CALORE

Calore: warmth; so con calore, warmly

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They finally took a subway to go to Zhou Yongliang's place. They took line 6 Beijing Subway, the same line that was used by Zhou Yongliang to go to school and go home on weekdays. It would only take an hour or so to reach a subway station in Tongzhou.

The afternoon subway was quite busy. The workers and the students filled up the subway. All of them were willing to take the crowded subway just to get home soon. It was normal for humans to feel tired after doing many activities.

Zhou Yongliang seemed to be feeling the same fatigue, but luckily, he and Yang Liu managed to get a seat so they didn't have to stand for about an hour.

"I'm so tired today," Zhou Yongliang muttered softly. He closed his eyes to reinforce the argument. Whether the boy was tired or sleepy, it didn't seem to make any difference.

Yang Liu only glanced at him briefly, then shifted his gaze forward again, looking at the people who were standing while pressing each other. The carriage was indeed very busy this afternoon. He knew that it was very uncomfortable to have to stand and be crammed with so many strangers.

Suddenly, Yang Liu's shoulders felt heavy. He turned to the right and found Zhou Yongliang's head resting on his shoulder. He had already raised his hand to push the head away, but the shorter boy's voice held him back.

"Let me borrow your shoulder for a moment. I'm so tired."

The voice sounded weak. He glanced at Zhou Yongliang's face, and it turned out that the boy's eyes were no longer closed like before. Those dark orbs just emanated tiredness. Its bright glow vanished without a trace, replaced by a faint, powerless glow. He finally lowered his hand again and put it on the kneecap.

The surprise from Zhou Yongliang didn't stop there. Yang Liu flinched in shock when Zhou Yongliang's hand suddenly wrapped around his hand that he placed on his knee; grasping it tightly.

The black-haired student wanted to break free from the grip, but Zhou Yongliang tightened his grip, preventing his big hand from escaping.

The cold student finally relented, letting Zhou Yongliang grasp his hands, channeling warmth through the two interlocked hands. His hands were never cold even though he was a vampire. Therefore, he never felt worried when he needed to touch other people's skin.

Yang Liu tried so hard so as not to lean his head on Zhou Yongliang's head. The scent of Zhou Yongliang's shampoo tickled his sense of smell as if calling him to move closer and closer.

Yang Liu strangely felt comfortable in that position. He felt safe, and he felt alive. A feeling that he did not feel for a long time. Was it okay to feel all of this again?

When he was still thinking hard about his unfamiliar feeling, the heavy sensation on his shoulder suddenly disappeared. He turned to his side and found the other guy was no longer resting his head on his shoulder. He wanted to question the guy, but his pride was as high as the sky so he chose to swallow his curiosity.

The other boy suddenly let go of his hand and stood up. He then walked toward an old lady, who was standing while holding the hand holder. He quietly watched the boy's action.

It seemed that Zhou Yongliang was offering his seat to the old lady. He was persuading the lady to take his seat, and finally, he brought back the lady to his seat beside Yang Liu. Yang Liu was surprised and looked up at the other guy, who was now standing in front of him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zhou Yongliang asked him confusedly.

Yang Liu blinked awkwardly and drew away from his gaze from the boy. "Why did you do that?" He asked without looking at the other boy.

Zhou Yongliang furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Do what?" He asked back. He saw Yang Liu looked up at him again while motioning to the lady, who was now sitting next to him. Zhou Yongliang smiled and whispered, "An elderly person at home is like a living golden treasure[1]. I'm stronger than her, so it's better if I'm the one who stands up."

Yang Liu stared at the brown-haired guy with an indescribable gaze. That made Zhou Yongliang squirm uncomfortably. And Zhou Yongliang was surprised when suddenly, the black-haired guy stood up and pulled his hand without warning. In a flash, his body was pushed to sit down beside the lady. He looked up in horror at Yang Liu, who was now standing in front of him.

"Why did you do it?" He asked in confusion.

Yang Liu didn't look at him. He looked at the windows behind him as he answered, "I'm stronger than you, so it's better if I'm the one who stands up."

Zhou Yongliang was startled to hear the answer, but a few moments later, he grinned happily. "How could you tell that you're stronger than me, Yang Liu?" He asked while still beaming dumbly.

Yang Liu finally looked down at him and stared at him with his usual keen gaze. "Because you easily fell when I threw a ball on your face," he replied.

Zhou Yongliang's grin disappeared, and now he was chuckling. "Your throw was just too strong," he defended himself. "I was lucky that my nose didn't break."

Yang Liu was still gawking at him with his indefinable gaze. He was silent for a few moments and just continued to stare at the man, who was sitting in front of him. Once again, Zhou Yongliang felt his body shrank under the gaze.

"Is it still hurt?" Yang Liu suddenly broke the silence. Zhou Yongliang replied with a 'huh?' and he continued, "Is your nose still hurt?"

The shorter boy finally understood the question. He subconsciously touched his nose before answering, "It's okay now. The pain only remained for a few days. It's completely okay now, so you don't have to worry."

Yang Liu didn't respond to his explanation. He just silently gazed at Zhou Yongliang for a moment before drew his gaze away again. It seemed that he was bothered by something.

Zhou Yongliang was still looking up at the guy who was standing in front of him. He was no longer smiling and was solemnly looking at the taller guy. "You don't want to apologize to me, Yang Liu?" He then asked.

The question wasn't enough to make Yang Liu look at him again. He was still busy staring at the windows. "Your nose is not hurt anymore, so it's no use for me to apologize," he replied.

Once again, Zhou Yongliang chuckled because of Yang Liu's response. "You're strange," he commented. "Would you apologize to me if I said that my nose was still hurt?"

Yang Liu didn't respond anymore. He knew that Zhou Yongliang was waiting for an answer, but he let the other boy waiting.

Zhou Yongliang could only sigh when he didn't get any reply. He felt a bit dejected, but it didn't stop him to stare at the other boy. He smiled sweetly once again and said, "You're a good person, Yang Liu."

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Footnote:

[1] An elderly person at home is like a living golden treasure: from Chinese sayings "Bǎo huó jīn huáng lǎo yī yǒu jiā" that means "An elderly person, who has experienced and gives advice, is like a valuable treasure."