bustling city

The door was pushed open violently, and there was an earth-shattering sound from the entrance.

The bitter cold wind and fine snow poured into the house, Zhou Jin didn't bother to close the door, and eagerly looked for Yan Jun's figure.

The house is brightly lit, and the fireplace in the living room is burning with charcoal, and the light from the flames seems to be alive, and it is projected on the opposite wall.

There was no festive atmosphere here, a bare Christmas tree in a corner with nothing hanging from its top and no piles of presents under the canopy.

But here is not as bleak as Zhou Jin thought, everything is just the same as in the past - just like Yan County.

Yan Jun stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the other end of the living room, looking out from the window, he could see the small building where Zhou Jin lived.

He had just hung up the phone when he heard the sound of the door, so he turned to look.

Yan Jun looked calm, Zhou Jin looked at him, and felt that he was like a mountain, standing steadily and peacefully on a piece of land forever - even if someone broke his rock wall or hollowed out his heart, he would Cover the scars with lush forests, and still stand there.

Zhou Jin was disturbed all the way, seeing him now, for the first time in his life, he had the urge to cry.

Yan Jun walked towards him, there were still five or six steps away, Zhou Jin went up to meet him, as if eager to confirm something, he covered Yan Jun's lips with his own.

It was not the meticulous and planned teasing like in the past. This kiss was disorderly and accompanied by Zhou Jin's heavy breathing. It seemed that at this moment, he had no sexual desire at all, let alone the urge to make love. The kiss was just for skin-to-skin contact with Yan Jun.

Yan Jun embraced his back and felt that the suit was icy and damp, covered with ice slag.

I don't know how Zhou Jin came back from the casino in such a heavy snowstorm.

The hair on his forehead, which was well fixed back with hairspray before he went out, is now damp and drooping, covering his eyes in a mess.

Yan Jun has never seen him look fragile, like a lion that has not yet grown up and its claws are not sharp enough, and has been injured.

The tears were obviously already swirling, and it took a lot of effort to hold back the tears, but the eyes still fell on his face stubbornly, not moving away at all.

Being stared at by Zhou Jin like this, Yan Jun suddenly felt distressed.

He never felt sorry for himself, let alone anyone else; he thought that Zhou Jin was the strongest type of person in the world, even though a nail was pierced through their backs, they still dared to move on.

But now, Yan Jun only feels pity for Zhou Jin.

He pushed Zhou Jin's hair out of his eyes, brushed them aside, and asked him what's wrong.

Zhou Jin shook his head and turned his face away.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, this emotion came out of nowhere, he was clumsy, and he didn't like to confess his heart, so he couldn't express it.

Moreover, Yan Jun's voice was too gentle and had the power to comfort people's hearts. Zhou Jin dared to look at him just now, but when he heard him speak, he became flustered instead.

——Before, before meeting Yan Jun, how could anyone have talked to him like this? "Go and change your clothes, don't catch a cold."

Yan Jun didn't force him to speak, but patted him on the back and instructed.

Zhou Jin walked a few steps in by himself, then turned back suddenly.

Yan Jun saw it at this time, and Zhou Jin finally couldn't help crying.

"Yan Jun, can I not be separated from you?" He asked.

There was a restrained cry in his voice.

Yan Jun didn't answer.

Zhou Jin asked more anxiously: "I love you, if I love you, can I not separate from you?" Yan Jun hesitated.

He didn't want to lie to him and make promises that were almost impossible to fulfill, but he really hated to see him like this.

In fact, if he didn't answer, Zhou Jin already understood.

The young man turned back to hug him, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist tightly, his voice was muffled in Yan Jun's chest, which made Yan Jun feel his chest ache.

"If you have to separate, can you live forever?" Zhou Jin's life has gone through 17 years. His mother was dead when he remembered, and his father gambled every day that he couldn't support himself, let alone support him. The only two things that happened to him, one was to teach him to gamble, and the other was to let him witness the most disgusting death.

He had had a warm connection with few people—very few living things.

The call girl used to be a person in the same world as him. They had to desperately climb up in order to survive. At that time, she frankly flirted with him, but her heart was actually numb and lonely. Although he and she only had Fate on both sides, but they cherish each other.

Now she is dead.

Then there is Yan County.

No one is more vivid in his heart than Yan Jun.

In the end, Zhou Jin didn't change his clothes.

They made love on the living room rug where the fireplace was crackling, Yan Jun's movements were soft but firm, they didn't make a sound, only the sound of skin rubbing in the silence.

