Just in Time Chapter 37
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 37 Loneliness
“Song Cun, can I borrow your physics notes?” Chen Qianyang asked.
“Sure, here you go.” Song Cun handed her his notebook.
Holding the notebook, Chen Qianyang smiled at him, “Your grades have improved a lot. Congratulations on making it into the top ten in this month’s exam.”
“Thank you.” Song Cun didn’t overly humble himself, “You did well too.”
Chen Qianyang’s smile widened, “I heard that you and Yun Fang were middle school classmates?”
Song Cun was taken aback when he heard Yun Fang’s name, “Yes, I’ve known Yun Fang since we were kids.”
“Wow.” Chen Qianyang excitedly sat across from him, “So you two are childhood friends?”
“I guess so.” Song Cun smiled.
“So, has Yun Fang always been this outstanding since childhood?” Chen Qianyang asked.
“Yes, he’s always been the child that other parents would talk about.” Song Cun said, “He loves reading books. He could spend a whole day with a book, even forgetting to eat.”
Chen Qianyang sighed in admiration, “No wonder he’s a top student. You two must be very close, right?”
Song Cun gave a bitter smile, “I made a mistake, and he hasn’t forgiven me yet.”
Chen Qianyang thought of the rumors circulating on the school forum, hesitated, and finally comforted him awkwardly, “It’s okay, time will heal everything.”
“Thank you.”
After Chen Qianyang left, Song Cun opened his physics book. The last page held a photo of him and Yun Fang at graduation. The photo was taken before Yun Fang suddenly confessed his feelings. In the photo, he was smiling brightly, while Yun Fang was pursing his lips, quietly looking at the camera.
He wished he had known Yun Fang’s feelings earlier. But when he thought back carefully, there were signs - the hand that accidentally touched and then quickly withdrew, the subtle hints, the unique gifts, the quiet and silent gaze from behind…
But he was too slow to understand, even failing to comprehend why such unacceptable feelings could arise between people of the same sex. Amidst the surrounding jeers and laughter, he shattered Yun Fang’s heartfelt confession, even blending into the onlookers, using malice as a disguise to cover his panic and fear, so that he had no way of noticing the budding affection.
His affection came too late, Yun Fang no longer wanted it.
Just like how he tried his best to joyfully get into Class 3, only to find that Yun Fang had already decisively left.
The sunlight spilled onto the faces of the two young boys in the photo, but in the end, it couldn’t stay.
Song Cun thought without reason, perhaps he had lost Yun Fang long ago.
Chen Qianyang returned to her seat with the notes, only to be mercilessly mocked by Wu He, “You went around half the classroom, were you borrowing physics notes or looking at handsome guys?”
“I think you’re itching for a fight!” Chen Qianyang glared at him, her fist mercilessly pounding him.
“Ah ah ah, you violent old witch!” Wu He cried out in pain.
“Shut up!” Chen Qianyang scolded angrily, “You’ve fallen out of the top ten in this month’s exam, you’re not far from being expelled!”
“If I’m expelled, I’ll go find Yun Fang and live a carefree life with him!” Wu He dodged while fanning the flames, “Leaving you alone in Class 3 with no one to rely on!”
Chen Qianyang snorted, “All you useless men, it’s best if you all get expelled, then I’ll be the top student in the grade!”
Class 3 was noisy, and Class 10, separated by a floor, was also noisy, but the protagonist of the noise was not a student.
Song Lili was holding a crying child in her arms, sitting cross-legged on the podium and wailing, “I don’t care! Both the old and the young need money for medical treatment, if Yi Chenliang had any conscience, he wouldn’t leave us to die!”
The students in the class had never seen such a spectacle, they stood there helplessly, the class monitor smartly ran to find the head teacher, Ji Shumo tentatively stepped forward, “Auntie, Yi Chenliang hasn’t been to school for a week, we don’t know where he is.”
“I don’t care! You must all know! All you student brats, relying on a few more years of study, each one of you is cunning, Yi Chenliang is heartless! His father and I worked hard to save and scrimp to raise him, and in the end, he wants us to die!”
Song Lili was crying and shouting, pushing away two little girls who wanted to help her, “If you don’t call Yi Chenliang out today, I won’t leave!”
Old Fang and Old He hurried over with the security guard, and after much persuasion, they took Song Lili out of the classroom and to the office, and the classroom suddenly exploded.
