The Man Who Appears Once a Year

Chapter 18

Views:

"Do you have any other sports?" Ruan Qiuping asked.

"No more." Yu Huan held Ruan Qiuping's hand and pulled him forward. "The school sports meet will be held for three consecutive days. I only participated in two events, one is the long-distance run today, and the other is the relay race the day after tomorrow."

The boy's hot body temperature was transmitted through his skin, and in the cold winter weather it was so hot that sweat broke out on his palms.

Over the past few days, holding hands has become a very natural and familiar thing for them, but today Ruan Qiuping suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but want to pay attention to the hands held together.

Ruan Qiuping thought that it might be because Yu Huan had just finished a long run and his hands were too hot, making him feel a little uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, Ruan Qiuping pulled his hand out.

Yu Huan stopped and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"

Ruan Qiuping spoke the truth: "Your hands are too hot. They make me feel anxious."

"Is Ruan Ruan hot?" Yu Huan seemed a little surprised.

Ruan Qiuping nodded.

"But you look cold," Yu Huan said. "You're wearing very thin clothes."

Ruan Qiuping said: "I am not afraid of the cold." I am a god.

"Yeah?"

Yu Huan suddenly stretched out his hands and covered Ruan Qiuping's ears, which were frozen to a purple color.

Feeling the warmth of his palm, he smiled: "Ruan Ruan, your ears say it's cold."

Ruan Qiuping's ears were already numb from the cold, and when Yu Huan covered them, it was as if they had melted, and a warm and itchy feeling came over him.

Fortunately, before Ruan Qiuping could knock Yu Huan's hand away, Yu Huan let go of it. He took off his white down jacket and put it on over Ruan Qiuping's thin coat: "Ruan Ruan, why do you always wear clothes that are so inappropriate for the season?"

“I’m really not afraid of the cold.”

"I know." Yu Huan helped Ruan Qiuping zip up his down jacket and said with a smile, "I just finished running and I'm too hot. Help me put it on first and give it to me later."

After saying that, he took Ruan Qiuping's hand again.

Just as Ruan Qiuping was about to break free again, he was held tightly by Yu Huan.

"It's hot." said Ruan Qiuping.

Yu Huan turned his head and looked at him: "Does Ruan Ruan find it annoying to hold hands with me?"

“… I don’t hate it.”

"But I really like holding hands with Ruan Ruan." Yu Huan's black jade eyes flickered with a warm and gentle light, "Could Ruan Ruan please accommodate me?"

Ruan Qiuping: “…”

As soon as Ruan Qiuping saw Yu Huan's eyes, he felt defeated.

He sighed and held Yu Huan's hand tightly.

Forget it, it’s rare for a child to act like a spoiled brat to him, so just indulge him.

There were a few shouts coming from the audience seats at the back, seemingly cheering for the runners in the long-distance race who had not yet reached the finish line.

Ruan Qiuping turned his head to take a look, then looked back and said, "I heard from those girls that you were two laps ahead of the track and field team. Have you ever specially trained for long-distance running?"

Yu Huan said: "It's not a special exercise, but I occasionally participate in the city's marathon."

“Do you like long-distance running?”

“It’s OK,” Yu Huan said. “Running helps me calm down, and I really like the moment when I see the finish line.”

Yu Huan paused for a moment, he looked at Ruan Qiuping, and the corners of his lips curled up quietly: "Although the marathon is a long journey, it makes people feel at ease, because I know that I will eventually reach the finish line. Because I look forward to seeing the finish line, the whole running process becomes beautiful."

Ruan Qiuping said: "I can't do it. I hate running, especially long-distance running. Once I start running, I feel so tired that I just want to run to the finish line without waiting for a moment."

So I learned how to fly with a sword, and so I learned how to teleport.

It's a pity that he hasn't learned these two spells well, so in an emergency, he still has to rely on his two legs.

"It seems that you really have a lot of endurance!" Ruan Qiuping sighed and gave a summary to Yu Huan.

Yu Huan looked into Ruan Qiuping's eyes and suddenly smiled.

"How could I not have patience, Ruan Ruan? I wait for you every day."

When Yu Huan smiled, his eyes were very beautiful, twinkling like stars.

“Ruan Ruan, I learned to wait first, and then I learned to run.

“I like long-distance running because it feels very similar to waiting for you. The only difference is that for long-distance running, I know how many meters away from the finish line, but I don’t know when you will show up. But I know you will always come.

"Ruan Ruan, you are my finish line."

Ruan Qiuping stared at Yu Huan blankly, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

The 16-year-old boy looked at him straight in the face, his eyes were clear and bright, his smile was brilliant and bright, and he expressed his full feelings without disguising them at all, sincerely and passionately.

