UI CH 42

Before coming here, Zhao Jiyu had thought Shen Ran might have missed the game because he couldn’t get time off work. He hadn’t expected this to be the reason.

He asked Xu Tian,
“What happened to him?”

“I don’t know. He was like this when he came to work yesterday at noon,”
Xu Tian explained.
“He didn’t tell me what caused it.”

Xu Tian already knew about Zhao Jiyu’s feelings for Shen Ran. After a brief chat, she simply pushed him toward the back.
“Go check on him, see if he needs help.”

Zhao Jiyu stepped into the convenience store and found Shen Ran sitting on a low stool in the back storage room, surrounded by stacked goods.

The lighting in the storage room was dim, and half of Shen Ran’s figure was shrouded in shadows. His back, wrapped in an apron, looked thinner than usual. He was bent over, recording inventory.

Zhao Jiyu rolled up his sleeves and walked over. Shen Ran, assuming it was Xu Tian, didn’t look up as he asked,
“How many more cases of cola are outside?”

There was no response, but the person approached and placed a hand on his lower back.

“If your back is hurting, why are you sitting on such a low stool?”

His hand paused mid-writing. Shen Ran tightened his grip on the pen, hesitated for a moment, then turned his head.

Zhao Jiyu was crouched down, his gaze meeting Shen Ran’s directly through his glasses. His expression was calm, as if nothing unusual had happened. It reminded Shen Ran of yesterday morning when he had woken up—Zhao Jiyu had acted the same way, completely unfazed. In contrast, Shen Ran himself seemed overly concerned, which made him feel oddly out of place.

He averted his gaze and looked down at the inventory book in front of him.
“I’m fine. Why are you here?”

“I went to the basketball gym to watch your game,”
Zhao Jiyu answered truthfully. “You never showed up. I tried calling you, but your phone was off, so I came to check on you.”

Shen Ran took out his phone and found that it had run out of battery.
“How did you know I had a game?”

“You told me before.”
Zhao Jiyu didn’t mention that he had seen the game notification on Shen Ran’s phone the previous morning. Instead, he stood up and said, “Xu Tian and I will take care of the rest outside. You don’t need to do anything.”

Without giving Shen Ran a chance to refuse, Zhao Jiyu turned and walked out, disappearing through the doorway in no time.

Shen Ran stared at the floor where the light spilled in from outside, his expression complicated. He reached behind him and lightly touched the spot where Zhao Jiyu’s hand had just been.

Even through the fabric of the T-shirt, that patch of skin felt noticeably warmer than the surrounding area. He wondered—was Zhao Jiyu’s palm really that warm?

With an extra pair of hands to help, Xu Tian felt much more relaxed. Although Zhao Jiyu looked like someone who had never done such tasks before, he was surprisingly methodical in organizing the goods, and he moved things quickly and efficiently.

Xu Tian’s gaze was filled with admiration. When Zhao Jiyu went to a nearby public restroom to wash his hands, Xu Tian leaned against the cashier counter, tapping a pen cap on the tabletop, and said,
“Your friend is simply incredible—handsome, gentle, and from a well-off family. Whoever becomes his partner would be really lucky.”

Shen Ran was verifying barcodes on the shelves and remained silent after hearing that. Seeing his eyes partially hidden beneath the brim of his cap, Xu Tian’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, and he continued, “Too bad he’s not interested in me. Otherwise, I would’ve considered pursuing him.”

Shen Ran had previously suspected that Xu Tian might have feelings for Zhao Jiyu. Hearing this, he finally looked up and asked,
“How do you know he’s not interested in you?”

“I asked him before,”
Xu Tian answered smoothly, without hesitation. His expression even carried a hint of regret.
“He said he already has someone in his heart.”

Just then, the doorbell rang with a crisp chime. Xu Tian instinctively looked toward the incoming customer, while Shen Ran withdrew his gaze and continued checking the barcode list. However, for the next while, his mind felt somewhat distracted.

That afternoon, Zhao Jiyu had to leave early. At the time, Shen Ran was busy at the register and only caught a glimpse of Zhao Jiyu’s back as he turned to leave.

His white shirt wasn’t as crisp and clean as it had been when he arrived. Thinking back to how Zhao Jiyu had helped him carry goods twice, Shen Ran felt a little guilty. Near closing time, Zhao Jiyu’s car appeared across the street again. This time, he didn’t get out and simply waited until Shen Ran was finished with work.

Lowering the car window, Zhao Jiyu said to him,
“Get in.”

His white shirt had been swapped for a navy blue casual button-up, and his hair was neatly styled. There was a faint scent of cologne in the car—he had clearly gone home to freshen up.

Shen Ran didn’t move.
“You go ahead. I still need to pick something up from someone.”

“I’ll take you there,”
Zhao Jiyu offered.

Shen Ran still didn’t look inclined to get in, so Zhao Jiyu added,
“Or I can drop you off nearby. Your stomach isn’t feeling well—don’t squeeze onto a crowded bus during rush hour, or you might make it worse.”

He had a point, so Shen Ran had no choice but to get in and give him an address.

