Just in Time Chapter 89
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 89 Corridor
After the sports meet ended, they didn’t get to relax for long before they were thrown back into intense studying.
Yun Fang was busy with competition classes recently, and he rarely went to the shop on Saturdays and Sundays. Yi Chenliang had more free time than him and would go to help out for half a day on the weekends.
One day, as soon as Yi Chenliang arrived, he saw Huang Chu coming down with a stack of materials, “Xiao Yi is here, I was just about to find you.”
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the proof materials?” Yi Chenliang asked.
“There’s a small problem, but it’s already been solved.” Huang Chu waved the materials in his hand, “As long as you sign and stamp it, it’s done. These departments are really troublesome, once they start nitpicking, there’s no end.”
Yi Chenliang took the materials to look over, didn’t find any problems, signed his name, then stamped his fingerprint, and handed the materials to Huang Chu.
“Finally, it’s done.” Huang Chu sighed with the materials in hand, “Don’t let there be any more hitches, they’re rushing over there, I’ll mail it to them.”
“I’ll go.” Yi Chenliang took the document bag from his hand, “Send EMS?”
“Yes, send it within the city.” Huang Chu complained, “Wu City is so small, yet they still insist on sending it within the city. The time it takes to send it, you could have made two round trips.”
Yi Chenliang laughed, “Business is business, the attitude is rigorous.”
****“
Business is business, do it as it should be done.” Zhou Ang shook hands with the person opposite, “Mr. Su specifically instructed me to tell you, no need for special treatment.”
The person shaking hands with him had a full face of smiles, “Of course, of course, who doesn’t know that the leader is the most fair and strict.”
“That child is the orphan of Ms. Chu’s friend, Ms. Chu has been looking for him for many years, she misses him very much, Mr. Su is very distressed.” Zhou Ang sighed, “The proof materials have already been submitted, Mr. Su’s meaning is to hurry up.”
“Definitely, definitely.” That person said, “This is not a big case, have you notified the child’s side?”
“That child is still too young, and stubborn, we are slowly doing his ideological work here.” Zhou Ang said, “For this matter, we still don’t want him to get involved, worried about affecting his studies, the lawyer who helped him with the lawsuit before is also quite protective of him.”
“That’s easy to handle, I know a familiar lawyer, we can go for voluntary aid, as long as you can notify the child, he doesn’t have to appear in court.” The man laughed, “After all, he’s not yet eighteen.”
Zhou Ang shook hands with him again, “I represent Mr. Su and Ms. Chu to thank you.”
“Don’t mention it, it’s what should be done.” The man said, “I will greet the relevant personnel, please rest assured, Mr. Su.”
Zhou Ang bid farewell, returned to the car, and dialed Su Shengwen’s phone.
“Sir, the matter has been explained clearly… Yes, the greetings have been made over there… Yes, he won’t be involved, but if we go through the process, we still need to inform… Okay, yes, I understand… The lady’s condition has stabilized a lot now, she still wants to see him first… Okay, I’ll arrange it…”
****
Su Qingbai was sitting on the sofa watching the news.
“Qingbai, you’ve taken a week off, you don’t have to accompany mom anymore.” Chu Xia was peeling an apple for him, “Go back to class, you can also help take care of your younger brother.”
Su Qingbai clenched the remote control in his hand, “Okay.”
“Qingbai, you’re the most sensible.” Chu Xia smiled, reached out and handed him the apple.
Su Qingbai took the apple and stood up, “Mom, I’m going back to my room to do homework.”
“Okay, go ahead, don’t tire yourself out.” Chu Xia smiled at him, “Qingbai, when you go back to school, remember to take a picture of your younger brother, Mom wants to see what he looks like.”
“Okay.”
Su Qingbai took the apple in his hand upstairs, closed the bedroom door.
Then he threw the apple in his hand into the trash can.
He stood in front of the bathroom sink, washing his hands leisurely, until all the sweetness on his fingers was scrubbed clean.
He raised his head, his gaze gloomily staring at himself in the mirror.
His slightly upturned phoenix eyes were full of coldness.
He very, very much hated his own face.
Compared to Yi Chenliang, he looked more like Chu Xia, so cold and beautiful that he looked somewhat androgynous. When he was young, Chu Xia once couldn’t control her emotions for a while, and asked him over and over again.
[Why can’t you be an eldest sister?]
[If you were an eldest sister, the younger brother wouldn’t have to be sent away!]
[Qingbai is so beautiful, it would be nice if he were an eldest sister.]
[Why is it that the younger brother who was sent away is not you!]
Sharp, gentle, painful, guilty voices, over and over again in his ears, became the nightmare of his entire childhood that he couldn’t dispel.
He had lived alone with Chu Xia for a long time, they depended on each other, but also tortured each other, until Su Shengwen found them after much hardship.
The sober Chu Xia apologized to him, holding him and crying inconsolably, Su Shengwen unusually put down his heavy work, accompanied him and Chu Xia to relax…
Su Qingbai stared at himself in the mirror, the disgust in his eyes was even greater.
He would rather have been the one sent away.
The fog on the mirror solidified into water and flowed down, rendering the face in the mirror unrecognizable.
Su Qingbai took a leave of absence and thus perfectly missed the sports meet. When he returned to school on Monday, it was raining outside.
He hung his umbrella at the classroom door, and behind him came the voice of Yi Chenliang, “Brother, hurry up!”
He looked back in surprise.
Yi Chenliang was patting the water off Yun Fang’s backpack, and he laughed at him, “You run so slow.”
