Chapter 136

The destination was half an hour’s drive from the high-speed rail station, but due to traffic, it took an hour to finally reach the dormitory prepared by the training school.

The students got off the bus, pushed their luggage, and starting to get to know each other. Mo Yin walked to a corner, lowering his head to avoid eye contact, while Li Xiu quietly walked up to him, and the two of them shared a corner together.

The dormitory assignments had been made in advance, just like at their school, with four people per room. Mo Yin was assigned with two others from his school, along with a talkative, square-faced boy with glasses from another school named Ma Xiwen, who was the only one from his school to make it to the training. He greeted the three of them warmly.

Mo Yin and Li Xiu didn’t react much, but Zhong Jiaming responded enthusiastically.

The four of them went upstairs to their dormitory together. Mo Yin and Li Xiu walked quickly ahead, while Zhong Jiaming and Ma Xiwen lagged behind without realizing it. Ma Xiwen smiled and said to Zhong Jiaming, “You top students from Ke Fu are really numerous and aloof.”

Zhong Jiaming said, “Those two are the real top students, one ranked first and the other second. I just have a strong subject preference.”

“Oh, come on, you can’t call that a subject preference. It’s a specialization,” Ma Xiwen said with a smile. “I’m not that strong in other subjects either, I focus on competitions.”

Zhong Jiaming felt he had finally met someone similar. “Same here.”

The training dormitory had beds on top and desks below. The four quickly chose their spots, with Mo Yin and Li Xiu sleeping on one side, and Zhong Jiaming and Ma Xiwen on the other. There were classes in the evening, and the accompanying teacher sent a notice in the group chat, telling everyone to unpack and rest first, and meet at the cafeteria at 11 for lunch.

Ma Xiwen, who had a lot of experience, told the three, “The cafeteria here is pretty good.”

Zhong Jiaming responded, asking him how he knew that, and the two started chatting enthusiastically.

Mo Yin quietly unpacked his luggage and walked out of the dormitory, with Li Xiu following him out.

With the sudden departure of two people, Ma Xiwen was a bit taken aback and said to Zhong Jiaming, “Are they always like this? Just ignoring people?”

Zhong Jiaming smiled, “Pretty much.”

“Damn,” Ma Xiwen said, “They’ve got quite the personalities.”

The two perceived as having quite the personalities were washing their hands at the sink at the back of the dormitory building, where the branches of the trees on either side intertwined, casting dense shadows.

The two sat side by side on the steps, both silently not speaking.

Mo Yin thought Li Xiu would ask him about Zhou Ren, but Li Xiu didn’t ask.

The wind brought the scent of plants. Mo Yin watched an insect scurry quickly across the ground not far away and said, “It’s going to rain.”

Li Xiu’s gaze followed the small creature hurrying home. He asked, “Why don’t you like the rain?”

A long time ago, they had talked about the rain, but hadn’t gone deeper into the conversation.

Mo Yin thought for a moment and calmly said, “Because it stinks. Mo Xuemin often relieved himself wherever he pleased. Our room didn’t get any sunlight, and even after cleaning, there was still a smell. When it rained, it stank even more.”

Li Xiu looked at Mo Yin.

Mo Yin looked back at Li Xiu.

Li Xiu nodded and said, “I understand.”

“And you, why do you like the rain?” Mo Yin asked indifferently, pleased that Li Xiu didn’t look at him with pity.

“When it rains,” Li Xiu said, “the sound of the rain is chaotic, without any pattern. I find it very soothing.”

Mo Yin imagined it, his expression serious, as if recalling the stinky, rainy days he hated, wondering if they held a pleasant melody. Finally, he nodded and admitted, “That is soothing.”

Li Xiu gazed at Mo Yin. The wind picked up, rustling the tree branches.

“When you sat with Zhong Jiaming today, I felt very uncomfortable.”

Mo Yin fidgeted with his fingers and mumbled, “Mm.” After a while, he said, “Zhong Jiaming is noisy, and his music taste isn’t great. Sitting with him made me uncomfortable too.”

Li Xiu smiled, his gaze making Mo Yin feel like he wanted to kiss him.

In the afternoon, it indeed rained. The rain fell heavily and swiftly, hitting the windows with a clattering sound. During the break, Mo Yin and Li Xiu watched the rain from the corridor.

They stood silently for a while. Mo Yin said, “There’s really no pattern.”

“Maybe there is,” Li Xiu said. “We just haven’t found it yet.”

The wind blew against their faces, and the drizzle felt cool. Mo Yin lowered his head and sniffed at the water pooling on the tiles, as if he could still smell the stench.

On the first day of the training camp, after one class, the teacher arranged a baseline assessment. The questions were challenging, and Mo Yin found them difficult, but he wasn’t too anxious; he had confidence in himself.

In the evening at the cafeteria, the training camp teacher organized a dinner for everyone. Mo Yin didn’t understand why a training team needed to perform shows, but luckily it was voluntary. Otherwise, he might have really turned around and left.

By the time the second person went on stage to perform a fast talk show, Mo Yin couldn’t take it anymore. He quietly lifted his butt off the seat and began to slide out from the edge of the bench. Luckily, he had the foresight to choose a seat closest to the side door when the teacher said, “Stay for a while, everyone.” Li Xiu benefited from this, sitting next to him. As Mo Yin edged out, Li Xiu’s arm kept brushing against him.

The two of them, moving at a snail’s pace, finally reached their destination and then slipped out through the side door, almost unnoticed. Zhong Jiaming saw them leaving, watched for a while, then slowly turned back to watch the second performance.

Mo Yin and Li Xiu walked out of the cafeteria.

