Morning and Evening Chapter 13

On a typical day like this, with no classes and no part-time job, He Mu might have gone home, picked out a favorite cheongsam, put on exquisite makeup, and found someone to spend the night with. But He Mu wandered around the campus for a while and eventually returned to Chang Ming’an’s teacher’s dormitory, a small one-bedroom apartment. Mumu was waiting for him to come home, calling incessantly from behind the door before he even opened it.

He Mu lay down on the bed with his cat in his arms for a nap, deliberately leaving the curtains on the bay window open, letting the warm sunlight flood the entire room. The thought that Chang Ming’an would be back later filled him with a sense of certainty and security. He slept soundly and didn’t wake up until the afternoon. Mumu had been awake for a while, opened her eyes to look at him, and when she saw that he was awake, she slowly blinked, stretched on the bed, and jumped off. The door, which had been slightly ajar, was now tightly shut, and the voices of three or five people could be heard outside.

He Mu quietly got out of bed, opened the door a crack, and looked out.

It was Chang Ming’an, along with several of his students, each holding a laptop, seemingly discussing something. The small coffee table was covered with densely printed papers.

Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Chang Ming’an immediately looked up.

He Mu had changed into his nightgown before going to bed. Not daring to go out, he quickly pulled his head back in and closed the door. The others outside only saw He Mu’s long, loose hair flash by.

Chang Ming’an raised his hand to signal the person who was speaking to wait a moment, stood up, knocked on the door, opened it, and went in.

He Mu was sitting on the edge of the bed. The straps of his light pink nightgown slipped down a little from the edge of his rounded shoulders, but He Mu reached out and pulled them up again.

“My students and I are out working on the final project materials. Let’s have dinner together later.”

He Mu was hesitating, neither agreeing nor refusing.

“You can read a book, or do whatever you want, don’t worry about disturbing us.”

Chang Ming’an finished speaking and left, closing the door behind him. He Mu sighed, sprawling on the bed, his dark curly hair spreading across the surface. He sat up again, gently kicking Mumu’s bottom with his foot, and whispered, “What are you still doing here? Why don’t you leave?”

Mumu shifted her bottom and let out a sweet “meow.”

He Mu got out of bed in a huff, walked barefoot to Chang Ming’an’s bookshelf, and randomly picked up a few books, none of which had titles he could understand. He recognized the words, but when put together, they made no sense. He had no choice but to put the books back, wandering aimlessly around the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and painted his toenails, finally deciding to change back into his hoodie and jeans, put on socks, tie his hair up, take a deep breath, and open the door.

The discussion outside seemed to be coming to an end; the papers on the table had been gathered up and folded into a stack.

These students seemed to have a close relationship with Chang Ming’an; their relationship was more like that of friends than teacher and students. One of the girls, with curly hair and big eyes, asked with a gossipy look, “Teacher, is that your girlfriend?”

Chang Ming’an quickly waved his hand: “No, it’s a friend who’s staying here.”

Several people cheered, “Oh, friend—”

Chang Ming’an said helplessly, “They really are friends.”

He Mu stood at the doorway and said softly, “Hi.”

When everyone turned around and saw that it was a boy, they were all embarrassed and stood up to greet He Mu.

As they walked towards the restaurant, the atmosphere remained somewhat awkward. He Mu, still with his hands in his pockets, walked at the very back. Chang Ming’an gradually fell to the back, ignoring the students ahead of him who were joking and laughing, while he walked side by side with He Mu.

“They’re just joking, don’t take it to heart.”

He Mu shook his head: “It’s okay.”

The two walked side by side in silence, exchanging a few words here and there, with He Mu listening more and speaking less.

“You said you’re doing part-time work, what kind of part-time work?”

He Mu said, “Teach children to dance.”

Chang Ming’an was quite surprised. He Mu was supposed to wear men’s clothing when he was working part-time, so how could he get along with such a boisterous child? He Mu seemed to know what he was thinking and replied, “It’s very comfortable to be with children.”

