Chapter 41: A Little Separation

Early the next morning, before Di Xingchen got up, he heard someone knocking on his door.

He tilted his head sleepily, "Who is it?"

"It's me."

It's Yan Zhi's voice.

"Come in."

He saw Yan Zhi come in.

The room was a little dark and he reached for the light, but Yan Zhi whispered, "Don't turn it on."

Di Xingchen then lay down again, wrapped in her blanket, and looked at Yan Zhi.

The room was dimly lit. Yan Zhi squatted down at the foot of his bed and said, "I have a plane to catch, so I have to go, just to tell you."

Di Xingchen gave a "hmmm."

He thinks Yan Zhi is really polite. Even when you leave, you have to tell everyone.

Maybe it's because he's just woken up, his heart is all soft, and a little bit of sadness of parting.

Yan Zhi looked at him in the hazy morning light, crouched at the foot of his bed, looked at him and said, "I'll see you in a few days."

"Well, goodbye." Di Xingchen felt that now that she knew, and it was almost dawn, she should get up and see Yan Zhi off.

He then lifted the covers and sat up.

Yan Zhi froze, and said, "You don't have to get up."

"Time to get up too." Di Xingchen said, "We have to cook later."

After he lifted the covers, his scent drifted under Yan Zhi's nostrils, warm and faintly scented.

It was a familiar, somewhat addictive flavor he had come to know.

Yan Zhi then took a step back and watched Di Xingchen get out of bed.

Di Xingchen was dressed in pajamas, so he took a jacket and put it on, and came out of the room with Yan Zhi.

When I passed by the restroom, I noticed that Pei Xu was also up, I think she just got up and was still squeezing toothpaste.

Pei Xu saw them both, froze for a moment, then fixed her eyes on Yan Zhi's face and asked, "Leaving?"

Yan Zhi gave a "hmmm".

There were two big boxes in the living room. Di Xingchen wanted to help Yan Zhi carry one of them, but Yan Zhi said, "No, it's heavy, I'll carry it myself."

"Don't underestimate me." Di Xingchen's voice was still a bit muffled and soft, and Yan Zhi felt a sadness of parting.

Surprisingly, he was a little reluctant to part with it.

Such a brief parting.

He didn't insist, and watched Di Xingchen carry one of his suitcases out the door.

"Bon voyage." Di Xingchen said.

Yan Zhi slammed the trunk shut and saw his followers running from the next yard.

The morning light was brightening, and there was a thin mist in the air. Di Xingchen automatically took a few steps back and stood on the curb.

Yan Zhi then got into the car and started it.

The car turned a corner and passed in front of Di Xingchen, Yan Zhi lowered the window, looked at him and said, "Let's go."

Di Xingchen yawns and nods.

He's that sleepy, that lazy.

Di Xingchen sent him in a good friend mood. Di Xingchen doesn't love him.

Yan Zhi suddenly leaned over the car window.

Like the first time he went to pick up Di Xingchen at the Chinese Dance.

Di Xingchen raised an eyebrow, looking haggard and lovely with a weary frown.

Yan Zhi hooked his hand, signaling him to go over.

Di Xingchen then bends down and puts his head in front of the car window.

Yan Zhi took a small glass bottle from the car and gave it to him, his white, pretty fingers squeezing it, "Here you go."

"What is it?"

"I mix my own perfume."

Di Xingchen looks surprised.

"Did you match it yourself?"

It's too moody, isn't it.

"Had nothing better to do, went to my friend's company and transferred it. You might like it, it's a gift. Thanks for getting up and giving me a ride."

Di Xingchen smiled then, a gentle smile on her sleepy face, and reached out to take the bottle of perfume.

Haitang Takedown, what other surprises do you have that I don't know about?

"This time it's really gone." Yan Zhi said.

He watched Yan Zhi walk away and looked at the bottle of perfume in his hand.

He squirted a little onto his wrist and sniffed.

After all, it's a light floral scent, slightly bitter, just the kind of scent that flowers would normally have, especially light, like the Manzanita, these flowers that have a particularly light scent would have, a very common flavor.

He kinda likes it. He didn't like too much fragrance, and usually didn't use perfume, so such an ordinary scent was very suitable for the ordinary him ah.

Like being surrounded by flowers.

He pocketed the perfume and headed back.

I walked to the door and saw Pei Xu.

Pei Xu is back to his usual attire, a black sweater and baseball cap, and asks, "Is it gone?"

"Gone." Di Xingchen asks, "Are you going for a run?"

Pei Xu says, "Aren't you going to make breakfast if you don't run today?"

Di Xingchen gave a "hmmm."

"You go wash up first." Pei Xu said.

Di Xingchen went back to wash up, and when he came out after washing up, he saw that Pei Xu was already standing in the kitchen, with a cell phone on the table, and he was staring at the phone and pouring oil into the pot.

Di Xingchen was already completely over his sleepiness, "Why did you start cooking too."

"Do you a favor." Pei Xu said.

Di Xingchen walks over and finds Pei Xu watching a video on how to fry an egg.

He did it in style.

"What time are you leaving today?" Pei Xu asked.

Di Xingchen said while cooking, "I don't know, wait until you all leave."

"I'm not leaving too early either, so I can give you a ride home if need be." Pei Xu said.

He had just finished speaking when he heard footsteps.

The two looked up and saw Huo Cheng coming out of the bedroom.

Huo Cheng visibly froze when he saw the two of them in the kitchen.

"Morning."

"Morning."

Huo Cheng walked across to Pei Xu, looked at the omelette in the pan and said, "It's got style."

