Today was destined to be an extraordinary day. H City had welcomed its first snow of the winter, the library of No. 1 Middle School had experienced a brief moment of darkness, and Lin Murun had gained a boyfriend in Si Bin.
By the time the two walked out of the library into the snow, the fine ice crystals had turned into large snowflakes. They fell in a white, swirling haze, clustering around the glow of the streetlights as they descended.
"Are you cold?" Si Bin habitually tilted the umbrella toward Lin Murun’s side.
Lin Murun buried half of his face in his scarf and said in a muffled voice, "A little."
Hearing this, Si Bin reached out with his left hand and took hold of Lin Murun’s chilly fingertips. "We’ll be at the dorms soon. Take a hot shower once you’re back."
"Okay," Lin Murun nodded. "You too."
The snow fell onto the umbrella with a soft, rustling sound. When they reached the entrance of the dormitory building, Si Bin let go of Lin Murun’s hand and said, "Go on in."
Lin Murun stood under the corridor's overhang but didn't leave immediately. He looked up at Si Bin and asked, "When are we going to buy the medicine for Xiao Bai?"
"Tomorrow after evening self-study," Si Bin said, reaching out to tidy the bangs that had been ruffled by the wind. "There's no rush."
Si Bin’s movements were very gentle. His warm fingertips occasionally brushed against the skin of Lin Murun’s forehead. That warmth seemed to seep into his skin, and from his forehead down to his cheeks, Lin Murun began to feel a faint heat.
"Mhm." He nodded, his face flushing.
"It’s too cold today. Don't stay up late; get some sleep early." Si Bin’s sharp eyes noticed that the tips of Lin Murun’s ears had already begun to turn red. He withdrew his hand with a smile and said softly, "I’m heading off. See you tomorrow morning."
"See you tomorrow morning," Lin Murun answered in a small voice.
Si Bin turned around, holding his umbrella as he stepped into the snow.
"Si Bin," Lin Murun called out to him. "The roads are slippery in the snow. Be careful."
"I will." Si Bin’s dark eyes shimmered with flecks of light. Standing in the snow, he told Lin Murun, "I’m going now."
After walking a short distance, he looked back at the dormitory building and found that Lin Murun was still standing there, having not moved an inch.
In the snowy night, the lights in the corridor seemed exceptionally gentle. The slender, handsome youth stood in the hallway, gazing at Si Bin from afar.
Lin Murun kept his eyes on Si Bin’s retreating figure. Seeing him turn around, Lin Murun smiled and waved a silent goodbye.
Si Bin’s heart felt as though it had been touched by something warm. Across the drifting snowflakes, he waved back at Lin Murun.
"Go back inside!" Si Bin called out to him.
"I’ll watch you leave," Lin Murun replied.
Si Bin laughed and took a few steps backward. "Then I’ll have to walk faster."
Lin Murun stood where he was and watched Si Bin leave. It wasn't until his figure disappeared around the corner that Lin Murun rubbed his cold, reddened nose and turned to head upstairs.
***
The next morning, Lin Murun received a WeChat message from Si Bin.
Si Bin: *Morning. What do you want to eat? I’ll bring it to you.*
Lin Murun dizzily unlocked his phone, let out a yawn, and replied: *No need to go to all that trouble. I’ll just go to the cafeteria like usual.*
Almost as soon as the message was sent, Si Bin replied: *Then I’ll go with you.*
Lin Murun typed back with a smile: *Okay, see you at the cafeteria entrance.*
He got up to dress and wash. During the process, he couldn't help but pull out his phone to see if Si Bin had replied. At the thought of having breakfast with Si Bin, Lin Murun brushed his teeth and washed his face much more meticulously than usual.
When Cheng Song shuffled into the bathroom in his slippers, he happened to catch Lin Murun adjusting his scarf in front of the wall mirror.
"Morning, Ace," Cheng Song said. "Why the sudden interest in the mirror today?"
Lin Murun’s hand paused on his scarf. "Don't I look in it every day?"
"Well, yes... but usually you just throw on your uniform and head out. Today it feels like you’re paying extra attention to your appearance," Cheng Song remarked.
