For the next two weeks, three days a week, Wang Li would go to the studio. Xu Chen would reluctantly follow him for two of those three days. It wasn't that Xu Chen was against people with tattoos but he was more uncomfortable around people than Wang Li, and didn't like to venture out of the places he knew. During the two weeks, not much had changed between Wang Li and Kong Da's relationship but this didn't discourage him.

Every time Wang Li arrived at the studio, he would start off by saying hello to Kong Da, then give him a cup of coffee alongside something sweet to eat that Xu Chen would make in class. At first, Kong Da would tell Wang Li not to spend money on him but after he was told that the coffee was made with the studio coffee and Xu Chen made all the baked goods in class, Kong Da couldn't refuse. After two weeks, Kong Da realised Wang Li might not let up about his feelings and felt complicated about how to deal with things.

Saturday was a day that Xu Chen always refused to follow Wang Li to the studio since he liked to sleep in; Wang Li quietly got out of bed to dress in a simple white shirt and denim shorts before making his way to the studio with his bag. Since Kong Da didn't like Wang Li spending money on him, he didn't pick up breakfast at a bakery and directly made his way to the studio, Wang Li was about to open the door but the sign read closed.

Wang Li was confused since no one had told him the studio would be closed, he was about to message JieJie on WeChat when he heard muffled shouts from inside. Wang Li tried the door and it was unlocked so he quietly entered to see what was going on. No one would be able to tell when looking at Wang Li but he was trained in Taekwondo thanks to his Dad. The shouts were coming from the large room and Wang Li placed his bag down before he snuck over to the doorway. In the room, he saw an unknown man in Kong Da's face; all though the man was a full head size shorter, he didn't seem scared. Suo Su was standing in front of both JieJie and Fang Mei most likely to protect them as they watched the man become red faced from anger.

Kong Da was obviously angry too but refrained from yelling, meaning Wang Li couldn't hear what was being said. Wang Li stayed in the doorway unsure of what to do when the angry man punched Kong Da in the face, because of his height difference the blow landed on Kong Da's jaw. Before Wang Li could think anything through he sprinted forward, after a large distance was covered, he jumped; his foot flung up before it swung down, a hard kick landed on the side of the man's head. Wang Li hadn't practiced taekwondo in a while so his landing was a little off but he still moved to stand in front of Kong Da protectively.

The man that had been kicked was also skilled in fighting and was only a little bit flustered from the kick but he wasn't knocked unconscious, without any hesitation he lunged his body toward Wang Li, throwing punch after punch with a fast speed which Wang Li attempted to block, though he did miss some. Kong Da reacted fast and he pushed Wang Li to the side, afterwards he shoved the man away. Suo Su swiftly ran behind the man to hold him back. Wang Li had been hit a couple times on his torso but was only a little sore, Kong Da was now standing in front of him protectively and turned to look over him, the man harshly shoved Suo Su away as he picked up a teapot from the table beside him and rushed forward, aiming to hit Kong Da in the back of the head.

Kong Da didn't see this since his head was turned but Wang Li had seen it and quickly kicked behind Kong Da's knee to push him to the ground then shoved him sideways. The man had already swung the pot down and Wang Li didn't have time to move his body, a loud shattering sound filled the quiet room as the pot landed against the side of Wang Li's head, smashing into a thousand pieces on the floor alongside his unconscious body. Suo Su lunged forward and Rabbit punched the man before calling the police and an ambulance.

. . . . . .

Wang Li had woken up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, but his head felt groggy and slow before he blacked out again; when Wang Li woke up again his head was wrapped in a bandage and he was lying in a hospital bed. Kong Da was sitting beside his bed staring at his shoes, lost in thought. His movements caused Kong Da to look up and for once, his expression was readable. The look of guilt made Wang Li's heart hurt, he tried to speak but his voice was raspy and dry. Kong Da handed a small cup of water and once his thirst was quenched, Wang Li spoke.

"There's no need to feel bad Da Ge, if the blow had been received by you, you wouldn't be alive."

Kong Da sat back in the small chair but his tall body still looked uncomfortable. After a couple minutes, Kong Da spoke but what came from his mouth Wang Li didn't want to hear.

"I think it's best if you don't visit the shop anymore. I was hoping your crush would fade away by not accepting it but after today, I think I should make it clear that I'm not the type of person you want to be in a relationship with. You are still very young so you should spend your time looking for someone who can treat you better."

Kong Da had never spoken so many words to Wang Li before, had it been a different conversation, Wang Li would be treasuring the words being spoken but right now, Wang Li showed his stubborn side and refused to accept it.

"I don't believe you."

