Chapter 2#

Even Yan Wei only vaguely remembered how they met. Yu Lin had been a head taller than everyone else since high school. He stood at the back of the line, didn’t like to talk, and was never very social. He had good grades and was quick at solving problems, like a small computer. He didn’t have the habit of twirling his pen or chewing on it. After finishing his work, he would lie down on his desk, and no one knew if he was really sleeping.

At that time, Yan Wei always rushed to collect the test papers. When he did, he would hide a pen in his sleeve, pretend to count them once, then count them again, and then, without anyone noticing, he would fill in the blank spots on his own test paper.

He always snatched Yu Lin’s paper. The paper was under Yu Lin’s arm, and with a tug, Yu Lin would wake up. He would half-raise his head, his eyes dark and moist, as if they could suck you in.

Male students always liked to secretly talk about female students. The girls’ school uniform was a blue short-sleeved shirt with a black jumper over it, which the students called an apron. The sizes weren’t very accurate; only a few girls looked good in them, while for most, they were as big as buckets.

Who looked good in the uniform, who didn’t, whose skirt was short, whose stockings were torn—these were all topics they never tired of. Occasionally, they would also talk about soccer and the new teachers.

He forgot which class it was, but Yan Wei was sitting backwards in his chair, his arms wrapped around the back, chatting and bragging with a few buddies as usual. He also forgot who started the topic, but in the end, they all started cursing.

“It’s not that I’m complaining, but this old man is watching us too closely.”

“When I turned in my paper, I tried to peek at everyone’s, but I still got seven out of ten multiple-choice questions wrong,” Yan Wei said. “See that guy over there?” A few of them followed his gaze and looked at Yu Lin. “If I could copy his paper, I’d believe him even if he told me I wrote my own name wrong.” The group of them laughed hard. “Wouldn’t you get that score in every subject then?” someone said, making a gesture with his fingers.

“Damn, I’d apply for a scholarship right away.”

As they got more excited, they started pushing each other. “Why don’t you go ask him what he thinks?” “You go.”

“I’m not going.”

Someone with a loud voice shouted, “Yu Lin, this kid Yan Wei says he wants to copy your test paper.” Yan Wei’s face turned green. He jumped up from his chair, grinding his white teeth, and said to the loudmouth, “I’m going to kill you.” Yu Lin had his hands crossed casually on the desk. Hearing the noise, he glanced over. They were so young then, with long bangs covering their eyes, and they would use hair gel to style their hair, thinking they looked great.

Yan Wei was pushed to the front, his face as red as a monkey’s butt. “Hey, I didn’t say…” “Okay,” Yu Lin replied seriously. He had a calm demeanor that others couldn’t imitate.

Yan Wei squinted his eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Yu Lin’s serious expression was like a drop of honey hanging from the corner of his lips, itchy, making you want to lick it.

Yan Wei jumped up, went over, and punched Yu Lin’s shoulder. “This guy is my brother from now on.” He used too much force, and it hurt a little, but no one cared. Yan Wei grinned at Yu Lin.

Yu Lin copied him, slowly, slowly, curling the corner of his mouth.

The detached European-style villa on the mountainside originally belonged to the Qilin Sanatorium. It had a large garden, a two-car garage, and 80% green coverage. From the balcony, you could overlook the entire golf course and the large ginkgo and fir forest on the back mountain. It was a twenty-five-minute drive to the city and only a five-minute drive to the airport.

When the Soie Company developed this forest land, they reserved the one with the best feng shui for Yan Xi. He was Yan Fengxiang’s only son. President Yan’s success was as famous as his philandering. He had been a playboy for half his life but had few children. It was probably fate.

Yan Xi was half-lying on the Stressless sofa. The sofa was as soft as a wave, supporting his body without letting him sink in completely. He stared at Yu Lin’s briefcase on the coffee table for a while, then rudely pulled it over and unzipped it.

Inside the bag were documents and a wallet. When Yu Lin left, he only took his car keys and some loose change.

Just like in the past, Yan Xi went through Yu Lin’s text messages and call history. When he got tired of it, he threw it back into the bag.

He opened the wallet. On the right was a row of credit cards, and on the left was a photo of the two of them.

In the photo, they were standing in front of the Arc de Triomphe. Yan Xi was kissing Yu Lin’s cheek, and Yu Lin was looking quietly at the camera.

Yan Xi looked at it a few more times. On a whim, he took out the photo. Just as he was about to kiss it, he found a small, yellowed photo behind it, probably cut from a class picture.

Yan Wei and Yu Lin had buzz cuts and were standing side by side, smiling.

