Just in Time Chapter 103
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 103 Break Up
Life in senior year of high school was always long yet fleeting.
There was endless problem-solving, constant exams - what used to be monthly tests now became weekly occurrences. Every day was filled with solving problems, correcting answers, memorizing texts - repetitive and monotonous.
Yi Chenliang, aside from the initial period of adjustment after his return, quickly adapted to his situation. With everyone around him working hard, he soon immersed himself in the tense atmosphere of senior year.
When he had returned, autumn leaves were falling. In the blink of an eye, heavy snow covered the ground, and another Spring Festival arrived.
The room was warm. He wore only a thin sweater as he lay on the bed memorizing things. Yun Fang sat at the desk, solving problems.
Halfway through his memorization, he leaned over the edge of the bed to search his backpack for a highlighter. The phone on the bedside table began to vibrate.
"Qi Huo?" he answered. "Is something wrong?"
"Are you and Yun Fang at home?" Qi Huo asked.
"Yes, we are." Yi Chenliang stretched his foot to kick the back of Yun Fang's chair. Yun Fang turned around, looking at him quizzically.
"Great, I'm coming over to hang out," Qi Huo said, then added, "Is that okay?"
"Of course, you-" Before Yi Chenliang could finish, the call was disconnected.
"What's going on?" Yun Fang asked him.
"Qi Huo wants to come over," Yi Chenliang said, puzzled. "He sounded a bit off."
Moreover, it was New Year's Eve. In a few hours, it would be dark.
They had originally been studying at Yun Fang's house, but there was a lot going on today. Tang Yi, worried it might be too noisy at home, had sent them to Yi Chenliang's place to study, planning to call them when it was time for dinner.
Yun Fang put down his pen. "He might have something on his mind."
The house wasn't very tidy. Yi Chenliang and Yun Fang quickly tidied up, one folding the blankets, the other sweeping the floor. Just as Yun Fang put down the broom, someone knocked on the door.
He opened the door to find Qi Huo standing outside, looking very disgruntled.
"What's wrong?" Yun Fang pulled him inside. "You look like you're here to collect a debt."
Qi Huo ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, collapsed onto the sofa, and let out a long sigh. "It's nothing. Just a fucking break up."
Yi Chenliang came out of the kitchen, holding half a large watermelon, and looked at him in shock. "With Chang Ziqi?"
"Who else but that bastard," Qi Huo sprawled on the sofa, crossing his legs. "Damn, that son of a b*tch."
Yun Fang took the knife from Yi Chenliang's hand and placed the watermelon on the coffee table to cut it. "Why did you break up?"
"We just couldn't make it work anymore," Qi Huo took a piece of watermelon from him and took a bite before realizing, "Sh*t, I came to hang out with you two, why are you guys being so formal?"
Yi Chenliang, who was pouring him a drink, handed him the glass. "Because you sounded really unhappy on the phone."
Neither of them was particularly good at comforting people, so they could only serve him food and drinks.
Plus, it was New Year's Eve.
Yi Chenliang, fittingly, brought out a fruit platter, poured in a bag of sunflower seeds and half a bag of five-spice peanuts. He grabbed a small stool and sat next to Yun Fang, picking up some sunflower seeds to crack.
Qi Huo finished a piece of watermelon and suddenly burst out laughing. "Damn, you two are really something."
He didn't want to face the father and son surnamed Song, and he had a big fight with his mom. If he could, he'd rather find an internet cafe to play games than bring his bad mood to his friends' home. But on New Year's Eve, he had nowhere else to go.
He only had these two friends in Wu City.
"Didn't Chang Ziqi go to college in America?" Yi Chenliang asked. "Did you two have a fight?"
"It wasn't really a fight," Qi Huo hugged the dog-head pillow on the sofa. "Well, I can't really explain it... There's a time difference with him in America, we barely talk twice a day. He's also very busy, this relationship feels like a chore, it's not interesting anymore."
Moreover, he was now preparing for the college entrance exam. Even though he wasn't that fond of studying, he still had to try his best, whether for himself or because of Chang Ziqi.
But some things can't be achieved just by trying hard.
"He's studying something about the internet at MIT, and I'm not even sure if I can get into a first-tier university," Qi Huo said listlessly. "He says he wants to do a master's degree too, I don't have the patience to wait for him."
Time, distance, and insurmountable differences were all problems standing in front of them.
Qi Huo had always been carefree. He didn't know how much he really liked this person, or how long he would wait for him.
There was no need to force himself, or to force Chang Ziqi.
