UI Chapter 60

On the way there, it started raining again. After exiting the highway, the roads became even harder to navigate. Zhao Jiyu gripped the steering wheel tightly as the GPS led them onto a muddy path. Realizing something was off, he turned around and took a different route, adding nearly half an hour to the trip before finally arriving at the county hospital.

By the time they got there, it was already noon. The hospital was crowded with family members bringing meals to patients. Zheng Mingjin asked a nurse for the room number, and the two of them quickly went upstairs.

On the third floor, they finally found Xu Huijuan’s hospital room.

Compared to when she had first been admitted the previous day, Xu Huijuan’s complexion was still pale, but she seemed more energetic. She was now able to sit up and chat with Aunt Wen. When she saw Zheng Mingjin enter, she looked surprised. “Why are you here all of a sudden? Don’t you have class?”

“I took a leave of absence,” Zheng Mingjin said, sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Auntie, how are you feeling? Any better?”

“Much better,” Xu Huijuan smiled.
“It’s so kind of you to come all this way. I’m fine now, so you should hurry back to class this afternoon.”

“It’s okay,” Zheng Mingjin said, relieved. Then he asked,
“Has Shen Ran come back yet?”

Aunt Wen, who had been observing Zhao Jiyu behind him, responded,
“He went home to get some things. It’s raining outside, and the roads aren’t great. It’ll probably take him a while.”

“Oh, and this is?” Aunt Wen gestured toward Zhao Jiyu.

“That’s right, Mingjin,” Xu Huijuan added.
“Is he also a classmate of yours and Ranran’s?”

Zhao Jiyu’s attire and demeanor stood out in the hospital room, drawing attention even before Xu Huijuan spoke. Hearing her question, he took a step forward, slightly bowing as he said,
“Auntie, hello. I’m Shen Ran’s good friend. I heard you were unwell, so I came to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

“Oh, you’re too polite,” Xu Huijuan said, grasping his extended hand with an embarrassed smile.
“I’m already feeling much better. How could I trouble you to come all this way?”

Another aunt in the room remarked in surprise,
“Ranran is lucky—he’s made such good friends while studying away from home.”

As they spoke, Zheng Mingjin’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and immediately answered. Zhao Jiyu also caught a glimpse of the screen. However, after just a few words, the call was cut off due to a poor signal.

Aunt Wen asked, “Was that Ranran?”

“Yes, but it seems like he has bad reception over there,” Zheng Mingjin replied.

“He’s probably still in the village. The rain was too heavy last night, and the signal base stations in this area are having some issues.”

“How did he come over with all his things? Does he have a car?” Zhao Jiyu asked.

Aunt Wen said,
“He can take the village bus out. It comes every two hours, so he’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

“I’ll go pick him up,” Zhao Jiyu said.

“It’s okay,” Xu Huijuan replied. “The road isn’t easy to travel. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Auntie, don’t be so polite with us. It’s inconvenient for him to come alone,” Zheng Mingjin agreed to go pick up Shen Ran and stood up.
“You get some rest. We’ll be back soon.”

Compared to Zhao Jiyu, Xu Huijuan and Zheng Mingjin were much more familiar with the area. Seeing that she couldn’t refuse their kindness, Xu Huijuan let them go eat first and reminded them to be careful.

After buying three baskets of soup dumplings from a snack shop across the street, Zheng Mingjin also bought spring rolls and fried meat pies. Zhao Jiyu didn’t eat those; he only ordered a bowl of savory tofu pudding. When they got back to the car, he asked,
“What did he say on the phone just now?”

Zheng Mingjin fastened his seatbelt and said,
“Not much. The signal kept cutting out, so I didn’t hear clearly.”

Zhao Jiyu set up the navigation on the car’s screen. On the way, Shen Ran called Zheng Mingjin again. This time, the signal was clear. When he heard they were on their way to his house, Shen Ran was surprised and asked how they got there.

Glancing at the driver beside him, Zheng Mingjin said,
“It’s not just me. Someone else came too.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. Some things didn’t need to be said explicitly for Shen Ran to understand. Before he could respond, Zheng Mingjin added,
“We’ll be there in about half an hour. Just wait at home and don’t take the bus.”

After hanging up, Zheng Mingjin looked at Zhao Jiyu, who was driving. Zhao Jiyu glanced back at him. Zheng Mingjin thought he would ask something, but to his surprise, he remained silent.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Mingjin asked first, “What exactly are your feelings for Shen Ran now?”

“I like him,” Zhao Jiyu answered without hesitation, giving the listener no time to process his words.

