Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The holiday was nearing its end, and school was about to start.

After singing the final song in the performance hall, the audience gazed at him with fervent admiration. Someone approached to ask for his contact information, but he declined.

It was just another ordinary day wrapping up his part-time job. Exiting through the rusty, worn-out metal door, he found himself in a narrow alley. The sky stretched vast and expansive above—a warm, gentle dusk.

Ji Qingyu walked out of the alley with his guitar slung over his shoulder. The bustling commercial street was lively, and just across the overpass was the university district. Everywhere, couples and friends, holding drinks and wearing light-up bracelets, filled the scene with an air of intimacy.

He bought a savory crepe from a street vendor. Food around the university district wasn’t expensive, though the quality was often mediocre. The paper bag was greasy, but he didn’t mind. Just as he was about to wrap it in a tissue, someone suddenly snatched it away from behind.

Ji Qingyu’s stomach grumbled—his food, right at his lips, was gone. He turned around in surprise.

Fu Han’s face showed no expression as he took a couple of bites of the savory crepe and commented, “This tastes awful.”

“Keep your voice down—the vendor can hear you,” Ji Qingyu said, startled, lowering his voice to speak softly to Fu Han.

Fu Han’s voice was flat. “Why eat this? I’ll take you somewhere nicer.”

“No, it’s fine,” Ji Qingyu declined. “I need to go back and feed the cat.”

“Cat? What cat?” Fu Han asked, leaning down to meet Ji Qingyu’s eyes at close range.

“Just a stray. Maybe because my family sells fish, cats always end up staying on our rooftop. I forgot to leave out dried fish for it today.” As soon as Ji Qingyu finished speaking, Fu Han had already taken two bites of his egg-stuffed pancake—the one with chicken strips, fried dough, and two eggs. It wasn’t cheap.

Ji Qingyu felt a bit reluctant to let it go.

But soon enough, Fu Han treated him to a more expensive Korean meal. Though it was just a slightly better restaurant nearby, the table full of dishes made Ji Qingyu feel a bit embarrassed.

“Eat up. Don’t you still need to feed the cat?” Fu Han rested his chin in his hand, lazily spearing a piece of rice cake with his fork. Ji Qingyu glanced at him, and Fu Han lifted his eyes lazily in response. Ji Qingyu averted his gaze and reached for the juice on the table.

“If you like that cat so much, why not adopt it?”

“Caring for a cat takes too much effort. Besides, it might not even want to be cooped up indoors. Maybe it prefers freedom?” Ji Qingyu said quietly.

Fu Han looked at Ji Qingyu and suddenly asked, “What about you? What do you like?”

“Me?” Ji Qingyu was surprised. “I don’t have many aspirations. I’d be happy if I could just keep singing. I'm pretty happy with how things are.”

After finishing the meal quickly, Ji Qingyu picked up the packaged dried fish snacks to take home. The restaurant was filled with customers coming and going. As they turned into an alley on their way out, they accidentally bumped into a couple kissing. Ji Qingyu was startled, his face instantly flushing red.

“S-sorry…” he mumbled awkwardly. The couple, also blushing, quickly moved aside. Taking a step back, Ji Qingyu bumped into Fu Han, who stood tall and solid as a wall.

Fu Han caught him with a hand on his shoulder, the warmth spreading through the contact. Fu Han leaned down and said, “You’re so easily flustered.”

Ji Qingyu stared at the face before him, momentarily dazed.

Fu Han ruffled his hair playfully—Ji Qingyu’s locks were soft to the touch.

“Which way is your home?” Fu Han asked.

“Huh? My home?” Ji Qingyu hadn’t processed the question. “Why are you asking?”

“I’ve got nothing better to do. I’ll go with you to feed the cat.” Fu Han rested a hand on the back of his neck, rolling it slightly, then looked down at Ji Qingyu. “Let’s go. It’s almost dark.”

They walked side by side, their hands nearly brushing. Fu Han suddenly asked, “You don’t know how to cook, do you?”

“How did you know?” Ji Qingyu was surprised. His guitar had somehow ended up on Fu Han’s shoulder without him noticing. “Isn’t it normal for a high school student not to know how to cook?”

“I saw your lunchbox a couple of days ago. No wonder you sound like a little kitten—so weak and faint.” Fu Han seemed to say it offhandedly.

Lin Ying was out, so Ji Qingyu was just throwing together simple meals. What did it have to do with Fu Han?

“I’ll be going to the bar the next few days too. I can bring you a lunchbox—I always have leftovers anyway.” Fu Han offered.

Ji Qingyu glanced at him in surprise, not expecting him to say something like that.

The sunlight cast shadows over the two of them. The bus rumbled along, and after getting off and walking a short distance, they reached the alley near Ji Qingyu’s home. Fu Han stepped into a supermarket and bought two boxes of bird’s nest and some cherries. Ji Qingyu tried to stop him, but Fu Han pressed the fruit into his hands. “Hold this for me.”

The area was full of familiar faces from the neighborhood. An auntie recognized Ji Qingyu and greeted him, eyeing the items in Fu Han’s hands. She quietly pulled Ji Qingyu aside. “Qingyu, bringing your boyfriend home? Kids shouldn’t be dating too early, you know.”

“We’re not like that…” Ji Qingyu hurriedly explained.

Fu Han overheard them and chuckled. He lightly wrapped an arm around Ji Qingyu’s shoulder and said, “Hello, Auntie.”

The neighbor looked at the two of them, covering her mouth with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your mom.”

