“I…”
Zhai Bing’s lips twitched, her gaze flickering over Zhai Yao’s figure several times. “No, what are you doing?!”
Before Zhai Yao could response, another tall and slender young male walked out from behind him.
Zhai Bing’s immediate reaction when her sight fell upon the young male was: Holy crap, so handsome!
At the same time, she also felt like she recognized him from somewhere. It was only then that a realization struck her—Zhai Yao’s desk mate at 9th High School?
Now that she thought about it, Zhai Yao was almost eighteen, and she had never heard of him liking any girls…
Contrary to her back then, when she was his age, her list of boyfriends was already so numerous that they could even fuse into the “Diamond Brother” from the series, “The Calabash Brothers”…
So, her little brother was actually…
And him, with his desk mate…
?!
Heavens!
That’s bonkers!
Xiao Lajiao pried Zhai Bing’s hand away from her eyes, and upon seeing the sudden appearance of Shen Heng in front of her, her eyes instantly lit up as she waved enthusiastically to greet him.
Zhai Bing glanced at Xiao Lajiao, then at Shen Heng. “Did you guys… already know each other?”
Xiao Lajiao tugged at Zhai Bing’s skirt and then pointed at Shen Heng: —This is the big brother who had his classmate teach me how to dance!
Zhai Bing had a sudden flash of understanding. She remembered hearing from Xiao Lajiao about a very handsome brother who had been helping her, and that person was Zhai Yao’s classmate. At the time, she even laughed at Xiao Lajiao for not having much worldly experience yet.
Now that she had seen the person in question, it seemed Xiao Lajiao didn’t lie after all.
“Zhai Bing.” Zhai Yao’s cold voice snapped Zhai Bing back to reality.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between Shen Heng and Zhai Yao once more. Although they were both sweating, their appearance looked neat and composed—quite different from the scene she had imagined.
Yeah, that made sense. No matter how one looked at him, her little brother just didn’t give off a gay vibe!
She also had friends in the gay community who were very close and dear to her. Whenever they went shopping together, they would voluntarily hold her hand and were also fond of gossiping.
Just with Zhai Yao’s vicious dog-like temperament alone, who would dare to top him?!
Wouldn’t that simply be courting death!
Zhai Bing hesitantly asked, “You guys are dressed like this for…”
“Sword practice,” Zhai Yao replied.
“Sword practice? Practise what sword?”
“A category for the sports competition.” Zhai Yao didn’t have the patience to explain further, and instead, questioned back, “Coming to the skating rink at this hour, got something the matter?”
Only then did Zhai Bing suddenly remember her purpose for coming here; she quickly turned around, picked up the bicycle lying on the side, and pushed it towards Zhai Yao.
“Here to look for you!” Her eyes curved with excitement as she said, “How is it? Do you like it? This bicycle is the latest model—quite an expensive one! With this, you’ll have an easier time travelling to school in the future.”
Zhai Yao nonchalantly glanced at the bicycle and murmured, “Thank you.”
Zhai Bing stepped forward and patted Zhai Yao’s shoulder, enthusiastically saying, “You both haven’t had dinner yet, right? What do you want to eat? Jiejie will treat!”
Zhai Yao slightly turned away, avoiding Zhai Bing’s hand. “No need, we still need to practise for a while more. You guys can go back first.”
He paused briefly, then added, “I’ve checked out a few apartments, but none of them seem suitable. Probably gonna take a few more days.”
“Yao! Actually, you don’t…” Zhai Bing’s words faltered halfway, gradually trailing off, before awkwardly switching her gears. “Actually, there’s no need to rush.”
Zhai Yao pursed his lips; a moment later, he lowered his head and pulled out a cigarette, but then remembered Xiao Lajiao was still present.
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.
What Zhai Bing said wasn’t “no need to move.”
It was “no need to rush.”
Zhai Yao lightly tugged at his lower lip. “I’m in a rush.”
Zhai Yao turned, intending to head back to the skating rink. Zhai Bing knew she messed up and scrambled to make amends, hastily saying, “It’s probably best to look for an apartment nearby. This way, we’ll still be living close to each other! I can also help you look, and as for the rent too…”
Clatter—
The roller shutter gate was entirely pulled down by Zhai Yao, completely blocking off all the lights within from escaping out.
Zhai Bing stood dazedly at the entrance, her hands still holding onto the bicycle.
Xiao Lajiao wanted to knock on the gate but was stopped by her.
Following a while, Zhai Bing sighed almost imperceptibly, gesturing in sign language: —Let’s go.
She parked the bicycle against the wall, locked it, and slipped the key into the tiny gap left by the roller shutter gate.
