UI CH 31

“How did you get in touch with him?”
Shen Ran asked in surprise.

“A friend of mine knows a real estate agent and helped me find him.”
Zhao Jiyu turned right at the intersection and merged into traffic before continuing,
“The landlord’s surname is Liu. He’s currently in the hospital.”

Recalling how the landlord had seemed perfectly fine when they met last week, Shen Ran asked,
“Why is he hospitalized?”

Zhao Jiyu glanced at him.
“Take a guess. I bet you won’t figure it out.”

Shen Ran disliked being asked to guess things. He raised his hand and gave Zhao Jiyu a light smack.
“I’m not guessing. Just tell me.”

Zhao Jiyu looked at the spot where Shen Ran had touched his arm, then shared everything he had learned during his conversation that afternoon.

The more Shen Ran listened, the darker his expression became. He sighed,
“How did Chen Kang end up like this?”

“How did you meet him?”
Zhao Jiyu asked.

“I saw his rental listing.”

Shen Ran turned to look out the window. The fiery sunset clouds spread magnificently across the sky, but he was in no mood to admire them. After a moment, he turned back.
“Did the landlord lose anything this time?”

“I don’t think so, but he asked me to check with you.”
Seeing Shen Ran frown, Zhao Jiyu asked,
“Did you leave something important there?”

With his palm supporting his right cheek, Shen Ran muttered a quiet “Mm.”

“What is it? Something valuable?”

“Not really valuable. It should be fine,”
Shen Ran said, trying to reassure himself.

Since Shen Ran didn’t elaborate, Zhao Jiyu didn’t press further. He increased the car’s speed and called Mrs. Liu ahead of time to coordinate.

After waiting for a while downstairs in the residential complex, Mrs. Liu arrived. On their way upstairs, she mentioned that the police still hadn’t found Chen Kang. Shen Ran’s expression remained serious. Once inside, he headed straight to his room and rummaged through the drawer under his desk. Soon, he let out a sigh of relief as he picked up a palm-sized resin keychain.

The keychain featured a figurine of an athlete, dressed in a #7 jersey, striking a shooting pose. Zhao Jiyu asked,
“What’s this?”

“It was a gift from my high school basketball team captain. There’s an inscription at the bottom,”
Shen Ran replied.

He flipped it over to show Zhao Jiyu. Engraved on the back were the words “Never say never.”

“It must hold special meaning,” Zhao Jiyu said.

“Yeah,” Shen Ran nodded. He was about to explain when he noticed Mrs. Liu still standing at the door, so he decided to save it for later.

There weren’t many belongings in the rental unit. With Zhao Jiyu’s help, they quickly packed a travel bag. Mrs. Liu watched them the whole time, and after confirming nothing was missing, she felt relieved. Before leaving, she reminded them to contact her if they heard any news about Chen Kang.

After putting the bag in the trunk, Zhao Jiyu started the car and asked what Shen Ran wanted for dinner.

Shen Ran said,
“Today, dinner’s on me. I need to thank you for helping me out.”

Zhao Jiyu smiled.
“It was just a small thing.”

“It might’ve been small for you, but it was a big help to me. Otherwise, I’d still be trying to track down the landlord.”
Shen Ran looked at him sincerely.
“What do you want to eat?”

After a moment of thought, Zhao Jiyu said,
“How about you make the same noodles as last night?”

Shen Ran had been prepared to treat him to a big meal, but he hadn’t expected such a modest request. He couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t worry about saving me money. I might not be as wealthy as you, but I can handle a couple of meals.”

While reversing the car, Zhao Jiyu responded with genuine sincerity,
“I really just want to eat those noodles. My stomach’s been off lately, and I haven’t had much of an appetite for Old Wu’s cooking.”

“Then you could ask him to make something lighter,”
Shen Ran suggested.

“I did. He made plain noodles for lunch, but it still didn’t taste right.”
Zhao Jiyu spoke without a hint of guilt, openly critiquing Old Wu’s cooking. His words made Shen Ran chuckle, calling him a strange person.

Once they were out of the parking area, Zhao Jiyu shifted gears, stopped, and looked at Shen Ran.
“So, will you make the noodles or not?”

With Zhao Jiyu staring at him like that, Shen Ran couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Sure.”

