Chapter 59: Driving to See the Sea

The two of them left the school clinic and went straight to the university town to have dinner.

On the way, You Chong called Zhou Xuan, saying that something came up unexpectedly and he couldn’t make it to the singing and dinner gathering. To his surprise, Zhou Xuan didn’t press further and just let out a light scoff over the phone, saying, “I knew it.”

You Chong raised his eyebrow in confusion, then hung up the phone.

Lin Hexi took out his phone to check the time. “Isn’t having dinner at five a bit early?”

“If we don’t eat now, there won’t be time later,” You Chong said casually. “Or are you saying you want to have a picnic in the cold wind by the sea?”

Lin Hexi fell silent.

They walked past the bustling food district, where a few students were handing out flyers along the way.

You Chong took one, glanced at it, folded it up, and was about to throw it into a trash can.

After catching a glimpse of a few words, Lin Hexi asked, “What kind of flyer is that?”

You Chong handed the advertisement paper to him.

The flyer wasn’t about any new store opening discounts, nor was it about promotional courses from various training centers. Instead, it was an art competition jointly organized by the art colleges of several nearby universities, with the submission period happening around this time.

Lin Hexi’s gaze drifted down to the submission requirements at the bottom, and he instinctively looked at it for a few more seconds.

Noticing his prolonged stare, You Chong asked nonchalantly, “Are you interested?”

Lin Hexi didn’t answer immediately. He slowly folded the paper in his hand, then tossed it into the trash can past You Chong before finally saying, “No.”

You Chong’s lips curled slightly, and as if suddenly recalling something, he glanced sideways at Lin Hexi. “When will your painting be finished? Will I be able to receive it within this year?”

When he heard the teasing tone in You Chong’s words, Lin Hexi chuckled softly, “I can give it to you tomorrow.”

You Chong thought for a second and took the initiative to remind him, “I don’t have any classes tomorrow afternoon.”

Lin Hexi followed his lead and said, “Then I’ll give it to you tomorrow afternoon.”

After having dinner at a small restaurant by the street, they went back to Chengnan Community to pick up You Chong’s car.

Considering the time spent on the round trip, You Chong didn’t take him to a beach but instead drove to the city’s famous scenic sea dike.

They went straight from the university town onto the ring road highway. In the evening, the highway wasn’t congested. Lin Hexi sat in the passenger seat, resting his face against the window, watching the sunset and evening glow swiftly recede outside.

You Chong reached out and turned on the car radio, switching to the music channel.

A gentle love song that was popular lately flowed softly from the speakers. Upon hearing it, Lin Hexi turned his head, and his gaze unconsciously shifted from the front of the car to You Chong’s side profile as he drove, even momentarily lost in thought.

Then he heard You Chong say, “If there’s no traffic, we should get there before dark.”

Snapped out of his daze by You Chong’s words, Lin Hexi quickly regained his usual composure. He leaned back into the seat, and his expression relaxed as he responded, “Really?”

Half an hour later, they found themselves stuck in traffic on the highway.

A car ahead had changed lanes without signaling and grazed another vehicle while driving, resulting in a minor accident. There were no injuries among the passengers, but the vehicles were stuck in the middle of the road and couldn’t be moved, so they had to wait for the relevant personnel to come and handle the situation.

All the vehicles behind the accident site were forced to come to a halt, and people around them gradually started getting out of their cars. You Chong unfastened his seatbelt, opened the door, and got out to check the situation.

Lin Hexi stayed in the car and took out his phone to play a game.

While he was still waiting for the match to find teammates, the sound of the car door opening and closing reached his ears.

He looked up from his phone and saw You Chong getting back into the car.

You Chong said, “We’ll have to wait another half an hour.”

After hearing this, Lin Hexi raised his phone towards him and asked, “Want to duo queue in the game?”

You Chong picked up his phone from the center console and said, “Sure.”

As they were logging into the game, Lin Hexi noticed You Chong’s equally high rank in the game and asked, “How good are you at playing?”

You Chong glanced at him and chuckled, “No problem carrying you to victory.”

Lin Hexi looked at him skeptically, “Really?”

You Chong remained unfazed, “If you don’t believe me, you can try.”

Taking his words to heart, Lin Hexi stopped focusing on his own character’s growth and buying equipment, and instead, casually followed You Chong’s character around, wandering leisurely in their own jungle.

A teammate from the same team immediately started angrily swearing over voice chat.

You Chong responded via voice chat, “I’m watching him; he won’t get caught.”

