During the few days he stayed on campus, Yan Linjian was full of energy but had nothing to do. Most of the dormitory residents had already left, leaving only Qi Jingzhi as his sole conversation partner. But Qi Jingzhi was busy with an important project, one that would determine whether he could buy a house for his future wife.
Yan Linjian hadn’t expected Qi Jingzhi to be so good at making money. The bank card he was helping to keep already had six figures in it. The saying ‘a house full of gold is not as valuable as true ability’ was perfectly embodied in Qi Jingzhi.
Yan Linjian didn’t know where Qi Jingzhi’s hometown was, nor had he ever asked when he planned to go back, worried that asking about it might touch on something sensitive. So in the days they spent in the dorm, he woke up whenever he wanted, went out to eat with Qi Jingzhi, lazed around gaming, or watched Qi Jingzhi code, and went running or played basketball at night. He would make a trip home every two to three days.
The feeling of wasting time so idly was intoxicating. If Yan Nanshan hadn’t suddenly shown up, he might have stayed in the dorm until the New Year.
When Yan Nanshan arrived, Yan Linjian was still asleep, sprawled out in bed. A knock came from outside, and it was Qi Jingzhi who opened the door.
Seeing Qi Jingzhi, Yan Nanshan was slightly surprised. “You’re in this dorm?”
“Mm.” Qi Jingzhi stood awkwardly, shifting slightly and lowering his voice: “He’s still asleep.”
“Still asleep?” Yan Nanshan walked straight to Yan Linjian’s bed and slipped his ice-cold hand under the blanket.
With a loud yelp, Yan Linjian bolted upright. When he saw who it was, he immediately shrank into a corner: “Dad! Why did you come here all of a sudden?”
“I came to take you home. Do you even know what time it is?” Yan Nanshan said while pointing to his watch.
“It’s only eleven.”
“Only eleven?! Did you stay up all night gaming again? Look at those dark circles under your eyes.”
Yan Linjian glanced at Qi Jingzhi and said softly: “Dad, can you leave me some dignity.”
Yan Nanshan turned to look at Qi Jingzhi, who immediately put on his headphones and sat back down at his desk, escaping the battlefield between father and son.
“The school is about to close for break. Everyone has to leave by next Tuesday. Your uncle just got back from the military, so shouldn’t you be heading home too?”
“Uncle’s back? That means New Year’s is coming up soon.”
Yan Linjian had been living with no sense of time, his days and nights completely reversed.
Hearing Yan Nanshan say this, he hurried to get out of bed and start packing his things, deciding to go home with him. After giving him a few more reminders, Yan Nanshan left the dorm, leaving Yan Linjian to scramble around gathering his belongings while Qi Jingzhi stood nearby helping him.
“Jingzhi, when are you heading home?” Yan Linjian asked casually.
Qi Jingzhi: “My home isn’t far from school. I’ll go back on Monday.”
“You’re a local too?” Yan Linjian was a bit surprised, “That means we can still meet up during the break.”
“My home is pretty far from the city area. It takes two to three hours to get here and back.” Qi Jingzhi helped him pull his suitcase down from the top of the closet. It landed on the floor with a heavy thud.
“Are you taking the subway back?”
“Probably the bus.”
“If you come to the city during the winter break, remember to come hang out with me.”
“Okay.”
“Oh right, your bank card is still with me. You’ll need it for the New Year, right? I’ll give it back to you.”
“No need. You can hold onto it for now.”
“Alright then.”
While chatting, Yan Linjian finished packing his things. Yan Nanshan came over to help carry his suitcase. Before leaving, he stopped beside Qi Jingzhi. “Are you going home for the New Year this year?”
Qi Jingzhi hummed in response and waved at them: “Goodbye. Goodbye, Principal.”
Their tone didn’t sound like it was their first time meeting. Yan Linjian couldn’t help but be curious: “You know Qi Jingzhi?”
Before Yan Nanshan could reply, he figured it out himself: “Makes sense. He was specially recruited, after all. As the principal, you’d obviously know him.”
“With Qi Jingzhi’s abilities, coming to our school is a waste of talent.”
