I miss Fan so much

"Eat first. I'll go check on Yaoyao." Xu Jing set the food on the table.

After Shan Ye went home, he stayed away from the café for several days. It rained in Muzhou every day he was away.

The rain brought a chill to Muzhou. Being in the north, the city's temperature dropped sharply. It was nearly October, and Shan Ye now had to wear a coat whenever he went out.

It was the day before National Day. After his last class, Shan Ye returned to the office, where his team leader came in and announced, "We're planning a team-building trip over the National Day holiday. Travel and accommodation will be reimbursed! Anyone who has time is welcome to join."

The office erupted with excitement as everyone discussed where to go.

The new colleague at the desk beside Shan Ye's, Yu Chuan, was on the same team as him.

Yu Chuan turned to ask Shan Ye, "Are you going?"

Shan Ye was checking assignments his students had emailed him. Facing his computer, he said, "Probably not."

Through the frosted-glass divider, Yu Chuan could see Shan Ye's profile. An idea suddenly struck him. "How about we go somewhere down south? It's so cold up here."

"Down south?" Shan Ye finally turned around.

Shan Ye had actually been considering it himself. The nonstop rain in Muzhou these past few days had really dampened his spirits. On top of that, his unpleasant encounter with Boss Fan a while back had left him upset for days.

"Where down south?"

Yu Chuan scrolled on his phone. He had seen a place on Xiaohongshu that looked beautiful at this time of year, in the golden autumn. More importantly, the weather there was pleasant, unlike the wind up north, which felt as cold as shards of ice.

Shan Ye took the phone and looked at the post he meant.

"Osmanthus City?" Shan Ye asked.

Yu Chuan nodded eagerly, a little excited. "What do you think? Want to go?"

"Yes!" Shan Ye agreed without hesitation.

"Great. I'll drive."

That evening, Shan Ye's mother came into his room and saw him packing. She asked casually, "Are you... going away somewhere?"

Shan Ye didn't turn around. "A team-building trip with the school."

"How are things with... that café owner?" His mother sat down on the edge of his bed, anticipation in her eyes.

Shan Ye stopped what he was doing and turned to smile at her. "We're doing great."

"Then why don't you invite him along?"

Shan Ye wanted to, but he and Fan Jin hadn't seen or spoken to each other in almost five days. There hadn't been a single message.

Including travel time, he wouldn't be back from this trip for at least four or five days. If they still didn't see each other, it would be close to half a month.

"Okay, I'll ask him in a bit." Shan Ye smiled at her.

A while later, Shan Ye went out onto the balcony and paced back and forth for ages, clutching his phone. Should I ask him... What if he doesn't want to answer?

He couldn't worry about all that now. He really missed Fan Jin.

He pulled up the first person in his contacts and tapped the call button.

It rang for a few seconds before the other end picked up.

"Hello?"

"...Fan."

There was a brief silence on the other end. The background was noisy, but Fan Jin's voice was clear, his tone as cool as ever. "Did you need something?"

Shan Ye said, "Um... do you have any plans for the National Day holiday?"

Fan Jin looked at the flashing red light above the door. The words "Surgery in progress" stood out starkly.

His voice turned slightly hoarse. "...Yes."

Shan Ye froze for a moment, then said, "Oh... okay. I'll let you get back to it, Fan."

Just before the call ended, a female nurse's voice came from Fan Jin's end: "Is the family of the patient in bed 45 here?"

As soon as she finished, Fan Jin hung up.

Shan Ye looked puzzled. Was Fan Jin at the hospital? Had something happened to him? He called again, but this time no one answered.

An uneasy premonition crept over him. He sent a text: "Fan, are you okay? From what I just heard, are you at the hospital?"

"Did something happen to you?"

He was getting anxious, biting his lower lip hard as he waited for a reply. They hadn't seen each other in days, and the moment he got in touch, Fan Jin was at the hospital.

A few minutes later, his phone chimed. Fan Jin had texted: "I'm fine. My grandmother's old condition flared up. She had a minor operation."

Shan Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness nothing had happened to Fan Jin.

