UI Chapter 64

Shen Ran hadn’t expected him to name the fish so quickly. He asked which one was Xiao Yu. Zhao Jiyu pointed at the red goldfish, which was constantly wagging its tail behind the black one.
“That one—it’s pretty obvious, right?”

Shen Ran glanced at it and chuckled helplessly.
“Who names fish like this?”

Zhao Jiyu saw no issue with it. While they were bickering, a phone rang. Shen Ran saw the name on Zhao Jiyu’s screen, and Zhao Jiyu handed the fish tank to him before answering the call right in front of him.

It was Zhao Xinhong. He was asking when Zhao Jiyu would be coming back.

Shen Ran listened from the side. Zhao Jiyu didn’t avoid answering the call in front of him, which made his attitude very clear. After hanging up, Shen Ran asked,
“How many days are you staying this time? What excuse did you use?”

Zhao Jiyu put his phone back into his pants pocket.
“I just told my grandfather that the school had arranged something.”

Shen Ran was skeptical.
“It’s the start of the semester. Won’t your grandfather suspect anything?”

Zhao Jiyu smiled and took the fish tank into his arms.
“He never cares about my studies, only my grades.”

Seeing how relaxed Zhao Jiyu was, Shen Ran didn’t think much of it. As they reached the end of the road, Shen Ran suggested heading back. Zhao Jiyu was looking forward to the outdoor movie screening, so they asked a street vendor about it, only to find out that due to recent rainy weather, the screenings had been suspended.

Back at the hotel, Shen Ran showered first. When he came out, he saw Zhao Jiyu sitting by the window, wearing disposable gloves and arranging small ornaments inside the fish tank.

Noticing his focused expression, Shen Ran walked over and asked,
“You’ve never kept fish before?”

“No,” Zhao Jiyu examined the colors of the ornaments.
“My mom was very strict when I was younger—she didn’t let me keep anything.”

Shen Ran recalled Zhao Jiyu mentioning before that, as a child, he had secretly eaten instant noodles in the school restroom. His heart felt a little heavy. He asked,
“So, did you only start having more freedom after your parents divorced?”

“More or less.” Zhao Jiyu finally looked up at him.
“I was rebellious for about half a year. That was when I was truly free—no one cared about me at all.”

Shen Ran had never actively asked about Zhao Jiyu’s family before, but now that the topic had come up, he wanted to know more.

“Tell me,” he said.
“How were you rebellious?”

Zhao Jiyu chuckled, his expression light.
“The usual—living in hotels, skipping school, spending all day in internet cafes.”

“And your grandfather? He didn’t do anything?”

“That year, his company was facing trouble, so he was overseas handling it. By the time he came back, he had to start looking for me.”

Shen Ran frowned slightly. Zhao Jiyu continued,
“The apartment I live in now was bought by him later. I didn’t want to go home, and I didn’t want to live with him either.”

“What about your dad…?” Shen Ran hesitated.

Zhao Jiyu let out a scoff.
“Him? He’s even less relevant. These years, he’s lived his life, and I’ve lived mine. I don’t bother with him, and he can’t control me.”

Even though Zhao Jiyu spoke casually, Shen Ran’s expression grew solemn. Noticing this, Zhao Jiyu assumed he was feeling pressured, so he took off his gloves and sat beside him.

“I’m telling you all this so you can understand me better. My family seems complicated, but my grandfather has more than one son. I have two uncles, and my cousins are just as outstanding.”

Zhao Jiyu stretched his palm out in front of Shen Ran, looking at him seriously.
“After graduation, if you don’t want to stay in Xiamen, I’ll go with you somewhere else—as long as you’re willing to take that step.”

Staring at the open palm in front of him, Shen Ran’s fingers twitched slightly at his side. At that moment, he truly felt that he should belong to Zhao Jiyu.

But seeing Shen Ran’s momentary hesitation, Zhao Jiyu decided not to push him too hard. Before Shen Ran could take his hand, Zhao Jiyu withdrew it and went back to his chair by the window, continuing to study the ornaments.

