Chapter 59

With the end of the year approaching, the temperature was also getting colder. Almost everyone in the dormitory was gone. Apart from them, only the manager was still staying. For several days in a row, An Ning and Qin Weihang won’t be in a rush to get out of bed, but chatted while wrapped in their warm quilt. In the cold winter, the quilt really gives people an infinite sense of happiness. They don’t have to get up early, and just laying under the quilt and chatting was simply happiness. At first, Xiao Pang would send funny videos in the group chat. They would watch them and laugh together. Later, Qin Weihang asked him, “Do you want to watch the ‘Dawn Wall’? It’s a good time to watch it.”

Although it was past ten o’clock, it was very dark outside, so it was indeed a very suitable time. An Ning had planned to lie down on the bed and watch, but he didn’t expect that his phone battery was running low. He was about to get up and charge it, but then Qin Weihang said, “Don’t go down.” He threw his phone over to An Ning.

The black iPhone fell accurately on An Ning’s waist. He said “Thank you” and picked it up. Then he heard Qin Weihang say: “Password is 1234.”

He thought that Qin Weihang was joking with him again, but Qin Weihang said: “It’s really 1234.”

On that day, An Ning watched this long-awaited famous film in bed. He would occasionally have questions, and there would be an on-the-spot explanation. He would occasionally exclaim in admiration, and there would be someone who would chat with him.

Rock climbing was really a feat—such a small human being on such a huge rock wall was like a mayfly shaking a tree. Watching Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jeson climb on the cliff, they have to overcome so many difficulties, yet they were still lazing in bed. It was like they were being fully charged with faith. Why did he think that these climbers were so amazing? Probably because no matter how minuscule the human race was, it was also the community of these extreme adventurers. Therefore, the achievements of these well-known figures will definitely charge the entire community.

Just like now, the him under the quilt can’t help but wonder about the day when Qin Weihang will sprint onto the Dawn Wall. What will our situation be like? Will I be his partner?

With the sudden drop in temperature, Qin Weihang will not wander around only wearing short sleeves in the dorm room. He would still wear a short-sleeve T-shirt when he got out of bed, but his pants were replaced with light gray cotton pajama pants. When he went to the balcony to wash, he would wear a long black down jacket, which was the kind that reached the calves. He would also dress like this for almost the entire day. It was the same when he went downstairs to take out the trash. In any case, they don’t need to go out often. Every day, they would only go to the cafeteria to eat dinner, while breakfast and lunch were eaten in their dorm room. This was because they often got up after 10 a.m, so they would have oatmeal for breakfast, and instant noodles for lunch. During the two days when it was especially cold, they would even remember to close the door when they entered and exited the balcony.

So, just how cold was the weather? It was so cold that Qin Weihang didn’t even want to wash his face in cold water. He can wash his face with cold water at his own place, but the water pipe over at this place was on the balcony, and it was like ice slags when it flowed out. An Ning found out about this because he saw Qin Weihang open the faucet that day. As soon as his hands went under the faucet, they immediately shrank back. It was like a panther falling into an ice cave—his pupils dilated in shock. Thus, An Ning graciously shared the hot water that had long been prepared with school grass Qin.

The day they decided to stay for Chinese New Year, they went to the supermarket to stock up a lot of supplies. To make it easier to carry them back, Qin Weihang drove the car from the climbing gym, which was the Beijing Jeep.

There were a lot of people in the supermarket that day, most of them came to buy Chinese New Year’s goods. It was very lively and the heating in the supermarket was fully turned on. An Ning wore his thickest piece of cotton clothing. As soon as he entered the supermarket, he was practically hot and sweaty. He and Qin Weihang each pushed a cart. There were too many people and there were even children running around, so they heard the adults reminding: “Don’t run around, be careful not to get lost!”

At this moment, Qin Weihang turned around and said to him, “Don’t get lost.”

An Ning looked at a child running past him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Why was this person always worried about him getting lost? Or perhaps, guys who were tall liked to say this sentence regardless of whether the other party was a girl or a boy. Either way, should he just accept this height ‘discrimination’ just because he was shorter than Qin Weihang?

“How can I get lost,” he said, “I can see where you are as soon as I look up!”

Qin Weihang was like a strict teacher who was pleased with his answer; he reluctantly let out a “mn” sound, then stopped in front of the self-heating hot pot* shelf. By the end of it, he had four containers in each hand and placed them into the shopping cart.

[*TN: As the name implies, it’s a single serving hot-pot(like instant ramen) that can cook by itself. Here’s a video if you want to see how it’s done.]

An Ning noticed that Qin Weihang always bought things in this manner. Both his hands would sweep through the shelves, and the shelves An Ning passed by would always have a hole that was dug through to the opposite side. It was very funny, especially when Qin Weihang didn’t even look and would just stick his hands deep in the shelf to grab them, as if grabbing a bunch of kittens. He would then hold them in his hands to check the expiration date.

It was really so much fun to go shopping with him.

