Chapter 57: Chapter 57 “Here to Bring You Fish Again.”…

Chapter 57

"I'm here to bring you fish again..."

The short one-week summer vacation seemed to pass in the blink of an eye before they knew it.

Lu Zhishi spent the last few days of his break doing not much—just going with Zhao Xiaoxing to the Stray Animal Rescue Center to bathe a group of little ones and take them out for walks.

He also spent two days visiting the children at the orphanage, making sure the money he donated wasn’t being embezzled by the director. He donated the rest of his pocket money and, together with Zhao Xiaoxing, bought new clothes, toys, books, and anything else they could think of for the children.

By the time all this was done, summer vacation was over. The next day, Lu Zhishi woke up early and the first thing he did was cross out "sophomore year" on his calendar.

After making and eating breakfast, Lu Zhishi slung on his backpack, said goodbye to his dad and brother, and went to school with Zhao Xiaoxing, officially entering his junior year of high school.

Life in junior year was exhausting and difficult, even more so than ninth grade.

Endless exams, never-ending review classes, and constant tests defined junior year.

Juniors had to stay after school for extra lessons. Once the junior high and freshmen and sophomores left, only the junior year building remained lit until 9 p.m.

Saturday classes were also mandatory, with Sundays off—this was the school's policy.

Having experienced senior year once before in his previous life, Lu Zhishi was somewhat prepared for the school’s schedule, but after two months, he was utterly worn out.

Especially since he also had academic team practices to attend—on top of his regular exams, he had contest materials to solve.

As the midterms approached, Lu Zhishi took a few days off to participate in a competition. After returning, he rushed to review for the joint midterm exams.

Following the school’s tradition, grades were released on the same day the exams ended. The teachers graded incredibly fast, posting the results that evening and immediately beginning to review the exams.

Lu Zhishi remained first in the science track, Lan Lan was second, and Zhao Qiyun third.

Fourth place was still held by the quiet, bespectacled boy from the science experimental class, who consistently held that position.

Xi Yue came in fifth. Her science grades were strong, and since the division into humanities and STEM tracks, without her arts subjects pulling her down, her performance had stabilized—unlike before when she occasionally fell out of the top ten.

After the competition, Lu Zhishi crammed to review for the joint exams. Two days of testing were followed by more extra classes, and his energy was completely drained.

During the last study hall, he couldn’t stop yawning and eventually dozed off.

"Lu Zhishi." Xi Yue poked his back.

Lu Zhishi jolted awake, his heart racing from the scare. It took him a moment to calm down before he turned around. "What’s up?"

His voice was hoarse, heavy with sleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Zhao Xiaoxing.

Well, this silly mop-top was even bolder than him—he’d fallen fast asleep with his head on the desk.

Xi Yue handed him a few mints, yawning as well, clearly exhausted. "Have a couple to wake yourself up."

"Thanks." After eating one, Lu Zhishi felt noticeably more alert.

He shook Zhao Xiaoxing awake and popped a mint into his mouth. Zhao Xiaoxing blinked drowsily. "...What is this?"

"Mint candy from Xi Yue." Lu Zhishi rubbed his face. "Wake up, just a bit longer until class ends."

Their homeroom teacher had been called away for a meeting—otherwise, this session would have been spent reviewing exams, leaving no chance for dozing off.

While Lu Zhishi was napping, other students hesitated to come over and ask questions. Now that he was awake, they approached with their exam papers and review books.

Lu Zhishi patted Zhao Xiaoxing’s back, telling him not to sleep with his head down or risk being caught by the dean. Then he picked up a pen and patiently explained problems to his classmates.

Told not to lay his head down, Zhao Xiaoxing propped his head up with one hand instead, still holding a pen to pretend he was working.

Time always flies when you’re not paying attention. Before they knew it, class was over.

But the questions weren’t fully explained yet. Lu Zhishi spent some time going through all of them and lent his notes to the others before finally leaving the classroom with Zhao Xiaoxing.

He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now that he relaxed, exhaustion and fatigue washed over him all at once. Lu Zhishi’s expression turned numb, unable to muster even a faint smile.

