"I don’t really like him," Shang Jue admitted, for once being honest.
"Heh," He Yang picked up a piece of chicken, "Didn’t he get first place not long after transferring to Hai Zhong? If it were me, being top of the class and suddenly losing to a new transfer student, I wouldn’t be able to give him a friendly face either..."
He Yang had a knack for comforting people.
Shang Jue immediately lost his appetite, placing his chopsticks on the side of the plate and taking a sip of lemon water.
He Yang, looking a bit clueless, asked in surprise, "You’re already full?"
"He got first place because I wasn’t good enough."
"Huh?" He Yang looked puzzled. Why the sudden change in topic?
"I don’t feel like he stole my spotlight."
"Huh..."
"And when did I ever give him a hard time?"
"..."
This time, He Yang finally sensed that the person in front of him wasn’t in a good mood. His tongue got a little twisted, "No, I didn’t mean you were jealous of him. I meant..."
Halfway through, he suddenly realized that the more he said, the worse it got, so for once, he wisely shut his mouth.
Shang Jue coldly asked, "I’m jealous of him?"
"No, no, no!! What’s there to be jealous of about him?!" He Yang quickly tried to make amends, hoping it wasn’t too late.
As a friend, He Yang was still on Shang Jue’s side and said, "I’ve seen Lu Yuxing a few times. He’s just a bookworm, nothing compared to you! Look at you, you’re smart, emotionally intelligent, and liked wherever you go. My dad always says, 'If only you were his son instead.'"
"Tch, does he think I want to be his son? Like I chose to be born rich?"
Shang Jue: …
Suddenly, the topic hit a sore spot, and He Yang went off on a tangent, muttering to himself, "I’m not that bad either, right? I may be rich, but I never took shortcuts like other rich kids! That stupid university, A University, with such high entry scores—didn’t I get in through my own effort?"
Completely forgetting how many top-tier university tutors he had during high school.
Granted, He Yang did genuinely work hard in his final year of high school.
"He doesn’t even realize he’s in his fifties, with a horrible temper. The only reason I stayed in A City was to spend a few more years with him. I never even complained about how old-fashioned he is, and he turns around and resents me..."
Shang Jue was successfully distracted, listening to the endless ranting, feeling a headache coming on. He picked up his chopsticks again, focusing on eating to drown out the noise.
He Yang’s mouth kept rambling, but his eyes discreetly observed Shang Jue’s expression, mentally giving himself a thumbs up.
Yes! Successfully changed the topic!
—
After dinner, Shang Jue stood up, ready to head home.
"Wait, hang out with me for another hour," He Yang stopped him.
"Where to?"
He Yang rubbed his chin and said, "After yesterday, I think I’ve been going about finding a partner the wrong way."
"?"
"I’ve tried to find someone pure and genuine, but the ones who approach me always have ulterior motives. It’s like the universe is against me."
"So? You’re thinking of doing the opposite and fishing in murky waters?"
Shang Jue was just joking, but to his surprise, He Yang nodded seriously, "Exactly."
"..."
"I heard there’s a gay bar near North Second Street, but I’ve never been to a place like that, so could you come with—"
"Get lost."
He Yang was taken aback, feeling a bit wronged, "…Fine, I’ll just go by myself then."
"You drove here; you can’t drink."
"That’s why I asked you to come, hehe. I know you have a driver’s license."
Shang Jue sighed softly, "So you invited me to dinner just to be your driver?"
He Yang retorted, "That sounds harsh! It's just for an hour. I only want to go in and take a look; you can just drive around the area. I promise it’ll only take an hour!"
Despite his carefree attitude, He Yang had grown up pampered and had never stepped into places like bars or nightclubs, which were often seen as shady. Though he had heard a few shocking tales about such places, he had never had the courage to actually step inside. Today, he had finally mustered the resolve to bring Shang Jue along for support.
Shang Jue was about to say something else when he caught sight of He Yang's clear eyes looking at him. "You wouldn’t want to see me getting picked up by someone, would you?"
"…Just make it quick."
"Alright!"
While waiting, Shang Jue didn’t want to sit in the greasy atmosphere of the restaurant any longer, so he decided to wander around the area.
