Chapter 24 "Sleeping Together"

Uncle Kang's car drove out of the school zone and into the main road of the city. As expected, all 18 lanes in both directions were blocked.

The brake lights and taillights form a spectacular light strip.

Ji Tong glanced at the time; it was four o'clock, two hours before Ms. Song Jiahe and her husband's plane would land.

Ankyeong Airport is always congested, so today it's even worse.

I'll get home around 8 PM, conservatively speaking.

Ji Tong planned to send a message to Ms. Song Jiahe, telling her to grab a bite to eat on her way back. She had just opened WeChat—

[XX: Where are we?]

With no signal on the plane and unable to reply to messages, Ji Tong quickly edited the message, sent it to the family message group, then logged out, took a picture of the driveway, and sent it to Gu Lin.

[JT: On Jingjing Road.]

[JT: Traffic jam.]

[JT: We might arrive at Haiyuan tomorrow.]

[JT: Collapsed and unable to get up.jpg]

Gu Lin looked at the last emoji and smiled.

Ji Tong remembered the unfinished black tea from the morning and reminded Gu Lin to be careful with the "Jiang Taigong" hat when washing the cup.

[JT: His hat falls off so easily.]

[JT: It fell down and looked like a terracotta warrior.]

[XX: The Terracotta Warriors can't fish for tea bags.]

[JT: Did you ask the Terracotta Army?]

Ji Tong leaned lazily against the back seat, and the two chatted for a few more minutes before Gu Lin sent a photo.

Ji Tong clicked on it, but didn't understand why.

[JT: Why are you banging on the wall?]

Ji Tong stared at the photo for several seconds, confirming that it was indeed the wall of the apartment's living room, and became even more puzzled.

[JT: What happened to the wall?]

This time, it took a minute for the other end of the phone to reply.

[XX: A used lamp is missing.]

Ji Tong suddenly stopped pointing.

The car, which had been stationary for a long time, finally started moving slowly forward, and then stopped again after driving for more than ten seconds.

Used lamps...

Gu Lin knew that he had contacted Brother Ding about renewing the lease.

Ji Tong's thoughts were momentarily interrupted, but she quickly picked them up again.

[JT: The lights haven't arrived yet; they'll land at 6 PM.]

[JT: On the same plane as Ms. Song Jiahe.]

Ji Tong hadn't intended to hide the fact that she was renewing Gu Lin's lease from him, and she knew she couldn't hide it anyway, but she never expected it to happen today.

[JT: Did you go to see Brother Ding? Or did Brother Ding come to see you?]

[XX: I'm looking for him.]

[JT: Why are you looking for him?]

[XX: What do you think?]

Ji Tong: "".

If that's the case, then it must be about renewing the lease.

Half a month later, Ding Zhi forgot what he had talked about with Ji Tong, and Ji Tong forgot the same thing. The two, separated by thousands of kilometers, did almost the same thing: exited the chat interface with Gu Lin, clicked on each other's avatars, and quickly browsed through the chat history.

After regaining control of the situation, Ji Tong asked—

[JT: What did Brother Ding tell you?]

Two seconds later.

[XX: My cohabiting "guardian" paid it for me.]

Ji Tong: "..."

All my memories came flooding back.

When Brother Ding asked him about his relationship with Gu Lin, he casually called Gu Lin's guardian, hoping to take advantage of him.

At the time, I just found it funny, and I didn't feel any guilt about Ding Ge calling himself my "guardian." But when those three words came out of Gu Lin's mouth, something seemed... off.

“The real-time traffic is red for the next three kilometers, it might be a while, Tongtong, are you hungry…” Uncle Kang turned his head from the driver’s seat, and after seeing the face of the person in the back seat, his voice suddenly rose, “Are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so red?”

"Huh?" Ji Tong was taken aback, instinctively raising her hand to touch her face. "Really?"

It seems... a little hot?

Ji Tong lowered the car window, feeling somewhat puzzled herself.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little bored."

Ji Tong let the wind blow for a while, then stopped delving into the topic of "guardian" and started thinking about "lease renewal."

The villas in Beishan are for sale, but the Gu family certainly owns more than just one house in Beishan in Anjing. Gu Lin, however, chose to rent a place on Peninsula alone.

