Only Dad was at home today; his wife and daughter had gone out.

Dad’s expression was very poor. It was obvious at a glance that he was suppressing his anger. He didn’t ask him to the tea room for tea like he usually did, nor did he even pour him a glass of water.

Zou Yang didn’t care either. He sat on the sofa, holding the coffee he had just bought across the street.

“In the future, just come by yourself,” Dad said. “If you must bring someone, tell me in advance. Have you lost even the most basic manners and courtesy?”

“You can’t blame it all on me,” Zou Yang took a sip of coffee. “To raise a son without teaching him is the father’s fault.”

Fan Jun turned his head and shot him a glance.

Dad sneered: “I think you’ve been taught quite well, spouting nonsense right off the bat. I don’t know who taught you this.”

“It definitely wasn’t my mom, considering she’s empty-headed and can’t do anything right,” Zou Yang said.

“You don’t need to provoke me either,” Dad said. “If you don’t want me to manage you, I don’t want to interfere either, you…”

“Does this count as provoking?” Zou Yang laughed. “Maybe it’s because I was dragged out to be exhibited in the neighborhood garden so many times when I was little, so my threshold is a bit high.”

“Enough,” Dad frowned. “During the New Year, did you come here just to look for trouble?”

“Pretty much… so out of basic manners and courtesy, I’m telling you in advance right now,” Zou Yang took a sip of coffee. “In the future, whenever I come over, there will be two of us.”

Dad looked at him.

“Let me introduce you. This is Fan Jun,” Zou Yang pointed to Fan Jun sitting next to him. “You’ve actually met him before. This is my dad, Boss Zou. According to his own humble description, he runs a small calligraphy and painting business.”

Dad still didn’t speak. His gaze swept over his and Fan Jun’s faces a few times, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Fan Jun didn’t make a sound either, silently leaning back in the sofa.

“We start school at the end of this month,” Zou Yang reported his study and life situation to his dad as required by the agreement. “I’m taking the teaching certification exam next month. Other than that, there’s nothing else.”

“Do you plan to work in a school after graduation?” Dad turned and went into the tea room. He walked around for a bit and came back out holding a red envelope, which he tossed onto the coffee table.

Zou Yang glanced at the red envelope without taking it or speaking.

The tossing motion was undoubtedly intentional, but given the distance, it was hard to tell if his aim was off or if it was on purpose. Regardless, if Zou Yang wanted to grab the red envelope, he would have to lean forward to reach it.

“New Year’s lucky money,” Dad said. “Like I said, you get it until you start working. Your brother and sister…”

Fan Jun shifted, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a small, half-foot-long cylinder. He leaned forward, pointed the cylinder at the red envelope, and hooked it backward, sliding the red envelope right in front of himself before picking it up.

Zou Yang couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He didn’t even care to look at his dad’s expression and asked in a low voice, “What is that?”

“A laser pointer,” Fan Jun flipped the switch, and a small red dot landed on the coffee table. “I use it in the shop to point things out for people, some things are placed high up…”

“Zou Yang.” Dad couldn’t quite suppress his anger, his voice raising a notch.

“Yeah,” Zou Yang responded, looking at his dad.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Fan Jun slip the red envelope into his own pocket.

He felt like his dad’s shocked stare was about to vibrate into wavy lines. He had probably never seen someone with such a lack of manners before.

Zou Yang knew Fan Jun wasn’t someone without a temper, but because this state was truly uncommon, he still found it very novel every time he saw it.

“You need to consider your career path more carefully. It’s fine if you take the teaching certification exam,” Dad calmed his mood and looked at him. “But it’s not the only option. I didn’t agree with you applying to the Normal University back then…”

“The Normal University was my best choice back then.” Zou Yang also looked at him.

Dad remained silent for a few seconds, ending the topic: “Regardless, you must be cautious.”

New Year greetings, reporting, getting lectured, taking the lucky money—the process only lacked the final step before it was complete.

“I will,” Zou Yang said. “Just WeChat transfer the living expenses to me.”

Dad stared at him for a moment and took out his phone.

Upon hearing the phone notification chime, Zou Yang stood up: “Thank you, we’ll be leaving now.”

When they left, his dad didn’t see them out; he just sat in his chair, not even looking at the two of them again.

After Zou Yang closed the door and went over to press the elevator button, he held his hand out to Fan Jun: “How much? Did you count it?”

“It wouldn’t be very polite to count it in front of him, right?” Fan Jun took out the red envelope and placed it in his hand.

“You already grabbed it like that in front of him, does this one little thing make a difference?” Zou Yang squeezed it first. “It’s at least half less than last year. Father-son bonds truly can’t withstand the test of time.”

“How much was it last year?” Fan Jun smiled.

“Six thousand.” Zou Yang rubbed the opening of the envelope open, pulled out the money, and counted it. Sure enough, three thousand.

