Chapter 20

“Mm.” Bai Chen gave a slight nod.

Zhu Yu pouted and looked at Bai Chen’s expression, which seemed to say he understood everything. “Senior Brother, when did you realize?”

His voice was hoarse, and his nose felt inexplicably sour.

“When you first mentioned him to me tonight,” Bai Chen replied honestly.

“Go ahead and reply to your friend, he’s worried about you,” Bai Chen said, nodding toward Zhu Yu’s phone, urging him to respond.

Zhu Yu let out an “oh” in response, his voice even duller, and he looked like he had been hit with a blow.

It should feel bad.

After all, to Zhu Yu, Chen Ding was his good friend.

And now, his good friend had scammed him.

Zhu Yu picked up his phone and started replying to Fan Zhou’s messages.

He first assured Fan Zhou that he hadn’t been scammed, then explained how he and Chen Ding had met.

It was then that Zhu Yu realized how lucky he had been not to lose any money. Fan Zhou and his other friends, however, had been scammed to varying degrees.

“Senior Brother, thank you,” Zhu Yu said, his tone still a little down.

Bai Chen also stood up from the sofa and crouched next to him. Seeing Zhu Yu’s downcast head, clearly affected by his frustration, Bai Chen thought that if Zhu Yu had little dog ears, they would probably be drooping right now.

He almost reached out to pat Zhu Yu’s head.

“It’s okay,” Bai Chen comforted. “Don’t be too upset.”

Zhu Yu looked at him. “How did you know I was upset?”

Bai Chen glanced at the leftover egg custard in Zhu Yu’s bowl, which still had several bites remaining. Based on his understanding of Zhu Yu, he would have expected it to be eaten all up.

Zhu Yu followed Bai Chen’s gaze, and suddenly raised his voice. “I’m not upset!”

“I’m angry!” Zhu Yu shouted, slamming his fist onto the table.

Then he quietly pulled his hand under the table and shook it off.

It hurt a little.

Even worse, it felt pathetic.

“How could he lie to me?!” Zhu Yu was so angry that he almost couldn’t speak clearly. “And he wanted to scam my money?!!”

“I’ve already been so pitiful, why does he have to lie to me?”

“He’s Chinese! How could a Chinese person lie to another Chinese person?!”

Bai Chen nodded in agreement, “Because he’s too bad.”

If it were someone else, they might try to teach Zhu Yu a lesson, advising him not to trust people too easily while studying abroad.

But Bai Chen wouldn’t say that to Zhu Yu. He knew Zhu Yu had already learned his lesson from this, and even without anyone telling him, Zhu Yu now knew not to trust people easily in the future.

Don’t add cold water when a child is already upset.

So, what Bai Chen wanted to do was join Zhu Yu in condemning this bad person who had deceived him.

Zhu Yu was upset, didn’t want to talk, and was in a bad mood.

【Fan Zhou: At least you didn’t lose money, but this person specifically targets Chinese international students and has good relationships with those teenagers outside.】

【Fan Zhou: If the police find him, he’ll just say we gave him money for some shorts, and when we borrowed money, there wasn’t any contract… See how ridiculous this excuse is? But the police here are so useless they won’t believe us, so he’s getting away with it.】

【Fan Zhou: It makes me so angry! I’m going to put him in a PowerPoint and make him famous in our study abroad circle!】

The last message from Fan Zhou was a voice note, and Bai Chen heard something about a PowerPoint.

【Zhu Yu: Thanks for reminding me.】

【Fan Zhou: No need to thank me. It’s good that you didn’t lose money. You’re already so poor, if you had been scammed, I can’t even imagine how hard it would have been for you later.】

【Fan Zhou: It makes me so mad. I’m writing a PowerPoint to diss him right now!!】

Fan Zhou logged off.

Zhu Yu exited the chat with him and saw that Chen Ding had replied to him a little over ten minutes ago.

But his messages had been buried under Fan Zhou’s barrage.

He clicked to read.

Chen Ding first thanked him for making the poster.

Then he said that this could only be done bit by bit, and he wasn’t sure how much he’d need. He asked if Zhu Yu could lend him a hundred pounds for now.

It seemed he was regretting it.

“How could he still have the nerve to ask me for that hundred pounds?! It makes me so mad!!” Zhu Yu showed Bai Chen the message from Chen Ding.

Bai Chen gave him an idea: “You should say he replied too late and that you’ve already lent the hundred pounds to someone else.”

Zhu Yu’s eyes lit up, “Good!”

