Translated by Eve
Their Eyes Met From Across the Crowd
Tomorrow was Friday.
Sheng Renxing laid on the bed, eyes wide open.
The noon light shone in from the window, scattering across the floor. The blazing heat was like a fiery beauty, slapping him across the face.
Pained, he reached over to shut the bright window.
Sheng Renxing lied on the bed, eyes closed as he spaced out. As he tried to turn on his brain, he started to ponder philosophical questions: who am I, where is this…
His mind then drifted to his memories of yesterday.
After purchasing his clothes, he had returned to the hotel. During his shower, he had ended up scalding himself. After he had come out from the bathroom, he had made an appointment to look at homes the next day. He had then laid down on the bed to chat with friends before falling asleep….
Because his eyes were closed, he grew increasingly drowsier. In the back of his head, a fuzzy feeling that he was forgetting something arose.
Just then, his phone vibrated, clearing his mind slightly.
He had to look at homes today and then eat dinner with his uncle…. He also had to return the umbrella.
Sheng Renxing suddenly remembered that he had fallen asleep midway through his conversation with Xing Ye last night. He didn’t know how the other had responded to his message.
As this came to mind, he decided to grab his phone to take a look at his messages. He had just reached out his arm when he felt a sudden stab of pain near his collarbone.
“Hiss.” He froze, caught off guard. A while later, he slowly slid off the bed and wandered into the washroom in a daze.
He stood in front of the mirror and rubbed his face. He ignored his bird nest-like hair and glared at the mirror, eyes half-lidded, as he pulled his collar to the side with an impatient tug.
There was a small patch of red under his clavicle.
He stared at it. Still in a daze, he realized what he had forgotten. Oh. Burn cream.
After washing up, he sat against the headboard and pulled his phone over. He checked the time. It was nearly noon.
He then opened up his messages app.
His conversation with Xing Ye last night had gone like this:
Xing Ye: [Mn. What time?]
Sheng Renxing: [I’m free at night.]
Xing Ye had replied at nearly midnight: [9:30]
Sheng Renxing had already been on the verge of falling asleep so he hadn’t replied back.
He yawned and then sent: [ok.]
Another issue cropped up in his mind after sending this message. [Where should I meet you?]
Xing Ye’s reply came really quickly: {Facial paralysis.}
Sheng Renxing: “?”
He woke up completely.
Chuckling, he took a screenshot. Only then did he realize that they were using text, which meant they couldn’t recall messages.
It seemed like the other boy hadn’t realized his typo yet. Or maybe he couldn’t be bothered to correct himself.
Therefore, Sheng Renxing typed out: [Suits your personality.]
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Right from the start, his conditions were that it had to be near the school and it had to be a comfortable place to live in. He didn’t care about the price tag.
The agent sent him several links that led him to pictures of different properties very quickly.
Sheng Renxing looked through a few and then stopped. He sent a message to the agent: [Am I supposed to be holding parties in these houses?]
There were a few that even came with a swimming pool.
The agent hastily said that he had sent him the wrong links by mistake. He then sent him a few new links.
The new properties weren’t particularly big and they were pricey as well.
[All of the places near the school are usually filled up during summer vacation. Since you’ve come in the middle of the school year, your options will be a bit more expensive.]
Sheng Renxing didn’t really understand the housing market here. He didn’t want to bicker with the other so they simply decided to meet up to look at the homes after exchanging a few more words.
If he liked any of them, he’d be able to move in the same day.
.
“So you didn’t like a single one in the end?”
Sheng Renxing recalled what had happened today and nodded silently.
“That’s normal. It’s also good to look at a few more options before making your decision.” His uncle patted him on the shoulder in comfort. He then asked, “Do you need any help?”
Sheng Renxing shook his head. “No, not for now, at least. I still have three more viewings tomorrow.”
The two of them had chosen a peaceful western-styled restaurant.
Sheng Renxing woke his phone and glanced at the time.
“Do you have plans?” Wei Huan asked.
“Mn.” Sheng Renxing said, “I have to return an umbrella.”
