Just in Time Chapter 23
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 23: Dinner
“Sugar, put on the change of clothes on the bed. We’re going to have dinner with Aunt Qi tonight.”
As soon as Yun Fang entered the door, he saw Tang Yi putting on earrings.
“I’m not going…” Yun Fang was about to refuse when he saw Tang Yi staring at him oppressively.
Yun Heyu was squatting down polishing his shoes, giving Yun Fang a helpless look.
Yun Fang was pushed into the bedroom by Tang Yi, “I specially picked this new outfit for you, quickly change into it and let Mom have a look.”
Perhaps because she had been running a clothing store for a long time, Tang Yi’s aesthetic sense was always on point, and she was particularly enthusiastic about dressing up her son.
“Straighten your collar.” Tang Yi looked at her son with satisfaction, “Sugar is really handsome!”
Most of Yun Fang’s appearance was inherited from Tang Yi. The Tang family’s pale skin and ink-like eyebrows were delicate and elegant, but they were overshadowed by the straight nose and thin lips, giving the whole person a sense of aloofness and indifference - in Tang Yi’s words, it was Yun Heyu’s stubborn villain gene still struggling.
Seeing that Tang Yi was still trying to gel his hair, Yun Fang skillfully dodged her claws and ran outside, “We should go.”
Tang Yi had no choice but to give up.
Then, more than an hour later, the family of three arrived at the agreed place for dinner.
Qi Shuang came out to greet them, followed by two teenagers of similar age. One of them, with slightly curly hair and looking a bit listless, suddenly looked up at Yun Fang behind Tang Yi when he heard Tang Yi’s voice.
Yun Fang: “…”
Song Cun?
“Eh? Why is Xiao Cun here?” Tang Yi was also surprised.
“Aunt Tang, Uncle Yun.” Song Cun reacted quickly and smiled politely at them, “My dad is ordering food.”
Tang Yi laughed and took Qi Shuang’s hand, “Oh my, this is really–really one family!”
Yun Fang took a while to understand the relationships involved.
Qi Shuang settled down and got married in another city after graduating from university. However, she suddenly got divorced this year and returned to Wu City with her son. She was introduced to Song Cun’s father, Song Ming, who was a colleague of Yun Heyu. The two families used to live in the same building. Seeing Song Ming raising Song Cun alone, Tang Yi and Yun Heyu often helped out - this was why Song Cun previously said that he and Yun Fang grew up together. It wasn’t until two years ago when Song Ming moved out of the dormitory building with Song Cun that the two families’ contact became less frequent.
After Tang Yi and Yun Heyu went up, they naturally had a warm chat with Song Ming, exclaiming how small Wu City was and how great the fate was.
Yun Fang ignored Song Cun’s eager gaze and numbly sat in his seat, staring at the flower carved out of a carrot in front of him.
After all the dishes were served, Song Cun finally plucked up the courage to strike up a conversation with Yun Fang. He served Yun Fang a slice of glutinous rice lotus root, smiling, “Sugar, I remember you used to love this.”
Yun Fang lifted his eyelids to look at him, emotionlessly saying, “I don’t like it anymore.”
Song Cun’s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened.
At this time, another boy, who was said to be studying at Wu City No.1 High School, Qi Huo, couldn’t help but laugh lightly.
He sat silently in his seat from beginning to end, only raising his head to nod politely when Qi Shuang mentioned him. Now, however, he laughed a bit abruptly, causing Song Cun’s face to darken instantly.
Qi Huo was a year older than them. Although he had handsome features, his tall stature and buzz cut give people the impression that he was not easy to mess with.
Maybe it’s not an illusion.
Qi Huo raised his eyebrows at Yun Fang, “I heard from my mom that you’re good at studying?”
“Average.” Yun Fang picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and chewed slowly.
“Top students are always modest. I heard that you always rank first in your grade?” Qi Huo turned his head and smiled at him, “Can the top student share some study experiences?”
Yun Fang picked up another piece of fish, “I’ve only ranked first once. Now I can only rank three or four hundred. Your younger brother is the real top student.”
The word “younger brother” made the other two people’s faces darken simultaneously.
“Look at the three of them chatting so happily.” Tang Yi noticed the movement here and looked over with Qi Shuang and a few others.
Then there was another round of education about brotherly love, unity was strength, and the importance of studying hard every day.
Even if Yun Fang found it a bit overwhelming, the two people next to him didn’t say a word afterwards.
Yun Fang had eaten almost enough, and took the opportunity to slip down from upstairs when he went to the bathroom, and saw a familiar figure in the distance.
Yun Fang walked over quickly, seeing the other person about to go in after throwing a big black plastic bag into the trash can, he hurriedly stopped him. “Yi Chenliang!”
“Holy shit!” The person who had just thrown away the trash suddenly heard his name in the dark alley, his hair stood on end, and he took a big step back towards the door.
“Over here!” Yun Fang waved at him.
Yi Chenliang turned his head to look over following the sound, even more surprised, “Yun Fang?”