He held his phone and replied to Chen Ding’s message.

Just as he finished replying, Zhu Yu caught a glimpse of Liu Bo messing with the sofa in Bai Chen’s house.

He quickly handed the phone to Bai Chen, “Brother, can you reply for me?”

After speaking, he stood up and went to stop Liu Bo, “Liu Bo! If you break it, I can’t afford to pay for it. Do you believe I’ll pawn you to Brother?!”

The phone kept buzzing with messages.

Chen Ding had replied.

More than ten messages.

Each one was unbearable to read.

Probably enraged and embarrassed, he were filled with profanity and curses, accusing Zhu Yu of pretending to be a rich second generation despite having no money, and telling him to go out…

Bai Chen’s brows furrowed deeper. In his vocabulary, these insulting and cursing words were ones he had only heard many years ago.

“Did he reply?” Zhu Yu asked as he picked up the cat.

Bai Chen quickly deleted all the messages, one by one.

Then he sent Chen Ding’s photo to himself, before deleting that too.

His actions were smooth and without hesitation.

“No reply,” Bai Chen handed the phone back.

Zhu Yu took the phone and continued editing: 【Why aren’t you replying?! You scammer!】

【The other party is not your friend…】

“Huh?” Zhu Yu was confused.

Bai Chen calmly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“He didn’t reply to me, he just deleted me.” Zhu Yu found it strange.

Bai Chen looked at him, “Maybe he’s feeling guilty, after all, he’s a scammer.”

“That’s true,” Zhu Yu pursed his lips, “I thought he was going to argue with me.”

Bai Chen chuckled lightly, “Then he’s just a cowardly scammer.”

Zhu Yu laughed at Bai Chen’s words.

“Fortunately, he didn’t steal my last bit of money, otherwise, I’d really be penniless now.” Zhu Yu felt a sense of relief, as if he had survived a close call.

He said again, “Brother, if you hadn’t reminded me, I might have transferred money to him.”

“Because I thought, I thought he and I are both here studying abroad, so he wouldn’t scam me. After all, we’re both so far from our home countries…”

Zhu Yu sat back down on the floor and sat next to Bai Chen. His hand was absentmindedly stroking Liu Bo’s head.

Zhu Yu seemed a bit deflated.

His mood was particularly low.

The little tuft of hair on top of his head also drooped down.

Liu Bo stared at Bai Chen with his big, round eyes, and Bai Chen gazed at both the person and the cat without saying anything.

Zhu Yu raised his eyes and looked at Bai Chen with a pitiful expression, his voice tinged with frustration, “Brother, I’m feeling a bit down.”

Zhu Yu looked like a little dog feeling wronged.

Bai Chen sighed lightly, “Can I pet him?”

Zhu Yu lowered his head and pushed Liu Bo forward a bit. He thought that if Bai Chen wanted to pet Liu Bo, he should just do it, why even ask?

“Go ahead,” Zhu Yu said.

In the next moment, he felt a light pressure on his head, a warm, large hand gently placed on top. The scent of Bai Chen enveloped him.

Zhu Yu’s dim eyes suddenly brightened. His pupils shrank slightly as he slowly raised his head to look at the person in front of him.

Bai Chen’s right hand rested on Zhu Yu’s head, and he gently rubbed it. Soft pink strands of hair slipped through his fingers.

The once neat hair had become a bit messy, making Zhu Yu look even more like a little pink, scruffy puppy—adorable and heart-wrenching.

“Xiao Yu, don’t be sad.” Bai Chen’s voice was gentle, his tone unexpectedly soothing.

Zhu Yu’s ears twitched.

His heart raced, and his face instantly turned bright red.

“Besides, this isn’t your fault.”

“Should people have to pay for their kindness?”

“Bad people should pay for their actions.”

“Actually, I think you should be happy because you didn’t lose money to him. Isn’t that right?” Bai Chen’s voice had a comforting quality, and after a few words, Zhu Yu really didn’t feel as sad anymore.

Bai Chen finished speaking and gently rubbed Zhu Yu’s head a couple more times before taking his hand away.

The strands of hair seemed to scratch at Bai Chen’s heart in an inexplicable way.

Zhu Yu nodded heavily, then smiled at Bai Chen, showing his little fangs. His bright eyes curved with a smile that shimmered, “Brother! I’m not sad anymore, I figured it out!”

His eyes sparkled.

Suddenly, he’s full of energy and light.

The little dog was alive again. “Brother, let’s not think about it anymore, I want to eat now.”

