Li Huangxuan, always so oblivious, insisted on tagging along with Zhuang Zi'ang for their afternoon nap. Su Yudiel bid them farewell and headed back to her own .

  Zhuang Zi'ang shot Li Huangxuan a withering gre. You little pest, I swear, I might just have to do away with you.

  This two-bedroom apartment Xu Hui rented ce Zhuang Zi'ang had brought Li Huangxuan to on previous occasions.But this time, it was noticeably tidier and more inviting. The two goldfish, swimming joyfully in their bowl, added a touch of vibrancy to the otherwise simple decor.

  "'This is the life, man. Makes me want to move out a my own pce,'" Li Huangxuan remarked, impressed.

  Zhuang Zi'ang scoffed. "'What's wrong with your spacious 180-square-meter duplex, huh?'"

  Li Huangxuan grinned. "'A man's gotta have his freedom!'"

  This kid's living the dream and doesn't even realize it, Zhuang Zi'ang thought wistfully, If I had his kind of happy family, I wouldn't dream of running away.

  Kig off their shoes, they flopped onto the bed side-by-side, staring up at the bnk expanse of the white ceiling. Sleep eluded them, so they started shooting the breeze.

  "Dude, Su Yudiel is drop-dead geous. Are you pursuing her?" Li Huangxuan, ever the busybody, couldn't resist asking.

  "What are you talking about? We've only known each other a mere three days," Zhuang Zi'ang quickly denied, a bit too vehemently.

  "A girl like that? Dude, the kind of girl who inspires love at first sight. What game are you pying?" Li Huangxuan called him out, mercilessly. This guy, Zhuang Zi'ang, was a different persoirely the sed he saw Su Yudiel. If this were a nature dotary, they'd be calling it mating season.

  They were just shooting the breeze, when Li Huangxuan's question, out of the blue, struck a raw nerve, reawakening that familiar ache in his chest. His voice took on a somber tone. "I'm not pursuing her. I'm in no position to."

  A guy with three months left on the clock? What right did he have to pursue a would only end up hurting her. Love was a luxury he could no longer afford.

  Li Huangxuan was totally fused by Zhuang Zi'ang's sudden bout of mencholy. He nudged Zhuang Zi'ang pyfully. "You're not gonna chase after a girl that cute? Are you out of your mind?"

  Zhuang Zi'ang tio stare up at the ceiling, a wistful smile pying on his lips. "'You could say that... I'm sick,'" Zhuang Zi'ang admitted softly, the double meaning hanging heavy in the air.

  Li Huangxuan, oblivious to the gravity of his words, simply assumed Zhuang Zi'ang was being melodramatic or perhaps too embarrassed to admit the depths of his infatuation.

  A brief silence fell betweehen Zhuang Zi'ang suddenly asked, "Hey man, if, for some reason, we were to be separated, would you miss me?"

  "'Miss you? Not in a million years! Good riddance, I say. I'm sick with envy, to be ho. You're handsome, you're brilliant, and you make the rest of us look like utter fools by parison," Li Huangxuan unched into one of his typical tirades. "Seriously, I'm an idiot for being buddies with the school's top sy parents are stantly holding you up as some kind of paragon, asking 'Why 't you be more like Zhuang Zi'ang?'"

  "You're a real pain in the neck, you know that? Holy, if you were to vanish from the face of the earth, I'd probably throw a massive party a off a whole string of firecrackers in celebration!"

  ...

  Zhuang Zi'ang turned his head slightly, a lorag a path down his cheek and dampening the pillow beh. Memories, like ses from an old film reel, flickered through his mind.

  It all started on the first day of school. He and Li Huangxuan had hit it off instantly, jokingly adopting their "father and son" roles from the get-go. Li Huangxuan, with his boisterous personality and straightforward nature, seemed incapable of guile aually lived in a state of carefree bliss.

  And he had treated Zhuang Zi'ang with a genuine, almost paternal, affe. When Zhuang Zi'ang was css monitor, Li Huangxuan was his most steadfast supporter. He was always the first to volunteer for any css activity, making Zhuang Zi'ang's responsibilities as css monitnifitly lighter.

  When romance rumors circuted about Zhuang Zi'ang and Lin Mushi, he took it upon himself to dispel the rumors, g that Lin Mushi was, in fact, secretly infatuated with him, a stunt that resulted in him being chased around the ping-pong tables by the furious school beauty for what seemed like ay.