He passed by a dessert shop that sold icy treats. The colorful sign outside caught his attention, showcasing various desserts served in white porcelain bowls that made passersby crave a taste.
Shang Jue paused, eyeing the "Highly Recommended" mango ice on the sign for several moments. He felt a genuine craving building inside him.
Due to family habits, he typically ate until he was about 70-80% full. Coupled with the human stomach's capacity for dessert, he could definitely manage an entire serving.
The only downside was that he was allergic to mangoes.
Shang Jue had a tendency to be allergic to various things—seafood, dust mites, and occasionally even ultraviolet light. Even his long-time favorite fruit, mango, had become a no-go since high school when he suddenly broke out in hives after eating it one day.
He had never experienced love, but he imagined that the feeling of losing his favorite fruit was somewhat similar to a breakup.
After years of adoring mangoes, they had abandoned him without warning.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to walk into the shop.
"Hello?" The staff at the ordering counter greeted him with a smile. "What would you like to order?"
"I'll have the mango ice, just half a serving, please."
The staff member blinked in surprise. "Uh, we don’t sell half servings."
Thinking to herself: I have my professional standards; I won’t give you special treatment just because you’re good-looking—
Shang Jue smiled and said, "I’ll pay full price, but please just help me with half a serving."
Seeing his smile, the staff member realized she had misunderstood and felt her cheeks flush a bit.
“Okay, please wait a moment.”
However, even with half a serving, Shang Jue didn’t dare to finish it. He took a few bites to satisfy his craving and then set down the spoon, no longer touching it. He wasn’t foolish enough to prioritize his taste buds over his health.
A message from He Yang came through.
【He Yang】: Wow, Shang Shang, the lights here are dazzling!
【He Yang】: I’ve only been in for ten minutes, and I already have several people adding me.
Shang Jue didn’t reply and scrolled through other messages. After a short while, another notification popped up.
【He Yang】: [video]
Shang Jue glanced up and clicked on it absentmindedly.
In the video, a man with a well-defined rear was wearing revealing shorts and dancing wildly on stage.
Shang Jue quickly shut his eyes, turning off the video. It took him a moment to banish that image from his mind.
Respect, but he just couldn’t understand.
【Shang Jue】: .
【Shang Jue】: You like this kind of thing?
【He Yang】: No way! I just found the visual shock too strong.
【He Yang】: Brothers should share the joys and the sorrows together!
【Shang Jue】: . .
Ten minutes later.
【He Yang】: What the heck!!
Shang Jue waited for a while and, seeing that there was no further response, lazily typed a “?” and sent it.
The chat page displayed “typing…” flashing continuously, as if He Yang was undergoing a difficult psychological struggle on the other side.
【He Yang】: Shang Shang… someone just grabbed my crotch!
Shang Jue: “…”
Before long, He Yang returned with a sullen face, sulking as he sat in the passenger seat. It seemed he had developed a psychological shadow from his experience ten minutes earlier.
Shang Jue started the car and asked, “How did that happen? Care to share?”
“…”
“I had a bit to drink, and the place was so loud that I got dizzy. I thought I’d just lean on the bar for a bit… and then someone…”
Shang Jue interrupted, “Got it.” He paused, hesitating before asking, “So, did he succeed?”
“Of course not! As soon as his hand came in, I woke up.” He Yang sounded defeated. “And that guy was really ugly…”
Shang Jue immediately felt a greater distance from the gay scene. Then he remembered that he had pretended to be someone’s boyfriend not long ago.
Lost in thought while waiting for the traffic light, a call came in. Shang Jue glanced at the unfamiliar local number but felt like he’d seen it before. He picked up.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end was deep, amplified by the speakerphone, echoing in the car.
He Yang turned in confusion, thinking the voice sounded familiar. Before he could figure out who it was, he saw his friend, who was staunchly single, chuckling lightly.
“What’s up, babe?”
“…”
He Yang: !!?
Suddenly, both He Yang in the passenger seat and the voice on the phone fell into a prolonged silence.
When he spoke again, Lu Yuxing's tone had turned completely cold and hard. "I’ve returned to school. My brother asked me to bring you something as a thank you for taking care of me in the hospital."
Shang Jue was a bit surprised. "You remembered?"
He added, “—about us?”