It was as if he had just remembered, and Bai Chen hurriedly stood up and walked toward the kitchen, “The chicken breast in the pot will be overcooked.”

Zhu Yu stood up too, but didn’t rush to follow him to the kitchen. Instead, he lowered his head, opened his phone, and sent Chen Ding’s photo to Zhu Ting.

He didn’t say anything. Then, he looked at the wristband on his wrist, where a few minutes ago, Chen Ding’s message was still visible. The wristband was connected to his phone, so there was a delay in receiving messages.

He knew Bai Chen had deleted the messages, probably to avoid letting those words affect his mood.

Zhu Yu lowered his lashes, casually took a screenshot of the message from the wristband, and sent it to Zhu Ting.

After finishing that, he muted his phone and placed it on the table.

“Brother, is my meat still salvageable?” Zhu Yu leaned closer to Bai Chen.

Bai Chen took the chicken breast out of the pot and was rinsing it with cold water.

“Because you reminded me early, it’s still salvageable,” Bai Chen said.

Zhu Yu patted his chest, “As long as it’s salvageable, otherwise, I’d be the one with no hope.”

Bai Chen’s eyes and eyebrows were tinged with a faint smile, “Then come help me wash some vegetables, and we’ll have dinner earlier?”

“Okay!” Zhu Yu’s enthusiasm skyrocketed.

The scrambled eggs with tomato and beef weren’t hard to make.

The beef was sliced, mixed with ginger strips, soy sauce, starch, and other seasonings, then marinated in a bowl. The eggs shouldn’t be directly fried, they should be mixed with milk and stirred, then cooked until half done. Afterward, the marinated beef was stir-fried until it changed color. The peeled tomatoes were stir-fried to release their juices, then water was added. After cooking, the eggs, beef, and pre-mixed sauce were added, and finally, the sauce was reduced over high heat.

“Is that it?” Zhu Yu asked, looking at the dish Bai Chen had served in a bowl.

“Mm,” Bai Chen nodded.

Zhu Yu said, “It looks so simple…”

“Right, it’s actually not difficult,” Bai Chen replied as he prepared to bring the dish to the living room.

Zhu Yu eagerly volunteered, “I’ll do it, Brother!”

He took the bowl from Bai Chen’s hands and carefully placed it on the dining table in the living room. Zhu Yu bent down and took a few deep breaths.

It smelled really good.

The bad mood of the evening had completely dissipated.

—

The afternoon sunlight was somewhat scorching.

It streamed through the bright windows and landed on the table.

The coffee shop had an event every Tuesday, and Zhu Yu was always busy and dizzy during this time.

But he still managed to find a moment to message Bai Chen—

【Zhu Yu: Brother! Don’t forget to come to the coffee shop!】

【Zhu Yu: 【Address】】

【Zhu Yu: I’ve secretly saved you a really pretty little cake^^】

Bai Chen was sitting on a professional medical reclining chair, looking down as he replied to Zhu Yu’s message: 【Okay, I’ll come over once I’m done with my work.】

Zhu Yu didn’t reply to the message.

It seemed like he was really busy.

Just as Bai Chen put away his phone, the door to the room opened.

A young Chinese man wearing a white lab coat walked in with a stack of documents.

He was around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with a refined and elegant appearance, wearing frameless glasses, and had a scholarly demeanor.

“Daniel.” Bai Chen stood up. “How is it?”

Daniel adjusted his glasses and walked up to Bai Chen, handing him one of the documents.

“Unfortunately, it’s still far from the standard,” Daniel said, and the first sentence made a layer of dark mist settle over Bai Chen’s eyes.

But Daniel took out another report and changed the subject, “However, based on today’s psychological evaluation results, there is still some improvement. It seems like something, or someone, has recently affected your state of mind…”

“I met someone,” Bai Chen said, speaking honestly.

Daniel, a young psychologist, had met Bai Chen two years ago in London. After Bai Chen realized something was wrong with him, he began treatment with Daniel. Later, when Bai Chen returned to his home country, it was because his depression had been discovered by his family, and they brought him back.

Daniel shook his head in surprise, “Incredible, did you get a girlfriend?”

“No,” Bai Chen replied.

“Then did you get a boyfriend?”

Bai Chen helplessly explained, “No, it’s a junior of mine.”

“Then that’s a boyfriend,” Daniel joked.

Bai Chen looked at his expression with a somewhat serious face: “Don’t make fun of him.”

Daniel quickly spread his hands, smiling unseriously: “Alright, sorry.”

