Chapter 10: He Knows Where Lu Liu Lives

Lin Zhi pretended to be calm as he gently placed the book in his hand next to the tutoring materials. When Lu Liu glanced at him casually, Lin Zhi made a slight waving motion with his hand as a way of greeting.

Fortunately, the eighth floor of the library was quiet enough, and Lu Liu was the type of good student who wouldn’t let his personal matters disturb others. This allowed Lin Zhi to “escape a disaster,” avoiding the need to awkwardly greet Lu Liu. He had no experience and wasn’t good at holding long conversations with Lu Liu.

But having someone with such a special status sitting opposite him made it easy for Lin Zhi to get distracted while doing his exercises. If it was a problem he could solve quickly, it was fine, but if it required more brainpower, Lin Zhi found himself looking around the room. Before he knew it, he would catch glimpses of Lu Liu, who was deeply engrossed in his own work.

And, of course, there were still plenty of problems in the book he didn’t know how to solve.

Lin Zhi wasn’t sure what other “academic failures” were like, but he himself would always find that once study time arrived, he’d end up thinking: “The pen is fun to play with,” “I think my fingernails need to be trimmed,” “There’s a little dandruff on the person in front’s hair,” and “The person sitting across from me is quite good-looking.”

At the same time, his mind would be especially active on things unrelated to studying.

When he was dating “Zhi,” back when it was all fresh and new, their most frequent date spot was the library of their respective schools.

During his first year of college, Lin Zhi had been busy dealing with his father’s illness. He ended up failing five subjects in his first year and, because he didn’t attend the resit exams in the second semester, had to retake three courses. When “Zhi” found out, he became like a mother, constantly nagging Lin Zhi to study so he could graduate smoothly—acting almost like a servant.

After they started dating, “Zhi” would take full advantage of his boyfriend status, pushing Lin Zhi to not only make up the credits he had missed in the first year, but also to make sure he didn’t fail any subjects in the second year. He almost made Lin Zhi go to the library every day to study.

At the time, Lin Zhi figured that since “Zhi” couldn’t see him, he could study for five minutes and then goof off for two hours. Touching this, fiddling with that, anything was more fun than studying.

Sometimes, when Lin Zhi saw someone at the long table in the library, head lowered and working seriously on problems, he would wonder: “What if the person sitting across from me was ‘Zhi’? Would he warn me with a look if he caught me slacking? Would he stop writing and teach me if I came across a problem I couldn’t solve? Could I share something interesting with him by writing it on a note?”

At that moment, he actually saw the person across from him pass him a piece of paper. Lin Zhi snapped back to reality and saw that Lu Liu had written something on a blank sheet of scratch paper and slid it across the table to him.

【Why do you keep watching me work? If you don’t know how to do something, feel free to ask.】

This could easily be misunderstood. Lin Zhi didn’t dare to lift his eyelids now. He quickly stopped the pen that had been spinning in his hand and, in a rushed and messy handwriting, wrote a reply to clear up the misunderstanding:

【I wasn’t watching you, I was just thinking.】

He added a small, quirky period at the end, mimicking Lu Liu’s earlier action by turning the paper around to face Lu Liu and gently pushing it back across the table.

One couldn’t help but admit that Lu Liu had really high emotional intelligence. He had mastered many small details of interacting with others that made everyone feel comfortable.

For example, if someone asked him about a problem, instead of asking “Did you understand?” Lu Liu would ask, “Did I explain clearly?” Or when handing something to someone, he would make sure the sharp edge faced him…

Lin Zhi couldn’t list them all, since he was a careless person and often overlooked these details while speaking and doing things. But he could feel the convenience and respect Lu Liu brought him, and he enjoyed it. He also treated Lu Liu with the same respect.

Although right now, Lin Zhi just wanted to go find “Zhi” once he was in college, it was undeniable that Lu Liu was a good person.

How great he was! Even when disturbed by someone—Lin Zhi’s unintentional gaze—he still used such a gentle tone to remind him… But never mind, what tone? Lin Zhi was just imagining things.

What could one possibly tell from a cold, ink-scented line of text?

Lu Liu was a good person, but not a fool. He must have been annoyed that someone who didn’t like him—Lin Zhi, who had disturbed him with his gaze—was sitting in the seat across from him, not focusing on their work and instead looking around. Maybe when Lu Liu wrote that line, he was thinking: “This academic failure, not only is he not doing the problems, but he’s also distracting me. He’s not paying attention in class, and now he can’t do the problems. Why keep looking at me? Don’t I have to teach you?”

Lin Zhi shook his head, the more he thought about it, the further his imagination went. He was just too imaginative, that’s how he ended up liking “Zhi” with just the company of words. It was so different from when he had secretly liked Lu Liu, being cautious and careful. Once he realized his feelings, Lin Zhi had boldly and directly confessed to “Zhi,” without any hesitation.

He hadn’t even considered how miserable it would be if he lost “Zhi,” his soulmate, after already being alone.

Fortunately, “Zhi” didn’t let that situation happen. Lin Zhi smiled as he thought, “Zhi” is great, even better than Lu Liu.

