Extra 2

Xu Lin woke up feeling hot.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ji Jinxuan’s chin. Above that, his peaceful sleeping face. Dark hair fell across his forehead, softening his features, making him look remarkably gentle.

He was completely wrapped in Ji Jinxuan’s arms, held so tightly that there was no space between them. Xu Lin’s nose was filled with the scent of Ji Jinxuan. The warmth radiating from his body seeped through the thin layer of clothes and onto Xu Lin’s skin.

Xu Lin stared at Ji Jinxuan. He blinked. Then blinked again.

His limbs were trapped in Ji Jinxuan’s embrace. Any movement would wake the sleeping man. So he stayed still.

For a few minutes, he just watched. Then, at the time Ji Jinxuan usually woke, his eyes opened without warning and met Xu Lin’s.

Ji Jinxuan’s gaze slowly focused on Xu Lin’s face, so close to his own. They looked at each other for a long moment. Realizing this was no longer a dream, Ji Jinxuan smiled. “Good morning.”

Xu Lin cleared his throat and returned the greeting. He sat up.

The bedding on the floor was wrinkled.

Xu Lin remembered sleeping on the bed last night. Ji Jinxuan had held his hand, leaning by the bedside, talking softly until Xu Lin had drifted off.

When had he ended up on the floor?

They both got up. Ji Jinxuan was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. They weren’t dirty, just creased from sleep. He stood there quietly, trying to smooth out the wrinkles.

Xu Lin asked, “Did you bring a change of clothes?”

Ji Jinxuan shook his head.

Xu Lin’s clothes were smaller, so they wouldn’t fit Ji Jinxuan. Seeing how bothered he was by the creases, Xu Lin said, “We’ll go buy something later.” Then he added, “Everything in District Thirteen is cheap.” It was a warning, in case Ji Jinxuan had standards.

But Ji Jinxuan just nodded, looking almost pleased. “Okay.”

When they came out of the room, breakfast was already on the table. Pu Sha was drinking millet porridge. He glanced at them, quickly looked away, and gestured to the chairs. “Sit down. Eat.”

The three of them ate in quiet. Shortly after, Ji Hongyun came out of Pu Sha’s room. His hair was a mess, and he was yawning. Ignoring both Xu Lin and Ji Jinxuan, he walked over and planted a loud kiss on Pu Sha’s cheek.

Pu Sha pushed him away, his ears reddening. Ji Hongyun just laughed and sat down beside him to eat.

Ji Jinxuan had only a small bowl of porridge. He drank it all, set down his chopsticks, and silently watched Xu Lin eat.

“Full?” Xu Lin asked.

Ji Jinxuan nodded.

Xu Lin finished his soy milk in a few gulps and said to Pu Sha, “Teacher, we’re going out. Don’t wait for us for lunch.”

“Alright.”

Xu Lin took Ji Jinxuan to a market in District Thirteen. During New Year, the market was bustling with people, food, and all kinds of goods. Xu Lin used to love coming here as a kid, but he hadn’t been in years.

At the entrance, looking at the sea of people, Xu Lin glanced at Ji Jinxuan. His expression was unchanged. Xu Lin asked, “Is this okay? It’s crowded.”

Ji Jinxuan didn’t seem like the type to enjoy crowded places. But he nodded. “Yes.”

Xu Lin was tall, and Ji Jinxuan was even taller. They stood out in the crowd. Ji Jinxuan’s clothes clearly marked him as an outsider, and people kept sneaking glances at them.

Ji Jinxuan stayed close behind Xu Lin, looking around with curiosity. Xu Lin led him to a clothing stall and picked out a sweater and a jacket for him. Just as he was about to pay, Ji Jinxuan handed over his black card.

The stall owner hesitated, looking suspiciously at the serious-faced customer.

Xu Lin quickly took the card from Ji Jinxuan and handed the owner some cash. After collecting the change, he pulled Ji Jinxuan away.

Ji Jinxuan carried the new clothes and asked, “Did I do something wrong?” The stall owner had looked at him like he was an idiot.

Xu Lin pressed his lips together, holding back a laugh. “No.”

There was still time, so they headed toward the center of the market. There were some simple play areas there, full of children running around. A boy with an ice cream was chasing his friend and bumped into Ji Jinxuan, leaving a sticky mess on his clothes.

“Sorry, sorry!” The kids ran off before anyone could respond.

Ji Jinxuan looked down at his stained clothes. Xu Lin said, “Go change.”

Ten minutes later, Ji Jinxuan came out of a temporary changing booth wearing the new clothes Xu Lin had bought. They looked cheap, but on him, they seemed instantly more expensive.

He walked over to Xu Lin and stopped. He noticed that the jacket he was wearing was identical to Xu Lin’s.

