Lin Yao didn't even finish his meal. He found an excuse to leave the restaurant early and ran towards the coffee shop that Guan Ze mentioned. When he arrived, Guan Ze was standing outside the coffee shop waiting for him.
"Have you eaten?" Lin Yao held his stomach and gasped for air, having run all the way here.
"No," Guan Ze looked around, looking for a place to eat, "Why don't you just eat honestly and come here?"
"I want to... eat with you." Lin Yao finally caught his breath, straightened up and chuckled twice, "You didn't eat anyway."
"Then there's no need to run," Guan Ze patted him on the back naturally, "Let's go, let's go eat ramen, I like to eat noodles for lunch."
"Okay," Lin Yao shuddered at his pat and looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. "I find you are really... Aren't you afraid of being seen?"
"Whoever watched, so what?" Guan Ze led him to the other side of the street indifferently. "It's none of their business."
Lin Yao was stunned for a moment, and walked forward side by side with him without saying anything. In fact, he often thought so, what does it have to do with you? What does it have to do with you if I like a man? Who do you care who I like
But no matter how much he thinks about it, he will still be worried and afraid if it really happens.
He is different from Guan Ze. Guan Ze has no family and no large number of relatives. The experience of growing up alone makes him not care too much about what others think. But he has his weak points: his mother, his father, and Lin Zong, each of them is his weak point.
He was afraid that his family would not be able to accept it and that they would feel bad because of him.
He didn't even dare to think about how he would face the family who had spoiled him since he was a child if this matter became known to others one day.
"Where is your hometown? Which countryside?" Lin Yao asked while eating a big bowl of ramen.
"It's a few hours drive. It's in the town, and the cemetery is a bit out of the way," Guan Ze thought for a moment, "I haven't been back for a long time. I wanted to take you there because it's not far away, the scenery is especially beautiful, and the snow scene in winter is also very nice."
"I love going to places with beautiful scenery, but when I go out with my mom and dad, it's basically shopping trips. I don't have any other memories except helping to carry bags," Lin Yao was a little excited. He didn't mind where he went. As long as he was with Guan Ze, he would feel happy walking from the company to the parking lot. "When I was a kid, I said I wanted to go hiking, and Lin Zong took me to the construction site behind our house and took me to climb the scaffolding, and that was it."
"That counts as rock climbing." Guan Ze laughed.
"Guan Ze," Lin Yao put down his chopsticks and looked at him, "I was really surprised when you said you wanted to go play."
"It just occurred to me. In the past, I usually stayed at home or went to an outdoor club during the annual leave. But this year, I wanted to go out and play with you," Guan Ze smiled, "and it happens to be your birthday."
Lin Yao went home and told his mother that he would go out with his friends on his birthday. His mother was very depressed. He had always celebrated his birthday at home since he was a child, without exception, even when he had parties with friends, he always did so at home.
"Is it with the girl?" Mom was depressed for a while, then turned the page and started to inquire.
“… Yeah,” Lin Yao was not used to lying. He got nervous when he thought of words. He was always worried about choking when he took a glass of water to drink. “There is a girl.”
"How many people are there? Aren't you going out alone with the girl?" My mother would always be disappointed at this moment.
Lin Yao felt that his mother was very worried. Since he was in junior high school, she had been asking him whether he was with any girl. Her worry about Lin Zong was why his brother was with a girl again.
"There are a few of them," Lin Yao put his arm around his mother's shoulders, "Don't worry, I know how many there are."
"What do you know? If you really knew, you wouldn't have never been in a relationship," my mother said with a sigh, "or did you not know if you were in a relationship?"
"I really haven't talked about it. I haven't thought about it. Don't worry about it. I'll talk about it when it's time." Lin Yao chatted with his mother for a few more words and then quickly ran back to his room. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle it if he continued.
Guan Ze's birthday is still a long way off, it will be July next year, Lin Yao lies on the bed and thinks about how to celebrate Guan Ze's birthday. Guan Ze probably has never celebrated his birthday properly, he has been alone since he was a child... No, Ning Juan will definitely celebrate it for him.
How did Ning Juan celebrate his birthday? Lin Yao turned over and raised his arms, staring at his fingers. He couldn't ask Guan Ze, but Ning Juan was a thoughtful woman, so she would definitely make his birthday very detailed and thoughtful.
