xiao An was looking at.
“Congratulations to this lucky UP host! Could you please come to the stage?” the host announced loudly.
The man in white next to him, obviously Pick Up a 98K, grinned and patted the red-sweatered man’s shoulder.
As if there was really no other way, the boy in the red sweater stood up. Everyone looked at him, and the lighting followed him.
When he stood up, Xiao An looked at him carefully.
Although they had not met many times, Xiao An could still recognize who he was from his back and the way he walked.
No way.
This is impossible.
There is such a thing in the world—I have never heard of it.
Xiao An watched as the boy in the red sweater walked step by step to the stage. His phone vibrated in his hand, indicating that he had received a message.
Pick Up a 98K: [email protected]
Pick Up a 98K: Xixizi, what are you eating today? Xiao Xizi, look, your brother has been chosen.
Xiao An was almost stunned on the spot and typed a reply:
What is Xixizi Eating Today: What brother?
Pick Up a 98K: [Picture] On the stage.
Where is the brother? Isn’t the one standing on the stage clearly He Yuan!
Xiao An looked up, and he felt as if he had returned to the day when He Xinyang broke He Yuan’s model.
That afternoon, he had pushed open the back door of the lecture hall at the University of Science and Technology and saw He Yuan standing on the stage from the same angle as now.
He couldn’t see his face clearly that day, but there had been a huge LED screen on the rooftop, clearly reflecting his appearance.
He Yuan had worn a black mask, revealing only his eyebrows and eyes, standing tall and straight.
“Who is the UP master, little brother?” the host asked.
“Can you not tell me?” He Yuan said.
“Hahaha, then I can only call you little brother.” The host laughed awkwardly.
This was indeed the voice Xiao An was used to hearing, the voice of He Yuan, which he hadn’t heard too many times.
He Yuan. He Yuan. “Yuan” originally means “Wall.” Xiao An should have thought of it earlier.
But no one would have thought that the netizens who chatted online every day actually knew each other in real life.
The man who claimed to be a construction worker was actually a construction god from the school next door.
People with fair skin stood out particularly in red, especially under the overhead lights. He Yuan looked very clean and striking.
It could even be said—he was beautiful.
Xiao An’s eyes passed over the white wrist exposed from He Yuan’s sleeves, and he abruptly retracted his gaze.
This was just like a dream. They were wearing the same clothes.
Xiao An stood there for more than ten seconds before finally pushing the door open and leaving.
—————-
“Where is Xixizi?” After the event, Dabai’e and Huahua Kindergarten came to meet He Yuan and the others.
“Didn’t he go to your place first?” Pick Up a 98K asked.
“How is that possible? He must have run to the Wall first.” Dabai’e said. She was a thin girl with short hair.
The one holding Huahua Kindergarten’s hand was wearing a skirt with many pleats, which she had probably made herself.
He Yuan took out his phone and made a voice call to Xixizi.
After several rings, the other party picked up: “Hello.”
He Yuan frowned and asked, “Where are you?”
“I’m leaving first.” Xixizi’s voice was quiet, probably in a private car. “My mom… called me home for dinner.”
“Yeah.” He Yuan glanced at his watch. It was indeed time for dinner.
But it was strange. Xixizi had been so eager to meet up—why was he suddenly in such a hurry to leave?
He Yuan remembered that Xixizi had just had a quarrel with his family not too long ago.
“Are you okay?” He Yuan asked.
“No.” Xixizi paused for several seconds before saying, “You guys take your time. Don’t stay up too late.”
After saying this, the call was hung up by the other party.
“What’s the matter?” Pick Up a 98K asked He Yuan.
“His mother called him home for dinner.” He Yuan repeated.
“What’s that?” Dabai’e didn’t understand. “So there are only four of us tonight? Or should we call Ye Miao? She should be done with class.”
“You guys eat.” He Yuan said. “I still have something to do.”
“You’re not nice, Wall.” Huahua Kindergarten teased. “Are you going to abandon us just because Xixizi isn’t here?”
“I see through it now. He only came to see Xixizi today.” Pick Up a 98K said.
He Yuan didn’t explain much. In the end, the other three managed to extort a meal from him before leaving, still unsatisfied.
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