When he had told his uncle about the unexpected event that had happened on his first day in Xuancheng, he had modified the story. He said that he had witnessed a high school student being bullied and had stood up for him. The high school student had then given him an umbrella in thanks. Since he didn’t want to take advantage of the other, he decided to return the umbrella.
Wei Huan believed him and didn’t ask anything else. He only gave him a warning. “Yanjiang Street gets really sketchy at night. Be careful.”
“I’m not going to Yanjiang Street.” Sheng Renxing recalled the map he had looked at. His destination wasn’t that close to Yanjiang Street.
Wei Huan gave him an ‘oh’ before telling him about Yanjiang Street.
Although it wasn’t marked on any maps, there was a large residential area on the other side of the street. The people here called it ‘the slums.’ The area didn’t even have an official name. Over time, the people started to call it ‘the Yanhai Backstreets.’
Everyone had a tacit understanding and acceptance that the backstreets were an unregulated area. It was the territory of the people of the lowest professions.
There was no shortage of deals going in the backstreets, especially in its alleys.
The locals who didn’t live in the backstreets would typically avoid traversing through this area at night. Even taxi drivers seldom travelled there.
Sheng Renxing opened up his maps app and took a look. As his uncle had said, there was a large, grey residential area near Yanjiang Street.
His finger swiped at the screen as he recalled how Xing Ye had led him to Qian Street after the fight that day.
Xing Ye seemed very familiar with that area.
When Wei Huan saw Sheng Renxing frown, he added, “Qian Street isn’t very peaceful either. There’s a lot of…” he seemed to be considering his words, “…sex workers there.”
At first Sheng Renxing was taken back. Immediately, his mind flashed to the woman from that night. When he remembered the look on Xing Ye’s and the woman’s faces when he had told her that he didn’t need a hair wash….
“Cough, cough, cough!” He lowered his head, coughing violently as he screamed internally.
His face and ears felt like they were on fire. This was so embarrassing!
Wei Huan thought that he was reacting to what he had said. He flashed a wicked smile. “Want to check it out?”
“No!” Sheng Renxing squeezed his refusal out through his teeth. He wasn’t that desperate!
Wei Huan nodded approvingly. “That’s good. You’re still young. There’s no need to be so hasty.”
.
By the time he reached the noodle stand, it was almost nine-thirty.
There were still quite a few people at the noodle stand. Sheng Renxing stood outside a nearby closed store, underneath its awning. He didn’t get too close.
It had rained for a bit earlier. Now, however, the rain had stopped.
It had been sunny at noon but the sky was now covered in dark, heavy clouds.
Sheng Renxing had his backpack slung over one shoulder. He was currently listening to Jay Chou’s “Love Before BC” through his earbuds.
Kids these days really liked listening to Jay Chou.Sheng Renxing hadn’t really liked or disliked his songs in the beginning. It was just that everyone around him listened to this singer.
Over time, as he listened to the songs, he started to remember the melodies. Eventually, he was able to remember a few lines and would even choose to listen to his songs out of his own will.
After the song ended, his phone moved on to the next song in the queue.
It was now nine-thirty but Xing Ye still hadn’t shown up yet. Sheng Renxing unlocked his phone and sent the other boy: [?]
He then opened up the Temple Run app and started to play.A moment later, someone patted him on the shoulder.
Sheng Renxing jumped. His character in the game died at once.
But when he looked up, he discovered that the person wasn’t Xing Ye.
It was the noodle stand owner.
He pulled his earbuds out and then hung them over his ears.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
Sheng Renxing nodded. He glanced at the noodle stand behind the older man. There were no new customers. The current customers were all eating at the tables.
“Come sit at my place. It’s tiring to stand.” The owner patted him again before pointing at the stand behind him. “Xiao Xing said that he might be late.”
“?” Sheng Renxing paused his music. Xing Ye hadn’t replied to his message yet.
He followed the owner over and asked, “What’s he doing?”
The owner seemed confused. “Didn’t he tell you?”
Sheng Renxing gazed at him questioningly.
Ten minutes later, Sheng Renxing found himself standing in front of a half-open metal gate. He stared into the dark lot, hesitant.
