sunset mountains

Chapter 17

Xiao Yanwei didn't think he was someone who liked to escape, but Wei Chi's "I like you" still made him a little at a loss.

Normally, there are only two ways to answer "I like you", "We are together" or "I'm sorry", but Xiao Yanwei didn't find any of these two answers that he wanted to say.

He was silent for a while, then got up, went to the door and closed it, then walked back and turned off the lamp on the table that was not very bright.

The room was suddenly plunged into darkness, and neither of them spoke.

Wei Chi'an sat quietly by the bed, and a few seconds later, Xiao Yanwei leaned over.

Xiao Yan didn't feel his way into bed, sat on the bed with his back against the wall, his knees lightly resting on Wei Chi's waist, and said slowly, "Wei Chi, let me tell you about me."

This is the second time, Xiao Yanwei wants to talk about himself.

Wei Chi followed him into bed, leaned against the wall and sat next to Xiao Yanwei, with his shoulders next to him, "Yeah."

"My parents and my brother are what I didn't have when I was 22 years old."

In the darkness, Xiao Yan did not speak slowly.

His tone was very calm, if Wei Chi hadn't been sitting next to him, he wouldn't have been able to notice that he was actually not that calm.

Xiao Yanwei's shoulders were shaking.

Wei Chi didn't speak, but moved closer to Xiao Yanwei.

"I just graduated at that time." Xiao Yanwei continued to speak----

That summer was extremely hot, and the wind carried scorching temperatures. The two biggest events in the Xiao family were that Xiao Yan hadn't been admitted to graduate school and was about to enroll, and the other was that Xiao Chengyang had skipped two grades and was about to enter junior high school.

Whenever there is a big event in the Xiao family -- although it is not that big in Xiao Yanwei's view -- they must organize a family outing, and every time they go out, they must go mountain climbing.

In the past years, Xiao Yan never missed this event, but this year he really didn't want to divide the long vacation, so he refused to be with them.

"Ms. Xu, please forgive me." Xiao Yanwei was half-lying in the chair, interrupting his mother with a playful smile, "Our family has a big business, so we can't leave a gatekeeper."

Ms. Xu was busy unpacking the newly arrived gift box of skin care products, and she didn't even give him a straight look, "No."

Xiao Yanwei's words didn't work, his idea was on Xiao Chengyang, he pulled Xiao Chengyang aside, "If you can help me convince my mother, I will promise you three requests."

Xiao Chengyang has long passed the stage where he has to stick with his brother for everything, his eyes lit up when he heard this, "Anything is fine?"

"Anything is fine." Xiao Yan said firmly.

Xiao Chengyang took the order to go, and he didn't know what method he used, but his mother finally agreed to him not to go.

Mom and Dad strongly condemned his unsociable and lazy character, and finally took Xiao Chengyang to climb the mountain lively.

Before leaving, Xiao Chengyang told him again, "Brother! Take care of Rhubarb!"

---- "This is the last sentence my brother said to me." Xiao Yanwei's voice was a little empty.

The curtains in the room were drawn tightly, or maybe there was no moonlight tonight, Wei Chi had no way of knowing what Xiao Yanwei's expression was when he said this.

They sat side by side on the bed, obviously so close, Xiao Yan didn't speak but seemed to be talking to himself, he didn't seem to be talking to anyone.

"They came back in a week." In the darkness, Xiao Yanwei continued to speak.

"My brother is very picky about his meals. He doesn't want anything too greasy or too bland." Xiao Yanwei's tone sounded like a complaint, but it was heart-wrenchingly intimate. "So we eat at the same restaurant almost every time."

When he said this, he paused for a while, as if he had just realized that Wei Chi was also there, and he asked Wei Chi, "Do you usually watch social news?"

Wei Chi was taken aback for a moment, "Occasionally."

"Then you may not know." Xiao Yanwei lowered his voice again, as if feeling a little regretful.

Wei Chi felt that his state was not right, and wanted to interrupt him, but Xiao Yanwei continued talking to himself.

"My mom usually doesn't let my brother eat sweets," he said, "but I ordered him a cake that day."

"That was the specialty of that restaurant," Xiao Yanwei recalled. "The cake was very small, only as big as my palm, and it was pure white. It was placed on a porcelain plate of the same color, with two cherries on it. After cutting it open, It has almonds in it."

He spoke a little fast, and even began to describe the direction of the pattern on the disk.

"Xiao Yanwei," Wei Chi interrupted him, touched his hand, squeezed his cold fingers with some strength, "are you sleepy?"

