Chapter 119

Chapter 119

After saying goodbye to his buddy, Qiao Yu tucked the twenty yuan in his pocket and walked east with Shang Yan.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, their shadows overlapped. Maybe it was because Shang Yan was on the outside, but his shadow was actually a whole head taller than Qiao Yu’s.

Qiao Yu’s competitive streak silently flared to life, and he quietly rose onto his tiptoes.

Before he could even gloat over finally winning, a strong pull suddenly came from his arm, yanking him into a deserted little alley.

“What are you doing?” Qiao Yu shook off the other boy’s grip and glared at him unhappily.

The alley was nothing like the bustling street outside. It was quiet, the ground uneven and full of potholes, the walls old and peeling. It was as if the two of them had stepped abruptly from one world into another.

The boy in front of him made a shushing gesture, pointed toward the alley entrance, and whispered, “I saw Baldy. He’s waiting to ambush us.”

Qiao Yu tugged at his own collar and stated expressionlessly, “He’s waiting to ambush you, not me. I’ve got a big bro backing me up, thanks.”

Shang Yan was just about to speak when Baldy really did appear at the mouth of the alley. He stood with his back to the entrance, looking left and right, genuinely seeming as though he was searching for someone.

Just as Baldy was about to turn his head, Shang Yan suddenly leaned in and pushed Qiao Yu toward the pile of junk behind him.

Before Qiao Yu could lose his temper, the other boy’s warm body pressed against him first. Worse, Shang Yan even pushed his luck by covering Qiao Yu’s mouth.

The fingers over his lips were clean and soft, and a unique, faint fragrance spread through his breath…

The afterglow of the sunset was blocked by the battered wall. Qiao Yu couldn’t see the other boy’s expression clearly, and he instinctively lifted his foot to kick him.

“Don’t move. Baldy’s looking this way.”

Who was moving?!

Qiao Yu pried the hand away from his mouth and lowered his voice as much as possible. “So what if he looks over? I’m not scared of him.”

Shang Yan’s laugh was very pleasant, and very soft. “I know you’re amazing. But I’m scared.”

The hot breath brushed against his ear. Qiao Yu’s long lashes fluttered rapidly. Only then did he remember that Shang Yan seemed to be one of those good kids with ridiculously good grades. Being scared was only natural.

So, being considerate, he stopped showing impatience.

“Qiao Yu, why are you always staring at Miao Xiayan?”

He had settled down, but the other boy apparently couldn’t behave. At a time like this, Shang Yan still had the mind to gossip about him?

Qiao Yu rolled his eyes. Instead of answering, he asked, “Has Baldy left yet?”

Shang Yan leaned back to glance toward the alley entrance, then shook his head. “No. Why are you always staring at Miao Xiayan? Do you like her?”

Qiao Yu clicked his tongue. “Who likes her? Don’t start rumors.”

“Then why are you always staring at her?”

“Because she’s pretty! Miao Xiayan is the school beauty. Looking at her is good for the eyes.”

At that, Shang Yan curved his lips and leaned closer, his voice almost inaudible. “Then am I good-looking?”

Qiao Yu hadn’t expected Shang Yan to be this narcissistic, but he still nodded honestly. “You are.”

“Between me and Miao Xiayan, who’s better-looking?”

“…You!”

“Then why don’t you look at me?”

Qiao Yu’s eyes flew wide open, his face full of disbelief. “You’re a guy!”

Shang Yan curled his lips, the emotion in his eyes unreadable. “So you still like Miao Xiayan.”

Qiao Yu was so mad he scratched his head. “I do not like Miao Xiayan!”

“Then if I’m better-looking than her, why won’t you look at me? I might be a guy, but looking at me doesn’t mean you’ll fall for me. Am I somehow less pleasing to look at than she is?”

Huh?

Right!

Shang Yan really was even better-looking than the school beauty…

Qiao Yu narrowed his eyes at the flawless, beautiful face in front of him, looking suddenly enlightened. “What you’re saying isn’t totally unreasonable.”

“Then it’s settled. Don’t look at Miao Xiayan anymore. Look at me instead.”

After hearing that, Qiao Yu nodded.

A few seconds later, he finally reacted and flew into a rage. “Why do you get to control who I stare at? I’ll look at whoever I want. Not only am I going to look at you, I’m going to look at Miao Xiayan too. Double the eye candy!”

Shang Yan froze for a moment at that, then a trace of loneliness appeared on his face at just the right time. “So you were just humoring me. Is Miao Xiayan that much better-looking than I am?”

“…Not really.” Qiao Yu coughed, confusion showing in his eyes. “Wait, do you care that much about this?”
The young man nodded seriously. “I do.”

