UI Chapter 56
by SuxxiAfter those words, the person in front of him seemed to sober up instantly. Zhao Jiyu didn’t speak for a long time.
Shen Ran’s left hand remained against Zhao Jiyu’s chest, and through his palm, he could feel the restless beating beneath the surface. Despite his outward composure, Zhao Jiyu’s heart was racing. Behind his glasses, his gaze was locked onto Shen Ran, unwavering. Even when Shen Ran turned his head away, he could still feel that stare.
Holding firm for a moment, Shen Ran eventually felt restless. But just as he tried to stand up, he was pulled onto Zhao Jiyu’s lap. An arm locked around his waist, and Zhao Jiyu pinched his chin, forcing him to look down at him.
“Give me a reason.”
Shen Ran met Zhao Jiyu’s eyes and quickly realized that his earlier thought wasn’t a mistake—Zhao Jiyu really had sobered up quite a bit.
Refusing was harder to put into words than he expected. Not wanting to explain further, Shen Ran reached for the arm around his waist, but Zhao Jiyu didn’t budge. When Shen Ran didn’t answer, Zhao Jiyu simply grabbed the back of his head and kissed him again.
Their heated breaths intertwined once more. Shen Ran immediately tried to pull away, but Zhao Jiyu refused to let go, pushing his tongue deeper.
Frustration burned within him, and in the heat of the moment, Shen Ran bit down hard.
Zhao Jiyu flinched, allowing Shen Ran to swiftly yank away his arm and retreat two steps to the side.
In the process, the phoenix flower he had picked earlier slipped from his grasp and was crushed underfoot. Neither of them paid any attention to the fallen red bloom.
Zhao Jiyu stared at Shen Ran, his eyes tinged with a flicker of anger. Shen Ran’s breath was unsteady, and the taste of iron spread through his mouth.
Recalling how he had just bitten Zhao Jiyu’s tongue, he glanced at his lips. Though there was no visible blood, Zhao Jiyu’s eyes were dark and filled with intensity.
After those words, the person in front of him seemed to sober up instantly. Zhao Jiyu didn’t speak for a long time.
Shen Ran’s left hand remained against Zhao Jiyu’s chest, and through his palm, he could feel the restless beating beneath the surface. Despite his outward composure, Zhao Jiyu’s heart was racing. Behind his glasses, his gaze was locked onto Shen Ran, unwavering. Even when Shen Ran turned his head away, he could still feel that stare.
Holding firm for a moment, Shen Ran eventually felt restless. But just as he tried to stand up, he was pulled onto Zhao Jiyu’s lap. An arm locked around his waist, and Zhao Jiyu pinched his chin, forcing him to look down at him.
“Give me a reason.”
Shen Ran met Zhao Jiyu’s eyes and quickly realized that his earlier thought wasn’t a mistake—Zhao Jiyu really had sobered up quite a bit.
Refusing was harder to put into words than he expected. Not wanting to explain further, Shen Ran reached for the arm around his waist, but Zhao Jiyu didn’t budge. When Shen Ran didn’t answer, Zhao Jiyu simply grabbed the back of his head and kissed him again.
Their heated breaths intertwined once more. Shen Ran immediately tried to pull away, but Zhao Jiyu refused to let go, pushing his tongue deeper.
Frustration burned within him, and in the heat of the moment, Shen Ran bit down hard.
Zhao Jiyu flinched, allowing Shen Ran to swiftly yank away his arm and retreat two steps to the side.
In the process, the phoenix flower he had picked earlier slipped from his grasp and was crushed underfoot. Neither of them paid any attention to the fallen red bloom.
Zhao Jiyu stared at Shen Ran, his eyes tinged with a flicker of anger. Shen Ran’s breath was unsteady, and the taste of iron spread through his mouth.
Recalling how he had just bitten Zhao Jiyu’s tongue, he glanced at his lips. Though there was no visible blood, Zhao Jiyu’s eyes were dark and filled with intensity.
He wanted to ask Zhao Jiyu if he was hurt, but just as the words reached his lips, he realized that such concern was no longer appropriate.
Not wanting to stay there any longer, he turned around. Just as he took a step forward, Zhao Jiyu called out to him.
Zhao Jiyu had also stood up. The dull pain on his tongue irritated his nerves, and he swallowed the metallic taste of blood in his mouth before asking in a deep voice,
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Not far away, the exit of the sports field was shrouded in darkness. Even though he couldn’t see it clearly, that was the path Shen Ran was about to take. Gazing into the night, he suppressed his emotions and replied coldly,
“I’m not. Stop flattering yourself.”