Lin Murun gave a noncommittal "oh," walked out of the bathroom, and picked up his backpack. "I’m heading out first."
The snow had stopped, but the weather hadn't cleared up yet. Lin Murun had changed into a different scarf; every breath he took was filled with the scent of laundry detergent.
He suddenly thought of the faint scent of men's cologne on Si Bin. He couldn't help but rub his nose and quicken his pace.
Si Bin was already at the cafeteria. Seeing Lin Murun arrive, he motioned for him to sit down.
On the table, besides the breakfast sold at the cafeteria, there was a milk bun.
Si Bin handed the bun to Lin Murun. "Auntie Tan, who looks after me, made this. It tastes great. Give it a try."
Lin Murun thanked him, took the bun, and took a bite.
The bread had a rich milky aroma and was soft to the touch; it did indeed taste wonderful.
Lin Murun’s eyes lit up. His beautiful peach blossom eyes were slightly downcast as he took small bites of the bun, accidentally getting a few crumbs on the corner of his mouth.
Si Bin reached out and brushed the crumbs away for him, saying softly, "Knowing you like milk, Auntie Tan specifically added extra milk powder. Is it good?"
Lin Murun obediently let Si Bin brush away the crumbs. "It’s delicious."
"Then I’ll bring you more in the future." Si Bin handed Lin Murun a pair of chopsticks. "Eat something else after you finish the bun. You have a heavy course load this morning; you’ll be hungry if you only eat that."
Lin Murun took the chopsticks and noticed that most of what Si Bin had bought were things he usually ate. He looked up at Si Bin’s tray and silently memorized the foods the other boy had chosen for himself.
After breakfast, the two returned to the teaching building side by side. The Senior Year 2 classrooms were on the fifth floor. After climbing the stairs, Lin Murun’s breathing became a bit hurried.
"It’ll be better once we move up to Senior Year 3." Si Bin pointed toward another teaching building. "In our third year, we’ll move to that building. The experimental class classrooms are on the second floor, so it’s very convenient to go up and down."
"It’s also very close to the dorms and the library over there." Lin Murun looked in the direction he was pointing and asked, "Are all the third-year students in that building?"
"Not just the third-years. The fourth and fifth floors are for the third-year middle schoolers," Si Bin answered.
"Brother Bin, you’re finally here!" The vice monitor of Class 1 heard Si Bin’s voice and poked her head out from the back door of the classroom. "Oh! Lin Murun is here too."
Lin Murun nodded and greeted her.
Si Bin turned and asked, "What is it?"
The vice monitor pulled out a registration form and said with a grin, "The Winter Sports Meet is coming up soon. You see, our class has so few boys—"
She didn't finish her sentence, but Si Bin understood her meaning.
"Go find Yu Wenbo. He loves this kind of excitement the most," Si Bin declined.
"But..." The vice monitor looked at the form, troubled. "But... Yu Wenbo has already signed up for every event he possibly can, and we’re still short on people."
Seeing Lin Murun looking at him, Si Bin hesitated for a moment before asking the vice monitor, "Which events are still empty?"
Seeing a glimmer of hope, the vice monitor hurriedly handed him the form. "We’re still missing people for the men's 3000-meter and the 4x100-meter relay. How about... how about I write your name down?"
"Won't the 3000-meter be too exhausting?" Lin Murun asked.
Si Bin scanned the form. "It’s fine. I can run it."
As the vice monitor skipped back happily clutching the form, Si Bin asked Lin Murun, "What events are you planning to sign up for?"
Lin Murun was stunned. "I don't know. I’ve never participated in a sports meet before."
Si Bin smiled. "You don't like them?"
"It’s not that..." Lin Murun lowered his eyelashes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "In the past, when there were sports meets, I was used to staying in the classroom to solve problems."
The warning bell rang.
Si Bin said, "I’m heading back to class. Let’s have lunch together during the break."
Lin Murun nodded. "Okay."
As soon as he entered his classroom, Lin Murun was intercepted by the sports representative, Shen Hao. "Don't miss out! The Winter Sports Meet is almost here. Want to sign up and win some glory for the class?"
