Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 19

The Kiss in Darkness

Lin Chi walked out of the classroom. That day, he wore a knee-length gray overcoat with only a thin black turtleneck inside. Being tall to begin with, he stood out in the crowd, starkly different from the noisy boys beside him.

Some acquaintances passed by and patted his shoulder, “Lin Chi, let’s grab a meal together.”

Lin Chi smiled, “No, I have plans today.”

Instead of taking the main entrance, he leisurely strolled to the west gate of the school, where Li Tingyan’s car was already parked, waiting for him.

Opening the car door, Li Tingyan turned from the driver’s seat to look at him, and for some unknown reason, Lin Chi smiled.

“Have you been waiting long?”

He asked.

“Not at all.”

Li Tingyan started the car. This winter was a bit chilly; it was only late November, and the temperature was around seven or eight degrees Celsius. As Lin Chi got in, a chill accompanied him.

He rubbed his hands like a child and curled up slightly in his seat. Mischievously, he leaned his hand against Li Tingyan’s neck.

But Li Tingyan just curved his lips, smiling good-naturedly, and didn’t stop him.

Although it was his birthday, at times like this, Lin Chi rarely wanted a lively celebration.

When Li Tingyan had asked him earlier how he wanted to spend it, he had tilted his head for a long time without coming up with a reason. Finally, he glanced sideways and saw a poster at the street corner.

Pointing to the poster, “How about watching a movie with me?”

Li Tingyan followed his finger and saw that it was a recently re-released animated film, “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

He hesitated for a moment.

But quickly nodded and agreed.

On his birthday this year, Li Tingyan picked him up from school, took him to a pre-booked restaurant for dinner, and then they headed towards the cinema.

Lin Chi clearly understood Li Tingyan’s personality and had taken precautions a few days ago.

“Whatever you do, don’t arrange a private screening for me. Movies are more fun with lots of people.”

Li Tingyan paused for a moment because he had indeed considered it and was about to call his assistant.

Seeing his expression, Lin Chi shouted, “I knew it! You capitalist monster.”

Now the two squeezed into the crowded masses, indistinguishable from any other couple out on a date.

Hayao Miyazaki’s appeal remained as strong as ever.

Although it was a re-release, the seats were almost full. Li Tingyan had bought seats in the last row, a bit more spacious for them.

Before the movie started, Lin Chi opened a small gift on his seat. The restaurant had prepared it specially upon learning it was his birthday.

Inside was a set of homemade jam and aromatherapy inspired by the four seasons.

Not particularly expensive, but the thoughtfulness behind it always brightened one’s mood.

Lin Chi unscrewed the jam and tasted a bit with a small wooden stick, but quickly grimaced and stuck out his tongue, looking like a puppy.

Li Tingyan noticed this from the corner of his eye and curved his lips.

“Have you seen this movie before?” he asked Lin Chi.

“I have.”

Lin Chi put the jam back in the bag and looked ahead, evidently recalling some old memories. “Back in high school, in our small county town, there was a tiny cinema that always played old movies. That day, I was the only one in the theater.”

The theater was small and run-down.

Even the seat covers hadn’t been properly cleaned. He was only sixteen, sitting alone in the chair watching a movie.

But looking back, he often thought that afternoon was quite pleasant.

He asked Li Tingyan, “Have you seen it? You don’t seem like someone who would watch this kind of animation.”

Li Tingyan indeed rarely watched such films.

But as the lights in the cinema slowly dimmed, people chatting and munching snacks gradually quieted down, and the screen began to flicker with light and shadows, reflecting the varied expressions of everyone.

He whispered softly, “I have.”

“Oh?”

Lin Chi was a little surprised. “When? It couldn’t have been when it first premiered.”

Li Tingyan smiled and shook his head.

“It was in college,” he blinked his eyelashes, his voice soft, “the Go club borrowed the multimedia classroom, and we all watched the movie together. We even ordered pizza. This was the movie they played.”

At this point, Lin Chi thought it was just an ordinary college memory.

But soon, he heard Li Tingyan say again, “Xu Mu was also in the Go club. He sat next to me back then, and those guys in the club always liked to huddle together, so they squeezed him next to me. So I didn’t dare move the whole afternoon.”

