The Scorching Sun - 83
Around the time of the Spring Festival, A University was already on break. Then an outbreak of an epidemic erupted without warning, and cities across the country began locking down.
Xiao Mu was stuck at his uncle's house under quarantine, while the shopping mall where Ye Yuncheng worked had temporarily closed as well. Fang Zhuo hadn't managed to buy any masks, so she stayed home and focused on her studies.
The shutdown didn't have much of an impact on Ye Yuncheng financially. He didn't have to pay rent for the shop, after all, and he had managed to put aside some savings beforehand. It was enough to get them through the crisis for the time being.
It was the sudden abundance of free time that left him at a loss for what to do. In the end, he simply shifted his attention to updating his short videos and developing new dishes.
Out of curiosity, and partly because it was related to her field of study, Fang Zhuo decided, at Yan Lie's urging, to try figuring out the mysterious algorithm behind short-video apps.
After spending several days scrolling through Douyin, she still hadn't managed to reverse-engineered the algorithm. What she had figured out, down to the last detail, was a hundred different ways to make cake.
Yan Lie followed the tutorials and gave it a try, dreaming of unlocking his hidden culinary talent. Unfortunately, every attempt ended in failure.
Video-calling Ye Yuncheng, he mournfully announced that he'd spent more than a week eating food with a distinct eggy smell that defied description, and that he didn't want to eat another sweet thing for at least the next six months.
Ye Yuncheng was both amused and helpless. He told Yan Lie to prop his phone up beside the stove and proceeded to teach him how to cook, step by step.
The two of them holed up in the kitchen for half the day, talking in low, earnest voices, completely absorbed in their exchange. Fang Zhuo walked through the background several times, yet neither of them paid her the slightest attention.
Well. Yan Lie had officially become part of the family.
Fang Zhuo felt a faint, sour pang in her heart. Yan Lie had approached her with less-than-pure intentions from the very beginning, now he'd even managed to get himself a free uncle out of the deal.
The outbreak in A City wasn't particularly severe, once no new cases were discovered in the city center, Ye Yuncheng took advantage of an evening grocery run to deliver some food to Yan Lie.
Later that night, Yan Lie decided to show his gratitude by taking Ye Yuncheng into a game, determined to let him experience the joys of being a young student in the present day.
Ye Yuncheng seemed surprisingly good at it. Of course, it was also possible that Yan Lie was simply too skilled at sweet-talking people.
Listening to the patient, coaxing instructions coming through the speakers, Fang Zhuo recorded Yan Lie's exceptionally attentive, even downright solicitous behavior and uploaded it to a restricted audience on her Moments feed.
The next morning, Ye Yuncheng was still on voice chat with Yan Lie. Fang Zhuo couldn't resist joining in for a while, only to discover that she was spectacularly unsuited to this kind of MOBA game.
Her fierce competitive streak made it impossible for her to accept watching her character die over and over, suffering one crushing defeat after another... but she was simply terrible at the game.
Two hours later, she deleted the game for good and let out a long breath, finally releasing all the frustration she had been holding inside.
Why play games? She might as well study.
?
Things weren't nearly so peaceful in B City.
The epidemic had dealt a major blow to businesses. All of the contracts Yan Chengli had previously signed were now impossible to fulfill on schedule. He'd been running himself ragged these past few days, even after finally renegotiating delivery dates with the partners, he still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that he'd overlooked something.
After thinking it over, he realized that most of that anxiety probably came from Yan Lie.
The more panicked society became, the more worried they were. Though every call they made to Yan Lie brought back the same reassuring answer that he was safe and well, they still couldn't quiet the unease in their hearts.
They hadn't worried this much when Yan Lie was little.
Yan Chengli guessed that perhaps, back then, they simply hadn't had enough experience or the right frame of mind to truly understand what being a parent truly entails. Now, he wondered whether he had realized it all too late.
That evening, he finally found a little free time. He sat in his study with a cup of tea, closed the door, and quietly peeked through Yan Lie's Moments feed.
