Chapter 37: Where To?

The afternoon time slipped by soundlessly. Seeing that it was almost time for class, Shen Yu slowly stood up. Turning his head to look at Lu Zhiyan, he said softly:

“Let’s go?”

Lu Zhiyan reached out and gently gripped his wrist, using the leverage to stand up from the bench. Curving a shallow arc at the corners of his lips, he tilted his head toward him, “Let’s go.”

Just as the two walked to the back door of the lecture hall, the class bell rang. Following Shen Yu, Lu Zhiyan lowered his head, bent his waist, and quickly walked inside. The classroom was packed with people, a dense sea of black.

“Shen Yu, over here!”

Seeing them come in, Ji Chaoran hurriedly raised a hand in the back row of the classroom, calling them over in a low voice. The two empty seats by the aisle beside him were clearly saved for them in advance.

Lu Zhiyan followed Shen Yu over and sat down first, right next to Ji Chaoran on the inside. Shen Yu sat down by the aisle, leaning forward slightly to softly express his thanks to Ji Chaoran and his two roommates beside him.

“Hey, no problem. Here, grabbed a backpack for you.”

As Ji Chaoran spoke, he handed over a small backpack. Shen Yu hurriedly took it and took out a textbook and notebook from inside.

Lu Zhiyan then leaned close to Ji Chaoran, whispering:

“It really lives up to its reputation. This learning atmosphere is way too intense.”

Ji Chaoran rolled his eyes, leaning close to his ear and whispering:

“It’s all forced by the old witch. Let me tell you, this professor of ours is super terrifying. She loves deducting points, the kind where being late to class directly results in failing the course.”

Just as they were speaking, the sound of the teacher adjusting the microphone came from the podium. The students who were originally still talking in low voices instantly quieted down.

The teacher raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping sharply across the room. Her voice transmitted through the microphone:

“Before class, I will first take attendance.”

Saying this, she picked up the roster and began calling names one by one. The classroom was so quiet one could hear a pin drop; only her voice echoed.

Lu Zhiyan sat quietly, yet his gaze barely landed on the teacher. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] More than half the time, it rested on Shen Yu. That person’s appearance was exceptionally calm, making Lu Zhiyan’s heart soften as he watched.

As if sensing something, Shen Yu slightly turned his head and met his line of sight. The tips of his ears turned red once again. He gently bumped him with his elbow, his eyes carrying a trace of helpless yet indulgent questioning:

【What’s wrong?】

Lu Zhiyan slightly curled the corners of his lips but didn’t speak. He merely soundlessly reached his hand under the desk and gently clasped his.

Shen Yu’s fingertips trembled slightly, yet he didn’t dodge. Instead, he slowly and gently gripped him back.

The two had their ten fingers tightly clasped. The warm touch spread all the way from their fingertips to the bottom of their hearts, quiet and secret. Lu Zhiyan’s heart felt so sweet it burned.

He remembered how, previously, he could only watch Shen Yu from afar separated by a layer of identity—watching him go to class alone, go to his part-time job alone, and shoulder all the hardships alone. But now, he could finally use his own identity to sit beside him and hold his hand. His eye sockets couldn’t help but grow slightly hot.

When Shen Yu’s name was called, Shen Yu responded gently.

The teacher’s pen paused, and she casually asked an extra sentence:

“This person beside you… is not a student from our department, right?”

The gazes of the entire class seemingly inadvertently drifted over.

Shen Yu’s heart hitched slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Lu Zhiyan raise his head calmly and naturally. With a polite and well-behaved tone, he answered loudly:

“Hello, Teacher. I came over to audit and learn a bit.”

He was good-looking, and his attitude was sincere. The teacher’s brows relaxed slightly, and she didn’t ask any more questions, merely dropping a faint sentence:

“Since you’re here, listen carefully, don’t let your mind wander.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Lu Zhiyan nodded obediently in response.

Seeing the teacher lower her head to continue taking attendance, Shen Yu finally let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head to cast a glance at him, the depths of his eyes full of unhideable softness.

Lu Zhiyan blinked at him, and the hands under the desk clasped even tighter.

For the entire class, Shen Yu earnestly took notes, his handwriting neat and elegant. Lu Zhiyan quietly accompanied him by his side. Unable to hold hands, he pressed his calf tightly against his, feeling the warmth transmitting from that person’s body through their pants.

Occasionally he looked at the blackboard, occasionally he looked at him, a faint smile always curving at the corners of his mouth.

As soon as the class dismissal bell rang, the teacher closed her lesson plan and coldly dropped a sentence:

“Next class, I will check notes. Those who don’t meet the standard will have twenty points deducted from their participation grade.”

After speaking, she turned and left the classroom.

A wave of low wails instantly sounded in the classroom.

Shen Yu closed his book and turned his head to look at Lu Zhiyan, faint smiles rippling in the depths of his eyes:

“Were you bored?”

Lu Zhiyan leaned closer to him, his voice pressed very light and soft, only loud enough for him alone to hear:

“Not bored, it’s just…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Ji Chaoran suddenly patted his shoulder and carelessly leaned over:

“Hey, no classes this afternoon. Do you guys want to go play basketball with us?”

A roommate beside them immediately echoed along:

“Yeah, let’s go together. Shen Yu, haven’t played with you in a long time. I still haven’t gotten my revenge for you crushing me last time.”

