We had steamed seafood for dinner. The restaurant was found by Yesi, on a restaurant street along the river, about 20 to 30 minutes’ walk away.
As Xie Lan strolled along the road, he was interrogated all the way.
I reported my major, college entrance exam results, my Bilibili account, my YouTube history, a donut shop near London, my recent experience in commercial music arrangement, and even reported that I was expected to be selected to participate in IMO next year.
Zhong Chen crossed his hands behind his head, stretched his shoulders, and asked very slowly, "Britain or China, which do you like better?"
Before Xie Lan came out, Jian Zixing, who was wearing the same earrings as Zhong Chen, rolled his eyes at him, "Are you putting yourself in the shoes of the Chinese oral examiner? What kind of stupid question is this? Are you annoying?"
Zhong Chen was just about to beg for mercy with a playful smile, but Xie Lan shook his head seriously, "No Chinese oral examiner is as annoying as him."
After he finished speaking, Ye Si, who was walking in front of He Xiu with his arm around his shoulder, suddenly turned around and made an extremely ridiculous face at Zhong Chen, with his eyes rolled up to the sky and his tongue almost licking his chin.
"Did you hear that? Even your junior finds you annoying! You talk too much. I am tired of listening to you talk."
Zhong Chen sneered for a moment, "If you are really full, don't order any food later."
"Bullshit." Yesi cursed, "I gave you the menu, will anyone eat that?"
Zhong Chen retorted, "I order shrimps, shellfish, and river fish, which one doesn't go out to eat? You always order buckets of oysters, which are not clean and very expensive, who would eat them?"
"Hahahaha." Ye Si seemed like a reading machine that Xie Lan had used in his senior year of high school. He said in a clear and melodious voice, "I eat oysters to strengthen my body and replenish my energy. What's your business?"
"Pfft." Zhong Chen laughed, "You don't have any idea of your own position, do you... need to be made up?"
As soon as the words fell, the surroundings fell silent.
Xie Lan keenly noticed that Dou Sheng paused, and then Ye Si became furious, his face red and his neck thick, and he was about to rush up to fight, but He Xiu put his arm around his neck and turned him away.
Just as Zhong Chen was about to strike a winner's pose, he was immediately elbowed by Jian Zixing.
There was a dull thud, quite loud.
He covered his arm and jumped twice, contrary to his composure, and said in panic: "Xingxingxingxing, I didn't reflect your intention, I..."
"Get lost." Jian Zixing said.
Zhong Chen sighed and wilted. After a while, He Xiu failed to cover Ye Si's mouth. Ye Si turned his head and pointed at him and cursed, "People like you who have a fixed understanding of the strength and weakness of love positions should be stuffed into a pig cage and thrown into the rolling Yangtze River!"
Zhong Chen immediately cursed back, "You're just giving me a boost. You just saw me accidentally catapulted to Jian Zixing and deliberately exaggerated it, right? Even if the waves wash away all heroes, they can't wash away a scheming dog like you."
The two of them quarreled with the momentum of two groups, and the speed and wording gradually exceeded Xie Lan's language tolerance level. Having returned to China for a year and a half, he thought he had become infinitely close to being a native Chinese, but at this moment he suddenly felt as if he had been thrown back to the state before returning home.
A strong sense of frustration arises spontaneously.
The outrageous thing was that the two of them cursed more and more fiercely, and the curses escalated to personal attacks, but their boyfriends—He Xiu and Jian Zixing—didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of interfering.
He Xiu stared at the river in a daze, and hugged Ye Si at the same time, trying to stop the quarrel ineffectively.
Jian Zixing simply put on an earplug in annoyance and walked a few steps back to Xie Lan's side.
"It's so noisy, isn't it?" Jian Zixing asked in a low voice.
Xie Lan didn't react for a moment, his eyes fell on the earring on his earlobe.
The earrings are very simple and small in size, but they shine brightly under the glow of the setting sun by the river.
A tiny, shiny dot.
Instinctively, he suddenly had a good impression of Jian Zixing. It might be because Jian Zixing spoke slowly and calmly, which seemed to send a signal of "I am your friend" to him.
Xie Lan nodded, "Do they always quarrel?"
"They fight as soon as they see each other. This may be their unique way of relieving stress." Jian Zixing sighed and glanced at the river with some disdain. "The three of us should walk slower and enjoy the quiet world for a while."
Dou Sheng smiled and pinched his ear, "Did you get your ears pierced together with Zhong Chen?"
Jian Zixing shook his head, "He learned it from me."