This was different from any previous time. Zhou Jin rested his chin on Yan Jun's shoulder, looking down at the dagger tattoo on his shoulder blade.

It turned out that the small characters on the blade read, "?????????????????????????????????????? ????????,????????'????????????????????????????????? ????????." (Everything will be proved to be right, the world is built on this) Zhou Jin recited it silently three times, and he wanted to remember it.

It was snowing heavily outside and it was too cold.

They had fireplaces, and blankets, and a fresh change of dry clothes.

They have each other.

In the second half of the night, neither of them slept, nor did they go to other places.

Zhou Jin sat on the ground wrapped in a blanket, leaning against the sofa, drinking cocoa and marshmallows.

I didn't think this thing was delicious before, but this time I did, probably because Yan Jun made this cup for him.

Yan Jun sat on the bay window and played the guitar one after another.

Sometimes he looked at the lights outside the window that were blocked by snowflakes, and sometimes he looked at Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin pointed to the guitar and asked him intentionally: "Can you really play it? You can't even hear the melody."

"I haven't played it since the fire," Yan Jun said, "I haven't practiced it for ten years, so of course it doesn't sound good."

"You know?" "Of course I know, I knew before you came back the next day."

Zhou Jin was a little embarrassed, thinking that it was nothing more than secretly snooping on other people's affairs, and he was arrested.

But Yan Jun reached out and rubbed his hair, expressing that he didn't mind, "I'll perform one for you," he said, "Perform one...simple."

After speaking, he cleared his throat, played the chords and sang.

It is a Christmas song that is not often sung nowadays. Yan Jun remembers that he overheard it many, many years ago when he passed a pizza shop on the streets of Brooklyn.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? (they look up and see Star)

???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????? (Far in the east shining)

???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????? (endow the earth with supreme light)

???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????? (the light continued day and night) Yan Jun sang these lyrics softly, but what he thought of was not Jesus, but the young man in front of him who was listening to him singing.

When Yan Jun sang quietly, he was no different from other people. His eyes were fixed on the strings, for fear that he might not be able to find the position of the next chord. He looked well-behaved and not too chic.

But when he restrained his edge, he made people feel like a big brother who grew up with him. Zhou Jin felt for no reason that he seemed to have spent more than a few months with him.

Not even a few years.

Zhou Jin's poor imagination has never been able to envision all these possible good things, so everything that exists in front of him is brand new to him, and it is too cliché to use the word "get what you want" to summarize.

Zhou Jin leaned over and leaned over the edge of the guitar case.

They kiss under the window.

It's not a desire, it's a promise.

Yanjun has not passed Christmas for a long time, but he thinks that from now on, he may be able to live it again—if there is still time.

After Christmas, the casino resumes its usual bustle.

Zhou Jin continued his "career" and counted the money he earned, feeling like he was counting down the time until he and Yan Jun could still be together like this.

Now Yan Jun doesn't appear every time in his gambling game, and occasionally meets him in the casino. Even if they look at each other from afar, Zhou Jin feels happy because of his affectionate eyes.

This first taste of love was so new to both of them.

On nights when there were few pedestrians, they walked from Cuscuta to pick up their cars, deliberately parked farther away, so that they could walk side by side on the wide avenue, as if the whole city belonged to them.

Zhou Jin thought that he was the first in the world—perhaps the only one—who could see Yan Jun show a shy expression when holding hands.

Just a brief moment.

Then Yan Jun would pretend to be calm and pull him to his side, clasping his fingers in a protective posture.

In the whole city, only the two of them knew that they were holding hands.

One day, Yan Jun asked him if there was any place he wanted to go in particular after leaving Mephisto.

Zhou Jin thought about it for a long time, and found to his frustration that he knew nothing about the rest of the world except this gold-selling cave: he had no concept, and of course he could not have any longing.

Yan Jun told him that the foothills of the Alps are very beautiful, and he must go to see them if he has the opportunity. Then he told Zhou Jin about his trip to Switzerland alone when he was in college, and said that the city of Lausanne, which was built on the hillside, had undulating streets. It is narrow, and you have to go up the slope to see the road extending to the other end.

Zhou Jin suddenly said, the two of us will live there in the future.

After hearing this, Yan Jun thought about it seriously, then put his arm around Zhou Jin's shoulder and said, "There is a better place than there, called Interlaken."

"Then we'll live somewhere better."

As Zhou Jin said, he raised his head and touched Yan Jun's cheek with his lips.