UI CH 41

When Zhao Jiyu opened his eyes, he raised his wrist to check the time before glancing at the person sleeping messily beside him.

Last night, during the latter half of Yu Xuetong’s party, her friends had started their own afterparty in one of the rooms. As her boyfriend, Zhao Jiyu had no choice but to make an appearance. However, once he entered, the atmosphere became even livelier among the girls, with some of the guys joining in the teasing.

At the time, Yu Xuetong wasn’t around, so he had to deal with it himself. Midway through, Huang Qianxu came in to help block some drinks for him, but in the end, Huang Qianxu got drunk first and passed out on the back of a couch. Zhao Jiyu himself started feeling dizzy as well.

Later, Yu Xuetong asked someone to help carry both of them to a room upstairs to rest. The moment he lay down, he didn’t want to move anymore. His phone had remained silent the entire night, so he simply decided to sleep there until morning.

Now, as he moved the arm draped over his chest aside, Zhao Jiyu sat up, pressing his fingers against his throbbing temples. Before he could even get out of bed, he heard movement from the person beside him.

Huang Qianxu smacked his lips and murmured “Linlin” before rolling over and hugging his blanket to continue sleeping.

Zhao Jiyu got out of bed to wash up. When he came out, he picked up his phone and realized that since yesterday morning until now, he hadn’t sent any messages, and Shen Ran hadn’t replied to him either.

He walked to the window and lit a cigarette, looking down at the lush greenery outside. His mood remained low.

By the time he was on his third cigarette, he heard footsteps behind him. He didn’t turn around, but then a hand rested on his shoulder. Huang Qianxu leaned on him and said,
“Why are you smoking so aggressively first thing in the morning? Is your Ranran ignoring you?”

This guy always knew exactly what not to say. Zhao Jiyu shot him a sideways glance.
“Stop talking nonsense and go brush your teeth.”

Huang Qianxu shrugged and withdrew his hand, turning toward the bathroom. When he was done freshening up, he came out and saw that Zhao Jiyu was still leaning by the window, smoking. He walked over and said,
“If you miss him, just reach out to him. What’s the point of just sitting here wasting away?”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t respond. His handsome face was veiled by the smoke, and after a long pause, he finally said,
“I’ve already been proactive enough.”

Huang Qianxu and Hui Lin’s relationship had been smooth sailing. They were each other’s first love, and aside from a couple of years of teenage ambiguity, they had been together ever since they confessed. Their relationship had always been stable. So, he had never experienced the feeling of wanting someone but not being able to have them. All he could do was pat his friend on the shoulder and say,
“Come on, let’s go have breakfast and wake up with a cup of coffee.”

Zhao Jiyu had smoked enough and felt his mouth going dry, so he followed Huang Qianxu downstairs. When they reached the first floor, they found that Yu Bo was still there, sitting at the long dining table with Yu Xuetong, having breakfast.

After they sat down, Yu Bo instructed Liu Jie, who was standing nearby, to serve them breakfast.

Huang Qianxu’s family was on good terms with the Yu family, so he casually chatted with Yu Bo. Meanwhile, Yu Xuetong noticed that Zhao Jiyu looked a bit unwell and softly asked,
“Did you not sleep well last night?”

Zhao Jiyu smiled, picked up a damp towel, and wiped his hands. “I’m fine.”

His movements were unhurried, and his bangs fell over his eyes as he looked down, making it hard for Yu Xuetong to see his emotions. But she guessed that his patience was wearing thin, so she turned to Yu Bo and said, “Grandfather, after breakfast, I’ll head back with them.”

Yu Bo had a project to discuss, so he said, “jiyu, please take my granddaughter home.”

“It’s no trouble,”
Zhao Jiyu responded politely.

After breakfast, Yu Xuetong went upstairs to pack her things, then followed them to the parking lot. Yesterday, Huang Qianxu had ridden in Zhao Jiyu’s car, but today, when they were leaving, he sat in the back seat, giving up the front passenger seat to Yu Xuetong.

