LNTSWJLY Chapter 21

Although he sent Yin Xu away without mercy, Yu Zhi didn’t completely let go. He arranged for someone to report on Yin Xu’s life daily, worried about any troubles he might encounter but unwilling to tell him directly.

To his surprise, Yin Xu was doing remarkably well. Whether it was academics or personal life, he managed everything with ease and proficiency. It was said that he lived on campus and had good relationships with his roommates. He no longer seemed as solitary as before, often participating in collective activities in the dormitory. Even when busy, he made sure to buy gifts if he couldn’t attend.

Whether out of spite or a desire to prove himself, Yin Xu hadn’t used Yu Zhi’s money since starting college. While attending classes, he also worked part-time, frequently changing jobs not because he couldn’t handle them, but seemingly out of a desire for more varied experiences.

Reflecting on the reports from the detective, Yu Zhi couldn’t help but marvel. Indeed, being away from home made people mature. Perhaps he didn’t need to wait as long as he thought.

With Yin Xu gone, Yu Zhi spent more time with Xiao Pang outside of work. Not only did he extend his tutoring sessions, but he also often took him to the company, hoping to expose him to the business world and cultivate his business instincts from a young age.

However, for Xiao Pang, who hadn’t even graduated from elementary school, this was an unbearable burden, and he suffered daily.

Thus, besides venting to his deskmate, Xiao Pang frequently called Yin Xu, who was thousands of miles away, hoping he could intervene and prevent the ruthless treatment he endured from the aging man in his life.

But what he didn’t know was that Yin Xu, who often called him, hadn’t made a single call to Yu Zhi since leaving.

On the phone, Yin Xu responded vaguely, not giving a clear response. Unfortunately, Xiao Pang, with his limited experience, didn’t realize this was just a brush-off when he eagerly eyed Yu Zhi after the call, thinking, ‘Let you be smug for now, but your wife will straighten you out eventually.’

Unable to ignore this eerie gaze, Yu Zhi turned to Xiao Pang. “Got something to say?”

Xiao Pang couldn’t contain his joy and looked up, saying, “Dad, you can only be smug for now. I called Brother Xu and told him you’re enslaving me. He agreed to help me scold you.”

Raising an eyebrow, Yu Zhi glanced at the oblivious Xiao Pang, knowing instantly he had been duped. Yin Xu hadn’t called him at all, let alone agreed to scold him. Only on holidays or special occasions did he send messages.

Yu Zhi hadn’t called back either. He knew Yin Xu was angry.

Even though he’d managed to fool him into leaving at the time, now that time had passed and Yin Xu wasn’t stupid, he clearly realized Yu Zhi’s true intentions. So Yu Zhi wasn’t surprised at his anger.

The silence was broken on Yu Zhi’s birthday.

Yu Zhi didn’t tell Yin Xu about his birthday, but Yin Xu had asked Xiao Pang before. Last year, he even celebrated Yu Zhi’s birthday, by making a cake by hand.

This year, Yin Xu didn’t come back, but on that day, he finally made the first call since leaving.

“Sir, happy birthday,” Yin Xu’s voice showed no trace of animosity.

He had come to realize the cunning yet powerless nature of Yu Zhi’s scheme.

Despite leaving in anger and sadness, after a few months, not even half a year, the previous anger had dissipated completely.

Perhaps, one day, his feelings would also fade away with time.

He didn’t want to think about it.

Or dare to think about it.

All he could do was seize the present.

“Thank you,” Yu Zhi’s voice came gently through the phone, calm and warm..

He sat on a lounge chair on the balcony, basking in the sunlight as it poured down freely, leaving a shadow from the umbrella on him.

“Did you go out to celebrate today?” Yin Xu asked..

He stood on the dormitory balcony, holding his phone. Even though the greetings had been exchanged and there wasn’t much conversation, he was reluctant to hang up.

The roommates inside couldn’t help but exchange meaningful glances and gestures, urging each other to take a look at their roommate who was deeply engrossed in a phone call on the balcony.

