Chapter 54

Chapter 54

When Yi Jiahe saw his two friends approaching, his eyes merely flickered in surprise. He gently patted You Nan’s cheek—a gesture devoid of tenderness.

“You should head back first,” Yi Jiahe said.

He opened his wallet and slipped all the cash he had into You Nan’s pocket. It was a decent wad; he hadn’t counted the bills. “Take it. You’ve had a scare—get some rest.”

After speaking, he stood up and walked over to his two friends, his expression calm. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Zhang Chun and Cheng Mi snapped to attention, their complicated gazes sweeping over You Nan. Before they could say anything, Yi Jiahe walked right past them and out.

Zhang Chun and Cheng Mi followed, but the looks they cast at You Nan carried an unusual and distinct meaning.

You Nan lowered his eyes, a chill settling in his heart. He put on his jacket and tried to pull it closed, but his hands were shaking too badly, making it impossible to zip it up.

He’d been seen.

But Yi Jiahe had said this place was safe, so why were there other people here?

You Nan stood up, but his legs felt weak from the emotional shock. His vision went black for a moment, and he quickly braced himself against the back of the sofa to avoid collapsing.

After taking a moment to recover, he looked down at the money in his hand, feeling an inexplicable sting in his eyes.

A bitter, intense emotion welled up in his chest, forcing him to take small, shaky breaths. The pain wasn’t just in his eyes—it seemed to pierce his heart as well.

The money in his hand felt burning hot, yet he had no choice but to take it.

He should be happy—after all, he’d made so much.

Hadn’t he already considered what would happen if someone found out, back when he couldn’t say no?

So what if they saw? Once things blow over, no one would remember him anyway.

With trembling hands, You Nan clutched the money he had earned.

As he left the building, he bumped into several students who hadn’t yet left the school.

Walking along the campus path, he felt like he was being watched. The sensation made him quicken his pace until the only sound in his ears was the wind.

You Nan hopped on his bike and went to the bank to deposit the money. Just as the deposit confirmation appeared on his phone, two transfers also appeared on WeChat.

They were from Yi Jiahe, meant as compensation.

Together, they totaled twenty thousand yuan.

To the children of wealthy families, twenty thousand yuan was like a drop in the bucket, smaller than an ant.

They could give it away without a second thought.

You Nan’s eyelid twitched. Standing in front of the bank’s ATM, he checked the balance of all his accounts.

Before Yi Jiahe had sought him out, he’d had only a few hundred yuan to his name. Now, scattered across various accounts, he had around eighty or ninety thousand.

Oh well, he thought.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. As long as no one else found out, he could handle it.

While You Nan was compromising his morals in the face of money, back at school, Yi Jiahe, Zhang Chun, and Cheng Mi sat across from each other at a table.

Zhang Chun and Cheng Mi had already recovered from their shock.

No wonder, they thought. You Nan had been right under Yi Jiahe’s nose all along. Even though they had openly expressed their disdain for You Nan, Yi Jiahe—as their friend—had never confronted him. It turned out there was this type of connection between them. Truly unexpected.

Cheng Mi’s eyes flickered, and he decided this might actually be a good thing.

Jiang Songen seemed interested in You Nan, which Cheng Mi found irritating. He had always wanted to drive a wedge between them.

Now that Yi Jiahe had shown interest in You Nan and the two were so intimate, even if Jiang Songen was unwilling, there was little he could do.

After all, Jiang Songen wouldn’t resort to homewrecking.

Having reasoned it through, Cheng Mi felt much better.

He picked up a drink Yi Jiahe had left there, twisted open the cap, and took a sip, lowering his eyes to hide his barely contained glee.

He didn’t care whether his friend and You Nan were suited for each other—all that mattered was that his own chances of getting together with Jiang Songen had just improved.

It was Zhang Chun who broke the silence among the three.

Sitting on the sofa, he crossed his left leg over his right, then switched after a moment. His restless movements made it seem as though there were nails hidden beneath the cushions.

Frowning, Zhang Chun cut straight to the point. “What’s going on between you and that You Nan?”

“Are you into him?”

Yi Jiahe’s tone was cold. “No.”

The striking young man relaxed his posture, leaning back against the soft sofa cushions. He placed his phone face-down on the table—the same phone he had just used to transfer money. “Just killing time, having a bit of fun.”

Zhang Chun disliked You Nan. “Even if you’re just looking for fun, why him?”

In Zhang Chun’s eyes, You Nan wasn’t worthy of Yi Jiahe—not in any way.

The thought made Zhang Chun irritable.

You Nan was like a bad influence. Not only had he tempted Jiang Songen into becoming his friend, but he had also caught Yi Jiahe’s attention. In less than half a year since arriving, he had already caused so much trouble.

Yi Jiahe picked up a cup and personally poured water for Zhang Chun, pushing the full cup toward him. “Have some water.”

Zhang Chun wasn’t in the mood to drink, but he took a sip anyway, his mind racing.

The scene he had witnessed when he opened the door had shaken him deeply. Every detail remained etched in his mind—including the expression on You Nan’s face.

Setting down the cup, Zhang Chun mentioned offhandedly, “You Nan looked familiar just now.”

Yi Jiahe’s eyelid twitched, but he didn’t respond.

Beside them, Cheng Mi, who had just sorted out his thoughts, no longer felt as much animosity toward You Nan as before.

Recalling Zhang Chun’s words, his sharp intuition immediately picked up on something unusual.

You Nan’s expression at that moment had really resembled Jiang Songen’s.

Cheng Mi's gaze towards Yi Jiahe suddenly sharpened.

