UI CH 37

Shen Ran changed into his indoor slippers and walked over to sit beside Zhao Jiyu. Only at this close distance did he notice that Zhao Jiyu had already finished more than half a bottle of wine. His robe hung loosely, revealing a patch of fair skin at his chest, with a faint trace of red near the edge of the fabric.

Shen Ran averted his gaze, looking instead at the movie playing on the screen.
“When did you get back?” he asked.

“A little before you,”
Zhao Jiyu replied lazily. His eyes fell on the supermarket bag in Shen Ran’s hand.
“What did you buy?”

“Instant noodles.”

“You went to a birthday party. Why are you eating instant noodles?”

The mention of the party dampened Shen Ran’s mood. He turned to Zhao Jiyu and asked,
“Were you busy these past three days?”

Zhao Jiyu met his gaze. “Yeah.”

Shen Ran nodded, got up, and said,
“I’m going to make my noodles.”

As he turned, he felt a slight tug at the back of his tank top. He looked back to see Zhao Jiyu’s fingers pinching the fabric. “Make me some too,”
Zhao Jiyu said.

“You haven’t eaten?”

“No.”

“You’re okay with instant noodles? I can make you something else.”

“Noodles are fine. If you can eat them, why can’t I?”

Zhao Jiyu chuckled, his fingers still hooked onto Shen Ran’s shirt. Shen Ran noticed the hint of intoxication in his eyes and didn’t argue further. He pried Zhao Jiyu’s hand off and went to the kitchen.

After preparing two bowls of instant noodles, he opened the fridge to see if there was anything else to add. Since Old Wu hadn’t come to cook today, there were no fresh vegetables or leftovers—only drinks like milk and soda.

Thinking that milk might help with the alcohol, Shen Ran heated up a cup for Zhao Jiyu and brought it out along with the noodles.

Zhao Jiyu took the glass cup, feeling the warmth of the milk against his fingertips—not too hot, not too cold. He watched as Shen Ran peeled off the plastic wrap from the watermelon, but just as he was about to hand it over, he paused and said,
“You just drank milk. You shouldn’t eat watermelon after that, or you’ll get an upset stomach.”

Tipping the cup to his lips, Zhao Jiyu let the warm liquid flow down his throat, spreading a comforting heat in his stomach. He felt content but still kept glancing at the person beside him.

He hadn’t expected Shen Ran to come home this early—barely past nine.

After finishing his milk, Zhao Jiyu set the cup on the table and went to the bathroom. When he came back, Shen Ran told him,
“You can eat now.”

He sat down as Shen Ran brought over two bowls of instant noodles.
“Which flavor do you want?” Shen Ran asked.

Zhao Jiyu countered with a question of his own: “Which one do you like?”

Shen Ran didn’t mind either and told Zhao Jiyu to pick first. But Zhao Jiyu insisted he choose, so Shen Ran grabbed the pickled mustard flavor. The moment he did, Zhao Jiyu reached over and took it from him.

Shen Ran was speechless. The faint smirk playing on Zhao Jiyu’s lips looked just smug enough to be asking for trouble.

After taking a sip of the pickled mustard soup, Zhao Jiyu commented in surprise,
“How did you make this? It tastes better than when I do it.”

Shen Ran slurped a mouthful of his scallion-rib flavored noodles and asked,
“You’ve had instant noodles before?”

“Of course, isn’t that normal?”

“I thought you wouldn’t touch stuff like this.”

Shen Ran took another bite when Zhao Jiyu added, “Actually, I ate them a lot when I was a kid.”

“In secret.”
Seeing that Shen Ran might not believe him, Zhao Jiyu made sure to emphasize the point.

Sure enough, Shen Ran asked curiously,
“Because your parents didn’t allow it?”

“Yeah.” Zhao Jiyu put his bowl down and leaned back against the sofa.
“My family was really strict back then. Everything in my life followed a strict schedule, even meals, which were all planned by a nutritionist.”

“My mom didn’t let me touch any unhealthy snacks. Do you know where I had my first bowl of instant noodles?”

Zhao Jiyu smiled slyly at Shen Ran. Shen Ran wasn’t one for guessing games and told him to just say it.

Zhao Jiyu chuckled and warned, “If I tell you, you might lose your appetite.”

“I won’t,”
Shen Ran said with certainty.
“I have an iron stomach.”

