Chapter 22

Perhaps it was because the questions in the college entrance examination this time were really not too difficult, or because Ding Ji had revised extremely hard during this period, but when Ding Ji finished the English exam and left the examination room, there was a kind of feeling welling up that he had already stepped on the academic god from Fu Zhong, Lin Wuyu.

He walked with a spring in his steps.

Today, Dad wasn’t coming to pick him up. This was what he strongly requested.

He wanted to walk back quietly and slowly, and then have a meal with Grandpa and Grandma comfortably.

“Ding Ji!” A yell came from in front of him.

Ding Ji sighed as his plan to walk back slowly and quietly fell through.

Liu Jinpeng rushed over and hugged him, “How was it! Can you get into an undergraduate course?”

Ding Ji strongly regretted that he still hadn’t mentioned to Liu Jinpeng about his school affairs. He had been casually hanging out with him in the small plaza every day.

“You shut up,” Ding Ji glared at him, “Can you not say it in a more auspicious way?”

“How auspicious do you want it to be?” Liu Jinpeng reacted immediately, “Auspicious! Turn Lin Wuyu upside down!”

“I can.” Ding Ji patted Liu Jinpeng’s arm and nodded in satisfaction.

“Are you going back to accompany your grandparents tonight?” Liu Jinpeng walked forward together with him.

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“Mhm,” Ding Ji nodded, took out his mobile phone and tapped the screen, “Are you coming?”

“My cousin is going to the airport in a while, I have to drive him there,” Liu Jinpeng said, “Tomorrow then. Anyway, you’ve finished your exams, you can just do whatever you want and no one will bother, right?”

“My grandpa will still care,” Ding Ji sent a message to Lin Wuyu while saying, “If you dare to bring me to do mischievous things, he will kill you.”

“When have I brought you to do mischievous things! I usually listen to you, okay!” Liu Jinpeng was very dissatisfied. “When we were kids, when you pitted me, I never made a fuss about it!”

— Have you come out?

“When did I pit you?” Ding Ji looked at him.

“You tricked me into taking off my pants and running, saying it’ll reduce the resistance and make me run faster!” Liu Jinpeng said, “Have you not! You made Laozi 1 chase you half the street with a bare butt!”

Ding Ji laughed until his sides cramped, “No, you believed that kind of thing, I am also shocked.”

“I’m just magnanimous, if not I wouldn’t be hanging out with you anymore.” Liu Jinpeng gave him a scornful glance.

“You can’t say that. That shows that you have the spirit of exploration.” Ding Ji put his arm on his shoulder, “You don’t follow blindly. You have to try it out yourself before you decide whether you believe it or not, right?”

— I came out, I’m going to go eat first

“Yeah, yeah, I ran half the street with my bare butt and proved that it has nothing to do with resistance.” Liu Jinpeng sighed, then glared at him, “Who are you talking to?”

“Lin Wuyu,” Ding Ji said, “I have been comparing answers with him after exams these two days to see who has fewer mistakes.”

— Don’t eat by yourself, go to my grandma’s house to eat

“Who has fewer mistakes?” Liu Jinpeng asked, “He can’t have more mistakes than you, right?”

— Where are you?

“Fuck off!” Ding Ji glared at him.

Liu Jinpeng asked this question very cruelly and sharply. He had compared answers for Chinese with Lin Wuyu, and he gave up for Science halfway.

It didn’t affect his mood, but he was sure that his scores for Language and Science should not be as high as Lin Wuyu.

This person’s brain might be larger than the Jade Emperor.

After leaving the examination room, many students went back to school together.

The exam was over, no matter whether they did well or badly, at least most people didn’t care about it at the moment, or rather, deliberately ignored it.

The moment when they walked out of the examination room, everyone suddenly realised that it seemed that they hadn’t spent much time with their classmates this year, and after the college entrance examination was over, they were going to go their separate ways.

Many people may not be able to see each other again in this lifetime after this summer vacation.

Suddenly, there was a strong reluctance.

Old Lin looked around with his head tilted up in the crowd.

Lin Wuyu had just exchanged a few words with Xu Tianbo, and as soon as he turned his head he saw and realised that Old Lin was looking for him, he raised his hand and waved.

Old Lin looked like he was blind, his gaze swept across his face, and he walked elsewhere.

“I’ll go back first,” Xu Tianbo said, “Chen Mang and the others went to organise a get-together these two days, make yourself free these two days.”

“Don’t worry.” Lin Wuyu smiled and patted his arm.

Xu Tianbo’s family drove a van directly to pick him up. When the door opened, Lin Wuyu saw a bunch of people in the car, as if welcoming a god’s descent to earth. Xu Tianbo immediately stepped back, seemingly wanting to refuse to get in the car.

