Chapter 9#
Yan Heqing woke up at six o’clock sharp.
Turning on the light, he was about to get out of bed when he suddenly caught a glimpse of white outside the window. He turned his head.
It was snowing.
He didn’t know when it started snowing last night, but a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the window ledge.
Yan Heqing climbed to the bedside and pushed open the window. There was the sound of snowflakes rustling to the ground.
Cold air instantly poured into the room, mixed with a faint scent of plum blossoms. It must be that a plum tree in the community had bloomed.
It was still snowing lightly outside. Yan Heqing stretched out his hand and held his palm open for a while. A few snowflakes drifted onto his palm, feeling cool.
He wouldn’t go fishing today.
The ice fishing equipment he bought was still on the way.
Yan Heqing closed the window. It was a bit cold, so he draped a thin blanket over himself and got out of bed.
After washing up, he cooked himself a bowl of tomato dough drop soup. He also cut a few slices of tender tofu, put them in the bowl, and sprinkled a few grains of fresh green onions. The room was filled with fragrance.
Yan Heqing ate his breakfast quietly. At this moment, his phone buzzed.
Yan Heqing glanced at it. It was a message from the bar’s WeChat group. He ignored it. Only after finishing the soup did he put down his chopsticks and pick up the phone to check.
[Oxygen Staff Group]
Manager: Christmas theme today. There will be shows and gifts tonight. Everyone who can come, come!
Bartender Little A: Coming!
Chef Brother Wang: I made Boston lobster, save your stomach for dinner!
DJ Little Prince: Boss is generous! Also invited a few celebrities to help out!
Waiter Duanduan: Who are they?!
…
Yan Heqing exited WeChat. Today was Monday, not his work time.
Yan Heqing cleared the dishes to wash. After washing them clean, he wiped the bowls with a dry cloth and put them back on the dish rack.
He went back to his room and did some exercises for a while, then Yan Heqing went out.
The weather was cold. He put on a scarf and changed into a pair of non-slip short boots.
The boots were lined with fur and were very warm.
The price wasn’t cheap, but Yan Heqing paid for them without hesitation.
Every winter from now on, he would have the scent of plum blossoms and warmth.
Yan Heqing had never been to T University. T University ranked about five places lower than Jing University. One was in the south and the other in the north, relative to Jing University.
Yan Heqing transferred three lines and took two and a half hours to get to T University.
It was class time, so the entrance of T University was relatively deserted. The snow had stopped, and the snow on the road melted quickly. Only under the roadside trees were piles of snow, big or small.
Yan Heqing stood under a tree to the left of the T University gate, quietly watching the entrance.
Today Lin Fengzhi only had three classes in the morning, and school was about to end.
Yan Heqing’s memory of Lin Fengzhi remained as a five-year-old child.
When Lin Fengzhi appeared, Yan Heqing still recognized him at a glance.
A few centimeters shorter than him, his face like a freshly peeled egg, his smile radiating sunshine.
Lin Fengzhi was afraid of the cold. The temperature dropped suddenly today. While he was still sleeping early in the morning, Lu Muchi’s call came in.
“The temperature dropped. Put on thermal pants, cashmere sweater, down jacket, snow boots, scarf, hat, and gloves. Don’t sacrifice warmth to charm girls. If you wear thin clothes and catch a cold like last time, you’ll be punished by not being allowed to eat strawberries for a day.”
Lin Fengzhi, “You are so naggy…”
But he still obediently wrapped himself up like a little bear.
Lin Fengzhi and two or three classmates walked past Yan Heqing while talking.
“No classes in the afternoon, let’s go play ice hockey. Haven’t been for a long time, hands are itching.”
“Next time, I have something to do later.”
“Oho, something’s up!”
The group walked away talking and laughing.
Yan Heqing stood in place, calmly watching Lin Fengzhi’s back.
Crossing the crosswalk, Lin Fengzhi suddenly stopped. He turned around. The boy with glasses next to him also stopped. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Fengzhi’s pupils gradually dilated. He lifted his foot and ran to the opposite side. “You guys go first!”
