Xie An’yu only realized after hanging up that it must have been Yu Feng who topped up his phone credit. He glanced at his phone and sure enough, he had received a text message two minutes ago confirming a 100-yuan top-up from Yu Feng.
Once dinner time passed, the internet cafe started getting crowded. The service counter faced the entrance, where people were steadily streaming in from outside.
After his call with Xie An’yu, Yu Feng had to return to the company for an urgent matter. By the time he finished and went to find Xie An’yu, it was already quite late.
The internet cafe Xie An’yu mentioned was located in a rather old office building. From the outside, there was no indication of an internet cafe inside. When Yu Feng entered through the main door, he saw posters advertising escape rooms and gaming lounges plastered on the walls—apparently, the building housed various entertainment venues catering to young people.
Yu Feng took the elevator to the fourth floor. The internet cafe’s neon sign was blindingly bright, but the interior was dim, with only the faint glow of computer screens visible.
The internet cafe’s entrance door was completely transparent. Xie An’yu sat behind the service counter—his height made him noticeable even with only his upper body visible above the counter. A girl with a ponytail was leaning against the counter, chatting with him while holding a cup of milk tea.
Xie An’yu paused the video he was watching. The girl in front of him smiled and asked, “What are you watching? Why aren’t you wearing headphones?”
“There are subtitles.”
Besides, the woodcarving video Xie An’yu was watching didn’t have much audio to begin with.
“Just reading subtitles is no fun.” The girl noticed the milk tea beside Xie An’yu’s computer. “Oh, you bought milk tea today too? Awkward, haha.”
This girl was a regular at the internet cafe, coming every other day or so. Over time, Xie An’yu had become somewhat familiar with her.
Since she had a membership card, she didn’t need to get a temporary pass—just a quick ID scan would do.
“I didn’t buy it,” Xie An’yu said. “Could I have your ID?”
“Oh? Someone else bought it for you? Besides me, someone else is thinking of you?” The girl spoke very frankly, smiling as she pushed the bubble tea she’d bought towards Xie An’yu. She cheerfully added, “I bought you bubble tea too.”
“Ah? Someone else bought it for you? So I’m not the only one thinking about you?” The girl was straightforward, grinning as she pushed the milk tea she’d bought towards Xie An’yu. She cheerfully added, “I got you one too.”
Xie An’yu glanced at her. She blinked at him twice and said, “To be honest, I’ve been noticing you for a while. Do you have a girlfriend?”
Her intentions were clear now. Xie An’yu hadn’t interacted much with girls growing up. Even during school, when some showed interest in him, they were usually quite subtle—offering drinks during P.E. class or leaving breakfast in his desk in the mornings.
The most direct approach he’d experienced was a love letter tucked into his homework notebook, but after Xie An’yu didn’t respond, nothing more came of it.
Xie An’yu had never encountered a girl who openly expressed interest directly to him, so for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. He averted his gaze and softly mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
“Ah? Rejected just like that?” The girl chuckled, glancing at his milk tea. “Did your partner give you that?”
Xie An’yu said, “No.”
“Not even giving me a chance, huh? At least let me finish my confession.” The girl sighed. “Well, I was going to ask for your WeChat too, but I guess I died before even reaching the battlefield.”
She took out her ID and handed it to Xie An’yu. “Handsome, you’re a bit too cool.”
Xie An’yu remained silent, mainly because he didn’t know what to say. He swiped the ID card and handed it back, gently pushing the milk tea back toward her as well.
“Take the milk tea with you. Thanks.”
“You can have it. It’d be a waste not to drink it since it’s already bought. I’m breaking out lately, so I’m cutting sugar.” The girl bent down to meet his eyes. “Really can’t chat a little longer?”
Xie An’yu tactfully reminded her, “Your card’s already started counting time.”
The girl burst into laughter. “Got it, got it. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be; no forcing fate. Take the milk tea—seeing you sitting here every day is like a breath of fresh air for my eyes. Consider it eye-care fees from me. I’m off!” With that, she took her ID and walked further inside.
Leaving things scattered on the service counter didn’t look great, so Xie An’yu placed the milk tea she gave him next to the other cup.
The night shift was quite grueling. Eating dinner too early often led to hunger in the middle of the night, and Xie An’yu didn’t want to spend money on late-night snacks, so he delayed his mealtime. He pulled a piece of bread from the bag at his feet and started munching on it, washing it down with a bottle of mineral water.
***
Yu Feng deliberately waited until the girl finished talking to Xie An’yu before entering. As he approached the entrance, the glass doors slid open automatically.
Hearing the noise, Xie An’yu glanced up. Seeing Yu Feng, he froze for a second before quickly setting down the bread in his hand.
“No dinner?” Yu Feng asked as he walked in.
