He explained, “On my way here, I saw a bunch of guys squatting at the school gate. I got curious and asked what they were doing. Guess what?”

He glanced at Cheng Ye. “They’re waiting for Brother Cheng. Bro, who did you piss off?”

Cheng Ye stood up and zipped up his school jacket. The news didn’t seem to surprise him. “It has nothing to do with you guys. Just remember what I said. I’m heading back.”

After a thought, he recited a phone number. “If anything happens, send a text to this number. Just say you’re looking for Cheng Ye, nothing else.”

Liu Man was worried. “You’re just leaving like that? Maybe Xiao Liu and I should walk you back.”

“No need,” Cheng Ye said. “I’ve got it under control.”

He retraced his steps, reaching the school gate in about ten minutes.

Several food stalls were set up, with a few students who had climbed the wall milling around. The guard was dozing in his booth, not paying much attention.

By the flower bed to the right of the gate, a group of boys were squatting and smoking, eyeing the students at the entrance and murmuring among themselves.

Suddenly, one of them looked over at Cheng Ye.

His gaze paused, and then he nudged the person next to him.

Cheng Ye looked away and bought a serving of freshly fried crispy pork from a stall.

Holding the food, he circled around from the main gate towards the back. The boys squatting by the flower bed exchanged a look and followed him.

Cheng Ye was tall and walked with long strides. In just a few moments, he had vanished from sight.

“Boss,” one of them called out to the leader. “I think we lost him.”

The leader spat on the ground. “What’s the panic? He definitely climbed out from the back, so he has to climb back in. Let’s just go to the wall.”

They arrived at the worn-down section of the wall. The trees cast deep shadows, and only a sliver of light filtered through from inside. The top of the wall was quiet, with only the wind rustling the leaves.

Not a soul in sight.

The boy in the lead frowned. Before he could speak, the sound of footsteps crunching on dry branches came from behind them.

His heart gave an involuntary leap, and he spun around.

The boy they had been following had somehow circled around behind them. The shadows of the trees concealed his figure, but the scent of crispy pork hung in the air.

“You were looking for me?”

---

After returning to Jiang City, Huo Ji sulked at school for several days before finally going out to party.

Whenever he wanted to have fun, there were always people to accompany him. The private room was a familiar scene of flashing lights and debauchery, men and women packed together. A handsome waiter bowed his head and poured him a drink.

Huo Ji was slouched on the sofa without a care for his image. He looked at the young man pouring his drink, then seized his chin and tilted his face up.

In the hazy light, the boy had eyes that looked remarkably like Jiang Shi’s.

Knowing his own advantage, the boy blinked innocently at Huo Ji’s scrutiny. “Young Master Huo, what is it?”

Huo Ji’s grip tightened for a few seconds before he let go with a laugh. “Not bad. Come, have a few drinks with me.”

The yellow-haired man took the opportunity to squeeze in next to him. His leg, which he had broken before, hadn’t fully healed, and he walked with a limp. He wore a fawning smile. “Young Master Huo, the new waiter isn’t bad, right? I arranged him especially for you.”

Huo Ji put his arm around the waiter and said nothing.

The yellow-haired man continued, “As you instructed, I sent people to wait at the school gate early on. As soon as that Cheng Ye dares to step out, I guarantee he’ll go out smiling and come back crying.”

“Trying to steal someone from our Young Master Huo… he should take a good look at himself.”

Huo Ji leaned down and bit into a grape offered by the waiter, then scoffed. “Him? A country bumpkin thinks he can compete with me? I just find him an eyesore, that’s all.”

“Of course, of course…” The yellow-haired man knew he had finally hit the right note with his flattery and eagerly added, “Rest assured, the people I found are very reliable. If all goes well, we should have good news in a day or two.”

As if to prove his words, his phone rang at that very moment.

He pulled it out, and his face lit up when he saw the caller ID. “Speak of the devil. See, Young Master Huo? They’re calling to report their success.”