When Shen Ran returned to his dormitory, the other five roommates were still absorbed in their phones. Yang Yi, a classmate he was familiar with, was lying on the top bunk. Hearing movement, he looked up, but Shen Ran didn’t greet anyone and instead went straight into the dormitory’s small private bathroom.
He stood under the shower for a long time. When he reached out to grab the shampoo, his hand grasped nothing. Opening his eyes, he suddenly remembered—he was no longer at Zhao Jiyu’s place. There was no shelf holding toiletries here, only bare tiles on the wall.
The scene from the sports field earlier replayed in his mind, unbidden. He shook his head forcefully, finished his shower, and climbed into bed.
Before sleeping, he set his alarm and checked his unread messages on WeChat. The group chats were filled with discussions about registration, upcoming courses, and club activities. He skimmed through them before scrolling down and stopping at Zhao Jiyu’s profile picture.
He wondered if Zhao Jiyu had made it home yet. Though he had been drinking, he had clearly sobered up toward the end, so he should be able to get back on his own.
His mouth still carried the lingering taste of green tea toothpaste—the one he was used to, not the blackcurrant flavor that Zhao Jiyu preferred. Just like the shampoo and body wash he used today—an ordinary ocean scent, completely different from the unique blend of mint and tuberose that lingered on Zhao Jiyu.
This contrast was like the stark difference in their social status, like Wei Qi’s attitude toward him—assuming that just because he bought a slightly expensive cake, he must have spent Zhao Jiyu’s money.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, during the time he lived at Zhao Jiyu’s place, every outing, every meal, every expense had been arranged by Zhao Jiyu. Even though Shen Ran had mentioned that he had savings and could split the costs, Zhao Jiyu had never once agreed.
He knew Zhao Jiyu was looking out for him. When they were just friends, the difference between them didn’t seem so obvious. But now, their relationship was no longer equal. This imbalance felt like a sword hanging over his back, making him unbearably uncomfortable. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, he simply couldn’t.
Staring at an image in the dark for too long, his vision started to blur. He locked his phone and forced himself to sleep.
Since he had already made his decision, there was no point in looking back.
—
The next morning at the café, Shen Ran had barely greeted everyone with a “Morning” when Xu Tian looked at him with the same expression one would have when seeing a panda in the wild.
“You look terrible. Did you not sleep at all last night?”
Xu Tian, who was six months older than him, had always looked out for him. As she spoke, she reached out the back of her hand to check his forehead, but he dodged and slipped behind the cashier counter instead.
“New dorm. Didn’t sleep well.”
Xu Tian, whose school term started later than his, was still on break. She sighed and muttered,
“Ugh, we have to switch dorms too. I just hope I don’t end up with a roommate like the one on my top bunk now.”
Shen Ran wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He put on his apron and started preparing for work. Seeing how lifeless he looked all morning—not like someone who just didn’t get enough sleep—Xu Tian picked up her phone and sent Zhao Jiyu a message:
[Shen Ran looks really out of it today. You two didn’t have a fight, did you?]
The last time Xu Tian had messaged Zhao Jiyu, it was about something similar. But this time, she didn’t receive a reply, not even by the afternoon.
Finding it odd, she casually brought it up while organizing the inventory. Shen Ran’s expression visibly stiffened, and he mumbled something to change the subject. Xu Tian could tell they must have had a fight, but she didn’t push him for details. Instead, she secretly sent another message to Zhao Jiyu, along with a photo—just like last time, a candid shot that Shen Ran didn’t notice. This time, it wasn’t just a picture of his back; it was a shot of his hand, where he had absentmindedly cut his thumb with a box cutter while organizing the goods.
After sending the message, Xu Tian expected Zhao Jiyu to reply quickly. But to her surprise, it wasn’t until after 8 PM that his response finally arrived:
[How did he get hurt? Is it serious?]
Xu Tian was in the middle of a lively hotpot dinner with friends when she saw the message. Setting down her chopsticks, she quickly typed back:
[Dude, do you even realize what time I sent that message? Were you buried underground or something?]
Zhao Jiyu didn’t explain his delay and instead asked again:
[Is he okay?]
[Yeah, it was taken care of right away. But he was totally out of it the whole day. So, you guys really did fight this time, huh?]
Staring at the message, Zhao Jiyu remained silent for a long time. It wasn’t until Old Wu placed a bowl of porridge beside his bed and reminded him, “You should eat something before taking your medicine,” that he snapped out of it.
Old Wu had brought a light meal—scallop millet porridge, something easy on the stomach. But Zhao Jiyu only gave it a glance before looking away. “I don’t want it. Take it away.”
