The phone screen lit up, showing the caller and call duration.
His dad, Yan Yue.
The headteacher at West High. Yu Xun’s former teacher.
The relationship between the two of them was somewhat complicated.
Sometimes, Yu Xun would glance at the set of books Yan Yue had given Yun Ci at the beginning of the semester on the bookshelf, feeling certain thoughts fleeting in his mind. He pursued Yun Ci, and Yun Ci fell for him—how would Yan Yue feel about that?
…
Yun Ci was momentarily stunned, also a bit surprised.
Yu Xun, uncharacteristically nervous, explained: “I picked up the wrong phone, and answered by mistake.”
He added, “We had registered our fingerprints before.”
Yun Ci only paused for that moment, then glanced at the call duration on the phone, indicating he understood.
Yu Xun didn’t expect such a calm reaction: “That’s it?”
Yun Ci: “What?”
Yu Xun said: “Your reaction.”
He closely observed Yun Ci’s expression, finding nothing more, so he emphasized: “I accidentally answered your dad’s call just now. He thinks we’re in the dorm.”
Yun Ci quickly understood why Yu Xun was nervous.
He didn’t say anything, just took a few steps forward, approaching Yu Xun and then leaning down, closing the distance in a slightly oppressive manner.
While rinsing off, his previously dried hair had gotten wet again, the strands sticking to his forehead, their color deepened by the water, almost black, matching his pupils.
“When I confessed to you,” Yun Ci looked at him and said each word clearly, “did you think I hadn’t thought about anything?”
These words smoothed out all of Yu Xun’s emotions.
His tense body relaxed, “What did you think about?”
Yun Ci: “What if Lao Yan opposes it?”
Yu Xun made a sound of acknowledgement, signaling him to continue.
Yun Ci said: “Eloping and ending up on the streets.”
Yu Xun took over the conversation, following his lead: “Eloping to where?”
“Anywhere.”
“Sure,” Yu Xun fell back as if Yun Ci had knocked him onto the bed, “as long as I’m with you, anywhere is fine.”
After the joke.
Yun Ci’s tone lowered, and he said very seriously, “No matter what his reaction is, he will eventually agree.”
“?
Yu Xun was momentarily confused by the sudden statement.
The chandelier light on the ceiling was dizzying, and Yu Xun looked at Yun Ci, whose facial contours were softened by the light, dazzlingly. Then, he heard Yun Ci’s voice again, faint but powerful in his ear: “Because there’s no one better than you.”
“You’re the best.”
–
After checking out, Yun Ci went back to the dorm to return Yan Yue’s call.
On the phone, the unavoidable topic of the person who had mistakenly answered the call came up.
Yan Yue first asked about his recent studies, giving them both a way to move past the incident about the tutor and the subsequent competition during the holiday. Then, he changed the topic: “I heard from Teacher Gao that you and Yu Xun are getting along well lately?”
Yun Ci acknowledged with a sound, not denying it.
He even reinforced the concept of “getting along well”: “We have a great relationship.”
Yan Yue: “Didn’t you used to dislike him a lot at West High?”
Yun Ci said: “I suddenly realized he’s not bad.”
Yan Yue heard the noise from the other end of the line becoming very chaotic, with the sounds of boys playing games and roommates talking, completely different from the background noise earlier. He paused and asked: “Your roommates are back?”
Yun Ci: “They’re all here.”
He paused and added, “Yu Xun went to the shop.”
Yan Yue was familiar with Yu Xun’s situation: “Part-time job, huh.” He thought that although Yu Xun’s family situation had improved, it might not be that good.
He rarely talked about Yu Xun’s family affairs with others, especially since his own son used to have a bad relationship with this classmate. Now that the two had a good relationship, Yan Yue spoke with a sense of appreciation: “It’s not easy for him. Back in high school, his aunt and uncle were in a terrible situation…”
Yun Ci caught the keyword: “Uncle?”
He had only seen Yu Xun’s aunt before and didn’t remember an uncle.
…
No, there probably was.
In that distant memory, on the day he called the police, the man who was taken away.
