UI CH 43

Shen Ran’s heart pounded violently due to the pressure caused by the elevator’s ascent. Fortunately, when it reached the 15th floor, the elevator stopped again. Staring at the final button for the 16th floor, Zhao Jiyu felt a slight dampness in his palm before even speaking.

He couldn’t tell whose hand sweat it was. Seeing Shen Ran’s slightly pale complexion, Zhao Jiyu said,
“It’s okay now. Give me your phone.”

The suffocating feeling from that moment just now still seemed to linger in his body. Shen Ran leaned against the cabin wall without reaching into his pocket.

Zhao Jiyu slipped his hand into Shen Ran’s jeans pocket, and just as he pulled out the phone, an incoming call appeared on the screen.

Pressing the speaker button, Li Ting’s anxious voice came through,
“Shen Ran, are you guys okay?!”

“We’re fine,” Zhao Jiyu replied calmly.
“What happened just now?”

“The technician said it was likely a motor failure. It has already stopped now, and they used the emergency brake,” Li Ting recognized Zhao Jiyu’s voice on the phone and quickly added, “They said they would try to open the doors on this floor.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t hang up the call. Let’s stay in touch in case anything happens.”

Zhao Jiyu put the phone down, leaned in close to Shen Ran’s ear, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, “You heard them. It’s okay now.”

Shen Ran’s breathing was a little rushed. After a brief moment, he nodded and looked at the floor panel numbers.

The sudden ascent wasn’t as terrifying as a fall, but it reminded him of a past incident he had heard about—an elevator that ascended to the top floor, crashed violently, and then plummeted. There was only one man inside at the time, and he didn’t survive.

He still couldn’t forget the uncensored images from the scene.

The phone, still on speaker mode, continued broadcasting updates. Hearing the progress gradually helped him feel a little more at ease.

After enduring the ordeal for over ten minutes, the tightly sealed elevator cabin was finally pried open with tools, creating a small gap. Through the opening, people outside became visible—it turned out the elevator was stuck between the 15th and 16th floors.

Once the gap was wide enough for a person to pass through, Zhao Jiyu released Shen Ran’s hand and reminded him from behind to climb up.

Shen Ran grabbed the floor, which was at chest height, while Li Ting and another man helped pull him up. But he stopped mid-movement and turned back to Zhao Jiyu.
“You go first.”

“You’re already feeling unwell. Don’t waste time.”

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Jiyu crouched down, grabbed Shen Ran’s legs, and lifted him up. With the help of those outside, Shen Ran managed to climb out. He immediately reached out his hand to Zhao Jiyu.
“Hurry up and come up too!”

Zhao Jiyu didn’t let him pull. Instead, he braced both arms on the floor and jumped up. Two technicians on either side grabbed him and started pulling him out. Shen Ran helped as well, watching as most of Zhao Jiyu’s body emerged.

Just then, the elevator suddenly dropped slightly. Reacting quickly, Shen Ran yanked Zhao Jiyu’s foot out just in time—he was nearly caught in the gap.

Looking at the much narrower opening compared to before, Shen Ran wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Li, standing nearby, asked if they were injured. Shen Ran shook his head and turned to Zhao Jiyu.
“Are you okay?”

The man in front of him looked at him intently before reaching out and ruffling his slightly messy hair.
“Good thing you pulled me in time. I’m fine.”

Shen Ran sat on the floor, finally able to exhale the stifling breath that had been trapped in his chest. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, leaving him feeling weak.

Li checked on them a few more times, while the property management staff apologized. Shen Ran didn’t want to say anything. At that moment, all he felt was extreme hunger—he was desperate to eat grilled meat.

Neither of them spoke as they walked down the stairs, but Shen Ran missed a step twice.

Zhao Jiyu was walking ahead, and when he noticed it the second time, he turned back and extended a hand toward him.
“Do you want to hold on?”

Staring at the outstretched hand, Shen Ran recalled the feeling of holding it earlier. The dim lighting in the stairwell made it hard for Zhao Jiyu to see his expression—he only saw Shen Ran turn his face away and shake his head lightly.

Back in the car, Zhao Jiyu took out two bottles of electrolyte water from the rear storage and handed one to Shen Ran.

Shen Ran drank more than half the bottle in one go, gazing at the bustling traffic and pedestrians on both sides of the street. A strange sense of having survived a disaster washed over him.

The car door beside him opened, and Zhao Jiyu got in. Seeing that Shen Ran was also leaning back in his seat in a relaxed posture, he couldn’t help but wonder—if he had been alone in the elevator earlier, what would have happened?

Since his father passed away, he had never relied on anyone.

But… could this person really just remain a friend forever?

Zheng Mingjin’s question from the hotpot dinner the other night echoed in his mind again.

Zheng Mingjin had asked if he had fallen for Zhao Jiyu.

At the time, he had instinctively retorted,
“Are you crazy?”

He and Zhao Jiyu were like people from two different worlds. If it weren’t for a series of unexpected events, they wouldn’t even be in this situation now. Besides, Zhao Jiyu had never said he liked him.

“Shen Ran?”

The voice beside him snapped him out of his thoughts as Zhao Jiyu patted his shoulder.
“What do you want to eat now?”

When they left the elevator, he had been starving and craving barbecue, but now, his appetite was gone.