Huo Ji’s gaze lingered on the phone, and the yellow-haired man, ever observant, put it on speaker.

“Boss, we have a problem!”

The yellow-haired man’s face froze. He glanced up at Huo Ji, who was now looking at him with a half-smile, his eyes lowered.

The voice on the phone continued anxiously, “I did what you said, got a few guys to wait for that Cheng kid at the school gate. But that kid is cunning as hell. He turned the tables and ambushed us instead…”

The man on the other end swallowed hard, his voice laced with fear. “It was one against four. He twisted one of the guys’ arms until it broke. The brothers who came back said Cheng Ye had a message for someone named Huo Ji.”

The yellow-haired man’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t dare look at Huo Ji. “What Huo Ji? Don’t talk nonsense!” he said hurriedly.

The man on the phone was just a random thug the yellow-haired man had hired in Lin City. He only knew his boss. Hearing him, he sounded confused. “Huh? I didn’t remember it wrong. That’s the name he said. Is there no such person?”

Before the yellow-haired man could deny it, Huo Ji spoke. “Let him talk.”

It was obvious it wouldn’t be anything good. The yellow-haired man hesitated. “Young Master Huo, this…”

Huo Ji pushed away the waiter leaning against him and stared at the phone. “I said, let him talk.”

The background noise had slowly faded, and the room was now quiet. The voice from the phone was crystal clear.

“That Cheng kid said, if you think this is going to make him leave Jiang Shi, then you’re going to be disappointed. He also said…”

The man on the other end hesitated for a moment, then continued, “He said, unless he’s dead, there will always be a man named Cheng Ye by Jiang Shi’s side.”

As the last word fell, a deathly silence descended upon the room.

The yellow-haired man hung up the phone, his heart pounding, and looked up at Huo Ji. The other man said nothing, simply turned his head and lit a cigarette.

Holding the cigarette between his lips, he picked up a glass of wine and patted the face of the waiter sitting next to him. “Drink it.”

The waiter looked at the full glass, his face pale. “Young Master Huo, this is too much…” he said weakly.

Huo Ji took out his wallet, pulled out a stack of cash, and slid it down the waiter’s collar. “Is that enough?”

The weight of the cash was not insignificant. The waiter gritted his teeth and drank.

Seeing how slowly he was drinking, Huo Ji stubbed out his cigarette, grabbed his chin, and forcefully poured the rest of the wine down his throat.

The waiter choked several times, a film of tears welling up in his beautiful eyes, making them look less like Jiang Shi’s.

After forcing the wine down, Huo Ji leaned in and gently wiped away a tear from the corner of the boy’s eye. “Don’t cry. You don’t look like him when you cry.”

His actions and tone were gentle, but his gaze was like a cold, venomous snake, slithering over the boy’s eyes, a mixture of fascination and loathing that made the boy shiver uncontrollably.

Huo Ji seemed not to notice. He smiled slowly. “It’s alright. We’ll be seeing each other again soon.”

---

April 10th was Old Madam Song’s birthday.

She was the only one in the Song family who was good to Jiang Shi, who cared for him like a real grandmother, asking if he was eating well, if he was happy.

Unfortunately, her health was poor, and she spent most of the year recuperating at their mountain villa. Jiang Shi could only see her once or twice during school holidays.

This was her eightieth birthday. Even though she wasn’t his biological grandmother, Jiang Shi still took time off from school to celebrate with her.

Cheng Ye skipped class to see him off at the station.

The boy was in his school uniform, carrying Jiang Shi’s bag. His black and white clothes stood out in the bustling crowd.

Jiang Shi took the bag from him. “I’m not a three-year-old. Is it really worth skipping class just to see me off?”

Cheng Ye didn’t just want to see him off; he wanted to go with him. But no matter what he said, Jiang Shi wouldn’t agree.

He opened his mouth to make a final attempt, but before he could speak, Jiang Shi shot him a glare. “Just shut up. I’m telling you, it’s not happening!”