With a small laugh, Zhao Jiyu cleared his throat and said,
“The school bathroom.”

Shen Ran’s expression froze for a moment before he relaxed and shrugged.
“Well, when you’re sneaking food, you can’t be picky about where you eat.”

Zhao Jiyu leaned in closer. “What, have you eaten in a bathroom too?”

His face suddenly moved in so near that Shen Ran could feel his breath on his skin. Instinctively, Shen Ran leaned away.
“No, never. But why would you hide in a school bathroom to eat? Weren’t you afraid of getting caught?”

“I had nowhere else to be alone.”

Zhao Jiyu leaned back again, his voice suddenly distant and quiet. Shen Ran turned his head just in time to see him finish off his glass of wine in one go.

Shen Ran had grown up in a much freer environment. His parents’ only concern was his health. His father had kept an eye on his studies, but he also gave him plenty of time to play with his friends. After his father passed away, his mother never pressured him too much either. His good grades were a result of his own efforts.

Although he had never experienced Zhao Jiyu’s strict upbringing, after hearing about it, he could at least understand.

A distant but unforgettable memory flashed through his mind, and Shen Ran suddenly blurted out,
“So that’s why you acted so rebellious back then.”

“What?”
Zhao Jiyu asked.

Realizing he might have crossed a line with that comment, Shen Ran clenched his fork and was about to dismiss it when Zhao Jiyu suddenly said,
“Oh, you mean back then.”

His voice carried a hint of amusement, as if he had recalled something interesting. He leaned in closer to Shen Ran and said,
“Actually, I was really curious back then—why were you so willing to help me? You didn’t find it disgusting?”

Staring down at his bowl of noodles, Shen Ran’s mind drifted back to that sweltering summer evening.

Professor Zhao had rushed to their house, asking Shen Ran’s mother if she had seen Zhao Jiyu. Only then did she learn that Zhao Jiyu had gotten into a heated argument with his family over the phone at noon and had disappeared afterward. His phone calls went unanswered, and no one had seen him since.

Their village was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with two nearby forests and a stream. It was easy for unfamiliar people to get lost if they wandered too far. Shen Ran volunteered to help search, but after combing the area with a few others, there was still no sign of Zhao Jiyu. Seeing Professor Zhao growing increasingly anxious, Shen Ran suggested they return to the village to gather more help while he continued searching the forest alone.

By then, it was already past six in the evening. Though it was summer, the sun was dipping behind the mountain peaks, and darkness would soon set in. As he walked, Shen Ran called out Zhao Jiyu’s name. After about twenty minutes, he finally heard something.

It was the sound of rapid breathing, mixed with a few muffled, low moans. Pinpointing the direction, Shen Ran quickly made his way over and spotted a figure in white behind a large tree.

He hurried forward, about to call out, but froze in place.

Leaning against the tree trunk was a strikingly handsome young boy. He was holding a phone, watching a video, with his pants unzipped. His other hand, lying limply at his side, was visibly damp.

Shen Ran’s gaze instinctively landed on the phone screen—two half-dressed men locked in a heated kiss. The sight was far too shocking for his middle-school mind to process. By the time Zhao Jiyu noticed his presence and turned to look at him, Shen Ran’s expression had already slipped.

Zhao Jiyu pulled out his earphones, showing no trace of shame at being caught. If anything, his expression seemed relaxed. His slightly parted lips drew in shallow breaths, his flushed cheeks contrasting against his pale skin. A bead of sweat trickled down the exposed skin beneath his unbuttoned shirt collar.

At nearly fourteen, Shen Ran had a basic understanding of what Zhao Jiyu was doing, even if he had grown up in a rural area. But what caught him off guard was that Zhao Jiyu had been watching that kind of video while doing it.

Perhaps Shen Ran’s gaze had been too direct, because Zhao Jiyu’s face darkened almost instantly. He grabbed a handful of dry leaves from the ground, hastily wiping his hand, then reached for his pants and zipped them up right in front of him.

Shen Ran looked at Zhao Jiyu with a complicated expression. “Uh… your uncle is looking for you.”

Zhao Jiyu put his phone and earphones back into his pocket, then glanced over with an indifferent expression.
“Go back and just say you didn’t see me.”