“But I told you to go out and engage with new things and new people. Have you figured it out?”

Bai Chen explained: “I met him by accident. I didn’t deliberately try to meet new people.”

“Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, at least you’ve met, and it’s always good to engage more,” Daniel said. “Don’t always think of yourself as a burden.”

Bai Chen lowered his long lashes, his voice deep: “You don’t understand.”

Daniel sighed as he signed the document in his hand. “If I could understand you, wouldn’t I have cured you already?”

Bai Chen didn’t respond.

“Well, there’s at least some progress,” Daniel said, pulling the file out of Bai Chen’s hand.

Bai Chen asked, “Is there anything else I need to do?”

“…” Daniel looked into his eyes. “No.”

He spread his hands again.

Bai Chen bent down, grabbed his jacket from the armrest of the chair, and put it on.

Daniel glanced at his formal attire. “Where are you going?”

His northeastern accent came out.

Bai Chen replied, “I have something to do.”

“Alright, I thought you were dressing up just to come see me,” Daniel patted Bai Chen on the shoulder. “If you’re in a relationship, then just be in one, why hide it from me?”

“I’m not,” Bai Chen said. Obviously, Daniel hadn’t listened to what he said.

Daniel waved him off to leave, then sat back down at his desk and got back to work.

Bai Chen put on his jacket, grabbed his laptop bag, thanked him, and left.

The coffee shop where Zhu Yu worked was not far from Daniel’s studio.

Bai Chen looked at his wrist to check the time, but instead of heading to the coffee shop, he walked in the opposite direction.

—

The narrow alley smelled foul.

There were empty bottles and discarded cardboard boxes scattered all over the ground, and several people were standing under the streetlight.

Each had makeup on, and they all looked quite delicate.

Bai Chen was wearing a black suit, with a black blazer over it. The moment he walked in, his dignified aura stood out in stark contrast to the surroundings.

His hands were in his pockets, and the wind blowing from the end of the alley made his face sting a little.

“Hi~” someone greeted him under the streetlight.

Bai Chen’s looks and figure were quite popular among the people here. The expensive suit concealed the muscles on his arms but made his frame appear even more slender. His chest muscles were broad, and his features were sharp, as if he had walked out of a comic book.

“30 pounds,” the person said next, their voice thin and the tone neither distinctly male nor female.

Bai Chen lowered his head and walked past them, but after a few steps, he turned back.

The young person who had quoted the price looked pleased and came forward.

Bai Chen took out 30 pounds from his pocket and handed it to him. The young man took it with both hands and was about to pull Bai Chen’s hand to leave.

Bai Chen sidestepped and avoided the man’s hand, then said, “Sorry.”

He opened his phone and flipped to a person’s photo, showing it to him.

The young man looked Bai Chen up and down a few times, his gaze filled with reluctance, but he still asked, “Are you looking for him?”

Bai Chen nodded.

The young man pointed down the alley. “He’s in there. He doesn’t have what I have, sir~”

As he spoke, he tried to grab Bai Chen’s hand again. Bai Chen took half a step back, smiled politely at him, and then walked further into the alley.

The wind howled.

It blew up plastic bags from the ground, sending dust and leaves flying through the air.

From a distance, there were three or five people gathered together.

One of them had a loud voice, and the accent was thick, clearly not a local Londoner.

“I really can’t stand this, why pretend to be rich if you don’t have money??”

“Give me a hundred and think you can just send me off, pfft!”

“I knew I should’ve just tricked him into coming for fun. I’m telling you, with that face of his, you’ve never seen anything like it.”

“playing”

—

The following were just more crude words.

It was unbearably harsh to listen to.

Bai Chen’s brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

He walked up to the group of people and stopped in front of them.

“Who are you?” the person who had spoken earlier stood up.

“This area is under our control, you don’t know that?” The four teenagers beside him also stood up.

They were tall, but their physiques were unimpressive—thin arms and legs. They were around sixteen or seventeen years old, no longer studying, just following Chen Ding to scam people.

Bai Chen placed his computer bag aside, took out his phone from his pocket, and flipped to the photo he had shown earlier. He looked up and briefly scanned the person in front of him for comparison.

Then he spoke: “Are you Chen Ding?”

“Who the hell are you?”

Bai Chen put his phone back in his pocket, looked around, and calmly said, “I’m Zhu Yu’s friend.”

“You’re talking about that bitch…” Before the sentence could finish, a punch landed on the person’s face, splattering blood everywhere.