Dr. Cui made a strong cup of tea in his office. The 800ml cup was half full of tea leaves. The head nurse sat opposite him and heard Cui Dong say, “Now that Yan Wei is awake, I’m afraid Yan Xi will be wronged.” The head nurse sat in the office chair. “Don’t mention your Yan Xi. What does it have to do with us?” Just as she finished speaking, Yan Xi twisted open the office door.

He strode in and walked straight to Cui Dong. “I want to see Yu Lin.” Cui Dong sighed, picked up his doctor’s coat, threw it over his shoulder, and patted Yan Xi’s shoulder, trying to make him feel better.

When they got to the lawn, Yan Wei and Yu Lin were standing in a corner, very close, as if they had been caught in the act.

Cui Dong whistled and strode over. Yan Xi was faster, jogging over and pressing on Yu Lin’s shoulder, forcing him to turn around. He couldn’t help but be stunned.

There was a slap mark on Yu Lin’s right cheek. He stood there quietly, only showing some expression when he saw Yan Xi.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Yu Lin said, touching his right cheek. “I told him about us.” Yan Xi’s eyes widened, and he suddenly burst out laughing. He pushed him hard, then hugged him tightly, so tightly that his heels left the ground. He couldn’t stop laughing. “Haha, look at you, you fool, hahaha.” He kept kissing Yu Lin’s chin, the faint stubble that he had personally shaved for him that morning.

Yu Lin was stunned. “Is it that funny?”

Dr. Cui felt a little awkward but just smiled along. A few nurses in the back were covering their mouths. A slap mark on that serious face was indeed a very funny thing.

“Hahaha, does it hurt? Haha, I’ll put some medicine on it for you later…” Cui Dong was forcing a smile when he suddenly saw Yan Wei’s expression. Everyone was laughing and hugging each other without any regard for their image, but he stood in the corner, his back straight, trembling all over.

Cui Dong subconsciously turned his head away. Yan Wei was like a needle. You get pricked, and you think the small pain will pass quickly, until you are pierced through.

The wheelchair was not used on the way back; it was left idle. Yan Wei walked in front, his hospital gown looking even bigger from behind. He walked unsteadily, but his strides were large.

Cui Dong followed a meter behind him, afraid that something would happen to him. They entered the elevator one after the other.

Yu Lin stood outside the elevator. “I’ll come up later.”

The doors slowly closed from both sides. Yan Wei’s gaze shot out from the remaining crack, fixed on Yu Lin.

Yu Lin was holding Yan Xi’s hand.

The red floor numbers climbed, but Yan Wei felt as if he were falling.

Cui Dong only followed him to the door. Yan Wei was very quiet. He was helped by the nurse and sat leaning against the headboard with a pillow behind him. The blinds were open, and the bright sunlight made everything around them seem distorted.

The light danced in the glass fruit bowl, shining like crystals. After about ten minutes, the two of them walked in. Yan Xi suddenly knelt down, humbling himself. “Please let me be with Yu Lin.” Yu Lin tried to pull him up, but Yan Xi started crying. “We worked so hard to be together. I know it wasn’t easy for you, but for the past eight years, he has been here taking care of you, and I have been taking care of him.” He raised his head. “I know you like Yu Lin too. I’m willing to compensate you, anything. But I can’t leave him. Yu Lin is my air!” Yan Wei sat stiffly on the bed. Yu Lin frowned slightly. He stood next to Yan Xi and said softly, “I haven’t forgotten the past, but it… it’s really in the past.” Yan Wei stared at the two of them. The sunlight was a bit too dazzling, a vast expanse of white. He said in a low voice, “Yu Mumu, come here.” Yu Lin looked at him noncommittally. Yan Wei smiled. “Come here, I have something to tell you.” Yu Lin stood up and took a few steps forward. Yan Wei grabbed the glass fruit bowl and smashed it at him. It shattered against the wall.

“You think I fucking wanted this! Is it my fault? Did I want to be in a coma for seven or eight years? Touch your conscience, I couldn’t bear to be separated from you for a single day!” The ward was so quiet you could hear the dripping of the IV. Yan Wei was panting heavily and fell back onto the bed. “I fought so hard not to die, only to wake up and find that you think my being alive is an inconvenience…” “Tell me the truth, Yu Lin, do you wish I hadn’t woken up?” A crack finally seemed to appear in Yu Lin’s mask. “You wish I hadn’t woken up?” He lunged forward, wanting to hit him. Yan Wei didn’t dodge. Yan Xi hugged him, the nurses rushed in, and the ward was in chaos.

The floor was covered in shattered glass, crushed to dust under people’s feet, still shining.

