FLME Ch97

Chapter 97: Childhood Friends If Route (Final)

Xie Heyu’s rented apartment was near the school and not far from the restaurant. A quick turn down two streets brought them to the entrance of the complex.

Yu Wen was still lost in that kiss, the one that had broken through the windowpane. His head was lowered as he walked, his mind filled with conflict and uncertainty, unsure if what he had done was right…

He had known Xie Heyu since they were children, so they were incredibly familiar with each other. Suddenly turning into a relationship where they could kiss felt strange.

As he let his mind wander, he found himself already standing in front of Xie Heyu’s apartment door.

“Do you want some late-night snacks?” Xie Heyu asked.

Yu Wen rubbed his stomach, realizing he was a bit hungry.

“Sure.”

Xie Heyu’s place wasn’t fully set up yet. He had just finished dealing with things in Nancheng—finding a place, signing contracts—it all took time. It had only been about a week, and he had managed to settle in quickly.

Yu Wen glanced around at the mess on the floor and asked, “Why didn’t you call me?”

Though his actions seemed to indicate some distance from Xie Heyu, Yu Wen never seriously thought about cutting ties with him. In the past, Xie Heyu would have told him right away about something as significant as renting a place.

“I can handle it on my own. You’ve been busy,” Xie Heyu replied.

…Busy with what?

It was all just for show.

Yu Wen sighed lightly and sat on the fabric sofa. He now realized that he had handled this situation terribly. He didn’t believe Xie Heyu couldn’t tell those were just excuses, but even so, for such a big thing like moving, Xie Heyu hadn’t dared to call and bother him.

Yu Wen asked, “Why did you decide to live off-campus? Don’t like the dorms?”

Xie Heyu shook his head without elaborating. “I need my own space.”

His stomach didn’t feel well, so a bowl of soft, boiled noodles was the best choice. Though the pain in his stomach had subsided, after finishing the bowl of noodles, he still felt his insides warmed by the comforting heat.

While he ate, Xie Heyu sat across from him, resting his head on his hand, watching him eat.

Since the dining area wasn’t set up, they had to make do with the coffee table. Yu Wen felt like Xie Heyu’s gaze was almost too intense, but he didn’t say anything.

He ate quietly, his eyelashes dark and damp from the steam rising from the bowl.

“Yu Wen,” Xie Heyu suddenly spoke in the silence, “Would you like to date me?”

The question came out of nowhere. Yu Wen’s hand trembled, and his chopsticks clattered into the bowl, splashing the soup.

Xie Heyu grabbed a couple of napkins and wiped the table, then picked up another and gently wiped the drop of soup from Yu Wen’s chin.

Yu Wen was stunned, his gaze fixed on Xie Heyu’s face, wanting to say something but unsure how.

“You’re wrong about one thing, Yu Wen. You didn’t reject my feelings,” Xie Heyu said. After moving the empty bowl away, he pushed a cup of warm water toward Yu Wen. His tone was calm, “Kissing you suddenly wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. I rehearsed it countless times in my mind to catch the right moment. And when you didn’t panic, it shows you must have imagined this situation before, over the past year.”

Yu Wen picked up the glass, the water rippling. He pressed his fingers against the glass, whitening his fingertips from the pressure.

Xie Heyu seemed determined to pry open his lips.

“Have you thought about it?”

“…”

“Yu Wen, are you going to keep avoiding it?”

Yu Wen lowered his head, like a warrior stripped of his armor, letting out a deep breath. “…I’ve thought about it.”

How could he not think about it? He had spent restless nights turning over in his mind, knowing Xie Heyu liked him. He couldn’t look at him the same way anymore, unconsciously analyzing every touch and joke—wondering if they had caused Xie Heyu any distress.

“Oh.” Xie Heyu responded, then asked, “What did you think about?”

Yu Wen gripped the glass harder.

What did he think about…

“…What to do if we accidentally kiss, what to do if we fall together, what to do if something goes too far…”

They were neighbors and spent a lot of time together. He felt like he had to prepare for all possible situations, ready for any unexpected outcomes.