Shen Ran hadn’t quite processed why Zhao Jiyu suddenly changed his attitude when he heard him complain, “These things are so ugly. That store’s lighting must have been messed up.”

Seeing Zhao Jiyu seriously criticizing the cheap decorations, Shen Ran felt a bit at a loss but played along. “Then don’t put them in. Just having the fish is nice enough.”

“No way,” Zhao Jiyu frowned. “Then Xiao Ran and Xiao Yu would be too lonely.”

Putting the ornaments back into the plastic bag, Zhao Jiyu tidied up a bit before picking up the clothes Shen Ran had prepared for him and heading into the bathroom. As the sound of running water came from inside, Shen Ran sat in Zhao Jiyu’s previous seat and looked at the two fish.

To him, they were just ordinary goldfish. But Zhao Jiyu liked them so much. As he observed them more closely, he noticed that the red one was constantly following behind the black one’s tail. Amused, he took a few pictures and adjusted the colors before posting them on his social media without any caption.

Soon, many people liked and commented on his post. Zheng Mingjin also messaged him, asking about Xu Huijuan’s situation and then inquiring about him and Zhao Jiyu.

Staring at the two carefree fish in the tank, Shen Ran started zoning out again.

If Zhao Jiyu’s hand had stayed in front of him for even one more second, he would have taken it. At this point, he realized he had no reason to push him away anymore.

But admitting this to his best friend still felt a little strange. So, instead, he asked in a different way: [If I really got together with him, would you feel awkward about it?]

The screen showed “Typing…” for a moment before Zheng Mingjin’s reply came through:

[Not really. Before, I didn’t want you two together because I was worried you hadn’t thought it through and that he wasn’t serious. But this is your choice. If you’ve decided, I’ll support you. You still have two years until graduation, so don’t overthink it. Just focus on being happy now. The future will work itself out—who knows, maybe the outcome will be a good one.]

Seeing Zheng Mingjin say that Zhao Jiyu didn’t seem serious, Shen Ran had an urge to defend him. But by the time he reached the end of the message, he leaned back into his chair.

What seemed like a big problem to him didn’t seem to matter much to Zhao Jiyu or Zheng Mingjin. Maybe he really was overthinking it.

With his friend’s support, he felt much lighter. Looking at the fish tank again, he realized that “Xiao Ran” and “Xiao Yu” didn’t sound so awkward anymore.

When Zhao Jiyu came out of the bathroom, he saw that Shen Ran was already in bed. Climbing in from the other side, Zhao Jiyu reached for him as soon as he got under the covers. Things escalated until they were dangerously close to crossing a line—before they finally stopped.

Shen Ran had been feeling sleepy, but after being messed with by Zhao Jiyu, he was wide awake again. Zhao Jiyu pulled out his phone, opened a shopping app, and searched for keywords. A bunch of fish tank decorations popped up.

Shen Ran was forced to rest his head on Zhao Jiyu’s arm while they picked out nice-looking ones together. As they kept browsing, Zhao Jiyu started feeling that their fish tank was too small, so he decided to get a bigger one. Then he started looking for oxygenation devices. By the time he was done, the two tiny goldfish had been upgraded to a floor-standing fish tank complete with a professional oxygen supply system.

Shen Ran didn’t want to dampen Zhao Jiyu’s excitement, but just imagining the scene felt ridiculous. Zhao Jiyu also realized he was going overboard, so he started looking for a smaller fish tank again.

Unlike Zhao Jiyu, Shen Ran wasn’t so energetic. As they browsed, his eyelids started drooping. By the time Zhao Jiyu found a tank that was the perfect size and design for the coffee table and wanted to show him, Shen Ran was already asleep.

Looking at Shen Ran’s sleeping face, resting so defenselessly on his arm, Zhao Jiyu smiled. He leaned down and kissed his cheek, then added the fish tank to his cart, turned off the light, and fell asleep holding him.

