“A song about elopement, dedicated to this blazing night.”

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Sensen didn’t understand what “elopement” meant at all, but he joined in shouting and waving his hands too.

He secretly glanced at Qin Lie’s profile—the strong features, the deep eyes.

Being held by this person felt so safe.

“Dedicate youth to that brilliant city behind us.”

“For this beautiful dream, we pay a price.”

“Leave love to the most sincere girl beside me.”

“You accompany me singing, you accompany me wandering, you accompany me to mutual destruction…”

Chen Xi turned her head to glance at Qin Lie in the singing, and their gazes met in the alternating light and shadow.

Meeting in the brilliant neon lights.

Like a carefully rendered moment in a movie.

The wind slowed down, the lights blurred into a haze, and the surrounding noise receded like ocean tides.

Only heartbeats could be heard.

Their gazes touched and separated. Neither of them spoke, turning back to look at the fiery big screen.

“Want to elope with you.”

“Run to the most distant town.”

“Want to elope with you.”

“To be the happiest people…”

This was a song Chen Xi loved very much. Blazing love, primitive impulse, stimulating her, tempting her, burning her.

Like the frenzied fans around her, she raised her arms, jumping and bouncing, singing loudly along with the people on stage.

“Through flowers and thorns only for the land of freedom.”

“In this city of desire, you are my last faith.”

Qin Lie’s gaze unconsciously fell on Chen Xi again.

She was right beside him, her swaying arms occasionally touching his skin, her long hair flying to his shoulder, brushing his cheek.

The lights illuminated her face brilliantly. She was like a blazing fire.

In the wind’s breath, besides summer, there was her.

He stood in place, motionless.

Letting her skin and hair stir his numb and boring body and soul.

The little boy in his arms also swayed with the music, so happy he seemed about to fly.

One song, stuffing an unexpected world into him.

So small, only big enough for three people.

So short, only the length of one song.

Yet it crammed in all the restlessness and ambiguity of this summer.

Qin Lie’s cold, hard lips unconsciously curved slightly.

A small place in his heart, like accumulated snow through winter, unexpectedly touched by a ray of blazing sunlight, quietly melted.

“Daddy, I want hugs too.”

A little boy beside them looked enviously at Sensen and tugged at his father’s clothes.

“Then mommy has to kiss daddy first.”

The little boy’s father took advantage of the situation.

The little boy’s mother punched the man and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the face.

The little boy got his wish and was lifted into his father’s arms, showing off to Sensen.

What you have, I have too.

Chen Xi and Qin Lie both saw this scene.

They paused, glanced at each other, then smiled faintly and looked elsewhere.

Qin Lie didn’t know what came over him, but he lifted his two strong arms and suddenly placed Sensen on his shoulders.

Sensen was startled, then broke into a grin.

He secretly looked at the little boy beside them, feeling incredibly smug.

Chen Xi looked at Qin Lie speechlessly, her lips curving slightly.

Whether intentionally or not, she touched the back of his hand.

She probably only touched the fine hairs on the back of his hand, but a tickling sensation drilled through his hand into his heart.

Qin Lie reached back to hold her hand, but Chen Xi raised her arm, waving with the crowd, singing loudly along with the melody.

“Elope with you.”

“Elope with you.”

The song ended with the lead singer’s high voice, and cheers arose.

Chen Xi’s face still carried the flush that hadn’t faded, her chest rising and falling slightly.

The lights traced along her sharp, defined facial features, outlining a beautiful profile.

Qin Lie looked at her, something surging in his chest.

He suddenly sank into a mass of soft emotions. Even after the music stopped, his heart still seemed unable to detach.

He put Sensen down and turned to look at Chen Xi.

Amid all the noise, he suddenly called her name: “Chen Xi.”

“Mm?”

Chen Xi looked over at the sound, her lips curving up with a lingering smile, her eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky.

Qin Lie: “Come to Xi’an with me.”

Chen Xi: “What?”

She didn’t hear clearly, only seeing in his dark eyes a ripple that had never been there before.

Qin Lie: “Come with me.”

Chen Xi curved her lips, her smile carrying a hint of ambiguity as she looked into his eyes and asked: “Come with you to do what?”

