Chapter 35: Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

In the early autumn night of the wilderness, with the cool evening breeze and the stars twinkling, the young man played the guitar and sang softly while the child gazed at the starry sky.

It was peaceful and relaxing, with an atmosphere of tranquility.

Song Fuzhi took a sip of wine, feeling a bit dreamy.

He had never experienced such a fresh feeling before; this was the new change that Shi Zhang brought into his life.

The previous conversation didn’t continue, but Song Fuzhi remembered.

He turned to look at Shi Zhang and asked, “Why did you learn rock climbing before?”

Shi Zhang put down his drink and said, “Initially, it was because of work. I thought it would be useful when collecting field samples.”

After pondering for a moment, he added, “And at that time, I had a lot of energy and liked sports.”

Song Fuzhi smiled faintly. “It shows.”

This physique couldn’t be developed solely in a gym; Shi Zhang probably loved sports from a young age.

Looking at Shi Zhang, Song Fuzhi asked slowly, “Did marrying me change many aspects of your previous life?”

“I did change some things,” Shi Zhang admitted quickly. “I used to be busy, with many things I wanted to persist in and many goals I wanted to achieve.”

Song Fuzhi pursed his lips slightly. “So, didn’t you give up your previous life because of marriage?”

“I didn’t give up,” Shi Zhang quickly replied. “I opened up a new way of life.”

Tilting his head, Shi Zhang pointed to the Ouyang family.

“Chang An used to play in a band with friends; Ouyang Xi used to love playing games; and after having a daughter, they revolve around her all day. I asked them if they regret it; they said they don’t regret it at all.”

Song Fuzhi gazed at the scene of the little girl tiptoeing to look through the telescope with her parents standing beside her, a warm picture.

.

“Although they lost some things, they gained more. This was their choice.”

Song Fuzhi’s voice became hoarse. “And you, why did you choose me?”

Song Fuzhi laughed at himself and said, “My life is unremarkable.”

“Today, participating in the students’ sports meeting, receiving awards, receiving flowers from you, driving to this paradise-like place, watching you help the little boy with his kite, then having a barbecue, drinking, listening to friends play the guitar, sitting here watching the stars—”

“This has been the most exciting day of my life so far.”

“Professor Shi, am I that boring?” Song Fuzhi asked. “Will you regret it?”

“I won’t regret it. I won’t.”

Shi Zhang’s emotions surged, and his throat felt tight.

He had never heard such a profound confession from Song Fuzhi, and he had never thought that Song Fuzhi could be so lacking in confidence.

“Fuzhi, is there something you want to do?”

Song Fuzhi seemed not to understand his meaning.

Shi Zhang said, “Anything, anything you’ve wanted to do but didn’t dare to… like singing in front of students, taking photos with them, or pursuing dreams that were never realized.”

Song Fuzhi smiled again, a light sigh escaping him. “Dreams…”

It seemed that only elementary school students wrote essays with “dreams” as the topic; high school students wouldn’t touch on such a theme.

High school students would only practice argumentative essays, discuss current affairs, and debate viewpoints, all for the sake of college entrance examination scores.

“Dreams,” now it sounded like something only children were qualified to possess.

Song Fuzhi was too aware of reality: “I’m already in my thirties.”

“What does that matter?” Shi Zhang said. “What I mean is, if you feel your life is mundane, you can make changes anytime, and I’ll support you.”

“Whether it’s boring is a subjective judgment. I don’t think you’re boring.”

Shi Zhang looked at him and said, “In my eyes, you’re good everywhere, cute everywhere; I like everything about you.”

This was an incredibly direct confession, and it left Song Fuzhi momentarily stunned.

Shi Zhang felt like he might be a bit drunk, saying things without thinking.

“Moreover, don’t ask those regretful questions anymore. I won’t regret it.”

Song Fuzhi’s mind was still a bit numb as he asked, “Why?”

“Why else?” Shi Zhang looked at him somewhat helplessly, and his lips, carrying the scent of alcohol, lightly touched Song Fuzhi’s earlobe.

