A University’s military training closing ceremony was very large in scale and there were several important leaders standing at the podium. To kick start the ceremony, the standard and rousing speech naturally had to be done.
You Liangxing had no business being on stage today so he was merely watching from the side, and in his moments of idleness, his eyes would promptly fall on Kang Shengzhe.
He was not standing far from Kang Shengzhe and from the angle he had, he could see a small half of Kang Shengzhe’s face from the side. As the flag bearer of the national flag team, Kang Shengzhe stood out at the very front, and the dignified bearing he had was something that had never existed before.
It was not common to see Kang Shengzhe being serious and it was even rarer to see him look so solemn in both appearance and expression. He was wearing a military uniform that was once on You Liangxing’s person, although it felt out of character when it was wrapped around him. The corners of his mouth were smoothed out, his eyes stared ahead. With the image he made, it was understandable why there were many female students surrounding him.
Even You Liangxing felt that the uniform was a little too eye-catching on him.
As You Liangxing’s thoughts strayed, a gust of wind, carrying some moisture, blew into his face. Liao Su gazed at the sky and whispered: “Looks like it’s going to rain.”
The last word fell and the speech on the podium stage concluded which ushered in a reading of another speech that was in accordance to the usual practices by the emcee. Soon after, the awe-inspiring music played and the national flag team entered the field in a neat and orderly pace.
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This was the first time You Liangxing witnessed Kang Shengzhe marching after their last run-in. It was exactly as Liao Su had remarked. His footfalls were extremely well-executed; not only were they pleasing to the eye, they seemed to be filled with strength with every lift and fall of his feet. When he saw such actions from a man who was usually lethargic in disposition, You Liangxing found himself somewhat lost in a trance.
“Brother Liang, did you see that, God K is really handsome.”
You Liangxing said, “Shh—”
He was extremely focused; all his attention was gathered on one person in the crowd. Although Liao Su wished to say more, he stopped himself immediately. In a standardised fashion, Kang Shengzhe was standing tall and straight as he led the national flag team towards the centre of the sports field. Then, the music ceased abruptly before the forceful and energetic sound of the national anthem came in a few seconds after.
Cued by with the familiar melody, the audience, teachers and students who would occasionally exchange a few words all went silent as they stood in attention and saluted with their eyes. Slowly and solemnly, step by step, Kang Shengzhe ventured forward from his position which was at the very front of his team.
Reasonably speaking, a small flag raising ceremony in a university could never compare to the standards of the country’s armed forces, but Kang Shengzhe’s appearance truly exhibited the rigour and the strength of his character through his actions.
Too caught up, You Liangxing was taken by surprise when he felt the first drop of something cold. And very quickly, countless of raindrops started pouring down from the skies and all the students at the stands instantaneously jumped up.
“What the hell— leave, hurry up and leave, leave now!”
The rain had come swiftly and ferociously and the centre of the sports field was in the same state. Each and every one of the freshman in their square arrays had nowhere to hide themselves and they could only enjoy the treatment of ‘the cold rain carelessly splattering on their faces’. Without a pause, they descended into great agitation and confusion but they did not dare to randomly move because they were in the middle of an exercise. However, that state did not last long, since the freshmen dashed towards the places that granted them shelter from the rain the moment the instructor dished out a command from the side. Hence, it led to a chaotic and disorderly scene as there were throngs of people running all at once.
“Brother Liang! Let’s go! Hurry, hurry, hurry!”
The cooling rain had long seeped under You Liangxing’s skin and drenched his hair thoroughly. But what set him apart from everyone else was that while the others seemed to be in a sorry plight, he looked like he was acting in a contemporary blockbuster movie no matter which angle he was observed from, and it was so exaggerated it felt like he had brought his own filter effect.
You Liangxing said: “You can go first.”
Liao Su shouted, “Ah?”
Instead of replying to him, You Liangxing ran in the other direction. Meanwhile, the dumbfounded Liao Su stood stock still for a second before he clicked his tongue in surprise and took on his heels to run towards Liang Chulin.
You Liangxing’s destination was the centre of the sports field. Where everyone was running away, Kang Shengzhe was still standing upright at the flag raising platform, raising the flag that was at half-mast.
