RLTT CH 6

Chapter 6: Almost Like a Date · “Upstairs Shop”

Living with Yun Shaofeng turned out to be much more pleasant than Wei Jiaxi had expected. These days, he didn’t have to go to work but could still earn a paycheck while staying home. Yun Shaofeng, for one, wasn’t someone who went out partying every day. Most of the time, he stayed at home. Secondly, he wasn’t the kind of young master who demanded solitude with phrases like, “Stop following me, I need some space.” Their interactions were often quite reasonable and mutually respectful.

“What should we buy for dinner tonight? What fruits should we have? What channel should we watch?”

His answer was always the same.
“Anything’s fine. Whatever you decide.”

It felt almost like normal life. So normal, in fact, that Wei Jiaxi sometimes felt uneasy. Technically, he was working, yet it felt more like he was on vacation. At the same time, though they stayed home, everything they did was work-related. Wei Jiaxi stayed on high alert, keeping Yun Shaofeng within his line of sight at all times, except for when he went to the bathroom or slept.

One morning, as usual, Wei Jiaxi woke up to find Yun Shaofeng already in the living room. On the coffee table sat a cup of coffee, with wisps of steam rising from it. It was perfectly warm and ready to drink. Wei Jiaxi couldn’t help but wonder how Yun Shaofeng always managed to time it so precisely, preparing coffee that coincided perfectly with his waking moments. It was as if Yun Shaofeng knew his exact schedule, down to the minute, even accounting for the times he lazed around in bed.

“Are you thinking about how I always seem to have coffee ready for you when you wake up?” Yun Shaofeng said casually, his hands never pausing as they tapped away on his laptop.

Wei Jiaxi turned to look at him, his expression one of disbelief.

“That’s because I wake up earlier than you. I can usually hear your alarm clock when it goes off,” Yun Shaofeng explained, his voice calm and unhurried. “After you snooze the alarm, it takes you another five or six minutes to actually get up—just enough time for me to make a cup of coffee. Then you take about three minutes to wash up, which gives me time to warm up some milk. By the time you sit down, everything’s ready.”

Yun Shaofeng stopped typing, looked up, and gave a slightly shy smile. “So when you sit down, the coffee is just the right temperature for you to drink.”

Sitting on the sofa with his coffee in hand, Wei Jiaxi stared blankly for a long while before finally asking, “…How did you know I was thinking that?”

“When you sat down, you glanced at me, then picked up the coffee but didn’t drink it. Instead, you just stared at it,” Yun Shaofeng said, his smile deepening. “After that, you kept looking at the bedroom door, back and forth, with a serious expression. I just made a guess.”

Wei Jiaxi instinctively touched his own face. He had almost forgotten how sharp and observant Yun Shaofeng was—a cautious and perceptive person who rarely showed his emotions. It was this very trait that had enabled him to survive as an abandoned orphan, climbing his way up through countless battles to eventually end up by Wei Jiaxi’s side.

Seeing that Wei Jiaxi hadn’t spoken for a long time, Yun Shaofeng became a bit nervous and quickly said, “Did I overstep? Sorry if I was being nosy. I’ll stay out of it next time—”

“No!” Wei Jiaxi interrupted hastily, explaining, “It’s fine. Thank you for the coffee—I really like it. I was just thinking about how I should persuade you to join the police force.”

He shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “You’d make a great negotiator, don’t you think?”

Yun Shaofeng knew he was joking and finally relaxed, laughing as he shook his head.

After breakfast, as they cleaned up, Wei Jiaxi noticed a few comic books neatly stacked to the side.

“You finished these already?” Wei Jiaxi asked as he casually flipped through them.

“Yeah, they’re pretty good. Do you have more?” Yun Shaofeng replied, glancing at him while wiping the table.

“I’ve got some more at home,” Wei Jiaxi said, eyeing him. “I’m off tomorrow, and Zhong Zai’s coming over. I’ll bring some over after I visit home.”

“Oh…” Yun Shaofeng’s hand paused mid-wipe. “I almost forgot—being with me all the time is actually your job, isn’t it?”

Wei Jiaxi, for some reason, heard a trace of grievance in his words. Without thinking much, comforting words slipped out of his mouth: “It’s okay, I can still stay with you today.”

Yun Shaofeng, still holding the dishcloth, slowly straightened up, his expression somewhat puzzled.

…What a fool I am, saying such foolish things. Wei Jiaxi cursed himself silently in his heart but still put on a relaxed expression and continued, “Let’s go out and watch a movie.”

“Just you and me…” Yun Shaofeng gestured between the two of them, “Go watch a movie?”

