UI CH 13

He thought that lying together like this would make it hard to fall asleep, but it turned out that as long as the bed was comfortable enough, the brain didn’t have that much free time to think about meaningless things. He was dragged into the abyss by his body until he was awakened by a continuous rocking of the sea waves.

The bed sheet against his cheek was so soft that Shen Ran couldn’t help but rub his face against it. After stretching, he rolled over and found that Zhao Jiyu was no longer in bed. He picked up his phone and checked the time; it was just past 7:30. The cabin had no windows to the outside. He turned on the light.

The bathroom door was closed, and he could tell from the frosted glass that no one was inside. He went back to bed and scrolled through his phone for a while before getting up to wash up.

The hallway was brightly lit, and he went up to the cockpit. The weather was even better than yesterday, with blue skies and white clouds like an enlarged movie still.

The person who was lying next to him before going to bed was now sitting on the sofa, eating a salad.

Seeing him come up, Zhao Jiyu patted the seat next to him and handed him another salad from the table.
“Eat something first, Old Wu is making breakfast.”

Shen Ran took it, and after finishing the delicious salad, he asked,
“How long until we dock?”
He had to go to work at the convenience store at noon today.

Zhao Jiyu checked his watch. “About ten o’clock.”

Shen Ran nodded.

Zhao Jiyu put down his plate and looked at him, asking,
“Did you sleep well last night?” He had fallen asleep shortly after lying down last night and slept soundly until morning. It was probably the best sleep he’d had in a long time. He smiled and said,
“Very well, thank you for your hospitality.”

Looking at Zhao Jiyu’s black tank top and beach pants, he asked, “Where are my clothes?”

Zhao Jiyu took him back to the room and handed him his dried clothes. When he came back up after changing, breakfast was already on the table.

Zhao Jiyu was still sitting in the same spot. Breakfast was Chinese style, with exquisite plating and a wide variety.

Shen Ran took the bowl of porridge Old Wu handed him and took a sip, noticing a fresh jasmine fragrance. Old Wu said it was porridge cooked with jasmine flowers.

It was his first time eating congee made with fresh flowers. Seeing how much he liked it, Zhao Jiyu asked Old Wu to serve him another bowl and even reminded him to pair it with the other side dishes.

The seven or eight small plates of side dishes on the table looked quite ordinary, but their flavors were surprisingly good. By the time Old Wu started clearing the table, Shen Ran was already sprawled on the back of the sofa chair, rubbing his overly full stomach and not wanting to move.

Zhao Jiyu brought him a bottle of hawthorn fruit tea to help with digestion. He didn’t take it, frowning as he surrendered,
“I’m too full to eat or drink anything.”

On the way back, Zhao Jiyu did all the driving. Shen Ran sat next to him, occasionally chatting, mostly about knowledge related to yachts.

Noticing Shen Ran’s interest, Zhao Jiyu let him try driving for a while. Compared to yesterday, his movements were much more proficient. Not only could he control the speed well, but he could also steer with the current to avoid some obvious waves.

He truly had a knack for driving. Zhao Jiyu said that if Shen Ran were to take the yacht license test, he’d surely pass on the first try. Shen Ran just smiled without responding. To him, a yacht license was something he’d never use in his lifetime; it wasn’t worth spending money on.

However, when he stepped away from the helm, he still felt a bit reluctant to leave. This feeling lingered all the way until they docked and disembarked.

For a brief moment on the pier, perhaps because he had been on the water for too long, he felt a strange lack of grounding in his ankles, as if he were still swaying.

Although he had only been on Zhao Jiyu’s boat for less than 24 hours, it felt like he had just experienced a long vacation. This sense of relaxation was something he had never felt before in his entire life.

Zhao Jiyu got off the boat with him, while Old Wu stayed behind to tidy up. The two walked side by side away from the marina.

Shen Ran took out his phone to navigate to the nearest bus stop, but Zhao Jiyu pointed toward the parking lot.
“Come on, I’ll take you.”

“No need, I’ll take the bus back.” Shen Ran had already troubled him all day and felt it wasn’t right to continue imposing on him.