Going against the flow of people, Lin Fengzhi was very anxious, constantly saying, “Sorry, please make way, sorry…”
Yan Heqing looked at Lin Fengzhi and strode towards him. Lin Fengzhi’s fair and delicate face was full of anxiety and surprise.
Yan Heqing clenched his fingers.
Getting closer and closer.
In the last second before the red light turned on, Lin Fengzhi successfully ran in front of him.
Yan Heqing heard Lin Fengzhi’s voice for the first time. He let out a very light sigh of relief.
Then, he brushed past his arm.
The next second, Lin Fengzhi’s gentle voice came from behind, “Little kitty, don’t cross the road, it’s very dangerous.”
The sound of a packaging bag tearing, “You’re so dirty. After eating, I’ll take you for a bath, okay?”
In his peripheral vision, Lin Fengzhi squatted by the snow pile, gently stroking the stray cat’s head with his right hand. In his left palm was a pile of freeze-dried treats, which the stray cat ate silently.
Lin Fengzhi always kept cat freeze-dried treats in his pocket.
A small pack, costing a few hundred yuan.
Lin Fengzhi waited for the stray cat to finish eating, carefully picked it up, and protected it carefully with his scarf.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, we’ll be there soon.”
Lin Fengzhi spoke gently to the cat, brushed past Yan Heqing again, and walked to the opposite side.
Yan Heqing stopped looking at him.
He withdrew his gaze and looked down at his palm, which was red from pinching.
For a moment, he had expected Lin Fengzhi to recognize him.
Even with memory loss, would there be a moment of hesitation due to their somewhat similar features?
The answer was no.
Yan Heqing turned around and walked away in the opposite direction of Lin Fengzhi.
Yan Heqing walked straight ahead along the road and soon arrived at a commercial plaza.
The Christmas atmosphere was strong, and there were many people shopping.
Yan Heqing took out his phone and searched for nearby bookstores. There was only one. He followed the map, turned left, and entered the mall.
The heating was on in the mall, and warm air hit his face. Yan Heqing took the escalator to the second floor, walked about 100 meters to the right, and arrived at “Luozhi Shuxiang” (Falling Paper Book Fragrance).
Compared to other bustling shops, the flow of people in the bookstore was significantly less.
Yan Heqing walked inside. The tall bookshelves and the occasional sound of turning pages made him feel very peaceful.
He slowly searched for the book he wanted along the bookshelves and soon found it—
“Notes on Fishing and Hunting”.
This is a work by the Russian writer Aksakov, written during the Golden Age of Russian literature in the 19th century.
There was no one in this row of bookshelves. Yan Heqing stopped, leaned his back slightly against the bookshelf, lowered his head to open the book, and began to read quietly.
——
“President Lu, we’ve arrived.” The driver parked the car on the side of the road and turned back to report.
Lu Lin opened the door and got out. “No need to wait for me, get off work.”
Driver, “Yes.”
Lu Lin closed the door. He was 189 cm tall, wearing a classic black coat with a simple and tailored cut. On the way to the mall, passersby looked sideways.
But his aura was too strong, even people handing out flyers didn’t dare to approach him.
Just entering the mall, his pocket vibrated.
Lu Lin took out his phone. The call was from Xie Yunjie.
“Old Lu, come out for a drink tonight?”
Lu Lin got on the escalator. “No time.”
Xie Yunjie replied, “Oh, give yourself a break on Christmas. It’s settled then, old place at eight, Old Chu is coming too!”
The old place was Oxygen Bar.
Xie Yunjie hung up immediately.
Lu Lin put away his phone. Arriving at the second floor, he walked to the right.
Turning a page, Yan Heqing saw a passage he liked very much.
[A true fisherman must be energetic and very active.
He must get up early, often before dawn; endure the heat or humidity of noon, and the cold weather; must concentrate when fishing; must find favorable terrain, for which he often has to travel around by boat and make many attempts.
This is not something a lazy person can do.]
In the gap between the intersecting bookshelves, a figure stopped behind Yan Heqing.
Lu Lin pulled out “Biographies of Fishing Gear” and stood quietly reading.