But unfortunately, Lin Zhi sighed lightly again. He and “Zhi” had only had about two months of a ^[1]“Platonic” relationship refers to a close, non-romantic relationship between two people. It is based on mutual respect, affection, and deep connection without any sexual or romantic … Continue reading“Platonic” relationship.

Lin Zhi’s thoughts drifted off into the sky, and on the other side, Lu Liu couldn’t concentrate on his book either.

Lu Liu was a little worried. He felt that Lin Zhi was acting strangely. First, Lin Zhi stared at him blankly for a while, and then lied to him by saying he was just thinking. Didn’t he know what a real thinking expression looked like?

Alright, let’s just assume that Lin Zhi is someone who stands out from the crowd, and believe that he was indeed thinking. However, soon after, Lin Zhi started shaking his head, smiling, and sighing, and eventually even picked up a law book to flip through.

Lu Liu’s pen traced a random line on the draft paper. It wasn’t just today, since before the holiday, he hadn’t noticed exactly when, but Lin Zhi seemed to have changed a little compared to before.

Now, he was even starting to read books like this. Could it be… that something had happened?

Lin Zhi, oblivious to the misunderstanding Lu Liu had about him, had spent two or three hours reading, but retained very little of what he’d read.

He really admired these top students. During that time, Lu Liu across from him had been almost continuously reading and solving problems, switching from one book to another.

“Zhi” might have been like that in the school library too, right?

As it neared five o’clock, Lin Zhi closed the book he hadn’t finished reading and prepared to return it to the shelf on the fourth floor. As he stepped out of the elevator, he received a message from Lu Liu.

【Lu Liu: Are you returning the book?】

Lin Zhi almost didn’t recognize who it was. His chat interface with Lu Liu was completely clean, not a single message in the history.

In the previous life, Lu Liu had contacted Lin Zhi briefly a few times, all after they started university. Before a holiday class gathering, Lu Liu would privately message Lin Zhi to ask if he was going. Lu Liu was the class monitor, and these activities were usually organized by him to tally the number of participants. Lin Zhi had never spoken in the class group, so Lu Liu probably thought he hadn’t seen the message.

Lin Zhi always replied, “I have something else that day, but have fun.”

【Lin Zhi: Hmm? What’s up?】

Lu Liu squeezed the pen in his hand, typing one-handed, not answering but asking again:

【Lu Liu: Did you finish reading?】

【Lin Zhi: No.】

Lin Zhi couldn’t understand what Lu Liu meant.

【Lin Zhi: What? You want to read it?】

【Lu Liu: No, I have a library card.】

Lin Zhi understood. The class monitor was being helpful again.

【Lin Zhi: Thanks, but I don’t need it.】

With a “click,” Lu Liu put the pen cap back on.

【Lu Liu: Then, can you bring it up for me? I want to borrow it and take it home.】

Lin Zhi stopped walking toward the inside, and a question mark slowly appeared in his mind.

【Lin Zhi: How do you know what book I’m reading?】

【Lu Liu: I saw the cover.】

Alright then, Lin Zhi took the book back to his seat on the eighth floor and handed it to Lu Liu, then packed up his bag to prepare to leave.

When the elevator arrived, Lin Zhi saw from the reflection in the glass that Lu Liu had also come with his bag. His hand, hanging at his side, slipped into his pocket to pull out his phone, tapping away as if he were busy.

After Lu Liu walked up to him, Lin Zhi pretended to notice and smiled politely at him.

“Thanks.” Lu Liu gestured with the two law books in his hand.

“No problem.”

Lin Zhi answered, and the two of them fell into silence, a kind of awkward atmosphere beginning to flow between them.

Not too early, not too late, at this time, the only people leaving were him and Lu Liu. When the elevator arrived and the button was pressed, Lin Zhi and Lu Liu each stood at opposite corners.

“Are you going home?” Lu Liu broke the silence.

“Mm,” Lin Zhi replied formally, “What about you?”

“Me too,” Lu Liu said.

For some reason, Lin Zhi felt like laughing. This conversation was pretty much the same whether it happened or not.

When they reached the first floor, Lu Liu had to go to the front desk to register his book borrowing information. Lin Zhi was hesitating whether to leave first when Lu Liu, after walking away, turned back and said, “Wait for me.”

Lin Zhi: “…Okay.”

Lin Zhi, feeling bored, stared at the green plants by the side, thinking to himself what he was waiting for. Lu Liu’s home was in a different direction, and once they left the library, they would go their separate ways.

He knew where Lu Liu lived.

Unlike the fact that Lu Liu knew where he lived, Lu Liu was the class monitor, so he had his information. He knew because of a coincidence, the first time they met, which was before the start of their first year of high school.

Before Lin Zhi could go further into his thoughts, Lu Liu returned after finishing the registration. The book was already packed into his bag, and it was done quickly.

“Let’s go,” Lu Liu said with a smile.

Lin Zhi nodded, returning the same smile.

The evening sunlight was no longer as scorching, and Lin Zhi and Lu Liu walked side by side on the sidewalk, about half a meter apart. They had been walking for two minutes after leaving the library, but Lu Liu was still walking alongside him.