Bai Chen’s punch knocked the person straight to the ground. The person on the ground immediately let out a scream like that of a slaughtered pig, and those around him hurried to help him up.

“Sorry.” Bai Chen took off his watch and put it in his pocket, then removed his jacket and draped it over a cleaner-looking railing nearby.

“Please be respectful and call him by his name, don’t insult him,” Bai Chen said gently, his tone as calm as always.

“Who the hell are you? So what if I insult him? Who are you to him? Carter, beat him up!!” Chen Ding spat out the blood in his mouth, face twisted in fury, and shoved away the people trying to support him.

The other four immediately rushed forward.

The alley echoed with the sounds of fighting—punches and kicks, and the sound of bones breaking…

A few minutes later.

Five people were lying on the ground, groaning in pain. In the middle of them stood a well-built young man. Not a strand of hair was out of place, and his white shirt had only a little dust on it. He scanned the group, then crouched in front of the only Chinese person.

“My name is Bai Chen, I’m Zhu Yu’s senior. You’re a fraud. He just wanted to help you, but you insulted him. That’s wrong,” Bai Chen said calmly, his voice always gentle as he spoke about what was right.

Chen Ding had been punched in the face and had sustained some injuries, but Bai Chen hadn’t used much force, otherwise, Chen Ding might not have remained conscious.

Chen Ding hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes, you’re right, I shouldn’t have insulted him.”

“Where’s your phone?” Bai Chen asked.

Chen Ding shakily took his phone out of his pocket. Bai Chen gestured for him to unlock it.

Once it was unlocked, Bai Chen took the phone and entered Zhu Yu’s phone number.

“Send him a text to apologize,” Bai Chen instructed.

Chen Ding’s teeth were covered in blood, and half of his face was swollen. “I-I-I, what should I apologize for?”

Bai Chen stared at him intently, his gaze growing even deeper. “You lied to him, and you insulted him last night.”

Chen Ding hurriedly grabbed the phone, trembling as he typed a message, “Bro, bro, is this okay?”

Bai Chen glanced at it. Before he could say anything, his phone in his pocket rang.

He stood up, took the phone out of his jacket pocket. It was a call from Zhu Yu, so he turned to the group and made a silencing gesture.

The others immediately covered their mouths.

Bai Chen answered the call, his voice calm as usual. “Xiao Yu.”

“Senior, why aren’t you here yet?” Zhu Yu, seizing the rare opportunity of a quiet moment at the café, quickly ran to the back to call Bai Chen.

Bai Chen checked the time on his phone. “Sorry, I’m on my way.”

“Okay, take your time, be safe, I’m waiting for you!” Zhu Yu hung up.

Bai Chen put the phone back in his pocket and crouched down in front of Chen Ding again. “After insulting him so much, is this the only apology you have?”

Chen Ding, shaking, typed several more lines, roughly three or four hundred characters, scraping together all the vocabulary he had ever known.

“How about this?” Chen Ding asked.

Bai Chen nodded.

Chen Ding sent the message.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Bai Chen stood up and looked down at the people on the ground. “Don’t scam people again.”

“Got it, bro. I’ll never scam anyone again,” Chen Ding replied quickly.

Bai Chen wiped the blood off his hand with a tissue and threw it in the trash. Then he took out some money from his pocket and stuffed it into one of the young men’s chest pockets.

He hadn’t used much force when dealing with the four of them. He had just used some skill to neutralize their strength. After all, they were a group of uneducated teenagers who hadn’t directly participated in the scam, and Bai Chen wasn’t the type to confuse right and wrong.

He apologized to the other four on the ground in English: “Sorry, I only meant to find Chen Ding, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Meaning it was their fault for attacking him first.

After saying that, he dusted off his jacket, put it back on, and left.

He retraced his steps.

Outside, he ran into the young man again. Seeing him, the young man raised his hand to greet him. “Back so soon?”

Bai Chen knew the young man might be teasing him, but he still politely responded to the greeting.

Bai Chen arrived at the café a little more than ten minutes after Zhu Yu had finished calling him.

The café was a bit busy.

From a distance, he spotted Zhu Yu in his work uniform, busy inside.

Zhu Yu had half of his hair tied up, and the extra bangs on his forehead were all pinned back.

There were many people in the café, but at first sight, Bai Chen only saw Zhu Yu.

He lowered his head outside the door to straighten the shirt that had become wrinkled earlier, then pushed open the glass door and walked in.

He found a seat by the window and sat down. A staff member walked up to him with a menu.