“Why?” Cheng Ye asked.

Did he even need to ask why?

“I’m going to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday. What are you going to do there?”

“Protect you.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

He gave Cheng Ye a light kick. “Hurry up and get back to class.”

He turned to go through security, but after two steps, Cheng Ye grabbed his arm. The boy’s eyes were dark, his mouth full of words he couldn’t say. After a long moment, he finally managed two: “Huo Ji…”

Jiang Shi knew what he was worried about. “Relax, Huo Ji won’t do anything to me. Besides, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. What could possibly happen?”

Cheng Ye didn’t want him to go.

Jiang Shi glared at him.

Reluctantly, Cheng Ye let go.

Jiang Shi didn’t understand what Cheng Ye was so worried about. To him, Huo Ji was just a somewhat unhinged psycho. He might be annoying, but he wouldn’t actually do anything to him.

The nearly twenty-hour train ride on the green-line train was exhausting. Jiang Shi looked like a completely different person when he got off compared to when he boarded.

His backpack was heavy, containing a jar of pickled vegetables that his mother, Jiang Xue, had asked him to bring for Song Jian’an. He had very few of his own things.

Zhang Chi was already waiting outside the station. The moment he saw Jiang Shi, he rushed over and gave his best friend a long-awaited hug.

“I missed you to death, man. That godforsaken place… you must have had it rough.”

He cupped Jiang Shi’s face, intending to inspect his friend’s gaunt and worn-out features.

Zhang Chi held his face: “??”

Aside from looking a bit tired from the long journey, why did his best friend look so rosy-cheeked, his face so tender it looked like you could squeeze water out of it?

Zhang Chi actually gave it a squeeze. It was very tender. And he had even put on a little weight.

In disbelief, he grabbed Jiang Shi’s hand, looking for the calluses worn by poverty and hardship.

Hmm… ten fingers, pale and smooth, looking like they had never touched a day of hard work.

How was this different from the script he had imagined?

Jiang Shi shoved him away. “What are you doing, getting all handsy? Haven’t you seen your old man before?”

Zhang Chi was having an existential crisis. “Dad, how have you been over there?”

Jiang Shi let out a weary yawn. “It’s been alright.”

He followed Zhang Chi to the car and found someone else sitting in the back seat.

Song Jian’an closed his vocabulary book. A month had passed, but his face was still tan. “Hello, Jiang Shi.”

Jiang Shi paused. “What are you doing here?”

Zhang Chi answered first. “He knew I was coming to pick you up, so he tagged along.”

Fine…

Jiang Shi sank into the back seat and immediately handed the burden from his bag to Song Jian’an. “Here. Your mom… I mean, my biological mom, asked me to bring this for you.”

Song Jian’an took the jar with some surprise. He opened the lid, and before he could see what was inside, the familiar smell wafted out.

A boyish smile appeared on his face. “I love this stuff. Thank you for bringing it all this way.”

Jiang Shi glanced at him. “It’s nothing.”

Zhang Chi, in the passenger seat, told the driver their destination. “I booked a restaurant. After being away for so long, you must be craving the food from Jiang City, right?”

Thinking of the bland, oily food he’d been eating, Jiang Shi wasn’t particularly craving it.

He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and was about to take a nap when an unknown number called his phone.

Remembering the last time with Huo Ji, Jiang Shi immediately hung up.

A second later, a text message arrived. Four short words.

【It’s Cheng Ye.】

Jiang Shi: “…”

He answered when the phone rang again.

Evening self-study had just ended. Cheng Ye was standing in the noisy corridor. “Did you arrive?”

Jiang Shi was slumped bonelessly in the back seat. “Yeah, I’m here. Where did you get a phone?”

“Borrowed it,” Cheng Ye said, then asked, “Who picked you up?”

“Zhang Chi,” Jiang Shi said. “Why do you have so many questions? Are you annoying or what?”

Both Song Jian’an and Zhang Chi glanced back at him.