“Making it so obvious,” Fan Jun walked into the elevator. “He’s not as generous as He Chuan.”

Zou Yang also walked into the elevator, sighing softly as he leaned against the cabin. “Spending money to buy a filial son. Now that the filial son is gone, the money naturally disappears too.”

Fan Jun smiled.

“You really pissed him off just now,” Zou Yang hooked the corner of his lips.

“I don’t like your dad,” Fan Jun said.

“Just ‘don’t like’?” Zou Yang asked.

“I hate your dad,” Fan Jun corrected himself.

“Right,” Zou Yang laughed. “Be a bit more sincere.”

Earlier, they had parked their car right next to the one of his dad’s that got its window smashed. Only now did Zou Yang have the mood to take a look. The window had definitely been replaced, but it seemed the dashcam in the car had also been swapped for a new one.

“Let’s go,” Fan Jun glanced at his phone. “What time are you meeting Liu Wenrui?”

“It’s early, 11 o’clock.” Zou Yang got into the car.

“Let’s make a trip first to…” Fan Jun handed his phone over to show him. “Here.”

“Why?” Zou Yang took a look. The address on the navigation was a must-visit spot for him and his dorm mates when shopping—the same commercial street where they ran into his dad’s family last time.

“To pick up something for Boss He at his other shop,” Fan Jun said. “He just texted me.”

“You have the day off today!” Zou Yang yelled. “And you were just praising him! All bosses are cut from the same cloth, no matter how big or small.”

“He’s not in a rush either, just asked me to bring it back to the shop tonight.” Fan Jun smiled.

“Then why must you go get it? Couldn’t he call an express courier?” Zou Yang fastened his seatbelt.

“An express courier costs money.” Fan Jun started the car.

Actually, Zou Yang’s plan for today only consisted of two things: coming to get the money and meeting up with Liu Wenrui. Any other time could be spent doing whatever.

It didn’t matter if he went with Fan Jun to help He Chuan pick something up; they could even stroll around for a while once they got there.

Aside from this beat-up pickup truck not being very comfortable to sit in, everything else was very pleasant.

“Do you usually run errands like this all the time?” Zou Yang asked.

“Yeah,” Fan Jun nodded. “I have to deliver the larger items to customers.”

“You’re always running around outside now,” Zou Yang tilted his head and leaned against the seat. “Are you getting used to it?”

“Basically no problems,” Fan Jun smiled. “If there are too many people and it’s too noisy, sometimes I… still can’t handle it too well, I get panicked.”

“Mhm.” Zou Yang acknowledged, staring at his face.

The scar below Fan Jun’s eye corner looked different from when he saw it at the hospital last time. It had shrunk a bit in size, but it had turned into a slightly darker, formal scar—the kind that wouldn’t fade away.

Just like the dark scars covering Fan Jun’s body, they were all marks of his journey.

However, this one by his eye marked an end.

When the car stopped at a red light, Fan Jun turned his head to look at him: “Hmm?”

“These scars of yours,” Zou Yang reached out his hand, his fingertips stopping right in front of the bridge of Fan Jun’s nose. “I’ve always wanted to properly feel them.”

“Is it some kind of weird fetish?” Fan Jun asked.

Zou Yang smiled and didn’t answer.

Fan Jun didn’t say anything either. He leaned forward slightly, his nose bridge touching Zou Yang’s fingertips.

Zou Yang’s fingers twitched. He pressed firmly onto the scar on the bridge of the nose and then stroked it.

“Touching it feels… quite different from looking at it,” he said.

“Yeah.” Fan Jun looked at his fingers.

“You’re cross-eyed,” Zou Yang said.

“Yeah,” Fan Jun swiftly reached out his hand, shoving it right in front of Zou Yang’s eyes, and snapped his fingers lightly. “You too.”

“Fuck,” Zou Yang started laughing. “You hold such a grudge.”

Fan Jun smiled but didn’t speak.

Zou Yang’s fingers traced down from the bridge of the nose to the tip, and then touched the scar on his lip. The scar on the nose was a slightly raised ridge, but the one on the lip was an indentation.

He didn’t know if it was because of the material… no, the skin texture being different, but the sensation of the scar on the lip beneath his finger pads was much more distinct.

Zou Yang pressed it very lightly.

A honk sounded from behind.

Zou Yang jumped in surprise, his finger almost poking into Fan Jun’s mouth.

“It’s green.” Fan Jun said, quickly shifting gears and driving forward.

The car lurched forward and stalled.

The horn from the car behind blared again, this time continuously.

“What kind of crappy car still stalls,” Zou Yang said.

“This car is almost as old as you are,” Fan Jun restarted the engine, stepping on the gas and driving forward. “But stalling just now wasn’t its fault; I released the clutch too fast.”

