Hu Xiujie's footsteps dispelled the gossip in the classroom.
Liu Yixuan hid the gift under the stool with a blushing face. The owls returned to their seats, and Xie Lan also returned to his seat in silence.
The physics morning self-study session lasted for two consecutive physics classes without a break in between. Hu Xiujie was the only one guarding the gate and no one dared to act recklessly.
When the class was about to end, Dou Sheng suddenly threw a small ball of paper over.
Xie Lan glanced at Hu Xiujie who was writing on the blackboard, and began silently.
What's wrong? Did you seem unhappy just now
Xie Lan struggled internally for a while, sighed softly, and replied with his ugly handwriting.
No, I just wanted to show you that I'm not feverish.
There was a sound of someone heaving a sigh of relief. Hu Xiujie was still writing a long calculation formula when Dou Sheng suddenly reached out and placed his soft palm on his forehead.
Xie Lan froze, but before he could dodge, the hand retracted.
Dou Sheng quickly wrote two lines on the paper and threw it back: Don't worry, we'll leave for Yichang in the evening, so bring more clothes.
oh.
Xie Lan threw the paper ball into the desk with an expressionless face and continued to listen to the class.
If the secret love didn't work out, there was no right to vent anger on the other person. This was the truth, but he seemed to hear the sound of the iceberg of his emotions breaking apart.
Maybe everyone has a lemon to eat, and those who are moved will have to bear it alone to the end.
After lunch, Liu Yixuan took everyone to the corridor between the laboratory building and the teaching building, where "Love Dance" would be filmed.
She set up the camera, and Dou Shengyou sponsored a camera position. Taking advantage of the best sunlight, everyone immediately took action.
Liu Yixuan held up her phone and said, "According to the division of labor in the group, we will dance together first, then Yu Fei and I, Xie Lan and Douzi, Shuijing and Dai You will dance together once for the second section, and finally everyone will dance alone. Do you understand?"
Dai You raised his hand. "Question, my division of labor says that the personal dance scene is an outdoor staircase?"
Liu Yixuan nodded, "I chose two scenes to record a solo dance. Xie Lan, Yu Fei and I were in the small playground, and the remaining three were on the outdoor stairs. I was in charge of shooting here, and Douzi was in charge of shooting on the outdoor stairs."
"I understand." Yu Fei smiled, "Let's get started."
Liu Yixuan stood in the center of the camera and said, "Remember, we will use very few group shots in the end, and most of them will be edited by storyboards, so don't be too restrained, just start recording, record five times, it doesn't matter if they are not in sync at the beginning, everyone has to jump up to gradually get in sync, and strive to have usable footage for every person and every action."
After she finished speaking, she went to turn on the music.
The warm and lovely prelude sounded, and everyone started to move in a staggered manner. Liu Yixuan was very professional, while the others were all smiling and doing radio gymnastics, while Xie Lan was doing radio gymnastics with a blank expression.
He put his hands together under his neck, and when he opened his hands, he turned his head to the same side, just in time to see Liu Yixuan's profile.
The girl in the JK uniform has her eyelashes drooping slightly, and the hem of her light brown pleated skirt rises slightly as she stands on tiptoe and sways her hips. Her fair skin shines in the sun, and her movements are sweet and agile, with a vitality that is unmatched at this age.
Xie Lan indifferently withdrew his gaze as the dance movements changed. His movements were mechanical and his mind had already wandered far away.
Liu Yixuan meets every feature Dou Sheng mentioned. Someone close to her, a little-known celebrity, a good work, and the fact that she can play the violin is probably a vague clue, but she can actually play the bamboo flute.
She even has the same hobby as Dou Sheng: JK outfits.
Xie Lan moved his arm from the top of his head to one side, joined his other hand, twisted his waist alternately left and right, and then lifted his hands under his chin, while shaking his head, he jumped back, and used his feet as the axis to gently step on the spot and swing his hips. The shameful action made his hair stand on end, and he thought that Dou Sheng behind him was probably stealing glances at Liu Yixuan just like him, and he felt embarrassed and at a loss.
The music became warmer and more cheerful, and the people around him gradually got into the mood, but he felt a subtle trance.
Who am I and where am I.
Why did you return to China
Who are we dancing for here
Help.
After finishing the dance perfunctorily, Xie Lan's face turned red all the way to his neck. He felt uncomfortable all over and quickly ran to the side to drink some water to cool down.
Liu Yixuan and others excitedly gathered around the screen to watch the replay, while Che Ziming, who had come to join in the fun, was disturbing everyone with his laughter the whole time.