The weather was very hot, and mosquitoes occasionally flew by the river. Dou Sheng stood next to Xie Lan and slapped his hands together to slap the mosquitoes to prevent them from biting Xie Lan.
Jian Zixing suddenly said to Xie Lan: "I have heard the music you composed. I heard it before He Xiu introduced you. It's "Sword Heart and Bright Moon". I watched the first season from the first episode, and now I am also following the second season."
Xie Lan's eyes lit up, "Really?"
Jian Zixing hummed for a moment and handed over another wireless headset. "What do you want? A magical tool to block quarrels."
Xie Lan took it and put it into one of his ears. Surprisingly, the OP of "Time 2" was playing in the earphone.
It’s a subtle and wonderful feeling to hear the songs I wrote through the headphones shared by others.
The setting sun cast a half afterimage on the river, and the tall buildings on the other side of the river also cast their shadows in that half afterimage. The wind blew across the river, and the image of the city rippled with the water, becoming hazy.
The quarrel between Zhongchen and Yesi was carried far away by the wind, interweaving with the music in the earphone on one side, sometimes ethereal, sometimes very clear, like an old camera that repeatedly tried to focus.
Xie Lan felt a familiar touch between his fingers. Dou Sheng walked to his side near the river, interlocked his fingers with his from time to time, and then gently clenched his left fingers, indicating that he should look at the sunset sinking into the river in the distance.
Jian Zixing suddenly said lightly: "You will meet someone you like by this river."
"Hmm." Xie Lan turned her head and looked at him, "Have you also heard of this English-Chinese legend?"
"Legend of English-Chinese?" Jian Zixing was stunned for a moment, then suddenly raised the corner of his lips.
It seemed like this was the first time Xie Lan saw him smile after meeting him for such a long time.
When he smiled, that indifferent and languid temperament was instantly swept away, his black eyes were calm and deep, with a bright spot in the center of his pupils that was particularly focused.
"This is not a British-Chinese legend." Jian Zixing raised his chin indifferently towards the childish guy in front of him, "He said it."
Dou Sheng suddenly became interested, "What did Senior Zhongchen say? Legend has it that you will meet someone you like by this river, and that those who cross this river will never let go of each other."
Jian Zixing smiled and said, "The latter sentence... was said by me."
Xie Lan was stunned for a moment, and when he looked again, Jian Zixing had already withdrawn his gaze.
He looked straight ahead with a normal expression, but his ears were slightly red, highlighting the shiny little earring.
The Steam Seafood Restaurant is a glass restaurant. Sitting by the window, you can have a clear view of the river and the other side of the river.
The huge steam pot was filled with steam, and shrimps, white clams, and clams were clinging to the pot. In addition to the huge steam pot, there was a huge plate on the table, with oysters spread on layers of crushed ice.
Yes took the lemon and showered them one by one.
"You can eat one first." Dou Sheng put the peeled shrimp on Xie Lan's plate.
Xie Lan took a bite and found it very fresh, with the natural light salty taste of seafood.
He had just finished chewing and swallowing when Dou Sheng peeled one and dipped it in soy sauce, which contained celery beads and a few red chili rings.
After dipping it in the sauce, my taste buds are activated all at once. It’s a little spicy, but not too spicy, and very satisfying.
Yesi clicked his tongue and said, "Is it possible? Feeding them one by one, your efficiency in eating is too low, isn't it?"
Zhong Chen chuckled and said, "Look at yourself first before you talk about others."
He Xiu turned a deaf ear and continued to peel shrimps for Ye Si.
Ye Si smiled and said, "May I ask, Zhong Caipiao, what do you do?"
Zhong Chen peeled it for Jian Zixing without changing his expression, "But I didn't say anything about others."
Yes: “…”
They soon started to quarrel loudly. Jian Zixing could no longer bear it and moved his stool to the side of Xie Lan. The crabs came up, and Xie Lan and he each peeled a crab and ate them with gusto.
If you take the quarrel between Yesi and Zhongchen as Chinese listening practice, it will be a completely different world.
While slurping the crab roe, Xie Lan extracted the information points revealed when they insulted each other.
For example, Ye Si was in his fifth year at the beginning of the school year and had just been admitted to the Xi Jinping Hospital. Although his temper was still bad, it was a happy time for him.
For example, He Xiu, who is also a senior in his fifth year, is currently happily working on his graduation project every day. He has not started looking for a job yet, but his ambition is to work in a top foreign design firm in the future.
For example, Zhongchen will return to City B the day after tomorrow to participate in a summer internship at a private equity firm with an astonishingly high salary. In addition, he has also locked in a preparatory internship at a top foreign investment bank before graduation next year. His future is bright.
