CH 8

Winter, seven o’clock in the evening, The night sky was adorned with countless stars, and the street lamps illuminated the surroundings.

Lin Yuxing carried two bags of leftovers and walked towards the dormitory. He was in a joyful mood, unable to hide the smile on his face.

With the perks he received, he was extremely satisfied with his new job.

Lin Yuxing thought that Su Li probably wouldn’t like to eat those leftovers. So he planned to save them for the next day’s brunch to save on food expenses.

As he approached the dormitory, his phone vibrated.

Upon seeing the incoming call, the smile on Lin Yuxing’s face gradually disappeared. He composed himself and answered the phone, “Aunt—”

On the other end of the phone, a man’s angry voice interrupted Lin Yuxing. Even though they were separated by the phone, Lin Yuxing clenched his fist tightly.

The man rudely exclaimed, “I shouldn’t have let him go to college in the first place, but you insisted! Now, he’s become stubborn. Did he send the money he promised to be sending every month?! Lin Xiufeng, look at what you made, a white-eyed wolf that you insisted on raising!”

The woman on the other end of the call responded sharply, “Is it that big of a deal if you have a little less money?!”

“You wish I were dead, don’t you?” The man arrogantly continued, his tone clearly revealed his despicable nature. “He said so himself. If he went to college, he would send me money every month! Otherwise, tell him to come back and start working, then he would have money sooner!”

Lin Xiufeng blurted out, “what are you saying?. If he doesn’t study, he will end up like you, stuck in this miserable place. Is that what you want?”

“I’m the one who raised him yet I’m still stuck here?” The man unreasonably shouted repeatedly, “Now he looks down on us because his standards are higher. Even the person I introduced to him as a potential partner, he rejected!”

“Do you not see what’s on his back? Who would want him once he takes off his clothes? Who would want this ugly freak, this monster, this defective product?!”

Just this one sentence struck directly at Lin Yuxing’s heart.

His spine felt like it was on fire, and no matter how he tried to put it out, it kept burning. The shadows of his childhood loomed over him, causing his back teeth to clench and his whole body to ache.

Lin Xiufeng abruptly hung up the call.

The phone rang again.

With a hoarse voice, Lin Xiufeng, as usual after an argument apologized on behalf of her husband, “Your uncle is just insane. Don’t take his words to heart.”

Lin Yuxing responds, “Okay.”

Then Lin Xiufeng asked, “Yuxing, what’s going on this month? Weren’t you making good money in the city?”

Lin Yuxing couldn’t find words to  explain his current situation.

Seeing him remain silent, Lin Xiufeng sighed and said, “It was you who promised your uncle to always send him 1,500 yuan every month. You only sent 1,000 yuan for the past two months. I stopped him from making a fuss. But when he didn’t see the money in his account this month, he went crazy and started thinking that you didn’t care about the family!” She continued to ramble, “You know the situation at home. I don’t earn much working at the factory, and we’ve been relying on your money for medical expenses…”

Lin Yuxing kicked a small stone on the ground with his foot. His shoulders felt heavy as if burdened by two huge stones. He remained silent and didn’t say anything.

After a pause, Lin Xiufeng asked him, “is anything wrong?”

Suddenly, Lin Yuxing opened his mouth.

Unfortunately, before he could say anything, Lin Xiufeng continued to lecture him, “Just don’t get into trouble in the city! You know the current situation at home, and we… we have no other choice!”

“…I haven’t gotten into trouble,” Lin Yuxing looked at the burnt leftovers in his hands, feeling a coldness within him. In fact, he had long been accustomed to it. “Don’t worry.”

Hearing Lin Yuxing’s words, Lin Xiufeng sighed in annoyance, ” Your uncle almost came to the school to find you yesterday, but I stopped him.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuxing blurted out, “Nothing is wrong!”

He quickly told a lie, his tone unusually urgent, “I’ll be getting my salary from work in a few days. Please don’t let him come to my school!”

He worried that he didn’t make himself clear enough, “Aunt, once I finish college, I’ll definitely earn much more than if I didn’t study! By then, I won’t give you any less than what the family needs! I’ll even take my cousin to a better hospital, and I won’t withhold anything from you!”

“Yuxing, you…”

“I was raised by you, and I’ve always remembered that. I will never forget your kindness!” This sentence had been deeply ingrained in Lin Yuxing’s mind since he was young. Every time he was beaten, he would beg for mercy while saying those words to the man.

