February 14, 1995, Tuesday. Guan Xuchen arrived at the entrance of Gao Xinglang's residential quarter and saw him holding his bicycle and waiting under a large banyan tree. Guan Xuchen jogged over and greeted him with a bright smile, "Hi, Lang!"
"Hi, Soupy." Seeing Guan Xuchen carrying a schoolbag, Gao Xinglang asked with a smile, "Soupy, do you need to bring so many things for just a movie?"
"Not really. I've only brought snacks, an umbrella, tissues, and two bottles of water." Guan Xuchen said seriously, then asked with a hint of worry, "Lang, you've brought the tickets, right? It's the 9:30 am showing, right? Don't make the same mistake as my dad did last time."
"Don't worry, I won't," Gao Xinglang pulled out the movie tickets from his pocket and showed them to Guan Xuchen, saying, "Look, Rainbow Cinema, 9:30 am, 'The Chinese Feast'. Is that right?"
Guan Xuchen examined the ticket carefully, nodded, and smiled, "That's right. As long as it's the right movie and the right time."
"You can always count on me." Gao Xinglang put away the tickets, got on his bike, patted the back seat, and said, "Soupy, hop on."
"Okay!" Carrying his schoolbag on the back, Guan Xuchen straddled the back seat of the bike and exclaimed excitedly, "Let's go to the movies!"
Gao Xinglang turned around and saw Guan Xuchen gripping the backseat rack with both hands. "Soupy, hold on tight." he reminded, "Don't fall off."
"Okay." Guan Xuchen replied softly.
Gao Xinglang exclaimed, "Let's go!" And then he pedaled off.
Gao Xinglang was cycling a bit too fast, and Guan Xuchen felt like he was falling backwards. So he shouted, "Lang, slow down!"
Gao Xinglang stopped, propped his right foot on the ground and turned to asked, "Soupy, what's wrong?"
Guan Xuchen mumbled, "You're going a bit too fast, I felt like I was falling off!"
"Oh, sorry, I'll slow down then." Gao Xinglang said with an apologetic face, and suggested, "Little Soup, why don't you put your arms around my waist? It'll be more stable."
"Oh, okay." Guan Xuchen replied softly and gently wrapped his arms around Gao Xinglang's waist.
"Hold on a little tighter. "I'm not a girl. Why are you so shy, Soupy?" Gao Xinglang teased.
"Okay, I got it. Is this okay?" Guan Xuchen huffed slightly and tightened his grip a little.
"Okay, hold on tight." With that, Gao Xinglang pedaled up the bike and continued on.
Guan Xu Chen wrapped his arms around Gao Xing Lang's waist, once again seeing Gao Xinglang's broad back up close, and that warmth once again arose. Hesitating for a moment, he gently leaned his head on Gao Xinglang's back.
Guangzhou in February was already quite warm compared to the northern regions, but there was still a hint of chill in the air. The thin sweater on Gao Xinglang made Guan Xuchen feel even warmer. He closed his eyes comfortably, secretly hoping they wouldn't arrive at the cinema too soon.
"Soupy, Soupy!" Guan Xuchen was pulled back to reality by Gao Xinglang's voice. He quickly moved his head away from Gao Xinglang's back, opened his eyes, and said nervously, "I'm sorry, Lang."
"What's up, Soupy? Why are you saying sorry?" Gao Xinglang laughed and said, "We've reached the cinema."
"Oh," Guan Xu Chen smiled embarrassedly, then got off the back of the bike.
As Gao Xinglang looked for a place to park his bike, he said casually, "I can't imagine why you don't know how to ride a bike, Soupy. Maybe I can teach you sometime."
YOU ARE READING
Love Me in Another Universe
General FictionIt was such a long time ago that you don't even remember why you fell for that person in the first place. You just remember stubbornly that you were once deeply in love with someone with that name... It's a story about the bond between two Chinese b...
