Main roles: Qing Xuaner, born in 2019 (boy), Kou Qunli, born in 2019 (boy), Hou Yan, born in 2018 (boy), Bo Yi, born in 2019 (boy)
Hou Yan was born into a conservative and ordinary working-class family, with both parents being traditional factory workers. Qingxuaner is his neighbor, whom he has known since childhood and is also very close friends.
Qingxuaner is a very sensible child. He always takes the initiative to help his mother tidy up toys and conscientiously completes the small tasks assigned by his father. His obedient and polite appearance makes his parents both pleased and proud, and he loves this thoughtful little baby from the bottom of his heart.
When Kou Qunli was born, unfortunately his mother passed away. Later, his father continued to support him, and his monthly salary was not high. The two of them lived a difficult life together.
Bo Yi grew up in a wealthy merchant family, where he was raised with lavish clothing and food. His parents doted on him in every way, which developed his arrogant and capricious personality.
January 2, 2030
After school, my mother drove to pick up Hou Yan and bring him home.
Today is Hou Yan's birthday, and his parents gave him a surprise at home.
Hou Yan pushed open the door, and the living room was surprisingly quiet, except for a huge silhouette covered with cloth on the dining table. He lifted a corner in confusion, and the metal handlebars reflected slightly in the light - it was the mountain bike he had been talking about for half a year. His fingers trembled as he touched the tire, his throat suddenly choked up, he turned around and pounced into his mother's arms, burying his face in her shoulder and saying in a muffled voice,
"Mom... thank you."
After finishing his birthday cake, he rode his newly bought bicycle to find Xuan Er to play with.
At his home, Hou Yan shouted loudly,
"Xuan'er, come out and play."
Xuan'er heard the commotion and came out. He sat behind the bicycle and tightly hugged Hou Yan's waist.
The next day, the two of them went to the cafeteria together after class as usual, and after finishing their meal, they went to the library.
Because their relationship was too close, they were considered as weirdos by others, so they didn't have any friends at school.
June 14, 2030
Xuan Er found that Hou Yan did not come to school today, and his parents did not come to pick him up from school. When he returned home, the house was also pitch black.
Suddenly, a voice came out saying
"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you."
It turned out that today was Xuan Er's birthday, and Hou Yan and the others were all preparing to celebrate his birthday, so they didn't go to school.
After finishing the birthday cake, they went out to play as usual.
January 2, 2031
In the new year, Hou Yansheng entered middle school, and Xuan Er suddenly found himself alone in school.
As soon as the bell rang during the break, the classroom instantly boiled with excitement. Xuan Er clenched the dry bread and unconsciously drifted his gaze towards Hou Yan's former seat - now it was empty, with only a ray of sunlight slanting across the table. The girls in the neighboring group were exchanging chocolates, and laughter pierced their ears like broken glass. He lowered his head and took a bite of bread, only to find that his throat was too tight to swallow. Laughter echoed in my ears one after another.
Until a rainy afternoon, he met Kou Qunli in an empty classroom. The boy who always wears a washed white school uniform was deliberately avoided by other classmates due to poverty. They shared a pack of crisp noodles together and drew the crooked chessboard with chalk in the corner of the playground. Xuan Er thought he had finally caught the glimmer of friendship.
Until the day Bo Yi transferred to another school. He casually threw a box of imported chocolate to Qunli, and the gilded letters on the packaging made Xuan Er's eyes hurt.
The next day, there was no chalk drawn chessboard next to Qunli's desk, only a thin and lazy laugh,
"Poor people only play this."
And Qunli lowered his head and quietly pushed the eraser that Xuan Er borrowed from him last week back to the corner of the table. The transfer student who always wears limited edition sneakers casually gave Qunli a new game console, easily replacing the two months of uninterrupted recess companionship.
Xuan Er still remembers the last conversation - Qunli stuttered and said,
'I want to go to the convenience store with Bo Yi.'
but his gaze drifted towards the shiny new backpack in the back row of the classroom.
On the way home from school, Xuan Er habitually walked around to the downstairs of Hou Yan's house, only to find that the pot of green ivy on the windowsill, which was used as a secret code, had already disappeared. He took out his phone, and the dialogue box still lingered on last week's "too much homework" - the ellipsis followed by just four words, like a slowly closing gate.
The cold screen light reflected his trembling fingertips, and in the chat records that used to instantly return, the last message displayed alone as
"read" .
Laughter from an unknown family could be heard in the distance. Xuan Er pressed his forehead against the gradually darkening screen of his phone and suddenly realized that some distances are never in a geographical sense.
August 11, 2031
There have been rumors circulating in school today about Bo Yi and Qunli kissing in the bathroom, and Xuan Er doesn't know if it's true or false.
January 2, 2032
Today, Xuan Er went to a new school where he saw Hou Yan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, but Hou Yan seemed to not know Xuan Er anymore.
Whenever Hou Yan passed by Xuan Er, he didn't even glance at him. Sometimes even if he glanced at Xuan'er, Hou Yan would immediately turn his head, as if it were some undisclosed secret.
April 6, 2032
"Do you know, the two boys in front are together, "Xuan Er's friend said.
After listening, Xuan Er looked ahead and was shocked to find that Hou Yan and Qunli were in front of him.
He couldn't believe his eyes, nor could he believe that Hou Yan was such a person. Xuan Er didn't know why, and he felt a little sad.
June 14, 2032
At the end of class today, Hou Yan suddenly found Xuan Er and said to him,
"Let's go to the restroom."
After saying that, he left, leaving Xuan Er standing there alone. After finishing his meal, Xuan Er went to the bathroom.
Suddenly, he was pulled in by one hand and inside was Hou Yan. Hou Yan spoke up and said,
"First of all, I wish you a happy birthday. Secondly,..."
He then knelt down on one knee, took out his homemade ring, and handed it to Xuan Er. Before Xuan'er could react, he said,
"Would you like to be with me?"
Hou Yan stood up and hugged him, his breath spraying into Xuan Er's ear in a low voice that was almost inaudible,
"... I've tried it. When I was with Qunli, my mind was filled with the way you smiled at me on your last birthday."
His fingers tightly grasped Xuan Er's sleeve, like a drowning person grabbing a driftwood.
"I know this is disgusting, but can you... don't hate me?"
Xuan Er hugged Hou Yan tightly and said,
"How could I hate you? You're my only good friend, no matter what you become, I like you."
Then he asked, "But aren't you with Qunli anymore? "
Yan replied,"For you, I am willing to leave him"
After saying that, the two of them kissed each other.
After kissing, the two of them went out, but as soon as they left, they found Qunli standing outside. The bathroom door on the other side slowly opened, and Bo also came out.
The air froze, and Qun Li's face turned pale in an instant. His lips trembled as he squeezed out two words,
"... Hou Yan?"
Bo leaned against the wall and suddenly sneered.
"Wow, the annual drama."
Xuan Er felt Hou Yan's hand turn cold in his palm.
——————to be continued——————