After the college entrance examination, during the summer vacation, An Yi tutored Yan Chen all day long.

It wasn’t until then that he learned that Yan Chen’s family background couldn’t be simply summarized with the words “well-off.”

In An Yi’s limited understanding, he thought that someone like Yan Chen, a rich young man, should go to an international school or a more high-end private high school, study for three years, and then directly go abroad to study for a golden future. In any case, they shouldn’t have any intersection.

“Foreign countries are nothing special,” Yan Chen said as he twirled his pen. “I want to go to Jin Hai University, or maybe the nearby School of Finance and Economics.”

The two universities were significantly different in terms of educational resources and reputation. An Yi smiled and said, “You’re so attached to Jin Hai.”

Yan Chen casually drew a “℃” next to the multiple-choice question and said, “I don’t like long-distance relationships.”

“…Are you only thinking about dating?” An Yi forced a smile.

Yan Chen looked at him softly, “And you?”

Not understanding why the topic suddenly turned to him, An Yi asked back, “What about me?”

“Can you accept a long-distance relationship?”

An Yi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, “…I haven’t thought about these things.”

Yan Chen put down his pen and pushed the test paper in front of him, saying, “No need to think about it, just focus on studying.”

20

The weather was too hot, so during the break in tutoring, Yan Chen brought An Yi an ice cream cone. He took off his tank top and shorts, leaving only his swim trunks, and dove into the pool.

An Yi sat on the edge of the pool, with his feet dangling in the water, watching the graceful and agile figure of the young man under the shimmering water, while eating the ice cream cone. As he ate, he became thirstier. When there was only a bit of ice cream left, the sound of splashing water suddenly erupted from below, and Yan Chen emerged from the water, pushing his wet hair back, “Is there any left? Give me a bite.”

An Yi absent-mindedly extended his hand.

Yan Chen took the last bit of sweetness from his hand. An Yi’s mind was in a whirl. For a moment, he forgot to withdraw his hand. In just a second, Yan Chen suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the water.

Unprepared, An Yi was soaked all over.

He was wearing white, and the clothes clung to his body, revealing his skin, especially his chest, which, when touched by the slightly cool water, showed a pink blush. They were both boys, which shouldn’t be a big deal, but An Yi felt guilty. His face flushed with embarrassment and his heart raced. He scrambled to climb ashore.

The splashing water created a commotion in the pool.

Yan Chen watched him calmly. Finally, afraid of annoying him, he went over and grabbed An Yi’s ankle, propping it on his shoulder. An Yi stepped on his shoulder, using the leverage to get back onto the shore.

Yan Chen crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the pool, innocently smiling at him, “Are you afraid of water?”

“..….Not afraid,” An Yi sat on the ground, his legs twisted in an extremely awkward position, his hands pulling the hem of his cotton T-shirt, wishing he could hug his knees tightly, “Hurry up and swim, after swimming, let’s continue with the class.”

Yan Chen leaned in closer, his arm pressed against An Yi’s calf, looking up at him, “Why is your face red?”

An Yi dared not look into his eyes, his face turned to the side, “You must be mistaken.”

He heard Yan Chen chuckle softly, still lingering by the edge of the pool, An Yi quickly glanced at him and asked, “What… are you laughing at?”

“Not laughing,” the sound of water resounded again, this time Yan Chen’s arms were both draped over An Yi’s legs, “Just thinking about something.”

Nervous to the point of almost being unable to breathe, An Yi looked down at their hands and legs pressed together for a long time before finding his voice, “What are you thinking about?”

“Thinking about dating you,” Yan Chen lowered his head and kissed An Yi’s ankle.

An Yi jerked back as if electrified, but Yan Chen grabbed him and held on, with such force that there was even a sign of him pulling him back into the water again. An Yi let out a low cry and pushed off with his foot on Yan Chen’s shoulder, struggling awkwardly to escape from the pool.

21

An Yi didn’t show up for two days in a row.

At night, Yan Chen sent him a message: Are you a rabbit?

An Yi was puzzled and replied with a question mark.

[Yan Chen: Coward, just a touch and you run away.]

[An Yi: … I didn’t run away.]

[Yan Chen: Then why have you been avoiding me these two days?]

[Yan Chen: After half a year of mental preparation, why are you still so shy?]

[An Yi: ? What mental preparation?]

[Yan Chen: Don’t play dumb, use your brain and think about it.]

An Yi thought for a long time, so long that Yan Chen couldn’t sit still and called him. Subconsciously answering, An Yi heard Yan Chen sigh. His chest felt sour and numb, “Um… how old are you?”

“18.”

An Yi’s ears burned, whispering softly, “I’m asking about your age.”

Yan Chen chuckled softly, emphasizing, “I’m talking about my age too.”

An Yi’s head buzzed, and he hung up the phone.

He quickly received a message from Yan Chen: I’ll be 18 in September, is it still considered early dating?

[An Yi: … Not really.]

[Yan Chen: Okay, then I’ll persist for another two months.]

An Yi didn’t ask him what he meant by persisting; many answers were already self-evident.

On the day An Yi went to report at Jin Hai University, his parents and An Ya accompanied him to the airport.

An Ya hugged him tightly and refused to let go, tears streaming down her cheeks. An Yi was also teary-eyed by her affection. This was his first time leaving home for a long journey, and he was reluctant to leave.