“You can’t skip it.” Old Wu was unusually firm this time. “You’ve been asleep all day. You threw up so badly last night—if you don’t eat, your body won’t hold up.”
Zhao Jiyu was about to refuse again when Xu Tian’s next message popped up:
[Are you actually serious about him? I’ve never seen him this emotionally affected before—not even when he was dating Li Jing. Don’t screw him over, okay? Karma catches up to jerks.]
Attached to the message was a GIF of a puppy scratching at a door.
The words struck a chord with Zhao Jiyu, making him reflect on what had happened the night before.
He had been drunk, yes, but not to the point of complete memory loss. When they first kissed, Shen Ran’s reaction was clearly instinctive—he wasn’t resisting. So why did he suddenly push him away afterward and claim that he would never like him?
Was it because he was still pretending to be in a relationship with Yu Xuetong? Did Shen Ran mind that? Did he think he was just fooling around?
Realizing this possibility, Zhao Jiyu sat up and took the bowl Old Wu handed him.
After finishing the porridge, he lay down for a bit. His body finally started to feel better. He had thrown up several times the night before and only managed to fall asleep in the afternoon. Now that it was still early in the evening, he sent a message to Yu Xuetong.
[Are you free to meet up?]
Yu Xuetong, who was out shopping, replied cheerfully with a voice message, her tone carrying a smile:
“I’m just walking around the mall. Come meet me here.”
Zhao Jiyu tidied himself up and headed out. They had arranged to meet at a café in Zhonghua City. When he arrived, he saw Yu Xuetong sitting alone in a booth, with seven or eight shopping bags stacked on the sofa beside her.
“I ordered a new drink for you—Yellen White Snow Latte. It’s really good.” Yu Xuetong pointed at the iced coffee placed in front of him.
Zhao Jiyu was still feeling a bit unwell, so he didn’t touch it. Instead, he said, “I asked you out today because I need to talk about something important.”
“Okay, go ahead.” Yu Xuetong put down her coffee cup and looked at him.
Zhao Jiyu had already thought it through on his way here. He said, “Can we end our fake relationship early?”
Yu Xuetong was a little surprised at first, but then quickly caught on. “Something changed on your end?”
Zhao Jiyu didn’t intend to hide Shen Ran’s involvement, but he also didn’t want it to become public knowledge too soon. So he simply said, “There’s been a situation.”
Yu Xuetong studied him for a moment before suddenly smiling. “Jiyu, do you have someone you like?”
Zhao Jiyu turned his head slightly, glancing at the table next to them before looking back at her. Just when Yu Xuetong thought he would change the subject, he cleared his throat and asked, “Is it that obvious?”
Yu Xuetong took another sip of her coffee through the straw. “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious. Your grandfather probably doesn’t know yet, right? You should be careful.”
Zhao Jiyu didn’t respond, instead calling over the waiter to order a cup of hot cocoa.
“Do I know the person you like?” Yu Xuetong asked curiously.
Watching her bite her straw, Zhao Jiyu gave an unrelated answer: “He has the same habit as you—biting straws.”
Yu Xuetong tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment before saying, “That’s not really a gendered habit. Is it Shen Ran?”
Zhao Jiyu choked a little, but he quickly covered it up. Still, Yu Xuetong caught the reaction and leaned back in her chair with a knowing smile. “I knew it.”
At this point, there was no point in denying it anymore. Zhao Jiyu asked, “How did you figure it out?”
“I studied abroad for so many years. You think I haven’t had friends like that?” Yu Xuetong teased before continuing, “But honestly, it’s because you two are way too obvious.”
Zhao Jiyu thought back to the times Yu Xuetong and Shen Ran had interacted. Before he could figure it out, she revealed her observations herself: “That first night when I met Shen Ran, you told me to sit in the backseat before he even got in. I thought that was odd. Later, when we were shopping for ties, you picked the one he chose and even insisted on talking to him alone.”
Yu Xuetong gave him a knowing look. “When you got back to the car, your tie was already neatly done, and you were in a great mood the whole night. Even when people pestered you with toasts, you were surprisingly patient.”
For once, Zhao Jiyu showed a trace of discomfort. He hadn’t even noticed these small details until she pointed them out. “Are all women this good at observing things?”
“Have other people noticed too?” Yu Xuetong became more interested. “Who? Don’t tell me it’s Wen Lin and the others?”
Although Huang Jianpeng and the guys had caught him and Shen Ran before, Zhao Jiyu’s close friends were all tactful. Even in front of their girlfriends, they hadn’t mentioned anything. He shook his head and didn’t mention Xu Tian. “It’s someone you don’t know.”