Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 5
Farewell
“What’s going on?”
After the wedding ceremony, there was a free cocktail party, and Lin Chi held the bouquet, with a face full of mixed emotions.
Just after the wedding ceremony ended, according to tradition, the bride was supposed to throw the bouquet. Unexpectedly, it hit Lin Chi on the head, leaving him stunned. The surrounding guests started applauding him, making him feel awkward.
He even thought about giving the bouquet to another girl, but each of them retreated like it was a dodgeball game, laughing as they did so, hands waving in refusal.
In the end, the bride intervened.
“Whoever gets hit by the bouquet keeps it,” Zhao Anzhen said with a smile, looking at Lin Chi standing next to Li Tingyan, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “It’s fate; you should accept it.”
Lin Chi exchanged a glance with Li Tingyan, sighed helplessly, nodded with a smile, unable to cause a scene on the spot, and could only accept it.
So now he sat under a tree in the courtyard with Li Tingyan, in a corner where they were inconspicuous in the crowd. He still held the bouquet—a delicate arrangement of white wax flowers, pink roses, and baby’s breath, pink and white intertwined with a few touches of green, very exquisite and beautiful.
“This is such a ridiculous thing, the only bouquet, and it ends up in the hands of a passerby like me at a wedding. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have been here at all,” Lin Chi said.
Li Tingyan looked at Lin Chi’s troubled face and chuckled, teasingly. “Traditionally, the person who catches the bouquet at a wedding is supposed to be the next one to get married. Maybe you’re luckier in that regard than others.”
“Forget it,” Lin Chi shook his head, showing a face of disbelief. “As a gay man, what wedding would I have?” He looked suspiciously at Li Tingyan. “Wait, are you thinking about getting married too?”
That would really be something to laugh about.
Li Tingyan nodded and reminded him, “It’s legal overseas, and there are many same-sex couples who get married and certified abroad.”
“That’s not possible either,” Lin Chi said. “Even if I could get married, I’m against the idea. Besides, I haven’t sincerely fallen in love with anyone, so how could I settle down?”
His past relationships were all casual, just brief companionship. He would even make it clear to them that they weren’t lovers; during their relationship, he wouldn’t fool around or cheat, but he couldn’t give them sincere love.
He grew weary too easily.
Young and blessed with good looks and personality, he was born to dominate the dating scene.
Li Tingyan wasn’t surprised by Lin Chi’s remarks.
Lin Chi indeed looked like such a person—a fleeting wisp of smoke, free to come and go, only briefly possessed by others, unable to be monopolized.
He didn’t ask any further.
But Lin Chi watched Xu Mu dancing with the bride in the distance and suddenly asked, “I’m curious, why do you like Xu Mu? Have you ever imagined marrying him?”
He looked intently at Li Tingyan.
“Forgive me for being blunt. He’s handsome and has a good personality, but is that it? Have you never met anyone better in all these years? Why can’t you let go?”
Li Tingyan hesitated.
His gaze fixed ahead, where Xu Mu was dancing with the bride. This reserved and gentle man was now embracing his wife, full of tenderness, openly displaying his affection.
He didn’t mind sharing with Lin Chi, but he couldn’t explain himself either. “I can’t really say what I like about him. During my student days, he helped me a lot. I used to have a bad temper and wasn’t in good health for a long time. He would always come to see me, even when I was irritable and rude to him. He didn’t mind, straightened out the books I threw on the ground, and still brought chess boards to play with me.”
For Xu Mu, besides admiration, there was also the nostalgia of youth. Like the dappled sunlight that fell on his test papers through the thick green leaves on his desk, it was so lively.
He said, “He’s like an apple hanging outside my window. I watch him every day. I know clearly that this apple belongs to the neighbor, but I still can’t let go.”
“But I never fantasized about any outcome with him, let alone a wedding,” Li Tingyan said, his eyes unwavering, like an impartial judge pronouncing his own verdict. “I know very well that there’s no possibility between us.”
Lin Chi was moved by what he heard.
This was something he hadn’t heard last night.
He sensed the nostalgia in Li Tingyan’s words and thought to himself—so that’s how it is.
First love in youth, with such a gentle and kind person, accompanying him through painful times.
Looking at the newlyweds embracing in front of him, a breeze blew through his forehead. Suddenly, he said, “But I feel that Xu Mu isn’t the destined person for you.”
Li Tingyan turned to look at him.
Lin Chi also looked over, his eyes sparkling like gemstones in the almost nighttime sky.
He said, “I just heard Xu Mu’s wedding speech. He said he was single for a long time before meeting the bride. He had such a long period alone, why didn’t you ever consider making a move on him? It’s strange.”
“Don’t tell me it’s about not wanting to jeopardize your friendship,” Lin Chi lit a cigarette, the twilight engulfing them. The spark illuminated his profile like a vivid classical painting. “Truly loving someone means being willing to risk everything. Even if you face rejection, you still demand an answer. You can’t just attend his wedding calmly and wish him happiness as if nothing happened.”
That was a bit harsh.
But Li Tingyan didn’t get angry. He was naturally rational and calm, difficult to provoke. He simply watched Lin Chi quietly.
Lin Chi continued, “You would go to any lengths, regardless of who is by his side, whether male or female, as long as there’s a chance, you would snatch him away. Rather than seeming to prefer losing him, you should be unwilling to cross your psychological barriers for him. Am I right?”
After Lin Chi finished speaking, he calmly looked at Li Tingyan.
He said it so calmly, as if his words were some universal truth.
The night gradually darkened.
Lights on the lawn gradually lit up, casting a faint light around.
