Chapter 8

It took a while for the people around them to find out about their breakup.

Pei Ran hadn't told anyone. He had never liked discussing his relationship problems with others. Nor had Luo Qingshan. In his eyes, this was only a hurdle in their relationship, not one they couldn't get over.

That day, Pei Ran ran into Lin Kang on a campus path.

"Luo Qingshan hasn't brought you to any of our dinners lately. Obviously something was wrong. We figured that out ages ago," Lin Kang said. "Someone mentioned it last night, just joking around, and Luo Qingshan immediately pulled a face. If we hadn't held him back, they probably would've gotten into an argument."

Pei Ran didn't know what expression to make. He answered stiffly, "Really..."

Lin Kang looked at him curiously. "But why exactly did you two break up?"

Pei Ran offered the explanation he had prepared long ago. "We weren't right for each other."

"You were together for three years, and now you're saying you weren't right for each other?" Lin Kang laughed. "Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. Anyway, how are you getting home this afternoon? Want to take the bus together?"

The university's seven-day break started tomorrow. Lin Kang and Pei Ran lived near each other and could get off the bus at the same stop.

"Someone from home is picking me up," Pei Ran said. "Want a ride? It's on the way."

Lin Kang couldn't have asked for more. The bus ride was so bumpy that he felt sick every time. "When are we leaving? I'll definitely be out on time... I could skip out early. I think my class ends ten minutes after yours."

"Just come when classes normally finish. It's fine. Take your time. I'll wait."

Lin Kang thanked him. Feeling his phone buzzing in his pocket, he instinctively took it out to check. The group chat was going wild, and people kept tagging him.

"These lunatics aren't going home for the break. They're still making plans," Lin Kang muttered. "Nothing better to do all day. Su Nian even said he wanted to go on a trip. Just seven days-what the hell can you do in that time... Are you going?"

Pei Ran looked at him in confusion. "Going where?"

"On the trip. Didn't you see what they said in the group?"

Pei Ran said, "I'm not in the group."

Lin Kang paused, then instinctively opened the member list to check.

Pei Ran really wasn't in the group.

Su Nian had created this little group last week. He had always liked organizing this kind of thing. There were over thirty people in it. At the time, Lin Kang hadn't known the two had broken up and had automatically counted Pei Ran among them.

He and Pei Ran shared plenty of group chats. Pei Ran rarely spoke, usually only showing up when someone tagged him, so not seeing him over the past few days hadn't struck Lin Kang as odd.

"I thought you were in it... Anyway, Su Nian said he wanted to go to Dali," Lin Kang said awkwardly.

Su Nian was being way too thoughtless. Pei Ran had been hanging out with everyone for so long. How could he leave him out of a group like this?

Under the circumstances, Lin Kang couldn't really invite him into the group, either. Luo Qingshan was pretty active in it, after all.

"It's fine." Pei Ran smiled.

Lin Kang hurried to find another topic, hoping to move past this. Before he could think of anything to say, they ran into another familiar face.

Yan Zhun wore a plain black T-shirt, holding a basketball against his hip with his wrist, his fingers dangling loosely in the air. He was chatting with the person beside him as they walked.

Lin Kang quickly called out, "Yan Zhun!"

Yan Zhun glanced over indifferently. His chest rose and fell slightly, and sweat still beaded on his chin.

Lin Kang only wanted to break the awkwardness. He gave a couple of laughs and asked a pointless question. "Just finished playing?"

Yan Zhun didn't answer. He turned back to continue talking to the person beside him, leaving Lin Kang feeling even more fucking awkward.

He laughed dryly twice and was about to curse at Yan Zhun when Yan Zhun nodded to his friend, then turned and walked toward them.

"You..." Yan Zhun paused. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just got out of class," Lin Kang said. "What, did you think I came here for a stroll?"

Yan Zhun looked at Pei Ran. Lin Kang paused, then followed his gaze.

Pei Ran's tone was normal. "I came to help my teacher move some painting supplies."

Lin Kang breathed a sigh of relief. At least that damned topic was behind them. "Yan Zhun, have you checked the group chat? They're organizing a trip to Dali. Are you going?"

