CH 13

Lu Yong’s scores in Physics and Chemistry were surprisingly good. The teacher who taught science smiled every time he saw him. Lu Yong and Shen Wenqiu were in the top class. Their score difference in the high school entrance examination was not too much, but when they went to high school, the gap widened as soon as the syllabus that needed to be learnt became difficult.

But only Shen Wenqiu knew that not only was Lu Yong able to throw off the others in the exam results when the others were still struggling with circuit problems. Lu Yong had already started researching in his small studio in private.

This was so attractive to boys, it was so cool!

Shen Wenqiu didn’t tell other friends—because he would only be ridiculed for no reason. He was now not happy to play with friends whom he used to play well in junior high school—he occasionally lied to these people perfunctorily. On weekends and holidays, he sneaked to Lu Yong’s house, and all his pocket money was spent on the studio.

“Just consider it as my investment capital, since I will just use it to buy sneakers or play games if I don’t spend it here. I even think using the money here is worth it. From now on, this will be our secret base.” Shen Wenqiu said so, upon Lu Yong’s questioning.

“Then you have to discuss with me, you can’t spend money simply.” Lu Yong did not refuse this kindness and seriously regarded Shen Wenqiu as his collaborator.

After that, they upgraded their ‘studio’. Although in the eyes of adults, it was more like a playroom for two children.

Especially during the summer vacation, Shen Wenqiu ran happily to Lu Yong’s house every day. His father couldn’t stand it, so he just packed up his luggage, sent out his son, and said, “You are troubling Uncle Zhao to drive every day, why don’t you just live there? Just call Dad if you need anything.”

——Uncle Zhao was his father’s driver. He was usually only responsible for taking his father to and from work and dinner parties, and occasionally picking up Shen Wenqiu.

Shen Wenqiu was very happy to do so, and his dad felt even more relieved. In his dad’s eyes, Lu Yong was the most honest person in the world and Shen Wenqiu’s true friend. He was different from the friends he had made before. He never pulled him to play games or coax him to spend money.

Father Shen always thought that his son was a good boy, but he looked like a young master. He used to call this kind of person an inexperienced young master. What does it mean? The rich young masters in the old days did not experience much of the world. Whenever they were praised by a group of people, they were coaxed into a daze. They were taken to eat, drink, and gamble or they would sell their good things at home at a low price. It’s called “Pouring oil into the fire”.

This was what he had previously heard about from Lu Yong.

But wasn’t he the one who left the child without a mother, never remarried, and couldn’t get away from work.

Father Shen was not a stingy person. He also gave him a living allowance, shook Lu Yong’s hand, and said earnestly, “Dayong, uncle believes in you. I’ll leave Xiao Baa to you, take care of him, okay?.”

Lu Yong nodded solemnly as if he had received a military order, “Okay, uncle.” After thinking about it, he felt that it was too broad, not specific enough, and not persuasive enough, and said, “Uncle, rest assured. I will supervise and urge Xiao Baa to do his homework.”

Shen Wenqiu speechlessly defended himself, “You think I’m a three-year-old? I can do my homework without being watched.”

Father Shen counteracted, “Are you still proud? Didn’t you pile up the summer homework that holiday to only finish writing it in the last few days?… Oh, yes, Dayong, supervise him to write. You are not allowed to give copies of your homework to him.”

Shen Wenqiu, “…”

Father Shen thought it would be good for Shen Wenqiu to live in Lu’s house for ten days or half a month. He could experience living in poverty, know that money was hard to earn, so he could be more sensible and less naive. In the future, he also wouldn’t be easily deceived by people who have ill-intention when he entered society.

Then he changed his words and said, “No, you also don’t have to take care of him too much. He is already sixteen years old.”

Do you want him to be taken care of? Or not? Father Lu was very puzzled.

But in fact, regardless of Shen Wenqiu’s parents’ instructions, Lu Yong was nervous as if he was facing an enemy. He nervously cleaned the room many times, sterilised and dewormed, and bought a new mat and new pillows to wash and dry beforehand. He even bought a sheep doll with the money from his small vault to set it up on the bedside. Just to welcome Shen Wenqiu to live in their home during the summer vacation.

Although he had thought about it hard, he was still afraid that Shen Wenqiu would not be used to living there, and he wouldn’t like it. Shen Wenqiu was not arrogant, but he was still delicate.

It made Lu Yong worry.

But to his surprise, Shen Wenqiu ate well and slept soundly, and fell asleep easily on the first night, as if there was no haze in his heart. In the middle of the night, there was no sound other than the sound of cicadas and grasshoppers that could be heard among the trees and grass in the courtyard. The electric fan shook strenuously as squeaky sounds were produced, sending a cool breeze through the mosquito net.

Lu Yong let Shen Wenqiu sleep on the outside, so he could be blown by the fan, which was cooler. 

Lu Yong was lying as he faced the outside, the mosquito net expanded as the wind blew inward, like a soft snow-white wave, wave after wave passed over Shen Wenqiu’s body. The more he watched, the more he felt his heart melt. Shen Wenqiu slept soundly, his cheeks flushed with the heat of summer, like a child, so cute that Lu Yong could hardly find a poem beautiful enough to describe it after racking his brain. 

After three o’clock in the middle of the night, Lu Yong was awakened by the heat and found that the fucking power went out! He was suddenly anxious. 

Fortunately, Shen Wenqiu didn’t wake up and was still sleeping foolishly. He was just sweating due to the heat and his hair was wet as it stuck on his blushing cheeks. Lu Yong hurriedly went to find a big palm-leaf fan and quietly fanned him, and used a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

Perhaps because he felt cool, Shen Wenqiu rolled over, closed his eyes, and took the initiative to lean towards him. Lu Yong hurriedly moved backwards to the wall, because he was afraid of touching him. He didn’t dare to touch him and always felt a touch with his rough fingers would leave a mark on Shen Wenqiu’s body.

