Saturday afternoon, in the corner of a second-floor cafe at the same shopping mall.
The man looked at the freshly received photograph, his eyes gleaming with the light of a business opportunity just caught in his sights.
“That’s him? Which rookie agency is he from? What’s his name? This guy has top-tier idol written all right across his face! You’ve got a great eye. Once he debuts as a PD, you’ll make an absolute fortune!”
Yang Kexin sat across from the man, raising a hand to push up her sunglasses, completely unbothered by how bizarre this outfit looked inside a mall in the dead of winter.
“You don’t need to worry about his name. Just follow him discreetly and find out where he lives.”
The man was clearly well-traveled and experienced. Seeing that his employer liked to play things mysterious, he stopped pressing for the target’s personal details.
“Alright, we can just stake out the entrance of his entertainment agency. Which company is he with?”
Yang Kexin crossed her arms, radiating an air of utter importance as she replied, “He doesn’t have an agency.”
“A school, then.”
“He has already graduated.”
“Then how are we supposed to follow him?” The man’s eyes widened. “You surely don’t expect me to rely on pure luck in Jindu City, do you? How long is this stakeout supposed to take until the Year of the Monkey? We can’t take this job.”
Yang Kexin picked up her phone. “You just need to take the job, stay on standby, and I’ll notify you when and where to stake him out. This is the advance payment, and operational expenses will be reimbursed separately. There’ll be a final balance once you find his address.”
“Standby at a moment’s notice? That’s impossible. We paparazzi are busy people too. Don’t worry, miss, leave this to me!” Upon hearing the transfer notification sound, the man looked down and immediately patted his chest with a loud thud, his dark face beaming with joy.
“Good, keep in touch.” With that, Yang Kexin stood up with an air of cool detachment, feeling as though even her stride had a breeze behind it.
She finally got a taste of what it felt like to work for high society!
Stepping out of the cafe, Yang Kexin took off her sunglasses, first sending a message to Yu Xiang to report her progress, and then catching sight of a promotional poster reading “Storewide 50% Off and Up.” She decided to wander around the mall to treat herself.
Who would have thought that the moment she stepped onto the escalator heading down to the first floor, she would spot a familiar face:
Young Master Yu’s ex-boyfriend, Mr. Yan, along with his boyfriend!
Could it really be this much of a coincidence?!
In a fluster, Yang Kexin fumbled to pull out her sunglasses and put them back on, turning her head away with exaggerated stiffness. Fortunately, Yan Hui was talking to Yan Sheng and didn’t notice her at all.
After brushing past the two of them, Yang Kexin hurriedly called the paparazzi. “The target is right here, hurry over!”
“Is that so?” The paparazzi sounded somewhat surprised. “Did he drive here or take public transit?”
Yang Kexin paused in her tracks. “Uh, I don’t know, I just happened to run into them.”
“No problem, you keep an eye on him. I’ll dispatch people right away,” the paparazzi said, making arrangements with the practiced efficiency of a seasoned professional. “We just need to guard the parking garage exit and the mall doors, and send someone inside to trail him. No matter how he got here, we’ll be able to stick to him!”
Never having expected to participate directly in the action herself, Yang Kexin gave an excited assent, hung up the phone, turned on her heel, and sprinted back upstairs. She quickly relocated Yan Hui and the other, trailing them at a cautious distance.
It being the weekend with a promotional event underway, the mall was packed with foot traffic. Yang Kexin’s clumsy tracking techniques were completely concealed by the crowd, allowing her to tail right behind the two of them without getting caught.
When they reached the third floor, Yan Hui led Yan Sheng straight to an athletic apparel specialty store.
Sportswear offered great value for money and was loose-fitting, making it ideal for Yan Sheng, who was currently growing like a weed. If anything stopped fitting, they could donate it immediately without a second thought.
Yet halfway there, Yan Sheng suddenly stopped walking. He grabbed the hem of Yan Hui’s sleeve, his gaze darting repeatedly toward the side.
Yan Hui sighed, looked back, and sure enough, it was a children’s clothing store.
