Chapter 27

An Ning was drunk for the first time. He was this old yet only drank a little alcohol during his high school graduation dinner. At that time, he was not particularly drunk, but he felt that he was a little weak and his face was very hot. Today, there was no air-con to blow on him, so he can only keep pressing the back of his hand on his face to cool it. When the temperature on the back of his hand didn’t work anymore, he took a cup of ice to his cheek. Xiao Pang on the other side pointed to him and laughed so hard, “An Ning-ge, are all top students’ alcohol tolerance that bad?” He became a bit sober, putting down the cup that was on his face in embarrassment.

“Obviously not,” Liang Shenghan said loudly next to him, “The male top student in my high school class wouldn’t even get drunk from drinking baijiu. He beat the whole class all by himself at the graduation dinner!”

Xiao Pang looked at Liang Shenghan and said: “Ge, I think you are drunk too.”

Liang Shenghan shook his hand. “What are you talking about, can I even get drunk with this little beer? Moreover, I have an appointment with someone to play games,” he said, then slapped Xiao Pang’s shoulder, “Wanna go?”

Xiao Pang took another sip of beer and nodded: “Going! I’m definitely going!” He turned around to ask Qin Weihang, who had gone to get a packet of tissue from the front desk, “Ge, you wanna go?”

As soon as Qin Weihang sat down, he placed the packet on the table and said: “I’m not going.”

Liang Shenghan hiccuped and said: “That’s okay. Then let’s pay, AA* system.”

[*TN: Going dutch/splitting bill.]

The waiter came over to give the bill, and Liang Shenghan took a tissue to wipe his finger and used his phone to pay for it first. Everyone then transferred money to him one after another on WeChat. An Ning wanted to wipe his hands, but found that there was no more tissue. At this moment, a pack of tissues was thrown on his lap. He was dizzy and didn’t know who thrown it over. He wiped his hands, then took a long time to click on his phone and open WeChat. An Ning finally transferred over the money to Liang Shenghan.

Liang Shenghan looked down and was startled: “Why did you send over 257 to me?”

An Ning raised his head and let out an ‘ah’ sound.

Qin Weihang has been sitting on the side and watching them both. He saw what happened when An Ning transferred the money. An Ning was using his phone on the table, so it was difficult to not see it. The payment password was two 257. As a result, he also pressed the transfer amount as 257.

Liang Shenghan returned the money. After that was done, Liang Shenghan and Xiao Pang were going to go to the Internet café. Qin Weihang also pulled out his chair and got up. An Ning staggered as he supported himself on the table and stood up. Liang Shenghan saw, so he hurriedly reached out and pressed him down and said: “Don’t, don’t, don’t. You just sit here and rest for a while! I told you not to drink so much,” he raised his head and said to Qin Weihang, who was standing at the table, “Ge, we will trouble you to take care of your roommate! I don’t think he can walk like this. You can call a taxi for him later!” After speaking, he hooked onto Xiao Pang’s shoulder and walked away.

Qin Weihang looked back at An Ning, who was lying on the table. He sighed and reluctantly put down his backpack and sat back down. After sitting for less than two minutes, he frowned, turned his head, and asked: “Are you feeling better?”

When An Ning heard this, he sat up and saw only Qin Weihang, and asked: “Where are the others?”

Qin Weihang said they left.

An Ning asked without thinking: “Then why didn’t you leave?”

Qin Weihang didn’t speak for a while, but just looked at him.

An Ning saw the chill in his eyes. He wanted to wave his hand and say “Pretend I didn’t ask”, but Qin Weihang had already spoken:

“You ask why? Because I’m your roommate.”

An Ning felt embarrassed, so he took a few deep breaths to try sobering himself up. He then stood up by supporting the table and said: “I’m fine now, let’s go.”

Qin Weihang did not stand up with him, stretched his legs, and sat there looking at him. He watched An Ning trying with difficulty to not stagger and walked to the door. He stood up, picked up his backpack and put it on, then took the phone An Ning left on the table in his pocket and walked out.

An Ning walk towards the direction they came from. Qin Weihang pulled him and said: “Just stand here. I’ll call a taxi for you.”

