UI Chapter 67

When they returned to school, Zheng Mingjin was already waiting for them at the south gate.

Shen Ran got out from the passenger seat. Watching Zhao Jiyu drive away, Zheng Mingjin asked, “Where’s he going now?”

“He has to go home for a bit.” Even though Zheng Mingjin knew about everything, Shen Ran still felt a little shy. He rubbed the tip of his nose with his knuckle and turned to look inside the school gates, where students were starting to come out for lunch. Quite a few of them were glancing between him and Zhao Jiyu’s car.

On the way back, he couldn’t help but lower the brim of his cap and instinctively cover the corner of his mouth with his hand as he recalled secretly kissing Zhao Jiyu in a quiet corner of the service area.

His lips were still a bit swollen from Zhao Jiyu’s kiss—hopefully, Zheng Mingjin wouldn’t notice.

Fortunately, Zheng Mingjin didn’t notice anything unusual about his lips. He only saw him zoning out and grinning foolishly, so he crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and sighed.

Hearing the sigh, Shen Ran looked up and met Zheng Mingjin’s helpless gaze.

Clearing his throat, Shen Ran composed himself and asked, “What did you just say?”

Zheng Mingjin had already given up on dealing with his love-struck behavior. He leaned forward again and repeated his question, while Shen Ran recounted the events of the past few days in broad strokes. He especially detailed how Zhao Jiyu had accompanied Xu Huijuan for her check-up, hoping to change Zheng Mingjin’s impression of him. Even if Zheng Mingjin couldn’t pick up on it from his words, he could clearly see Shen Ran’s thoughts written all over his face.

Shen Ran had been under a lot of pressure lately, and Zheng Mingjin had rarely seen him smile. But this time, he seemed much more relaxed. Even without asking, Zheng Mingjin already knew the reason why.

When the hot stone pot bibimbap was served, the two of them focused on their food. After taking a bite, Zheng Mingjin finally asked,
“So, when do you plan to tell your mom?”

“Not for now,” Shen Ran replied after taking a bite.
“We’ve agreed to keep things from our families for now and only consider it after we graduate.”

“That makes sense,” Zheng Mingjin agreed.
“You two should at least have some financial stability before discussing this.”

Shen Ran nodded. Then Zheng Mingjin added,
“I’m going to Hong Kong this weekend with Yang Xin.”

“To Hong Kong University?”

“Yeah, just to check it out in advance. We’ve already prepared our application materials.”

Back in the summer, Zheng Mingjin had mentioned that he and Yang Xin were planning to apply for graduate school at the University of Hong Kong. This topic reminded Shen Ran of Zhao Jiyu asking him about his plans for grad school on the road today. Even though Zhao Jiyu had phrased it as a question, Shen Ran could tell he genuinely wanted him to continue studying.

Just like how Zheng Mingjin always said it would be a shame to stop at just an undergraduate degree, both of them—and even Xu Huijuan—were sincerely thinking about his future.

And now that things had reached this point, his mind was already completely made up. He really wanted to continue his studies.

After all, having only an undergraduate degree in history wouldn’t be enough.

Taking a sip of iced black tea, he looked up at Zheng Mingjin and said,
“I’ve decided to go to grad school too. I’m meeting with a professor this afternoon.”

Zheng Mingjin stopped chewing and looked at him in surprise. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

Shen Ran said,
“I think you guys were right.”

“We?” Zheng Mingjin smirked. “You only listened because Zhao Jiyu said it, huh?”

Shen Ran wanted to explain, but before he could finish a sentence, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, smiled, and picked up.

From the other end of the line, a voice asked if he had eaten.

“I’m eating now,” Shen Ran said, looking at the pork belly in his bowl. He lowered his voice and asked,
“What about you?”

“I just got home. Old Wu is cooking noodles,”
Zhao Jiyu said, grabbing some clothes in the cloakroom.
“I need to visit my grandpa later, so I might not make it to school this afternoon. I’ll come find you tonight?”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll hang up now.”

Shen Ran was about to put down his phone when he suddenly heard Zhao Jiyu call his name in a certain way. He instinctively glanced at Zheng Mingjin across from him, worried that he might have heard it.

Zheng Mingjin was considerate enough not to react. Whether he heard it or not, he simply kept his head down and focused on eating.

“What?” Shen Ran asked.

Zhao Jiyu didn’t say anything, but Shen Ran heard a kissing sound through the phone. It took him a second to realize that Zhao Jiyu had just “kissed” him over the call.