He had a vague impression of that man, with a somewhat square face, looking very disheveled and unkempt, not tall, wearing a set of semi-worn dirty clothes.
He had a loud voice, very unreasonable.
And when he was dragging a woman on the street, he was also calling her his “wife.”
Yun Ci could only remember this, but Yan Yue didn’t continue: “It’s always good to take care of each other. You are in the same major, you can also ask him for help with your studies.”
Yan Yue didn’t notice the nature of their relationship, and Yun Ci didn’t bring it up, unable to find the right moment. The conversation ended there.
[Call ended.]
Yun Ci stood on the balcony, lost in thought about Yan Yue’s words.
After a while, his phone vibrated.
yx: [/image]
In Yu Xun’s status photo, Liu Zi also appeared in the frame, holding something in his hands, looking at the camera with a blank expression, unable to hide the turbulent collapse in his eyes.
yc: [What’s with Liu Zi’s expression?]
At the store. Yu Xun didn’t care about Liu Zi’s life or death, grabbing him for a selfie.
After a while, he replied: [No idea. Maybe he’s single and jealous.]
At the same time, his phone rang, it was a call from an unknown number.
Yun Ci generally didn’t answer unknown calls, but after declining once, the person called again.
Upon answering, it was Liu Jiayu’s voice, shouting over the phone: “Damn it, teacher, help!”
Yun Ci: “?”
The sound on Liu Jiayu’s end was very chaotic, accompanied by urging from someone nearby, whose voice sounded somewhat familiar: “Hurry up, phone bills aren’t cheap.”
Liu Jiayu shouted, “Don’t rush, wait for my friend to come and pay you ten times the phone bill,” then got closer to the phone and said: “I’m at an internet cafe near West High, the black internet cafe, you know it, right? Bring some money to save me.”
Having eaten more meals than this kid, Yun Ci immediately knew this was trouble: “No money.”
Liu Jiayu: “?”
Liu Jiayu: “You charge four hundred per lesson, you have no money? Where’s your money?”
Yun Ci casually said: “Spent it on dating.”
Liu Jiayu was both exasperated and desperate: “Are you a love-brained idiot!”
Yun Ci made a sound of acknowledgment: “Congratulations, you guessed right.”
“…”
Liu Jiayu, in the internet cafe lobby, thought Yun Ci was refusing to “save” him, about to feel dejected, when he heard this top tutor and handsome guy say: “Wait there.”
About an hour later, Yun Ci and his student were sitting side by side in the internet cafe.
Liu Jiayu was still wearing the familiar West High uniform, his rebellious earrings removed. He began to curse the culprit who had caused him to be trapped in the internet cafe: “He’s insane.”
Yun Ci, sitting next to him, started a game and replied perfunctorily: “Mm.”
Liu Jiayu: “Idiot!”
Yun Ci: “Oh.”
Liu Jiayu got to the point: “Why does Yan Yue care so much? What’s it to him if I pierce my ears? He even confiscated my phone for playing in class. Now I don’t have a phone, so I had to come to the internet cafe, and I didn’t bring money.”
“……”
The moment Yun Ci heard his dad’s name, he perked up a bit and stopped giving perfunctory responses.
Liu Jiayu kept talking and sought agreement, looking at Yun Ci: “Can you believe there’s someone like that?”
The son of the person he was talking about: “……”
Yun Ci changed the subject: “So that’s why you didn’t respond to my messages?”
Liu Jiayu: “Yeah. My phone was confiscated.”
Yun Ci knew Yan Yue’s style; he usually wouldn’t confiscate a student’s phone without a good reason, so he casually asked, “What were you doing with your phone in class?”
Liu Jiayu firmly said, “I wasn’t using my phone in class.”
“?”
“I was taking ugly photos of the English teacher during break, turning them into memes, and posting them in the class group.”
“……”
So that’s how Yan Yue used to see us little brats, Yun Ci thought with a bit of a headache.
“You didn’t handle this well,” Yun Ci said, clicking the mouse.
Liu Jiayu: “Right, why did he confiscate my phone?”
Yun Ci continued, “Yeah, you should’ve been punished with a few hundred lines of self-reflection.”