Leaning on each other, he and Zhao Xiaoxing slowly made their way toward the school gate, complaining for the nth time about how unnecessarily large the campus was—it felt like they’d never reach the exit.

"Only three months have passed, and we just finished midterms. There are still seven months left—how are we going to get through this..."

"Just hang in there..." Zhao Xiaoxing’s face was also pale, as if all his energy had been drained away.

Finally, they trudged their way to the school gate with the crowd and headed toward where their driver usually parked—only to find Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen waiting there.

"Big bro! Brother Xiao Chen!" Lu Zhishi’s eyes lit up.

Zhao Xiaoxing also smiled, and the two hurried over. "Brother Xiao Yu, Brother Xiao Chen."

Lu Zhiyu patted both of them on the head. "Look how pale you two are. Let’s go get some late-night snacks to recharge."

"Sure! What are we eating?" Just the mention of food made Lu Zhishi realize how hungry he was.

Lu Zhiyu asked, "What do you feel like having?"

"How about little lamb wontons? Xiao Xing and I have been there a few times—they’re really good." Lu Zhishi nudged Zhao Xiaoxing’s arm. "You in?"

Zhao Xiaoxing nodded. "I’m in."

Lu Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. "Just that?"

"Eating too much at night isn’t easy to digest," Zhao Xiaoxing said, scratching his cheek.

Lu Zhiyu took out his phone to book a table. "Alright, we’ll also get two cups of hot milk."

Lu Zhishi placed his and Zhao Xiaoxing’s backpacks in the back seat and closed the door. He noticed Zhao Xiaoxing staring at a car.

"What’s up?" he asked.

"That looks like my brother’s car," Zhao Xiaoxing said, the longer he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

Chi Chen overheard and turned around. "Zhao Qiyun is here too. He and his boyfriend went to buy water—they’ll be here in a bit."

Lu Zhishi: "?"

Zhao Xiaoxing: "??"

Naturally curious, when Zhao Qiyun arrived hand-in-hand with his boyfriend, both of them craned their necks to see.

It was indeed that guy—the one who had gone abroad with Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen for Zhao Qiyun’s graduation ceremony.

Tall and slender, with fine features and a quiet, reserved demeanor.

When he saw them, the boy instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Zhao Qiyun held on tightly. Unable to free himself, he pursed his lips and softly said, "Hello..."

His fair skin made the redness at the tips of his ears especially noticeable. After speaking, he lowered his gaze, as if not used to the attention. Lu Zhishi beamed and waved. "Hello, I’m Lu Zhishi."

Zhao Xiaoxing snapped out of it and quickly greeted with a smile, "Hello, Brother. I'm Zhao Qixing."

The youthful energy and enthusiastic smiles of the teenagers made the young man relax a bit unconsciously. "I'm Zhou Nianjing," he said.

Knowing he wasn’t very talkative, Zhao Qiyun stepped in, "Let’s go get something to eat first. It’s getting late."

The shop wasn’t far, so they walked instead of driving.

Zhao Qiyun and Zhou Nianjing walked hand in hand at the back. Occasionally, Lu Zhishi glanced back and could see him leaning in to whisper something to Zhou Nianjing.

In the middle were Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoxing. Since Lu Zhishi wanted to stick close to Chi Chen, the two of them paired up.

Lu Zhiyu walked on the outside, while Zhao Xiaoxing stayed closer to the inside. They kept about an arm’s length apart—enough space for a Lu Zhishi to fit in—and didn’t talk much.

This deliberate distance felt strange, yet oddly ambiguous.

"Watch your step," Lu Zhishi snapped out of his thoughts as his shoulder was gently pulled.

Chi Chen guided him closer to the inside to a safer spot, then let go of his shoulder.

His actions were measured, polite, and reserved, but Lu Zhishi felt a bit down.

He kicked a small branch in the way in front of him.

The branch flew a short distance before stopping, still in a spot where it could trip someone up. Lu Zhishi went over, picked it up, and threw it into a trash can.

"Not happy?"

"No, I’m very happy," Lu Zhishi lowered his head slightly, saying the opposite of what he felt.