“What kind of crappy car is still a manual,” Zou Yang said.

Fan Jun started laughing.

The driver of the car behind seemed quite infuriated, honking relentlessly as they overtook them from the side, and then immediately swerved back into their lane.

Fan Jun sighed and stepped on the brakes the moment the car started swerving over.

The sudden braking didn’t affect them much.

“Road rage,” Zou Yang said.

“It was a bit annoying just now,” Fan Jun said.

“…True,” Zou Yang nodded.

They were in the wrong first, so when this white 588 cut them off twice, they calmly accepted it.

But when it cut them off for the third time, Zou Yang got a bit angry: “Is there no end to this?”

Fan Jun changed lanes, passed the 588, and moved ahead.

But He Chuan’s car was indeed very old. On a road with quite a bit of traffic, there was no way to shake off the 588. That car quickly caught up again, once again trying to cut them off.

Fan Jun sighed and changed lanes once more. Taking advantage of a car in front of the 588, he quickly slipped back into his original lane.

This time, the 588 didn’t have a chance to pull ahead again. The light ahead turned red, and it was once again stuck behind its nemesis at the intersection.

Zou Yang couldn’t help but laugh: “This must be pissing him off to death.”

It indeed pissed him off. The door of the 588 opened, and in the rearview mirror, a bald, chubby man pointing at them and cursing a blue streak was marching over.

“What is he saying?” Fan Jun asked.

“Cursing.” Zou Yang caught a snippet; it was very foul.

“Then I won’t roll down the window,” Fan Jun said.

The chubby man came over and hammered his fist on the driver’s side window, pointing at Fan Jun and starting to curse non-stop.

Although he couldn’t hear clearly, Fan Jun could read his lips. After watching for a few seconds, he rolled down the window.

The chubby man’s fist, wrapped in a loud curse, smashed right in, aimed straight at Fan Jun’s face.

“Fuck your uncle,” Zou Yang cursed, opening the passenger side door to get out.

“Stay seated.” Fan Jun raised his hand and blocked the chubby man’s fist.

Zou Yang sat back down, pulling the door hard, slamming it shut with a bang.

As the chubby man tried to pull his hand back for another punch, Fan Jun clamped down on his wrist, yanking him toward the inside of the car.

Zou Yang immediately caught on and also grabbed his wrist firmly.

The chubby man’s left wrist was caught. He struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break free. The two of them pulled so hard that his shoulder got wedged against the car window. He wanted to use his right hand to help throw a couple of punches but couldn’t reach in, so he could only brace against the car door and play tug-of-war with them.

But because his body was leaning forward, he couldn’t exert any strength. Even though he braced his legs against the car door, he couldn’t free himself.

People in the cars ahead and behind popped their heads out to watch the spectacle, and some were even recording with their phones.

Zou Yang glanced at the traffic light: “It’s counting down.”

“Yeah, five seconds,” Fan Jun acknowledged.

When the countdown hit five seconds, they both let go at the same time.

The chubby man finally yanked himself free and promptly fell back flat on his butt.

The cars behind started honking.

Fan Jun rolled up the driver’s side window. The moment the light turned green, he immediately drove off. The chubby man had just stood up by this point, and the horns from the cars behind had formed a cacophony. In the rearview mirror, they could see the chubby man pointing at their car’s rear end and cursing while running back to his own car.

“Hey,” Zou Yang patted Fan Jun’s shoulder with a laugh. “He’s going to be so mad he won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“Don’t be so impulsive next time,” Fan Jun said.

“Me?” Zou Yang pointed at himself.

“Yeah,” Fan Jun shot him a look. “Were you planning to get out and hit someone just now?”

“It’s not like I can’t beat him,” Zou Yang said.

Fan Jun clicked his tongue.

Perhaps it was because they had just made the chubby man fall on his butt, Zou Yang was in a great mood right now, and hearing Fan Jun’s click of the tongue actually felt quite cute to him.

He couldn’t resist reaching out and hooking a finger against his cheek.

“Hmm?” Fan Jun glanced at him.

“Nothing,” Zou Yang said, and touched the scar on his lip again. He then flipped his hand and gently rubbed it with the back of his finger, which felt completely different from his finger pads…

A few months ago, he wanted to touch Fan Jun’s scar but had to act like a thief…

Fan Jun suddenly opened his mouth and bit his finger.

Zou Yang whipped his head around, his heart pounding wildly in shock.

But the very next second, Fan Jun spat his finger back out and kept his eyes on the road ahead.

“What are you doing!” Zou Yang stared at him.

“It’s affecting my… driving,” Fan Jun said.

“Oh.” Zou Yang withdrew his hand and looked straight ahead.

After staring ahead for a while, he realized the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smile.

Tch.

What was so funny.

Psycho.

