Chapter 3: Come to My Place.

【003】

Li Chengxi and Yu Ting had been in the same class since junior high all the way through high school. Back in junior high, they had no interaction whatsoever. They only got to know each other in their first year of high school.

It was not long after the school year started. A few guys cornered Yu Ting after class to “talk.” Li Chengxi showed up and defused the situation, and they gradually became close after that.

Li Chengxi came from a well-off family. His father ran an international shipping company. Late last year, they applied for immigration. Last week, Li Chengxi’s transfer paperwork was finalized.

The paper bag Li Chengxi held out had a bitten-apple logo, one Yu Ting had just seen at the phone store. Yu Ting didn’t take it. “My phone is still pretty good. Keep it for yourself. What time tomorrow? I’ll see you off.”

Li Chengxi’s face was full of dejection. He stepped forward and rested his chin on Yu Ting’s shoulder. His expression was unreadable, and his voice was thick with misery. “Brother Ting, you’re not even going to ask me to stay?”

He was actually a few months older than Yu Ting, but after jokingly calling him “Brother Ting” a few times, the nickname stuck.

Yu Ting’s body went a little stiff. He still wasn’t used to Li Chengxi’s occasional physical contact. He subconsciously pulled his neck away, and Li Chengxi let go. He was half a head taller than Yu Ting. Looking down at him, his eyes were once again full of mirth. “It’s fine, just a dozen or so hours by plane. I’ll fly back as soon as the holidays start.”

Yu Ting didn’t respond to that. He took the bag off the handlebars and asked, “Have you eaten?”

Li Chengxi grinned. “Not yet! I saved my appetite on purpose to mooch a meal here.” He raised his hand as if to pat Yu Ting’s head, then retracted it and shoved it back in his pocket. “Don’t come tomorrow. I’m afraid… the flight’s real early. Look at you with those huge dark circles. Been helping at your family’s flower nursery again! Sleep in tomorrow. It’s not like we’ll never see each other—”

He suddenly stopped, then threw an arm around Yu Ting’s shoulder with a cheeky grin. “How about I just crash at your place tonight?”

This wasn’t the first time Li Chengxi had proposed staying over, but Yu Ting always refused. His house only had two bedrooms, and he wasn’t used to sharing a bed with anyone else.

This time was no exception. Yu Ting fished his keys out and stepped up the stairs to unlock the door. The setting sun fell on his profile, bathing it in a warm, fuzzy golden glow that softened the sharp, smooth line of his jaw. “When I make money and buy a big house, then I’ll let you stay.”

Li Chengxi’s hand still hung in the air. His eyes were full of disappointment, but he bounced back instantly. Laughing, he nudged Yu Ting inside. “Fine, fine, fine. Before you, the big boss Yu, buy your big villa, I’ll just have to settle for eating for free!” He pleaded his hunger and made his usual request. “I want Sea Intestine Claypot Rice! If you ever hear I died abroad, don’t even doubt it—I was struck down by craving your Sea Intestine Claypot Rice…”

After dinner, Li Chengxi stayed until nearly midnight. Only after dozens of summons from his family and the chauffeur they finally dispatched did he leave, head hanging in dejection.

After Yu Ting got out of the shower, he saw the phone Li Chengxi had left behind on his desk. A white iPhone 4, with a sticky note plastered on the box. The handwriting was a messy scrawl, like dog chews—

Video call me often. Worst case, once every two days—or once a day! If you forget about me, I’ll fly right back and cry in front of you!

Yu Ting grabbed his towel and roughly dried his damp black hair, then pulled the towel off and draped it over the back of his chair. He pulled the chair out and sat down.

Li Chengxi’s phone was too expensive. He really didn’t want to accept it. He opened his drawer and took out an aluminum lunch box.

The lunch box was very old. Zhao Rufei had wanted to throw it away, but Yu Ting had asked for it to use as a piggy bank. It was just the right size to fit a hundred-yuan bill inside.

