E ⋆ Chapter 7

Why did he like Yang Ke, what did he like about Yang Ke, when did he start liking him, how much did he like him.

No one would have any interest in these questions, and no one asked, but Yu Zhinian longed to answer them, so he asked himself.

However, matters of the heart were not like arithmetic problems with clear-cut answers. They were far harder to show the working steps for. And Yu Zhinian’s affection for Yang Ke spanned a long stretch of time, passing through many places, so even he himself could not necessarily find the most precise answer.

After several rounds of selection and careful thought, for the third question, he decided the earliest point he could trace it back to was when he had just moved into Yang Ke’s house.

Once he had settled on his answer, Yu Zhinian recorded it and did not change it again.

At fourteen, Yu Zhinian settled in Ning City. Once the typhoon had passed, Yang Zhongyin arranged for teachers from the school to come to the house and test his academic level.

The testing went on for an entire afternoon, and the results were not very good. When the teachers spoke to Yu Zhinian, they had to repeat themselves several times before he could understand.

Around six o’clock, Secretary Xu, who had been accompanying them, received a phone call from Yang Zhongyin, apparently urging him to bring Yu Zhinian to dinner. He quickly brought the testing to an end.

Yu Zhinian and Secretary Xu walked out of the conference room. His heart felt a bit heavy. He thought he was perhaps unworthy of being a student sponsored by Yang Zhongyin, because his studies were not good enough.

Secretary Xu mainly handled Yang Zhongyin’s private affairs. He had a mild temperament and spoke in a measured, unhurried manner.

As they walked, he comforted Yu Zhinian, saying that Yu Zhinian’s previous educational system and curriculum were different from those of his new school, and the language was different too. It was completely normal that the test results fell short of expectations, and there was no need to feel pressured. Before school started, they would arrange for someone to tutor him anyway. He also gave Yu Zhinian a new phone, saying it was on Chairman Yang’s orders and that a Ning City phone card had already been set up.

At the restaurant, Yang Zhongyin and Yang Ke were already waiting for Yu Zhinian to have dinner.

Yu Zhinian felt sad and ate very little.

Yang Zhongyin seemed to already know that Yu Zhinian’s test had not gone well. He comforted Yu Zhinian, saying that with nearly a month left before school started, he would find the best person to tutor him. He also said that he was the chairman of the school board of directors, and there was absolutely no way anyone would dare look down on Yu Zhinian.

“Yang Ke will look after you too,” Yang Zhongyin said, and he looked over at Yang Ke.

Yang Ke had been eating in complete silence. When his grandfather called him out by name, the hand holding his chopsticks paused for a moment, and he looked at Yang Zhongyin with an expressionless face.

“Isn’t that right,” Yang Zhongyin suddenly raised his tone, “Yang Ke?”

Yang Zhongyin did not like overly bright environments, so only the ring of lights around the perimeter of the restaurant’s hanging fixture had been turned on. Outside, the sun had set, but some orange twilight still lingered. The light in the room hovered on the edge of dimness.

From Yu Zhinian’s perspective, the lines on Yang Zhongyin’s face seemed to have become more pronounced.

He wore a dark navy-blue Chinese tunic suit, his back straight, his gaze bright. But the downturned corners of his mouth already showed signs of age. He stared fixedly at Yang Ke, as though he absolutely had to wait for Yang Ke’s answer.

After being stared at by Yang Zhongyin for a while, Yang Ke said “mm” in an indifferent tone.

“Will you look after Zhinian?” Yang Zhongyin was still unsatisfied with Yang Ke’s attitude and pressed further.

Yang Ke put down his chopsticks, looked at Yu Zhinian once more, and said, “I will.”

Only then did Yang Zhongyin turn toward Yu Zhinian and smile in a reassuring manner. “You see, Zhinian, Grandpa has said so. You don’t need to worry.”

After the strangely tense dinner ended, Yang Zhongyin went out.

Yang Ke paid no attention to Yu Zhinian and went upstairs on his own. Yu Zhinian returned to his own room.

Yu Zhinian had no entertainment, so he looked over the answer sheets the teachers had left him after the test for a while, then used his new phone to call his aunt.

His aunt gave him many reminders, saying she was very worried and would come visit before long. She told Yu Zhinian to be well-behaved while living at the boss’s house, to study hard, and not to be willful.

Yu Zhinian agreed to everything. After hanging up, he walked out onto the balcony and stared blankly at the lush lawn and plants below.

The temperature outside was not low, but not hot enough to make one sweat. The air was filled with the scent of plants.

Yang Zhongyin loved Chinese landscape gardens, so the greenery around the mansion was very elaborate. In the darkness and the light of the ground lamps, it showed clusters of deep and light black.

He vaguely made out Yang Ke passing through the connecting corridor toward the swimming facility. His heart inexplicably wanted to follow and take a look. But Yang Ke would certainly not welcome him, so he only thought about it for a moment.

