Open Strife and Covert Battles Part 1

The expression on Song Yu's face remained largely unchanged, and he didn't answer his question.

"Announcing who you are first is basic social etiquette," he said faintly.

Hearing this, the other person laughed, scratched his hair, and said in a carefree tone, "Right, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yue Zhishi's classmate. My name is Shen Mi." After speaking, he glanced at the door number again. "I didn't go to the wrong place. It was here last time, and it was an Auntie who opened the door for me. You are?"

Song Yu's expression was calm. As he looked into the other's eyes, he naturally exuded an aura that made him difficult to approach.

"I'm his older brother."

The expression on Shen Mi's face turned to one of surprise. "He has an older brother? Ah, right, I think I heard someone mention it, but Yue Zhishi never brought it up with me."

Song Yu raised an eyebrow. "He also never mentioned having a classmate named Shen Mi."

"No way? I'm already on great terms with Auntie." Shen Mi smiled and took out his phone, opened his photo album, found a video he had recorded, and played it, holding it up for Song Yu to see.

It was a video of Yue Zhishi he had recorded during a class break using a short-video app. In the video, Yue Zhishi was eating a snack. After realizing he was being filmed, he kept smiling and using his hand to block the camera, calling Shen Mi's name and telling him to stop filming.

"See, I sit right behind Lele."

After watching the video, Song Yu's expression was placid.

Shen Mi put away his phone. "It's alright, we know each other now. Bro, can you help me call him? Aren't we supposed to go back to school to clear out our books today? I was thinking of getting Lele to come with me, and we could go play ball after we're done."

"He's still sleeping." Song Yu glanced down at his watch, then looked up again, leaning against the doorframe and speaking methodically. "Let me remind you, there's an invention in modern technology called a mobile phone. You could have easily called Yue Zhishi the day before to tell him to meet you at nine a.m. on June 9th to go back to school and clear out your books together. That might be more efficient than coming directly to his house and knocking, after all..."

Song Yu smiled. "You don't know what he did last night, or if he stayed up late, right?"

After hearing Song Yu's speech, the smile on Shen Mi's face faded a little, but only for a brief two or three seconds. He then nodded and said very cheerfully, "You're right, I wasn't being considerate enough. It's mainly because I live nearby, so I came over on a whim to get him. You have no idea, he's usually so diligent. He's always the first one to arrive for morning reading in our class. I didn't expect him to stay up late and sleep in as soon as the exams were over."

The smile on his face and his familiar wording were all reminders to Song Yu that they were good friends.

No matter how you look at it, keeping his younger brother's friend outside wasn't a very respectable thing for an older brother to do.

"Um, bro, I just ran over here, and I'm a bit thirsty. Can I come in for a drink of water?" Shen Mi looked at Song Yu. "I can also wait for him while I'm at it."

In the end, he got his wish and came in.

"Water's at the kitchen island. There are drinks in the fridge. Help yourself." After speaking, Song Yu returned to the kitchen counter, poured the opened carton of milk into a mug, and put it in the microwave to heat.

Shen Mi also walked into the kitchen, poured himself a glass of cool boiled water, and had silently drunk half of it when there was a sound from upstairs.

"Brother? Bro..." Yue Zhishi padded down in his slippers. Seeing that Song Yu's door was open and no one was inside, and that the living room also seemed empty from upstairs, he thought he wasn't home. He picked up Cotton Candy from the hallway, pinching its paws as he changed how he called out, "Song Yu?"

Carrying the mug of milk, Song Yu walked out of the kitchen and looked up at Yue Zhishi from the living room. "Who are you calling?"

Yue Zhishi's hair was sticking up from sleep. He revealed a sheepish, silly smile and leaned over the railing to call him "brother."

"Good morning."

Another person appeared beside Song Yu. Yue Zhishi froze for a moment, a little surprised. "Shen Mi? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to go back with you to clear out your books. Did you forget we agreed the day before the exam to play ball together after it was over?" Shen Mi put both hands on his hips and looked up at Yue Zhishi with a smile. "You're still sleeping? Look where the sun is!"

Yue Zhishi remembered. "Ah, right. I was playing with my brother for too long last night, I totally forgot about clearing out my books."

"No way?" Shen Mi sighed. "I came over here specifically to find you first thing in the morning. You're not going to stand me up, are you?"

"No, but I don't really want to play ball. Why don't we go pack up our things first?" Yue Zhishi hugged Cotton Candy, then looked at Song Yu. "Auntie Rong just called me and said to have us go to Yanghe Qizhe for lunch."

Song Yu didn't speak. Instead, Shen Mi excitedly joined the conversation, "Really? That's great! Auntie's cooking is super delicious."

Yue Zhishi felt a bit bad for bailing on basketball, so he offered what he thought was a great proposal as compensation. "How about this, then? We'll go clear out our books first, and then we'll all go to Yanghe Qizhe for lunch together." He looked at Song Yu again, his face showing the expression that always appeared whenever he was asking for a favor. "Brother, can you drive me to clear out my books?"