Sometimes they won’t buy anything and would just wander between the shelves. There were too many fun and nice-looking things in the supermarket. In the past, An Ning would go to the supermarket by himself and would only buy the things he wanted, then he would just leave. However, when going shopping with Qin Weihang, he realized that shopping at the supermarket can also be enjoyable. When passing the bone chinaware, Qin Weihang lowered his head to look at the patterns and style, frowning and raising his eyebrows as if he was very knowledgeable about them. When passing by the fitness equipment, Qin Weihang grabbed an arm training device, folded it, then handed it to him. An Ning took it in his hand and tried it—wow, it was really… laborious! Qin Weihang smiled brightly, then patted him on the shoulder and said, “Practice more.”

This supermarket was amazingly big and sold everything. There were even electronic pianos on the shelves. Qin Weihang even started playing on one. An Ning stood there and listened to him randomly tapping on it, going ding-ding dong-dong. Then, a little girl in a pink down jacket came over and played ‘Für Elise’ next to him. After she finished, she raised her face with arrogance and looked at Qin Weihang. Qin Weihang returned it with an expression of indifference.

It was too much fun. Even you would have a day when you are looked down on! An Ning secretly chuckled behind them.

When they were queuing at the end of the checkout line, many people still noticed Qin Weihang, and it was not necessarily because he was handsome. Boys that were tall were more eye-catching, but when they looked again, he was also handsome. Everyone had seen good-looking boys before, but in Qin Weihang’s case, he was really rare. He was the kind of handsome guy that after seeing him, people will find it difficult to manage their expression. Although they were not the same type, if he were to describe it by using celebrities, it would be about Sui Qingchi’s level.

He didn’t know if he should be envious or bothered. An Ning thought, if I grew up like Qin Weihang, I would also be very confident, and would often be stared at by people unconsciously. As long as I’m not planning to commit crimes, then there’s nothing wrong with it.

When it was almost their turn, Qin Weihang turned around. Before An Ning regained his senses, the cart in his hand was pulled by Qin Weihang. The last two carts were bound by Qin Weihang alone.

Once the receipt was printed out, An Ning took it. The things were packed in four big bags. Each of them held two and left the supermarket. When they walked out of the supermarket, Qin Weihang turned around and asked, “Where is the receipt?”

An Ning took it out and gave it to him. Qin Weihang took the receipt, rubbed it in his palm, and threw it in the trash can next to him, then said: “It’s toxic.”

An Ning stared at Qin Weihang’s back figure that was striding off with the bags.

After putting the things in the trunk, An Ning got in the car and put on his seatbelt, then he took out his phone and asked: “Then let’s do AA?”

Qin Weihang said, “No need, I’m paying today.” He started the car as he said this. He turned his head around and backed up the car, but didn’t look at him. Then he said, “I’m in a good mood today.”

In fact, An Ning knew everything in his heart. He put his phone back and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

“Thank me for what? For being in a good mood?” Qin Weihang raised his eyebrows and said dismissively.

Thank you for always being in such a good mood.

On the morning of Chinese New Year’s Eve, An Ning woke up from a chill. The sky outside the window was much brighter than the previous two days. He stood up in confusion, and suddenly saw a vast whiteness outside the window.

It was snowing.

There was very little snow in his hometown, let alone snowing until everything was pure white. It really was getting rid of the old and welcoming the new. The snow was a sign of a prosperous year.

Such heavy snow, yet there was no one on campus to appreciate it. Standing on the balcony, An Ning had an illusion that the world seemed to have entered the Ice Age, leaving only him and Qin Weihang to survive.

After a while, Qin Weihang opened the door and walked out. He was still wearing that long black down jacket. His hands were in his pockets, and for the first time, the jacket was zipped. He walked over to him, shrugged his shoulders slightly, and said, “There’s so much snow.”

An Ning nodded and asked, “Has it ever snowed this much in your hometown?”

“Occasionally.” Qin Weihang said, and then asked him, “Aren’t you cold?”

An Ning nodded; it was very cold. He was already dressed neatly from top to bottom but he still felt cold. Even Qin Weihang had his down jacket zipped, which meant that it was freezing.

Qin Weihang glanced at the person in front of him, somewhat hesitant to say something, but then finally said: “It’s cold, let’s go in.”

The cafeteria and restaurants were closed on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Only the school’s No. 1 cafeteria will stay open until noon. In order to watch the snow, on a rare occasion, they went out to eat for lunch. When they came downstairs they saw the manager—who was wrapped in two padded clothes, gloves, and earmuffs—making a snowman. An Ning thought it was a refreshing sight and wanted to step forward to help him. Qin Weihang held him back and said, “Your hands will freeze.” Then he took off his gloves and gave them to him.

When An Ning helped Uncle Luo build a snowman, Qin Weihang stood by and watched. Uncle Luo still had a childish innocence. After he finished piling, he even said, “I want to build a snowman as tall as him, but it’s still a little short.”

Qin Weihang shrugged slightly, leaning back on the handrail, and said: “There isn’t that much snow.”

