Returning to the neighborhood once again, the sun shone brightly in the sky. The greenery of the residential complex cast dappled shadows on the ground, and Yu Jiu stepped on those shifting patterns as he made his way home.
The door was opened by Aunt Zhang.
“Xiao Jiu, you’re back?”
As always, her warm and kind smile was contagious.
Every time Yu Jiu entered the house, he would use Aunt Zhang’s attitude to adjust his facial expression. He hummed in response, changed his shoes at the entrance, and stepped inside.
“Where is she?”
“In the kitchen,” Aunt Zhang said. “Madam personally made your favorite braised chicken and garlic butter clams today. She’s been waiting for you to come back and eat.”
Yu Jiu smiled slightly but said nothing.
In the dining room, Yu Hui happened to be carrying a bowl of soup out of the kitchen. Seeing Yu Jiu enter, her eyes brightened. “You’re back? Wash your hands and come eat.”
“Mm.” Yu Jiu responded naturally and headed to the bathroom to wash his hands.
At the dining table, the three of them ate in silence. Yu Jiu focused on his meal, not saying a word more than necessary.
Yu Hui kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
She was already past forty, but time had left little trace on her face. Her eyes bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Yu Jiu’s, and her well-maintained skin made her look no older than thirty. However, she carried a maturity and charm that women in their thirties did not yet possess.
She wanted to say something, but the moment her gaze landed on Yu Jiu’s forehead, the words got stuck in her throat.
The wound on Yu Jiu’s forehead had already scabbed over, leaving a faint red mark. Since he had stopped deliberately covering it with his bangs, it was quite noticeable.
Yu Hui looked at Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang immediately chimed in, “Xiao Jiu, how does it taste?”
“It’s good,” Yu Jiu replied.
“Madam worked hard on these dishes all morning just for you,” Aunt Zhang said with a smile. “She even got up early and went to the market with me to pick out the ingredients.”
Yu Jiu paused slightly while picking up his food, finally looking up at Yu Hui. “Thank you, Mom.”
His tone was devoid of emotion.
Yu Hui’s expression flickered with a trace of emotion. She quickly said, “No need to thank me. If you like it, I’ll cook for you more often. By the way, what do you want to eat in the afternoon? I can—”
“I have to go back to school this afternoon,” Yu Jiu interrupted.
The smile that had just started to form on Yu Hui’s lips froze.
The slight warmth that had begun to build instantly dropped back to ice-cold levels.
Yu Hui’s smile faded. “Aren’t you on break?”
With the combination of a monthly break and the May Day holiday, he should have had at least three days off.
Yu Jiu remained expressionless. “Our class has scheduled extra lessons. My grades this time… weren’t great.”
“But didn’t you get first place?” Yu Hui asked, startled.
Yu Jiu looked at her.
Realizing something, Yu Hui blinked uncomfortably and stammered, “Your… your homeroom teacher called me. He even praised you.”
Yu Jiu didn’t expose her lie. Instead, he pulled out a pre-prepared ranking sheet from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to her. “I did get first place, but it’s not secure.”
Yu Hui hesitated for a moment before taking the sheet.
Yu Jiu lowered his head and continued eating, observing her expression out of the corner of his eye.
At first, Yu Hui looked puzzled, with a hint of doubt. But when her gaze landed on the total score column, her brows furrowed slightly.
“Zhai Chi…”
She murmured the name. “Who is this?”
“A new transfer student,” Yu Jiu replied calmly.
He supposed he should be thankful that Yu Hui had never paid much attention to him since he was young. She had no idea who his friends or classmates were, which meant she had no reaction to Zhai Chi’s name.
However, she did react to the nearly negligible score difference.
Yu Hui’s tone turned cold. “This time…”
“I was careless,” Yu Jiu said. “I’ll work harder next time. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone take first place from me.”
Before Yu Hui could get angry, he had already given her a firm assurance.
Just like that driver had said—maintain a good attitude and give a positive guarantee. It might not necessarily calm an adult’s anger, but at least it would keep them from saying anything worse.
Yu Hui’s expression remained sour.
Yu Jiu kept his head down, avoiding her gaze. He picked up a piece of mushroom, stuffed it into his mouth, and said lightly, “The extra lessons are voluntary. If you don’t want me to go, I—”
“Do I even have any control over you anymore?”
Yu Hui cut him off, her voice heavy.
Yu Jiu didn’t respond and simply lowered his head to continue eating.
Seeing his completely unyielding attitude and refusal to communicate, Yu Hui’s chest rose and fell violently. With a loud slam, she placed the ranking sheet onto the dining table and turned to head upstairs.
“…”
Yu Jiu acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and casually picked up another clam.
Aunt Zhang, who had been standing nearby, was visibly anxious. She wanted to call out to Yu Hui but hesitated, ultimately saying nothing. She watched as her mistress went upstairs, then turned back to Yu Jiu, who was still eating at a leisurely pace. After a long silence, she sighed heavily.
Yu Jiu said, “Aunt Zhang, eat quickly. The food will get cold.”
“…”
Aunt Zhang had no choice but to sit down again.