It took more than an hour to drive from the villa estate back to the city. On the way, Zhao Jiyu played music and remained silent. Only Yu Xuetong occasionally chatted with Huang Qianxu. When they reached the city, Huang Qianxu got off first, and Zhao Jiyu continued driving Yu Xuetong home.

At another red light, Yu Xuetong said,
“Thanks for yesterday. I really didn’t expect them to force so much alcohol on you.”

Her apology was sincere. Zhao Jiyu replied,
“It was nothing, just a small matter.”

“I’ll try to avoid troubling you with these kinds of situations in the future.”

She insisted on finishing her thought. This time, Zhao Jiyu finally looked at her, and his smile was no longer just perfunctory. “Mm.”

Fiddling with the pearl embedded in the iron flower-shaped embellishment on her skirt, Yu Xuetong said again,
“How long do you think we should keep up this act for it to be reasonable?”

The red light ahead still had some time before it would change. Zhao Jiyu stared at a large octopus-shaped windsock in the sky and suddenly remembered that they were near the seaside. If they turned left ahead, they would reach the beach where he and Shen Ran had eaten bento together last time.

His mind drifted, and he didn’t answer the question. Yu Xuetong noticed that he was distracted and wasn’t sure if he was deliberately avoiding answering. She decided to drop it, but as he came back to his senses and started driving forward again, he asked,
“What did you just say?”

“I said, how long should we keep pretending?”

“It shouldn’t take much longer.” Zhao Jiyu glanced at the rearview mirror, then stepped on the gas to overtake a slow-moving car ahead.
“If we drag it out too long, it’ll be hard to explain to our families.”

“That’s true.” Yu Xuetong lightly pressed her index finger to her chin and smiled at him.
“But I think pretending with you is actually quite fun and easy. What if we break up, and later on, your grandfather or mine arranges a blind date for us again?”

Zhao Jiyu glanced at her with a half-smile.
“Then just find someone else like me—someone who benefits from the arrangement.”

“Like that’s so easy to find,”
Yu Xuetong huffed and turned to look out the window.
“But at the latest, I’ll be returning to England next spring. Things should be easier then.”

When she returned to the country, she had already mentioned her plans to continue her studies. Zhao Jiyu thought about the call he received from Cheng Wei lan last night, asking if he had made a decision about the two universities.

This issue had been a constant source of frustration for him, but for Cheng Wei lan, it was a priority that had been on her mind for the past two years.

Before meeting Shen Ran, studying abroad had been something optional for Zhao Jiyu. Even if he had to go, he wouldn’t have chosen Hong Kong—he wouldn’t have wanted to stay under Cheng Wei lan’s watchful eyes. But now, things were different. With an emotional attachment in his heart, his thoughts about Zhao Xinhong and Cheng Wei lan were gradually changing.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel and switched to an energetic heavy metal song. By noon, he was back home.

As expected, Shen Ran wasn’t there at this time. Zhao Jiyu walked to his room and looked at the now neatly made bed before turning into the bathroom to take a shower. Afterward, he called the café where he had placed an order yesterday.

The staff told him that the support drinks he had ordered had just been delivered. He quickly changed clothes and went out, picking up the three boxes of freshly made coffee near the school gate. As per his request, the shop had used a marker to write Shen Ran’s name on the drink boxes.

The delivery person got into his car and helped move the boxes to the basketball gym, stacking them neatly against the wall.

Zhao Jiyu followed behind him. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard a burst of cheers. Looking up at the stands, he saw several unfamiliar girls waving excitedly at him.

He didn’t respond and simply paid the delivery fee. Just then, members of the basketball team walked over to ask what was going on.

Upon learning that the delivery was a batch of support drinks for Shen Ran, one of them registered his name and phone number, saying they would distribute the drinks once Shen Ran arrived. He then walked up to the stands and chose a seat in a sparsely populated area.