Wang Li was about to say more but Suo Su, JieJie and Fang Mei came into the room as well as a red eyed Xu Chen. Wang Li's body was soon crushed by Xu Chen hugging him tightly and JieJie walked to his other side where Kong Da was, asking him if he needed anything.

"I'm fine, thank you JieJie."

It was Suo Su's turn to speak now.

"We should be thanking you, where the hell did you learn to fight like that?"

"My dad made me learn Taekwondo growing up, I'm a bit rusty though."

Kong Da stood up from his chair and walked out of the room, Suo Su quickly stole his chair and pulled JieJie into his lap before speaking.

"He's a little upset, don't mind him."

Xu Chen pushed Wang Li to the side so they could share the bed and quietly asked if he wanted to call his dad but Wang Li refused. The small group of people talked for 10 minutes, they mostly discussed the recent events and how the man was now in police custody; Wang Li tried to dig further but a nurse came in with Kong Da and ushered everyone out. Kong Da had paid the bill then quietly thanked Wang Li before leaving ahead of everyone else. Wang Li had to stay overnight since he had a concussion and Xu Chen stayed with him until visiting hours had ended.

The next morning Wang Li discharged himself and walked out of the hospital when he suddenly received a call from JieJie, stating she would pick him up in a few minutes.

In the car, Xu Chen was sitting in the front seat but moved to the back so the two could sit together, they were then taken to the studio for a thank you breakfast. Wang Li was hoping to talk to Kong Da about his rejection but Kong Da didn't join in on the breakfast, choosing to stay on the second floor drawing. Fang Mei could see that Wang Li was upset about Kong Da and tried to cheer him up.

"Xiao Li, in one month it's my birthday and we're all going camping. You and your friend are welcome to come, your exams will be over right? Don't worry about strangers either, It will be just us artists and my girlfriend."

Wang Li agreed but Xu Chen declined, as his mother had made him promise to go home once exams had finished since he hadn't gone back in months. After the breakfast ended, Wang Li headed upstairs with Kong Da's usual black coffee and sugar. The back room on the second floor was open, but still Wang Li knocked quietly. Although Wang Li knocked, Kong Da ignored him. He knocked again but after no response he walked in and placed the coffee down on the small desk where Kong Da was sitting.

"It's been three weeks Da Ge."

Wang Li could see that Kong Da was confused by this statement and he quickly told him that his tattoo was healed now. Wang Li stood beside Kong Da waiting for a reply but he was only met with silence. Kong Da slowly sipped at the hot coffee before standing up and walking out of the room. Wang Li followed closely behind and once the two of them reached the first floor, Kong Da pointed to an empty section of wall, Wang Li obediently stood in front of it. Once Kong Da grabbed the studio phone from the coffee table, he walked to stand a few steps in front of Wang Li.

"Shirt."

Un. Wang Li quickly took his t-shirt off and threw it onto a nearby chair, the AC in the studio was on since the weather had gotten hotter causing Wang Li's small nipples to harden. Kong Da took one far away shot then took a step forward to get a close up, Wang Li wasn't short since his height was 178cm but Kong Da was on another level of tall and had to squat down in front of Wang Li, his nipples at his eye level. Kong Da took two pictures before standing up and handing the shirt back to Wang Li. Fang Mei came from a private room and looked between the two before talking to Kong Da.

"Da Ge, you're still coming camping right?"

Un. Kong Da answered without looking up as he posted the pictures to the studio Weibo. Fang Mei looked delighted as she spoke again.

"Good, Xiao Li is coming too. He can drive you. Do you have a license Xiao Li?"

Wang Li nodded but when he looked at Kong Da his face had become pale and his poised look was now rigid. Wang Li was about to step closer to Kong Da and ask if he was okay when Suo Su called across the room from the sofa.

"Driving arrangements can be dealt with later, there's no need to rush things."

Wang Li could see that Suo Su's words calmed Kong Da down a bit and he bid everyone farewell, Xu Chen and him made their way back to their dorms to study so Wang Li could finish up the website.

. . . . . .

For the next month, Xu Chen and Wang Li barely left their Dorm as they focused on their studies, Xu Chen was a hospitality student so his exam was practical but he still had to write a paper; On the other hand, Wang Li had to hand in his website as well as write a paper and prep for his exam.

Kong Da, in those 4 weeks, seemed a little out of sorts and had gotten used to receiving sweet coffees and cake from Wang Li, he ended up forgetting to eat breakfast or buy coffee for himself. Ever since the driving arrangements had been mentioned by Fang Mei, Suo Su had been sticking closer to Kong Da to make sure he wasn't too stressed about it. Kong Da was in the middle of finalising a design when he noticed Suo Su stand behind him.

