After leaving the office, Xu Suiran was still waiting for her outside.
“So? What happened? Did Old Wang really ask you to compete?” Xu Suiran asked eagerly.
Pu Yu shook her head and briefly explained the situation.
After hearing it, Xu Suiran sighed dramatically. “Old Wang is really grasping at straws. If even he can’t persuade that big shot, how could you possibly do it?”
“I think so too,” Pu Yu said worriedly. “But the teacher insisted…”
The two chatted as they walked.
Unconsciously, they arrived at that familiar old street.
Pu Yu instinctively glanced toward the “Appliance Repair” shop.
The rolling shutter was tightly closed, with not a single light inside.
“Huh? It’s closed?” Xu Suiran also leaned over to look.
Pu Yu hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the hardware store next door, which was still open. The owner, a middle-aged man, was watching a small TV.
“Uncle, may I ask if the repair shop next door is closed today?”
The owner looked up at her and casually replied, “Oh, you mean Xiao Yuan? He went to the internet café in town to deliver some repaired circuit boards.”
“When will he be back?”
“Who knows?” The man shook his head. “He still has to install and test them. Probably late. Why, do you have something to repair?”
“No, it’s nothing. Thank you, Uncle.”
Pu Yu walked back to Xu Suiran, feeling conflicted.
Should she wait here?
If Yuan Su worked until very late, Grandma would definitely worry at home.
But he also couldn’t say for sure when he’d go to school. What if she didn’t see him for three to five days? Wouldn’t she have to come to the repair shop a few more times?
Pu Yu bit her lip, as if making a decision. “Then I’ll run over and ask him. It won’t take too long to say a few words.”
Xu Suiran widened her eyes. “What? Go to the internet café?”
Pu Yu nodded. “You go back first, Sui Sui. Don’t let—”
“No way!” Xu Suiran frowned, unconvinced. “That kind of place is messy, full of smoking troublemakers. I’ll go with you.”
The internet café in town was located at the end of a relatively busy street, its neon sign flashing the words “Extreme Speed Network.”
Even before entering, the pungent smell of smoke wafted out.
Two girls in blue-and-white school uniforms stood out conspicuously here.
As soon as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by a yellow-haired attendant, who was lounging with his legs crossed while cracking melon seeds. “Hey, schoolgirls, minors aren’t allowed in.”
Pu Yu coughed from the smoke but mustered the courage to speak.
“I’m not here to play games. I’m looking for someone.”
The yellow-haired attendant raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down with a knowing and teasing gaze. “Looking for someone? Who?”
“I’m looking for…” Pu Yu faltered.
She lifted her head, anxiously scanning the smoke-filled hall.
The lighting was dim, and the air was thick with haze.
Rows of computer screens flickered with various colors.
Finally, in the farthest corner, she spotted that familiar figure.
Yuan Su was half-crouched on the floor, dismantling a computer’s main case, his expression focused and indifferent, as if the surrounding noise of games and curses had nothing to do with him.
As if finding a lifeline, Pu Yu pointed. “I’m looking for him.”
The yellow-haired attendant followed her finger, and when he saw it was Yuan Su, he scoffed, his laughter filled with the teasing of someone who’d seen it all.
“Another one?” He leaned back in his chair, spitting sunflower seed shells all over the floor. “Listen, sis, take my advice and give up.”
Pu Yu froze. “What?”
“Still pretending, huh?” The blond-haired guy waved his hand dismissively, wearing an expression that said “I get it.” “How many is that this month? Coming to confess to Brother Su? He’s annoyed, can’t stand you girls. Go home and get some sleep.”
“I’m not!” Pu Yu’s cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. “I really just need to talk to him!”
The blond-haired guy clearly didn’t believe her and had completely lost his patience. “Alright, alright, enough with the act.”
“Let me make this clear—if Brother Su doesn’t want to see you, you’re not getting in today! Hurry up and leave, don’t waste my time!”
He stood in the doorway, making it clear he wasn’t moving.
Xu Suiran, worried a conflict might hurt Pu Yu, instinctively tried to pull her away.
“Wait.”
“Wait for what, Xiao Yu?”
Pu Yu glanced at the oblivious figure in the distance.
Since I’m already here.
And it’s not easy for anyone.
She took a deep breath, mustering all her courage, and toward the noisy, murky corner of the hall, she called out with a clarity and volume she hadn’t known she possessed:
“Yuan Su!”
The surroundings fell silent for a moment.
Several people playing games nearby turned around in surprise, wondering how this gentle, well-behaved girl had suddenly erupted.
Xu Suiran was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped.
Damn!
Was this still her gentle Xiao Yu?!
Upon hearing the voice, the young man’s movements abruptly halted.
He didn’t turn around immediately but remained in his half-crouched position for two seconds.
“Yuan Su!”
Pu Yu called again, this time a little quieter.
It wasn’t an illusion.
In Yuan Su’s usually calm, dark eyes, a rare flicker of surprise appeared.
Then, his brows furrowed deeply.
His gaze cut through the smoke and crowd, landing precisely on the somewhat flustered girl at the entrance.
“What are you doing here?”
He stood up, dusting off his hands, his tone unfriendly. “This isn’t a place for you.”
“See, I told you,” the blond-haired attendant immediately made a show of shooing her away. “Brother Su, don’t worry, I’ll get rid of her—”
“No need.”
Yuan Su’s voice was quiet, even cold, cutting off the attendant’s words.
He walked over to Pu Yu and Xu Suiran, his tone indifferent. “Follow me inside.”
The blond-haired attendant stood frozen, looking from Yuan Su to Pu Yu.
His expression was as if he’d seen a ghost.
“What do you want?” Yuan Su led them to a quieter corner of the hall, his tone tinged with annoyance at being disturbed. “Did you really have to come to a place like this?”
“Teacher Wang asked me to persuade you to sign up for the physics competition.”
Ignoring his attitude, Pu Yu quickly repeated the teacher’s words. “He said it’s a rare opportunity, and if you win a prize, it could really help with independent admissions and the college entrance exam.”
The surprise in Yuan Su’s eyes faded, replaced once more by a layer of frost.
He turned around, pressed the power button on the computer, watching the screen light up with a blue glow, his voice cool. “Not interested.”
“But the teacher said that in your first year of high school, you really wanted—”
“Pu Yu.”
Yuan Su suddenly interrupted her.
He turned slightly, leaning back against the slightly warm computer tower, his hands in his pockets, looking down at her.
The light in the corner of the internet café was dim, reflecting in his dark eyes.
“The municipal training camp requires two weeks of closed-door training. Even if I somehow miraculously qualify for the provincial competition, the transportation, accommodation, and material fees for going to the provincial capital…”
Yuan Su’s voice was soft, carrying a clarity that bordered on cruelty: “All of that combined would be enough for me to repair dozens of computers, cover my mother’s medical expenses for two months, or settle several small but urgently pressing old debts.”
He listed them one by one, his tone unnervingly calm.
“Physics competitions… require undivided focus, demand investing vast amounts of time into studying those ‘interesting’ challenging problems.”
He crouched down, continuing to adjust the computer. A self-mocking voice drifted up from below, as if speaking to her, yet also to himself:
“I no longer have the right to look in that direction.”