WBAI Chapter 43

“What, am I supposed to tell him I’m gay and that I like him?”

“I don’t think Xiao Xie is the kind of person to be prejudiced against gay people.”

Zhou Yi and Xie An’yu were quite familiar with each other now. Even though it was hard to tell if the kid was gay or straight, he clearly had a very open-minded and accepting nature.

Yu Feng stared ahead. “It’s not about whether he’s prejudiced or not. He has his own things to do. I don’t want to disrupt his current rhythm of life.”

Yu Feng’s words made sense. At his age, he wasn’t some hot-blooded student who could confess his feelings and pursue someone on a whim. Adult relationships were far more complicated, requiring careful consideration of countless factors—especially with the significant age gap between him and Xie An’yu.

“He hasn’t seen much of the world yet, and tere are so many possibilities ahead for him.” Yu Feng said. “He’ll meet so many different people and experience so many different things in the future.”

Zhou Yi nodded in understanding, putting the magazine back. “I knew you’d fall for him sooner or later. You probably fell pretty early, right? You’re surprisingly good at hiding it.”

“Did you tell him about me?” Yu Feng suddenly asked.

Zhou Yi froze and turned to look at him.

“My mom, Cheng Sheng, all the old family drama.”

Zhou Yi was silent for a moment, but without a trace of guilt, he admitted, “I told him.”

Yu Feng didn’t say anything, and his face remained expressionless.

That day, when Yu Feng returned from Haizhou, Xie An’yu had suddenly said, ‘We should live for ourselves’. Yu Feng had immediately sensed something was off.

“If you want to throw me out of the car now, I won’t argue. Kill me, torture me—do whatever you want,” Zhou Yi declared, as if preparing for his execution.

He had no intention of broadcasting Yu Feng’s past to outsiders. He only did it because it was Xie An’yu. He wasn’t stupid; he could see how differently Yu Feng treated Xie An’yu compared to everyone else. Some wounds need targeted treatment, or they’ll never heal.

Yu Feng’s voice remained calm. “How much did you tell him?”

Zhou Yi sighed. “Everything.”

“You didn’t need to tell him any of that,” Yu Feng said.

Even if Xie An’yu had never known about his terrible past, he would have always treated Yu Feng with genuine sincerity.

Zhou Yi glanced at Yu Feng.

Yu Feng continued, “You already know I like him. If I want anything, it’s for him to like me back, not for him to save me.”

Zhou Yi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Who was just saying they didn’t want to interfere with his life? And now you’re telling me this?”

Still, Zhou Yi understood Yu Feng’s point.

He didn’t need Xie An’yu to heal his wounds; he only needed Xie An’yu’s love.

Zhou Yi shivered involuntarily.

When summarized like that, it sounded incredibly sappy.

“Next time, don’t act on your own like that,” Yu Feng told Zhou Yi. “Otherwise, I might actually throw you out of the car—and make it look like a body disposal.”

Zhou Yi grinned. “Fine, throw me out then.”

***

The seafood restaurant was located a bit outside the city center, near the urban-rural border. The evening rush hour traffic was heavy, and it took Yu Feng nearly an hour to drive there. After parking the car in a spot outside the restaurant, Zhou Yi got out and remarked, “Even this remote place has a subway station? If I’d known, I would’ve taken the subway. It would’ve been much faster than driving.”

The restaurant was quite crowded at this hour. Zhou Yi glanced inside; the place was rather small, and if they’d arrived any later, they probably wouldn’t have gotten a table.

As soon as they entered, a server led them to an empty table and handed them the menu. Zhou Yi ordered a few dishes recommended by his colleagues and showed the menu to Yu Feng. “Take a look and see if you want to add a couple of home-style dishes.”

“Just order whatever you like.”

“Then let’s start with these,” Zhou Yi said, handing the menu back to the server.

The food was indeed tasty, but Yu Feng wasn’t particularly impressed. Most of the seafood dishes were stir-fried, and he preferred his seafood served fresh and unadulterated, without heavy seasoning.

When they were almost done eating, Yu Feng suddenly noticed a familiar-looking man emerging from the kitchen. He stared at the man for a few seconds, and the man abruptly turned to meet his gaze.

Lu Yang stopped in his tracks, standing there and greeting Yu Feng with his eyes.

Yu Feng expressionlessly averted his gaze and said to Zhou Yi, “You sure know how to pick a place.”