"Are you replacing Wang Li as my tail now?"

Hehe. Suo Su sarcastically laughed as he pulled a seat to sit beside Kong Da. Suo Su received a side glance but other than that he was ignored by Kong Da.

"Are you stressed about this weekend?"

"No. I need to get over it sooner or later."

"Do you mind Xiao Li driving you? because if you do, the two of you can drive with me and JieJie."

"If there's a problem I'll say."

Fu~Suo Su stood up and pushed his chair back then walked passed Kong Da, patting his head tenderly.

"No you won't."

. . . . . .

The exam period finally passed for Wang Li and Xu Chen and they woke up early on saturday so Wang Li could walk Xu Chen to the bus station. Wang Li was carrying a duffle bag while Xu Chen had two large suitcases and a backpack. The bus arrived on time and Wang Li hugged Xu Chen tightly, even though they would be seeing each other after the weekend. The pair lived in the same area but Wang Li still found it hard to go three days without seeing his soul mate.

"Make sure you call me and message me. JieJie told me there's reception where we're camping."

Un. The people around them were giving them weird looks since it looked like two lovers saying goodbye to each other, but the pair didn't care and continued to hold each other until Xu Chen had to get on the bus. Wang Li waved with all his might when the bus pulled away, Xu Chen's face was glued to the window as they departed from one another. Once the bus had disappeared from his view, Wang Li picked up his duffle bag and slowly walked to the studio where everyone would be meeting; on the way, he stopped by his favourite bakery to pick up buns for everyone as well as chocolate truffles for Kong Da, in the hopes that his mood would be elevated.

Once Wang Li arrived, he saw that Kong Da was the only one there. He was sitting in front of the studio smoking, Wang Li greeted him happily and sat beside him. Kong Da hummed and then stood up, Wang Li thought that he didn't want to sit next to him but Kong Da simply sat on the other side of him.

"The smoke will blow in your face if I don't move."

Un. Wang Li smiled up at Kong Da and handed him a red bean bun. The two of them sat quietly but there was no awkwardness like Wang Li thought there would be, they didn't need to wait long before Fang Mei pulled up in her car. Her and her girlfriend got out of the car quickly, afterwards the girl pointed at Wang Li then giggled.

"New guy."

"Wang Li actually."

The girl giggled more and pulled him into a hug before whispering in his ear.

"I'm BingBing, Fang Mei told me about your crush on Da Ge, don't worry I'm rooting for you too."

Wang Li nodded shyly then handed two buns over and sat back beside Kong Da, the cigarette butt was pushed against the cold concrete and Kong Da went to pull another from his pack when Suo Su pulled up in his car, JieJie following behind in hers. Both Wang Li and Kong Da stood up, Wang Li greeted them happily and handed over the last two buns. In return JieJie rubbed his head lovingly then handed over her car keys.

"Here, drive my car. If you two need anything just call me or Suo Su."

Wang Li nodded but JieJie faced Kong Da as she spoke, Suo Su then took Wang Li's phone and set up the GPS so they wouldn't become lost, he even loaded Kong Da's and Wang Li's bags into the car before whispering into Kong Da's ear. Not even a second later he pushed Kong Da into the car. Fang Mei had set off first with Suo Su following behind in second, leaving Wang Li as the last one to leave. The drive wouldn't last long since the campsite was on the outskirts of the city but Wang Li had only been driving ten minutes when he noticed Kong Da's complexion didn't look good.

"Da Ge, are you okay?"

"Fine, focus on driving."

Kong Da wound down his window, filling the car with a chilly breeze, traffic in the centre of the city had come to a stand still and the two of them sat in silence. Unlike earlier, Wang Li could feel a little tension in the air. He turned to look at Kong Da and saw a layer of sweat had formed over his forehead but his lips had no colour.

"Da Ge?"

The radio was suddenly roughly turned on before Kong Da turned the volume up to the point where it hurt Wang Li's ears, but he didn't complain. Their car was stuck in traffic for thirty minutes, Wang Li had received a few messages but he couldn't check, even if they weren't moving and Kong Da didn't show any sign of reading them for him. Wang Li anxiously strained his neck to see if he could see Suo Su or Fang Mei's car but he couldn't. Another painful thirty minutes passed and the traffic started slowly moving forward, the tension in the car had grown to the point where Wang Li had a cold sweat on his body too.

What should've only taken 15 minutes to get onto the motorway, took over an hour and they were now travelling at a decent speed, messages kept dinging on Wang Li's phone but Kong Da still ignored them, his rigid body leaned against the door so the cold wind could cool him down.