The movie had already started.

The misty city began to appear, and the heroine’s hat shop was just under that mist.

Li Tingyan whispered, “Now thinking back, so many years have passed.”

The young man in a snow-white shirt who leaned against him back then, squeezed so close that he could only fall into his arms, had grown into a mature and stable man with his own family.

But he seemed to still remember the green reflection outside the classroom window that day.

Lin Chi raised an eyebrow.

He tapped on the gift box with his fingers. He hadn’t expected that in the movie he casually picked, there would be such past memories hidden.

Sophie was already upstairs in the narrow building, sewing hats—red ones, adorned with pretty pine cones.

He wiped his hands, popped a few popcorns into his mouth, and vaguely asked Li Tingyan, “What were you thinking at that time? Your crush was right beside you, it was dark around, did you want to kiss him?”

Lin Chi’s voice was soft, slipping into Li Tingyan’s ears like a small snake.

Li Tingyan paused.

It had been so long, he could barely remember his feelings back then.

Strangely enough, despite liking Xu Mu for so long, he seemed to have no frivolous thoughts towards him. The most audacious fantasy was just kissing him. Xu Mu was like a sacred figure to him, only to be held in his palm.

“I don’t remember very well.”

He said softly, “But maybe I did think about it, after all, he was so close to me.”

“But it was just a thought.”

Even though Xu Mu was single at the time and didn’t have a girlfriend, Li Tingyan never crossed the line.

Because Xu Mu trusted him, saw him as a sincere friend, and he didn’t want to ruin that bond.

Lin Chi chuckled softly.

He thought, truly a gentleman.

For the next two hours, he didn’t speak again.

One should maintain silence while watching a movie, Lin Chi would still abide by that courtesy.

But as he watched the golden hair of Howl on the screen turn red, collapse into a muddy mess, he was somewhat absent-minded.

Having heard Li Tingyan’s words, he suddenly felt curious. What was Li Tingyan like in college?

He had heard Li Tingyan say that before graduating from college, his personality was far from as composed and stable as it was now, and at twenty, he was at the peak of his temper.

That year, Li Tingyan was injured in a car accident and almost lost an eye. It was also the year he realized he was in love with Xu Mu.

Leaning his head, Lin Chi seemed to see a young man sitting on a hospital bed, wearing thin patient clothing, one eye covered with bandages, cold and distant, far less gentle than now, but also less mature, the type who would tremble and close his eyes when kissed.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

He thought, what would it have been like if he had met that version of Li Tingyan?

Probably wouldn’t even have rolled into bed with him, might have ended up in a fight.

The movie was nearing its end.

Howl transformed into a large black bird covered in feathers, trapped in the rocky peak, losing his handsome face and composed demeanor, no longer the charming playboy.

But Sophie still kissed him.

Lin Chi suddenly called out quietly to the person beside him.

“Li Tingyan.”

“Hmm?”

Li Tingyan instinctively turned his head, bent down, and brought his ear closer to Lin Chi’s.

It was the kind of physical reaction that only intimate and close friends would have.

But Lin Chi didn’t speak to him.

A pair of lips suddenly met Li Tingyan’s.

In the pitch-black cinema.

With people all around.

On the screen, Sophie placed her heart into Howl’s body, thump-thump-thump, from then on his body became heavy, but he could also love.

Li Tingyan stared blankly, eyes wide open.

He had kissed the person in front of him countless times, lewd, intimate, reckless, in cars, in hotels, in bed, clinging like beasts until death.

But it seemed like none of those times had the impact of now.

He lowered his eyes, illuminated by the light from the screen, he could even see Lin Chi’s trembling eyelashes clearly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lin Chi let go of him.

Lin Chi opened his eyes, met his gaze, and when he saw Li Tingyan’s bewildered expression, he chuckled softly.

He then said,

“Even though you didn’t kiss Xu Mu when you were twenty years old. You’ve kissed me now.”

Author’s note:

Here on our side, “Howl’s Moving Castle” is being re-released, and Lin Chi and Li Tingyan also watched Howl and Sophie~