Li Tingyan thought, looking at the person in front of him who had just claimed not to have truly fallen for anyone, but now spoke so confidently, like an expert in emotions. It seemed unreliable, like a charlatan.
But after thinking for a long time, he finally chuckled softly.
He said, “Perhaps.”
Perhaps Lin Chi was right.
He remembered the study in the old house, the deep green window, Xu Mu leaning on the bed, holding a telescope to observe parrots, but then turning back to smile at him.
In the ten years since he met Xu Mu, even in his impetuous youth, he had never acted impulsively for Xu Mu.
But this kind of love seemed to be his limit, the highest value he could give, at least that’s what he thought now.
Lin Chi snapped his fingers triumphantly, as Li Tingyan acknowledged his viewpoint.
He picked up his own wine glass and also pushed Li Tingyan’s glass into his hand, lightly clinking their glasses together.
“I’m not saying this to mock you,” Lin Chi said, “I just want to say, you still have a chance to meet the right person.”
He glanced at Li Tingyan, “I think you will.”
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Lin Chi found Li Tingyan very comforting.
So he sincerely wished him well.
Li Tingyan remained noncommittal.
He also lifted his glass, took a sip. The cocktails were all low in alcohol and a bit sweet, not to his taste, but suitable for such a sweet, blissful wedding.
He still said, “Maybe.”
After a moment of silence, he listened as Lin Chi began humming a tune off-key. Suddenly he asked, “And what about you? Do you want to meet that destined person?”
Lin Chi immediately looked troubled.
“No, thank you,” he even seemed a bit disdainful, “that sort of thing isn’t for me.”
Finally, Li Tingyan laughed.
It was the first genuine laugh of the day for him.
The wedding continued into the late night, and after 1 a.m., Li Tingyan escorted Lin Chi back home.
Though “home” was not quite accurate; it was a temporary rental for Lin Chi, having moved in just over two months ago. It was in a somewhat remote neighborhood, with outdated facilities, but surrounded by residential areas and plenty of shops, making life convenient.
The driver pulled up to the entrance of Lin Chi’s neighborhood and tactfully exited the car, leaving Li Tingyan and Lin Chi alone.
Li Tingyan was clearly not accustomed to such places. He glanced at the flickering lights and weathered iron gates in the corridor. Despite the disparity from his expectations, he showed no sign of discomfort and politely asked, “Do you want me to come up with you?”
Lin Chi chuckled, “I’m not a girl, worrying about safety in the middle of the night.”
He intended to joke about whether Li Tingyan knew that the next step after escorting someone home often involved an invitation inside, and sometimes even staying over.
But faced with Li Tingyan’s serious expression, he just smiled and shook his head, refraining from asking.
Both had already gotten out of the car and stood facing each other. They were just a few steps away from the entrance. Once Lin Chi turned and walked in, they might never see each other again in this lifetime.
Thinking about this, Lin Chi felt a twinge of regret.
After all, Li Tingyan really suited his tastes.
He said to Li Tingyan, “Give me any random address where you can receive packages, I’ll return this suit after dry cleaning.”
He didn’t mean to pry into Li Tingyan’s private life, so he made sure to mention it could be a receiving address.
But Li Tingyan shook his head, “No need to return it.”
Before Lin Chi could react, Li Tingyan looked at him gently and sincerely, “You’re 22 now, there will be formal occasions in the future where you’ll need a suit. You’ve given me great comfort these past few days, and I don’t have much to offer in return. Consider these two suits a parting gift, a token of thanks for the drinks and accompanying me to the wedding.”
Li Tingyan’s tone was warm and sincere, without a hint of condescension or disdain.
He had a knack for it. Despite his seemingly unapproachable face, he naturally exuded refinement and politeness in his speech, making him hard to dislike.
Lin Chi said nothing, just staring at Li Tingyan. After a while, he raised an eyebrow, “Alright.”
To push further would seem melodramatic, like a leading lady in a drama who resolutely rejects materialism.
But he took off the black ring from his left hand and casually slipped it onto Li Tingyan’s finger.
“I don’t have anything else on me, so consider this a memento,” he said, surprising Li Tingyan by kissing him on the cheek.
Initially a light kiss, like the polite one Li Tingyan had given him that morning.
But soon, it deepened to a kiss on Li Tingyan’s lips, with Lin Chi taking the lead by gripping Li Tingyan’s wrist, leaning forward until Li Tingyan had to step back against the car door.
When they parted, both were slightly breathless.
Lin Chi’s lashes lowered, his gaze still fixed on Li Tingyan’s lips as he leaned in again, lightly nibbling.
He said to Li Tingyan, “This is also a parting gift, something to remember me by. Because you won’t easily find another high-quality lover like me in the future.”
He said it with pride, yet it was oddly convincing.
Indeed, he had the credentials to say so.
In the dim moonlight, the neighborhood was quiet except for the spring insects.
The streetlight illuminated Lin Chi’s face, making him vivid and lively, like a dazzling rose.
After saying this, he walked into the building without looking back, just waving his hand to Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan watched his figure disappear into the corridor.
For a long time, he looked down at the ring Lin Chi had left in his hand, a Vivienne Westwood skull ring, very much Lin Chi’s style.
He chuckled softly.
The driver saw Lin Chi leave and quietly returned to the car. Li Tingyan also sat back in the back seat, and as they drove away from the neighborhood, he glanced out the window. Perhaps due to his excellent memory, he remembered the number on Lin Chi’s building.
Number 13.
Author’s note:
Li Tingyan, you will become more familiar with this building number in the future.