until the last minute

The two ate around a small round table, two dishes and one soup, Li Qing wanted to make a third dish, but Zhou Yin stopped it in time.He gave half of the rice in the bowl to Li Qing, feeling at ease and confident: "I can't finish it, I can't waste it."

Li Qing asked him if it was because the dishes were too unpalatable, Zhou Yin smiled at him while biting his chopsticks, and said with his chin: "You will know after you try it more."

He pushed the dish towards Li Qing, "My mother said that the cook would not want to eat it after finishing it. It's not good. You should eat more. If it tastes good, eat more. If it tastes bad, you have to eat it responsibly." over."

Li Qing took a few mouthfuls of rice, suddenly thought of something, and said with a smile: "The last time I went to your house, Auntie's cooking was delicious."

"What about your mother? Is cooking delicious too?" Zhou Yin asked casually, and Li Qing's smile faded, "It's okay, but she is very busy, and I usually cook for myself and my younger siblings. "

Zhou Yin put down his chopsticks, reached out and touched Li Qing's head, the light in his eyes was soft and bright.

Li Qing said: "I'm fine, don't need to comfort me, it's nothing."

"Then what is the matter in your eyes."

Many images appeared in Li Qing's mind in an instant, such as the cold pot and cold stove at home on New Year's Eve, the damp and dark room after rain, and the deep grooves left by the years on the parents' faces.

He suddenly felt sad, he didn't know when and where he was in a trance, and the faces in front of him were both close and far away.

Zhou Yin's hand landed on his shoulder, and patted it lightly, "Hurry up, the food is getting cold."

Li Qing buried his head in eating, he knew himself, at certain times, especially when he felt very good, he would have this illusory, unreality feeling that he couldn't grasp.

After the meal, it was Li Qing who washed the dishes. He drove Zhou Yin, who was dizzy from the meal, to the bedroom, and asked him to lie down and rest for a while.After washing the dishes, Li Qing shook the water off his hands and looked back at the whole room.In the afternoon, large swathes of sunshine are generously spread on the floor tiles and walls. The old furniture and simple furnishings still look dilapidated and old as a whole.

But Li Qing was in a better mood, and Zhou Yin moved the green radishes in the room to the window, avoiding direct sunlight and being exposed to light.

He returned to the room, the light was very dark, and Zhou Yin, who was lying on his bed, called his name softly.

"Li Qing, come here."

Li Qing came to the bedside, bent his knees and half knelt down, Zhou Yin's hand stretched out from under the quilt, and tightly grasped his hand.Zhou Yin's voice was so low that it was almost sleepy, "There are clothes you changed under the bed, why don't you hide them better before I find out."

Li Qing tried to argue: "That's my pajamas."

"There is a jar of fruit candy on your desk, can you give it to me?"

"Expired."

"Don't throw it away when it's expired. Also, next time you buy food, look at the packaging carefully. Don't buy fake products and eat them up."

"Well, what else do you want to tell me?" Li Qing slowly leaned over, leaning his upper body on the side of the bed, getting closer and closer to Zhou Yin, their eyes met and their breaths intertwined.

Zhou Yin squeezed his palm, and said, "I see that there are expired food from convenience stores in the refrigerator, remember to eat them before the expiry date."

"Well, I know that the convenience store will let the employees take away the unsold goods of the day." Li Qing also lowered his voice and said, he held Zhou Yin's hand instead, moved it to his lips and kissed it quickly.

Zhou Yin laughed lightly: "Stupid, why are you so stupid."

"What's wrong with me?" Li Qing's eyes were burning.

Zhou Yin pulled up the quilt to cover his face, turned his back to Li Qing.Li Qing thought for a few seconds, and lay on the bed without lifting the quilt, with his body pressed against the corner of the quilt, and one arm resting on the rolled up quilt.

"Still stupid? Am I doing the right thing?"

Zhou Yin's muffled voice came from under the quilt, "Stupid, I'm going to sleep."

"Go to sleep." Li Qing patted Zhou Yin repeatedly through the quilt, his movements and tone were gentle as if he was coaxing a child to sleep, "I won't come to my place next time."

Zhou Yin poked his head out and turned to look at Li Qing, "I'm still coming."

"Why?" Li Qing hesitated slightly, "Is it old and worn out?"

Zhou Yin stretched out a finger and nodded Li Qing's nose, "It's not as stupid and stubborn as you."

"Do you regret it?" Li Qing asked.

"Regret what?"

"I regret teasing me, I'm not someone to play with casually, will you regret it?" Li Qing's eyes approached, Zhou Yin and him looked at each other, his expression was still calm, "Who said I was just playing casually."

"Am I nice to you? Li Qing, am I nice to you?"

Li Qing couldn't answer, Zhou Yin stared at him without blinking.He had long discovered that as long as he looked into this person's eyes, he couldn't make a correct judgment.

He moved his hand to the back of Zhou Yin's neck, and couldn't bear the emptiness in his palm, so he pinched it hard, his fingers attached to the flesh.They were already close, and with his deliberate force, Zhou Yin was forced to raise his chin, and his completely exposed life gate made him look like a sacrificial gift.

"Be nice to me, be nice to me."

Li Qing begged in a low voice, he had never lowered his head like this before.He clamped the back of Zhou Yin's neck, put his face against it, and gently stroked his cheek, eyes half closed, with an expression of pain and fascination.

Zhou Yin murmured: "Li Qing, your heart beats so fast."