Qiao Yu was speechless. Were good-looking people more prone to appearance anxiety or something??

“Fine, then. If that’s what proves you’re better-looking than Miao Xiayan… I’ll look at you from now on.”

He was just killing time during class anyway. Looking at anyone was the same.

Hearing that, Shang Yan’s lips curved into a beautiful arc, and he gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

The evening breeze drifted past, lifting the black bangs over the young man’s forehead and revealing smooth, fair skin. Even standing in a dim, closed-off alley, Shang Yan still looked like a source of light, so beautiful it was almost unreasonable…

When Qiao Yu opened his eyes, daylight had already filled the room.

He saw Shang Yan in a snow-white bathrobe, having just finished blow-drying his hair.

Getting to admire Beauty Shang fresh out of the bath first thing in the morning was honestly pretty worth it.

Seeing that he was awake, Shang Yan snapped his fingers at him, then handed over the wooden comb in his hand. “You haven’t combed my hair for me in ages.”

There was a trace of grievance in his voice.

Qiao Yu had just woken up and did not want to move. He waved him off. “I’m exhausted. Comb it yourself. Be good.”

“How come you never said you were tired when you combed the Blind Ghost’s hair?”

Qiao Yu reluctantly sat up and held out a hand expressionlessly. “Come here. I’ll comb your hair.”

Shang Yan got what he wanted and finally stopped yapping.

After combing his hair, Qiao Yu went to wash up. After all, he could technically be considered a public servant now. It really would not look good if he started skipping work and slacking off after only two days on the job, would it?

By the time Qiao Yu came out after washing up, Shang Yan had already changed.

He was wearing red-and-white racing gear, his hair tied in a high ponytail, gloves the same colors as his outfit on his hands. He beckoned to Qiao Yu. “Come here.”

Qiao Yu covered his face.

Holy fucking shit!

Shang Yan was seriously so damn hot!!!

Sitting on the back of the motorcycle and watching unfamiliar buildings whip past on both sides, Qiao Yu could not help feeling curious. “Where are we going?”

“To see Lin Xiuyun.”

Shang Yan’s voice was drowned out by the roaring wind, and Qiao Yu did not hear him clearly.

Before long, the two arrived at the cemetery and walked to Tang Wen’s grave. There, they saw an elderly woman with graying hair sitting in front of the tombstone, singing.

“When the southern breeze brings coolness, when the nightingales sing together…”

The song sounded very similar to the shift-change chime broadcast in the hospital, except the singer’s voice now carried a few shades of age and weariness.

Seeing the elderly grandmother paying respects to her departed lover, Shang Yan took the puzzled Qiao Yu by the hand and stepped forward to greet her. “Grandma Lin?”

The singing stopped abruptly. Lin Xiuyun looked over at them and smiled. “You’re the people sent by the Security Bureau to check on me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Grandma Lin. We came to see how you were doing. We were worried your body wouldn’t be able to take the sudden bad news.”

Lin Xiuyun smiled and shook her head. “What’s there to not take? I sensed it long ago. He was the man who shared my pillow. How could I not tell whether he was real or fake…?”

The atmosphere froze in an instant. A cold wind swept past, and the clouds overhead slowly gathered, as if the weather were about to turn.

Qiao Yu sighed. “Please accept our condolences.”

Then he placed the chrysanthemums they had bought on the way in front of the tombstone, stood up, and added, “Oh, right, Grandma Lin. Your husband still owes me eight thousand yuan in unpaid wages.”

Shang Yan: “…”

Lin Xiuyun went, “Huh? What did you say?”

Qiao Yu did the math again in his head. One day as a cleaner, one day as a nurse, one day as an intern doctor. Divide this, add that, round off the loose change-barely counting it as eight thousand was not unreasonable, right?

He raised his voice and repeated, “I said… your husband still owes me eight thousand yuan in unpaid wages.”

Lin Xiuyun looked bewildered. “What wife? You still haven’t gotten a wife?”

Qiao Yu fell silent for a few seconds, then pressed his lips together. “Grandma Lin, it might rain soon. You should go home early. We’ll head out first.”

Lin Xiuyun quickly nodded. “Don’t worry, I brought an umbrella. You two be careful on the road.”

Qiao Yu: “…”

When the two walked out of the cemetery, the sky had already turned dark and heavy. The thick clouds seemed to be brewing a torrential downpour, an even grander entrance than when the Pen Spirit had appeared.

Pen Spirit… Pen Spirit!

He finally remembered what he had forgotten.

Qiao Yu stopped in place, rare helplessness appearing on his face. “Oh no. I left Ren Yan in the Instance!”