Pei Xu said, "I learned from Zhai."

Huo Cheng says, "A master teacher makes a master student."

Hu Ying and Wen Nuo, among others, also rose one after another.

"Saying that we're going to start helping Xing cook, you guys are really getting on with it." Hu Ying said glancing at Di Xingchen.

Di Xingchen looks up at him with a smile, looking at home in her apron.

Hu Ying avoided his gaze.

When it was time for breakfast, Yihua was the only one who hadn't gotten up yet.

"I just went to check on it and Tuan said he'd be up later." Wen Nuo said.

Di Xingchen says to Hu Ying, "Do you have work in the morning?"

Hu Ying said, "No."

"Then let's go to the supermarket later. I'll cook a big meal for lunch, and the three of us will eat before we leave."

Hu Ying hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes."

Huo Cheng then looked at Pei Xu: "Do you have something to do in the morning?"

He won't leave Di Xingchen alone with Hu Ying.

Pei Xu said, "No."

"Then you guys go together." Huo Cheng said looking towards Di Xingchen, "Don't leave Pei Xu alone."

Di Xingchen glanced at Pei Xu.

Hu Ying said, "That's good, go together, more people, lively."

It's nice to go together.

He doesn't know how to be alone with Di Xingchen now.

He had a dream about Di Xingchen yesterday. Can you believe it?

In the dream the two of them present a 0.5 relationship.

They are like two intertwined foxes.

Ahhhhhhhh.

After breakfast, Wen Nuo left first. They sent Wen Nuo away together.

Lin Qingning then left as well.

"Has Yan Zhi left already?" Hu Ying asked.

"You just realized?" Di Xingchen says, "He left at dawn to catch a plane and you didn't get up to see him off."

Hu Ying asked, "Did anyone send him away? Alone? Isn't it a bit sad?"

"I'm sending," Di Xingchen said, "Don't worry, none of you will go alone with me. I'll leave after I've sent you all away."

Hu Ying and Huo Cheng both glanced towards Di Xingchen when they heard this.

Yeah, well, with Di Xingchen around, none of them have anything to worry about.

Di Xingchen's personality is really more attractive than his appearance.

Mingming is the youngest, but is better at taking care of people than anyone else.

"So were you sad when you finally left the Red and Blue Lodge alone and dragging your luggage?" Hu Ying asked.

He sounded like he was being dismissive, but he was actually really concerned about it.

He understands the loss and loneliness of being the last to leave.

"I'll go with him." Pei Xu, who was next to him, said.

Hu Ying turned his head to look at Pei Xu, who was standing next to him with his pockets tucked in, his skin almost as white as Di Xingchen's under the sun.

After sending Lin Qingning away, Hu Ying went upstairs to dress up.

He'd always been good at dressing, but today he'd agonized over it for a long time.

Unsure of which one he should wear, he tried on all his clothes and none of them felt right to him.

It's all too gaudy, and he suddenly wants to dress plain, like a college student, like Di Xingchen style.

Since we're leaving, Di Xingchen has cleaned up the Red and Blue Hut.

Huo Cheng and Pei Xu helped him pack.

"Huo shouldn't you be leaving, not the ten o'clock flight?"

Di Xingchen said and looked at the time.

"This side is very close to the airport." Huo Cheng said.

But he did have to go, and if he didn't, it would be too late.

He left home when he was a teenager, and when he was in high school, he came home only once every two months. Then he started his own business, and the occasional trip home was rushed.

He'd gotten used to parting long ago.

But he was surprisingly upset today.

He's become not even like himself.

Too childish.

He then shuffled his hands and said, "I'll be off then, see you in a few days upstate."

Di Xingchen also took off his gloves, "For you."

Pei Xu glanced at Huo Cheng and said, "See you around Huo."

Huo Cheng looked at him, he hoped that Pei Xu would not follow him out to see him off and let him have a few words with Di Xingchen alone.

"Did you get all your luggage?" Di Xingchen asked.

Huo Cheng said, "It's been put on the car ahead of time."

Di Xingchen went to see him off and looked back at Pei Xu, who didn't say anything but gave him a little sign to go and see Huo Cheng off himself.

Pei Xu watches Huo Cheng and Di Xingchen go out, and keeps his head down to continue wiping the table.

He knew what Huo Cheng had been dilly-dallying for, Huo Cheng was big-headed, sometimes looked rough and impetuous, but he was not like Yan Zhi's high intelligence, would come to things.

In the vase on the dining room table, the manzanita and forget-me-nots were dying.

Di Xingchen sends Huo Cheng to the car.

Unlike when they dropped Yan Zhi off, the sun was clear and bright at the moment, similar to the first day of their stay.

Huo Cheng stopped and looked back at their red and blue hut.

"Isn't it a bit of a bummer, too?" Di Xingchen asked with a smile.

Huo Cheng said, "When I came here, I really didn't expect to be in this situation."

He didn't come to the show to be in a relationship, it was purely for his career.

He said looking towards Di Xingchen, some words almost coming out of his mouth. The protruding knot in his throat slid up and down a bit, a big man who had been through a lot, but at the moment, his heart suddenly soured, and he held out his arm.

Heart beating that fast.

Di Xingchen froze for a moment, then smiled and walked up.

He gave Huo Cheng a hug, "See you in the North City."

Huo Cheng let out a "hmmm" and suddenly picked him up violently, Di Xingchen was startled.

Huo Cheng turned him up hard and then lowered him.

"Let's go." Huo Cheng opened the car door and got in.

Di Xingchen was left standing in a daze, and when he came to his senses, Huo Cheng had already driven away.