Chapter 26: Strange Happenings

Luckily, it wasn’t smeared on his clothes but on his arm. You Chong looked down, wiped it clean with a tissue, and then glanced at him with a displeased expression.

Without making any further moves, Lin Hexi obediently squatted back down to continue his work.

You Chong watched coldly for a while, discontented with how slow Lin Hexi was moving, and put on gloves to help him. After the two of them finished handling the fish, Yang Juan and Zhao Du took out a barbecue rack and an assortment of spices from their backpacks.

Lin Hexi proactively took the barbecue rack, spread the fish pieces flat on the grill, and in the most natural tone possible, said to You Chong, “Help me brush on some oil.”

You Chong didn’t make any move but looked at him and said, “Do you even know how to grill? If not, let me do it.”

Lin Hexi’s lips curved slightly. “You’ll know after you taste it.”

You Chong looked even more doubtful. “You expect me to be your taste tester?”

Lin Hexi’s expression was sincere, and with a slick tongue, he replied effortlessly, “The first piece of fish I grill should naturally be given to you.”

You Chong didn’t seem convinced and just reminded him in a deep voice, “Make sure you cook the fish thoroughly first.”

Lin Hexi smiled calmly. “Alright.”

The elective course instructor came over to check everyone’s progress on setting up the tents. Zhao Du and Chen Xuan’s tent didn’t pass inspection, so the teacher called them over. You Chong got up and went over to help Yang Juan.

By the time the two of them finished re-securing the tent legs and returned, the rich aroma of grilled fish was already wafting through the air.

Drawn by the smell, Zhao Du walked over just as Lin Hexi was taking the barbecue rack out of the fire. He held the rack in one hand while using the other to search for chopsticks in the pile of tools on the ground.

Zhao Du swallowed, unable to resist picking up the chopsticks he’d been using to stir the wild vegetable pot and reaching for the crispy, tender fish.

Lin Hexi turned around and knocked his chopsticks away. “You can’t eat that.”

Remembering the gossip he had privately discussed about Lin Hexi earlier, Zhao Du felt a bit guilty and retracted his chopsticks without saying anything.

Sensing what Zhao Du was thinking, Lin Hexi added, “It’s not that you can’t eat it—it’s that you can’t eat it right now.”

Zhao Du cleared his throat and nodded to show he understood.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Yang Juan turned his head in confusion. “Isn’t it already cooked? Why can’t we eat it yet?”

“Because,” Lin Hexi replied with a smile, walking over to You Chong and squatting down beside him, drawing out his words slowly, “I already promised You Chong that he’d get the first piece.”

He looked at You Chong with a cheerful expression. “Right?”

Suppressing the surprise in his eyes, You Chong glanced at him without saying a word. He had assumed Lin Hexi was just speaking casually and hadn’t taken his words seriously.

But unexpectedly, the person in front of him actually meant what he said.

You Chong’s gaze shifted to the nicely grilled fish in the barbecue rack that Lin Hexi was holding.

However, Lin Hexi didn’t hand the chopsticks to him. Instead, he skillfully picked up a piece of fish with his left hand and brought it to You Chong’s lips, his eyes filled with interest as he watched him.

You Chong’s expression paused slightly, and he narrowed his eyes at him. “I have hands of my own.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Hexi shrugged in disappointment, no longer teasing him, and promptly handed over the chopsticks.

You Chong picked up the fish with the chopsticks and tasted it, remaining silent for a moment, though his expression turned somewhat subtle.

Noticing the slight change on You Chong’s face, Lin Hexi curved his lips into a smile. “Is it good?”

Only then did You Chong lift his gaze to look at him, giving a concise evaluation: “Not bad.”

The smile in Lin Hexi’s eyes deepened gradually.

Still feeling unsatisfied, Lin Hexi’s eyes shifted slightly as he said, “I treated you to the fish I grilled. Shouldn’t you reciprocate by treating me to something?”

Predicting that Lin Hexi wouldn’t let it go so easily, You Chong subtly raised his eyebrow and ladled out a bowl of soup from the pot, handing it to him.

Lin Hexi’s gaze slowly moved over You Chong’s face, and he feigned difficulty, lightly furrowing his brow. “But I’m holding something in my right hand, and my left hand hasn’t fully healed. How about,” he hid the faint mischief in his eyes, adding a hint of a barely noticeable smile in his tone, “you feed me?”

You Chong’s expression shifted slightly, but instead of getting angry as he might have in the past, he simply set the bowl of soup down and said coldly, “Drink it if you want, or don’t.”

Lin Hexi grilled two more batches of fish before leaving the rest to the others.

Nearby, other students from the Institute of Technology followed the enticing aroma and came over to grab some grilled fish. They quickly became acquainted with Zhou Xuan and the others, even taking out some canned beer they had secretly brought along to share with them.

By the time they were full and started cleaning up the mess, everyone in the group except Lin Hexi and You Chong had drunk some alcohol.

As night fell, the sound of insects chirping in the grass grew louder, and the overlapping shadows of trees in the forest deepened in color. Although they were still on school grounds, the elective course instructor reminded everyone to stick together and avoid walking alone.

