Chapter 30 – Tomb Sweeping

Ever since that night, Ye Zhou’s mood had been stable. Fang Ji was truly amazed; this was the first time he had seen such a thing. Just who was Guan Heng? Ye Zhou seemed to have fallen hard this time.

Ye Zhou had some free time tonight, so he stayed to try out some creative dishes. He felt a chill down his spine under Fang Ji’s gaze, and finally couldn’t resist asking, “What’s with that look? Realizing your love for me now? Too late.”

“I’m not interested in you, don’t flatter yourself.” Fang Ji shot back without thinking. He suddenly smiled, finding that Ye Zhou wasn’t any different from usual. “How are things between you and Guan Heng? Any progress?”

The last time Ye Zhou answered that he didn’t know, but this time the answer was different: “Very good.”

Fang Ji was slightly relieved; they seemed to be getting along well. “So you two…”

“What?”

Fang Ji didn’t know how to continue. The question was awkward; he just wanted to know who topped and who bottomed. He wasn’t a nosy person, but Guan Heng was truly inscrutable. Maybe people with high IQs were all like that, mysterious. Well, better to preserve his good friend’s dignity and not ask.

Fang Ji waved his hand. “Never mind.”

Ye Zhou remarked, “You’re acting weird tonight.”

Ye Zhou didn’t stay at the bar too long, leaving promptly at nine. He deliberately slowed his pace, waiting outside his door for a bit. Sure enough, he saw Guan Heng returning late.

Final exams had already started at school, and Guan Heng had been very busy this week. He also had to finish work ahead of schedule to attend the alumni association. The alumni gathering was set for Friday, January tenth. The next day was a holiday, also the first day of winter break.

Teacher Zhan called personally, and Guan Heng couldn’t refuse. He truthfully informed Ye Zhou, not hiding anything. If he went, he would inevitably meet Yue Shu.

Perhaps due to their closer physical contact, Ye Zhou now seemed not to worry at all, unlike before when he would let his imagination run wild. He still felt a little strange about his behavior a few days ago. Was this what jealousy looked like? It didn’t seem like him.

Guan Heng slowly approached Ye Zhou, his eyes tender, a smile playing on his lips. “Waiting for me?”

“Mm.” They were outside, right in front of his own home, so Ye Zhou had nothing to hide. He stared openly at Guan Heng.

Guan Heng didn’t mind being stared at, pulling out his keys from his coat pocket to open the door.

Ye Zhou followed behind Guan Heng, closing the door behind him. Both stood in their own courtyard. Ye Zhou suddenly called out, “Guan Heng.”

Guan Heng turned around, and Ye Zhou immediately kissed him.

Their first kiss was initiated by Guan Heng, perhaps driven by the atmosphere. The second could barely be considered due to Ye Zhou’s drunken state and confusion. But this time, they were both sober, no reason, just wanting to kiss. Ye Zhou seemed a little hesitant when he kissed, almost testing, gently licking Guan Heng’s lips with his tongue. A few days had passed, and the scab on Guan Heng’s lips had fallen off, but there was still a slight unevenness. So Ye Zhou kept rubbing that spot with the tip of his tongue, almost teasing.

He wasn’t usually one for ambiguity, nor did he play games lightly. He needed clear relationships. So having intimate physical contact with Guan Heng before they were officially together was unexpected. Perhaps that was why he kissed with less confidence, not daring to be too bold, half-closing his eyes to observe Guan Heng’s expression. But maybe because they were too close, blocking the light, Ye Zhou couldn’t see clearly, only feeling that Guan Heng’s eyes were deep and dark.

But in just a second, Guan Heng responded, slightly opening his mouth to capture Ye Zhou’s tongue. The roughness where the scab on his lip had fallen off slowly rubbed against the edge of Ye Zhou’s tongue. The tongue was covered in erogenous zones; it wasn’t painful, but rather a kind of unbearable sensitivity.

Ye Zhou trembled from the sudden pleasure, making a sound. Guan Heng sucked on his tongue again, deepening the kiss.

This wasn’t their first kiss, and Ye Zhou knew how skilled Guan Heng was. He wouldn’t allow himself to be weak, fiercely meeting him. Two people who were good at kissing had an effect greater than one plus one, completely satisfying.

They stood in the courtyard, kissing as if no one else existed, although passersby and neighbors could see them if they poked their heads out.

But neither of them shied away, seemingly not caring at all.

More importantly, Ye Zhou understood from Guan Heng’s response that he also had feelings for him, which made him feel completely at ease.

Although kissing had nothing to do with lung capacity, Ye Zhou was still short of breath. He could even feel that both of them had reactions, hurriedly pushing Guan Heng away. Guan Heng also knew when to stop, quickly releasing Ye Zhou. His lips were bright red from the kiss, quite seductive.

