[Video call ended]
The junior, completely unaware of what he had done, kept asking: “Is your girlfriend mad? Why? Did you guys fight?”
He still dared to ask why.
…
Yun Ci felt like smashing this unruly student’s head in.
“Can you solve the problem?” Yun Ci asked sarcastically, “Why are you butting in?”
The junior replied confidently, “Of course I can’t solve it, that’s why I’m here.”
“…”
The junior had never encountered a “tutor” who started off wanting to fight. He even talked about beating him up and calling an ambulance.
Although the junior usually acted tough at West High, high school kids messing around didn’t usually escalate to needing ambulances. He reluctantly behaved under this new tutor’s authority but not completely.
Yun Ci adjusted his mood.
Resisting the urge to really beat him up, he calmly said, “Liu Jiayu, go do your exercises.”
The junior, Liu Jiayu, refused to leave: “Is your girlfriend pretty? I didn’t see her in the video just now.”
Yun Ci said, “Pretty.”
Liu Jiayu: “Can I see a photo?”
Yun Ci gave him a look: “Do you want to see what an ambulance looks like?”
“…”
Liu Jiayu shut up.
The tutoring session lasted two hours. For the last hour, Yun Ci was distracted.
While half-heartedly explaining exercises to Liu Jiayu, he sent messages to Yu Xun.
He sent several messages first, explaining.
yc: [Not on a date.]
After a while, Yu Xun didn’t reply, so he sent a few more.
yc: [It’s not what you think.]
yc: [?]
yc: [Answer me.]
Ever since they started dating, Yu Xun’s black avatar had never been this quiet. Yun Ci sent several messages, but Yu Xun didn’t reply.
Meanwhile, Liu Jiayu was beside him, breaking down over a solid geometry problem: “How do you solve this? Is it this formula?”
Yun Ci didn’t even look at him: “Flip through your book, find it yourself.”
Liu Jiayu: “You’re my tutor—telling me to flip through the book.”
Yun Ci let out an “oh”: “Teaching you what independence means.”
Despite what he said, Yun Ci still briefly wrote down the problem-solving steps on scratch paper for him.
Liu Jiayu: “I don’t understand; can you do it again?”
Yun Ci coldly said, “If you don’t understand, move on to the next problem.”
“…”
Usually, tutors force him to do problems, which he isn’t interested in. Now that Yun Ci wasn’t in the mood to teach, Liu Jiayu, this slacker, got enthusiastic: “No! I’m going to figure out this problem today!!!”
However, his tutor was still sending messages to his “girlfriend.”
For the first time, Yun Ci found that the lines often spoken on TV could actually happen in real life.
He typed word by word: [I can explain.]
Liu Jiayu managed to solve the problem. His tutor glanced at it while waiting for a reply.
Liu Jiayu felt a bit proud: “Are you thinking that I just don’t usually put effort into studying but am actually super damn smart?”
Yun Ci cracked his knuckles, feeling a bit itchy: “I’m thinking that with the solution steps right in front of you, you can still write the wrong answer. You might as well skip the college entrance exam.”
Liu Jiayu: “…”
Yun Ci temporarily put down his phone and carefully explained the problem to him.
Just as he finished, the two-hour tutoring session was over.
After the lesson, Liu Jiayu chatted: “Your girlfriend still hasn’t replied?”
He added, “What did you do? Did you forget some special anniversary?”
Since Yu Xun hadn’t replied, he decided to take a chance.
Yun Ci exhaled: “You’ve had many relationships?”
Liu Jiayu: “School bully, do you know what a school bully is?”
Yun Ci: “What’s the connection between being a school bully and dating?”
Liu Jiayu: “I’m popular throughout the school, so naturally, I have a lot of dating experience.” Liu Jiayu emphasized again, “I’m in the top three of the heartthrob list this year.”
Yun Ci couldn’t hold back: “Check who was number one on the heartthrob list a few years ago.”
Liu Jiayu: “Who?”
Yun Ci looked at the kid and said: “Me.”
And my boyfriend. We took turns being number one.
“…” Liu Jiayu avoided this topic, “So, what happened?”
Yun Ci revealed a bit: “He thinks I’ve been a bit busy lately.”
Liu Jiayu, mixing in his own agenda, said: “Damn, that’s great. Then quit being a tutor.”
Yun Ci pulled out an extra piece of paper from the stack and started giving him more problems without saying a word, increasing his homework load.
“Don’t,” Liu Jiayu sat up straight, “Didn’t you just give me one sheet? Why add another one? I was joking.”