Liu Jiayu: “……”
Yun Ci had brought a few test papers with him, along with some scratch paper and a pen, and threw them in front of Liu Jiayu, making him start doing the problems at the computer in the internet cafe.
At first, Liu Jiayu was very resistant.
Yun Ci got annoyed and directly said, “If you don’t do it, I’ll tell your mom.”
As Liu Jiayu was writing, he asked, “Is college really that free? Our teachers keep saying things will be better after high school.”
This question was quite broad.
Is it free? Yes, it is.
But it doesn’t seem that free either.
Yun Ci looked at Liu Jiayu, who had cold eyes. Liu Jiayu thought this handsome tutor was about to give him some life advice, but instead, he heard, “You might not even get into college.”
“……”
Yun Ci added, “You’re worrying too much.”
“…………”
Liu Jiayu stared at the test paper, thinking he might as well die alone in the internet cafe instead of calling this tutor over.
Yun Ci hadn’t informed the dorm leader when he left, and it was late now. Going back at midnight wasn’t necessary. He couldn’t leave this little brat alone here.
From the moment he arrived, Yun Ci was prepared to spend the night at the internet cafe with Liu Jiayu.
After a while of silence, Liu Jiayu wanted to talk to Yun Ci again.
He turned around and saw this handsome tutor taking a photo, judging by the angle, it was a selfie.
Liu Jiayu, with his mouth open: “Damn, I didn’t know you were so narcissistic…”
As soon as he finished speaking, the selfie was frozen on the screen.
He saw Yun Ci’s cold, handsome face in the photo, with Liu Jiayu himself in the background, looking dumb with his mouth open.
Liu Jiayu: “……”
Liu Jiayu: “Why did you take a picture of me?”
Then, feeling a bit embarrassed, he added, “If you want a photo together, you can just ask.”
Yun Ci ignored him, looked down, and sent the photo to Yu Xun.
yc: [image].
After sending the photo, he added a message.
yc: [At the internet cafe, not coming back tonight.]
yc: [This idiot next to me came to surf the net without bringing money.]
After sending, he finally addressed Liu Jiayu, “Don’t overthink it.”
“?
“Sending it to my partner,” Yun Ci said, “reporting in.”
Liu Jiayu wanted to shout, “You’re love-obsessed,” but then remembered this tutor had already admitted he was love-obsessed.
He could only grumble to himself, “You shouldn’t be too love-obsessed; a man needs his own life, work comes first, women should come second.”
Yun Ci waited for Yu Xun’s reply. Yu Xun usually wouldn’t get jealous but would definitely have something to say.
Sure enough, Yu Xun replied with, [Will you still love me when you come back?]
Yun Ci smirked, then put down his phone and coldly said to Liu Jiayu, “You don’t have anyone in your heart, but you still don’t get top scores in exams.”
“……”
The photo captured not only Yun Ci and Liu Jiayu but also the internet cafe’s environment.
The familiar black internet cafe, dimly lit, exuding a sense of sneaky decadence. Half the people in the cafe were unemployed locals, the other half were students from Xi High School.
Many high school students were rebellious, didn’t like going home, and occasionally spent nights in the internet cafe.
In the farthest corner, a boy in a school uniform was sleeping.
The boy was very tall, with his wrist resting on the back of his neck.
The environment was too familiar, reminding Yun Ci of Yu Xun, who used to spend all his holidays in the internet cafe.
At first glance, Yun Ci thought it was Yu Xun, but on a closer look, he realized they were completely different.
Yu Xun was taller, his wrist bones more prominent, his hair color darker, and he looked better in a school uniform. In every way, Yu Xun was better.
……
Liu Jiayu was forced to do the problems on the side. Bored, Yun Ci played a few rounds of Minesweeper, quickly got bored, and started watching a lecture on criminal law by a certain professor.
Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of him, reeking of smoke. The person, a cigarette in his mouth, said, “A cup of instant noodles.”
It was the internet cafe owner.
An old acquaintance, but Yun Ci wasn’t sure if the owner still remembered him after more than six months since graduation.
