Chapter 73: Fireworks and Farewells

“Whoosh! Bang!”

A massive firework shot into the sky, exploding into multicolored blossoms against the pitch-black night. Brilliant trails of light shattered into countless sparks, illuminating the entire street.

The amusement park had a grand fireworks show that evening. Many people stopped to look up at the sky. Tourists who had left early and were eating outside were drawn by the sound, stepping out of the restaurants.

In a narrow alley nearby, the high walls of the restaurants on both sides and a giant promotional sign at the entrance blocked most of the streetlight. Only a sliver of light made it inside.

The fireworks high above briefly illuminated the alley, but their light was fleeting, gone in an instant.

Only someone who stepped past the sign and peered closely, using the faint glow of the fireworks, would notice the figures in the alley.

“Mmm…”

Hearing the sudden increase in voices nearby, Lu Shi’s heart tightened. But his mouth was covered, so he could only let out a slightly panicked hum through his nose.

One hand pressed against the white wall, positioned so that the back of Lu Shi’s head rested on top of it.

Shen Zheming lowered his head, his neck slightly bent. He pulled back just enough to give them room to breathe, his breaths carrying a hint of lazy tenderness.

“Don’t worry. It’s too dark here. They can’t see us.”

Then he lowered his gaze and pressed his lips to Lu Shi’s again, soft and already red and wet from their kissing.

Lu Shi’s body went limp, his back pressed against the cold, hard wall.

The scent of camellias wrapped around him layer by layer, forming a solid, reliable fortress.

In the end, he couldn’t resist the temptation. Without alcohol or any drug affecting him, he was kissing Shen Zheming.

Lu Shi silently scolded himself for having zero willpower, while secretly marveling at how good Shen Zheming was at this.

Gentle and controlled. So slow and tender, yet Lu Shi couldn’t catch his breath.

Even though he knew no one would look into the alley, the surrounding noise couldn’t just be ignored.

Lu Shi’s attention wavered.

Shen Zheming’s brow furrowed slightly. The hand that had been against the wall turned over, his fingers threading through Lu Shi’s hair.

His voice was low.

“Focus. Don’t bite me.”

Those words hit a switch, and Lu Shi’s face instantly burned red.

He didn’t know how much longer they’d kiss. Shen Zheming showed no sign of stopping, and Lu Shi didn’t want to call it quits either.

Because it felt really good. Aside from having to tilt his head up, which was a bit tiring, kissing a little longer seemed fine.

And so they waited until the fireworks show ended and the crowd gradually dispersed.

“It’s late. Time to go home.”

“Yeah, we had a lot of fun today.”

Suddenly Lu Shi remembered that they still had to go back with the others in the restaurant.

“Mm, Shen Zheming…”

Maybe because they had been kissing for so long, Lu Shi’s voice sounded different from usual. It was a little hoarse, soft and sticky, losing its usual crispness.

Lu Shi said, “That’s enough. I’m okay now. They can’t tell.”

Shen Zheming lowered his eyes, his throat bobbing. “Mm.”

But in the next second, he suddenly leaned down and brought his mouth close to the corner of Lu Shi’s lips, which were slightly chafed.

A soft touch.

Lu Shi was stunned.

Shen Zheming held his chin and gently touched the corner of his mouth, like an animal licking its mate’s wound.

As if finally satisfied, Shen Zheming whispered, “Let’s go.”

Luckily, Lu Shi had stopped when he did. They had barely been out of the alley for two minutes when Shen Luo, Ding Wei, and the others came out.

Ding Wei burped contentedly. “I’m so full. Are you guys full?”

Yu Xi and Fang Kexin both said they were.

The restaurant had given each of them a small dessert, but Shen Zheming and Lu Shi had stepped out for air and didn’t eat theirs.

Fang Kexin handed a bag with the desserts to Shen Zheming. “Here, I saved these for you. Try them.”

“Not now.” Shen Zheming took the bag. “I’m full too.”

Lu Shi silently zipped his jacket all the way up and buried his lower face in the collar.

With Ding Wei’s alpha-male thinking and limited imagination, he naturally couldn’t guess what the two had been doing earlier.

