Chapter 28.1

It was already past midnight when Wen Xiaohui left. He had no idea if Luo Yi was still awake, but he’d already prepared some food. In the end, he found that the lights on the third and fourth floors were still on when he got to the villa.

He opened the door and went inside. He hummed softly as he went to the kitchen to get plates and cups, and arranged the supper on the serving trays. Then he headed upstairs with a tray in each hand.

When Wen Xiaohui got to the third floor, he pushed open the half-opened door with his elbow. "Luo Yi, I’ve brought over some supper. Are you still awake?" He went into the room to have a look around; Luo Yi’s computer was still on, but there was nobody there.

He went to check the bathroom and it was also empty. How strange… Could it be that he was on the fourth floor?

He put the supper down, and he walked up to the fourth floor.

Although it had been a while since he first visited the house, he’d never been to the room on the fourth floor. Luo Yi mentioned that the fourth floor was a storage room and it was full of all sorts of things. You only needed to refer to the state of Luo Yi’s bedroom to imagine what the storage room looked like, so he was never curious about it.

The door on the fourth floor was also partially open. Wen Xiaohui knocked on the door then pushed it open. "Luo Yi, I came..."

The ‘storage room’ on the fourth floor was actually a huge room. It was stacked full of all sorts of things just like Luo Yi said. However, what captured Wen Xiaohui’s attention was the middle-aged man’s photo on the wall that was used for target practice.

Luo Yi’s back was facing Wen Xiaohui; he was searching for something when he heard the noise and he immediately turned around. His gaze was as sharp and fierce as a falcon, causing Wen Xiaohui to freeze on the spot.

When Luo Yi saw that it was him, his expression returned to normal. However, it was evident that he was still a bit tense. "Why did you come over?"

"I was out for drinks nearby, and I wanted to bring some supper over for you to eat…" Wen Xiaohui’s fear had yet to dissipate because Luo Yi's expression in that split second had really scared him. It was as if he had done something wrong, like stumbling upon a secret that he wasn’t supposed to find out.

Luo Yi came over to turn off the lights and close the door. "Let's go downstairs."

Wen Xiaohui reflected on the target that he'd just seen. The photo had many obvious arrow holes.

Luo Yi suddenly said, "Yes, it's him."

Wen Xiaohui trembled, and he whispered, "You hate him so much." He wanted to ask why, but he knew that it wasn’t likely that Luo Yi would answer him. He was also worried that if Luo Yi did answer, he might not be able to bear the consequences of his response. The more familiar he was with Luo Yi’s daily life and the feelings at the bottom of his heart, the more he felt that Luo Yi’s thoughts were more profound and complicated than his peers. Rather he had better foresight than some grown-ups. It didn’t seem like this was only because Luo Yi was more intelligent, it was also because of his mysterious upbringing.

Without turning his head, Luo Yi replied, "I don't hate him."

"..."

"He's just an eyesore."

"I’m not sure what you mean."

Luo Yi was standing at the corner of the stairs, and he laughed gently before turning his head to look at Wen Xiaohui in silence. The pupils of his eyes were pitch-black. "The existence of this person bothers me."

Wen Xiaohui felt a sudden chill on his arms and legs. It wasn’t the first time, and occasionally Luo Yi would reveal a facial expression, a look in his eyes, or say words that felt foreign to him. It caused him to suspect that this youth might not be as he seemed, but Luo Yi was great 99.9% of the time. Who didn’t have a side to them that was different to normal? These occurrences ought to have paled in insignificance, but they always left a lasting impression.

Luo Yi beckoned to him. "Let's go and eat supper."

Wen Xiaohui’s heart started to ache for Luo Yi again. He couldn’t begin to imagine what exactly Luo Yi went through during his childhood that made him talk about his father like this, in addition to shooting arrows through his biological father’s photo. He also rarely mentioned his mother. In the beginning, he thought that maybe intelligent people’s brains function differently; when his mother committed suicide, Luo Yi felt it was a way for her to free herself from her burdens. But when he reflected on it now, it really seemed like Luo Yi didn’t even feel sad. It was as if he never had such a mother and he was completely unaffected. Wen Xiaohui wasn’t able to describe how he felt. He couldn’t even blame Luo Yi for lacking compassion, because it was clear that Yaya was also a poor mother.

They went back to the room. Luo Yi switched on a comedy, and they ate whilst watching the film. On the surface Wen Xiaohui was laughing along to the film, but he was secretly full of doubt and speculation. Luo Yi must have used an arrow to shoot the photo of his biological father to vent his frustration.