Liu Jiayu finally said: “You should coax her; you need to coax your girlfriend often.”
“If she thinks you’re busy, you should let her know that, for a man, his career is naturally more important.”
“…”
Yun Ci’s silence was deafening.
*
Yun Ci still left Liu Jiayu with an extra sheet of homework. Under Liu Jiayu’s resentful gaze, he went downstairs and out of the residential area, waiting for a car by the roadside.
He called a taxi and gave the driver Yu Xun’s address.
From Liu Jiayu’s place, it was about a forty-minute drive.
During these forty minutes, he kept an eye on the chat window, waiting for Yu Xun to reply.
Someone who usually talked to himself, sending a dozen messages alone, suddenly went silent, which felt very unusual.
After getting out of the car, he followed his previous memory and went upstairs.
Once upstairs, he squatted at Yu Xun’s door, not knocking directly.
This trip was entirely driven by impulse, and he didn’t even know if Yu Xun was home.
Separated by a door.
Yun Ci finally sent two words.
yc: [Open the door.]
Black Avatar: [?]
Black Avatar: [Where are you?]
yc: [At your door.]
The next second.
The door opened.
Yu Xun was wearing a black sweater, looking like he had put it on in a hurry, the hem messily tucked. He stood at the door, tall enough to almost reach the door frame.
His hair was also messy, as if he had just woken up. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the person squatting at the door: “…What are you doing here?”
After saying this, he woke up a bit more and, realizing their current state, pretended like he hadn’t said anything.
“Here to see you,” Yun Ci squatted, looking up, meeting his gaze from this position, “to explain.”
Yu Xun leaned against the door, casually, as if unintentionally, “Oh, done with your date and remembered me.”
“…”
“What? Isn’t that what you’re here to explain?”
Yu Xun continued leaning against the door, his posture becoming more nonchalant, but he actually made way for the person squatting at the door: “What else is there to explain besides this?”
Yu Xun originally didn’t want to say much, even planning to ignore Yun Ci.
But the moment he saw him, he couldn’t help it. He continued: “He’s quite young, a high school student, right? Nice earring.”
Yun Ci had been a bit apprehensive before coming.
But seeing Yu Xun, hearing his voice, and noticing the unintentional way he made a path, his previously tight emotions inexplicably relaxed a bit.
Then he said: “Yeah, he’s a sophomore.”
Yu Xun didn’t expect him to actually respond.
Yun Ci not only responded but continued: “West High.”
“An underclassman, a junior.”
Yun Ci listed all the “honors” Liu Jiayu had boasted about: “Top three on the heartthrob list this year.”
“Quite popular, admired by the whole school.”
“…”
Yu Xun didn’t speak. His eyes deepened, his whole demeanor sinking, like a whirlpool. This person usually seemed indifferent to everything, but deep down, his emotions roared, almost breaking through.
He put away all his jokes and said to Yun Ci in a cold, indifferent tone: “Leave.”
In the next moment, the person squatting on the ground suddenly stood up—making the door frame seem much lower with both of them there.
Yun Ci had also rushed out, not wearing his coat but holding it in his hand.
In his palm, he also held something else—a red envelope with “Happy New Year” written on it.
Just as Yu Xun was about to close the door, he saw this splash of red.
The envelope wasn’t thick, just a thin stack.
“There’s more to say,” Yun Ci handed the envelope to him, “he’s my student.”
“I’m doing tutoring, a friend introduced him.”
“I haven’t saved enough money yet, so I didn’t mention it earlier.”
Yu Xun was stunned, not expecting this answer.
Leaving aside why Yun Ci suddenly started tutoring, the second half of his sentence was a bit illogical: “You can’t mention it if you haven’t saved enough money?”
“I wanted to give you New Year’s money,” Yun Ci said.
According to the plan, he wanted to give him this envelope when it was thicker, on New Year’s Day.
So before saving enough, he couldn’t reveal the plan in advance.
Yu Xun had considered many possibilities but hadn’t thought of this one.
His memory flashed back to a while ago, to that day when Yun Ci asked him a question.
—Are you tired?
All of Yu Xun’s emotions dissipated instantly, easily swayed.
“I’ll accept this ‘Happy New Year’.”
As he spoke, he took the money out of the envelope, only keeping the empty envelope and stuffing the money back into Yun Ci’s hand: “This isn’t necessary—I’m not at the point where I need my boyfriend to support me.”
Since Yu Xun said this, Yun Ci didn’t insist: “Still angry?”
“Not angry,” Yu Xun explained, “I won’t get angry with you.”
