Chapter 18: The Final March

A month of military training had passed just like that.

The final day was like a string stretched to its absolute limit, finally striking its last strong note—the long-distance march.

At five o’clock in the morning, before the sky had fully brightened, the sports field was already packed with freshmen wearing camouflage uniforms.

The instructors’ sharp whistles cut through the hazy gray air.

The dense crowd began to writhe, filing out through the iron gate on the east side of the sports field.

Ji Xu was carried along by the stream of people, his feet stepping onto the asphalt road wet with dew, making a fine rustling sound.

From Shangnan University to the foot of Mount Dangyun, it was roughly seven kilometers.

When they set off, the horizon had just flushed with the blue-gray tint of a crab shell, and the air was chilly.

As they walked, the sun rose from the gaps between the eastern buildings.

The light shifted from slanted to direct, and the temperature climbed degree by degree.

Ji Xu followed the English Class 1 team in the middle section of the entire grade’s marching square.

The flags ahead fluttered in the breeze, and intermittent sound of heavy breathing and whispered chatter could be heard within the ranks.

They walked for about an hour and a half to reach the foot of the mountain.

They rested for fifteen minutes, followed immediately by the ascent.

Mount Dangyun was not particularly high in elevation, but the stone steps were steep and dense, extending all the way up from the mountain base, winding into the lush greenery of the summit.

When Ji Xu first stepped onto the very first stair, he still felt quite relaxed, even humming a few lines of a song in his head.

By the time he reached halfway up the mountain, he was already gasping for air.

The muscles in both of his calves ached and swelled as if filled with lead, each step feeling heavier than the last.

He supported his knees to rest for a few seconds, looking up at the endless stone steps stretching upward, the corners of his eyes flushed slightly red, though he did not want to fall behind.

It was at this moment that He Lu walked over to his side.

He Lu was also an Alpha in English Class 1, standing at medium-tall height, looking sturdy and honest, with a grounded demeanor between his brows.

He noticed Ji Xu slowing down, slackened his pace to walk alongside him, and said nothing, merely reaching out to brace Ji Xu’s elbow when Ji Xu misstepped on a stair and stumbled.

Ji Xu tilted his head to look over.

He Lu smiled at him, revealing a row of white teeth, and then handed over his military canteen.

“Take a sip of water, rest for two breaths before continuing.”

Ji Xu took it and gulped down two mouthfuls—it was cold, with a slice of lemon infused inside, the sour taste lessening the burning sensation in his throat.

He thanked him, handed the canteen back, wiped off his sweat, and continued walking upward.

He Lu did not rush him either, simply accompanying him side by side, their paces gradually matching.

When encountering particularly steep sections of stairs, He Lu would walk two steps ahead and extend a hand, allowing Ji Xu to grasp his wrist for support; when encountering loose rocks between steps, Ji Xu would turn back to remind He Lu with a quick “Be careful.”

The two looked out for each other, climbing all the way from the middle of the mountain to the summit.

The view at the peak made it all worthwhile.

The entirety of Haicheng unfolded beneath their feet, the buildings compressed into dense toy blocks, the coastline curving into a pale gold arc, and the sunlight on the sea surface shattering into millions of silver flakes.

The mountain wind was strong, bringing with it a blend of rustling pines and distant waves, blowing away their heavy sweat and leaving a cool sensation behind.

The open ground on the summit was crowded with Shangnan University freshmen, camouflage uniforms covering the area, with class and department flags fluttering and crackling loudly in the mountain breeze.

The members of English Class 1 gathered near the observation deck railing to take photos.

The class monitor shouted loudly, “One, two, three—cheese!”

Ji Xu was squeezed into the middle row of the crowd, his face flushed bright red from the sun, holding up a peace sign, and grinning widely at the camera.

When the photo froze, the ends of his hair were blown up by the wind, capturing the distant mountains and clouds in that tiny frame.

Going down the mountain, he had expected to endure that same agony all over again.

He had known since childhood that going up a mountain was easy while coming down was hard—his knees had to absorb a much greater impact than during the ascent, each step down testing his joints.

