That night, the sound of breathing in the room didn’t become steady for a long time.

Like the previous night, Qi Wang still stared straight at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

But compared to last night, Yu Nian didn’t cry for a long time today, probably because he was too tired. He just took some medicine, which contained ingredients to help him sleep, so he fell asleep quick.

The next morning, Yu Nian’s fever had completely subsided, and he seemed much more energetic. He obediently ate a sandwich and two fried eggs for breakfast.

There were only the two of them left in the inn. 

They both still had a whole day off.

Qi Wang originally wanted Yu Nian to rest, but Yu Nian wanted to go on a tram ride.

The tram was an old-fashioned electric train, which would slowly move along the tracks in the nearby mining park, with tall and straight metasequoia forests on both sides, their leaves already turning yellow, each tree having been around for decades.

This was the attraction Yu Nian looked forward to the most this time, but he couldn’t go because he was sick.

Now with an extra day off, he said he wanted to go, and Qi Wang naturally accompanied him.

When they arrived, it was still early in the morning, and surprisingly, there were few tourists.

The two of them had a whole tram to themselves.

It was already late autumn, and the morning wind was unusually cold.

The two of them sat at the very back of the tram, the sunlight shining in from the window, the metasequoia trees seemingly close to the tracks, as if you could reach out and touch them.

The highlight of this tram ride was the mountaintop, next to which there was a small mineral museum, where various minerals were displayed, and you could also buy souvenirs.

Qi Wang bought a small piece of fluorite, which he put in a beautiful glass box.

On their way back, they also took the same clanging tram. Amidst the clattering sound of the tram, he handed the box to Yu Nian.

“Just take it as… a keepsake,” he said softly.

He thought that by being so clear, Yu Nian might not work at the restaurant anymore.

This piece of fluorite might be the last thing he could leave in Yu Nian’s memory.

This small, faintly colorful stone, just like Yu Nian.

Beautiful, but not sharp enough, gentle and lovely.

Yu Nian looked down at the small box in his hand.

The tram clanged on.

In ten minutes, they would be heading downhill.

In a while, Qi Wang would take him on the bus back to City C, and this dreamlike, heart-wrenching vacation would come to an end.

He looked up at Qi Wang and suddenly asked in a low voice, “Can I kiss you?”

Qi Wang was startled.

But as he stared into Yu Nian’s slightly swollen eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Yu Nian once again grabbed Qi Wang’s sleeve.

He gazed into his eyes, observing every expression on his face.

His body slowly leaned forward.

He wanted to kiss Qi Wang.

His body language clearly conveyed this message.

Qi Wang’s gaze fell on Yu Nian’s lips as they drew closer.

His hand tightened on the seat, his veins bulging on the back of his hand, every cell seemed to be telling him that this was a mistake.

But his eyes hesitated, unable to avoid it.

Yu Nian’s lips pressed against his.

Dry, soft.

With a hint of orange juice.

The morning air was fresh, filled with the scent of grass and trees, slowly sinking into their hearts.

Qi Wang’s arm trembled.

He didn’t know what Yu Nian meant, whether he wanted to say goodbye, wanted a kiss as a memento, or simply felt sad and sought comfort from him.

With half-closed eyes, Qi Wang felt Yu Nian’s eyelashes brush against his face, tickling slightly.

He uncontrollably, with a hint of indiscernible pain, gently embraced Yu Nian back.

The tram passed through dense stands of water pines.

Leaves on the tracks were crushed, emitting a barely audible crackling sound.

Qi Wang hugged Yu Nian, his palm against the back of his neck. The soft sunlight outside the window cast intertwined shadows on them.

“I still like you,” Yu Nian murmured mournfully when the kiss ended.

He looked up at Qi Wang, the confusion in his eyes dissipating like the light mist in the mountains.

The tram had arrived at its destination.

In a few minutes, they would get off.

The mining park was now so quiet, as if it had been isolated from the world, becoming a time capsule where everything stood still, with only the two of them lingering in this place.

He said to Qi Wang, “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday. I know what you mean. You think we’re not suitable, our backgrounds, families, education are all different. I also hesitated. Just like you said, life isn’t just about love; there are many, many things that I can’t solve right now.”

Yu Nian paused for a moment.

He felt a bit defeated.

Indeed, he was just an eighteen-year-old student now, rebelling by running away from home. What could he promise?