“Because I fell in love with you at first sight.”

…

“Wow, a shooting star!”

Xiaoyu suddenly shouted, her short finger pointing at the sky, “It just passed! Did you see it?”

“What, what!”

“Where, where?”

The one playing the guitar stopped, and those talking about love also stopped. As soon as they heard about a shooting star, everyone rushed outside.

The speed of the shooting star was fast, and they didn’t see this one.

Like a little astronomer, Xiaoyu grabbed her mother’s phone, asking her to look up information. “Did the news say there would be a meteor shower tonight? I don’t remember.”

“The news didn’t say.” Chang An checked for a while.

“Then it might just be a random meteor passing through the atmosphere,” Xiaoyu said. “Let’s wait a bit; maybe there will be more.”

Song Fuzhi couldn’t help but praise, “Xiaoyu knows a lot.”

Ouyang Xi proudly said, “She’s loved reading books about the universe and stars since she was little; she knows more than I do.”

“Little astronomer.”

Song Fuzhi asked, “Does Xiaoyu want to be an astronomer in the future?”

“No, not that.” Xiaoyu shook her head, very seriously saying, “I want to be a fairy in the future.”

The adults laughed heartily. “So, Xiaoyu is checking out her future residence after the expedition!”

Song Fuzhi also laughed.

Suddenly, Shi Zhang hugged Song Fuzhi’s arm, his breath short and excited. “Look.”

Above the vast sky, a faint blue streak appeared, gracefully sliding across the night sky from the upper left corner to the lower right corner.

Real shooting stars weren’t as dazzling as depicted in animations; they were more like fleeting, silver tears.

“Ah, I saw it—a shooting star!”

“Wow!”

Although it was brief, Song Fuzhi saw it very clearly. The trajectory of the shooting star resembled the arc of a rainbow.

The real experience made him feel a tingling sensation throughout his body; the grandeur brought by the universe was too overwhelming.

Subconsciously, Song Fuzhi tightened his grip on Shi Zhang’s hand, the intensity showing his inner excitement.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a shooting star.”

Shi Zhang said softly, “I once saw the Milky Way and shooting stars by the Namtso Lake, but it wasn’t as beautiful as today.”

Xiaoyu tugged at her dad’s clothes and said, “Quick, make a wish, make a wish!”

Song Fuzhi asked Shi Zhang, “Professor, do you have any wishes?”

Shi Zhang said, “Everything that should be realized has already been realized.”

“I’ll give you my wish quota; you can make two wishes,” Shi Zhang said.

“So many wishes.” Song Fuzhi smiled.

Song Fuzhi hadn’t been fond of the whole wishing tradition for a long time. In his memory, he didn’t even make many wishes on his birthdays as a child.

Because he knew that everything depended on people, not on the cake, and certainly not on a burning stone flying through the Earth’s atmosphere.

But if it were today, he was indeed willing to have some expectations.

He hoped this moment would last forever, and he hoped the person he loved would always be happy.

He was a bit cheesy and a bit mundane, but he still made such a wish.

Song Fuzhi thought that all the mediocrity of the first half of his life had been compensated for today.

If there weren’t underage kids present, Song Fuzhi really wanted to kiss Shi Zhang passionately under the shooting stars.

The shooting star brought joy to the campers for a long time.

The little girl was always excited. Chang An and she discussed, “Shall we go for a bath? Get some rest early?”

Because the facilities were not yet complete, the public bathing area was quite far from the camping area, and the conditions were relatively simple.

Chang An took Xiaoyu for a bath first, and when he came back, he said there were many people in line, and the number of booths was not enough. It would be better to go quickly.

For the sake of the ladies, Song Fuzhi called out, “Zhong Ziyan, would you like to go first?”

Zhong Ziyan was sitting next to them, peeling an apple without lifting her head, and said, “It’s fine; you and Professor Shi can go first!”

“Then we’ll go first.”

