Sixteen-year-old Xia Xun is a young man with prickles all over his body. He always takes precautions against people and refuses to get close easily.
But when he saw Qi Yan for the first time, he felt very cordial, and within a few days he became familiar with him, like a small animal showing its soft belly.
He likes Qi Yan very much, he doesn't dislike the shabby house he lives in, whenever he finds free time, he climbs over the wall and comes to Qi Yan's small courtyard, sometimes bringing Shaobo and sometimes Yuzhu with him.
Once he brings both of them, Qi Yan's yard will become extremely lively.
Qi Yan never felt that he was noisy, and prepared snacks every time, and entertained him gently.
All Qi Yan's family can eat is simple tea and light rice, which is not as good as Xia Mansion's delicacies, but Xia Xun doesn't care at all, and eats very happily every time.
He was far more lively than now, whenever he saw Qi Yan, he would chatter around him, telling him all the trivial things that happened during the day.
Then Qi Yan knew that Xia Xun was studying in the academy, and the teachers and students there ignored him, except for a man named He Cong who was his good friend.
Xia Xun doesn't like to read, and the articles written by the sage can be memorized in a mess, and the last sentence can't be followed by the next sentence, so she is often punished by the master.
He likes making wooden things the most, and he told Qi Yan that the small animals he makes are the most similar.
He made one for Yuzhu, and when Qi Yan celebrates his birthday, he will also make one for him.
Qi Yan smiled and said yes.
One day, Xia Xun came after dinner.
As usual, he chatted a lot with Qi Yan.
He was in the same state as usual, with a smile on his face.
But Qi Yan keenly noticed that he didn't seem very happy.
If Xia Xun didn't say anything, he didn't ask, and just patiently chatted with him.
It wasn't until the night was dark that Qi Hui accidentally yawned that Xia Xun realized that he stayed too late.
He shut up abruptly, looked at Qi Yan cautiously, and said blushingly:
"Are you tired too? I'm really sorry, I can't stop talking about it!"
Qi Yan comforted him and said:
"It's okay, I don't mind, but I'm afraid that if you go back too late, your family will worry."
Xia Xun muttered softly:
"...they don't worry about me."
Qi Yan didn't hear clearly and asked him what he was talking about.
Xia Xun shook her head, and said:
"If you really don't mind... can you chat with me for a while?"
Qi Yan followed his wishes and chatted with him endlessly.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a watchman knocking on a clapper came from outside the wall, and Xia Xun stopped again.
He had already forced Qi Yan to chat late into the night, and no matter what, he shouldn't continue.
Looking at Qi Yan who couldn't hide his tiredness, he knew it was time to leave.
Xia Xun reluctantly got off the couch, and put on her shoes dejectedly.
When he stood up, he didn't go out immediately.
Standing on the spot for a while, he cheekily walked to the side of the Bogu shelf and looked curiously at the objects placed on it.
After watching for a while, he picked up a small wooden water wheel and asked:
"Is this thing expensive?"
Qi Yan said:
"It's just a small gadget made by a carpenter. It's nothing more than a mundane thing, and it's worthless."
Xia Xun's eyes lit up immediately, and she looked at Qi Yan full of expectation:
"Then, can you give it to me?"
Qi Yan readily agreed:
"Of course, you can take it anytime you like."
Xia Xun smiled.
Qi Yan could tell that his smile at the moment came from the heart.
Xia Xun gently took off the small water wheel, held it in her hand with great care, and kept rubbing the little bird carved on it.
Qi Yan asked him: "Do you like it so much?"
Xia Xun's eyes are filled with treasure:
"I like it! I like it so much!"
He put away the small water tanker and thanked Qi Yan.
"Thank you! I should go!"
After speaking, he seemed to be afraid of being seen through by Qi Yan, so he walked to the door as if fleeing.
Qi Yan called to stop him: "Xia Xun!"
Xia Xun stood still without looking back.
Qi Yan stood up and came behind him:
"What happened today? What happened? Why do you want this waterwheel?"
Xia Xun hesitated.
"That's right, that's right..." He scratched his head, not daring to look at Qi Yan, "Anyway, you've already given it to me, so you can't take it back!"
Qi Yan looked at his back and remained silent.
The room immediately fell silent, and after a while, Xia Xun couldn't stand the silence, gave up on herself, and sighed deeply:
"Oh...what can I say! It's my birthday! I've never received a gift! I thought, if I could take something back from you, I'd be able to fool myself into thinking it was a gift from you." Give me a gift!"
He dodged his eyes, very shy:
"It's all right now! I was exposed by you! Just make fun of me! I won't be angry! Even if I feel a little bit sad, I will still come to you tomorrow!"
He threw the small water cart into Qi Yan's arms and fled quickly.
Even though Qi Yan called him repeatedly, he didn't stop for a moment.
Later, Qi Yan specially prepared a gift and gave it to him together with the small water cart as a birthday gift.
Seven years later, the gift that Qi Yan specially bought has long since disappeared, and the small water truck is now in Xia Xun's hands.
Xia Xun was held in his arms, and his voice sounded above his head:
"You were clumsy at the time, your excuses were so clumsy, and you were full of loopholes from beginning to end. In fact, you just wanted a birthday present... If I had known that it was your birthday, I would have celebrated it for you."