Swallowing his reaction, Zheng Mingjin took a moment before saying,
“Have you considered the situation between his family and yours?”

“I’ll talk to him about that in person. Any problem can be solved as long as we’re willing to face it.”

Zheng Mingjin wanted to argue that he was making it sound too easy, but then he realized that this was ultimately between the two of them. Even as a friend, it wasn’t his place to say too much when Shen Ran wasn’t present.

Shen Ran had been sitting by the table for nearly half an hour when he finally heard the sound of a car engine outside. He turned to look at the door, knowing he should get up to open it, but his legs felt so heavy that he couldn’t move. It wasn’t until he heard knocking on the door that he braced himself against the table and walked over.

There were two people standing outside.

One was a concerned friend who immediately started fussing over him the moment he saw him.

The other had a complicated expression, hands tucked into his pockets, looking at him with furrowed brows but saying nothing.

In just a few short days apart, Shen Ran found his gaze fixed on Zhao Jiyu’s face, unable to look away. He didn’t even catch what Zheng Mingjin was saying beside him. Zheng Mingjin, however, quickly fell silent, staring speechlessly at the two of them locked in eye contact, feeling like his presence was completely unnecessary.

Although he didn’t want to give Zhao Jiyu an opportunity, he also understood that the two needed some space to talk alone. So, he cleared his throat and walked into the house.
“I’m going to wash my hands.”

He had visited Shen Ran’s home last summer, so he was familiar with the layout of the two-story house. As he reached the kitchen entrance, he heard footsteps coming from the courtyard. Turning back, he saw a plainly dressed middle-aged couple approaching.

The couple glanced at the Cayenne parked at the entrance and murmured something to each other before looking towards Shen Ran. The woman called out loudly,
“Ranran, are these your friends?”

Shen Ran snapped out of his daze and responded. Zhao Jiyu noticed his brows furrow slightly, his expression carrying a trace of impatience, so he turned to glance at the couple as well.

Both of them had their hands clasped behind their backs. In heavily accented Mandarin, they looked at Zhao Jiyu and said, “Wow, such an important guest! Hurry and invite him in to sit down. I’ll go make some jasmine tea.”

The woman turned and walked away, while the man, with a fawning smile, stepped closer and asked Zhao Jiyu,
“What’s your name? You’re really handsome. Are you Ranran’s classmate?”

Shen Ran made no effort to hide his dislike. He pulled Zhao Jiyu inside and, before shutting the door, said to the man, “Uncle Gao, you should head back. My friend is leaving soon, no need to prepare tea.”

The man, called “Uncle Gao,” seemed like he wanted to say more, but Shen Ran locked the door.

Zhao Jiyu stood by the door listening. The man’s imperfect Mandarin had now shifted into a local dialect. He couldn’t understand the words, but the tone was grumbling and unpleasant—he could guess it wasn’t anything nice.

Shen Ran looked at him awkwardly, while Zheng Mingjin walked over from the kitchen to ease the tension.
“Have you packed your things?”

“Yeah.” Shen Ran pointed to two travel bags on the table. Inside were a few days’ worth of clothes for him and Xu Huijuan, along with some health supplements.

“Then let’s go.”

Zheng Mingjin picked up the bags. Shen Ran peeked through the door crack, and after confirming no one was in the courtyard, he opened the door.

As they got into the car, Zhao Jiyu noticed that the couple was still glancing back at them from a distance. He asked,
“Are they your neighbors?”

Fastening his seatbelt, Shen Ran replied coldly,
“They’re unimportant people.”

Since Shen Ran clearly didn’t want to continue the topic, Zhao Jiyu didn’t press further. As they drove away, they occasionally saw villagers eyeing them curiously from the roadside. Shen Ran only seemed to relax once they left the village, sinking into his seat.

Zhao Jiyu didn’t miss his reaction. He glanced at the village entrance through the rearview mirror, now far behind them.

He recalled spending a week here one summer in middle school with his uncle. Several years had passed since then, and the village had improved quite a bit—some houses even had private cars parked in their yards. They hadn’t checked out Shen Ran’s family store, but judging by the state of their house, they seemed to be doing decently in recent years.

The drive back was quiet. In the back seat, Zheng Mingjin was focused on his phone. Shen Ran leaned his elbow against the car window, staring at the passing scenery, trying his best to ignore the occasional glances from the person beside him.

At the hospital, he first went to see Xu Huijuan. Zhao Jiyu and Zheng Mingjin lagged behind. Zhao Jiyu asked about the departure time of the bus back to Xiamen, and Zheng Mingjin immediately picked up on it, asking discontentedly,
“You’re not leaving?”

