An Unexpected Visit

Yue Zhishi was staring at Song Yu's face, lost in thought, but there wasn't much time for him to think. A sudden flashlight beam shone in his eyes. It was too dazzling, and Yue Zhishi subconsciously turned his head and squinted.

"Someone's coming." Song Yu reacted quickly, grabbing Yue Zhishi's wrist and running towards the side door.

Sure enough, a few people appeared outside the stadium's wire fence. The one in the lead, holding a flashlight comparable to a searchlight, ran towards the main entrance. "Which class are you from? Why aren't you going home after school?! What are you doing hugging on the basketball court?!"

"Crap, I think it's Compass." Yue Zhishi recognized his voice and ran forward desperately. "How can we be so unlucky."

Song Yu pushed open the side door and pulled Yue Zhishi away. After leaving the basketball court, for a moment they didn't know which way to go. Yue Zhishi remembered that there was a small gate in the wall behind the new experiment building that connected to the faculty housing complex. He gripped Song Yu's hand back and led him in that direction.

Compass was chasing them closely from behind, shouting for them to stop. Yue Zhishi felt like he was about to run out of breath just from running, unable to understand why the man had so much energy.

"This way." The two of them circled around the right side of the new experiment building to the back. There was a row of parked cars there, and on either side were two three-meter-high square pillar sculptures.

"Let's hide here for a bit." Yue Zhishi pulled Song Yu behind a sculpture, pressing him against the square pillar. The pillar wasn't wide enough, and Yue Zhishi, afraid of being discovered, stood face to face, close to Song Yu's chest, trying to listen for any sounds.

The dean of discipline led his people over. Thinking they had run into the new experiment building, he also went in through the first floor, and coincidentally ended up in a classroom directly facing the square pillar sculpture.

"Where did they go? Not going home late at night, and actually starting a relationship in school!"

The dean's voice sounded particularly clear in the empty classroom, as if it had been amplified.

The flashlight beam suddenly shone out from the window. Yue Zhishi, who had stuck out half his head to peek from behind the pillar, immediately ducked back behind the sculpture when he saw the light.

The moment he pulled back, he accidentally met Song Yu's dark eyes.

He belatedly realized the distance between them was excessively close. Their chests were almost pressed together, their colliding heartbeats resonating intimately. His breathing from the run hadn't completely calmed down yet. Yue Zhishi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he blinked a couple of times in a fluster.

"I have to catch these two. These kids in puppy love nowadays, each one is bolder than the last..."

Puppy love.

The term felt strangely out of place when applied to them.

Yue Zhishi didn't know why he felt so guilty. He just felt hot. It was hot from running, and it was also hot being pressed together. He tried to take half a step back but was grabbed by the arm by Song Yu. He gently shook his head, looking much calmer than Yue Zhishi.

Yue Zhishi didn't dare to move either. The flashlight beam darted about wildly in the dark, just like his heartbeat at that moment. He felt he was too nervous, so he silently prayed in his heart, begging for the dean to leave quickly.

It seemed to work.

The dean left that classroom and went to other locations, and the flashlight beam moved further away. Only then did Yue Zhishi breathe a sigh of relief. His tense muscles relaxed, and he subconsciously leaned against Song Yu.

"That scared me to death."

Yue Zhishi's head was down, his voice very soft. His forehead rested on Song Yu's shoulder, and he was panting slightly.

The posture was like a half-finished hug.

A few minutes later, the dean seemed to have given up. Many of the classrooms and labs in the experiment building were locked, so even if the students wanted to hide, they couldn't get in. They went downstairs, attempting to circle around to the back.

He hadn't been relaxed for long before Yue Zhishi's heart was in his throat again. Fortunately, Song Yu reacted quickly, pulling him to hide on the side of the sculpture.

The dean was tired of running too. He raised the flashlight and did a rough scan. Seeing no one in his line of sight, he gave up, muttering curses.

After a while, Yue Zhishi finally asked in a low voice, "Are they gone?"

Seeing Song Yu nod, he finally relaxed, his shoulders slumping.

"It's true that as soon as you jinx it, it comes true." Yue Zhishi complained as he led Song Yu towards the small gate. "Luckily, I'm quite familiar with this area. I've observed this gate before."

Their footsteps on the grass made a rustling sound, which mixed with the chirping of cicadas—the sound of summer.

