"Jia Ran, have you finished your competition work?" Lin Shan asked while mixing colors while sitting in the studio.
Xie Jiaran shook his head: "There are only a few drafts, but I'm not very satisfied with any of them."
"Is it so difficult?" Lin Shan was surprised: "Tsk tsk tsk, if even you find it difficult, what about the other contestants?"
"My level cannot be used as a benchmark for the general public. There are many people who can draw better than me." Xie Jiaran said: "Perhaps this difficult subject for me is easy for others."
"Oh, isn't it Youth?"
Lin Shan actively helped him with ideas: "Just think about what memorable things you had during your adolescence, or if there are any iconic figures that represent your entire youth, and then put them together and draw them."
"This is the most basic method of abstracting entities. You should be better at it than me."
Xie Jiaran asked somewhat puzzledly: "Adolescence refers to high school years?"
"Well... most of the time, but not necessarily." Lin Shan thought for a moment and asked him, "Well, tell me what you did in high school, and I'll give you some reference."
Xie Jiaran: "Classes, exams, and drawing."
Lin Shan: “Besides these?”
Xie Jiaran: "Eat, sleep?"
"... ..."
Lin Shan sighed, "It's not these, it's something special that I remember deeply."
Xie Jiaran said: "College entrance examination?"
Lin Shan: “?”
Xie Jiaran: "There was also a joint exam. A student forgot to bring his admission ticket and cried for a full 20 minutes outside the exam room."
Lin Shan: “…”
Xie Jiaran asked earnestly: "So do you think I should draw a joint examination venue?"
"... ... ... "
After a long silence, Lin Shan decided to keep smiling.
What's wrong with the kid? He just missed puberty.
"Bao, that's not what I meant."
Lin Shan calmed down a bit and patiently guided him: "Adolescence, as the name suggests, is the most restless period in your teens and twenties. You will want to do something or meet someone, and you will feel that life is especially beautiful, the air is especially sweet, and even the sun is especially bright."
"Throb, throb, understand?"
Lin Shan made a heartbeat gesture: "Will the joint entrance examination make you excited? Obviously not."
"Throbbing..."
"Yes! Think carefully, among your sketches, is there any one that you drew with a throbbing heart?"
Xie Jiaran was silent, his eyelashes trembling twice.
Lin Shan knew something was going to happen as soon as he saw it: "Is it true?"
Xie Jiaran nodded hesitantly: "Maybe, but I always feel like something is missing."
Moreover, he did not tell Lin Shan that the sketch was not the one he drew for the competition. To be honest, it was just a sketch on the court.
As for whether it is thrilling or not...
He himself wasn't sure.
"Oh." Lin Shan sighed with mixed feelings.
After thinking for a while, he reluctantly took out his phone and said, "Come on, come on, I'll let you feel the throbbing heart now, just in case you find inspiration."
Xie Jiaran looked down at him and opened a picture: "Who is this?"
"My number two boyfriend." Lin Shan shook his head and shared with him happily: "How about it, handsome, right?"
Xie Jiaran looked at him for a while and asked him, "Can I tell the truth?"
Lin Shan didn't believe that anyone could make any unpleasant criticisms of such a perfect face: "Of course, please."
Xie Jiaran "lived up" to his expectations and said pertinently: "The face is too big, and the eyes are too small."
Lin Shan: “?”
Xie Jiaran: "The eyelashes are too short and the mouth is too big."
Lin Shan: “???”
Xie Jiaran looked around again: "The profile is too flat, and the contours are not deep enough."
Lin Shan: “???”
"No, no, wait." He said anxiously, "Tell me, are your eyes not nice enough? Your eyelashes are not long enough? Your profile is not handsome enough?"
Xie Jiaran honestly thought that it was indeed not enough, and he looked calm inside.
Lin Shan: "Are you comparing it to the paper man?"
Seeing that Lin Shan's tonsils were about to pop out, Xie Jiaran considerately kept silent.
But taking another look at the so-called second male lead, he really didn't like him.
He did not compare himself with the paper man. After all, no matter from which angle you looked at it, Liang Sunian was much better looking than him.