This was a small alley connected to the back kitchen of the roast duck shop. There were several large trash cans at the entrance for kitchen waste. One end of the alley was connected to Dongyang Street, but the other end was connected to the bustling food street next door.
Yun Fang just happened to see him from the other end.
“I came here to eat.” Yun Fang didn’t plan to explain the reason, but his mood was very pleasant, “I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence.”
“Ah.” Yi Chenliang wiped his hand on his pants, but his hand was still greasy. He cleared his throat, “Then you should go eat quickly.”
“I’ve almost finished eating.” Yun Fang stood under the dim light bulb at the back door and looked at him, his eyebrows and eyes were all smiling, “What time do you get off work?”
“Ten o’clock.” Yi Chenliang wanted to look away, but Yun Fang’s face seemed to have a strange attraction to him. Even now in the dark alley, even with the strange smell of the garbage cans around him, he still wanted to stand here for a while.
Yun Fang looked down at his watch, “Hmm, there’s half an hour left.”
“Yeah. I have to go back to work.” Yi Chenliang rubbed his hand on his pants again, “It’s so late, you should go back quickly.”
“Yun Fang!” Song Cun’s voice came from the end of the alley, “What are you standing there for?”
Yi Chenliang asked him in confusion, “Is that Song Cun?”
“My parents and his family are having dinner together tonight.” Yun Fang briefly explained, and then reminded him a little worriedly, “Okay, you go back to work, be careful when you go home at night.”
“Yeah.” Yi Chenliang felt his throat tighten.
Yun Fang waved at him, turned around and walked towards the end of the alley.
Yi Chenliang stood on the steps, surrounded by the nauseating smell of garbage. He watched Yun Fang walk through the dark and narrow alley, towards the brightly lit and bustling street.
Something was clamoring in his heart, making him feel uncomfortable and a bit irritable. It washed over his blood and brain, eventually turning into an indescribable sense of powerlessness and anger, lingering in the thick night for a long time.
“Xiao Yi, why did it take you so long?” Aunt Wu, who was washing dishes with him, saw him come back and shook the water off her gloves, “Oh my, why do you look so pale? Are you not feeling well?”
“I’m fine.” Yi Chenliang tugged at the corner of his mouth and skillfully put on the rubber gloves next to him to wash the dishes.
I should try harder. He thought.
Whether it’s making money or studying, I should try harder.
But Yun Fang was so excellent, so excellent that even if he tried his best, he couldn't catch up. They were so clearly divided, there shouldn’t be any intersection.
He even dared not think about whether Yun Fang approached him out of a whim and kindness, or pitied him and sympathized with him just out of teacher-student care.
He even thought, if Yun Fang really approached him because he liked boys, then he could… could…what could he do?
He could keep Yun Fang by his side.
This thought struck him like a thunderbolt, making his whole body stiff. His hand wearing the rubber glove, holding the slippery edge of the bowl, trembled slightly.
He had been walking forward alone for too long, lacking parents and family, without friends and companions. He pulled his legs out of the mire, struggling and stumbling forward alone, angry and sad.
Just when he couldn’t move and felt that it didn’t matter if he rotted in the mud, suddenly someone appeared, forcefully and unequivocally pulling him out of the mire, wanting to give him good food, and smiling at him.
But he didn’t belong to himself.
He was someone else’s family, someone else’s friend, someone else’s childhood sweetheart.
He said he didn’t like Song Cun, but when Song Cun called him, he still turned around and left.
How could this be?
Yi Chenliang frowned, thinking maliciously and selfishly in his heart, why can’t this person be mine?
Crash!
The bowl in his hand fell to the ground and shattered.
Yi Chenliang was jolted awake, breaking out in a cold sweat when he came to his senses.
“Oh my!” Aunt Wu exclaimed, “How could you be so careless? Xiao Yi, quickly sweep it up, don’t let the boss see…Xiao Yi?”
“Oh.” Yi Chenliang turned around to get the broom, forcefully suppressing the twisted desire in his heart.
Yun Fang was such a good person, he shouldn’t think like this.
At ten o’clock in the evening, Yi Chenliang finished cleaning up and got off work on time.
He put his hands in his pockets, hanging his head and drooping his eyelids, he walked out of the roast duck shop with a listless expression.
Actually, being alone is quite good. He was alone before, and he will be alone in the future, it doesn’t matter, he’s long been used to it.
“What are you thinking about?” A hand not so gently patted his head, startling Yi Chenliang.
He looked up and saw Yun Fang standing in front of him, exactly the same as the person who waved goodbye half an hour ago.
He opened his mouth in surprise, feeling as if all the blood in his body was boiling, scalding his heart with a prickling pain, he struggled to speak. “Why…did you come back?”
Yun Fang recalled Yi Chenliang’s lonely and desolate expression before he left, sighed helplessly, reached out and rubbed his head hard, his tone carrying an unnoticed gentleness.
“I came to walk the puppy home.”