WBAI Chapter 47

Actually, Xie An’yu’s situation during school was quite similar to Yu Feng’s—working part-time while taking care of his grandmother. He often didn’t do his homework either. However, the teaching standards at island schools couldn’t compare to those of regular high schools on the mainland. Teachers were lax, the academic atmosphere was poor, and even if over half the class didn’t do their homework, the teachers would just turn a blind eye.

Straight-A students like Guo Tianyang, who could get into prestigious universities, might only appear once every two or three years.

After breakfast, Yu Feng removed the gauze from Xie An’yu’s hand to check his wound. The swelling on his hand had subsided compared to yesterday, but his fingers and knuckles were covered in small scrapes.

Minor injuries didn’t need to be wrapped in gauze all the time—letting them breathe would help them heal faster. Yu Feng tossed the gauze into the trash. When he looked up, he noticed Xie An’yu glancing away, his gaze fixed elsewhere.

Xie An’yu had been acting strange all morning, probably because he was still embarrassed about being caught in that awkward situation.

Yu Feng stood up, intending to go to Xie An’yu’s room to change the duvet cover. Seeing Yu Feng head toward his bedroom, Xie An’yu quickly followed. “Brother, what are you doing?”

Yu Feng turned around. “Help you change the duvet cover.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Your hand is all messed up. Just rest.”

***

Even though it was Saturday, Yu Feng had a photoshoot. After changing the duvet cover, he left. Once Yu Feng was gone, Xie An’yu went back to his room and looked at his bed. He lifted the blanket and burrowed inside, staying there until he was nearly suffocating before lifting a corner. He lay on his side, staring blankly out the window.

His phone on the bedside table vibrated. After missing several of Yu Feng’s WeChat messages before, Xie An’yu had gradually broken his bad habit of not checking his phone. He reached out and grabbed it.

Xie An’yu glanced at the screen—it was a message from Guo Tianyang.

Guo Tianyang: 【Are you busy?】

Xie An’yu: 【No. What’s up?】

Guo Tianyang: 【There’s a graduation art exhibition at my school. Do you want to come and see it?】

Xie An’yu: 【An art exhibition?】

Guo Tianyang sent a voice message. “It’s a graduate exhibition put on by our school’s art college. I remember you used to like handiwork. If you’re interested, do you want to come and check it out? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other anyway.”

The graduate exhibition at his school had started in May and was set to end in a few days. Alongside paintings, there were also craftworks on display. Guo Tianyang had just finished his finals and finally had some free time, which was why he was asking Xie An’yu—he thought Xie An’yu might be interested.

Xie An’yu was indeed interested, and he also wanted to visit a university campus.

Xie An’yu: 【Sounds good】

Guo Tianyang: 【How about today?】

Guo Tianyang: 【The exhibition would be taken down in a few days】

Xie An’yu: 【I’ll come over this afternoon then】

Guo Tianyang sent his location and said: 【Call me when you get to the south gate. I’ll come out to meet you】

It had been a while since Xie An’yu and Guo Tianyang last saw each other—they’d had a meal together over two months ago but hadn’t met since. It was normal; everyone had their own social circles. In truth, Guo Tianyang and Xie An’yu weren’t really in the same circle.

Because he was going to visit the graduation exhibition, Xie An’yu didn’t go to the library in the afternoon. He took the subway to Guo Tianyang’s school and called him after arriving at the south gate. A few moments later, Guo Tianyang arrived on a shared bike, parked it in the designated area, and came out to bring Xie An’yu inside.

The first thing Guo Tianyang said when he saw Xie An’yu was, “I feel like you’ve grown taller again.”

“I haven’t measured.”

“You definitely have,” Guo Tianyang said, then noticed the injury on Xie An’yu’s hand. “What happened to your hand?”

Xie An’yu didn’t answer immediately.

“Did you fall? Or… get into a fight?”

“Not from falling,” Xie An’yu said.

If it wasn’t from falling, then it must have been from a fight. Guo Tianyang was a little surprised because Xie An’yu didn’t seem like the kind of person who would get into fights.

“What happened? Did you really fight someone?”

Xie An’yu gave a vague hum and changed the subject. “Are you almost on break?”