After class, Lin Shan rarely invited Xie Jiaran to dinner: "Jiaran, today is my boyfriend's birthday, so come and pick me up to spend some time alone, so I won't go with you."
"good."
Xie Jiaran also happened to be in love, so he nodded and said, "Please say happy birthday to me."
"no problem."
After they finished packing, they went upstairs together. Lin Shan complained to him about her boyfriend: "I don't know what's wrong with him recently. He suddenly became weird. He always has a stern face for no reason. It's the same with me and the people around me. I don't know what he's angry about."
"Did you have a fight?" Xie Jiaran asked.
"No." Lin Shan said, "The strangest thing is this. Not only did we not quarrel, but he became even more attached to me than before. He would send me messages during class and call me during class. He would get together with me whenever he didn't have class. But when I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn't tell me."
"Yeah. That's pretty weird."
"Really? Do you think he's going through menopause? That shouldn't be the case. He's only in his twenties. It's too early for him to be going through menopause..."
Lin Shan muttered in distress, but when he saw the person standing on the far steps waiting for him, he immediately smiled again: "Hey, my boyfriend is over there. I'll leave first. Jiaran, see you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow."
Xie Jiaran watched Lin Shan jump and run to her boyfriend, say something with a bright smile, and then point at Xie Jiaran.
The latter looked over here and nodded politely as a greeting.
Xie Jiaran nodded in response, guessing that Lin Shan was introducing herself to his boyfriend.
The couple walked away hand in hand. Xie Jiaran looked at the time, went to the nearest cafeteria to have dinner, and arrived at the Student Activity Center on time before seven o'clock.
He stopped at the door for a while. The people coming and going inside were busy with their own things and no one noticed him.
But he spotted Liang Sunian standing next to the stage in the crowd.
Because he was going to give a speech on stage, he rarely dressed so casually. The well-fitting grey shirt made him look more refreshing and clean.
His hair was combed to one side, revealing most of his forehead. He wore a pair of thin silver-framed glasses and held a cylindrical manuscript in his hand. His lazy, bookish air was extremely eye-catching.
A girl next to him was gesturing in the direction of the stage and saying something to him. He tilted his head slightly and listened attentively. Perhaps he was not used to having his glasses riding on his nose, so he would raise his hand to adjust it every few minutes.
Xie Jiaran looked at him for a while, then looked around.
Many people who were already seated in the audience were also looking at Liang Sunian.
Most of them are girls with bright eyes. Some of them even take out their mobile phones to secretly take a couple of photos, then lower their heads and discuss with their friends around them with a smile.
Xie Jiaran felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
He withdrew his gaze and was about to step in when Liang Sunian happened to turn his head back as if he sensed something.
As soon as I saw him, I smiled.
She lowered her head and said something to the girl next to her, then turned around and strode towards him.
"Why didn't you call me when you came? What are you doing here like an idiot?"
"You're busy."
"Not busy." Liang Sunian adjusted his glasses again, his eyes curved beautifully behind the lenses: "No matter how busy I am, I have to settle my audience first, right?"
Liang Sunian led him in, found a relatively quiet and deserted corner, and after settling him down, he did not leave in a hurry, but sat down next to him.
"Have you had dinner?" Liang Sunian asked.
Xie Jiaran nodded: "I had class early today, so I came here after eating."
Liang Sunian felt a little regretful: "I was thinking that I could take you out for a delicious meal after we finish."
He adjusted his glasses again, and Xie Jiaran's attention shifted to his glasses: "Are you very nearsighted? I never see you wearing glasses normally."
Liang Su Nian smiled and said, "Let's not talk about whether he is nearsighted or not, just tell me whether he is handsome or not?"
It is pleasing to the eye when viewed from a distance, and if you look at it up close and make people smile, you will be struck by its beauty.
Xie Jiaran got stuck, but luckily it was not obvious and was not discovered by the culprit.
"Handsome." He commented honestly.
Liang Sunian's smile immediately widened.
He took off his glasses and put them on: "Look, do you feel dizzy?"