Yun Fang looked at him helplessly, “You’re almost like a monkey.”
Yi Chenliang flicked the hair in front of his eyes, “Come on, I forgot to do my physics homework, let me see yours.”
“Do it yourself.” Yun Fang was dragged by him to walk to their seats.
“Who’s who between us, isn’t what you do the same as what I do?” Yi Chenliang said righteously.
“…That’s not wrong.” Yun Fang couldn’t refute for a moment.
Su Qingbai hung his umbrella on the windowsill, his gaze fell on the wrists of the two people, almost identical red strings, not at all concealed, bold and flamboyant.
He walked to his seat and sat down, then turned his head to look at Shen Zhouzhou.
“Shen Zhouzhou, I have a question.” As soon as he opened his mouth, a polite smile naturally appeared on his face.
Shen Zhouzhou seemed to be making up homework, and didn’t raise her head when she heard him, “Speak.”
“Are Yi Chenliang and Yun Fang dating?” Su Qingbai asked.
Ji Shumo was lying on the desk memorizing words, and when he heard this, he immediately became interested. He had long felt that something was off between his Brother Yi and the study god, but he couldn’t say what was wrong. Hearing Su Qingbai ask this was like a sudden enlightenment, “Damn? Is that really the case?”
“Nonsense.” Shen Zhouzhou raised her head and looked at Su Qingbai indifferently, “They have a genuine brotherhood. As soon as seeing two boys, immediately thinking they are dating, your thoughts can leap forward at this level.”
Su Qingbai: “…”
Ji Shumo didn’t quite understand, but he understood the sarcasm in Shen Zhouzhou’s tone, “Why does it sound familiar?”
Shen Zhouzhou pulled out a book from the desk and handed it to Ji Shumo, but her words were directed at Su Qingbai, “If your brain is not good, read more books.”
Ji Shumo looked down, “Collection of North and South Dialects”, author: Lu Xun.
Ji Shumo was greatly shocked.
Su Qingbai didn’t get angry even though he had asked for a snub, his gaze swept over the last row of the classroom, Yi Chenliang was lowering his head, not knowing whether he was doing problems or copying homework, Yun Fang handed the milk with a straw to his mouth, Yi Chenliang didn’t raise his head, and drank a mouthful very naturally.
Su Qingbai frowned, brotherhood…can it be so sticky?
Su Qingbai thought of his cousin, and during the big break, he took the time to send Chang Ziqi a message.
Songbai: [I have a question.]
Changfan: [Ask.]
Songbai: [If I feed you milk to your mouth, would you drink it?]
The chat interface was greeted with a strange silence.
After a while, Chang Ziqi finally sent him a message.
Changfan: [Do you want to fight me?]
Songbai: [.]
Songbai: [No offense intended, I’m just asking casually.]
Songbai: [What if your girlfriend or boyfriend feeds you?]
Changfan: [He’s not that gentle.]
Su Qingbai stared at the “he” for a long time, suddenly feeling as if he had inadvertently discovered something incredible.
Maybe he mistyped the radical.
Su Qingbai found a good reason for Chang Ziqi, turned off his phone, and turned his head to see Yi Chenliang and Yun Fang leaning together to memorize words.
He asked his deskmate Zhang Yue–she said she had been hanging out in the No.1 High School forum for many years and knew all the handsome guys in No.1 High School, “Zhang Yue, do you think there’s something off about them?”
Zhang Yue turned her head to look, and said to Su Qingbai, “Heh, straight man’s trick.”
Su Qingbai was lost in confusion.
****
A week passed quickly, and on Friday night after evening self-study, Yun Fang drove Yi Chenliang home.
“Are you going to the competition with Old He tomorrow?” Yi Chenliang asked behind him.
“Yeah, I have to train for a week, not in No.1 High School.” Yun Fang said, “I heard they’re going to confiscate phones.”
“So I won’t see you for a week.” Yi Chenliang buried his face in his back and muttered, “And I can’t call.”
“It’s okay, it’s just a week.” Yun Fang laughed, “What gift do you want this time?”
“Just not 53.” Yi Chenliang was heartbroken when he thought of the gift he brought him last time, and his tone was sour, “The gifts you give to aunt and uncle are so thoughtful.”
Yun Fang laughed silently.
Last time he picked a gift for Yi Chenliang for a long time, always wanting to give him the best, but after picking for half a day, he didn’t pick a suitable one, so he simply bought him a set of 53 on the way back.
He also felt that this was not quite right, but seeing Yi Chenliang’s indignant but dare not speak out, he thought it was quite cute.
“I’ll pick a good one for you this time.”
Yun Fang stopped his little scooter downstairs, “Go back and sleep early, don’t play with your phone.”
“I know, I know.” Yi Chenliang dragged out his voice, leaned down and kissed him, his eyes full of happiness, “Good night.”
“Mm, good night.” Yun Fang pinched his face.
Yi Chenliang reached back and pinched his face, “Don’t always pinch mine.”
Yun Fang indulged him, laughed, “Hurry up and go.”
Yi Chenliang finished his revenge, satisfied, he entered the corridor, then the phone rang, Yun Fang answered, “Hello, Mom? Yeah, I’m home, just dropped off Xiao Yi, I’m coming back now.”
He saw the light in the third floor corridor turn on, reassured, he turned around and rode his scooter away.
Yi Chenliang was going upstairs while getting his keys, the sensor light on the third floor lit up in response, he raised his head with the keys in his hand, looking at the two strange tall men at the door of his home, his heart suddenly gave a heavy thump.