After finishing the phone call, Sister Shan grabbed a basket and went grocery shopping. She was going to visit Zou Yang at noon and wanted to make some nutritious food.

It had been several days since Zou Yang was injured in the accident. Sister Shan probably assumed Zou Yang hadn’t eaten anything these past few days, completely forgetting to be angry at her ex-husband.

“She said she’s going to stew some bones or something,” Uncle Lü was preparing the ingredients for the soup in the kitchen. “It’s definitely going to be a huge pot. I figure it’ll be enough for his whole dorm to eat.”

“Mm.” Fan Jun smiled.

When it came to cooking, as long as Sister Shan was around, he basically couldn’t help much. Under normal circumstances, he would go to the new martial arts hall. Even though he had the day off today, he would still usually be at the hall.

However, at this moment he didn’t move, sitting down by the dining table instead.

Silently watching Uncle Lü prepare ingredients, prepare the pot, prepare the thermos…

He knew why he had been sitting here without leaving.

But he didn’t know how to bring it up.

He wanted to go along with them.

To see the university.

To see the university Zou Yang was attending.

To see Zou Yang.

The day before yesterday, when Lü Ze went to look at new venues, he tagged along. Everything went quite smoothly, although the venue wasn’t particularly suitable, and they planned to look at others.

So leaving Nanzhouping, for him right now, although not exactly relaxing, wasn’t something that required a massive amount of resolve either.

But asking to tag along to see Zou Yang.

That was a bit… hard to explain.

He just felt he couldn’t open his mouth.

Uncle Lü and Sister Shan knew his relationship with Zou Yang was decent, but exactly how decent, they probably didn’t know.

…Actually, he himself didn’t know either.

He didn’t even know why he suddenly thought of this level.

“What’s wrong?” Uncle Lü turned his head and asked after preparing the things.

“Nothing, I’m going to the new hall.” Fan Jun stood up, turned, and walked out, whistling at Xiaobai.

Xiaobai ran over from his doghouse, picking up the leash by the door in his mouth.

“Jun’er,” Uncle Lü raised his voice and called him from behind.

“Mm?” Fan Jun replied, bending down to fasten Xiaobai’s leash.

“You have the day off today, right?” Uncle Lü asked.

“Yes.” Fan Jun turned his head.

“Why don’t you… come along?” Uncle Lü said. “If it’s just me and Peng Shan going over, I’m afraid Zou Yang will feel uncomfortable.”

Fan Jun remained silent for two seconds, then nodded: “Okay.”

Leading Xiaobai out of the courtyard, he hopped in place a few times and patted Xiaobai’s head: “Bai, let’s run a bit.”

Xiaobai barked once, staying by his side, his front paws stamping back and forth on the ground in preparation.

Fan Jun started running forward, and Xiaobai immediately kept up, running ahead of him.

It was still early, and there were few students attending classes. Tie Bang and Tan Ru had nothing to do, sitting at the front desk chatting.

“Hey, Fan Jun,” Tan Ru waved when she saw him come in. “Brother Bang and I were just talking, any news about Sun Xulei yet?”

“Not yet,” Fan Jun sighed softly, pouring some water into Xiaobai’s bowl. “I went to the police station to ask yesterday. The surveillance cameras previously showed him walking towards the street corner by the grain and oil shop, but after he passed there, they couldn’t find him anymore. There’s a blind spot in the surveillance, and two cameras were broken, so they didn’t catch him…”

“This kid,” Tie Bang said. “If he didn’t have any money on him, it would actually be fine. Once he ran out of money, he’d probably look for Fan Jun. The key is that he actually had some money on him.”

“Yeah.” Fan Jun took out his own phone and hooked it onto the carabiner on Xiaobai’s harness.

These past few days, he had been afraid of missing Sun Xulei’s call, and right now he also had to wait for Zou Yang’s call. Xiaobai’s ears were sharper than his; if the phone rang, he would immediately run over to find him.

Even when the automatic feeder sent a notification that food had been dispensed for Dahei, Xiaobai would bring the phone over for him to see.

When Zou Yang called, Xiaobai was indeed very dutiful, running and barking as he brought the phone over.

