CH 32.2

“Ah?” Yang Mo hugged the snow-white Samoyed tightly and listened to Lu You Qi without moving.

She said, “I thought…the people in Shou Cheng University were…good students.”

“Add a ‘results’ in front of that ‘good’.” Lu You Qi laughed, “But really, there are people like that everywhere you go. Shou Cheng isn’t an exception either.”

Yang Han: “Oh…”

Yang Han came over to Lu You Qi’s house to visit the Samoyed as well as listen to the story.

Lu You Qi’s wife took a Chinese name, Lu Wen Ni, and was a gentle lady with blonde hair and blue eyes. She poured a cup of tea for Yang Han, the hot air wafted out to the bamboo tea tray.

Lu You Qi laughed, “She’s only sixteen…still haven’t went past the age of drinking juice.”

Lu Wen Ni blinked and said, “Hmm? Chinese traditional tea isn’t served to minors?”

Her Chinese was pretty good, and Yang Han was too embarrassed to use her own broken Chinglish so she shrugged it off, “No, no…” Yang Han laughed a little, let go of the Samoyed to pick up the tea cup. While blowing away the hot air, she said, “Thank you, auntie.”

“You’re welcome,” She smiled, “You guys can go on talking.”

Lu You Qi picked up a cup himself and tasted it. Raising an eyebrow, he then gave her a thumbs up. “Finally, it’s no longer bitter to the point of tears.”

Yang Han put down the tea cup, pursed her lips and asked, “So…did my dad end up fighting?”

“Yeah,” Lu You Qi said, “Your dad’s temper used to be like a cannonball. Usually nothing can faze him, but once you trigger his fire point, he definitely won’t let it go.”

Lu You Qi continued, “The wound on his shoulder was from being scratched by someone with a beer bottle. The fight turned really fierce at that time. Only when the female owner brought people over did they manage to stop the fight.”

Yang Han asked worriedly, “Didn’t the university give out disciplinary actions?”

“It happened outside of the university then. Only Yang Mo and that person were from Shou Cheng. The female owner gave a partial waiver to the customers who were there then – as a mouth-sealing fee. That’s the reason how the incident didn’t reach the university.”

Yang Han was silent for a while, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger as she instantly missed Yang Mo who was on a business trip in Shenzhen even more. She asked, “…Han Shi Yu didn’t know about this incident?”

Lu You Qi was just about to continue his story as he laughed, “I’m getting to that part now.”

Who knew where Han Shi Yu learned about this too, but it was probably from the female owner informing him.

Yang Mo’s shoulder injury did not affect any important blood vessels. The hospital cleaned out the debris and shards, disinfected the wound before bandaging it up. When Lu You Qi walked out with him, there were a few honks a distance away with bright lights shining through the drizzling rain.

Lu You Qi said, “I’ll go get a taxi.”

The driver rushed over in the rain. Yang Mo, who had been silent the entire time, uttered a ‘thank you’ when Lu You Qi called for him to get on the car.

Lu You Qi blinked a few times before laughing, “Hey, there’s no need for thanks between us.” Then, he gently tapped on his uninjured right shoulder with his fist.

Just as the two of them were about to get on the taxi, a black SUV drove by as the window slowly pulled down.

It was Han Shi Yu.

Yang Mo’s expression was truly a dumbfounded one.

Yang Han rubbed the Samoyed’s belly excited as it stuck out its tongue comfortably while laying on her laps.

Lu You Qi looked at her with a smile, “I thought they should probably resolve their conflict, so I took the taxi back on my own.”

“Han Shi Yu was a despicable ‘bourgeoisie’ at that time. That car was bought by his grandmother after getting his driving license.” Lu You Qi said, “He knew Yang Mo was facing financial difficulties, and the medical expenses were mostly paid by me first. So, on the way back, he transferred 2000 yuan to me.”

Lu You Qi added, “I profited from that.”

Yang Han: “……”

She let out a laugh, “And then?”

“I don’t know,” He said, “But anyhow, the conflict between them was resolved.”

On the passenger seat sat a person who was staring at his own reflection. The road back to school from the city hospital wasn’t that far but being anxious could make it feel longer to some.

Yang Mo propped up his chin and buried his mouth in the palm of his hand. From the moment he got into the car, he had stayed in this position.

Han Shi Yu did not say anything for a long time. There were only the sound of cars driving past in the drizzling rain, mixed with the sound of loud honking. Han Shi Yu stopped to wait on the red traffic light.

He finally spoke up, his voice hoarse, “Why did you fight.”

Yang Mo did not answer.

A long time later, the red light turned green.

Han Shi Yu looked ahead and called out, “Ge.”

He repeated the same words from that night, “I really…really, really…like you.”

Han Shi Yu was usually great with words, but all of that had dried up within him in this moment. He could not muster up any flowery, sweet words nor any pledges, oath of love or a memorable sentence, completely becoming a child with only the simplest vocabulary.

However, although he had clearly heard it before, in that moment, Yang Mo felt like he was burned by those words. Like lava entering his bone marrow, the pain and heat flowing from his blood throughout his body. He was sitting on pins and needles. Because all he could see from the reflection of the car window, was the look of a miserable man.

Why on earth did he lose his mind, consumed by anger like that, as though his brain program was invaded by a virus?

Yang Mo blurted out subconsciously, “Impossible.”