It was a boring thing to fan using the palm-leaf fan, Lu Yong didn’t know why, but he didn’t feel bored at all by just looking at Shen Wenqiu’s face in the faint moonlight. Lu Yong could keep looking, and counting Shen Wenqiu’s eyelashes over and over again, and finally, he couldn’t help looking at his lips. His upper lip was slightly curled, and there was a small scarlet mole on the left tip of his lips. It was said that it was a lucky birthmark that meant that he would have no worries about food and clothing throughout his life.

He also hoped that Shen Wenqiu could be carefree, such a good boy should live the happiest life.

Shen Wenqiu was sleeping too deeply, Lu Yong had evil thoughts and reached out to touch Shen Wenqiu’s cheek which looked too soft and lovely.

When he was about to touch him, he felt that his fingertips were too rough, so he turned his hand over and rubbed with the back of his finger lightly.

Shen Wenqiu murmured in his sleep, thinking it was a mosquito, he raised his hand and waved.

Lu Yong’s hand was slapped away. He felt a hot phantom pain where he was hit, and even his face hurt with shame.

He didn’t dare to touch him again and continued to fan Shen Wenqiu with the palm-leaf fan.

In the morning, Shen Wenqiu woke up in a daze and found that the electric fan had stopped and Lu Yong was fanning himself.

Lu Yong himself was sweating.

Shen Wenqiu: “When did the electric fan stop?”

Lu Yong: “In the middle of the night…”

Shen Wenqiu: “You didn’t fan it all night, right?”

Lu Yong: “Sorry, you were burning up. My house does not have air conditioning.”

Shen Wenqiu snorted: “The power went out, there is also no way to use the air conditioning. Are you stupid? Look at you, even your undershirt is soaked with sweat.”

Shen Wenqiu said as he leaned towards him, he then smelled him like a kitten or puppy, “Stinks of sweat, it’s sour.”

Only then did Lu Yong realise, and his face reddened.

Father Lu told him not to help, and to concentrate on accompanying Shen Wenqiu. Lu Yong was no longer stubborn. The main reason was that if he goes to work, Shen Wenqiu will definitely follow him, and he didn’t want to make Xiao Baa tired. The two had written their homework in the morning, and plunged into the small studio together in the afternoon.

Shen Wenqiu excitedly pulled out a copy of the information he had compiled, “I have used a computer to do research, and I think your idea is effective.”

“My dad said that our country will join the World Trade Organization in a few months. It has almost been agreed. After the globalisation of the economy and trade, we’ll need to follow up as well. I have sorted out the foreign legislation on recycling.”

“The legislation in Europe and the United States was established early. Countries R and D introduced relevant regulations in the 1970s and 1980s. The European Union introduced the manufacturer’s recycling responsibility system in 1993. They have mature recycling technologies with independent intellectual property rights. At the beginning of this year, Japan also introduced the Electrical Recycling Law. I saw on the Internet that our country is also enacting relevant laws…”

Lu Yong didn’t have a computer at home. The information came mainly from newspapers and television. His father was illiterate and didn’t care about any laws and regulations, so he didn’t know until it was issued and implemented. He had even suffered several losses because of this.

Lu Yong had no one to teach him. Out of instinct, he explored and studied ignorantly, and he learned to look in the general direction. Therefore, his family’s business had been getting better and better in the past two years.

Lu Yong thoughtfully said, “Thank you.”

Shen Wenqiu was happy, “What thank you, we are good friends.”

Then Lu Yong brought a cardboard box, which was full of electronic boards removed from the old electrical appliances, and he took one to the table.

Shen Wenqiu asked, “Repairing things again today?”

Lu Yong shook his head and said, “No, I want to dismantle it further. I went to check the information after I helped you repair the game console last time. “

He lifted this ordinary-looking dark green electronic board, and the lamp traced its edge with a layer of light as if it was glowing.

Lu Yong asked, “What do you think this is?”

Shen Wenqiu was confused, and he stopped talking, “Electronic board.”

“No.” Lu Yong raised his head and stared at the object in his hand, his eyes burning up, “It’s a gold mine.”

……

Shen Wenqiu couldn’t forget that scene.

When he was young, he lacked reverence. He wholeheartedly believed that Lu Yong could do it, and indeed, Lu Yong did it. Only ten years later, he already hit the market and became the boss of a company and he really accomplished what he had written in his essay.

Out of a hundred people, there might not be one person like Lu Yong who has had a clear dream since he was a teenager and has struggled for it and achieved success.

But there should be dozens of people who follow the crowd like himself… But, if it’s someone who abandoned himself and didn’t play the good cards that he was holding well, there was probably not even one in a hundred.

He is not as good as Lu Yong.

He wasn’t even good before, and it’s even worse now.

Shen Wenqiu didn’t sleep all night, he couldn’t judge whether Lu Yong still had feelings for him, but if this continues, he is sure that he will be more and more unable to let go of Lu Yong.

He can’t stay.

Lu Yong worked hard to reach this achievement, and he couldn’t be dragged down by him.

Should he talk to Lu Yong clearly today? Or just get out of here and leave a letter? Shen Wenqiu was uncertain.

Lu Yong woke Shen Wenqiu up, who was pretending to be asleep, at seven o’clock, “Xiao Baa, wake up. Xiao Baa.”

Shen Wenqiu sulked inside the blanket and asked angrily, “What’s the matter?”

Lu Yong said, “Are you busy today? Or are you going out to play?”

“What do I have to do?” Shen Wenqiu muttered, “Are you mocking me?”

Lu Yong was more cautious, “I’m not… I meant to say, if you are free, do you want to visit my company? You have never been there yet, have you?”