Luo Yi went to clear the table after they finished the meal. Wen Xiaohui sat in front of the computer for a bit, and by some strange coincidence1, he suddenly decided to look through Luo Yi’s hard drive. He quickly browsed through the contents by skimming the names of the folders. There wasn’t anything special other than the large number of general knowledge and hobbies folders, and he ran out of time to be able to browse more. Luo Yi was already returning, so he was in fluster and he didn’t have sufficient time to put the video player back on screen.

Luo Yi slightly narrowed his eyes, and he understood everything when he saw Wen Xiaohui pretending that nothing had happened.

Failing to cover his tracks, Wen Xiaohui said "I’m trying to put on a different film."

"Do you not find this film funny?"

"You’ll definitely have insomnia if you laugh like this before bedtime, and you’ll end up with dark circles under your eyes."

Luo Yi chuckled, "You shouldn’t watch anything if you want to prevent insomnia."

"You’re right, we should go to bed." Wen Xiaohui stretched his waist and touched his stomach. "Recently I've been hanging out with you, and I’ve gotten fat from eating too many late-night meals."

"You're too lazy to come running with me."

"Nope, I'd rather sleep a bit more." Wen Xiaohui got up and said, "I'm going for a shower."

As soon as Wen Xiaohui went to the bathroom, Luo Yi turned off the film, and he opened up the hard drive folder. A faint smile appeared.

After Wen Xiaohui’s shower, he threw himself on the bed with some force. He took a deep breath. "I'm exhausted."

"Did you drink too much?" Luo Yi asked, "Who did you go out drinking with? You didn’t call me to pick you up."

"It's alright, I didn’t drink too much. It’s just a bunch of gay guys. If they saw you, they’d pounce on you like a beast2."

Luo Yi burst out laughing. "What an exaggeration!"

"It's not an exaggeration. How could there be a man that isn’t horny?" Wen Xiaohui smiled as he said, "Actually I went to meet the handsome guy that Xiao Ma set me up with."

"Oh." Luo Yi was lying on his side, with his head resting on his hand. "How was it?"

"It wasn’t great. He looks pretty good and he has a decent body, but you can tell from a single glance that he’s the type who likes to play around. I hear that his personal life is very messy, and I’m afraid I might catch something. Anyway, I’m not planning to keep in contact with him."

"Mn, the more you do it… You deserve better."

Wen Xiaohui smiled. "Oh, I actually met a great guy today."

"At the bar? Who is he?"

"I met him at the bar counter by chance. He’s so elegant and charismatic3, and not just handsome. He has a graceful air about him. He’s awesome." Wen Xiaohui pouted, and said gloomily, "I went to chat him up but he wasn’t attracted to me. Even though I eventually got his number, he clearly wasn’t interested."

Luo Yi smiled faintly, and replied, "He has bad taste. Forget about it."

"Not only does he have bad taste, he must be blind." Wen Xiaohui said angrily, "It hurts my self-esteem… Whatever. It’s really not a big deal. I'll definitely find a better man in future."

Luo Yi observed Wen Xiaohui’s look of dissatisfaction, and he felt like he wanted to laugh.

Looking at Luo Yi’s smile, Wen Xiaohui began to feel a little ashamed and he hid his face in his pillow. He closed his eyes.

"The person you mentioned… Is he really that great? Is he that attractive?"

Wen Xiaohui replied in a gloomy voice, "Yeah, he’s really attractive."

"Perhaps in 10 years’ time, I’ll be more outstanding than him."

Wen Xiaohui's heart trembled slightly, and he gently opened his eyes.

Luo Yi was still staring at him with a gentle and youthful smile. It caused Wen Xiaohui’s heart to beat even faster. Wen Xiaohui knew that he shouldn’t respond, but he inexplicably replied, "Of course you’ll be better than him."

Luo Yi asked in a gentle voice, "Would you consider me then?"

Wen Xiaohui’s eyes widened.

Luo Yi watched Wen Xiaohui as his eyes grew larger and his pupils contracted like a terrified bunny. This was very amusing because Wen Xiaohui was somebody who embodied the traits of vanity, influence, shallowness and simplicity, naivety, and righteousness, all at the same time. How could there be someone who was so contradictory?

Wen Xiaohui was so nervous that his jaw nearly dropped. He stammered, "Stop teasing, you little brat."

Luo Yi chuckled, "I’m only joking."

Wen Xiaohui said rather solemnly, "Don't joke about these things next time."

"Are you angry?"

"No." Wen Xiaohui turned himself around. "You should sleep soon."

Luo Yi stared at his back. Looking at Wen Xiaohui’s thin shoulders, he had a suddenly urge to flip him over to face him.