An Ning picked up a few leaves and made eyes and and a mouth for the snowman. By the end of it, only two hands were still needed. Qin Weihang found two branches and inserted them in. The snowman stood majestically in front of their dormitory.

Qin Weihang’s gloves were wet, so Uncle Luo said to let them dry at his place. He also told them to come and watch the Spring Festival Gala with him at night.

On the way to No. 1 cafeteria, he saw that the scenery of the school had changed drastically. There was almost no one on the road. It wasn’t until they entered the cafeteria that he found that it was not completely empty. Although deserted, it was not lonely. After eating the piping hot lunch, An Ning seemed to be alive again. He said to Qin Weihang, “This is the most popular cafeteria in our school, do you know why?”

Qin Weihang took a sip of the soup and said, “Because it tastes good?”

An Ning laughed: “You have the same thought as me, but it’s not because of this.”

Qin Weihang frowned, “What’s the reason?”

An Ning said, “Isn’t this close to the Faculty of Arts dormitory? Huang Qinzhen often comes to this cafeteria. “

After hearing this, Qin Weihang blinked in a daze before he let out an “oh” sound, a little amused. After a good while, he asked: “You come here often, too.”

An Ning nodded while eating; they did indeed come here often to eat. Before Qin Weihang and Xiao Pang joined them, he and Liang Shenghan would often come to this cafeteria.

Qin Weihang raised his eyes: “Come here to see the school flower?”

An Ning nodded reflexively, and Qin Weihang’s eyes immediately became empty. An Ning hurriedly shook his head: “No, no, I didn’t come to see Huang Qinzhen. It’s really because the food here is delicious!”

Qin Weihang expressionlessly said: “I always thought you guys brought me here because the food was good.”

An Ning smiled: “When Liang Shenghan brought me here, I also thought it was because he thought the food here was good. However, it’s understandable—Huang Qinzhen is really beautiful. Don’t you think she looks a lot like Aragaki Yui?”

Qin Weihang lowered his head, took a spoonful of soup, and said, “She’s okay.”

An Ning said: “At the time, me and Liang Shenghan even said that if you come to our building’s cafeteria every day, then the popularity of our cafeteria will be higher than here.”

Qin Weihang said absentmindedly, “That’s unlikely.”

An Ning said, “You’re the school grass, don’t you think you’re handsome?”

Qin Weihang put down his spoon at this moment, raised his head, and asked him: “So do you think I’m handsome?”

An Ning did not expect Qin Weihang to say something like this. His words were being used against him, but it was still the truth. He hid the thoughts of his secret love and nodded calmly: “Of course, I thought I was being very obvious,” but then found that saying it like this was pretty ambiguous, so he immediately changed his words, “I mean, about how handsome you are.” His ears burned as he said this, thus, he can only bury his head and eat.

Qin Weihang looked at him for a while, then he slowly lowered his head and ate perfunctorily.

The dorm manager, Uncle Luo, was still single and did not go back home during the Chinese New Year. At night, An Ning mentioned the bunch of food they bought at the supermarket that day, and they gathered them in the manager’s room, waiting to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

When Uncle Luo saw Qin Weihang coming in, he was happy. He took the initiative to give them two chairs and stuff like fruits and dried fruits to snack on. Finally, he scrutinized Qin Weihang and said to An Ning: “As soon as he came in, he looked like a celebrity. It was as if the Spring Festival Gala had already started.”

An Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

Uncle Luo said to Qin Weihang: “I have been in charge of the dormitory for eight years and have never seen a boy who is half as handsome as you. I didn’t acknowledge any of the school grass in the past, but I acknowledge you.”

Qin Weihang didn’t know what kind of expression to make when he heard this. He just said, “Thank you for your support.” It was like a candidate who got a vote, so it was kind of funny.

In fact, the Spring Festival Gala was not very interesting, they mainly watched it for the lively atmosphere. The three of them ate while chatting together, roasting about the Spring Festival Gala, which gave it that festive atmosphere. An Ning and Uncle Luo were the ones that were complaining, while Qin Weihang was mainly responsible for listening. Because he had nothing to say and was too lazy to find something to say, he just sat at the side peeling the fruits, then handing them to the other two after peeling them, saying: “Eat it.”

Uncle Luo regained his senses and saw that the dried fruits on the plate were completely peeled off by Qin Weihang, so it didn’t feel too good when eating it.

“Oh, Xiao Qin, you don’t need to peel it. You should eat some too!”

Qin Weihang rubbed his fingers and said, “It’s okay, I will challenge the limit. You guys are chatting happily, but I don’t have much to contribute to the conversation.”

Uncle Luo said: “Haa, you just sitting here to accompany us is already… How did that saying go?”

An Ning: “A feast for the eyes?”

Uncle Luo: “Yes, yes! That one!”

Qin Weihang cast a glance at An Ning and said, “Just eat your food.”

An Ning unexpectedly heard a little complaining tone. He ate the fruit and glanced at Qin Weihang. His heart was going doki-doki as he thought, it was really quite cute.