“Excuse me, sir, what can I get for you?”

Bai Chen looked up at her and said, “Hello, a latte, please.”

Zhu Yu, who had just delivered coffee to another table, heard the sound and turned to look. Bai Chen also raised his hand to greet him.

A smile instantly appeared on the corners of Zhu Yu’s eyes. He hurriedly squeezed over to Bai Chen, took the menu from Anna’s hand, and said, “Sister Anna, I’ll take the order for this guest. You can go rest over there for a while!”

Anna was promptly pushed away by Zhu Yu to do something else.

Zhu Yu cleared his throat twice, then pretended to be serious, holding the menu. “Hello, sir, may I take your order?”

Bai Chen smiled slightly, playing along with Zhu Yu. His voice was calm and gentle. “Do you have any recommendations?”

Zhu Yu responded, “Cappuccino.”

The young man’s voice was pleasant, with a mysterious charm when speaking English—soft and smooth, giving off a cute and obedient vibe.

“Okay,” Bai Chen nodded gently.

Zhu Yu then cheerfully went to the counter.

Bai Chen had brought his laptop with him. He planned to wait until Zhu Yu finished work so they could head home together.

So, when Zhu Yu brought over the coffee and cake, Bai Chen was already busy with his laptop.

Zhu Yu gently placed the coffee on the edge of the table.

Then, he put a mousse cake beside him.

“Sir, your coffee,” Zhu Yu whispered.

Bai Chen took his hand off the keyboard, looked up at Zhu Yu, and said, “Hello, I didn’t order cake.”

Zhu Yu furrowed his brows, “I told you I’d buy you cake earlier. Did you forget?”

“Now you remember me?” Bai Chen smiled.

So it was intentional.

Zhu Yu let out a light hum, “Don’t you understand the fun?”

Bai Chen frowned, his eyes confused, “Fun…?”

“Of course, even between friends. Look at you, did you spend the time you should have been playing online to study instead? Now you’re all stiff and old-fashioned, can’t even answer a simple question,” Zhu Yu said in a lowered voice.

Bai Chen was amused by Zhu Yu’s words. “Want to sit down for a while?”

He gestured with his chin toward the empty seat in front of him.

Zhu Yu shook his head. “There are too many customers today, I’m swamped.”

“Drink the coffee first, the cake is sweet,” Zhu Yu said as he leaned closer to Bai Chen, whispering in his ear.

Bai Chen nodded. “Got it.”

“Bye, I’m going to get back to work!” Zhu Yu waved at him and jogged off to the counter.

Zhu Yu couldn’t hide in the crowd. He was beautiful, generous, and warm, like the sun.

Anyone around him would feel warm and illuminated.

But the sun is selfless, it shines and warms everyone, not just the one who is afraid of the dark or the cold.

—

On Tuesdays, the café’s sample time was half an hour later than usual, but the last half hour was usually quiet with few customers.

Zhu Yu was behind the counter, his hands resting on it, his chin on his arms, quietly watching Bai Chen working by the window.

His lips were curved into a big smile, his eyes sparkling.

The little cowlick on top of his head was swaying back and forth.

“Yu, you’ve been staring at him for a long time,” Sister Chloe lightly tapped his shoulder.

Zhu Yu replied, “Do you think he’s good-looking?”

“He’s good-looking, but it seems like you’re the only one staring at him this long,” Sister Chloe said with a knowing look.

“I like handsome guys, what’s wrong with looking a little more?” Zhu Yu said.

Anna walked over. “You should go sit with him for a while, we’ll handle what’s left of the work.”

Zhu Yu suddenly looked up. “Should I go then?”

“Go ahead, go ahead,” the two girls said with a hint of helplessness.

Zhu Yu walked over with a cup of hot drink.

“Senior, drink some milk tea,” Zhu Yu said as he sat next to Bai Chen.

“You drink it, the sugar in the milk tea is a bit too high,” Bai Chen said, lifting his gaze from the computer screen.

Zhu Yu pouted. “Alright, alright.”

He looked at Bai Chen’s computer screen. “What are you working on?”

“Group assignment.”

Zhu Yu frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Bai Chen asked, “What don’t you understand?”

Zhu Yu shrugged. “I don’t understand anything.”

Bai Chen chuckled. “Do you want me to explain it all to you?”

Zhu Yu immediately shook his head. “I definitely won’t get it.”

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow. “How would you know if you don’t try?”

Zhu Yu groaned. “Please, don’t make me go through that.”