Wang Li thought that the worst of the traffic was behind him but halfway to the campsite they had come to a stand still again. Wang Li quickly reached behind him and pulled a water bottle from his bag, he gulped down a few mouthfuls before handing the bottle to Kong Da who finished off the rest. Under different circumstances Wang Li would have felt his heart race from sharing an indirect kiss with his crush, but now his heart was racing in fear that Kong Da was going to have a heart attack in the car.

The loud music was at the point of causing a slight ringing tone in Wang Li's ears and he reached forward to turn it down a bit. Kong Da didn't show any sign of minding so he put the volume at a loud but non deafening volume. Their car was at crawling pace again for close to an hour, Wang Li was thinking the worst when Kong Da pointed to a turn off and told him to take this road instead. Doing what he was told, the GPS came up with a new route. The road was close to empty and they could drive at the speed limit now, the GPS showed that this route was 10 kms longer but Wang Li didn't mind since they weren't stuck behind a thousand cars.

With the thought that everything was going smoothly, Kong Da turned the radio off and told him to pull over; the car was barely at a stop when Kong Da swung his door open and took quick steps to walk away from the car, when he had reached a few meters Kong Da vomited on the side of the road. Wang Li turned away though he could hear the loud sound of retching clearly and he pulled another water bottle from his bag. Before Wang Li could step out though, Kong Da pointed at him.

"Stay in the car."

Wang Li looked at Kong Da before he lightly closed his door, Kong Da stopped vomiting after a few minutes and he walked further up the road. Once he was close to 50 metres away, he squatted down and took out a cigarette, lighting it and taking long deep puffs. Wang Li felt a little hopeless as he watched the far away Kong Da smoke cigarette after cigarette. 30 minutes passed and Kong Da had slowed down on his smoking but he would pull out a new one once the old one was pressed into the gravel. There was no way this situation could last and Wang Li removed the keys from the ignition, he held the water bottle tightly as he ran to Kong Da. Wang Li was a little breathless when he stood next to the slumped man and he snatched the lit cigarette from Kong Da, replacing it with the water bottle. Kong Da's voice was raspy as he avoided Wang LI's eyes.

"Go back to the car."

Wang Li didn't listen and squatted beside Kong Da.

"I'll go back when you do."

Kong Da made no signs of moving so Wang Li sat down properly with his knees bent, after finishing the water in a few seconds Kong Da placed the bottle off to the side, among the small pile of butts, before pulling out another. However, he couldn't lift his lighter as Wang Li grabbed a hold of his hand, crushing the cigarette between their hands. No words were spoken but the vice grip he had on Kong Da's hand was enough to say no more cigarettes. The two men had no way of telling how long they would stay like this but Wang Li had already guessed the reason Kong Da didn't want to get back in the car.

Wang Li had been sitting on the side of the road with Kong Da for what felt like a lifetime, the wind had started to become colder and his butt had lost all feeling. Kong Da hated that he pulled a kid into this situation but he couldn't bring himself to stand up and walk back to the car. As Wang Li's nose turned red, the sky was losing light. He had become so tired and cold that Wang Li started to lean against Kong Da, within a few minutes he fell asleep. Kong Da was cold too but not as cold as the sleeping boy since he was wearing a sweatshirt and Wang Li had been blocking most of the wind. Once he felt all of Wang Li's weight lean against him, Kong Da removed his sweatshirt and placed it around the slim body, afterwards he forced himself to stand up while laying Wang Li down on the gravel.

His legs were so stiff from his awkward squatting and he walked back to the car with a limp, at the car he pulled both phones out then turned back and sat down beside the sleeping Wang Li, Kong Da pulled the small body into his lap in hopes Wang Li wouldn't become too cold and used his phone to call Suo Su. Kong Da didn't bother reading the countless texts from their group and waited for the call to connect. He only had to wait two rings before Suo Su answered.

"Where are you?!"

After he gave the location of the turn off they took Suo Su told him to wait before hanging up. Kong Da zipped his sweatshirt up around Wang Li and tightened his grip around the skinny body, while the sun began to set behind them. He didn't know if Suo Su had gone over the speed limit or if they were closer to the campsite than they expected, but only 20 minutes had gone by since the phone call and Kong Da saw Suo Su's car. Both JieJie and Suo Su got out and ran over. JieJie peeked into the oversized hood to check on Wang Li before asking worriedly.

"What happened?"

"Take him, Suo Su can drive me."

Kong Da stood up with Wang Li in his arms and placed him in the backseat of Suo Su's car before walking away. JieJie went to pull Kong Da back but Suo Su caught her hand and lightly squeezed it after kissing her on the cheek, he opened the drivers door.