He couldn’t exactly say he was unhappy because Chi Chen was too proper, could he? That was something to keep to himself. Saying it out loud would make him seem like a weirdo and ruin his image in Chi Chen’s eyes.

Just then, they passed a stand selling little trinkets. Chi Chen paid for a small, round white rabbit and handed it to Lu Zhishi. "Don’t be unhappy."

Suddenly, Lu Zhishi’s lips curved into a smile uncontrollably. If he hadn’t been holding back, it would have stretched from ear to ear.

"Thank you, Brother Xiao Chen." The toy was just the size of his palm. Lu Zhishi tucked it into his pocket perfectly, planning to hang it on his backpack after dinner.

The ten-minute walk ended up taking over ten minutes with all the stops. They finally reached the wonton shop, which was pretty empty late at night.

The small shop was tidy and clean. The owner was an unassuming young man who didn’t say much. After they ordered, he left.

"Brother, why did all of you come out tonight?"

They sat around a large round table. Chi Chen and Lu Zhishi sat on one side, with Zhao Xiaoxing next to Lu Zhishi, Lu Zhiyu next to Zhao Xiaoxing, and then Zhao Qiyun and Zhou Nianjing.

Lu Zhiyu smiled. "We came for a late-night snack, and to pick you up and take you home."

"I don’t buy it. It’s more like the other way around."

Lu Zhishi didn’t buy it. They were usually too busy with work to specifically come out for a late-night snack.

"We knew you just finished your exams, had night classes, and were exhausted and sleepy. Your brother said he’d pick you up, so Xiao Chen and I came along," Zhao Qiyun explained.

The wontons weren’t ready yet, so the owner brought over three cups of hot milk first. Zhao Qiyun passed two to Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing, and placed the remaining one near Zhou Nianjing.

"It’s really exhausting. And we don’t even get a day off tomorrow," Lu Zhishi slumped dejectedly.

Zhao Xiaoxing also felt just as drained at the thought of having to get up early for a full day of classes tomorrow, followed by night lessons until nine.

Lu Zhiyu felt his pockets and pulled out a few marshmallows, placing them in front of the two. "Sweeten your mood. Hang in there a bit longer."

Lu Zhishi gave one to Chi Chen and unwrapped one for himself, then subtly glanced at Zhao Xiaoxing.

Zhao Xiaoxing blinked, eyes widening slightly, full of confusion. What’s up?

Lu Zhishi: "..." Nothing.

The adults had their own things to talk about. Usually busy, now that they were together, it was inevitable they’d discuss work matters.

Lu Zhishi understood what they were saying, but as a high school senior, he’d temporarily stepped back from work matters. For now, he just scrolled through his phone, waiting for the wontons to be served.

Zhao Xiaoxing kept nodding off, yawning repeatedly, eyes watering. Seeing this, Lu Zhiyu took a tissue from his pocket, quickly wiped Zhao Xiaoxing’s eyes, then turned back to continue talking with Zhao Qiyun and Chi Chen.

Zhou Nianjing didn’t say much. Sitting beside Zhao Qiyun, he held a cup of hot milk and listened quietly.

They didn’t wait long before the wontons were served. Lu Zhishi helped the owner serve each person a bowl.

They were still chatting, so Lu Zhishi didn’t interrupt. He took Chi Chen’s bowl, picked out the cilantro and scallions, then put it back.

He continued picking out the cilantro from his own bowl.

He’d forgotten to tell the owner earlier—no help for it, his mind was already muddled.

Noticing out of the corner of his eye, Chi Chen glanced at Lu Zhishi’s head but didn’t say anything, only a faint, barely noticeable smile touching his lips.

Zhao Xiaoxing also picked the cilantro and scallions out of his bowl. Seeing Lu Zhiyu turned away talking to his brother, he hesitated for a moment before sneakily scooping out the cilantro and scallions from Lu Zhiyu’s bowl. He did a good deed without credit, silently lowering his head to eat his wontons.

When Lu Zhiyu looked back, he saw only a hint of green in the wonton soup—the scallions and cilantro had been scooped clean.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the person beside him, only seeing Zhao Xiaoxing’s fluffy head.