Lin Yao frowned. If it was someone else's birthday, he would just buy a gift and have a meal. But this was Guan Ze's birthday, Guan Ze's first birthday since they met, so let's count it as one year old. He wanted to give the one-year-old Guan Ze a happy birthday.
How to get through this? Lin Yao turned over and lay on his stomach again, burying his face in the pillow. It would be best if Guan Ze could remember this for the rest of his life. Fortunately, he still had half a year to think about this matter.
He got up, grabbed his phone and set a timer reminder a week before July 18 next year.
In the past, when Lin Zong first started dating, he was always cheerful. He could tell from Lin Zong's emotions whether this time his girlfriend was serious or just for fun. He always thought that Lin Zong's habit of smiling silly when he was serious was very funny.
He didn't expect that he would be in the same state. The first person he thought of when he opened his eyes every day was Guan Ze, and the last person he thought of before closing his eyes was also Guan Ze. He could see him every day but still wanted to call him whenever he had time. He couldn't help laughing when he thought of Guan Ze.
Whenever there was a meeting at the company, he wanted to sneak under the table, touch Guan Ze's legs a few times, and then sneak back.
His observation of Guan Ze has reached a new level. He even remembered what kind of clothes and pants Guan Ze wore every day for half a month, and thus discovered that Guan Ze dressed in order.
"Are your clothes numbered?" Lin Yao asked Guan Ze in a low voice when no one was in the tea room.
Guan Ze was drinking coffee and was stunned when he heard this: "There are no numbers, but they are all placed in order. Did you look at the cabinet when you went to my house?"
"Who has time to look at your wardrobe? I can't even look at you all," Lin Yao wrinkled his nose and smiled, continuing to lower his voice, "I noticed that you wear clothes in order, at least your shirts are black, dark gray, white, blue, light gray..."
Guan Ze forgot to drink his coffee. He looked at him for a long time before he raised his eyebrows. He quickly came over and touched his forehead with his lips inconspicuously: "You should get a part-time job, like a private detective or something."
"Get out." Lin Yao felt dizzy for a moment and supported himself with the table behind him to prevent himself from sliding down the table legs.
Lin Yao had never been looking forward to his birthday as much as he was now. He endured the whole month as if he was practicing forced meditation. In order to be able to take leave around his birthday, he worked overtime for several days in advance to finish the work on hand.
When his birthday was approaching, he had dark circles under his eyes.
"I'll go directly to your house tomorrow?" Lin Yao called Guan Ze. He had already packed his luggage. In fact, there was not much to prepare in just a few days. He packed it like he was in school during the spring outing when he was a kid. He had to deal with two bottles of water and some food for several hours.
"I'll wait for you at the intersection of your home so you don't have to make the trip. If you get there earlier and stay overnight, you won't be in a rush for dinner." Guan Ze was originally quite calm. He just wanted to take a few days off to relax and have fun with Lin Yao. However, Lin Yao's childlike excitement during this period made him restless. He always felt like he was going to do something big.
"Okay!" Lin Yao wanted to say something, but heard someone talking downstairs. Didn't Dad say he wouldn't be back for dinner today? He didn't talk to Guan Ze anymore, and hung up the phone to go out and take a look.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Lin Zongzheng walking up the stairs.
"Aren't you going to celebrate your birthday at home?" Lin Zong walked into his room and looked at the small travel bag he had thrown on the chair.
"Yeah, I went out with my friends for two days." Lin Yao felt that he could lie for a few minutes in front of his mother, but he just felt nervous in front of Lin Zong, who knew him too well. "Why are you back?"
"I was planning to come back on your birthday. You weren't going to be at home for the birthday, were you?" Lin Zong sat down on the bed and looked at him. "Bring back your birthday present first."
"You bought me a boat?" Lin Yao was happy and turned around and ran out.
"Come back." Lin Zong said behind him, with an order in his voice.
Lin Yao was afraid of Lin Zong's tone, so he stopped and slowly walked back into the house: "Brother, what's wrong?"
"Let's chat. Why are you in such a hurry?" Lin Zong stood up, opened the window, and lit a cigarette. "Who are you going out with? I've never seen you go out with friends before."
