The Scorching Sun - 28

 Seeing Fang Zhuo lingering by the doorway, craning her neck to peek inside over and over again, Shen Musi poked her in the back and said, "Don't be so nervous. The adult world is all about being slick."

Yan Lie laughed and slapped his hand away. "You mean friendly."

Fang Zhuo withdrew her gaze and leaned against the wall outside to wait.

Yan Lie edged closer to her, shoved a hand into his pocket, and fished out a lollipop. He'd bought an extra one at the supermarket just now.

The bright strawberry printed on the wrapper was impossible to miss. He very magnanimously shared it with Fang Zhuo, then went back to looking down at his phone.

A faint sweetness melted across her tongue. Fang Zhuo lowered her head and folded the wrapper, lining up each corner carefully, using the repetitive motion to push away all the distracting thoughts crowding her mind.

Wei Xi and the others chatted among themselves for a bit before wandering over and standing beside her, watching her fold paper cranes.

Wei Xi rubbed her nose. She mentally twisted her words through eighteen turns before finally saying, "Your uncle treats you pretty well."

Fang Zhuo finished folding one, held it in her open palm to examine it for a moment, then unfolded it again. She nodded. "He does."

"Then why didn't he help you before?" Wei Xi's patience only stretched far enough for a single tactful sentence. "And your dad... didn't really seem like the easiest person to deal with either."

Fang Zhuo looked up and explained, "We only recently found each other."

The group responded with a collective, baffled "Huh?"

The dorm leader asked, "He seems pretty familiar with Lie Lie too?"

Yan Lie, blessed with the ears of a hawk, immediately cut in, "We only recently found each other too!"

With only a wall separating them and the back door left open, their conversation inevitably drifted into the classroom.

Several parents sitting nearby turned their heads to look at them, then cast curious glances at Ye Yuncheng, trying to figure out if they were being serious or just joking around.

After processing the information, Wei Xi said strangely, "See? I told you they were rented."

"No." Fang Zhuo replied vaguely, "He's really my uncle. We just didn't meet until recently. For... various reasons, we'd lost contact."

The group nodded, half understanding, and wisely decided not to dig deeper.

Partway through, Fang Zhuo turned and looked inside again. Ye Yuncheng seemed to be doing well. He was listening attentively, his eyes bright and focused.

Although he wasn't a talkative person, he didn't resist socializing. And he loved to read, so he'd dabbled in all kinds of knowledge. As long as he wanted to talk, he could always find topics to discuss. Even when he had nothing to add, he was an excellent listener. There was really no reason for Fang Zhuo to worry so much.

Reflecting on it, Fang Zhuo realized her concern stemmed from something else entirely. She wanted Ye Yuncheng to need her, just as she needed family. Only that subtle sense of being important to someone could soothe the unease and loneliness buried inside her.

Her family had always been strange, off-kilter like a stool with a missing corner. She could accept it being incomplete, but she just wanted it to be steady.

Unfortunately, when it came to family, she seemed to possess a remarkable talent for being difficult to love.

Which made that kind of self-comfort impossible.

Maybe she just wasn't mature enough yet.

Fang Zhuo lifted her eyes and glanced sideways toward the boy standing nearby.

Yan Lie always seemed able to handle these things effortlessly. Adults naturally liked him.

The homeroom teacher only gave a brief summary of the semester before displaying each student's strengths and achievements in a slideshow for the parents, making sure everyone received equal attention.

Since it was already getting late, she handed out cafeteria meal vouchers, reminded everyone about the afternoon assembly, and ended the meeting early.

The students surged back in, each leading their parents off to lunch.

Ye Yuncheng rose unhurriedly. After most of the people around him had left, he pulled out his cane and headed toward Fang Zhuo.

"Learn anything useful?" Fang Zhuo asked.

"Of course!" Ye Yuncheng said cheerfully. "I learned several new recipes that help boost brainpower. I'll make them for you when we get home!"

Fang Zhuo played along. "Like what?"

"Boiled eggs."

Fang Zhuo: "..." Humanity was doomed.

Ye Yuncheng laughed. "Eggs are nutritious. You can't skip them."

Yan Lie ambled over from behind and said with a grin. "Lunch is important too. You can't skip that either."

Ye Yuncheng nodded solemnly. "Lie Lie is absolutely right."

So the three of them headed to the cafeteria together.

A High's cafeteria was enormous and divided into multiple sections. Right now it was abuzz with conversation, though it wasn't especially crowded.

Ye Yuncheng held the meal vouchers in his hand, but Yan Lie took them from him. Fang Zhuo found a spot near the wall, guided Ye Yuncheng over to sit, and then went off to help Yan Lie get the food.

The cafeteria had been renovated two years earlier and still looked brand new. A massive, brightly colored mural covered one white wall, with a slogan about avoiding food waste written beneath it in neat black calligraphy.

The impressive artwork paired with such an ordinary slogan created a strangely mismatched effect.

Ye Yuncheng observed his surroundings with curiosity. When his gaze finally dropped to the table, he quickly shifted backward.

The previous student must have just finished eating, and the staff hadn't had a chance to clean up yet. A small amount of grease stained the wooden tabletop.