Lu Zhiyu smiled, ruffling Zhao Xiaoxing’s round head with his large hand, his voice soft. "Thanks."

Zhao Xiaoxing kept his head down, ears slightly red, and replied quietly, "You’re welcome."

Lu Zhiyu was next to Zhao Qiyun, who heard the exchange and glanced over. Pausing his cilantro-picking, Zhao Qiyun’s eyes shifted between his good friend and his younger brother, raising an eyebrow. Something felt off.

But seeing Lu Zhiyu’s calm expression and Zhao Xiaoxing focused on eating, Zhao Qiyun set his mind at ease. He finished picking out the cilantro from his bowl, placed it in front of Zhou Nianjing, and said softly, "Be careful, it’s hot."

Zhou Nianjing gave a slight nod but didn’t speak, silently lowering his head to eat the wontons.

They took their time eating, and by the time they got home, it was almost 10:30. After washing up and drying his hair, Lu Zhishi brightened the desk lamp, finished the remaining test papers, and worked on some competition problems for a while.

Perhaps noticing the light still on in his room, Lu Zhiyu knocked and came in. "Not asleep yet?"

Before Lu Zhishi could answer, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I’ll sleep soon."

Lu Zhiyu didn’t scold him, just said, "Rest early. You have class tomorrow."

"Mm." Lu Zhishi waved. "Good night, Brother."

"Good night."

Lost in problem-solving, Lu Zhishi lost track of time. When Song Qinian knocked to hurry him up, he looked up and saw it was almost midnight.

After tidying his desk, Lu Zhishi brushed his teeth, washed his face, turned off the main light leaving only the night light, and got into bed.

Before sleeping, he checked his phone and saw a message from Chi Chen sent over ten minutes ago. Lu Zhishi bolted upright to read it.

Chi Chen sent him a photo, seemingly taken from his room's balcony, which was still lit at the time.

World's Best Little Brother Chen: "It's very late, time to sleep."

Lu Zhishi felt deeply regretful for not seeing the message sooner. He hurriedly replied to Chi Chen.

Night Owl Cheese: "Brother Xiao Chen, I lost track of time while working on problems and just saw your message."

Night Owl Cheese: "I'm going to sleep now, Brother Xiao Chen. Goodnight. [Sleepy][Moon]"

Chi Chen was on the balcony and noticed the lights in the room not far away had turned off, the curtains drawn. He replied, "Goodnight, sweet dreams. [Moon]"

Seeing Chi Chen's goodnight reply, Lu Zhishi hugged his phone, rolled over in bed, and only put it down when drowsiness set in, sinking into deep sleep.

In his dream, he seemed to see Chi Chen, but when he woke up, he couldn’t remember the details of the dream.

He spent the whole day trying to recall it but still couldn’t remember. It wasn’t until he saw the very person from his dream that night that Lu Zhishi vaguely remembered a little.

Hazily, he remembered it was snowing, and he and Chi Chen were walking along the road, their breath forming white mist in the air.

As for what else they did, he truly couldn’t remember. Lu Zhishi almost felt like cracking open his own skull to search for the memory.

Chi Chen asked him, "Why do you look so troubled? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Zhishi shook his head. "No, I’m fine. I just had a dream last night."

Seeing his expression, Chi Chen thought it was a nightmare and said soothingly, "Dreams are the reverse of reality."

"..."

Lu Zhishi’s eyes widened slightly, his heart missed a beat, suddenly feeling a sudden heartache.

Did that mean he wouldn’t walk with Chi Chen in the snow in the future?

Was this implying something?

Chi Chen noticed that after his attempt to comfort him, Lu Zhishi looked even more crestfallen.

Chi Chen: "?"

He lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and changed the subject. "Which problem did you say you couldn’t solve earlier?"

Lu Zhishi’s attention was indeed diverted. He took out his review booklet, opened it, and pointed to a foreign language exercise. "This one. I don’t understand what the question is asking..."

After an hour of a study session with Chi Chen, Lu Zhishi went home to continue working on math and Chinese problems. If he encountered any he couldn’t solve, he went to the study next door to find Lu Zhiyu.