Han Shi Yu said, “What is?”

It was difficult to turn his head, so Yang Mo had to shift his entire body over, which pulled on his injury by accident. He ignored the pain and squeezed out word for word, “You…got confused…”

He couldn’t finish his words. Because he was stunned from catching from the corner of his eyes, the sight of Han Shi Yu’s reddening eyes.

Dumbfounded, Yang Mo’s brain crashed and a white screen appeared.

Han Shi Yu said, “I carefully thought about it for a week. And another week. I think…what senior said has a point.” He let out a laugh, at himself, as if he was pathetic, “I picked up my phone with a lot of difficulty, thinking of apologizing to you…that my misjudgement might have…caused you trouble.”

The lava in his veins cooled down in a flash for some reason.

But Han Shi Yu continued on, “…Then I got a call from the female owner.”

Han Shi Yu found out that Yang Mo got injured.

Maddening anger and a heart-piercing pain consumed his sanity whole. Han Shi Yu rushed out of the dorm without a word, stunning his other three roommates. Old Sui and Brother Qi had to stop him before he drove off.

They couldn’t trust that Han Shi Yu could drive normally in that state. He looked like he was rushing out to kill someone. Xie Chen Min held on to the car door handle, until they manage to pry the whole story out of Han Shi Yu before finally being willing to let him go.

Han Shi Yu pulled over the car to the side of the road and leaned his head on the steering wheel. “Mo, senior, ge…”

He said, “While I rushed over, my mind was only filled with…’how are you’, ‘where did you injure yourself’, ‘how badly are you hurt’, ‘where did that fucking bastard run off to’.”

Yang Mo listened on, as the flames inside of him sizzled as if rekindled. He pursed his lips together.

Han Shi Yu’s hand was like a snail’s tentacle, moving carefully and slowly towards Yang Mo. His fingers gently touched the back of his hand.

Unexpectedly, Yang Mo did not dodge or hide, only remaining in the same position of looking out the car window.

Han Shi Yu smiled a little, still resting his head on the steering wheel, “When I saw you, I realized all my thinking for the past few weeks…were completely unnecessary.”

He covered Yang Mo’s hand in his. One trembled lightly, the other gradually burning up.

Yang Mo found himself unable to say anything.

The warmth on top of his hand suddenly withdrew away Yang Mo’s fingers curled up a little.

He heard the car door close on the other side as Han Shi Yu stepped out of the car. It was raining heavily outside and Yang Mo could still hear the muffled sound of the rain hitting on everything else. The sound surged a little in the short instance of the door being opened and closed.

Han Shi Yu walked over to stand in front of the big, bright car lights.

Yang Mo was stunned, then he immediately shouted, “What are you doing!” His couldn’t move his head around as he wanted, so he could only call out anxiously.

Han Shi Yu made his way to the door of the passenger seat. He tapped on the window and Yang Mo could see the blurred outline of his face. He reached out and wiped the fog from the window. The two of them looked at each other through the misty fog and flowing raindrops.

Han Shi Yu pointed downwards. Yang Mo understood what he meant and pressed a button to roll down the window.

As the glass slowly slide down, the noisy sound of the rain poured in and broke the suffocating silence in the car. Like the buzz of an early spring, it filled Yang Mo’s eardrums.

It suddenly felt like the air cleared up.

Rain droplets hung on Han Shi Yu’s eyelashes as he leaned on top of the rolled down window. And in the deafening sound of the rain, he passed the rain droplets on his mouth to Yang Mo.

He repeatedly loudly again, for the third time now – “Senior, I like you.”

[Starry Rain] Han Shi Yu x Starry

<Among the group of stars shining brightly, I will pluck only you> Chapter 35: My Name Came from Your Eyes

…Starry will forever remember, that a certain drenched, big golden retriever, at the age of 18, had leaned on top of the car window on a rainy night, childishly and impulsively splashing the rain water on his lips. The sky was cloudy at that time, and when the bright, dazzling lights from the city reflected on Han Shi Yu’s eyes, there were stars within them.

“Mo,” Lu You Qi said, “What does Starry mean.”

Yang Mo was injured, unable to work on his laptop so he could only sit in his bed and flip through some books. He was still worrying about how to pick up Mi Shu tomorrow.

He replied, “Search it up yourself.”

Lu You Qi said, “Of course I know what it means. I’m only asking what meaning it has, for you to use it?” Lu You Qi asked, sounding like he was marvelling over the sun rising from the west. “To think you created an online username.”

Yang Mo: “……”

He closed the book and said, “I’m recording this once.”

Since Yang Mo temporarily couldn’t move his arm well, educating Lu You Qi was dependent on his records on a notebook in each new stroke and line adding up to a ‘正’ word. It would all be done in one go when his injury heals.

Lu You Qi couldn’t swallow it just like that, “Why is this counted too?”

Yang Mo said lightly, “No reason.”

Lu You Qi inclined his head and looked at Yang Mo, suspicious, “Why do you seem to be…in a really good mood, oh legendary Starry.”

Yang Mo: “Kinda.”

Lu You Qi: “!”

Lu You Qi will forever remember, that on a certain face that was like a wasteland where not even in inch of grass ever grew1, during an early morning nearing their finals, the corner of his mouth actually curled upwards a little while flipping open his notebook.

Then, he violently wrote down a whole ‘正´2 word.