By the time Lin Murun looked up, the sky was already pitch black. He rubbed his aching shoulders and closed his laptop.
After spending the entire day in an air-conditioned room, his fingertips felt slightly chilled. He stood up, intending to head to the living room to find something to eat.
His phone, which had been on silent, lit up. He picked it up and saw a call from Lin Qingqing.
"Hello, Qingqing," Lin Murun said as he answered.
"Good heavens, I finally got through to you!" Lin Qingqing said crossly. "We agreed to go see a movie at nine. Where are you?"
Lin Murun started. He had checked the time right before closing his computer; it was already a quarter past nine.
Receiving no answer, Lin Qingqing sighed and fired off a series of questions like a Gatling gun. "You forgot the time because of your thesis again, didn't you? You definitely haven't eaten dinner, right? Now that Si Bin is abroad, you’ve really started letting yourself go, haven't you?"
"I'm sorry, I'm coming right now," Lin Murun said as he turned off the air conditioner and the living room lights, hurriedly changing his shoes and heading out the door.
Fortunately, the residential complex where Lin Murun lived wasn't far from the commercial street. After crossing the road, he spotted Lin Qingqing and Yu Qianyi standing by the cinema entrance from a distance.
"Quick, quick, quick!" Seeing him arrive, Lin Qingqing shoved a bag of fried chicken and fries into his arms and said hurriedly, "Zhou Xuan and Li Menglai went to get the tickets. The movie is about to start."
The group had their tickets checked and, taking advantage of the trailers playing at the start, hunched over and felt their way to their seats.
Lin Murun had been so busy with his thesis these past few days that the movie had slipped his mind. It wasn't until he sat down in the theater that he realized he didn't even know what they were watching.
He pulled out his ticket and, by the faint light from the silver screen, made out the title.
It was a recently released romance film with a decent reputation. Lin Murun had seen advertisements for it on the large screens at the mall.
"Eat something," Lin Qingqing whispered to him. "You must be starving after writing that thesis for so long."
Lin Murun nodded. He put on disposable gloves and pulled a packet of fries from the takeout bag.
Having stayed up late for several nights in a row, sitting in the dark environment made him feel drowsy. He let out a silent yawn, squinted his eyes, and leaned back against the seat. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when, in a half-dreaming state, he felt someone kicking the back of his seat. He slowly woke up to find the male and female leads walking hand-in-hand through a city street illuminated by dim lights.
"Miss Feng, may I kiss you?" The male lead on the screen turned his head, his bright eyes filled with a moving, tender smile.
A fit of giggles came from behind him. Lin Murun turned around and saw the culprit kicking his chair—a little girl who looked to be in kindergarten.
At an age where she only half-understood things, the little girl covered her eyes during the kiss scene but couldn't help peeking through the gaps in her fingers.
"Mama, can I kiss Yangyang too?" the little girl turned and asked the young mother beside her in a crisp voice.
"Shh—no, keep your voice down!" the girl's mother hissed. Noticing Lin Murun's gaze, she reached out to steady her daughter's restless legs and whispered to him, "I'm so sorry, she doesn't know any better."
Lin Murun smiled and replied politely, "It's alright."
It was nearly eleven o'clock when the movie ended.
As the group walked out of the cinema, they found the streets even livelier than usual.
Twinkling fairy lights were everywhere, and shops were plastered with various Qixi-themed posters.
"Oh man! Such a good movie, and you actually slept through it," Yu Qianyi lamented while sipping her drink. "No wonder law students always call themselves 'law dogs.' You were busy enough during undergrad, but now that you're in grad school, even your summer break is swallowed up by studying."
"Is Lin Murun preparing for the judicial exam?" Li Menglai asked, turning around after hearing Yu Qianyi's comment.
"No, I've already passed the exam. I'm working on my thesis now," Lin Murun replied. Just as he finished speaking, the phone in his jeans pocket vibrated. He said, "Excuse me," pulled out his phone, and pressed the answer button.
"Runrun, are you not at home?" Si Bin's voice came from the other end.
Lin Murun answered, "No, I just finished watching a movie with friends." After saying this, he realized something was off. "Wait... how do you know I'm not home?"