She carefully picked up the ranking sheet that Yu Hui had tossed aside, folded it neatly, and handed it to Yu Jiu. “Xiao Jiu, Madam… she just hopes you can spend more time with her.”
“…I know.”
Yu Jiu was silent for a moment. He finally found himself unable to eat anymore and set down his chopsticks. “Aunt Zhang, I’m done.”
He grabbed the ranking sheet from the table and got up to leave.
Aunt Zhang quickly pulled him back. “Xiao Jiu, you don’t have to push yourself so hard. You’re already excellent. Whether you’re first or not doesn’t matter. You don’t have to keep forcing yourself. I believe Madam wouldn’t—”
“She cares,” Yu Jiu interrupted her. “She cares.”
He emphasized it again, and Aunt Zhang felt a lump rise in her throat.
Yu Jiu suddenly chuckled, a mix of mockery and self-deprecation. “After all, the better I perform, the more she can hold her head high in front of my dad, isn’t that right?”
He was nothing more than a bargaining chip—a tool his mother used to antagonize his father.
Aunt Zhang didn’t try to stop him again as he walked out of the villa.
Standing under the sun outside, Yu Jiu recalled what Aunt Zhang had said and suddenly found it ironic.
Spend more time with her…
She wanted him to excel in everything, yet also wished he could stay home all the time. People were always so contradictory.
But when he needed company, where had his parents been?
When he had been lost and helpless, who had been there for him?
A face suddenly flashed through his mind. Yu Jiu jerked his head as if trying to shake off the thought, then quickly walked away from home.
During the May Day holiday, the school was unsurprisingly quiet.
This wasn’t Yu Jiu’s first time returning to school during a break, so he was used to this kind of silence.
Of course, the so-called “extra lessons” were just an excuse.
The second-place ranking that had felt threatening to him two days ago had now become his excuse to escape home.
He went straight from the school gate to the dormitory, already planning his solitary school life for the next few days.
Pushing open the dormitory door as usual, he didn’t expect the usual quietness.
“…Did you pick up a level-three backpack? Give me one.”
“Shit, when did the poison zone come? Damn, I’m getting hit! Someone help out this poor newbie!”
“Run? Which way? Hey, wait for me!”
“…”
As soon as he opened the door, someone on the nearest bed was shouting. From Yu Jiu’s limited experience, it sounded like they were playing a game.
Before he could push the door open completely, the person on the bed noticed him and turned toward the entrance.
“…”
Yu Jiu had no idea why Zhai Chi was still at school.
And Zhai Chi hadn’t expected Yu Jiu to return at this time either.
For a moment, they both froze in sync.
A second later, an angry voice burst from Zhai Chi’s phone.
“Fck! Zhai Chi, what the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to help the enemy improve their aim? Get down—ah sht!”
Gunfire erupted from the phone speakers, and before Zhai Chi could react, his character was shot in the head.
“…”
He didn’t seem to mind much. Hugging his phone, he looked toward the door. “Why are you back?”
Before Yu Jiu could answer, a voice came from the mic.
“What? Who’s back?”
Yu Jiu: “…”
Having his words cut off, he simply stepped inside and shut the dormitory door before replying, “I came back—”
He suddenly paused.
Why had he come back?
It was a perfectly good holiday. Everyone had gone home to enjoy their break. In this empty school, what was he even here for?
He originally wanted to say he had just come to grab something, but since he wasn’t sure when Zhai Chi would leave, he hesitated and decided to tell the truth. “I’m staying at school for two days.”
“What? Yu Jiu? What do you mean, staying at school for two days? You two are still on campus?”
“…”
“…”
The voice from the mic was loud and distinct. Yu Jiu was momentarily startled before asking, “Captain?”
Zhai Chi snapped back to his senses and nodded. “Yeah, they’re playing PUBG.”
“What do you mean they? You’re not playing?”
After the holiday began, Cheng Yuanchao had barely stepped into his house before dragging a few of the basketball team members into a gaming session.
“What’s going on? Are you two together? Perfect, Yu Jiu, come join us for a match… just wait until we finish this round. Zhou Duo is the only one still holding on right now.”
Yu Jiu instinctively wanted to refuse. “No need, I don’t really play this game…”
“So what?” Cheng Yuanchao said. “Zhai Chi can’t even figure out how to switch perspectives, but he’s still playing! The guy doesn’t even know his left from his right.”
“…”
Yu Jiu looked up at Zhai Chi, amused.
Even though his terrible sense of direction was no secret to Yu Jiu, Zhai Chi still felt a bit awkward under his gaze. “Hey, Captain, why are you making this personal? It’s just a game!”
“This isn’t personal; it’s training,” Cheng Yuanchao replied. “If you can’t learn through online coaching, maybe some in-person guidance will do the trick. Yu Jiu, help him out.”
Cheng Yuanchao’s words were casual, but the phrase “in-person guidance” made Zhai Chi pause for a moment.
Yu Jiu, busy putting his clothes into his locker, didn’t pay attention to the conversation.
Sitting on the top bunk, Zhai Chi suddenly leaned over with a grin.
“Teacher Yu, could you please guide me?”
I really pity Yu Jiu 😭 imagine the stress and trauma he had to go through
his mom doesn’t deserve children…. she’s making his life hell