Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Editor: Eli

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Chapter 25

During the time Yu Ruoyun was away, Jiang Yu didn’t have a moment to spare.

He took part in a variety show featuring celebrities who, while not top-tier, were seasoned artists. When faced with this group of veterans, the usually irritable Jiang Yu quickly changed his demeanor, knowing exactly how to please and blend in. In the Beijing circle, people loved organizing dinners. Strangers would become acquaintances after sharing a meal. Jiang Yu adapted swiftly, fitting in even as a newcomer, to the point where others started inviting him along.

After the meal, as everyone was saying their goodbyes at the door, it turned out Jiang Yu didn’t have a car while everyone else did. People offered to give him a ride, but he refused, saying he’d take a cab since the address was Yu Ruoyun’s, and he wanted to avoid any complications. Amid the commotion, Yu Ruoyun called.

“Where are you?” Yu Ruoyun asked over the phone. He had returned a day early and found that Jiang Yu wasn’t home, despite it being nighttime.

“At…,” Jiang Yu, a bit tipsy and muddled, struggled to remember. He asked someone nearby, “What’s this place called again? Oh, Ding Shiju.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Jiang Yu said to Yu Ruoyun, preparing to get into the car. He stood by the roadside as vehicles came and went. Seeing that he was blocking the way, drivers honked their horns, urging Jiang Yu to move aside.

“I’ll come pick you up,” Yu Ruoyun said, hanging up abruptly.

“What did you say?” Jiang Yu asked, a bit confused, but the other side had already ended the call.

“Who was that?” someone else asked Jiang Yu.

“He said he’s coming to get me.” Jiang Yu put his phone aside, feeling a bit bewildered.

“Who is he?” the curious person pressed.

How should he describe him? Jiang Yu was at a loss. No title seemed appropriate. So he simply said, “Yu Ruoyun.”

Even those who were about to leave stayed, waiting for Yu Ruoyun. Sure enough, Yu Ruoyun arrived and got out of the car. Seeing a few familiar faces, he jokingly said, “You guys are corrupting the young ones again.”

“We’re innocent!” one protested. “It’s just dinner, not anything shady! You haven’t been out in ages. Why can’t others have a get-together?”

“This is my friend. Look after him in the future,” Yu Ruoyun’s words meant more to Jiang Yu than all the drinks he had earlier.

“What kind of friend?” someone asked suggestively.

It seemed Yu Ruoyun wanted to say more, but before Jiang Yu could decide whether to stop him, a delivery bike zoomed past, almost hitting Jiang Yu. Yu Ruoyun’s eyes twitched as he pulled Jiang Yu to his side.

“Let’s go,” Yu Ruoyun said. “Let’s grab dinner together next time.”

Jiang Yu was practically thrown into the car. He felt Yu Ruoyun was a bit rough and complained, “Why did you come? It’s too…”

Alcohol clouded his brain, and he couldn’t find the words.

“You don’t have a car, so I’m just giving you a ride,” Yu Ruoyun said. “Be more careful when walking. Don’t get too close to the road.”

Jiang Yu felt wronged. “He was the one driving over here.”

“If he’s driving over, can’t you avoid him?” Yu Ruoyun said slowly. “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Jiang Yu didn’t understand why Yu Ruoyun was angry. He sat up, opened the window for some air, and gradually sobered up.

“Sorry,” he thought. He resolved to follow traffic rules in the future.

But Yu Ruoyun wasn’t done. “You should also cut down on these dinner gatherings.”

As if forgetting he had just agreed to meet them again next time.

“I don’t like them either,” Jiang Yu said, annoyed. “It’s just how it is. People from all over come to Beijing and start organizing dinners to fit in. It’s the only way to network. They all claim to know important people…”

Yu Ruoyun listened to Jiang Yu rant about regional stereotypes. When he finished, Yu Ruoyun said, “Then you’ll just have to come to Beijing.”

Of course, Beijing was the political and cultural center. How else could he get by?

“Are you worried about me?” Jiang Yu asked. “But by coming over like this, people will have a lot to say.”

Yu Ruoyun handed him some hangover medicine. “There’s water in the back. Sober up.”

Jiang Yu obediently took it, wanting to talk more, but Yu Ruoyun ignored him. The long red lights came one after another, with no end in sight.

As they neared their destination, Jiang Yu noticed something was off. He asked, “Why take this route? Isn’t Gate Three closer?”

“Not that way,” Yu Ruoyun said. “Jiang Yu had an accident on that road.”

The car fell silent. After a few minutes, Jiang Yu forced a smile. “You’re being overly cautious. Nothing will happen to you…”

“I wish I could die there,” Yu Ruoyun interrupted. “If I died, what would you do?”

Jiang Yu didn’t want to answer but was a bit scared. “You won’t die.”

How could Yu Ruoyun die? He refused to consider that possibility.

“True,” Yu Ruoyun said. “Living is harder than dying.”

He still had to live and settle scores with Jiang Yu.

They went straight from the underground parking lot, where few people were around. But when Yu Ruoyun suddenly grabbed his hand, Jiang Yu instinctively tried to pull away.

He failed. Yu Ruoyun’s grip was strong.

“Still like this.” Yu Ruoyun chuckled. “Always scared of being found out but can’t help getting close. You’re just like that. I shouldn’t have listened to you.”

Jiang Yu turned his head, avoiding Yu Ruoyun’s gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The elevator opened. A plastic bag hung from the door handle

Yu Ruoyun took the bag down and opened the door.

“I got you some porridge.” Yu Ruoyun placed it in front of Jiang Yu. “You should eat something before drinking.”

Yu Ruoyun always told him that, but Jiang Yu never listened. After all, if he ended up vomiting, he’d rather not throw up food.

But now, Jiang Yu stayed silent, quietly eating the porridge. The tension in the air made him feel something was off about Yu Ruoyun today.

“This past year, more than four hundred days, I’ve been thinking.” Yu Ruoyun sat across from Jiang Yu, looking at him, “Every day I’ve been wondering what went wrong. I must have done something wrong for me to never know he had written a will, for him to want to die.”

“In recent months, I’ve been thinking about something else. I keep wondering, during the years we were together, what did I do that made him not trust me at all, preferring to ask a distant acquaintance from a company for a role rather than come to me. Even now, he doesn’t want to say this out loud: he thinks I’m the kind of person who can start over, that losing a lover means just finding another one. He thinks I’m that kind of person.”

“Can you tell me why?” Yu Ruoyun’s voice was low as he asked Jiang Yu.

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