However, upon reaching the cable car station, he discovered the school had arranged for cable cars down the mountain.

The cabins slid smoothly along the steel cables one by one, with tree crowns gliding past beneath the window.

Ji Xu let out a long breath as he sat inside the cable car, all the muscles above his knees signaling simultaneously: “Finally, we can rest.”

Throughout the entire descent, he leaned against the back of the seat, watching the summit shrink and the city outline enlarge outside the glass, feeling that the month-long military training had finally reached a complete and satisfying end.

It was already evening by the time they returned to campus.

After dismissal, Ji Xu dragged his sore legs back to the dorm.

Yuan Hanfei’s ankle had mostly recovered.

Seeing Ji Xu return, he looked up and asked, “How was the march?”

Ji Xu returned only a single word: “Tiring.”

Then he collapsed onto his bed, unwilling to move.

Yuan Hanfei didn’t ask further, pouring a glass of water for him and placing it on the desk.

The weekend arrived right after.

For the two-day break following the end of military training, from Friday night to Sunday night, Ji Xu made his decision without hesitation.

He packed two changes of clothes into his backpack, sent a message to Rong Du on Saturday morning—”I’m coming over”—and hailed a ride-share at the school gate.

When the car arrived at the alley entrance, Ji Xu got off with practiced ease, walked through the familiar narrow alley, climbed to the fifth floor, pulled out his key, and unlocked the door.

The key was one Rong Du had cut for him previously, attached to his key ring alongside his dorm key, adorned with a tiny pink rabbit pendant.

The moment the door opened, the house was quiet and bright.

Sunlight poured through the window, covering the living room floor, making the blue-and-white checked sofa cover slightly warm to the touch.

Ji Xu switched into slippers, placed his backpack on the sofa, and looked around.

An empty water glass sat on the coffee table, a clean bowl was resting upside down in the sink, a sticky note from Rong Du was stuck on the fridge reading “Buy milk after work,” and the fruit basket under the coffee table was empty.

When Rong Du lived alone, his days were simple and even somewhat empty; there weren’t many items in the house, showing a subtle blandness amidst the neat order.

Ji Xu sent a message to Rong Du: “Rong Du, I’m at your place. When are you coming back?”

A good while passed after sending the message before a reply arrived.

Rong Du was likely busy at work, replying after about ten minutes: “I might get off work a bit early today, probably around seven or eight.”

Ji Xu looked at the message, thought for a moment, and typed back: “Then I’ll cook dinner and wait for you to come back and eat.”

This time, the reply was almost instantaneous: “How is Ah Xu so virtuous?”

Looking at that line of text, Ji Xu’s ears warmed up slightly.

He could imagine Rong Du sitting at his workstation, staring at his phone screen and smiling.

Rong Du generally didn’t use his phone for casual chatter while working, but he always replied very quickly when talking with him.

He typed back: “Of course,” followed by a proud cat emoji with its hands on its hips, then put down his phone and opened the fridge.

The fridge was indeed quite empty.

The vegetables he had put in before going to school were mostly gone, leaving only a jar of Lao Gan Ma, half a carton of eggs, and a few cans of drinks.

A solitary bundle of scallions lay in the cold storage compartment, already somewhat wilted with yellowed tips.

Ji Xu pinched off the wilted leaves, washed them clean, and placed them in a glass filled with water to keep, then closed the door, changed his shoes, and headed out to the supermarket.

The supermarket was the same one he had visited before, familiar to him.

He pushed a shopping cart starting from the vegetable section.

Tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, a bundle of spinach, half a jin of lean pork, a sea bass—he then turned into the seasoning aisle to buy a bottle of light soy sauce and a pack of starch.

In the frozen section, he picked up a bag of frozen dumplings just in case, and then stopped by the fruit section to carry a watermelon.

When checking out, he carried out two large bags, leaving red marks pressed into his fingers.

Returning to the rental apartment, he sorted the items into the fridge, rolled up his sleeves, and began washing and cutting the vegetables.

He didn’t know many dishes, just a few home-cooked items learned from the cafeteria aunties back at the orphanage.