That pull was very strong. Since An Ning’s feet were originally feeling weak, he felt like he was being pulled from afar and around in a circle to Qin Weihang’s side. He lowered his head to see Qin Weihang’s hand on his arm. He hurriedly pulled away and repeatedly said: “Okay, okay, okay. Thank you. Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks…”

Qin Weihang was still a little unhappy a second ago, but then he heard An Ning standing next to him and thanking him continuously. He found it funny, like a lamb standing beside him that was only going baa baa. He had to cough with his fist against his mouth to not laugh.

At the end of the road, a yellow taxi came from a distance. An Ning raised his hand to stop it. The car didn’t stop, passed directly in front of him, and with a swish, sped up. An Ning had his hand raised, befuddled: “… Did he not see me?”

Qin Weihang glanced at him, ignored him, and lifted the backpack on his shoulders; as if he didn’t know this person.

Another taxi drove by, and An Ning walked to the side of the road and stretched his arms to stop it. The car passed by blindly with a swish. This time the car was faster than the last one, and the speed of his head-turning couldn’t beat it.

How strange…

Qin Weihang said in the back: “Come back.”

Only then, An Ning realized that he was walking too close to the road. He hurriedly returned to Qin Weihang’s side.

Another taxi came over, and An Ning hesitated whether to stop it or not, but then Qin Weihang had already raised his hand. What was strange was that Qin Weihang’s one gesture had the car stopping in front of them. An Ning pushed his glasses and looked up at Qin Weihang. He thought, this was a god descending to Earth!

Qin Weihang glanced down at him: “What are you looking at me for, get in the car.”

An Ning got into the back seat. Qin Weihang walked to the front door and paid the driver first. The uncle driver saw a drunk young man lying in the back and asked: “You’re not sending him back? I’m afraid he won’t get out of the car by then…”

The uncle driver did not know what kind of weirdo drunk he had encountered. With a look of reluctance, Qin Weihang said: “He is not that drunk.”

The uncle driver looked back, “Looks quite drunk.”

Qin Weihang also took a look in the back seat. An Ning was leaning against the window of the car, trying to open the window. The window was rolled up and down, and he didn’t know if An Ning wanted to open it or close it. Finally, he seemed to have adjusted the car window to a perfect golden ratio, and peacefully closed his eyes while leaning against it.

Qin Weihang said “Wait a minute” to the driver, went to the back and pulled open the car door, bowed his head, and said to the person inside: “An Ning.”

An Ning ignored him, as if he had quickly entered a dream.

Qin Weihang sighed and stooped into the car. He patted An Ning’s face: “An Ning?”

An Ning opened his eyes. His glasses were already under the bridge of his nose. He squinted and couldn’t see Qin Weihang clearly, so he suddenly raised his head and place his face in front of Qin Weihang. Qin Weihang’s eyes widened, and when he raised his head back, the top of his head suddenly knocked on the car door. The uncle driver turned around and asked: “Is everything okay?”

Qin Weihang rubbed the top of his head. He saw An Ning’s glasses fell on the ground, so he bent over to help pick it up.

An Ning had a face that was saying ‘I am quite sober’ and said: “Qin Weihang, get in the car!” He took Qin Weihang’s arm and dragged the whole person into the car. He moved aside very eagerly, and Qin Weihang was pulled inside, staggering.

With the car door still open, the driver looked back and said: “Look at how drunk he is. Just send him back, otherwise, when I help him out of the car later, it won’t be good if he sits on the side of the road.”

An Ning said with a smile: “Uncle, we’re from the same school, so we must go back together. There’s no need to send back!”

The driver uncle looked at him sympathetically.

This deliberate grin was too strong, thus Qin Weihang turned his head to the side and sighed. He was looking at the door that was still opened and finally pulled it with a bang.

An Ning lowered his head to find his glasses. Qin Weihang brought the glasses in front of him. An Ning said “Thanks” and was about to take the glasses back, but Qin Weihang took it back and didn’t give it to him, saying: “You are going to sleep anyway, so don’t wear it. I’ll hold it for you.”

An Ning straightened his back and said in an articulate tone: “そうですね.”* Then he fell asleep by the car window.

[*TN: Means “I see.”/”Is that so.” (Thanks lonipony~)]

Qin Weihang arched his back forward, raised his hand to cover his mouth and chin. He thought, you didn’t need to go online to learn Japanese just to show off that you’re a top student. Are you trying to amuse me to death?