Xie Jiaran opened his eyes and blinked twice in confusion: "No, nothing seems to have changed."
"No prescription." Liang Sunian said with a smile, "Our counselor said that we will take photos for the school recruitment website later, and wearing glasses will make us look more knowledgeable."
Oh, we need to put up the enrollment website.
Xie Jiaran thought to himself that indeed, Liang Sunian's photo was much more useful than any admissions brochure.
Liang Sunian looked him up and down, touched his chin and hissed, "Xiaoxue Xie, do you know that you look good wearing glasses?"
"... ... have no idea."
Xie Jiaran took off his glasses and said to Liang Sunian: "But I know you look good in them."
He always looks serious and focused, and he never jokingly praises people. It seems that whatever he thinks comes out of his mouth, and his sincerity is touching.
Liang Sunian put on his glasses again, and suddenly felt that this thing riding on his nose was not so annoying anymore.
Someone called him from the stage, and Liang Sunian stood up in response: "I have to go first, you wait here for me, I'll come find you when it's over."
Xie Jiaran nodded: "Okay."
Liang Sunian took two steps forward, then turned around as if thinking of something, took out two strawberry candies from his trouser pocket and gave them to him. He rubbed his head and reminded him seriously, "My friend, be obedient. There are a lot of people here. Remember to stay still and don't run around."
"... ..."
Xie Jiaran turned his head away from his hand speechlessly, put away his five fingers, and two gummies filled his palm.
Liang Sunian was extremely happy.
As soon as he walked away, without any cover, many people around him turned their heads to look at Xie Jiaran, intentionally or unintentionally.
But Xie Jiaran didn't notice that his eyes were always following Liang Sunian.
Watching him standing by quietly reading the script and waiting for the show, and then calmly walking onto the stage after hearing the host call out his name, even the simple action of adjusting the microphone was hard to take your eyes off.
It was very strange. Although the entire classroom was brightly lit, Xie Jiaran felt that all the light was focused on the person on the stage.
He seemed to be born to stand in such a spot under the spotlight. His tone was low and gentle, but his whole person exuded a casual and flamboyant air that could not be ignored.
When the first round of applause started, Xie Jiaran heard the whispers of the girls in the front row:
"He is so outstanding. He has good grades, a good personality, and good looks. The word perfect is not an exaggeration to describe him."
"Yeah, I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like crying."
"In fact, I haven't been able to say a word to him since I went to college, but I still feel so happy, as if my college life has been brightened up."
"Hahaha, sister, why are you replying? It sounds like you're just chasing a star."
"No, there is a difference. You don't have to pay to have sex with a schoolgirl, and you can see her up close without having to worry about the scandal."
"What you said makes sense, but it's really hard for anyone not to like him."
... ...
Xie Jiaran caught the word "like" and somehow, he suddenly felt a little stunned.
The person on the stage looked up as if inadvertently, and the moment their eyes met, Liang Sunian slightly raised the corners of his lips and blinked at him.
The flowing lights crushed in his eyes. At this moment, Xie Jiaran felt that he was a whale swimming alone in the deep sea. The moment he emerged from the water, he could finally see the vast stars.
"Did he just look this way?!"
"Is it so?"
"He is smiling at us. Could it be that he heard us talking?"
"Hahaha, I'm not a super-ears person, what are you thinking, it should just be a coincidence?"
"Then I am satisfied too. I don't care. He just made eye contact with me and smiled at me!"
As Xie Jiaran listened to their laughing and noisy conversation, he suddenly felt an impulse he had never felt before.
He wanted to cover their eyes.
Or maybe to tell everyone that he was looking at him, winking at him, and smiling at him...
This sudden thought popped into Xie Jiaran's mind and he was stunned for a moment.
But before I had time to think about anything, Lin Shan's message came in.
Your Shanshan: Jiaran! Hahahahahahaha there is a very speechless funny thing that I must share with you right away!
Your Shanshan: After some unremitting efforts, I finally found out what's wrong with my boyfriend recently, hahahaha!