But in the next second, his father pulled him up.

Lin Wuyu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Fish 2 !” Chen Mang saw him and squeezed over, “Will you go back to school in a while?”

“No,” Lin Wuyu said, “I’m going to eat with my friend.”

“Alright, we are going to have a get-together these two days, and Xu Tianbo is going to travel after that. We’ll have the get-together before that,” Chen Mang said, “You better answer the phone and check WeChat. It takes so much effort to find you.”

“Alright.” Lin Wuyu smiled.

Old Lin finally found him and squeezed him over and pulled him aside: “You aren’t coming back to school?”

“No.” Lin Wuyu said.

“Before the exam, the scout called you and Xu Tianbo’s family several times,” Lao Lin said, “Other than getting an appraisal and going to see them to talk face-to-face, do you want to listen to the various favorable conditions? I heard that…”

“Didn’t you go to the Provincial Normal University after a year of repeating studies? I won’t be able to go,” Lin Wuyu said, “I have to play enough first, and things I’ve already decided will not be changed on a whim anyway.”

“Okay, you’re quite resolute,” Old Lin clutched his chest with a sad face, and didn’t forget to add, “If you have a change of mind, call me, contact me, and consult with me if there are any changes. Even if you don’t discuss it with others, discuss it with me.”

“Mhm.” Lin Wuyu hugged Old Lin and patted him on the back, “Lin-ge, thank you.”

“Do you know when to return to school?” Old Lin asked.

“Sigh… I know.” Lin Wuyu felt helpless, “Why are you like an old woman 3 ?”

“What can I do,” Old Lin said, “I feel sorry for you, I don’t have any children myself, and the children and grandchildren from school 4 , I keep having to send them away again and again…”

“I’m leaving.” Lin Wuyu pushed him away.

“Contact me!” Old Lin smiled and pointed at him.

Lin Wuyu turned around and waved at him.

How can Ding Ji be a top student?

When Lin Wuyu met up with him on a street corner on a shared bicycle 5 , he was sitting on a broken moped on the side of the street and playing with a mobile phone. Less than a meter in front of him was a trash can.

His disposition integrated perfectly with the street, one can’t look at him more than once and if you do, then he will come up to pummel you.

“Do you have rhinitis?” Lin Wuyu walked over, reached out his hands and shook them in front of the phone, and parked the shared bicycle.

“Hm?” Ding Ji raised his head and smiled happily, “I was wondering why you took so long, you’re alone and so rich, couldn’t you call over a car or take a motorcycle-taxi? You can enter this road with a motorcycle.”

“Contributing to environmental protection,” Lin Wuyu took his arm and pulled him from the moped. “Do you have no sense of smell?”

“What’s the matter?” Ding Ji asked.

“Why don’t you lean on the trash can and play?” Lin Wuyu said.

“You’re so particular,” Ding Ji snorted, “Then where should I sit, the moped is parked here.”

“Let’s go,” Lin Wuyu looked at the time, “Do you have time to accompany me back…”

“To your house?” Ding Ji was stunned, “To carry your luggage again?”

“To get something,” Lin Wuyu said, “How about you go back first, and I’ll get in touch with you after I take the thing.”

“Then I wouldn’t be a loyal friend,” Ding Ji put the phone in his pocket, “Let’s go, take the things first and then go, anyway, my family eats dinner late.”

It’d be a rush to go back home at this time, Lin Wuyu wanted to get his things before his parents got off work.

Autumn and winter clothes were not needed, they can be bought again when the time comes. The main reason was to take his drone. It was a new gadget he had bought last year, and he had only flown it a few times.

As for the situation of the college entrance examination, he felt that there was no need to report anything to his family, and they were probably not interested in listening. Even if the top university in the universe called and requested to take him away, it would not change anything. After all, no matter how good he is, his parents were unwilling to recognise it, and in their hearts, he will never be able to surpass Lin Zhan.

Then there is no point in talking.

When Lin Wuyu walked downstairs, he looked up first.

“Are your parents at home?” Ding Ji asked, “Are you going home to take things normally or sneaking home to take things?”

Lin Wuyu hesitated: “Sneak.”

“Alright.” Ding Ji nodded.

“They haven’t got off work yet,” Lin Wuyu said, “They’ll be back at six or seven o’clock.”

“Then that’s fine,” Ding Ji breathed a sigh of relief, “Or I would have to exchange pleasantries with them, how awkward.”

Lin Wuyu glanced at him, “You’re still afraid of greeting people?”

“It’s mainly because the first impression your parents gave me was so bad,” Ding Ji said, “I really don’t want to exchange whatever pleasantries.”

