Chapter 58

He would be afraid without Josh by his side.

"Okay, I understand." Since the summer vacation, fifteen-year-old Chen Zhiyu has been steadily growing taller. He hung up the phone, then politely thanked his homeroom teacher who was sitting in front of the office grading homework, and turned to leave the office.

Stepping out of the office, Chen Zhiyu subconsciously straightened his backpack before turning and walking towards the corridor leading to the teaching building entrance.

The call I just received was from Josh, who is still at school.

Tomorrow is the New Year's Day holiday. Josh's department has a cultural performance tonight, so she asked Chen Zhiyu to go to the university to find her. After the event, the two of them can go home together.

According to Josh, she was hosting an event in her department and couldn't leave for a while, so she invited him to come and have a New Year's Eve dinner together.

Chen Zhiyu left the school gate, crossed the road, and walked to the bus stop on the other side.

After a short delay, the night fell completely, and bright streetlights lit up the streets, their light reflecting off the road like water.

Today is the day before the Gregorian New Year, and the streets are crowded at this time, with buses packed with people.

Although Chen Zhiyu was growing taller, he was still thin and small compared to adults. He struggled to squeeze through the crowd and finally found a seat at the back. He leaned back in his seat and stared blankly at the night view outside the window.

He had been living at Josh's house for almost half a year, but apart from the summer vacation, he had only seen Josh a handful of times. He could only see Josh once in a long while.

Josh doesn't go home when he doesn't have classes, but he still calls to check on him quite often. However, after confirming that he's home, he'll just chat for a couple of minutes about being careful and then hang up.

Every time he looked at the empty living room, Chen Zhiyu felt a longing that he hadn't felt in a long time.

The last time the two met was probably during the National Day holiday. Josh went home for a two-day stay, then quickly returned to campus with his seasonal clothes.

Chen Zhiyu knew that Qiao Xi was already under a lot of academic pressure, and now he had to add this burden to her studies.

She has to cover the living expenses and tuition fees for two people.

Frustrated, Chen Zhiyu banged his head against the car window, his youthful face showing a distress beyond his years. Due to the temperature difference between inside and outside, the car window was covered with a layer of condensation, and his forehead was damp, but he was completely unaware, standing there in a daze.

He needs to find a way to make money.

After the bus arrived at Josh's university, Chen Zhiyu got off. He stood there in a daze in front of the bus stop sign, with Hengcheng University right behind him.

He had never set foot here before. The school gate was decorated in a very grand style. During holidays, there was a constant stream of college students coming and going.

Chen Zhiyu glanced down at his blue and white school uniform, hesitating on the spot. After a long internal struggle, he squeezed the shoulder strap of his backpack, took a deep breath, and strode towards the main gate.

Chen Zhiyu walked through the school gate with a mix of trepidation and excitement.

In the dead of winter, the trees lining the road were bare.

Every school building they passed was grand in scale, indeed different from junior and senior high schools. Chen Zhiyu walked slowly, his eyes taking in every detail, as if he wanted to deeply engrave every part of the place into his mind.

He wondered if Josh often walked this road, and what she felt when she did. The thought of walking on the same road as Josh filled Chen Zhiyu with an inexplicable joy.

He walked slowly, his initial trepidation transforming into a newfound curiosity. Streetlights illuminated the roadside, casting an excited glow on his curious eyes.

A few bursts of laughter occasionally drifted from afar.

"Little brother, you must be Josh's brother. Why weren't you waiting for me at the gate?"

A voice came from behind Chen Zhiyu, interrupting his thoughts. He stopped and turned around, seeing a tall man walking towards him.

Just as Chen Zhiyu was about to ask something, he caught a glimpse of his blue school uniform reflected in the glass door. He awkwardly lowered his head and remained silent.

Josh's college classmate came to pick him up.

Josh mentioned on the phone that he was worried he wouldn't be able to find the location, so he specifically asked his classmate to pick him up.

Once inside the campus, Chen Zhiyu was like a butterfly flitting among flowers, lingering there and forgetting all about the matter.

The two walked towards the auditorium, one in front of the other.

Chen Zhiyu followed behind, unwilling to speak to him; he didn't like him. Not only because he had interrupted his exploration, but also because this person, during his self-introduction, claimed to be Josh's boyfriend.

He didn't know why, but he was just unhappy.

Chen Zhiyu took two quick steps and carefully observed the man. He was tall and upright, but his appearance was actually average.

Chen Zhiyu had some doubts about whether he was really Qiao Xi's boyfriend.

Chen Zhiyu was filled with questions, and the people around him kept asking him questions, mostly about Qiao Xi, which he didn't want to tell them.

The male classmate didn't mind, led him into the auditorium, went straight to the backstage, and winked at him mysteriously, following the direction he pointed.

Chen Zhiyu met with Qiao Xi, whom he hadn't seen for two months.

Josh wore a pale yellow performance dress, the fabric clinging to her waist and making her skin look very fair, like a bright splash of color in a boring winter day.

The male classmate was also seeing Josh in this outfit for the first time, and he couldn't hide his admiration. "Haven't you ever seen your sister wear this before? It looks good, doesn't it?"

Although Chen Zhiyu didn't want to talk to this male classmate, she agreed with what he said, that he was very good-looking.