Both of them laughed.

“Do you still have a lot of homework?” Zhu Yu asked.

“Not much left,” Bai Chen replied.

Zhu Yu smiled. “Then I’ll stay here with you. I promise I won’t disturb you.”

Bai Chen didn’t respond. Zhu Yu took a sip of his milk tea and then pulled out his phone, which had been on silent for a while.

Zhu Yu stared at the several hundred-character message sent from two unfamiliar numbers—

?

The latest one was sent just a few minutes ago.

Zhu Ting had also sent a message a few minutes ago, saying he had resolved the situation.

But what did those messages from a few hours ago mean??

【Zhu Yu: You solved it?】

【Zhu Ting: Investigating the things he did took some time.】

【Zhu Ting: The money he scammed has all been returned.】

【Zhu Ting: What he did before is enough to get him locked up.】

Zhu Yu replied with an “oh” and then ignored him.

After a few minutes, Fan Zhou sent him a message, saying that the money they were scammed out of by Chen Ding had mysteriously been returned.

It made him so uneasy that he didn’t dare use that money anymore, thinking Chen Ding had set him up.

Zhu Yu reassured him to go ahead and use it, saying that it was his own money to begin with, so there was nothing to worry about.

With Zhu Yu’s encouragement, Fan Zhou felt better.

So, why did Chen Ding send him that long string of messages a few hours ago?

Zhu Yu furrowed his brow, unable to figure it out, so he just turned off his phone and put it back in his pocket.

“Senior, the guy who tricked me, Chen Ding, suddenly apologized,” Zhu Yu said, propping his chin up with one hand, looking at Bai Chen in confusion. “Why do you think he suddenly had a change of heart?”

Bai Chen continued his actions without pausing. “Maybe he plans to set you up again.”

Zhu Yu said, “That might be it! Then I’ll block him.”

“I understand now. I’ll never trust people so easily again,” Zhu Yu said as he took another sip of his milk tea.

Bai Chen replied, “Don’t be too upset, there are still many good people in this world.”

Zhu Yu smiled. “Like you, Senior! Since the first day we met, you’ve been so good to me!”

“That means it’s fate that we met. If I had met you after Chen Ding, I definitely wouldn’t have become friends with you,” he added.

Bai Chen smiled. “Yes, luckily we met early.”

—

A few more days later.

The weather in London was gradually warming up again. Bai Chen said this was a sign that winter was approaching.

The school was also using this opportunity to hold the second semester sports event.

Unlike sports events in China, their school’s sports event was more focused on club activities. Rather than class and individual rankings, the school emphasized each person’s amount of exercise, and there were many events and slots, with the event lasting a whole week. Even the nearby gymnasium had been booked for the event.

In Zhu Yu’s class, he was the only person of Chinese descent.

He was inevitably chosen to participate in one of the events.

The 2-kilometer run.

When Zhu Yu heard the announcement, it was like a thunderbolt out of the blue, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

“Emily, I can’t do it,” Zhu Yu said, grabbing the class president’s hand, tears welling up in his eyes.

Emily patted Zhu Yu’s shoulder. “You can do it! A man can’t say he can’t do it!”

“This is different! I’ve never participated in a sports event in my life. For the first time, you’re asking me to run 2 kilometers. I’m not invincible, you know!”

Emily grabbed Zhu Yu’s hand with the other hand, lowered her head to look at him, and said in disbelief, “Oh my gosh, no wonder you look so frail. Yu, go for it! Take this opportunity and become a strong man!”

Emily was resolute, and it was clear that Zhu Yu couldn’t change her mind. He was frozen in place.

“Oh my gosh! Our Yu has lost his color!” Jon, the Thai classmate, crouched beside Zhu Yu and dramatically covered his lips with his hand.

“He turned gray!” Jon twirled Zhu Yu’s pink hair, his voice thin and hard to distinguish as male or female, “His hair even turned gray!”

A group of people burst into laughter. “Yu, it’s okay!”

They crouched beside Zhu Yu to comfort him.

As the only Chinese student in the class, Zhu Yu naturally received the most attention.

They liked this beautiful and energetic Chinese guy.

“Jon, I don’t want to run 2 kilometers—”

“Yu, I’m heartbroken to hear this, but unfortunately, we can’t help you,” Jon shook his head helplessly.

Zhu Yu asked with a sad face, “What event are you doing?”

“I don’t know yet,” Jon turned to look for Emily, “Emily, what event am I doing?”