Xie Heyu asked, “What do you mean by ‘something going too far’?”

Yu Wen: “…”

He couldn’t say it. He would never say it.

Xie Heyu didn’t press further and let him off the hook for the moment.

Yu Wen took a sip of water, still unsettled.

While he was lost in thought, Xie Heyu leaned over, pressing his elbow on the coffee table, coming closer to him.

The faint scent of mixed fruit filled the air, and the subtle flow of breath from Xie Heyu’s lips made it clear just how dangerous their proximity was.

“Kiss… should we try again?” Xie Heyu whispered. “If it feels good, will you date me…?”

Yu Wen’s breath paused for a moment as he bit his lip.

“…Mm.”

There was a post on the campus forum: What’s it like to date your childhood friend?

Before Yu Wen saw the post, the top comment read: Thanks for the invite, but there’s no hormones, just brotherhood.

The poster detailed their twenty-plus years of friendship with their childhood friend—how it changed overnight, how sparks flew, and how, in the end, the unbreakable bond of brotherhood crushed everything, leaving them both awkwardly facing each other.

“I’ve seen him run around the streets naked; I’ve seen his hair cut so badly it was unrecognizable; I’ve seen all his embarrassing, funny moments… In situations like this, I’m sure everyone here can understand—it’s really hard to develop any worldly desire.”

When Yu Wen came across this post, there were already many replies, and it had become a hot topic. He, feeling playful, decided to reply with two comments.

“This is interesting. It means you’ve always been there for each other. Childhood friends are like that, right? In front of others, he acts all mature, but you’re the only one who knows how childish he really is.”

In less than an hour, his reply got a lot of attention, and the post became even more popular. Many people started asking about how childhood friends who had successfully turned into lovers acted.

Yu Wen thought for a moment and replied: “We know everything about each other. We don’t really need any adjustments, no one has to make compromises for each other’s little habits, because, from a long time ago, his habits became mine.”

The comments section exploded. Some people asked if being too familiar with each other would make the honeymoon phase disappear, like the earlier comment about lacking worldly desire.

Yu Wen replied: “No, you still feel shy when interacting in daily life. Some things that seemed perfectly normal before now make your heart race. It’s… strange.”

After posting, he logged off, not noticing that his comment was rapidly getting likes and soon became the highest-rated reply.

After becoming a couple, Yu Wen didn’t feel much of a difference compared to before.

The biggest difference was probably that he and Xie Heyu had finally reconciled and returned to their previous way of interacting. He didn’t feel guilty anymore every time he looked at the chatbox.

Xie Heyu lived off-campus, while Yu Wen stayed in the dorm.

On weekends, he would go to Xie Heyu’s place for meals. Afterward, they would play games together or watch movies, spending a relaxing afternoon with no particular purpose.

They were in the same school but different majors, and in different years, so their courses were quite different. However, Xie Heyu still liked to wait for him after class. Every time the bell rang, Yu Wen would glance at the back door and see Xie Heyu’s smiling eyes.

Xie Heyu’s rented apartment had only one bedroom, and Yu Wen didn’t stay overnight often.

Staying overnight meant sharing a bed… and Yu Wen was still shy about it.

Xie Heyu wasn’t much better. During the early days of their relationship, they sat on the carpet watching movies, and when they wanted to hold hands, Xie Heyu had to make several small gestures and fidget around. In the end, Yu Wen couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “It’s a little cold, can I hug you?”

Xie Heyu loved smelling his hair.

When they hugged, he would bury his face in Yu Wen’s neck or kiss his hair, rubbing against him repeatedly.

At first, Yu Wen found it ticklish, but gradually, for some reason, he got used to it. Until one day, when Xie Heyu pinched the back of his neck, Yu Wen was surprised to find that he didn’t instinctively shrink away.

“Hey,” he said in surprise, “I’ve evolved, Xie Heyu! I’m no longer ticklish!”

He excitedly shared this great news with his parents, but when his mother asked how he became desensitized, he suddenly went speechless.

