Chapter 12
On the last night of his short holiday, Xu Er arranged to have dinner with his group of four.
It had been a long time since they all gathered like this. They lingered over the meal, chatting nonstop, like wild men just returned from the mountains.
Perhaps it’s true that birds of a feather flock together; who among them wasn’t a fan of gossip? By the end of the meal, Xu Er had heard about Xu Chen’s roommate’s two-month stint as a lovestruck fool, Chen Nan’s tales of show-off guys in his social circle, the follow-up on a friend of Ke Lin’s boss catching a mistress, and he even contributed stories about two supervisors at his own company.
After dinner, they headed straight upstairs to the mall.
Normally, their destination would be the game arcade on the second floor entertainment area, but tonight Xu Er took the lead and brought them up to the third floor.
After getting off the escalator, the three boys slowly realized where they were.
Chen Nan asked, “Hey, why are we here now?”
Ke Lin shrugged, “Wasn’t paying much attention.”
Xu Chen said, “Then let’s go back down.”
Xu Er stopped them. “No need to go down. I’m going to buy some clothes.”
The three hesitated, wanting to leave but then reconsidering.
Chen Nan asked, “Why the sudden urge to buy clothes?”
Xu Er thought for a moment and said, “Since we’re here... it’s the change of season.”
Ke Lin nodded, “True, I’ll take a look too.”
Chen Nan followed suit, “Me too.”
Xu Chen added, “If the big brothers are looking, the little brother can look as well.”
He went on, “Actually, I do need new clothes. I was planning to shop online.”
Chen Nan asked, “What’s the big occasion?”
Xu Chen, with a cocky grin, said, “Got dinner with Song Ruichi on Saturday.”
Ke Lin, the only one unaware, looked puzzled: “Who’s Song Ruichi? Aren’t you Song Ruichi?”
Xu Chen replied, “No, the real Song Ruichi.”
Ke Lin was surprised. “Wow, you know Song Ruichi now?”
Xu Chen quickly backtracked, “My brother. He helped me get to know him.”
Ke Lin’s curious gaze shifted to Xu Er.
Xu Er laughed, “Haha, it was accidental.”
Chen Nan raised a hand, “Count me in too.”
Ke Lin asked, “Huh? You knew about this?”
Xu Chen enthusiastically explained, “They both asked for WeChat from my brother.” Proudly, he added, “My brother even slept over at Song Ruichi’s place.”
“Wait, what?” Chen Nan and Ke Lin both exclaimed.
“You slept together?”
“You stayed at his place?”
Xu Er nodded, “Yeah, that’s right.”
Chen Nan squeezed up next to Xu Er, “What’s going on? You’ve been hiding such a close relationship with Song Ruichi from me?”
Xu Er thought for a moment. “Well, to put it briefly, it was just a chance encounter.”
Ke Lin asked incredulously, “Chance encounter and you end up sleeping at his place?”
Xu Er laughed, “No, I got drunk and blacked out.”
Chen Nan was shocked, “What? You went drinking with him?”
Xu Er stammered, “Uh...”
Things were starting to sound stranger by the minute.
Realizing a full explanation was too long, Xu Er instead shared key details about the past few days with Song Ruichi.
The other three’s reactions:
Chen Nan said, “A Lego typewriter! Does it even work?”
Ke Lin said, “You really found someone who drinks coffee without sugar.”
Xu Chen said, “I told you he’s handsome. He’s even more handsome in person, right?”
Xu Er answered each:
“Doesn’t type.”
“You don’t understand coffee without sugar.”
“He is more handsome.”
Satisfied, Xu Er found his first target for the night and strode confidently to the men’s clothing store on the left.
The trench coat he liked was displayed on a mannequin near the entrance. Luckily, the fabric felt just right to the touch.
After asking the sales assistant to bring it down, the other three sneaked a peek at the price tag and all showed signs of hesitation.
But once Xu Er tried it on, the three practically said in unison:
“Buy it!”
Xu Er didn’t hesitate—within ten minutes of entering the store, he had the trench coat in hand. Since some sauce had spilled on his old jacket, he swapped it out immediately and stuffed the soiled coat into the bag.
“Honestly, it really suits you,” Chen Nan said as they left the store.
Ke Lin followed, “Yeah, you usually wear sportswear, but this look makes you seem much more mature.”
Xu Er smiled.
Xu Chen asked, “What made you want to try this style?”
Xu Er felt a little embarrassed. “Just felt like it.”
Chen Nan suddenly asked, “You’re not secretly seeing someone, are you?”
Xu Er replied, “No way.”
Chen Nan raised an eyebrow, “Really?”
“Really,” Xu Er said helplessly, “You guys know everything about me anyway.”
Chen Nan nodded, “Fair enough.”
Buying the trench coat went smoothly, and so did buying pajamas.
When paying, Xu Er’s phone pinged with a message from Song Ruichi.
At that moment, he felt Chen Nan’s comment about their close relationship was true—it really was quite good.
The latest message had come just an hour earlier, when Xu Er sent a photo of some delicious rice cakes to Song Ruichi.
Song Ruichi had probably been busy and only just replied.
Song Ruichi said, “Looks delicious.”
Xu Er replied, “Super tasty!”
Song Ruichi added, “Your hands look so dry.”
Xu Er zoomed in on the photo and noticed a hangnail on his thumb.
His hands were indeed dry; looking at his own hand, he saw not only the hangnail but also some cracking on the back.
