UI CH 18

Shen Ran had his arms crossed over his knees. Hearing this, he chuckled, pushed himself up, and said,
“Don’t tell me all your friends know how to use your dishwasher too?”

Zhao Jiyu also laughed and said,
“They’re not as good as you. You’re the first to offer to help clean up.”

Shen Ran had been doing chores like cooking, washing dishes, and mopping floors since he was young. These habits were deeply ingrained in him. He stood by the sink, rinsing the leftover food off the plates, while Zhao Jiyu took out a bowl of chilled watermelon that Old Wu had cut and prepared from the fridge.

Zhao Jiyu speared a piece with a fork and took a bite.
“The watermelon Old Wu bought today is really good—sweet and juicy.”

When his father was still alive, summer evenings often found them sitting in the yard to cool off. The father and son would share half a chilled watermelon, scooping out the flesh with a spoon. His mother, who didn’t like watermelon, would sit next to them, fanning Shen Ran to keep mosquitoes away from his delicate skin.

Those memories were so vivid that even now, certain things could trigger them. Watermelon was one of those triggers, and as a result, he had rarely eaten it in recent years.

Zhao Jiyu finished three pieces and, seeing Shen Ran focused on rinsing the dishes, held a long slice of watermelon up to his lips.
“Try it. It’s really juicy.”

Shen Ran wanted to refuse, but Zhao Jiyu accidentally touched his lips. A drop of red juice seeped into the corner of his mouth. Tasting the cold, sweet flavor on his tongue, he opened his mouth instinctively.

Tilting his head, Zhao Jiyu asked,
“How is it? Juicy, right?”

Shen Ran nodded, swallowing. “Yeah, it’s really juicy. Old Wu sure knows how to pick them.”

A smile curled at the corner of Zhao Jiyu’s mouth as he speared another piece to feed him.
“If it’s sweet, have a few more bites. I can’t finish it all, and I don’t want to leave it overnight.”

This time, Shen Ran leaned back slightly, avoiding the bite.
“Just leave it. I’ll eat it when I’m done washing.”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t push him. He stood by, eating while watching Shen Ran rinse the dishes. Casually, he asked,
“Why did you go to Xi’an this time?”

“I had planned to travel during the summer break,”
Shen Ran explained.
“Some friends happened to book a trip to Xi’an, so I went along.”

“Xi’an is a nice place.”

“Yeah, very nice. I’d always heard my professors talk about the history museum and the heritage sites there. Seeing them in person, I realized they’re so big you could get lost, and there are so many exhibits you can’t see them all.”

“Didn’t you think about going to Luoyang too?”

Shen Ran stacked the washed dishes neatly on the side counter and shook his head.
“My friends weren’t interested in Luoyang, and they’re not history majors. I’m planning to go there on my own next time.”

“I’ve never been either,” Zhao Jiyu said.
“If I have the time, I’d like to visit too.”

Talking about academics, Shen Ran asked curiously,
“Did you choose history in college because you were interested in it?”

Putting down his fork, Zhao Jiyu pulled a wet wipe from the wall dispenser and wiped his mouth.
“Not really. I have an uncle who’s a history professor. I didn’t want to study finance or management, so I just randomly chose history.”

Shen Ran had chosen to study history because of his deep passion for Chinese history. However, he wasn’t surprised—many of his classmates were like Zhao Jiyu, picking their major without much thought.

“That’s great, though. You can do whatever you want without feeling restricted,”
Shen Ran said.

Leaning against the wall, Zhao Jiyu looked at Shen Ran’s back and said,
“Actually, my uncle goes on research trips every summer and winter break. He takes his students to work on projects. I went with him twice when I was a kid—it was pretty interesting.”

Shen Ran didn’t look back. There was only one dish left in the sink. After rinsing it, he turned around and asked,
“Do I just put it in like this?”

Glancing at his unchanging expression, Zhao Jiyu lowered his eyes and hummed in response. Once Shen Ran had placed all the dishes into the dishwasher and set it up, he accepted the bowl of watermelon Zhao Jiyu handed him. He took a new fork from the utensil rack and started eating.

The dishwasher would take two hours to finish. After Shen Ran finished the watermelon, he checked the time—it was around 9:30. Worried he might miss the last bus, he grabbed his bag to leave.

Zhao Jiyu offered to see him off, but Shen Ran stopped him. “I’ll go by myself.”

“You’re not familiar with the area.”
Sitting on the shoe bench by the entrance, Zhao Jiyu looked up at him.
“Let me take you. I’m not busy tonight anyway.”

“No need, really.”
Shen Ran didn’t want Zhao Jiyu to know about his current living situation, so he made up an excuse.
“I’m not a girl. Are you really worried something might happen to me?”

