The sound of the hairdryer in the bathroom stopped.
Li Yu'an came out in pajamas. His hair, which was originally half-tied, fell down, leaving a little wetness on his fair neck, which made him look soft and obedient, which he could not tell others.
Li Yu'an picked up his mobile phone, checked the time, and sat down on the bed.
It was already half past eleven.
Not long after returning from the coffee shop in the evening, Li Yu'an received a call from the central building -
their project "End of Fog" had obtained the most important first start-up fund, and it was also the first time the two met.
Both in public and in private, they should get together and talk.
Louyang was generous and easy-going. She insisted on having a barbecue supper on the first day back home. As the boss and host, Li Yu'an naturally agreed to her idea.
The two of them even called Will, who was "hiding" behind the scenes and was not convenient to show up.
They ate until almost eleven o'clock before going home.
After Li Yu'an confirmed that there was no work news in WeChat, his eyes were fixed on the WeChat account of Yan Cen, who had just added him today. The avatar was a simple white icon of the letter Y.
When he clicked in, he saw that the other party had set it to be visible for only three days, and the content of the Moments was blank.
"Should I say 'good night'?"
Li Yu'an muttered, and the thought came up for less than a second before he was shattered by himself -
forget it, it's too deliberate, it would be bad if it disturbed him.
Li Yu'an tactfully left and looked at the old WeChat account on the top again, frowning.
Logically, this "old" WeChat account was obtained from the instructor, and he was not the only junior and senior student who successfully added the account that year, so it couldn't be wrong.
But now the fact is obvious -
Yan Cen's usual WeChat account is the newly added one.
Li Yu'an looked at his four consecutive years of timely blessings, and felt a complexity that was hard to describe.
On the one hand, it was ridiculous: he didn't know that he had made a mistake in the WeChat account for so many years, and he still insisted on sending blessings stupidly;
on the other hand, he secretly rejoiced: maybe the other party's "no reply" was just because he "added the wrong number".
Li Yu'an let his mind wander for a long time, and when he came back to his senses, he looked back at the cube of candy on the bedside table.
A sense of joy came over him.
Li Yu'an smiled and took the candy back into his hands. He wanted to eat it but couldn't bear to. He put it to his nose and sniffed it. He seemed to be able to smell a hint of sweetness emanating from the package.
"Two."
Li Yu'an murmured. The scene when he received the first candy was still vivid in his mind.
Perhaps the candy came at the wrong time, turning into an invisible and intangible thought that helped him to survive the most difficult year and became a life-saving medicine for him at the moment of his greatest collapse.
From then on, Li Yu'an carefully preserved the remaining candy wrapper, and also kept the feelings for Yan Cen that no one knew about.
Li Yu'an opened the quilt, curled up and lay down. He placed the candy in his hand next to the pillow, trying to bring this little sweetness into his dream.
…
(Five years ago)
From time to time, shrill screams were heard in the wards on both sides of the hospital corridor.
Li Yu'an clutched the latest diagnosis report, his face thin and pale under the duckbill cap.
Because he couldn't find a suitable place to catch his breath, Li Yu'an looked around blankly, and then hurriedly hid in the emergency passage.
Click.
The security door automatically closed, temporarily isolating the out-of-control noise outside from time to time.
Li Yu'an used to have some cleanliness obsession, but at this moment, he didn't care about anything.
He sat down against the wall, his slender fingertips trembling slightly as he opened the diagnosis report, which belonged to An Yang.
Li Yu'an was a little breathless, his mind was full of the conversation with the attending physician just now.
"Xiao Li, based on our observation and judgment of your mother in the past two days, her schizophrenia symptoms are at least level three. In this case, it is best to use artificial medical intervention."
"My suggestion is to hospitalize her for treatment, but the patient is currently rather resistant to cooperation, and she also showed rejection when she was briefly lucid in the morning, so..."
"Doctor Ye, can I take my mother home? She doesn't like to stay here. I can bring her here regularly for daily medical treatment."
"My father passed away not long ago, and she couldn't stand the shock, so she is like this. I think she should feel safer in an environment she is familiar with."
"If the family is willing to take time to accompany the patient patiently, it will naturally help the patient stabilize his mood and improve his condition. However..."
Doctor Ye knew only a little about the situation of the Li family, and asked uncertainly, "You are now a sophomore, where do you find the time?"
It took only about two months from the time Li's father fell ill to his death, leaving behind a pile of broken stalls of "Dawn Game". Not long after the funeral, An Yang's mental state also showed some signs of being a little off.
At first, she kept it a secret until it became so serious that she accidentally hit Li Yu'an's forehead a week ago and suddenly fainted, and then she could no longer hide it.
It is said that when a tree falls, a hozen will scatter, and a good person will be bullied by others. Nowadays, only mother and son Anyang and Li Yuan are left in the Li family
. The shareholders want to make the last profit and maximize their profits. When their relatives see that their family is bankrupt, they hide and hide wherever they can, and there are not many left who can help.
Li Yu'an replied calmly, "I have already applied to the school to take a one-year leave of absence. I have time."
Dr. Ye frowned, as if he didn't agree with this matter.
