Boys Don't Cry Easily

Don't ask me where I come from.

My homeland is far away.

Why do I wander?

Wandering far away.

Wandering!

…

A dessert shop on the street was playing an old song from over forty years ago, "The Olive Tree."

The lyrics resonated with Zhuang Ziang, making him feel like a homeless wanderer.

Whether at his father's place or his mother's, they were just places to stay, not homes.

He didn't want to return to his mother's two-bedroom apartment, facing the lonely night alone.

Thankfully, he had a friend he could rely on.

"Hey, I ran away from home. Can you take me in for the night?" Ziang called Li Huangxuan.

"Of course, I'll come down to get you," Huangxuan replied cheerfully.

Ziang smiled; this son was worth having.

If he weren't in this world anymore, Huangxuan would surely be deeply saddened.

"What happened to you?"

Downstairs, Huangxuan saw Ziang's face smeared with blood and looked worried.

"It's nothing, just a bit of a nosebleed," Ziang responded casually.

"Take care of yourself. I need you to take care of me in old age," Huangxuan joked.

True friends can't help but tease each other.

In modern slang, they called themselves "foster son and father."

Ziang's sorrowful mood didn't take to the joke.

He had visited Huangxuan's home many times before, always with envy.

His friend's parents were loving, and their home was filled with warmth and laughter.

Unlike his own, where he could only retreat to his room and face the cold walls alone.

"Mom, Ziang is staying over tonight. He hasn't had dinner yet," Huangxuan called out to his mother, Fan Ling, as he walked in.

"This late and you haven't eaten? I'll make you some noodles," she replied from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Auntie." The warmth in her voice made his nose tingle with emotion.

If only he had such a gentle mother.

Xu Hui was always exhausted from work and had little energy to nurture their relationship.

Huangxuan's father, Li Tianyun, saw Ziang's bloodied face and looked alarmed, asking many questions.

He had his son fetch some ice and invited Ziang over, "Come here, I'll ice it to stop the bleeding."

"Thank you, Uncle." Ziang bowed.

Tianyun applied ice to his forehead and neck, then carefully cleaned the blood with a wet towel, sighing with concern, "You must take care of yourselves at school. If you feel unwell, tell your teachers and parents. Don't bear it alone."

These words broke Ziang's composure.

With such a heavy burden, he felt alone, with no one to lean on.

Facing his cold father at home, he had held back.

But now, with the kind parents of his friend, he couldn't hold it anymore, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

Tianyun hugged him tightly, "It's okay, don't cry."

In his warm embrace, Ziang tried to control his emotions.

He repeated in his mind, "Boys don't cry easily."

I can't cry, I can't cry…

"Ziang, come eat," Fan Ling called softly.

The steaming bowl of noodles had two poached eggs on top.

Huangxuan's family knew his situation well.

To avoid making him sad, they didn't ask about his troubles but chatted casually about school.

"Huangxuan is lucky to have a friend like you."

"Yeah, how do you always come first in exams?"

"If you were our son, we'd be overjoyed."

…

Ziang looked up, "Auntie, do you mean it? Would you want a son like me?"

"Of course, a son like you would be any parent's pride." Fan Ling answered without hesitation.

Tianyun cleared his throat and signalled his wife with a look.

She realized her slip, touching on Ziang's painful subject.

Such an outstanding son, yet treated like a ball tossed between his parents.

After finishing the noodles, Huangxuan took Ziang to his room.

Earlier, he'd eyed the small, exquisite strawberry cake.

"Son, you shouldn't have. But since you did, I'll accept it."

He eagerly divided the cake in half, handing a piece to Ziang.

Ziang felt guilty, wanting to explain the cake wasn't originally for him, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Suddenly, he felt a cold smear on his cheek.

It was Huangxuan, smearing him with cream and laughing loudly, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"You dare attack me!" Ziang retaliated, pressing his cake onto Huangxuan's face.

Dodging and laughing, they chased each other around the room like playful children.

The pressure in Ziang's heart was momentarily released. Only with Huangxuan did no one remind him to grow up, to be sensible.

Exhausted, they lay side by side on the bed.

Panting, Huangxuan asked, "Where did you go this afternoon?"

"I didn't want to attend class, so I went fishing by the river," Ziang admitted.

"What? Even you, the model student, skip class?" Huangxuan was incredulous.

"Yeah, being a good student for so many years is tiring," Ziang said thoughtfully.

He continued, "I met a girl by the ginkgo trees on the playground. She's even prettier than Lin Mu Shi. We spent the whole day together."

"Dream on! There's no girl prettier than Lin Mu Shi at our school," Huangxuan scoffed.

Ziang froze, realizing the truth.

If there was a girl named Su Yudie prettier than the school beauty Lin Mu Shi, he would have heard of her.

Was her name made up?

Or was she not from their school?

Seeing his silence, Huangxuan asked, "Which class is she in?"

"She said Class 23," Ziang stammered.

"Such nonsense," Huangxuan shook his head, thinking Ziang was delusional.

He pulled out his phone, "Still early, want to play a game?"

"I might mess it up," Ziang frowned.

"Just play support, I'll carry us," Huangxuan said confidently.

"My only support hero is the fish."

As a top student, Ziang rarely played games and wasn't very skilled.

But after skipping class, playing games didn't seem like a big deal.

"TiMi!"

They launched the "Honor of Kings" together.

Huangxuan was Diamond 3, while Ziang was Platinum 4, allowing them to queue together.

Fish referred to Zhuang Zhou, a support hero.

A well-known support character, perfect for beginners.

"Is it fun fighting in someone's dream?"

They began their joyful gaming session.

"Why did you bring Purify on Zhuang Zhou?"

"For cleansing, isn't that okay?"

"Use your ult when Lü Bu jumps!"

"Sorry, I forgot I had Purify myself."

The first match was narrowly lost.

The second match was a close defeat.

Third match, another loss.

…

Until Huangxuan dropped to Diamond 4, and Ziang to Gold 1, they couldn't queue together anymore.

"You played Zhuang Zhou well. Don't play him again," Huangxuan tossed his phone aside.

"Okay!" Ziang took it as a compliment.

It was late, time to sleep.

Reality was harsh; dreams were better, filled with everything one could wish for.

A beautiful long sleep was worth celebrating.

La la la la la…