It wasn’t that the Yan family didn’t believe in fate, but simply because they didn’t need to.
No. 26 High School had an open-minded atmosphere, with opinions on puppy love split into two camps. Otherwise, the legendary stories blooming like a hundred flowers on the school forum wouldn’t have persisted for so long. Every year, homeroom teachers would hold class meetings to discuss the topic despite the controversy. One camp argued it hindered studies, while the other believed proper guidance could actually boost academic performance, insisting that romance and learning weren’t inherently contradictory.
Back then, the discussion involved Yan Xiu’s former homeroom teacher and math teacher before he switched classes. They held differing opinions and didn’t try to avoid the topic even when Yan Xiu arrived.
The math teacher thought strict rules were a good thing, while the homeroom teacher felt that appropriate guidance could be given based on the student’s personality, without forceful suppression.
The homeroom teacher even patted Yan Xiu on the shoulder, using him as an example to the math teacher: “Our Yan Xiu is self-disciplined and self-controlled. How likely do you think he’ll have his life affected by dating?”
The math teacher didn’t take it seriously: “What do you think is the probability of Yan Xiu dating early?”
Indeed, not very likely. Yan Xiu himself agreed with this at the time.
He was used to planning; his mind was filled with formulas, dividing the past, present, and future into boundaries early on. He calculated the long road of life into a monotonous line, from the simple cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death, to going to school, working, and starting a family.
For the past decade or so, his path had never been deviated, much like most people’s, filled with studying, playing, and occasional clashes with his parents. He knew how to skillfully avoid unnecessary troubles to make his life more comfortable, so it had been a smooth journey.
As for starting a family, that point itself inherently presented a challenge.
When his peers tentatively extended their tender branches of affection, Yan Xiu remained unmoved, as steadfast as a mountain, even considering reminding them that instead of wasting their attention on him, they should spend their time understanding the questions, so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes four or five times.
Therefore, he set this point very far in the future.
Later, Yu Sui shattered this point, disrupted the path, or rather, erased everything that followed, leaving nothing behind.
Tang Ying told Lao Yan, “This is Lao Yu’s youngest son, practically a brother to you. Don’t bully him.”
Yu Jingyuan told Yu Liao, “Xiao Sui is troubling you at school.”
Yu Sui said, “I don’t need an older brother. Don’t treat me like a younger brother.”
Yan Xiu told Yu Sui, “I don’t treat you like a younger brother.”
Or rather, he only remembered from the very beginning that this person was the youngest son of the Yu family.
When the young man barged into his dreams, Yan Xiu already knew.
He merely tossed and turned for one night.
Having his plans disrupted didn’t matter—life was inherently full of surprises, and unchanging scenery grew dull.
He cherished it simply because he liked it.
Yu Sui either didn’t invite anyone home, or he invited a large group at once. Liang Wen and the others followed Yang Feiwen, laughing and joking. A dozen classmates stood lined up at the Yu family’s doorstep, tilting their heads and scratching them with cheerful grins, exuding youthful energy in their earnestness.
They probably weren’t sure who was home at Yu Sui’s place, entering cautiously and remaining reserved even after going upstairs.
When they actually saw Yan Xiu emerge from Yu Sui’s room in casual clothes, they stared in disbelief.
“Shall we go to the living room?” Yan Xiu asked.
Yu Sui didn’t want these people to come into his room and make a mess, so he looked away and nodded, “Mm.”
“You really know how to make trouble for me.” The young master slapped Yang Feiwen on the back, startling Yang Feiwen into taking a step forward: “Hey, didn’t you already agree?”
The Yu family was different from Tang Bohu’s place. At Tang Bohu’s, a crowd could only squeeze into the room, and once the door was closed, no one outside could hear what was going on inside.
But here at Yu Sui’s place, Aunt would occasionally come over to check if they wanted some fruit, and even come over to ask the girls if they needed blankets. This kept the group of kids sitting properly, not daring to be too disruptive, and they played their intellectual board games obediently.
Yi Tian and two girls even brought their backpacks, which contained the textbook they had to memorize in its entirety this week.