"What were you observing it for?"

Yue Zhishi didn't turn back and said to himself, "Because I often look for a place to memorize texts by myself. There are very few people here. Once when I was studying, I saw a lot of retired teachers from the faculty housing area bringing their grandchildren to the school to play, and they used this small gate." As he spoke, his tone became somewhat smug. "I even told Jiang Yufan about this. He always used this way to sneak out later."

"You've never snuck out?"

"No." Yue Zhishi wasn't sure if Song Yu's question was doubting that he had snuck out, or doubting his familiarity with the gate. He felt it was more likely the latter, so he emphasized again, "Anyway, I memorize my texts almost every day, at least six days a week. Every time I come here, I see people passing through. It's absolutely reliable."

But this later became another jinx.

When Yue Zhishi stood in front of that small iron gate, frantically shaking the fist-sized lock, Song Yu stood calmly to the side, arms crossed, repeating Yue Zhishi's keywords of failure. "Quite familiar with this area, come here every day for six days a week, absolutely reliable."

Yue Zhishi looked up embarrassedly. "Maybe today just happens to be the one day it's closed... right?"

In the end, they climbed over the wall.

Although the back wall adjacent to the faculty housing area was a bit high, at least it didn't have any sharp anti-climbing objects on top. Compared to Peiya's other school walls, it was already very friendly. Song Yu took a short running start, used the metal trash can fixed in the corner as a stepping stone, and vaulted over. His movements were smooth and fluid. Seeing his proficiency, Yue Zhishi even suspected it wasn't his first time doing this.

"Have you climbed over the wall before?"

Song Yu had already climbed over to the other side and didn't answer his question. Yue Zhishi adopted a safer tactic: he stepped on top of the trash can, used his long legs to reach the top of the wall, and finally climbed up, sitting on top, exhausted.

His perspective changed. Sitting on top, he realized the wall was even higher than he had imagined, and he suddenly didn't dare to jump straight down.

"Will my legs break from this height?" he asked very seriously.

Song Yu looked up at him with a very helpless expression and said seriously that they wouldn't.

"Then will I twist my ankle? If I twist my ankle, will you still play ball with me?"

"You have too many questions." Song Yu walked over expressionlessly, stood below him, and grabbed Yue Zhishi's dangling ankle. Then he raised his head and opened his arms towards him. "Jump down. you won't fall."

Although his expression was not at all enthusiastic and didn't look like he intended to catch him properly, Yue Zhishi's heart was still filled with complete trust, and a little bit of happiness. Yue Zhishi remembered the summer of first grade when he went to swimming lessons with Song Yu. He had clung to the metal handrail at the edge of the pool, refusing to get in the water no matter which coach tried to persuade him.

In the end, it was also Song Yu. He swam over, and with a cold expression on his little face, he grabbed Yue Zhishi's trembling, chubby legs and told him to jump down.

At that time, Yue Zhishi had asked him very seriously, "Will I drown?"

Song Yu said he wouldn't, saying, "I will catch you."

So he had obediently jumped down, and it was the same this time. Whether it was the childhood Yue Zhishi or the grown-up him, he fell into Song Yu's arms accurately and without a single scratch.

"We're finally out."

Just as he jumped down, an auntie came down from the adjacent apartment building to throw out the trash. She craned her neck to look at them, who were still in an embrace. Their eyes met, and Yue Zhishi quickly got out of Song Yu's arms.

Two fake junior high students wearing junior high uniforms, who had climbed over the school wall into the faculty housing area, were hard not to attract attention.

"Let's go, time to head back."

"Mhm." Yue Zhishi also took off his jacket, tied it around his waist, and followed Song Yu.

After leaving the faculty housing compound, there was a relatively bustling food street at the entrance. They had spent two hours at school, and it was already almost midnight. Between playing basketball and running away, Yue Zhishi felt a bit hungry. He tugged on Song Yu's arm and walked towards the food street.

Song Yu knew what he meant better than anyone, but he didn't stop him.

Yue Zhishi stood in front of a shop selling pan-fried buns, watching the owner lift the lid and use tongs to flip the buns one by one.

"Want some pan-fried buns? We have glutinous rice, radish, and vermicelli fillings. Which kind do you want?"

Song Yu saw Yue Zhishi standing there motionless. "You can't eat them anyway, what are you staring at?"