Xie An’yu swallowed the half-chewed bread and hummed in acknowledgment. “You’re coming here this late?”
“Yeah,” Yu Feng glanced inside. “If I don’t return the money to you today, I won’t be able to sleep.”
Xie An’yu chuckled softly. “Is it that exaggerated?”
A few breadcrumbs clung to the corner of Xie An’yu’s lips. Yu Feng’s gaze flickered over his mouth before catching sight of the two cups of milk tea beside the computer out of the corner of his eye.
Quite a lot of fans.
Yu Feng handed Xie An’yu an envelope containing the extra money he’d overpaid.
Xie An’yu pulled out a hundred yuan bill from it and gave it back to him. “That’s for the phone credit you topped up for me.”
Yu Feng didn’t refuse, accepting it readily.
Truthfully, Xie An’yu thought the amount Yu Feng had recharged was a bit excessive, but he was too embarrassed to say so. Still, phone credit would be used eventually, so whether it was too much or too little didn’t really matter.
Yu Feng glanced at the dry bread in Xie An’yu’s hand and asked, “Is that all you’re having for dinner?”
Xie An’yu hummed in affirmation.
Coming in at this hour to monitor computers usually meant working through the night.
Yu Feng admitted that, because of Xiao Dao, he felt a bit of sympathy for Xie An’yu—and after meeting him in person, that sympathy had only grown.
He couldn’t help but wonder how Xie An’yu was doing, and the thought lingered beyond his rational control.
Yu Feng pulled out his wallet, took out his ID card, and handed it to Xie An’yu. “Get me a card.”
Xie An’yu was taken aback. “You’re going to use the computers here?”
“What’s wrong? Do you have restrictions on who can use the internet here?”
“No…” Xie An’yu took Yu Feng’s ID, his peripheral vision catching sight of the photo on the card. In the photo, Yu Feng wasn’t wearing glasses, his sharp features clearly visible—he was quite handsome.
In person, he was just as good-looking, though his black-framed glasses obscured his face, and his gaze was colder compared to the ID photo.
After Yu Feng paid the deposit, Xie An’yu processed the card and returned the ID, lowering his voice. “Go straight in and turn left and walk all the way to the end. There’s a small private booth—no one’s there yet. It’s quiet, and you won’t smell smoke. You can go there.”
“It’s fine, I don’t need it,” Yu Feng smiled. “I smoke too.”
As Yu Feng turned to leave, Xie An’yu called out to him again, “Do you drink milk tea?”
“I have two cups here. Would you like one?”
“The girl gave them to you, so you should keep them. Giving them to me would be wasting her kind gesture.”
Xie An’yu’s ears burned at his words. “Were you outside just now?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to come in and disturb you.”
The flush on Xie An’yu’s ears spread from behind his earlobes. “Nothing happened with her. She just bought me a cup of milk tea. The other one wasn’t from a girl either—it was from a coworker.”
Xie An’yu was quite tall with handsome features, making his bashfulness seem somewhat incongruous. But Yu Feng figured he was probably just slow to warm up and unaccustomed to jokes from people he wasn’t close with.
“I’ll pass on the milk tea, thanks for the offer,” Yu Feng switched to a more polite tone. “I’m not really fond of it.”
Xie An’yu suddenly felt a bit awkward. He nodded.
Yu Feng found a seat near the entrance, close to the service counter. The internet cafe didn’t ban smoking, and the smell of cigarettes was indeed quite strong. Though he smoked himself, the concentrated haze in the space still felt a bit suffocating.
Yu Feng sat there for a while.
He had originally intended to ask Xie An’yu directly if he had a place to stay now, but for some reason, after seeing him in person, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
Maybe it was because of what Xie An’yu had said on the phone earlier: “You’re interfering too much.”
Yeah, he had interfered too much, including sitting here like an idiot right now.
Forget it, let today be the end of it.
Yu Feng turned on the computer, entered his card number and password, and planned to watch one episode of the news broadcast before leaving.
From this spot, the service counter was clearly visible. Yu Feng glanced over and happened to meet Xie An’yu’s gaze. The two locked eyes for a moment before Xie An’yu awkwardly looked away.
***
The internet cafe owner usually made his rounds every evening, and today was no exception. He walked in reeking of alcohol, his face stern as he shot Xie An’yu a glance before heading further inside.
When Xie An’yu looked up, he noticed the man was a bit unsteady on his feet—clearly, he had drunk quite a bit.
Before long, the owner came back out and scanned the service counter. His brows suddenly furrowed. “Xiao Xie, what’s with all these bags and bundles piled up here?”
At Xie An’yu’s feet were his backpack and the black tote bag. He had asked the owner before if he could temporarily store his bags behind the service desk, and the owner had agreed at the time. Now, for some reason, he seemed to have forgotten.