As the car passed through the traffic, An Ning’s breathing soon became even longer. Qin Weihang fiddled with the pair of glasses and looked out the window. Of course, the window view isn’t like An Ning’s window view. The scenery of this street was very dull and extremely monotonous. He didn’t look at it for long and was tired of it. The taxi seat was also very narrow. He can’t stretch his legs and when he turns to the side, he will see An Ning, which was really uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the distance was not far, and they soon reached the east gate of the school. Qin Weihang pushed An Ning’s shoulder and said: “Get up.”

With a call and a nudge, the roommate immediately opened his eyes and looked outside to confirm where they were. Qin Weihang patted his shoulder and handed him the glasses. An Ning put on the glasses and looked out. Qin Weihang waited for him to verify. After An Ning had confirmed it, Qin Weihang said: “It should be right.”

An Ning was also a little embarrassed, he couldn’t even recognize his own school. He pushed his glasses and said: “That was fast.”

Qin Weihang ignored him, said to the driver, “Wait for me”, opened the door, and got out of the car. When An Ning was getting off the car, Qin Weihang was pulling the door outside and suddenly put his hand on the door. After blocking the upper part, An Ning only felt his head resting on Qin Weihang’s palm. When he got out of the car, he said hurriedly: “Sorry! Did I hurt you? I didn’t see your hand!”

“It’s okay,” Qin Weihang said. From his pocket, he took out An Ning’s phone and gave it back to him, “You should be able to go back by yourself.” After saying that, he looked at the steps that were over a hundred meters long on the slope of the east school gate.

An Ning asked: “Aren’t you going back?”

Qin Weihang said patiently: “I don’t live here.”

An Ning looked at him confused for a while, and then suddenly remembered that Qin Weihang was a roommate who didn’t live with him. He felt apologetic: “I even bothered you to send me back… It’s okay, I can go back by myself. You should hurry and go back!”

Qin Weihang nodded, and when he turned to get in the car, he saw An Ning walking up the long steps. He walked three steps and stopped one time, like a penguin. Qin Weihang had been standing while holding the door of the car, frowning at him. The uncle driver stuck his head out and asked: “Still leaving?”

Qin Weihang dropped the sentence “You can go” and slammed the door.

An Ning climbed for a long time, but still had not finished climbing the steps. He was so tired that he looked up at the sky. Today’s sky was full of clouds being pressed layer by layer; some were white and some were gray. The sky was the same—between the blue and gray, it seemed that there were no boundaries.

There was a string of barrage in his mind, of the days and whatnot. Something about clear, blue sky, and Friday*… He pushed his glasses. The lenses were a little smudged, so he took them off and wiped them with his cuffs. There was a roar above his head, and an airplane came out of the clouds. He thought with a little weariness, it turns out to be flying in the clouds. What kind of feeling was that… While thinking, he thought about Makoto Shinkai’s movie. The scenes and music from the movie began to play in his mind, then suddenly the plane slid down to the ground as if it crashed. At the same time, his body unconsciously fell backward. The sense of weightlessness only lasted for two seconds. The next second, his back fell sharply on a person.

[*TN: This was in Japanese(素晴，青い天，金曜日). Not 100% sure if it’s correct tho @_@]

An Ning turned his head and saw Qin Weihang on the steps below and supporting him from behind. He was particularly surprised: “You didn’t leave?”

Qin Weihang gave him a push and said: “You stand up straight and speak.”

However, An Ning felt that his body’s center of gravity was unstable, as if he was paralyzed. He didn’t want to lean on Qin Weihang, but it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, it was only his soul making noises, and the body just won’t listen. To others, this kind of scene must look like he was insisting on hanging on to Qin Weihang. It was too shameful!

Qin Weihang supported An Ning’s back with his left hand, freed his right hand, spread his fingers to hold the back of An Ning’s neck, and squeezed it hard.

A sense of aching rushed into the sky, and An Ning immediately stood up straight.

Qin Weihang asked extremely coldly: “Are you awake?”

An Ning swallowed, touching the back of his neck and looking back at him with lingering fear. There was a small animal-like grievance in his eyes.

Qin Weihang glanced at him, then lowered his head to look at the glasses in his hand: “What’s wrong with your glasses?”

“… Oh, your fingerprints were on it.” An Ning said. He lowered his head and wiped it with his sleeve before putting it on. Suddenly, Qin Weihang’s handsome face appeared in the sunlight under the cloud filter. Looking at him made An Ning suck in a breath.