Yan Zhun said, "Haven't opened it. Not going."

Lin Kang nodded. He had guessed as much. "Why are you standing so far away?"

Yan Zhun said, "Just finished playing. I stink."

Lin Kang laughed. "That particular about it?"

Pei Ran wasn't really listening to their conversation. He lowered his eyes and happened to catch sight of Yan Zhun's hand.

Yan Zhun had long fingers and neatly trimmed nails, with dirt from playing basketball on his skin. Pei Ran remembered how beautiful the prominent knuckles on the back of his hand looked when he held a mouse.

"Are you coming tonight?"

Pei Ran stared without blinking, thinking that Yan Zhun could even be a hand model.

Then he saw Yan Zhun bend his index finger and tap the basketball lightly twice.

"Are you coming tonight?" Yan Zhun said. "Pei Ran."

Hearing his name, Pei Ran looked up blankly. It took him a while to understand what Yan Zhun meant.

Yan Zhun was asking whether he could start "work" tonight.

Remembering that Yan Zhun had said he felt uncomfortable owing him, Pei Ran barely hesitated. "Okay."

Yan Zhun nodded, the sweat-clumped hair on his forehead bouncing with the motion. "Then I'll wait for you."

After Yan Zhun left with his friend, Lin Kang stared after him for a few seconds, then turned to look at the person beside him.

*?*

"Are you coming tonight?"

Wasn't that exactly what he always fucking said to his girlfriend?

Lin Kang mentally slapped himself. It was broad daylight. What the hell was going through his head...

"Couldn't tell," Lin Kang said, putting those wild associations aside. "You and Yan Zhun are that close."

Pei Ran said, "We're not especially close."

"If you weren't, would he ask you to wait for him tonight?" Lin Kang laughed. "But what are you two going to do?"

"Play games."

"..." Lin Kang was speechless. "All right. Still, getting to play with him is pretty sweet in itself. I know something, but don't tell anyone. TZG Team offered him a ton of money to join back in high school. That team's had a monopoly on domestic titles these past few years. They even won the national championship last year, but he turned them down back then."

"So look, Luo Qingshan's lived with him for so long, and he only just managed to play a game with him. Haha."

Pei Ran was a little surprised. "Is he that good?"

Then... had he paid too little?

He had looked into it afterward. Twenty yuan an hour-even new gaming companions in the middle and upper ranks charged more than that.

Pei Ran suddenly felt as though he had gotten a bargain at someone else's expense.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. He's really good, but it's not that dramatic." Lin Kang patted his shoulder and laughed. "Maybe he just thinks Luo Qingshan's noisy and doesn't like playing with him."

That afternoon, Lin Kang still left class early and stood at the university gate with Pei Ran, waiting for the car.

A two-tone Maybach pulled to a stop in front of them. Lin Kang couldn't tear his eyes away.

He tilted his head, gestured a number with his fingers, and muttered, "Holy shit, holy shit. This car is incredible. At least this much!"

The driver's door opened, and a middle-aged man in a white shirt and black trousers got out. "Xiao Ran, I'm not late, am I? Where's your luggage? I'll put it in the trunk for you."

Pei Ran said, "No need. It's only a few days off, so I didn't bring much luggage."

Lin Kang said, "..."

Lin Kang wore a complicated expression, no longer feeling awkward. "No wonder my dad beat me when I said I wanted to study painting. We don't have that kind of money."

Pei Ran laughed. "It's not that dramatic."

Just as Lin Kang was about to get into the car, someone suddenly yanked hard on his clothes. He nearly fell to the ground.

Startled, Lin Kang turned around and cursed, "Motherfucker..."

Luo Qingshan pressed his lips together, still gripping Lin Kang's jacket tightly as his eyes darted between Lin Kang and Pei Ran.

Seeing who it was only left Lin Kang more baffled. He slapped Luo Qingshan's hand away. "Are you out of your mind? Is that how you say hello?"

Luo Qingshan's gaze finally settled on Pei Ran.

Pei Ran's gaze was calm. He met Luo Qingshan's eyes without a ripple for a few seconds, then looked away.