…He certainly couldn’t say it was because of Xie Heyu’s constant rubbing.

After that, he didn’t like being rubbed by Xie Heyu anymore. Every time he was hugged, he’d slip away, determined to get his sensitivity back.

Xie Heyu was forced to ‘keep his distance,’ and for the next two to three weeks, it was pure torture for them as a couple in the honeymoon phase.

Xie Heyu had to come up with a roundabout plan.

It was impossible not to be close. If his neck was off-limits, he’d try other places, like his waist.

But the waist… was a bit tricky.

It was easy to get carried away.

Sometimes, Yu Wen liked to use Xie Heyu as a cushion, leaning into his arms while watching movies. This position made it easy for their hands to wander, and slowly, the movie became less important. Yu Wen’s face would turn red, and so would Xie Heyu’s. They would both sweat, whispering to each other, “Should we try…?” “I want to shower first…”

“Do you have…?”

“I’ll go downstairs and buy some…”

After that, Yu Wen moved in. Given Xie Heyu’s strong fondness for his shampoo scent, Yu Wen made sure to bring his shampoo when he moved in.

That night, Xie Heyu used the shampoo, came out of the bathroom frowning, sniffed himself, then sniffed Yu Wen. He said, “It’s different.”

Yu Wen asked, “What’s different?”

Xie Heyu replied, “It doesn’t smell like you.”

Yu Wen couldn’t detect the difference. He thought maybe it was because the shampoo had been left for too long and the scent had faded, so he took Xie Heyu to the supermarket to buy a brand-new bottle.

That night, Xie Heyu came out of the bathroom again, frowning. “It’s still different.”

Yu Wen, helpless, exposed his neck and said, “Just smell me.”

They had been classmates since elementary school, middle school, and high school. Now they were in college together. With their future possibly in the same city, their parents thought it was a sign of an incomparable fate. During the winter break, Xie Jialin and Yu Wen’s parents, excitedly, decided to arrange a “brotherhood ceremony” for the two.

Yu Wen: “?”

Xie Heyu: “?”

Yu Wen/Xie Heyu: “Absolutely not!”

Xie Jialin asked, “Why not?”

Yu Wen thought for a moment, then solemnly said, “A brotherhood ceremony needs to be done on an auspicious day. Today, it’s very inauspicious!”

Xie Jialin was taken aback, scratching his head, saying he would think about it and then walked off to check the almanac.

As soon as Xie Jialin left, Yu Wen anxiously punched a few sets of military-style punches, pacing back and forth. “Xie Heyu, quickly use your wisdom, or we’ll really end up as brothers…”

Xie Heyu, after careful thought, suggested, “If it doesn’t work, just convince Xie Jialin to become a monk and forget about worldly matters.”

Yu Wen: “…You’re amazing.”

They stood outside the door, discussing strategies. Snow had accumulated on the tree branches in the winter, and when Yu Wen brushed it off his down jacket’s hood, his fingers turned red. Xie Heyu, seeing this, pulled him into his arms.

“It’s okay,” Xie Heyu said. “Even if I refuse, my dad won’t do anything to me.”

Yu Wen leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips.

They often found themselves unconsciously close, as couples do. But they clearly forgot where they were.

The faint sound behind them caught Xie Heyu’s attention. He turned to see his father, Xie Jialin, standing there with a shiny bald head and eyes as wide as saucers.

Xie Jialin was holding the almanac, his glasses perched on his nose. He seemed to doubt his own eyes, lifting the glasses and putting them back down repeatedly, five times in total.

Xie Heyu: “…”

After confirming he wasn’t seeing things, Xie Jialin slowly exhaled, and the almanac slipped from his hand.

Yu Wen leaned forward, first looking at the ground, then lifting his eyes to meet Xie Jialin’s unblinking stare.

Yu Wen: “…”

What the hell.

True to his experience as a businessman, Xie Jialin went from shock to acceptance in just ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, he picked up the almanac, dusted off the snow, and calmed his expression.

“Let’s pick an auspicious day for the engagement banquet,” he said.