Lin Wuyu laughed.

But the moment Lin Wuyu turned the key, he knew that he had made a mistake in his judgment.

The door was not locked; someone was at home.

“They seem to be at home.” Lin Wuyu whispered and pushed the door open.

“Ah?” Ding Ji became nervous immediately.

Although he was here to help Lin Wuyu get something, he felt like he was back in elementary school. A few children were absent from class and went to a classmate’s house. When they entered, they found that the house which should have been deserted was boisterous like a revelry, and ran into the classmate’s parents.

Ding Ji followed Lin Wuyu into the room and cleared his throat in advance so that he could say hello in a polite and smooth voice.

Sure enough, there were people in the room. There were two; both his parents were at home.

Seeing them suddenly come in, Lin Wuyu’s parents were obviously a little surprised, watching them without speaking for several seconds.

“I came to get something.” Lin Wuyu pointed to his room.

“Oh.” Lin Wuyu’s mother nodded.

“Hello Uncle, hello Aunt.” Ding Ji gave a very perfunctory greeting and smiled politely.

On the surface, Lin Wuyu’s parents were not as amiable as his own parents, and there was a kind of sternness hidden under their smiles.

It seems that when Lin Wuyu came home, they had no other emotions except being startled.

“This is my friend.” Lin Wuyu introduced them to them perfunctorily.

“Did you just come to take something?” Lin Wuyu’s father said, “Didn’t your Teacher Lin tell you about the phone calls from many schools in the past few days?”

“He told me,” Lin Wuyu entered the bedroom, “I haven’t finished considering it yet.”

Ding Ji immediately noticed Lin Wuyu’s choice of words, as if he was trying to avoid quarreling, as compared to his unbridled disposition, perhaps he had already decided what he was going to study and which school he was going to since junior high…

Ding Ji quickly followed him up into the bedroom: “What to pack?”

“Help me take two of the thick clothes in the cabinet,” Lin Wuyu took out a wheeled luggage from under the bed. At first glance, it was not an ordinary suitcase. It was very high-end. “I just need to take the drone.”

“Oh.” Ding Ji nodded.

When he stretched his hand to open the closet door, he glanced back at the door and saw Lin Wuyu’s mother standing there.

Ding Ji suddenly felt awkward.

There were several cabinets in Lin Wuyu’s bedroom. The clothes for spring, summer, autumn and winter were all opened. He didn’t even ask and directly touched the doors of the compartment holding the thick winter coats… It was as if he was telling Lin Wuyu’s parents, I had helped your son run away from home the previous time.

Lin Wuyu’s mother furrowed her eyebrows as expected.

But Ding Ji was caught off guard by what she said next. He didn’t expect this aunt’s thinking to be completely different from him.

“This is your boyfriend?” Lin Wuyu’s mother asked.

“Hm?” Lin Wuyu was also a little surprised, and quickly turned around, “No.”

“He seems familiar with your room.” Lin Wuyu’s mother made a very standard sneer.

Lin Wuyu glanced at Ding Ji’s side, presumably to determine how his mother deduced this relationship.

Ding Ji stared at him for 0.5 seconds and took his hand away from the closet door to give him a reminder.

“He helped me take the luggage last time.” After Lin Wuyu finished speaking, he turned and opened the cabinet containing the drone and started packing.

Gege! Can you take the clothes yourself?

It’s fine if you take them with me!

If you’re being like this, it’s so awkward for me!

Ding Ji stared at the back of Lin Wuyu’s head. Lin Wuyu didn’t look back either. After being stiff for two seconds, he had to open the cabinet door and casually pulled out two thicker coats from inside.

A woollen short coat, a zipper-up thick sports sweater.

The styles varied greatly.

He looked in the closet again.

Aiyo, the academic god also had leather clothes, what a stud.

When he was reaching out to pull the leather jacket, Lin Wuyu’s mother spoke again: “It seems that you are planning to stick to your own ways.”

“Don’t talk about this today,” Lin Wuyu said while packing the luggage, “it’s not necessary.”

“If you want to be a pervert then do it on your own!” Lin Wuyu’s mother frowned, “Don’t bring it home! What do you want to do by bringing people home? This isn’t just your house, it’s also our house!”

“This is my friend,” Lin Wuyu turned to look at her, “Don’t vent your feelings towards me on my friend.”

“What is your mother’s venting towards you?” Lin Wuyu’s father walked over and pulled his mother away. “You look at us with prejudice. Of course you think we’re throwing our temper.”

“I’ll leave when I finish packing,” Lin Wuyu said, “Just bear it for a while. If you don’t speak, we can be much faster.”

Ding Ji looked at Lin Wuyu.