But he still said to Qi Wang, “I understand all these reasons, and I know the practicalities, but I still want to be with you. Don’t tell me how bad you are. I have eyes. I’ve been with you for a few months, I know what kind of person you are.”

“Besides… I simply can’t not like you.”

He muttered softly to himself.

He really couldn’t help it.

Is liking someone such a controllable thing?

If liking could be controlled at will, how would there be Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, Romeo and Juliet?

He looked straight at Qi Wang, pleading, like a well-tamed puppy, even if driven away, he wouldn’t leave.

He said to Qi Wang, “I know you think I’m still too young, you’re only twenty years old, and going on like this won’t have a good outcome. Maybe two or three months, we’ll just break up after a casual argument.”

“But so what?”

So what?

Yu Nian looked at Qi Wang earnestly, “Even if it’s just two or three months, can’t you give me that? Although I’m a boy, I look pretty good, and my personality isn’t a big problem. You won’t lose out either.”

“If three months won’t work, how about one month? If one month won’t work, how about one week?”

Absurd.

Qi Wang thought, could this be something negotiable? Can love be put on trial?

As the two of them remained deadlocked, the tram arrived at the station.

But Yu Nian refused to get off the tram. He held onto Qi Wang’s sleeve, looking up at him with a stubborn expression.

He had already heard all of Qi Wang’s flaws and knew clearly that he didn’t love a prince charming but rather a young man who grew up like a stray dog, with no one to rely on.

Yet he refused to let go.

He stared at Qi Wang, stubborn as if he would never relent.

In the end, it was Qi Wang who relented.

He reached out and gently touched Yu Nian’s cheek.

So soft.

But his temper was so stubborn.

In the chilly autumn breeze, he surrendered to Yu Nian’s plea, “Alright, consider yourself my temporary boyfriend for a month. If… if either of us regrets it after a month, we’ll break up.”

As he said those words, his heart, as hard as a mountain, seemed to crack open slightly.

He didn’t know how to take care of such a delicate guy like Yu Nian.

He had grown up enduring hardships, like a weed, without a stable family, without an easy life, even finding a place to call home was a luxury.

But now he had agreed to be someone’s boyfriend, to become another shelter from the storm.

It was unbelievable.

Like a vagabond suddenly obtaining a gem, unsure of how to keep it shining.

But strangely, he didn’t regret it.

For a moment, he even agreed with Yu Nian’s theory, to go with the flow, to stop wherever they ended up.

Even if the ending was truly abyssal, at least he had once basked in the glow of happiness.

Yu Nian’s eyes lit up, brighter than the sparkling fluorite in his hand.

He bounced up, launching himself into Qi Wang’s arms like a little cannonball.

Qi Wang caught him securely, embracing him fully.

The conductor, seeing that no one had gotten off the tram for so long, came over with concern to check on them.

Inside the carriage, seeing the two of them in this position, the middle-aged auntie in her fifties raised her eyebrows in surprise. “What’s going on here?”

Qi Wang calmly lied, “He’s not feeling well, been sick since yesterday, still not completely recovered, just comforting him.”

Yu Nian buried his laughter in Qi Wang’s neck.

The auntie believed it to be true and showed concern, “Oh, I see. Poor child looks so thin, must be young, still in high school or middle school.”

She glanced at Yu Nian’s face and complimented, “He’s quite a handsome boy.”

Yu Nian burst into even more laughter.

Qi Wang, who had already started to lead Yu Nian off the tram, heard this comment and nodded proudly, quietly saying, “Yes.”

Yu Nian held onto Qi Wang’s sleeve, following closely behind him.

He was already restless when walking, his feet like springs, taking a few steps forward, then a few more, constantly looking at Qi Wang, as if afraid Qi Wang would run away.

As they walked out of the mining park, they passed by a stall selling crepes.

Yu Nian hadn’t eaten much breakfast, and now he was hungry, so Qi Wang bought one for him.

Yu Nian scooped up the crepe with cream, getting some on his lips.

He had cried like Meng Jiangnu yesterday, but now he looked up at Qi Wang, smiling brightly like a trumpet flower.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Qi Wang, the eyes that had cried yesterday still a bit swollen.

But he looked fearless and carefree.

Qi Wang looked at him for a long time, smiled faintly, and wiped off the cream from his lips.