Yue Zhishi was like an emotionless repeating machine. "Right, I can't eat them."

Song Yu felt a little sorry for him. He made an excuse, saying he wanted to drink mung bean smoothie, and Yue Zhishi's attention was quickly diverted. "I just saw some over there." He didn't get to eat the pan-fried buns, but they bought two cups of iced mung bean smoothie. Yue Zhishi took a sip. It was sweet and slushy, and his whole body felt comfortable. The surrounding small stalls displayed all sorts of late-night snacks: crispy Sanxian potstickers, cold noodles mixed with sesame paste and shredded kelp, and also the thin, crispy meigan cai guokui baked in a large clay oven. Everything looked especially delicious.

But Yue Zhishi couldn't eat any of them.

The auntie selling cold noodles greeted Song Yu very enthusiastically, "Want some cold noodles, handsome?"

Song Yu stopped and asked if they could be replaced with rice noodles. The cold noodle stall also happened to sell stir-fried rice noodles, so the auntie readily agreed to the switch. While mixing them, she couldn't help but ask, "The best part of cold noodles is the chewiness of the noodles. Why do you want to switch to rice noodles?"

Watching Yue Zhishi drooling at the side, Song Yu said faintly, "I don't like to eat noodles."

The two sat at a very small folding table, sharing a whole bowl of very different mixed rice noodles and a portion of fragrant and spicy grilled tender tofu. The plastic stools were too short, leaving no place for their legs, so they could only stretch them out.

Song Yu hadn't been too concerned about his previous exams and didn't want to put too much pressure on Yue Zhishi, but while eating their late-night snack, he casually asked, "Have you thought about a major and a school?"

After speaking, he added, "Actually, there's no rush."

The contradiction made him seem a little guilty, but Yue Zhishi didn't notice. He was busy stuffing a piece of tofu into his mouth, only to find it so hot he wanted to spit it out.

"Why are you so reckless with your life when you eat?" Song Yu retorted mercilessly.

"So hot." Yue Zhishi struggled to swallow it and answered Song Yu's first question. "W University, I'm aiming for W University." He blurted it out, sounding a bit hasty, but after taking a sip of the mung bean smoothie, Yue Zhishi added, "As for my major, I have a few options in mind. I plan to do some proper research during this time."

He confidently placed the cup back on the table. "I'm definitely going to choose a major properly this time."

Song Yu observed his expression, lowered his eyes, and his gaze softened. "For you to say that, you must have already chosen one in your heart."

"How did you know?" Yue Zhishi felt like he was completely transparent in front of Song Yu.

Song Yu looked at him with a faint smile. "Based on your indecisiveness, if you weren't already leaning towards something, you wouldn't be this confident. You should be very anxious."

"Alright, you guessed it." Yue Zhishi ate the last few bites of the mixed rice noodles. "You might laugh at me if I tell you."

Song Yu said seriously, "The probability of me laughing is likely lower than others."

Hearing this, Yue Zhishi himself laughed first. "That's true." He tapped the end of his chopsticks lightly on the table, then leaned in closer and said to Song Yu in a low voice, "I want to study law."

The answer was indeed a bit unexpected for Song Yu, but after thinking about it, he could roughly guess why.

"This reason might sound very immature, but I really think that the legal profession, to some extent, exists to defend justice." As if afraid Song Yu would think he was just being impulsive, Yue Zhishi quickly explained, "Although this justice may not necessarily be factual justice, and more like procedural justice, regardless, I feel that having the ability to help others seek justice is a very remarkable thing."

When Yue Zhishi spoke, his eyes were always bright, exuding a kind of innocence that easily made people think his words were also naive and simple. But Song Yu knew that although Yue Zhishi didn't really understand the profession that well, his yearning for justice was innate. The heroic characters he had liked were like spiritual totems, long since engraved in his character.

Song Yu couldn't help but think back to their childhood, when he asked Le Yi why he wanted to be a journalist. He didn't understand back then either, only remembering Le Yi's reply that journalism was a profession that could expose injustice, that he could speak for those who couldn't, and bring unseen darkness to light.

At that time, he was also like this, his eyes glowing.

Like father, like son, indeed.

"Do you still think I'm very childish?" Having not received a response from Song Yu, Yue Zhishi couldn't help but ask.