Yu Ting opened the lunch box. Inside was a stack of red and green bills, some from scholarships, some from competition prize money Yu Ting had won.

Yu Ting counted the money. 3905 in total. The iPhone 4 was 4999, so he was 1094 short.

An essay of his had been selected by a publisher last semester. There would be some royalties coming in next month, probably a few hundred.

Yu Ting flipped open his desk calendar. There were still three months until Li Chengxi’s birthday. He could make it.

He put the lunch box back in the drawer, took the new phone, and went to knock on Zhao Rufei’s door.

“Mom, I got a phone from a contest. I’m not used to it. Let me trade for your old phone.”

…

The next day, Monday, the talk of the school was Li Chengxi going abroad. Li Chengxi was well-liked; he was the famous Brother Cheng of Grade 11 Class 3.

When Yu Ting entered the classroom, his classmates were mostly discussing Li Chengxi leaving. The chatter was loud. He went to his seat, pulled out a math problem book, put on his earphones, and started working.

Morning classes ended. Yu Ting did his problems for a while longer before going to lunch.

The school had a cafeteria with reasonable prices. Normally, Yu Ting solved lunch there. Today, he was late, so Yu Ting skipped the cafeteria and went to the School Back Street. The Back Street had many snack shops—large portions for cheap. Occasionally, Yu Ting would go there to find something to eat.

He found a noodle shop to fill his stomach. After coming out, Yu Ting walked a short way towards the school. While waiting for the green light, he subtly turned his head. About seven or eight steps behind him, a few guys were indeed following him.

Those guys exchanged a few words and then walked quickly towards him. Yu Ting’s eyelid twitched. Suddenly, someone ahead called his name.

“Yu Ting!”

The group of guys turned and left.

Yu Ting withdrew his gaze. At the school gate, a middle-aged man with a briefcase tucked under his arm, his shirt buttoned all the way up to his throat even in the summer, was waving him over. It was the Teaching Director, Zheng Derong.

When the light turned green, Yu Ting jogged over. “Hello.”

Zheng Derong’s small eyes crinkled wide and round with a smile. “Had your lunch?”

Yu Ting nodded.

Zheng Derong beamed again, his forehead wrinkles smoothing out flat and even. “I happened to see you, so I’m telling you early so you can prepare. The slots for our city’s physics competition are out. You got one! Next month, you’ll be heading to Jing City for the competition!”

Unable to contain his excitement, he patted Yu Ting on the shoulder. “The last time No. 2 High School had a student qualify was ten years ago! Give it some extra effort this month. Strive to bring our school back its first medal!”

Yu Ting nodded. Zheng Derong encouraged him a few more times before leaving. Yu Ting glanced sideways. Those guys who had been following him were nowhere to be seen. He didn’t recognize their faces; they were strangers. But they had definitely intended to approach him earlier.

Yu Ting’s judgment was correct. That Wednesday after school, he was stopped by a few guys just as he left campus.

“Hey, top school idol, my buddy has business with you. Come with me to a different spot to ‘talk’?”

The guy winking and making faces was one of the ones who had followed Yu Ting before.

Yu Ting checked the time. 5:02 PM. He was silent for two seconds, then followed the guys to the alley behind the school.

After school, guys often fought in the alleys there.

Waiting at the end of the alley was a male student, his uniform jacket hanging loose. His hair was dyed that season’s trendiest golden yellow. A cigarette dangled between his fingers, and he was puffing smoke rings.

Yu Ting had a sensitive nose. He smelled the smoke, and his nostrils flared.

When the blondie saw Yu Ting arrive, he casually tossed the cigarette and crushed the butt with the toe of his shoe. He drawled, “Before, I didn’t touch you out of respect for Li Chengxi. Now that he’s gone, time we properly settle our old scores.”

Yu Ting said calmly, “I don’t know you.”

“Heh, you don’t know me.” The blondie laughed, swinging a fist at Yu Ting’s face. “But I sure as hell know you! I… damn! You guys, get over here and help!”