“Yes,” Wei Jiaxi’s heart was pounding, but his face still wore a calm expression, “If I go with you, I should be able to get reimbursed. I think there’s a Superman movie showing these days?”

Yun Shaofeng was a bit taken aback, blinking a few times, but still answered, “Alright.”

“I’ll go change clothes, and we can leave in a bit.” Wei Jiaxi maintained his smile, holding the manga as he turned and headed for his room.

Once inside the room, he casually tossed the manga onto the bed, then leapt onto the head of the bed and struck a victorious dance pose, silently cheering to himself.

Ahhhhh, finally, I can go on a date with Shaofeng! Going shopping, eating, watching movies—this is a date, this is it!!!

Wei Jiaxi collapsed onto the bed, flipped over, sprawled out in a starfish position, and sighed deeply.

I’ve been waiting for this day for so long…

Half an hour later, the two were sitting in the car, predictably stuck in traffic.

Wei Jiaxi held the steering wheel with one hand, bored, while with the other, he turned the radio dial. After several boring commercials, he turned it off completely.

Yun Shaofeng slightly lowered the car window, letting in the foul smell of exhaust fumes from the outside. He frowned and quickly rolled the window back up. “I almost forgot about the traffic situation in the Special Zone…”

Wei Jiaxi also felt a little awkward and sighed lightly. “Yeah, it feels like it would take just as long to get to the center as it would to have a meal. How about we go to another cinema?”

“That’s fine, you decide.” Yun Shaofeng replied.

“Let’s find one that’s less crowded and safer…” Wei Jiaxi didn’t forget that they were still on a mission. As he saw an opening on the nearby slip road, he quickly swerved the steering wheel, stepping on the gas pedal. He made a “yo” sound as he managed to slip into the gap and successfully turned onto the right slip road. He then pressed the Bluetooth earpiece on his ear and spoke softly, “Taking the exchange student with me, heading back to the old district for the movie theater. The overpass is too congested, we’ll go through the city.”

“Are they coming along too?” Yun Shaofeng turned his face slightly, glancing at his Bluetooth earpiece.

Wei Jiaxi answered, “No, just the two of us. I’m just reporting as usual.” He kept an eye on both rearview mirrors but also noticed Yun Shaofeng’s expression. “Is it uncomfortable for you, having someone following us all the time?”

“Hm?” Yun Shaofeng smiled and shook his head, “It’s fine. I often didn’t talk to anyone for half a month in Vancouver, but now I get to talk to you every day. I’m actually more worried that you find me boring.”

Seeing that Yun Shaofeng’s expression seemed to darken a little, Wei Jiaxi hesitated, then asked, “Was living alone abroad really difficult?”

“Well…” Yun Shaofeng hesitated for a long time, seeming like he wanted to answer, but didn’t.

Wei Jiaxi immediately regretted speaking out. The harmonious atmosphere they had worked hard to establish suddenly became awkward again. He fell silent, focusing on driving through the winding streets of the old district. On both sides, the old Tang-style buildings ^[1]displayed neon signs that hadn’t yet lit up, their gray walls peeling in places, the area looking old and messy but full of the unique flavor of the Special Zone^[2]. Wei Jiaxi knew that the security here was generally good, and it had long been Xin Qing’s turf, though the few Mahjong parlors and night clubs still paid protection fees. The rest of the small businesses were just regular citizens’ modest businesses.

After a few more turns, the next intersection led to a shopping mall. Wei Jiaxi noticed a parking meter on the side of the road and suddenly had an idea. He slowly parked the car by the side, turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned to Yun Shaofeng with a smile, revealing two shallow dimples.

“I’m taking you to a place, I promise it’ll be fun.”

In the Special Zone, where every inch of land is precious and rent is high, the only way to expand was vertically. Unless it was a big-name chain brand, other small private stores usually couldn’t survive on the ground level. As a result, there were many underground shopping malls and “upstairs shops.” These shops had all kinds of things—clothes, shoes, bookstores, DVD shops, maid cafes, slimming salons. Glass doors and windows were densely packed in narrow hallways of commercial buildings, creating a labyrinth in the air.

Wei Jiaxi led Yun Shaofeng into such a building. From the second floor up, it was all comic shops and merchandise stores, with colorful comic book covers everywhere. Piles of stacked comics formed small columns, and behind every bookshelf, there was yet another shelf, creating a dizzying spectacle.

Yun Shaofeng followed Wei Jiaxi, who was familiar with the area and led him into a not-so-big comic shop. A poster was posted at the entrance, featuring a classic scene from the movie The Dark Knight, with Heath Ledger’s Joker holding cards, staring at the camera, and smiling in a chilling way.

