After leaving Professor Han’s laboratory, Lu Huaizheng drove with frequent stops and starts. A journey that normally took half an hour ended up taking about an hour and a half. He drove extremely slowly, moving at the slowest pace of his life through the flowing traffic, inching along like when he first learned to fly.

At a traffic light, he became lost in thought and didn’t move when it turned green. Vehicles behind couldn’t wait, honking their horns incessantly, creating a dense noise on the city’s main road.

He came back to his senses and expressionlessly pressed the accelerator, finally stopping at the hospital entrance. He turned off the engine but didn’t get out of the car.

…

Lu Huaizheng sat in the car all night. Eventually, with a dry throat, he got out to buy a pack of cigarettes from the convenience store across the street. Leaning against the car door, he smoked one after another, almost continuously.

When did he start to have feelings for Yu Hao?

He couldn’t remember clearly.

It seemed that by the time he realized it, this girl had grown into his heart, impossible to uproot.

Looking back now, when he first approached her, she was quite resistant. When they played games on the balcony, sometimes he wanted to go over to see how she was doing, but as soon as he moved closer, she would inconspicuously edge away.

At the sports meet when she fainted, he finally understood why the boys in their class didn’t dare to approach her.

When he held her, she trembled the whole time. He thought it was convulsions caused by fainting.

He never imagined it was for this reason. Now, it felt like countless sharp swords piercing his heart, stabbing straight through, pinning him down, making it hard for him to breathe.

Leaning against the car door, smoking, Lu Huaizheng thought that if only he had met her earlier. At eight years old, he would have protected her with his life.

This feeling of helplessness made him furious and discouraged.

In his life, he had protected so many people with all his might, yet he couldn’t protect her when she was at her most miserable and helpless.

If visible, his heart would surely be pierced by countless swords now, each one destroying his last bit of rationality.

As he was leaving earlier, Professor Han suddenly called out to him.

“Huaizheng, you must believe in justice. One day, justice will spread like dandelion seeds to every corner of the world. I’m telling you these things not to have you help Yu Hao seek revenge. Her aunt’s husband is scum, capable of anything. You are a promising Chinese soldier, and Yu Hao is a good girl. I don’t want both of you to ruin your futures and prospects because of such social trash. Think about it, your future with Yu Hao, you must be rational! I won’t say more. You’re a smart child. I believe you understand.”

How could he not understand?

Hearing those words “your future with Yu Hao,” was like stepping into muddy waters. His whole body shuddered, his pores trembling. If that day came, what would it feel like?

He couldn’t imagine.

He always felt that Yu Hao was still angry with him.

Before she transferred schools, they were in the middle of a cold war.

At that time, Lu Huaizheng was preparing for the city basketball tournament finals, busy training every day. Apart from a few main subjects, he hardly attended any elective classes. During that period, they rarely saw each other. Yu Hao had been helping him with his homework. But one day, for some unknown reason, this girl refused to help him with his homework anymore. She would avoid him whenever she saw him. He was too busy with training to get away, but when he finally got time off from his coach to catch her in class, she would say she needed to go to the bathroom or the teacher’s office before he could say much, giving him no chance to communicate.

People on the team said it was because he was too busy and neglected her, that the girl was in a mood, feeling insecure.

Later, when he saw her walking with Fu Donghui from Class 5, seemingly going to the teacher’s office to move books, he went up to help her but was rejected in front of Fu Donghui. He became anxious then. After trying so hard to please her, he was rejected in front of other boys.

Thinking about it, who doesn’t have a temperament?

Lu Huaizheng was young and impetuous at that time, with a strong competitive spirit. Although his grandfather had taught him since childhood that boys shouldn’t be too calculative about gains and losses, he still felt somewhat unwilling. At that time, when he talked more with Hu Siqi and those girls, Yu Hao would hardly pay attention to him for days.

Before meeting her, he didn’t care about these things. After she came into his life, afraid of making her angry, he barely spoke to Hu Siqi. Sometimes, Hu Siqi would tease him, hooking his leg with her foot during class. When she annoyed him, it was the first time he confronted Hu Siqi.

Drawing sand pictures for her, locking the playground for her, fighting for her…

Not just at No. 18 High School, but even students from other schools knew that Lu Huaizheng’s favorite person was Yu Hao.