“?”
If he’s not angry, why didn’t he reply?
Before Yun Ci entered, Yu Xun suddenly bent down close, his hand on Yun Ci’s waist, gripping tightly—the whole hug was heavy.
As he got closer, there was a moment when they were so close that Yun Ci thought they were going to kiss.
But at the critical moment, Yu Xun shifted, and the kiss landed on his forehead instead.
Just like last time, he hugged tightly, as if absorbing the other’s breath, murmuring, “…I only get jealous.”
After a while.
Maintaining the hug, Yu Xun asked him: “Have you eaten?”
Yun Ci: “No.”
Yu Xun’s breath hit Yun Ci’s neck as he spoke: “I’ll cook for you.”
Yun Ci’s nose brushed against Yu Xun’s hanging hair, and he casually said: “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?”
Yu Xun: “…I don’t know how to make that. You want to see me jump over the wall?”
It was a topic they had discussed over the phone before. Briefly separated, they could only chat through the phone screen. Now back in reality, everything regained warmth.
The person speaking was warm. Warm and real.
After entering the house, they went to the kitchen.
There were still some vegetables left from the last time, and Yu Xun simply made two dishes.
Yun Ci wanted to help, but every time he touched the ingredients and started washing, he was stopped: “You don’t need to do this.”
Yu Xun added: “Do something else.”
“?”
Something else.
What else is there to do in the kitchen besides washing vegetables?
Yu Xun: “For example, hugging me.”
“…”
He added, “Maybe my cooking will turn out exceptionally well, though I’m already pretty good at it. In any case, washing vegetables won’t have the same effect.”
In the end, Yun Ci leaned against the kitchen door, waiting for him.
While cooking, they talked about his aunt: “Still in the hospital?”
Yu Xun replied with a sound, “Hmm,” and said: “Her mental state hasn’t been good lately.”
Yun Ci wanted to ask about his parents, why he was the one taking care of his aunt in this condition, and why there were no signs of anyone else living in the house.
The question was on the tip of his tongue when Yu Xun finished cooking and turned off the stove.
With a “click,” the stove was off, and Yun Ci’s words remained unspoken.
The dishes were laid out on the table, simple and light, along with two bowls of rice and two pairs of chopsticks.
Yu Xun went to get some napkins, and before Yun Ci picked up his chopsticks, he inexplicably took out his phone.
Then he took a photo.
“What are you taking pictures of?” Yu Xun came back.
Yun Ci put away his phone: “Just checking the time.”
Yu Xun loved to expose him and asked: “Oh, what time is it then?”
“…”
How would he know? He hadn’t checked.
“My phone’s out of battery,” Yun Ci lied without batting an eye, “couldn’t see.”
After a while, Yu Xun’s phone vibrated a few times.
He glanced at the messages.
Yu Xun’s cooking was indeed good, very homely, probably learned while taking care of his aunt at home.
After eating, they sat on the sofa.
On TV, a variety show was playing.
Yun Ci vaguely felt that after dinner, there was still something off between him and Yu Xun. This unease started when Yu Xun looked at his phone because after dinner, when Yu Xun sat on the sofa, he even sat a bit far from him.
He had already explained the situation with Liu Jiayu.
Could there be something else he hadn’t explained?
…
While thinking, the TV played a line: “So, is being moved really different from having feelings?”
“…”
He realized something.
He looked down and sent Luo Sifang a private message.
yc: [What did you talk about with Yu Xun?]
Luo Sifang: [?]
Luo Sifang was shocked: [Damn, how did you know we were gossiping just now.]
Luo Sifang: [Yu-ge is particularly interested in the gossip about my alma mater. We had an in-depth discussion about the difference between being moved and having feelings, and we agreed that many tragic love stories begin this way.]
“…”
Yun Ci typed word by word.
yc: [You’re professionals.]
yc: [Is your homework too little?]
Through the internet, Luo Sifang’s innocent reply didn’t convey any emotion: [Not little, quite a lot.]
After finishing the chat with Luo Sifang, Yun Ci put away his phone.
He glanced sideways and noticed that Yu Xun was also looking down at his phone.
The only sound left in the living room was the noise from the TV.
Yun Ci endured and endured, but in the end, he couldn’t hold back. Almost irritably, he called out Yu Xun’s name.
Then, before Yu Xun even had time to look up—Yun Ci reached out, grabbed the collar of Yu Xun’s sweater, and pulled him towards himself without a second thought.
At close range, leaving no space to breathe.
The next moment, Yun Ci asked him: “Want to kiss?”