“Your home…” Lin Zhi almost said something but then changed the topic, “Where do you live?”

“Cuihe Road,” Lu Liu answered honestly.

“Then you shouldn’t be,” Lin Zhi turned around to look behind him, “going that way?”

“I’m going to Jiacheng Supermarket first to buy something,” Lu Liu responded quickly.

Jiacheng Supermarket was near People’s Square, not far from the library but not close to Cuihe Road.

“Oh—” Lin Zhi nodded, surprised that Lu Liu would go that far to buy something.

“Then you go ahead,” Lin Zhi stopped under a camphor tree, “I’ll take a taxi home.”

“…” Lu Liu’s smile faded a little, and his tone became stiff, “You want to take a taxi?”

“It’s too hot,” Lin Zhi said naturally, “I don’t want to walk too far.”

“Okay,” Lu Liu sighed silently, “Goodbye.”

“Good… by the way,” Lin Zhi remembered something and kindly reminded him, “There are a lot of cars and people near People’s Square, it’s pretty chaotic, so be careful when crossing the street.”

“Okay.” Lu Liu smiled again.

“Goodbye.” Lin Zhi said as he turned to the roadside to hail a taxi.

Lu Liu stood under the tree, watching Lin Zhi get into the taxi, then watched the car merge into the traffic. After that, he walked to the spot where Lin Zhi had hailed the taxi and waved for one himself, telling the driver the name of his residential complex.

Cuihe Road wasn’t without supermarkets, why would he go all the way to Jiacheng?

Lin Zhi received a call from Yao Wenjing while he was in the car.

“Xiao Zhi,” Yao Wenjing said excitedly, “I found a summer job.”

“Impressive,” Lin Zhi praised him first before getting to the point, “But don’t we have to start school early next semester since we’re in our senior year?”

“Just two weeks earlier,” Yao Wenjing replied clearly, “And there’s still over a month of vacation left. Winter break is even shorter, so I really won’t be able to work later. I need to save some money.”

“Then make sure to rest,” Lin Zhi said, offering little help when it came to money, “Don’t be foolish and rush to take every job.”

Lin Zhi had always known that Yao Wenjing was a straightforward person. In the past, when working summer jobs, he always thought that the only reason the boss would hire him was out of pity, and he was willing to work overtime for free, even after getting the pay he deserved.

Lin Zhi had told him many times that with his salary, the boss was essentially exploiting him, and Yao Wenjing always nodded in agreement, but still continued to happily work.

Yao Wenjing’s thought process could be summarized as: “You’re right, but I’m just not listening.”

In the past, Lin Zhi would feel frustrated, but now he didn’t want to get caught up in these small things. Instead of arguing with Yao Wenjing, he would just let him do whatever he wanted—it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

What Lin Zhi was more concerned about lately was his father Lin Qingye’s health. After failing to get Lin Qingye to go for a health check-up last time, Lin Zhi had repeatedly hinted for the past few days—using his own health check-up results as an excuse—that his father should go for an examination.

But Lin Qingye insisted that he was still in the prime of his life, with no pain or illness, and didn’t want to waste time or energy going to the hospital for unnecessary tests.

“It won’t take much time,” Lin Zhi brought it up again, “A lot of people go for regular check-ups once or twice a year, especially older people.”

“I’m not old,” Lin Qingye deflected, “Don’t think just because you’re young and full of energy that you can outlast me.”

“That’s not the same thing,” Lin Zhi said, rubbing his forehead. He really wanted to just tell the truth, but he knew his father wouldn’t believe it, so he gave up, “Getting a check-up won’t make you lose two pounds.”

“Alright, alright,” Lin Qingye finally compromised, “I’ll go next Sunday, okay? You’re always talking about this, aren’t you tired?”

A stone in Lin Zhi’s heart lifted, and he couldn’t help but smile: “I’m not tired. Let’s not wait until next Sunday. Let’s go this Sunday.”

“Alright, alright,” Lin Qingye sighed, “If you’re not tired, I’m the one who’s tired. Alright, I’ll listen to you. My son’s all grown up and has his own opinions now.”

On Sunday, Lin Zhi woke up early and hurried Lin Qingye to the hospital.

“Why are you in such a rush to go to the hospital?” Lin Qingye said. “It’s not some nice place.”

“Getting a check-up is always better early,” Lin Zhi replied as he made the appointment, “If there’s anything wrong, the sooner you find out, the more chance there is for treatment.”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Qingye confidently assured him, “I’m absolutely fine. Who knows my body better than I do?”

Lin Zhi guided Lin Qingye to the “Chest Surgery” department, familiar with the path. In his past life, Lin Qingye’s condition was discovered too late, and he couldn’t tolerate surgery or treatments like radiation or chemotherapy. As soon as the illness was discovered, they transferred him to the respiratory department, where he eventually died from lung cancer complications.

“Chest Surgery” was where Lin Zhi, after watching his father suffer from pain and sleepless nights, in his sorrow and regret, came to learn about how patients diagnosed early with the same disease were treated.

“Wait a minute,” Lin Qingye suddenly stopped, “This isn’t the direction to the check-up center. We’ve gone the wrong way.