Another example is Jian Zixing...
Well.
Xie Lan put down the crab shell and asked, "What is the name of the robot you made?"
"Little Crab."
Xie Lan's pupils trembled, "Xiao Xie???"
"Oh, the crab in crab, not the crab you mentioned." Jian Zixing knocked on the crab shell on his head. "Little Crab is already the name of a series. The first generation Crab was a fighting robot, and the one that is more common now is the Service Crab. My supervisor is going to do a big project on surgical robots in the next three years. I haven't decided whether to continue my postgraduate study with this project, but I will try to develop a simplified version of a surgical assistant robot, called... uh, Medical Crab."
Xie Lan understood, but not completely.
He was confused for a moment, and then he placed the empty crab shells on the plate neatly with awe.
sorry.
After He Xiu peeled the shrimps and scallops for Ye Si, he buried his head in the food and ate it all at once. When he felt a little full, he took a sip of beer.
He smiled at Dou Sheng and asked, "What are your plans?"
Dou Sheng is still busy. "This summer vacation is basically full of videos, mainly digesting and editing. I will record a vlog for the military training at the beginning of the school, and Xie Lan has an advertisement shooting. I also plan to do a few professional interviews. It's a good opportunity to interview the three of you, and then..."
He Xiu was a little stunned, "Tell me something else besides making videos?"
Dou Sheng was also stunned by the question, "Huh?"
"For example, do you have plans for dual majors, or are you looking for a trainee to study abroad in your sophomore year?" He Xiu coaxed, "Let me see if there are any alumni you need to contact in advance, and I can help you find someone."
"Oh." Dou Sheng laughed suddenly, his eyes full of bright smiles, "I'm not in a hurry."
Zhong Chen got out of the quarrel with Yesi in the midst of his busy schedule, "How can I not be anxious? If you want to exchange in your sophomore year, or if you want to do double majors, you have to take more credits in your freshman year. If you want to go the learning stream, you can now find alumni in the workplace to talk to in advance."
The more Xie Lan listened, the more confused he became. Although he didn't fully understand, he felt a certain anxiety.
Until Dou Sheng smiled and said: "I am not in a hurry to fill in my academic background, nor am I in a hurry to study, and I am not in a hurry to make money. I just want to go to college happily, meet more interesting people, see some profound phenomena, and then... I will still make videos."
After the words were spoken, the dinner table seemed to be quiet for a moment.
Xie Lan turned his head to look at Dou Sheng, and the slight anxiety that had just arisen in his heart suddenly disappeared. In Dou Sheng's bright smiling eyes, all the heavy things disappeared.
Dou Sheng pulled the tender meat of the white clam out of the shell and put it into Xie Lan's small plate.
"Ah, I'm just an experience-oriented person with no ambitions." He smiled, "Please let me go."
Ye Si sneered for a moment, then nudged He Xiu with his elbow, "Did you hear that? Junior is more aware than you. Stop thinking about making progress every day. It's annoying."
Jian Zixing also nodded and glanced at Zhong Chen, "Are you attending a university or a job training camp?"
Zhong Chen was humiliated and begged for mercy. After a moment of silence, He Xiu couldn't help but laugh. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, what about Xie Lan?"
Xie Lan said slowly: "I'm not in a hurry. I'll just continue to do math and add a symphony orchestra to play the violin."
He went to T University because he wanted to embrace his own university, and also to embrace Xiao Langjing's university for her who had passed by in those years.
"We make a living by taking advertisements." Dou Sheng looked profound.
Xie Lan nodded seriously, "Yes, we need to take on more advertisements."
Ye Si wiped off the soy sauce on his fingertips, raised his glass, and said seriously: "Cheers to you two, lovely juniors."
Jian Zixing also raised his glass, and Zhong Chen and He Xiu soon followed suit.
Six wine glasses clinked together, and the ice-cold draft beer went down my throat very refreshingly, with an astringent, bitter, and somewhat sweet aftertaste.
He Xiu smiled and said, "We were also experientialists when we first entered university. The suggestions you just made are nothing more than the things that we thought would have been best done at the time but didn't do when we look back. However, we didn't do those things back then, and we are living a good life now."
"Don't worry about the future." Yes muttered, "live in the present."
He Xiu turned around and gave him a meaningful look, then tapped his glass against his, "Yeah."
Yes Si formed a group of six people.