Just as Shen Yu was about to open his mouth, Lu Zhiyan gently tugged the corner of his clothes. He turned his head, crashing into that person’s sparkling eyes.

“I want to go see the Haicheng Museum. Do you guys want to go together?”

Lu Zhiyan picked up the conversation with a smile, turning his gaze toward Ji Chaoran and the two roommates.

“Never mind the museum, I’d fall dead asleep as soon as I walked in.”

Ji Chaoran hurriedly waved his hand.

“Zhiyan, how about tomorrow I take you to the theme park here? The roller coaster is super thrilling.”

Ji Chaoran smiled at him, even gesturing with his hands the appearance of a roller coaster diving.

“No, no, I have other things to do tomorrow. I came in too much of a rush this time, I’ll come find you guys to hang out next time.”

“Alright then. Then you two go stroll through the museum, the three of us are going to play basketball. Bye-bye!”

“You’re welcome to come again next time!”

The two roommates smiled and waved to Lu Zhiyan. Ji Chaoran took the opportunity to drape his arms over their shoulders, and the three walked out of the lecture hall with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

Lu Zhiyan turned his head to look at Shen Yu, a faint arc curving at the corners of his mouth, “Taking you to a place.”

Shen Yu slightly raised an eyebrow, a bit of curiosity floating in the depths of his eyes:

“Where to?”

“Secret.”

Lu Zhiyan deliberately kept him in suspense. He reached out to grip his wrist and walked toward the outside of the classroom, “You’ll know when we get there.”

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves of the camphor trees by the roadside, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground. The wind carried a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees, along with a bit of heat.

There weren’t too many people at the bus stop. The two found a relatively shady place to stand. Shen Yu raised a hand to block the sunlight overhead for him. Lu Zhiyan’s gaze fell on his face, his heart feeling as if it were filled up by something, soft and mushy.

Not long after, a light blue bus slowly drove up. Lu Zhiyan’s eyes lit up, and he pulled Shen Yu to quickly step aboard.

The fare box let out a soft “ding-dong” sound. He pulled Shen Yu straight to the double seats in the back row, pressing the person to sit down in the window seat. He sat on the outside, his arm naturally resting on the back of the seat beside him, keeping the person within his own range.

The bus slowly started up. The scenery outside the window retreated bit by bit—from bustling streets, to gradually sparse buildings, and then to patches of vibrant green fields.

Shen Yu had been quietly leaning against the back of his seat the entire time, his gaze softly watching the scenery outside the window pass by behind them one after another.

Lu Zhiyan used his gaze to trace his beautiful profile over and over again. Seeing that Shen Yu’s auricles were flushed slightly red from being stared at by his burning gaze, the corners of his mouth gently rose uncontrollably.

He deliberately leaned a few fractions closer, and the faint, fresh lemon scent on Shen Yu’s body, mixed with the smell of sunlight, quickly drifted to the tip of his nose. It teased his heart until it grew hot, making him unable to resist wanting to kiss him.

“Hey, A’Yu…”

Lu Zhiyan leaned close to Shen Yu’s ear, murmuring in a voice only the two of them could hear, “I really want to kiss you.”

Shen Yu turned his head to look at him, his eyes entirely filled with unhideable surprise and shyness.

Watching his appearance, the smile deep in Lu Zhiyan’s eyes grew even thicker. His heart was filled to the brim, entirely full of uncontrollable love and doting.

If he didn’t have to consider the other passengers sitting nearby, he would definitely not hesitate to kiss that person’s lips, sweeping all the breath from the tip of his nose and the warmth between his lips and teeth into his stomach before being satisfied.

Threads of salty, damp sea breeze blew in along the car window, carrying the unique scent of the sea.

“A’Yu, look quickly!”

Lu Zhiyan suddenly raised a hand and pointed outside the window.

Shen Yu subconsciously turned his head to look. A vast expanse of azure sea in the distance barged into his line of sight without any warning. The surface of the sea was sparkling with light, as if a layer of crushed gold had been scattered across it.

He turned his head to look at Lu Zhiyan, a trace of pleasant surprise instantly flashing deep in his eyes.

Looking at his bright eyes, Lu Zhiyan’s heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, soft into an absolute mess, “We agreed, I’d come see the sea with you.”

Shen Yu’s eyelashes fluttered gently. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The surging emotion deep in his eyes could not be hidden even half a fraction.

“You’ve been here for over a year, how many times have you seen the sea?”

Shen Yu somewhat embarrassedly shook his head, “I haven’t been here yet.”

Sure enough.

Shen Yu had always been waiting for him to come see the sea together.

It was just a pity that back then, he never fulfilled the promise between the two of them from their youth, but instead chose to ignore that unhideable disappointment deep in Shen Yu’s eyes.

The bus slowly came to a stop, and the sound of the stop announcement transmitted clearly:

“Dear passengers, the Beach Bathing Spot has arrived. Passengers getting off, please take your belongings…”

Lu Zhiyan put away the sourness deep in his eyes and gently patted Shen Yu’s shoulder:

“We’re here, let’s get off the bus.”

Shen Yu nodded, allowing Lu Zhiyan to hold his wrist as they quickly stepped off the bus.