"It’s almost midnight. You should sleep," Lu Zhiyu said after explaining the problem, glancing at the wall clock, which was just shy of striking twelve.

Lu Zhishi sat beside him, head buried in taking notes, not looking up. "No rush, tomorrow’s Sunday, I can rest."

Lu Zhiyu: "Staying up too late will stunt your growth."

Lu Zhishi looked up at him. "..."

Alright, maybe his smelly brother had a point.

For the sake of growing taller, Lu Zhishi tidied his desk and went back to his room to sleep.

"Wait," Lu Zhiyu called out to him. "Dad made some tonic soup in the kitchen. Drink it before you sleep."

"Didn’t we already have some at dinner? There’s more?" Lu Zhishi said this but still went downstairs to bring some up, sharing half a bowl with Lu Zhiyu.

Lu Zhiyu didn’t touch it. "Dad made this to nourish you. Why are you giving half to me?"

"I’m about to sleep, I can’t drink that much," Lu Zhishi pushed the bowl back. "You have some too. You’ve been working overtime lately and have gotten thinner."

"?" Lu Zhiyu looked down at himself, both amused and baffled.

Where had he gotten thinner? Dad made all kinds of tonic soups every day, and he’d actually gained weight.

"Knock knock—"

Song Qinian knocked and entered, raising an eyebrow and pointing at the wall clock in the study. "You two, what time is it? Still not asleep?"

"Going to sleep now," Lu Zhishi said, seeing him come in, and chugged the soup in one go.

While Lu Zhiyu wasn’t paying attention, Lu Zhishi forced him to drink the soup, then took both bowls downstairs to put them in the kitchen dishwasher.

Glancing at the sneaky Stinky Cheese slipping back to his room, Song Qinian turned his gaze to the stubborn fish still lingering in the study. "Still not sleeping?"

"Going to sleep," Lu Zhiyu had to get up, tidy the spread-out papers, turn off the light, and follow Song Qinian out.

Song Qinian looked back at him. "No matter how important work is, it’s not more important than your health. I taught you that, remember?"

Lu Zhiyu lowered his head. "Yes, Dad."

"Go rest now."

After saying goodnight, Lu Zhiyu returned to his room. Song Qinian watched him go in before heading back to the master bedroom.

"Are you angry?" Lu Ting'an sat up, turning up the floor lamp beside him, and gently held Song Qinian’s extended hand.

Song Qinian sighed. "He stays up late working overtime every day, whether he’s swamped or not. I’m worried his body can’t take it. He’s so stubborn and won't yield even when scolded."

"He said I used to stay up late working overtime all the time when I was young. Can you believe that, this stinky kid." Song Qinian couldn’t help but chuckle exasperatedly.

"Xiao Yu just wants to share some of the burden for us," Lu Ting'an poured him a cup of warm water. "He thinks if he does more, we can do less."

Their own child—no one knew his mind better than his two fathers.

Song Qinian took the water and drank a sip, staying quiet for a good while. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "I'm well aware..."

"He will have to shoulder it someday."

"Brother, no wonder elders always say, 'Raise a child for ninety-nine years, worry for a hundred.' One smelly fish and one smelly cheese—they give us plenty to worry about."

"Mmm." Lu Ting'an stroked his hair. "Let’s go to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner tomorrow. We haven’t been there in a few days."

"Okay."

The next day was Sunday, a day of rest for most, unless you were a workaholic who just can't keep away from the office, even on weekends.

Like Chi Yueheng and Chi Chen, like Lu Zhiyu, and also like Song Qinian and Lu Ting'an.

No matter how much they complained about having to work overtime on weekends without rest, when Sunday came, off to work they went.

Finally having a Sunday off, Lu Zhishi woke up naturally—it was just after nine.

The daylight was just right, the sun high in the sky, the clear blue sky without a cloud in sight.

After breakfast, he packed the review books and test papers he needed to complete, put on his backpack, and went to find Zhao Xiaoxing to do homework.