Lin Murun took the registration form and saw that more than half of it was still blank.
"I suggest you sign up for the men's 4x100-meter relay!" Shen Hao pitched. "It’s not that strenuous, and even if we don't place well, it doesn't matter. It’s a four-person event, so we share the blame together."
"Do we have to compete against the student-athletes?" Lin Murun asked.
"Yes, all the Senior Year 2 classes will be ranked together," Shen Hao replied.
Lin Murun asked, "Where does the Liberal Arts Experimental Class usually rank in the grade?"
"The experimental classes have fewer people, so in the past, two classes were merged into one for the rankings... Out of more than twenty classes in the grade, we usually rank around seventeenth or eighteenth." Shen Hao sighed and patted his shoulder, comforting him. "Don't feel pressured. We have few boys in the Liberal Arts Experimental Class anyway, and our focus is on academics. Rankings aren't important!"
Lin Murun stared at the form for a moment before writing his name in the column for the 4x100-meter relay.
"Ace Lin is so decisive!" Shen Hao immediately started pitching other events. "How about you look at the standing long jump or the high jump? You have long legs; you’d definitely have an advantage in those."
"I’ll pass on those." Lin Murun handed the form back. "Practicing for the relay is enough."
The Winter Sports Meet was scheduled for next Friday and Saturday. After a whole day of scrambling, the two experimental classes finally gathered enough participants.
It couldn't be helped—there were simply too few boys in the Liberal Arts Experimental Classes. Even combined, each boy had to do the work of two or three people.
After evening self-study, Shen Hao submitted the registration form. Before it was handed in, Lin Murun glanced at the relay list. He found that Class 1 and Class 2 had each sent two boys for the 4x100-meter relay. Besides himself, Zhou Xuan, Yu Wenbo, and Si Bin had also signed up.
Once Zhou Xuan learned the names of his teammates, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "With Si Bin and Yu Wenbo on the team, our ranking shouldn't look too bad."
Lin Murun asked while packing his bag, "Are they very fast?"
"Very," Zhou Xuan said. "In our first year, Yu Wenbo and I were in the same class. When he runs the thousand-meter, he’s on par with the student-athletes. And Si Bin goes without saying—back in middle school, we all thought he would take the student-athlete path."
Lin Murun nodded thoughtfully.
"Starting next Monday, everyone who signed up for an event has to use the evening self-study time to practice." Zhou Xuan scratched his head. "I’ll do my best not to drag the overall score down."
Lin Murun’s hand paused. "Have you participated in a relay before?"
"I have," Zhou Xuan answered. "But my performance was average."
Noticing Lin Murun’s expression, Zhou Xuan paused and asked, "Have you never participated?"
"No," Lin Murun answered truthfully. "Not even once."
"That’s fine. Just run and you’re done," Zhou Xuan said. "It’s not a big deal."
Lin Murun looked up and saw Si Bin standing at the back door of Class 2. He shouldered his backpack and said, "I need to practice. If I make a mistake, the ranking will look terrible."
Zhou Xuan nodded.
Lin Murun walked over to Si Bin and asked, "Did you sign up for the relay too?"
"Mhm." Si Bin naturally reached out to tuck in Lin Murun’s scarf. "I saw that you signed up."
"I’ve never been in a relay before." Lin Murun was a bit worried. "I might drag your ranking down."
"How could you?" Si Bin smiled. He reached out and ruffled Lin Murun’s hair. "Don't worry. It’s just a relay; it’s no big deal."
Evening self-study had just ended, and the corridors were packed with students heading home or back to the dorms.
Si Bin led Lin Murun away from the crowd to a corner of the hallway. "Let’s start night runs tomorrow. I haven't exercised in a long time; I might not be able to handle three thousand meters if I start suddenly."
Lin Murun knew Si Bin was doing this to accompany him in his practice. His heart warmed, and his eyes curved into a smile. "Thank you."
"What is there to thank me for?" Si Bin laughed. "I’m your boyfriend; of course I should be with you."
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