Everyone in School No. 1 Knows My Boyfriend | Chapter 60 | A Journey Through Memories | Novela.app

The next morning, Lin Murun was greeted by a barrage of WeChat messages from Lin Qingqing. Lin Qingqing: "Brother! Did you guys run into Wu Yichen yesterday?" Lin Qingqing: "Did he say anything weird to you?" Lin Qingqing: "I was at KTV with my classmates yesterday. The room was too noisy, so I didn't check my phone." Lin Qingqing: "Phew, thank goodness. He said he hasn't told anyone else." Lin Murun replied while brushing his teeth: "We didn't see him yesterday. What happened?" "Morning, Runrun." Si Bin, already dressed in his school uniform, passed by the bathroom and habitually ruffled the tuft of hair sticking up at the back of Lin Murun’s head. "Mmph..." Lin Murun mumbled around his toothbrush, "Morning." Just then, Lin Qingqing sent another message. The vibration caught Si Bin's attention. He pointed to the phone on the vanity and said, "Runrun, someone’s looking for you." Lin Murun rinsed his mouth with water, dried his hands, and said, "It's Qingqing. She’s asking if we ran into Wu Yichen yesterday." He picked up his phone and read Lin Qingqing's latest message. Lin Qingqing: "He found out about your relationship!" Attached was a screenshot of a chat log. Lin Murun frowned slightly and looked up to meet Si Bin's gaze. "Wu Yichen saw us at the mall yesterday." He handed the phone to Si Bin. "But Qingqing says he hasn't mentioned it to anyone else." "It’s fine." After reading the chat history, Si Bin returned the phone to Lin Murun, his expression as calm as ever. "Don't worry about him. Finish getting ready, and we'll go to the cafeteria for breakfast together." Lin Murun nodded. Si Bin turned and went back to the bedroom, pulling out his phone to send a few messages to Wu Yichen. "Si Bin?" Having finished washing his face, Lin Murun saw Si Bin still standing in the master bedroom. He walked to the door and knocked on the open frame. Si Bin gave a soft "mm," turned to put his phone away, and leaned down to kiss Lin Murun’s cheek, which was still damp with warm mist. Lin Murun blinked, his long lashes lightly brushing against the bridge of Si Bin's nose. Si Bin smiled and pulled him into an embrace. "Is something wrong?" Lin Murun asked. "Nothing," he said softly. "Just some relatives from my father's side looking for me." "Is it a hassle? Do you need to take leave?" Lin Murun looked up. "It's fine," Si Bin said. "No need for leave." Lin Murun breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were worried about the Wu Yichen thing." "Oh?" Si Bin arched an eyebrow, his secret caught out, but he continued to act as if nothing was wrong. "Didn't he say he only mentioned it to your sister?" Lin Murun shook his head. "That's what he said, but..." "It’s okay, Runrun," Si Bin said gently. "I won't let what happened to Shen Hangzhi happen to you." Seeing that Lin Murun still wanted to say something, Si Bin kissed the corner of his lips to change the subject. "By the way, my mother said she wants to invite you to dinner on New Year's Day." Lin Murun was stunned. "Do you have time, Runrun?" Si Bin pressed his forehead against Murun's and asked softly. "New Year's Day is your birthday." Lin Murun looked into Si Bin's obsidian-like eyes and nodded. "Of course I'll come." Si Bin smiled. "Hmm? I don't think I ever mentioned my birthday to you." "I asked Gao Yuan," Lin Murun whispered. "He told me." "I see... Then, do I get a birthday present?" Si Bin asked in a low voice. "Yes, but..." They were very close, their breath filled with the fresh mint scent of toothpaste. Lin Murun’s cheeks flushed as he whispered, "I thought about it for a long time, but I still don't know what to give you. Can you let me think a bit longer?" "Alright." Si Bin let out a low chuckle and straightened up. "Then I'll look forward to unwrapping it." Once they reached the classroom, Shen Hao immediately scurried over. "Student Lin..." He rubbed his hands together, grinning at Lin Murun as he whispered, "Can I borrow your homework to copy? Just English and Math will do!" Lin Murun nodded, rummaged through his bag, and handed the English and Math papers to Shen Hao. "Ah!" Yu Qianyi, who had just arrived, saw that Lin Murun’s math homework had been borrowed. She said anxiously, "There are two problems I don't know how to do either! Shen Hao, copy faster!" To Yu Qianyi's surprise, Lin Murun turned around and took the initiative to ask, "Which two?" "Huh?" Yu Qianyi didn't react for a moment, looking dazed. "Your math homework," Lin Murun repeated patiently. "Which two problems are you stuck on?" "Oh, oh!" Yu Qianyi hurriedly pulled out her test paper and pointed them out to him. "These two big questions." Lin Murun nodded, pulled out his scratch paper, and wrote down the step-by-step solution. Yu Qianyi’s eyes sparkled as she took the paper. "Wow! Thank you so much!" Seeing that the girl had finished her work, Lin Murun finally spoke up. "Can I ask you a question?" "What is it? If I know the answer, I'll definitely tell you!" Having finished her homework, Yu Qianyi was in a great mood, even capping her pen with more flair