*

The intensity of the tutoring sessions Yang Zhongyin had arranged was far greater than Yu Zhinian had imagined.

Starting at eight in the morning and going until nine-thirty at night, teachers from each subject came one after another. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he also had to go out to learn several sports.

After more than a week of tutoring, Yu Zhinian was so exhausted that the skin beneath his eyes had turned bluish, and he could barely walk steadily.

Yang Zhongyin came home for dinner almost every day and would make a serious show of quizzing Yu Zhinian at the dinner table. Most of the questions he asked were simple, and the moment Yu Zhinian answered correctly, he would break into a pleased and satisfied expression and heap praise on Yu Zhinian.

Yang Ke was very cold toward Yu Zhinian. On the rare occasions they ran into each other at home, Yang Ke was willing to give Yu Zhinian a nod, which was already a decent enough attitude.

Toward the end of the second week of tutoring, one evening, things changed a little.

That day, Yang Zhongyin had not come home for dinner. When he returned just after eight in the evening, he pushed open the door to the room where Yu Zhinian was being tutored. Yu Zhinian was in the middle of solving a problem and was startled by the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw Yang Zhongyin walking toward him.

The buttons of his suit jacket were undone, and his face was slightly flushed. When he drew closer, Yu Zhinian caught a whiff of alcohol.

Secretary Xu followed behind him and told the tutor for that evening, “That’s enough for tonight,” then led the teacher out of the room. The study was left with only Yu Zhinian and Yang Zhongyin.

“Zhinian,” Yang Zhongyin lowered his head slightly and stared at him across the desk. After more than half a minute, he finally said, “Grandpa has been drinking today.”

Yu Zhinian had only half finished his problem. He held Yang Zhongyin’s gaze, and for some reason his heart filled with a vague fear. He said nothing.

“Would you be willing to keep Grandpa company in his study for a while,” Yang Zhongyin said very slowly. “After drinking, it’s hard without anyone around. Yang Ke doesn’t like keeping Grandpa company, and Grandpa is very lonely.”

Yu Zhinian’s heart was beating fast, but he could find no reason to refuse. In a daze, he followed Yang Zhongyin to the study.

But Yang Zhongyin had said “keep company,” and that was truly all it was. He had Yu Zhinian sit in a single armchair, told him to read quietly, and then sat in his own chair for a while before getting back to work.

Secretary Xu was at the door, occasionally coming in and out. Yu Zhinian read “La Dame aux Camélias” in a distracted state, and as he read, he began to feel drowsy. Just as his eyes were about to close, he suddenly heard Yang Zhongyin calling his name.

“Zhinian, Zhinian.”

Yu Zhinian snapped awake with a start, looked up, and saw Yang Zhongyin watching him with a warm smile.

“Tired?” Yang Zhongyin asked, then glanced at his watch. “It’s eleven o’clock. It is getting late.”

He flipped through his documents and said to Yu Zhinian, “Zhinian, Grandpa is very happy today, having you here to keep me company. Grandpa hasn’t felt this at ease in a long time.”

Yu Zhinian didn’t know how to respond. Then he heard him continue, “Yang Ke has never kept me company like this, not once, from childhood to now. Can you come keep Grandpa company whenever you have free time from now on?”

“Grandpa will put a small desk in here for you. When the two of us, grandfather and grandchild, are together, Grandpa feels settled inside, and work goes more smoothly too. Are you willing to help Grandpa?”

Having said that, Yang Zhongyin looked at Yu Zhinian quietly, a smile on his face. It seemed as though he was asking for Yu Zhinian’s opinion, yet it also made Yu Zhinian feel that he had no real right to choose.

In the end, Yu Zhinian said he was willing. Yang Zhongyin’s smile deepened. He said it was getting a bit late and told Yu Zhinian to go to sleep first, adding that he had also prepared a small gift for Yu Zhinian, which had been left on the bedside table in his room.

Yang Zhongyin’s study was on the fourth floor. Yu Zhinian went downstairs and returned to his own room. The moment he opened the door, he saw something red on the bed. He walked closer and found it was a very large red envelope.

He picked it up. It felt heavy in his hands. When he opened it, his heart gave a sudden lurch.

Inside the red envelope were dozens of stacks of banknotes, along with a slip of paper that read: “A small spending-money red envelope, for good luck. It has been a full month since Zhinian came to the family.” It was signed by Yang Zhongyin.

Yu Zhinian looked at the money and the note. Fear and helplessness welled up inside him, and he didn’t know what to do with himself.

He didn’t understand why Yang Zhongyin was paying him so much attention, and he felt afraid of this enormous, hollow house.

He sat there in a daze for a moment, his mind a tangled mess. He walked out onto the balcony, wanting to stand there and calm down for a while. Then he saw Yang Ke walking back from the swimming facility to the main building through the brightly lit connecting corridor.