He removed his trench coat, folded it carefully, and placed it on the neighboring seat, revealing a slightly wrinkled dress shirt underneath.

The coat was borrowed, after all. He had to be careful.

Just as he finished arranging everything, several students passed by and sat across from him.

Ye Yuncheng recognized them as Fang Zhuo's classmates and greeted them with a smile.

"Our parents all bailed on the afternoon assembly and just took off, so it's just us left." Wei Xi explained.

She carried an overloaded tray and began setting dish after dish on the table.

"The meal vouchers expire if we don't use them, so I got extra food. Can't let it go to waste. Uncle, please, help yourself."

Taking advantage of Fang Zhuo's absence, Ye Yuncheng inquired, "Has Fang Zhuo been doing alright at school?"

"She's doing great." Wei Xi asked, "What do you mean exactly, uncle?"

Ye Yuncheng considered his words. "She doesn't seem like the type who finds it easy to get along with others."

Wei Xi shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth and thought seriously. "A little, maybe."

Then she added, "But Zhuozhuo works hard, studies seriously, doesn't cause trouble, isn't dramatic, and she's pretty. We all really like her. Not everyone has to be as chaotic as me."

The dorm leader laughed. "Oh, so you're aware of that?"

Wei Xi refused to back down. "So what if I am? It's not like I can fix it!"

The dorm leader ignored her protest and answered carefully, chopsticks still suspended in the air. "Uncle, you can rest assured. Our class gets along really well. Nobody forms exclusive cliques or bullies people. And Zhuozhuo is close with Yan Lie. Yan Lie is basically the king of the monkeys in our class. All the guys listen to him."

Ye Yuncheng smiled and looked up, though his gaze drifted past them.

Yan Lie had already approached and set down his tray.

"I step away for five minutes and you're all praising me behind my back?"

Wei Xi said, "We were praising Zhuozhuo. You just got lucky and caught some splash."

Shen Musi and Zhao Jiayou shuffled along behind him and sat themselves down as well.

The wide, long table was quickly packed.

As Fang Zhuo set utensils in front of Ye Yuncheng, she saw Wei Xi raise a hand eagerly.

"Uncle, it's my birthday this weekend. Can Zhuozhuo come hang out with us?"

Ye Yuncheng looked toward Fang Zhuo.

She looked slightly stunned. No one had ever extended an invitation like this to her before.

Smiling, he said, "If Zhuozhuo wants to go, she can go."

Before Fang Zhuo could answer, Yan Lie spoke first. "We're going downtown this weekend too. Is it on the way? Cake was just trying to drag me to an escape room."

Shen Musi nodded vigorously, his face brimming with excitement. "The premium escape room! No one on the forums has cleared it yet. Let's go give it a shot! There's a special prize if we win!"

Wei Xi hadn't planned anything specific anyway, so the suggestion sounded good to her.

Yan Lie turned toward Fang Zhuo. "Want to go? I'll show you how to play."

The back-to-back invitations left Fang Zhuo slightly dazed. She didn't even know what an escape room was.

"I guess?"

Shen Musi immediately cheered. "Then we've got a full team! Thank you, Zhuo-jie!"

Fang Zhuo didn't really follow, and just lowered her head to eat.

Since she had plans with friends for the weekend, Fang Zhuo wouldn't be able to return with Ye Yuncheng.

There wasn't much point in staying for the afternoon assembly. It could easily drag on for over an hour of standing, which would be inconvenient for Ye Yuncheng, so Fang Zhuo suggested he head home early.

A whole group of students surrounded him as they walked from the cafeteria to the academic building and then toward the school gate.

They chatted enthusiastically about trivial topics, naturally shielding attention away from his awkward gait.

Young people, it seems, always have endless things to talk about, endless energy to spend.

And a certain unspoken, instinctive kindness.

The autumn sunlight was gentle and refreshing, pouring down in golden sheets carrying the rich fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.

Walking along the smooth, wide concrete road, Fang Zhuo suddenly remembered that dream she'd once had.

In it, they had fished a sun scented with osmanthus from the sea, where it floated upon boundless blue water.

Looking back now, it didn't seem so fantastical after all.

Only after they had passed through the school gates did the others finally drift away in pairs and groups.

Fang Zhuo insisted on accompanying Ye Yuncheng to the bus stop.

They walked very slowly and didn't speak much along the way. 

But whenever Ye Yuncheng raised his head, his eyes seemed to hold the sun itself, radiant and bright.

Standing side by side before an advertisement board, Ye Yuncheng said, "You have a lot of friends."

Fang Zhuo wasn't entirely sure what qualified as a friend or where the line was drawn. Strictly speaking, they hadn't interacted all that much.

Even so, she nodded sincerely.

"You've made some very good friends," Ye Yuncheng said softly. "That's wonderful."

Fang Zhuo moved closer and looped her arm through his.

"That's wonderful," Ye Yuncheng repeated with a smile. "Uncle can rest easy now."

 

"What were you worried about?" Fang Zhuo asked.

The bus pulled up, and Fang Zhuo stepped forward to see him aboard.

Ye Yuncheng walked up to the step, then turned around and wrapped her in a brief hug, passing a little of his warmth to her before finally climbing onto the bus.

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