Fan Jun glanced at Zou Yang’s name on the phone screen, casually swiped to answer it, and rubbed Xiaobai’s head again: “Good dog.”

“That’s a bit impolite, isn’t it,” Zou Yang’s voice came through.

“Xiaobai is holding the phone for me,” Fan Jun smiled. “You’re out of class?”

“How is he holding it for you?” Zou Yang became interested. “Carrying it in his mouth?”

“I hooked it on his back. When he hears it ringing, he runs over,” Fan Jun said.

“A guide-deaf…” Before Zou Yang could finish, he quickly added, “Sorry, slipped out…”

“A guide-deaf dog?” Fan Jun asked with a smile.

“Don’t listen to that,” Zou Yang said.

“Can’t hear it, I’m deaf,” Fan Jun said.

“Hey!” Zou Yang yelled.

“Heard that,” Fan Jun said.

“Did you finish chatting with my mom?” Zou Yang asked. “Is she still angry?”

“She… and Uncle Lü…” Fan Jun hesitated, “…are coming over to see you. Right now they should be making nutritious large bone soup.”

“Didn’t I say not to let her come!” Zou Yang suppressed his voice and yelled. “With the two of them coming over, I won’t be able to drink any large bone soup or whatever anyway. It’s so uncomfortable, and traveling all that way…”

“I’m going too,” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang paused, and after a while said: “Call me when you’re almost here, I’ll wait for you at the gate.”

The large bone soup smelled wonderful. When Fan Jun returned to the old martial arts hall, he could smell the aroma before he even entered the door.

Xiaobai’s already perked-up ears stood up even straighter. In the few meters from the courtyard gate to the kitchen, his drool dripped the entire way.

“Sister Shan, are there… any extra bones?” Fan Jun poked his head in through the window and asked.

“I saved him a bare bone,” Sister Shan smiled and handed over a plate with a large marrow bone on it.

“Say thank you to Sister Shan,” Fan Jun picked up the bone, looking at Xiaobai.

Xiaobai leaned on the windowsill and barked twice at Sister Shan.

Fan Jun gave the bone to him.

This single bone would be enough for him to gnaw on for… half an hour.

Sister Shan’s nutritious large bone soup had already been packed into two thermoses, one large and one small.

The small thermos was for Zou Yang, and the large one was for the guys in his dorm. They were lined up on the back seat of Uncle Lü’s minivan.

“Let’s go,” Uncle Lü said.

“Mm,” Fan Jun replied.

The car started along the route through Nanzhouping—the same route Sun Xulei had taken when he left that day.

Although he knew it was impossible, Fan Jun still stared at every person he could see by the roadside.

Back then, he had also thought about running away, but couldn’t bear to leave his mother. If he ran, his mother might have been beaten to death, and he didn’t know where he could run to either.

If he was a bit older, around Sun Xulei’s age…

No.

Fan Jun withdrew his gaze, looking down at his own hands. If Fan Gang hadn’t run away, he himself might not have lived to this age.

Uncle Lü was driving following the navigation prompts. Fan Jun also opened the navigation on his own phone, watching the car edge closer and closer to Zou Yang’s university.

Unfamiliar street scenes, unfamiliar smells.

It was somewhat magical. Fan Jun had lived in this city for twenty-four years, yet every step was unfamiliar.

Uncle Lü’s minivan was very distinctive. The words “Tenglong Martial Arts” were actually printed on the car doors, along with a phone number, probably Lü Ze’s.

His mom sat in the passenger seat. As soon as the car stopped steadily, she jumped down: “Why is it so serious!”

“It’s not serious,” Zou Yang touched his own head, confirming that he had already taken off the bandages on his head, leaving only a piece of gauze. “The stitches come out tomorrow.”

“What about your leg?” His mom bent down and carefully felt his leg.

“…It’s fine,” Zou Yang said, then looked towards the minivan.

The back door opened, and Fan Jun stepped out holding two thermoses. When his gaze swept over, Zou Yang smiled.

Fan Jun also smiled and raised the thermoses in his hand toward him.

“Speak up!” His mom slapped him on the thigh.

“Hm?” Zou Yang was startled. “Speak about what?”