Even with the brim of his baseball cap covering his face, Shen Ran still lowered his head, gritting his teeth as he quietly muttered, “Enough already.”

But Zhao Jiyu wasn’t letting him off so easily.
“Did you hear that?”

Shen Ran: “…”

Zhao Jiyu: “If you didn’t, I’ll do it again.”

Afraid that Zhao Jiyu really would, Shen Ran had no choice but to admit, “I heard it.”

Satisfied, Zhao Jiyu chuckled. Before hanging up, he said once more that he missed him.

Since Zhao Jiyu knew Shen Ran was with Zheng Mingjin, he didn’t expect any response. After putting down his phone and pretending like nothing had happened, Shen Ran picked up his chopsticks again—only to see Zheng Mingjin sipping on his iced black tea, looking at him with a knowing expression.

Even after finishing the meal, the heat in Shen Ran’s ears still hadn’t subsided.

That afternoon, Zheng Mingjin accompanied him to the school library to help him catch up on the classes he had missed. By evening, Zheng Mingjin left first. Before heading out himself, Shen Ran took a beautiful photo of the sunset through the library window and adjusted the colors. Just as he finished, Zhao Jiyu called.

After agreeing on a meeting place, Shen Ran returned to his dorm to drop off his things and change clothes. When he got into the car, he noticed someone else in the back seat. That person smiled at him slightly and greeted him proactively.

Shen Ran hadn’t expected Yu Xuetong to be in Zhao Jiyu’s car. He paused slightly, while Yu Xuetong said, “You don’t mind me hitching a ride with your boyfriend, do you?”

She had always been straightforward, but hearing her say that still made Shen Ran a little flustered. He just smiled in response and glanced at Zhao Jiyu as he turned away.

Zhao Jiyu’s Cayenne was in for maintenance, so he was driving another car today—a dark green convertible with a soft top. As Shen Ran fastened his seatbelt, he suddenly recalled the night he first met Yu Xuetong. Zhao Jiyu had been driving this same car, and the three of them had sat in the exact same positions.

Once they were on the main road, Zhao Jiyu turned on the car’s audio system, playing the song Mermaid. When the chorus hit, Yu Xuetong hummed along to the melody. After a while, when she realized the song had restarted, she curiously asked,
“Did you put it on repeat?”

Zhao Jiyu kept his eyes on the road. “Yeah.”

“Change it up, don’t just listen to one song,” she suggested.

Zhao Jiyu smirked and turned to look at Shen Ran, who was gazing out the window.
“No. Ranran likes this song.”

Shen Ran instinctively clenched his fingers against his chin. In the backseat, Yu Xuetong was caught off guard by the blatant display of affection and rubbed her arms as if she had goosebumps.
“Zhao Jiyu, if you think I’m in the way, just drop me off somewhere. I’ll take a cab back myself.”

“There’s no need for that,” Zhao Jiyu said, grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s hard to get a cab at this hour, and your driver would take time to get here anyway. We’re almost there.”

Yu Xuetong was just teasing him. Although she let out a frustrated huff, the atmosphere in the car remained lighthearted—only Shen Ran felt somewhat uncomfortable. When Yu Xuetong was about to get out of the car, he stepped out first to help pull down the seat for her.

She smoothed out the hem of her dress and looked at him, saying,
“Jiyu originally planned to talk to my grandfather about our breakup today, but his blood pressure has been a bit high these past two days, so I want to wait a few more days. You don’t mind, do you?”

Her tone was sincere, which left Shen Ran unsure how to respond. He could only nod stiffly.

Seeing his unease, Yu Xuetong smiled at him, then turned to say goodbye to Zhao Jiyu before walking away. Once Shen Ran got back into the car, Zhao Jiyu reached over and held his hand. “Are you upset?”

Shen Ran stared straight ahead for a moment before turning to him.
“No, I just feel a little awkward.”

Zhao Jiyu said,
“She wanted to explain it to you herself so you wouldn’t overthink things.”

Yu Xuetong had always been impeccable when it came to etiquette. Although Shen Ran hadn’t interacted with her much, he could tell she was a kind and outstanding person.

Shen Ran asked,
“When did she find out?”

“The night after you told me at the training ground that we couldn’t be together. I went to talk to her about breaking up, and she figured it out then.”

Shen Ran glanced at the side mirror. Yu Xuetong had already walked far away. He watched her fading figure in a light purple dress, as if he had something to say but chose not to.