Those two words he said when trapped under the car, just before he nearly suffocated, suddenly flashed into both their minds.

Qin Lie suddenly forgot what to say. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at the stage and smiled faintly.

Chen Xi withdrew her gaze, looking at the stage where the lights had suddenly become gentle, her smile shallow.

Another band took the stage, bringing a jazz piece with a soothing rhythm.

The blazing heat in the air gradually turned into threads of rich ambiguity, like wine aged for years, intoxicating.

Qin Lie spoke quietly in the sultry singing:

“Come to Xi’an with me.”

Chen Xi looked at the stage, her feet lightly keeping time with the jazz rhythm, and gave a soft “oh.”

The trailing tone carried a hint of hidden, unfinished meaning.

Qin Lie smiled: “What did you think I was going to say?”

Chen Xi’s delicate eyebrows raised slightly, but she didn’t speak.

Qin Lie: “Will you go or not?”

Chen Xi: “Go for what?”

Qin Lie: “Anime convention. To see how popular the characters you designed are.”

Chen Xi swayed gently with the music, saying casually: “Not interested.”

Qin Lie was silent for a while, then asked quietly: “What are you interested in?”

Chen Xi glanced at him, her lips moving to silently mouth two words: “Elopement.”

Qin Lie: “What?”

Chen Xi shook her head, looked at him, and smiled with an ambiguous meaning.

Inside her body was a boundless field of wheat that had ripened tonight.

She wanted to run barefoot, holding someone’s hand, eloping to that wheat field.

To show him the wind blowing through the ripe wheat waves.

Qin Lie didn’t press further.

A breeze came, and Chen Xi’s hair lifted in the wind, a strand brushing Qin Lie’s cheek.

He silently hooked that strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear.

His rough fingers seemed to lightly brush against her delicate earlobe.

Chen Xi’s ear suddenly heated up as she heard Qin Lie say casually, “I’ll elope with you.”

On the way back, the two walked in silence.

Sensen was full of energy, humming the band’s songs, sometimes running ahead, sometimes dawdling, and squatting down to dig in the sand.

Refusing to walk properly.

The singing behind them grew more and more distant.

Chen Xi looked up at the star-filled night sky and suddenly asked Qin Lie: “Are you going back to Beijing?”

Qin Lie looked at the rolling dunes in the night and said quietly: “I don’t know.”

The two walked in silence for another stretch when Chen Xi suddenly stopped and asked: “Where’s Sensen?”

Qin Lie also stopped and looked around: “Where is he?”

Chen Xi: “He was just here.”

She looked around while calling Sensen’s name.

After calling for a long time, no one answered.

Qin Lie: “Could he have run back by himself?”

Chen Xi: “Maybe.”

The two quickened their pace back to the camp. Everyone had returned and was sitting around the bonfire, drinking and eating barbecue.

The two little girls sat together, playing with dolls and house games.

Chen Xi ran over and asked: “Has Sensen come back?”

Yang Shan looked confused: “No, I don’t think so.”

She asked Ruirui, “Did you see Brother Sensen?”

Ruirui shook her head: “Where is Brother Sensen? I want to play with him.”

Chen Xi called Sensen’s name while searching around the tents, but couldn’t find him.

“Playing hide and seek, are you? Come out quickly.”

Chen Xi said while crawling into the tents to look, but still couldn’t find him.

The others also got up to help search. They looked far and near around the camp, but still couldn’t find him.

Chen Xi was so anxious that she broke out in a sweat.

“That little rascal probably snuck off halfway. I’ll go look around the music festival.”

As she spoke, she started running toward the music festival, with the others following.

Yang Shan and Yang Guan stayed behind to watch the bonfire and the two children.

The midnight music festival was crowded with people. The rock music that had been exciting to listen to earlier now sounded annoying.

Everyone split up to search.

Chen Xi called Sensen’s name as she wove through the crowd.

After searching for a long time without finding him, she grew more and more panicked.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Chen Xi pulled it out and saw that it was from Qin Lie.

She quickly answered.

In the deafening music, she could barely make out Qin Lie’s voice.

“Found him at the exit on the right side of the stage.”

Chen Xi quickly sent a group message, then put away her phone and pushed through the crowd aggressively to the stage exit.

