OS - 21

Cheng Yuzhou’s words didn’t seem particularly out of place.

Zhou Yu and Cheng Wanyue were close friends, and Cheng Wanyue often spent time with Cheng Yuzhou. It was natural for them to know and be familiar with each other.

Cheng Yuzhou asked Yan Ci if he wanted to grab dinner. After a brief exchange of glances, Yan Ci shook his head and headed home. Cheng Yuzhou turned and went inside as well.

The aroma of food wafted upstairs from the kitchen, masking the lingering scent in the room.

Cheng Yuzhou lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Despite his mood, he eventually made a call.

“Wow! Son, you finally remembered you have a mother to care about.”

“I didn’t want to ruin your romantic time with Dad,” Cheng Yuzhou said, knowing his parents all too well. “Mom, there’s a case I think you’ll find interesting.”

Mrs. Cheng feigned disappointment on the other end of the line. “Oh, so you’re just concerned about my work? Fine, go ahead and tell me.”

“Last year, a coal mine collapsed underground, causing three deaths and six injuries. The bosses who had partnered to run the mine either fled or went into hiding…”

In fact, the incident had been reported by the media shortly after it occurred, but there was no follow-up. Questions remained about whether the mine had operated illegally, whether safety hazards existed before work began, and how compensation for the victims’ families would be handled. Someone needed to step forward and address these issues.

Mrs. Cheng specialized in such cases. On the surface, Cheng Yuzhou’s request seemed reasonable and professional. In reality, it was purely adding trouble to his father, as their recent marital discord stemmed precisely from her work.

Just like Cheng Wanyue’s situation.

In the days leading up to the start of school, Cheng Wanyue hadn’t calmed down at all. Cheng Guo’an had been driven to distraction by her antics, occasionally escaping to Grandma Qian’s house during his lunch breaks.

________________________________________

Every year, Bai Cheng No. 1 High School posted its class assignments on the bulletin board in the playground. Since Cheng Yanqing had already confirmed their placements ahead of time, there was no need to arrive early—they could simply head to the classroom when the time came.

“You being in the same class is one thing, but why is Cheng Yanqing also in Class One?”

Cheng Wanyue wasn’t necessarily insistent on being in the same class as everyone else—she had plenty of friends and wouldn’t feel lonely anywhere. However, she found it suspicious that Cheng Yanqing’s name appeared in Class One alongside theirs. His academic performance was only slightly better than hers. “Did you secretly pull some strings behind my back?”

Cheng Yanqing whistled. “How could you accuse me of such a thing? Am I the type to do that?”

He slung an arm around Cheng Yuzhou’s neck, about to say something more, when Zhou Yu and Qing Hang walked through the school gate. Qing Hang glanced over first, followed by Zhou Yu noticing them.

Across the crowd, their eyes met briefly before quickly shifting away.

Cheng Yuzhou abandoned his half-formed plan to throw Cheng Yanqing off and instead pushed him aside, moving closer to let Zhou Yu approach. She greeted Cheng Wanyue as usual, showing no difference from her typical behavior.

Qing Hang went ahead to the classroom. Only after he was far enough away did Cheng Wanyue let out a snort in his direction. Both boys assumed she was still upset about the adoption issue. Only Zhou Yu knew that not long ago, the two had kissed in an alley. But her attention wasn’t on them, so she missed Qing Hang slipping a note into Cheng Wanyue’s hand as he passed by. Instead, she was preoccupied with figuring out how to greet Cheng Yuzhou.

With Cheng Yanqing and Cheng Wanyue flanking either side, Zhou Yu and Cheng Yuzhou naturally ended up walking in the middle. When the siblings teased and shoved each other, her arm occasionally brushed against his.

He still hadn’t received his uniform and was wearing the shirt from the other day, unbuttoned and draped casually over a T-shirt. That day, when she wore it, the hem reached her thighs. Thankfully, there weren’t many people along the way back from the riverside.

After last night’s rain, the morning air carried a slight chill. Zhou Yu, nudged repeatedly toward him by Cheng Wanyue, felt the warmth of his body when they touched.

Unconsciously, she gripped the strap of her backpack tightly, her fingers tingling. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice someone approaching.

They arrived at Cheng Wanyue’s classroom, where the art classes were also located on the same floor.

“This is my brother—you’ve seen his photos before,” Cheng Wanyue introduced Cheng Yuzhou, then gestured to her friend. “This is Gao Rui from the art class. You should get to know each other.”

