UI Chapter 57

Carrying a basin of dirty laundry, Shen Ran was bumped by two playful guys on his way to the laundry room.

The floor in that area was a bit wet. In his rush to avoid them, he braced his right hand against the wall, immediately furrowing his brows.

The guys who bumped into him apologized before walking away with their arms around each other. Shen Ran glanced at the wound on his hand. The band-aid over his tiger’s mouth (the area between the thumb and index finger) wasn’t bleeding through, but the sudden pressure had made the wound feel like it was being torn open again.

After standing still for a moment, he continued walking to the laundry room. Once inside, he found an empty spot, set down the basin, and pulled out a pair of disposable gloves.

The room was filled with the sound of running water and chatter. Shen Ran put on his earphones and played Mermaid. He soaked the clothes and started washing them. Even though he moved carefully, water still seeped through the glove openings, stinging his wound again.

The cut was from an accident with a utility knife earlier that day. It was fairly deep, but normally, he wouldn’t have given it much thought. Yet, throughout the entire day, the pain had been persistent, impossible to ignore—a dull ache that kept reminding him of its presence.

As the song reached its climax, the lyrics “A mermaid’s tears, a world where even sadness is transparent” played, and he suddenly remembered Zhao Jiyu leaning against his head, singing this very song. Unconsciously, Shen Ran started humming along.

The surrounding noise masked his voice well, but he only sang two lines before stopping—stopping right at the words, “A fairy tale-like feeling made me fall in love with the nights that had you.”

Shaking off the soap suds from his gloves, he grabbed his phone and switched to some noisy rock and electronic music.

After washing his T-shirts and underwear, he hesitated when it came to his now-heavy, soaking-wet jeans. Just then, his phone rang. The name flashing on the screen was the last person he wanted to see right now.

He declined the call, but as soon as he put the phone back in his pocket, it rang again. Zhao Jiyu called three times in a row. On the third, Shen Ran finally answered—but he didn’t speak.

“Are you in the dorm?”
Zhao Jiyu’s voice was raspier than usual. He was in a quiet place, making his words even clearer as they brushed against Shen Ran’s ears.

Turning off the faucet, Shen Ran replied coldly, “What do you want?”

“I miss you.”

Shen Ran stared at his right hand, clenched inside a disposable glove twisted out of shape. The transparent material was covered in tiny soap bubbles, and through it, he could see that the band-aid had not only been soaked but was also tinged with fresh blood.

The wound, as if cut open again by those words, suddenly became unbearably painful.

Zhao Jiyu waited for a while, then heard the call disconnect tone.

He put down his phone, took a drag of his cigarette, and the bitter taste of nicotine lingered at the tip of his nose. He looked up at the dormitory building ahead, his gaze stopping at Shen Ran’s room. After a moment, he flicked the cigarette butt into the ashtray and quickly walked up the stairs.

Shen Ran’s new dorm was on the fourth floor. The door was wide open, and only one guy was inside playing computer games. When asked about Shen Ran, the guy didn’t turn around and simply said,
“He went to the laundry room.”

After asking for directions, Zhao Jiyu found the laundry room and couldn’t help but frown when he reached the door.

The large laundry room was crowded, the air hot, damp, and noisy. Shen Ran stood in the far-right row, struggling to wring out the water from his jeans.

Zhao Jiyu quickly walked in and grabbed Shen Ran’s right hand. As soon as he pulled off the glove, Shen Ran immediately pulled his hand away. Shen Ran seemed like he wanted to lash out, but, due to the people around, neither of them spoke. They just stared at each other.

“Stop washing,”
Zhao Jiyu was the first to break the silence.

He stood out too much—his striking appearance, dressed in a high-quality casual shirt and tailored trousers—made him seem out of place in the laundry room. The other guys around them turned their heads to look at them. Shen Ran, not wanting to attract attention, quickly walked out with the laundry basin in hand.

Zhao Jiyu followed. They walked down the corridor, one ahead, one behind. When they reached a corner, Zhao Jiyu stepped forward, blocking Shen Ran from going upstairs, and pulled him in another direction.

Shen Ran wanted to push Zhao Jiyu away, but as they walked, he could feel the curious glances from those around them. He was dragged to a quiet spot behind the dormitory. Once he steadied himself, Zhao Jiyu’s presence closed in on him.

Under the dim night light, Zhao Jiyu stood between Shen Ran and the tree, pressing him against the trunk and kissing him without any warning.

Shen Ran almost dropped the basin he was holding. He raised his right hand to push Zhao Jiyu away, but Zhao Jiyu quickly grabbed his wrist. Their lips parted slightly, and Zhao Jiyu whispered for him not to move.

The warm kiss brushed against his lips, and the soft tip of Zhao Jiyu’s tongue traced the edge of his lips. It felt like a faint electric current slowly sweeping across his spine. Shen Ran’s breath hitched, almost unable to suppress the sound. Zhao Jiyu pulled him into his arms, no longer holding back, kissing him deeply.

His back pressed against the rough tree trunk, and Shen Ran had the disorienting sensation of being pinned against the tree. The basin in his hands finally slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

The freshly washed clothes got dirty again, but all Shen Ran could think about wasn’t picking them up. Instead, his mind was consumed by the thought—why was Zhao Jiyu kissing him again? Didn’t this person intend to give up?