Zhao Jiyu gently squeezed his hand.
“Don’t worry. We grew up together, and she also has friends abroad who are in same-sex relationships—she understands us.”

Shen Ran nodded, finally looking more at ease. He turned to Zhao Jiyu and asked,
“What are we eating tonight?”

Merging into the next lane, Zhao Jiyu said, “Seafood.”

The seafood place was a casual open-air eatery—not too fancy, but very clean. When they arrived, Zhao Jiyu even greeted the owner, which surprised Shen Ran. He hadn’t expected Zhao Jiyu to be familiar with the owner of a place like this. Once they sat down, he learned that the restaurant was run by a friend of Old Wu.

Zhao Jiyu placed the menu in front of him.
“Old Wu used to be a chef, so he knows a lot of restaurant owners. Many of them are great cooks. I’ll take you to try them one by one.”

Shen Ran took the menu and glanced through it. The place had a wide variety of seafood at reasonable prices. He chuckled. “Don’t tell me you reserved this table in advance too?”

The restaurant was packed, but a great corner table on the second floor’s terrace was still available.

Zhao Jiyu smiled, pulled his chair closer to Shen Ran’s, and rested his chin on one hand. “Not just the table—I also had the owner set aside an Australian lobster for us. His scallion-ginger lobster noodles have a flavor even Old Wu can’t replicate.”

Shen Ran hadn’t had Old Wu’s cooking in a while, and just hearing the names of the dishes made him hungry. Zhao Jiyu browsed the menu with him, ordering all the signature seafood dishes. When the food arrived, every dish was rich in color, aroma, and flavor. Even the simplest salt-and-pepper mantis shrimp was impeccable—the crispy fried shells were coated in flavorful salt and spices, making each bite crunchy, while the white shrimp meat was tender and chewy. Shen Ran ate so much that he had to change his disposable gloves several times.

Zhao Jiyu’s stomach inflammation had also healed, so he could eat freely with Shen Ran. By the time the scallion-ginger lobster noodles were served, Shen Ran was already full, but he still forced himself to eat some to avoid wasting food—only to end up completely stuffed.

After dinner, they took a walk to help with digestion. The restaurant was near a shopping plaza, with plenty of places to browse. The late summer breeze carried a hint of early autumn’s coolness. As they passed a chain tea shop with a traditional Chinese theme, they noticed its new autumn special: Osmanthus Rice Wine Tea.

The shop’s décor reminded Shen Ran of a similar milk tea he had tried during a trip to Xi’an. He wanted to buy two cups so Zhao Jiyu could try it as well, but Zhao Jiyu said one was enough.

As he was paying, Shen Ran suspected Zhao Jiyu might want them to share a cup again—and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Fortunately, the dim lighting at night meant no one noticed them.

Back in the car, Zhao Jiyu reclined his seat, then climbed over the center console to sit on Shen Ran’s lap. Leaning down, he kissed him deeply—so much that Shen Ran’s lips were a little swollen by the time he finally pulled away.

“In public, we don’t have to be so cautious,” Zhao Jiyu murmured.
“To others, we can just be close friends.”

Looking at the person pressed against him, Shen Ran remained silent for a moment before replying softly,
“I just don’t want people to find out too soon… After all, we weren’t even that close before.”

His gaze dropped slightly, a trace of unease flickering in his eyes. Zhao Jiyu leaned down and kissed him again, whispering,
“You’re so adorably dumb.”
The words slipped into his ear, making his face flush. He reached up, grabbed the back of Zhao Jiyu’s neck, and squeezed it lightly before retaliating with a fierce kiss of his own.

The space inside this car wasn’t as roomy as a Cayenne, so Zhao Jiyu’s straddling position felt awkward. After a while, he let go. Shen Ran checked the time and suggested they head back.

Zhao Jiyu dropped him off at the school gate, and they lingered for a bit before parting. By the time Shen Ran returned to his dorm, it was almost lights-out. He quickly showered and had just gotten into bed when he received a message from Zhao Jiyu:

[I’m home.]

Shen Ran smiled as he replied: [Sleep early.]

Zhao Jiyu sent another message: [I’ve gotten used to you being at home. Now that you’re not here, the place feels so empty.]
Along with the message, he attached a video of the fish tank on his bedroom desk.

The new fish tank Zhao Jiyu had ordered online had arrived. It had a unique wavy design. In addition to some small decorative pieces, Zhao Jiyu had also placed a few river stones they had picked up by the stream that day.