Inside the car, a slow jazz track was playing on repeat. Shen Ran rested his head against the seat, gazing out the window. After making a couple of turns, Zhao Jiyu pulled over by the roadside.

“I’m getting coffee. Do you want anything?” he asked.

Shen Ran replied, “No need.”

Zhao Jiyu walked into the coffee shop nearby and soon returned with two cups, handing one to him.

Leaning against the headrest, Shen Ran glanced over with a look of helplessness. Zhao Jiyu chuckled and said,
“This is their signature sea salt watermelon coffee—it’s really good.”

Shen Ran lowered his head and took a sip. The sweet aroma of watermelon blended with the sea salt and coffee, creating a surprisingly refreshing taste. He bit down on the straw, sipping quietly, and only after Zhao Jiyu merged back into traffic did he ask,
“What made you think of going to the basketball gym today?”

“To cheer you on,”
Zhao Jiyu said, gesturing with his eyes toward the coffee in Shen Ran’s hand.
“I even bought three boxes of support coffee, but they all went to waste.”

That afternoon, Shen Ran’s phone had run out of battery and shut off automatically, so he had no idea that someone had brought him drinks for support. Sitting up, he asked, “Why would you buy that?”

“Isn’t cheering part of watching a game? I bought coffee from this brand, but it doesn’t matter now. You still got to drink it today.”

Zhao Jiyu spoke lightly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but Shen Ran’s emotions grew more complicated. Even though he hadn’t been there to see it, just hearing about it, he could tell how much had been wasted. But what surprised him the most was that Zhao Jiyu had gone to watch his game without even telling him.

Leaning back against the headrest, Shen Ran played with the ice in his cup by swirling the straw. Then Zhao Jiyu asked, “Why aren’t you talking again?”

The memory of that night, a moment blurred between dream and reality, resurfaced in Shen Ran’s mind. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. So he simply closed his eyes and said, “Nothing, I’m just a little tired. Wake me when we get there.”

The person beside him didn’t disturb him again, but even with his eyes closed, Shen Ran could still sense the warm, flickering light of the sunset outside the window. The gentle melody playing in the car felt like waves lapping softly against the shore. Even though his mood was low, the atmosphere was undeniably soothing. By the time Zhao Jiyu finally stopped the car, Shen Ran was nearly asleep.

Looking at the old residential complex in front of them, Zhao Jiyu asked,
“Who are you meeting?”

Shen Ran unfastened his seatbelt.
“I’m picking something up from Li Ting.”

The motion of unlocking the passenger door paused slightly as Zhao Jiyu looked at him. “What are you getting from Li?”

“Something I left at her place a while ago. She’s flying out the day after tomorrow, so if I don’t get it now, I won’t have the chance.”

Shen Ran’s tone was casual, but Zhao Jiyu glanced at the entrance of the complex before unbuckling his seatbelt as well. “I’ll go with you.”

Li Ting’s building was past two tree-lined paths. As they walked, they passed several residents who had come downstairs to walk their dogs after dinner. When they reached the entrance, Shen Ran directly entered the access code for the unit door.

Watching his movements, Zhao Jiyu asked after they got into the elevator,
“Have you been to her place often?”

“No,” Shen Ran leaned against the elevator wall. “Just twice.”

“Your back still hurts?” Zhao Jiyu asked.

Normally, Shen Ran wouldn’t think anything of his concern, but this time, Zhao Jiyu reached out again, pressing his palm against the small of his back. The touch made Shen Ran uneasy, so he straightened up and pushed the hand away. “No.”

Zhao Jiyu retracted his right hand and slipped it into his pocket. Looking around at the elevator’s interior, he noticed the worn-out walls, covered with peeling advertisements. The elevator shook slightly as it ascended, clearly old and well-used.

Shen Ran, seemingly accustomed to it, reassured him,
“Don’t worry, it just looks old. It’s never had any accidents.”

The elevator reached the ninth floor and came to a stop. As the doors opened, both of them instinctively halted mid-step.

Standing outside were two people. The woman on the left had been smiling, but the moment she saw them, her expression vanished, and she quickly withdrew her hand from the other’s grasp. The woman on the right turned to look at her.

Zhao Jiyu had seen the candid photos of Li before, so he immediately recognized that the other woman in those pictures was the short-haired girl standing before them.

He glanced at Shen Ran. Shen Ran’s face remained expressionless as he stepped out of the elevator and spoke to Li Ting. “I’m here to pick up my things.”

Li Ting looked embarrassed, clearly not expecting such an awkward encounter. But then she seemed to realize that since she and Shen Ran had already broken up, there was no need to be so tense about it anymore.

“Wait here. I’ll go get them.” She then turned to the woman beside her and said, “You should go first.”

The short-haired girl stepped into the elevator. Only after she entered did Li turn back toward her apartment. But just as the elevator doors were about to close, they suddenly reopened, and the girl stepped out again. She spoke in a low voice, “You’re Shen Ran, right?”

Shen Ran hadn’t expected her to initiate a conversation and frowned slightly. The girl didn’t wait for his response. She glanced at the empty hallway corner before lowering her voice even further.

