It was at seven in the evening that Lin Hui returned home from outside.

“There were a bit too many customers and I was busy until now.” Lin Hui put her bag on the sofa. Lin Shiyu sat on the sofa, and the table was covered with the rest of the dinner.

Lin Shiyu said, “There’s porridge in the rice cooker.”

Lin Hui walked over, lifted the lid of the plate, and glanced inside. “Why is there so much food left? Did neither of you eat much tonight?”

“I didn’t eat,” Lin Shiyu replied, holding his phone. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, “I’m going out for dinner with some classmates tonight.”

Lin Hui was momentarily surprised, then looked at the wall clock and exclaimed, “Oh my, going out for dinner at this hour? It’s already past seven. Why didn’t you mention it earlier? I could have come home earlier.”

Lin Shiyu stood up. “It’s okay; I can still make it.”

Even so, he wasn’t actually sure if he could make it in time. He had just sent a message to Mao Silu, telling him he was on his way, but Mao Silu, who had been urging him earlier, hadn’t replied since. Lin Shiyu’s uncertainty began to grow as he wondered if they had already dispersed.

Lin Shiyu walked into the bedroom, opened the closet door, and thought that since he had promised, he might as well go and take a look. If everyone had already left, he could just return.

Lin Hui came to the doorway of his room, watching him take off his military training uniform top to change clothes. There was a hint of an apology in her eyes. “Did I make you late to meet your friends?”

“No,” Lin Shiyu replied.

Lin Wanyue heard the conversation and came out of her room. Seeing Lin Shiyu changing clothes, she ran up to him and grabbed his military training uniform.

With just this small action, Lin Shiyu knew exactly what his little sister meant. This time he had planned to sneak out in regular clothes without her knowing, but he was still caught. He had no choice but to give in and said with a somewhat resigned tone, “You can pick.”

Lin Wanyue pulled out a white hooded sweatshirt from his closet and handed it to him with joy. In the center of the shirt was an imprint of a pink Hello Kitty, and two ribbons hung down from the edge of the hood, tied into small bows.

Lin Shiyu took the clothing and put it on.

Lin Hui squatted down and pulled Lin Wanyue over. “Xiaoyue, you can’t keep making your brother wear these…”

“It’s fine,” Lin Shiyu interrupted her. He finished changing and calmly adjusted the collar. “I’m used to it.”

He had been dressing this way since middle school, initially with great reluctance and annoyance. However, over time and after seeing his sister’s tears, he grew less concerned. Occasionally, he even found a bit of humor in it. He thought that at least he wasn’t made to wear a wig and a dress to completely impersonate a gentle older sister to please her.

After changing into his clothes, Lin Shiyu was escorted to the door by Lin Hui. She watched him, dressed in an outfit that didn’t quite fit, and said with a hint of guilt, “Xiao Yu, I know there must be people at school who criticize you for dressing like this. I’m sorry, but you know how scared Xiaoyue was when she was little because of her father, so–”

“There’s no need to bring up the past.” Lin Shiyu became annoyed whenever he heard the word “father” and impatiently cut her off. “Don’t mention that guy again. I’m leaving.”

“Alright, be safe on your way there and come back early tonight.”

“Okay.”

The residential area was quite deserted, and the streetlights flickered intermittently. It was dark and quiet until he exited the residential area and turned onto the main road, where bright streetlights and bustling shops illuminated the surroundings. Lin Shiyu passed over a pedestrian bridge and waited for a bus at the bus stop.

He held his phone in one hand, gazing at the busy street with its shifting lights and shadows. He began to regret whether he had made a foolish decision. It was already quite late, and even if his friends hadn’t finished their gathering, they would likely be almost done eating. Was it worth it to join in at this late hour?

Maybe I should just go back. Lin Shiyu hesitated for a moment, then took a step to the side, turning around.

Suddenly, his phone rang in his pocket, an unfamiliar number calling.

He calmed himself and answered the call.

“Lin Shiyu?”

When Lin Shiyu heard the voice, he was slightly taken aback. “Zong Qi?”

“Yeah.” The familiar, calm voice on the other end of the line was slightly distorted. Zong Qi continued, unperturbed. “Lost your way again?”

Lin Shiyu clenched his teeth. “No.”

“Oh, how long until you arrive?”

Lin Shiyu was a bit slow to respond to his question but finally answered. “It should take about half an hour.”

“I’ll be waiting for you at the Central Department Store entrance.”

After ending the call, a bus arrived just in time. Lin Shiyu stored away Zhong Qi’s number, pocketed his phone, and boarded the bus.

The bus got stuck in traffic for a while, and it took Lin Shiyu about forty minutes to reach the pedestrian street. He hurriedly made his way to the Central Department Store, where there were electric scooters and cars parked all around. On Friday night, the area near the department store was bustling with people, and the shops were playing advertisements and music outside. Lin Shiyu struggled to get up the stairs, glanced around, and quickly spotted Zong Qi standing at the mall’s entrance.

Zong Qi was tall, with a large frame, making him stand out in the crowd. He had changed into a black short-sleeved shirt, casual cropped pants, and a pair of red basketball shoes. He was holding a phone in one hand, engrossed in it. His skin had tanned somewhat, but it only added to his handsome and masculine appearance.

As Lin Shiyu approached, Zong Qi seemed to sense something and turned to gaze in his direction. He put away his phone, took a few steps toward Lin Shiyu, and placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him in the opposite direction.

“The restaurant is in that direction,” Zong Qi removed his hand and teased, “I thought you knew the way.”

“I just walked this way when I saw you.” Lin Shiyu replied somewhat irritably because he did genuinely forget the direction of the fish head hot pot place.

The streets were crowded at night, and Lin Shiyu walked side by side with Zong Qi. Zong Qi remained silent, but Lin Shiyu couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, “Why did you come to pick me up?”

Zong Qi countered, “Who else would you prefer to pick you up?”

“I thought Mao Silu or Gao Jie would call.”

“They’re playing Werewolf and got really into it.”

“You guys haven’t finished eating even now?”

“With over a dozen people gathering for dinner, it’s not the same as eating alone at home.”

Zong Qi led Lin Shiyu to the side entrance elevator of the Central Department Store, pressed the button, turned to look at him, and focused on the pattern on his clothes.

The pink Hello Kitty.

“Do you really like that fat cat head?” Zong Qi asked absentmindedly.

Fat cat head? Lin Shiyu was puzzled for a moment before he realized Zong Qi was referring to the Hello Kitty on his clothes. He wasn’t sure if he should find it funny, awkward, or irritating. Typically, when someone commented on his clothing style, he would either glare at them or, in more extreme cases, resort to violence. It usually didn’t end amicably.

However, Zong Qi didn’t seem to be expressing an opinion. He genuinely appeared to be curious about why he had this particular cat head on his clothes, rather than some other animal like a rabbit or giraffe.

“I don’t like it.” Lin Shiyu answered with a hint of awkwardness.

The elevator doors opened, and the two of them entered. Zong Qi pressed a button and continued his questioning. “If you don’t like it, why wear it?”

He’s asking too many questions. Lin Shiyu began to feel slightly uneasy, as if his boundaries were being probed and evaluated. What he liked or disliked, and what he had to say about it, was his own business.

Lin Shiyu stared at the elevator door, but he remembered that when he was in the hospital, this group of people poured into the ward in a hurry and inexplicably, bought fruits and chocolates asking about his well being.

It must have been a pain in the ass to ask that black-faced instructor for a leave of absence, and to have so many people on leave at once.

Edited by: Jaisland

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