Yan Lie had once been quite fond of posting there, but lately he didn't seem to update it much. He used QQ more often instead.
Sure enough, there was little to be found on WeChat. Yan Chengli switched over to Yan Lie's QQ feed.
During the epidemic, Yan Lie had actually started posting more frequently. In a way, it could barely count as another way of assuring everyone that he was safe.
Yan Chengli scrolled straight down and started looking from the very beginning.
They Call Me Lie: [Picture] My fifth failed cake. Is this even reasonable?! [Face contorted in agony]
Wei What: Give it up. You're not cut out for the kitchen. Keep this up and you'll be visited by the fire department.
Mousse Cake: Lie Lie, is this because you miss me? [Well-behaved]
Ye Yuncheng: How did you manage to make it like this? Let me take a look.
They Call Me Lie replied to Ye Yuncheng: [Aggrieved]
Looking at the picture, Yan Chengli felt a pang of sadness. Due to the epidemic, the housekeeper couldn't come over. Yan Lie was stuck at home alone and couldn't even get a proper meal. How pitiful.
He switched to his banking app and transferred ten thousand yuan to Yan Lie, telling him to order delivery without worrying about the price. There had to be some restaurants in A City that were still open.
After sending the money, he returned to the feed and continued scrolling upward.
They Call Me Lie: [Picture] Dinner funded by Uncle! And the recipes he sent me. [Hands on cheeks] Thank you, Uncle!
A whole crowd of classmates chimed in underneath, saying they desperately missed the braised food from Uncle's shop and asking when the store would finally reopen.
The picture showed a small handwritten note.
Yan Chengli enlarged the image and could just make out the words: "Portion out the chicken soup and keep it in the freezer. When you're hungry, use it as stock to cook noodles." "Live shrimp packed with water can be kept for quite a while. Don't thaw them before cooking. Make sure to add salt." "Wash the newly pickled vegetables before eating. Remember not to eat too much instant noodles. It's unhealthy."...
There was plenty more. It was plain for everyone to see that Ye Yuncheng had provided Yan Lie with considerable assistance, as well as an abundance of care.
Yan Chengli took a deep breath, feeling touched and yet strangely conflicted.
He waited a little while. When his phone finally vibrated, he happily switched back to his WeChat chat window.
In the pinned conversation, he could see the other person's reply without even opening the chat.
Lie Lie: ? I still have money. You don't need to give me any.
Lie Lie: [Picture] My personal savings.
The attitude was cold.
There was no gratitude as he'd imagined, not even a cute emoji with hands on cheeks.
Something in Yan Chengli's chest gave a painful jab, but there was no way he could show it. He stared at the picture for two seconds... Well, he had to admit, the kid was pretty loaded. Just like his father!
Yan Chengli cleared his throat and typed into the chat with all the concern he could muster.
Yan Li: Are you doing all right by yourself at home?
Lie Lie: Pretty good.
Yan Li: Is there anything you're having trouble adjusting to? Are you bored?
Lie Lie: I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me.
As expected, the conversation came to a halt again.
Yan Chengli clicked his tongue, the tip of his tongue suddenly dry. He picked up the glass of water on the desk and took a small sip, feeling thoroughly miserable.
He opened Yan Lie's QQ feed again. Now, only the newest post remains.
They Call Me Lie: Uncle's game stats. [Picture] He's so good! [Excited]
The comments were even livelier than before. Apparently, boys tended to enjoy this game, even the academic types. Especially during lockdown, when everyone was confined to their homes and entertainment options were limited.
Mousse Cake: That's some serious skill! Queue with me next time!
Zhao Jiayou: Cake is hopeless. His gaming skills are terrifying.
August Blue: Lie, carry me up the ranks. If you do, I'll hand over the president position to you next semester, senior's promise.
Doudouzi: How much does this carry cost? Heard you're pretty good. [Doge]
This time, Yan Chengli wasn't merely a little jealous. He felt as though an invisible gust of rage were about to blow the top right off his head.