The air conditioner dripped water on the dusty windowpane, creating streaks like tears streaming down someone’s face.

Cui Dong sat in his office chair, drinking strong tea. The head nurse said, “It’s been so many years, and they still haven’t found the person who caused the accident.” Cui Dong took a sip of tea, his eyes darting away. “The person who caused the accident, who knows. It’s been so many years.” At that time, the man with the surname Yu had run in carrying Yan Wei, his shirt covered in blood, crying his heart out. In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.

Yan Wei’s rehabilitation proceeded according to schedule. After that outburst, his voice suddenly became hoarse, and he could only speak in a soft whisper. There were throat lozenges on the bedside table, which he ate like candy, not knowing when he would fully recover.

Yu Lin came more often than before. He still stood at the door and never went in.

Cui Dong had worried about Yan Wei’s finances, but the monthly hospital fees were still paid in full.

Yan Wei never asked about these things. He just climbed the stairs every day, from the sixth floor to the first, walked around the garden, and then climbed back up. Whenever the patients sat on the white benches on the lawn discussing the stock market and employment rates, Yan Wei was just an incompetent listener.

“I have to get better quickly,” Yan Wei said the same thing to all the medical staff. He never mentioned Yu Lin, but every day he waited for Yu Lin’s shadow to appear at the visiting window.

The head nurse had asked him, “Have you thought about what you’ll do after you recover? Have you thought about where you’ll live?” She flipped through the documents. “Your grandmother died the year before last. You know about urban planning, right? They bulldozed the house…” The head nurse shrugged. “Of course, there was relocation compensation, which was left to one of your relatives for their wedding.” Yan Wei squatted on the lawn, playing by himself. He caught grasshoppers, pierced them with a blade of grass from their abdomen to their mouth, and strung five or six of them on a grass rope, his hands covered in green blood. He showed them to the head nurse, then to Cui Dong. Cui Dong waved his hands repeatedly. Yan Wei pouted and smiled. “This is how we used to play.” He dug a few holes in the ground and used the distance from his thumb to his little finger to measure out the “gate of life” and the “gate of death.”

“Do you remember? In elementary school, we used to dig holes like this and play with marbles.” Yan Wei laughed loudly. “People in the past were so interesting. I liked to play pool; I thought it was so cool. When I think about how I was crawling in the mud just a few years ago, I laugh at how naive and stupid I was as a child.” He scraped the dirt with his foot, smoothing over the small holes.

“When you see me now, do you feel like a person holding a pool cue looking at someone rolling in the mud, thinking how stupid they are?” “Of course not.”

Yan Wei found a place and sat there sullenly for a while. “We also learned about computers back then, in the second year of high school, we learned the DOS operating system. Do you still use that now?” The head nurse looked at him quietly for a moment and said a few words of comfort. “What ‘you’ and ‘we’? People eight years ago had one nose and two eyes, and they still have one nose and two eyes now. Every time our hospital has a meeting, we still have to suck up to the higher-ups. There hasn’t been much progress compared to eight years ago. Some things never change.” As she was speaking, Dr. Cui’s coat got some dirt on it, and he was busy patting it off. Cui Dong straightened up and saw the tall shadow of a person in the distance. They were some distance away, and he couldn’t see the person’s expression clearly.

Cui Dong called out from a distance, “Yu Lin, come and say hello?” After a moment, Yu Lin looked at the three of them and did indeed walk closer. Yan Wei was squatting and pulling up grass, his eyes fixed forward, having already cleared a patch of land.

Yu Lin stood to the side and said to him softly, “Let’s go for a walk outside.” Yan Wei glared at him. Cui Dong thought they were going to argue, but the two of them walked away, one after the other. That quiet understanding made one feel uncomfortable.

Yu Lin opened the car door, and Yan Wei got in. Under the car lights, the walnut wood trim glowed softly, and he couldn’t help but touch it. Yu Lin sat in the driver’s seat, turned to look at him, and said in a low voice, “Seatbelt.” Yan Wei stared at him with wide eyes. Yu Lin repeated, “Seatbelt.” Seeing no reaction from Yan Wei, he leaned over and fastened the seatbelt for him.

His bangs covered his eyes, so you couldn’t see what was hidden in them. Outside the car window, the streets were a blaze of lights, with sale banners that had been hanging for two or three years, all with similar content. The long and short sounds of car horns rose and fell, and the taillights flowed endlessly on the overpass. The dim yellow light of the xenon lamps was like a grotesque net. People were trapped in this castle of reinforced concrete.