"Last night I got drunk and told him we should break up, and he hasn't replied to my messages since," Qi Huo clicked his tongue, getting more angry as he thought about it. "Fuck, the more I think about it, the more upset I get."
It was indeed difficult for Yun Fang and Yi Chenliang to intervene in someone else's relationship, but Yun Fang still patiently advised him, "Maybe there's some misunderstanding."
"There's nothing to misunderstand, I really don't want to continue this relationship," Qi Huo quickly pulled himself together. "I didn't like him that much anyway, it was just for fun. I'll find someone better in the future."
After saying this, he seemed to not care about this matter at all anymore. He asked Yun Fang, "Can I freeload a New Year's Eve dinner at your place today?"
"Of course," Yun Fang nodded. "Perfect timing, my parents should be done preparing. Let's go over."
Yun Heyu and Tang Yi naturally welcomed him. Qi Huo knew them all, so he wasn't shy. He felt at home, pulling Yun Fang and Yi Chenliang to play cards. Yun Heyu had almost finished preparing dinner when he heard them making noise in the bedroom. He couldn't resist going in to join the fun.
"Uncle, come here, we're just short one person," Qi Huo enthusiastically invited him. "The four of us would be perfect."
Yun Heyu turned to look at Tang Yi and saw that she was on the phone with Qi Shuang, talking about Qi Huo spending New Year's Eve here. It seemed she was preparing for a long chat and had no time to mind him. He rubbed his hands together, closed the door, and said, "Let's do it!"
The four of them sat in a circle on the bed. Qi Huo liked to make a fuss when playing cards. Yun Heyu was very reserved at first, but as they played, he loosened up. The cards were being slammed down loudly, showing they had clearly played quite a bit before.
Tang Yi chatted with Qi Shuang for a long time, discussing their troublesome sons, gossiping about various people, reminiscing about their high school days, cursing Qi Shuang's ex-husband, and even exchanging tips on how to boil dumplings without breaking the skin. Finally, after making plans to eat out together sometime, they reluctantly hung up.
Then Tang Yi heard noisy commotion coming from her usually quiet son's bedroom, interspersed with loud laughter or angry shouts. Alarmed, she abruptly pushed open Yun Fang's bedroom door.
She saw one older man and three younger ones sitting on the bed in various poses, playing cards, with paper notes stuck to their faces from who knows where.
Tang Yi: "..."
The four card players: "..."
It was very sudden.
Tang Yi stared at the paper notes almost covering Yi Chenliang's face and burst out laughing.
"Did these three gang up on you?" Tang Yi asked Yi Chenliang.
Yi Chenliang rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed. He hadn't played cards much before, and his luck was inexplicably bad. The other three were practically crushing him.
"Come on, auntie will help you," Tang Yi walked over and sat beside him. "Let's get revenge for you!"
The three high school students never expected that Tang Yi would be the dark horse among them.
Yun Heyu had another paper note stuck on him and let out a sigh.
This was exactly why he didn't want Tang Yi to find out they were playing cards.
In the evening, as they ate the New Year's Eve dinner, the sound of firecrackers outside was constant. As usual, the annual Spring Festival Gala was on TV, with its bright red and green festive atmosphere. It might not have been particularly good to watch, but it seemed that only by having it on could one feel that New Year's Eve was complete, even if it was just background noise.
Qi Huo and Yi Chenliang were bringing dumplings out from the kitchen. Yun Fang was helping Tang Yi prepare the dipping sauce. Yun Heyu crouched by the coffee table, pulling out his cherished wine from behind the sofa. He looked up and asked, "Xiao Huo, want some?"
Qi Huo modestly waved his hand, "Uncle, I can't drink much."
"It's okay, Xiao Yi's tolerance is what you'd call low," Yun Heyu said with a smile. "He can't even walk straight after one cup of white wine."
"Then I might be a bit better than him," Qi Huo immediately perked up.
Tang Yi saw him rummaging for alcohol and teased him through the kitchen window, "That bit of cheap alcohol you're always hiding like a treasure, no one even cares to drink it!"
Yun Heyu stood up with the wine bottle, "You don't understand, this is our male ritual."
Then he poured a cup for each of the other three males present, "Come on, boys."
The boys obediently sat on small stools around the coffee table, waiting for the elder's command.
Tang Yi waved her hand, "You're not allowed to drink usually, but today's an exception. You can have a little."
So, with the Spring Festival Gala as background noise, the wine cups clinked together.
Amidst the sound of firecrackers, another year passed, lively and bustling.