Because the number of brands was limited, many malls placed athletic brands and children’s clothing brands on the same floor. On one side, it was all about going higher, faster, and stronger; on the other, it was little trains chugging along, perfectly living up to the saying that men remain boys until the day they die.
The scariest part was that children’s clothing not only offered poor value for money, but frequently ran crossover campaigns. Even when the target audience consisted of a child standing 1.7 meters tall, the pull remained undeniably strong.
Take the store that had managed to root Yan Sheng to the spot, for instance. The storefront display window prominently featured Pikachu collaboration merchandise. Bright yellow, adorable character designs, which kid could look at that and not feel tempted?
“Sheng-sheng, it’s not that Dad won’t buy it for you, it’s that you can’t fit into it!” Yan Hui looked down at his son, who stood 1.7 meters tall, with a face full of helplessness.
“How do you know without asking?” Yan Sheng’s eyes flicked toward the display window, sparkling brightly. “Maybe they have extra-large sizes? I can slouch when I wear it!”
Slouch when I wear it? Was that human language? He made it sound as though he were abusing his own son!
Yan Hui laughed in exasperation. “Fine, I’ll ask for you. But let’s get one thing straight: if you can’t fit into it, you are not allowed to pull a long face.”
“I won’t, I won’t!” Delighted, Yan Sheng clutched Yan Hui’s arm and practically dragged him into the store.
The clerk had already noticed the two exceptionally handsome men at the entrance. Seeing them step inside, she immediately hurried over with a beaming smile.
“Welcome to CoolGuy! What can I help you two gentlemen find today? Our brand has just released a new Pikachu collaboration series, as well as a gift box set, perfect for gifting during the Lunar New Year.”
She had evidently mistaken the two of them for a young couple out shopping for presents.
Long accustomed to this, Yan Hui gave a thumbs-up gesture toward Yan Sheng. “Do you have any sizes suitable for him?”
The clerk froze noticeably, looking Yan Sheng up and down with a hesitant expression. “Sir, we are a children’s clothing store…”
“He’s a child, just on the larger side. Tell the big sister yourself: how old are you, and how tall are you?”
Yan Hui gave Yan Sheng a light pat, and the boy immediately flashed a bright smile, pointing straight at the window display. “Big Sister, I’ll be ten years old right after the New Year, and I’m 1.7 meters tall. I want that Pikachu down jacket!”
“Ten years old?!”
Before the clerk could reply, an exclamation rang out from behind.
Yan Hui turned around to see a woman wearing sunglasses. Catching him looking, the woman quickly lowered her head, muttered an incoherent “sorry,” and turned on her heel to leave.
Yan Hui found the woman slightly familiar, but didn’t dwell on it. He turned back to the clerk. “Do you have a size that fits him?”
The clerk looked troubled. “The down jacket probably won’t work, but we do have parent-child matching sweaters. You could try the adult sizes.”
“That works too, let’s give it a try.” Yan Hui nodded, had the clerk fetch the clothing, and told Yan Sheng to take off his down jacket and head into the fitting room.
Outside the shop, Yang Kexin stood hidden in a corner, staring in utter shock. While observing the commotion inside the children’s clothing store, she furiously used her phone across multiple apps to search for “ten-year-old 1.7 meters.”
“No way, for real? There are actually kids growing up to 1.8 meters?! Are kids these days that terrifying?!”
Wait! The main point wasn’t whether a ten-year-old could grow to 1.7 meters; the point was that guy was fundamentally not Mr. Yan’s boyfriend!
Convinced she had stumbled upon a world-shattering secret, Yang Kexin stood there in a daze of excitement for quite a while before finally calming down. Once the father and son emerged from the store with their newly purchased sweaters, she resumed her sneaky tailing.
It wasn’t until the father and son finished shopping for their New Year clothes and stepped into a beverage bar on the fourth floor to sit down and rest that Yang Kexin finally placed a call to Yu Xiang.
“Young Master Yu, Mr. Yan is currently on the fourth floor of Century Plaza. You really ought to come over here.”
