He originally came over to help Yan Chen read the script, but before doing anything, he had already eaten a meal personally made by him.
Ye Wenyu felt a little embarrassed and offered to wash the dishes after eating.
But just like when cooking, Yan Chen stopped him again, with a reason Ye Wenyu had never even thought of: dish soap harms the hands.
Yan Chen: “Go sit in the living room. If you want to watch TV, the remote is under the coffee table.”
Ye Wenyu was about to insist when Chi Dongting’s call came in.
Yan Chen: “Go answer the phone, I’ll take care of this.”
Ye Wenyu had no choice but to watch Yan Chen gather the dishes and bring them into the kitchen.
“Hello, Xiao Chi.” He sat back down at the small round table. “What’s wrong?”
Chi Dongting: “Wenyu, where are you? Are you coming back tonight? If you come back, will you still love me? Will you still help me with my homework?”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Ye Wenyu: “I’m at Yan Chen’s place. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, huh?” The sound of Chi Dongting gasping came through the receiver. “Why did he lure you to his house?!”
“It’s not luring.”
Ye Wenyu explained the situation to him very seriously. After listening, Chi Dongting understood half of it, at best. As for the other half, he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.
Chi Dongting: “Besides the library, is there really nowhere else in our school to go? If not, just come to the dorm! I can go next door and give you two some space.”
Ye Wenyu didn’t think that was a good idea. The dorm was his, but also Chi Dongting’s. It didn’t make sense to inconvenience him just because of his own matters, or to drive him off to another dorm for convenience.
Chi Dongting: “What’s so bad about that? Ugh, never mind. You’re already there anyway. So, what time are you coming back? Should I come pick you up? I can grab some barbecue on the way from the school gate…”
Ye Wenyu was speaking in a low voice, so from the kitchen, only fragments of his words could be heard, nothing specific.
The newly trimmed moneywort plant was placed back on the windowsill.
Turning the faucet handle, warm water flowed into the kitchen sink, splashing a few foamy droplets onto the leaves.
Yan Chen glanced at the plant he had ignored until today, rinsed the soap off his hands, then reached out to gently wipe the water droplets away.
With both sides tidied up, they could finally get to the real task.
Ye Wenyu indeed had endless patience.
There were several words picked out, yet he showed not a hint of irritation. He taught them one by one and led him to recite each until it became familiar.
He even praised him quite earnestly: “You really have a talent for language.”
Yan Chen: “Really?”
Ye Wenyu: “Yes, you have a great sense for the language. It’s natural. Many students who’ve studied for years don’t necessarily have your kind of linguistic intuition.”
Yan Chen looked into Ye Wenyu’s eyes. They were clear and earnest, as if you could see straight through, hiding nothing.
“Wenyu,” he called him.
Ye Wenyu: “Hm?”
Yan Chen: “Has anyone ever told you, you’re really suited to be a teacher?”
Then feeling that this wasn’t quite specific enough, he added, “A teacher for little kids. They would definitely like you.”
Children didn’t have so many labels in their heads yet, so their thoughts were simple. They wouldn’t hesitate to get close just because they were unsure.
If that were the case, Ye Wenyu would probably receive a lot of openly expressed affection, instead of being labeled as aloof and indifferent just because he wasn’t good with words.
Ye Wenyu was stunned, then shook his head. “No. Why do you say that?”
“No reason,” Yan Chen said. “I just feel like if you were a teacher, your students would all like you.”
As night slowly fell, their tutoring session came to an end.
Yan Chen got up to pour some water, and Ye Wenyu noticed the scrap paper he had been using. It was filled with casually scribbled notes from memorizing vocabulary.
He picked it up to take a look. Though the writing was hasty and unstructured, the letters were distinctly elegant and flowing.
“Your handwriting is so pretty.”
He praised sincerely and couldn’t resist picking up a pen, randomly choosing a word and trying to imitate the writing underneath it.
Unfortunately, their writing habits, especially the beginning and ending strokes, were quite different. Even copying directly, he could only get about sixty percent of the look.
He was so focused on writing that he didn’t notice the footsteps stopping behind him.