Ruan Qiuping felt like he was walking aimlessly in a desolate and dilapidated ruin, when suddenly a clod of earth fell into his palm. He wiped off the mud, only to find that it was a handful of sparkling diamonds.

The diamond was so precious and heavy that he even feared that he didn't have the ability to keep it.

But he tried desperately to keep it.

He felt that if he didn't do something - the diamond would be gone.

So Ruan Qiuping looked at Yu Huan and said haltingly: "... Yu Huan, you are mine... mine..."

Yu Huan said that he was the finish line of his long-distance race, but what was Yu Huan to him

Ruan Qiuping racked his brains to come up with a corresponding adjective.

"… your what?" Yu Huan asked.

Ruan Qiuping's mind went blank.

He first began to regret the time when he locked himself in his room for three days at the age of seven in order to avoid going to the Chinese Language Institute.

As a result, he can't even say nice words now.

"Ruan Ruan?" Yu Huan asked again.

"… It's me… Diamond… Fishing boat, good luck? The seventy-fifth nursery rhyme from the Red Forest Book, six-winged white rhinoceros, blue-feathered Bifang bird, chocolate cloud bread…" Ruan Qiuping's voice got smaller and smaller, and the more he spoke, the more he felt something was wrong.

Yu Huan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Ruan Ruan, what do you want to say?"

Ruan Qiuping lowered his head and whispered, "I tried to find some beautiful words to express my love for you... but I couldn't find any."

At this moment, Yu Huan felt that his heart was about to stop beating. He asked with a trembling voice: "... Ruan Ruan, do you like me?"

Ruan Qiuping nodded: "I like it more than the things mentioned above."

After a pause, Ruan Qiuping continued, "You asked me last year, what is the most intimate relationship between people? I said it is parent-child and partner. Now I feel that there is another relationship, which is the relationship between you and me. We are not parent-child, nor are we partners, but I just feel that I can't live without you. In fact, I am waiting for you every day. In fact, I feel happy and joyful when I see you. In fact, every time the time comes, I don’t really want to leave you. I want to stay with you all the time, watch you... watch you fall in love, watch you get married, watch you have children, even if you die, I will buy you the best coffin, I will definitely... I will definitely try my best to make your death not painful at all, and after you die, I will remember you, and I will never forget you at all..."

As Yu Huan listened, he felt his heart sank.

Not only is it cool, but it's also a bit breezy.

But looking at the serious and solemn expression on Ruan Qiuping's face, he couldn't feel angry at all.

He said in his heart: OK, it's good enough. Ruan Ruan said that she was happy to see him and sad to leave him. Ruan Ruan had planned to accompany him for the rest of his life. Ruan Ruan also said that she would buy him a coffin and that he would remember him even after he died.

But…

Yu Huan reached out his hand and gently hugged Ruan Qiuping: "Ruan Ruan, thank you for liking me so much, but it's not enough."

"Why is it still not enough?" Ruan Qiuping asked puzzledly.

Yu Huan rubbed his cheek against Ruan Qiuping's neck and said in a muffled voice: "You have to love me more, love me in a way that you don't want to give me to anyone else at all."

Ruan Qiuping didn't quite understand what Yu Huan meant, but he nodded and said, "I'll try my best."

Yu Huan let go of Ruan Qiuping. He looked into Ruan Qiuping's eyes, a gentle smile spreading across the corners of his lips: "I will also work hard."

After Ruan Qiuping followed Yu Huan out of the campus, he found that the streets were particularly lively today.

Although it is still light outside, many businesses have hung colorful lights outside their houses, which looks very festive.

"Is today a big day?" Ruan Qiuping asked.

"Today is Christmas."

Ruan Qiuping looked at the school behind him that was still holding a sports meet, then looked at the bustling street, and said, "Your school is holding a sports meet on this day."

"Yeah." Yu Huan nodded and said, "Our school doesn't celebrate Western holidays."

"It's the same in our hometown!" Ruan Qiuping said, "Our hometown's culture conflicts with the West, and books never mention Western things. I learned about Christmas from people... or from your books."

Human books say that Christmas is on December 25th every year. It is a grand festival. In foreign countries, it is as grand as Chinese New Year, and in China it has also evolved into a good day for couples to date.

December 25th... Thinking of this, Ruan Qiuping sighed softly.

"What's wrong?" Yu Huan asked.

"It would be better if I came a few days later." Ruan Qiuping was a little melancholy, "Then I could spend the New Year's Eve with you. I haven't spent the New Year's Eve with you yet."

"It's great to come here today. Because of Christmas, there are a lot of fun things to do on this street, and..." Yu Huan paused and said with a smile, "I was very happy when I saw you at the finish line today."

I am very happy too.

Ruan Qiuping added quietly in his heart.

