30. “Is ten years enough?”

Almost as soon as he heard Yu Jingnian’s voice, Yu Yue snatched Xu Yuanzhe’s phone and said to Yu Jingnian on the phone:

“I won’t break up with him.”

After saying that, he hung up Yu Jingnian’s call and blocked him.

After completing this series of actions, Yu Yue realized that it was Xu Yuanzhe’s phone.

There was a momentary pause, but Yu Yue felt he had done the right thing.

He returned the phone to Xu Yuanzhe, speaking softly, “Ignore him. Pretend you didn’t hear anything. If he calls again, don’t say anything, just hang up and block him.”

Xu Yuanzhe looked at Yu Yue without saying a word.

Yu Yue also looked at Xu Yuanzhe, handing back the phone that Xu Yuanzhe didn’t take.

After a moment of silence, Yu Yue asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s voice was a bit hoarse, “Are you going to break ties with your parents because of me?”

Yu Yue’s hand paused slightly.

After a moment, he placed Xu Yuanzhe’s phone on the coffee table.

Sitting on the sofa, Yu Yue supported himself with both hands on either side of his body and remained silent for a while, looking out of the window.

The sky outside was overcast, the sunlight obscured by dark clouds, a bit oppressive and stifling, as if waiting for a thoroughly cleansing rainfall.

Yu Yue asked, “If I lose everything, will you still be with me?”

Xu Yuanzhe looked at Yu Yue.

He said, “Yes.”

Yu Yue turned back and smiled, “That settles it then. So, whatever they say, it has nothing to do with us. If they don’t agree with us being together, we just ignore them.”

“But I would feel sorry for you,” Xu Yuanzhe said.

There was a brief silence in the small living room.

Yu Yue’s voice was gentle, “Don’t feel sorry for me.” After a slight pause, he added, “If anyone should apologize, it should be me. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have signed with the company, wouldn’t have encountered such big trouble, wouldn’t have tainted the beginning of your acting career, right?”

Xu Yuanzhe remained silent.

Even though things were said this way, two days later, Yu Yue still went back to City A.

Yu Jingnian and Jiang Qian used all kinds of methods to force him to go back.

Xu Yuanzhe drove Yu Yue to the airport. When they bid farewell at the airport, after holding onto Xu Yuanzhe for a long time and listening to his heartbeat, Yu Yue lifted his head and kissed Xu Yuanzhe’s jaw. “I’m leaving now, be back in a couple of days.”

Xu Yuanzhe uttered an “um” and left a kiss on Yu Yue’s forehead.

He didn’t know if this would be the last time he hugged Yu Yue.

Nor did he know if Yu Yue would never return after this trip.

…

After Yu Yue returned, just as he had imagined, he had a big argument with Jiang Qian and Yu Jingnian.

They froze Yu Yue’s bank card, tried various means to keep him at home. After three days of confinement, on the fourth day, Yu Yue slipped away unnoticed and went to the airport to buy a ticket, returning to school.

Back in City B, Yu Yue didn’t immediately inform Xu Yuanzhe.

During these days, Xu Yuanzhe hadn’t sent him any messages or called him. He probably was afraid that Yu Yue’s phone wasn’t in his own hands.

After returning to City B, Yu Yue first went to the part-time job place where Xu Yuanzhe usually worked.

Xu Yuanzhe worked part-time at a milk tea shop.

Wearing a mask and a duckbill hat, Yu Yue sat in the farthest corner of the shop, watching Xu Yuanzhe busy behind the counter. He was nimble, worked quickly, and was very diligent in his job.

But this was only the first job for Xu Yuanzhe today.

Next, Yu Yue followed Xu Yuanzhe to see him finish the remaining three jobs, all of which were quite tiring, as the harder the work, the more money earned.

He watched Xu Yuanzhe, under the scorching sun, wearing a heavy mascot costume, handing out flyers to people on the street.

It happened to be midsummer, extremely hot weather. When it finally ended, Xu Yuanzhe took off the headpiece, drenched in sweat, and sat on the roadside, cradling the mascot’s head. He took out his phone, checked it, seemingly finding no messages, and put the phone back.

Watching Xu Yuanzhe under the scorching sun, Yu Yue thought, if it weren’t for being with him, Xu Yuanzhe wouldn’t need to work four jobs. He wouldn’t have to pay rent, wouldn’t need to buy a car, wouldn’t need to spend a lot of money on a useless starry sky lamp for the bedroom, all just because Yu Yue liked it.