“Li Ting never wronged you. I was the one who forced her. But as you can see, she could never truly be happy with you. Sexual orientation isn’t something that can be forced. If it’s a mistake, it’s better to correct it sooner rather than later.”

“You don’t need to say this to me.”

Shen Ran’s tone carried clear impatience. Fortunately, the girl knew when to stop. Keeping an eye on the movement in the hallway, she added, “I don’t mean anything else by it. I’ll be leaving with Li the day after tomorrow. Sorry about the photos.”

The whole time, she had been holding the elevator’s open button. As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly stepped back inside. The doors shut again.

Shen Ran turned expressionlessly to Zhao Jiyu.

Zhao Jiyu was also looking at him. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Soon, Li Ting’s footsteps approached. She carried a canvas bag. “Everything is inside.”

Shen Ran took the bag without checking the contents and pressed the elevator button.

Li Ting had no idea what had just happened. She studied Zhao Jiyu, as if she had something to say, but in the end, she remained silent, perhaps sensing the atmosphere wasn’t right.

When the elevator arrived, Shen Ran and Zhao Jiyu stepped inside together. As the doors closed, Shen Ran lowered his gaze, avoiding Li Ting’s eyes.

As the elevator began its descent, a hand gently squeezed his shoulder. He tightened his grip on the canvas bag and leaned against the side of the elevator.

Zhao Jiyu knew he was in a bad mood and planned to take him out for a good meal to lift his spirits. But before they could do that, the elevator suddenly stopped after descending only four floors.

Shen Ran lost his balance and stumbled to the side. Zhao Jiyu caught him by the waist, steadying him while glancing at the control panel.

The display flickered between the numbers 5 and 4, but other than that, nothing seemed wrong. Zhao Jiyu pressed the button for the third floor, then the open-door button, but the elevator remained motionless.

Leaning against Zhao Jiyu’s chest, Shen Ran finally reacted. His voice tensed. “The elevator isn’t broken, is it?”

Zhao Jiyu pressed the red emergency call button. Remembering what Shen Ran had said earlier, he couldn’t resist teasing, “Maybe you jinxed it. You said it’s never broken before, so now it’s throwing a tantrum just for us.”

Shen Ran could tell Zhao Jiyu was joking, but he wasn’t in the mood for humor—especially when he realized the emergency button wasn’t responding. Worse, the elevator sank slightly again.

His expression darkened. He pushed Zhao Jiyu aside and started pressing the button himself.

The residential complex where Li Ting lived was built around the same time as the one Shen Ran had previously rented in—both were quite old. Who knew how many years this elevator had been in service? But he truly hadn’t heard Li Ting mention it ever having issues before.

“This isn’t good.” He pulled out his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Li Ting for help.”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t stop him.

Earlier, while Shen Ran was panicking, Zhao Jiyu had already tried the emergency call button on the panel, only to hear a message stating that the number was invalid.

After Shen Ran managed to contact Li and explain the situation, she immediately went to the property management office to seek help.

Staring at the floor indicator panel, Shen Ran occasionally glanced at his phone. He had never been trapped in an elevator before, but he had heard plenty of stories about accidents occurring in such situations. Even though he kept telling himself not to overthink, his mind refused to listen.

That was when Zhao Jiyu moved closer to him, reached out with his left hand, and gently held Shen Ran’s right hand.
“Don’t worry. She’s getting help. We’ll be fine.”

Shen Ran nodded. He leaned against the elevator wall, trying to distract himself by thinking about something else. Zhao Jiyu gave his hand a light squeeze and, when Shen Ran turned to look at him, said,
“I’m hungry. What should we eat later?”

Hearing that he could still think about food at a time like this, Shen Ran couldn’t help but ask, “You’re stuck here too. Aren’t you even a little worried?”

“Worried about what?”
Zhao Jiyu asked in return. “You’re already this scared. If I start panicking too, wouldn’t we just end up hugging each other and crying?”

Shen Ran wanted to argue, When was I scared? But before he could even hold onto his pride for three seconds, he suddenly realized something was off. He looked down—his palm was pressed against Zhao Jiyu’s, their fingers intertwined naturally.

Only then did he remember that when Zhao Jiyu had first taken his hand, he hadn’t even thought about pulling away.

Noticing his gaze, Zhao Jiyu tightened his grip.
“Just let me hold it for a bit, or I might start feeling anxious.”

Aside from the slight sheen of sweat at his temples, Zhao Jiyu showed no signs of anxiety at all. Shen Ran wiggled his fingers slightly, but oddly enough, holding hands like this really did seem to ease his nerves.

That thought had barely crossed his mind when his phone rang.

Li informed them that the maintenance staff was already inspecting the elevator and told them to wait a little longer.

A few minutes later, just as the tension in Shen Ran’s chest had finally eased, the elevator suddenly shot upward at high speed without any warning.

His nerves tightened again instantly. He reflexively gripped Zhao Jiyu’s hand even harder, while his other hand reached out to press every floor button in an attempt to stop the ascent.

Unfortunately, the rapidly ascending elevator ignored all of them. In the blink of an eye, it had already surged up to the twelfth floor.