Ye Zhou wasn’t unwilling to do something, it was just that now wasn’t the time. He planned to wait until after Guan Heng finished his final exams to further confirm their relationship.

Guan Heng seemed to have the same idea, just staring at Ye Zhou for a while without any intention of continuing.

They said goodnight to each other, then returned to their respective homes.

On the morning of January tenth, Ye Zhou woke up early, feeling that his mood was pretty good, not as heavy as before.

He leisurely ate breakfast, not leaving until past ten.

The cemetery Ye Zhou was going to was a bit far, about a two-hour drive. He had just opened the car door when Guan Heng’s call came in; it was class dismissal time.

Ye Zhou smiled as soon as he saw the caller ID, answering immediately.

Guan Heng’s voice sounded more magnetic over the phone. “Leaving?”

“Just about to start the car.”

“Mm, drive carefully.”

By the end of the semester, classes were over. Although Guan Heng didn’t have classes, he still had to proctor exams. He would leave in the afternoon to attend the alumni gathering in another city, which would take several hours round trip. Afraid he wouldn’t make it in time, he swapped his exam proctoring duties with other teachers for the morning, going to school early in the morning. The two hadn’t met that morning.

“Okay.” Ye Zhou’s smile grew deeper. He used to give such reminders, but now, he really felt like he was dating Guan Heng. After hanging up, he remembered that Guan Heng might be more inconvenienced to answer or make calls at school, so he sent a message: 【Say what you need to here, it’s more convenient.】

He thought for a moment, realizing it sounded wrong, adding: 【Or not.】

Ye Zhou wasn’t overly reliant on his phone. Occasionally, he would chat with friends, send emojis or pictures, but not for long periods, always straight to the point, not wasting words. Besides, he and Guan Heng lived right next door to each other, too close. It took less time to knock on the door and meet face-to-face than to type on the phone. So he rarely exchanged messages with Guan Heng like this, finding it somewhat novel.

Guan Heng replied quickly: 【Okay.】

But Guan Heng didn’t send any more messages after that, probably knowing that driving required focus.

Ye Zhou tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. If a message came in, there would be a notification sound, no need to stare at the phone constantly. He pressed the accelerator, driving out. The weather was nice today, the sky very blue.

Ye Zhou stopped to refuel first. While waiting, he took a photo of the sky, sending it to Guan Heng out of boredom, commenting on the nice weather. He just wanted Guan Heng to see it, not expecting a reply. Guan Heng didn’t seem like someone who would initiate small talk.

But Guan Heng actually sent a photo back. The background was inside a classroom, with several blank test papers on the desk. In the corner of the photo, students could be faintly seen with their heads buried in their exams. Guan Heng was sitting in the classroom proctoring. His long left hand was in the picture, as if accidentally captured, or perhaps just casually snapped.

Ye Zhou looked at the photo, smiling pleasantly, staring at Guan Heng’s fingers for a while. He sent another message, then put his phone away, driving out of the gas station after filling up, heading towards his destination.

Ye Zhou wasn’t in a hurry, stopping and starting along the way. At noon, he stopped at a rest area for a quick lunch, taking out his phone to snap photos and type. He and Guan Heng exchanged messages sporadically, whoever had time to reply. They didn’t particularly wait for each other’s messages, chatting about trivialities, but it wasn’t boring.

After eating, Ye Zhou drove up the mountain.

The mountain was covered in large graveyards. Except during Qingming Festival, few people came, and the elderly caretaker often dozed off.

After parking the car in the lot, Ye Zhou got out, his smile completely gone, his expression solemn and lonely. He carried flowers, a towel, and a bucket, striding towards his parents’ graves.

Ye Zhou cleaned the area around the tombstone, lit incense, and placed the flowers on either side. He looked at the faces on the tombstone that resembled his, his thoughts drifting far away.

He never spoke when sweeping the graves, not even in his heart. He had nothing to say to his parents, not knowing what to say, as if he was just there to tidy up the environment. Every year, he repeated the same actions.

After staying for a while, Ye Zhou faintly heard voices from behind. He turned around to see a middle-aged couple. This middle-aged couple had also come to sweep graves, a distance away from Ye Zhou, but perhaps due to the quietness of the graveyard, their voices were especially clear.

The couple seemed to disagree about something, displeasure evident on the man’s face. “Look at you, always dragging your feet, wasting time. Hurry up, so slow—”

The woman pursed her lips, following behind the man without speaking.

At this moment, Ye Zhou’s phone vibrated in his pocket, possibly a message from Guan Heng, but he didn’t pick it up immediately, instead continuing to watch the middle-aged couple.

The man said something unpleasant, and the woman couldn’t help but retort. The man raised his hand, seemingly pushing the woman.

Ye Zhou’s pupils constricted, his expression suddenly changing.