Zhao Jiyu walked ahead, and after a few steps, realized Shen Ran wasn’t following. He said,
“I need to head back too, and I think the bus stop around here is quite far. You can’t be late for work this afternoon, right?”

He had lost two days’ worth of wages for taking leave yesterday, so he really couldn’t afford to be late today. Shen Ran caught up to Zhao Jiyu and said, a bit embarrassed,
“I’m bothering you again.”

“It’s fine, it’s on the way.”

Zhao Jiyu took off his sunglasses from his baseball cap and put them on. For the past two days, he hadn’t worn his usual gold-rimmed glasses. Shen Ran recalled this and asked,
“Can you see clearly without your glasses?”

“The sunglasses are prescription,”
Zhao Jiyu said.
“Besides, I’m only nearsighted by 50 degrees. I can see just fine.”

A prescription of 50 degrees is indeed very mild. However, Shen Ran remembered that Zhao Jiyu always wore glasses in public, likely more for the sake of appearance.

But he looked really good without glasses too.

Shen Ran thought back to Zhao Jiyu’s eyes over the past two days. Unlike most nearsighted people, whose gaze might appear somewhat stiff, Zhao Jiyu’s eyes were full of life. Especially when he smiled, his eyes seemed to carry a soft glow—bright, clear, and quite captivating.

The distance from the marina to Shen Ran’s apartment complex was quite far. Even with smooth traffic, Zhao Jiyu drove for nearly an hour. When they reached the entrance of the complex, he unlocked the car door, and Shen Ran thanked him before getting out.

Leaning against the car window, Shen Ran bent over, waiting for Zhao Jiyu to speak.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jiyu just gave him a slight smile, “Nothing, go ahead.”

Shen Ran felt puzzled, but since he was preoccupied with work, he didn’t think much of it and turned to walk into the residential area. Zhao Jiyu tilted his head, watching his back until he disappeared around the corner of the road. Only then did he look away, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

After getting home and taking a shower, Shen Ran changed his clothes and went to work. His shift partner today was still Xu Tian, who asked him what happened yesterday when he arrived.

Not wanting others to know, he made up an excuse about a sudden errand, and luckily, Xu Tian didn’t press further. After work, he had a late-night snack with Zheng Mingjin at their usual roadside stall.

He used to love the barbecue at this spot, but for some reason, today, the grilled chicken wings tasted off, and the marinade seemed strange as well.

Zheng Mingjin, who had been there with him many times, tasted the food and found nothing wrong, so he asked if Shen Ran was too tired or feeling unwell.

Though he had worked today, Shen Ran didn’t feel tired at all, and he had rested the entire day yesterday. Thinking back to yesterday, he suddenly realized why the chicken wings tasted bad.

It was because he had tasted something better.

He looked around at the old square tables covered with disposable plastic tablecloths and the ground littered with bones, greasy paper, and bamboo skewers discarded by diners. Shen Ran put down his chopsticks and took a sip of Tsingtao beer.

Zhao Jiyu probably had never seen such a messy dining environment, right?

“What are you thinking about?”

Zheng Mingjin tilted his beer bottle to clink with his. Shen Ran took another gulp of the cold beer, picked up a chicken wing, and continued eating.
“Nothing. How did your basketball game go last night?”

“We won.” Zheng Mingjin handed him a skewer of chicken cartilage.
“But it wasn’t as fun without you. Cheng Xu even asked when you’d join us for a game.”

“I don’t have time.”
Shen Ran said helplessly.
“I don’t even dare to reply to the coach’s WeChat messages.”

Zheng Mingjin looked at him and asked,
“You’re heading to Xi’an the day after tomorrow, right? Have you packed your luggage?”

“I’ll pack tonight.”
Shen Ran spat the chicken wing bone into the plate.
“I still have to work tomorrow.”

“You’re really working hard. My mom asked when you’ll have time to come over for a meal.”

Shen Ran smiled and glanced at him,
“If I don’t work hard, how will I make money? You know my situation.”

Zheng Mingjin’s mother and Shen Ran’s aunt had been good friends for over ten years.