Your Shanshan: Do you remember the last time I told you that my boyfriend and I went out and it rained heavily, so we stayed in the hotel for the whole day
Your Shanshan: We went to visit the ancient town on the first day before it rained. When we were sitting and drinking tea, a brother stared at me for a long time, and finally ran over to ask for his WeChat. Of course, I rejected him outright.
Your Shanshan: Because my boyfriend was there at the time, and he saw me refuse, so I didn’t take it to heart. I didn’t expect that he actually cared so much and was jealous and throwing a tantrum for so long, hahahaha!
Your Shanshan: He said I belong to him alone, no matter how pretty I am, only he can look at me, he gets upset when others stare at me, he just feels unhappy, he just wants to gouge people's eyes out. I am dying of laughter, how can I feel so second-rate and touched at the same time!
Your Shanshan: What should I do? We are already an old married couple, and he suddenly has such a strong possessiveness. I feel like I was in the passionate period when we first fell in love.
in love... ...
Love period...
Xie Jiaran was completely confused.
But when he touched his heart, it was beating very quickly, as if he was celebrating that he had finally discovered a secret that had been hidden for a long time, feeling happy and excited.
Your Shanshan: I have classes tomorrow. I will have dinner and go back to school soon. Do you want to go to Ximen to have a midnight snack to celebrate? Our sweet love with Lin Xiaoxue has reached a new level~
x.: No, I have something urgent to do.
Your Shanshan: Huh? What? A drawing
x.: It's not the manuscript, it's something else. Sorry, I can only celebrate with you one more time.
Liang Sunian's speech had not yet ended. Xie Jiaran put away his phone, stood up, and quietly left the classroom through the back door.
There was something urgent and he needed to find a way to verify it immediately.
When I returned to the dormitory, I received a message from Liang Sunian who had just finished his speech:
SuPrevious Years: Hey hey hey o^o? Where are my audience, why did they run away
x. ：Sorry, I have something urgent to do, so I have to go back to the dormitory first.
Previous years: Revise the manuscript
x. ：Yeah.
SuPrevious Years: What a coincidence! It seems I can’t take you out for a nice meal.
x.: It’s okay, you can do it again next time.
Su Xiwangnian: Okay, then I won’t bother you anymore. If you want to eat anything, just send me a message and I’ll bring it back for you.
x.: OK.
Li Tang and Shen Xuehao went to the next room with their computers to play games early in the morning, and now he is the only one in the dormitory.
He turned on his computer, found the Baidu Encyclopedia forum, and typed the question carefully in the search box:
What does it feel like to like someone
The answers that pop up come in a variety of formats:
When you like someone, you can hear the sound of flowers blooming.
Test whether he likes you, click the link and get the answer!
How does it feel to like someone? It's heartbreaking, be careful! !
... ... What is going on
Xie Jiaran frowned and scrolled up to re-enter the question:
What are the specific manifestations of liking someone
The answer that popped up this time was different from the previous one.
Fortunately, there is a related question and answer for the first one. When you go in, you will find several floors with high-scoring answers:
To like someone means that you want to see him all the time.
I will do this! When I like someone, I will become very greedy. I am not satisfied with being his ordinary friend, I just want to be his most precious one!
Another synonym for liking someone is possessiveness. You will start to want to monopolize him, want to tell the whole world that he is yours, and want all his goodness to belong to you alone!
... ...
Xie Jiaran read every word carefully, and his hands gradually left the keyboard.
It seems like he got them all right.
Is this what love is
He still wasn't sure.
Liking someone is a big mistake, but being a boy and liking another boy is even bigger.
Does he like boys
But before meeting Liang Sunian, there had never been any signs.
Xie Jiaran does not reject homosexuality, but he feels that this is his first time and he must take it seriously and make sure he gets everything out. He doesn't want to get away with it.
