Qi Jingzhi blinked, his warm breath brushing against the back of Yan Linjian’s hand.
Yan Linjian let go of him, looking troubled: “I was already really annoyed today. I don’t know why, but seeing you like this just makes me even more annoyed. I keep feeling as though I’ve wronged you.”
“I’m jealous.” Qi Jingzhi said clearly, “You still haven’t told me if you like me or not.”
A flush of red crept up Yan Linjian’s cheeks: “Are you an idiot? If I didn’t like you, why would I date you? Am I asking for trouble? I already thought I was dumb enough for getting into a relationship. How are you even dumber than me? I’m not arguing about this anymore. Let’s eat. Eat.”
Having received an answer, Qi Jingzhi immediately cheered up and said: “I like you too.”
Yan Linjian turned around abruptly: “Who confessed to you? Don’t flatter yourself.”
This is harder than expected[mfn]This sentence is Qi Jingzhi’s inner thoughts. “This” refers to getting Yan Linjian to openly express his(YLJ) feelings and stop being shy about liking him(QJZ).[/mfn]. Qi Jingzhi smiled helplessly. Still, as long as he waited long enough, sooner or later he would hear Yan Linjian say that he liked him.
***
Their relationship progressed steadily, though not without its fair share of chaos. On the campus forum, new posts kept popping up one after another, all speculating whether the two of them had taken their relationship a step further.
【Breaking news! Ran into the couple from the Computer Science department. One in black, one in white. Matching couple outfits! That counts as matching couple outfits, right?】
Yan Linjian: 【Hi. Yes, it counts.】
【Holy shit, the main character replied!!!】
【Why are you getting so excited? They made it public on Moments ages ago, okay?】
【Alright, we get it. You’re friends with both Qi-shen and Yan Linjian.[mfn]This line is referring to the comment above that mentioned “They made it public on Moments.”
Moments is a social media app feature. Only friends or people you have added as contacts can see your posts on Moments(kinda similar to Instagram Close Friends).
So by saying “They made it public on Moments ages ago,” they’re basically flexing that they’re friends with them, as they can see their Moments posts.[/mfn]】
【I’m screaming, I knew those two were a couple.】
【So now the question is, does the principal know that both his sons have come out?】
【Of course he knows.】
No, their father might really not know.
Yan Linjian and Qi Jingzhi had been dating for over two months. When Yan Linjian made it official on Moments, he never mentioned Qi Jingzhi by name. His dad did see the post, but he was busy dealing with matters involving Yan Linjian’s brother and sister-in-law and did not ask about it, assuming Yan Linjian had just casually started another relationship.
He planned to travel with Qi Jingzhi during winter break. While they were at it, they would also deal with the old family house[mfn]t/n: Most likely referring to Qi Jingzhi’s old place, where he was abandoned by his family then later saved by the grandmother next door.[/mfn] together and use the “dowry” that Qi Jingzhi had saved to buy a new place. If everything went smoothly, they would move out and live together next semester.
“What should we do ah, Qi Jingzhi? My dad still doesn’t know about us.”
Yan Linjian was panicking. He had a feeling that once his father finished dealing with his brother’s situation, he would come for him next.
Qi Jingzhi: “Then tell him the truth.”
“That won’t work… I’m scared my dad will scold me. My brother has already graduated, but we’re still under his supervision. Once he finds out, he’ll keep a close eye on you, whether you’re applying for a master’s program or looking for a job. That’s terrifying.”
Qi Jingzhi’s expression was unreadable. He reached out and patted Yan Linjian’s head in a comforting manner: “Let’s wait.”
Yan Linjian thought his brother’s situation would take a while to resolve, but just before the holidays, Miao Xin suddenly told him that Qi Jingzhi had been summoned by his father. Yan Linjian panicked and sprinted to his dad’s office at full speed, afraid his father would make things difficult for Qi Jingzhi.
When he pushed the door open, the scene before him stunned him. Qi Jingzhi and his father were sitting across from each other, two cups of steaming tea on the desk. Both of them looked relaxed, and there was even a smile on his father’s face.
The moment he saw Yan Linjian, Yan Nanshan stopped smiling: “What are you doing here?”
“I came to… check on you, Dad.”
“What Dad? At school, I’m the principal.”
“Oh. Hello, Principal.”
Yan Linjian shuffled over to Qi Jingzhi’s side: “What are you two talking about?”
Yan Nanshan: “What does that have to do with you?”
“My boyfriend is, of course, related to me.” Yan Linjian didn’t even dare look up when he said this, afraid his dad might snap on the spot.
There was no thunderous rage like he had expected. Instead, a calm sentence came from above: “Oh, so you two really are together.”