In this most prosperous commercial district in the city center, He Chuan had two shops. The one they were heading to was called “Trace”, located on the pedestrian street right next to the mall where they bought the bracelet for Fan Jun last time.

It was a jewelry store featuring all sorts of colored gemstones, some originally designed, and quite a few vintage pieces.

The store had more customers than ‘Chuan & Lu’. He Lu was talking to a customer, but the moment he saw the two of them walk in, he immediately waved.

Fan Jun walked over.

“This is it,” He Lu pulled a file folder out from under the counter. “The documents He Chuan asked for. Just give them to him when you head back to the shop tonight.”

“Okay,” Fan Jun nodded.

“Are you guys going shopping? If you are, you can come back and grab this when you leave,” He Lu said.

“Should we go for a walk?” Fan Jun turned to ask Zou Yang.

“Let’s walk around. I’ll tell Liu Wenrui to come over here and meet up with us later,” Zou Yang said. He figured Fan Jun probably wouldn’t know how to shop by himself.

“Then we’ll come back and grab it when we leave,” He Lu took out his phone and tapped a few times. “If you guys are eating here later, go to the newly opened hot pot place over there, it’s super delicious. I just sent it to Fan Jun.”

“Okay,” Fan Jun nodded.

The commercial street still had a very strong New Year atmosphere, with all kinds of decorations, music, and bustling crowds.

Zou Yang glanced at Fan Jun.

“I’m fine,” Fan Jun said. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Good,” Zou Yang smiled, taking out his phone. “I’ll let Liu Wenrui know.”

“Okay.” Fan Jun nodded.

Zou Yang walked forward while texting Liu Wenrui. Perhaps because there were too many people here, he could feel Fan Jun’s arm constantly brushing against his.

[Zou yang]: Come to the shopping plaza to meet up.

[Respect]: You’re not coming to pick me up?

[Zou yang]: No.

[Respect]: You two are already there?

[Zou yang]: Yes.

[Respect]: Have you guys been lovey-dovey enough yet? Will I be too much of a third wheel if I go over?

Just as he was typing, a call suddenly came in. Zou Yang tapped the screen and answered it immediately.

Only after it connected did he clearly see it was his mom calling.

He suddenly felt a rush of guilt.

“Hello, Mom?” The moment he spoke, Fan Jun seemed startled as well, turning to look at him.

“Are you outside?” His mom must have heard the noisy background sounds on his end.

“Yeah, I’m… out shopping,” Zou Yang said.

“I went to bed early last night,” Mom said. “Did you not come home?”

Zou Yang froze. He hadn’t expected his mom to suddenly go home yesterday. During the New Year period, many kids had tutoring classes, so his mom had been staying in Nanzhouping.

“…Yes.” He didn’t have time to think of another answer.

“Are you with… Liu Wenrui?” Mom asked.

Zou Yang glanced at Fan Jun. In that instant, his mind was a mess, feeling incredibly conflicted.

He didn’t want to say he was with Liu Wenrui, but since his mom asked it this way, he could actually hear that there was an answer she didn’t want to hear.

And before this, he had never discussed these things with his mom, nor did he dare to…

“I…” Zou Yang started.

Fan Jun waved a finger in front of his eyes. He looked over, and Fan Jun gently shook his head.

“…Yes, I’m with Liu Wenrui,” Zou Yang said.

“Are you coming back tonight?” Mom asked. “Your Second Aunt is organizing a family dinner. I told her I didn’t want to go, but couldn’t get out of it, since it’s the New Year after all.”

“I’ll come back,” Zou Yang said.

“If you’re going to be late, just go straight to the restaurant. It’s the same one as last year, remember?” Mom said.

“Yeah,” Zou Yang replied.

After hanging up the phone, he stood rooted to the spot. He felt incredibly heavy, and the scenery around him seemed somewhat blurry; he could only clearly see Fan Jun standing in front of him.

“What did Sister Shan say?” Fan Jun tugged his arm, leading him behind a nearby statue.

“Said there’s a family dinner tonight and wants me to go,” Zou Yang said.

“Then go, it should be lively,” Fan Jun smiled.

“She asked if I was with Liu Wenrui,” Zou Yang leaned against the statue and looked at him. “I…”

“If you suddenly said you were with me right now,” Fan Jun said, “how would you even smooth that over?”

Zou Yang frowned and remained silent.

“Wake up,” Fan Jun snapped his fingers next to his ear. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Fan Jun,” Zou Yang looked at him.

“Yeah,” Fan Jun responded.

“Actually, if you think about it closely,” Zou Yang said softly, “Am I being quite selfish?”

“How is that possible?” Fan Jun replied without a second thought.

“Just talking about this one thing,” Zou Yang said.

“This kind of thing…” Fan Jun was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Even if you don’t want to be in your heart, it’s… hard not to be selfish, right?”