The sound beside him had stopped—Xie An’yu must have finished crying. Yu Feng released him and asked quietly, “Do you have somewhere to stay now?”
Xie An’yu looked at him without answering, his eyes still red.
“Got it.” Yu Feng patted the back of his head lightly, then asked, “How much did the phone cost?”
Xie An’yu sniffled and said, “138[mfn]T/N: Around 20 USD[/mfn].”
Yu Feng chuckled, “You remember that clearly. Wait for me for a bit.”
That phone had been bought by Xie An’yu for his grandmother, so of course he remembered the price.
The commotion when the internet cafe owner smashed the phone earlier had been loud enough to draw attention. Several people had rushed out to see what was happening. The girl who had given Xie An’yu the milk tea stormed over and jabbed a finger at the cafe owner’s face, yelling, “What the hell is wrong with you, you idiot! Who gave you the right to smash someone’s phone?!”
She had deliberately chosen a spot with a clear view of the counter, and while taking a break from her game, she had witnessed the entire altercation between Xie An’yu and the cafe owner, watching helplessly as the latter destroyed Xie An’yu’s phone.
The milk tea girl’s tirade drew even more onlookers. The internet cafe owner, already drunk and dazed, sobered up halfway from the shock.
Yu Feng picked up the broken old phone and walked up to the internet cafe owner. “Shall we discuss the phone’s compensation?”
With so many people watching—all customers of the internet cafe—the owner didn’t dare vent his anger. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was just an old-fashioned phone.
“200[mfn]T/N: Around 28 USD[/mfn] should be enough, right? That’s enough for him to buy a new one.”
“Are you trying to fob off a beggar?!” the milk tea girl snapped, then looked down and realized Yu Feng was holding an old-fashioned phone. She froze, momentarily at a loss for words.
“1,000[mfn]T/N: Around 140 USD[/mfn],” Yu Feng said.
The internet cafe owner’s eyes bulged. “Why don’t you just rob me? Do I have ‘idiot’ written on my forehead?”
“So you do know.”
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter.
Yu Feng had said that on purpose, never expecting the other party to dig his own hole and jump right into it. He had seen stupid people, but never this stupid.
“Pay up,” Yu Feng said. “And while you’re at it, settle Xie An’yu’s wages.”
After speaking, Yu Feng walked over to Xie An’yu and asked for his smartphone, then displayed Xie An’yu’s WeChat payment QR code. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the internet cafe owner reluctantly scanned and transferred the money.
Yu Feng placed the shattered old phone back into Xie An’yu’s backpack. As he opened the outermost pocket, he noticed a notebook inside, its cover old and faded. A photo seemed to be tucked inside, with a corner peeking out—a glimpse of red maple leaves.
Yu Feng zipped the bag up, bent down, picked up the backpack and the tote bag, then walked over to Xie An’yu, handing him one of the bags. “You take one too, so I can free up a hand.”
Xie An’yu quickly took the heavier tote bag.
Yu Feng slung the backpack over his shoulder and walked over to the milk tea girl. “Do you have any water with you?”
“Ah?” The milk tea girl blinked in confusion before quickly catching on Yu Feng’s meaning. She grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I do. Wait, just three seconds!”
The milk tea girl dashed back almost instantly, holding a half-empty bottle of mineral water.
Yu Feng took the mineral water bottle she handed over, unscrewed the cap, and splashed the water directly onto the internet cafe owner’s face. With a flick of his wrist, the entire bottle’s contents drenched the other man’s face.
“You’ve had enough to drink, time to sober up,” Yu Feng said as he tossed the empty bottle into the trash bin beside the service counter.
The crowd erupted with ‘Whoa!’ sounds, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Yu Feng pulled out his phone and asked the milk tea girl, “How much for the water? I’ll scan you the money.”
“Forget about the money,” the milk tea girl clasped her fists in gratitude toward Yu Feng. “Thanks for the free show—that was epic, Brother.”
“You’re welcome,” Yu Feng replied, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
Yu Feng walked over and patted Xie An’yu’s head. “Let’s go.”
The internet cafe owner stood frozen, blinking in shock from the half-bottle of water poured on him. By the time he snapped out of it, Yu Feng and Xie An’yu had already vanished.
A bystander who loved stirring trouble walked over to fan the flames. “Want me to call the cops for you, boss?”
Even an idiot could tell this was a deliberate taunt. The internet cafe owner roared at him, “Get lost!”