Aside from classes, he spent most of his time with Gu Lin during this period, and he didn't hear Gu Lin make any phone calls home. He also returned to Anjing covered in injuries...

Ji Tong lowered her eyes and looked at Gu Lin's WeChat profile picture.

…Won't the Gu family cut off Gu Lin's source of income?

Ji Tong doesn't care about money. Even if the Gu family cuts off Gu Lin's financial support, or even if they go bankrupt, he can still support Gu Lin very well.

The problem is, Gu Lin might not want it.

Ji Tong suddenly felt a little regretful.

On Gu Lin's birthday, why did I only transfer 910 to him?

Two more zeros should be added.

Ji Tong tapped the edge of her phone phone intermittently.

Originally, I thought I could use the excuse of celebrating with the motherland to transfer money to Gu Lin, but Gu Lin just found out about his lease renewal.

It's too obvious.

Boys' self-esteem is hard to protect.

Ji Tong was in a dilemma.

After careful consideration, he finally found an excuse.

[JT: The rent for Brother Ding's room and board will be considered my lodging fee.]

Two minutes passed, and Gu Lin did not reply.

Ji Tong's back is getting straighter and straighter.

Just as Ji Tong was preparing to "mend the fence after the sheep are lost," there was finally some movement on the other end.

[XX: Need to stay overnight?]

Ji Tong was stunned for two seconds before she instantly realized what was happening.

[JT: Accommodation fees, cohabitation fees, and shared living expenses.]

[JT: Just don't turn back.]

JT: That's it.

Gu Lin isn't replying again.

The time without replying was even longer than the previous message, so long that Ji Tong's breathing rate quickened.

…Wasn't that a bit too direct? With that person's keen perception, they must have noticed it.

Ji Tong was hesitating whether to type a few more words when her phone suddenly went off with a "whoosh".

Gu Lin sent a voice message.

Ji Tong: "?"

The voice message was short, only four seconds long. Ji Tong stared at the green box for more than ten seconds, let out a shallow breath, glanced at Uncle Kang in the driver's seat, switched the "speaker mode" to "earpiece mode", and held it to his ear.

Gu Lin's low, soft voice, tinged with a barely perceptible chuckle, came through the phone screen—

"Ji Tong, you have to take care of me."

Ji Tong suddenly loosened her grip on the phone.

With a "bang," the phone slipped and fell onto the soft cushion of the back seat.

A voice announcement came from inside the carriage that "the traffic light ahead will turn green soon," but Ji Tong in the back seat didn't hear it at all.

Gu Lin's voice was as if it were real.

Ji Tong raised his hand in a daze and touched his right ear. It was a little hot and a little itchy.

It looks like it's about to explode.

Ji Tong: "?"

Ji Tong turned her face to face the phone, its screen still lit, lying quietly on the cushion, for half a minute before raising her hand again—

We opened the window a little wider.

It's still too boring.

Ji Tong: "Uncle Kang."

Driver Uncle Kang: "What's wrong?"

Ji Tong: "Turn the air conditioning up a bit."

Uncle Kang: Still feeling bored?

Ji Tong covered her ears, her heart pounding like a drum: "Mmm."

The traffic jam made his ears and chest feel stuffy.

The air conditioning is very effective; even with the windows open, the temperature inside the car drops very quickly.

Ji Tong picked up her phone again, pressed the voice message button to speak, but her throat suddenly felt dry, so she typed instead.

[JT: This is the guardian's duty.]

[JT: What's wrong?]

[JT: Who says you can't keep pets?]

[JT: I'll punch you.jpg]

Ji Tong himself didn't know that he typed particularly fast when he was nervous.

Five messages were sent in six seconds.

After sending it, I quickly added two more sentences.

[JT: Don't send voice messages.]

[JT: Typing.]

Why send a voice message out of the blue?

Just as Ji Tong finished issuing the warning, his phone rang again with a "whoosh".

Another voice message.

This time it only lasted one second.

What can you say in a second?

Ji Tong still clicked on it.

As it turns out, you really can't say anything in a second.

Because the voice bar is blank.

[JT: ?]

[“XX” retracted a message.]

Ji Tong came to her senses.

It's highly likely that someone had already pressed the "Don't send voice messages" button when they saw the warning, and then temporarily released it.