They didn’t get home until after 8 p.m. Shen Ran opened the fridge, intending to grab the eggs and vegetables he’d bought the day before. Standing behind him, Zhao Jiyu said,
“Old Wu used those for lunch. You’ll need to use something else.”

The fresh vegetables Old Wu bought were neatly packaged in bags. Shen Ran browsed through them and selected some organic bok choy. When he turned to put it on the counter, he bumped into a firm chest. Looking back, he found Zhao Jiyu still standing behind him.

Zhao Jiyu’s hand brushed his waist briefly before pulling back.
“Are you just adding bok choy and eggs?”

That brief touch almost felt like a hug, leaving Shen Ran a bit uncomfortable. Without meeting Zhao Jiyu’s gaze, he turned back to the fridge.
“What else do you want to add? I can put more in.”

“How about some oyster mushrooms?”
Zhao Jiyu began picking through the vegetables.
“And maybe add some squid and shrimp balls?”

“Okay,”
Shen Ran agreed, taking out the oyster mushrooms. He opened the lower double doors of the fridge, but as soon as he bent down, he stopped. His fingers braced against the fridge door as he straightened up again.

Before he could turn around, Zhao Jiyu had already moved to the sink to wash his hands and then poured himself a glass of water.

The fridge door reflected the white figure behind him. Shen Ran thought of the spot where he had bumped into Zhao Jiyu when he bent over earlier, and an image of him tying Zhao Jiyu’s apron belt that afternoon flashed through his mind.

After finishing his water, Zhao Jiyu passed by him and said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Shen Ran acknowledged him, only relaxing after Zhao Jiyu had left. He reached back and touched his own hip, thinking, fortunately, his jeans were thick enough.

With more ingredients this time, the noodles smelled even better than the night before. When Zhao Jiyu came out of the shower, Shen Ran had already set the bowls on the dining table. Zhao Jiyu sat down, picked up a bite of noodles with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth.

He didn’t even blow on it first. Worried he’d burn himself, Shen Ran warned,
“Careful, it’s hot.”

Through the steam, Zhao Jiyu nodded and, after swallowing, said,
“It really is better than last night.”

Shen Ran also picked up his chopsticks, smiling,
“With more ingredients, of course it tastes better.”

They both focused on their bowls, eating quietly. Before long, Zhao Jiyu noticed a fried egg at the bottom of his bowl. He lifted it with his chopsticks and asked,
“Did you give me two eggs?”

“Yeah,”
Shen Ran replied.
“Yesterday, I saw you eat the egg first, so I figured you liked it and added another one.”

Shen Ran didn’t look at Zhao Jiyu as he spoke, keeping his focus on his food. He had eaten a couple more bites before realizing Zhao Jiyu was still watching him.

“What? You don’t like eggs?” Shen Ran asked.

“No,”
Zhao Jiyu bit into the egg, his voice a bit muffled.
“It’s really good.”

Watching him focus so intently on eating the egg, Shen Ran thought he seemed a bit strange—but in a way that was kind of cute, like a kid enjoying a home-cooked meal.

Taking a sip of water, Shen Ran said,
“You’re actually quite down-to-earth.”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t catch it. “What?”

“Down-to-earth,”
Shen Ran repeated.
“I thought you were used to fancy food and wouldn’t like something this simple.”

“But you make it so flavorful,” Zhao Jiyu said with surprise.
“Did you learn this from your mom?”

Shen Ran’s father had passed away when he was in elementary school, leaving only his mother, Xu Huijuan, to raise him. Zhao Jiyu knew this and had always avoided mentioning his father. But tonight, Shen Ran brought it up himself.

“I learned when I was a kid, watching my mom,”
Shen Ran leaned back in his chair, his shoulders relaxing.
“Her cooking is way better than mine. My dad loved it too.”

In the first year of middle school, Zhao Jiyu’s uncle brought a group of students on a field trip, and they stayed with two families in the village. Zhao Jiyu happened to stay with the other family, so he never got the chance to taste Shen Ran’s mother’s cooking.

After finishing the soup in his bowl, he said,
“If I get the chance, I’d love to try Auntie’s cooking.”

Shen Ran was amused by his serious tone and played along, “Sure! My mom would be really happy to have someone appreciate her cooking.”

Zhao Jiyu chuckled and leaned back in his chair, shifting the conversation to the keychain.

Staring at the diamond patterns on the tablecloth, Shen Ran spoke slowly,
“Everyone on our team has one of those keychains. Our captain had them custom-made when we participated in the high school basketball league.”