Li Qing opened his eyes suddenly, and his fierceness was revealed in the moment he opened his eyes.At this time, Zhou Yin's calm voice was the best comfort, but it also seemed to pour cold water on him, "Don't be nervous, don't be afraid, we didn't do anything, did we?"

Li Qing has never understood the meaning of the word "friend" better than at this moment.

The two took a short nap.Li Qing was awakened by the ringtone of his mobile phone, which he bought newly, and he only communicated with very few people.The long-term worker of the convenience store called and wanted to change shifts with him, but he hesitated looking at Zhou Yin, who was sleeping peacefully.Zhou Yin opened his eyes and looked at him sleepily.

Li Qing finally agreed, and after hanging up the phone, he said to Zhou Yin: "Sorry, my colleague wants to change shifts with me temporarily, I have to go out for a while, and I won't be back until after seven o'clock."

Zhou Yin blinked, "Can I stay here after you leave?"

"of course can."

"Then you go, I want to sleep for a while."

Li Qing got up from the bed, tidied himself up, walked to the door of the bedroom and returned to the bed, he reported in a formal tone: "I'm going out."

Zhou Yin waved his hand at him, yawned and retracted himself under the blanket.

Li Qing changed his shoes at the door, stood up and was about to open the door, when suddenly there was a force behind him, a warm body pressed against him, and his hands wrapped around his waist.Zhou Yin buried his head on his back, his voice was distorted through the clothes, "Are you unhappy that I didn't come out to see you off?"

"I'm here to see you off, are you still willing to leave?"

Zhou Yin's voice seemed to be mixed with honey, Li Qing knew he was being bewitched, but he still turned around neatly.Zhou Yin raised his face, he lowered his head, and when he kissed him, he saw Zhou Yin's trembling eyelashes, and his drooping eyes were full of water, Li Qing forced himself to stop.

He let go of Zhou Yin, and said in a hoarse voice, "You said you can't cross the line."

Zhou Yin stared at him, and immediately smiled, "I know, I won't break my promise."

Seeing the smile on Zhou Yin's lips, Li Qing suddenly felt that he had been fooled. He should go against this person's wishes, so as not to be easily manipulated.There are many things a friend can do, and besides, he is prone to deceiving himself and others, and his heart has crossed the line early in the morning.

When he arrived at the convenience store, Li Qing handed over the work to the colleague who was about to change shifts. He entered the cash register, and the colleague was still wandering in the store, looking at his watch from time to time, looking anxious but not leaving.

Li Qing felt strange, and asked one more question: "Aren't you going on a date with your boyfriend?"

The colleague replied: "Yes, but I can't go too early, it seems that I can't wait, I will leave in 5 minutes."

"Aren't you afraid of being late?"

"It doesn't matter if you are late, I won't let him wait too long." The colleague simply moved a stool and sat down, and continued to chat with Li Qing, "What about you, usually you arrive early or late for appointments."

Li Qing shook his head, "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then what will you do when you have a girlfriend?"

Li Qing thought for a while, and replied: "I will run over there immediately, and I won't let him wait."

The colleague burst out laughing, "You are too exaggerated, be careful you will be eaten to death in the future."

"Isn't that bad?"

The colleague sighed, and said in the tone of someone who has experienced it: "If she loves you very much, that's fine. If she doesn't love you that much, you will be led by her nose. How about it, is there anyone you like now? "

"Have."

"Did you confess? How's the progress?"

Li Qing looked calm, "We are friends."

"It's a little difficult to like a friend."

"No, I wasn't friends with him before."

The colleague was stunned, and then suddenly realized: "You mean you confessed your love to her, and then you became friends?"

Li Qing didn't nod or deny it, he didn't want to reveal more details, but judging from the result alone, he and Zhou Yin are indeed friends now.

The colleague clicked his tongue several times: "According to my judgment, she is either using you as a backup, or she is playing hard to get, anyway, she wants to hang you first."

"I'll teach you a trick. You can only be more ruthless than her when you meet such a person. Tell her friends to stop doing it, and give her a cold shoulder. If she is reluctant to give you some sweets, then you will make another move." .”

Li Qing didn't take it seriously, and didn't take what his colleague said to heart at all.

He still misses the kiss that didn't happen before.It should be kissed, he clearly saw the same longing in Zhou Yin's eyes, but he was afraid that it was an illusion, afraid of causing resentment, maybe he shouldn't push further.

After getting off work at seven o'clock, Li Qing returned to the rental house after finishing work with his colleagues who had returned from a date.He thought that Zhou Yin had left long ago, that he would see a dark room when he opened the door, but he never expected to be greeted by warm lights and Zhou Yin who was sleeping soundly on the sofa.

Approaching Zhou Yin, leaning down, reaching out to touch his face.

As soon as his fingertips touched the face that was as white as jade, Li Qing suddenly withdrew his hand, turned around and walked straight to the bathroom.There were still dirty marks on his body from moving the goods, and his palms were dry and rough, so he didn't dare to touch Zhou Yin just like that.

Li Qing pressed two or three pumps of hand sanitizer, rubbed his palms against his palms vigorously, rinsed off, and then took a handful of water to wash his face.When he looked up in the mirror, he finally realized something was wrong.The hampers that should be full of clothes are empty, and the clothes rails are filled with wet clothes.

I remembered the scene I saw when I entered the door, the windows were wide open, the curtains were blown open by the evening wind, and the wind chimes sounded as the curtains swung.

Li Qing went out to confirm that there was indeed a string of wind chimes hidden behind the curtain.Zhou Yin sat up from the sofa, rubbed his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a smile, "You're back."