Xu Yuanzhe could have lived in the school dormitory, saved the leftover money after paying his tuition, and spent it on himself. He wouldn’t have been burdened with debts and scandals, faced with numerous problems.

Yu Yue recalled Xu Yuanzhe from two or three years ago, still in his senior year of high school.

At that time, Xu Yuanzhe worked part-time at a barbecue restaurant, leading a routine life. It seemed not bad at all.

But after being with Yu Yue, Xu Yuanzhe went from having one job to having four, scrimped and saved for himself, yet always took Yu Yue to eat delicious food, trying hard to make Yu Yue’s life as good as it used to be, even though it was impossible.

So, whether Yu Yue made Xu Yuanzhe work harder or Xu Yuanzhe made Yu Yue work harder, it seemed like no one could explain or see it clearly.

Yu Yue also remembered the times he argued with his parents.

They asked Yu Yue, what exactly are you seeking from him?

Yu Yue couldn’t answer at the time.

He secretly followed Xu Yuanzhe for a day and couldn’t help but wonder, what exactly was he seeking from Xu Yuanzhe?

Was it the same-sex relationship? The days of not having much money? The forty-square-meter small house? Or was it the braised pork ribs for dinner? Or perhaps, it was something always vaguely said to be elusive – love?

Why did he always argue with his parents about Xu Yuanzhe?

Why, when he initially said he just wanted to try it out, could he not let go now?

Why did he also have a faint feeling that they were not suitable for each other, not suitable for either side, yet still wanted to proceed without turning back, always feeling that as they walked, perhaps they would reach a sunny day.

Why?

Yu Yue couldn’t understand.

At ten in the evening, Xu Yuanzhe finished work and returned home.

Yu Yue planned to wait until eleven to call Xu Yuanzhe.

He stayed downstairs, but in the shadows, pondering this question.

At ten twenty, the entrance door of the building opened.

Yu Yue looked over.

He saw Xu Yuanzhe coming down with a small basin.

The small basin contained cat food.

Some time ago, Yu Yue found a stray kitten in the bushes downstairs. It was very thin. The kitten rubbed against Yu Yue, and he couldn’t resist; he immediately went home, cooked a piece of clean chicken breast, and fed it to the kitten.

Later, because Yu Yue often went downstairs to feed the cat, Xu Yuanzhe bought a bag of cat food.

If it weren’t for Yu Yue, Xu Yuanzhe wouldn’t have needed to spend money on this cat food.

Through the streetlight, Yu Yue saw Xu Yuanzhe wearing a black T-shirt, squatting down, placing the small basin on the ground, and tapping it gently. After a second, the kitten rushed out from the bushes.

The kitten quickly ran to Xu Yuanzhe, burying its head and starting to eat.

Xu Yuanzhe touched the kitten’s head.

Because they weren’t far apart, Yu Yue could hear Xu Yuanzhe’s voice.

Xu Yuanzhe whispered to the kitten, “Did your dad abandon you?”

The kitten ignored him, still burying its head to eat.

Xu Yuanzhe sat down beside the kitten.

After a long silence, Yu Yue heard Xu Yuanzhe say, “Maybe your dad doesn’t want me either.”

The kitten made a purring sound while eating, not bothering to look up at Xu Yuanzhe.

The moonlight reflected on Xu Yuanzhe like snow.

Xu Yuanzhe sat quietly next to the kitten for a long time. When the kitten finished eating and rolled over to lick its fur, he still didn’t leave. He sat there like a statue.

He said, “Let’s go find him when we have money, okay? Wait until I’ve cleared the breach of contract compensation, until I’ve bought a big villa, until I’ve bought a nice car, until I can take him out for steak every meal, until I can invite celebrities from the entertainment industry to celebrate his birthday, then I’ll go find him.”

After a slight pause, Xu Yuanzhe said, “Ten years… is that enough?”

The kitten still didn’t pay attention to Xu Yuanzhe.

For some reason, at that moment, Yu Yue’s heart trembled slightly.

His eye sockets were very red, and tears fell at that moment.

The frequency of the trembling heart went from very light and faint to gradually intense. Yu Yue looked at Xu Yuanzhe from a distance, under the moonlight, and suddenly understood.

Yu Yue thought, he didn’t seek anything.

He only sought that the person was Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe, who loved him passionately, willing to do anything for him, even though there was nothing, especially for him.