Si Bin chuckled softly. "I just got home."
Lin Murun was stunned. "Aren't you in Country Y?"
"Today is Qixi. Even the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can meet on the Magpie Bridge, so I asked my professor for two days off. I wanted to come back and see you."
Si Bin's words made Lin Murun's face turn bright red. He cleared his throat and said, "Be serious."
"I am being serious," Si Bin said. "Where are you watching the movie?"
"At the shopping plaza near the house." Lin Murun asked, "Are you coming over?"
"Yes, I'll be there soon. See you in a bit." With that, Si Bin hung up.
As soon as the call ended, Lin Qingqing asked curiously, "Was that Si Bin?"
"Yeah," Lin Murun said. "He's coming over."
"Huh? He's flying back this late?" Yu Qianyi asked, puzzled.
"No." Lin Murun shook his head. "He's already back."
A short while later, Lin Murun spotted Si Bin's figure.
Si Bin was very tall with striking features, making him easy to recognize in a crowd. Across the plaza, Si Bin saw Lin Murun as well. He smiled, waved, and walked over quickly.
"Happy Qixi!" Si Bin produced a rose in full bloom from behind his back and held it out to Lin Murun.
Lin Murun took the beautifully wrapped flower and said with a smile, "Thank you. Happy Qixi."
"Oh my god!" Yu Qianyi grabbed Lin Qingqing and pulled her away. "Let's go, let's go. Leave the floor to the couple so they can do their thing. Single dogs shouldn't be third wheels."
After Zhou Xuan and Li Menglai greeted Si Bin, they followed suit and left.
Lin Murun looked up and noticed the faint bloodshot streaks in Si Bin's eyes.
"The trip must have been exhausting, right?" he asked.
"It was fine, not tiring," Si Bin replied with a smile.
How could it not be tiring? Returning to the country so suddenly, he hadn't even adjusted to the time zone yet. After the long journey, he had barely made it home, and in a few hours, he would have to rush back to Country Y without rest.
Even though he was exhausted, Si Bin was still smiling when he saw Lin Murun.
How could Lin Murun not know the hardship Si Bin had gone through? He sighed softly, took Si Bin's hand, and said, "Let's go. I'll take you to get something to eat first."
"Okay." Si Bin let him lead the way, asking as they walked, "What movie did you guys see?"
"A romance film." Lin Murun told him the title.
Si Bin didn't seem to have heard of it. He nodded after hearing the name and asked, "What was it about?"
"Uh..." Lin Murun wanted to give a plot summary, but realized he had spent the whole time sleeping and couldn't even remember the names of the leads.
"I... I wasn't paying much attention."
He looked up and met Si Bin's amused expression.
Si Bin understood Lin Murun best. Having dated for many years, he naturally knew Lin Murun's preferences. Thus, he spoke warmly, "It's okay. Next time I'll go with you to see a documentary."
"It's not like I didn't notice anything." Lin Murun remembered that memorable little girl sitting in the back row and said, "I remember one line from the movie."
"Which one?" Si Bin asked.
Lin Murun thought for a moment and tentatively mimicked the male lead's tone, reciting the line, "Miss Feng, may I kiss you?"
Si Bin stopped in his tracks and looked at him, laughing.
"Runrun, why do your sweet nothings sound like you're reciting a textbook?"
Lin Murun arched an eyebrow. "Then how should I say it?"
Si Bin took a step forward and leaned down slightly, his dark eyes filled with intense tenderness.
They were so close that Lin Murun could smell the familiar scent of Si Bin's cologne.
"Runrun," Si Bin's low, magnetic voice sounded in Lin Murun's ear.
"Hmm?" Lin Murun looked up.
"May I kiss you?"
As soon as the words left his lips, a kiss as light as a dragonfly skimming the water landed on the corner of Lin Murun's mouth.
"I love you," Si Bin whispered.
The musical fountain in the plaza sprayed a cool mist, and the festive lights in the distance looked like starlight fallen to earth. Lin Murun gazed at Si Bin's face for a long time before softly replying, "I love you too."
***