than usual. "When a friend has a birthday, what kind of gift do you usually give?" Lin Murun asked. "Is this 'friend' a girlfriend?" Yu Qianyi smiled meaningfully. "Um..." Although the gender didn't match, the sentiment was roughly the same. Lin Murun didn't deny it and nodded. "You've asked the right person!" Yu Qianyi uncapped her pen and wrote the numbers "1, 2, 3, 4" on the scratch paper. Then, she pointed to number '1'. "The gifts girls our age receive most often are perfumes, teddy bears, music boxes, various crystal ornaments... basically, things that aren't very practical but have sentimental value." This clearly didn't suit Si Bin. Lin Murun shook his head. Yu Qianyi crossed out '1' and pointed her pen at '2'. "Has she ever mentioned something she really wants to receive?" Yu Qianyi asked. Si Bin never seemed to mention his own preferences. Even the fact that he didn't particularly like coffee was something Lin Murun had learned from Gao Yuan. So, Lin Murun shook his head again. "Then the third point!" Yu Qianyi said with certainty. "Order a birthday cake, have dinner together, and watch a movie. It sounds ordinary, but what many girls want is the feeling that you hold them in your heart and value them." That sounded reasonable, but remembering the invitation from Si Bin's mother, Lin Murun said, "His mother has already ordered the meal and the cake." "Hiss!" Yu Qianyi sucked in a breath, her eyebrows shooting up in amazement. "Meeting the parents directly? You guys are moving that fast?" "Then there's only one left." Yu Qianyi circled the '4'. "Giving an ordinary gift is meaningless, and since you don't know what he wants most, it might be bad if you guess wrong. In that case, why not just give him your heart?" Lin Murun didn't quite understand. "Could you be more specific?" "For example..." Yu Qianyi scratched her head. "For example, take him back to the place where you first met. Or, you could give him a crystal photo frame with a picture of the two of you." "The place we first met, a photo..." Lin Murun repeated her words softly. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Would a photo album work?" "Of course!" Yu Qianyi nodded. "You can put photos of the two of you in the album. That would be so meaningful!" " I understand." Lin Murun smiled. "Thank you." Two days before the New Year's holiday, Lin Murun received a call from a courier. During the lunch break, he went to the security booth to pick up the package left there. When Si Bin saw the package, he asked, "Is my gift inside?" Lin Murun nodded. "What is it?" Si Bin asked curiously. "You'll know on your birthday." Lin Murun hugged the box, covering the information barcode on the label. Si Bin chuckled and gave a good-natured "mm." During the final evening self-study session before the holiday, Teacher Li played a movie for the class. In the darkness, only the flickering glow of the multimedia screen remained. Many students stared at the screen, watching intently. Lin Murun looked out the window and noticed a few scattered stars in the night sky. In winter, the sky over Jiangnan cities was usually shrouded in a light mist. To be able to see starlight on the last winter night of the year was a rare bit of good weather. Tomorrow was New Year's Day—the first day of the new year, and Si Bin's birthday. Lin Murun quietly pulled the gift box out of his desk drawer, looked at it, and silently put it back. As the session neared its end, the movie hadn't finished yet. Teacher Li turned off the multimedia and asked the students near the wall to turn on the lights. Many students were already frantically packing their bags, waiting for the bell to ring so they could bolt from the classroom. "Tomorrow is the New Year." Teacher Li tapped the lectern, signaling for silence. "First, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year." "Happy New Year to you too, Teacher!" Shen Hao shouted back. Teacher Li smiled and continued: "The new year is almost here. I hope you all still prioritize your studies. Don't get so caught up in playing during the holiday that you forget your homework, and always stay safe when you're out." As soon as Teacher Li finished speaking, the dismissal bell rang. Students who had already packed their bags scrambled out of the classroom, and the hallways instantly became boisterous. Lin Murun carefully placed the gift box into a paper gift bag and hurried to the back door of Class 1. Si Bin was already standing there. Seeing him, he smiled and asked, "Going home?" Lin Murun shook his head. "Let's go to the coffee shop near Xingyue Piano Gallery." Si Bin nodded without asking further. The two followed the crowd out of the school gates. Along the way, many parents were picking up their children, and various private cars had created a bottleneck at the wide entrance. The small shops outside the school were packed with students in No. 1 High School uniforms. To welcome the New Year, many shops had hung up colorful fairy lights. Now that they were lit for the evening, everything looked exceptionally festive. They walked to the coffee shop. The shop was as lively as the street, with many young couples