They were hardly refined, but they were hearty and satisfying.

When chopping the tomatoes, a bit of juice splashed onto his apron, which he wiped away with the back of his hand.

He peeled and shredded the potatoes, soaking them in water to remove starch.

The lean pork was sliced thinly and marinated with light soy sauce and starch.

The sea bass was cleaned, with a few slits cut on both sides of its body and ginger slices stuffed inside.

He boiled a pot of water to blanch the spinach, scooped it out into cold water, squeezed it dry, and tossed it with minced garlic and soy sauce for a cold dish.

When Rong Du returned and opened the door, the entryway light was on.

Sizzling sounds from the oil pan came from the kitchen.

The aroma of cooking oil mixed with sautéed scallions and ginger filled the entire apartment, completely covering the previously empty and bland atmosphere.

Rong Du changed his shoes and walked to the kitchen doorway, watching Ji Xu’s back as he stood before the stove.

He wore a light blue apron, the ties bound in a bow behind his waist.

His medium-length hair was tied up with a clip at the back of his head.

The suppressor patch on the gland behind his neck had been removed, exposing clean skin.

He was currently leaning forward to toss the green pepper and pork strips with a spatula.

Hearing the noise at the door, he turned his head, his cheeks slightly flushed from the oil smoke, a bit of sweat on his forehead, yet his eyes were bright.

“You’re back?” Ji Xu scooped the cooked dish from the wok onto a plate and turned off the stove.

“This is the last dish. Wash your hands and let’s eat.”

Rong Du stood at the kitchen doorway without moving immediately, taking a prolonged look at Ji Xu.

Ji Xu stood before the stove wearing the apron and holding the pan, the light from the range hood illuminating his slightly damp sideburns and hair ends.

The evening light outside poured through the window, coating him in a warm, melted orange glow.

Rong Du felt something in his chest completely filled up.

That sense of happiness—overflowing and wrapped in something warm and steady—left him speechless for a moment.

“Yeah.” He nodded, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, and pulled out a chair at the dining table to sit down.

On the table were three dishes and one soup: tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried green peppers with pork, cold spinach salad, and sea bass tofu soup.

The appearance wasn’t fancy, but every plate emitted rising steam.

Ji Xu untied his apron, sat down opposite him, and scooped a bowl of rice for himself as well.

The two sat across the table, the sound of chopsticks hitting the bowls sounding light and homey.

Ji Xu picked up a portion of stir-fried pork with green peppers and placed it in Rong Du’s bowl: “Try it. My skills are average, but it’s definitely better than instant noodles.”

Rong Du took a bite.

The green peppers were cooked just right, the pork strips tender and smooth, perfectly seasoned.

He picked up another piece of fish and put it in his mouth—the freshness of the sea bass and the flavor of the scallions and ginger blended wonderfully, while the tofu was saturated with broth, melting in the mouth.

He took several bites before looking up at Ji Xu: “Ah Xu’s cooking is very good.”

His tone was serious, not out of politeness.

Ji Xu curved the corners of his mouth proudly and lowered his head to eat his own meal.

After dinner, Rong Du cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them.

Ji Xu automatically flopped onto the sofa, spreading himself out into a large shape, facing upward toward the ceiling, his four limbs loosely draped in a completely justified posture of “now that I’m full, I should lie down.”

Rong Du washed the dishes in the kitchen, the running water splashing, the rims of the bowls clinking crisply.

He wiped the stove clean, wrung out the rag to hang it up, and then opened the fridge to pull out half a watermelon.

The watermelon was bought by Ji Xu in the afternoon, its sliced red flesh showing beneath the plastic wrap.

He sliced it into small crescent-shaped pieces with a knife, stuck in a few fruit forks, and brought it to the coffee table.

Hearing the sound of the watermelon, Ji Xu sat up and made room for Rong Du on the sofa.

He speared a piece of watermelon, bit into it, and the cold, sweet juice exploded on his tongue.

He chewed with puffed cheeks, a bit of watermelon juice on the corner of his mouth, and speared another piece into his mouth.

