As soon as He Bai’s message was sent out, the message prompt rung out frantically. He was amused by such a response, then set his mobile phone mute and put it into backpack. He rubbed the red and swollen injure on hand that engendered by oven, took a look at the Bento box on his legs and started humming at ease.
The night grew darker. And half an hour later, the desolate place ahead finally came out the silhouette of the training base. He Bai asked the driver to park the car by the river outside the base. After paying the fare, he got off and moved the fireworks to a tree.
“Young man, will your friend come soon? Should I accompany you until that? The driver looked at the ignorant face and expressed his worry for He Bai. Young men should also protect themselves outside today.
He Bai soothed with a smile, “Take it easy, my friend is in that base, and he will come out right away. We have an appointment to set off fireworks here.”
The driver took a look at the distance between the base and here and the fireworks at He’s feet, relaxed a little bit, and said a few more words of exhorting He Bai to be careful before drove off.
He Bai turned around and sat down against the tree after he saw the driver off, and his eyes started to wander around.
From time to time, his mobile phone rang, but he ignored and beat off mosquitoes in leisure. Until midnight, he then took out his phone without haste, clicked on a short message and called the number back.
“Won’t you come? Do you really mean to break your words, Pup!” As soon as the call got through, Di Qiuhe’s urgent voice came over.
He Bai raised his eyebrows and smiled, found out the fuse of the firework, pulled out a lighter, and asked, “Childish Di, was the building you live in facing the river outside the training base?”
“What?” Di Qiuhe was stunned.
“You told me your room is on the fourth floor. . . Oh, I see, the light is on at this late hour. Do you know that people who rest late are prone to have kidney failure. You ought to be careful.”
Di Qiuhe realized that He Bai was here, and his breath became heavy for nervous, “You, you are outside the base? You are here! Are you here already? You, you wait for me, I’ll pick you up in.”
“No.” He Bai pressed on the lighter and got close to the fuse, and then lit it and ran away. He yelled at the phone when the first sparkle went up, “Childish Di, look out of the window!”
Bang. The firework exploded, illuminating the sky.
A familiar tall figure showed up in the only window that lighted up of the fourth floor. He Bai waved his hand over there and cried out to his phone, “Happy Birthday, Di Qiuhe! Congratulations on being one year older!” Young as they were, of course, were fond of surprise and excitement. He Bai thought that his surprise for Di was ingenious, and the Childish Di may be moved to tears.
Bang.
Bang. Bang.
The firework kept exploding.
Di Qiuhe’s heart beat as fast as the booming fireworks.
He looked at the dim figure bouncing under the gorgeous sparkles. He was moved, and then raised his hand and held his chest.
“Pup, you’ve got me catch a summer cold again.”
“What?” The sound of the firework was so loud that He Bai couldn’t hear clearly.
Di Qiuhe kept his eyes on He Bai, not even took a look at the sparkles of the firework. He felt a lump in his throat and a heat in his eyes. The impulsion of catching and embracing tight the smart little ‘liar’ lingered in his heart. He then gritted his teeth and said, “You’re screwed.”
“What did you say?” He Bai still had not caught word by word.
“You’re screwed!” Di Qiuhe raised his voice and growled, his eyes tinged with ruthlessness. “How dare you to deceive me, you…you’re screwed!” As for what would happen, no one had any idea. Someone must be screwed here today.
He Bai heard it clearly in quiet as the firework had just finished. He grunted and laughed, “There are two fireworks, I have lighted one, and one left. Now that you say so, I’ll light it myself.”
“Stop!” Di Qiuhe raised his eyebrows and blurted out.” If you dare to light it, I’ll never let you go back to City B!”
He Bai sneered and hung up the phone. Such a naive man, whose childish words could never be a threat to anybody.
Di Qiuhe, with his broad shoulders and long legs and buzz cut hair style, ran here at his fastest speed, panted and stared at He Bai sitting on the ground without saying a word.
He Bai paused as he saw Di, and then looked at Di’s muscular body in a bit jealous, and shook head. “Your fans praise you’re a gentle and cultivated man who looks like an Adonis, but look at the muscular man in a vest and buzz cut hair standing here now, it’s…”
Di Qiuhe stepped forward and looked down at him.
“What do you want?” He Bai reared his head back and put his hands in front for defense. “You look like a fighter! I come to celebrate your birthday and take great pains to prepare you a surprise. Really?
Di Qiuhe looked at the bites left by mosquitoes on He’s arms, turned his head sideways and wiped the tears in his face, then bent down and pulled Di’s arm all of a sudden. He pulled Di up and held Di tight in his arms, rubbed his head around Di’s neck, gritted and gnashed. “Don’t do this for me next time.”
As the shoulder bumped into Di Qiuhe’s pectoral muscles, the pain therefrom stiffened He Bai. He then grimaced in pain and struggled, and said in a sour tone, “Next time? Are you kidding me? Let me go. Are your muscles made of iron? Well, happy birthday. A 23-year-old man should try to be mature. That’s enough to express your joy and gratitude with a gentle hug, while shouldn’t employ brute force at will.”
Di Qiuhe strangled He’s waist and lifted him off the ground.
“Fxxk!”
He Bai felt his dignity as a man was challenged and then he was irritated. “You childish Di! Let go of me and calm down!”
Di Qiuhe rubbed He once again, then put He on the unwrapped firework, squatted down to see the cake box and two Bento boxes beside the firework, saying nothing.
“Overjoyed?” He Bai was confused by Di’s behaviors. He rubbed his shoulder and jumped down from the firework, got closer to and patted Di on the shoulder, asked gingerly, “Are you really moved to tears…Please don’t, though I’ve had such an expectation…Well, we are mature man, you can just laugh when people prepare you a surprise…” If he had known that Childish Di was so vulnerable to surprise, he would not have prepared all these.
Di Qiuhe looked up at him in a serious face and had no sign of tearing at all.
He Bai relieved.
“Is that a cake in the box? You made it yourself? Di Qiuhe said something at last, in a steady and normal tone, which was exactly abnormal to some extent.
He Bai, feeling nervous, took a step back on the quiet and nodded, “Yes, I made it.”
“Where did you do it?” Di kept asking.
“The hotel.” He answered.
“When did you come?” Di asked in a more serious tone.
He Bai swallowed a mouthful of saliva, “Last night, right after class.”
Di Qiuhe nodded to signify he heard it, then he turned around and untied the ribbon on the cake box.
“How can I feel breathless?” He Bai thought and coughed, went over to crouch in front of Di, took out birthday candles and disposable stuffs from his backpack, and said, “I’m not good at making cake. It may not be tasty. Please put up with it. Here you are, blow candles first and make a birthday wish.”
It was the most plain candles come in number shapes. One numbered “2” and one “3”, garish and ugly.
The ugly candles inserted on the shoddy cake, making it a stronger eyesore. Di Qiuhe, however, viewed it as the best cake he had ever seen.
He Bai ignited the candles with a lighter, looked at and waited Di Qiuhe in hope, and then raised camera, “Come on, blow the candles and make a birthday wish.”