"Everyone looks so happy, Dai You, why are you so awkward? Herring, you look so serious and sweet, it's really making me laugh to death, hahahaha... Bean, you're so flirty!"
There were laughter and joy over there. Xie Lan was drinking water alone. After a while, Che Ming suddenly said, "Lan, what's wrong with you? Why do you have a blank expression from beginning to end? Do the viewers of Station B owe you coins?"
Before he could finish his words, Liu Yixuan interrupted him, "I think this is great. Everyone has different expressions, and all the faces of a thousand people are revealed at once. Xie Lan is so cute when she blushes and looks indifferent. Keep it up!"
Hearing this, Xie Lan raised his eyes, met her sweet and expectant gaze, and suddenly forced a stiff smile.
Liu Yixuan's expression froze.
The second time, Xie Lan kept smiling from beginning to end. When watching the video again, Che Ming's face wrinkled like a rag, "Do you know how weird you are? Damn it, please stop smiling."
Xie Lan gave him a cold look and said, "Mind your own business."
"Ah?" Che Ziming's eyes were empty for a moment, and he said aggrievedly, "Lan, you are so fierce today."
Dai You smiled and said, "It's okay. The more you do this, the better the show will be. But everyone should manage their sight lines. Xie Lan and Yu Fei should not keep looking at Liu Yixuan. Douzi performed the best and kept looking straight ahead."
Look straight ahead
Xie Lan glanced at Dou Sheng when he heard this, thinking that this guy still had some work principles and did not peek at Liu Yixuan crazily during the video shooting.
Dou Sheng smiled at the screen, as if he was reluctant to look away. After a while, he looked up at Xie Lan and said with a smile, "Our movements are so coordinated. We have such a good understanding."
Xie Lan returned a dim gaze.
Is it.
Dou Sheng was stunned by his gaze. His Adam's apple moved. He leaned over and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? I really think you're acting weird today."
Xie Lan continued to drink water with a numb face, "The weather is bad, and I feel average."
"The weather is not good today?" Dou Sheng was shocked. He looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the glass passage. "What kind of weather is good?"
Xie Lan just glanced at him coldly, put down the water and returned to his position.
Dou Sheng was stunned again.
Xie Lan was even more annoyed, both because he was so smart that he discovered Dou Sheng's secret and because he couldn't control his emotions. But when he was annoyed, he forgot about the embarrassment of dancing. He danced five times together, and his condition got better and better. The last time, his movements were smooth and each movement was stuck to the beat of the music. In the playback, the boy in white shirt and black pants was clean and indifferent. He was awkward and distressingly skilled under the warm and festive music. Dong Shuijing exclaimed that he was so cute that she fainted.
After the combined dance, it was time for the separate dances, with Xie Lan and Dou Sheng as a group.
Dou Sheng's long arms and legs looked extremely beautiful when he moved. When he jumped to imitate a peacock, leaning his head to one side and hopping on one leg, he swung his body in front of him with great joy. He turned his head unexpectedly and met Xie Lan's stern gaze.
"… "
Dou Sheng slipped and sprained his ankle.
Everyone around was laughing so hard that tears were about to come out. Liu Yixuan laughed so hard that she lay in Dong Shuijing's arms and paused the music.
"You two, settle any personal grudges first!"
Dou Sheng sighed and shook his ankle a little aggrievedly, "What are you doing? Don't you know that I am easily frightened?"
Xie Lan silently retracted his gaze, "Sorry, I'm looking for a style that suits me."
Che Ziming laughed so hard that he pounded the ground, "Is this the style of the underworld? Xie Lan, the ghost king of the Eighteenth Palace, Hu Xiujie finally has a successor!"
The second time, Xie Lan tried not to look at Dou Sheng, but his face was still stern. In his peripheral vision, someone exaggerated every move, as if deliberately trying to make him laugh, but the happier Dou Sheng was, the more frozen his expression became, and in the end, he became an autistic teenager who was kidnapped for business.
"I definitely provoked you today." Dou Sheng sighed meaningfully as he watched the playback, "I need to think about this carefully."
Xie Lan didn't say a word. He silently endured all the filming together and finally got away from Dou Sheng temporarily.
The sun was very strong on the playground, and Liu Yixuan spent a long time choosing the location, and finally chose the tree-lined road. She set up the camera first and recorded it herself, one pass, and then Yu Fei.
Yu Fei usually gets so depressed that he wants to collapse on the ground, but this time he danced very cooperatively. He danced seriously, and when he watched the playback, he felt that he did not do a move well, so he took the initiative to request a re-record.
Xie Lan looked at Liu Yixuan who was controlling the camera not far away and couldn't help but sigh again.
In fact, Liu Yixuan and Dou Sheng are quite suitable.