***
As soon as they got into the car, Xie An’yu immediately unzipped his backpack to check his old-school flip phone. The phone body was broken into two halves, and its screen cracked with several fractures.
Yu Feng turned his head to glance at it.
Those rugged old phones were indeed tougher—even though it was broken in half, not a single component was missing. It had broken quite cleanly.
But for even a durable flip phone to shatter like this showed just how much force that idiotic owner had used.
Yu Feng looked up at Xie An’yu, whose eyebrows were practically twisted into a knot.
After a moment of silent grief, Xie An’yu quickly accepted the fact that his phone was broken. He put the phone back in his backpack and stared blankly ahead. A moment later, he finally snapped back to reality.
“Big Brother,” Xie An’yu glanced out the window, “where are we going?”
“Just now it was still ‘Brother Yu’, now it’s back to ‘Big Brother’ again? Has my rank dropped in an instant?”
Xie An’yu lowered his head, rubbing his nose without a word.
“Every time I see you, you’re teaching people a lesson. Your combat stats are pretty high,” Yu Feng remarked.
Yu Feng suddenly found it quite amusing.
Xie An’yu, this person, if you say he has social anxiety, he can still fight quite well. If you say he can fight, he’s also a bit prone to crying.
Xie An’yu’s mood was somber, his voice subdued. “I didn’t used to fight.”
“Picking fights with bad people isn’t called fighting—it’s called defending your rights,” Yu Feng sighed lightly. “Why do all the bosses you meet deserve a beating?”
Even Yu Feng felt that Xie An’yu was truly having a string of bad luck. Such a sensible kid, why did he always face such inhumane treatment?
“There are plenty of good ones too,” Xie An’yu said.
Like the fishing boat owner, or Master Wen who taught him crafts—they were all residents of Shuangye Isle, kind-hearted people.
Once again, Yu Feng sensed that while Xie An’yu’s life might be shrouded in darkness, his soul stood firmly in the sunlight. He always chose to see the brighter side.
Xie An’yu added, “Bad people exist everywhere, but I still think there are more good ones.”
Yu Feng hummed in agreement. “You’re right.”
Xie An’yu turned to look at Yu Feng, silently studying him.
Yu Feng glanced sideways. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Thank you, Brother Yu,” Xie An’yu said.
Yu Feng, holding the steering wheel, hummed. “The rank’s back up again.”
Xie An’yu finally cracked a smile.
The car stopped at a traffic light. Yu Feng rolled down the window, thinking of having a cigarette. Considering Xie An’yu was next to him, he hesitated and closed the window again.
“Go ahead and smoke,” Xie An’yu said.
“Never mind.” Yu Feng looked out the window and asked Xie An’yu, “You know how to make cakes, right? Why not work at a dessert shop? You’re pretty good at it.”
Xie An’yu turned to him and asked, “How did that cake taste last time?”
The light turned green. Yu Feng stepped on the accelerator. “It was delicious.”
Finally, something worth being happy about today. Xie An’yu felt like a contractor who had just received approval from the client—his mood finally brightened a little.
“So?” Yu Feng glanced at him. “Never thought about working at a dessert shop?”
“I don’t want to do that,” Xie An’yu said.
Yu Feng was a bit puzzled. “Isn’t making desserts better than monitoring computers at an internet cafe? At least it’d give you a normal sleep schedule.”
Xie An’yu had some bad memories about dessert shops.
He had worked at one before—probably the most popular dessert shop on Shuangye Isle at the time. Most dessert shops on the island were quite old-fashioned, using vegetable cream for cakes and sticking to old-school piping designs.
Compared to those less competitive shops, the one he worked at was considered quite trendy for Shuangye Isle.
At least the desserts looked and tasted like they belonged in a big city.
The dessert shop owner was from Shuangye Isle. She had run a dessert shop in a major city off the island for years before returning to open a new one back home.
When the shop first opened, business was slow. Xie An’yu started working there during that time. He wasn’t even an adult yet, but Shuangye Isle was a small place—small shops weren’t strict about hiring as long as you didn’t look underage and the pay was agreeable.
Within half a year, the dessert shop’s business picked up. Overwhelmed, the owner brought in her cousin to help. The cousin, unemployed at the time, was three or four years older than Xie An’yu. At first, she acted quite normally, but gradually, whenever she was alone with Xie An’yu, she started touching him inappropriately.