Lin Wuyu’s face was an expression he had never seen before.

Besides the absence of anger, it seems that there are all kinds of emotions.

But because there was no anger, it was particularly uncomfortable.

Maybe his anger was absorbed by himself.

Ding Ji felt that he was angry now like a bursting beef ball 6 , the kind that was about to explode… It was quite delicious, and he ordered this every night…

“Even if I’m throwing my temper, it’s normal,” Lin Wuyu’s mother said, “I’m so disappointed in you. You’re doing something like this, yet not letting me have a temper?”

Ding Ji glanced at Lin Wuyu. He initially wanted to make a face at Lin Wuyu, but before Lin Wuyu’s eyes met him, Ding Ji had already spoken, “What sort of thing did he do? What’s there to be disappointed about?”

Lin Wuyu stood up.

The two people at the door were stunned and looked at him together.

Time and space froze for two seconds, and then Lin Wuyu’s father spoke first, “This is our family’s business. You shouldn’t talk too much if you’re an outsider, it’s very rude.”

“Then in front of an outsider, you’re talking about him being perverted and being disappointed in your son,” Ding Ji said, “Is this very polite? Why do you want to quarrel in front of an outsider?”

After Ding Ji finished speaking, he felt that his pores were open 7 , and he couldn’t tell whether it was because he was excited or agitated.

However, according to his plan, Lin Wuyu should stop him at a good time, push his parents away, and close the door, and then they can leave after they have packed their things.

But Lin Wuyu, this cold person, didn’t say a word and just stood by and looked at him, crossing his arms.

???

Ding Ji glanced at him, and he met Ding Ji’s gaze blankly, without any hints in his eyes.

“Yes,” Lin Wuyu’s mother looked at him, “We shouldn’t be quarreling in front of you, an outsider, but it was because of you…”

“Auntie,” Ding Ji interrupted her, “I have to remind you that this was not caused by me. The cause is that you think that Lin Wuyu is a homosexual and very perverted. It has nothing to do with me, if I were a different person, the outcome would still be the same.”

Lin Wuyu turned his head.

Ding Ji was shocked to feel that he seemed to be smiling.

“Let’s go back to the point of being an outsider.” Ding Ji didn’t have time to analyze Lin Wuyu. He was stuck in this position. He couldn’t find a place to step down unless he finished talking. “If you are sure I am Lin Wuyu’s boyfriend, and started quarreling because of this, then I wouldn’t be an outsider, Auntie, I’m Lin Wuyu’s boyfriend, I’m with him, it’s just we can’t obtain a marriage licence, if we could we’d be family members.”

Lin Wuyu’s tilted head turned around abruptly.

Lin Wuyu’s parents were also shocked, staring at him together, their mouths half open, and they were speechless for a long time.

“What’s your problem with homosexuals?” Ding Ji said, “It doesn’t matter how outstanding Lin Wuyu is, you can’t see it, then never mind. You refuse to admit it, that’s all. Such an outstanding academic god, just because he likes men, how is that perverted? What kind of unique understanding do you have about that word? Or is it ‘perverted’ because you can’t understand?”

“Ding Ji.” Lin Wuyu finally said.

“Uncle and Auntie,” Ding Ji hurriedly said, “If I offended you, because of the education I have received, people I come into contact with will not use sexuality as a criterion for judging whether a person is excellent or perverted.”

Lin Wuyu didn’t wait for his parents to speak any more, so he walked over and closed the door, hurriedly saying at the doorway, “I will leave immediately after packing.”

The moment the door closed, Ding Ji let out a sigh of relief, and sat down on the edge of the bed. After a while, he said in a low voice: “I… Fuck.”

Lin Wuyu didn’t speak, and walked up to him.

“Why didn’t you stop me from the beginning, ge!” Ding Ji raised his head and looked at him, “You are really not afraid of things getting out of hand?”

Lin Wuyu smiled, “I just wanted to hear what you have to say.”

“Can’t you guess what I’m going to say?” Ding Ji suppressed his voice, “You know my personality. When I get worked up, it’s not impossible that I could go off-track! I’m worried that if you didn’t stop me, I would request them to agree to this marriage!”

Lin Wuyu laughed out loud, stepped back and leaned on the desk and laughed so hard that the lamps on the desk shook.

Footnotes

Means ‘I’ or ‘me’, used colloquially/in jest or arrogantly or in contempt. The pronunciation for fish is yu, which sounds similar to the ‘yu’ in Lin Wuyu (but not the same character). Means that he’s naggy. Not literally, referring to his students in an endearing way. Bicycles used for public bicycle sharing services. As in those put in soup and eaten. To become unrestrained.