My classmates are all up and have sunny personalities.
They both have very white skin and are Homo sapiens who can walk independently on their hands and feet. There is one male and one female, and both are of the right species and gender.
The cicadas' chirping was so loud that it made him a little irritated.
"Xie Lan." Liu Yixuan let Yu Fei rest and waved at him, "It's your turn."
Yu Fei stepped back. The eldest master's pale face turned red under the scorching sun. He took the bottle of mineral water and walked to the shade of the tree nearby.
Xie Lan stepped forward, watching Liu Yixuan adjusting the camera, and suddenly asked out of nowhere, "Do you know who sent that gift?"
"Ah?" Liu Yixuan was startled and raised her head from behind the camera and asked, "It can't be you?"
"… "
Xie Lan sighed, "No."
Liu Yixuan asked, "Then do you know who it is?"
"I… "
A dark thought flashed through Xie Lan's mind.
If he gave Liu Yixuan a hint at this moment, he would immediately know Liu Yixuan's reaction and would know whether there was any possibility for Dou Sheng and her.
But if he did so, it would undoubtedly disrupt Dou Sheng's own confession rhythm, and the relationship might even end.
He was silent for three seconds and then sighed softly, "I don't know, I was just gossiping with everyone and I really want to know the truth."
Liu Yixuan breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "I'm so scared. Who would give such an expensive gift to a classmate? Okay, hurry over and jump. The light will be bad soon."
Xie Lan hummed.
Perhaps it was because he didn't sleep at noon and danced several times under the scorching sun, Xie Lan didn't feel very well the whole afternoon.
The long vacation is approaching, and the whole class is distracted. During the break, Dou Sheng and Liu Yixuan get together to study how to edit the storyboards for the video, while Che Ziming and the others frantically discuss the travel plan. The train ticket is for 12:30 tonight, and everyone plans to meet at the station at 11:40.
Xie Lan listened to them discussing the board games they were going to play on the long drive, but she had no interest in it at all.
He really wanted to say a few words to Dou Sheng. Maybe he didn't need to say that he liked him before. He just needed to pull him aside and say, "I see. I wish you the best." As long as he said this, maybe he could get over this hurdle quickly.
But when the break finally came, Dou Sheng went out to receive a call from a courier and came back just as class was about to start.
Xie Lan stood up listlessly and let him in. Dou Sheng looked at him for a while before sitting down. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're not feeling well. You're obviously in a bad mood."
It would have been fine if he hadn't asked. As soon as he asked, Xie Lan suddenly felt that all his emotions had converged into one outlet. He frowned and said, "Don't ask."
The class bell rang.
Dou Sheng whispered, "Why are you unhappy? Tell me what you are talking about. If you do this, everyone will feel bad."
"I know, I know." Xie Lan frowned even more tightly, "Can you please leave me alone?"
This seems to be a bit heavy.
After hearing this, Dou Sheng was stunned for a long time, and returned to his seat without saying anything.
There seemed to be a subtle rift between the two of them, like a thorn stuck in the throat, making people feel confused and upset.
Xiao Ma entered vacation mode early, and they took the bus home together after school.
Xie Lan sat by the window, and Dou Sheng sat on his right, all in silence.
At around seven o'clock, the city lights began to come on. The bus took a circuitous route and drove onto a cross-river bridge with multiple tunnels.
There are sixteen short speed-reducing tunnels on the bridge. The car was driving on the bridge. Outside the car window, the neon lights of the city were reflected on the river. The light was abundant, and the glass only vaguely reflected Xie Lan's face nearby. After a while, the bus drove into the dark tunnel. The dim light in the car suddenly became stronger, and Dou Sheng's face appeared behind him on the glass again.
The moment Dou Sheng's shadow lit up on the glass, Xie Lan realized that he had been looking at him from behind, but he did not turn around.
The darkness and light kept changing as the car drove, and his and Dou Sheng's shadows on the glass also intertwined. The tunnel was short, but the distance between the bridge decks was long. Most of the time, Xie Lan could only stare at his vague shadow overlapping the street scene. In the short time in the tunnel, Dou Sheng's face flashed on the glass, and every time, he was watching quietly from behind him.
The light kept jumping, and after jumping countless times, Xie Lan suddenly had an indescribable feeling.
It seemed that if he didn't look back the next time he entered that brief tunnel, he would miss the person staring at him from behind.
After a long time, the bus finally drove down the river bridge, and the street scenes with scattered lights became connected, but Dou Sheng's shadow could no longer be seen.
When Xie Lan turned around, Dou Sheng had already withdrawn his gaze.