Sometimes she’d pat his neck. Other times, she’d pinch his ear.
Xie An’yu was very averse to physical contact with strangers. At first, he just subtly avoided her, but later, the girl became increasingly brazen. Once, she leaned in so close she nearly kissed his cheek. Startled, Xie An’yu pushed her away—knocking over a freshly frosted cake, which landed on her foot.
After that, Xie An’yu stopped speaking to her altogether. Not long after, the owner pulled him aside and asked if there was some issue between him and her cousin.
Xie An’yu was at a loss for how to explain. He thought the girl had merely told the owner about him accidentally getting cake on her that day, but it turned out she had twisted the story completely.
Xie An’yu gave a vague account of what happened that day. The owner just stared at him for a few seconds before dropping the subject.
Later, the cousin’s mother showed up at the shop, and only then did Xie An’yu learned the truth—the girl hadn’t just said they had a disagreement. She had accused him of sexually harassing her.
The owner didn’t believe Xie An’yu would do such a thing, which was why she had asked if there was some conflict between them.
Throughout the entire incident, the shop owner had stood firmly on Xie An’yu’s side. However, the girl’s mother was utterly convinced of her daughter’s accusations. Being the shop owner’s aunt, she came directly to the store to confront her niece, demanding she fire Xie An’yu.
Naturally, the shop owner refused. She told her aunt, “There’s no way Xiao Xie would do something like that. He’s someone I personally hired—you think I can just fire him on your say-so?”
Xie An’yu denied harassing the girl, and with the shop owner vouching for his character, the girl ultimately failed to pin the blame on him. Still, Xie An’yu resigned not long after.
In truth, even if the girl’s mother hadn’t intervened, Xie An’yu would have resigned eventually. He couldn’t stand being around such people day in and day out.
These unpleasant memories stuck in Xie An’yu’s heart like a thorn. Though not quite a shadow, they always made him feel uncomfortable whenever he thought of them.
However, this wasn’t the fundamental reason Xie An’yu avoided working at dessert shops. His current goal was simply to earn money and pay off his debts—any job would do. After this phase, he had other things he wanted to do.
Xie An’yu didn’t want to bring up those past events, so he didn’t explain much, only saying, “There are other things I want to do.”
“Brother Yu, where are we going now?”
“My place.”
Xie An’yu turned his head to look at him.
“I know you don’t have a place to stay,” Yu Feng said. “You can stay at my place for now. It won’t be for free—I’ll charge rent.”
Yu Feng knew this was the only way to preempt Xie An’yu’s refusal. It seemed he was starting to understand Xie An’yu’s way of thinking—Xie An’yu indeed didn’t immediately reject the offer.
“I live alone, and the place is decently spacious. Renting out the spare room to you would earn me some extra cash. Either way, you’ll need somewhere to stay—why not let me profit from it? After all the times I’ve helped you.”
Xie An’yu couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, at least come up with a slightly better excuse.”
“This one’s not good enough?”
Xie An’yu fell silent for a few seconds before asking, “Brother Yu, what’s the real reason?”
Xie An’yu’s closest family members had passed away—Yu Feng knew this, though Xie An’yu didn’t know that Yu Feng knew.
Right now, Xie An’yu was practically homeless; otherwise, he wouldn’t have hesitated when asked if he had a place to stay. If forced to give a reason, it would simply be sympathy for Xie An’yu’s circumstances.
But that explanation wouldn’t hold up.
After all, there were too many unfortunate people in the world.
And Yu Feng knew his willingness to help Xie An’yu wasn’t solely out of sympathy.
He thought for a moment and decided the reason must be Xie An’yu himself. Yu Feng always felt he could see something in him.
The moon, the band stage, the sunset by the fountain… so many things.
Yu Feng didn’t speak for a long time. Xie An’yu turned to look at him.
“Just think of it as for my own sake,” Yu Feng said.
Xie An’yu didn’t press further—Yu Feng’s expression was too earnest.
“I thought you’d say it’s because you pity me,” Xie An’yu remarked.
“Do you think you’re pitiful?” Yu Feng countered.
Xie An’yu shook his head.
“If you don’t think so, why should I?” Yu Feng said.
Xie An’yu must have always known—every step he took had meaning. He was always looking forward.
After a quiet moment, Xie An’yu suddenly brought up his past. “My parents are already gone.”
Yu Feng said nothing.
“The day they left, the phrase I heard the most was, ‘This child is so pitiful…’ After that, I often heard that same phrase.”