“This place…” Yun Shaofeng stared at the poster, slightly confused. “Feels a bit familiar?” He glanced around. The sounds of customers chatting and walking, the mixed noise from a nearby video ad in the game disc store, the mechanical hum of the air conditioner and elevator—it all felt so familiar. Since returning to the Special Zone, he hadn’t experienced such a strong sense of familiarity, as though he were in a dream, but a dream he had repeatedly lived for many years.

Yun Shaofeng turned around and saw Wei Jiaxi already chatting casually with the store owner behind the counter, suggesting they must have known each other for a long time.

The shopkeeper, looking young and still in his college years, suddenly brightened when he saw Yun Shaofeng. He waved enthusiastically: “Is this Shaofeng? Shaofeng! It’s been so many years!”

Yun Shaofeng froze for a moment. He didn’t expect the shopkeeper to recognize him, but all the familiar past memories had been forgotten by him, and he wasn’t sure how to respond. He stood there, stunned.

The shopkeeper didn’t seem to notice his hesitation and continued chatting: “It’s really been such a long time since I’ve seen you. You and your brother—” “Ah, ah, Qiangzi! Have you gotten any new stock in recently?” He was interrupted midway by Wei Jiaxi, who covered his mouth and pulled him towards a nearby bookshelf to look at the comics.

Wei Jiaxi, with his hand over Qiangzi’s mouth, facing away from Yun Shaofeng, leaned into Qiangzi’s ear and whispered through his lips: “Shaofeng had an accident and lost his memory. Don’t mention our past. Do you get that?”

Qiangzi, his eyes widening in realization, nodded rapidly. Wei Jiaxi then let go of him and pushed him in front of Yun Shaofeng, casually introducing him: “This is Qiangzi, the heir of the shop. His mom is the owner, but he’s been helping out here since he was young. They specialize in old comics. You love comics, so maybe you were a regular customer here back then. Right, Qiangzi?” After saying that, he nudged Qiangzi with his shoulder.

Qiangzi nodded eagerly: “Yeah, yeah, you came here often. I remember you, Shaofeng! By the way, why haven’t you been around these last few years?”

Seeing Qiangzi and Wei Jiaxi both smiling warmly at him, standing together like two lucky cats, Yun Shaofeng couldn’t help but smile and nodded back: “Hello, Qiangzi. I’ve been abroad for the past few years and just returned to the Special Zone recently.”

Qiangzi gave an expression of sudden understanding, then invited him into the shop and started showing him the comics on the shelf, saying that these were the ones he used to like. Qiangzi, young and cheerful, spoke with the warmth reserved for long-time customers, mixed with the joy of reuniting with an old friend. He was entirely unreserved, and in just a few words, Yun Shaofeng felt his mood lighten. He took the comics Qiangzi handed him and casually flipped through them, listening to Qiangzi’s explanations. As Qiangzi animatedly told him about the new collections added over the years, Yun Shaofeng listened intently, as though hearing a story—a story about his own past.

Wei Jiaxi, standing near the door, quietly watched Yun Shaofeng. He watched his long-missed lively expression and focus, and silently sighed.

After chatting a little more, Wei Jiaxi mentioned that the shop mainly sold old comic collections, but he had also pre-ordered some new comics elsewhere. The two of them then said goodbye to Qiangzi and took the escalator downstairs. The shop Wei Jiaxi was taking him to was on the basement level, and they needed to take another escalator to get there. A local custom in the Special Zone was to stand on the right side of escalators. The two of them stood in line on the right side, Yun Shaofeng in front, and Wei Jiaxi behind.

The next floor came in less than half a minute, and the two stood silently. Wei Jiaxi casually looked up at the ads posted on the walls. Suddenly, a golden-haired head caught his eye. The person was standing beside the escalator, going up, while Wei Jiaxi was coming down. They brushed past each other in less than half a second, and Wei Jiaxi’s mind suddenly rang with a voice.

It’s him! That person!

The logical part of his brain was about to kick into action, but the part responsible for his body’s reflexes had already acted first.

“Don’t run!”

Wei Jiaxi shouted and leapt over the middle of the escalator. The blonde-haired man had already reached the ground, and hearing someone shout, he didn’t care who it was, he just ran. Wei Jiaxi pushed past the person blocking his way and dashed out, not looking back. “Stop!”

Yun Shaofeng had already been brought to the basement level by the escalator. He turned around in shock but only saw Wei Jiaxi’s back disappearing around the corner.

To be continued…