Chapter 4
The alleyway was filled with the smell of cooking smoke and dampness in the morning. Li Ruiyuan, wearing flip-flops, walked Wu Ye to the entrance of Guangwei Middle School. Students in neatly dressed uniforms streamed in like a tide, making Wu Ye, dressed in a washed-out white uniform, stand out.
"It's right here." Li Ruiyuan yawned. "Just come back by yourself after school. You know the way, right?"
Wu Ye nodded, but his eyes were glued to him: "Will you come to pick me up?"
"Can't you walk? Are you directionally challenged?" Li Ruiyuan said impatiently, "Are you still a three-year-old?"
Students at the school gate looked over curiously. Li Ruiyuan's lazy demeanor didn't fit in with the other students around him. Several girls whispered, "Who's that handsome guy?" "He looks like a gangster..."
Wu Ye suddenly grabbed the corner of Li Ruiyuan's clothes: "You said you would wait for me."
"Let go." Li Rui frowned, "It would be embarrassing if someone saw us." But Wu Ye held on so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Finally, Li Ruiyuan had to compromise: "Okay, okay, I'll wait for you here after school. Can you go to school now?" Wu Ye then let go of his hand and walked into the school gate, looking back every few steps.
Watching the tall, thin figure disappear into the crowd, Li Ruiyuan cursed, "Idiot," and turned to walk home. As they passed the small shop at the corner of the alley, the owner called out to him, "Ah Yuan, can you help me watch the shop today? I need to go get some stock."
"……OK"
The shop wasn't big, its shelves covered in a thin layer of dust. Li Ruiyuan was leaning against the counter, playing with his phone, when a familiar voice rang out.
"Tsk, have you changed your career to become a good citizen?"
Lin Lixin leaned against the doorway, her long, wavy hair draped over her shoulders like seaweed. She wore a tight black T-shirt, the tattoo on her arm faintly visible.
Lee Seo-yeon said without even looking up: "What are you buying? If not, get out."
Lin Lixin walked in with a smile and picked up a pack of cigarettes. "You're still so grumpy." She unwrapped the package expertly and handed him a cigarette. "I heard you picked up a child?"
Li Ruiyuan took the cigarette and put it in his mouth: "What's wrong?"
"Guangwei's top student," Lin Lixin blew out a puff of smoke, "he's quite the whiz."
The two smoked in silence for a while. The only sound in the store was the creaking of the old electric fan.
"You...you don't want to rely on him to get into college and support you in your old age, do you?" Lin Lixin said slowly, leaning her upper body against the cashier counter.
Li Ruiyuan didn't look at her, his eyes fixed on the phone. "If I really rely on him, then I will have to live my life at his mercy. Like a dog?"
Lin Lixin laughed, her voice tinged with sarcasm. "Here, aren't we dogs?" She pointed out the window. "Look outside. People like us are born to eat garbage."
Across the alley was a newly built luxury residential complex, where security guards saluted the luxury cars entering and leaving. At the entrance to the convenience store, an old man bent over to pick up plastic bottles.
Li Ruiyuan said nothing. The sunlight shone through the iron window, making the cigarette on his fingertips shine.
"Remember when we were little?" Lin Lixin suddenly said in Cantonese, "We always thought about living in a big house and driving a sports car when we grew up."
She flicked the ash off her cigarette. "Now? I have to borrow money even to pay the rent." (Now?)
Li Ruiyuan thought of Wu Ye. That kid could have made it big with his education, but he chose to hang out with a jerk like him.
"Why don't you find a legitimate job?" he asked.
Lin Lixin was like hearing a huge joke: "Making a living? Who would hire me? My tattoos can't be washed off, and my criminal record can't be wiped clean." (Making a living? Who would hire me? My tattoos can't be washed off, and my criminal record can't be wiped clean.)
She leaned closer, the scent of perfume mingling with cigarette smoke. "People like us are like rats in the gutter. We'll die in the light, Brother Yuan." (People like us are like rats in the gutter. We'll die in the light, Brother Yuan.)
The school bell rang in the distance. Lee Seo-yeon checked the time and stubbed out his cigarette. "Gotta go pick up the kids."
Lin Lixin raised her eyebrows: "Are you really concerned?"
"Shut up."
When he reached the door, Lin Lixin suddenly called out to him, "A Yuan." "What are you doing?"
Her eyes were rarely serious, and she ruffled her hair seductively: "That kid is different from us. Don't drag him into the water." (That kid is different from us. Don't drag him into the water.)
Li Ruiyuan didn't answer, just waved and walked out of the store.
The school gate was already crowded with parents. Wu Ye, standing at the front of the crowd, saw him and his eyes lit up, and he ran over quickly.