They arrived at the restaurant. Chang Ming’an, remembering He Mu’s previous refusal to eat with him last time, ordered a private room instead of eating in the lobby. He Mu breathed a sigh of relief; this was still near the school, and most of the diners were classmates. What if they ran into a classmate from the same major…

Just thinking about it made He Mu feel uncomfortable all over.

Several people sat around a table and began to pass around the menu to order. When it reached He Mu, he thought about it for a while and finally pointed to a dish that suited everyone’s taste: stir-fried kale with ginger sauce.

After ordering the food, the group started chatting about what they had discussed that afternoon.

Although Chang Ming’an’s research topic wasn’t particularly heavy, its entry point was very unique, as there were no related issues in China at the moment. It was quite novel, and the graduate students he was working on were all top performers in their fields. He Mu naturally didn’t know this, but he felt that Chang Ming’an’s students exuded confidence in every gesture. They argued back and forth, reasoning logically, and one of the boys, in particular, drew everyone’s attention when he spoke, even receiving an admiring glance from Chang Ming’an.

Sitting in the middle of the group, He Mu felt like he had shrunk to the smallest, his hands clutching the tablecloth under the table. Finally, when the food was served, He Mu reached for his chopsticks, accidentally knocking over a teacup and wetting the tablecloth, causing the people next to him to gasp softly.

He Mu quickly stood up to get a tissue to wipe it off. Chang Ming’an, who was sitting next to him, saw that the tea was about to spill from the edge of the table onto He Mu, and quickly took out a cream-colored handkerchief from his pocket to wipe it. The handkerchief was spotless; once it got stained with tea, it couldn’t be washed off.

The waiter served the food, and everyone at the table turned their attention to He Mu. He felt embarrassed and shoved Chang Ming’an’s hand, which was holding a handkerchief, away.

Chang Ming’an was stunned, frowning as he looked at He Mu. He Mu’s lips moved, and he said, “Don’t get it dirty.”

The freshly poured tea had mostly soaked the tablecloth, with a small portion dripping onto He Mu’s trousers, making his thighs feel hot. He hurriedly got up from his seat.

“Go to the restroom to wipe yourself down.”

After escaping the private room, He Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of going to the restroom, he walked out of the restaurant and stood by the roadside, staring blankly at the traffic.

Not long after, Chang Ming’an came out and saw him standing by the roadside. He said in a deliberately relaxed tone, “I thought you were lost.”

He Mu stammered, “I’m sorry.”

Chang Ming’an put his hand on his shoulder, pulled him into his arms, and led him back, saying gently, “There’s nothing to apologize for.” He Mu returned to the table, but the food remained untouched; everyone was waiting for him. Feeling embarrassed, yet unsure what to say, he quickly sat down. Chang Ming’an placed some kale in his bowl with his chopsticks, and everyone began to eat.

This time, the conversation at the table shifted away from professional topics and began to gossip. They also intentionally steered the conversation toward He Mu.

“I’m in the dance department, I dance modern dance,” He Mu replied.

The boy who had just given such insightful advice slapped his forehead and said, “I’ve seen you before. You taught my little cousin to dance. I saw you when I went to pick her up last time.”

He Mu nodded to indicate that he understood, and the boy said, “My name is He Jun.”

“Hello.”

“Do you have WeChat? Let’s add each other?” He Jun said.

He Mu was in a dilemma. He didn’t want to add them, but he also didn’t want to offend others. Chang Ming’an, who had been listening to them the whole time, took advantage of the silence to say, “It’s getting late, let’s go.”

Everyone agreed, and He Mu took the opportunity to stand up and follow.

After everyone had left, only He Mu and Chang Ming’an remained walking on the school path. In the dim light of the streetlights, couples drew closer and closer together. He Mu’s face inexplicably flushed, and his hands, hanging at his sides, occasionally brushed against Chang Ming’an’s warm, dry hand.

He thought that Chang Ming’an wouldn’t like him.

He also longed to be looked at with admiration and approval from Chang Ming’an, perhaps with even more fervor and desire.