“I asked you before, and you said it was fine,” Xie An’yu replied.
“What nonsense are you talking about? If you’d asked, I wouldn’t forget, would I?” The internet cafe owner had been drinking and lost a lot of money gambling, so he was already in a bad mood and looking for trouble. Xie An’yu’s retort only irritated him more.
***
Yu Feng was starting to feel restless.
Though he was a heavy smoker himself, he didn’t make a habit of smoking in public. The guy next to him, however, lit one cigarette after another, the white smoke wafting over in waves—not just irritating, but suffocating.
Yu Feng took off his headphones and glanced toward the service counter, where a short, stout man now stood, barely taller than Xie An’yu even while seated. The man was raising his voice, his face flushed with anger. Though he was loud, most people in the internet cafe had headphones on and didn’t notice the commotion.
The owner pointed at the milk tea on the table, looking at Xie An’yu with a sneer. “Living quite comfortably, aren’t you? Even drinking two cups of milk tea.”
Xie An’yu remained silent, which only egged the other man on.
“You think this is your house, leaving all these bags lying around? I only kept you out of pity because you’re young and pathetic. Don’t flatter yourself—hiring someone is easy. Who’d want an illiterate high school dropout like you?” He kicked the backpack on the ground. “Get this junk out of my sight right now!”
Xie An’yu’s expression changed. He immediately pulled his backpack closer to his feet, his face turning grim.
“What, I can’t even criticize you?” The internet cafe owner kicked Xie An’yu’s backpack over, then directly stepped on it. “You think it’s appropriate to leave your stuff here, Xiao Xie?”
As he spoke, he pressed down harder with his foot, grinding it into the backpack twice. Xie An’yu gasped in alarm, his face turning pale. Furious, he stood up and shoved the man hard.
The internet cafe owner stumbled backward, losing his footing and falling to the floor. He sat on the ground, staring at Xie An’yu in disbelief.
Xie An’yu hurriedly unzipped the outermost pocket of his backpack, revealing his old-fashioned phone; its screen now had a crack. He quickly pressed the power button, but just as the screen lit up, the internet cafe owner suddenly scrambled up, snatched the phone from his hands, and smashed it fiercely onto the ground.
With a loud crack, the old phone broke directly into two halves. Xie An’yu froze completely, staring at the shattered device in shock.
Without a word, Xie An’yu walked over, grabbed the owner by his collar, dragged him to the corner, and pinned him against the wall. He was trembling with rage, his hands gripping the collar, pulling it fiercely upwards, pressing hard against the owner’s throat.
Xie An’yu’s eyes were red. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Why did you smash my phone?”
“Xie An’yu!”
Yu Feng’s voice came from behind him. Xie An’yu froze for a moment, standing still.
“Calm down,” Yu Feng said, stepping forward and put a hand on his arm. “Losing your temper won’t help you.”
After a tense moment, Xie An’yu released his hold.
As soon as the internet cafe owner was free from Xie An’yu’s restraint, he swung a punch, aiming to hit him. Yu Feng, quick as lightning, caught his arm and pulled Xie An’yu behind him. A wave of alcohol breath hit Yu Feng, almost making him stumble. He gripped the internet cafe owner’s wrist, warning him, “If you really want to spend a night at the police station, I can personally escort you there.”
The internet cafe owner paused, then angrily shook off Yu Feng’s hand.
Yu Feng picked up the broken phone on the floor and turned to see Xie An’yu with his head down, a tear clinging to the tip of his nose. He walked over, gently pressing Xie An’yu’s head against his shoulder and resting a hand on the back of his head.
Xie An’yu seemed to be a very emotional person—this was the second time Yu Feng had seen him cry.
Pressed against Yu Feng’s shoulder, Xie An’yu sobbed quietly, his voice choked and frantic.
“Brother Yu, what do I do? My phone’s broken… What do I do…?”
Yu Feng gently stroked his hair, comforting him softly, “Don’t cry. I’ll figure something out.”
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 23″]
三天兩頭 (sān tiān liǎng tóu): lit. twice every three days (idiom); practically every day; frequently; every two or three days; every few days; often; constantly; repeatedly; describes the high frequency of an action or event.一來二去 (yī lái èr qù): in the course of contacts; gradually; little by little; as time goes by; over time; something gradually develops over a period of time.
惻隱之心 (cè yǐn zhī xīn): feeling of compassion; heart of sympathy; sentiment of pity; Describes sympathy for people; From Mencius (《孟子·公孫丑上》): 所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心。, When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.
眼疾手快 (yǎn jí shǒu kuài): sharp eyes and agile hands or nimble fingers; be quick of eyes and deft of hands; sharp eyes and quick hands; describe being clever, alert, agile, and quick to respond.
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