The rain hadn’t stopped yet. Li Xiu had an umbrella, but Mo Yin didn’t have one in his luggage. They walked under Li Xiu’s umbrella to the training camp dormitory. The dormitory was a bit far from the main school building, and there were hardly any people around. Mo Yin, with his hands in his pockets, walked closely next to Li Xiu. Suddenly, Li Xiu put his arm around Mo Yin’s shoulder, pulling them even closer. Mo Yin looked up at Li Xiu, whose clear and strong jawline made him feel very safe.

Back at the dormitory, Mo Yin still had his hands in his pockets. His shoulder was a bit wet from the rain. Li Xiu was shaking off the water from his umbrella when Mo Yin turned and gently kissed his cheek.

The sound of the rain separating from the umbrella suddenly stopped. Li Xiu turned to look at Mo Yin, whose expression was normal. His hair, untrimmed for a long time, was messy, with some strands covering his eyes and others dangling over his brows, just as irregular as the sound of the rain.

Li Xiu kissed Mo Yin, his arm around Mo Yin’s shoulder, just as it had been in the rain. Mo Yin’s shoulder was wet, and the warmth of his skin seeped through the damp clothes. Li Xiu kissed his upper lip, then his lower lip, lightly probing with his tongue. Mo Yin stroked his back, his palm pressing against Li Xiu’s bones.

The dormitory wasn’t a private space; Zhong Jiaming and Ma Xiwen could return at any moment, so they quickly stopped kissing.

Li Xiu held Mo Yin, and Mo Yin held him back, inhaling his scent and realizing that rainwater on a person didn’t smell bad.

There were no evening classes on the first night, so everyone studied in the dormitory. Ma Xiwen and Zhong Jiaming were different from Mo Yin’s previous dorm mates; they were very quiet while studying, and there were no conflicts.

Life at the training camp was simple and monotonous, which suited Mo Yin well. As long as it was stable and peaceful, he felt comfortable. The only difference was that he and Li Xiu hardly had any time alone together. From morning to night, everything was done collectively—studying, resting, always with a group. Ma Xiwen was very proactive. After dinner, when Mo Yin and Li Xiu returned to the dormitory from the cafeteria, Ma Xiwen would drag Zhong Jiaming along, saying, “Hurry up, let’s keep up with the top students, stop eating and get back to studying.”

It wasn’t a big deal, and there was no need to be alone with Li Xiu. But strangely, Mo Yin did feel uncomfortable.

It was like sitting with Zhong Jiaming or Li Xiu; the seat was the same, the scenery was the same, but something felt off.

In the morning, as they brushed past each other in the bathroom, Mo Yin smelled the fragrance on Li Xiu. Facing the mirror in the bathroom, his reflection showed the usual expressionless face.

He thought: Could it be that I am starting to like him?

He felt particularly calm, as if he had anticipated this.

Like…

Could he actually like someone…

Thinking this, Mo Yin felt a bit surprised, as if he shouldn’t be capable of liking anyone.

Mo Yin calmly thought it over and confirmed that he did indeed like Li Xiu a little. Li Xiu was strange, and he was quite strange too. One strange person liking another strange person seemed perfectly normal.

Yet, for some reason, Mo Yin didn’t have any hopes.

It wasn’t that Li Xiu wouldn’t like him, but Mo Yin felt that two strange people liking each other wouldn’t lead to anything good.

This feeling was exceptionally clear and certain, like a carved-in truth, leaving no room for further contemplation, and it brought a peculiar sense of relief.

On that morning when Mo Yin realized he might like Li Xiu a bit, he lowered his head and continued washing up, quickly dismissing the thought.

The twenty-eight days of the training camp seemed as short as twenty-eight seconds, monotonously repetitive, and entirely consumed by a simple goal, with only one minor interruption.

Li Xiu’s father visited the closed training camp.

At that time, they were in the middle of a practical lab class when Li Xiu was called out.

Li Xiu’s father was dressed in a dark, expensive suit, exuding an air of elegance and wealth from his tie to his shoes. He was accompanied by someone who seemed to be a secretary, carrying a briefcase and looking very respectful.

The father and son spoke at the door. Although their voices were low and the class couldn’t hear what they were saying, the commanding presence of Li Xiu’s father and his evidently critical expression made it clear to everyone that this was likely not a pleasant conversation.

Afterward, Li Xiu’s father left, and Li Xiu stood outside for two minutes before returning to the classroom.

Mo Yin, at the adjacent lab station, glanced at Li Xiu’s profile, sensing that Li Xiu was in a bad mood, similar to how he felt on rainy days.

That evening, Li Xiu took leave from the last class. Mo Yin did not accompany him. When the evening class ended, Mo Yin packed his things and headed out. Ma Xiwen and Zhong Jiaming, now very close, were playfully challenging each other to race back to the dorm, something Mo Yin never found interesting. He held his bag, walked a few steps down the stairs, and then suddenly started running, leaving Ma Xiwen and Zhong Jiaming far behind, reaching the dormitory several minutes ahead of them.

He opened the dormitory door to find Li Xiu lying on the bed. Hearing his heavy breathing, Li Xiu looked up. Seeing Mo Yin, he paused for a few seconds before getting off the bed.

They shared a long-overdue hug and kiss, short and urgent. As the sounds of laughter and approaching footsteps came from outside, Li Xiu hurriedly said, “Mo Yin, I like you.”

Because Li Xiu was a few seconds late in getting off the bed, the door was already opening, leaving Mo Yin no time to respond with, “I kind of like you too.” He could only push Li Xiu away forcefully as Ma Xiwen and Zhong Jiaming entered the dormitory. Mo Yin calmed down and decided it was better not to say anything, so he didn’t.