Song Yu was silent for a second. "Am I a tool?"

Yue Zhishi immediately retorted, "Of course not. I just want you to come with me."

In the end, Song Yu compromised.

Yue Zhishi quickly changed his clothes and came downstairs. He very naturally ran over and took a sip of the warm milk Song Yu was holding. Although Song Yu was reluctant, the thought that it would be inconvenient for Yue Zhishi to move his books and take a taxi by himself made him change his clothes and go out with him.

With an extra person on the trip, Song Yu, sitting in the driver's seat, seemed somewhat redundant. This was because Yue Zhishi in the passenger seat and Shen Mi in the back seat were chatting about things in their Class 10, such as the yet-to-be-held teacher appreciation banquet, a certain someone who spent the whole night in an internet cafe after the college entrance exams, or who confessed to whom after the exams were over.

These were all blank areas unfamiliar to Song Yu. For the first time, the absurd thought that he didn't actually know Yue Zhishi that well crossed his mind.

Coincidentally, the traffic was also frustrating. They hit another red light, and Shen Mi's topic had already shifted to summer vacation plans. He was talking about a comic convention a month from now, which happened to be a topic of great interest to Yue Zhishi.

"You're going too?" Yue Zhishi twisted his whole body around. "I want to go too!"

Song Yu glanced at him. "Sit properly. It's dangerous."

After being chided, Yue Zhishi obediently faced forward and sat up straight. He glanced at Song Yu, then reached out and touched his arm. "This is a long red light."

Song Yu felt this was some kind of appeasement from him. Yue Zhishi seemed very good at managing his moods, almost effortlessly, with perfect timing. But then Song Yu thought that Yue Zhishi probably wasn't even aware he was appeasing him.

He was just used to his temper and knew how to handle him.

Sitting in the back, Shen Mi suggested they go together, even saying that he had already done his homework. "Don't worry, you definitely won't get lost with me."

The red light turned green. Song Yu stepped on the accelerator again, and Yue Zhishi accepted Shen Mi's invitation.

Song Yu couldn't go in while they were clearing out the books, so he could only wait in the car. They went back and forth several times, and Shen Mi was very enthusiastic in helping Yue Zhishi carry things, busying himself as if he didn't have many books of his own to clear out.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah!" Yue Zhishi placed the last bundle in the trunk. "All packed up."

Shen Mi stood behind Yue Zhishi. "Thanks, Brother Song Yu. Otherwise, we probably would have had to call a car."

Song Yu closed the trunk lid without a word, went straight back to the driver's seat, and drove towards Yanghe Qizhe. His timing was perfect. When they arrived, Lin Rong was instructing the waiters to serve the dishes. She saw Yue Zhishi enter from the courtyard through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, then spotted Shen Mi following closely behind him, and came out to greet them with great enthusiasm.

Shen Mi was a smooth talker. He immediately said to Lin Rong, "Auntie, I've come to bother you again. Your cooking is too delicious."

"What's all this about bothering me? If you like it, you can come eat here every day," Lin Rong said with a smile as she pulled him inside, not even sparing a glance for her own son.

Song Yu was like an invisible person, walking silently behind them. Only Yue Zhishi looked back, grabbing his arm and saying, "A junior girl just gave me milk tea."

Song Yu asked back emotionlessly, "Was it good?"

"I didn't accept it." Yue Zhishi entered the restaurant. Their table was near the glass window. "I'm not the kind of scumbag who accepts milk tea from someone they don't like without a second thought."

Song Yu let out a small laugh. "You'd better not be."

Yue Zhishi sat down, turned his head, and wrinkled his nose in confusion at Song Yu, feeling that his tone was strange, as if he were angry at someone. Moreover, he had even sat down on the opposite side.

Seeing that Song Yu wasn't talking, Yue Zhishi took the initiative to sit next to him. "When does your summer break start? Let's go swimming. A new swimming pool just opened nearby, the water is very clean."

"A swimming pool?" Shen Mi, who was helping Lin Rong serve dishes, put down a plate of sweet and sour fish and sat down opposite Yue Zhishi. "Are you talking about the one near the subway entrance? I just got a membership card."

Song Yu's lips curled into a slight smile. He said to Yue Zhishi, "What a coincidence. No matter what you want to do, there happens to be someone to accompany you."

Yue Zhishi frowned at him. "Aren't you going?"

Song Yu didn't give a direct response. Lin Rong came over, and Shen Mi shifted inward. "You've worked hard, Auntie!"

"It's nothing. There are several new dishes this time, all to be promoted this season. Why don't you guys try them?"

At the dinner table, Lin Rong asked how Shen Mi's exams went. Shen Mi smiled and placed a piece of deboned fish into Yue Zhishi's bowl. "Pretty good. I should be able to get into the school I want."

"That's great." Lin Rong asked with a smile, "Where do you want to go?"

"W University."

The moment Shen Mi said it, Song Yu's chopsticks paused.