When Qi Yan spoke, the vibration in his chest spread to Xia Xun, and his tone couldn't hide his distress:
"Xia Xun, do you know? Originally, I wanted to celebrate you well today."
Xia Xun didn't miss it, glanced at the small water wheel, and put it on the ground:
"...No need, this date was chosen randomly by my father. It is not my real birthday. To me, it is no different from any other day in the year."
He propped himself up on the ground and struggled to get up.
His head was still roaring, and the wound on his neck was slowly bleeding.
The tea cone was still tightly held in his hand.
He was so nervous just now that his fingers convulsed, but now he couldn't even open his palms.
He could only forcefully break apart his fingers one by one.
The tea cone fell to the ground, lying with the broken porcelain pieces all over the floor.
Those porcelain pieces were white and red, and the red ones were naturally stained with Qi Yan's blood.
Xia Xun's head hurts and her neck hurts.
His lips were torn by Qi Yan's kiss, and there was a residual salty smell between his lips and teeth.
He looked at himself in the mirror, he was disheveled and quite embarrassed.
And Qi Yan was worse than him.
There was blood all over his body, the tip of his tongue was bitten by Xia Xun, and there was blood on the corner of his lips.
With wounds all over his back, he suddenly sat on the ground, breathing tremblingly.
His face was haggard, still immersed in memories and unable to extricate himself.
And last night's rain, dripping from his hair non-stop.
The water dripped down his chin and dripped onto the clothes on his chest, leaving deep and shallow shadows of water stains.
He looked no more calm than Xia Xun, and his gestures showed signs of collapse.
In Xia Xun's impression, Qi Yan rarely looked so devastated.
Qi Yan was always so calm and composed, even when he led officers and soldiers to search Xia's house, he looked calm.
Xia Xun's parents and the Qi family were feuds, and Qi Yan's whole family died so that he was the only one left. He finally found a chance to take revenge, so he should be very happy.
But even when Xia Hongxi's head was chopped off with his own hand, Qi Yan's expression remained calm.
Xia Xun remembers it so clearly because he looked at Qi Yan without blinking from the beginning to the end that day.
At first he couldn't believe it, but later he was delusional.
He vainly wanted to see even the slightest bit of pain on Qi Yan's face.
Even if there is no pain, and there is a fleeting hesitation, Xia Xun can still have fantasies, fantasizing that Qi Yan liked him at least for a certain moment.
But no.
Until the officers and soldiers he brought shackled Xia Xun, until Xia Xun followed her elder brother into the prison car, Qi Yan's handsome face, which was carved like a knife, was not half-cracked.
Xia Xun could only see the undetectable compassion on his face, so he knew that Qi Yan was pitying him.
He wasn't pitying Xia Xun, he was pitying his stupidity.
Xia Xun actually thought that Qi Yan would like him as the son of an enemy
It's just so silly.
Xia Xun was about to be amused by her own stupidity.
But at this moment, Xia Xun was very confused.
Qi Yan looked a hundred times more painful than that day.
What did Xia Xun do
He didn't do anything, he just told Qi Yan not to celebrate my birthday, and stop trying to be nice to him.
Xia Xun was born stupid, she was disliked wherever she went, was bullied by her family at home, and cheated by Qi Yan when she went outside.
But no matter how stupid he is, he will never be fooled by the same person twice.
Qi Yan sat on the ground in a daze, as if he didn't hear what Xia Xun was saying, and asked in a hoarse voice:
"What gift do you want? What other... wishes do you have?"
Xia Xun picked up her wooden hairpin, but it fell to the ground at some point.
"This is my burial for Yuzhu, and I want to be buried with it... This is my wish."
He staggered, staggered to the door and opened it.
Qi Hui and Zhi Gui led a few servants and stood in the courtyard.
When they heard the movement, they dared not come in, and waited outside in fear.
Seeing Xia Xun's appearance, everyone was shocked.
Zhigui hurried up to help him:
"Master?! Are you—??"
Qi Hui strode forward, passed by Xia Xun, and quickly walked into the house:
"grown ups-?!"
His exclamation came from behind:
"Quick! Call the doctor!"
Xia Xun had no time to look at him, she held the wooden hairpin tightly and staggered towards the backyard.
There is a hole he dug in the corner of the wall, and he wants to climb over to get to Yuzhu.
He walked forward in a daze, and Zhi Gui followed him step by step.
Seeing that he was distraught and crumbling, she asked in surprise:
"My lord, where are you going? You are injured, Zhigui will take you back to your room, please ask the doctor to take a look?"
Xia Xun didn't have the energy to speak, so she waved her hand weakly and insisted on moving forward.
The sun rose from the sky, and the warm sunlight fell on him.
The white marble on the floor reflected the sunlight, which made him unable to open his eyes, so he half-closed them and walked forward in a daze.
Xia Xun walked for a long time before reaching the base of the wall.
He brushed aside the weeds by the wall, knelt on the ground, trying to get through the hole.
Zhigui pulled him, saying nothing to let him continue.
He slammed her hand away, and she staggered and sat backward in the grass.
Xia Xun said angrily:
"Sorry, I have to go... my dog is still waiting for me..."
Halfway through the words, a sudden sharp pain hit his forehead, he shook from the pain, and his consciousness gradually faded away.
He fell heavily to the ground and passed out.