"Which hospital? Do you need me to come help?" he sent back.

The reply came quickly: "No need. It's nothing serious. She can be discharged tomorrow."

Shan Ye didn't insist. He put away his phone and continued packing. Fan would probably be busy over the next few days, with no time to go away with him.

Then he would wait until he got back. As soon as he returned, he would go see Fan.

The next morning, the rain in Muzhou finally stopped. Shan Ye carried his suitcase downstairs. Yu Chuan was already waiting at the entrance to his residential complex. Looking at the young face through the car window, Shan Ye said, "You're early."

Yu Chuan got out to help him put his suitcase in the trunk, but Shan Ye declined. "I can do it myself. It's not heavy."

Yu Chuan smiled and opened the car door for him, then got in himself.

"Here, have some coffee. We've got seven hours ahead of us. Don't wear yourself out."

The drive south from Muzhou would take around seven hours on the expressway. Shan Ye said, "Let's take turns driving."

Only then did he notice the coffee Yu Chuan was handing him, in that familiar packaging.

He froze for a few seconds before looking up. "Did you buy this near the school?"

Yu Chuan caught on and smiled, his eyes curving. "Yes. A colleague said you liked the coffee there, so I stopped by on the way and bought two."

Shan Ye took the cup. "Their café is still open?"

Yu Chuan blinked twice. "Yes. Why?"

Shan Ye shook his head. "Nothing. Let's go." He took a sip. It tasted just as it always had, rich and fragrant, a flavor he would never forget for the rest of his life.

He gazed at the streets sliding past outside the window. Had Fan's grandmother already been discharged? Had he gone to the café? Or was Zhang Nan looking after it?

Resting his elbow against the car window, he thought for a while before finally giving in and asking Yu Chuan, "...When you bought the coffee just now, how many people were in the shop?"

Yu Chuan said, "I think there was only one."

"Tall? With a buzz cut?"

"I don't think so. He didn't look very tall, and he was pretty young."

Then it had to be Zhang Nan.

For some reason, hearing that Fan wasn't at the café left him feeling unsettled, as though his heart were hanging in midair. In his mind, Fan Jin had always been there waiting for him. Rain or shine, whenever he went, Fan Jin would be there.

Seeing that Shan Ye had fallen silent, Yu Chuan found it a little strange. He asked with a smile, "What's going on? Your tastes haven't changed, have they? Don't you like it anymore?"

"No, I do."

How could his tastes possibly change? For the rest of his life, Shan Ye never wanted to taste any coffee other than Boss Fan's.

The car headed south along the expressway. Outside the window, the withered yellow plane trees gradually gave way to lush greenery. The wind no longer had the biting chill of the north, carrying a little dampness instead.

They took turns at the wheel, stopping at a service area to rest when they grew tired. Yu Chuan chattered about things at school, and Shan Ye responded cheerfully.

The seven-hour drive passed in a flash. It was already afternoon when they entered Osmanthus City.

Osmanthus City lived up to its name, the fragrance of osmanthus filling its streets. Every few steps, they came across another row of osmanthus trees, their scent sweet without being cloying.

Yu Chuan found a hotel beside Osmanthus Creek, with white walls and black roof tiles, quaint and full of old-world charm. They carried their luggage to the front desk to check in. The receptionist asked, "One room with a double bed?"

Yu Chuan glanced at Shan Ye. "I'm fine with that."

Shan Ye blurted out, "No, two rooms, please."

The moment he finished, the air went still. Yu Chuan turned to look at him, a probing look flashing in his eyes. "Why? A double bed is pretty roomy."

"I'm used to staying alone." Shan Ye avoided his gaze and took the key card, ready to find his room.

He was gay. Sharing a room with a male colleague he barely knew felt awkward even to think about. Besides, he had come on this trip to clear his head, not to create trouble for himself.

Yu Chuan watched him walk away, something different in his eyes. Since starting this job, Shan Ye had been the first colleague he'd gotten to know. He had always felt that Shan Ye seemed gentle but was particularly distant when it came to relationships between men and women. His reaction today had given Yu Chuan the beginnings of an answer.