Yu Feng continued his thought: “You have a healthy body, an independent spirit, mature values, and the courage to pursue life—how could you be pitiful?”
Xie An’yu was momentarily stunned before replying, “Mm, I’m not pitiful at all.”
Yu Feng had perfectly articulated Xie An’yu’s own feelings, leaving him somewhat moved. He thought to himself that educated adults really knew how to express things. That was exactly how he felt, but he couldn’t have phrased it so eloquently.
After a moment of consideration, as if making up his mind, Xie An’yu turned to Yu Feng and asked, “Brother Yu, are you sure me staying at your place won’t be a bother?”
“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”
Xie An’yu didn’t hesitate any longer. “How much for rent?”
Yu Feng threw out a random number. “300[mfn]T/N: Around 42 USD[/mfn].”
Xie An’yu was silent for a while.
Yu Feng turned to look at him. “Am I disrupting the market order?”
Xie An’yu suddenly laughed.
Yu Feng could be quite witty sometimes.
“Then make it 500. That second bedroom isn’t big—it’s not worth that much anyway.”
And just like that, the rent was settled. Xie An’yu was far more straightforward than Yu Feng had expected. He was serious, but not awkward. There was a difference between being earnest and being difficult—too much of the latter could be annoying, but Xie An’yu wasn’t like that. He had his own set of principles for dealing with the world: taking things seriously and acting decisively.
The author has something to say:
The wind[mfn]The wind [風 (fēng)] as in Feng in Yu Feng [餘風 (Yú Fēng)].[/mfn] has landed.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 24″]
火上澆油 (huǒ shàng jiāo yóu): to pour oil on the fire (idiom); fig. to aggravate a situation; to enrage people and make matters worse; to add fuel to the fire (to worsen a conflict); stir up more trouble.無人問津 (wú rén wèn jīn): to be of no interest to anyone (idiom); nobody is interested; unpopular; unattractive; nobody troubles to ask; be nobody’s business; no one comes to inquire about, try, or buy something. From Story of the Peach Blossom Spring: 南陽劉子驥，高尚士也，聞之，欣然規往。未果，尋病終。後遂無問津者。, Liu Ziji from Nanyang was a person of integrity. When he heard about the Peach Blossom Spring, he joyfully planned a visit, but eventually died before being able to reach there. Since then there have been no one trying to search for the Peach Blossom Spring.
不動聲色 (bù dòng shēng sè): not a word or movement (idiom); to maintain one’s composure; to stay calm and collected; to not turn a hair; to not bat an eyelid; to not show or betray one’s feelings or intentions; betray no emotion; not to speak or show emotion; it describes a calm demeanor.
肆無忌憚 (sì wú jì dàn): brazen; unbridled; wanton; unscrupulous; absolutely unrestrained; without the slightest scruple; be afraid of nothing; act recklessly and care for nobody; act outrageously; run riot; to act recklessly and without any scruples.
顛倒黑白 (diān dǎo hēi bái): lit. to invert black and white (idiom); to distort the truth deliberately; to confuse right and wrong; to confound right with wrong; to distort the truth; to misrepresent the facts; to invert right and wrong; confound black with white; stand the facts on their heads; confuse right and wrong; confuse truth and falsehood; a metaphor for distorting facts and confusing right and wrong.
深信不疑 (shēn xìn bù yí): to firmly believe without any doubt; absolute certainty about sth; believe without a shadow of doubt; have deep-seated faith (in).
朝夕相處 (zhāo xī xiāng chǔ): be together morning and night; be closely associated; be closely associated; describes living together from morning to night and emphasizes the closeness of interpersonal relationships.
無家可歸 (wú jiā kě guī): to wander about without a home to go back to; to be homeless; outcast; having lost one’s family and having nowhere to go. It often describes the state of displacement caused by war or disaster.
站不住腳 (zhàn bu zhù jiǎo): to be ill-founded; to be groundless; to not have a leg to stand on; to be unable to hold water. Its original meaning is that one cannot stand steadily. It is used to refer to opinions or remarks that cannot withstand scrutiny or refutation.
乾乾淨淨 (gān gān jìng jìng): clean and tidy; spick-and-span; clean and fresh; neat and tidy; clean as a pin; spotlessly clean; entirely gone; empty; with nothing left; there is no dust, impurities, etc., and it also describes that the speech and movement are not sloppy or that there is no trace left at all.
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