“I guarantee it’s his sweetheart. I used to call my girlfriend like that too, just hearing her voice made me reluctant to hang up,” one person said.

“No wonder the campus heartthrob turned down even the pursuit of the campus belle. He must have someone he’s fond of. If this news gets out, who knows how many hearts will be broken,” another added.

Yin Xu was unaware of his roommates’ gossiping and continued chatting with Yu Zhi. He didn’t have class this afternoon, so they could talk for a while.

“Nowhere, everything’s fine at home. How about you? How have you been lately?” Yu Zhi sipped his juice, unable to discern anything from Yin Xu’s tone, assuming there wasn’t anything urgent.

“How I’m doing? Sir should know very well, shouldn’t he?” Yin Xu smirked slightly.

Yu Zhi froze for a second, then chuckled helplessly. “So they weren’t discreet enough after all. Seems like their skills aren’t up to par.”

Yin Xu remained silent. The fact that this man arranged for people to investigate his daily life wasn’t concealed at all, so it was normal for him to find out.

“I don’t understand, sir.”

“You were the one who told me to leave. But you’re also the one who can’t stop worrying. What is it you really want?” Yin Xu did his best to keep calm, but after suppressing so much for so long, he finally broke. His voice carried the faint tremble of grievance.

Yu Zhi sighed inwardly, gazing at the forget-me-nots surrounding the balcony. The pale blue flowers dotted the lush greenery, quietly blooming in the sunlight, serene and joyful.

“Yin Xu, I can’t stop your feelings, but you can’t stop me from worrying.”

“You should understand that, no matter how old you grow, in the eyes of elders, you’ll always be a child.”

But I don’t want to be your child.

Yin Xu bit his lip, silently retorting in his mind.

At first, when he learned that the man was concerned about him and had been investigating him covertly, he was pleased. However, when he understood why the man was doing this, his joy turned sour.

“Sir, this isn’t fair.”

“You want me to grow up, yet you harbor selfish motives. If I truly were your child, then perhaps this would be acceptable, but I’m not.”

“I’m someone who wants to pursue you. What’s between us isn’t a hierarchical relationship.”

“You can observe me in your way, but I can only passively accept your messages and arrangements.”

“I only know what you want me to know.”

Yu Zhi felt the warm breeze brushing against his face as he spoke calmly, “You can do the same.”

“Care for me, understand me, ask about my daily life, share your life with me. I’ve never stopped you, and I won’t.”

Yin Xu’s tone was hesitant, “Really?”

Yu Zhi smiled, “I never lie.”

Yin Xu bit his lip, confirming, “You’re sure about this? Then you can’t find me annoying.”

Yu Zhi affirmed, “Of course not.”

Yin Xu hung up the phone feeling satisfied.

Returning from the balcony to indoors, a gentle smile still lingered on his face.

The roommates who had been watching for who knows how long exchanged glances, seeing the same thought reflected in each other’s eyes.

His girlfriend must be quite something.

Though this handsome roommate was usually gentle in his interactions, they had never seen such a smile on his face before.

Genuine, warm, and sweet.

He looked like someone deeply in love.

“Who would have thought, the first one to leave the single club in our dorm is the campus heartthrob? I wonder what kind of stunning girl could win over our heartthrob classmate,” joked one roommate.

Yin Xu restrained his smile and glanced at him, “No, I’m currently single.”

The roommates were even more shocked. So the campus heartthrob wasn’t in a relationship but was nursing a one-sided crush?!

Just what kind of divine beauty could turn down their outrageously good-looking campus heartthrob? What a waste of a god-given gift!

However, no matter how they asked, the heartthrob refused to disclose any information about the person, obviously considering them very important.

And his statement, “He’s someone much more outstanding than me in many ways,” left plenty to the imagination.

As expected by the roommates, news of the campus heartthrob’s one-sided crush spread like wildfire on the school forum, leaving many people in tears, both male and female.

However, no matter how much they cried, they couldn’t change the reality.

Yin Xu also saw this as a positive development because it saved him a lot of trouble. With fewer admirers, he didn’t have to spend time rejecting them.

