Chapter Ninety-Four
Winter nights are cold and dark, and the chill seeps into your bones.
It was probably the first day of the new year, and the cold was unusually refreshing.
Yu Jinyang wore a large black down jacket over his security uniform, almost blending into the night. Only the dim streetlights highlighted his sleek and broad figure, drawing a lonely line along his silhouette.
His coat reached his knees, and he stood tall and broad-shouldered under the streetlamp. He had a high, straight nose and upturned eyes. His skin was as white as a piece of cold jade that could be soaked in moonlight. Upon closer inspection, there were dried bloodstains on his security uniform, though they were discreetly hidden beneath his down jacket.
He just stood there motionless, waiting for someone.
Quiet and aloof, like a statue. Impeccable looks, handsome and flamboyant, yet one has grown accustomed to waiting.
A few tourists, still wanting more, passed by and their eyes inadvertently drifted over there. They were immediately drawn to the handsome and patient figure. Good heavens, it seems another group of girls had pulled off a big heist, leaving such a stunner waiting downstairs.
This man possessed an outstanding and unique demeanor. Calm and composed, yet without an air of superiority, he appeared aloof and unapproachable, yet also remarkably tolerant. Because they had been chatting and laughing about him earlier, he showed no displeasure or offense, simply standing there with a calm gaze.
During the long wait, his only movement was unconsciously turning the ring on his other hand with one hand.
He wore it after taking a shower in the morning before going out.
Li Yingqiao is the kind of person who only allows herself to do as she pleases. She might refuse his marriage proposal, but she demands that he wear a ring. She gets upset if he doesn't wear it, and he thinks she's a bit mean. So he grabs her chin with his thumb and forefinger, shakes her left and right, and sneers, "Li Yingqiao, there's no one as domineering as you."
Of course, Li Yingqiao occasionally acted unreasonably like this. In high school, she and Lu Yingchuan were close, but she wouldn't allow other girls to add him on QQ for casual chats. When he tried to press her for an explanation, she retorted with a defiant threat: "That's just how I am. You have to be best friends with me and Miaojia. You can add me, but you can't reply."
Later, she probably thought about it herself and realized that it was too domineering, so she changed her mind and said that she could reply, but only three times a day. If she needed to reply more, she could ask me and Miaojia to pay her. It would be 50 cents per message or 10 yuan per month. What do you think?
Yu Jinyang was so angry he almost laughed, saying, "Believe it or not, I'll delete both of yours."
She clung to his arm, whimpering and begging him for mercy: "No, Master Meow Meow."
At that time, he was completely unaware of why his heartbeat was always controlled by her, simply attributing it to the fickle nature of a young man.
Who knew that even after growing up, the same thing would still come true: I'll be like this, whether you wear it or not.
What were they doing when they said that?
Oh, he was looking down at the time, removing a condom.
She always knew how to make things easier for others, especially at times like this. She stared at his hands as he took things apart and said, "Meow, your hands are very beautiful, long and straight, but they're missing something."
He chuckled, propped himself up on the bed with one hand, unpacked the items, and stared straight at her. This time, he didn't even need to bend down; he easily put the items on, then used his knee to pry her legs apart and deliberately said in a mean tone in her ear, "Sorry, you refused yourself. Or, you can beg me now, and I'll think about it and give you an answer tomorrow."
She glared at him, kicked him, and called him by his full name: "Yu Jinyang!"
He grabbed her ankle and put it on his shoulder.
Without hesitation, I slowly entered in a position I had never used before.
She let out a muffled groan, no longer persisting, and began to plead with him softly.
This room, this creaky bed, this sturdy desk, and this window that lets in the setting sun—the layout has remained almost unchanged since he was a child, including the certificates of honor on the wall and that cold, mechanical clock; they have been with him all these years.
When Ms. Tang Xiang first stepped into this home, she led her five-year-old son through the door. He stood there blankly at the door, not knowing how long he would be staying there, what kind of person Yu Renjie was, or whether he would hate him and his mother.
At first, he kept all his belongings in his suitcase and never took them out to organize them.
Because I was afraid of being kicked out one day, I packed my things in a very messy way.
He'd been evicted many times in Hainan; there were countless embarrassing moments like that. Once, the landlord threw him and his bedding out of the house, and that's when he learned his mother hadn't paid rent for months. At that time, his mother had just lost her job and had been lying to him about going to work, but she hadn't been able to find any.
Later, his mother sent him to Grandma Yang's place. Grandma Yang set up a small bed for him behind the roller shutter door, just like the cats and dogs she usually adopted.
Upon arriving at the small painting city, he immediately noticed that Li Yingqiao, just like him in Hainan, was also sleeping on a small bed behind a roller shutter door, but she had a very carefree personality.
The neighbors all say Qiaoqiao is so pitiful, how can she sleep here? Shuli, you should get married, find a man, and buy a house.
Many people in Xiaohua City often advised her mother in this way, and he had heard these words verbatim in Hainan as well.
Li Yingqiao immediately jumped up and shook her head vigorously: "No, no, I like sleeping here the most."
He thought Li Yingqiao, like him, was only saying she liked him to cover up her mother's embarrassment.
However, she truly liked it.
Because she always brought him all sorts of snacks to class, proudly saying that she had kicked them off the shelf herself while sleeping in bed at night.
He then learned that she often sneaked food like this until her teeth were decayed.