That kind of handsomeness was very 3-D and real. Makoto Shinkai’s animation can’t be compared to him. No one’s brush can compare to him…

Qin Weihang walked around him, walked up the steps, and said let’s go.

An Ning then felt a shiver all over his body—Qin Weihang had taken his hand when he walked around him. An Ning couldn’t help but lower his head. Xiao Pang was not exaggerating; Qin Weihang’s hand really was hard. It was almost full of scars and calluses. An Ning was a little curious, so he rubbed it carefully as he walked. Since he was drunk, he deceived himself into thinking that Qin Weihang wouldn’t be able to feel him secretly touching his palm.

However, Qin Weihang could feel it ten times as much. He stopped, then forcefully pulled the person next to him. An Ning’s arm passively stretched forward, and Qin Weihang said: “Do you think because I have calluses on my palm that I can’t feel anything?”

An Ning swallowed. He dared not say anything.

Qin Weihang said: “An Ning, behave yourself.”

An Ning lowered her head, his face flushed, as if he had drank another round.

The two walked silently for a while. Suddenly, An Ning heard Qin Weihang ask him:

“So are you actually drunk or not?”

An Ning once again said eloquently: “In fact, I’m not especially drunk.”

“You aren’t especially drunk, yet you couldn’t walk?”

“…”

“… You’re drunk, right?”

“…”

“What were you doing in Lantian County?”

An Ning didn’t understand why Qin Weihang suddenly asked this. Or he was really too drunk, so he was automatically fast-forwarding and skipping some conversations. He answered honestly: “I’m going there to work part-time.”

Qin Weihang’s voice was cold: “You told me that you work part-time in a fast-food restaurant. I have seen that place and there are no fast-food restaurants.”

An Ning explained: “I worked part-time at KFC on Saturday, and I go to Lantian County as a tutor on Sunday.”

Qin Weihang frowned: “Why did a tutor appear? Just how many part-time jobs are you doing?”

“If you don’t count the work-study at school, two jobs.”

What are you teaching as a tutor? How much is it for an hour?”

“Teaching physics and math, 105($16) per hour. Why are you asking these?”

“… Just asking.”

Qin Weihang’s tone didn’t seem like he meant it. Maybe he felt that he can fake it to deceive An Ning. An Ning didn’t ask anymore. His mind was still a mess, so he couldn’t figure out anything. Then he heard Qin Weihang ask: “Are you still going to the Marxism class in the afternoon?”

“Of course I’m going.”

“How can you go like this? Marxism isn’t part of your major, so why can’t you skip it once?”

“Marxist philosophy is very interesting, Karl Marx was really amazing…”

Qin Weihang listened to An Ning beginning to endlessly talk about Marxism, and he really couldn’t stand it: “Don’t say anymore, okay? My brain hurts.”

The person next to him stopped, and after a while, they passed by the statue of Marx. An Ning’s voice rang again with faint resentment: “He was really a great man…”

Qin Weihang burst out laughing. He really couldn’t hold back anymore. He wondered why he was angry with this person and was even amused by him. It was really absurd.

“Just what breed of top student are you…”

An Ning turned around and said: “What?”

“Forget it if you didn’t hear.”

An Ning rarely thought that Qin Weihang was a little petty. After walking for a while, he whispered: “You are a little childish…”

“Really?” Qin Weihang raised his eyebrows, holding back a smile.

An Ning tried to patch it up: “It’s just a tiny bit.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a lot. In addition, I want to tell you,” Qin Weihang’s hand that was holding his stopped moving, and he walked in front of him, “you definitely won’t be able to go to Marxism class today.”

An Ning looked at him with wide eyes, not because he was foretold that he would have no chance to go to Marxism class, but because Qin Weihang looked at him face-to-face with a smile. He didn’t know whether it was gloating or contempt, but it was obviously unkind. However, at a certain moment, a specific instance, there was another kind of expression in his eyes. In them was a bottomless wave pouring out; pitter-patter…pitter-patter…falling together. It was like a kind of gravitational wave, expanding and getting bigger. It was overtaking and enclosing him.

“Don’t drink next time.” Qin Weihang looked up at the dormitory, released his hand, and said: “Go up.”