“Everything was handled on the very same day, and compensation was paid. Don’t worry, Auntie, they’ll also cover the follow-up medical expenses,” Li Zhiyue said. “Our whole group was there that day.”

“…Right,” Zou Yang nodded.

When it came to treating his classmates and friends, his mom and dad were completely different.

His mom handed the large thermos to Liu Wenrui: “This is for you guys. All the bones with meat are in here. The portion for Zou Yang is mainly just soup…”

“Why?” Zou Yang couldn’t help asking.

“Isn’t it because we’re afraid it’s not good for you to eat too greasy when you’re injured?” his mom said. “They aren’t injured, and it’s exam time, so eating some will nourish them.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” Zhang Chuanlong very happily embraced the thermos.

“Thanks, Mom,” Zou Yang said.

Fan Jun handed the small thermos to Zou Yang.

“Thanks, Uncle,” Zou Yang took the small thermos and casually added.

Fan Jun was momentarily stunned: “You’re welcome, oldest nephew.”

The group instantly burst out laughing, and followed up with a round of calling him “Uncle.”

His mom’s intention was to take his dormmates out for a meal, but to be honest, these guys—including Li Zhiyue—weren’t cut out to deal with parents. You never knew which sentence might ruin his reputation completely.

In his two years at the university, if you asked if he caused trouble… theoretically, no. But if you asked if he studied hard and made progress every day, that was definitely a “no” as well.

So he directly declined on their behalf: “They’re not eating.”

Zou Yang led the way to a decent small restaurant near the school for lunch.

Fan Jun pushed the wheelchair, while his mom and Uncle Lü walked in front.

“You actually came,” Zou Yang tilted his head back, resting it against the back of the wheelchair, looking at Fan Jun.

“Mm,” Fan Jun also looked down at him. “Uncle Lü was afraid that if it was just the two of them, you’d feel awkward.”

“Yo,” Zou Yang curled his lip.

Fan Jun didn’t pay attention to what he was “yo”-ing about. From this angle with Zou Yang’s head tilted back, his hair slid back, revealing his forehead. The midday sunlight spilled over his face, making his whole person look somewhat dazzling.

“Yo!” Zou Yang “yo”-ed again.

“Hm?” Fan Jun looked at him. “Didn’t hear you clearly.”

“I wouldn’t be awkward,” Zou Yang said. “You should go back.”

Fan Jun smiled: “I wanted to come over too. It’s just that Uncle Lü brought it up first.”

“How was it? Was the trip smooth?” Zou Yang asked.

“Smooth. With someone else around, it’s totally fine,” Fan Jun said.

“After we eat, I’ll take you for a spin around our campus,” Zou Yang said.

“Don’t you have classes?” Fan Jun asked.

“No classes. Self-torture in the study room this afternoon,” Zou Yang said. “Tomorrow is the exam for Ancient Chinese, a real killer. Once I get through that, I’ll be relieved. Just a few more days of suffering and I’ll be practically liberated… How are you spending your birthday?”

“Just… an ordinary day,” Fan Jun said.

“Let’s go celebrate a bit,” Zou Yang said. “On the evening of the twenty-ninth, we can grab dinner and then get a few drinks.”

“You’re going to drink with this leg of yours?” Fan Jun said.

“Doesn’t affect it,” Zou Yang pulled a thin bamboo stick out of the small bag beside the wheelchair, inserted it under the edge of the cast, and poked back and forth. “It just itches, ah it itches so much… Am I allergic to the cast…”

Fan Jun didn’t speak. He had never really formally celebrated his birthday. A bowl of noodles and a small cake were already enough to give him satisfaction far exceeding his expectations.

But when Zou Yang suddenly brought up “celebrating,” he immediately felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Being in his twenties, he was actually starting to get excited days in advance over a birthday.

After eating, Uncle Lü and Sister Shan were going back to Nanzhouping.

“Jun’er…” Uncle Lü looked at Fan Jun.

“I’m taking him to tour our campus,” Zou Yang said.

Fan Jun nodded: “I’ll take a cab back myself.”

“Oh, good, good,” Uncle Lü agreed. He hesitated for a moment, then added softly, “Call if you need anything.”

“Mm,” Fan Jun smiled.