“... No.” After saying this, as if he didn't want to discuss it any further, he immediately changed the subject. "Ge Zhicheng said you’re not living in the dorm anymore. Where should I bring the things to you?"
Shang Jue thought for a moment and replied, "At the south gate of the school. I’ll be passing by there in about twenty minutes."
He remembered that Lu Yuxing's memory hadn’t returned and uncertainly asked, "You remember the way from the dorm to the south gate, right?"
“I don’t remember, but I’ll use navigation.”
In the next second, he hung up the phone.
With just a few seconds left on the red light, Shang Jue turned his gaze and met He Yang's piercing glare.
Along with this cutting look came the other person's gritted teeth voice: "What does 'baby' mean? Can you please explain?"
“...”
—
The car arrived at the south gate of A University twenty minutes later.
It was quite late, and a few orange streetlights outside the campus faintly illuminated the figures standing by the path.
Lu Yuxing stood under a tree by the roadside, most of his figure shrouded in shadow.
He was not easy to spot, but because of his tall stature and the heavy items he was carrying, Shang Jue caught sight of him at a glance.
He temporarily parked the car at the school gate, leaving He Yang inside, and walked alone to Lu Yuxing.
Lu Yuxing remained silent and handed over the things in his hands.
Lu Yunsheng hadn't picked anything too expensive; considering the high Engel coefficient of university students, most of the gifts were durable snacks: high-quality dried fruits, imported chocolates, pastries, and a bag of seasonal fruits.
He was very good at giving gifts.
On the surface, Shang Jue appeared cool and extremely disciplined, but privately, he loved hoarding snacks, especially sweets.
He accepted the gifts without hesitation.
From the standpoint of a "boyfriend," Shang Jue asked with concern, “You haven’t recovered from your amnesia yet, so why did you come back to school? Is your brother okay with you living here?”
Not only was he dealing with amnesia, but Lu Yuxing's external injuries had not fully healed either.
The wound on his forehead had formed a new scab, barely covered by a few stray hairs.
“I just lost a few years of memory; it’s not like I lost my common sense or intelligence,” Lu Yuxing glanced at him.
The day after Shang Jue left, two boys he had no recollection of visited him in the hospital, claiming to be his roommates. One was named Ge Zhicheng, and the other Lin Xuying.
Especially Ge Zhicheng, who appeared close to tears upon seeing him, shouted at the other, “Yingzi, I really have the worst luck!”
Lu Yuxing didn’t remember them at all and felt no emotional connection, but he was still grateful for their kind gesture in visiting him.
The two told Lu Yuxing a lot about himself. Although they didn’t help him recover any memory fragments, they were still a great help.
At least he was no longer completely clueless about his life three years later.
He asked them a question, one he had been struggling with for two whole days: “What is my relationship with Shang Jue?”
Ge Zhicheng’s expression became quite strange, and after holding back for a while, he finally answered, “I just met Shang Jue this semester, so I don’t know much about him. But…”
“Your relationship seems to be a bit complicated?”
“…”
After that, Lu Yuxing didn’t ask any more questions.
— A complicated relationship.
He was somewhat reluctant to figure out exactly what kind of complicated relationship it was.
Lu Yuxing lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the person in front of him.
Since his so-called "boyfriend" left last time, he had not been able to visit him in the hospital again.
Of course, Lu Yuxing didn’t expect Shang Jue to come, but if they were truly in a romantic relationship, would it be normal for one partner to completely ignore the other who was dealing with amnesia for an entire week?
But if the person in front of him was lying, then how could he explain the transfer record?
"And," he continued, "the doctor suggested I return to familiar places and interact more with familiar people and environments; it might help recover my memories."
"I went home for a bit, but it didn’t help. So, I came back to school."
Shang Jue responded with an "oh," then asked, "After coming back to school, has it helped?"
“... Yes.”
This was also why his brother agreed to let him continue attending classes at school. This afternoon, when he returned to dorm 323 and saw his bookshelf, many things came to mind.
Upon hearing this unexpected answer, Shang Jue’s gaze shifted slightly, and he casually probed, “So, what did you remember?”
Lu Yuxing paused for a moment and said, “... Indefinite integrals.”
Shang Jue: “...”
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