Driving to another province on a snowy night, thousands of kilometers just to deliver a truck full of roses to fulfill a casually spoken sentence. This act itself was too impulsive, reckless, and regardless of the consequences.
Bai Qinglin was certain he would never do such a thing. Adults have a tacit understanding of weighing gains and losses, of looking before and after, of maintaining decorum and dignity. Giving without expecting anything in return was simply a fantasy. The cigarette held in his right hand dropped some ash. The expression on his face was as before. He looked deeply into Zhu Jingru’s eyes. After a brief moment of dimness, it was quickly concealed.
His age and experience were there. His rational way of dealing with people and matters was indeed like a block of ice. Bai Qinglin rejected any source of heat from approaching, yet he uniquely had a soft spot.
Seeing more and more people gathering, Zhu Jingru immediately wanted to escape. He wanted to give the flowers out of a heart full of passion, and the same went for the person. He wanted to escape with Bai Qinglin, to run out of the crowd, it did not matter where they went.
Zhu Jingru raised his hand and lightly tugged on Bai Qinglin’s sleeve, his gaze sincere and direct. “Will you come with me?”
A snowy Christmas Eve.
A small truck with its rear compartment half-open appeared on the ginkgo avenue. It drove forward tirelessly, filled with roses of various colors. The petals swayed with the wind, free and unrestrained. It was an extremely romantic and beautiful scene.
“There are too few flowers in Nanhai in the winter, so I made a trip to Yunnan. Then I thought Christmas should be lively, so I simply went to Gansu to pick out a Christmas tree. One thing led to another, the tree was shipped early by professionals, but I wanted to deliver the flowers myself.” Zhu Jingru turned the steering wheel, his peripheral vision filled with the person in the passenger seat. Even reporting his itinerary was done with a smile.
Bai Qinglin had his head turned to look out the window. He gave a casual “mm” as if he was not interested.
Zhu Jingru took advantage of the gap while waiting at a red light to simply turn his head and stare at the person without blinking. It was quite mischievous, filled with a curious playfulness. He soon discovered that Bai Qinglin’s pupils did not seem to be focused. His posture was, for once, not quite proper. He blinked a beat too late even when his fingertips were burned by cigarette ash.
Zhu Jingru couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Bai, has anyone ever told you that you’re gentle?”
These two words had no connection to Bai Qinglin as a whole. He furrowed his brows and glanced at Zhu Jingru. “No.”
“Am I the first?”
“Mm.”
“You have a good temper,” Zhu Jingru said as such. “When you reject someone, you don’t even say a harsh word. You’re too polite and respectful. You’re clearly very impatient, yet you still restrain yourself from getting angry.”
It was a long time before Bai Qinglin spoke. “I warned you.”
“Just a pinch on the neck, that’s not fierce enough. It won’t scare me away.”
“…”
Zhu Jingru waited until the light turned green. Looking straight ahead, he casually called out, “Brother Bai.”
Bai Qinglin also gave an “mm” as a response.
Zhu Jingru’s heart immediately beat so fast. How could he not be gentle? It was just hidden and tucked away, requiring patience to discover.
The truck stopped at a remote old port in Nanhai city. Fishermen did not come here often, and it had not been further developed by the government, so it was very desolate. There was also a cargo ship abandoned in the shallow sea. The tide rose and fell, the waves surged, and no number of years could erase the loneliness of the shipwreck.
It was also because of this ship that Zhu Jingru had opened a bar in Nanhai many years ago.
The car door lock had not yet been opened. A restless heat filled the air. The way Zhu Jingru looked at Bai Qinglin was truly not innocent. The words he spoke were improper. “Have you thought of how to refuse these flowers, and then tell me to stay away from you?”
Bai Qinglin: “I’m thinking.”
Zhu Jingru laughed out loud. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kiss you right now?”
Bai Qinglin’s jawline was sharp. The way the smoke escaped from the corner of his mouth was strangely sexy and alluring. His voice was very calm. “Consider the consequences yourself.”
“Brother Bai.”
“Speak.”
Zhu Jingru was visibly happy. “Just like before. I’m very disobedient. You have to be fiercer to keep me in line.” As soon as the words fell, the car door opened automatically.