Zhai Bing then took Xiao Lajiao’s hand and left, while the little one looked back with a reluctance to leave, her watery eyes filled with concerns not typical for someone her age.
She tugged at Zhai Bing: —Why did you drive Uncle away?
Zhai Bing shook her head: —I didn’t!
Xiao Lajiao puffed her cheeks and stamped her foot: —But you didn’t stop him. I understood what you said just now.
Zhai Bing nibbled her lip, momentarily finding it difficult to meet Xiao Lajiao’s gaze.
Once again, Liang Hao’s words flashed through her mind—
“You don’t feel uncomfortable ’cause you share the same surname as him! Only I’m the outsider! …Just take a look around and see which married family still lives together with their brother-in-law, huh? Laozi can’t even have a normal married life… Every damn day feels like I’m guarding against f*cking thieves! Bing-ah, my dear wife, I really can’t take it anymore! Can you please get that lad to move out? Take this as me begging you, yeah?!”
Zhai Bing dug out a pack of slim cigarettes from her bag, and upon seeing so, Xiao Lajiao hurriedly covered her nose.
Zhai Bing lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then dialled Liang Hao’s number. “Hey, what time will you be back tonight? Let’s help my little brother find an apartment together.”
…
A hushed atmosphere filled the Flying Dragon Skating Rink.
Zhai Yao and Shen Heng had changed back into their regular clothes. With one standing and the other sitting cross-legged, they plunged back into their familiar silent mode.
Zhai Yao opened his WeChat wallet on his phone and found he had less than 100 yuan left.
He said to Shen Heng, “Lend me 100, I’ll pay you back tomorrow.” He didn’t want to return home for the night and was planning to find a hotel nearby.
Shen Heng didn’t say much either and took out his own phone. “Accept my friend request.”
Zhai Yao glanced at the “Add Contact” icon, and sure enough, there was a new notification—probably sent by Shen Heng at that time when he himself was receiving the IV drip in the hospital.
Zhai Yao tapped to accept.
Shen Heng sent him a 200 yuan virtual red packet directly.
“When are you going to look for an apartment?”
“If you don’t wanna get your ass beaten, don’t ask.”
Shen Heng remained silent, watching as Zhai Yao tapped to receive the red packet.
“Did you promise Shen Ziyao that you would return home early from school to visit him?”
Zhai Yao closed his eyes. “Tomorrow, I guess. It’s already so late, and he’s probably asleep by now.”
Shen Heng called home directly and softly uttered a few “Mm” before hanging up.
“He’s not asleep.”
…
*
Standing downstairs at Shen Heng’s apartment once more, Zhai Yao found himself puzzled by his own actions, unable to understand why he had returned.
His mood was clearly in the dumps, and he was utterly dead tired, yet he still followed Shen Heng back to his home.
Shen Heng: “Just leave the bicycle downstairs, this courtyard’s security is good.”
Zhai Yao replied with an “oh” and parked the bicycle, then went upstairs with Shen Heng.
The lights in the old residential compound were sound-activated. Every time they turned a corner and approached a new flight of stairs, Shen Heng would cough softly.
Perhaps hearing the sounds of movement, the door to Shen Heng’s apartment was pulled open from the inside.
“Grandson, is that you?”
Shen Ziyao’s voice travelled down from the upper floor through the building.
“Mm.”
“Mm.”
Zhai Yao and Shen Heng replied in unison.
Zhai Yao had a brief moment of stunned silence, realizing he had unwittingly already embraced this “grandson” identity. He lightly traced his tongue over his inner cheeks and said, “He’s calling for you.”
“No, he’s calling for you.”
Upon hearing his grandson’s voice, Shen Ziyao came out promptly, seizing Zhai Yao’s hand and beaming with lines etched on his face. “Why so late? Quickly, go wash up and eat!”
Shen Ziyao pulled Zhai Yao into the apartment, while Shen Heng followed and shut the door behind them.
The aroma of food permeated the air as the senior caregiver, wiping her hands on her apron, came out from the kitchen to greet Shen Heng. “Oh, back already? Perfect timing. I just finished washing and hanging up Gramps’s clothes, so I’ll get going now.”
Shen Heng nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”
“Auntie doesn’t live-in?” Zhai Yao asked.
He remembered that the last time he stayed at Shen Heng’s place, the senior caregiver had slept in the guest room.
“Not always,” Shen Heng said as he removed his backpack. “She usually waits for me to return before leaving. If it’s too late, then she’ll stay.”
“Oh.”
Shen Ziyao had already finished his dinner, but he was all over the moon upon seeing Zhai Yao, so he rejoined them and sat back down at the dining table.
“That someone, get some liquor from the cabinet for me!” He ordered Shen Heng.
“Can’t do that.” Shen Heng resolutely refused. “The doctor advised you to refrain from alcohol.”