"Are you hurt?" Pei Ran asked.

"No, just bumped into it." Lin Kang nervously inspected the car. "I didn't scratch your car, did I?"

"It's fine even if you did," Pei Ran said. "Get in. We can't park here for long."

The moment he finished speaking, someone grabbed Lin Kang's clothes again.

Lin Kang asked in bewilderment, "If you've got something to say, say it. Why do you keep pulling on me?"

Luo Qingshan gritted his teeth. It took him a long time to force out, "What are you two going to do?"

Lin Kang said, "Go home."

"Go home together?"

Lin Kang was just about to answer when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"Wait, hang on..." Lin Kang frowned. "Luo Qingshan, what are you getting at?"

Luo Qingshan said, "Then what were you doing walking together this morning? Why did you have your hand on his shoulder? Oh, having a meal together, were you?"

Lin Kang almost laughed in anger. He lowered his voice. "Luo Qingshan, are you fucking crazy? I have a girlfriend!"

"And you're still getting this close to him when you have a girlfriend?"

"Fuck, you're really something. You think the whole world's gay? Besides, what did Pei Ran and I even do? We walked together for a bit, and we're going home together." Knowing nothing of what had happened, Lin Kang casually added, "We're not even as close as you and Su Nian. What are you going nuts for?"

Luo Qingshan's face instantly turned ashen, and half his earlier bluster collapsed.

He had seen it all from upstairs at noon. Pei Ran hadn't replied to his messages or answered his calls, yet he had walked shoulder to shoulder with Lin Kang, chatting and laughing the whole way. At the end, Lin Kang had even put an arm around Pei Ran's shoulders.

"Luo Qingshan," Pei Ran finally spoke. "Let go."

By the time Pei Ran got home, it was dark. Lights shone in the row of small villas, with only his house pitch-black.

He said goodbye to the driver, then turned and went inside. The house was spotless. It was clear that someone came specifically to clean it every day, but unfortunately, hardly anyone lived there most of the time.

He showered and changed into silk pajamas. The light fell on him, making him look very soft.

But at that moment, Pei Ran had absolutely nothing to do with the word soft.

He was even a little angry.

He picked up his phone. Almost all the messages were from Luo Qingshan.

[Luo Qingshan: I'm sorry.]

[Luo Qingshan: Baby, I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me]

[Luo Qingshan: I lost my mind. I wasn't really doubting you]

Pei Ran didn't want to read any more and cleared the screen.

After drying his hair, he went straight to the walk-in closet and began taking stock of everything Luo Qingshan had given him.

He had used most of the shoes and bags, so returning them wasn't really an option. Instead, he looked up their prices online and converted everything into cash. Some of the sneakers were old enough to have become discontinued models, and their prices had risen considerably, making the search rather difficult.

By the time he arrived at a total, it was already the early hours of the morning.

He transferred the money to Luo Qingshan's Alipay, then opened WeChat and sent, "Money transferred."

As he exited the conversation, he happened to notice a profile picture.

The reason it caught his attention was that there was a rabbit in it.

The rabbit from the White Rabbit logo.

Beside the rabbit sat two characters-Yan Zhun.

Pei Ran stared at the picture for a few seconds as though his brain had short-circuited, then abruptly came to his senses.

[Pei Ran: I'm so sorry!]

[Pei Ran: Something came up, and I forgot...]

[Pei Ran: Sorry]

[Yan Zhun: It's fine.]

[Pei Ran: Go to sleep. I won't keep you]

[Yan Zhun: Not asleep]

[Yan Zhun: Still waiting for you]

Pei Ran logged into the game, and Yan Zhun's invitation immediately popped up.

Pei Ran hurried to join the team, then turned on his mic. "I was sorting some things out and got so busy I forgot. I'm sorry."

Yan Zhun said, "It's fine. No need to apologize."

Pei Ran had only just breathed a sigh of relief when the little speaker beside the username "111GOD" lit up again.

There were two seconds of silence on the other end. Yan Zhun's voice was very soft as he said in a low voice, "I thought you weren't coming."