Sensen was squeezed with a group of people on the metal steps, blocking the exit completely.

Qin Lie stood a bit farther away, where it wasn’t so crowded, raising his hand toward Chen Xi.

Chen Xi nodded gratefully at Qin Lie, then angrily shouted Sensen’s name.

Unfortunately, the sound system was too loud—she could barely hear her voice.

Chen Xi tried to push onto the steps, reaching out to grab the little rascal, but there were too many people and she couldn’t reach him.

Someone lightly patted her shoulder. Chen Xi turned around, sweating profusely, and saw Qin Lie gesturing for her to move aside.

Chen Xi nodded and struggled to back out of the crowd.

Qin Lie pushed into the crowd, reached in, and pulled Sensen out.

The child was startled and twisted around, shouting: “Who is it? Let me go!”

Qin Lie carried the little rascal on his shoulder, pushed through the packed crowd, and walked to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi reached out to take Sensen from his shoulder. She had originally planned to give him a beating first.

But once she had him in her arms, Chen Xi checked him from head to toe.

“Are you hurt? Did you get squeezed?”

As soon as Sensen saw Chen Xi, he guiltily pulled in his neck and hugged Chen Xi’s waist flatteringly, looking up and saying: “Sister, I want an autograph.”

Chen Xi bent down and put her ear closer to hear.

Sensen shouted in her ear: “I want an autograph!”

Chen Xi shouted back angrily: “What autograph? We’re going back!”

She grabbed Sensen’s hand and squeezed out of the crowd irritably, walking to where there were fewer people outside.

She stopped, squatted down, and said with a stern face: “Guan Sensen, do you know how dangerous this was? You didn’t even say a word and disappeared in the middle of the night. Do you know how worried everyone was?”

Sensen’s little face was flushed red. He looked back at the exit, saying anxiously: “They’re about to come out. Wait for me to get the autograph, then you can settle accounts with me.”

He was about to run back.

Chen Xi was so angry her temples throbbed: “Guan Sensen, is this your attitude when apologizing?”

Sensen stared at the stage exit, so anxious that he was almost crying.

“I just wanted an autograph. If you miss this village, there won’t be this shop.”

Chen Xi stood up and grabbed Sensen’s hand: “We’re going back.”

Sensen: “I’m not going back.”

Chen Xi: “Are you going back or not?”

Sensen: “I just won’t go back.”

Chen Xi didn’t have enough experience dealing with difficult children. She regretted not bringing Yang Shan along. The big one and the little one glared at each other angrily, at an impasse.

Qin Lie walked over and squatted in front of Sensen: “Why do you need an autograph?”

Sensen: “I won’t tell you.”

Qin Lie smiled and said quietly, “Then you’re missing an ally. Don’t expect to wait here for autographs tonight.”

Sensen thought about it and still compromised with Qin Lie.

“My deskmate is sick and hasn’t come to school for several weeks. He loves Hot Cold’s lead singer, and I like him too. I want to get an autograph to give to him. Maybe if he’s happy, his illness will get better.”

For some reason, Qin Lie’s heart suddenly softened.

He thought of many years ago, when he walked on Beihang’s campus for Yang Guan, looking at the school’s buildings, looking at every blade of grass and tree.

He pondered for a moment and asked: “You said Hot Cold is a band?”

Sensen nodded.

Qin Lie: “The lead singer is called?”

Sensen: “Zhou Qi.”

Qin Lie was silent for two seconds, then pointed at Chen Xi and said: “You solve your problem with her, I’ll solve the autograph problem. How about that?”

Sensen asked hesitantly: “How will you solve it?”

Qin Lie: “You just worry about your own business.”

Sensen thought about it and nodded skeptically.

He looked at Chen Xi and said dejectedly, “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Chen Xi turned her head away and huffed: “I don’t accept it.”

Sensen suddenly kissed Chen Xi on the cheek: “Sister Chen Xi, I was wrong.”

Chen Xi couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, pulling Sensen into a hug.

Qin Lie glanced at them indifferently and pulled out his phone to send Wang Danyang a WeChat message.

“Does Tunnel 2.0 have an endorser called Zhou Qi?”