So the duration is only one second.

Ji Tong instinctively felt that what Gu Lin was going to say was similar to "Will you take care of me?" Remembering how her ears were about to explode just now, she didn't really want to hear it, but... she couldn't help it.

Half a minute later.

[JT: What do you want to say?]

[XX: Voice message or text?]

[JT: Typing.]

Another traffic light.

The wind of Anjing on the last evening of September, carrying the fragrance of cosmos and goldenrain blossoms, drifted in through the car window.

Ji Tong stared at her phone.

The screen flickered.

[XX: Yes, they can support you. The guardian should remember their responsibilities and come back soon.]

One second.

Two seconds.

three--

With a "snap," Ji Tong covered her phone with her hand on her lap, staring blankly at the traffic outside the window.

This traffic is really heavy.

A second later, the rear window of the car went down slowly to the bottom with a "whoosh".

All that remained was the driver, Uncle Kang's, lingering question: Is it that hot?

-

Song Jiahe returned to Haiyuan an hour later than Ji Tong had estimated.

I went to Rome empty-handed, and returned to Anjing laden with bags and packages.

Of the five suitcases, three were gifts for Ji Tong.

From miniature models of the Colosseum, sculptures of the Trevi Fountain, and frescoes of the Pantheon, to newspapers and picture books from the streets of Rome, secondhand books found at markets, and even donuts brought from the same day, traveling over 8,000 kilometers, and of course, the vintage lamp that Ji Tong wanted.

Song Jiahe never cares about the price when choosing gifts for Ji Tong; she has bought gifts for eight figures and gifts for a few euros. The mother and son share the same aesthetic taste.

"Did you miss your mother?" As soon as Song Jiahe entered the room, without even changing her clothes, she came up and cupped Ji Tong's face to check if she had lost any weight.

Only after confirming that no one had lost any weight did Song Jiahe and Ji Yuanfeng feel relieved.

With a fresh lipstick mark on her left cheek, Ji Tong accompanied Ms. Song Jiahe and her husband, Mr. Ji Yuanfeng, for a late-night snack.

The three chatted about everything from the art exhibition in Rome to the artificial intelligence project at Anhui University, and then about their plans to visit their grandparents and maternal grandparents in the next few days. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Ji Tong got sleepy and went upstairs.

Ji Tong has a very busy schedule.

We spent National Day in Haiyuan. On the 2nd, we went to my grandfather's private ranch, riding in a big pickup truck, and accompanied the elderly couple to collect organic eggs all over the mountain. On the 3rd, we brought another truckload of organic eggs, which were packed up and delivered to my maternal grandparents' house by Ms. Song Jiahe.

I worked non-stop for three days, and except for the first day when I had a little free time to "pay attention" to someone, I almost disappeared.

Fortunately, my maternal grandparents only had a house full of calligraphy and paintings, but no big pickup trucks or organic eggs.

Ji Tong accompanied her maternal grandparents to a calligraphy exhibition. After the exhibition, dinner was arranged in a century-old garden. The guests were all familiar elders, so there weren't many formalities. Ji Tong didn't have a good appetite, so she ate a little bit before going out for some fresh air.

Finally having some free time, Ji Tong sat by the koi pond, feeding the koi while scrolling through her phone.

The number of messages in several large WeChat groups is "999+".

Ji Tong opened the app and quickly glanced at it. It was mostly posts about "traffic jams," "travel," "food," and "going to see crowds of people," just like her WeChat Moments posts.

The more lively the crowd is, the more isolated someone on the peninsula seems.

Gu Lin, all alone, Gu Linlin… Ji Tong silently repeated it twice in his heart.

What a hellish joke.

Ji Tong quickly scrolled down through her Moments, intending to ask Gu Lin what he was doing after she finished. But as she scrolled, her fingers suddenly stopped.

For a few seconds, Ji Tong thought she had been poisoned by the mushrooms she ate that night.

Otherwise, why would I see college entrance exam essays on social media?

Upon closer inspection, oh, it wasn't a college entrance exam essay, but rather a post from Lin Miao's senior on WeChat Moments.