Yan Wei was trembling in his seat. Yu Lin thought he was cold and reached out a hand to turn up the air conditioning, but his face still looked bad, as if he were a little scared, sitting there stiffly. Yu Lin touched his shoulder and called out, “Yan Wei.” Yan Wei glanced at him and nodded, but it was unclear if he had heard him. Yu Lin became anxious, frowned, and pushed him. “Weiwei?” He turned the steering wheel with one hand, looked in the rearview mirror, and quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Yan Wei was covered in sweat. After a long time, he said, “I can’t, I get scared when there are too many cars.” The after-effects of the car accident.

Yu Lin was silent and looked out the window. It was rush hour, and the traffic was congested, the cars slowly crawling along the increasingly crowded road. A beggar with a crutch was begging from car to car.

He knocked for a long time before Yu Lin rolled down the window, found some loose change in the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat, and sent the man away. Yan Wei stared at the messy earphone cables in the storage compartment, lost in a daze.

Yu Lin suddenly said, “For a while, I was also scared of cars.” He paused. “It will get better. Let’s get out and walk.”

Yan Wei shook his head and laughed a few times. “It’s okay, you drive.”

Yu Lin patted the steering wheel a few times and stepped on the gas. “Fugui is still alive.” Yan Wei suddenly perked up. He used to have a lot of treasures. In the corner, there were seven or eight empty candy jars filled with tadpoles from the river, a gecko with half a tail, and a few stout dung beetles.

Someone next door had a pair of parrots, and they laid eggs in the house every day. The person had tried taking the eggs a few times and even mixed his wife’s leftover birth control pills into their feed, but it didn’t work, so he just let them be.

Yan Wei begged for all the baby parrots and learned to raise birds.

Fugui was a cat. The first day they found him, they held him down and checked; he was a male cat. He had a circle of golden fur on his head, a white face, and another circle of golden fur around his neck, like a zebra, but very beautiful. When they ate, Yan Wei would throw the bones he had gnawed on the floor, along with some rice grains, and Fugui would squat under the table and lick them up.

Yan Wei was happy. “That little beast is still alive, ha, he must be so old. Let’s go see him quickly.” He patted Yu Lin’s back, making a slapping sound. “Hey, drive faster, drive faster.” Yu Lin wanted to push his hand away, but in the end, he just frowned. “Aren’t you afraid of too many cars?” Yan Wei grinned. “I’m also afraid of going to class. But I still go every day.” It wasn’t a very long drive. They parked in the garage of the detached villa, swiped the key card, and took the small elevator.

Yan Wei was in a daze again. He was always like this, getting flustered and not knowing where to put his hands whenever he entered a clean, unfamiliar place. The elevator stopped on the outdoor balcony, where the foliage plants and bougainvillea were growing luxuriantly.

When they entered the glass door, they saw Yan Xi packing his luggage in the living room. There were two large suitcases, and he was still pulling clothes off the hangers and stuffing them into the suitcases.

The three of them looked at each other. Yu Lin spoke first. “I brought him to see the cat.” Yan Xi’s beautiful eyes looked at them, and his face gradually turned pale. Yu Lin walked over, stroked his head, and helped Yan Xi pack.

“Isn’t your flight tomorrow?”

“It’s been changed. The performance was moved up. I’m leaving in a bit.”

Yu Lin acknowledged. Yan Xi suddenly grabbed Yu Lin’s hand. After a moment, Yu Lin stroked the back of his head again and said to Yan Wei, who was still standing at the door, “The cat is on the second floor. Feel free to look around. We’re going to the airport first.” Yan Wei replied and watched the two of them close the door before starting to walk up to the second floor. The stairs spiraled upwards. Halfway up, his legs were trembling with exhaustion, and he sat down on the stairs to rest.

“Fugui! Hey, Fugui!”

Yan Wei tilted his head back and shouted up the stairs, trying to raise his voice as much as possible. But his throat was hoarse, like a muffled cry under a quilt. He waited for a long time but still didn’t see the cat, so he had to drag himself up step by step.

On the second floor, on a thick blanket, was a half-wall-high cat cage, with high-end cat food, cat litter, a scratching post, and a cat teaser in the corner. Inside the cage was an old cat, fat, strong, and shedding a little. Its eyes made one’s heart tremble. Yan Wei patted the cage and called, “Fugui.” It glanced at Yan Wei and continued to sleep with its tail wrapped around it.

Yan Wei hummed, “Fugui, my darling, my little tail, my money tree, my treasure bowl.” The old cat still didn’t react. Yan Wei lay down on the thick blanket next to the cat cage, his hands behind his head, looking at the small floral wallpaper on the wall. “Damn it, even you’ve forgotten me.”