10: Late Night Phone Call

Afterwards, Yu Yue felt like he could see Xu Yuanzhe everywhere he went. Whether it was at the shopping center’s bubble tea shop, the cat café, barbecue restaurant, or even the bookstore, he could spot Xu Yuanzhe.

Yu Yue had no idea how many part-time jobs Xu Yuanzhe was working at.

Six months later, Xu Yuanzhe repaid the 50,000 yuan to Yu Yue, along with a bit extra. Yu Yue only realized later that his bank account had an extra 66,000 yuan instead of 50,000 yuan. When he wanted to find Xu Yuanzhe again, Xu Yuanzhe had already left A City.

In a message, Xu Yuanzhe told Yu Yue that it was the interest.

Yu Yue wondered who charged such high interest rates… Moreover, they were classmates and friends. How could he charge so-called interest? He could have even let Xu Yuanzhe keep the 50,000 yuan.

At that time, Xu Yuanzhe had already gone to study at a university in B City.

It was as if between them, once the debt was repaid, the lines of their relationship were drawn clearly, and there would be no more contact between them.

Xu Yuanzhe never actively reached out to Yu Yue, and Yu Yue had no intention of looking for Xu Yuanzhe.

To Yu Yue, Xu Yuanzhe was just an ordinary friend who appeared in his life, a friend he had helped during a particularly difficult time.

Yu Yue simply didn’t think much of it.

Two years passed quickly. Yu Yue completed his senior year at No. 3 High School, and after finishing the college entrance exams, before the results were out, Yu Yue went on a trip abroad with friends.

In the middle of the night, Yu Yue was sleeping soundly when he was awakened by a phone call.

He was extremely tired, thinking it was his parents calling from China, perhaps unaware of the time difference. So, he picked up the phone without even opening his eyes, saying, “What’s going on… Please check the time difference first. It’s the middle of the night here.”

The other end of the phone fell silent.

Yu Yue quickly sensed that something was amiss.

He picked up his phone and took a look.

On his phone screen, Yu Yue saw a name he hadn’t seen for almost two years.

“Xu Yuanzhe.”

…Xu Yuanzhe?

Yu Yue was on the verge of completely forgetting about this person.

Why would Xu Yuanzhe be calling him?

Yu Yue suddenly woke up, sat up, looked at his friends who were still asleep nearby, and carefully made his way to the balcony. Then he picked up his phone again and asked in a low voice, “Xu… Yuanzhe? Did you dial the wrong number?”

“I didn’t dial the wrong number.” On the other end of the phone, Xu Yuanzhe’s voice sounded different from two years ago. It seemed more mature, or perhaps it had more depth. Yu Yue couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Xu Yuanzhe’s voice was somewhat lower, “Are you abroad?”

Yu Yue replied, “Yes, didn’t I just finish the college entrance exams? I came out for a trip.”

He felt it was a bit strange for Xu Yuanzhe to call suddenly, and even had a fleeting thought that maybe Xu Yuanzhe was in dire need of money.

Yu Yue might not have been entirely clear-headed at the time. With this thought in mind, he asked, “Are you short on cash?”

Xu Yuanzhe, “…”

Yu Yue didn’t know what expression Xu Yuanzhe had on the other end of the phone, and he didn’t realize that his question might have been hurtful. He was genuinely trying to help Xu Yuanzhe.

After a long pause, Yu Yue heard Xu Yuanzhe say on the other end of the phone, “I didn’t call you to borrow money. I actually have some money now.”

Yu Yue replied, “Oh…” with a brief pause. “So, what did you…”

Why did Xu Yuanzhe call him then?

“I just wanted to ask you,” Xu Yuanzhe paused and seemed to take a deep breath before he asked, “where are you thinking of going to college?”

Yu Yue was momentarily puzzled.

To be honest, he hadn’t thought about that question.

On the other end of the phone, Xu Yuanzhe said, “I called to tell you that if… you decide to apply to the university here in my city, remember to let me know. I’ve been living here for two years, and I’m very familiar with B City. Wherever you want to go, I can show you around.”

After that, his voice became slightly hoarse. “You can go back to sleep now. I didn’t know you were overseas, and I don’t want to disturb your rest.”

Yu Yue couldn’t remember how he ended the call later, but he didn’t go back to sleep either.

He gradually became more awake.

Sitting on the balcony’s swing chair with his phone in hand, Yu Yue looked at the name in his recent call list.

Yu Yue murmured softly, “Xu Yuanzhe…”

Two years without contact, and Xu Yuanzhe suddenly called just to say those words.

Yu Yue hadn’t expected Xu Yuanzhe to remember him.

The feeling was quite peculiar, and Yu Yue couldn’t quite describe it at that moment. However, he felt his heart beating strangely, as if a different color had unexpectedly entered his otherwise calm and monotonous life. It made him realize that he didn’t have to follow his parents’ expectations and stay in the same province to attend university.

It seemed rather uninteresting to him.

Perhaps it was easier to be impulsive during late nights. Yu Yue tucked his legs up, sat on the swing chair, and opened his browser to search for universities and majors in B City.

The more he searched, the more he liked it.

Kids his age were naturally a bit rebellious, even if Yu Yue was well-behaved.

That night, Yu Yue made a decision. He was going to attend a university in B City.

Later, Yu Yue realized that this decision would change his life forever.