Shen Ran didn’t understand what kind of tantrum Zhao Jiyu was throwing, but when he turned to leave, he quickly caught up and grabbed Zhao Jiyu’s hand.
“That’s enough! If you keep walking deeper into the forest, you’ll get lost. At night, you won’t even be able to see your own hand in front of your face—by then, it’ll be too late to cry.”

Zhao Jiyu wasn’t intimidated by his words. Instead, he looked down at their joined hands with amusement and asked,
“You don’t think it’s dirty?”

Shen Ran followed his gaze and realized, in his urgency, he had grabbed Zhao Jiyu’s right hand.

Earlier, Zhao Jiyu had only wiped it haphazardly with some dry leaves, so his palm was still slightly damp. Realizing this, Shen Ran jerked his hand away as if electrocuted and wiped his fingers against his pants.

It was purely an instinctive reaction, without any malice, but Zhao Jiyu scoffed and continued walking deeper into the forest.

“Hey!” Shen Ran called again, but Zhao Jiyu ignored him. Seeing that he was really going farther away, Shen Ran grew frustrated, marched up to him, and twisted his ear.
“If you don’t listen, I’m really going to leave you here.”

Maybe Zhao Jiyu had never imagined someone would dare to twist his ear, because his whole body stiffened in shock. Shen Ran even managed to drag him back a few steps by the collar of his shirt.

His fair, delicate ear quickly flushed red from the pressure. Finally, Zhao Jiyu couldn’t take it anymore and cried out,
“It hurts! Let go! I’ll go back, okay?”

Shen Ran let go at the right moment. Zhao Jiyu clutched his now swollen right ear, glaring at him in embarrassment.
“Why are you so violent?!”

“Well, it’s your fault for not listening! I was about to eat dinner, and instead, I had to come out looking for you. Your uncle is worried sick, too.”

Shen Ran was still fuming. He felt like he was dealing with the most mischievous kid in the village—like Gao Xiaohong, the troublemaker who never listened until someone physically dragged him back in line. But when he saw that Zhao Jiyu’s eyes were red, his beautiful face carrying a trace of grievance, Shen Ran wondered if he had been too rough. After all, Zhao Jiyu was a city kid, spoiled and delicate, with skin soft even in that area.

The thought made Shen Ran inwardly scold himself—why was he even thinking about that? Zhao Jiyu’s body had nothing to do with him. Right now, all he wanted was to drag him back home. His mother had made his favorite dish for dinner, and he was still craving that juicy, sauce-covered braised pork belly.

He took a few steps ahead before turning back, only to see Zhao Jiyu still standing in place, holding his ear. He decided to scare him a little.
“Not coming? Do you want to stay here and get your toes gnawed on by a weasel in the middle of the night?”

Whether it was because of Shen Ran’s fierce tone or because that mental image was too vivid, Zhao Jiyu hesitated for a moment before reluctantly following him.

The two of them walked one after the other over the uneven forest ground. Occasionally, a twig snapped underfoot. Shen Ran kept glancing back now and then. Zhao Jiyu, hands in his pockets, followed quietly, though his mood had clearly settled.

As they reached the edge of the forest and Shen Ran was about to confirm the path back, Zhao Jiyu suddenly spoke.
“About what happened earlier—”

Before Zhao Jiyu could finish his sentence, he abruptly stopped. Shen Ran understood what he meant and took the initiative to respond,
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t say anything, but his gaze carried a hint of doubt.

“Why?” he asked.

Shen Ran was about to explain when a sudden noise came from behind Zhao Jiyu. By now, the forest was nearly dark, and the towering trees cast heavy shadows. Zhao Jiyu instinctively turned to look, but he saw nothing. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the sound came again.

The fear of the unknown was the most unsettling. Zhao Jiyu’s eyes widened, and he instinctively moved closer to Shen Ran. But his steps were unsteady, and he must have stepped on something because his body suddenly tilted, and he fell to the side.

Shen Ran hadn’t expected him to lose his footing so suddenly and immediately ran over. Zhao Jiyu had landed awkwardly near a sloped ditch, desperately clinging to a protruding tree branch to keep himself steady.

Shen Ran quickly pulled him up. His white shirt was now smeared with mud, even his face wasn’t spared. Zhao Jiyu wiped the dirt off his face and patted at his clothes, only to have Shen Ran grab his wrist and say,
“Your hand is scraped. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Zhao Jiyu’s right hand stung with pain, and now that Shen Ran mentioned it, he also realized his right leg hurt. As he stood up, his face twisted slightly in discomfort as he pressed a hand to his right knee without saying a word.

