LNTSWJLY Chapter 11

After listening to the teacher’s explanation and guidance in the office, Yu Zhi led the two troublemakers out of the school.

The younger one looked back at his desolate desk-mate with reluctance, resembling a pair of mandarin ducks¹mandarin ducks = traditional symbol of romantic couples or deep friendship/companionship in Chinese culture forcibly separated.

The older one hung his head low, too afraid to meet Yu Zhi’s gaze.

“Why do you listen to him so obediently? Even an elementary school kid can deceive you and make you count money.” Yu Zhi glanced at him, amusement and curiosity shining in his eyes.

Yin Xu had no response, feeling that anything he said would only make him look foolish, so he pretended not to hear.

Yu Zhi didn’t continue teasing him either. After letting Yin Xu into the car, he lifted Xiao Pang into it with one hand. The two exchanged a glance, ending with Xiao Pang’s attempts to please and Yin Xu’s indifference.

Just as Yu Zhi was about to get into the car, a voice suddenly came from afar, causing him to pause.

“President Yu!”

Yu Zhi turned his head, raising an unexpected eyebrow.

Lin Nuan stepped forward with small steps, revealing a sweet smile. His tone was gentle as he said, “President Yu, it’s great to see you again. Last time was too rushed, and I think we need to clear up some misunderstandings. I hope you don’t find it presumptuous.”

Yu Zhi looked at Lin Nuan’s eyes, which tried to hide their calculations while also betraying his intentions, and he understood everything. He found it somewhat amusing.

“Whether there’s a misunderstanding or not, I believe you know it well in your heart. There’s no need for me to emphasize it,” Yu Zhi replied calmly.

Unable to enter the car, Lin Nuan had been waiting at the school for days just to catch Yu Zhi. Unwilling to give up this opportunity, he hurriedly spoke as Yu Zhi was about to board the car again. “President Yu! I need to talk to you about something. Even if it’s related to Yin Xu… you don’t care?”

Yu Zhi didn’t understand what he knew about Yin Xu, but he could tell his intentions weren’t innocent. Unwilling to engage, he was about to get into the car when suddenly, a figure jumped down from the car and swiftly kicked Lin Nuan, sending him crashing to the ground!

“Ah!”

Lin Nuan fell to the ground, feeling pain in his arm from scraping against the ground and his buttocks as if they had been split into several pieces. Even his stomach, which had been kicked, started to ache.

With tears in his eyes, Lin Nuan endured the pain while trying to appear pitiful in front of the two people before him. However, neither of them showed any interest in him.

Yu Zhi looked at the young man who got off the car with a stern face, about to say something, but he was grabbed by the wrist. He heard the low voice of the young man whispering in his ear, “Didn’t you say… you can be a little willful about not wanting to see certain people?”

“Why bother listening to him?”

Yin Xu tried to restrain himself from getting too excited, but he couldn’t shake off the anger he felt when he saw Lin Nuan’s expression towards the man earlier, along with some emotions he couldn’t quite comprehend.

Following his instincts, he got off the car, kicked Lin Nuan, and spoke out the questioning words that seemed to come from his heart.

He probably didn’t realize how unpleasant his expression looked at that moment, filled with suppressed anger and sadness, as if countless emotions were bottled up inside, waiting for an opportunity to explode.

But Yu Zhi saw it.

Not only did he see it, he also felt it.

The hand gripping his wrist was tight and slightly trembling.

A strange sensation traveled from the point of contact on his wrist into his body, as if foreshadowing something, yet also conveying something.

He was taken aback by this feeling, subconsciously leaving it be without delving into it.

Or perhaps, he dared not think about it.

His fingers twitched, but eventually, he reached out and pulled Yin Xu over, his voice as calm and composed as ever. “You’re right. Let’s get back in the car and go home.”

The words ‘go home’ struck a chord in Yin Xu’s heart, causing the impulse within him to cool down. He belatedly released his grip, lowering his head to conceal his emotions. “Hmm.”