The teammate snorted dismissively.

However, ten minutes later, while the other teammates had already given away a few kills, Lin Hexi was still perfectly intact, sticking close behind You Chong’s character.

Noticing the number of kills under You Chong’s name, the previously vocal teammate quickly changed his attitude, humbly trying to flatter You Chong in the game.

You Chong paid him no mind.

The teammate still didn’t want to give up and shifted his attention to Lin Hexi, boldly asking, “Bro, did you bring your girlfriend along to rank up?”

You Chong wasn’t wearing headphones, so the teammate’s words were loud and clear in the car, making both of them pause slightly.

After waiting a couple of seconds without a response, the teammate asked again in confusion, “Bro, I see your girlfriend’s rank isn’t low either. Did you help her get there?”

Becoming more convinced that his assumption was correct, he added admiringly, “Impressive, bro. How about we add each other as friends?”

You Chong, keeping his expression neutral, was about to clarify.

But Lin Hexi beat him to it, speaking up with a hint of displeasure, “I ranked up on my own.”

Upon hearing Lin Hexi’s voice, the teammate’s character suddenly froze on the map.

It seemed that once Lin Hexi spoke, the teammate quickly realized the situation, and You Chong decided against clarifying.

The next second, the teammate’s voice, a mix of 30% respect and 70% apprehension, came through the phone again: “My apologies, I see, so he’s your boyfriend.”

You Chong’s expression stiffened slightly.

Lin Hexi was also at a loss for words.

The teammate quickly spoke again, but this time directed his words at Lin Hexi: “Hey, handsome, ask your hubby to add me as a friend.”

Lin Hexi glanced up at You Chong.

The latter’s expression was a bit dark, and lost in his own thoughts.

Lin Hexi subtly observed him for a moment. After seeing no signs of him getting angry, he felt a playful urge stir. He lowered his head and typed a line in the game—

[Hubby, someone wants to add you as a friend.]

Then he hit send.

In the empty chat channel, Lin Hexi’s words appeared, causing the character clearing minions in the game to freeze in place. You Chong suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed on the person beside him whose lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

Noticing You Chong’s gaze, Lin Hexi also raised his face, calmly and innocently meeting his eyes. “He’s the one who misunderstood our relationship. I didn’t say anything.”

Seeing that Lin Hexi still wore a completely unrepentant expression, You Chong’s face darkened slightly. After locking his phone and tossing it back onto the center console, he leaned over from the driver’s seat, extending his arm to press against the car door on Lin Hexi’s side, trapping him within the small space of his arm. With a half-smile, he said, “Since you dared to type it in the game, why not say it out loud for me now?”

Lin Hexi blinked lightly, the confusion on his face looking anything but fake. “Say what?”

You Chong reached out and patted his face, speaking bluntly, “Don’t play dumb.”

Lin Hexi maintained an exceedingly sincere expression. “I’m not playing dumb.” There was even a faint hint of a smile in his eyes, and his voice carried a slight teasing tone. He strictly adhered to the principle that You Chong shouldn’t be the only one benefiting from this interaction. “You tell me first—what should I call you, and I’ll definitely say it.”

You Chong’s expression turned displeased, his gaze unconsciously drifting to Lin Hexi’s constantly moving lips. “If you keep playing dumb, I’ll—”

Lin Hexi, still smiling without the slightest hint of panic, interrupted him, “What, are you thinking of hitting me?”

You Chong froze, and his words abruptly cut off. He forced himself to pull his gaze away from Lin Hexi’s lips and sat back with a dark expression.

He felt like he might be losing his mind, to the point where he actually wanted to silence Lin Hexi’s chattering mouth with a kiss.

The stalled traffic finally started moving again.

As he snapped out of his thoughts, You Chong started the car and followed the flow.

Lin Hexi lowered his head to look at his phone.

Since they had both been inactive for too long, the game had ended, and the screen had returned to the lobby interface. Thinking back to the line he had typed in the game, he felt a belated warmth spreading across his face.

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat for a moment, and eventually fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes, the world outside the window had plunged into complete darkness. The car was stationary, a slow, unfamiliar song was still playing on the radio, and the driver’s seat beside him was empty.

Lin Hexi sat up straight and looked out the front of the car. Beyond the windshield was the silent and spacious parking and viewing area on the sea dike.

He rolled down the window beside him.

A cool, damp sea breeze, tinged with salt, blew in, and under the night sky, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks reached his ears. The soft hum of a female singer from the radio drifted into the air.