Only Zhao Xiaoxing was home at the Zhao residence. Zhao Mingzhu had gone to work, taking Zhao Qiyun with her, and Lin Sheng had gone to school for classes.

When Lu Zhishi arrived, he saw Zhao Xiaoxing writing notes on the first-floor balcony, with textbooks, test papers, and review books spread across the entire desk.

Making himself at home, Lu Zhishi pushed Zhao Xiaoxing's textbooks and papers to one side, taking up half the desk for his own review materials and test papers. He sat opposite Zhao Xiaoxing, took out a pen, and started writing.

"You're up so early today?"

"I went to bed early last night. My brother made me go to sleep as soon as it turned ten." Zhao Xiaoxing moved his finished notes aside, took a math review book, and continued writing without looking up. "You got up pretty late today."

Lu Zhishi kept his eyes on the test questions in front of him, his pen moving nonstop. After a quick glance, he wrote an answer. When he heard this, he said, "I didn't go to sleep until midnight last night."

Zhao Xiaoxing looked up then: "..."

Zhao Xiaoxing: "Aren't you tired?"

"I wasn't feeling tired until you mentioned it," Lu Zhishi yawned. "Now I'm getting a bit sleepy. Do you have any black coffee?"

"Yeah, my brother just brewed some black coffee this morning."

Zhao Xiaoxing went to make two cups of black coffee. Lu Zhishi took a big gulp; the bitter taste filled his mouth, certainly enough to wake him up.

They had lunch at Zhao Xiaoxing's house—lunch for two, which had been sent over by Zhao Qiyun.

After eating his fill, Lu Zhishi took a nap in his usual room at the Zhao residence. When he woke up in the afternoon, he continued doing practice exams and past papers with Zhao Xiaoxing.

By evening, the sun was setting, and a gentle breeze blew.

Lu Zhishi packed his homework and test papers, said goodbye to Auntie Zhao, Uncle Lin, and Brother Xiaoyun, shouldered his backpack, and headed to the old house for dinner.

"See you tomorrow, Six Cheese."

"See you tomorrow, Chubby Xing."

The driver was waiting at the Zhao family's entrance. Lu Zhishi got directly into the car, and the black Maybach left the villa area, heading toward the old house.

Last week, they had dinner at the Song residence; this time it was the Lu family's turn. When Lu Zhishi arrived, Song Qinian and Lu Tingan were already there. Lu Zhiyu had gone with his father, Mr. Lu, to the fishpond to catch two fish for dinner.

Lu Zhishi grew anxious: "Why didn’t anyone tell me they were going fishing? If I’d known, I would’ve come back earlier. Is it too late for me to go now?"

His childlike enthusiasm made everyone laugh.

His mother, Mrs. Song, helplessly pulled him to sit down. "It’s too late; they’re probably on their way back now."

Speak of the devil—before Lu Zhishi could even sigh, Lu Zhiyu and Grandpa Lu walked in.

Thanks to Grandpa Lu, an expert angler, the two fish they brought back were big and plump. The water flicked from a fish’s tail splashed onto Lu Zhishi’s pants.

"Fat Cheese," Mr. Lu said, "take this fish to your Grandpa Chi. Their family is also having a gathering today." Mr. Lu handed Lu Zhishi a vigorously thrashing fat fish.

A family gathering—the Chi family was having one too, which meant Chi Chen would be there.

Lu Zhishi was more than willing. He also took a big watermelon out of the freezer and carried both the fish and the watermelon over.

With a fat fish in one hand and a watermelon in the other, Lu Zhishi dashed off. He was soon out of sight.

The Chi family’s old house wasn’t too far from the Lu and Song residences. Lu Zhishi made the trip quickly, arriving at the Chi home’s entrance in just a few minutes.

"Lu Zhishi."

Chi Chen walked out from the small garden in the front yard, holding a bunch of mint leaves in one hand and two freshly picked lemons in the other.

The moment Lu Zhishi saw him, he couldn’t help but feel joy; he broke into a wide grin.

Raising the hefty fish in one hand and lifting the big watermelon with the other, Lu Zhishi grinned, his eyes curving happily:

"Brother Xiao Chen, I’m here to bring you fish again."