The faculty lawn had been transformed.
Golden ribbons wrapped the podium. White folding chairs lined the grass in neat rows. Professors in gowns chatted at the fringes while students clutched bouquets and certificates, laughter floating through the air like confetti.
Chi Cheng stood by the railing, hands tucked in his pockets, his graduation sash draped over his shoulder.
He was quiet but not tense.
Wu Suo Wei watched him from a few steps away, clutching a small gift bag behind his back.
"You look like a movie star," Wu Suo Wei said shyly, stepping closer.
Chi Cheng turned, his mouth quirking at the corners. "You're just saying that because of the gown."
"No..." Suo Wei's voice softened. "Because it's you."
He handed him the bag. Inside was a custom keychain: a tiny basketball, and a chibi of Chi Cheng in his jersey. Attached was a note in Suo Wei's neat handwriting: So you never forget what you meant to this campus... and to me.
Chi Cheng swallowed. He hadn't expected to get emotional.
"I still have one more year," Suo Wei whispered. "But... will you wait?"
Chi Cheng didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled Suo Wei into a tight hug and kissed the side of his head.
"I'll always wait, Da Bao."
Across the field...
Guo Cheng Yu was arguing with his tie.
"It's uneven," he muttered.
Xiao Shuai snatched it, adjusted it neatly, and smirked.
"There. Now you're handsome and mildly presentable."
"I was already both."
Shuai rolled his eyes, but there was a warmth in it now, especially after everything that had happened. Cheng Yu had protected him, chosen him. Even as Meng Tao was permanently expelled and disappeared from the university radar, Cheng Yu had stayed close, steady, and real.
"You're really leaving," Xiao Shuai said under his breath.
"Only from the campus," Cheng Yu replied. "Not from you."
Shuai looked away quickly.
"I got you something," he mumbled, pulling a small envelope from his bag. Inside was a photo, one of the first they'd taken together, smiling under the editing lab's neon lights. On the back were Shuai's scribbled words:
"To the one who saw me before I saw myself."
Cheng Yu's breath hitched.
He didn't speak. He just kissed him.
Longer than appropriate for a public event. But no one dared interrupt.
During the Ceremony
Names were called, applause roared.
Chi Cheng stood proud as his name echoed from the speakers. Wu Suo Wei screamed the loudest from the audience, clapping until his palms stung.
Guo Cheng Yu walked across the stage like he owned the world and maybe, in Xiao Shuai's eyes, he did.
They tossed their caps skyward, and just like that... they were no longer students.
Later That Evening — Apartment
The apartment was warm with laughter and the smell of takeout.
All four boys were sprawled across the couch and floor, still in half-formal clothes, sipping iced tea and stealing bites from each other's plates.
Wu Suo Wei curled against Chi Cheng's side, cheeks rosy from smiling all day.
Shuai was playing with Cheng Yu's sash, pretending to wear it as a cape.
"You're free now," he said dramatically.
"I'm officially unemployed," Cheng Yu replied.
"But you have me."
Cheng Yu leaned forward and kissed the corner of his lips. "Best graduation gift."
Chi Cheng raised a brow. "I hope I still get the better one."
Suo Wei blinked up at him, puzzled. "What?"
Chi Cheng whispered in his ear: "I want you to be my next chapter."
Suo Wei's heart leapt.
Text Message Later That Night
Jiang Xiao Shuai (to Suo Wei):
"You think they'll survive in the real world?"
Wu Suo Wei:
"If not, we'll pull them back.
...Or run away with them. 😳"
Xiao Shuai:
"Deal."
The End
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