There were all sorts of things said, but they were nothing more than linking the fact that Song Lili and Yi Chenliang were mother and son. The more disgraceful and rude Song Lili was that day, the more malicious speculation and misunderstanding people would have towards Yi Chenliang.
Yun Fang took out his phone and sent a text message to Huang Chu.
He originally wanted to have a good talk with Yi Chenliang about this matter, but for some reason, he didn’t know what was going on in the past week. When he went to the ward, he either brought food to Yi Chenliang or tutored him. Even casual conversation was pitifully scarce. Yi Chenliang was deliberately or unintentionally avoiding him, and he was doing the same.
But he didn’t want Yi Chenliang to be upset by Song Lili after returning to school.
In the evening, Yi Chenliang ate a large bowl of rice and more than half a pork knuckle. His whole person was rosy and spirited. He looked noticeably fatter than when he first entered the hospital, and because he couldn’t get any sun, his skin had whitened by two shades.
Yun Fang was very pleased to see this. He opened the packaging of the yogurt, put a small spoon on it, and handed it to him, “To cut the grease.”
So Yi Chenliang started eating the yogurt again. After eating two spoons, he remembered Yun Fang and pushed a spoonful towards him, “Do you want some?”
Yun Fang, at a loss, educated him, “Remember to ask others before doing it in the future.”
“Oh.” Yi Chenliang licked the yogurt foam at the corner of his mouth, “So you think I’m dirty?”
Yun Fang’s gaze lingered on the yogurt foam at the corner of his mouth for two seconds, then moved away. He coughed uncomfortably, “No.”
Yi Chenliang scooped a spoonful of yogurt and brought it to his mouth, “Then you eat.”
When the conversation got to this point, if he didn’t eat, it would seem like he was lying when he said “No”. But eating the yogurt fed by Yi Chenliang seemed a bit inappropriate. He was in a dilemma when his lips touched something cold.
Yi Chenliang casually took back the spoon and ate the spoonful of yogurt himself, “If you don’t want to eat, never mind.”
It seemed like the touch on his lips just now was accidental.
Yun Fang pursed his lips, his tongue rolled the coolness into his mouth. The sour, sweet, and slightly cool taste spread in his mouth and disappeared in a flash.
When the taste disappeared, he realized what he had just done and awkwardly touched his nose.
Yi Chenliang bit the spoon in his mouth and continued to quietly eat his yogurt. The tips of his slightly reddened ears were hidden under his long hair.
After Yi Chenliang finished eating the yogurt, he was about to take out his textbook to listen to Yun Fang’s tutoring, but Yun Fang stopped him.
“Song Lili made a scene at school today.” Yun Fang observed Yi Chenliang’s expression and found that there was no obvious expression on his face, so he continued, “I haven’t asked you before, what are you planning to do about this?”
Yi Chenliang had long given up any illusions about Yi Mingzhi and Song Lili, “I don’t want to be controlled by them anymore. I stole the adoption certificate and my own page of the household register at that time. They didn’t find it this time.”
“Just hiding it is not enough, legally speaking, they are still your guardians.” Yun Fang said, “You just turned sixteen after the New Year. Before you turn eighteen, they have many rights to make decisions for you, and you can’t even open your own bank account.”
Yi Chenliang frowned, “I won’t let them manipulate me.”
“But they can disgust you from time to time.” Yun Fang said, “Like before, when they beat you half to death and locked you up, without a word, sending you to the mine. They even often come to school to make a scene like today, making it impossible for you to study in peace.”
Yi Chenliang’s face became increasingly ugly. Yun Fang thought of the fading family photo in the small iron box where he hid his money and asked him seriously, “Yi Chenliang, if you don’t have a mom and dad in the future, can you live on your own?”
Yi Chenliang’s eyes were blank for a moment, and after a long time, he raised his head and asked him, “In the future, will you always be with me?”
Yun Fang looked down at him, wanting to tell him that no one in this world could always be by his side. He wanted to say that he would be fine on his own in the future, and that no one couldn’t live without someone else.
Everyone is born alone.
He wanted Yi Chenliang to know this, but with such firm determination, he couldn’t say it to Yi Chenliang.
Yi Chenliang was inseparable from his loneliness.
“Before you grow up, I will always be with you.”
Yun Fang heard himself say.