The name of the group was changed back and forth by several people. At first, it was "British-Chinese Fengyun Club" written by Ye Si, and then it was changed by Zhong Chen to "Old Ma's three pairs of gays", and then He Xiu couldn't stand it and changed it to "T big P big 5+1", and finally it was changed by Jian Zixing to "Keep Quiet Priss".
Xie Lan looked at the group names flashing by one after another and was stunned.
Until Dou Sheng, who had not spoken much, smiled and said, "How about asking Xie Lan to change it?"
"I'll change it?" Xie Lan was stunned. "I won't change it. My mind is empty."
Yesi smiled and stood up, rubbing his bloated stomach. "Don't worry, the copyright belongs to you, you can change it if you want."
They paid the bill and went for a walk by the river. It was already getting dark, and the six big boys were chatting and laughing while drunk.
The three pairs unknowingly distanced themselves from each other.
Xie Lan was enjoying the evening breeze when he suddenly heard a clicking sound beside him.
Dou Sheng took back the camera.
It was a casual but well-composed photo. The traffic and neon lights on the left and the endless river bank on the right were out of focus and seemed to be floating in the wind, but the riverside runway in front was very clear, and the good-looking backs of the two pairs of boys in front were clearly captured.
"Do you want to record some material?" Xie Lan asked.
Dou Sheng shook his head, "Just take some photos."
When the people in front heard the shutter click, Yes turned around and waved, "Shall we take a group photo of the six of us?"
"Okay." Dou Sheng shouted, "Come here, I'll hold it."
Six people stood in a row, Dou Sheng was at the front holding a camera, and next to him was Xie Lan.
“1, 2, 3—”
"eggplant!"
"eggplant!"
"Peppa!"
“yes!”
"Yes!"
Dou Sheng did not shout the last slogan. Only Jian Zixing and Xie Lan shouted "Cheese" together. No one knew what the other three people were shouting.
After taking a few photos in a row, Dou Sheng put down his phone, rubbed his arm and said with a smile: "I've tried too hard. My arm needs to be longer."
Yesi burped and said, "Can this up process it and send it to the group? Thank you, thank you."
"Well, leave it to me."
The four of them quickly walked to the front.
Xie Lan usually walked very slowly, and would always be left behind when walking with Che Ming and his friends, or now with He Xiu and his friends. But he suddenly thought of something magical - it seemed that he and Dou Sheng had been walking at the same speed since the first time they met after getting off the plane.
In other words, since the first time they met, Dou Sheng tried hard to adapt to his pace and always walked beside him at a leisurely pace.
“Fuck.” Dou Sheng was fiddling with the camera and suddenly started laughing. He pressed the photo button as he laughed. He laughed harder and harder, and his shoulders began to shake.
Xie Lan came over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's all out of focus." Dou Sheng said in a low voice.
He snapped more than a dozen photos in a row, and without exception, only Xie Lan was clear. The other four were all out of focus, and Dou Sheng, who was standing in front of the camera, was even more blurry.
Only one photo was barely in focus, but that moment was very outrageous. Xie Lan and Dou Sheng were normal, but the other four were ugly in their own ways. Jian Zixing closed his eyes, Zhong Chen was a little dazed, He Xiu looked at the back of Ye Si's head, and Ye Si rolled his eyes for some reason.
"What should I do?" Xie Lan was dumbfounded, "Shoot again?"
“No more photos.” Dou Sheng snorted for a moment, “This photo of the two of us looks great, so let’s just leave it as it is and keep it for yourself.”
Xie Lan: “…Oh.”
That's fine too.
Dou Sheng put away the camera, and they continued walking together, holding hands very naturally.
Dou Sheng suddenly said, "Maybe my camera has become a spirit. Among all the people, I only recognize little Xie Lan."
Xie Lan's eyes lit up, "Is that so?"
"Yeah. Anyway, this is the only explanation I can think of. It knows its owner's heart." Dou Sheng whispered in his ear, "Do you want small earrings too?"
Xie Lan was stunned for a moment, "What?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dou Sheng gently bit his ear bone.
It’s not light, there is a clear pain.
But it wasn't bad either. When my teeth left it, it was still soft when my lips touched it.
Dou Sheng leaned down and whispered in his ear, "A small earring that no one else can see."
Xie Lan's cheeks felt a little hot in the breeze, and he muttered, "Childish."
As night fell, the light and shadows on the river became sparse, and three pairs of young boys stood on the river bridge.
Dou Sheng pulled Xie Lan's hand and watched Xie Lan slowly change the name of the group with the other hand.
"Let's go back to the riverside and enjoy the breeze together next year."
Let’s call it a small group of six people.