Zhou Yi, completely oblivious to the situation, blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Even though he was disgusted, Yu Feng quietly waited for Zhou Yi to finish his meal. Throughout the meal, Lu Yang’s gaze never left their table.

When it was time to pay, Lu Yang was behind the cash register, having sent the hired cashier to help in the kitchen.

As Zhou Yi paid, Lu Yang asked with a smile, “How was the food?”

“Pretty good,” Zhou Yi replied. “With business this good, you should consider moving to a larger space. There’s barely enough room for customers.”

“We’re still working on getting enough capital. If we had the money, we’d definitely move.” Lu Yang said with a laugh.

Yu Feng stood silently behind Zhou Yi.

“Boss, do you have a restroom here?” Zhou Yi asked Lu Yang.

“No restroom in the shop. There’s a public one just outside, turn left.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Zhou Yi went to the restroom first. As Yu Feng walked toward the car, he heard footsteps behind him. He glanced back and saw Lu Yang following him.

“You haven’t forgotten me, have you?” Lu Yang said with a smile, approaching him. “I still remember you. We’re pretty fated to meet. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Yu Feng ignored him and continued walking toward his car.

Lu Yang glanced at Yu Feng’s car and chuckled, “Looks like you’re quite the wealthy boss.”

Yu Feng opened the car door, and Lu Yang leaned against the window frame. “Don’t you want to catch up with an old friend?”

“Catch up about what? Review your criminal history?”

Lu Yang smiled and gently pushed the car door shut. “What crimes have I committed? You need to be specific.”

Lu Yang still held a grudge against Yu Feng for ruining his plans last time. Even after all this time, seeing him again still filled him with annoyance.

Zhou Yi emerged from the restroom and saw the man who had checked them out earlier standing by Yu Feng’s car. He appeared to be talking to Yu Feng and even offered him a cigarette.

“To run into each other again after so long, it must be fate,” Lu Yang said, smiling as he offered the cigarette to Yu Feng.

“No, thanks,” Yu Feng said.

Yu Feng never accepted cigarettes from strangers, let alone from this idiot.

“Don’t smoke?” Lu Yang chuckled. “Doesn’t seem right.”

With that, he lit his own cigarette and took a drag.

“What’s going on here?” Zhou Yi’s voice came from behind. “Did they mess up the bill?”

Lu Yang took another puff and turned to smile. “Nah, just catching up with your buddy here.”

Zhou Yi glanced at Yu Feng. “You know him?”

“We’ve met,” Yu Feng replied, turning to get into the car. Lu Yang’s hand landed on the door handle just behind Yu Feng’s, as if he were about to open the door for him.

The cigarette still dangled between Lu Yang’s fingers. As he reached for the handle, the burning tip pressed against Yu Feng’s right ring finger.

“Ssss!” Yu Feng hissed as the spark seared his skin. His brow furrowed in pain, and he jerked his hand back.

Zhou Yi’s eyes widened. “Hey! You—”

“Oh, my bad, my bad…” Lu Yang tossed the cigarette butt aside and quickly apologized. “I wasn’t paying attention… Really sorry, I was just trying to open the door for you.”

Zhou Yi sensed something off about this man—something inexplicably strange. Maintaining his composure, he refrained from losing his temper and grabbed Yu Feng’s hand to examine it. “Is it burned?”

A small patch of skin on Yu Feng’s ring finger had turned red. Lu Yang ground the cigarette butt under his shoe, feigning concern. “I’m so sorry, it was an accident. You should go back inside and rinse it with cold water right away. I have burn ointment at the shop.”

“Let’s go,” Zhou Yi said, frowning at Yu Feng. “Let’s go back inside and rinse it.”

Yu Feng pulled his hand back, opened the car door, got in, and said to Zhou Yi, “Let’s go.”

“If you go back like this, the burn will fester!” Zhou Yi exclaimed urgently.

Yu Feng started the car. “Get in.”

Unable to persuade him, Zhou Yi reluctantly climbed into the car.

Lu Yang stood outside the window, feigning remorse. “I’m so sorry, Boss. It was my carelessness.” He pulled two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and slipped them through the window. “Consider this for your medical expenses. Make sure to get it checked at the hospital—don’t let it scar.”

The two hundred-yuan bills drifted onto Yu Feng’s thigh. Yu Feng rolled down all the windows, grabbed the bills, and flung them at Lu Yang’s face, striking him in the eye.