Bai Qinglin stepped onto the soft soil. Snowflakes scattered around him. The ends of his hair and the hem of his clothes were lifted by the wind. Through the falling snow, he gazed at the harbor he had never seen before. That ship seemed to be looking at people as well.
After a while, he did not hear Zhu Jingru speak, and even his figure was nowhere to be seen. Bai Qinglin walked to the back of the truck and scanned for a long time, still finding nothing.
Until the crisp sound of tapping on sheet metal appeared.
Bai Qinglin looked up. Zhu Jingru was standing on the roof of the truck, waving. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. The snow was still falling. The light from the long-neglected lamp was faint, but the stars were bright, and the moon was also bright.
In Bai Qinglin’s eyes, Zhu Jingru’s appearance was clear, so dazzling that it seemed to glow.
“Ever slept on a truck?” Zhu Jingru extended his hand. “Want to give it a try?”
Bai Qinglin’s expressionless face was damp from the falling snowflakes, but the breath from his nose was hot and stuffy, as if ignited. He did not take Zhu Jingru’s hand. He climbed up on his own, stepping on the truck’s metal frame.
Bai Qinglin sat on the edge with his legs dangling, as if deliberately keeping a distance from Zhu Jingru. His back was slightly curved, his gaze fixed on the decaying shipwreck in the distance. His expression was still cold and indifferent.
Zhu Jingru, however, lay down horizontally without caring if it was dirty, his posture quite languid. He faced the sky, kissing the snowflakes falling from the starry expanse. His words drifted in the wind, “I’ve never brought anyone here.”
Bai Qinglin did not speak, did not even look at him, but he was indeed listening.
“Brother Bai, you are the first.”
“…On the way to buy the flowers, I passed by snow-capped mountains, the Gobi, lakes, and deserts.” Zhu Jingru said it frankly and openly, so free and easy it seemed without purpose. His tone was joyful, and even he himself found it a little unbelievable.
“It seems that no matter what it is.”
“When I see them, I think of you.”
Bai Qinglin remained silent.
For most people, silence meant rejection. Zhu Jingru, on the other hand, pushed his luck. His sleeping position changed quietly. Quickly and impolitely, he rested his head on Bai Qinglin’s lap. Before closing his eyes, he even gently rubbed his neck against him, murmuring the rest of his words.
“I’m always very happy when I think of you. I don’t know why either. I really want to give you all the flowers in the world.”
His voice was very muffled, his murmuring getting softer and softer. “Brother Bai… I’m sleepy…”
Bai Qinglin had never been so intimate with anyone before. He was nearly petrified, his body stiff. His unfocused pupils betrayed their owner’s true emotions. He could feel the warm breath spraying between his legs. Blood rushed to his head, and he was close to suffocating. Every pore was eager to monopolize the sensation of skin on skin.
The pads of his fingers were pinched red by himself. The blue veins on his neck bulged prominently. He was forced to tilt his head up to hide something.
“Get up…”
The breathing of the person on his lap had already become regular.
“Zhu Jingru…”
“…”
Bai Qinglin did not know how much time had passed. The passage of time and the sudden drop in temperature all seemed to happen without a sound.
He was frozen there, his mind in complete disarray. He was certain that Zhu Jingru was so tired he had already fallen asleep. Yunnan was too far from Nanhai, half a country’s distance. Driving back was undoubtedly exhausting.
Although everything that happened tonight was possibly still done by the person on purpose.
But for any reason, he could not just leave Zhu Jingru here.
A few seagulls flew leisurely over the quiet old port at night. Their wings swept past. The snow fell heavier and heavier, along with the people on top of the truck. The truckload of roses was also damp from the falling snow.
The wind must have picked up.
Bai Qinglin lowered his head, his gaze sweeping heavily over the person before him. He slowly raised his right hand. His fingers curved slightly and then retracted. He repeated this action three times. Finally, he silently raised his head and stopped looking at the person, continuing to gaze at the distant coast.
In just a fleeting movement, his fingertips gently touched the red mole at the corner of Zhu Jingru’s eye.
It happened to wipe away the trace of water from the melted snow.