“Already am. I just finished my last exam a couple of days ago.”

“Then why are you still at school? Aren’t you going home for summer break?”

“I am. My girlfriend hasn’t finished her exams yet. I’m planning to take her back with me.”

The two walked toward the art school, chatting along the way.

“Haven’t you gone back since coming to Beicheng?” Guo Tianyang asked Xie An’yu.

Xie An’yu nodded. “But I’ll be going back soon.”

“Really? Then we can go back together.”

“I’m not sure exactly when yet.”

Guo Tianyang was aware of Xie An’yu’s situation. When Xie An’yu first arrived in Beicheng, Ding Xiaofei had told him about his second uncle’s despicable actions. He knew Xie An’yu had come to Beicheng because he had nowhere to stay on Shuangye Isle.

To be honest, he couldn’t think of a reason for Xie An’yu to go back. Wouldn’t it just make things worse? He didn’t even have a home there anymore.

“Let me know when you’re going back, and we can go together,” Guo Tianyang said.

Xie An’yu smiled. “What if I don’t go back for another month? Are you going to wait that long?”

“I’ll wait a week,” Guo Tianyang said with a laugh. “If you don’t have a definite date by then, I won’t wait.”

Xie An’yu nodded. “Alright.”

***

Yu Feng called Xie An’yu around 4:30 p.m. At that time, Xie An’yu was still browsing the exhibition. It was the end of the semester, and many students had already finished their exams and gone home. The graduation exhibition was also nearing its end, so there weren’t too many people in the gallery.

Xie An’yu answered Yu Feng’s call.

“Still at the library?” Yu Feng asked over the phone.

“I’m at my friend’s school, not the library. There’s a graduation exhibition here, so I came to see it.”

“Which school?”

Xie An’yu gave Yu Feng the name of the school.

“I’ll pick you up later. I’ll call when I arrive,” Yu Feng said before hanging up.

Xie An’yu put his phone back in his pocket. Guo Tianyang asked, “Who was that?”

After a moment’s thought, Xie An’yu said, “My landlord.”

Xie An’yu had mentioned to Guo Tianyang before that he was renting a place from someone, but he had only said he had somewhere to stay and left it at that.

“Your landlord checks up on you?”

Xie An’yu glanced at Guo Tianyang but didn’t respond.

The student works at the graduation exhibition were nothing short of extraordinary—innovative, creative, and exquisitely crafted, each vividly conveying the themes their creators intended. Today’s visit had been well worth it; Xie An’yu enjoyed it immensely.

Guo Tianyang couldn’t help but marvel along the way: “Truly befitting of an art academy student.”

After touring the graduation exhibition, Guo Tianyang’s girlfriend invited them to a milk tea shop near the south gate. They sat by the window chatting. Ding Ying held her milk tea and whispered to Xie An’yu: “Handsome guys really stand out. I saw several girls secretly taking photos of you.”

Guo Tianyang raised an eyebrow: “Student Ding Ying, praising another guy’s looks in front of your own boyfriend isn’t very appropriate, is it?”

Ding Ying bit her straw and looked at him: “As if you haven’t called him handsome in front of me before. The first time you introduced him, you said he was super good-looking. I almost thought you were in the closet.”

Guo Tianyang nearly spat out his milk tea: “You really… stop reading those things. Don’t project that onto me. Xie An’yu, don’t listen to her nonsense.”

Xie An’yu looked confused, clearly not understanding what ‘in the closet’ meant.

Ding Ying laughed: “You’re protesting your innocence too much—he didn’t even get what we were talking about.”

The three of them chatted for a while longer. Ding Ying stood up with her milk tea and said, “I’m heading back to the dorm. Been out all day, and I have my last exam tomorrow. If I don’t study now, I’m doomed.” She smiled at Xie An’yu. “Handsome, hope to see you again sometime.”

Xie An’yu gave a faint smile and nodded. “Mm.”

Before leaving, Ding Ying pinched Guo Tianyang’s ear: “Let’s eat at the cafeteria tonight.”

Guo Tianyang rubbed his ear and mumbled, “Okay.”

Not long after Ding Ying left, Yu Feng called. Xie An’yu picked up his phone: “Hello?” He glanced at Guo Tianyang and asked, “Which gate is closest here?”