Gao Rui openly stared at the boy in front of her. Smiling, she remarked, “You’re even more handsome in person than in the photos.”

“Hello,” Cheng Yuzhou greeted briefly. With his hands in his pockets, he lightly nudged Zhou Yu’s arm with his elbow. “Let’s go.”

“Oh,” Zhou Yu followed him upstairs.

Cheng Wanyue explained, “He’s always like this with people he doesn’t know well. Once you get close to him, he’s fine.”

Gao Rui wasn’t too bothered. “Most ordinary good-looking guys have a bit of personality. Not to mention someone as handsome as him.”

“Hehe, very insightful!”

________________________________________

Their homeroom teacher was still Mr. Li, who had taught Class One the previous year. Having led seven consecutive graduating classes, he was highly experienced. Seats hadn’t been assigned yet, so students were free to sit wherever they liked.

Cheng Yanqing instinctively took a seat in the back row, while Cheng Yuzhou sat in the empty spot next to Qing Hang.

Zhou Yu sat with a girl she knew, positioned diagonally behind Cheng Yuzhou. On the first day, none of the teachers formally started lessons; they simply handed out review materials.

It seemed Cheng Yuzhou hadn’t slept well. He rested his head on the desk, his knuckles pressed red from lying on them.

When Zhou Yu passed by while distributing practice booklets, she didn’t give him a second glance. Love was a kind of torment—it troubled both the person being loved and the one doing the loving.

Yan Ci still hadn’t shown up to register. Before evening study hall, Zhou Yu was called out of the classroom.

Mr. Li had tried calling Yan Ci six times, but he hadn’t answered. If he missed the registration deadline and tried to join later, other students might complain. Reluctant to see one of his former students fall into decline, Mr. Li decided to hold a class meeting. Afterward, he would collect tuition fees individually. Thus, he asked Zhou Yu to visit Yan Ci’s home. If possible, she should persuade him to come before evening study hall ended. At the very least, he needed to be at school by tomorrow morning.

Even if Mr. Li hadn’t asked, Zhou Yu would have gone anyway.

Yan Ci wasn’t home, so Zhou Yu went to the billiards hall. Still, no one was there.

Someone at the billiards hall told her that Yan Ci should be at 0719.

0719 was a bar in town. Even though Zhou Yu was still in her school uniform, she felt out of place just stepping inside to look for someone.

Zhou Yu asked the receptionist, “Excuse me, is Yan Ci here?”

“Yes, he’s in a private room.”

“Can you tell me which room? I’m his friend, and I urgently need to see him.”

The receptionist led her directly there. “This is the room.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Yu said. Just as she finished thanking them, the door opened.

A short, stout man emerged shirtless, standing in the corridor, looking left and right. A scar ran across his face, and he muttered curses under his breath. “Where did that Yan kid run off to? He’s been gone so long.”

Behind him stood a woman—the daughter of an adult store owner who had dropped out of school a couple of years ago. Rumor had it she was dating a thug. Zhou Yu had seen her at the billiards hall before, and evidently, she was also looking for Yan Ci.

This meant Yan Ci wasn’t in the private room. Zhou Yu turned to leave but overheard a waiter telling the manager that someone had locked themselves in the restroom for a long time without making a sound or opening the door.

Zhou Yu didn’t know what was going on, but unease settled in her chest.

While the manager arranged for others to check, Zhou Yu went to knock on the restroom door. “Yan Ci, are you in there? It’s Zhou Yu.”

After a long pause, a faint, uncertain voice came from inside. “…Zhou Yu?”

It was low, hoarse, and muffled, like someone drowning and grasping desperately onto a lifeline. Zhou Yu didn’t immediately recognize it as Yan Ci’s voice until he contradicted himself. “No, it can’t be Zhou Yu… She wouldn’t come here…”

“It’s me, it’s me. Yan Ci, it’s Zhou Yu. Open the door.”

The lock clicked heavily, and Zhou Yu pushed the door open. She saw Yan Ci leaning against the corner, his face flushed. He must have been drinking, but it wasn’t just drunkenness—he seemed unwell.

Zhou Yu approached to steady him. His feverish heat felt abnormal.

“Yan Ci, are you feeling unwell?”

Yan Ci suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, his rough voice whispering in her ear, “I want to go home.”