Since Shen Ran started studying in Xiamen, she had treated him like half a son. Because of this connection, Shen Ran and Zheng Mingjin had a close relationship, and more importantly, they shared similar interests and hobbies. Not only were they in the same department, but they were also good basketball buddies.

Zheng Mingjin pushed the remaining two oysters to Shen Ran and asked,
“I heard your eldest aunt just had a grandson, and your mom went over to help out. So, you’re not going home this month?”

“No,” Shen Ran only took one oyster and pushed the other back.
“I’ll wait until the National Day holiday.”

After finishing their late-night snack, they parted ways at the street corner. Before leaving, Zheng Mingjin subtly brought up a topic.

Upon hearing that Li Ting was planning to go abroad, Shen Ran’s fingers squeezed the brake lever on his mountain bike, his tone indifferent: “Really.”

Observing his expression, Zheng Mingjin sensed he didn’t want to discuss it further. He patted Shen Ran on the shoulder and said,
“Take it easy on your way back.”

With his long legs straddling the bike, Shen Ran nodded at him.
“You too. Tell Auntie I’ll visit for a meal when I’m back.”

“Okay.”
Zheng Mingjin waved at him, watching him ride to the intersection ahead, turning a corner and disappearing from sight.

Back home, Shen Ran took out his suitcase and began packing for his trip to Xi’an the day after tomorrow.

He selected a few sets of clothes to pack. While looking for his documents, he found a box tucked away in the corner.

He opened the lid, revealing a silver fountain pen.

This pen had been a gift from Li when they first got together, a return gift for the flowers Shen Ran had given.

The pen wasn’t particularly fancy or from a big brand, but Shen Ran had been overjoyed to receive it. He treated it like a treasure, keeping it safely in his drawer.

When Li Ting asked him twice why he never used it, Shen Ran had said he couldn’t bear to, that he wanted to keep it as a precious memory.

Recalling how Li Ting had smiled at him back then, a helpless expression on his face, Shen Ran closed the box, turned around, and tossed it into the trash can.

He could understand Li Ting’s decision to go abroad. After all, staying here would make it hard for him to focus on his studies.

Leaving might be the best option.

After working another day at the convenience store, Shen Ran went to the airport the next morning to meet up with Ji Minglun and the others.

That evening, Xu Tian scrolled through her feed and saw the photo he posted upon arriving in Xi’an. Feeling envious, she chatted with her coworker Tang Wei during their shift, expressing her wish to travel too.

Tang Wei was ordering dinner delivery and glanced at the picture on her phone after placing the order.
“You’re not the only one. I want to go too, but I need to use the next two months’ salary to buy a new guitar. No traveling for me.”

Xu Tian pouted, sighing at the sight of Xi’an’s illuminated Bell Tower shining like a brilliant jewel against the night sky. L
“I need to save up for graduate school too.”

“So, stop dreaming,”
Tang Wei laughed.
“Look at more pictures, and it’ll feel like you’ve been there.”

Xu Tian put down her phone, about to say something, when two bright headlights swept over from across the street. A dark green soft-top convertible pulled up in front of the building.

A girl in a pristine white skirt suit got out of the passenger side, leaned over to say a few words to the driver, and then walked toward the entrance.

“Wow, the color of that car is so nice!”
Xu Tian exclaimed, tugging on Tang Wei’s short sleeve. Tang Wei looked at the sleek car design and then at the striking starlight grille on the front, also expressing admiration,
“Yeah, it really is.”

The soft top of the car wasn’t down. After turning off the engine, the driver quickly stepped out. He wore a casual white shirt and tailored trousers, his shoulders and long legs proportioned like a mannequin in a store display.

The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose added a scholarly air to his overly handsome face. When he opened the door, he tilted his head slightly to avoid the wind chime, his indifferent gaze sweeping into the store.

“He’s not here,”
Xu Tian said with a smile as soon as the person got out of the car. She had recognized the face immediately.

Zhao Jiyu picked up a bottle of non-chilled electrolyte water, walked to the checkout counter, and pulled out his phone.
“He’s off today?”

“You didn’t know?”
Xu Tian scanned the item, looking at Zhao Jiyu with curiosity.
“He went to Xi’an for a trip.”