Placing the water bottle in the car’s storage compartment, Shen Ran rested his head against the headrest and closed his eyes.

“Anything,” he said.
“Whatever’s fine.”

That day had been exhausting. When he got home, he took a shower first. As he came out, he heard Zhao Jiyu calling him from the living room.

When he walked over, he saw a bottle of muscle-relaxing spray and pain relief patches on the coffee table in front of Zhao Jiyu—the same ones he had been using over the past two days.

Zhao Jiyu patted the spot beside him on the couch, signaling for Shen Ran to lie down so he could help him with a massage.

Shen Ran picked up the items and said he could do it himself before heading straight to his room.

He didn’t hear any footsteps following him as he closed the door, so he locked it, applied the spray, and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.

For the next two days, his coworkers asked him to swap shifts, so he ended up spending almost the entire day at the convenience store. By the time he got off work, it was usually around 1 or 2 a.m.

He had no idea what Zhao Jiyu was busy with, but they barely saw each other during those two days.

While eating a takeout meal, Shen Ran glanced at his phone and saw a message from Zheng Mingjin—an invitation to watch a street basketball game that night.

It had been a while since Shen Ran had watched a game with Zheng Mingjin, so he left a message for Zhao Jiyu, saying he wouldn’t be home for dinner. Over an hour later, Zhao Jiyu finally replied with a single word: “Okay.”

Seeing that word, Shen Ran stopped twirling his pen. Before he could dwell on it, a customer came to settle their bill, interrupting his thoughts. He put his phone into the cash register drawer and didn’t take it out until he finished work.
When he unlocked the screen, he realized he hadn’t pressed the back button earlier—the chat window with Zhao Jiyu was still open. Glancing at that single word again, he called Zheng Mingjin and arranged a meeting place before heading out.

Tonight’s street basketball game was organized by a local online forum, with all participants being amateur basketball enthusiasts. Teams were drawn randomly on-site.
The appeal of such a tournament was its simplicity—there were minimal requirements for venues, time, and participants, making it easygoing for both players and spectators.

By the time Shen Ran arrived, the venue was already buzzing with excitement. Despite being an amateur competition, the open-air stands on both sides were filled with a considerable number of spectators. Zheng Mingjin had arrived earlier and bought McDonald’s.

As soon as Shen Ran sat down, he handed him a burger and a Coke.
Shen Ran hesitated slightly as he reached for the Coke with a straw already inserted. He glanced at the person beside him, thinking he had something to say, but Zheng Mingjin simply asked,
“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”
Shen Ran took two sips, then opened his Angus beef burger and started eating. Zheng Mingjin also picked up his own food, and both of them turned their attention to the players on the court.

“How have things been these past few days?” Zheng Mingjin asked.

Absentmindedly biting his straw, Shen Ran replied,
“Pretty good.”

“Still planning to stay at her place until school starts?”

With the new semester just days away, Shen Ran remained silent as his response. Zheng Mingjin continued,
“You still haven’t told me her name.”

A sudden coughing fit erupted beside him.
Shen Ran had choked on his Coke. Zheng Mingjin patted his back and handed him a napkin to wipe his mouth. Once Shen Ran felt better, he asked,
“How are you so careless? You okay?”

Shen Ran shook his head, hiding his slight embarrassment in the darkness of the night. He stood up and said,
“I’m going to wash my hands.”

With that interruption, by the time he returned, the game had already started, and Zheng Mingjin didn’t bring up the topic again. They watched the match together, but compared to Zheng Mingjin’s engagement, Shen Ran seemed a bit detached.

During the second half of the game, Zheng Mingjin stepped away to take a call. After finishing, he invited Shen Ran to grab a late-night snack at a nearby food stall.

When they arrived, Zheng Mingjin looked around before heading toward a table that was already occupied.
Shen Ran reminded him that there were empty seats outside, but Zheng Mingjin greeted a young woman sitting at the table instead. The girl wore denim shorts and a white T-shirt tucked at the waist. Her high ponytail swayed slightly as she turned to smile sweetly at Shen Ran.

Pressing Shen Ran’s shoulder down, Zheng Mingjin made him sit before explaining anything. Then he asked the girl,
“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not really,” she replied, her ponytail bouncing as she tilted her head. Looking at Shen Ran, she seemed a little shy as she said,
“I came early.”

“Have you ordered yet?”
Zheng Mingjin asked again.

“Not yet. I wanted to wait for you guys.”
The girl picked up a menu and pushed it toward Shen Ran.
“Shen Ran-senior, see if there’s anything you’d like to eat.”

Shen Ran had no recollection of this girl, yet she knew his name. Instead of taking the menu, he merely cast a glance at Zheng Mingjin.
Finally, Zheng Mingjin introduced,
“This is Wang Yin, a junior from our department. She happened to be free today, so she joined us for dinner.”

Even though Zheng Mingjin hadn’t spelled it out, how could Shen Ran not understand what was going on? And what Wang Yin’s intentions were?

After dinner, while Wang Yin went to the restroom, Shen Ran, with a dark expression, asked, “What is this about?”

Zheng Mingjin pulled his chair closer and lowered his voice, “Don’t be mad. Wang Yin is in our department too. She noticed you didn’t show up for the basketball games the past few days and asked me to help her arrange a dinner with you.”

Shen Ran controlled his tone as he said,
“Don’t tell me you don’t see what she’s thinking.”