When Rong Du sat down beside him, Ji Xu performed his next move almost simultaneously.

He lifted his two legs and placed them onto Rong Du’s lap without hesitation, leaning his entire body backward.

He swallowed the watermelon in his mouth, tilted his head to look at Rong Du, his expression carrying that perfectly calculated, justified posture—knowing Rong Du wouldn’t refuse: “Rong Du, you have no idea how tiring the march was. I walked seven kilometers and climbed a mountain; my legs are about to break. Hurry up and give me a massage.”

Rong Du looked down at the two calves resting on his lap.

Ji Xu’s legs were noticeably firmer than before military training, the original lines covered with a thin layer of muscular contour, no longer feeling soft to the touch, but carrying a slight resilience and elasticity.

His skin tone was also darker, shifting from the original porcelain white to a warm honey tone, with the skin over his knees and shins particularly tanned by the sunlight.

Rong Du’s palms covered his calves, his fingers tightening slightly, slowly and firmly massaging upward from the ankles.

Ji Xu let out a comfortable hum, the sound squeezing softly out of his nose.

His toes curled up and uncurled, his head resting against the sofa back slanting to the side, his eyelids half-drooped, casting faint shadows with his eyelashes over his cheekbones.

“Rong Du, a bit harder,” he said mumbled.

Rong Du increased the pressure in his hands, his thumbs slowly pushing up along the muscle texture in the middle of the calves, then pressing from the back of the knees back down to above the ankles.

His palms were warm and dry, the thin calluses on his finger pads creating a subtle tingling sensation whenever they grazed the skin.

Ji Xu’s leg muscles slowly relaxed under his massage, gradually changing from the tense, knotted state when first placed down to a relaxed, gentle condition, allowing themselves to be kneaded at will.

After massaging for about ten minutes, Ji Xu’s humming gradually ceased.

Rong Du looked up at him—Ji Xu’s head had completely tilted to one side of the sofa backrest, his mouth slightly open, his eyelashes closed, and his breathing steady and light.

Under the combined effect of Rong Du’s massaging fingers, the night breeze from the window, and the sweet taste of the watermelon, he had fallen asleep just like that.

His phone was still held in his hand, the screen dark, its charging cable dangling from the gap in the sofa.

Rong Du moved very gently to shift Ji Xu’s legs off his lap.

When he stood up, the sofa made a light sound, but Ji Xu did not wake up.

He bent down, passing one arm across Ji Xu’s back and the other beneath his knees, scooping the person up horizontally.

Ji Xu was slightly heavier than a month ago, the muscle built from military training making his body firmer, yet he still felt light in Rong Du’s arms, like holding a sleeping, fully relaxed feline.

Ji Xu’s face grazed his chest during the movement, unconsciously shifting toward a warmer direction, his breath brushing over Rong Du’s collarbone.

Rong Du carried him into the bedroom and placed him on the bed.

The bedsheets were freshly changed—he had changed them before leaving the house this morning, carrying the dry scent of sunlight after washing.

He gently laid Ji Xu down, took off his shoes and socks, and pulled the thin blanket up to his chest.

Ji Xu turned over in his sleep, burying his face into the pillow, the gland at the back of his neck facing toward the ceiling.

A light honey fragrance seeped out from the skin, melting into the cotton texture of the pillow.

Rong Du squatted beside the bed, reaching out to push the loose hair falling over Ji Xu’s forehead behind his ear, his fingertips lightly grazing the tail of his eyebrow.

Ji Xu did not wake up, his lips merely moving slightly before growing quiet again.

Rong Du turned off the bedroom light, leaving the door cracked slightly to let a sliver of light from the living room filter in.

He walked to the living room, resealed the watermelon on the coffee table with plastic wrap, put it back into the fridge, and straightened the throw pillows on the sofa.

His movements were very light while doing these things, the corners of his mouth remaining curved upward throughout.

That stable, unhurried sense of happiness—filled with something warm—diffused from his chest to the tips of his limbs, making even the soft click of closing the fridge door sound pleasant to the ear.

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