He seemed afraid, recalling many unpleasant memories, and begged repeatedly, “Please, please don’t let Uncle come to my school…”

“Alright, I understand.” Lin Xiufeng quickly changed her tone and softened, “Since your uncle became disabled, life has been really tough, which is why you’re also having a hard time. I apologize on behalf of your uncle…”

“…”

She wiped away her tears, “If our family were better off, who would allow their child to suffer like this? Shaohua has been having a fever and vomiting these past few days, and I couldn’t find time to take care of him.”

The “Shaohua ” she mentioned was the cousin Lin Yuxing referred to, as well as Lin Xiufeng’s own son.

Listening to Lin Xiufeng’s words, Lin Yuxing couldn’t find a response. He silently listened, empty emotions, only a sense of numbness remained.

In the end, Lin Xiufeng sniffed and couldn’t hold back her crying voice.

Lin Yuxing assured her repeatedly that he would send the money the following Monday, before Lin Xiufeng finally hung up the phone.

The light on the phone screen dimmed, and Lin Yuxing’s previously good mood vanished. The burning pain on his back still spread throughout his nerves.

He took a deep breath.

To make matters worse, as soon as he looked up, Gu Zhongyi was standing not far away.

Lin Yuxing’s body tensed, a sense of embarrassment surging in his heart. “…Senior?”

Gu Zhongyi didn’t know how long he had been standing there. The tips of his ears were slightly red from the cold, and he held a cup of milk tea in his hand. He looked at Lin Yuxing, his eyes like the deep night sky.

Lin Yuxing felt dazed, his gaze seeming exhausted. He looked at Gu Zhongyi, thinking that he was waiting for him but not entirely sure, so he glanced back at the dormitory building.

It was indeed his dormitory, the North Wing Omega dormitory.

He stood still, and a soft voice pierced through the dark night, “Were you waiting for me?”

Gu Zhongyi answered, “Mm.”

Like a reassuring pill, more like an unintentional tenderness.

Lin Yuxing’s hand was ice-cold, buried in his pocket. He opened his mouth, unable to think of what to say. He saw the concern and even the heartache in Gu Zhongyi’s eyes directed at him.

Lin Yuxing speculated that Gu Zhongyi probably heard the entire phone conversation.

And the emotions displayed by Gu Zhongyi, for Lin Yuxing, were unnecessary. Because they actually made him feel a little bit sad inside.

Lin Yuxing hoped he was mistaken.

But Gu Zhongyi had to destroyed his hope, “I’m sorry, I didn’t intentionally eavesdrop on your phone call.”

“…”

Lin Yuxing bit his lip hard, and his lips immediately turned pale.

Afterwards, he returned to his usual state and said with an extremely indifferent tone, against his will, “It’s nothing. It was my aunt’s call just now. My parents passed away early, and she took care of me. Occasionally, she sends me some money for household expenses. It’s quite normal where I come from, there’s nothing to eavesdrop or not eavesdrop.”

He didn’t know that the more casually he said these words, the more false they became.

Fortunately, Lin Yuxing didn’t care whether others believed him or not. After all, who would really want to listen to his sob story? Even Gu Zhongyi, who might like him, would be the same.

If Gu Zhongyi knew his true situation, he would definitely crush the word “like” and throw it in the trash can. He would be grateful that the bouquet of roses was just a misunderstanding.

He turned to the side and asked Gu Zhongyi coldly, “What did you want from me?”

Gu Zhongyi lowered his chin and said, “I have something I want to discuss with you. Let’s find a place to sit for a while.” It was too cold outside, and Gu Zhongyi noticed that Lin Yuxing wasn’t dressed warmly enough. His worn-out coat was obviously worn for many years.

But after the series of incidents that happened before, Lin Yuxing didn’t dare to walk together with Gu Zhongyi. He tightened the collar of his coat and said with a muffled voice, “If you have something to say, say it here. There aren’t many people here right now. Just stand there and don’t move, this distance is fine.”

Gu Zhongyi was about to take a step forward, but Lin Yuxing stopped him.

In the light, there was a faint glow around Gu Zhongyi’s outline.

Lin Yuxing didn’t want to look directly at him.

Gu Zhongyi said, “Because of the misunderstanding before, I caused you a lot of trouble, and I want to deal with it.” He explained, “There was something going on in my hometown recently, so I went back for a visit. I just returned today. Sorry for coming back late.”