He looked at Lu Shi’s face. “Hey, that lamb soup really warms you up in winter. Look, Lu Ge’s nose is sweating.”

Lu Shi: “…”

It wasn’t until he woke up the next day that Lu Shi recovered from the shock of Shen Zheming’s final lick.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, then reached up and touched his mouth.

How long had they kissed last night? His lips still felt numb.

There were several unread messages on his phone. Lu Shi propped himself against the headboard and swiped the screen.

All from Shi Rui.

After Shi Rui’s grandmother was admitted to Shen Luo’s hospital, the experts quickly discussed a treatment plan. Her illness wasn’t anything complicated, so the surgery was simple and went smoothly.

Shi Rui knew that Ping’an Zhikang Hospital was expensive. He gave Shen Zheming all the money he had and asked for his contact information, planning to pay off the rest by working back home.

Shen Zheming didn’t accept it.

That day was his grandmother’s official discharge. The two had bought tickets for the evening green train back to Ning County, so he specifically sent a message to say goodbye to Lu Shi and the others.

Shi Rui was packing his grandmother’s things when Lu Shi and Shen Zheming showed up at the hospital.

Lu Shi handed him the toiletries they had brought from the bathroom. “Leaving so soon?”

Shi Rui smiled. “The cost of living in the capital is too high. Grandma’s recovered from the surgery, and I’d be embarrassed to keep troubling you and Brother Shen.”

He waved at Shen Zheming. “Brother Shen, come visit us at my place with Lu Ge sometime.”

As soon as he said that, his grandmother pinched him.

The old lady scolded, “You child, they come from such a good family. Why would they go to your little rundown place instead of enjoying the big city?”

Shi Rui scratched his head. “You’re right. I just said it without thinking.”

“Oh, Shi Rui.” Lu Shi stuffed something into one of Shi Rui’s bags and zipped it closed. “Can you do me a favor when you go back?”

He took out his phone and transferred a few hundred yuan to Shi Rui.

“Help me give this money to the old doctor at the health station. I used a lot of his stuff the day I left.”

Back when Lu Shi was first found by the Chen family, he had been fighting with some thugs and was injured. They took him to the health station to treat his wounds.

That day his life turned upside down. The Chen family came in force, many onlookers gathered, and it was chaotic.

At the time, Lu Shi was dazed, staring at the paternity test. His stomach churned, he felt nauseous and dizzy, and he couldn’t remember whether he paid in the end.

Now he thought it was likely that he hadn’t.

The old doctor was now in his sixties, no longer seeing patients, just keeping the health station open and selling common medicines.

That day, the old doctor wasn’t there. Everything was taken freely, and no one asked about payment.

In his previous life, Lu Shi didn’t have a phone when he was in Ning County. After arriving in the capital, he cut off all contact with that small county.

His life was filled with contempt and ridicule. His mind and body were consumed by this unfamiliar, overwhelming world.

Now that he no longer cared about those unworthy people, Shi Rui’s arrival reminded him of details he hadn’t noticed before.

But Shi Rui fell silent after hearing Lu Shi’s request.

He exchanged a glance with his grandmother, then after a few seconds, he returned the transfer unchanged.

“Um, Lu Ge…” Shi Rui hesitated, looking troubled. “I can’t help you with this one.”

Since Shi Rui worked as a deliveryman in the capital, Lu Shi joked, “I forgot to pay you for the errand.”

“No, it’s not that. That old doctor… he, he passed away. The second month after you left Ning County. I thought you knew, Lu Ge.”

Shen Zheming looked at Lu Shi.

The smile on Lu Shi’s lips gradually faded.

The hand holding the phone dropped.

“How did it happen?”

The old doctor was a physician himself, usually took good care of his health, and was quite strong.

Shi Rui said, “He was fishing by the river when a kid fell in. He was over sixty but still jumped in to save the kid, and…”

Lu Shi knew that the greatest uncertainty in life was that life and death were beyond one’s control. Even his own death had been sudden.

But hearing the unexpected news of someone who had once given him warmth and help, on an ordinary morning, he still…

“Hey, Lu Ge…” Shi Rui called.

Lu Shi pocketed his phone and brushed past Shen Zheming, walking out of the hospital room.

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