"We won't be long, make sure Xiao Li has warm food when you return."

JieJie pulled back onto the road and Suo Su turned around to make his way to the ditched car. Suo Su picked up Wang Li's duffle bag while Kong Da carried his own backpack and the two men started making their way on foot to the campsite. He didn't bother asking Kong Da where the keys were since he knew they wouldn't be driving, instead he asked a different question.

"Want to know how far it is?"

"No."

Suo Su shrugged and continued walking with light steps. The sun had long disappeared but there was still a faint light in the sky. The empty road soon led to a small town area and Suo Su waited outside a convenience store while Kong Da went inside to buy a new pack of cigarettes. When he came out he threw a can of coffee at Suo Su and the two set off again. Suo Su took a big gulp of coffee before looking at the bag Kong Da was holding.

"Big bag for a pack of smokes."

Kong Da didn't say anything but pushed Suo Su playfully, the two men shoved each other jokingly until they had made it to the Campsite, the walk had taken them almost 2 hours. Luckily the campsite gates remained open through the night and Suo Su had picked up the cabin keys for Kong Da, otherwise they would have run into more bad luck. The two made their way to Suo Su and JieJie's cabin but didn't expect to see that JieJie was standing outside the car she had driven.

"Why are you standing in the cold?"

"I tried waking Xiao Li up but he said he wasn't hungry and went back to sleep."

Inside the car JieJie had turned the heating on so Wang Li could stay warm. She would've carried Wang Li to her cabin to rest but she was only 165 cm with lazy bones, so of course she couldn't lift a grown man let alone carry him. JieJie looked into the car again before turning to Suo Su.

"Where's my car?"

Suo Su didn't want to explain and Kong Da simply stated.

"Xiao Li had the keys."

JieJie was obviously angry but couldn't do anything about it so took the cabin keys for Kong Da's and Wang Li's room, unlocking the door before she pulled the covers back on the bottom bunk. Kong Da opened the car and picked Wang Li up. The youth wasn't exactly heavy but Kong Da was exhausted after the day's events and he practically dropped Wang Li onto the bottom bunk. Suo Su walked in behind him and placed the bag next to the bed before walking to the kitchen area to make some food for Kong Da. JieJie tucked Wang Li in tightly before pushing Kong Da out, even though he wanted to sleep too.

Fang Mei and BingBing were sitting in the dining area eating grilled meat and vegetables when a dead looking Kong Da sat opposite them. BingBing wasn't too familiar with Kong Da and since he looked extra scary she didn't initiate conversation. Fang Mei however, had been working alongside Kong Da for a while now and couldn't care less that he looked like he didn't want to speak.

"Rough trip? What happened?"

JieJie sat beside Kong Da handing over a bottle of water while Suo Su came over with enough food for the three of them to share. Kong Da ignored Fang Mei and finished the bottle of water before picking at the grilled meat without eating. JieJie ate a few mouthfuls before she rubbed Kong Da's tense shoulders in hopes he would feel better but only Suo Su knew what was eating away at him. After Fang Mei and BingBing had finished eating, they retired to their shared cabin for the night and JieJie looked over at Suo Su, understanding that he needed to talk to Kong Da alone and left to wash the dishes.

Kong Da had only eaten a couple mouthfuls and had filled himself up on water. After wiping his mouth, Suo Su leaned back in his chair tiredly before looking over at Kong Da's pale face. Kong Da leaned back in his chair too and closed his eyes, he could feel Suo Su staring at him, he also knew the man wanted to say something.

"Say it."

"This was the worst episode in a while."

Kong Da scoffed but it was mostly at himself, Suo Su carried on speaking.

"Tell me honestly, do you like Xiao Li? Because I know if it was any other person you would have refused getting in that car, let alone driving for half a day."

Kong Da didn't answer since he didn't know, he barely knew Wang Li. How could he say he had feelings for a person he knew little about? Suo Su rubbed his face roughly before sitting up and spoke in a softer tone.

"I know it's hard to let go, but it's been long enough Xiao Da, there's no need to hold onto the past. It's okay to forgive yourself."

Kong Da felt his eyes become hot and he quickly stood up, leaving the room as he stormed off to his cabin. He stood outside the quiet room until the cold night had practically frozen his bones, only then did he walk inside to grab a change of clothes and towel. He saw that Wang Li had thrashed about in his sleep and the blanket had become loose, slipping to his hips. Kong Da was about to walk out to the shower room but turned back and tucked the blankets back in before leaving. The tall man stood in the shower dejectedly, reliving the torturous moments from eight years ago.