He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, telling himself to calm down. It was only a game. They'd merely played one together.
But he simply couldn't understand why Yan Lie could be so sweet and well-behaved with other parents, tossing out emojis with such practiced ease, yet whenever he faced his own father, he sounded as stiff and distant like they were conducting business.
He had never once appeared in Yan Lie's social feed, while Ye Yuncheng had managed a hat trick.
The only person who had achieved that before was Fang Zhuo.
At the thought of Fang Zhuo, Yan Chengli shuddered.
He opened her social feed, wanting to see whether she'd posted anything about Yan Lie recently.
She had. A video just over a minute long that completely opened the door to a new world for Yan Chengli.
In the video was a gentleness he'd never once received, each word spoken in an almost unbearably sweet tone.
"Uncle, come this way. Follow me. That's right."
"Uncle, come on. I'll heal you up."
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll avenge you."
"You're amazing, Uncle! You're so smart! Is this talent?"
Yan Chengli didn't play games, but even he knew the basics. His assistant had once told him that, among boys, inviting someone to play a game together was one of the most sincere expressions of friendship.
And the strongest relationships were the ones where nobody called the other person a noob while they were playing.
Yan Chengli's mental defenses collapsed.
In the instant they gave way, he remembered something else his assistant had said. Games had practically become a form of socializing among young people these days.
Yan Chengli couldn't sit still. He stood up and paced once around the desk. In the end, he couldn't suppress the surge of emotion inside him. He raised his phone and hammered out a message to Yan Lie.
Yan Li: Are you free right now?
They Call Me Lie: I guess. Do you need something?
Yan Li: Can you carry me in a game?
There was a long silence on the other end.
Yan Chengli took that silence to mean Yan Lie was comparing how important he was to Ye Yuncheng.
While he waited, he searched for the name of the game and hit download.
He hadn't expected it to be so large. Several gigabytes. It was going to take a long time to finish downloading.
He hurriedly messaged Yan Lie again and arranged another time, saying half an hour later.
Yan Lie still didn't reply.
He simply switched from WeChat to QQ and went to Fang Zhuo to analyze the situation.
They Call Me Lie: My dad contacted you again? Did you give him advice?
Little Sun: No? Why?
They Call Me Lie: He's acting weird. He asked me to play a game with him?
They Call Me Lie: What is he doing? Is he speaking sarcastically? I'm already in university. Is it really that unacceptable for me to play a game once in a while? [Headache]
Little Sun: Huh? Want me to ask him?
They Call Me Lie: He must have gone through my feed, but I've only posted one thing about gaming?
They Call Me Lie: I'm blocking him.
Fang Zhuo had a vague feeling that wasn't what happened.
She felt that she might actually understand the way Yan Chengli's mind worked, which was a frightening thought in itself.
Little Sun: Uncle, are you saying you want to play games, or that you don't want him to play games?
Yan Li: Play games!
Yan Li: I heard playing games can bring people closer!
Little Sun: Really? Who told you that?
Yan Li: It's true! Young people said so.
Yan Chengli's answer was so emphatic, complete with multiple exclamation marks, that Fang Zhuo, who didn't know much about this particular field, couldn't say for certain whether he was right. All she could do was relay his exact words to Yan Lie and tell him to carry his dad up the ranks later.
Yan Lie seemed deeply resistant. He struggled with it for half a minute before finally surrendering with a reluctant, "Fine."
This was a father-and-son bonding activity. Fang Zhuo didn't pay much attention to it.
Just before bed, she suddenly remembered and casually checked Yan Lie's feed.
They Call Me Lie: Dropped a rank. [This is ridiculous] Looking for a booster! Paying top dollar! [Furious]
...Fang Zhuo suspected he'd really blocked Yan Chengli.
She also learned an important lesson.
Games couldn't bring people closer. At least, not when one of them was a noob.
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