Rustle.
Occasional soft sounds of turning pages.
Flowing in this quiet space.
Yan Heqing had been immersed in the book and was woken up by the vibration of his phone.
He took out his phone.
It was the Oxygen manager.
Yan Heqing rejected the call and sent a message: [In a bookstore, inconvenient to answer. What’s up?]
Manager replied: [Bar event tonight, triple wages.]
The manager knew Yan Heqing was short of money.
Yan Heqing closed the book and turned it over to check the price, 48 yuan.
Considering for 3 seconds, he replied: [Okay.]
Taking the book, he walked towards the cashier.
Employees could eat the leftover food from the bar the night before for free.
Yan Heqing had dinner at the bar.
After eating, he changed into his work uniform. The order was already printed: Room 202, one Negroni, one Godfather, one Old Fashioned.
Xie Yunjie booked Room 202. It would only be opened when he or his friends came.
Xie Yunjie loved Old Fashioned, Chu Ziyu loved Godfather, Negroni was… Lu Lin?
Yan Heqing calmly scanned the second floor. The curtains were drawn, so he couldn’t see the situation.
Yan Heqing calmly mixed the drinks.
In front of the bar, a man kept teasing Yan Heqing. He was a regular at the bar, a rich second-generation heir, who had been pestering Yan Heqing for almost half a month.
The man leaned against the bar, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, resting on the counter. Once again, he asked Yan Heqing to go to his table. “Little Yan, it’s my friend’s birthday today. Give me some face, come to our table for a drink.”
Yan Heqing couldn’t drink much. He had asked the bartender he knew. Yan Heqing would get dizzy after half a glass of mixed new wine.
The man was determined to make Yan Heqing drink today. He had thought of countless ways to wear Yan Heqing down until he agreed.
Unexpectedly, Yan Heqing put down the hot towel. “Okay.”
He came out from behind the bar.
The man was first shocked, then overjoyed.
Under the light, Yan Heqing’s waist, outlined by the small vest, showed a fitted effect, his slender waist clearly visible.
The man stared straight at it, thinking secretly that he must hold it tonight.
…
“Yi!”
Chu Ziyu took a sip of wine and called the waiter. “Is Little Yan the bartender here today?”
He got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled open the curtain, and just happened to see that slender figure following a man to a table.
This was the first time Chu Ziyu saw Yan Heqing come out of the bar. He was a little surprised. “What happened downstairs?”
The waiter was clever. Connecting the context, she knew Chu Ziyu was asking about Yan Heqing. She immediately said: “Young Master Feng brought friends to celebrate his birthday today. He likes Bartender Yan’s drinks very much. Just now, he insisted on calling him over to toast a birthday drink.”
Xie Yunjie walked over and glanced downstairs. “It really is Feng Zhixian.”
Chu Ziyu didn’t know him, so he asked casually, “What are they doing?”
Downstairs, Yan Heqing followed Young Master Feng and his group to the main hall again.
Just now, Yan Heqing drank the wine handed by the birthday boy in one gulp.
He said Happy Birthday and was about to leave, but was stopped by Young Master Feng.
Young Master Feng looked at him with burning eyes. “Little Yan, everyone is happy today. Let’s make a bet to liven things up.”
Yan Heqing lowered his eyebrows. “Bet on what?”
“Darts.” Young Master Feng’s tone was ambiguous. “If you lose, kiss me.”
“What if you lose…” He said casually, “Ten thousand yuan.”
“Wow!” The surrounding atmosphere instantly became lively. “Bet! Bet! Bet!”
“Darts.” In the private room upstairs, Lu Lin suddenly spoke.
Unknowingly, Lu Lin had walked to Chu Ziyu’s side.
Chu Ziyu got excited and put down his glass. “Shooting darts! I’ll go join the fun.”
He turned and ran downstairs.
Xie Yunjie whistled. “Tsk, Feng Zhixian is famous for hitting the bullseye every time. Who is so suicidal? Competing with him in darts.”
At the same time, downstairs, Yan Heqing’s thin lips parted slightly, uttering a single syllable.
“Okay.”