This meant he had more time to stay in touch with Yu Zhi.

Since that day, he stopped being stubborn and instead freely expressed his longing and affection for the other.

Even though they couldn’t meet in person, they talked on the phone and via video chat every day. Just seeing each other made Yin Xu feel at ease, and they could talk for hours about trivial matters.

This led the roommates to believe that he was close to getting out of singledom.

In their words, “If a girl is willing to spend time chatting with you instead of getting beauty sleep, she must be interested in you.”

Yin Xu didn’t respond. He didn’t tell them that the person he was talking to on the phone wasn’t a girl but a man, so there was no such thing as sacrificing beauty sleep.

However, he did entertain this thought. Maybe Yu Zhi didn’t like him yet, but he must have some feelings, right?

One day, it rained unexpectedly, and Yin Xu, without an umbrella, dashed back to the dormitory from the library, protecting his laptop from the rain as he ran, disregarding any cover.

After taking a shower upon returning to the dorm, he wanted to call Yu Zhi, but his roommate was using the balcony, so he had to wait until his roommate finished.

The roommate was on the phone with their parents for half an hour, complaining, “My parents always worry unnecessarily. They saw the weather forecast predicting rain and told me to wear more clothes. But how am I supposed to show off my handsome and stylish figure when I’m bundled up like that?”

Another roommate rolled their eyes, “Come on, who was crying to their parents a few days ago because they were sick, and now suddenly acting all high and mighty?”

The roommate on the phone became angry and threw a pillow, “That was physiological tears, not crying. I’m not a big baby.”

Yin Xu stopped listening to their banter after that.

He stood on the balcony, flipping through his contacts on his phone, hesitating to make the call.

He sighed helplessly, feeling like he was being played again.

Yu Zhi habitually went to the balcony, expecting Yin Xu’s call. It had almost become a daily routine during this time.

As he idly flipped through the pages of the book he planned to read today, 《Secrets of Psychology and Behavior》, he couldn’t help but wonder, How much longer will Xiao Xu keep calling me?

Just as he was thinking, the phone rang. Yu Zhi smiled faintly and greeted, “Yin Xu, are you about to sleep?”

Yin Xu’s voice on the other end sounded a bit weary, “…Can’t fall asleep.”

A soft chuckle reached his ears, and Yu Zhi probably guessed what was going on.

“Sir, you’re quite something. Even from this far away, without seeing each other, you still manage to make me feel defeated.”

“These days, it’s like you’re watching a play, waiting for me to come to my senses, right?”

Yu Zhi took a sip of water and remained silent.

Yin Xu wiped away the glistening tears at the corners of his eyes, controlling his emotions.

“You’re right, it’s my immaturity, my childish mindset, my inability to be without you, my reliance on you as a psychological pillar.”

“You treating me like a child is justified. I said before, we’re not on equal footing, it’s like a joke.” He didn’t deserve to be on the same level as this man.

Yu Zhi listened quietly, not saying a word. He knew Yin Xu didn’t need him to say anything.

“But sir, if you hope this will make me feel ashamed and retreat without a fight, then you’re mistaken,” Yin Xu took a few deep breaths, calming his emotions as he spoke.

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow, “Yin Xu, you know, you know I never meant for it to be that way.”

“But I do,” Yin Xu replied.

He looked up at the sky, where the stars and moon were hazy, unaware of how long they had existed in the galaxy.

“It’s only four years, that’s all,” he thought..

There was a moment of silence from Yu Zhi before he asked, “What do you want to do?”

Yin Xu’s voice, faint yet unwavering, carried an undeniable determination.

“Sir, I’m going to quit you.”

Since I’m addicted to you, I’ll quit you.

And then, face you with equanimity.

Yu Zhi looked at the same moon in the sky, sighed inwardly, both for his stubbornness and for his persistence, then smiled gently, lips slightly pursed, full of tenderness.

“Alright.”

……………………………

Author’s Note:

Yin Xu: Since you want to be my dad so bad, you’ll have plenty of chances in the future.

Yu Zhi: …No. I don’t want that. And neither do you.

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