The basketball game was set to start at exactly two o’clock. By the time Zhao Jiyu arrived, many people were already seated inside, and more girls gradually sat near him. Some were whispering about him, while a few bolder ones took the seat next to him and asked why he had suddenly come to the basketball court.

He rarely exercised at school and didn’t participate in any clubs. This was the first time he had appeared at the court, naturally drawing quite a bit of attention.

The two girls who struck up a conversation with him were from the same year. Seeing that he kept his eyes down on his phone and didn’t speak, they quickly realized he was the type who wasn’t fond of socializing. After sitting by his side for a while, they left and continued observing him from the back rows.

He sat there for nearly half an hour, either looking at his phone or glancing toward the entrance. The three boxes of support drinks remained untouched in the corner, and the players from both teams had mostly arrived. Just as he was wondering if Shen Ran would be late, two figures walked in through the main entrance.

The young man in the lead was tall and handsome, his exposed muscles showing clear signs of frequent training. The boy following behind him had a delicate and refined face. As soon as they entered, they noticed the conspicuous boxes of support drinks by the wall. The taller one then called over a younger student, asked a few questions, and turned to look in Zhao Jiyu’s direction.

When this young man entered, Zhao Jiyu had already overheard the two girls in front of him excitedly discussing him. Their voices were loud enough that he caught the name—Ji Minglun. He instinctively took a closer look.

Ji Minglun was a graduate student, someone Shen Ran had mentioned more than once. They seemed to have a good relationship, and Ji Minglun had also been part of the group that went to Xi’an last time.

Zhao Jiyu crossed his right leg over his left and rested his chin on his right palm, maintaining a neutral expression as he met Ji Minglun’s gaze.

The boy beside Ji Minglun was also looking at him. Just then, Zhao Jiyu’s phone vibrated in his lap. He glanced down at the message, and when he looked up again, he saw Ji Minglun leaning in to whisper into the boy’s ear. The boy immediately glanced around nervously, while Ji Minglun simply smiled and walked away. The boy then touched his burning ears, still seeming somewhat uneasy as he looked around again.

To most people, this reaction might not seem significant, but Zhao Jiyu saw through it instantly—so Ji Minglun was also into men.

Since Shen Ran was close to Ji Minglun, he must have known about this.

While Zhao Jiyu was lost in thought, the delicate-looking boy made his way to the nearby stands, choosing a seat not far from him. Sensing Zhao Jiyu’s gaze, the boy politely nodded in his direction. Zhao Jiyu, however, withdrew his gaze and continued watching the entrance.

Unfortunately, even after the starting whistle blew, Shen Ran still hadn’t shown up.

Zhao Jiyu wasn’t sure if Shen Ran had forgotten about the game. However, he had clearly seen the notification on Shen Ran’s phone yesterday when he gave him the honey water. Given Shen Ran’s love for basketball, he wouldn’t have simply forgotten. Could something have come up at the last minute?

He dialed Shen Ran’s number and heard the power-off prompt. Left with no choice, he continued to wait. During that time, he called three more times, but the phone remained off. By the time the game ended, Shen Ran still hadn’t shown up, so he drove to the convenience store.

As he turned into the small road where the store was located, Zhao Jiyu saw a delivery truck parked at the entrance from a distance. A cart beside it was stacked with boxes of beverages, and Xu Tian was holding an inventory book, checking the goods with the delivery driver.

He parked across the street. Xu Tian was so busy that she didn’t notice him at first. It wasn’t until he walked up to her that she wiped the sweat from the corner of her forehead and asked,
“Here to see Shen Ran?”

“Yeah,” Zhao Jiyu replied.
“Is he inside?”

“Yeah, he’s organizing stock.” Xu Tian pointed at the cart loaded with over twenty cases of drinks.
“If you have time, lend him a hand. His back isn’t doing well—he hasn’t been able to lift anything heavy these past few days.”