The group turned on their portable lamps and sat in a circle on the open ground in front of the tents, chatting.

Around 10 p.m., the instructor began instructing everyone to go into their tents and sleep. Many of the boys, used to staying up late playing games, found it impossible to fall asleep as early as 9 p.m. So, one of them suggested they go stargazing.

The one who made the suggestion was the same guy who had brought the beer earlier in the evening. Though the canned beer hadn’t gotten them drunk, those who drank were, to some extent, riding a wave of excitement from the alcohol.

Zhou Xuan mocked him, “The sky is completely blocked by the trees in the forest. Where do you plan to go stargazing?”

The guy said, “Isn’t there a shallow marshland nearby? I checked it out this afternoon, and you can see the sky clearly from there.”

His words piqued the interest of many in the group.

Zhou Xuan went to negotiate with the elective course instructor, who agreed to let them go stargazing at the marshland on the condition that he would accompany them to prevent any accidents. The guy who had made the suggestion then rallied others from the camp. Zhou Xuan turned to invite the other three roommates, but only Zhao Du and Chen Xuan eagerly got up to join.

After the stargazers left in a large group, those remaining at the campsite brushed their teeth, washed their faces, and went into their tents to sleep early. Lin Hexi, wide awake, initially thought about chatting with Yang Juan, but upon seeing how the latter was yawning non-stop like a well-behaved child, despite it being only 10 p.m., he dismissed the idea.

In the hot weather, crawling into a sleeping bag felt too stuffy. Lin Hexi placed the uninflated sleeping bag under him as a mat, closed the tent flap, and lay down in the darkness.

He tossed and turned for a long time with his eyes closed. About half an hour later, he sat up with eyes still bright and alert, grabbed his phone, and quietly slipped out of the tent.

The entire campsite had already plunged into darkness and silence, with even the noisy chirping of insects in the forest gradually fading away. Only the silver-white moonlight seeped through the gaps in the overhead foliage, silently drifting across the ground.

Lin Hexi turned on the light on his phone, and used the faint circle of illumination to navigate his way to the woods behind to relieve himself. On the way back, his fingers accidentally brushed against the side buttons of his phone, extinguishing the light.

Instantly, his surroundings were plunged into pitch-black darkness, where even the slightest movement was invisible. He had to stop in his tracks, lowering his head to search for the flashlight icon in the quick settings on his phone.

Before he could find the button to turn the light back on, a faint glow suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision. Lin Hexi froze, holding his phone, and standing still as he slowly turned his head toward the subtle light.

What he saw next was unmistakably clear: a tiny, flickering yellow glow emerging from the dense trees, slowly rising higher and higher, casting a soft, glowing light in the darkness.

At first, there was only one small point of light, but soon more of these yellowish glows began to emerge, drifting closer and further away. They dotted the night like small, shimmering stars, scattered in the air, forming a delicate, flowing river of light.

Lin Hexi gradually snapped out of his reverie and reached both hands into the air, making a gentle cupping motion. When he opened his hands again, a round, beautiful, glowing yellow dot rested in his palm.

He closed his hands together again and carefully made his way out of the forest in the dark.

The campsite remained silent and still; and the stargazers had yet to return. Lin Hexi bent down and slipped back into his tent, softly calling out Yang Juan’s name.

Yang Juan must have already fallen into a deep sleep. Hearing Lin Hexi’s voice, he merely turned over to face the other side, his breathing steady and slow, showing no signs of waking up.

Feeling a bit disappointed, Lin Hexi sat quietly for a moment before quickly remembering that You Chong was sleeping in the tent next door. He decided to go look for him instead.

It seemed that the flap of the neighboring tent had been left slightly open, likely to allow Zhou Xuan to get in later. Lin Hexi lifted the flap higher and, under the faint moonlight, saw You Chong lying on his side inside the tent.

Lin Hexi’s lips curved slightly as he bent down, removed his shoes, and entered the tent, kneeling in the darkness. He softly called You Chong’s name.

You Chong was a light sleeper and quickly woke up.

Recognizing Lin Hexi’s voice by his ear, any remaining drowsiness vanished instantly. He furrowed his brows and sat up, asking irritably, “What do you want?”

Lin Hexi remained silent.

Growing more impatient, You Chong reached to lift the tent flap to push him out.

But Lin Hexi scooted closer to him. In his haste, he accidentally ended up sitting between You Chong’s legs but didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead, he swiftly knocked away You Chong’s hand that was reaching for the tent flap.

The sudden, close contact in the confined space caused You Chong’s voice to drop, and laced with a sudden intensity: “Get off me.”

Lin Hexi didn’t move. Instead, he slowly opened his gently cupped hands.

And, a beautiful, tiny yellow glow began to rise from his palms.

As if he was afraid of startling the firefly, You Chong heard Lin Hexi’s voice, low and soft, wrapped in pure amusement. It carried a mix of admiration and anticipation as it echoed at just the right distance near his ear: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”