After the conversation with Lu Jian at the playground last time, Cheng Shixu had not gone to see him for several days. He was incredibly busy, with make-up classes even on the weekends. It was only because his math tutor happened to be occupied today that he finally had some free time.
Vocational school did not have classes on the weekend, and Cheng Shixu realized after holding his flip phone for a long time that he did not have Lu Jian’s phone number. He had no choice but to head to the dormitory to check.
There were students standing in twos and threes along the dormitory corridor. Just as he was about to ask someone where Lu Jian’s room was, he saw Jin Yi walking over from the stairwell carrying some items. He called out, “Jin Yi.”
Jin Yi paused. “You are looking for Brother Lu? He is not here.” He stopped at the door of room 411, and Cheng Shixu followed him. “Then where is he?”
Jin Yi opened the dormitory door and stood in the frame, looking down at Cheng Shixu. He was the same height as Lu Jian. “Classmate, what exactly are you trying to do by pestering Brother Lu?” His gaze swept over the expensive watch on Cheng Shixu’s wrist, and he frowned. “You two are not on the same path.”
“Looking for him does not seem to have anything to do with you, does it?” Cheng Shixu was puzzled. Why did Jin Yi seem to dislike him so much now?
It was the same in his past life.
It could not be that he was right, could it? That he actually liked Lu Jian?
That seemed to be the answer.
“Brother Lu is my brother; of course, it has something to do with me.” Jin Yi leaned his arm against the door frame, his black tank top revealing massive biceps. His gaze fell slantingly on Cheng Shixu with a hint of disgust. “You play with him time and time again; do you really think Brother Lu has no one behind him?”
From the very beginning, when Cheng Shixu approached Lu Jian and started those antics, Jin Yi had seen it all. He had grown up with Lu Jian, and Lu Jian could not hide most of his emotions from him. He could tell that while Lu Jian said he hated having someone watching him do test papers, he would actually stay up until the middle of the night in the dorm doing them, memorizing English vocabulary and ancient poems every day. He was also looking forward to the moment Cheng Shixu walked into the classroom after school each day.
Of course, these things were beneficial to Lu Jian, so he had been relatively friendly toward Cheng Shixu.
Later, when Cheng Shixu suddenly disappeared and Lu Jian would always stare blankly at the back door of the classroom, his view of Cheng Shixu changed in an instant.
He had experienced a lot. With rich kids like Cheng Shixu, the most common thing was acting on a whim. Lu Jian was just the fool who jumped right in.
Playing hard to get; keeping him at a distance.
He did not care whether Lu Jian liked men or women, but he could not stand seeing him being toyed with like this.
“I…” Cheng Shixu was speechless. His actions did seem rather unreliable to anyone watching. He explained, “I am not playing with him.” He could not say much more, so he paused and added, “This is a matter between him and me.” He probed, “Why do you dislike me so much?”
Jin Yi pulled a thin cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth, but it was snatched away before he could light it. “You…”
Cheng Shixu shoved the cigarette into his pocket. “Have some manners. I do not want to breathe secondhand smoke.”
Jin Yi turned his head, speechless. Seeing him trying to follow inside, he blocked the door. “Have some manners. I do not want you in my dormitory.”
Cheng Shixu: “…” Why did he feel like he was even more hated than in his past life?
There was nothing he could do, so Cheng Shixu went back downstairs. He could not get the phone number, and the person was not in the dorm. Could he be working part-time at the auto repair shop?
He checked the time. It was possible.
He took a taxi to the repair shop from last time and, sure enough, saw Lu Jian shirtless, washing a car, his tattoo clearly visible.
“Boss, there is a nail in the tire of this car. Can you help take it out later?” Lu Jian held a water gun in one hand and a cloth in the other. As he squatted on the ground cleaning the tire, he had spotted a nail.
It was a Bentley. Looking at the double-wing logo on the tire, Lu Jian wondered when he would be able to drive a car like this.
“Be careful. Bentley tires are very expensive. If you break it, we cannot afford to pay for it. Wait for the owner to come back and ask; it is best to have him take it to a professional 4S shop.”