Zou Yang had been in school for two years and hadn’t given anyone a campus tour before. Right now, pedaling the electric scooter with one foot and leading Fan Jun around the campus, he actually found himself a bit at a loss as to how to introduce things.

“This is a teaching building.” Zou Yang pointed at a building nearby.

“Mm.” Fan Jun nodded.

“This one is also a teaching building…” Zou Yang pointed again.

“Mm.” Fan Jun nodded.

“That one… is still a teaching building… the oldest building in our school…”

“Mm.”

“This one…”

“Teaching building?”

“No, it’s a lab building.”

“Oh.”

“That one! The cafeteria. It’s not very tasty, but the portions are huge.”

“Mm.”

“The library. If you keep going down that road behind it and turn the corner, that’s the dorms…”

“Mm.”

“That white roof over there, the shiny one,” Zou Yang pointed into the distance. “That’s the gymnasium. We’ll pass by the basketball courts in a bit, which is where I picked up Dahei.”

“Mm.” Fan Jun followed his pointing hand, turning his head back and forth to look.

“Fan Jun,” Zou Yang stopped, holding onto Fan Jun’s shoulder for balance. “Do you find this a bit boring?”

“Hm?” Fan Jun was somewhat surprised. “Why would I?”

“Is it interesting?” Zou Yang asked.

“It is,” Fan Jun said. “I’ve… never seen it.”

“Then why were you just ‘mm mm mm mm mm’-ing,” Zou Yang said. “I thought you found it very dull.”

“I just didn’t know what to say,” Fan Jun smiled.

“As long as it’s not boring,” Zou Yang patted the handlebars. “Let’s go. We’ll do another half loop and I’ll take you to a really comfortable place to rest.”

“Okay,” Fan Jun pushed him forward a few steps to let the scooter start.

“There’s a lake over there,” Zou Yang said.

“Wow!” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang turned his head to look at him: “You’re crazy.”

“I was afraid my constant ‘mm’s would make you feel it’s boring,” Fan Jun smiled.

Not having led a tour before, Zou Yang hadn’t realized the campus was this big. Just standing on the scooter and riding a loop around made him feel a bit tired.

“Up ahead is a common scenic spot you’ll find at many universities,” Zou Yang pointed forward. “Lover’s Slope!”

“What the heck?” Fan Jun was stunned.

“Lover’s! Slope!” Zou Yang said. “It’s just a grassy patch. Ours is slightly shabbier, but it’s still quite comfortable.”

It was indeed quite comfortable.

By the lake, a grassy slope, much larger than the grassy slope next to the river embankment in Nanzhouping, with many trees planted as well.

When the wind blew past, carrying the scent of grass and the smell of lake water, the dry heat of the sunlight was blown away.

Zou Yang hopped off the scooter, leaned it against the edge of the grassy slope, and hopped upward on one leg: “The grass here is thoroughly sun-dried, it definitely won’t get our clothes wet…”

Fan Jun quickly followed, reaching out to support his waist: “Where are we going?”

“Up there,” Zou Yang pointed upward. “The view is better.”

“…Mm.” Fan Jun glanced upward and suddenly felt a bit awkward.

There were quite a few students on this grassy slope.

Some were lying down sleeping, some were chatting, some were reading, some were wearing earphones—who knows whether listening to English or music…

Although no one really paid attention to others, but… there were two girls together, a boy and a girl together, but there were no two guys together.

“Here.” Zou Yang pointed at a patch of grass beneath their feet that had been baked by the sun to a slightly bright fluorescent hue.

Fan Jun let go, and Zou Yang naturally flopped down, spreading his arms and legs and lying flat.

“Are they…” Fan Jun sat beside him and asked softly, “…studying here?”

“Lie down.” Zou Yang patted the grass beside him.

Fan Jun lay down, turning his head to look at him.

“Studying what,” Zou Yang propped his head up and looked around. “There probably are some who are studying, but the ones dating who don’t have time to go out strolling all come here to be lovey-dovey.”

“Oh,” Fan Jun replied.

“Otherwise, why would it be called Lover’s Slope,” Zou Yang turned his head and looked at him too.

“…Oh.” Fan Jun suddenly found himself somewhat unable to pick up the conversation.