Lin Sitao's heart was in turmoil. In an instant, it seemed that many things had been answered, and it seemed that everything had collapsed.
Old Wu called him again: "Go out, be careful."
Lin Sitao looked bewildered and distraught.
There was a small mirror with a yellow plastic frame hanging on the wall of the dormitory. Lin Sitao could only see the tip of his head when he sat on the bed. He was very cute when he was a child, but after entering junior high school and puberty, he suddenly became awkward. He couldn't be said to be ugly, but no one praised him for being handsome.
Old Wu reminded him to be careful. He should have thought like Old Wu that He Xian was a beast in human clothing, so perverted. But he was obsessed, and couldn't help but think of one thing - if, just if He Xian liked him, what on earth did he like about him
He stood up and saw himself in the mirror - he had just come back from work, his face was covered in sweat, and it was hard to tell whether the color of his face and neck was from the sun or from dirt.
He sat down dejectedly.
Men and men, he had only seen funny sissies in movies, or two men accidentally bumping their lips, which would inevitably cause a burst of laughter in the small theater.
These had never caused the slightest ripple or association in his heart, and were not at all as stimulating as Wu Jianghai's words "he likes to play with men".
If a man like He Xian likes men... then this matter may not be so dirty.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Lin Sitao took out the information bag He Xian had given him from under the bed. He had already read the materials inside. Now it seemed like he hadn't read anything.
In the evening, he called Xu Dan again, wanting to ask her about what she had said yesterday. He also had something on his mind, and he didn't know who to talk to. However, Xu Dan didn't answer his call.
In the next few days, life returned to its original boring rhythm. Get up early every morning, go to work, cement and sand; rest, listen to the workers with various local accents chatting about trivial matters. He Xian did not appear again. He lay on the bed, reached under the pillow, and felt a flat protrusion. It was the information He Xian left for him. He felt guilty - it should be neatly arranged on the bookshelf, or quietly opened on the desk. Not here.
It rained heavily on Saturday. It was a rare Saturday for the construction site to have a rest day.
The workers gathered in the dormitory to play cards and asked the youngest worker, Lin Sitao, to go out to get food. Lin Sitao only held an umbrella, carried six lunch boxes in a plastic bag, and hurried to the dormitory.
The rain was pouring down and there were rain lines all around. Lin Sitao suddenly raised his umbrella and looked towards the bridge.
There was someone standing there holding a plaid umbrella. It was He Xian.
He waved at Lin Sitao and made a "come here" gesture.
Lin Sitao wanted to throw the lunch box away and run over. He could only shake the bag at He Xian. He Xian waved his hand again. Lin Sitao had no choice but to run back to the dormitory, put the lunch under the window and ran away.
Old Chen called out to him, "Lin Tao! You don't want to eat!"
Lin Sitao ran and shouted: "No!"
He was afraid that if he was a second late, He Xian would be gone.
He ran through two long rows of shacks and headed for the bridge—but He Xian was no longer there.
Lin Sitao was stunned. The bridge was empty, as if He Xian, who had just waved at him, was just an illusion.
He ran so fast that his umbrella flipped over. Now he was getting wet in the rain and didn't know where to go.
Suddenly a black car drove over.
Lin Sitao stared at it intently, as if he had heard his call—
The window of the cab rolled down, revealing He Xian's handsome face. "Get in the car," he ordered crisply. He was driving the car himself today.
Lin Sitao opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat without any hesitation.
He Xian fastened his seat belt for him.
Lin Sitao only then realized that he had brought in a pool of water. He sat upright, not daring to move. The carriage was spacious and comfortable, and very clean.
He Xian asked him, "You haven't eaten yet?"
Only then did Lin Sitao remember what Old Wu had warned him about.
"Where are we going?" He had no idea what was going to happen next.
He Xian only said: "After you came here, have you gone anywhere else to play besides the construction site?"
Lin Sitao shook his head: "No."
I have no time, no money, and the only entertainment is watching TV.