“Was it a keepsake from the competition?”
Zhao Jiyu asked.

“Yeah,” Shen Ran nodded.
“We participated in the league twice. The second time, we finally made it to the top four, but then something happened.”

“What happened?”

Shen Ran glanced at Zhao Jiyu, then dropped his gaze.
“Our captain had a car accident. It was just a minor injury, but when he was taken to the hospital, they discovered he had osteosarcoma.”

Zhao Jiyu had some idea of the illness and stayed quiet, letting Shen Ran continue.

“The doctor told him he needed surgery immediately, or his condition would worsen. The finals were in two days, and when he heard that surgery might mean he’d never play competitive sports again, he insisted on playing the next game.”

After a moment of silence, Zhao Jiyu asked,
“What happened then?”

Shen Ran took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“We won the game, but after the surgery and chemotherapy, he really couldn’t play basketball anymore.”

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor. Although the outcome was unfortunate, at least he survived. Zhao Jiyu wanted to comfort Shen Ran but couldn’t find the right words before Shen Ran stood up, shedding his earlier melancholy.
“Alright, I’ll go wash the dishes.”

After setting up the dishwasher, Shen Ran took off his apron and saw Zhao Jiyu sitting on the large sofa in the living room. There was a bottle of liquor on the coffee table in front of him.

Hearing his footsteps, Zhao Jiyu looked up and patted the seat next to him.

Shen Ran walked over and sat down, listening to Zhao Jiyu ask,
“Feeling better?”

“I’m fine,”
Shen Ran replied lightly.

“Want some?”
Zhao Jiyu pointed to the liqueur on the table.
“It’s sweet, good for relaxing. A few sips might help you sleep better.”

“No, thanks. A shower will do the trick,”
Shen Ran said, getting up. After taking a couple of steps, he stopped and turned back to Zhao Jiyu.
“You can play basketball, right? You must be at least a bit interested in basketball games?”

Zhao Jiyu leaned back and met his eyes.
“Yeah, I watch games sometimes.”

Shen Ran took out his phone and unlocked it, showing Zhao Jiyu a promotional poster. “There’s a high school finals game in the city league tomorrow night. I was supposed to go with Zheng Mingjin, but he’s with his girlfriend now.”

“I don’t want the ticket to go to waste,”
Shen Ran explained.
“Are you free? Do you want to go?”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t answer immediately. He looked at the screen, then lifted his eyes to Shen Ran and asked,
“Are you asking me out?”

The question had a subtle undertone. Shen Ran hesitated for a moment before nodding,
“I guess so.”

Zhao Jiyu looked back at the promotional poster for the game. Since he didn’t respond right away, Shen Ran assumed he wasn’t interested. To avoid any awkwardness, Shen Ran took back his phone and said, “It’s fine. I kind of expected you might not be interested. I’ll ask someone else.”

“Who said I’m not interested?” Zhao Jiyu asked.

“So, you want to go?”

“I do.”

Shen Ran smiled,
“Great. I’ll send you the time and location later.”

Zhao Jiyu then asked,
“Do you want to have dinner together tomorrow night?”

“Probably won’t have time. The game starts at seven. I’ll barely make it after work.”

“I’ll pick you up then. That way, you won’t have to squeeze onto the bus and waste time.”

Shen Ran was about to decline, but Zhao Jiyu cut him off,
“It’s settled. Go take a shower. You need to get up early tomorrow.”

Shen Ran had been on morning shifts lately. Seeing that it was getting late, he didn’t say much more to Zhao Jiyu and went to shower before heading to bed.

When he lay down, he saw a WeChat message from Zheng Mingjin asking if he had found someone to go with him. If not, he’d make it up to him next time.

Holding down the voice message button, Shen Ran replied,
“Go enjoy your date. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got someone to go with.”

Zheng Mingjin asked: “Who?”

“You don’t know him.”

“Guy or girl?”

Seeing these four words, Shen Ran knew where Zheng Mingjin’s mind had wandered: “What are you thinking? It’s a guy.”

“Where did you meet a guy who likes basketball, and someone I don’t even know?”

Shen Ran was about to tease him, but as he typed, he realized he’d known Zhao Jiyu for a while now, yet Zheng Mingjin had no idea. It didn’t seem right to keep it from him, so he told him Zhao Jiyu’s name.