Emily looked at the list in her hands. “Jon, you’re doing the 5-kilometer freestyle.”

Just as Emily finished speaking, a head suddenly dropped into Zhu Yu’s arms—Jon’s upper body collapsed into Zhu Yu’s embrace.

Zhu Yu was startled and exclaimed, “!! Help! Jon passed out!!”

He tried to grab Jon’s hand, but his face changed again. “Help!! He’s stiff now!!!”

—

“That’s how it happened,” Zhu Yu said, then stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.

Bai Chen pushed the grilled pineapple chicken wings closer to him, looking at Zhu Yu and asking, “So, you came to find me because you want me to help you train your fitness?”

Zhu Yu’s cheek was puffed up from the food. He nodded while chewing. “Mhm!”

Bai Chen poured him a glass of warm water, and Zhu Yu took it, drinking a sip before swallowing the meat in his mouth and continuing the conversation: “Because since kindergarten, I’ve always been the slowest runner in the class.”

“My grandmother also pampered me, worried that I’d get hurt while running, so every sports event, she’d go to the hospital to get a certificate saying I couldn’t do intense physical activities.”

“The only time I persisted in participating in a long-distance run, I got third place.” Zhu Yu raised his hand and showed three fingers.

Bai Chen was confused. “That’s a good ranking.”

Zhu Yu waved his fingers. “There were only three people who participated.”

Bai Chen laughed. “But this time, they won’t announce the rankings, so you can run at your own pace.”

Zhu Yu held up two fingers. “They won’t announce the rankings, but the other people in the same event will definitely secretly compare, and with so many girls watching, I have to at least come second to last.”

He asked again, “Is this pursuit… too low?”

“Not too low.” Bai Chen’s expression became a bit darker as he slowly shook his head.

“Is it possible to increase my running speed in half a month?”

“Sure.” Bai Chen nodded.

Zhu Yu hummed and smiled, finally gaining some confidence. “You didn’t see the people I’m running the 2 kilometers with—most of them are tall, like 1.8 or 1.9 meters.”

Zhu Yu stood up and gestured to Bai Chen, showing how tall those people were. “How tall am I?”

He tiptoed a bit and said, “I haven’t even broken through the 1.8-meter barrier yet?! Those people take one step, I have to take two. I’m already at a huge disadvantage from the start!”

“Senior, you have to help me!” Zhu Yu sat back down, pressed his palms together, and waved. “Please, this is my biggest request for today.”

“You said last time that you wanted to eat spicy crayfish, and that was a once-in-a-lifetime request,” Bai Chen teased with a smile.

Zhu Yu replied, “So this is my biggest request for today.”

“Alright.” Bai Chen nodded and, as a casual gesture, picked up a piece of braised pork for Zhu Yu.

“Thank you, Senior!” Zhu Yu picked up his bowl and took a big bite of rice.

Seeing Zhu Yu so full of fighting spirit, Bai Chen couldn’t help but pour some cold water on him. “So for the next half a month, you’ll have to wake up early every day. Can you do it?”

“Of course!!” Zhu Yu nodded vigorously. “I’ll set ten alarms!”

“I’ll definitely wake up early!! I’ll get up before even the rooster does!” Zhu Yu’s tone was still full of excitement and confidence.

Bai Chen said, “Alright, we’ll meet at 6:30 tomorrow morning, in front of your house.”

“Okay.” Zhu Yu shoveled some rice into his mouth, then suddenly seemed to think of something. He asked carefully, “I don’t have to control my diet, right?”

Feeling like Bai Chen might tell him to eat less, Zhu Yu was worried that he might even have to abandon that plan.

“No need, it’s just physical training,” Bai Chen said.

Zhu Yu let out a sigh of relief.

“Senior! I won’t be late tomorrow.”

Bai Chen sighed helplessly, as if he had expected it.

—

After finishing his meal, Zhu Yu, as usual, stayed to help Bai Chen wash the dishes before leaving.

While tidying up the living room, Bai Chen glanced around the entire room.

On the sofa were two colorful plush toys that Zhu Yu had brought, in the corner were Liu Bo’s toys, on the wall hung a colorful painting, and on the shelf sat a colorful ceramic cup.

These colors were slowly, little by little, permeating his originally dull home.

—

The next morning.

Seven o’clock.

Bai Chen stood in the corridor between dorms 515 and 514. It was the twelfth time he checked his watch, and the fourth time his phone dialed Zhu Yu’s number.

Finally, two minutes later, there was the sound of clattering from the room across the hall.