  Whenever his family prepared a particurly delieal, Zhuang Zi'ang was invariably io join them. Even Li Tianyun and Fan Ling would often joke that they had ended up with two sons instead of one.

  Li Huangxuan's rant finally petered out, his eyelids growing heavy. Zhuang Zi'ang heard the soft o of Li Huangxuan's snores and turo look at his friend's peacefully slumbering face.

  Growing up in such a stifling enviro, he sidered himself incredibly fortuo have found such a true friend in Li Huangxuan. Otherwise, his memories of these formative years would have been irrevocably tainted with bitterness.

  Buddy, promise me something. When I'm gone, don't be too broken up about it, okay? Do as you said, buy a whole string of firecrackers ahem off. Give me a proper send-off.

  And hey, on the off ce that you live to see the ending of 'Detective ' - you know, that eternally running anime series - burn a copy for me, will you? From the great beyond, I'll be looking out for you, making sure you stay safe and sound.

  With a heavy heart, sleep evaded Zhuang Zi'ang. He drifted in and out of a restless slumber, finally roused by the insistent bring of his arm clock.

  Li Huangxuan, sprawled beside him, was fast asleep, a thin trail of drool esg the er of his mouth.

  With a swift kick, Zhuang Zi'a Li Huangxuan tumbling out of bed. "You drooled all over my new sheets! I'm gonna kill you!"

  Li Huangxuan, startled awake, scrambled bato the bed, and the two were soon engaged in a pyful wrestling match. "You ungrateful brat! Trying to stage a coup, are you?!"

  Such was the simple, carefree joy of teenage camaraderie.

  Walking to school, Li Huangxuan was like a hyperactive kid, air-balling imaginary hoops, kig pebbles down the sidewalk.

  Zhuang Zi'ang poi a ginkgo tree lining the street. "Think you reach that leaf?"

  Li Huangxuan sniffed, all fidence. "If I grab it, what do I get?"

  "Street cred," Zhuang Zi'ang grihose two words? That was the ultimate praise in guy-speak. Worth risking life and limb for.

  Li Huangxuan backed up a few steps, took a running leap, and snatched a big ginkgo leaf right off the branch. Ginkgo trees, a as time, only grow in a. Makes you realize how tiny humans are, dust in the wind.

  Spring and summer, ginkgo leaves are green. Fall hits, they turn gold, fluttering in the breeze like golden butterflies.

  For Zhuang Zi'ang, ginkgos now meant somethira special. He'd never fet that jaw-dropping moment, first meeting Su Yudiel under a ginkgo tree.

  "How awesome is your dad?" Li Huangxuan puffed out his chest, handing over the leaf. "These leaves are rettier wheurn yellow in the fall, though."

  "Yeah, fall's ages away… doubt I'll even be around to see it," Zhuang Zi'ang mumbled, more to himself than anyone.

  Li Huangxuan frowned. Zhuang Zi'ang had been ag a bit off tely. But then again, makes sense, right? If he was friends with a girl that geous, and things were maybe heating up… he'd probably be ag weird too. Just es with the territory.

  Third period that afternoon, ten minutes in. Zhang Zhiyuan showed up at the door, mumbled an apology to the teacher, and called Zhuang Zi'ang out to the hallway.

  Cssmates were all whispering, heads tilted. Old Zhang had been pulling Zhuang Zi'ang out of css way too much tely. And he wasn't even css monitor anymore!

  "Mr. Zhang, you keep calli like this, people are starting to look at me funny," Zhuang Zi'ang pined in the hallway.

  Zhang Zhiyuan just shrugged. "'t help it. Dude, your dad's here."

  "My dad? What's he doing here?" Zhuang Zi'ang was stunned.

  Since Zhuang Zi'ang started at this school, Zhuang Wenzhao had only shown up once – registration day, first day. Stayed for half an hot a pany call, and bailed.

  Ever sihen, end of term, start of term, parent-teacher night, you , always some excuse. Sometimes he wouldn't even bother with an excuse, just straight up say, "You're not a little kid anymore. You still need me to hold your hand?"

  Zhuang Zi'ang could only manage a bitter smile. When I was a kid, I didn't see you pig me up and dropping me off!