Chapter 50

"Do you like snow?" he asked Shen Yi over the phone.

Shen Yi paid little attention to his change of subject. "It's all right," he replied.

He reached out, and a snowflake melted as soon as it landed on his fingertip. He thought that many beautiful things seemed to be fleeting.

"It's too cold when the snow melts," Shen Yi said.

Fu Yuhe: "Wear more layers."

Shen Yi waited a moment, then said as if aggrieved, "Is that all? Ge, you're so stingy. Show me a little more concern."

Fu Yuhe: "..."

He knew as soon as he heard it that Shen Yi's occasional bout of melodrama had struck again. He was always deliberately teasing him with that expression and tone. At first, Fu Yuhe had fallen for it, but he no longer did... Still, he couldn't help feeling a little stirred, as though they were a couple in the throes of love.

Fu Yuhe had never included romance in his plans for his life, but he could now.

When he received no response, Shen Yi wasn't discouraged. "Don't catch a cold, Ge. I'll warm your bed for you when you come back in a few days."

Fu Yuhe: "..."

He leaned against the sofa, the tips of his ears growing hot, and chuckled. His tone unchanged, he said, "Make sure you remember what you said."

Not long after, Shen Yi hung up. His fingertips felt cool as he stared at his darkened phone screen for a long moment. Snowflakes drifted in from outside, landing on the screen and melting into water.

He felt an emptiness in his heart, as if he were a little lonely.

Shen Yi thought he really did miss Fu Yuhe a little. He hadn't felt this way the last time Fu Yuhe went away on business.

He tucked his phone into his pocket, stretched, and sauntered back into his room from the balcony. Since he couldn't sleep, he might as well do something else.

The bathroom light came on, and the patter of water drifted out. Warm water splashed against the tiles, sending white steam slowly rising. Shen Yi's black hair was wet and slicked back. He tilted his head up, and water slid down his jawline, flowing along the taut lines of his muscles to the floor.

After a long while, he lowered his head and gave a soft gasp. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze resting impassively on his fingertips, reddened by the warm water.

It doesn't seem to work. It doesn't feel the same as when Fu Yuhe does it. All it leaves behind is endless emptiness and dissatisfaction.

...I really want a hug.

A few minutes later, he gave a soft laugh and murmured, "I miss you so much, Ge."

Wednesday.

It was the first day of the final exams for the senior year. The weather was growing colder, and an icy wind blew outside. The bell rang to signal the end of the last exam, and before long, students began to emerge from the school.

"Do you get the feeling... they're following us?" Fu Cheng tugged at Shen Yi's hem and asked in a whisper.

Most of the leaves had fallen from the plane trees lining both sides of the sidewalk outside the school gates, and their branches swayed in the cold wind. School was over, and the people going in and out of the gates were all students. Students on bicycles weaved past them, stirring up gusts of cold air.

Shen Yi turned his head and glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye. A few young men with dyed hair were following them, keeping a moderate distance as they walked and smoked.

"They look a little familiar," Shen Yi said.

Fu Cheng: "The internet café last month. Those guys from the internet café. Did you forget?"

Realization dawned on Shen Yi. "Oh..."

Fu Cheng: "What are they following us for?"

He couldn't think of any trouble he and Shen Yi had had with them. They didn't normally have any contact with people like that, either.

"Maybe they're out for a ride," Shen Yi said.

Fu Cheng: "..."

Shen Yi smiled. "Come on, let's go to the bus stop."

There were more people there.

Shen Yi had been followed before, back before he moved, but those people hadn't been very good at it. They kept sneaking glances at him and followed too closely, so he soon noticed them and shook them off.

This time... Shen Yi glanced at Fu Cheng. Fu Cheng wasn't very fit and couldn't run.

Fu Cheng stayed close behind Shen Yi, visibly nervous.

The bus arrived, and they got on. The men followed them aboard. There were no seats left, so Shen Yi stood to one side, close to the exit.

The scenery outside the window slipped past, and the bus announced stop after stop. Finally, they reached the area near Shen Yi's residential complex. The two got off, and Shen Yi quickened his pace as soon as they stepped off the bus.

By the time the four dyed-haired young hooligans squeezed off the bus, the two were nowhere to be seen. Shen Yi and Fu Cheng were hiding off to one side, watching them leave.

Fu Cheng was mild-mannered and didn't cause trouble. Shen Yi watched the men walk away, lost in thought. After ruling out several possibilities, he had a general idea.

When the exams ended the next day, Shen Yi saw the four men again. They stared at him without bothering to hide it, and Shen Yi knew he had guessed right: they were after him. He had found an excuse to send Fu Cheng away when school ended that day. If nothing unexpected happened, Fu Cheng wouldn't come out for another ten minutes.

Shen Yi got on the bus first, and the four men followed him.

There was an abandoned basketball court near Shen Yi's apartment complex. He had familiarized himself with the surrounding area shortly after moving in. People sometimes played basketball or badminton there, but fewer went once the weather turned cold.

The four followed him all the way there that day. Shen Yi, who had hidden from them yesterday, turned around, set his schoolbag aside, unzipped his coat, and gave them a brilliant smile.

"Is there something you want with me?"

"Tsk, so you noticed," the blond leader of the four said.

Shen Yi: "You were so obvious. It would've been hard to pretend I didn't notice."

His words carried a note of disdain for them. The blond leader looked at him displeased. "You've got a mouth on you, kid. Makes me want to beat you up."

"Really?" Shen Yi glanced over them. "I don't think I know you."