The two of them got into the car as if no one else was around. Lin Nuan, still on the ground, struggled to get up and shouted after the departing car, “Yu Zhi! Yu Zhi!”

Watching the car leave behind a trail of dust and exhaust fumes, Lin Nuan couldn’t control his expression, stamping his feet in frustration.

Inside the car, the space was cramped, so much so that even the slightest breath could be heard.

Xiao Pang was already asleep, leaning against the car door and the seat, softly snoring, becoming the only background noise in the quiet car.

Yin Xu’s eyes wandered aimlessly, seemingly emerging from a trance-like state, the lingering feeling leaving him momentarily lost in thought.

The half-withered leaves scattered along the way, symbolizing the end of summer and the arrival of autumn.

Yu Zhi gazed out the window as if admiring the evening autumn scenery, but upon closer inspection, one could see that his eyes were not focused on anything in particular.

Back at home, for the first time in ages, Yu Zhi didn’t lecture them that evening. Instead, he told them to rest after dinner.

“You’ve had a long day. Have your dinner and get some rest early,” Yu Zhi said with a smile.

Upon waking up to such good news, Xiao Pang immediately cheered and shouted, “Long live Dad!”

Then he dashed into his room and contacted his deskmate.

Meanwhile, Yin Xu stood still, unmoving.

He kept rubbing the straps of his backpack, as if doing so could ease the unease in his heart.

Seeing him standing still, Yu Zhi inquired, “Is there something else?”

Yin Xu glanced at him for a moment before hesitantly asking, “Sir, are you mad at me?”

Yu Zhi, puzzled, replied, “Mad? Why would you think that?”

Yin Xu’s grip on the backpack straps tightened, his eyes dimming. He didn’t ask why Yin Xu thought that way but rather what he was mad about.

“I took the liberty of helping Xiao Pang with the parent-teacher meeting.”

“He talked you into it. I know. If you’re mad, it should be at him,” Yu Zhi said nonchalantly.

“I also interrupted you while you were talking to someone else.”

“I didn’t intend to tell him, so you didn’t really interrupt,” Yu Zhi continued.

Yin Xu looked at him, biting his lip, unable to speak.

A hint of compassion flashed in Yu Zhi’s eyes. Hesitatingly, he reached out and tousled Yin Xu’s hair, saying gently, “Don’t overthink it. Finish your meal and go rest.”

Yin Xu murmured a low “okay,” then added, “You too, sir.”

However, Yu Zhi had other things on his mind. After dinner, he locked himself in the study, pondering the strangeness of the day. He couldn’t help but doubt and find it amusing.

It couldn’t be.

He must be mistaken.

He extinguished the half-burnt cigarette in the ashtray and turned on the air purifier to dissipate the smell of smoke in the room.

The previous owner used to smoke often, but he didn’t care for it, except when feeling troubled.

Smoking couldn’t solve one’s troubles, but it could bring calmness.

Yu Zhi decided to take another look.

If he was mistaken, he could handle his embarrassment, but misunderstanding someone else’s child would be bad.

With this thought in mind, Yu Zhi went to sleep.

Meanwhile, Xiao Pang was in his room playing video games online with his deskmate. He had expected to be in big trouble today, prepared to rush to his room and change into thicker pants as soon as he got home. However, he never expected to get off scot-free once he arrived home.

Feeling relieved, he immediately decided to celebrate by playing games with his deskmate.

But his deskmate wasn’t as lucky; he got lectured by his dad. For Xiao Pang, playing games was a celebration, but for his deskmate, it was a consolation.

Just as they were about to make the final kill, the door suddenly opened.

Xiao Pang panicked and said, “My dad’s here!”

He quickly shut off his phone and pretended to be asleep.

Yin Xu walked over to the bed and lifted the covers. “Don’t pretend to sleep, or I’ll remind your dad to confiscate your phone.”

Xiao Pang angrily sat up, “You—you have no conscience! I defended you so much today!”