Behind him were several old houses. He didn’t know if anyone lived there currently. On the other side of the iron gate was an abandoned parking lot.
The owner of the noodle stand had said that Xing Ye was there.
But the chilly wind didn’t bring with it any signs of other human beings.
Sheng Renxing wasn’t the type to stop halfway. However, this place gave him the chills.
He turned up his music and then pushed the gate open, gazed fixed in front of him.
There was a lock and chain on the metal gate. Since the gate was opened, they hung on the gate’s bars.
“Ah—ah—”
A sudden high-pitched female voice suddenly appeared in the song he was listening to. The sound of it amidst the quiet night kept him very alert.
Sheng Renxing paused. He stared at the chain for a few seconds.
In the end, he pulled it off and held it in his hand.
The icy feel of the firm, metallic chain gave him a sense of security. He clenched it tightly in his hand, as if it were a cross, and then headed inside.
There were no lights here so Sheng Renxing turned his phone’s flashlight on. After walking through the parking lot, he found a building built from corrugated metal. He could hear noisy jeers coming from the building. The light from inside seeped through the cracks of its doors.
It didn’t sound like this was a decent place.
Contrary to expectations, this made Sheng Renxing sigh in relief.
He pushed the door open and walked in.
As soon as he opened the door, the sounds from inside washed over him like a crashing wave and the light blinded him.
The first thing he noticed wasn’t the light, but the black shadow in the centre. It was huge, like a small mountain. It toppled over, causing a crash when it knocked over one of the pylons that made up the makeshift ring.
There was now only one figure standing inside the ring.
Whistles and cheers filled the building.
Xing Ye stood in the centre of the ring, his back slightly hunched over. He stared down at the gasping man who was crying in pain on the floor. He then looked away.
He lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe the blood off his face with an indifferent expression. The lines of his tight abs were very well-defined as he took in a deep breath. Drops of sweat trickled down his abdomen and slid into the hem of his pants.
People in the crowd were calling his name, screaming praise. He then shifted to look in the direction of the voices, his reaction speed a bit dull. Sheng Renxing didn’t know if it was because the other was short-sighted or if he was just exhausted, but his pupils were a bit dilated. It was clear that he was in a daze.
And then, his gaze traversed the crowd and landed straight on Sheng Renxing.
Their eyes met from across the crowd.
Xing Ye raised his chin slightly and wiped the sweat off of his neck. He stood in the centre of the roaring crowd but acted like he wasn’t a part of it, or like he was an indifferent judge.
“I have the right to decide who’s right and who should fall into a deep slumber.”
“Arguing won’t solve anything. The only mercy on this endless night is the fact that your mouth has been silenced.”
The music playing through his earbuds was full of passion.
Sheng Renxing silently stared at Xing Ye, who stood in the boxing ring. He tilted his neck up slightly, sucking in air through his teeth.
Fuck.
The author has something to say:
Sheng Renxing: I can’t wait.
–
The lyrics at the end come from ‘In the Name of the Father’ by Jay Chou.
Eve: Xingxing’s got a crush (aka he’s just horny, let’s be real, there’s no such thing as actual love at first sight) hahahaha. Just to make it clear, I do not approve of violence irl. Underground boxing is also dangerous and isn’t something to idealize. Xing Ye will not be stuck here forever. It’s not where he wants to be. (*cough* but in fiction the picture of it in my mind is hot imsorrynotsorry *cough)
ahhh lust at first site!
thanks for the chapter <3
Woah…underground boxing is scary….
Thanks for the chapter~
Lmao, Xingxing already wants to make a move.
Thank you for the chapter <3
Lmao. The author’s note XD
Xingxing be a little patience ok son? We don’t want to startle Little Ye~
Thanks for the chapter<3
Man I love temple run. Also thanks for the chapter!!!!
Whoa whoa. Is Xing Ye gonna be fighting every time Sheng Renxing meet him?
Thanks for the chapter! And Happy New Year!
Dw Xingxing that’s completely normal. I’d lust over him too 😃✋
Ty for the chapter!!💜💜💜