That night, Shen Ran had the most restful sleep he’d had all week. Not only did he sleep through the night without waking up, but even when the alarm rang in the morning, he hit snooze and continued sleeping. Fortunately, Zhao Jiyu was also woken up and pulled him out of bed.

Xu Huijuan was now able to go to the hospital cafeteria on her own. When the two of them arrived, she asked if they wanted to grab something to eat as well. Shen Ran was worried Zhao Jiyu wouldn’t be used to hospital food, but Zhao Jiyu simply took his temporary meal card and went to buy two breakfasts from the counter.

After breakfast, they accompanied Xu Huijuan for her check-up. In the afternoon, the results came out—her health indicators had returned to normal, and she would be discharged the next morning.

After three exhausting days, Shen Ran could finally relax. He stayed with Xu Huijuan through dinner before leaving the hospital. As they stepped outside and saw the vibrant sunset in the sky, he asked Zhao Jiyu what he wanted to eat for dinner. Instead of answering, Zhao Jiyu pulled him into the car and drove straight to the best hot spring bathhouse in town.

The moment he saw the sign, Shen Ran was reminded of the last time Zhao Jiyu had taken him to a hot spring. Zhao Jiyu bought their tickets at the front desk, picked up the locker keys, and they changed into bathrobes before heading to the restaurant for a feast. Afterward, they went to the large bathing area.

At this place, guests were allowed to wrap themselves in towels before entering the pools, unlike last time when they had to be completely exposed. Because of that, Shen Ran was much more relaxed this time. When no one was paying attention, Zhao Jiyu mischievously held his hand underwater and pressed against his waist, but Shen Ran didn’t resist. By the end, he was so relaxed that he leaned against Zhao Jiyu’s shoulder and dozed off.

After enjoying a late-night snack at 9:30 p.m., they didn’t return to the hotel. Instead, Zhao Jiyu booked a room on the third floor that had a mountain-view balcony.

Shen Ran had been drowsy, ready to sleep, but the moment he saw the 270-degree panoramic view of the mountains, he perked up again. Zhao Jiyu used the room’s tea set and fresh mountain spring water to brew a pot of Da Hong Pao tea. The subtle orchid fragrance lingered on his palate as Shen Ran raised his head to admire the twinkling stars in the night sky.

The surrounding buildings and mountains looked similar to the view he had seen through the hospital window that night. But now, the rain had stopped, and the person he most wanted to see was right by his side. His state of mind was completely different from that night.

“What are you thinking about?”

A familiar whisper suddenly sounded near his ear. Shen Ran turned his head to see Zhao Jiyu, who had unknowingly moved his chair beside him. Under the night sky, Zhao Jiyu’s eyes were bright and clear.

Such a beautiful pair of eyes, yet they had always been watching him. Why had he never noticed before?

Zhao Jiyu met his gaze, and neither of them looked away first. They remained silent, the sound of Shen Ran’s own heartbeat echoing in his ears. Then, Zhao Jiyu suddenly stood up, straddled his lap, cupped his face with both hands, and leaned down to kiss him.

As his lips were sucked on, Shen Ran instinctively closed his eyes. The faint sound of moisture filled his ears as he grasped Zhao Jiyu’s supple waist. Their kiss carried a subtle orchid fragrance, yet it burned fiercely like fire. The teasing tongue dominating his mouth consumed all his attention. He was so lost in the moment that when Zhao Jiyu grabbed his wandering hand from behind, he didn’t even react—only gazed longingly at the lips that had just left his.

Zhao Jiyu wrapped his arms around Shen Ran’s neck, staring down at his lips. As Shen Ran swallowed, Zhao Jiyu leaned in again—not for another kiss, but to whisper by his ear, “We have to get up early tomorrow. Calm down and go to sleep.”

Shen Ran was still lost in the lingering sensations when Zhao Jiyu stood up and left. Watching his figure disappear behind the sliding door, Shen Ran lowered his gaze to where Zhao Jiyu had just been sitting on his lap. Realizing something, he almost covered his face with his right hand in embarrassment.