…

A little over ten minutes later, Yu Ting slowly walked out of the alley. He called Zhao Rufei first to feel things out. “Mom, are you home yet?”

He had anticipated someone might cause him trouble these past few days, so he hadn’t brought Lu Jue’s phone with him. He’d have to go home to get it.

Zhao Rufei tapped the phone twice, meaning she was still busy, would be home late again tonight, and not to wait for her for dinner.

Yu Ting breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, I’m going to the library to look up some materials later. I’ll be back before ten.”

His school uniform was visibly dirty. Passing students were starting to glance at him. After hanging up, Yu Ting splurged for once and quickly hailed a taxi by the roadside.

When he got home, Yu Ting immediately checked his face. Luckily, those punks hadn’t dared to go too far and avoided his face. Only his neck, arms, and thighs had bruises of varying degrees.

But that blondie wasn’t much better off than Yu Ting.

One versus many wasn’t advantageous. Yu Ting had just focused all his output on the blondie leader. Every hit he took, he gave back in full. He’d been doing physical labor with Zhao Rufei since he was young; while his frame wasn’t huge, his strength certainly wasn’t lacking.

It was almost the time he’d agreed to meet Lu Jue. Yu Ting quickly wrung out a towel, wiped his neck, applied some ointment, and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He threw his uniform in the washing machine, grabbed a few slices of toast from the fridge to gnaw on, and headed out the door.

~

When he reached the meeting spot, he saw that exceptionally skinny, towering figure from afar.

Yu Ting pedaled faster, braking to a stop in front of Lu Jue. His right leg braced against the ground. He first held out the phone to Lu Jue. “The bank card is inside too.”

Lu Jue was also holding a kraft paper bag, which he naturally handed to Yu Ting.

Yu Ting said, “I don’t want payment.”

“It’s mochi.” Lu Jue took the paper bag from Yu Ting and, in the same motion, hooked the handles of his kraft paper bag onto Yu Ting’s index finger. Without checking the phone, he got right onto the back seat. “Toss it if you don’t want it.”

The moment Lu Jue got on, the whole bicycle dipped sharply a few times. This lady’s bicycle was truly a bit miniature for carrying the two of them.

Yu Ting looked down and peeked inside the kraft paper bag. It really was a box of pastries, the same kind Zhang Minhua had given him before.

So they were called mochi.

Yu Ting withdrew his hand and wiped his forehead. “Thanks.”

“Let’s go.” Lu Jue tilted his head back and squinted. “Too hot.”

The high temperature today had reached 39 degrees. Even hiding in the tree shade was unbearably hot. Yu Ting pressed down on the pedals, and the bike shot off.

The wind they stirred up was rough with coarse heat. Yu Ting kept feeling a sharp sting on his neck. There seemed to be a broken-skin wound there. He freed one hand and pulled up his collar a bit.

The destination was somewhat far. It was sunset by the time they reached the seaside. The bike stopped on the roadside. Yu Ting’s gaze lingered for a couple seconds on the kraft paper bag swaying slightly on the handlebars. In the end, he took it down and carried it with him.

Yu Ting didn’t go to the sandy beach. He went to a sea cave in the reef area. He led Lu Jue through the dark cave, turning left and right, finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous cave wall. Clamping the small paper bag’s handles between his teeth, he climbed the wall with both hands.

“Come up.”

Lu Jue followed close behind. Soon, a sliver of light appeared in their field of vision. When that slender hand reached down and pulled him up, the view immediately opened wide.

Hidden above the cave entrance was a secret inner cave. The space wasn’t large, but it was exceptionally flat. Facing the sea was a square opening, about a meter long and wide—a natural floor-to-ceiling window. The sea and the setting sun were completely visible.

The orange-pink afterglow slanted in, lighting the cave like a spotlight.