Xu Er: “I’m just going to rip it off.”
Song Ruichi quickly replied, “Don’t.”
Xu Er: “Why?”
Song Ruichi: “It hurts.”
Xu Er laughed, “I’ll peel it all the way to my shoulder.”
Song Ruichi: “I’m dead.”
Xu Er: “Hahaha.”
Xu Er: “Okay, I didn’t do it.”
Song Ruichi: “Use nail clippers.”
Xu Er: “Alright, alright, I’ll use them when I get back.”
After their chat, Xu Er looked up, about to say something, only to find everyone staring at him.
He froze. “Huh?”
The three had their eyes narrowed, mouths twisted, or were stroking their chins.
Xu Er laughed, “What’s up?”
Chen Nan struck first, “Who are you chatting with?”
Ke Lin added, “You’re smiling like that.”
Xu Er pinched his face, “Am I smiling?”
Well, maybe he was.
Xu Chen asked, “Who is it?”
Xu Er confessed and even slid the phone forward to prove his honesty: “No one, just Song Ruichi.”
Chen Nan chuckled, “I knew you were close with him, but you wouldn’t admit it.”
Xu Er retorted, “Did I deny it?”
Chen Nan was speechless and turned to Ke Lin, “Did he admit it?”
Ke Lin lost interest quickly, “I don’t know. Are we heading home now?”
Xu Chen said, “Yeah, I’m checking dorms tonight, gotta go.”
Ke Lin’s girlfriend had also asked him to come back early.
Chen Nan said sarcastically, “So what if you have a girlfriend?”
Ke Lin proudly replied, “Exactly.”
Chen Nan mockingly said, “My girlfriend also tells me to come back early.”
Ke Lin teased, “Nah-nah-nah.”
As they chatted, Xu Chen suddenly took a jab, “Bro! What were you and Song Ruichi talking about? You were smiling so much.”
Xu Er showed his hand, “I told him I was going to rip off this hangnail, all the way from here to my shoulder.”
“Eww~”
The three all expressed disgust simultaneously.
Xu Er laughed.
Besides Xu Er, the other three also bought full seasonal wardrobes, and they all left the mall fully loaded.
They parted ways: Xu Chen’s school was far, so he headed to the subway first; Ke Lin took a taxi; Chen Nan and Xu Er shared a ride.
Just after getting in the car, Xu Er received another message from Song Ruichi.
Song Ruichi asked, “Are you home yet?”
Xu Er sent a photo of the scenery outside the window, “On the way.”
Song Ruichi: “I’ll pass by your neighborhood gate later.”
Song Ruichi: “Can I return your earphones then? Is that convenient?”
Xu Er: “Sure.”
“More Song Ruichi?” Chen Nan asked, putting down his phone.
Xu Er: “Yep.”
Chen Nan said, “Why does it feel like you’re reporting to your partner? Even sending pictures of the outside scenery.”
Xu Er explained, “He’ll pass by my place later. I lost my earphones at his house a few days ago.”
Chen Nan nodded, then suddenly asked, “What about that junior schoolmate who was chasing you? How’s that going?”
Xu Er sighed, “That was a long time ago. She graduated and went back home to work.”
Chen Nan: “So you gave up?”
Xu Er: “We lost contact.”
Chen Nan: “She was pretty.”
Xu Er agreed, “Yeah, she was good-looking.”
Chen Nan smiled, “I notice something about you…”
Xu Er asked, “What?”
Chen Nan: “Why don’t you like her?”
Xu Er smiled, “Does that really need an explanation?”
Chen Nan: “I think you actually liked her.”
“She’s objectively good,” Xu Er said, “She’s excellent inside and out. She’s got one in a hundred jobs now. She’s on the path, very impressive.”
Chen Nan watched Xu Er, “Are you interested?”
Xu Er laughed, “What do you mean?”
Chen Nan looked out the window, “Nothing, nothing.”
The car arrived at Chen Nan’s neighborhood first, then five minutes later reached Xu Er’s.
As Xu Er got out, he spotted the familiar SUV and hurried over with his bags. But the more he ran, the more uneasy he felt.
Wait a second.
What clothes was he wearing again?
No time to think—Song Ruichi had already gotten out of the car.
Xu Er froze in place, feeling heat from embarrassment rising from his feet to his head.
Tell me, how would you feel if a friend showed up wearing the exact same clothes you bought just two days ago?
Ha.
But freezing up wasn’t a solution, so Xu Er braced himself and walked over.
Why couldn’t it just be that he already owned that coat?
No need to be nervous!
“Evening, good evening,” Xu Er said, then coughed twice.
No need to be nervous!
Song Ruichi replied, “Good evening.”
Song Ruichi handed over a bag.
It was far too large for just earphones, and indeed, when Xu Er took it, it was noticeably heavier.
“What’s this?” Xu Er peeked inside.
Song Ruichi said, “A humidifier.”
“A humidifier?” Xu Er looked up. “Huh?”
Song Ruichi explained, “City A is a bit dry.”
Xu Er suddenly understood.
He decided to be humorous.
He slowly raised his hand and pretended to grab a hangnail.
Before he could even touch his finger, Song Ruichi grasped his wrist.
Song Ruichi said, “Spare me.”
Xu Er laughed heartily.
Song Ruichi added, “The humidifier is the same model as mine. Not bad.”
Xu Er silently agreed to himself, “Alright then,” and glanced again at the humidifier.