occupying the two-person seats decorated with small orange lamps. Lin Murun and Si Bin ordered two coffees and went up to the second floor. The second floor wasn't as crowded as the first. There were still a few seats left by the floor-to-ceiling window facing Xingyue Piano Gallery. Lin Murun and Si Bin sat down in a corner. The lighting wasn't great in this spot, but if they looked up, they could see the recital hall of the piano gallery. "I didn't know how to create a surprise, so I consulted Yu Qianyi about what kind of gift would make the person I like happy," Lin Murun said softly to Si Bin after they sat down. "She told me I could take you to the place where we first met." He pointed to the dark recital hall across the way. "If we don't count that chance encounter inside the gallery, this coffee shop is the place where you used to see me most often." Si Bin was momentarily stunned, and then a warmth flooded his heart. He quietly took Lin Murun’s hand on the table and nodded. "Yeah. Back then, I used to sit in this very shop and watch you from a distance." "I'm sorry. I was so focused on practicing that I didn't notice you," Lin Murun said, then added, "We should have met sooner." Si Bin squeezed Lin Murun’s hand and said gently, "It’s not too late now." "I thought that after that summer, I would never see you again," Si Bin said slowly. "But luckily..." He smiled. "You appeared again." "We prepared a gift for you." Lin Murun took out his phone and dialed Gao Yuan's number. Si Bin let out a confused "Huh?" just as the lights in the recital hall across the street suddenly flared to life. Gao Yuan appeared in their line of sight, holding a guitar. Lin Murun handed the phone to Si Bin. "He wants to sing you a birthday song." On the other end, Gao Yuan waved at Si Bin, cleared his throat, and with a flick of his wrist, plucked the strings. "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you..." Gao Yuan's voice came through the phone. Si Bin held the phone, looking at Lin Murun’s slightly nervous expression, and laughed. "Runrun..." He raised his hand, but before he could touch Lin Murun’s cheek, Gao Yuan’s voice came through the phone an octave higher: "Si Bin! Si Bin! Over here!" Si Bin followed the voice and looked toward the recital hall. He saw the room plunge into darkness once more, leaving only the words "Happy Birthday" spelled out in small yellow lights hanging against the glass window, sparkling brightly. "Wow! Look over there!" A girl noticed the commotion in the recital hall and called out to her companion. "Is it someone's birthday today? That's so romantic!" "You two have fun. I won't stay and be a third wheel!" Gao Yuan said, then hung up the phone. Si Bin withdrew his gaze and looked tenderly at Lin Murun. "Was this Yu Qianyi's idea too?" "Um... this part was my idea." Lin Murun took back the phone Si Bin handed him. "But I have to thank Teacher Gao Yuan for being willing to cooperate." Si Bin let out a soft laugh, clasping Lin Murun’s hand in his own. "Thank you. I'm happy, so happy..." The color of his eyes was very deep. When he smiled, his thick lashes would follow the shape of his eyes into a soft curve. "This is the first birthday Runrun and I have spent together," Si Bin said. "And the first year we've crossed into together." Someone, somewhere, lit fireworks. Multicolored sparks blossomed in the air, reflected on the transparent glass window. "There's still an hour until midnight." Lin Murun looked at the fireworks outside and said to Si Bin, "In an hour, I have another small gift for you." "Okay," Si Bin nodded. The two watched the distant fireworks, slowly finishing their now lukewarm coffee. At 11:20 PM, they walked out of the coffee shop and strolled toward the vocational high school. "I remember the day I was surrounded by the vocational school students; it was raining," Lin Murun said as they walked, pointing to the small bookstore on the street. "That day, the bookstore outside No. 1 High was closed, so I came here to buy books." The bookstore was still open, but the blond youth who usually minded the shop wasn't there. A middle-aged couple sat at the checkout counter, playing a TV drama on a computer. The volume was turned up high, audible even from the street. Lin Murun guessed they were the blond youth's parents. "The owner's son is a student at the vocational school," Lin Murun continued. "He's a very kind person. Seeing that it was raining, he lent me his school uniform to use as a cover. Unluckily, I ran into those vocational school students." The barbecue stall was still doing a roaring trade. Many students in vocational school uniforms were gathered there, drinking and eating skewers, with beer bottles and bamboo sticks scattered all over the ground. "After that, I met you." After passing the barbecue stall, Lin Murun pointed ahead. "That's where you helped me out." "Yeah. I was very angry when I saw you being bullied that day." Si Bin frowned slightly. "They probably thought you were a vocational student because you were wearing their uniform." "I'm glad you came," Lin Murun said, stopping in his tracks. "I was actually prepared to get into a