“You can just have your people follow him. Why should I go over?” Yu Xiang said as he stood up, walking over to the wardrobe to pull out a down jacket.
“Mr. Yan didn’t come alone; they’re resting at a beverage bar right now. After walking around for so long and drinking fluids, one of them is bound to head to the restroom soon, leaving the other by himself. You can just ask him directly whatever you want to know.”
Wasn’t this infinitely faster than tailing them to find an address, only to launch a drawn-out investigation?
“I’ll be there right away.” Hanging up the phone, Yu Xiang called the hotel front desk to request a vehicle pickup.
Half an hour later, Yu Xiang arrived at Century Plaza, took the elevator straight to the fourth floor, and quickly spotted Yan Hui.
At that moment, Yan Hui and his “boyfriend” were sitting in the fourth-floor sky bridge corridor area, drinking tea.
Situated beneath the glass dome, the space was flooded with natural light and offered an overhead view of the entire mall. It was a prime leisure spot, currently packed with people taking a break.
Yan Hui and his “boyfriend” sat in a two-seater close to the railing. Due to the angle, only a hint of their profiles was visible. Even so, the curve of their cheeks made it clear that Yan Hui hadn’t stopped smiling.
From a distance, Yu Xiang watched Yan Hui reach out to gently brush a speck of cream from his “boyfriend’s” lips. He watched them bathe in the rare, warm sunshine of Jindu, smiling at one another, a picture of beauty and happiness.
Yang Kexin stood beside Yu Xiang, glancing sideways at the expression on his face while biting her lip to keep from smiling.
Another ten minutes ticked by. Yan Hui finally stood up, reached out to ruffle his “boyfriend’s” hair, and headed in the direction of the restrooms.
Seeing Yan Hui disappear into the washroom while Yu Xiang remained rooted to the spot, Yang Kexin asked cautiously, “Young Master Yu, aren’t you going over?”
Yu Xiang didn’t answer. He simply stared unblinkingly at Yan Hui’s “boyfriend.”
Seconds bled into minutes. Just as Yang Kexin felt she was about to burst and ready to blow the lid off the secret herself, Yu Xiang finally moved.
He strode over to Yan Sheng, pulled out the chair Yan Hui had just vacated, and sat straight down.
Yan Sheng looked up in surprise, right on the verge of defending his dad’s seat, when he heard this unfamiliar uncle speak:
“You don’t need to ask who I am. I’ll say a few things and leave. Yan Hui is a deeply cherished friend of mine, and matters concerning him are my matters. From now on, I will be keeping a close eye on you. The moment you slip up or do anything to wrong him in the slightest, I will make your life a living hell.”
Yan Sheng listened in total bewilderment, only to watch the strange uncle across from him pull out a small card and place it right in front of him.
“This is my name card. If you and your family run into any sort of difficulty from now on, you can contact me. Do not tell Yan Hui that I was here.”
Yan Sheng blinked, his face lighting up with pleasant surprise as he asked, “Really? Any kind of difficulty is fine?”
Hearing that slightly childish voice, Yu Xiang froze, his movement of standing up caught midway. A moment later, he gave a hesitant hum in response:
“Yeah.”
Having received a definitive confirmation, Yan Sheng immediately reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
The paper was folded into multiple layers, bulging and slightly frayed at the edges, clearly having spent quite some time stashed away in a pocket.
Yan Sheng unfolded the paper, laid it flat on the table, and stared at Yu Xiang with eager, expectant eyes.
“Then, Uncle, could you help me sign my name? I don’t dare ask Dad to sign it.”
Uncle? Dad?
Yu Xiang looked down. The densely folded, wrinkled sheet of paper was covered entirely in writing.
Printed black text mingled with the grey of pencil lead, square-shaped regular script sitting alongside childish, rigidly straight handwriting, crowned at the very top by a prominent red number: 58.
Beside the number was a line of bold black characters:
Grade Three, Volume One, Chinese Language, Unit 4 Test Paper.