The rain was coming down heavily and it was awfully cold when it landed on his body, but Kang Shengzhe did not seem affected by it at all. His posture conformed to the highest standards and his hands took turns to pull at the rope as he steadily sent the national flag to the top.
Since he said he was going to be flag bearer, he would definitely do it until the very end, and he would accomplish it to the best of his abilities.
You Liangxing gazed at Kang Shengzhe as he raised his hand in salute. His hands were straight, his back did not have its characteristic laziness that refused to straighten out, and it really made people feel&#k2026;
That he was extremely good-looking.
The winds and rain were getting stronger and it was only then that Kang Shengzhe’s shoulders shook as he turned around. The expression on his visage was light and the brim of his hat barely sheltered his face from the downpour. As he took off his military and carried it in his arm, his long hair scattered down. His eyes lifted. He made people want to stare at him, wide-eyed, no matter the circumstance.
You Liangxing beckoned him with his hand and Kang Shengzhe’s expression instantaneously burst into what was worthy of being called a resplendent smile. In one moment, he was the beauty appearing above water and unsoiled by a speck of dust, and in the next, he was akin to a legendary giant bird as he eagerly flew to You Liangxing’s side in series of loud thumps.
When they converged under the rain, Kang Shengzhe overwhelmed You Liangxing’s vision as he asked with expectation filling his tone, “Was I handsome?”
You Liangxing stared at him, wordless, before he broke into a run, pulling Kang Shengzhe towards the dormitory building that was in the opposite direction of the crowd.
However, in the second that he turned around, only a few words echoed and lingered in You Liangxing’s mind....
Do you still need to ask?
... You were exceedingly handsome.
After pulling him and running for a few hundred metres, the pair entered the dormitory building one after another, dripping the water all over the ground. It was only when they entered their room that the aftereffects of the chill hit them.
Kang Shengzhe was trembling like a huge chicken while You Liangxing was rummaging through his closet before he threw him a set of clothing efficiently.
Hastily, Kang Shengzhe handed him his clothes back and said: “You change first.”
You Liangxing replied faintly, “Do you think I’m you? People who don’t usually exercise are quite weak.”
“Oh.” Kang Shengzhe responded in an obedient manner and no longer tussled about it. He was incredibly cold and he quickly took off his military uniform. Following, he donned on his shorts and shirt in that order, and the changing of his clothes exposed his skin and muscles to the air, causing You Liangxing to shift his eyes away soundlessly. Kang Shengzhe turned his head, teasing: “What are you doing~ It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve seen it.”
You Liangxing glared at him, “Speak properly.”
Being reprimanded had already become a habit and he heard it so much it basically fell on deaf ears. As Kang Shengzhe continued to change his clothes, he was mentally prepared himself to watch You Liangxing change out as soon as he was done but he could never have thought that You Liangxing would be fastening the last of his buttons when he finally turned around.
Kang Shengzhe thought it was tragic. “... Is it really okay for you to change so fast; I feel like we’ve lost the opportunity to sublimate our feelings.”
You Liangxing: “......” Can you shut up?
The rain had yet to abate and it impinged on the windows continuously. While Kang Shengzhe was hanging up his military uniform, he asked: “Am I allowed to be in the dormitory? What if they call us to gather later?”
“It’s fine,” You Liangxing understood these sort of activities very well. “Once you miss it, it won’t be held again. This year’s military training ceremony should be cancelled.”
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Kang Shengzhe was a little disappointed and he responded with a sullen noise. You Liangxing gave him an additional glance and suddenly said: “The group of girls just now...”
Kang Shengzhe said: “What?”
You Liangxing cut off his own words. “Nothing.”
When he said nothing, it meant that he said something. Thus, Kang Shengzhe interrogated, “What girl, ah, what did you see just now?” Kang Shengzhe’s heart was thumping hard as he murmured, “Eating vinegar?”
You Liangxing: “......” Not eating it.
Kang Shengzhe laughed obnoxiously and said, “Those girls were only... Liang Liang? Guess what they said to me?”
You Liangxing replied, “What?”