He Xian finally smiled: "Let's go eat first."
He took Lin Sitao to the university town area.
The rain was a little lighter during lunch, so He Xian parked the car on the side of the road and took Lin Sitao to a small restaurant that seemed to be doing good business. There were mostly students inside, many of whom were carrying school bags. Lin Sitao relaxed a little—the T-shirt he was wearing was too old and had small holes from washing, and his shoes were also very dirty. But he didn't stand out among the students.
They ordered a few signature dishes. He Xian went to the freezer and got another box of ice cream for Lin Sitao.
Lin Sitao tore open the package and scraped the frost on the lid with a spoon, but couldn't help asking, "Why do you know I like to eat this?"
He Xian smiled: "I guessed. Don't children like to eat ice cream?"
When Lin Sitao heard him calling him a child, he blushed and did not refute.
The food was simple and delicious. After dinner, He Xian drove him to a nearby bookstore.
Lin Sitao hadn't held a book in his hands for a long time. Now he was standing between the bookshelves, picking up this book to look at, then picking up that book to flip through, feeling nostalgic and happy.
Although it was raining heavily, there were still many people in the bookstore on the weekend. He Xian walked away to pick out a few books. Lin Sitao read a novel for a while, and couldn't help but look up at He Xian from behind the bookshelf.
He Xian has long legs and a tall head, and he stands out in the crowd. He is also dressed casually today, with a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark jeans, and brown leather loafers. His hair is neither long nor short, and is black and thick.
Lin Sitao thought he was so handsome—even without any makeup, he was much more handsome than the boys who went to great lengths to dye their hair.
It was so beautiful that I could not help staring at it. He Xian suddenly turned his head and met his eyes. Lin Sitao hurriedly lowered his head to read.
After a few minutes, He Xian came over and asked him, "Have you chosen yet?"
Lin Sitao asked him: "Are you really giving it to me?"
He felt bad accepting the gift so suddenly.
He Xian said, "You can buy as many as you want. As for books, stealing them is not considered stealing, and giving books as gifts is not considered a gift."
Lin Sitao chose very carefully. He didn't want to be considered tasteless by He Xian, nor did he want to be flashy and pick up books that he couldn't understand. After much selection, he finally picked up an English dictionary that he had wanted for a long time and two classic detective novels.
He also took two romance novels, which were for Xu Dan. He specifically explained to He Xian: "I took these for a good friend of mine. She likes this author."
He Xian simply helped him get several other books by the same author to complete the set.
He Xian went to get a bunch of teaching aids and reference books, all of which were useful for senior high school students. In the end, he bought a whole box of books.
After purchasing the books, He Xian asked the bookstore to pack them up, send them by courier, and send them back to Lin Sitao's home.
He Xian never asked Lin Sitao about his decision, whether to go home to continue studying or drop out to work. He seemed to believe that Lin Sitao would definitely return to school and continue preparing for the college entrance examination.
Lin Sitao was embarrassed to tell him that he hadn't decided yet.
"What if I don't need these books?" he asked He Xian.
He Xian glanced at him and said, "It will be useful."
The car was so comfortable on the way back that Lin Sitao fell asleep while sitting sideways.
He felt the car stop in a daze, and was about to open his eyes to ask if they had arrived. He wanted to get off the car early and walk back to the dormitory, and didn't want others to see him...
Then I heard He Xian say, "You don't have to make this trip. I won't see you."
He is on the phone with someone.
"… What does it have to do with others? This is between you and me." His tone was calm. No sadness or joy could be heard.
Lin Sitao didn't know whether he should open his eyes at this time. He could vaguely hear a man's voice on the other end of the phone, asking something excitedly.
He Xian listened quietly to the person on the other end of the phone and said, "If you insist on thinking this way, I admit that I have fallen in love with someone else. You can give up now."
He hung up the phone after he said that.
Lin Sitao's eyelids twitched, and his heart was about to jump out of his mouth. After a long time, he heard He Xian sigh.