“No, Auntie… you’ve really got it wrong.” Ji Qingyu tried to explain, but the neighbor had already walked away.

Ji Qingyu’s ears felt hot with embarrassment. He turned around irritably, only to find Fu Han still smiling. He glared at him, swatted the hand off his shoulder, and walked ahead toward home alone.

Fu Han only laughed more heartily.

His handsome face caught the sunlight, casting a beautiful silhouette. Fu Han caught up, his hand resting on Ji Qingyu’s waist again. A breeze picked up, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus flowers.

“Fu Han, if you keep teasing me like this, don’t come find me again.” Ji Qingyu’s angry voice was still soft, so Fu Han released his waist and leaned down to brush aside Ji Qingyu’s hair.

“Sorry,” Fu Han said, sounding sincere. “I won’t do it again.”

Ji Qingyu reached for his keys and opened the door. The cat wasn’t there, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Fu Han propped himself against the doorframe and stepped inside, glancing around. “Where’s your mom?”

“She’s out restocking. Probably won’t be back today.” Ji Qingyu placed the dried fish in the stray cat’s bowl and turned to see Fu Han making himself at home in his bedroom.

“D-don’t go in there.”

It was too messy.

Ji Qingyu’s room was bright but small. Books, mostly sheet music, were scattered messily across his desk. The bedsheets were freshly changed, carrying the scent of sunlight.

Fu Han picked up a half-finished score from the desk, took the guitar off his shoulder, and handed it to Ji Qingyu. “Play me a song.”

“It’s not finished yet.”

“Even half is fine.”

“I’ll play you something else.”

“I want to hear something no one else has heard before.”

Fine. Ji Qingyu lowered his head and plucked a few strings, not looking at Fu Han’s expression. For a moment, neither spoke. Then, as he played, Fu Han suddenly asked, “Ji Qingyu, is there someone you like?”

“Huh? N-no, there isn’t.”

Fu Han flicked a label on the desk. Ji Qingyu continued playing.

“Not even a type you like?”

“No…”

"Actually..." Fu Han leaned down, about to say something, when two meows suddenly came from the window. Ji Qingyu put down the guitar, leaving the song unfinished. Just like that, Fu Han was left behind, along with the guitar.

"Where have you been?" Ji Qingyu walked to the balcony, opened the security window, and let the cat in. The stray cat affectionately rubbed against the back of Ji Qingyu's hand, being playful, then noticed the Alpha standing behind Ji Qingyu.

It stared warily at Fu Han, and Fu Han stared back.

"It's fine," Ji Qingyu said. "It's not aggressive. If you give it a dried fish, it won't bite you."

Ji Qingyu handed the dried fish to Fu Han, who crouched down looking annoyed. The dried fish looked tiny in the Alpha's hand. The calico stared at Fu Han for several seconds before slowly approaching and taking the dried fish from his hand. It ate quickly, then looked up and meowed twice at Ji Qingyu.

"See?" Ji Qingyu lowered his head, his hair falling and covering the side of his face. He was smiling, gentle and handsome, as he brushed his hair back behind his ear. "It's very well-behaved."

When there was no response, Ji Qingyu turned his head and noticed Fu Han looking at him, his gaze surprisingly gentle. "Has anyone ever told you you're a bit silly?"

"You're the one who's silly," Ji Qingyu said with a smile. "I just want to keep living like this, without overthinking things. I'm already very happy as it is."

Fu Han sighed and sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. "You haven't finished the song from earlier."

The calico meowed twice and curled up on Ji Qingyu, refusing to leave. Ji Qingyu could only smile, his hand resting on the floor, his voice soft and slow. "If you want to hear it, I'll sing it for you."

The hospital lights flickered twice as wind rose outside.

Ji Qingyu gripped the door handle, pushed the door open, and the two doctors inside froze. The younger one drew a sharp breath, both looking like they'd seen a ghost. Ji Qingyu’s gaze fixed on them, icy cold.

"What do you mean? Explain clearly," Ji Qingyu said.

One of the doctors, who had interacted with Ji Qingyu the most, knew there was no hiding it and could only sigh.

"Mr. Ji, you have to understand—Ms. Lin Ying’s condition has already held on for a remarkably long time. We didn’t have the heart to keep it from you, but the truth is, we’re under pressure from above. There’s nothing we can do."

"How much time does she have left?"

"Until the surgery time we discussed with you—at most, until then."

Ji Qingyu’s face went blank. He nodded, turned to leave for Lin Ying’s hospital room, but halfway there his phone rang. He declined the call, but the caller persisted, ringing again and again. He picked it up and saw it was Ma Yu.

"Hello..." Ji Qingyu answered.

"Xiaoyu, check Weibo quickly. The Fu Corporation is suing Ji Ran for stealing trade secrets. Netizens are going crazy."

*Did it even matter?* Ji Qingyu said he understood. Ma Yu paused, sensing something off in Ji Qingyu’s tone. "Xiaoyu, what’s wrong?"

"I’m fine," Ji Qingyu said, hanging up. Within seconds, his phone rang again. He looked down—this time, it was Fu Han.

Ji Qingyu declined the call. Fu Han kept calling, so Ji Qingyu put his phone on silent.

There was no need to apply for a few minutes of visitation. The doctor opened the hospital room door and let him in. He leaned against Lin Ying’s bedside, resting his head beside her hand.

He just wanted to stay quietly by her side, to keep her company. His phone screen lit up and went dark, repeating a dozen times or more in the darkness, ignored every time.