Chapter 6 (2/2)

Ji Qinyang’s lips thinned. He broke out from Qi Fei’s hold, and stared at Zhuo Xiaoyuan frostily. “I’m still better than you. At least I didn’t release the photos randomly and refused to clarify it later. If not for you, would he even be in this situation?!”

Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s eyes flashed. He opened his mouth as if to explain, clenching his fists over and over again, but giving up in the end.

As more and more students gathered around them, Qi Fei reminded him, “Boss Ji…”

Ji Qinyang’s eyes swept through the crowd. He did not want to expose Xie Meng’s incident, so he reached out and grabbed Zhuo Xiaoyuan’s collar, pulling him to one side. Leaning into his ear, he gritted, “I give you three days to hand that thing to me. If anything negative about Xie Meng is spread, you’ll be the first one that I’ll come after.”

Zhuo Xiaoyuan responded coldly. “That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you. You better take care of yourself.”

Ji Qinyang could not be bothered to continue the conversation. He boorishly gave Zhuo Xiaoyuan a middle finger, then left the court and pulled on his coat. While buttoning up his coat, he then realised that his punch had been too vicious, and his knuckles were now swollen.

Qi Fei was still nagging, “Boss, why are you so irritable today… What happened exactly?”

Ji Qinyang was fed up. “Don’t ask.”

Qi Fei had no choice but to shut his mouth. As they walked through the corridor in front of the classroom building, Qi Fei followed behind Ji Qinyang. When Ji Qinyang abruptly stopped, Qi Fei nearly crashed into his back.

“Why did you suddenly…” Before he could finish his complaint, Qi Fei saw Cie Meng slowly approaching from the other end of the corridor.

The boy had his head bowed, looking like he was in a daze, and his black coat made him look even thinner. Only when he drew closer to them did he look up, and he was a little startled when he saw Ji Qinyang, his eyes widening slightly.

“Ji Qinyang?” Xie Meng called his name.

“Hi.” Ji Qinyang greeted him in a natural manner. “You’re not going home yet?”

Xie Meng paused, then smiled.

“Isn’t it the same for you?” He laughed.

Ji Qinyang just looked at his smiling face, and did not speak. Maybe because his stare was too direct, Xie Meng stopped smiling after a while. He suspiciously touched his own cheeks and asked with slight embarrassment. “Is there something on my face?”

Ji Qinyang looked away. “No.”

“Oh…” Xie Meng was bewildered. He stood in place for a few moments, before asking uncertainly, “Well, then I’ll head back first?”

“Let’s go together.” Ji Qinyang suddenly said. “Qi Fei has some school work that he’ll like to ask you about.”

“???” Qi Fei looked completely confused…

Xie Meng smiled again, looking somewhat resigned.

“Then let’s go.”

All three persons were not heading in the same direction. Qi Fei pretended to ask a few questions, and when his bus arrived, he ran away faster than anyone else, leaving only Ji Qinyang standing next to Xie Meng with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the bus with him.

As the bus gradually came to a stop, it could be seen that it was very crowded inside. Xie Meng followed the crowd up the bus, and he was squeezed to the side of the door. Ji Qinyang followed behind him, and circled him with his arms against the wall of the bus.

People behind were still pushing, and Ji Qinyang tried his best to create a circle of space. An old man with a child squeezed over, and the bus happened to move. Reaching out, Xie Meng curled his arm around Ji Qinyang’s waist and they faced each other closely.

The old man steadied himself, then smiled at Xie Meng. He tugged at the child’s hand, “Nan Nan, say thanks.”

The child shyly hid behind the adult, and when he noticed that Xie Meng was looking at him, he buried his face down again.

Xie Meng said, “You’re welcome.” He pulled himself close to Ji Qinyang’s neck. “There’s a little too many people, please bear with it.”

Ji Qinyang adjusted his standing posture. He had one hand against the bus, another hand holding the rail, forming a triangle. He was very close to Xie Meng, and just by looking down, he could see his forehead.

Xie Meng’s arm was still around his waist, simply to steady Ji Qinyang.

“I forgot to bring the scarf.” Ji Qinyang’s eyes fell on Xie Meng’s clean and fair neck.

“?” Xie Meng only understood after a moment and smiled, “That thing… It’s fine.”

The two of them swayed along with the bus, and more and more people crowded around them. Xie Meng leaned closer against the wall, and told Ji Qinyang, “Come in closer.”

Ji Qinyang hesitated, then circled Xie Meng’s shoulders with his arm.

“…”

Ji Qinyang explained indifferently. “There’s more space like this, and it’s more stable as well.”

Xie Meng glanced at the empty spot behind the boy that was occupied immediately, and then said nothing.

Shantang Street was the final stop, and most people got off there. There was nothing strange about them holding their hugging positions all the way to the end of the route. The spring cold in the evening of May was severe, along the long streets and narrow lanes, it was crowded and noisy.

“Where do you stay?” Ji Qinyang asked casually.

Xie Meng pointed, “That innermost lane of Shantang Street.”

He asked Ji Qinyang, “What about you?”

“I don’t live here, I’m here to see my grandfather.”

This was not false. Mo Zhaohe really did live near Shantang Street, and Mo Suyuan would occasionally leave the shop to visit him.

“I’ll walk with you to the entrance of the lane.” Ji Qinyang raised his chin. “Let’s go.”

When Mo Suyuan received her son’s phone call, she had just left the tearoom. Surprised, she asked, “You’re at your grandpa’s place? Why did you think of going there?”

“I didn’t go in, and just walked around Shantang Street.” Ji Qinyang spoke lazily as he sat by the bridge. He was waiting by a fried stinky-tofu hawker, and pulled his phone slightly away and instructed, “Add a little chili and some coriander… Yes. How much is it?”

Mo Suyuan laughed. “Just wait there, I’ll come and pick you up.”

Ji Qinyang hung up his phone, holding a plastic bowl as he sat alone by the pier. Under his feet were ripples of green. A boat drifted closer, and at the tail end of the boat was a cormorant. Under the setting sun, it squinted and flapped its wings. The boatman tossed a fish at it, and the long and heavy oar knocked gently against the side of the boat. The cormorant stretched its long and slender neck, then plunged into the water.

The winter had yet to be over, but Sucheng was already blooming with spring.