“Alright.” Lu Jian replied, stood up, put down the water gun, and prepared to spray foam. When he turned back, he saw Cheng Shixu, who had appeared at the entrance. He did not speak, installed the nozzle, shook the bottle, and began spraying foam.
The boss, however, spotted him. “Are you here to wash the car or buy parts?” The hardware store next door also belonged to the boss.
Cheng Shixu said, “I am looking for someone.” The boss did not pay him any more mind and focused on his work.
He walked over to Lu Jian, keeping a distance to avoid getting foam on himself. “Lu Jian, what is your phone number?”
Lu Jian finished spraying the hood and moved to the side to continue. “I do not have a phone.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Shixu froze for a long time before turning and leaving.
Once he was gone, Lu Jian’s hand slowed for a moment. He looked toward the entrance, put down the foam gun, and took the clothes hanging on the wall to put them on, the long sleeves covering his tattoo. When the car was washed, his clothes were dirty too. He gripped his wet hem and silently cursed a “damn it”—he would have to wash another set when he got back.
Since he was already gone, what was the point of wearing this to cover the tattoo?
“Boss, I am done washing.” Lu Jian wiped his hands, wrung out his hem, and walked over to the boss. “The owner has not come back yet. You can tell him when he arrives. My time is up, and I have things to do.”
The boss clicked his tongue. “Why are young people so obsessed with time? If you do more work in my shop, you can learn more.”
Learn more? Bullshit. Aside from doing more work, there was nothing to learn. His salary did not increase, and the boss had never taught him any core repair techniques. He had learned everything himself, and he only knew how to do simple things like changing tires, tightening screws, and washing cars.
“I have things to do.”
“Fine, fine.” The boss took out twenty yuan and slapped it on the table. “Take it.”
Lu Jian took the money and left. Behind him came the boss’s muttering complaints. It seemed he would have to find another auto shop to work at; otherwise, he would never learn anything. Without a trade, how was he going to earn 300,000 yuan to pay back his debt? And that was not even counting the interest.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the shop, he saw Cheng Shixu—whom he thought would not return—leaning on a bicycle and playing with his phone. He paused his steps, watching Cheng Shixu from a distance, wondering what happy thing he had seen that made him laugh so heartily.
The sun on the horizon slid through the canopy of the station and onto Cheng Shixu, as if a beam of light had been lit just for him, gilding his profile with a golden edge. His left hand rested casually on the handlebar, his right hand gripped his phone, and his mouth lifted in a smile he could not suppress.
Lu Jian watched him for a long time before their eyes met as Cheng Shixu turned his head. He lifted his foot, intending to walk to the right, but went straight ahead instead. “You sat here and waited for me?”
Cheng Shixu stood up as soon as he saw him and walked over, his hands behind his back, looking mysterious. “Yes, waiting for you.”
Lu Jian said, “Nothing to wait for. Should you not be going back to do your test papers?” He had waited for nearly two hours; how could he have just sat there?
“Here.” Cheng Shixu leaned in close and pulled out what he had been hiding behind his back. “This is for you.”
Lu Jian looked down and saw the latest model of a touchscreen phone. “I do not want it.” He already owed too much; if he kept owing, he would not be able to pay it back in this lifetime.
“You do not have a phone, so it is inconvenient for me to contact you. Did you not say you would be my sidekick? I have things to look for you for today, but no one was in your dorm. Having a phone makes it easier for me to have you run errands.” Cheng Shixu shoved the phone into his hand. “Take it.” His tone left no room for doubt.
“I do not want it.” Lu Jian took down his satchel and pulled out a plastic bag. “There is 1,000 yuan in here. I will pay you back first.”
Cheng Shixu sighed. “Going back on your word?”
Lu Jian said, “Are you not also going back on your word?”
So he was still holding a grudge about the time I said I would not come to see him anymore. He really is petty. Cheng Shixu thought about it and started to laugh. He had not changed much from when he was a child to now.
His old habit of holding a grudge was exactly the same.