Unimportant thoughts were shattered and scattered by the increasingly intense kiss. Shen Ran couldn’t help but swallow, feeling his eyelids almost burn red from the heat of the intrusion. He grabbed the back of Zhao Jiyu’s shirt, tugging a couple of times, trying to get him to stop. However, Zhao Jiyu aggressively dominated his mouth, entwining his tongue with Shen Ran’s, making his head spin. Shen Ran had to cling to Zhao Jiyu’s shoulder, his knees trembling before he finally stopped.

“You see,” Zhao Jiyu said, his gaze fixed on Shen Ran’s breathless state, revealing the truth Shen Ran most didn’t want to hear,
“You like kissing me.”

He pressed Shen Ran’s waist tightly against himself, making it impossible for him to avoid, causing Shen Ran to feel so ashamed he couldn’t even argue.

Shen Ran gritted his teeth. Even though his breathing was erratic, he still pushed Zhao Jiyu away with force, squatting down to pick up the clothes on the ground.

Zhao Jiyu squatted down with him and gently grabbed his right hand, holding it: “Before I came to find you, I met with Xuetong, and we talked about breaking up. She agreed.”

Zhao Jiyu’s fingers moved in his palm, and he quickly tightened his grip: “Stop avoiding me. Whatever you want to say, just say it.”

Shen Ran stared at the right hand held by Zhao Jiyu. His fast heartbeat sounded so loudly in his ears that it almost drowned out the other noises around them.

What had Zhao Jiyu just said?

He looked up at the person in front of him—Zhao Jiyu had broken up with Yu Xuetong?

Did he think the reason Shen Ran had told him they couldn’t be together was because he hadn’t resolved things with Yu Xuetong?

A sharp pain shot through his temples. Shen Ran had been crouching on the ground for a long time, and Zhao Jiyu stayed with him until his calves became too numb to bear, and he stood up first.

Both of them leaned against the tree. When Shen Ran felt Zhao Jiyu trying to grab his right hand again, he couldn’t hold back and snapped, “Enough!”

Zhao Jiyu said,
“Your hand is hurt, don’t do the laundry. Come back to my place.”

Shen Ran turned his head, impatience evident on his face. Zhao Jiyu, however, seemed to ignore it and continued to persuade him: “I told you I would give you time. Take as long as you need, but don’t keep avoiding me.”

Shen Ran understood now. If he didn’t say something more decisive, Zhao Jiyu wouldn’t give up.

His hand was still held by Zhao Jiyu. Realizing that this would be the last time they held hands, Shen Ran actually felt a sense of reluctance before pulling his hand away.

But no matter how reluctant, it had to be done.

“I’ve thought it through,” he said, pulling his hand away forcefully. He bent down to pick up the clothes and basin, and when he stood up again, his gaze towards Zhao Jiyu was as if looking at someone insignificant.
“I’m going to get married in the future. I won’t like you, and I will never be with you.”

After parting on bad terms, Shen Ran didn’t see Zhao Jiyu again for the next two days.

They were in the same department but different classes, so it was hard to run into each other unless there was a big lecture. However, even on the third day’s large lecture, Shen Ran didn’t see Zhao Jiyu.

That night, after saying those harsh words, he left. Zhao Jiyu didn’t stop him or chase after him. He must have understood, otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him go so easily.

His palm felt empty, with a band-aid still stuck to the area where the paper cutter had cut him. The wound had healed, but he still felt pain when he applied force, which made him unconsciously think of Zhao Jiyu and remember the last time they held hands, the sensation of Zhao Jiyu’s fingers gently brushing over the band-aid.

Zheng Mingjin, sitting next to him, noticed that Shen Ran had been distracted since the class started. He tapped Shen Ran’s book with his pen cap. Shen Ran turned his face, pretending to focus on the teacher at the front, but he couldn’t hold it for long before his mind wandered again.

This state he was in felt similar to the symptoms he had when he first broke up with Li Ting, but it was worse this time. For the past three days, he had been silent and withdrawn, unable to muster interest in anything. Even when he had suggested treating someone to drinks at the bar, he didn’t feel like going at all.

At lunchtime, Zheng Mingjin had something to do, so Shen Ran went to the cafeteria alone. The girls behind him were watching short videos, and when they saw something interesting, one of them turned around to show her boyfriend. Shen Ran heard them mention something about horseback riding and a farm. Unable to resist, he turned around and happened to see the girl talking happily with her boyfriend, who lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek.

The emotions buried deep inside him were suddenly stirred up by this intimate gesture, and it felt like everything inside him was overturned. Shen Ran didn’t even know how he got his food. He tried several times to swipe his card at the machine, but it didn’t work. One of the girls kindly reminded him that he was using his library card, not his meal card.

Amid the laughter around him, he found a seat and sat down. However, he had lost his appetite and quickly shoveled a few bites before heading to the basketball court.

He hadn’t played basketball much during the summer break, so his skills had declined. But when he was playing one-on-one with others, every physical contact reminded him of the time he played VR basketball with Zhao Jiyu.

It wasn’t just a collision; Zhao Jiyu’s attempts to block him were more like fouls. Every time Shen Ran tried to get past him to make a layup, Zhao Jiyu would raise both arms and block him with what felt almost like a hug.

After playing for more than half an hour, during the last dunk, someone blocked him heavily, and he fell hard on the ground, his entire back aching. The spotlights on the basketball court’s ceiling blurred his vision, and amid the intense shortness of breath, someone came over and extended a hand to him.

Perhaps his mind was a bit dazed, but in that moment, he actually saw the person’s face as Zhao Jiyu’s. He saw the person lean down and brace himself on his knee, gently asking if Shen Ran was okay. Shen Ran smiled at the person and even extended his hand, almost reaching out to actually grab it.