“South gate,” Guo Tianyang said.

Xie An’yu nodded and spoke into the phone: “South gate… Mm, I’ll be right there.”

“Your landlord?” Guo Tianyang asked Xie An’yu.

“Yeah.”

Xie An’yu stood up. “I should go.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Guo Tianyang offered, rising as well.

***

Yu Feng parked his car in the designated parking area outside the south gate. Behind the gate was a food street. Although the number of students on campus had dropped a lot because it was the end of the semester, there were still a lot of people by the school entrance during mealtimes.

Yu Feng sat in the car with a cigarette between his lips. He turned his head and saw Xie An’yu emerge from the school, accompanied by a clean-cut young man.

Xie An’yu held his milk tea in his right hand, making the wound on his hand particularly noticeable. The iodine stain on his knuckles looked startling at first glance.

Guo Tianyang hissed through his teeth, frowning as he grabbed Xie An’yu’s wrist for a closer look. “This injury…”

Yu Feng’s gaze fixed on the school entrance, his cigarette clenched between his teeth as he narrowed his eyes.

“It’s fine,” Xie An’yu said, subtly pulling his hand back, unused to the physical contact. He switched the milk tea to his other hand.

“Be careful it doesn’t get infected. If it festers, it’ll heal slower and could get worse.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Is your landlord here yet?”

Xie An’yu scanned the area and spotted Yu Feng’s car across the street.

“He’s here.”

Guo Tianyang followed his gaze. “That G-Wagon?”

“Mm.”

“Rich landlord, huh?” Guo Tianyang chuckled.

“I’m going.”

“Watch out crossing the street.”

Yu Feng stubbed out his cigarette in the car’s ashtray. Before long, Xie An’yu approached the car. He hesitated briefly outside the passenger door, then suddenly took two steps forward and opened the rear door instead.

It wasn’t that he didn’t dare face Yu Feng—he was afraid that sitting too close to him might lead to a repeat of last night’s events. What had happened this morning had practically given him PTSD.

“Brother,” Xie An’yu called softly after getting in the car.

Yu Feng glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “If I’d walked in on you jerking off this morning, would you have cut ties with me completely?”

Xie An’yu’s brain buzzed as if struck by a blunt object, his face burning like a furnace.

Yu Feng sighed, suppressing the inexplicable irritation in his heart, and said helplessly, “You’re young… that kind of thing is normal.”

If Yu Feng knew he’d been dreaming about him when it happened, would he still think it was normal?

He’d probably find it disgusting.

Xie An’yu remained silent, his gaze fixed out the window.

---

The author has something to say:

No, sweetie, if he knew, he’d be so happy he’d start singing folk songs.

Unrequited love is so hard to write. Readers of my older works can probably tell my preference is for direct confessions—writing their pining feels like personally experiencing unrequited love myself [sighs].

[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 47″]
一飽眼福 (yī bǎo yǎn fú): to feast one’s eyes on something; feast one’s eyes; enjoy a visual treat; have a good look; take in the sights. Its core meaning refers to the spiritual satisfaction gained by viewing rare and beautiful things.

此地無銀三百兩 (cǐ dì wú yín sān bǎi liǎng): lit. There are no 300 taels of silver (buried) here (idiom); fig. to reveal what one intends to hide; a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure; a very poor lie which reveals the truth; protest one’s innocence too much; the lady doth protest too much; A part of a longer sentence: 此地無銀三百兩，隔壁王二不曾偷, literally “There are no 300 taels of silver (buried) here, the next-door Wang Er did not steal (the silver).”. It is said to come from a story about a man named Zhang San (張三). According to the story, he buried 300 taels of silver in the ground with the banner “There are no 300 taels of silver (buried) here” so that no one would steal them. But his neighbor Wang Er (王二) saw through the lie and dug up the money, leaving the banner “The next-door Wang Er did not steal (the silver)”. More info: Link.

觸目驚心 (chù mù jīng xīn): lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); horrible to see; a ghastly sight; frightening; bloodcurdling; shocking; striking and astonishing; shocked by something serious, describing a situation that is serious and causing a sensation.
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