But Li Yuan didn't give himself any chance to regret, "Dr. Ye, please keep an eye on my mother with the nurse for the next two days. I'll pick her up after I finish handling the school affairs."
"Okay then."
...
Hi--Hi--
The phone in his pocket vibrated.
Li Yu'an took it out weakly, and after seeing the words on the screen clearly, he managed to gather some energy, "Hello, Director Sun."
"Yu'an, your application for leave of absence has been approved by the department and the college." The Dean of Studies on the other end of the phone paused for two seconds and asked again and again, "But have you really thought it through?"
"Dean, I've thought it through. My family is in trouble and I can't continue my studies in the short term. It's not convenient to ask my parents to go through the leave of absence procedures."
The Dean of Studies probably knew Li Yu'an's situation, so he cut to the chase, "Okay, do you have time this afternoon?" "
Come to my office before five o'clock. I need your signature, otherwise you'll have to wait until next Friday. I have to go on a business trip on behalf of the department."
Li Yu'an glanced at the time on his phone. There was still an hour left.
It was still in time to get from the hospital to Teikyo University.
"Okay, thank you, Dean. I'll be there right away."
"Okay."
Li Yu'an hung up the phone. When he stood up, he felt dizzy. He half-leaned and half-supported against the wall and it took him a while to come to his senses.
Li Yu'an glimpsed his situation in the mirror of the fire cabinet in the corridor and laughed at himself.
He used to be a bit arrogant and concerned about his appearance, but now he is as ruthless as he can be.
Li Yu'an unconsciously pulled down his cap to cover the wound on his forehead that had just scabbed over.
When he left the hospital, he asked the nurse for a mask and completely hid most of his gray face, as if this could withstand all misfortunes.
...
When Li Yu'an first entered college, he took the time to learn how to drive. At that time, Li's father even bought him a car out of his own pocket as a birthday present.
Li Yu'an was reluctant to drive because it was troublesome, but now he has to do it for the convenience of traveling back and forth.
Since his father passed away, he, as the only son, has done his best to take care of everything.
Sometimes he is so busy that he can't even take care of a meal in a day.
This morning, Anyang suddenly fell ill. It took a lot of time to stop him, send him to the doctor, and give him an injection. Li Yu'an hasn't had time to eat yet.
In the 20 minutes of driving, not only did his stomach feel empty and painful, but his brain was also dizzy due to low blood sugar.
The car turned right at the traffic light and turned towards the Academy Road where there were few cars.
Suddenly, there was an unexpected pain in his stomach. Li Yu'an covered his stomach with one hand and subconsciously slowed down the car, but after a brief distraction, an accident still happened.
- Bang!
Li Yu'an was startled and stepped on the brakes instantly.
The car in the front row stopped quickly and turned on the temporary double flash.
Li Yu'an frowned in annoyance, and his hand, which was originally covering his abdomen, unconsciously grabbed the fabric.
Before he could adjust his emotions, a familiar figure appeared in the driver's seat of the car in front.
"..."
Yan Cen?
It's Yan Cen!
Li Yu'an stared at the person in front of him intently, and his left hand, which was originally intended to open the door, froze in mid-air, and he didn't dare to get out of the car easily.
Perhaps it was the pain in his body that made his emotions fluctuate more violently. He murmured vaguely in a daze, "How could this happen...what should I do now?"
He had not encountered her once before in the school, but he had a car accident outside the school, and he even rear-ended the car by mistake.
Li Yu'an looked at the figure approaching outside the car, and thought of his wolfish appearance at the moment, so he wore his mask and cap even more tightly.
Yan Cen walked closer to take a look at the car, and then cast his gaze on Li Yu'an in the car.
The two people's eyes met through the windshield.
When their eyes met, Li Yu'an was uncontrollably nervous, and his already dizzy brain went blank. He couldn't even think of the most basic words to say hello.
Seeing that he had no intention of getting out of the car, Yan Cen reacted slightly for a while and then came over.
Knock knock.
There was a light knock on the car window.
Li Yu'an had no choice but to open the window, "I'm sorry, I..."
Yan Cen spoke at the same time, interrupting his apology, "Are you injured? Or are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"..."
The concern was so strong that it made Li Yu'an's heart tremble.
"No, I'm not injured. I'm sorry. I didn't pay attention to the distance between cars and didn't brake in time."
He reorganized his words, and his voice was still a little trembling.
Yan Cen looked at him briefly with a non-offensive look, and said, "Why don't you get out of the car and take a look at the situation first? I don't think the problem with the car itself is serious. If it's too troublesome, we can take care of our own things."
Li Yu'an reacted a little slowly and blinked, "Ah?"
He didn't drive very often, and his experience in dealing with car crashes was basically zero.
Yan Cen seemed to be amused by his reaction, and urged him with a chuckle, "Get out of the car first. There are not many people on this road at this time, but you can't stay in the car all the time, it's easy to get into danger."
Li Yu'an's ears turned red quietly, and he felt that he was simply stupid. He quickly opened the door and got out of the car, forgetting his physical condition for a moment.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he staggered forward.
