Under Clear Skies Chapter 64: Five Minutes

Chapter 64: Five Minutes

Translated by Fefe of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

They let go of each other’s hand when they walked out of the school. Normal University’s campus was smaller than Wuhan University and there were towering trees on all sides, making the surroundings especially quiet at night. They walked one before another and passed by a still fountain before entering a path filled with the scent of osmanthus flowers. The streetlamps stretched their shadows long. Tang Heng looked down at the road and saw Li Yuechi’s shadow under his feet. It swayed with his movements, like a swimming fish that he couldn’t catch.

“Li Yuechi,” Tang Heng couldn’t help but call out.

“…Nothing.” Tang Heng took two steps to catch up. “Let’s go.”

They quickly got to the end of the osmanthus path. It was like a square, but there were many trees around. It was pitch black—looking into the distance, he could only see one or two streetlamps.

 

“Careful, there are steps.”

“Where is this?”

“The field cinema.” Li Yuechi pointed at a white concrete wall on the other end. “The school plays movies here every Friday and Saturday night. It’s free.”

Tang Heng followed him down and found that each step was wide, like a lecture hall. It was indeed suitable for watching movies here—but sitting here in the open? The mosquitoes in the south could bite you through your jeans.   

Li Yuechi stopped next to a tall cottonwood tree. “I usually sit here.”

“Here?” Tang Heng walked over and found that the ground was uneven from the tree’s bulging roots. This spot was on the side too. It didn’t face the concrete wall directly.

“There are no couples here.”

“Oh—” Indeed. This place was pitch black and if a romantic movie was being played, it would be a great place for PDA.

“Did you bring Wu Si here?”

Li Yuechi laughed. “Are you jealous?”

“No… I’m just asking.” Why did I ask such a stupid question, Tang Heng thought with regret. Did his brain short-circuit?

“No, I never brought her here.”

“Oh.”

Li Yuechi sat on the ground. He stretched and separated his long legs, tilted his body back, and supported himself with his hands. In this pose, he looked like a rowdy high schooler who’d ditched class to come watch a movie, only to find that the cinema wasn’t open.

“Actually, I’ve only been to a cinema once.” Li Yuechi gazed quietly at Tang Heng. “In high school—they brought us to watch a patriotic film.”

Tang Heng sat down beside him. The ground was chilly. “What did you watch?”

“Don’t remember. It wasn’t that great.” Li Yuechi pulled a cigarette pack out of his pocket, lit it and stuck it in his mouth. “I just remember that the seat was really soft. Too many students had gone and some stood in the aisle to watch…”

“Li Yuechi, do you wanna watch a movie?”

“In a cinema?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s wait some more.”

“I have a free coupon. It’s… the Creative City gave it to me.”

“I know.” Li Yuechi chuckled and said, “No rush.”

He was sitting right beside Tang Heng, eyes gazing emptily at the white wall before him. He seemed to be deep in thought, or was simply spacing out. Suddenly, Tang Heng seemed to see that Li Yuechi from the past. Those nights were just as dark as tonight, with couples embracing intimately, rustles and whispers, while Li Yuechi sat alone under this tree, staring intently at the projection on the white wall. The colors reflected on his clean face.

Li Yuechi breathed out a ring of smoke and said lazily, “This field cinema is 80% of the why I like this this school.”

“Are the movies they show good?”

“They show anything.” Li Yuechi blinked. “Depends purely on luck.”

“Let’s come this Friday.”

“No need to wait until then.”

“Huh?”

Li Yuechi got up. “I’m a regular here, so I’m close with the guy who plays the movies.”

Then he went into the screening room. It was actually a very small white building that stood in the back of the field, facing the white wall directly. He climbed up the metal steps, pulled out his keys and opened the door. A few minutes later, a beam of light shot out of the building window.

It was a Taiwanese movie. The title wasn’t shown, but the director was Tsai Ming-liang.

There was no sound either.

Li Yuechi ran down and explained breathlessly, “Can’t play the sound. Scared the guards’ll hear.”

Tang Heng nodded dumbly. This was completely unexpected.

“We can only watch for a little bit. Five minutes.”

“Oh…” Tang Heng didn’t know if he should watch the movie or look at Li Yuechi.

Tang Heng was used to digital screens, so he felt that the projection on the white wall was a bit blurry, like the Charlie Chaplin silent films that his dad used to play with the VCD. Since it didn’t have sound, this indeed counted as a silent film. A feeling of surrealness rose up within Tang Heng. It was honestly like a dream from a long afternoon nap.

Li Yuechi snuffed his cigarette and suddenly reached toward Tang Heng. The surroundings were silent and empty—only the projected images flashed by. Tang Heng froze for a moment and grasped Li Yuechi’s hand.

“You’re really watching?” Li Yuechi asked.

Tang Heng held his waist dazedly. “Then why’d you play the movie?”

Li Yuechi chuckled and moved in, suddenly kissing Tang Heng’s lips. Now he couldn’t see anything else, like a blizzard had buried all imagery.   

“I really don’t know how dating works,” Li Yuechi said. “But other people do it like this, so I want to do with you too.”

Tang Heng knew that his cheeks must be burning embarrassedly. Thank god everything was dark.   

“W-what movie did you choose?” Tang Heng asked, stuttering.

“A random one.”

“Huh?”

“The title sounded nice so I chose it,” he breathed into Tang Heng’s ear, ” Vive L’Amour.”

 

The movie indeed only played for five minutes.

Only five minutes, and Tang Heng felt like his lips were swollen. He wasn’t sure if he could go to practice tomorrow… No, not right. That wasn’t the point.

 

Li Yuechi locked the door of the screening room and climbed down the steps. “Shall we go back now?”

“Li Yuechi,” Tang Heng said through clenched teeth. “Do you have any other plans for tonight?”

“I have some homework assignments to check.”

“Can’t you check them tomorrow?”

“Tang Heng—”

“I brought my ID card.” Tang Heng didn’t know what he was thinking about. As if it wasn’t enough, he even pulled his wallet out of his pocket and flashed the thin card. “We can… can… stay out.”

Li Yuechi paused. “Wait a few more days.”

“Why?”

“For when I get my salary.”

“Huh?” Tang Heng blanched but quickly realized—when he gets his salary? Li Yuechi didn’t have money now? But what part of this would take a lot of money? Getting a room, buying a condom, maybe buy a bottle of lube… That was it, right?

“I-I have money.” Too embarrassed, Tang Heng hung his head, not daring to look at Li Yuechi’s face. “But I haven’t bought those things yet… We can go now…”

“It’s not the same,” Li Yuechi said.

“What?”

Instead of answering, Li Yuechi leaned over and caressed Tang Heng’s back as if to comfort him. Tang Heng knew that he’d gotten hard like a loser—got hard when they kissed just now. The night sky wrapped around them like fog and the surroundings were so quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind.

“I actually have a selfish wish.”

“…”

“My salary day is my birthday.” Li Yuechi’s voice became raspy, probably bearing something with difficulty too. “This way, I’ll remember what happened that day on every birthday.”