Soon, a white porcelain cup was placed diagonally in front of him.
Then, a hand leaned on the left edge of the table.
Before Ye Wenyu had a chance to turn around, his right hand, pen and all, was gently held, and a fluid and beautiful string of letters was written on the paper:
—La lune blanche
—The white moon.
“The more you write in cursive, the more it will resemble it.”
Ye Wenyu heard Yan Chen’s voice coming from just above and to the side of his head, and he could almost feel the faint warmth radiating from him.
‘He’s the one who’s really suited to be a teacher,’ Ye Wenyu thought.
He knew a lot, and he was good at a lot.
He was steady, reliable, and never stingy in sharing knowledge within his area of expertise. Even if it was just out of curiosity, he was always willing to teach step by step.
He stared at the letters for a moment. “I’ve seen a lot of people write cursive, but none looked as nice as yours.”
“Yours is also very nice.”
Yan Chen looked over at Ye Wenyu’s notes. The handwriting was thin, neat, and pleasant to look at…just like the feeling Ye Wenyu gave people.
While maintaining that position, he tried mimicking Ye Wenyu’s handwriting.
Ye Wenyu watched as the pen left behind a string of strokes that were both familiar and slightly unfamiliar. “My stroke breaks are probably different from yours.”
As he spoke, he pulled his hand back and placed the pen into Yan Chen’s hand, then held his hand again in the same way and guided him to write.
The difference in hand size was obvious. Once their positions were reversed, the feeling was completely different.
From “controlling” to “taming”, from “possession” to “embracing”.
Ye Wenyu’s brain was the typical single-core processor. Once he focused on one thing, it was hard to pay attention to anything else.
So, naturally, he didn’t notice the flicker of emotion in Yan Chen’s eyes when he took the initiative to hold his hand, nor the pause in his right hand.
The word was only halfway written when Yan Chen suddenly pulled his hand back.
“That’s about enough.” He straightened up. “Let’s head back to school.”
Chi Dongting timed it perfectly and ran to open the door, and Ye Wenyu outside had just taken out his key.
“Hehe, I knew you were back.”
Chi Dongting peeked behind him. “You’re alone?”
Ye Wenyu didn’t understand. “Should there be someone else?”
Chi Dongting: “I saw Yan Chen sending you back from the balcony. He didn’t come up?”
Ye Wenyu shook his head. “No, he went back to his dorm.”
Chi Dongting let out an “oh” and closed the door, trailing behind him. “Is Yan Chen’s house near our school? How are his family members like? Were they nice to you?”
Ye Wenyu: “His family wasn’t home. It was just the two of us.”
Chi Dongting: “So, was he nice to you? He didn’t just leave you alone and ignore you, right?”
Ye Wenyu thought for a moment. “He was very nice. He didn’t.”
Chi Dongting: “What do you mean by very nice?”
Ye Wenyu: “He cooked dinner himself.”
Chi Dongting: “He cooked dinner? Was it good?”
Ye Wenyu: “It was really good.”
“Really…”
Chi Dongting puffed out his cheeks, unable to imagine that cold and a bit fierce-looking guy actually cooking a meal for someone.
Could it be that what the class representative said was true?
Ye Wenyu: “Is there anything else you want to ask? If not, I’m going to shower.”
“That’s it,” Chi Dongting said. “But can I borrow your phone for a bit? I want to register a small account for a game. I’ve used up both of my SIM cards.”
Ye Wenyu unlocked the phone and handed it to him, then picked up his pajamas and went into the bathroom.
Chi Dongting quickly slipped back to his computer, opened the game’s official website, typed in Ye Wenyu’s phone number, and clicked to receive the verification code.
Just as the text came in, he hadn’t had time to read it when a WeChat message popped up over it.
But his finger had already tapped the screen.
Half the screen became the game’s verification window. On the other half, he saw a picture of a potted plant. It was green and lush, though he had no idea what it was.
Above it was a familiar captionless note.
“Wenyu.” He called toward the bathroom. “Your dad messaged you. Should I tell him you’re in the shower?”
Ye Wenyu didn’t think too much. “Okay.”
