Chapter 31 – I Like You

For several minutes, Li Tang thought he might have misheard or was having another nightmare.

He couldn’t believe that the word “breakup” would come so easily from Jiang Lou’s mouth. His first reaction was disbelief: “…What did you say?”

“Are you deaf now too?” Jiang Lou slowed down his speech, enunciating every word, “Let’s break up.”

After saying that, he stood up and walked towards the door.

Li Tang watched in a daze as he pushed open the door and left, the sound of it slamming shut echoed like a solid wall of bronze and iron, completely separating the two of them.

Li Tang didn’t know how he got back to the gathering point, how he listened to the team leader’s arrangements, or how he and Li Zichu were assigned to the same group, setting up their tent.

He could see and hear, but he had no thoughts or reactions, as if his heart had been hollowed out, turning him into a robot that could only receive commands.

Li Zichu noticed something was off about him, took over the task of making the bed after setting up the tent, and told Li Tang to eat first: “How long have you left your food out? It’s cold. The teacher’s little wooden house has a microwave…”

But he stopped talking when he saw Li Tang already opening the plastic cover of his lunch box and starting to eat.

It was colder on the mountain than at the base, and the temperature on the mountaintop plateau they were on was near freezing. The dishes had congealed, and the rice had turned hard from the cold, but Li Tang seemed oblivious, stuffing his mouth with chopsticks full of food.

This scared Li Zichu, who quickly handed over his thermos cup: “Don’t just eat it like that, at least warm it up with some hot water.”

Li Tang didn’t say anything, nor did he take the thermos cup, continuing to eat silently.

His vision blurred, tears falling silently into the cold rice.

That night, Li Tang slept fitfully.

He wasn’t used to sleeping in unfamiliar beds, and it was his first time sleeping outdoors. The sound of the wind outside the layer of canvas was clear in his ears, as if he was sleeping under the open sky in the wilderness. Even with Li Zichu lying beside him, Li Tang felt insecure.

Of course, most of his unease stemmed from what had happened in the afternoon.

When he closed his eyes, what appeared before him was Jiang Lou’s passionate face as he kissed him in bed, then Jiang Lou smiling at him, Jiang Lou telling him to lean closer because he couldn’t hear… Finally, it was Jiang Lou’s cold, emotionless face, his lips moving mercilessly to tell him, let’s break up.

When he woke up in a cold sweat, Li Tang couldn’t tell which part was the dream.

There was a group activity planned for the next day. In the morning, Li Tang curled up under his blanket and didn’t move. Li Zichu called out to him several times, but he didn’t respond. When he looked closer, Li Tang’s face, exposed outside the blanket, was flushed an unnatural red, and his entire body was shaking uncontrollably—it was clear he had caught a chill and developed a fever.

The doctor from the clinic was summoned urgently. After an injection to lower his fever and taking some medicine, his temperature was finally under control.

Li Tang didn’t want to waste Li Zichu’s time, so he let him go participate in the activities, saying he could just lie there alone. Li Zichu went, promising to bring him lunch at noon.

The team leader came by once, worried that the tent wouldn’t provide enough protection against the wind. He moved Li Tang to a hotel next to the clinic. This plateau was a newly developed campsite in the scenic area, but the old hotel that used to accommodate tourists was still there, reserved for emergencies when bad weather trapped visitors on the mountain, providing shelter from the wind and rain.

When Li Zichu returned at noon, Li Tang’s fever had subsided, but his complexion was still poor, and he ate listlessly, unable to hold his chopsticks. Li Zichu gave him a spoon instead, seeing him shake even while scooping soup, wishing he could feed him himself.

“What happened? You’ve been acting strange since coming back from the clinic yesterday. Did you not treat your wound properly? Is it infected?”

Li Tang shook his head slowly.

“Then what’s going on? You even cried last night…” Li Zichu was puzzled, “Did you break up with someone?”

Li Tang paused, holding the spoon in his hand.

Li Zichu covered his mouth in surprise: “I didn’t guess wrong, did I…”

When asked what happened, Li Tang remained silent. Li Zichu could only try asking, “Who proposed the breakup?”

Li Tang lowered his eyelids, his face ashen.

Seeing him like this, Li Zichu understood.

“Since he was the one to suggest it, let him cool off.” Li Zichu, speaking from experience, advised, “Before he comes to find you, you shouldn’t look for him, understand?”

Li Tang didn’t understand.

He knew that Jiang Lou had been calm when he suggested the breakup, with no possibility of seeking him out.

The afternoon activity was a visit to the strange stone forest of Baise Mountain.

Li Tang could have claimed illness and not participated, but he still went. When lining up outside the camping platform, Li Tang wore a mask and coughed occasionally. Zhou Dongze, standing behind him, handed him a pack of tissues. As he turned around, his gaze swept over the tallest and most noticeable figure in the back row of the line—Jiang Lou was among them, but he seemed detached from the crowd. He had a calm expression, almost devoid of emotions, his gaze distant, as if looking at the scenery in the distance.

Less than 24 hours had passed since he unilaterally said they should break up, yet he had already detached himself from the relationship—no, he had removed Li Tang from his world.