Not long after, Zheng Mingjin sent a voice message, his tone full of surprise: “When did you get to know him? And you’re already this close?”

It was a long story. Shen Ran yawned and said he’d explain next time, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The next day, he stayed busy at the convenience store until the evening. Right on time, Zhao Jiyu arrived in his car, and they headed to the game venue together.

Both games tonight were highly anticipated. The street in front of the stadium was already bustling with a lively night market. Dozens of food stalls were crowded with people, most of whom planned to grab dinner there before heading inside to watch the game.

After parking in the underground garage across the street, Zhao Jiyu and Shen Ran crossed over together. Before they even reached the entrance to the night market, Shen Ran’s stomach growled.

Zhao Jiyu’s lips curled into a smile. Shen Ran felt a bit embarrassed, but since it was a natural reaction, he asked Zhao Jiyu,
“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Hungry,”
Zhao Jiyu pointed in the direction of the night market. “Let’s go in and get something to eat.”

Originally, Shen Ran had intended to take him to the nearby McDonald’s for a meal. He hadn’t expected Zhao Jiyu to suggest the night market, so he asked curiously,
“You eat at places like this?”

In the past, Zhao Jiyu had seen Shen Ran at the school’s night market food stalls more than once. He replied,
“I have a friend who occasionally eats barbecue at places like this.”

“Your friend knows what’s good. A lot of night market barbecue is amazing these days.”
Shen Ran looked pleased, pulling Zhao Jiyu along quickly.
“If we’re gonna eat, let’s hurry so we don’t miss the start of the game.”

Zhao Jiyu glanced at his own wrist, which was held firmly by Shen Ran. Smiling, he quickened his pace and walked into the market with him.

The night market was filled with a wide variety of local snacks and delicacies, with many food names Zhao Jiyu had never seen before. Shen Ran, however, was quite familiar with the scene. He led Zhao Jiyu through the crowd, skillfully avoiding people as they moved along. As they walked, he pointed at stalls, asking if Zhao Jiyu wanted to try anything.

Zhao Jiyu’s attention was entirely on Shen Ran. No matter what he was asked, he simply agreed. Since Zhao Jiyu was so indecisive, Shen Ran took the lead, bringing him to a promising-looking barbecue stall. He ordered a few skewers of giant grilled squid and lamb, along with some savory grilled duck intestines and a few garlic lemon oysters.

When Shen Ran finished ordering, Zhao Jiyu pulled out his phone to pay, but Shen Ran was quicker, paying first. Since grilling would take some time, Shen Ran led Zhao Jiyu to a few other stalls, eventually buying two servings of handmade fish balls.

The fish balls were ready to eat immediately. Shen Ran took the two paper bowls from the vendor, handing one to Zhao Jiyu.

Zhao Jiyu picked up a disposable spoon, first sipping a bit of the broth before tasting a fish ball. Once he swallowed, Shen Ran asked,
“How is it?”

Zhao Jiyu picked up a fish ball and brought it to Shen Ran’s lips, saying,
“It tastes really good. You should try it.”

Shen Ran was holding his own bowl of fish balls and opened his mouth slightly, intending to tell Zhao Jiyu to eat it himself. But before he could speak, Zhao Jiyu tilted his hand, and the fish ball ended up in his mouth.

With no other choice, Shen Ran chewed and swallowed. This time, Zhao Jiyu asked,
“Is it good?”

“Yeah, really good,” he nodded.
“This place is even better than the night market across from our school.”

Zhao Jiyu liked watching Shen Ran’s expressive face when he ate. They stood by the roadside, finishing their fish balls before tossing the empty bowls into the trash. Shen Ran suggested they head back for the barbecue, but Zhao Jiyu pulled him a few steps away to another stall.

It was a cotton candy stall. The vendor operated a simple machine, spinning a stick that held an increasingly large and colorful cloud of cotton candy. A young couple stood at the front, the girl recording a video on her phone. She said excitedly to her boyfriend, “When it’s ready, you have to eat half of it for me. There’s no way I can finish it all—I’ll feel like I’m gonna die from all that sugar!”

The boy looked at his girlfriend with a doting expression and naturally agreed. Shen Ran glanced over, thinking Zhao Jiyu had pulled him over because he found the cotton candy interesting. To his surprise, Zhao Jiyu leaned close to his ear and whispered,
“You like sweets. Do you want me to buy you a cotton candy?”