It was as if there was suddenly a void in his heart that was hard to fill.
Zhao Wenying was not home tonight, and after they returned home, neither of them mentioned eating or packing their luggage. Xie Lan went straight back to her room, and Dou Sheng signed for a huge express delivery for Zhao Wenying, dragging the box into the storage room in silence.
Xie Lan was alone in the room for a while, and somehow, the two figures in the car kept reappearing in his mind.
He was squandering Dou Sheng's gentleness and tolerance as a friend.
Maybe he was indeed ill, and it was just an awkward physical contact with Dou Sheng that gave him the wrong idea. Even if Dou Sheng changed his nickname to Doctor Douzi, it would not cure his illness, he could only heal himself.
After a long while, Xie Lan took a deep breath and planned to break the ice with Dou Sheng.
He walked to the door and opened it, just in time he heard the sound of the door of the next room, and Dou Sheng came out almost at the same time.
When they met, they were both stunned.
Xie Lan said: "I... get some water."
Dou Sheng was silent for a while, "I'm looking for you."
Xie Lan stood still, not knowing how to respond.
It was natural that the interaction between the two of them seemed to become awkward because of the ghost in his heart.
Dou Sheng walked up to him, hesitated for several times, and finally sighed, "I've thought about it carefully, and the only possibility is..."
He seemed anxious, and stopped talking here and moved his neck.
After a long while, he whispered, "You don't think that Liu Yixuan's gift was from me, do you?"
Xie Lan was stunned.
He instinctively said, "Not you?"
Dou Sheng's eyes moved slightly, and the uneasiness disappeared, leaving a sense of helplessness. However, he couldn't help but slightly curl up the corners of his mouth with a look of youthful pride.
"Of course not. She's not the one I like, so why would I spend so much money on a gift for her? Tell me, am I the kind of country bumpkin who confesses his love to her by buying her an expensive gift?"
Xie Lan didn’t understand what a country dumpling was.
But he suddenly felt his heart beating faster.
Inexplicably, he couldn't describe how he felt at the moment. It was as if something was about to come out, but in an instant he felt that it was all wishful thinking.
After a long while, he said calmly: "Who else but her can produce good works among the people around her, celebrities, and minorities?"
Dou Sheng said nothing, just looked at him.
After a long time, Dou Sheng raised his hand and placed it on Xie Lan's head.
Xie Lan subconsciously wanted to dodge, but he held back and let Dou Sheng rub his head.
Dou Sheng asked quietly, "Do you still remember the inscription on the wall of Xilin?"
Xie Lan didn't react and asked subconsciously, "What?"
"I cannot see the true face of Mount Lu because I am inside it. After so many days, I should understand this sentence."
Dou Sheng's tone was light and gentle. He looked at Xie Lan's stunned expression and raised the corners of his lips gently, "Take care of the lessons I left for you. If you still don't understand, come and ask me and I'll teach you."
Xie Lan stopped talking. The blood in his body seemed to stop for a moment, and after a long time it began to flow slowly, slowly. Perhaps the blood flow was too slow, and a tingling sensation was generated from his fingertips, spreading throughout his body along the blood.
His mind was empty, as if it had been wiped clean by something. He didn't know how to react.
It’s not that I don’t understand at all, but I seem to understand, and I’m not sure.
Just as he was about to say something, Dou Sheng's cell phone suddenly rang.
Dou Sheng looked calm, but his fingertips were trembling. Xie Lan saw that he was about to click on the answer button, but his finger suddenly clicked on the speakerphone.
Yu Fei's very depressed and speechless voice sounded.
"Douzi, Xie Lan isn't next to you, right? I want to tell you this alone."
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Dou Sheng raised his eyebrows and said, "Uh..."
There was silence on the phone, and then Yu Fei sighed loudly. Even through the phone, one could feel the exhaustion and despair.
"Okay, I'll be there. I didn't want more people to know about this embarrassing thing, but Lan is not a gossipy person."
He took a deep breath and said speechlessly: "Can you come to my house and save me? I can't seem to go out smoothly. My dad wants to send me to see a psychiatrist overnight."
Xie Lan's brain had already stopped thinking. He was stunned when he heard this and subconsciously asked, "Why?"
Yu Fei took a deep breath, a deep breath, and a deep breath.
Then he cursed and hummed through his teeth, "My dad found the second set of Hanfu I was going to give to Croissant when he opened the package."
What
Xie Lan was shocked: "How e? Wha... what? "
Yu Fei sighed, his tone carrying the detachment of someone who had comprehended the sufferings of this world.
"He finally figured out why his son, who wanted everything, had been depressed since childhood."
"He thinks I have gender identity disorder."