Zhao Jiyu paused while tying his shoes, twisting the laces around his fingers before standing up.
“Then I’ll at least take you downstairs. You came up through the garage earlier—if you go through the main hall, it’s easy to get lost.”

This time, Shen Ran didn’t refuse. They took the elevator to the first floor, walked through the luxurious lobby, past the indoor and outdoor garden-style fountains, until they reached the large plaza.

The bus stop was just to the left of the plaza. Shen Ran had noticed it earlier. He turned back and said,
“You should head back. I’ll go from here.”

“Alright. Take your time on the way back,”
Zhao Jiyu replied.

“Thanks for dinner.”

“No need to be so polite. You’re way better than some of my picky, never-satisfied dinner guests.”

Shen Ran didn’t know what kind of friends Zhao Jiyu had but still smiled modestly. After saying goodbye, he walked quickly to the bus stop. Zhao Jiyu stood with his hands in his pockets, watching him for a long while before finally turning back upstairs.

At the bus stop, Shen Ran checked the schedule for the last bus. Just then, he received a call from his mother, Xu Huijuan.

Hearing the traffic noise on his end, Xu Huijuan asked,
“Ran Ran, are you still outside this late?”

“I’m about to head back. I just had dinner with a friend,” Shen Ran said.
“Is there something you need, Mom?”

“Yes.” Her voice had a hint of laughter.
“Weren’t you planning to go to Yangzhou with Li Ting? It’s already halfway through summer break, and I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Shen Ran opened his mouth, staring at the approaching headlights. After a moment, he explained,
“She had something come up and couldn’t go. I went to Xi’an with a few seniors instead. I’m already back.”

“You didn’t go with her? I was hoping you’d send me a few photos of you two together.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Alright then. Take care of yourself, okay? Whether you’re working or out having fun, make sure you eat and sleep on time. Don’t keep eating instant noodles—they’re not nutritious, got it?”

Every time they talked on the phone, Xu Huijuan would go through the same reminders. Shen Ran had heard it so many times his ears felt numb, but he still responded patiently.

When he saw the bus approaching from afar, he told her they’d talk later, then got on and took a seat in the back row.

When he first started dating Li Ting, his mom found out because Zheng Mingjin accidentally let it slip.

At that time, Xu Huijuan was overjoyed, especially after seeing Li Ting’s photo. She kept praising how pretty and graceful Li Ting was, telling him to cherish her. Who would have thought they would break up just two months later?

Leaning against the bus window, Shen Ran put on his headphones to listen to music. After a hearty meal at Zhao Jiyu’s house and now swaying gently on the bus, he felt drowsy. Worried he might miss his stop again, he straightened up and watched the night scenery outside. A few stops later, two students in middle school uniforms got off the bus in front of him.

He only glanced at them casually, not expecting to see the two holding hands as they looked around before walking forward.

Shen Ran stared at them, thinking how kids these days matured so early. These two looked like they were only in the first or second year of middle school. He recalled that when he was in his second year of university, he had only just held hands with a girl and had never even felt the warmth of a girl’s lips. It made him feel that life was truly unfair.

But as his thoughts wandered, a face he shouldn’t be thinking about appeared in his mind.

Though he had never felt a girl’s lips, by some twist of fate, he had accidentally tried a boy’s. He recalled Zhao Jiyu’s pretty lips, glistening with watermelon juice, looking so soft. Realizing his thoughts were straying, he pulled out his phone to watch videos and distract himself.

Back in his hostel room, he grabbed his change of clothes and went to take a shower. Upon entering, he discovered that the previous person not only did something indecent while showering but also left a mess on the wall.

Enduring his disgust, he used the showerhead to wash everything away before starting his own shower. The fresh lemon scent of the shampoo finally helped him relax. After washing his clothes as well, he set an alarm and went to sleep. However, in the middle of the night, the person in the lower bunk returned and, just like the previous night, made a lot of noise before finally settling down.

Two nights without proper sleep made him extremely irritated, especially since the shaking of the lower bunk reminded him of the bed on the yacht.

It was the same swaying feeling, the same situation of sharing a bed with someone else, but back then, the atmosphere had been so pleasant and relaxing.

He buried his face into the pillow, using the heat to calm himself down, reminding himself to hold on a little longer—once the semester started, he could move back to the dorms.

The next day around noon, Zheng Mingjin called to remind him about the basketball club meeting in the evening. The coach had arranged a friendly match and wanted all members to participate actively, even if they couldn’t play, they needed to show up.

Since the start of the summer vacation, Shen Ran had rarely practiced with the basketball club due to his part-time job. The coach knew about his situation but still had some complaints. Not wanting to be absent all the time, Shen Ran promised to go after work. However, as soon as he reached the school, his advisor caught him.