“Ge, promise you’ll come back to see me on National Day, okay?”

An Yi wiped her tears, “I’ll bring you lots of delicious food then.”

“Okay,” An Ya sniffled, extending her small hand, “Pinky swear!”

The two of them made a pinky promise, and their parents also came over to hug An Yi, reminding him to take good care of himself while away from home. An Yi nodded, said goodbye, passed the security check, and received a message from Yan Chen as he headed to the boarding gate.

[Yan Chen: Have a safe trip, wait for me.]

An Yi smiled and replied: Okay.

Xichuan and Jin Hai were separated by half the country’s territory, both cities were tourist destinations, and it was difficult to get tickets during the holidays.

“An An, how do you plan to spend the holidays?” This was Xie Nancang speaking, he was two years older than An Yi and was an exchange student at Jin Hai University. The two happened to be in the same club and got along well.

An Yi smiled, “I’m going home, I booked a ticket for October 2nd.” That was the earliest date he could book to return to Xichuan.

“What about you, senior?” An Yi asked.

“I’m going on a trip,” Xie Nancang smiled, “Rarely do we have such a long holiday in China, so of course, I can’t miss this opportunity.”

An Yi looked at him, “I heard you’ve almost traveled all over China, it’s really admirable.”

“Seeing the sights in passing. After graduation, I’ll definitely make time to travel properly.” Xie Nancang walked alongside him towards the cafeteria, “We should go together sometime.”

An Yi was about to say something polite when suddenly, a cold voice came from behind, “I’m afraid there won’t be such an opportunity.”

An Yi shook all over, turning around abruptly, he suddenly saw the handsome face appearing in front of him and froze.

Yan Chen reached out and pressed down on the top of his head, scoffing lightly, “Why are you still so clueless?”

With that, his hand slid to the back of An Yi’s head, and with a slight force, An Yi walked forward into his embrace.

An Yi’s eyes were full of surprise, “How did you come here? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Yan Chen didn’t care at all, “Skipped a day.” He buried his head into An Yi’s neck and gently brushed his cheek against it, while his dark eyes stared at Xie Nancang who was a couple of steps away.

Xie Nancang raised an eyebrow, asking, “An An, who is this?”

An Yi suddenly remembered that they were still at school. He pushed Yan Chen away slightly and turned to introduce him to Xie Nancang, “This is my… friend, Yan Chen.”

“Hello,” Xie Nancang reached out his hand, politely, “I’m An An’s senior, Xie Nancang.”

Yan Chen shook his hand, equally polite, “An An’s time is mine now, sorry, senior, let’s reschedule another day.”

Xie Nancang nodded approvingly, “Let’s reschedule another day, I wish you both a good time.”

After bidding farewell to Xie Nancang, Yan Chen didn’t say a word and just grabbed An Yi’s hand, pulling him to the side.

An Yi’s heart was pounding hard, completely unsure of what to say at this moment. He obediently let Yan Chen lead him, and the two of them twisted and turned until they reached a small grove next to the water room, where there was no one around.

Yan Chen led him to a sturdy poplar tree, and with his back against the trunk, after a brief eye contact, An Yi said, “Why were you so closed off during yesterday’s video call?”

“Was afraid of scaring you away,” Yan Chen said.

An Yi’s hand was behind him, picking at the bark of the tree, and he said in a low voice, “Where could I possibly go… I won’t run away.”

“Really?” Yan Chen stepped closer, looking down at him.

An Yi nodded, his heartbeat almost drowning out his own voice, “Really.”

“Then let me ask you,” Yan Chen held An Yi’s chin with one hand, slightly forcing him to lift his head, and their eyes met again, both sensing a hint of nervousness and anticipation in each other’s eyes, “Will you be my boyfriend?”

With a soft crackle, An Yi directly peeled off a small piece of bark.

Yan Chen’s fingertip rubbed against his lips, “When you introduce me to others in the future, can you give me the status of a boyfriend?”

An Yi’s throat rolled, his voice hoarse, “But… didn’t you say you don’t like long-distance relationships?”

“Yeah, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Yan Chen stepped even closer, standing between An Yi’s legs, “I’m willing to compromise for someone I like.”

An Yi’s breath stopped for a second.

He saw Yan Chen slowly approaching, under the dense eyelashes were a pair of deep and captivating eyes. He quietly grabbed onto the bark again, waiting silently for Yan Chen’s next move.

But Yan Chen stopped, their lips were only inches away from each other, their breaths entwined, unable to distinguish whose breath was first to become erratic.

An Yi looked into Yan Chen’s eyes again, silently questioning why he stopped.

Yan Chen hoarsely said, “I’m still waiting for your answer.”

“…” An Yi’s heart pounded like a drum. After a while, he whispered softly, “I like you too.”

Yan Chen leaned his forehead against his, their noses touching, “Then will you be my boyfriend?”

An Yi slowly closed his eyes, softly murmuring, “Mm-hmm,” and the next moment, he felt soft lips pressing against his, inexperienced yet determined, holding onto his lips.

That day, the unfortunate poplar tree had a large piece of bark peeled off.

^[1]Author’s Note: The School extras ends here. This “Half-day Tide” will be written again after some time. Those who are interested can go to the author’s column to … Continue reading