Chapter Eighteen

Huang Feifan stood gloomily by the window, panting heavily, which caught Zhang Yi’s attention. Zhang Yi approached him with a smile and asked, “What’s going on, little brother? Why are you sighing like that?”

Huang Feifan turned around with a troubled expression and said, “I’ve been thinking for a long time, but it feels like something’s missing. It’s just hard to put this feeling into words.”

“Are you talking about Wang Tianqi? That guy is happily living it up in Japan with Yu Xingyue right now.”

“Are you not afraid that Lin Zimo will come after you if you badmouth Yu Xingyue here?” Huang Feifan covered his mouth, as if he had let something slip. But since this would eventually come to light, there was no surprise left in it.

Zhang Yi scratched his head in confusion. “What does Lin Zimo have to do with this? What does it matter to her if I say something about Yu Xingyue? Besides, if Yu Xingyue hears me badmouth him in Japan, he’d just laugh it off. In his eyes, jokes like that are childish.”

Huang Feifan teased, “Looks like you still don’t know the relationship between Lin Zimo and Yu Xingyue. And you’re a guy—how could you not know this?”

“What kind of relationship could they possibly have? I really don’t know.”

Huang Feifan patted his head. “What’s wrong with your brain? Yu Xingyue is male, Lin Zimo is female. Isn’t that obvious?”

“They’re…” Zhang Yi hesitated, then his face was full of shock. “Are you saying they’re…” But Huang Feifan cut him off.

“It’s good you know now. By now, everyone should know that Lin Zimo and Yu Xingyue are together. But being apart for two years—who could endure that? If you’re not familiar, breaking up means getting cheated on,” Huang Feifan said.

Zhang Yi sighed. “It’s not good to curse people like that. We should wish them well, hope they truly stay together. Unlike us, here, dating is just for fun.”

Huang Feifan nodded. “Yeah, after all, Lin Zimo is Japanese—not as conservative as us. She’s very open, never hides secrets. She really considers us friends. That’s probably how she won Yu Xingyue’s heart.”

“Who knows? When Yu Xingyue comes back, we’ll ask him. By the way, Huang Feifan, I have an idea—do you want to hear it?” Zhang Yi said.

“What is it?”

“I’m feeling lonely right now. How about you date me?”

Huang Feifan was stunned, then replied, “Who knows if you’re just playing or what. At my age, it’s better to focus on studying than to have a passionate romance. But what I fear most is breaking up.”

“That’s true. Maybe at this age, it’s really not suitable for romance. Yu Xingyue, though, he’s at the age for dating.”

---

“What romance? Tell me about it,” a voice interrupted. Zhang Yi heard it and felt it both strange and familiar but couldn’t recall who it was. When this person sat by the window, Zhang Yi was pleasantly surprised.

“Oh, it’s you!” Huang Feifan spoke first. This was none other than Li Li, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time. Li Li had changed somewhat; his clothes were no longer dirty but neat and clean, which made Zhang Yi suspicious.

“Who took you in and dressed you so well?” Zhang Yi asked.

Li Li snapped, “I wasn’t taken in by anyone. A nun took me away because I was homeless and gave me shelter. Did you notice my clothes?”

Zhang Yi looked Li Li over. The outfit was a priest’s robe. “Aren’t you female? Then you should be a nun, so why are you wearing a priest’s robe?”

Li Li explained, “They thought I looked too much like a boy, so they made me a priest instead. They said I’m the youngest priest but mentally more mature than the others, so it’s fitting.”

“You two old friends must have a lot to catch up on. I won’t disturb you,” Huang Feifan said, leaving Zhang Yi’s room, leaving only Zhang Yi and Li Li.

“Looks like your life changed a lot after becoming a priest! Got any interesting stories to tell me?” Zhang Yi asked.

“Being a priest is mostly supervising and managing the church. There’s nothing else. But it’s fine—this boring job is probably where I belong.”

“Better than sleeping on the streets and scavenging from trash bins. So, what brings you here? You wouldn’t just say this, unless it’s important.”

“You’re sharp. I do have a bit of trouble I need your help with,” Li Li grinned, giving Zhang Yi a bad feeling.

“A bit of trouble? That sounds like quite a big problem, doesn’t it?”

“You’ll see soon enough. Come with me.” Li Li grabbed Zhang Yi’s hand and left through the window. Zhang Yi hadn’t prepared at all—his only thought was that he hadn’t even changed his shoes yet.

Huang Feifan returned to Zhang Yi’s room, but both were gone. He fell into deep thought...

...

Yu Xingyue hadn’t called or messaged Yang Shuting for a long time, but he couldn’t let her know his current situation. He didn’t want to return to that villa; all he wanted now was to stand on his own feet.

Because someone had jumped off a building that morning, the classroom became the scene of the incident. The windows were stained with blood, so classes were suspended until the matter was resolved—a small, unexpected holiday.

---

At noon, with few people around, Yu Xingyue surveyed the internet café. Overall, it was acceptable. Being a bit obsessive-compulsive, he couldn’t stand the scraps of paper on the floor and picked up a broom to clean. His meticulousness covered the whole café’s upkeep.

Liuhai Lizi only saw Yu Xingyue back to the café before leaving. She had told Yu Xingyue yesterday that she’d be late due to some matters and was now busy with her own business.

After about an hour, the café was spotless. Yu Xingyue remembered his previous work at the café, which was much easier. Tired, his legs trembled slightly as he climbed the stairs. Back in his room, he set the air conditioner to sixteen degrees.

“Ah, this feeling is just wonderful!” Of course, he was talking about the cool air blowing on his face. Most people would catch a cold doing this, but Yu Xingyue often did it after work as a habit. It didn’t mean he was invincible; everyone has weaknesses.

Bored, Yu Xingyue turned on his computer to surf the web and watch TV. Passing time this way made the evening come quickly without him realizing it.

“Let’s see what interesting Japanese dramas or anime are available.” Opening the browser, Yu Xingyue searched for Japanese shows or anime to watch. What’s wrong with watching anime at his age? He was just a bit of an otaku.

He found an anime that caught his interest and started watching. The cover art was very attractive. After three or four episodes, he decided to follow the series—the story was truly engaging.

Looking at the time, it was already four in the afternoon, five hours before the net café manager’s shift began. Closing the computer, Yu Xingyue felt tired and collapsed onto the bed, setting an alarm to avoid oversleeping.

Someone entered the internet café. It wasn’t a stranger but Xia Qin Yumei, who worked there under the name Yuqin. Yu Xingyue couldn’t hear the noise downstairs due to the good soundproofing walls.

Xia Qin Yumei’s first task was to clean the café, which she had to do to maintain a pleasant environment.

However, she found nothing dirty because Yu Xingyue had already cleaned. Although this meant less work for her, she wasn’t satisfied and went to the corridor at the end of the café to fetch a bucket and mop, ready for a thorough cleaning.

Yu Xingyue was still sound asleep while Xia Qin Yumei worked hard mopping. Given her personality, she might have cleaned upstairs too, but Liuhai Lizi had told her that the upstairs was the boss’s private space, off-limits to employees.

Since the process was easy, it needs no further description. After the floor was spotless, a faint smile appeared on Xia Qin Yumei’s face.

“Perfect,” she whispered, speaking fewer than twenty words a day, so saying two was already impressive. If not for Yu Xingyue taking the initiative yesterday, she wouldn’t have spoken so much. The argument with that spoiled rich girl was an accident.

---

End of pages.