Yu Sui’s three roommates mingled among them, exchanging glances before quietly coming over to look at the fortune-telling container with Yu Sui.
Mainly because Yang Feiwen wanted to draw one.
“Sweetie added me back on WeChat,” Yang Feiwen said, resting his chin on his hand with a dreamy look on his face. “I think I still like her.”
His roommate next to him spat, “You like anything you see. People who are fickle never end well.”
Yu Sui left the container for them, instructing, “Don’t break it.”
“We won’t.”
The others formed a circle, gradually getting absorbed in the game, their voices growing louder.
Yu Sui circled around, finally sitting behind Yan Xiu and quietly poking him in the back.
The chatter was noisy, and unless someone was deliberately watching them, they probably wouldn’t notice what was happening here.
Yan Xiu, supporting himself on the ground, turned his head, his eyes questioning.
Yu Sui seemed to hesitate for a moment before asking, “Is it among us?”
“What?” Yan Xiu couldn’t follow his train of thought.
But Yu Sui didn’t ask further. He waved his hand dismissively, picked up a cushion, straightened up, and walked over to the sofa.
Yan Xiu’s gaze followed him, seeing the young master Yu sitting slumped on the sofa with a cushion on his hand. He casually looked at the cards Liang Wen had received, his smile unusually quiet.
He didn’t seem very happy.
“Yan-ge, it’s your turn,” the girl with two braids called to Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu got the last two cards and paused before placing the set of cards down. The group immediately erupted in sighs.
“Ah—” Yi Tian said with a look of regret, “Yan-ge, you’re out.”
The boy next to Yan Xiu leaned closer and said, “Didn’t I just tell you not to play this game? Playing it will mean certain death.”
Yan Xiu shook his head: “Sorry, I’ve never played it before.”
He seemed unwilling to spoil their fun. Gathering the cards together and handing them over, he stood up and went to the kitchen to pour some lemon water.
Out of the corner of his eye, the figure was gone.
Yu Sui glanced over at Yan Xiu, saw that he really was just getting lemon water, and continued leaning against the back of the sofa.
Liang Wen’s cards were boring. He had drawn a mediocre set— not too early to be eliminated, but not likely to survive until the end either. He was an unremarkable extra.
Yu Sui only looked at it for a moment before pulling out his phone and tapping around on a few apps. Ever since he changed to that all-white profile picture, he hadn’t switched it again. After Yan Xiu changed to that all-black profile picture, he hadn’t switched his either.
The black and white in their chat window looked odd, but they were at least somewhat compatible.
Now Yu Sui didn’t want to use a white profile picture anymore.
He browsed through his photo album, finally hanging up a dried salted fish—the kind you could practically smell through the screen.
In front of him was a low round glass table, with a circle of cell phones arranged around it. Some people’s phone screens were completely black, while others were always lit.
The one that was always lit belonged to Yang Feiwen.
Yang Feiwen was a master of gossip and a super social butterfly, owning countless group chats, none of which he ever muted. He could spend the whole day glued to his phone, replying to messages.
The noisiest group chat right now, judging from the names, is clearly from the official CP thread again.
[My goal for the new semester is to spend a day at Class 3 Arts]
[Class 3 Arts is having another team-building event, at Sui’er’s house!]
[Did the Minister really sleep with Sui’er yesterday?]
[Relax, it’s just an overnight stay. They might not sleep in the same room.]
[Why are two guys sharing rooms!]
Yu Sui glanced at them, thinking, stop yelling, your CP is over.
“I’m not a God.”
“I just don’t need to have my fortune told.”
Yu Sui pursed his lips and clicked his tongue lightly.
Pretty mysterious.
Suddenly, someone tapped the top of his head with a finger. Yu Sui instinctively lowered his head, and a glass of lemonade was placed right under his nose.
“Here,” Yan Xiu’s low voice sounded beside him.
Yu Sui reached out, watching Yan Xiu place the glass and the lemonade on the table.
Then he walked to his side.
Yan Xiu: “What were you spacing out about?”
Leaning against the sofa, Yu Sui squinted slightly. “I wasn’t spacing out. I was thinking about something.”
Yan Xiu looked down at him. “What?”