"Hmm."
"Be careful."
In the blink of an eye, Li Yu'an fell into Yan Cen's arms, and the brim of his hat tilted in front of his forehead, revealing a few soft and broken hair.
"Are you okay? Are you really not feeling unwell?"
The question was very close, and the light support on the back gave off a strange tingling feeling through the clothes.
Li Yu'an instinctively raised his eyes, but he didn't even dare to breathe.
In just two or three seconds, panic arrogantly wandered between his eyebrows and eyes, with no place to hide.
"..."
"..."
Yan Cen saw through his obvious emotions, but did not rush to push him away.
The torturous feeling of dizziness subsided.
Li Yu'an quickly withdrew from his arms and awkwardly adjusted his duckbill cap and mask, "Sorry, I do have a little hypoglycemia and feel dizzy."
"I'm sorry for hitting your car. If the vehicle repairs need to be paid for, I will pay for it in full. I'm really sorry."
At the end, he bowed very politely.
Yan Cen, who was facing him, seemed to let out another barely audible chuckle, "I told you, it's not serious, and I don't like to complicate things."
"If you think this little scratch is unnecessary, then we can each take care of our own business. If you think it's serious, then ask the insurance company to pay for it."
As he said that, he walked towards the gap between the two cars, "Look, I..."
He paused suddenly.
Li Yu'an thought the collision was serious and hurried to catch up.
Yan Cen seemed to have discovered something interesting and pushed his glasses lightly, "What a coincidence, our license plate numbers are only one digit different."
Li Yu'an heard this and compared them -
Beijing A8A168, Beijing Q8A168, there is really only one license plate letter different.
Li Yu'an felt an indescribable subtle feeling in his heart. He stole a glance at Yan Cen in front of him twice, but he was caught by the other party again.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"..."
No.
Nothing.
Li Yu'an pretended to cover his lips, and after raising his hand, he found that he was still wearing a mask, which was a bit like covering his ears to steal a ring. His ears suddenly became redder with embarrassment.
Fortunately, the phone vibrated, breaking the tense communication in time.
Li Yu'an saw that it was a call from the dean of studies. After giving a slightly apologetic look, he answered, "Hello, Dean Sun."
"I, I'm already near the college and can get there at five o'clock. Okay, please wait a little longer."
"Thank you."
The call lasted less than thirty seconds and ended.
Yan Cen, standing still, glanced at his watch and guessed, "Are you a student of Teikyo University?"
Li Yu'an remembered that he was about to go through the leave of absence procedure, and replied unsurely, "... Yeah."
Yan Cen asked, "Do you have an urgent matter at five o'clock later?"
Li Yu'an nodded again. He didn't want to put off the leave of absence again and again. After all, there were a lot of things outside the school waiting for him to solve one by one.
Seeing this, Yan Cen made a decision, "How about this, anyway, you rear-ended me, my car didn't have any serious damage, so I won't pursue any responsibility. You will also be responsible for the condition of the car yourself, okay?"
Li Yu'an hesitated for two seconds and nodded, "Okay, thank you, or..."
Leave a phone number.
The words that were about to come out were stuck in his throat, and he swallowed them back with a trace of inexplicable timidity.
The cell phone rang again.
Yan Cen took out his cell phone and glanced at the caller ID, then nodded politely at Li Yu'an, "That's it for now? It's almost five o'clock, don't be late."
Li Yu'an nodded twice, knowing that he had nothing to say, he was about to turn around and leave, but was suddenly stopped again, "Wait a minute."
"Huh?"
Li Yu'an turned around quickly, a glimmer in his eyes.
Yan Cen in front of him probably didn't expect him to turn around so quickly, and the action of raising his hand paused.
"..."
Li Yu'an lowered his eyes, fearing that the other party would notice something.
Yan Cen took a step closer to him, "You just said that you have low blood sugar and a little dizzy? Here."
A candy was passed to him from his fingertips.
Yan Cen explained, "I just happened to have a candy in my pocket. I forgot where I got it from. It should be more comfortable to hold in your mouth. Do you want it?"
Li Yu'an stared at the candy so close to him, and his mind went blank for a moment.
The impulsive emotions deep in his heart kept surging, prompting him to take the candy that was given
to him unexpectedly. It was the candy that Yan Cen gave him.
"..."
"I'm also from Teikyo University. You look younger than me. As a senior, I advise you not to drive if you feel unwell in the future. If you really have to drive, you have to be careful."
Yan Cen reminded him gently, and suddenly bent his body to look him in the eye. "Remember, little junior brother?" Their
eyes met unexpectedly, and Li Yu'an nervously clenched the candy in his palm.
He felt that his chest, which had been silent for months, suddenly surged with warmth, which spread to his limbs and bones, and turned into a little bitterness in his nose and eyes.
His father passed away, his mother got sick, his family went bankrupt, and he had to drop out of school. All the forbearance and pain burst out under the insignificant comfort at this moment.
Li Yu'an was afraid of losing his composure, so he could only bury his head lower, with a hint of grievance in his tail tone, "... Yeah."
- Yeah.
- I remember it, senior.