Shen Ziyao frowned with discontent, saying, “That’s centipede liquor! It’s good for health.”
“All sorts of alcohol aren’t allowed,” Shen Heng said, no longer giving him any attention. He then quickly picked up his bowl and started eating his rice with chopsticks.
Shen Ziyao rolled his eyes. “So detestable.”
After dinner, Zhai Yao stood up to help Shen Heng clear the table, and once they finished, he prepared to leave.
Shen Ziyao, in response, hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, saying grumpily, “Where are you running off to again, at this late hour?”
Zhai Yao redirected his glance to Shen Heng, silently urging him to resolve the situation.
Shen Heng gave him a quick look before turning his head away.
Zhai Yao: “?” Hello? I was sending you a damn signal with my fricking eyes!
Seeing how Zhai Yao was still not giving him an answer, Shen Ziyao’s stubborn temper started to act up, determining to keep him from leaving. Eventually, he pulled out the ultimate secret move of the elderly, clutching his chest and swaying his body a couple of times, saying, “Ah, it’s so tight in here…”
In actuality, Zhai Yao had already anticipated that Shen Ziyao would insist on him staying, but he also sensed that Shen Heng wouldn’t easily allow someone to stay overnight, given his personality.
The previous incident was purely accidental. Moreover, he had even spent the entire night lying on top of him.
Yet, to his surprise, Shen Heng simply indulged Shen Ziyao’s antics of throwing his weight around and acting petulantly, while he lounged on the sofa, repeatedly pressing the TV remote control to change channels.
When he switched to a channel, coincidentally, there was a news reporting on a case of “young man murdered in a hotel late at night, with the body found under the bed.” Shen Heng watched with a blank expression on his face and silently turned up the volume.
In the end, Zhai Yao succumbed to Shen Ziyao’s stubbornness and ended up staying.
Shen Heng got up and went to the bedroom to find a clean T-shirt of his own for Zhai Yao. He also retrieved the towel and toothbrush that Zhai Yao had used previously, handing them over together. “For the shower, turn left for cold water and right for hot water.”
Zhai Yao took them and fixed his gaze on him. “Why didn’t you stop your grandpa?”
“Couldn’t stop him.”
“Bullsh*t!”
Shen Heng said no more and circumvented Zhai Yao, heading to the balcony for a smoke.
The sound of running water emanated from the bathroom. Meanwhile, Shen Ziyao sat contentedly on the sofa, engrossed in his resistance war drama, with a cup of steaming osmanthus tea before him.
After finishing his cigarette, Shen Heng came out of the balcony, glanced at the bathroom, approached Shen Ziyao, and sat down on the other end of the sofa.
After a moment, he spoke softly.
“Shen Ziyao.”
Shen Ziyao didn’t turn his head, saying, “If you have something to say, say it.”
Shen Heng fell silent for a moment and said, “Your grandson, he’s planning to move out.”
Shen Ziyao’s eyes widened in an instant, and he turned to look at Shen Heng.
“What did you say?!”
Shen Heng remained composed and continued, “He’s been searching for an apartment outside recently. Once he finds one, he’ll probably move out.” He pursed his lips, and then added, “I think it’s very unsafe.”
“Well, obviously! It’s definitely not safe!” Shen Ziyao stood up abruptly, pacing around a few times at the spot. “Weren’t they just showing it on TV? A young man—so young—got murdered by a criminal… That can’t do, absolutely not!”
Shen Heng agreed with a “Mm” and nodded. “You’re right.”
“You! Keep an eye on him for me during these few days. That little rascal has really grown wings! You say, why is he acting like that?! Is it because he thinks I’m old and doesn’t wanna take care of me anymore?!”
“I’d say not,” Shen Heng replied, his lips slightly curved. “Probably teenage rebellion, I guess.”
“Then I’ll strangle that ‘teenage rebellion’ at its birth!” Shen Ziyao clenched his fist. “Keep him at home, even if it means tying him down!”
The sound of running water stopped. Shen Heng removed his glasses, and with lowered eyes, he calmly and slowly wiped them. “Then, when he comes out, have a good talk with him. Tell him to stop messing around and just stay at home.”
Shen Ziyao angrily humph-ed, “Don’t worry, I will!”
…
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Centipede liquor…. 😰😰😱
Nice move heng2! Use your grandpa to get your wife to stay… 😏
Truly a genius move 👏
Omg I love the sweet manipulation at the end LOL
I was about to say that I feel like heng-ge is using his beloved grandpa to ensure his wife won’t run away, why did he just act out my speculation?! (･ัω･ั) It’s seem that yaoyao is already accepted into the family even though they’re not together yet
nods clever scheming indeed