Lu Yang’s eyelid stung from the sudden paper strike, and he hissed in pain. When he glared back at Yu Feng, anger flashed in his eyes.

“Use this to buy cigarettes,” Yu Feng said dismissively, glancing at him indifferently before driving off.

“What was that about?” Zhou Yi asked, confused. “Do you know that guy? Is there some history between you?”

Yu Feng pulled the car over to the side of the road, retrieved a bottle of mineral water from the center console, got out, opened the bottle, and began rinsing his right hand with the water.

Zhou Yi also got out of the car. “Who was that guy?”

“Remember the first time we met Xie An’yu?”

Zhou Yi’s expression froze, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Don’t tell me that was the guy who drugged Xie An’yu that day.”

“Mm, that’s him.”

Zhou Yi was silent for a few seconds before exploding with a curse. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“And then you’d go pick a fight with him?”

Zhou Yi was so disgusted that he felt like he was going to throw up everything he had just eaten. He took a deep breath, pointed at Yu Feng, and said, “You’ve got some serious self-control. I swear, you’re like a ninja turtle! Why didn’t you tell me while we were eating?”

“What’s the point of ruining your meal when we were almost done? You weren’t going to skip out on the bill, were you?”

“Telling me now is just as infuriating!” Zhou Yi was about to lose it. “I swear, being a law-abiding citizen is impossible. I can’t just walk out on the bill, and I can’t even confront him directly. This is fucking bullshit!”

“You get it now?” Yu Feng glanced at him, his mineral water bottle nearly empty. He nudged Zhou Yi’s arm. “Go get me another bottle from the back seat.”

Zhou Yi went back to the car to grab another bottle of mineral water, opened it, and handed it to Yu Feng.

As Yu Feng rinsed the burn, he asked Zhou Yi, “If I had told you who he was earlier, do you think you could have controlled your temper?”

“Probably not,” Zhou Yi replied in a low voice.

“That’s exactly what he wanted—to disgust us and then wait for us to fall into his trap. If you had lost your temper and hit him—” Yu Feng glanced at Zhou Yi—”as a teacher, can you afford to have even the slightest stain on your reputation?”

***

Before heading home, Yu Feng stopped by a pharmacy to buy burn ointment. Zhou Yi accompanied him, insisting they play a few rounds of chess to calm his anger.

As Yu Feng drove into their residential complex, they spotted Xie An’yu walking down the road. Xie An’yu was wearing a backpack, a short-sleeved shirt, loose jeans, and a pair of new Nike sneakers. From behind, he looked just like a high school student.

Xie An’yu’s recent outfits had become much more stylish. If he were walking around campus, he’d probably be swarmed by people asking for his WeChat.

Zhou Yi watched Xie An’yu’s retreating figure through the window. “Looking at him like this, he really does seem like a kid.”

“He is a kid. How old do you think he is?”

Zhou Yi chuckled. “So you’re an old cow eating young grass, huh?”

Yu Feng gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’m more likely to be eating air.”

“I’ve noticed he’s been looking really stylish lately. His clothes are much more fashionable than before. Did you style him?”

Yu Feng shook his head. “He used to model for a clothing store, and they send him new outfits whenever they get new stock. The one he’s wearing now is probably from them too. He’s actually a tracksuit fanatic and doesn’t usually buy flashy clothes.”

The shoes Xie An’yu was wearing had been bought by Yu Feng. For Xie An’yu’s birthday, Yu Feng had only given him a repaired phone, which felt rather meager. So he later went to a physical store and bought him a pair of shoes.

Zhou Yi rolled down the window and called out, “Xiao Xie!”

Xie An’yu turned at the sound of his name. Yu Feng slowly drove the car up beside him. Zhou Yi leaned out the window and asked, “Where have you been?”

Xie An’yu glanced at Yu Feng before replying, “The library.”

“Studying hard, huh?” Zhou Yi grinned. “We’re heading on ahead. See you at home later!”

Xie An’yu nodded, his gaze lingering on Yu Feng, while Yu Feng kept his eyes fixed straight ahead.

***

Xie An’yu got home before them. He set down his backpack and went to the kitchen to pour two glasses of water. Soon after, Yu Feng and Zhou Yi opened the door and entered. Zhou Yi immediately headed to the living room, skillfully pulling out the chessboard from under the coffee table, while Yu Feng walked over and casually tossed the burn ointment on the table.

Xie An’yu walked over from the kitchen, carrying the two glasses of water. Noticing the burn ointment on the coffee table, he set down the glasses and looked at Yu Feng.