Yan Linjian lifted his head. His father’s face wore an expression that clearly said “Just as I thought.” Qi Jingzhi, on the other hand, looked a little guilty: “Principal, I’m sorry…”
“What’s there to apologize for? It’s a good thing. Come over during the break and have a meal with us. I’ve wanted to eat with you for a while, but never found the chance.”
“Alright.”
When Qi Jingzhi led him out of the principal’s office, Yan Linjian was still dazed: “You’re acquainted with my dad? Well, of course he knows you, as you were specially admitted… But you two seem really familiar. He even invited you to dinner… No, wait, why wasn’t he surprised about us at all?”
Qi Jingzhi hesitated, then looked at him: “Aren’t you curious about how I found you back then?”
Back then?
Yan Linjian remembered. Qi Jingzhi had said he liked him as early as high school. He had wanted to ask about it at the time but then forgot.
“How did you find me?”
“I hacked the game server and found the phone number you used to register.”
“Damn… you were that persistent? Did you never consider that I might’ve been some forty- or fifty-year-old greasy guy scratching his feet? And I was even using my dad’s phone number.”
Qi Jingzhi laughed: “I did consider that. Back then I thought to myself that even if you were an old man, I’d still take care of you for the rest of your life.”
Yan Linjian laughed too: “So you actually found my dad?”
“Yeah. When you mailed me the bank card, the address on it was Jingdu University. Combined with the phone number I found, I tracked down Principal Yan.”
At that time, the Yan family was in chaos because Yan Linjian had secretly sent tens of thousands of yuan to an online friend. When Qi Jingzhi tracked down Yan Nanshan, the man was startled.
“Your family probably thought I was a scammer at first… After Uncle Yan saw me, he asked how I had found him. I told him the truth, and he said I had a real talent for computers. He even advised me to study hard so I could get into Jingdu University.”
Yan Linjian suddenly understood: “No wonder. After my parents scolded me back then, they never mentioned the money again, and they didn’t report it to the police.”
Qi Jingzhi continued, “Uncle wanted to take me to meet you, but I didn’t dare, so I only saw you once on your way home from school. Later, I used that money to treat my grandmother and pay off debts. Uncle Yan even helped fund my high school studies…”
Recalling the first time he saw Yan Linjian, Qi Jingzhi remembered sitting in Yan Nanshan’s car. The seats were clean, and the space was free of unpleasant odours. It was completely different from the chartered cars he was used to. The high school bell rang, and a group of students in blue-and-white uniforms came out, full of youthful energy. They stood in the sunset, uniforms neat, expressions bright, the path beneath their feet was bright and clear.
“Look, that’s my youngest son.”
Following Yan Nanshan’s hand, Qi Jingzhi saw Yan Linjian. He was in the center of a group, smiling brighter than the noon sun. He was just as Qi Jingzhi had imagined: handsome, cute, lively, and radiant.
“Do you want to meet him? That kid was talking about wanting to see you just yesterday.”
“No. I don’t want to.”
Qi Jingzhi huddled up in the back seat, his still-developing body curled up in a ball. He and Yan Linjian belonged to two different worlds. He didn’t deserve to appear in front of Yan Linjian in his current state.
Yan Nanshan glanced back at him. Respecting his wishes, he drove him back to the hospital.
The family tacitly kept everything about him from Yan Linjian. That online encounter was gradually buried as schoolwork piled up, but for Qi Jingzhi, who had already lost hope in life, it became a light once more. From that moment on, everything he did was for the day he could finally stand in front of Yan Linjian.
“You went to see me… and I didn’t even know,” Yan Linjian said, his heart aching. He wanted to say that if Qi Jingzhi had met him earlier, maybe they could have studied together.
But he understood. Qi Jingzhi’s pride would never have allowed that.
Qi Jingzhi smiled and said: “Actually, I snuck a few looks later on. Uncle Yan knew about it. Thinking back now, I feel a bit sorry for him. He treated me so well, and yet I ended up stealing his son.”
Yan Linjian laughed through tears: “My dad wishes you could be his son.”
He took a deep breath and said: “Qi Jingzhi, let’s get married after graduation.”
Qi Jingzhi looked at him in disbelief: “Isn’t it a little early to be talking about that now…?”
Yan Linjian: “What, you don’t want to marry me?”
“No… I’m just so surprised. It feels like a dream…”
Being with Yan Linjian already felt like a dream come true. Marriage was something he had never dared to imagine.
Yan Linjian: “Then it’s settled. You’ll have to find a chance to propose to me, preferably when I’m not paying attention, and make me cry my eyes out.”
“Alright… alright,” Qi Jingzhi said again and again. “Alright.”