Jiang Shi didn’t notice. “Question after question, you’re like a nagging old woman. If you’re not annoyed, I am.”

Cheng Ye didn’t get angry. Instead, he chuckled. “You’re already tired of me?”

Jiang Shi, already in a bad mood from the long journey, scowled.

Cheng Ye said, “I’ll have this phone for the next two days. If you need anything, just text or call. Buy whatever you want to eat. I put five hundred yuan in your bag.”

Jiang Shi froze. He sat up straight and, sure enough, pulled a stack of cash from a hidden pocket in his backpack. “Where did you get this money?”

“Earned it,” Cheng Ye said. “It’s all for you.”

Jiang Shi’s mouth opened. He felt a strange unease. “I have my own money.”

“I was worried you wouldn’t have enough.”

My own mother wasn’t even worried about that, Jiang Shi thought. Even he wasn’t so dense as to not notice that Cheng Ye’s attitude towards him was a bit off. But before he could ask, Cheng Ye spoke. “Didn’t I say it before? You helped me pay off my debt and let me continue my studies. All the money I make in the future is yours.”

He added slowly, “We didn’t sign an agreement, but I’m a man of my word. If I said I’d give it to you, I will.”

Jiang Shi suddenly felt uncertain again. “Just because I helped you with your debt?”

“Jiang Shi,” Cheng Ye said over the phone, “you’re a good person.”

Jiang Shi never thought he’d be given the “good person” card. He was still in a daze even after hanging up.

Zhang Chi’s sneaky gaze drifted over. “Who was that? Giving you money?”

Jiang Shi stuffed the five hundred yuan back into his bag and mumbled, “A friend.”

“A friend gave you that much money?”

Jiang Shi kicked the back of his seat. “Just drive the car. Why do you talk so much?”

Zhang Chi: “…”

He was in the passenger seat.

Although he was here for Old Madam Song’s birthday, Jiang Shi didn’t go back to the Song family home, but stayed with Zhang Chi instead.

After dinner, Song Jian’an had to leave. Before he left, he asked Jiang Shi, “Are you really not going back?”

“No,” Jiang Shi said. “It’s not like they’d be thrilled to see me. I won’t go and make things awkward.”

Song Jian’an seemed to understand why he didn’t want to go. He didn’t press the issue and left with his jar of pickled vegetables.

The next day, the sun came out in Jiang City.

For once, Jiang Shi didn’t sleep in. He was up at dawn.

He hadn’t brought many clothes with him, and he hadn’t bought anything new since starting school. He wore a pair of faded jeans and the jacket Cheng Ye had bought for him.

Zhang Chi watched him, wiping away imaginary tears. “Bro, should I buy you some clothes?”

“Get lost,” Jiang Shi said.

Zhang Chi desperately wanted to give his friend money, but his friend’s heart was as cold as iron.

He accompanied Jiang Shi to the banquet, looking even more worried than Jiang Shi himself.

“Are you mentally prepared?”

Jiang Shi was looking out the window at the passing scenery. After staring at the mountains of Lin City for over a month, the sudden return to a bustling city was a bit disorienting.

“Prepared for what?”

“Come on!” Zhang Chi said. “You’re going to the birthday celebration. It’s going to be the real and fake young masters on the same stage. Never mind what other people will say about you, do you think that group that always targeted you will just behave themselves?”

Jiang Shi was unfazed. “What does it have to do with me? I’m not here to see them.”

“The barefooted aren’t afraid of those with shoes. Right now, I’m the one with bare feet.”

Zhang Chi silently gave him a thumbs-up.

The car slowly pulled up to the Song family’s villa. The security guard at the gate recognized Zhang Chi and let them in directly.

There weren’t many guests yet. Sun Wanyun was standing at the entrance, directing the arrangement of flowers. When the car stopped in front of her, her gaze shifted, and she saw a familiar figure step out and stand before her.

A smile spread across Jiang Shi’s face. He gave her a casual “Hey.”

“Long time no see.”