"Didn't you say you'd go back by yourself?" Li Ruiyuan took the backpack from the boy's shoulders with disdain. Wu Ye said nothing, simply following him. The sunlight stretched the two people's shadows very long, one lazy, the other straight.
When passing by the bakery, Li Ruiyuan stopped and asked: "Are you hungry?" Wu Ye shook his head, but his stomach growled.
Li Ruiyuan sneered and walked into the store to buy two pineapple buns. When he handed them to him, he saw the old wound on the boy's wrist.
"Starting tomorrow," he suddenly said, "focus on your studies." Wu Ye paused in his bite of bread. "I'll support you."
Li Ruiyuan looked at the tall buildings in the distance, lowered his eyes, pulled the corners of his mouth away, and said in an almost inaudible tone, "At least in the future... don't be like me."
As the sun sets, the lights of the Canton Tower gradually light up. Two shadows, one in front and one behind, slowly walk back to the dim alley.
Deep in the alley, someone was singing an old Cantonese song. Their voice was hoarse and filled with inexpressible melancholy.
The house was empty, with a note on the coffee table. Li Ruiyuan picked it up and glanced at it: "Mom and Xuanxuan went back to Dongguan, and they left some soup in the pot."
Wu Ye stood at the door, feeling somewhat bewildered, like a small animal that had been accidentally brought home. Li Ruiyuan crumpled the note and threw it into the trash can: "Wash your hands and drink the soup."
The traditional broth simmered in the pot, the sweet aroma of corn and carrots mingling with the richness of pork ribs. Li Ruiyuan scooped two bowls of soup, the spoon making a crisp sound as it hit the edge of the pot.
"Sit down." He pointed to the dining table. "Wash your own dishes after you finish your drink."
The TV was on, the light from the screen dancing in the dim living room. Wu Ye sipped his soup, but his eyes kept glancing towards Li Ruiyuan.
"What are you looking at?" Li Ruiyuan didn't even raise his head. Wu Ye immediately lowered his head, his ears slightly red.
After dinner, the two of them huddled on the sofa to watch TV. There was a new drama that was very popular recently, and Lee Seo-yeon casually clicked on it. As soon as the opening theme song finished playing, a VIP notification box popped up.
"Fuck." He cursed inwardly, his fingers tapping at the remote control. "What kind of crappy TV is this?" Wu Ye looked at the screen quietly. "Just watching the first two episodes is fine."
So they watched the first two episodes. The first episode showed the protagonist's downfall, while the second episode showed his comeback. The plot was a bit cliché, but the actors performed well.
Halfway through the commercial break, Li Ruiyuan stood up to get a drink. There were only two cans of beer and a box of yogurt left in the refrigerator. He hesitated for a moment and threw the yogurt to Wu Ye.
"Grow up." He said it firmly. Wu Ye took the yogurt, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the box: "Thank you."
The commercial was long, selling learning machines. The child on the screen had been admitted to Tsinghua University, and the whole family was in tears of joy. Li Ruiyuan changed the channel and it was sports news.
"That drama just now," Wu Ye suddenly said, "Actually, the novel is even better." "Have you read it?" "Yeah." Wu Ye lowered his head and picked at the lid of his yogurt. "I watched a pirated version in an internet cafe."
Li Ruiyuan scoffed. "Even top students at Guangya watch pirated copies?" Wu Ye's ears flushed again. "Authentic copies are too expensive."
As the night deepened, the faint sound of traffic could be heard outside the window. The old air conditioner hummed, and the air it blew was filled with the smell of dust.
At the end of the second episode, just as the protagonist was about to make his grand plan, the VIP notification popped up again. Lee Seo-yeon cursed and threw the remote control on the sofa.
"Go to sleep." He stood up. "I have to work tomorrow." Wu Ye stood up obediently, but stood there without moving.
"What's wrong?" "Towel..." Wu Ye said softly, "Which one should I use?" Li Ruiyuan scratched his hair, took out a new towel from the cabinet and threw it over: "There are so many things to do."
After washing up and lying on the bed, there was still an invisible line between the two of them. Li Ruiyuan faced the wall and could hear the soft breathing behind him.
"Brother Yuan." Wu Ye suddenly spoke in the darkness.
"Um?"
"I wish I had met you sooner"
Li Ruiyuan didn't respond. Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin spot of light on the ceiling.
After a while, he felt the mattress behind him sink slightly. Wu Ye seemed to have turned over, facing his back.
"That show..." the boy said softly, "will be free next week." "So?" "Then... we can watch it together."
Li Ruiyuan closed his eyes. The air conditioner was still humming, and in the distance, the sound of an ambulance roared past.
"Go to sleep," he said. "I have to take you to school tomorrow."
As the night deepened, two figures kept a perfect distance from each other on the narrow bed. Outside the window, the lights of Guangzhou burned brightly all night, illuminating all those who had nowhere to go.
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