[Lin Miao, a senior student: On the third day alone in the dormitory, memories flashed by like a revolving lantern. Old Wang was the last to leave. The day I saw him off, the weather in Anjing cleared up. He didn't go to the last class of Civil Procedure Law Practice. I signed him in for him. He pulled his suitcase and left so resolutely, without looking back at me.]

If I had known that I would be the only one left guarding this house, I definitely wouldn't have signed in for him that day, and I would have reported him.

Now, I'm all alone in this huge dorm room, enveloped in loneliness.

The third canteen was closed, all the windows were empty except for the worst-tasting sole fish baked rice, which was still open. Was that even considered food? The owner brought it out anyway. This feeling of being starving but unable to eat was truly captivating.

TikTok has started pushing murder cases and dormitory ghost stories again. Just now, someone knocked on the door. I don't know if it was the dormitory supervisor or someone else. I didn't dare to open it.

The corridor is so dark, I'm so scared being alone.

Caught off guard by the phrase "alone in the dormitory," Ji Tong didn't realize she had already finished reading before she came to her senses.

It's a very "Lin Miao" circle of friends.

The comments below were almost as long as the post itself.

[Wang Yan, a senior student, replied: The "Old Wang" you're talking about probably isn't me, right?]

[Lin Miao, a senior student, replied: Is there another "Old Wang" in our dorm?]

[Wang Yan, a senior student, replied: Don't force me, or I'll smash you to death with a corncob.]

[Zheng Huan's reply: That's amazing! It's the 21st century, and there's still someone guarding the house.]

[Senior Xue Yiqing's reply: The most tragic part of the whole story—only the sole fish baked rice was still open.]

[Senior Tu Jing's reply to Senior Xue Yiqing: The owner of the sole fish baked rice stall works even harder the worse it tastes.]

Ji Tong read through each one and replied to one of them.

[Ji Tong's reply: Why didn't you order takeout, senior?]

[Lin Miao, a senior student, replied: The takeout was terrible too. There were too many people in Anjing during the National Day holiday. The merchants and delivery riders were simply too busy. The delivery time was at least an hour and a half, and they couldn't even deliver to the dormitory building. I had to pick it up at the back gate. By the time it arrived, it was all mushy and tasted like sole fish baked rice. [crying to the sky]]

Sun Cheng replied to Lin Miao: That's really terrible.

[Senior Tu Jing replied: The resentment here is so strong, my Evil Sword Immortal can be resurrected again.]

One person stays home alone, delivering takeout...

Ji Tong looked at Lin Miao's reply, paused for half a minute, then abruptly exited WeChat, opened the food delivery app, selected "Peninsula Apartment" as the address, and the delivery interface refreshed with the location—

The restaurant that Gu Lin usually eats at is estimated to take 2 hours and 11 minutes to be delivered.

Ji Tong: "..."

-

At 8 p.m., at Peninsula Apartments, Gu Lin answered Yang Yin's video call.

"mom."

Yang Yin leaned back in her conference room chair: "Alone in the apartment?"

It was still 2 p.m. in Germany, and the sun was shining brightly outside the window.

Gu Lin took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Gu Lin is not nearsighted, but he has a little astigmatism. He rarely wears glasses on weekdays, but perhaps because he has been using his eyes a lot these past few nights, whether it's doing tests or puzzles, it's been a bit tiring for his eyes, and his eyes are a little swollen, so he wore glasses for two days.

"Mm," Gu Lin replied.

Yang Yin looked at a small item in the video: "That tissue box with your hands on your hips on your coffee table... did Ji Tong buy it?"

Gu Lin glanced at it and said, "Hmm."

Yang Yin knew that Ji Tong lived on the Peninsula; Gu Lin had mentioned it on the phone, but she only knew it and didn't really feel it.

This was the first time Yang Yin had seen Ji Tong's "traces" through the camera lens.

So... intense.

In the brief moment between Gu Lin's camera movements, Yang Yin noticed a jigsaw puzzle piece, a tomato-shaped cushion, a capybara stool, and even a teacup shaped like a conch shell.

Yang Yin was stunned for a long time.

She realized for the first time that "life's essence" could be so overwhelming.

They are all the most trivial and delicate little objects, yet they are so powerful that they seem to be able to entangle everything.

...How deadly.

"Mom?" Gu Lin called out after not hearing Yang Yin's voice for a long time.