In his past life, he had promised Lu Jian that he would go for a physical examination every six months. He did not know why Lu Jian cared so much about whether he had a physical exam. Once, their team was busy with a major project, and they were busy for a full six months. During that half-year, all their dates were at home.
If they had not been living together, they might not even have had time to see each other. Naturally, when Lu Jian brought up accompanying him to the physical exam, he had refused.
After they finished, they had half a month of vacation. On the second day of his vacation, he wanted to go to work with Lu Jian, but Lu Jian got up early, and he was so exhausted that he slept until 11 o’clock.
After waking up, he rushed to cook lunch, wanting to give Lu Jian a surprise and have more time to cultivate their relationship.
Lu Jian’s company front desk and top management all knew him. He took the executive elevator up, and upon reaching the office, he discovered that Lu Jian, who should have stopped to eat, was still dealing with work matters.
Because Lu Jian had a weak stomach, Cheng Shixu cared deeply about his three meals. Lu Jian had promised him that no matter how busy he was, he would eat when the time came.
He did not expect him to still be busy after 12 o’clock. The meal the special assistant had ordered for him was still sitting to the side. He coughed and pushed the door open. “Husband, why have you not eaten?”
When Lu Jian saw him, his eyes softened for a moment, and then he continued to look at the documents. “Busy.”
“Busy?” Cheng Shixu carried the lunchbox to the coffee table on the side. “I made lunch; come and eat.”
Lu Jian: “You eat first.”
Huh?
Cheng Shixu was bewildered. He walked behind Lu Jian and saw that the documents piled on his desk were not many; he did not look very busy. Besides, Lu Jian had just told him not long ago that there were no major projects recently and he could accompany him on a trip abroad. “Did a major project come up suddenly?”
Lu Jian: “No.”
“No? Then hurry up and eat.” Cheng Shixu hugged Lu Jian’s neck and rubbed against him. “You promised me you would eat your three meals on time. If I had not come today, would you not have eaten lunch? How many times has this been? You cannot go back on your word.”
Lu Jian’s hand holding the fountain pen stopped. He turned his head back. “Are you not also going back on your word?”
At the time, Cheng Shixu did not know what promise he had broken. He thought his act of pretending to be well-behaved had been discovered. Just as he was about to explain, Lu Jian brought up the physical exam, and he suddenly realized. “I was busy! I was really too busy lately; I did not refuse you on purpose.”
“I am busy, too.” Lu Jian lowered his head and continued to sign his name.
Cheng Shixu: “…” This old stick-in-the-mud is so petty!
“I will go for my physical exam immediately. You eat now.”
Who knew Lu Jian would say, “Eat together. I will go for the physical exam with you later.”
Cheng Shixu thought about it again and again, but still said, “Husband, even if you are angry with me, you cannot hurt your own body. You can punish me, but do not punish yourself.”
After he finished, he went to pick up the exquisite lunchbox on the desk and found the packaging had already been unwrapped and stuck back together. “Husband? You did not happen to know I was coming to the company, did you?” He pointed to the packaging and looked at Lu Jian with a light laugh.
Lu Jian licked his lip. “Cough, I did not. I was really busy.”
“Alright, alright, you were really busy. Busy exactly when it was time to eat, busy exactly when you knew I was coming to the company to deliver food, busy exactly when I forgot to do my physical exam.”
“Eat.” Lu Jian stood up, took his hand, and interrupted his teasing.
Returning to the present, Cheng Shixu looked at Lu Jian with a smile. “Yes, yes, yes, I went back on my word; it is impossible for me not to come to you.” He stuffed the phone into his bag. “So, what can I do? I just want to come to you. I want to be able to find you at any time.”
Lu Jian blinked his eyes unnaturally several times and spat out a sentence: “If you want to find me, do it whenever.” He turned and left. With someone following him, he could not help but add one more sentence, “I do not like men.”
Cheng Shixu said, “Alright, alright, you do not like men. It does not matter; I do not like you either. Is that okay?” He was such a little awkward thing when he was young.
Even though he looked very expectant.