CH 1

Shen Wenqiu didn’t expect Lu Yong to come.

After all, the two have not seen each other for nearly a decade, and they had an unpleasant time together the last time they met that year.

He gave the police this string of phone numbers purely for mischief.

He wasn’t even sure if it was Lu Yong’s number. Even if it was, if he took the liberty to call the number, he would probably only be regarded as a scammer, right? Maybe it would even cause the police to be chewed out. He felt happy as soon as he thought about it, and he was completely ready to be criticized by the police.

However, he actually got in touch with Lu Yong. Not only that, Lu Yong came to the police station on the same day to pay the fine and the administrative penalty for his participation in public gambling and betting. After that, Lu Yong got him a lawyer to negotiate in good faith, so he was released after a minimum of five days in the detention center.

Lu Yong said he would come to pick him up, but Shen Wenqiu was skeptical.

It was noon in midsummer.

The sun was shining and the cicadas were chirping.

Shen Wenqiu walked out of the gate. As soon as he looked up, he could see a deep, matte black Mercedes E63S parked across the road. This car was also known as the ‘Mob getup’ because of its elegance and violent configuration. In addition, even if it was not ignited, one could see how valuable it was. However, the man standing next to the car was even more eye-catching.

The person was the owner of the car.

Lu Yong seemed to have changed so much from when he was in high school.

In high school, Lu Yong had a particularly gloomy personality. In the first year of high school he was already 187cm tall. As he helped with the family work, he was tanned, his skin was slightly rough, he was full of tendons, combined with long hands and feet, and thick bones, he was like a large wild beast which seemed out of place. And with one arm missing, well, it should be said that he was a crippled wild beast.

Shen Wenqiu still remembered that Lu Yong was from a poor family when he was young. He only had three or two pieces of clothing washed until they faded, still wearing them over and over again. From the frayed sleeves to the edges of the degummed shoes, they showed how shabby he was. 

But now, he’s wearing an expensive suit and leather shoes, and he looks handsome and tall like steel bars.

He has probably been a prosperous and dignified person for a long time, so he is not as black as charcoal as before. He has become a lot whiter and now has a healthy wheat skin color. His eyebrows which used to be fierce have spread out much, and his fine appearance can finally be seen now. However, he still appears cold. The drooping corner of the eyes and mouth make him look unapproachable to strangers.

Unlike his previous geeky atmosphere, he now has the air of a superior person.

Shen Wenqiu vaguely felt that, although Lu Yong was expressionless, his atmosphere seemed a bit wary and sharp.

That’s right, no one would have a good attitude while dealing with a scoundrel like him. 

But Shen Wenqiu has always been unafraid of Lu Yong, moreover, now he had experienced so much that his face was thicker than the city wall, and he could smile cheekily in front of the police, let alone just dealing with an old classmate. He walked past briskly with a smile on his face, and greeted him as if he was very familiar with him, and said, “Wow, Lu Yong. You look so handsome today.”

“Oh, wait, I should probably call you “President Lu.”

In any case, it’s good to give some compliments first. They said that the hand does not hit the smiling person.

He took a look at Lu Yong’s right hand again, where there used to be only an empty void inside the sleeves was now actually stuffed with a metal arm. The metal arm was not visible at first glance, and from a distance one would mistake it, thinking that he was just wearing a glove on his right hand. “When I saw it last time, I wanted to ask, but this prosthetic arm you installed looks really cool, huh.”

Lu Yong raised his mechanical right arm. Shen Wenqiu touched his palms, and the other casually held the hand in his own,.

It was summer and the prosthetic limbs were hot from the sun, it heated up just like how a normal human body would. The surface was frosted to increase friction, and Shen Wenqiu’s palms felt a little tingling sensation when he touched the prosthetic limbs.

It felt ticklish.

Shen Wenqiu was stunned and asked, “Your fingers can move so dexterously?”

Lu Yong nodded, and said, “Using the latest research and development technology and connecting parts of the muscles and nerves, many meticulous actions can be done.”

Shen Wenqiu clicked his tongue in wonder, “That must be very expensive, right?”

Lu Yong gave another soft “um” and said plainly, “It’s 800,000. In US dollars.”

After saying that, Lu Yong pulled Shen Wenqiu and said, “Let’s get in the car first.”

Shen Wenqiu’s stomach growled in time. He smiled embarrassedly, and pulled Lu Yong away, “I haven’t eaten yet, I’m so hungry… The noodle restaurant next to this place is cheap and delicious. I always eat here every time I come out, let me take you there.”

He took two steps, as if he just remembered something, he turned around and smiled at Lu Yong. He said as a matter of course, “I didn’t bring money, please pay for me, Dayong.1“

The name ‘Dayong’ suddenly brought Lu Yong’s thoughts back to his youth, and he was in a daze. The current Shen Wenqiu looked degenerate and haggard, but when he laughed, he was still as brilliant as before, as if there was no obscurity.

For a moment, he even felt that they had never separated in all these years, and Shen Wenqiu didn’t hate him at all.

……

On the high school registration day, he remembered the sun being so big and hot, that it felt like the soles of his shoes were melting off.

His dad personally sent him over, because he had to stay in the school dormitory. He carried a big nylon polybag, which contained a quilt, pillow, mat, and some necessary daily necessities. It was brought on an electric tricycle that was usually used to collect waste.

They accidentally scratched a car on the way, with one look at the car and they knew it was a very expensive one.