Yin Xu asked, “And you lied to me.”

Xiao Pang felt guilty and mumbled, “That was an accident… I defended you today, so let’s just call it even.”

“How did you defend me?” Yin Xu asked, puzzled. What did he do that warranted Xiao Pang’s defense?

“It’s about my dad. He didn’t want to acknowledge you in front of others, so I took the initiative to give you recognition. You don’t have to thank me too much,” Xiao Pang explained the events of the afternoon in a few sentences.

Yin Xu didn’t catch everything else, but he heard clearly where the phrase ‘promoting your status’ came from, and his eyelids drooped slightly.

So it wasn’t a test after all.

For a moment, he couldn’t quite tell if he felt relieved or something else entirely.

A sense of unease washed over him, brief but enough to make him fall silent.

What did he want?

The next morning, Yu Zhi was startled awake.

He had a nightmare, one so terrifying and bizarre that even after waking up, he couldn’t forget it.

Especially the image of the young man in the dream calling him “dad” while naked on the bed kept echoing in his mind, scaring him to the point where he couldn’t even attend to his morning routines comfortably.

Yu Zhi, who had never experienced such dreams before, firmly believed that this was simply the mind reflecting on the day’s thoughts and that once the issue was resolved or enough time passed, everything would return to normal.

Someone was busy in the kitchen, and Yu Zhi initially assumed it was the housekeeper. However, upon entering the living room, he discovered the housekeeper tidying up while a domestic cleaning robot was diligently at work.

“Who’s in the kitchen?” he asked, though he already had a suspicion.

The housekeeper smiled and replied, “It’s Yin Xu, sir. He got up early this morning and said he wanted to personally cook for Mr. Yu. Believe it or not, Yin Xu has been doing quite well these days. Mr. Yu, you’ll get to taste it yourself later.”

Yu Zhi’s hands paused as he rolled up his sleeves. “He’s cooking?”

The housekeeper nodded. “Yes, he is. A while back, Yin Xu told me he wanted to learn how to cook, so I taught him some simple home-cooked dishes.”

Yu Zhi understood. So, when he had seen Yin Xu helping out in the kitchen before, he wasn’t just idly passing the time; he was learning culinary skills.

Yu Zhi furrowed his brows slightly, then quickly relaxed them.

Breakfast was kept simple, with congee and side dishes.

Yin Xu attempted to replicate the congee that Yu Zhi had made before, achieving about fifty percent resemblance in appearance and an acceptable taste.

Yu Zhi graciously ate half a bowl, and then the buns were ready.

The dough was slightly thick and uneven, the filling a bit salty, some buns overstuffed, and the folds not properly sealed.

Yin Xu picked one that looked decent and offered it to Yu Zhi. “Sir, if you can’t stomach it, please don’t force yourself.”

Indeed, Yu Zhi had tasted countless delicacies, so even if the flavor was exceptional, it would still be ordinary to him. Especially considering Yin Xu’s culinary skills were far from reaching a level of deliciousness.

He just couldn’t bear to see Yin Xu disappointed.

Accepting the bun, Yu Zhi took a bite and smiled approvingly. “It tastes good.”

Upon receiving the praise, Yin Xu couldn’t help but smile. “Sir, there’s no need to be so kind. Even if my cooking isn’t great now, I’ll improve in the future.”

Though he said that, his genuine happiness couldn’t be hidden in his eyes.

Yu Zhi watched Yin Xu with a mixture of emotions, perhaps even a hint of affection that neither of them might have fully realized. But he couldn’t bring himself to smile. The bun didn’t taste good anymore; instead, it felt scalding hot in his hand.

His speculation had turned out to be true, and it felt like a mountain was pressing down on his heart.

Damn it.

……………………………

Author’s Note:

Yu Zhi: He likes me.

Yin Xu: He likes me.

Today’s question: Who’s lying?

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  mandarin ducks = traditional symbol of romantic couples or deep friendship/companionship in Chinese culture