All his emotions settled into a calm and tranquil state.

He pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, turned up the volume of the radio to the maximum, and pushed the car door open to step outside.

The entire viewing area had only their car parked there, facing outward with the rear end toward the dike. The trunk was open.

Lin Hexi walked around from the front of the car to the back and saw You Chong sitting in front of the open trunk, one long leg bent, looking somewhat relaxed. His arm rested casually on his knee, and he was holding a can of already opened beer by the fingertips.

With the sound of the waves crashing against the dike below as his backdrop, Lin Hexi walked over and sat down beside You Chong. In the faint moonlight spilling over the sea, he gazed at the waves rising and falling in the night.

You Chong glanced at him sideways and grabbed a jacket lying next to him, then tossed it over. “A spare jacket from the car; it’s getting a bit cold tonight.”

Lin Hexi didn’t stand on ceremony. He put the jacket on over his hoodie, and felt a slight weight in his arms again.

You Chong had tossed him another can of beer.

Lin Hexi laid the can flat in his palm and pulled open the tab. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

You Chong raised his eyebrows slightly. “You were sleeping soundly.”

Lin Hexi didn’t say anything more and took a sip of his beer.

The cool liquid flowed down his throat, and the faint taste of alcohol spread between his teeth. In the moonlight, the distant tides surged and crashed, while the damp sea breeze brushed gently against his cheeks and nose.

The car radio started to switch songs, with a slow and soulful unfamiliar intro rolling in. The deep, raspy, and magnetic voice of a male singer drifted through the wind.

Lin Hexi tilted his face slightly upwards, closed his eyes, and asked, “What song is this?”

You Chong replied in a low voice, “I don’t know.”

Lin Hexi opened his eyes, forgetting that he was still sitting in front of the trunk. While holding his beer, he stood up abruptly.

You Chong reacted quickly, raising his hand to press against the top of the trunk. Lin Hexi’s head bumped into You Chong’s palm, and the beer in his hand was shaken so hard that it spilled out of the can.

The scent of beer filled the air, lingering around their noses.

Lin Hexi leaned over You Chong, setting the can back on a flat spot inside the trunk. As he straightened up, his head bumped into You Chong’s hand, which hadn’t moved away.

Irritated, Lin Hexi lowered his gaze, only to unexpectedly meet You Chong’s dark eyes, which were filled with a hint of amusement.

Lin Hexi froze on the spot.

You Chong’s hand pressed against the top of Lin Hexi’s head, gently pushing it down.

Lin Hexi, a bit absentminded, followed the pressure and lowered his head slightly, his lips brushing lightly against the cool tip of You Chong’s nose.

He snapped back to his senses and instinctively looked into You Chong’s eyes.

There was no longer any trace of amusement in You Chong’s gaze. His dark pupils were deep and distant, and within them, waves of emotion swirled silently, uncannily familiar, just like—

Just like the tides under the moonlight he had seen.

Mesmerizing and captivating.

Lin Hexi’s eyes lowered slightly, and his back arching just a bit. His hands unconsciously climbed onto You Chong’s shoulders, as if bewitched by the song in the wind and the scent of beer. He leaned down, moving closer to You Chong’s lips.

You Chong didn’t move.

Lin Hexi’s lips drew nearer and nearer.

The gusting sea breeze beside them suddenly stilled, and the song’s final notes gradually descended from their peak. The beer’s aroma at the tip of his nose had faded to almost nothing.

Lin Hexi’s hands tightened slightly on You Chong’s shoulders, and his rationality slowly returning.

He turned his head, narrowly missing You Chong’s lips, and attempted to back away from him.

You Chong’s palm pressed firmly against the back of Lin Hexi’s head, with an air of undeniable insistence.

Lin Hexi stared at him dazedly.

You Chong’s eyes were dark and inscrutable, revealing nothing, but the hand on the back of Lin Hexi’s head gave a gentle tug.

The hood of Lin Hexi’s sweatshirt fell from the side of his face. You Chong sat in front of the trunk, one hand holding the can of beer, while the other pulled Lin Hexi’s face down, tilting his head up to kiss him.

Many years later, Lin Hexi still remembered it clearly.

That night, the sound of the waves under the moonlight was loud, and the warmth in You Chong’s palm was intense.

The kiss carried the taste of sea breeze and beer.

Meanwhile, the raspy-voiced male singer on the radio sang, “Some people are in love, some drive to the sea at night.”