At least during this period, he hadn’t spared even a glance at Li Tang, much less shown any concern that other students might have offered out of courtesy, asking where he was in the morning.

The so-called strange stone forest was a collection of oddly shaped stones from the surrounding mountains gathered together to create a spectacle. A stone tablet stood in front of each stone, engraved with its name and origin.

Although it was semi-man-made scenery, it wasn’t boring. The scenic area had put considerable effort into the copywriting, using references and flights of fancy to imbue the stones with cultural and mythological significance, attracting students to stop and admire them, taking photos as souvenirs.

In particular, there was a stone named “White Dragon Horse,” its head resembling a dragon and its body a horse, its body white and translucent, looking somewhat like agate from afar. The students marveled at it, queuing up to take pictures with it.

Su Qinhan urged Li Tang to take a photo with it too, making him touch the white horse’s head and saying it would bring good luck.

Li Tang, sickly and listless, allowed himself to be manipulated. Su Qinhan took several photos of him, and if it hadn’t started raining later, she might have made him hug other stones for more photos.

Even in winter, the mountains in the south still experienced plenty of rain.

The students retreated to a pavilion beside the strange stone forest. There were tea-tasting tables set up inside, and it was quite crowded with fifty or sixty people. However, hearing the tour guide from the scenic area say that a sea of clouds might appear in the mountains after the rain, the students settled down calmly.

As usual, they automatically split into two groups—the students from Class 1 and those from other classes, led by Li Zichu, occupied the pavilion. They sat in a circle, playing truth or dare to pass the time.

They were all teenagers in the throes of puberty, asking questions to pry into each other’s romantic lives.

Li Tang, relieved to be left out of the rounds, played the part of an invisible man, his head lowered as he fiddled with his phone.

This round fell on the boy to Li Tang’s left, who admitted that the person he liked was right there. The classmates screamed and cheered, adding an extra dare on the spot, asking if he dared to sit next to the person he liked.

The boy stood up amidst the commotion and said, “Jiang Lou, can you switch places with me?”

It turned out the girl he liked was sitting next to Jiang Lou.

Hearing Jiang Lou’s name, Li Tang couldn’t help but startle.

And what followed was a coincidence wrapped in inevitability—Jiang Lou, always amiable in public, naturally wouldn’t refuse a classmate’s request.

So even though Li Tang deliberately avoided looking, he knew that Jiang Lou stood up and switched places with the boy, sitting next to Li Tang.

On the side that no one paid attention to, Li Tang’s fingers, hidden under his sleeve, dug deeply into his skin, almost breaking the skin of his palm.

Just then, someone brought a teapot from the end of the corridor. The pot had a round belly and looked quite heavy; the girl carrying it used both hands.

Class 2’s designated spot was on the outer edge, and it was Zhao Yutao who received the teapot and passed it to Class 1. Li Tang, sitting at the outermost edge of Class 1, saw Zhao Yutao holding the teapot in one hand with an extremely impatient attitude, uttering a curt “hey,” and then almost tossing the teapot over.

The quickest to react was Li Tang. Hearing the sound, he turned around to see the teapot lid wobbling off. The sudden turn of events left him no time to think, and he immediately pushed the person next to him away.

The teapot collided with Li Tang’s arm with a thud and fell to the ground, rolling several times. The spilled water splashed all over Li Tang.

Fortunately, the water in the pot was hot but not scalding. Li Tang was wearing a waterproof jacket, so only his neck and half of his cheek were splashed with hot tea, causing no serious harm.

Even so, it caused a commotion among everyone.

Zhou Dongze sat opposite Li Tang and, although unable to prevent it, witnessed Zhao Yutao throwing the teapot. He asked Zhao Yutao what he meant by that, to which Zhao Yutao replied weakly but stubbornly, “He couldn’t catch it himself, so it’s my fault?”

They almost came to blows, but Li Zichu and Su Qinhan intervened. Su Qinhan’s loud command, “Stop arguing and return to your seats,” quieted the noise, while Li Zichu pulled Zhou Dongze back, reminding him in a low voice, “Everyone’s watching. Keep a low profile.”

The rain continued outside, and within the cramped pavilion, the frustration of being trapped spread through the air.

By the time Li Tang wiped the water off his body and returned to his seat, he realized the person next to him was gone.

The legendary sea of clouds never appeared. When they returned from the strange stone forest, a light drizzle was still falling.

Due to several students catching colds the previous night, the team leader didn’t dare let the students camp in tents again. That night, they stayed at a hotel on the mountain. The girls shared rooms in pairs, while the boys shared in triples, filling up all the available rooms.

Who they shared with could be decided by themselves, so Li Tang ended up sharing a room with Li Zichu and Zhou Dongze.

After packing up their clothes and miscellaneous items from the tent into their backpacks and heading to the hotel, Zhou Dongze checked Li Tang’s face, frowning: “It might leave a scar.”

Although the water wasn’t scalding, Li Tang’s skin was overly pale, and the hot water still left a noticeable red mark on his face.