fight with them." Seeing Si Bin's stunned expression, Lin Murun rubbed the bridge of his nose and explained in a low voice, "I didn't have a mother, and my father had passed away. So, back in elementary school, I used to fight with others. Even though it was never an easy win, after a while, those kids didn't dare say nasty things to my face anymore..." Lin Murun didn't say exactly what those nasty things were, but Si Bin could guess. The introverted Lin Murun hadn't had close friends in elementary school, nor had he ever received a mother's affection. Thus, from a young age, he had to be more silent and steady than his peers. Children could be the most innocent, yet also the most ignorant. Their little social circles had no room for a peer who didn't like to talk but had eye-catching grades. Si Bin’s grip on Lin Murun’s fingers tightened slightly. "It’s okay." Sensing the change in his mood, Lin Murun comforted him. "It’s been so many years. It’s all in the past." A stray cat ran along the base of a wall nearby. Lin Murun watched it and said to Si Bin, "Remember the day we found Xiao Bai in the school flowerbed?" "Yeah, I remember." Seeing that Lin Murun didn't want to dwell on the past, Si Bin followed his lead after a moment of silence. "You said it was an abandoned pet cat." "When I first saw it, it still had a collar around its neck, so I guessed it must have had an owner originally," Lin Murun said. "The kitten was always crawling through bushes and corners. I was afraid it would get caught on a branch, so I took the collar off." "That day, we brought it to this pet hospital." Si Bin pointed to a small shop that was already closed. "It was so nervous, it kept scratching me." "It had just become a stray then, so it was timid. It’s much bolder now," Lin Murun laughed. "I'm glad you adopted it." "Want to go see it?" Si Bin asked. "Sure." Lin Murun nodded, and they walked into the residential complex together. The bright streetlights cast their shadows in stark black. Lin Murun stepped on the shadows beneath his feet, reminiscing, "The first night I went to your house was also a rainy day." "The rain was very heavy that day, and you forgot your dorm key," Si Bin said. "The dorm supervisor had left. If I hadn't run into you, I would have spent the night in the hallway," Lin Murun said with a smile. Si Bin raised his hand and ruffled his hair. "In the future, if you forget your key, remember to come to your boyfriend's house." Lin Murun: "Mmph... okay." When they returned home, it was only two minutes until midnight. Si Bin carefully stepped around the two cats clinging to his feet and turned on the entryway light. "Two more minutes and I get to receive my other birthday gift." Si Bin changed his shoes and took the heavy backpack from Lin Murun. Lin Murun nodded and placed the paper bag on the shoe cabinet. "This gift is related to the places we just passed." "Oh?" Si Bin smiled. "Is it a diary?" Lin Murun shook his head and gently moved Xiao Bai away from the bag. At exactly midnight, the New Year's bells chimed. Firecrackers in the complex went off in a continuous roar. On the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, the light and shadows of various fireworks reflected from the horizon. Lin Murun held the cat in one arm and handed the paper bag to Si Bin with the other. "Open it and see." Si Bin unwrapped the gift box and found a photo album inside. He flipped to the first page. Printed there was a door. "This is the door to the recital hall at Xingyue Piano Gallery. It’s also the place where we first met," Lin Murun explained. The second page was the small booth in the coffee shop where Si Bin had spent most of the summer. The third page was that street by the vocational high school. ... The tenth page showed two cats basking in the sun. The eleventh page was the music building in the early morning. ... The twenty-ninth page was the first snow in H City. The thirtieth page was the photo of the two of them holding the relay baton and hugging, which had been posted on the QQ Confession Wall. Every page held a story, recording every little detail since they had met. Si Bin looked through the album once more. Under Lin Murun’s expectant gaze, he took a step forward and pulled him into his arms. He lowered his head tenderly and kissed his lips. Outside the window, the fireworks bloomed magnificently, carving vivid streaks across the night sky. Those searing rays were too dazzling, eclipsing the starlight at the edge of the sky. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 星月琴行 | Xingyue Piano Gallery | A music shop/school. Xingyue means Star-Moon. | | 汇报演出室 | Recital Hall | Literally "Report Performance Room," a room for student showcases. | | 职中 | Vocational High School | Short for 职业中学 (Vocational Middle/High School). | | 表白墙 | Confession Wall | A social media page/feature where students post anonymous messages or photos. | | H市 | H City | A fictional or anonymized city name. | | 琴行 | Piano Gallery / Music Shop | General term for a shop selling musical instruments. | | 晚自习 | Evening Self-study | A common period in Chinese schools for students to study at night. | ***