He registered an account and tried to ask seriously in the reply with the highest number of likes:
Hello, I have never liked anyone before, but now I feel like I like him. I have all the symptoms mentioned above, but I am still not 100% sure. What should I do to confirm whether this is love
He thought he would have to wait at least a day to get a reply, but he refreshed his page and a new reply came immediately:
What a coincidence, I saw you when I came online, hahaha, how come I am an expert in sex? I am just a kid who has had seven or eight relationships!
paper? It's normal for you to have this doubt. I had the same doubt when I was in my first relationship. You asked the right person.
I won’t go into any other fancy stuff, I’ll just share with you a method that works instantly.
If you are not sure whether you like him, then try to hug him and have close contact with him. If you don't reject him and don't feel awkward or uncomfortable, and if your heart is calm and your adrenaline surges, then there is no doubt that you like him!
...
Xie Jiaran looked at his reply and fell into silence.
Hug, but he has hugged Liang Sunian many times.
Skin contact too, Liang Sunian's upper body was almost touched by him, doesn't this count as physical contact
Wait, that's not right.
They had hugged each other many times and had intimate contact many times, but almost every time it happened when he was suffering from skin craving syndrome.
Controlled by the irreconcilable symptoms, I went back to rely on him, longing for his close embrace.
What if there is no symptom guidance
When Liang Sunian came back, he passed by Room 304 next door. Seeing that the door was not closed and hearing some chaotic shouting from inside, he turned in and took a walk.
When he came out, two internet-addicted young men were following him, holding their computers and their faces were red with excitement.
"If our Yasuo wasn't so good at fighting just now, and could only rub and fall to the ground, and let the opponent's Fox get so fat, I would have killed him in a hurry!"
"Who isn't? If the wind girl hadn't been blowing the wind in the opposite direction last time, allowing me to fight three people alone, I would have directly broken through the road, right?!"
"I'm so angry! I've been busy all night!"
"Their dormitory must have bad feng shui! Let's not go there next time!"
"You make a point, and it's hard for me not to agree."
"What are you doing now?" Liang Sunian asked curiously, "Are these rookies trying to comfort each other?"
Li Tang puffed his cheeks: "Don't expose it! We can still be brothers!"
Shen Xuehao straightened his chest and said, "That's right."
These two people made Liang Sunian amused. He laughed and turned around to see Xie Jiaran sitting in his seat and looking up at him.
She winked at him and handed him the key pendant that had been dangling on her middle finger: "Here, I'll give you something."
Xie Jiaran took it and looked at it. It was a pendant that looked like a painter. A boy wearing a yellow straw hat and overalls was sitting on the grass. He had a few paintbrushes in his hands, and the paint was all over his face and clothes.
It was very cute. Xie Jiaran held it in his palm and looked at it carefully, unable to let it go.
"Oh, so the little painter wants to give it to the great painter."
Li Tang grinned and clicked his tongue twice: "No wonder just now in the dormitory next door, when Zhang wanted to send his girlfriend off, Brother Liang was reluctant to let her go."
Shen Xuehao joined in the fun with a smile: "That's right, I always said that Brother Liang is a big shot and never cares about these things, why is he suddenly protecting his food today?"
"Is this how your Chinese teacher taught you to protect your food? I'm afraid he heard it and bought a plane ticket to come to National Tsing Hua University overnight to smear chalk all over your face."
Liang Sunian returned to his seat and put his things away: "Does anyone want to use the bathroom? If not, I'll go take a shower."
"No, no, I want to avenge myself again! Old Shen, do you want to do it?"
"Come!"
The two men quickly returned to their seats, plugged in their computers, and plunged into the canyon again.
Liang Sunian sighed like an old father, and was full of admiration for the two internet addicts who had been addicted to games for years.
Xie Jiaran watched Liang Sunian take his clothes and go to the bathroom. After his figure disappeared from the balcony, he withdrew his gaze and looked back and forth at the painter doll, everything.
Internet addicts cannot keep quiet after playing games for years. Their emotions are extremely unstable. Whether they kill people or are killed, they can't help but scream.
Just now I was next door, now I am in my own dormitory.
Separated by a balcony and a door beam, Su Nian was dizzy from their noise and regretted going to the next door just after returning and bringing back two troubles.