“I’m not leaving,” Zhao Jiyu replied.
“I’ll stay here with him.”

“You’re not planning to let his mom find out about you two right now, are you?”

“If he doesn’t agree, I won’t say anything,”
Zhao Jiyu said calmly, gazing at the corner where Shen Ran had just disappeared.
“I respect his decision.”

Zheng Mingjin seemed like he wanted to say something but hesitated. After a brief pause, he finally said,
“Forget it. Do whatever you want.”

Inside the hospital room, Shen Ran sat with Xu Huijuan for a while. Aunt Wen had something to do and had already left. The mother and son spoke in hushed tones. When Zhao Jiyu entered, he happened to see Shen Ran lower his head slightly and shake it, looking troubled.

Xu Huijuan reached out to touch his forehead and said a few more words. Shen Ran helped her lie down and tucked her in before stepping out.

Zheng Mingjin stood next to Zhao Jiyu and mentioned that it was about time to say goodbye to Xu Huijuan. Shen Ran glanced at Zhao Jiyu, who remained still, so he stepped aside to let Zheng Mingjin in, then walked over to the row of plastic chairs in the corridor and sat down.

Zhao Jiyu sat beside him. Soon, Shen Ran looked up at him and said,
“Thanks for coming this time.”

“No need to thank me. I didn’t really do anything,” Zhao Jiyu replied.

Shen Ran gazed out the window at the end of the corridor.
“It’s still raining outside. The roads are difficult to drive on. Be careful on your way back.”

It seemed like he had misunderstood and thought Zhao Jiyu was leaving with Zheng Mingjin.

Zhao Jiyu stared at the back of his head, his gaze lingering on the nape of his neck.

When Zheng Mingjin came out, he saw the two of them lost in thought. Clearing his throat, he brought Shen Ran back to reality. Shen Ran got up and said to him,
“I’ll walk you to the entrance.”

Zheng Mingjin found the wording a bit odd, but Zhao Jiyu was already heading toward the exit. Remembering what Xu Huijuan had told him earlier, he said to Shen Ran,
“I’ll send you my notes every night. If you have any questions, just ask me.”

“Okay.” Shen Ran, still feeling down, followed Zhao Jiyu toward the exit and repeated what he had just said to Zheng Mingjin.

Zheng Mingjin caught on and glanced between the two of them before once again finding himself speechless.

However, he didn’t say much. After stepping outside, he waved and left. Shen Ran watched him walk toward a parked motorcycle taxi, then turned to Zhao Jiyu.
“Why are you still here?”

Zhao Jiyu looked relaxed, the corners of his lips finally curving up slightly.
“I never said I was leaving.”

Shen Ran: ?

Zheng Mingjin got on the back of the motorcycle. Before leaving, he glanced their way one last time. Zhao Jiyu took Shen Ran’s hand and gave Zheng Mingjin a smile.

Zheng Mingjin couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. As the motorcycle left, Shen Ran finally managed to free his wrist from Zhao Jiyu’s grasp. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Zhao Jiyu hooked an arm around his shoulders and led him toward the restroom on the first floor.

The county hospital’s facilities weren’t as good as those in the city, but the restroom was relatively clean and empty. Zhao Jiyu pushed Shen Ran into a stall, locked the door, and hugged him tightly when he tried to leave. Their chests collided, and as Shen Ran tried to push him away, Zhao Jiyu buried his face behind Shen Ran’s ear and whispered,
“Do you know how I’ve been these past few days?”

Zhao Jiyu’s voice was much hoarser than before. The emotions he had endured these past days surfaced, making Shen Ran’s throat tighten. A wave of sourness welled up in his chest for no reason. He raised his hands, grabbing Zhao Jiyu’s shirt but couldn’t bring himself to push him away.

Eventually, Zhao Jiyu let go first, pressing a hand to the back of Shen Ran’s head and kissing him.

His back hit the cold wall tiles, making the kiss even more breathless. Zhao Jiyu pressed against him, pinning his wrists to his sides, his kisses deep and relentless, as if trying to make up for all the time they had been apart.

Shen Ran’s hands struggled briefly in Zhao Jiyu’s grip before giving up. His tense body gradually relaxed, accepting the person before him. Sensing the change, Zhao Jiyu paused slightly, pulling back just enough to look at him.

Shen Ran panted, his wet lips trembling, unable to hide the emotions that had burst through. He lowered his gaze to avoid Zhao Jiyu’s eyes, but Zhao Jiyu no longer held back, tilting his chin up and sealing his lips again.