–
After class on Wednesday afternoon, An Xue stopped Ye Wenyu. “Wenyu, let Yan Chen know we’re not going to the music room tomorrow.”
There was something going on with the music class tomorrow, so the room wouldn’t be available. But they still needed to practice, so the plan was to have everyone record their assignments and submit them online.
An Xue: “I just checked the group. Yan Chen hasn’t replied yet. I don’t know if he’s busy or if the message got buried and he didn’t see it.”
Ye Wenyu agreed.
He was holding a few books, planning to talk to Yan Chen once he got back to the dorm. Coincidentally, just as he passed the basketball court, he saw Yan Chen playing on the court with a few other boys.
Ye Wenyu changed direction and walked over, sitting on the sidelines.
It wasn’t a formal game, probably just a few classmates killing time. Yan Chen made a casual leap and the ball sailed over several defenders and straight into the basket.
He played effortlessly, yet with unexpected ease. Most of the game had gone by and Ye Wenyu hadn’t seen anyone manage to even touch him.
This was one more item to add to the list of all-rounder skills. Ye Wenyu wasn’t surprised anymore.
The game was leisurely and slow-paced.
That was, until Yan Chen happened to lift his shirt to wipe sweat and caught sight of him.
After that, the pace noticeably picked up. Yan Chen made several consecutive shots, tossed the ball to his teammates, said a few words, then walked toward the stands.
“What brings you here?” he asked as he sat down next to Ye Wenyu.
Fresh from the game, his forehead had a thin layer of sweat and his body was radiating warmth. Ye Wenyu could clearly feel it, but didn’t mind.
“Did you see the message in the group chat?” he asked.
Yan Chen hadn’t brought his phone to the court. “What message?”
Ye Wenyu relayed what An Xue had said, and finally asked, “You’ll probably need to record it in the dorm. Is that okay with you?”
Yan Chen was as agreeable as ever. “Yeah.”
The boys on the court started playing more lazily once Yan Chen left. Occasionally, one or two of them looked over in their direction with curiosity.
Ye Wenyu felt his task was done and didn’t hold back a compliment. “You’re really good at basketball too.”
Yan Chen: “We’re just messing around. No one was playing seriously.”
Ye Wenyu: “Do you come here to play often?”
This path was one he took every day on his way back to the dorm, but he’d never seen Yan Chen here before.
“Rarely.” Yan Chen looked toward the court. “I don’t really like playing, but today they were short of one person, so I came to fill in.”
He didn’t even like basketball, yet would still cross half the campus to play just because a friend asked. Could this be considered a benefit of being his friend?
As long as it was within his ability, he would help as long as a friend asked.
Then… if they became friends, could he also…
Ye Wenyu felt like a feather was gently scratching his heart, making him itchy.
“Yan Chen.” He suddenly turned his head to look at him. “Can I ask you a question?”
It was the first time he had called his name to his face.
Maybe the one calling didn’t notice, but the one being called certainly noticed it immediately.
A subtle, indescribable feeling stirred. Yan Chen’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he met his gaze and asked in a calm voice, “What?”
Ye Wenyu: “If your friend asked you to do something a little strange… but very easy for you to do, would you be willing to help him?”
Yan Chen’s eyes drifted to the tip of his finger unconsciously flipping the corner of his book. “For example?”
Ye Wenyu: “For example, he wants to spend as much time with you as possible, or just… look at you in a daze…”
It was to the extent that even he himself found it hard to understand after saying it out loud.
But since he had already gotten this far, he pursed his lips and still asked the final question: “Would you be willing?”
He had thought of many possibilities…maybe Yan Chen would agree without batting an eye, maybe he’d find it weird and refuse, or maybe he’d give a middle-ground answer like “depends on how good a friend he is.”
But the only thing he hadn’t expected was for him to ask, “Just looking?”
Ye Wenyu’s mind was blank for a moment. “What?”
Yan Chen’s tone had no emotional fluctuation, as if he didn’t find the question strange at all: “He just wants to look, no touching?”
This chapter had me screaming and giggling foolishly hehe(ꈍᴗꈍ)