“I always buy clothes here,” Xu Lin said, adjusting Ji Jinxuan’s collar. “Is it comfortable?”

Ji Jinxuan couldn’t hide his smile. “I love it.”

Xu Lin turned and walked off. “Good. Let’s go.”

Ji Jinxuan caught up and walked beside him. “I really love it,” he said again.

“Okay.”

“Especially.”

“Alright.”

Ji Jinxuan leaned down slightly. “Can we hold hands?”

Xu Lin didn’t respond.

Ji Jinxuan’s smile faltered. “It’s fine,” he said quietly, his voice fading. “If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

He looked down, disappointed. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move.

Xu Lin was walking ahead, not looking back, but one hand was extended behind him, hovering in the air.

Ji Jinxuan’s face lit up. He took the hand immediately, holding it tightly.

They walked the rest of the way hand in hand.

For lunch, they found a small eatery and had two bowls of wontons. Ji Jinxuan finished every last one.

After eating, they sat on a bench by the roadside to rest. A parade was coming, and many people were waiting.

Xu Lin said, “I want something sweet.”

“I’ll get you something. What do you want?”

Xu Lin was too full to move. He pointed at an ice cream cart across the street. “That.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Before Ji Jinxuan could go, Xu Lin called him back and handed him some change. “Don’t use your card. They won’t take it here.”

Ji Jinxuan walked over to the cart. Xu Lin watched him from a distance, saw him talking seriously with the vendor, picking out flavors. A slow smile spread across Xu Lin’s face.

Ji Jinxuan hadn’t complained about the cheap clothes, hadn’t looked down on this worn-out market. He’d held Xu Lin’s hand and wandered with him.

All the things he’d held onto for so long—letting them go didn’t seem so bad after all.

Maybe… with Ji Jinxuan, it could be… okay.

The parade started before Ji Jinxuan returned. A crowd of people streamed through the street, filled with balloons and ribbons. The noise was overwhelming. Xu Lin couldn’t see Ji Jinxuan anymore.

He stayed on the bench, waiting. The parade would last at least ten minutes.

Then he heard a child crying. A little girl with a cotton candy was wailing for her mother, clearly separated from her family. She was only four or five years old. When she tried to run into the crowd, Xu Lin scooped her up. “Don’t be scared. I’ll help you find your mom.”

He held her and waited, but she kept pointing in random directions, saying her mother was there. She was too young to give a real direction. “Let’s find a policeman,” he said.

There were police officers stationed in the market. After searching for a while, Xu Lin found one behind a barricade and handed the girl over.

It took him about twenty minutes to get back.

He wasn’t worried about Ji Jinxuan—he was an adult.

But when Xu Lin returned to the bench, Ji Jinxuan was still standing there alone. His head was down. In his hand was an ice cream, melting and dripping down his fingers. He seemed not to notice.

The parade was over. The ground was littered with trampled ribbons, and the noise had faded into an empty silence.

It was the kind of quiet that comes after a crowd disperses, leaving only loneliness behind. And Ji Jinxuan was standing there, utterly alone.

Xu Lin had spoken too soon. Ji Jinxuan didn’t need him to worry. But standing there like that, he looked as if he was the only person left in the world.

“Ji Jinxuan.”

Xu Lin called out.

His voice wasn’t loud, but Ji Jinxuan looked up immediately, his gaze finding him. Xu Lin saw that his eyes were red.

He walked over, threw the melted ice cream in the trash, and took out a wet wipe. He took Ji Jinxuan’s hand and cleaned it, finger by finger.

When he looked up, Ji Jinxuan was staring at him without blinking.

“What?” Xu Lin asked.

Ji Jinxuan’s voice was barely a whisper. “I thought…”

Thought what? That Xu Lin had left him. That he’d been abandoned. That everything had gone back to how it was before.

Xu Lin explained quietly, “A little girl got separated from her family. I took her to the police. The parade was long, so I couldn’t tell you first.”

“I’m sorry,” Ji Jinxuan murmured. “The ice cream melted.”

“It’s okay.”

“But you wanted it.”

Xu Lin said, “Then let’s get another one.”

Ji Jinxuan was stunned.

Xu Lin took his hand and pulled him toward the ice cream cart. “We’ll get it together.”

He felt Ji Jinxuan’s grip tighten around his hand. He didn’t look down, didn’t look at Ji Jinxuan.

“Xu Lin.”

“What?”

“Can we always do this together?” Ji Jinxuan asked. “Spend New Year’s together, shop together, eat together, get ice cream together…”

Together. In the future.

Xu Lin held Ji Jinxuan’s hand tighter, their warmth blending.

“Yeah,” he said. “Together.”

“Always together.”