When they first returned from the strange stone forest, Zhou Dongze had gone to the clinic, but unfortunately, they didn’t have burn ointment. The nearest pharmacy was in the commercial area halfway up the mountain, and with the darkness and slippery roads, no one dared to venture down.

Li Tang thought he was overreacting: “It’s nothing. I’m not that delicate.”

Their room was on the second floor.

The hotel’s facilities were outdated. The sound of doors opening and closing was enough to shake off the plaster from the walls, and the sheets and bedding had a faint smell of mold from lack of sunlight.

Fortunately, each room was equipped with a bathroom. Li Tang let the other two shower first while he made the beds. He spread out the bedsheet on the small one-meter-wide bed and wrapped the pillow in clothing.

After finishing these tasks, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out his phone, using the front camera to check his face. Indeed, there was a noticeable red mark, as if he had been pinched.

His already strained mood plummeted to rock bottom. Li Tang even began to regret coming on this winter camp. If he hadn’t come, none of these incidents would have happened, and perhaps he wouldn’t have had to break up with Jiang Lou.

Just as he was thinking this, there was a knock at the door, three unhurried knocks.

Zhou Dongze was in the bathroom showering, while Li Zichu’s bed was closest to the door. He asked, “Who is it?” but received no response. Curious, he walked over to open the door, but there was no one outside.

“Strange…”

Muttering to himself, Li Zichu was about to close the door when his gaze caught sight of something on the ground.

A white plastic bag, picked up and opened, revealed a tube of ointment inside.

“Burn and scald ointment…” Li Zichu read the words on it and turned to say, “Li Tang, this must be for you, right?”

In the westernmost room on the second floor of the hotel, Sun Yuxiang, who had just left singledom that afternoon, came out of the shower and saw Jiang Lou sitting there, soaked to the bone. He exclaimed, “Where have you been? It’s still raining outside?”

Jiang Lou pulled out a dry towel from his backpack, casually rubbing it over his head: “I went for a run.”

Sun Yuxiang admired him, “Such strict self-discipline.”

This room was cold in winter and sun-baked in summer, the worst room on the entire floor, so it was given to two boys to share.

Sun Yuxiang was still excited, his face alight as he shared his happiness with Jiang Lou, “This time, I made a big decision. You have no idea, when I saw Li Yuanyuan sitting next to you, I thought she liked you too, and I thought I had no chance.”

Li Yuanyuan was the girl Sun Yuxiang confessed to during the game of truth or dare, and now she was his girlfriend.

Jiang Lou said, “You were sitting across from her, and she kept looking at you.”

Sun Yuxiang was elated, unable to sit still as he ran around the small room several times, lamenting, “If only I had confessed earlier,” and worrying, “We’re entering our third year of high school next year, I hope it doesn’t affect her studies.”

Most of the students attending the winter camp were top students, so such concerns weren’t unusual.

After pondering his own situation, he began to worry about others.

“By the way, is the person you like here? Do you want me to help create opportunities for you?” Sun Yuxiang asked before realizing it was unnecessary, scratching his head embarrassedly, “Almost forgot that many girls in our school like you, why would you need my help.”

Jiang Lou smiled but didn’t say anything.

Soon, Sun Yuxiang, who received a call from his girlfriend, left for their first date. Before leaving, he dumped all the food he brought onto the bed, generously inviting Jiang Lou to help himself.

Jiang Lou accepted, but he didn’t touch the food. Instead, he picked up the cup noodles he bought at the store halfway up the mountain, tore off the paper lid, and selected the seasoning packets.

The water kettle in the hotel room was made of cheap plastic. Jiang Lou feared he wouldn’t hear the boiling sound, leading to a dry boil, so he stood in front of the table, staring at the kettle.

The cold water gradually heated up, and wisps of white smoke rose from the spout. As the bubbling sounds intensified, the button pressed down popped back up. Just as Jiang Lou was about to reach out, there was a series of slightly heavier knocks on the door—three in total—interrupting his action.

Perhaps sensing it early on, when Jiang Lou opened the door and saw the person standing there, he didn’t show any surprise.

He didn’t ask, “Why are you here,” but waited for the other party to speak first.

The corridor lighting was dim, and Li Tang held up the burn ointment, “Did you buy this?”

“No,” Jiang Lou answered.

Li Tang stared straight at him, “Without even looking, you deny it?”

“Burn and scald ointment.” Jiang Lou read the words on the medicine box, “My eyes aren’t blind yet.”

His overly candid attitude momentarily confused Li Tang, but he still trusted his intuition, “You bought it. If not you, then who?”

Jiang Lou stated matter-of-factly, “There are quite a few people who like you.”

But this time, Li Tang no longer persisted in uncovering the jealousy in his words. Instead, he bluntly posed the question, “And you, do you like me?”

Jiang Lou was momentarily stunned.

The Li Tang he knew was soft, slow, and without sharp edges. Even with his outstanding appearance, he never stood out in a crowd.

But the Li Tang before him was brave, reckless, those bright eyes fixed on him, making him feel as if he would be burned by the flames within them.

Li Tang took a deep breath, as if gathering all his strength, “I like you.”

He gave his own answer first, then asked in a trembling voice, “Do…you like me?”