33 : Bitterness

 After the atmosphere calmed down, the match continued. Chen Zhoumu went off to rest, and the libero was still in the infirmary, so a new player from No. 1 Middle School came on as a substitute.

The new player had never participated in such a match before, but at least he filled the vacancy.

The final result was self-evident: No. 3 Middle School won.

However, after so much had happened on the court, no one cared which side won.

Everyone's attention was focused on what had happened.

The volleyball match was the last match of the day. After all the players left the court, the host came on stage to announce the end of the day's matches.

Song Shi returned to the backstage locker area with the team. Chen Zhoumu had already changed his clothes and was sitting on a bench, looking down at his phone.

He only looked up after hearing the noise.

The two exchanged a glance, and then Song Shi took his clothes and went into the locker room, where there was a public bathroom at the back.

Before showering, he texted Chen Zhoumu, telling him to leave first, worried that Chen Zhoumu might have some health problems later.

After he finished showering and came out of the room, his eyes inadvertently glanced at the spot where the person had been sitting.

Chen Zhoumu didn't reply, but the person wasn't sitting there anymore either.

Song Shi thought he had already left and was about to go to the locker to get his schoolbag.

A figure appeared in front of him; it was Tan Xiuyuan. He looked like he had just changed his clothes. Song Shi didn't stop and stood in front of the locker.

Tan Xiuyuan leaned against the locker with his arms crossed, looking at Song Shi: "Shizi, you'll be coming today, right?"

Song Shi paused, his hand reaching for his schoolbag, before remembering the gathering the other had mentioned yesterday. He nodded: "Yeah, where are they?"

Only ten minutes had passed between him going to the changing room and finishing his shower and change, but he hadn't seen anyone else when he came out.

Tan Xiuyuan shrugged, indicating he didn't know. He was about half a head taller than Song Shi and suddenly remembered how he used to tease Song Shi about his height when they were kids, making him call him "brother."

Young Song Shi was easy to fool and very obedient.

Later, as the two grew up, Song Shi never mentioned this matter again. Actually, Song Shi was a year older than him.

He reached out and took the other's backpack: "Let's go, everything should be arranged."

Song Shi looked towards the back door; it was already late outside, only the streetlights at the playground were lit. Because of today's competition, there were very few students on the playground.

The playground of No. 2 Middle School was large. Tan Xiuyuan glanced at the increasingly quiet person and couldn't help but ask, "Shizi, why did you come to Xia City?"

"To fight."

The person who asked the question was somewhat surprised but quickly suppressed it. He went abroad in his first year of high school; that year, Song Shi was sick.

He couldn't come back either. Actually, his going abroad wasn't just because of that incident; the main reason was something he hadn't told Song Shi.

Of course, if the other didn't mention it, he wanted to never say it for the rest of his life. He didn't want to tell Song Shi, nor did he want the other to know.

Song Shi's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out; several messages had been sent from Chen Zhoumu.

M: [Where did you go?]

S: [?] M

: [My phone died just now, so I went to the infirmary to get some medicine and charged it for a bit.]

M: [Have you left?]

S: [Tan Xiuyuan is having a gathering, you should go back first.]

After sending this message, there was no reply for a long time, so Song Shi ignored it and put his phone back in his pocket.

"Speaking of which, have you missed me these past few years while I was abroad?" Song

Shi looked at the other person speechlessly: "Truth or false?"

"Of course I want the truth."

"I think you really want a beating."

Tan Xiuyuan suddenly went abroad that year without telling anyone, and Song Shi didn't know where he went at the time.

It wasn't until he heard about Tan Xiuyuan's departure from his aunt that Song Shi felt annoyed and a little angry.

After all, Song Shi had considered him a friend and they had spent so much time together, and Tan Xiuyuan left without even a word.

He couldn't contact him anymore, just like this time, returning to China without a single message.

Upon arriving at the gathering place, the two headed towards the private room. Most of the people inside were from No. 3 Middle School, with a few from No. 1 Middle School on other teams, but Song Shi hadn't met them before and wasn't very familiar with them.

Fortunately, there weren't many people, making it less awkward.

The gathering was simply about eating and drinking with seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys.

Song Shi didn't drink often, so his alcohol tolerance wasn't very high. After a few drinks with Tan Xiuyuan, he felt a little dizzy.

He didn't flush when he drank, and his aloof expression didn't make him look drunk.

After greeting everyone, Song Shi went outside for some fresh air. A breeze blew into the corridor through the open window, and Song Shi blinked his slightly bloodshot eyes.

He then took out his phone; there were still no messages, and the person hadn't replied.

The gathering didn't last long and soon ended.

He and Tan Xiuyuan stood at the door saying goodbye to the others, and after everyone had left, the two stood by the roadside to hail a taxi.

Tan Xiuyuan's face was a little red, but his alcohol tolerance wasn't bad. During his studies abroad, he would drink when he was feeling down, and that's how he gradually built up his tolerance.

It wasn't very late, and the streets were still bustling.

The two tall figures standing together were quite eye-catching. Song Shi's head was starting to feel a little foggy, but his consciousness wasn't completely chaotic.