After washing, I put on my clothes while thinking for a while what I should use to shut those two noisy mouths. Unexpectedly, as soon as I opened the door and stepped out, I was blocked at the bathroom door.
The evaporation of water takes away the heat, and the night breeze makes it especially cool and comfortable.
Liang Sunian couldn't help but narrow his eyes and looked down at Xie Jiaran: "What's the matter?"
Xie Jiaran asked directly: "Can I hug you?"
Um
Liang Sunian raised his eyebrows slightly: "Feeling uncomfortable again?"
Xie Jiaran didn't answer him, but took a step forward and put herself into his arms with ease.
Liang Sunian was caught off guard for a moment. It was not until he backed up against the wall in the corner that he raised his arms to hold Xie Jiaran's shoulders and hug him back.
"Is this better?" he asked.
Xie Jiaran still didn't answer.
He leaned on Liang Sunian's shoulder, hugged his waist tightly, and carefully felt his current mood.
The moist air carried a light, clean fragrance, and the embrace was the broad, warm feeling he was familiar with, which always made him feel safe and relaxed.
But still, something is missing.
"No, it shouldn't be just like this..."
He muttered very quietly and Liang Sunian didn't hear a word. As soon as he asked "what" Xie Jiaran held his hand.
He moved him away from his waist and hooked the hem of his shirt with his fingers.
Just as Liang Sunian was wondering what he wanted to do, his left hand was pulled up, moving smoothly along the inside of the fabric until his palm was in direct contact with the delicate and warm skin on the other person's waist without any obstruction.
The heat came suddenly, and I didn't know whether it was the temperature of his palm or the temperature of his body.
Both of them were a little stunned.
Xie Jiaran stood on tiptoe uncontrollably and then stood up again. The palm that was pressing on the back of Liang Sunian's hand felt weak.
"Can you hold me tighter?" He asked in a very loud voice, becoming more and more demanding, yet making it impossible to refuse.
Two seconds passed after he finished speaking. The hand on his waist began to move along the waistline until it circled the other side and then tightened, so that the entire arm was pressed against the skin on his waist.
The noise in the dormitory continued.
Li Tang missed a line of soldiers due to an operational error, and wailed for Shen Xuehao to give him a pig to make up for it.
Separated only by a door, they hugged each other tightly in the corner of the balcony.
At this moment, if Shen Xuehao suddenly had the urge to lift the curtain, the two of them would have nowhere to hide.
However, Xie Jiaran didn't care about these trivial matters, because he finally confirmed the most important thing.
Without the craving for eczema and without any objective interference, he still felt particularly comfortable being held by Liang Sunian.
It's as if he is a part of his body. When you are with him, you feel extremely at peace and relaxed.
He hoped to be held by him, and even more liked being trapped by him as if he were possessed by him. It would be best if he could hold only him in his arms until the very end.
An epiphany often only requires a trigger.
Following the fuse all the way upwards, the unfolding fireworks are bright and brilliant, enough to illuminate everything hidden and ignorant.
He didn't know whether his current mood could be linked to restlessness, but he knew that he would now want to do something or see someone.
Once you see it, you will not be satisfied with just seeing it.
Because of being with him, I feel that life is especially beautiful, the air is especially sweet, the night breeze is especially gentle, and even the sunshine is especially bright.
It turns out that what I like is love.
“Your speech was brilliant.”
He was like a kite that had finally found its string, or like the tide guided by the moonlight, whose rise and fall followed one person from then on. Even though he was tied down, he still felt extremely happy and joyful.
"I also like the doll you gave me."
Like everyone who has experienced the thrill of love, at the age of 20, he finally felt what it felt like to hold someone in his heart. It was so wonderful that it was indescribable. If possible, he wanted to lock it in the most secure safe and treasure it for the rest of his life.
"Liang Sunian, thank you."
Liang Sunian, I like you.
Xie Jiaran likes you.
The noise faded away in an instant, and only Xie Jiaran's cold yet soft voice remained in Liang Sunian's ears.
He tilted his head and let his nose brush against the soft hair.
I don't know why, but I always feel my breath is burning.