“Didn’t order it,” Yun Ci said. “It’s a mistake.”
The owner said, “It’s no mistake, it’s for you. Take it and eat.” The owner, cigarette in mouth, sat in an empty spot nearby. “Graduated, huh? Haven’t seen you in a while.”
Yun Ci took the instant noodles, surprised. He casually said, “Good memory.”
The owner replied, “Bringing an entire class here to play games against another class, I’ve only seen you do that a few times in all my years running this internet cafe.”
Unexpectedly attacked by a youthful memory, Yun Ci: “……”
Liu Jiayu, who was dozing off while doing the problems, suddenly woke up: “That cool? You’re the real school bully?”
Yun Ci didn’t bother explaining: “Yeah, I can take on ten of you alone.”
Liu Jiayu: “Good thing I gave in quickly back then.”
The internet cafe owner glanced around a few more times and said, “Where’s the other one? Why didn’t he come back with you?”
Yun Ci reminded him: “Boss, this is an illegal internet cafe.”
Like coming back to school.
So honorable, you should come back often.
The internet cafe owner, cigarette bobbing as he spoke, said, “What’s wrong with an illegal internet cafe? The attendance rate of students here is higher than at school. Why shouldn’t it be considered an important memory of student days—”
As he spoke, he asked again, “So you didn’t come together?”
Yun Ci knew he was talking about Yu Xun.
So he said, “No.”
The internet cafe owner, dedicated to his job, continued: “Now that you’ve graduated, are you still at the same school? By the way, did he solve his family issues? The guy who was always looking for him, he can’t still be homeless and sleeping in internet cafes in college, can he?”
When Yun Ci heard the first part, he instinctively thought of Yu Xun’s aunt’s situation. But hearing the second part, he was stunned.
“Always looking for him,” Yun Ci repeated, “homeless?”
The internet cafe owner said, “Yeah.”
Though it was a bit far off, the memory was vivid, and the internet cafe owner could still accurately describe the situation back then: “He used to sleep in the internet cafe all the time. There was a man always lurking around, cursing and looking for him. But he never found him. There was a storage closet near the internet cafe where he could hide.”
As the internet cafe owner spoke, a certain casual comment from Yu Xun echoed in Yun Ci’s mind.
—”Actually, I was homeless at that time, could only eat instant noodles in the internet cafe. I didn’t expect you to come out and stay up all night with me.”
Yun Ci snapped out of it and asked, “What kind of man, how old?”
The internet cafe owner tried to recall: “Square face…? His clothes were pretty dirty, and he looked very fierce.”
“But then you came, and you two started playing games.”
The internet cafe owner continued to reminisce: “After you left, when the holidays ended, that kid still came by occasionally, not to play games. It scared me so much that I contacted your headmaster to come and take him away.”
Head. Master.
Yun Ci suddenly fell silent.
It was Liu Jiayu who leaned over and cursed: “Yan Yue?”
The internet cafe owner said, “I think his last name is Yan. I can’t remember if that’s his first name.”
At that moment, it felt like a slight electric current ran through his memory, connecting many details.
After chatting for a while, the internet cafe owner got busy again.
Liu Jiayu kept rambling, “Damn, next time I’m bringing a whole class here too, and I’ll invite the second last in our grade, I’m gonna challenge him like that.”
Yun Ci didn’t hear a word.
Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Yun Ci graded Liu Jiayu’s completed test. Out of twenty questions, he got two right.
In the middle of the night, Liu Jiayu was sleeping in a messy position.
Half asleep, he mumbled, “Turns out sleeping in an internet cafe is so uncomfortable. If I had known, I wouldn’t have fought with my family.”
“……”
Yun Ci raised his hand and, with the last bit of patience, pulled Liu Jiayu’s school uniform jacket over his head, covering him completely.
Around seven in the morning, Yun Ci sent Liu Jiayu to Xi High School.
After watching Liu Jiayu enter the school gates, he turned to wait for the bus back to his own school.
Standing at the bus stop, Yun Ci suddenly realized winter had passed.
The weather was getting warmer and gradually more stuffy. The howling winter winds seemed to be stopping.
