7: Summer and Late Autumn(2)

Yu Yue’s head rang like a gong.

He later didn’t know how he managed to find his way back to his room and sit down on the bed.

When Yu Yue searched for that Weibo hashtag, there was nothing left in the search results. However, on the real-time trending topics feed, it seemed that some people had seen photos. They were discussing it in great detail, asserting that Yu Jingnian and the female actress had definitely slept together. They said the paparazzi had captured them entering the same room, and even if Yu Jingnian immediately paid to buy the photos, it wouldn’t help.

Yu Yue spent a great deal of effort and stayed up the whole night. Eventually, he managed to obtain what was called the “photos.”

In extremely blurry pictures, Yu Yue saw his father, Yu Jingnian, with his arm around a female actress, entering a hotel.

Yu Jingnian returned home the next day.

While Yu Yue was doing his homework in his room, he overheard a heated argument between Jiang Qian and Yu Jingnian downstairs.

He heard Yu Jingnian saying, “I was drunk at the time… You can’t divorce me. My movie is about to be released. If you divorce me now, what will happen to my box office?”

Yu Yue didn’t catch what Jiang Qian said. Perhaps it was because Jiang Qian sounded tearful.

Yu Yue gripped his pen, gazing at the homework on his desk. As he continued to write, a tear fell onto his notebook. He quickly wiped it away.

He was born into the entertainment industry and knew many truths and facts about it from a young age because of his father. Yu Yue was a good kid, but he wasn’t naïve. He knew that many so-called showbiz couples were more for show than genuine love, and in reality, many of them just maintained appearances until the point when they didn’t need to anymore and then divorced.

But Yu Yue never expected that one day, this would happen to him.

He had always believed that the talented Yu Jingnian was different from those people.

One week later, Yu Yue saw Yu Jingnian on Weibo again.

This time, the Weibo hashtag was about Yu Jingnian going on a sea vacation with his wife Jiang Qian, and the two of them were as loving as ever.

That night, both Yu Jingnian and Jiang Qian were at home.

Yu Yue finished his homework, but he was irritated scrolling through Weibo, and he couldn’t focus on his book. After tossing and turning in bed without being able to sleep, he ultimately slammed his phone and left without taking anything. He put on his shoes and headed out.

It was already the early hours of the morning when Yu Yue left the villa area. He walked along the roadside slowly, occasionally passing cars with their headlights flickering by his side.

Unconsciously, he walked to a place very close to the school.

When he looked back, he realized he was standing at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant. It was 2:30 in the morning, and the barbecue restaurant was closing.

Yu Yue stood at the entrance, and he saw the silhouette of Xu Yuanzhe. He was gently stooping, wiping down each table and chair.

Xu Yuanzhe was standing in the light, while Yu Yue was standing in the shadow.

After that summer vacation, Yu Yue never saw Xu Yuanzhe again, neither at school nor elsewhere. Maybe it was because the first and second year students were in different teaching buildings from the third-year students.

Actually, Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe didn’t really know each other.

But for some reason, Yu Yue slowly approached Xu Yuanzhe from behind. He suddenly wanted to see if Xu Yuanzhe would remember him, just like he did that day with those other boys, and if he would say, “Minors are prohibited from drinking.”

After all, during the barbecue day, Yu Yue didn’t stand out in any way and he hadn’t seen Xu Yuanzhe after that day.

With this in mind, Yu Yue reached out and lightly tugged at the hem of Xu Yuanzhe’s clothing.

Xu Yuanzhe’s figure froze.

He stopped what he was doing and turned around.

After Xu Yuanzhe stood upright, Yu Yue noticed that Xu Yuanzhe was significantly taller than him, by more than a head’s length.

Yu Yue looked up at Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe held a cloth in his hand, and his black apron was stained with a few oil spots. He looked down at Yu Yue with dark eyelashes that seemed to obscure the emotions in his eyes. “We’re about to close.”

Yu Yue observed that Xu Yuanzhe had single eyelids.

Some people with single eyelids might appear to have smaller eyes, but not Xu Yuanzhe. There was a sharp curve at the corners of his eyes that made them look beautiful.

Trying to appear confident, Yu Yue pointed to the nearby cooler. “I’d like a bottle of beer. Is that okay?”

Xu Yuanzhe remained silent.

He gently placed the cloth he was holding onto the nearby table.

Xu Yuanzhe rested one hand on his waist, leaned forward slightly, and bent almost level with Yu Yue. Though they were nearly the same height, Xu Yuanzhe was still slightly taller. This caused his eyelids to droop slightly as he gazed at Yu Yue. “Are you planning to pretend to be an adult like them?”

Yu Yue instantly began to stutter, “Do you, do you remember me?”

This person had an incredible memory.

Xu Yuanzhe stood up straight and continued to use the cloth to wipe the tables. “I don’t remember you; I recognize you.” He paused for a moment. “You’re the handsome junior from freshman year.”

Yu Yue’s ears turned slightly red.

He wasn’t sure if Xu Yuanzhe was being serious or teasing him, but judging by Xu Yuanzhe’s expression, it seemed like he was being serious.

“Many girls from our class took a detour to the freshman year just to see you,” Xu Yuanzhe said, glancing at Yu Yue while wiping the tables. “You’re quite famous as the son of a big director.”

When Yu Yue heard the words “big director,” the last bit of light in his eyes disappeared.

He stood behind Xu Yuanzhe for a long time. Finally, he walked directly to the cooler, took a bottle of ice-cold beer out, and attempted to open it but failed.

A hand reached out from the side and took the beer bottle from Yu Yue’s hand.

Xu Yuanzhe held the bottle of beer, his tone indifferent and cool. “Selling alcohol to a minor is punishable by a fine. Would you like me to put my salary on the line?”