The colorful stones weren’t particularly bright, but they looked nice in the tank. The two fish, Xiao Ran and Xiao Yu, swam freely in the video, seemingly enjoying their “new home.”

Reading the message and watching the video, Shen Ran felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

Zhao Jiyu wanted him to move back in. Shen Ran wanted to live with him too—it would mean more time together, and they wouldn’t have to hide when spending time alone. But they had only just started dating. If he moved in now and ran into Zhao Jiyu’s family, it would be hard to explain.

He didn’t want to deal with such complications before their relationship had fully stabilized. Zhao Jiyu understood his concerns, so they agreed that Shen Ran would stay over on weekends.

[The weekend will be here soon.] Shen Ran replied.

Zhao Jiyu: [Yeah, only four days left.]

Shen Ran mimicked Zhao Jiyu’s tone: [Be good, just wait a little longer.]

Zhao Jiyu sent a sticker of a puffing face, followed by an emoji of a dog holding a rose in its mouth.

Seeing the goofy-looking husky, Shen Ran couldn’t help but laugh. He searched his emoji library and sent back a cartoon of a little boy patting a dog’s head.

Zhao Jiyu was probably taking a shower and didn’t reply immediately.

After sending another message saying “See you tomorrow,” Shen Ran put down his phone, picked up the pair of plush pigs embroidered with bright red “LOVE” hearts beside his pillow, hugged them, and closed his eyes.

The next morning, as soon as he arrived at the history department’s teaching building, he saw someone waiting near the stairs.

Zhao Jiyu’s outfit wasn’t much different from usual, with his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his well-fitted dress pants. Many girls passing by couldn’t help but steal glances at him. But Shen Ran—upon spotting that familiar figure standing under the tree from afar—stopped in his tracks.

Zhao Jiyu curled his lips into a smile and started walking toward him.

They were about twenty or thirty steps apart. Shen Ran watched as the wind lifted Zhao Jiyu’s bangs near his eyes and felt as if his own heartbeat had synchronized with the other man’s footsteps. As Zhao Jiyu finally stopped in front of him, multiple gazes from around them converged on them.

“Have you had breakfast?” Zhao Jiyu asked.

Shen Ran replied, “Not yet.”

Zhao Jiyu took an opaque thermal bag from his bag and handed it to him.
“I asked Old Wu to make beef burgers and rambutan tomato juice. The burger is still warm.”

Shen Ran had just told him last night that he didn’t want to be too affectionate in public, yet today, Zhao Jiyu handed him breakfast in front of everyone. He didn’t want to accept it, but he also didn’t want to make a scene, so he reluctantly took it and said, “Thanks,” before lowering his head and walking forward.

Zhao Jiyu followed beside him, and neither of them spoke again.

The first class of the morning was a large lecture. After entering the classroom, Zhao Jiyu naturally sat beside him. When no one was around, Shen Ran quietly reminded him not to go overboard. But Zhao Jiyu, looking relaxed, assured him that there was no need to worry—he would take care of it soon.

Shen Ran had no idea what Zhao Jiyu was planning, but when Zheng Mingjin arrived, he finally understood—Zhao Jiyu’s solution was to have the three of them stick together.

Although it felt a bit awkward, this was undoubtedly the best cover. Once Zhao Jiyu suggested it, Zheng Mingjin agreed to help. With his cooperation, the three of them eating together at noon naturally drew less attention.

However, while others might not notice, Zheng Mingjin could clearly feel that he was acting as a high-wattage third wheel. Even though Shen Ran tried his best to restrain himself, Zhao Jiyu always found ways to feed him mouthfuls of “dog food.”

That afternoon, the three of them went to the library to study together again, and in the evening, they left campus together for dinner. After three days of this routine, no one found it strange to see them together anymore. Even when Shen Ran and Zhao Jiyu were occasionally spotted eating alone or staying in the library together, no one paid much attention.

On Friday, Shen Ran didn’t have any classes, so he went to work at a convenience store. As his shift was nearing its end, Zhao Jiyu sent him a message, asking if he’d be willing to go to a pool party with him that evening.

“What kind of pool party?” Shen Ran asked.

“Wei Qi is hosting it at his villa in the suburbs. He’s inviting some familiar friends, but everyone will just be doing their own thing.”

Hearing Wei Qi’s name, Shen Ran furrowed his brows slightly. Zhao Jiyu continued typing:

“He wants to apologize to you and hopes I can bring you along.”