Extra three

At that time, Yu Renjie was not quite sure who his son was sad about, who he was singing for, or which little girl had made his son so uneasy. He even hoped that it was not Li Yingqiao.

When Yu Jinyang entered high school, he was a handsome young man with sharp features and a commanding presence beyond his years. As the class monitor, he held a host of prestigious leadership positions, which made him a favorite among the teachers. However, his personality had become even colder than when he was a child, and his classmates were somewhat inexplicably afraid of him. As a result, he only had a handful of friends, giving him a somewhat aloof and unapproachable air.

Yu Renjie and Tang Xiang both felt that their son was living too "standard" and "rule-bound," and even longed for him to occasionally deviate from the norm.

So when he coldly emphasized many times that he was not sad and was not singing for anyone, it was you who insisted on handing him the microphone.

Yu Renjie didn't engage in a pointless argument with him, only giving him a nonchalant glance: "Oh, but you still sang."

The aloof beauty offered a futile explanation: "Your singing is awful. Aunt Qin has stopped me from saying it many times. Your singing has made her forget how to win at mahjong."

Yu Renjie remained unmoved: "Oh, but you still sang it, and you even learned Cantonese."

Yu Jinyang's ears slowly began to light up: "I didn't do it on purpose, I just listened to it twice."

Yu Renjie, still with that same smug, aloof look in his eyes, continued his relentless attack: "Oh, but you still sang."

Yu Jinyang: "..."

Yu Renjie crossed his legs, casually propped his arm on the back of the sofa behind his son, and, completely disregarding his son's well-being, sang again in a wildly off-key, heartfelt tone: "Let all my love be given to you, all my love to my dearest—who is it?"

Without saying a word, Yu Jinyang stood up, his ears already bright red: "Nobody."

Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?

Who else could it be?

He couldn't sleep that night because he was angry. He finally managed to take melatonin and fall asleep, but when he woke up he was even angrier.

Why does the dream keep embellishing the image of Li Yingqiao and Lu Yingchuan holding hands and going to the convenience store? Or have they already secretly held hands in places he can't see?

The thought of this possibility made Yu Jinyang feel as if his heart had been kicked, leaving him with a dense, uncomfortable feeling.

During that period, he was a bit neurotic. Li Yingqiao was right; his temper worsened, and he became like a powder keg. He couldn't stand anyone dating, and he felt like the whole world was dating behind his back, including his parents.

Fourth Brother is quite shameless. He'll be watching TV and suddenly give Tang Xiang a quick kiss on the cheek. Yu Jinyang is sometimes engrossed in his homework, but he'll occasionally get distracted. When he looks up and sees his dad kissing his mom in the living room, his mind automatically replaces those two faces with Lu Yingchuan and Li Yingqiao's. He wonders if Lu Yingchuan is doing the same thing to her when he can't see her.

Yu Jinyang felt unwell, and thinking about this made it impossible for him to continue his homework. He felt a tightness in his chest every day, and even started to lose focus in class. His grades dropped a bit during that period, and coupled with the little incident with his math teacher, even his homeroom teacher started talking to him, rambling on and on, but he didn't really listen to anything.

It was then that he understood what a sense of security truly meant. From a young age, his ability to focus wholeheartedly on his studies, manage class affairs for his teachers, and meticulously plan his life was largely due to an absolutely safe environment—an environment built for him by his parents, Mr. Siyi and Ms. Tang Xiang. He didn't need to worry about pocket money, family matters, or the anxieties of his parents' sudden silences or arguments. There were no strangers demanding repayment, and he didn't need to prove his parents' love and attention through his grades. This absolutely safe environment allowed him to concentrate on his studies.

Li Yingqiao didn't exist. Back then, she moved frequently. In her senior year of high school, she moved back to Xiaohuacheng from the farmers' market. In those two years, Fengtan was building a high-speed rail station, which caused housing prices to soar. Many landlords raised their prices on the spot. In addition, the Skynet system covered the whole country, and there was surveillance everywhere. Human traffickers were no longer rampant. So Li Shuli decided to move back to Xiaohuacheng with Li Yingqiao.

At that time, the wooden toy industry in Fengtan was already on the decline. Yu Renjie's factory was actually less profitable year by year. When Yu Jinyang suggested that he wanted to go back to Xiaohuacheng to live, Yu Renjie did not object. He even praised him for being sensible and knowing how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.

However, as Yu Renjie walked along Chuanming Street, pulling a silent suitcase, exuding the air of a business elite and looking quite respectable, he saw Li Shuli's shop with its shutter half-open and Li Yingqiao carrying large bags and small packages, her smile bright and cheerful—

"..."

He didn't stop walking for a second, speechless as he looked up at the sky: "So pathetic, so pathetic."

At that time, even Yu Jinyang himself didn't think much about it. After all, it seemed like a matter of course that wherever Li Yingqiao was, he would be too.

When he realized something was wrong, he took some precautions, such as watching the videotape of the elementary school's New Year's Eve party. Because she had saved him, Yu Jinyang once wondered if he had some kind of heroic aura towards her.

If we remember the moments when she wasn't so heroic, perhaps we wouldn't have those feelings for her.

