Chen Jian'an came up from behind, holding a cup, his gaze falling on the distant red leaves. "Little Fish is really drunk, isn't he?"
"He was already a one-drink lightweight at our middle school get-togethers, but he loved putting on a brave face, and he really liked fruit wine. Every time he drank, we'd have to take him home..."
Chen Jian'an froze, pausing briefly before quickly returning to normal. "A few of us friends always had to carry him back. He didn't make a fuss when he was drunk. He was very good and quiet, just staring blankly at you or falling asleep on your shoulder."
"Like a quiet little rabbit."
As he listened to the young man's recollections, intense irritation spread through Fu Hanchuan's limbs. His brow furrowed tightly, and he didn't respond once.
Chen Jian'an continued recounting the past on his own.
"Little Fish used to be such a picky eater, refusing this and that. I remember he really liked spicy food and didn't like sweets. He even said, 'Unless I'm starving to death, I won't touch anything sweet except sweet potatoes and sweetened milk.'"
"Once, our school took us out to pick cotton. It was blazing hot, and there wasn't any food, so the teachers handed out chocolate and Coke. Sweet things give you more energy, after all. Little Fish thought they were too sweet and sickly, and absolutely refused to eat a bite or drink a drop. He nearly fainted from hunger."
"He was so, so delicate back then." Chen Jian'an smiled warmly. "Maybe people change as they grow up."
Fu Hanchuan exhaled a mouthful of smoke. The milky-white haze curled around his eyes and brows, obscuring his inscrutable expression.
A sour feeling rose inexplicably in his heart.
Chen Jian'an lowered his head and unscrewed the