He used to be playful, with many friends. Every day after school, there would be a crowd of students from other schools waiting for him at the gate. That group wasn’t good company, but Lu Huaizheng didn’t discriminate when making friends. If they got along, they played together; if not, he wouldn’t bother with you, no matter how high your status.

Later, Lu Huaizheng discovered that Yu Hao didn’t like him playing with them. He would agree verbally at that time, but occasionally, he would still secretly meet up with them. Once, after gaming with that group, they gathered at the internet café to smoke and chat. He leaned against the wall, holding a cigarette to his lips, excitedly recapping the game they had just played.

In the middle of his excitement, he casually turned his head and saw Yu Hao staring at him intently from not far away.

At that moment, he didn’t know what came over him. It felt like being caught in the act of cheating, making him extremely guilty. Instinctively, he put out his cigarette and stood obediently against the wall.

Others asked, what’s wrong with you?

Lu Huaizheng bit his lip and said softly: “My ancestor has arrived.”

After saying this, he looked up and saw Yu Hao turning to leave.

Lu Huaizheng quickly said goodbye to his brothers and went after her.

Then he followed her silently for three streets, like a bodyguard, not daring to approach, just quietly following for three streets, until they stopped at the entrance of a small alley. Besides it was a very dilapidated cinema. He remembered that at that time, the run-down cinema was showing a newly released romance film with a very provocative cover, called “Love Everywhere, Kiss Everywhere.”

It was summer then. The narrow alley was cluttered with tricycles, making it impassable, with garbage everywhere and a stench filling the air.

Lu Huaizheng didn’t smell it. His eyes were only on that girl. Yu Hao stopped at the entrance of the alley and turned around, fiercely asking him: “Why are you following me?”

At that time, he leaned against the doorpost of the cinema, still cocky and mischievous: “Can’t I be going the same way?”

Yu Hao said nothing, her face twisted.

He realized the seriousness of the situation, stood at attention, and apologized very quickly: “I was wrong.”

Strictly speaking, he was indeed quite similar to Zhao Dailin. On the surface, he seemed to lack propriety, but he was quite disciplined and cautious. He was tolerant and generous to his friends, adhering to one principle – acknowledge when wrong, stand straight when beaten.

Yu Hao didn’t respond to him at the time, not bothering to waste words with him, and turned to leave.

Lu Huaizheng stopped her, surrounding her at the entrance of the small alley, speaking softly to coax her, apologizing over and over.

“I was wrong.”

“Wrong.”

…

Who knows how many hundreds of times he said he was wrong?

The little girl finally smiled.

Leaning against the wall, looking up at him tenderly, she couldn’t help but slightly curve her lips.

Lu Huaizheng felt at that moment that even the begonia flowers in the corner brightened.

Later, in his sophomore year.

He was sharing a rental near Tsinghua with Zhou Siyue. On a whim, he recalled that day and that movie. During the National Day holiday, he found a video rental shop and rented the uncut version of “Love Everywhere, Kiss Everywhere,” the movie from the alley entrance that day.

He mostly watched military films. After watching for a bit, he knew he had no interest in these romantic movies. But the scene at the alley entrance that day was too heart-stirring, clearly imprinted in his mind, unforgettable. He remembered every detail of the surroundings.

He just wanted to finish watching this movie.

That year, the broadcasting administration hadn’t yet issued restrictions, so the movie was quite explicit, with many intimate scenes.

His sexual awakening came early, and he became knowledgeable about this aspect early too. He had watched quite a few films in middle school, though not frequently. Initially, he watched out of curiosity about human body art, later purely for release, not frequently.

He considered himself not particularly lustful, unlike other boys in the dormitory who couldn’t sleep without masturbating every day.

Sometimes he could go a week without watching, having many interests, with time passing quickly playing basketball and games. Only occasionally, when his interest was piqued, would he need release.

Plus, around that time, Zhou Siyue had brought Ding Xian back to the basement.

The emotions deep in his heart were thoroughly stirred up. Having been single for so many years, this set of actions had become quite familiar. But for some unknown reason, that night in the basement, there was a mysterious sense of taboo, making it particularly soul-stirring…

In the end, it was the first time he couldn’t hold back and let out a low moan.

…