But Lu Jue was too tall. Yu Ting was just short enough to walk without ducking. Lu Jue had to bend at the waist to avoid hitting his head. Both of them were tall, so a space that was usually more than ample for Yu Ting alone suddenly felt a bit crowded. Yu Ting explained, “This spot is high. Even a big spring tide can’t reach it here. It’s relatively safe.”

Lu Jue’s gaze swept to a small bucket on the left. It was blue, the kind little kids bring to the beach to collect shells.

Inside the bucket were a few books. Lu Jue caught sight of a few words on one of the covers—Ship and Ocean Engineering.

Yu Ting noticed his gaze and moved to block the bucket.

Lu Jue withdrew his eyes and sat down cross-legged. “Come here often?”

“Once in a while.” Yu Ting also sat down on the ground. He opened the kraft paper bag and took out the box of mochi. Inside the transparent container were four plump, neatly arranged pieces, each with a different fruit: mango, strawberry, durian.

There were two strawberry mochi.

Yu Ting had never eaten durian before, only smelled it at fruit stalls. He opened the lid and offered the box to Lu Jue first to choose. “I already ate. I can’t finish four.”

Lu Jue didn’t refuse. His slender, pale fingers were very long, looking like they had an extra joint compared to an average person’s. His hand went straight for the mango. Yu Ting’s eyelid twitched very subtly, but then he saw those long, elegant fingers bypass the mango mochi and take the strawberry one next to it.

Three mochi were still a bit too much for Yu Ting. The sky had gone completely dark by the time he finished them.

The durian… tasted better than it smelled.

It was getting later. The cave interior had gone totally dark. Through the missing wall, a passing ship’s running light would occasionally flick by.

Yu Ting’s gaze followed the running light. The tiny point of light shone bright in his pupils, then quickly vanished, melting back into the darkness.

He looked down at his watch.

Nine o’clock.

He pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight to illuminate the way, and said, “I have to go back.”

Lu Jue nodded. His expression was very neutral; there was no telling if it was disappointment or something else.

Yu Ting wanted to say a few comforting words, but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back. He silently climbed down from the cave. The walk back was quiet too. He wouldn’t have time to take Lu Jue home. The plan was to get him a taxi once they reached the city proper.

After riding along Seaside Avenue for a while, something cool pricked his eyelashes. Then, a deluge of water came down from everywhere.

It was a downpour.

The weather forecast is way too inaccurate… Yu Ting pedaled harder. As they passed a shop with its lights still on, a voice came from behind him. “Stop at that store. I need to buy something.”

Yu Ting pulled up under the eaves in front of the shop. They weren’t quite drenched, but his clothes were mostly soaked, the fabric clinging tightly to his skin. The broken skin on his neck now stung fiercely.

Yu Ting’s hands were wet with rain. He didn’t touch the wound, keeping his eyes carefully on the street. Taxis were rare in the small city, hard to spot normally, let alone in the rain.

A blurry patch of light pierced the rain curtain—headlights. It was impossible to tell if it was a private car or a taxi. Yu Ting stepped forward to get a better look, but suddenly, the stinging area was flooded with a large patch of coolness.

After a brief, sharp flash of pain, a faint scent of peppermint spread. The pain from the broken skin quickly ceased.

Yu Ting turned his head. The light spilling from the convenience store was mostly blocked by Lu Jue. His gaunt, pale hand was still holding the just-opened ointment wrapper. With his face covered in rain, he said, “The skin on your neck is broken.”

Yu Ting, “…”

The corner of Lu Jue’s mouth turned up slightly. His other hand held out a brand new, large umbrella. “Take this umbrella and go home. I’ll just find a hotel nearby and stay the night. Even if I don’t go back, no one will notice I’m gone.”

The headlights drew closer and closer. Wheels rolled past, kicking up shallow sprays of water. From his neck came that still-cooling sensation, still smelling faintly of peppermint. Yu Ting’s lips parted slightly.

At that same moment, the taxi roared past without stopping.

“Come to my place.”