Tan Xiuyuan recalled everything that had happened that day, his memories slowly focusing on the image of the two embracing. At that moment, he wished that it was him who was in that embrace.

He would always remember Song Shi's preferences; he knew the other didn't like being touched, but he seemed to have tacitly accepted that person's permission.

Whether that person had their arm around his shoulder or was hugging him, Song Shi didn't seem to react.

Anyone with eyes could see that Song Shi seemed to have something special about that person. He thought he would stay for a long time this time back.

It seemed that he didn't need to anymore; he had no chance. Perhaps the moment he left the country, the chance would be gone. He looked down at his toes.

Then he heard himself ask the question he had already decided in his heart: "Shizi, do you like Chen Zhoumu?"

Song Shi's hands were in his pockets so he could immediately notice if someone sent a message. His eyes were fixed on the flickering, almost broken streetlight ahead.

Cars whizzed past, the sounds of wind cutting through the air and people talking reaching his ears.

For a moment, before he could process Tan Xiuyuan's question, he instinctively asked, "Hmm?"

Tan Xiuyuan turned around, looking directly into his eyes, his expression serious: "Do you like him?"

Song Shi's consciousness, eroded by alcohol, slowly returned to normal as the sudden question jolted him back to reality. His hand, gripping his phone in his pocket, tightened.

Like? Who?

Chen Zhoumu? Did he like Chen Zhoumu? Should he like him?

Song Shi was bewildered by the question. He didn't know why Tan Xiuyuan would ask such a question.

Was it obvious? He recalled his interactions with Chen Zhoumu; the latter liked girls. He couldn't like Chen Zhoumu.

He looked up at Tan Xiuyuan and shook his head, offering no answer.

Tan Xiuyuan's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Song Shi. He knew all of Song Shi's subtle gestures and expressions after spending so much time with him.

He glanced at Song Shi's hand in his pocket. Song Shi was lying again.

The first time was at the hotel where they met, and the second time was now.

Neither of them spoke as they got into the car. Tan Xiuyuan took out his phone, pretending to look at it, but actually glancing at Song Shi out of the corner of his eye.

After getting in the car, Song Shi kept staring out the window. When the car arrived at the entrance of the No. 1 Middle School, Song Shi snapped out of his daze and got out.

Tan Xiuyuan had already returned to his normal demeanor and handed over the other's backpack: "See you tomorrow, Shizi."

Song Shi waved from the car door, and only went inside after the car drove away.

The person sitting in the car watched the other's departing figure, then took out his phone and dialed a number. It was answered after a while: "Young Master Tan."

"Investigate Shizi's affairs at Yangcheng No. 1 School."

The light cast a long shadow of Song Shi. He took out his phone again, but the lock screen was clean, still no messages.

Only now did Song Shi realize that the other person was acting strangely. He put his phone away and quickly walked towards the dormitory.

When he was downstairs, he glanced upstairs. The room on the third floor was not lit; perhaps Chen Zhoumu was already asleep.

After going upstairs, he quietly took out his key, only to find that the door was unlocked when he tried to unlock it.

Song Shi quietly opened the door and went in. The room was pitch black, and the curtains were already drawn.

The older brother, who was lying in the chair, looked up after hearing the sound, his eyes, which seemed to glow in the darkness, following his movements.

As if smelling a familiar scent, the owner of those eyes jumped off the chair and wrapped himself around Song Shi's leg.

He picked up the cat, turned on his phone, and a faint light shone through, revealing the bulge on the lower bunk.

Further into the room, the scent of medicine wafted out. Song Shi, still holding the cat, gently placed his backpack on the chair.

He glanced at the person lying on the bed, then took out his phone, the light shining on his face as he opened a chat window.

He sent a message, and the phone beside his pillow glowed faintly before slowly going dark.

He stood by the bed, not far from the small, lit square, able to clearly see the message.

Only the message he had just sent popped up; his gaze flickered upwards to see the battery was at fifty percent.

His older brother purred softly in his arms, then jumped out and lay down on the backpack he had just placed on the chair.

"Chen Zhoumu."

The quiet room was filled only with clear breathing; no one responded, and the person lying on the bed remained still.

No one spoke again. Song Shi rubbed his slightly feverish forehead and then got into bed.

Time passed slowly, and the room remained quiet. Chen Zhoumu slowly opened his eyes. He knew he shouldn't be like this; the other person was Song Shi's childhood friend, and attending his party was only right.

But he just felt uncomfortable. He had been there yesterday when Song Shi had promised to attend.

He raised his hand to his burning forehead. This fever kept recurring, just like now, after finally managing to mend one side, he discovered the other side was also leaking air.

His head began to ache slowly, and he couldn't sleep again.

A shadow suddenly fell on the face of the person staring at the upper bunk. Perhaps the person lying there had been drinking.

Their breathing was steady, and their hand rested lightly on the edge of the bed, hanging down in the air.

Chen Zhoumu slowly sat up, looking up at the hand hanging down. He had been sick and hit by a ball today, but Song Shi had still gone to the party.

A slight pang of sadness rose in his heart, and he unconsciously reached out to touch the hand resting there. The other person's hand was slightly cold, just like Song Shi's.

The fingertips tickled slightly when they touched it, and finally, he slowly clenched his fist.

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