“I was thinking about the person who told you not to draw lots. They did a good job keeping it a secret, Minister.” Yu Sui patted Yan Xiu’s shoulder and drank half the lemonade, shoving it back into Yan Xiu’s hand. Then he turned to slip away: “I’m going to see what A-Wen and the others have done to Yan Wuyan’s things.”
In an instant, the sofa was one person emptier. Yan Xiu shook the remaining half-glass of water and casually set it on the table.
Yu Sui stood quietly behind Yang Feiwen and the others.
Yang Feiwen had drawn several times. He would mutter something, shake the container, wait for a stick to fall out, then grab it in his palm and whisper a few more words before squinting to see what he had drawn. Beside him, a roommate was recording the whole thing on his phone.
“What are you doing?” Yu Sui couldn’t help but ask.
The roommate said, “He insists on drawing a very auspicious lot, the kind that says ‘Happy Marriage’ or something.”
Yu Sui’s lips twitched. He said to Yang Feiwen, “Tell me which ones you want, and I’ll pick them all out and throw them in. Take the rest away, and then you can draw again, okay?”
“That’s different,” Yang Feiwen said with a sullen face.
The two roommates turned away and burst into laughter.
It was only then that Yu Sui heard the full, sweet version of the story from them. Apparently, although Tian Tian had added Yang Feiwen back, she had no intention of rekindling their past relationship. On top of that, Yang Feiwen had used his formidable gossip skills to find out that two guys in Tian Tian’s class were pursuing her this semester.
“One is taller than A-Wen,” the roommate said. “And the other is more handsome. What makes A-Wen stand out?”
Yu Sui, being particularly accommodating to Yang Feiwen this time, replied, “An interesting soul.”
Yang Feiwen was moved and bowed to Yu Sui with clasped hands. He stopped shaking the container, stood up, and followed Yu Sui to look for snacks while complaining about the two boys in Tian Tian’s class: “Lao Qin and the others are just trying to provoke me. Actually, those two boys aren’t that great, and both got rejected by Tian Tian anyway.”
Yu Sui chuckled: “Then why are you so nervous?”
“It’s different,” Yang Feiwen sighed, muttering. “Even if I really got together with Tian Tian, I’d still have to do something in this situation.”
And “something” meant hiding behind her and frantically shaking the fortune sticks?
Yu Sui looked utterly bewildered.
Yang Feiwen was embarrassed by his expression for a moment, then, for some reason, his face turned slightly red: “Actually, it’s just jealousy.”
Oh, jealousy.
The young master nodded seriously.
Yang Feiwen suddenly realized that discussing this with Yu Sui was like talking to a brick wall. “Why are you nodding? You don’t even understand.”
He expected Yu Sui to retort, but instead, Yu Sui just gave him a cool, sidelong glance.
“What do you mean?” Yang Feiwen was taken aback.
Before he could process what was going on, Yu Sui abruptly changed the subject, “Do you remember what to bring for the training?”
Yang Feiwen thought for a moment, “Nothing much, probably the same as before: a change of clothes, sheet music, and Lao Gu said to keep my ID safe. That’s all.”
Only after he finished speaking did he realize that the person who asked him wasn’t even listening. Yu Sui had already slipped into the crowd playing card games, phone in hand.
Yu Sui had something on his mind and didn’t really want to sit with Yan Xiu. But after looking around, Yan Xiu glanced at him, and Yu Sui went over to him.
He didn’t want to appear to be throwing a tantrum.
“Figured out how to play it?” Yu Sui asked casually.
Yan Xiu glanced at the cards: “Yeah.”
But when Yu Sui looked up again, Yan Xiu was the first one eliminated.
Yu Sui: “…Impressive, Minister.”
Yan Xiu, on the other hand, remained calm.Though he looked proud, he was quite humble when it came to things he wasn’t good at. In the next round, he was dealt another terrible hand. This time, Yan Xiu didn’t rush to arrange his cards. Instead, he handed them all to Yu Sui, making room for him to sit forward. “You take over.”
Yu Sui glanced at the cards. “Giving up already?”
Yan Xiu replied: “Yes, I give up.”