“Brother, did you get burned?”

The mention of it reignited Zhou Yi’s anger, which he had barely managed to suppress. “When we were eating just now, we ran into that bastard who drugged you.”

Xie An’yu froze, a little surprised. “Where did you run into him?”

“At the place we went to eat. He was there,” Zhou Yi said, turning to Xie An’yu. “He’s the owner of that restaurant, right?”

Xie An’yu nodded, his expression suddenly changing as he whipped around to face Yu Feng. “Brother, did he burn you? Where’s the burn?”

“On my hand,” Yu Feng replied. “Just a touch from a cigarette butt.”

Xie An’yu’s brows furrowed. “Let me see it.”

Yu Feng glanced at him and raised his right hand. A distinct red blister had already formed on the ring finger of his right hand.

Xie An’yu looked up at Yu Feng, his expression darkening. “Did he do this?”

Yu Feng silently met his gaze for a moment before humming in affirmation.

Xie An’yu said nothing more, silently picking up the burn ointment from the coffee table. “I’ll apply it for you.”

Zhou Yi suddenly glanced at Xie An’yu.

“I haven’t showered yet,” Yu Feng said in a low voice. “If I put it on now, it’ll just wash off later.”

“Then go shower first.” Xie An’yu set down the ointment, grabbed his backpack, and headed back to his room.

Zhou Yi looked at Yu Feng. “Why do I feel like he’s acting a little strange? Is he really angry?”

Yu Feng looked in the direction of Xie An’yu’s room. He hummed. “Looks like it.”

“Alright, hurry up and shower. When you’re done, let him put the ointment on you like a good boy,” Zhou Yi teased, his tone dripping with amusement. “Oh, right, where’s that magazine you bought? Did you hide it in the car? I thought you were planning to… you know… with it tonight.”

Yu Feng shot him a sideways glance. “With the real thing right here, why would I need a magazine?”

“Holy shit, Yu Feng, you shameless bastard!”

Yu Feng was all talk, but Zhou Yi was annoying. The only way to shut him up was to be even more annoying.

---

The author has something to say:

Don’t worry, that idiot Lu will get what’s coming to him.

[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 43″]
年輕氣盛 (nián qīng qì shèng): full of youthful vigor (idiom); in the prime of youth; be young and impetuous； be young and aggressive; interpreted as being young, not knowing how to behave, and being competitive. This idiom refers to the competitive nature of young people due to their lack of experience. Its core meaning is ‘young, inexperienced, and prone to being competitive’.

對症下藥 (duì zhèng xià yào): to suit the medicine to the illness; to suit the remedy to the case; to prescribe the right remedy for an illness; to study a problem to find the right way to solve it; to take appropriate steps; give the right prescription for an illness; take the correct actions/steps to solve a problem. The original meaning of this idiom is that doctors prescribe medicine according to the patient’s symptoms. Later, it was used as a metaphor to describe taking effective measures to address the problem.

原汁原味 (yuán zhī yuán wèi): original; authentic; purely original; original taste and flavour; refers to the original style of something without any external influence.

耿耿於懷 (gěng gěng yú huái): to take troubles to heart (idiom); to brood on; to not forget about a matter and always be troubled or vexed by it.

揚長而去 (yáng cháng ér qù): to leave with an arrogant swagger; to swagger off; to walk off (or drive off etc) without a second thought for those left behind; go away with a swagger; stride away with one’s head in the air; describes a person leaving without restraint and in a grand manner.

稀裏糊塗 (xī li hú tu): muddleheaded; careless; confused; muddled; thoughtless; in a mess; in a muddle; without clear understanding. A common idiom in modern Chinese. The core meaning of this idiom includes “vague understanding, unclear understanding” and “casual attitude”.

遵紀守法 (zūn jì shǒu fǎ): to observe law and discipline; observe disciplines and obey laws; abide by the law; comply with rules and regulations; follow the law; obey the law.

老牛吃嫩草 (lǎo niú chī nèn cǎo): lit. an old cow eating young grass (idiom); May-December relationship; to rob the cradle; a romance where one partner is significantly older than the other; describe couples with a large age gap.

目不斜視 (mù bù xié shì): not to glance sideways (idiom); to gaze fixedly; to be fully concentrated; to preserve a correct attitude; refuse to be distracted; look steadily forward; describes solemn eyes and serious expression.
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