Song Yu came back to his senses and looked into Yue Zhishi's eyes. "It is very remarkable. You're right."

Yue Zhishi immediately cheered up, grabbing Song Yu's wrist. "So you mean you support me, right?"

Song Yu looked away. "Just study hard. We can talk about this later."

Although his enthusiasm was dampened, Yue Zhishi was already content that his very immature idea could get Song Yu's support. "If I can get in successfully, I will definitely study hard."

When they were about done eating, Song Yu paid and led him away.

The temperature had dropped a little, and it was finally not so stuffy. The two walked shoulder to shoulder on the empty road, enjoying the tranquility of the summer night. Thinking about their escape at school just now, even Song Yu found it amusing.

"I've been studying here for six years, and I've never been in such a sorry state."

Yue Zhishi laughed. "Yeah, back when you were in high school, if you were caught in a puppy love relationship with a girl and publicly criticized, you'd definitely be the talk of the whole school."

'How could something like that ever happen.' Song Yu lowered his eyes.

As they walked, Yue Zhishi suddenly thought of something, yanked Song Yu's wrist up, and glanced at his watch.

"What's wrong?"

"We're almost out of time." Yue Zhishi quickly fumbled around his pockets. A car sped past him, lifting his bangs.

Song Yu was curious about what he was looking for, but before he could ask, Yue Zhishi started talking to himself. "Yue Zhishi, Class 10, Year 3: record of being hunted by the dean of discipline, plus one; record of successful escape, plus one; record of wall-climbing, plus one. A qualitative leap from zero to one has been achieved." He looked up, smiling like a child. "There's just one last thing left for a perfect wrap-up."

After speaking, he held out his hand to Song Yu.

A metal nameplate lay quietly in his palm, glinting under the streetlight.

"Brother Song Yu, this is my nameplate." Yue Zhishi grabbed his hand and pressed the nameplate into it, just like how Song Yu had secretly pressed it into his at the start of the school year. "It's for you."

Song Yu looked at the nameplate in his hand, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

"You're not planning to leave it for someone else?"

Yue Zhishi shook his head, his words direct and open. "There were never any other options."

Hearing this, Song Yu's feelings grew even more complicated. Under the dim yellow streetlight, Yue Zhishi was ridiculously good-looking, even his eyelashes were a transparent, light gold. The memories and desires he thought he had buried so well all came surging out upon seeing his smile, like a downpour extinguishing all the fireworks in a city.

The second hand ticked at the same frequency as his heartbeat, passing the number twelve, and everything reset to zero.

A youth that would never return, all condensed into a metal plate engraved with a name, and handed over to another person.

Having eaten too much that night, Yue Zhishi had a premonition that he wouldn't be able to sleep. He guessed Song Yu felt the same, so without a word, he snuck directly into his room, pestering and cajoling Song Yu into playing a game with him for a while. Yue Zhishi wasn't actually good at this type of game, nor did he like it that much. When he played with others before, he was always uninterested in looting houses, finding it very boring. But with Song Yu, Yue Zhishi became exceptionally enthusiastic. He would get particularly excited if he found any good items, asking Song Yu if he wanted them, and forcing them on him even if he said no.

Even just foolishly dancing for Song Yu in the game, Yue Zhishi found it very fun.

They played too late, and Yue Zhishi didn't go back to his room to sleep until three in the morning. In the morning, Lin Rong was in a hurry to go to Yanghe Qizhe to prepare, so she didn't wake them up for breakfast. Song Yu got up a little earlier. After washing up, he went downstairs, planning to heat up a glass of milk for Yue Zhishi, but just as he got downstairs, he heard the doorbell. It had been ringing for a long time.

Walking to the main door, Song Yu glanced at the monitor screen. He wasn't sure if the person had already left; there was no one on the screen.

Two seconds later, he opened the door anyway and walked out to see a person squatting outside.

The other person seemed to have mistaken him for someone else. At first, he stood up happily, but his expression changed after seeing Song Yu's face. He was very tall, had very short hair, was wearing a tracksuit, and was holding a basketball.

Song Yu quickly recognized him. The person in front of him was Shen Mi, who had appeared in the interview video.

"Good morning." Shen Mi spoke first, his tone friendly. "This is Yue Zhishi's house, right? I wanted to ask him to go out and play ball."

He looked at Song Yu and asked tentatively, "And you are?"