I first wrote my name, Yu Jinyang, on this desk when I was in elementary school. I had just changed my name and wasn't used to it yet, so I often misspelled it, always forgetting the middle character, "Jin." Back then, Yu Renjie loved to call me by my nickname, Miaomiao.
Li Yingqiao overheard this and was incredibly surprised. She exclaimed to him, "So your name is Miaomiao! You're so cute! Can we be friends?"
She was his first friend when he came to Xiaohua City. At that time, he didn't know Yu Renjie. He often heard his grandfather arguing with Yu Renjie in front of him without any restraint, forcing him to do a paternity test.
Yu Jinyang was worried that he would have to leave again at any time, just like Grandma Yang in Hainan. He made up his mind not to make any more friends.
If a student stays home after school to study and review, at least a high-achieving student won't be too annoying.
However, Li Yingqiao, this robber, barged straight into their house under Yu Renjie's unwelcoming gaze, grabbed his arm as he was doing his homework, and said, "Meow meow, come on! Let's go to the countryside to catch crayfish. Haven't you met Gao Dian and Miao Jia yet? Come on! They really want to see you."
From the first time I pushed open this bedroom door, the first time I slept in this bed, the first time I wrote Yu Jinyang's name on the desk, the first time I received my certificate of merit and the epaulet of the squad leader, to the middle school and college entrance examination admission notices, and then to the first time I made love to her here.
At the age of twenty-eight, Yu Jinyang's first friend also became his girlfriend.
No one understood better than him at that moment how much he loved the robber when he was a newcomer, feeling lost and helpless.
Even after all these years of love, whenever there's the slightest disturbance on her side, my first thought is still how to dispose of the stolen goods for her.
Just like that Conan manga back then, Liang Mei asked him to keep one copy, and then secretly used her New Year's money to buy her the whole set.
***
As Li Yingqiao rushed down, Yu Jinyang had already put his hands back in his pockets, and his body tensed up the moment she pounced on him.
He looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, suppressing the urge to pull her into his arms.
He was kidnapped in junior high school. At that time, he did not understand what liking someone meant, what love was, and he was also confused about friendship.
The naive Yu Jinyang felt like a clumsy flame; if she was too far away, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to see her clearly; if she got too close, he was afraid he would burn her.
She had no concept of life and death before, but now she does. 0315 is no longer important because she doesn't even watch Detective Conan anymore.
0315's significance is nothing compared to Conan's.
Yu Jinyang felt her gripping his collar tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder and neck, sobbing.
At first, the crying was suppressed and soft, but then it became a wailing, surging and bursting forth, making his heart clench.
He felt a tightness in his chest and gently patted her back, afraid that if he revealed any more emotion, Li Yingqiao would cry even more violently. It was too cold outside, and he was worried that she would catch a cold from crying.
"Don't cry, Qiaoqiao." He pulled her head away, wiped away her tears with his fingers, and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go home first, and we'll talk slowly, okay? I have a lot to tell you."
She nodded, and couldn't help but touch his face again for final confirmation.
He chuckled and clicked his tongue, saying, "What I'm most worried about is my face."
She was stunned and couldn't refute him for a moment. Seeing his ambiguous smile, she could only stare at him for a while before bursting into tears again.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong." Yu Jinyang chuckled, pulling her into his arms again, resting his chin on the top of her head, kissing her repeatedly, as if trying to coax her. "I won't say it anymore, I won't say it anymore. Just kidding, what's wrong with you, Li Yingqiao, you're so easily teased."
He immediately received two blows to the chest.
For the first time, he endured the pain because it was too intense.
He had just been on the outer wall when the cement wall rubbed against his chest, leaving a bloody mark. He had just treated it briefly, but it still stung.
The impact of her lunging in was so strong that his scalp tingled with pain, but he didn't utter a sound.
However, Li Yingqiao's phone suddenly started vibrating in her bag.
She left his embrace almost without hesitation, moving so quickly that Yu Jinyang didn't even notice before she had already walked two steps away to answer the phone.
Yu Jinyang immediately turned his back, took two deep breaths, and tried to recover some of his strength.
However, he heard his girlfriend, who had been crying loudly just a second ago, now speak calmly as if everything that had just happened was a hallucination.
"Understood, I'll handle it. See you in Beijing."
…
…
"I'll handle it. See you in Beijing."
See you in Beijing.
See you in Beijing.
Yu Jinyang was studying the whole way, and even after following her into the house, he was still tirelessly saying "See you in Beijing".
He leaned against the cabinet in the entryway, not even bothering to change his shoes, and stood there with a slanted eye, blocking her way: "Are you two going to see each other every day in Beijing like Da Bao?"
Li Yingqiao was bending down to change her shoes when she glanced at him with a cool air. She wanted to laugh but couldn't. Suddenly, she noticed the ring on his ring finger, pulled his hand over to look at it, and said, "You're wearing a ring. Are you being good?"
He glanced at her coldly: "Bridge."
This was the first time he had called her that with that expression.
Li Yingqiao subconsciously looked up at him, her gaze meeting his deep and focused eyes, where there was an almost stoic solemnity.
"It will rain today or tomorrow, but I know you won't stay home just because it rains."
"You told me to love you less, but I won't love you less just because your destination or your mind might not be with me right now."
"I still love you, ever since my senior year of high school, or even earlier. That's all, time for bed."
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