The car owner got out of the car. He was a decent middle-aged man. He looked at the scratches and then at the father and son. He sighed, waved his hand generously and said, “Forget it, there is car insurance, you don’t have to pay for it. “

His dad was nervous and said sincerely, “No, no, this has to be paid for. But, but I don’t have the money to pay you now. Can I leave a phone number for you to call? I’ll pay you another day. Is tomorrow okay? Sir.”

At this time, the window in the back seat of the car rolled down, and Lu Yong saw a head poke out. It was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, and he urged, “Dad, hurry up. If we’re late, I won’t be able to grab a good spot in the dorm.”

While speaking, the boy glanced at Lu Yong indifferently.

Their line of sight met.

This boy was so good-looking, with fine fair skin, clear eyes, long and dense eyelashes, and moist red lips. He looked refreshing and soft. It was the first time Lu Yong saw such a beautiful person, it didn’t matter whether he was a man or a woman, and he was taken aback.

The boy widened his eyes roundly and asked kindly, “Uh, did you have a heat stroke? Your face is so red.”

After he said that, he took another look at the position of his right arm. The empty sleeve tube was tied into a knot to make it easier to work.

Lu Yong’s face became even redder, he shook his head and mumbled.

The boy turned back, took out a can of Coke from the small freezer in the car, reached out from the window of the car, and handed it to him, “Here, cool your face.”

Lu Yong took it, “Thank you.”

Their parents had also exchanged their contact information, so they set off separately, and they followed at the back.

Lu Yong was sitting in the front seat of the electric tricycle. He could see the beautiful boy along the way. He seemed to have noticed their paths seemed to coincide. He looked back from the rear window and glanced at them several times.

There were several sheep dolls in the rear window of the car. From Lu Yong’s perspective, they looked like they were surrounding the boy’s face, but they were not as cute as him.

He’s so cute.

Lu Yong couldn’t move his gaze from him, and muttered softly, “…Young master.”

He didn’t expect that the two of them would go all the way to the school and then outside the classroom.

They reported to the teacher one after another.

Lu Yong was sweating as he found the classroom door. He didn’t expect to see Shen Wenqiu at the podium checking in his attendance with the teacher. He took one more look at the classroom door to make sure he was in the right place. His heart raced twice and he realized they turned out to be in the same class.

He was sweaty from the sun, and when he was nervous, he sweated more, but Shen Wenqiu still looked refreshed and clean. He walked over and stood behind Shen Wenqiu, smelling the fragrance of the boy.

Lu Yong blushed unconsciously again.

He was afraid of approaching, and always felt that he was a rough clay figure, while Shen Wenqiu was a clear dew on the cloud.

He saw Shen Wenqiu’s hands. Those were the hands of a young master. They were like pandan leaves, his fingertips were white. He wrote the name ‘Shen Wenqiu’ in a beautiful font.

Shen Wenqiu, Shen Wenqiu.

Lu Yong said these words silently, as if there’s a fragrance lingering on his lips, thinking that the name sounds nice. Just like the person.

After he finished writing, Shen Wenqiu turned his head and suddenly saw him. He  was shocked, “Damn!”

Lu Yong stiffened.

Then he saw Shen Wenqiu concealed in his surprise, and smiled warmly, “What a coincidence! We are actually classmates! I am Shen Wenqiu.”

Lu Yong was completely stunned at the time, his mind was blank, his heartbeat was loud, his palms were sweaty, and somehow he blurted out, “It sounds beautiful.”

……

Lu Yong came back to his senses.

Shen Wenqiu was probably really hungry, and asked the boss to add 50 grams of free noodles.

The snow-white boy fantasy in his memory gradually overlapped with the untidy and down-to-earth man in front of him, and it became clear. He asked the boss to add braised pork ribs as a topping.

Shen Wenqiu didn’t insist and only buried his head in the food. He said, “Thank you.”

He ate and drank to his heart’s content.

Shen Wenqiu still sat without seriousness, and asked him, “Do you have a pen and paper?”

Lu Yong took out the checkbook and a pen from his pocket.

Shen Wenqiu tore a piece of paper, and wrote an IOU2 on the back with a rigorous format. The amount was the fine paid by Lu Yong on his behalf.

After he finished. He pushed everything back in front of Lu Yong.

“Here.”

Lu Yong didn’t accept it and asked, “Do you have a place to stay?”

Shen Wenqiu shrugged indifferently, he scratched his head and said embarrassingly, “I’ll sleep in the park first, I guess.”

Lu Yong put his hands on the table, he frowned, took a long breath, and asked hesitantly, “Would you like to settle down at my house first?”

Shen Wenqiu paused for a while, sat up a bit, and asked him, “Do you live with your family?”

Lu Yong: “No.”

Shen Wenqiu: “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Lu Yong: “No.”

Shen Wenqiu: “Boyfriend?”

Lu Yong: “No.”

“I live alone.” Lu Yong put his hands on the table and leaned toward him slightly, “No rent will be charged.”

Shen Wenqiu “Oh”, smiled, and happily agreed, “That’s good. It’s a free residence.”

I’ll just live the day as if there’s no tomorrow.

He thought he wouldn’t be able to stay too long anyway.

Just like those buddies who had taken him in before, Lu Yong would not be able to stand the troubles he made and he would probably throw him out in two days.

Shen Wenqiu seems to be calling him a savage jokingly Dayong (大庸) = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhangjiajie#Origin_of_the_name

Abbreviations of I Owe U