Was it possible that Yi Jiahe also liked Jiang Songen? Was that why he kept You Nan by his side, imitating Jiang Songen's mannerisms?

Yi Jiahe had hidden it so well. After all these years of knowing each other, Cheng Mi had never noticed that Yi Jiahe also had feelings for Jiang Songen.

Cheng Mi clenched the drink bottle in his hand, squeezing it so hard that some of the liquid splashed onto his pants.

It was sticky and sweet.

"Here, wipe it off." Zhang Chun wanted to ponder further, but his thoughts were interrupted by the noise Cheng Mi made.

Zhang Chun pulled out two tissues and handed them to Cheng Mi, who, his face pale, took them and wiped his palm.

Yi Jiahe's eyes shifted over; Cheng Mi's behavior was also very unusual.

A thought suddenly struck Yi Jiahe.

Cheng Mi looked up and met his gaze. Both of them read the confirmation in each other's eyes.

All three of them actually liked Jiang Songen.

.

After this incident, Yi Jiahe stopped contacting You Nan for a while. You Nan was also relieved. He was now following Jiang Songen to get burgers.

Li Qiutian was with them too. The three of them sat at an empty table in the fast-food restaurant, each holding a burger.

There was another one beside You Nan, bought by Li Qiutian for Xiao Ruan.

After You Nan and Jiang Songen became friends, Li Qiutian had become friends with him too. They ended up going everywhere together.

But he noticed that Jiang Songen had hung out with just You Nan a few times, leaving him out. Li Qiutian was very upset and had a falling out with Jiang Songen. It was only when You Nan called over to him at lunch that Li Qiutian made up with Jiang Songen.

You Nan sat to Jiang Songen’s left, and Li Qiutian sat to his right.

Leaning around Jiang Songen, Li Qiutian asked You Nan, "You Nan, have you decided on your college applications yet?"

Junior year flies by. Various exams and activities eat up all the students' time, leaving no gaps.

Li Qiutian was planning to study abroad. Roughly eighty percent of the students in their school were going abroad, with only a few staying in the country for the college entrance exams.

Li Qiutian was just asking casually.

You Nan had no plans to study abroad. He had a younger brother still in elementary school and couldn’t leave.

You Nan said he had one in mind. The original owner had a school in mind, a goal set long ago.

Jiang Songen listened to the two chatting but didn’t say a word.

The strikingly handsome boy took a sip of his drink, his gaze slightly dazed.

Li Qiutian didn’t ask Jiang Songen about his college plans. Their families had already decided for them back in middle school.

Li Qiutian assumed Jiang Songen was also going abroad.

.

You Nan quit his part-time job a month before finals.

Yi Jiahe had called him a few more times after that, and he had saved up eighty thousand yuan (about $11,000) from Yi Jiahe. This money allowed him and his brother to focus on studying without worrying about living expenses.

Since arriving, You Nan had made sure to understand everything the teachers taught each day, revisiting and mastering the knowledge from his first and second years.

Especially in this last month, he studied relentlessly.

He woke up at five in the morning, studied until after seven, then took his brother to school. After school ended around four in the afternoon, he continued studying until after nine at night.

Jiang Songen supervised him daily, writing out schedules.

You Nan followed them exactly.

However, You Nan’s English wasn't his strong suit, so Jiang Songen came to see him every weekend to practice English with him and Xiao Ruan.

With his help, You Nan’s English gradually improved.

By the time finals ended, You Nan felt less nervous walking out of the exam hall.

He had answered almost all the questions on the test; it was just a matter of how many were correct.

He was no longer the person who, when he first arrived, couldn’t get a single red checkmark on a page of homework.

After finals, winter break began.

Their school had over a month off for winter break. Jiang Songen stood at the door of Class 2 and quietly asked You Nan to hang out the next day.

You Nan, with his backpack on, shook his head. "Maybe not. I still need to solidify my foundation."

He felt there was still a significant gap between his current level and the original owner’s goal.

Jiang Songen wasn’t upset about being turned down.

He said, "Oh," and suddenly reached out to brush You Nan’s nose.

You Nan’s eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Jiang Songen laughed. "Your nose is red from the cold. I wanted to see if it was frostbitten."

You Nan, smiling, pushed him away, and Jiang Songen walked You Nan to the parking lot.

The next day, You Nan slept until noon and was woken by Jiang Songen’s call.

Jiang Songen stood downstairs calling him. "Are you up? I’m downstairs. I brought some groceries."

He sounded cheerful. "Last time you said I couldn’t cook, right? I learned two dishes from the housekeeper last night. If you haven’t eaten yet, open the door and let me in. I’ll cook for you."

You Nan, with bedhead, opened his bleary eyes. The child sleeping next to him turned over drowsily, covering his ears with small hands to block out the noise.

007, lying between them, burrowed under the covers and then into the child’s clothes, scurrying over to Xiao Ruan.

The room wasn’t heated, and You Nan shivered as he got out of bed. He hurriedly put on clothes and opened the door, meeting Jiang Songen’s gaze.

He was momentarily stunned.

Jiang Songen grew a bit nervous. "What’s wrong?"

He touched his hair.

He had taken care with his appearance before leaving home today.

Making sure he looked handsome.

You Nan was genuinely struck by how good he looked, the admiration still evident in his eyes.

He took a step back, unsure whether it was because he wasn't wearing much at home—just having hastily thrown on thick pajamas—but the cold air felt heavy, making his mouth go numb.

You Nan even stammered slightly while speaking to Jiang Songen.

"Co-come in, quick."

As he spoke, he hurriedly avoided Jiang Songen's gaze and headed into the room, with a distinct air of fleeing in defeat.

No way! Damn male competitiveness! He needed to change his clothes too.