Xiao Yanwei's fingertips twitched in Wei Chi's palm, and continued, "The news was about a large truck that was overloaded and overturned, crushing a passing family car."

His speech became incoherent, even illogical, but Wei Chi knew what he was talking about.

"Sorry," Wei Chi said, "I haven't read it."

"My dad likes that car the most," Xiao Yanwei smiled softly, "Because it was given by my mother, he thinks it's very honorable to drive it out."

"When I went to the scene later, if the license plate hadn't been lost, I might not have recognized it."

Before Xiao Yan could say this, he stopped, like a player whose pause button was suddenly pressed, quietly placed there, waiting to be activated again at an unknown time.

Wei Chi didn't ask, in fact, he wished Xiao Yan would stop.

Wei Chi did not read that social news, or maybe he glanced at it once or twice at the time, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

But once such a thing is connected with Xiao Yanwei, there is no way to ignore the subtle worry in his heart.

There is a source of Xiao Yan's overly dull eyes, he doesn't care about anything, in fact, he cares terribly.

Now that he was talking about these things calmly, Wei Chi felt as if a big hand was holding his heart and lungs, making him feel like he couldn't breathe freely.

He turned sideways and embraced Xiao Yanwei's shoulders and gently hugged him into his arms, "Xiao Yanwei, can you turn on the light?"

Xiao Yanwei was hugged by him quietly, without struggling but without responding, he asked for a while, "Why turn on the light?"

"I want you to see me." Wei Chi said.

Xiao Yanwei remained silent for a while, probably for a few minutes, maybe only a few tens of seconds, then he nodded, "Yes."

Wei Chi still maintained the posture of hugging him, and he freed up one hand to turn on the desk lamp on the desk, the slightly yellowish light seemed very suitable at this moment.

Xiao Yanwei didn't move, Wei Chi pushed his shoulders away from him, looked at him intently, "Xiao Yanwei, do I look good?"

Xiao Yanwei pursed his lips, his voice trembling, "It's pretty."

Wei Chi hugged him again, using a lot of strength this time, so strong that Xiao Yanwei would never be able to break free from his embrace, "Then I don't worry, I thought you lied to me today."

Xiao Yanwei sniffed, "I didn't lie to you."

"I haven't finished my question last time." Wei Chi spoke very slowly, "I asked Lao Yao and Dabao, but there is still one person missing."

Xiao Yan didn't say, "You ask."

"Do you like good-looking people?" Wei Chi's palm was very warm, and he pressed it precisely on Xiao Yanwei's back, "like me?"

Xiao Yanwei's shoulders trembled, and he rested his chin on Wei Chi's shoulders. After a while, Wei Chi felt that the patch was a bit wet.

Xiao Yan was also very quiet when he was not crying.

Even though the windows were closed and the courtyard walls were high, Wei Chi felt that the wind full of winter temperature passed over the brick wall and swirled under his window, pouring straight into his heart.

Wei Chi felt a severe pain somewhere in his heart.

"We handsome guys don't usually cry like this." Wei Chi patted Xiao Yanwei on the back, "How can he be so low-key when he's so good-looking?"

Xiao Yanwei sobbed a bit, not sure if he really believed his nonsense or was amused by him.

He suddenly brought up the topic just now without any warning, "Xiao Chengyang said he had already thought about the three requests... I still don't know what he wants me to do."

Finally, he no longer had that calm tone that was completely unreasonable. His voice carried an indistinct cry, "I've never eaten that cake before, and I thought it was delicious."

"I went there once after my brother died."

"Unappetizing."

Xiao Yan didn't say anything more, Wei Chi hugged him tightly.

Xiao Yanwei's sadness seemed to reach Wei Chi along the tight ribs of the two of them, wrapping his heart that was tied to Xiao Yanwei's body tightly.

Wei Chi paused, reached out to turn off the lamp on the table, put his fingertips into Xiao Yanwei's short hair and rubbed it, "Is it all right now?"

After a long while, Xiao Yanwei let out a sob, and Wei Chi heard him almost breathlessly say, "Bitter."

The piece of cake that his brother couldn't eat tasted bitter.

Immediately, Wei Chi heard Xiao Yanwei's bitter cries that could no longer be suppressed.

In the long dark night, Xiao Yanwei, who was so broken, alone and desperate, made a bloody gash in Wei Chi's heart.

Xiao Yan didn't remember where he came from, and he didn't care where he ended up. He was like a sailboat washed up by wind and waves, floating in the sea helplessly.

Wei Chi really wanted to be his island.

So Wei Chi said, "Xiao Yanwei, stay here."