Upon learning that Gu Zhongyi didn’t intentionally ignore him, Lin Yuxing couldn’t help but soften a bit. It seemed like he wasn’t that angry anymore.

If he were to start a relationship, he would definitely be someone who could be easily coaxed and persuaded.

Lin Yuxing said softly, “So that’s how it is… Actually, I was also thinking whether I should discuss it with you.” The stiffness in his tone faded, and with a gravelly exhaustion in his throat, he continued, “I know that it’s not your fault in this whole matter, but since you said you wanted to handle it, can you explain it to everyone as soon as possible?”

Lin Yuxing worried that he wasn’t being direct enough, so he added, “I mean, explain clearly that we are not dating, using the fastest method.”

He lowered his head and didn’t look at Gu Zhongyi’s reaction.

He didn’t notice that Gu Zhongyi took two steps forward.

Gu Zhongyi asked him, “Do you want me to post a clarification online?”

“Yes, I hope you can do it today,” Lin Yuxing confessed, “This whole thing has caused serious trouble in my life.”

Maybe it was because he had just received a call from Lin Xiufeng, or maybe it was because he was afraid that his alcoholic uncle would really come to C University to cause trouble, or maybe it was because his life in distress was filled with misfortunes.

Unconsciously, Lin Yuxing’s eyes became moist.

“Senior, can you please help me?” he pleaded.

A gust of wind blew, and Lin Yuxing shrank his neck.

He turned away, rubbed his eyes, and the back of his hand was stained with inconspicuous tears.

Gu Zhongyi approached without realizing it and handed him the milk tea. He was afraid that the milk tea would get cold, so he held it in his arms until Lin Yuxing arrived. Now, the cup of milk tea was still warm.

Lin Yuxing didn’t notice that the cup of milk tea was the same flavor as the one he bought that day. He refused and said, “I don’t want to drink.”

Rarely being assertive in front of Lin Yuxing, Gu Zhongyi held his cold hand and handed the hot milk tea to him. “Use it to warm your hands.”

Lin Yuxing frowned, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.

The temperature of the milk tea climbed through his palm, climbing on his thoughts.

Gu Zhongyi let go of his hand and said, “It’s too cold outside, my car is nearby.” He looked at Lin Yuxing, slowly waiting for their eyes to meet, and his eyes were vast and deep. “Let’s sit in the car for a while.”

“I…”

“It will only take a few minutes of your time.”

Faced with Gu Zhongyi’s sincere attitude, Lin Yuxing finally agreed. Taking advantage of the moment when there was no one around, he quickly got into Gu Zhongyi’s car.

The first thing Gu Zhongyi did when he got in the car was to turn on the heater.

A warm stream of air raised the temperature in the car, and under the combined effect of the heater and the hot milk tea, Lin Yuxing’s freezing red hands began to itch. He blinked his eyes, sat up straight, and was not very accustomed to Gu Zhongyi’s luxury car.

“Have you had dinner?” Gu Zhongyi asked him.

Lin Yuxing bluntly responded to Gu Zhongyi and replied straightforwardly, “We are already like this, it’s not necessary for us to have a meal together.”

He hoped that Gu Zhongyi would have some self-awareness, but he didn’t realize that he was sitting in Gu Zhongyi’s passenger seat, which was much more intimate than having a meal together.

Gu Zhongyi responded to his temper with kindness, “okay.”

There was a faint scent of bitter orange in the car, emanating from Gu Zhongyi, and it was refreshing. Lin Yuxing, like a tired cat, involuntarily relaxed his tense mood. In the gap while waiting for Gu Zhongyi to get to the point, he quietly narrowed his eyes.

Lin Yuxing didn’t urge Gu Zhongyi, but if Gu Zhongyi didn’t speak soon, he would fall asleep in the scent, drifting into a deep slumber.

Fortunately, after about 20 seconds of silence, Gu Zhongyi finally spoke.

“Lin Yuxing, do you want to be in a relationship with me?”

Lin Yuxing’s hand trembled, and the milk tea he was holding fell in freefall and landed on the car floor. Luckily, the milk tea wasn’t opened, otherwise Lin Yuxing would have to bear the expense of cleaning the car.

“?”

Lin Yuxing looked at Gu Zhongyi in astonishment, thinking he was still in a dream, and not a pleasant one at that.

Then,  instinctively Lin Yuxing said, “I don’t want to!”

His right hand immediately reached for the door handle, ready to escape from that absurd scene.