Shen Ran crouched in front of him, pushing aside Zhao Jiyu’s hand that was trying to block him. Carefully rolling up his pant leg, he examined the wound under the dim light and saw a patch of raw, bleeding skin on his knee.

Glancing up at Zhao Jiyu, Shen Ran let out a helpless sigh. Looking around at their surroundings, he realized if they delayed any longer, it’d take forever to get home. So, without further hesitation, he turned his back, hooked his hands behind his waist, and said, “Get on.”

He crouched there for a moment, but there was no movement behind him. Turning his head, he saw Zhao Jiyu avoiding him and limping forward. Shen Ran grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“You won’t be able to carry me,” Zhao Jiyu finally said.

“Hah?” Shen Ran sized Zhao Jiyu up. They were about the same height, and right now, Zhao Jiyu even looked a bit thinner. Without another word, Shen Ran pulled Zhao Jiyu’s arm over his shoulder, bent his knees slightly, and hoisted him onto his back.

Zhao Jiyu hadn’t expected Shen Ran to be this strong. However, the reason he initially refused wasn’t because he thought Shen Ran couldn’t carry him, but because he didn’t want too much physical contact with him. He didn’t expect this country boy to be so rough, just directly grabbing him without hesitation.

Finding himself suddenly on someone else’s back—a complete stranger’s, no less—Zhao Jiyu couldn’t help but feel awkward. He pushed against Shen Ran’s shoulders a couple of times, trying to resist. Though Shen Ran was a bit sturdier than him, they were still the same age. With Zhao Jiyu’s struggle, Shen Ran nearly lost his balance and quickly warned, “Stop moving! It’s already dark—if we fall into another ditch, we’ll really have to spend the night with the weasels.”

With that little scare, the person behind him finally behaved. He lifted the other person up a bit, got his bearings, and started walking toward the exit. After just a few steps, Zhao Jiyu leaned close to his ear and whispered,
“Can you move your hand a little lower?”

Shen Ran paused for a moment. His fingers instinctively gave a squeeze, but before the person behind him could get angry, he realized what he had done. Thinking that Zhao Jiyu was just being picky, he shifted his hand slightly outward, moving from his buttocks to the inner thigh.

Zhao Jiyu still seemed unable to relax. Shen Ran could feel his body remaining tense, but he didn’t say anything further.

After walking a few more steps, Shen Ran placed both hands at the midpoint of Zhao Jiyu’s thighs. Finally, the body behind him softened, pressing its chest against his back.

At first, Shen Ran didn’t understand why Zhao Jiyu was so particular about this. But soon, it dawned on him—Zhao Jiyu had been watching that kind of video earlier. Could it be that he didn’t like girls and that’s why he was so conscious of being carried like this?

Realizing this, Shen Ran’s emotions became complicated. He continued walking through the woods, heading home. The person on his back remained silent, the only movement being the warm breath occasionally brushing against his ear, accompanied by the chirping of crickets and the rustling of the wind.

Midway through, Shen Ran couldn’t take the silence anymore and asked,
“Aren’t you afraid of being caught doing that outside?”

The person on his back didn’t answer, so he asked again, “Were you just curious when you watched those videos?”

Zhao Jiyu still didn’t say anything. Feeling like he was talking to himself, Shen Ran sulked and focused on the dark mountain path ahead. Just as his breathing became heavier, he finally heard Zhao Jiyu’s soft voice:

“Why are you willing to help me?”

“Shen Ran?”

A deep voice by his ear pulled Shen Ran back to reality. He refocused his gaze and saw the person in front of him.

Unlike the buzz cut he had in middle school, Zhao Jiyu’s hair was now longer than his. His features had matured, exuding both charm and brightness. He carried himself with confidence, balancing both masculinity and elegance. He had always been strikingly attractive since childhood—so how had Shen Ran completely forgotten about him?

But how had he answered that question back then?

“What are you spacing out for?” Seeing Shen Ran staring at him motionlessly, Zhao Jiyu leaned in closer. A faint scent of grapes, mixed with alcohol, drifted toward him. As if drawn in by the scent, Shen Ran unconsciously lowered his gaze, staring intently at Zhao Jiyu’s lips.