“Not telling you.”
You Liangxing: “......”
You Liangxing threw a punch at him. Although Kang Shengzhe took the blow, it did not deter his laughter in the slightest as he said: “And you said you weren’t eating vinegar. Ze ze ze, are you that infatuated with me?”
You Liangxing: “Shut your mouth.”
Kang Shengzhe continued to laugh but it eventually faded into a pout. Naturally, You Liangxing did not know that Kang Shengzhe had been internally stirred by the messages that the girls wanted him to pass on, and the more he thought about it, the unhappier he felt. Hence, he could only sing a tune of ‘ying ying ying’ at a high octave as he abruptly clung onto You Liangxing’s waist.
You Liangxing: “What are you doing, let go.”
Kang Shengzhe refused to let go. He let out a long sigh and his voice became light and earnest. “Liang Liang, you don’t know this, but to me... you’re too outstanding; exceptional to the point where I get scared when I look at you.... if you’re this exceptional, how do I ensure that you will only look at me?”
You Liangxing’s hand quivered and he was rendered speechless in the moment.
Naturally, he was not shocked by the sentence that Kang Shengzhe said, but more so the fact that he had the exact same thought just now, and he could not help but say in his heart: Nonsense.
How could Kang Shengzhe be afraid? The person who should be afraid ought to be him.
The atmosphere was quiet. Kang Shengzhe cut through it abruptly and said: “Liang Liang.”
Concurrently, You Liangxing opened his mouth as well: “Ah Sheng.”
They called each other names together, and it happened to be ‘Liang Liang’ and ‘Ah Sheng’, names that they had called each other when they were brought together by luck initially. Both of them were sensitive to the changes in the atmosphere and no one spoke for a while.
A short moment later, You Liangxing said, “You speak first.”
Kang Shengzhe pursed his lips and he could not hide his nervousness. Mustering up his courage, he said, “I think we, should we, should...”
You Liangxing said: “Should what?”
“Should, should...” Kang Shengzhe mumbled.
As he continued to drag it out, Kang Shengzhe’s cheeks gradually turned red and a fine sweat started accumulating at his forehead. Face flushed, he stammered for a long time before he finally bit his lips and blurted out: “You, Liang Liang I think you should speak first!”
You Liangxing might be calm on the surface but his heartrate was constantly accelerating. When Kang Shengzhe threw those words at him, he had some trouble reacting and it took him a few seconds to say: “... Oh, then I, I, I wanted to say, wanted to say...”
The astonishingly handsome man with an elegant demeanour was paired with a beauty that was capable of overwhelming the entire crowd but the both of them had become mute at that instant. No matter how much they stumbled they were unable to speak, and the words that could determine their relationship was at the tip of their tongues. As long as they verbalised it, they would go from two people to a pair.
Lovers.
In the process of transitioning between two statuses of differing qualities, even You Liangxing trembled and quaked, not daring to act rashly. They were at the at the last threshold and all it would take was the last step. You Liangxing gritted his teeth and spoke, “I have to go out in two days.”
He did not dare to say those words and he shifted the topic first in the end in order to stall. How could he have expected that the change was too successful because it immediately attracted the entirety of Kang Shengzhe’s attention.
“You’re leaving school? Where are you going?”
You Liangxing said, “Imperial Capital.”
“Beijing?”
“En.”
“What are you going there for?”
“Internship.”
“Internship...” Kang Shengzhe’s face collapsed all of a sudden and his previous rosy cheeks – an expression of his yearning and expectations – completely fled him, and it only left a face filled with melancholy.
Having an internship in the third year was very normal but internships also meant that they could not see each other for a long time.
After sulking for a while, Kang Shengzhe asked, “For how long?”
Seeing his pitiable expression, You Liangxing’s heart softened. Initially, he wanted to say that it would take half a semester but he decided to try his best to compress it as he replied, “More than two months.”
Kang Shengzhe said, “That’s too long.”
You Liangxing: “En.”
Kang Shengzhe repeated himself, “Liang Liang, two months is too long.”
T/N: This is so sad... Alexa, play ‘Almost Is Never Enough’ by Ariana Grande x’)
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