The streets during the festival were indeed more fun than on ordinary days. Ruan Qiuping and Yu Huan walked from the beginning to the end of the street, ate at seven or eight stalls, and played more than a dozen games. In the end, Ruan Qiuping was so full that he could hardly walk, but he was still wearing various gifts that Yu Huan won from playing games.

Worthy of being called the God of Fortune!

Ruan Qiuping happily patted the plush gibbon hanging around his neck.

If he were to win these things on his own, he would probably never get them even if he played for decades.

As Ruan Qiuping was walking, he suddenly noticed that a stall next to him was crowded with children. Ruan Qiuping loved to join in the fun, so when he saw this, he immediately pulled Yu Huan over.

When I got closer, I found that there was a clerk dressed as Santa Claus interacting with the children.

Santa Claus led the children in singing Christmas songs, and then swayed his body and played guessing games with the children.

"There is a tree. It is big and green. There are colorful lights and stars on it. What kind of tree is this—"

"Christmas tree!" the children answered in unison.

"There is a man who only appears once a year, and every time he appears he brings surprises and gifts. Who is he—"

When the children shouted "Santa Claus", a 16-year-old boy in white mixed in with the children and shouted with a smile:

"—Ruan Ruan!"

After returning home, both of them were exhausted.

But Ruan Qiuping did not sit on the sofa immediately. Instead, he placed the things he won from playing games in various corners of the room one by one.

"Ruan Ruan, do you like these stuffed dolls so much?" Yu Huan asked with a smile.

"Of course, someone like you who is born lucky won't understand." Ruan Qiuping said, "This is just an ordinary plush doll to you, but it is a medal of good luck to me."

Ruan Qiuping paused and added: "... Although this is your good luck medal, when you won these gifts, I was by your side, which can be regarded as hiding 1% of my good luck."

"Ruan Ruan likes my good luck so much?" Yu Huan asked.

"Of course." Ruan Qiuping walked over and pinched Yu Huan's face. "It's because you are lucky that I dare to touch you."

Ruan Qiuping hugged Yu Huan and rubbed against him comfortably.

"I love your good luck!"

The smile on Yu Huan's lips seemed to disappear for a moment, but soon rose again.

When Ruan Qiuping lay down lazily on the sofa again, the red thread in his pocket slipped out and was just seen by Yu Huan.

"What is this?" Yu Huan asked.

For some reason, Ruan Qiuping suddenly felt guilty: "... Red line."

"What is it used for?" Yu Huan asked.

Ruan Qiuping glanced at Yu Huan's face and said, "This is a red thread that has been blessed in the Yue Lao Temple. It can be used to find a partner... But don't get me wrong, I don't want to use the red thread to find a partner for you. This red thread was forced upon me by someone else."

"Really?"

"Really? I swear! I have no intention of using the red string to tie you and other girls together! Look, I've been here for such a long time, and I haven't even asked you if you have a boyfriend or not!"

"If that's the case, then isn't this red thread that has been consecrated a waste?"

Hmm? What do you mean

Ruan Qiuping put his face close to Yu Huan and blinked excitedly: "Do you have someone you want to entangle with the red thread?"

"have."

Yu Huan shook out the red string and found the left and right ends of the string. Then he tied one end to his left wrist.

"Xiao Yuhuan, why are you pestering me now? When you meet that girl in the future..."

Ruan Qiuping stopped talking abruptly.

Because he saw Yu Huan wrapped the other end of the red thread around Ruan Qiuping's right wrist.

Ruan Qiuping was stunned for a moment: "Xiao Yuhuan, this is a marriage rope, you can't just tie it casually."

"I didn't do it casually." Yu Huan looked up at him, his eyes tinged with smiles and flashing with light, "Ruan Ruan wanted to say that she wanted to stay by my side forever and watch over me forever, so I used this blessed karma rope to draw a good omen, to continue our fate, and to pray that our friendship can last forever. Am I doing something wrong?"

Ruan Qiuping was stunned for a moment.

It seems that what Yu Huan said is right, but not completely right.

Wait, Ruan Qiuping hurriedly realized something was wrong. He looked at the red string on his wrist that was gradually becoming transparent, and hurriedly tried to untie it while shouting, "But you are talking about karma and fate. This red string is about destiny!"

"Ah?" Yu Huan blinked, looking quite distressed. "It seems I heard it wrong. What should I do? Nothing will happen, right?"

Yu Huan tied a knot on both of their hands. Before Ruan Qiuping had time to untie it, the red rope had already dissipated into their skin, bones and blood.

Ruan Qiuping: “…”

"Oh, Ruan Ruan." Yu Huan looked confused and curious, "How did the red string disappear? Was it a magic trick? It's amazing."

"ah… "

Ruan Qiuping howled and buried his entire face in the sofa.

Yu Huan watched from the side and smiled with curved eyebrows.