Shi Zhang didn’t bother with pleasantries, and after packing their change of clothes, he and Song Fuzhi set off.

The washing area required climbing a section of the mountain, and it was quite dark at night. The two of them walked uphill with flashlights in hand.

As expected, there were already quite a few people in line, and the queue for the female bathhouse was even longer.

Male students took showers quickly, so the waiting time wasn’t too long.

There were only three shower booths in total. Song Fuzhi teased, “No baths today. Professor, endure it for now.”

Shi Zhang said, “Sure, I’ll take a bath every day when we get back to make up for it.”

The guy in front opened the booth door, boldly walked out in beach shorts from the mist-filled compartment, exposing his beer belly, and shouted, “Next brother, it’s your turn to shower!”

Shi Zhang stood in front, and Song Fuzhi pushed Shi Zhang forward, saying, “Brother, it’s your turn.”

The order wasn’t a big deal. Shi Zhang went in first, and Song Fuzhi waited for him outside, holding their clothes and towels.

The facilities were simple, with the booth doors being thin wooden boards. The sounds inside were clearly audible from the outside.

There was a rustling sound inside, probably Shi Zhang undressing.

Without needing to see it firsthand, one could imagine the seductive scene.

“Teacher Song.”

Suddenly, a voice came from inside.

Song Fuzhi took a deep breath. “Yes?”

“Could you please take my dirty clothes out? It’s too cramped in here, and there’s nowhere to hang them.”

“Sure.”

“Then I’ll open the door to hand them to you.”

The wooden door was pushed open by a crack, and Song Fuzhi moved over to block it. Shi Zhang reached out from inside and handed out the clothes.

The door was pushed open a bit more, and in just a second, Song Fuzhi saw Shi Zhang’s unobstructed, full chest.

Taking off the clothes, Song Fuzhi felt the warmth of the man’s body still lingering on them.

Suddenly, he felt the temperature in the shower area was too high.

“I’ll be done soon,” Shi Zhang said, closing the door.

The sound of water inside was clearly audible from outside.

Back in university, waiting for others outside the shower was annoying and urgent. Why wasn’t the person in front coming out yet?

This was the first time, just a door away, and Song Fuzhi unexpectedly found himself captivated.

It wasn’t hard to imagine how the water flowed over the man’s chin and shoulders and how the back would reveal the same muscles as when rock climbing.

But his brows and eyes were so refined, with thin eyelids and pale lips.

Adding to that were the words he had said:

He said he would never regret it; he said it was love at first sight.

Leaning against the door, Song Fuzhi’s knuckles protruded with suppressed excitement.

The sound of water finally stopped, and in an instant, everything fell silent, with only the thunderous beating of his own heart in his ears.

“I’m done showering,” Shi Zhang said.

“Oh,” Song Fuzhi responded shortly.

Shi Zhang hesitated inside. “What’s wrong with you?”

Song Fuzhi calmly said, “Are you okay now?”

Shi Zhang: “Put on some clothes, quickly.”

The booth door was pushed open again, and the white mist surged out, blurring the view.

Song Fuzhi didn’t care about the people waiting behind him; he directly pushed Shi Zhang back into the compartment, reversed the door, and slammed it shut with a bang.

Without giving anyone time to react, Song Fuzhi pressed Shi Zhang against the door, directly kissing his lips.

In just a few seconds, the two parted without saying a word. The surroundings were filled with people, and they couldn’t make a sound.

The two silently locked eyes. After a while, it was Shi Zhang who acted first. Holding onto Song Fuzhi’s neck, he pinched it twice, his voice low and hoarse. “What’s the meaning of this, Teacher Song? Why so sudden?”

“Nothing.” Song Fuzhi squinted. “I just wanted to kiss you.”

Shi Zhang raised his lips and asked, “Really?”

Song Fuzhi stuffed the clothes and towels into Shi Zhang’s hands again and pushed him outside.

In a low voice, he said, “Go back first… and join the two sleeping bags.”