CH 20
The city Gu Yaoyang is going to is called Mostine.
It takes eleven hours to go there by plane, and there’s also a severe temperature and eight-hour time difference from Linzhou. It was summer here, but winter there.
Lin Yuyan had never gone there before, but he had read a travel guide about the place and knew that there were beautiful houses with breathtaking views of the aurora in the sky and cool snowdrifts there. He mentioned this place to his parents a few years ago, wanting the three of them to go on a vacation and visit this city together.
But after several years of waiting, his father got busier, and his mother couldn’t find the time for them to go either.
Moreover, his father never liked to waste his time on meaningless things. Traveling was on that list, and now eating at the same table with his son had been included on that list as well.
Lin Yuyan sat in the study, turned the computer on, and searched for blogs about Mostine. He took a look at the weather outside. It was cold and the temperature nearly reached minus twenty degrees.
He didn’t know if Gu Yaoyang would get used to the weather there. If he’s afraid of the cold, he would have a hard time getting used to the place. Will there be an air conditioner and a fireplace in his new home? Could he get used to the food there? He heard that the people there liked to eat raw food.. Fortunately, Gu Yaoyang could cook. If his circumstances allow him to do so, he could cook a meal for himself, right?
Lin Yuyan entered a few more keywords and looked for news about some boxing competitions. He didn’t know much about the industry, so this was the first time he sat in front of a computer to search for information regarding the boxing industry. According to normal procedures, Gu Yaoyang should go to a certain club and receive training first, then he would be recommended by the club to enter the professional arena.
What are the specific conditions for him to receive a recommendation? It would be bad for him if he didn’t receive one.
Ah, found it! Lin Yuyan clicked on a dense recommendation guide, which contained more than ten pages of description in total. He carefully read the guide line by line on his computer, he even created a document and pasted some of the more important conditions into the document. Just when he was about to click on the next page, his hand abruptly stopped.
Strange, what.. is he doing?
Lin Yuyan was stunned. He looked at the empty notebook lying on the table and the professional info document displayed on the computer screen and scratched his head in confusion. He wasn’t the one participating in the arena. Knowing so much about it now, what was he going to do with this information?
Late at night, Linzhou Airport was bustling with people.
Sister Ling sat in the VIP area, fixing her cosmetics with her suitcase filled with winter clothing beside her. Next to her was Shao Zheng, it was his first time flying on an airplane and his first time dressing properly. If there were enough time, she would’ve dyed his hair dark and styled it as well.
Two hours have passed, yet Gu Yaoyang hasn’t come back. Seeing how the puffy-eyed group in front of them had already had their tickets checked and was ready to fly, but his figure was still nowhere to be seen, Sister Ling threw her eyebrow pencil into her makeup bag and asked Shao Zheng, “He won’t turn back on this, right?”
Shao Zheng answered her, “No, Gu Yaoyang always sticks to his words.”
The deal with the club was finalized this morning, and it was already announced this afternoon, so they hurriedly booked this flight. Sister Ling followed the inspection procedures and brought Shao Zheng with her to run some errands.
Initially, the group should be flying in the sky right now, but Gu Yaoyang got a phone call along the way and said that he’d take the next flight and left. The two of them were still waiting for him, they didn’t dare to rush the other.
Shao Zheng didn’t dare, and Sister Ling couldn’t budge him.
She tied her loose curly hair up into a ponytail, making her look much younger than her age. At first glance, people wouldn’t guess that she was the person in charge of the city’s black market arena. She asked Shao Zheng, “Do you know the person who called Gu Yaoyang?”
Shao Zheng had actually guessed it at one point. He was 70% sure that it was Lin Yuyan, but he also felt that Lin Yuyan wouldn’t have the great ability to make Gu Yaoyang leave them after a meager phone call. After all, Gu Yaoyang usually wouldn’t bother to answer the phone, and it was impossible for him to take initiative to contact anyone.
But before Shao Zheng could respond, Sister Ling asked him another question, “His earrings are also pretty strange, are they from.. that kid surnamed Lin?”
Shao Zheng had no idea of this, so Sister Ling thought for a bit before taking out her phone and calling the bar. She contacted the person on duty this morning and asked them to confirm her guess.