Strangely, the more he watched, the more he liked and admired her. She could stand there calmly, accepting both applause and ridicule from the audience, as if even if the sky were to fall, she would simply wave it off and say, "Never mind, I'll come back next time."

He couldn't even imagine that there could be someone in the world who didn't like Li Yingqiao.

Just like someone who has experienced the shelter of this shady spot under the scorching sun would never push it away again.

03

They hadn't spoken for a long time, and he hadn't even visited Liang Mei for quite some time.

Yu Jinyang finally came to terms with the facts. He had already convinced himself to return to the position of ordinary friend and was about to try to persuade Gao Dian to let him return to his position as Right Protector when he suddenly received a call from Li Yingqiao that night.

The girl's voice on the phone sounded aggrieved, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness; her throat was hoarse: "Meow..."

Even a thousand-year-old block of ice should melt by now. He told himself.

He was still somewhat cold and hard on the outside. Looking at himself in the full-length mirror in the dance studio, his brows were habitually furrowed, but his eyes held an unfulfilled longing and a long-lost tenderness. He looked at the mirror with a mocking expression and thought: Dad was right, he really is a good-for-nothing.

"What's up?"

Did she have a fight with Lu Yingchuan? She only thought of calling him because she had no one else to hang out with, but he also felt that Li Yingqiao wasn't that kind of person; she's notoriously stubborn, how could she go back on her word? Even if she broke off her friendship with Lu Yingchuan, she'd make other new friends; she doesn't lack friends. She's probably really sick.

"Where are you?" Li Yingqiao coughed almost imperceptibly on the phone and asked him.

At that time, he was practicing in the dance studio outside, exhausted. His bones felt like they were about to fall apart. He was sweating profusely, and his T-shirt clung to his body, outlining his well-defined and sexy abdominal muscles. However, he looked like he had been pulled out of the water, and the sweat on his clothes was so deep that he couldn't wring it out.

Yu Jinyang was lying face up on the floor, panting heavily. His phone, which was on speakerphone, was lying on the floor to the side. His chest was still heaving violently.

But when Li Yingqiao asked that question, he even deliberately calmed his breathing. This suppressed breathing, wanting to gasp for air but unable to, caused a physiological throbbing pain in his chest. He could only press one hand against his chest to try and relieve it, but he dared not speak too loudly, afraid of being heard by the other side. To be honest, he had almost ruined himself by training lately. Just now, Gao Dian had asked him if he wanted to go to the old town for a late-night snack, and he directly replied with a picture of the ceiling. Gao Dian understood immediately; the meaning was clear: he couldn't move, he really couldn't move at all.

But if she wants to see him now—

He glanced at his phone without thinking and said almost without hesitation, "At home."

He guessed that Li Yingqiao might have been reading novels or playing too much, and hadn't finished her weekend test, so she wanted him to come over and help her finish it. Or maybe she was in a hurry and asked him to deliver something; he had delivered sanitary napkins for her when they were in their second year of high school.

He couldn't tell the truth. If he did, she would definitely say, "Never mind then, you should practice your dance first." Because practicing dance was something he had persisted in for ten years, which she found invaluable. Not only would she not disturb him, but she also ordered Gao Dian and the others not to disturb him at this time.

"What is it, Li Yingqiao?" he asked.

"Aren't you practicing dancing? You sound a little out of breath."

This person said she was impolite, but she could distinguish between what's important and what's not. He said she was polite, but he never hesitated to beat her up.

He had completely calmed his breathing, and his voice sounded perfectly normal: "Um, no."

"Can you do me a favor?"

He knew it; someone really needed his help. Yu Jinyang, stubborn as ever, wanted to sarcastically question the person on the other end of the phone: "Why didn't you ask Lu Yingchuan? Aren't you two always going to the convenience store? He won't even help you with this little thing? Why did you come to me?"

But he dared not mention it, fearing that he would be giving up even this last chance.

Yu Jinyang sprang to his feet with a swift movement, bent down, grabbed the phone from the floor, and casually tucked it between his shoulder and ear. He strode to the door, pulled his bag off the doorknob, slung it over his shoulder, and as he closed the door, he blocked the receiver with his hand, slowing his movements. Only after the door closed silently did he tuck the phone back between his shoulder and ear, tilting his head and speaking in a steady voice: "Go ahead and say it."

Normally, he would arrive at her shop within five minutes of her arrival, without fail, whenever she needed him.

After all, we're still in the Cold War period, so it's already a lot of face for her that he can delay for five or ten minutes to show up.

I can probably just go downstairs and hail a taxi now.

Then I heard her pitifully say on the phone, "Meow, I have conjunctivitis and I can't read anymore. Shuli keeps staring at me, afraid that I'll ruin my eyes. The college entrance exam is coming up soon, what should I do?"

As Yu Jinyang walked, he slowly stopped, phone between his fingers.

She didn't want to see him.

But the shade that once sheltered him turned to him for help—

He certainly hoped that she would grow up strong and tall, reaching the highest point near the sky, with her feet firmly planted. As for ideals, they should be neither lower than her nor too high, but within her reach.

This is the Li Yingqiao he considers the most perfect.