*

Yu Zhinian stood at the corner of the hallway and called Yang Ke’s name very softly, twice. Yang Ke stopped.

His hair seemed to have already been blow-dried. There was no dripping water. He wore athletic clothes and turned around to look at Yu Zhinian.

“What is it?”

Yang Ke’s voice had no warmth to it, and Yu Zhinian suddenly felt a bit hesitant. But he had no one else in this house to talk to, so he pressed on and asked, “Can we talk inside?”

Yang Ke looked at him for a moment. Not knowing what he was thinking, he finally opened the door and said, “Come in.”

Yang Ke’s room was on the same floor as Yu Zhinian’s, located at the opposite ends of the hallway. The layout was similar to Yu Zhinian’s.

The room was arranged very neatly. The reception area had a few more personal items than Yu Zhinian’s. Next to the sofa was a display stand made of wood and glass, holding medals and trophies. The door to the bedroom was closed.

“Go ahead,” Yang Ke sat down first.

Yu Zhinian sat across from him, hesitated, then said what he had rehearsed in his mind: “Do you know why Grandpa is sponsoring me?”

Yang Ke glanced at him and said very directly, “I don’t.”

“Tonight, Grandpa came home after drinking. He had me go to his study and sit there reading, keeping him company while he worked,” Yu Zhinian recalled, describing it with some difficulty. “He said you don’t keep him company, that he’s very lonely, and he hopes I can keep him company like this from now on.”

Yang Ke was taken aback, and his brows furrowed.

“Then I went back to my room, and he had left a big red envelope for me,” Yu Zhinian continued. “He wrote a note saying he was welcoming me to the house for my one-month anniversary.” He asked Yang Ke, “Has he ever sponsored a student like me before?”

“No,” Yang Ke answered very quickly. “I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

“Then can I give the red envelope back to him?” Yu Zhinian asked hesitantly. “There’s too much money. I don’t dare accept it.”

“You can’t give it back. He’ll get angry,” Yang Ke said, dismissing the idea. Then he looked at Yu Zhinian. “Just keep it since he gave it to you. How much money can a red envelope have?”

Yu Zhinian said nothing. Yang Ke seemed to remember something and said, “Oh, I forgot you’re a scholarship student.”

After saying that, Yang Ke fell silent, looking absently into the void. His facial features and the line of his eyebrows fell somewhere between wild and gentle. His hand rested on the armrest of the sofa. His complexion was healthy, the muscle lines on his forearms were long, and the veins on the back of his hand stood out slightly. In the warm light, it was like a detail from an oil painting.

Yu Zhinian paused for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but say, “It’s more than two years of my aunt’s salary.” After saying it, he felt like he was playing for sympathy, but the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back.

Yang Ke raised his eyes to look at him, didn’t respond to that, and seemed to think for a moment before telling him, “My grandfather has never brought a sponsored student home before, and he’s never had me keep him company while he works either. You don’t need to be too nervous. He probably thinks of you as a pet, like raising a kitten or a puppy.”

“When I was little, he had a dog,” Yang Ke said. “Later he didn’t like the smell of the dog, so he gave it to a friend. Don’t worry, he doesn’t mistreat his pets.”

Yu Zhinian didn’t know what to say. He looked at Yang Ke and finally let out a halting “oh.”

“If it really doesn’t work out,” Yang Ke said, “you can call the police. I’ll testify for you. He really isn’t normal.”

Yu Zhinian was startled. “That’s not what I meant.”

“…” Yang Ke looked at him without much expression.

The two of them were quiet for a while. Yu Zhinian called his name and said, “Yang Ke, can I have your phone number?”

Yang Ke made an “mm” sound and gave Yu Zhinian his phone number. As he watched Yu Zhinian enter it, he suddenly asked, “How are your studies going anyway? I see you tutoring every day. Aren’t you on a scholarship? Why are you getting so much tutoring?”

Yu Zhinian was taken aback and defended himself a bit sheepishly, “There are a lot of courses I haven’t studied before.”

But Yang Ke didn’t seem very interested. He said “okay” and asked if Yu Zhinian had anything else. If not, he needed to sleep. Yu Zhinian then left Yang Ke’s room.

Back in his own room, Yu Zhinian sent Yang Ke a message, telling him, “It’s Yu Zhinian. This is my number.” Yang Ke replied “okay” the next day.

During high school, Yang Ke would often reply to Yu Zhinian’s text messages. Later, he almost never replied.

But what Yu Zhinian always seemed to remember was Yang Ke’s gentleness toward him.

As for the second question, “what did he like about Yang Ke,” given Yu Zhinian’s nature of enjoying analysis and his professional academic ability, he could perhaps have written a massive thesis on the subject.

But simply put, he thought he might like Yang Ke for being direct, like him for being upright, like him for being himself, and also like him for not deigning to deceive him.