And the result came out true.
She glanced at Shao Zheng and asked him in a gossipy tone, “That little Lin kid, is he Yaoyang’s classmate?”
Shao Zheng answered with a “Yes” before he recounted the story of how they became acquainted.
After hearing this, Sister Ling crossed her legs and tapped her slender fingers on her knees as she whistled meaningfully.
Seeing her expression, Shao Zheng knew that she had misunderstood him. Everyone here was more sensitive to these matters than the normal person, but he still thought that it was impossible for Gu Yaoyang to have these kinds of thoughts, so he hurriedly tried to explain, “Yaoyang thought that it was fun teasing him, he’ll probably get bored soon.”
But as soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yaoyang dragged his luggage in, holding an unlit cigarette in the non-smoking area. He coldly said, “Who told you that I wasn’t interested in him?”
Shao Zheng blinked his eyelids incredulously as he said, “You aren’t.. aren’t you just teasing him? You’ll kick him out after you’ve had your fun with him..”
Gu Yaoyang asked, “Am I a scumbag?”
Shao Zheng was stunned for a moment.
Gu Yaoyang looked at him coldly, his eyes were full of disgust as he said, “If I’m not interested in him, why would I tease him? Have I teased you before?”
The next day, Zhuo Hang finally saw Lin Yuyan.
The two were sitting at the fast food restaurant outside the school again. They planned to ask some of their good friends out to play with them. At this time, the water park had just opened. Zhuo Hang made up a little scheme in his mind and invited a senior sister he had a crush on for two weeks to join them.
Lin Yuyan was late to their appointment and it was rare for him to do so. He had arrived half an hour after the appointed time with his two big eyes resembling a couple of walnuts with two prominent dark circles beneath his eyes.
Zhuo Hang asked, “Did you become a thief last night?”
Lin Yuyan sat on a chair and listlessly answered him, “No.” He didn’t sleep well last night, and he couldn’t understand the baffling act he did with his own two hands. To say that he cared about Gu Yaoyang as an ordinary friend didn’t seem right. Zhuo Hang had also played in video competitions before, but he didn’t even watch him. It may sound a bit wrong, but he really had no interest in these kinds of things.
But wasn’t he even less interested in fights?
Lin Yuyan didn’t understand, so he went back to his room to sleep, but he fell onto his bed and thought about the time he spent with Gu Yaoyang these few days and the first time he saw him.
He didn’t know why he could remember that moment clearly when it happened a long time ago. It was as if that scene was deeply embedded into his mind.
Zhuo Hang was also acting a bit weird today. He wasn’t playing games but was reading an architectural illustration book with relish.
Lin Yuyan read it for a bit before asking him, “Do you want to learn architectural design?”
Zhuo Hang said, “No, no, reinforced concrete is too dull and uninteresting.”
Lin Yuyan asked him, “Then why are you reading this?”
Zhuo Hang said: “Of course, it’s to pursue someone.”
“Pursuing someone, who are you courting?”
A senior in school, they’re about to start college, so I have to seize every opportunity I have these last few days.”
Lin Yuyan didn’t understand his answer and asked, “Why would you want to pursue someone?”
Zhuo Hang said, “How can you find a partner being this stupid?”
Lin Yuyan helplessly said, “I told you that I’m not in a relationship” before asking again, “You’ve pursued so many girls before, are you serious this time?”
Zhuo Hang continued to immerse himself in reading as he answered his friend’s question, “Of course it’s serious this time, I really like her. When did you see me find info so actively? I don’t know much about architecture except that this house is well built, and so is that one. I don’t know the theories or concepts behind these works at all. I stayed up all night just for her, and I even checked the accommodation conditions of the university she wanted to apply for. I heard it was bad and I became worried for her. I was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to eat. I don’t know if she can cook or not, what if she starves herself..”
With a loud “bang” the chair opposite to him fell to the ground. Zhuo Hang was startled and hurriedly raised his head. He didn’t know when Lin Yuyan stood up, leaning against the wall, looking at him with a look of horror plastered on his face.
Zhuo Hang worriedly asked him, “What’s wrong with you?”
Lin Yuyan was still stunned for a while before shaking his head and saying, “Nothing, I’m fine.”