"Don't smoke in my room. Mom will blame me for smoking and ask me to drink some lung-clearing drink," Lin Yao frowned, his mind quickly turning. He had to deal with Lin Zong. "Let's go see the snow. There's nothing special about snow here. Let's go to my friend's hometown. It's not far away."
"What friend?" Lin Zong put out his cigarette, turned around and stared into his eyes.
Lin Yao knew that he couldn't tell lies at this time. Lin Zong could see it at a glance. He swallowed his saliva and said, "You don't know the friend of our colleague in the company."
Lin Zong had no expression and looked at him for a while: "Lin Yao."
"Hmm?" Lin Yao's heart was beating wildly, even more excited than playing the drums. If he was closer to Lin Zong, Lin Zong would probably be able to hear his loud heartbeat.
Lin Zong was silent for a few seconds, then walked over, hugged his shoulders, and whispered in his ear, "Happy birthday, come down and see the presents."
Lin Zong bought him a red kayak, which was already inflated and placed in the yard. His mother was circling around the kayak and looking at it. As she looked at it, she said, "I said I wanted to buy a house with a swimming pool. If there was a swimming pool, this kayak could fit in it."
"Don't nouveau riche people afford boats with swimming pools?" Lin Yao squatted beside the boat. It was a three-person boat, very beautiful. He temporarily put aside the tense atmosphere between him and Lin Zong. "Besides, why did you put this boat in the swimming pool?"
"I'm lying on it and basking in the sun," my mother said with a sigh, "I only dare to wear those bikinis at home. I don't dare to wear them when I go swimming. If there is a swimming pool, I will wear them at home and lie on them. How beautiful."
"You've maintained a good figure," Lin Zong smiled as he stood aside, "It's okay to wear it out. I'll take you to the beach to wear it someday."
"Forget it, just keep it. When Lin Yao's wife gets married in the future, give it to her as a family heirloom." Mom looked at Lin Yao with a smile.
"Let's take a break," Lin Yao said helplessly, "Our family heirlooms are two bikinis. I don't even dare to bring girls home."
"Don't worry," the mother reached across the boat and patted his head, "I will definitely have a big gift waiting for your daughter-in-law when she gets married. I guarantee it will be more important than the gift for my eldest son's daughter-in-law!"
"Why." Lin Zong lit another cigarette, held it in his mouth and stood by the gate a few meters away from his mother.
"Your wife is no longer a big deal. There are so many of them. I've been waiting for Lin Yao's wife," the mother didn't even look at Lin Zong, but just looked at Lin Yao. "The main reason is that Lin Yao is more honest than you. If he meets a girl with a lot of tricks, he will definitely be beaten to a pulp. I'm worried."
“Not to the point of…” Lin Yao felt himself sweating. Ever since he graduated from university, his mother’s topics would easily turn to his girlfriend or his wife, and he would sweat every time he listened to them.
"It's so fun. If you find someone suitable this time, come back and show it to mom." Mom stood up and happily went back to the house to cook.
During the meal, Lin Zong talked about TV with his mother and discussed how to celebrate Lin Yao's birthday after he came back from playing. Lin Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head and rolled up his mother's loving dinner, then ran upstairs after washing the dishes. He wanted to call Guan Ze immediately.
While Guan Ze was answering the phone, he kept looking at the door. He was afraid that Lin Zong would come in suddenly. He would not lock the door unless necessary, and Lin Zong never knocked when entering his room.
"Hello." Guan Ze's voice finally came out.
"Baby," Lin Yao quickly jumped onto the bed and pulled the quilt over himself, "Don't wait for me at the intersection tomorrow. I'll go to your house."
"What's wrong?"
"My brother is back and asked me a lot of questions about going out," Lin Yao pounded the bed, "He must have noticed. My brother is a little fox under an old fox. He must be staying at home tonight. Maybe he will follow me out tomorrow. If he sees your big cut again, I'm really done. I'm not afraid of my father or my mother since I was a child, but I'm afraid of Lin Zong's family. He's the only one who beat me. He really beat me, you know? He took off my pants with a bamboo stick and beat me like that. I'm really afraid of him..."
"Take off your pants? How old were you?" Guan Ze couldn't help laughing.
"When I was five, I talked back to my mom and she beat me up," Lin Yao sniffed. "Don't be happy, that's my blood and tears. Did you hear me when I said I'd go to your house to find you?"
