CH 5

Chapter 5

What kind of fate was this!

“You…why are you going to D City too!” Ye Zhou grabbed his hair. Why did his life suddenly have so many intersections with Shang Jin. Obviously, their first year in college, the two people didn’t say a word to each other?

“D City is a tourist city.”

Isn’t it? His hometown, D City, had mountains and water and food. He had always been proud of his hometown.

There was half an hour before check in. Ye Zhou and Shang Jin stood beside the guardrail, one listening to music and one looking at his phone. This was the most familiar pattern for two people to get along. After all, the two people were really unfamiliar. If it were someone else, Ye Zhou may have spent a bit of time to get to know the other party, but towards Shang Jin, this “scandal boyfriend”, of course, the farther away the better, even if there was no one there that they knew.

Checking in and entering the station, they remained silent the entire way.

Ye Zhou took his seat first, looked at Shang Jin and politely said, “My seat is here.”

Shang Jin hummed in acknowledgement and continued to move forward.

Ye Zhou turned to look back, not sitting down until he saw Shang Jin sit down.

On the train, there were many college students who were going home for the long holiday like him. Ye Zhou propped his head and looked at the scenery outside the window in a daze.

The decision to go home was quite abrupt. Until he got on the train, he hadn’t called back home.

Looking at the familiar number in his contacts, Ye Zhou hesitated a few times, but in the end, he still didn’t call them. Anyway, they would naturally know when he returned.

When he thought that he would be home soon, Ye Zhou’s heart couldn’t remain calm. He looked around, trying to find a target that he could strike a conversation with to help him divert his attention.

However, in this information society, everyone had a cellphone in their hand. All around him were the bow-down army, their bodies exuding a ‘don’t disturb me’ aura. Ye Zhou bowed his head and prepared to take out his tablet from his backpack to join the forces of the bow-down army. Suddenly, he touched two apples.

bow-down army: (低头族) i.e. smartphone addicts

Recalling how Shang Jin had lied to Zhou Wendao before, no matter what, it was also for himself. Ye Zhou had never liked to owe other people. He took out his cellphone and sent a message to Shang Jin.

Ye Zhou: Eat an apple?

After the message was sent out, Ye Zhou stood up slightly and looked towards Shang Jin. Shang Jin took out his cellphone, looked at it, and then put it down again…put it down…put it down…

Ye Zhou simply stood up and picked up the apple to go to the washbasin at the end of the carriage. When he passed by Shang Jin’s seat, the other person didn’t lift his eyelids.

Shang Jin was looking at the magazine in his hand when suddenly, his face was chilled by an apple. An annoyed voice came from overhead. “Didn’t you see my text, classmate Shang Jin?”

The aroma of the apple immediately pervaded the tip of his nose. Shang Jin didn’t take it. Instead, he moved back a bit and used the cloth from his shoulder to dry the water on his face. “The text sent just now was yours?”

“Otherwise? Both times, you didn’t return my texts!” Ye Zhou leaned against the back of the seat and still held the apple in front of Shang Jin. “Take it.”

Shang Jin held the apple but didn’t eat it immediately. Rubbing the apple’s skin with his finger, he looked at Ye Zhou with an unclear meaning.

“Why…why are you looking at me like that?” Ye Zhou uneasily shifted his gaze. “There’s no need for thanks. Anyways, if you don’t eat it, it’d just increase my baggage weight.”

“No, I just think…” Shang Jin lifted his thumb from the apple and said, “The apple doesn’t seem to be clean.”

Pa-ta. Ye Zhou’s vaulted line of reason broke. He took two deep breaths, planning to “educate” the classmate who had no idea of etiquette in front of him. Shang Jin directly took a bite of the apple and made Ye Zhou have to smother the just-stoked anger, unable to let it out and uncomfortably choking on it.

“Youー”

“Very sweet.” After Shang Jin tasted it, he nonchalantly said, “Thanks.”

Ye Zhou was defeated, and in a bad mood, said, “Didn’t you say it wasn’t clean?”

“I just stated a fact. It doesn’t mean that I won’t eat it.”

What sophistry…

Ye Zhou rolled his eyes toward the roof of the car. But this time, he was planning to thank him. As a result, he gave the person a dirty apple and he couldn’t help but feel apologetic in his heart. “Fine, I can wash it more for you.” Finished saying this, he didn’t wait for Shang Jin to agree and immediately took the bitten apple, grumbling more about Shang Jin’s matters while walking toward the sink.

Shang Jin looked at his empty hand and raised his head. Ye Zhou’s back was infinitely magnified in his eyes. He frowned slightly, unable to describe for a moment the strange emotion that had grown inside him.

“For you. This time, it’s absolutely clean!”

The lost apple was returned. Shang Jin squeezed the apple and looked at Ye Zhou. “Ye Zhou…”

Ye Zhou snorted with his nose, expressing that he was listening.

I think you just behaved…” Shang Jin coughed and continued, “very much like a mother.”

“Poof!” The boy sitting beside Shang Jin spurted out the water he was just drinking. His shoulders shook slightly. It seemed like he was very painfully suppressing his laughter.

Ye Zhou’s forehead couldn’t help but show the blue veins. “ShangーJin!!”

Shang Jin was a little bit embarrassed. He explained, “I just think…if…”

“Don’t say anything. You shutting up is the biggest thanks for me!”

As soon as the voice fell, Shang Jin immediately focused on biting the apple, with no intention of saying anything.

The boy sitting next to Shang Jin was apologetic about his previous disrespectful behavior. When Ye Zhou was about to walk towards his seat, he shouted, “Classmate, I’m just by myself anyway, and my luggage is just this bag. Where’s your seat? I’ll change with you. You can sit together with your friend.”

“Ah???”

Why were there such “considerate” people in the world!!!

“No, it’s just a few hours…” Ye Zhou declined, “and we’re not really familiar with each other.”

“No need for thanks. Going outside, everyone should look after each other,” the boy said. He picked up his bag and standing up, he intended to follow Ye Zhou to his seat.

“There’s really no need…” Ye Zhou put on a fake smile and looked at Shang Jin in passing, hinting at him to say something.

Shang Jin looked at Ye Zhou, pointed his finger at his mouth and made a zipper movement, continuing to gnaw on his apple.

Ye Zhou angrily said, “How come you’re so obedient at this time??”

The boy looked at the interaction between them and exclaimed, “Your relationship is really good…”

The corners of Ye Zhou’s mouth pulled, saying in his heart: Your eyes are really good enough…

For the time being, they didn’t talk during the process. In short, five minutes later, Ye Zhou looked at the uninvolved Shang Jin beside him and wanted to hit him a bit.

Ye Zhou said with an wooden face, “Why does every outcome run counter to my original intention?”

Shang Jin had washed his hands and after drying them with a paper towel, he stared at Ye Zhou and asked puzzledly, “Ye Zhou, what are you afraid of?”