"Oh? Yes, I am," Yang Yin said, her thoughts returning to her original state, pretending nothing had happened. "How's the injury on your back?"

Gu Lin: "Alright."

Yang Yin: "You've applied all the medicine?"

Gu Lin: "Mm."

Yang Yin didn't believe it: "The doctor said the lowest incision might leave a scar. Don't be so careless. I applied to your school to return to school after the National Day holiday, and you went back in such a hurry without even bringing your medicine."

"I'll send you a few tubes of scar removal cream; remember to apply them."

"Need not."

"No need, no need at all, I'll watch if you leave a scar..."

"I'm wiping it off," Gu Lin said, his mouth a little dry. He picked up his phone and got up to walk towards the refrigerator. "He bought three tubes of this."

Yang Yin fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, she coughed and spoke seemingly unintentionally.

"I didn't even ask you about the details of your apartment."

"Is the landlord a nice person? Is he also a student at Anhui University? Is the apartment big? What is its orientation? ...How many rooms are there?"

The true intentions are revealed when the map is unrolled.

Gu Lin knew what Ms. Yang Yin wanted to ask.

"two."

Yang Yin breathed a sigh of relief, her voice sounding more casual: "Then where will Ji Tong sleep?"

Gu Lin: "The master bedroom."

Yang Yin: "..."

The pressure was released too early.

She tentatively asked, "You're sleeping separately, right?"

Gu Lin opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of ice water, and said lazily, "We slept together."

Yang Yin: "..."

Gu Lin unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip.

After a brief moment of shock, Yang Yin quickly came to her senses and realized that her son was just giving her the rungs. Just as she was about to say something in her defense, she suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

It was Gu Lin's side that made the noise.

After confirming that she hadn't misheard, Yang Yin asked, "Ji Tong is back?"

“No,” Gu Lin said calmly, “He’s at his maternal grandfather’s today.”

Knowing it wouldn't be that person, Gu Lin casually placed his phone on the entryway shelf and went to open the door.

The lucky cat-shaped brass doorbell in the entryway makes a crisp, tinkling sound.

The door opened, and a young man wearing a blue-green vest stood in the doorway, grinning. The vest also had the words "Unicorn Selection Express Delivery" written on it.

Unicorn Selection is a high-end, membership-based self-operated store in Ankyo.

The young deliveryman's gaze froze for a few seconds when he saw the person approaching. Driven by his professional ethics, he quickly snapped out of it, smiled, pulled over the small trailer behind him, and asked, "Hello sir, does 'Gu Lin' live here? I need him to come out and sign some papers."

Gu Lin glanced down at the cart and guessed what had happened.

Unicorn Selection, someone's favorite self-shipping store.

There are countless high-end membership stores like Anjing, and the products are all pretty much the same. The reason Ji Tong likes it is because of the name "Unicorn".

It's not hard to guess; anyone studying internet and finance would love a "unicorn."

Gu Lin raised his hand and took the pen from the deliveryman: "Sign here."

The deliveryman didn't move an inch for half a day.

"Sir, who are you?"

"Gu Lin."

"You are... ah?? You are Gu Lin?"

Gu Lin had already signed the document and handed the pen back.

The deliveryman's expression was blank. He took back his pen in a daze and finally remembered what he was supposed to do.

“Um, Mr. Gu, this is what your… uh… ‘guardian’ ordered from Unicorn. There’s also a note on the online memo asking me to tell ‘Gu Lin’ to… take good care of the house and not, not to open the door to strangers.”

Ms. Yang Yin, the actual guardian who continued the video, was left speechless: "???"

The deliveryman quickly unloaded the "supplies" and sped away in his small trailer.

The moment I stepped into the elevator, I couldn't hold back any longer and went on a tirade in a group called "A Family of People with Poor Morals and Humble Attitudes":

"Damn, do you guys remember that 3000 yuan order we just packed up tonight? Yeah, the one with the 'guardian' who told me not to open the door to random people. I thought it was a kid! But when I opened the door, guess what I saw?! A big, handsome guy with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, almost 1.9 meters tall! Are city couples this playful? If I'm guilty, let the law punish me, instead of making me a part of a couple's play on my way to work overtime during the National Day holiday..."