"I heard it," Guan Ze's voice came over with a smile, "But if your brother really follows you, wouldn't he be able to follow you when you come to my house?"
"Yes!" Lin Yao was stunned, "What should we do then?"
"Go to the station tomorrow and call me when you get there."
"My brother is going with you, so he can still see you. Although he has never seen what you look like, he can tell at a glance that you are a person..."
"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it."
Although Lin Yao was uneasy, Guan Ze told him to handle it, and he trusted Guan Ze. He was excited when he thought he could leave tomorrow. With the mentality of not crying until he saw the coffin, and checking if he was comfortable before entering, Lin Yao fell asleep smoothly before nine o'clock.
He fell asleep, but he didn't know if it was because he felt uneasy subconsciously or what, but he dreamed all night that he and Guan Ze were climbing a snowy mountain, climbing very hard, and a group of people with guns and axes were chasing them from behind.
He had this dream all night long and it was so real that when he woke up in the morning he felt as if he had not slept at all and was extremely tired.
When he finished washing up and walked out of his room, he was surprised to find that the door of Lin Zong's room was open. There was no one there, and there was no one downstairs. Only his mother was preparing burnt bread for him.
Lin Yao ran down and rolled up the bread with black on both sides and stuffed it into his mouth: "Mom, just bake one side of the bread from now on, leaving the other side unburned... Where's my brother?"
"I'm going out. I've been gone for 20 minutes. I left some money for you as a birthday bonus." Mom handed him a red envelope and began to remind him of safety precautions when going out.
"I'll be 24 tomorrow," Lin Yao kissed his mother on the cheek, "Don't worry."
Lin Yao went out and took a taxi straight to the bus station. On the way, he carefully observed the cars in front, behind, and around him. He didn't see Lin Zong's Captiva, so he breathed a sigh of relief. After arriving at the station, he quickly called Guan Ze.
"I'm at the bus station entrance. My brother went out before me. Theoretically, he shouldn't be lying in ambush somewhere, right?" Lin Yao was standing outside the bus station hall. The cold wind made it difficult for him to speak clearly, but he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.
"Wait." Guan Ze said and hung up the phone.
Lin Yao was looking around for Guan Ze when two girls with backpacks ran out of the hall. They ran up to him and pulled his arm with a smile: "Lin Yao, come on, go in."
"Ah?" Lin Yao was stunned. What does that mean
"Come into the waiting room," a little girl pointed to the waiting room, "come on, we're waiting for you inside."
Lin Yao didn't understand what was going on for a long time, but when another girl winked at him, he seemed to understand a little. Mainly, the two girls knew his name, so he followed them into the waiting hall in a daze.
There were a lot of people in the waiting hall, it was packed. New Year's Day was coming soon, and many people were going home or traveling.
The two girls led him through the crowd for a long time, and when they reached a corner, they pointed ahead and said, "It's over there."
Lin Yao looked over and saw Guan Ze walking towards him with a smile on his face. He clasped his fists towards the two girls and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The little girl waved her hand with a smile, and the two of them turned around and squeezed away, feeling a little embarrassed.
"What's going on?" Lin Yao looked at Guan Ze.
Guan Ze was dressed casually today, wearing a down jacket casually, and slightly tight black casual pants and short boots. Lin Yao had always been interested in his long and straight legs, and now he was even more imaginative when he saw them.
If he were at Guan Ze's house now, he would definitely rush over to take off Guan Ze's pants and spread his legs...
"Aren't you afraid of your brother's ambush? I'll ask them for help. If your brother really sees them, just say they were girls who went out to play together." Guan Ze handed him a can of milk.
"Help?" Lin Yao pulled his thoughts back to where they were. "What did you tell them? How can you find someone to help you in such a mess?"
"I told them I wanted to elope with my boyfriend and asked them to bring him in for me," Guan Ze put his arm around his shoulders and led him to the side door. "We'll go out the side door. My car is in the parking lot, and we'll go out the door on the back street of the parking lot. Then we'll have successfully eloped."
"What!" Lin Yao turned around and yelled into Guan Ze's ear, then quickly lowered his voice: "Elope? How dare you say that? You don't have any shame at all!"
"What's wrong with eloping?" Guan Ze let go of him and pressed his ear. "You don't know us. From now on, stay with me and I will show you around."