The party was about to start, and the backstage area of ​​the auditorium was noisy with people constantly passing by. In order to answer the phone quietly, Josh simply hid in a corner.

The call was from Josh's advisor, actually checking up on her. Josh said helplessly, "I know, since I promised you, how could I stand you up?" While chatting, she unconsciously clutched the corner of her skirt, complaining that the fabric was really mediocre.

The counselor on the other end of the phone was still nagging, "I'm just afraid you'll change your mind."

Josh, the counselor, is only in his early thirties, but he lives like he's in his seventies.

At this critical juncture, how could she possibly desert her post? Josh assured him, while simultaneously protesting for herself, "I've already found replacements for my part-time jobs, and everyone's here, so don't worry."

The counselor was still nagging: "Josh, our department's cultural performances have always been highly valued by the school leaders, could you help oversee them?"

Although there are no official competitions for each department's arts and culture gala, there are actually rankings behind the scenes. This year, Josh's advisor is involved in directing, so they are determined to make a good impression and leave a good impression on the leaders.

That's how he managed to drag Josh over, even offering her two movie tickets as a bribe.

But she doesn't need it.

"What? A movie ticket costs several tens of yuan." The instructor complained, "I originally wanted to go with my wife, but I just couldn't find the time. You got a good deal."

He continued, "Don't worry, I'm confident you'll get an internship at the company I'm introducing you to. You're definitely capable; isn't this better than working in a restaurant?"

"By the way, I really recommend you see the movie. You can go with your boyfriend." Then he hung up the phone.

If it weren't for the internship opportunity promised by her advisor, Josh would never have readily agreed to host the party.

My phone beeped twice in the noisy environment. It was my advisor sending me the QR code for the movie tickets and saying, "Don't waste today's tickets."

Boyfriend? She doesn't have one.

Fine, I'll let that brat Chen Zhiyu have it.

*

The school's arts performance wouldn't last long. Not wanting Chen Zhiyu to wait too long, Qiao Xi quickly changed her clothes and hurriedly removed her makeup. The northern winter was dry and cold; Qiao Xi rubbed her face as she ran to find Chen Zhiyu.

Seeing him waiting patiently at the auditorium entrance, Josh jogged up to him and asked, "Are you cold? Why aren't you waiting inside?"

Chen Zhiyu turned his head upon hearing the sound, and shook his head blankly.

The lights in the auditorium shone on him, and Josh noticed Chen Zhiyu's face. "What happened to your face? It's so dry. You need to be careful in the dry winter weather."

Josh pulled him into the living room, then took out a bottle of face cream from her bag. It was a simple white bottle. She squeezed a little out of her palm and then applied it little by little to Chen Zhiyu's face.

A slightly cool touch gently brushed across Chen Zhiyu's cheek.

The scent of the face cream that Chen Zhiyu smelled was faint, without any unique fragrance, just like the scent on Josh.

Josh bent down slightly and carefully rubbed his face. Perhaps because she was in a hurry, her makeup wasn't completely removed, and there was still some black eyeliner left at the corner of her eyes.

Chen Zhiyu stared at that black dot, his eyes fixed straight ahead, not daring to look around.

"All done." After applying the cream, Josh straightened up and stuffed it into her bag. Where she couldn't see, Chen Zhiyu was breathing heavily.

At 8:30 p.m., Josh first took him to the school's small restaurant. The movie started at 10 p.m., so they would have time to eat there.

The two arrived at the movie theater just in time for the start of the film, and there was no one there at that time, which shows how unpopular the movie was.

I have no idea where the counselor found this treasure.

The movie is an art film with a relatively flat storyline. Josh has been too busy lately, juggling part-time work and rehearsals, and he fell asleep halfway through.

Chen Zhiyu couldn't bear to wake her.

Josh's eyelids twitched occasionally in the light from the screen, and Chen Zhiyu looked at Josh's profile, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turning up.

After watching the movie, the two hurriedly waited for the bus. It was almost midnight, and there were only the two of them on the bus, so they chose to sit in the middle.

The heater under her feet made Josh's feet feel warm, so she lifted her feet up, crossed her legs, and then started talking to Chen Zhiyu about her internship.

Chen Zhiyu asked, "So, from now on, you won't need to go to other places to work anymore?"

"Yes, I won't go." The job the advisor introduced is related to her major, so she will definitely dedicate all her time to this internship. If she does well, she may be able to stay on after graduation.

"Although I was definitely just a lowly servant when I first started," it didn't dampen her enthusiasm. This job not only paid well, but also had good prospects.

Josh stretched in his seat. "Now I can finally relax on Saturdays and Sundays and sleep in."

Chen Zhiyu hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Sis, could you... I mean, if you have time, could you come back and stay on Saturdays and Sundays?"

His raised leg swung back and forth. Hearing this, Josh turned to look at him and teased, "What? Are you scared being home alone?"

Chen Zhiyu did not deny it.

"You're so old, why are you still afraid?" Josh reached out and patted his head, a smile playing on his lips. He thought to himself that he was still just a minor, so he agreed, "Okay, I'll try to go back to live there in the future."

"I've never heard you say you were scared before."

Chen Zhiyu didn't answer; he had only just found out himself.

He will be afraid.

He would be afraid if Josh wasn't around.