Hearing this, Yan Linjian let out a “Woah” and sat up straight: “It’s rare to hear you praise someone. Is he really that impressive?”
The car rolled smoothly along the road. Keeping his eyes ahead, Yan Nanshan said meaningfully, “Not just ordinarily impressive, your Uncle Sun even tried to recruit him from me.”
“Uncle Sun? The one from the National Security Bureau?”
“Mm.”
“What the hell!?” Yan Linjian’s jaw fell off in shock, “I thought his talent was all in game development, I didn’t expect him to be this incredible.”
Yan Nanshan let out a cold huff: “If you had even half of his talent, you wouldn’t have to worry about failing your courses. I told you from the start that you weren’t suited for computer science……”
He started another of his long-winded speech again. Yan Linjian pulled up the hood of his down jacket, burying his face under its feathery brim, and leaned against the car window, pretending to sleep.
On Monday, the dormitory began clearing people out. Qi Jingzhi packed his luggage and caught the last bus heading towards the outskirts of the city. The neon lights of the city gradually faded behind him, the wheels rolling steadily into the pitch-black night. With the traffic noises gone, the silence around him grew even more pronounced.
When he arrived at the station, it was so dark that he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. Dragging his suitcase behind him, he walked another twenty minutes before reaching an old residential building. Only two or three households still had their lights on. An elderly man’s thunderous cough echoed through the stairwell, keeping the motion-sensor lights constantly aglow, casting a dim light that created a shadow at Qi Jingzhi’s feet.
He carried his suitcase the whole way up, otherwise the sound of the wheels would disturb the residents above. Still, his footsteps alerted someone. An elderly woman with white hair pushed open her door, the rusted iron hinges screeching like the end of the world.
“Jingzhi, back home?” The old woman smiled, leaning on the door frame to get a better look at him. “You haven’t been back for almost half a year.”
“Grandma Chen, you’re still up?” Qi Jingzhi greeted her.
“With the New Year coming up, the old man and I are making fried meatballs.”
“Be careful with the stove,” he reminded her.
“I’ll bring you some once they’re done.”
“No need, Grandma Chen, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Qi Jingzhi lied. After returning home, he didn’t want to interact with anyone in the building. He just wanted to be alone quietly.
The room that hadn’t been lived in for a long time was covered in dust. Qi Jingzhi cleaned the living room and bedroom, shoved his suitcase into a corner, and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of relief. The single bed he had bought in middle school felt a bit small for him now. Qi Jingzhi curled up and took out his phone, his previously dull eyes now filled with a bit of light.
Yan Linjian: 【Did you get home safely?】
Yan Linjian: 【I made dumplings with my mum today, I made a dragon! [Picture]】
【That’s a snake, no?】
Facing a rough noodle that had no aesthetic appeal, Qi Jingzhi was already being kind by not calling it a long worm.
【It’s a dragon! These are the eyes, this is the body, this is the tail, these are the whiskers!】
Yan Linjian had carefully annotated the picture. Although it wasn’t very convincing, Qi Jingzhi still replied with, 【Mm, now I can see it.】
【You have an eye for things, everyone else kept saying it was a big long worm, I’m speechless.】
Qi Jingzhi’s lips curled up slightly as he clicked on Yan Linjian’s new profile picture. He had replaced it with the ‘dragon’ from earlier, and added three large words at the top: “It’s a dragon!”
Qi Jingzhi’s smile deepened. After chatting with him for a bit, he opened up his computer. He had to finish this project before the Spring Festival so he could buy a house nearer the city area sooner.
When Yan Suici was at home, Yan Linjian felt a lot of pressure. But now that his brother wasn’t coming back for the New Year, Yan Linjian actually found himself missing him a bit. His brother was alone in a foreign country with no company. It made him feel a little sorry for him.
This visiting delegation allowed family members to come, but his brother didn’t have a partner, so he was alone. While everyone else was surrounded by their families, he could only eat dumplings by himself in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Yan Linjian felt sorry for his brother and made a special call to check on him. However, from his brother’s tone, it seemed like he was actually quite happy.
Yan Linjian: “Did everyone bring their families? Did they share dumplings with you?”
Yan Suici: “Yes, I’ve already received many different flavours of dumplings.”