After all, he had never been able to beat anyone in this kind of game.
His voice was soft, almost as if it were whispering right beside Yu Sui’s ear. He subtly turned his head to the side, glancing at his classmates who were all making a fuss.
“Why are you blushing?” Tang Bohu said.
Liang Wen chimed in: “Exactly.”
The two of them bantered back and forth, making everyone laugh, which ironically helped Yu Sui calm down. He crossed his legs, not even looking at Yan Xiu, and silently threw out a set of cards. Young Master Yu’s dominance proved firsthand that one shouldn’t be too presumptuous in someone else’s home. He also saved Minister Yan’s face, preventing him from suffering further defeats—though Yan Xiu didn’t seem to care.
The weekend gathering didn’t last long. Everyone was afraid of running into Yu Sui’s family and slipped away early.
Yu Sui was going to Fucun Village to return the fortune-telling sticks, and Yan Xiu, having changed his clothes, went with him.
The bus to Fucun was nearly empty on the holiday. They sat in the back, each with an earphone on, playing on their phones.
Not long ago, Yu Sui had changed Yan Xiu’s contact name to “Legendary Aristocratic Brother” as a declaration of his wholehearted acceptance of the situation.
Though a bit lengthy, it looked decent enough—it felt intimately connected and full of promising potential.
He looked at it for two seconds, then slowly deleted the name, and the nickname returned to “Ren Mu.”
The song in his earphones had been looping for a while, and occasionally it started to feel tiresome.
Yu Sui took off the earphones and stuffed them into his pocket, resting his head against the seat in front as he swayed and scrolled through his phone.
Because of Yang Feiwen, and also because of his own guilty conscience, Yu Sui joined a group chat for the official CP, but he always kept it on “Do Not Disturb” and had a note saying “Don’t look,” so he almost never clicked in.
But everyone in the group knew he was there, and the chat was always lively.
[@Fish Can, your CP’s birthday is coming up!]
Yu Sui clicked in because of this message, then stared blankly for a moment after reading it.
He remembered Yan Xiu’s birthday, but he’d been distracted by other things today and hadn’t thought of it.
Ever since Yan Xiu’s two sentences, a restless cat had been roaming inside him, and he’d spent half the day pondering who this possible person might be.
Now, Yu Sui slapped that restless cat to death and lightly kicked Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu took off his headphones and turned around.
Yu Sui showed him his phone screen and bluntly asked, “What do you want?”
Yan Xiu: “…”
Most people, when asked this bluntly, would humbly say no, or more directly state what gift they wanted.
Yan Xiu, however, chose neither. He glanced at the phone screen, then at Yu Sui’s earnest expression, seeming for a moment as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately averted his gaze. “Let me think about it.”
“Still thinking?” Yu Sui put his phone away and swiped lightly. “There aren’t many days left. You need to tell me in advance.”
Yan Xiu tilted his head slightly. “What if I still can’t figure it out in the end?”
Yu Sui: “…I’ll owe you.”
He thought for a moment and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll prepare another gift for you.”
The young master always took other people’s birthdays very seriously.
Perhaps because he was on his way to Fucun Village again, Yan Xiu easily thought of that curly-haired boy.
He didn’t ask any further questions and glanced down at the message.
Yan Xiu refreshed the screen and saw that the person next to him had changed their all-white profile picture to a salted fish.
He clicked on the salted fish profile picture, but before he could look at it closely, the young master asked again.
This time, Yu Sui lowered his voice and asked quietly, “Is it Zhanni?”
“What?” Yan Xiu looked at him, puzzled. “What is it? What about Jenny?”
Before Yan Xiu could say anything, Yu Sui’s heart had already sunk.
He thought unreasonably, It must be her. When has Minister Yan ever not called people by their full names? Now he’s not even using the full name for the student council president.
“Oh,” Yu Sui said coldly. “It’s nothing.”
What a problem.
Frowning, Yan Xiu suddenly grabbed Yu Sui and pulled him down, snatching his phone. He even mimicked Yu Sui’s earlier politeness: “Sorry, I just want to see what you’re up to.”
But the young master didn’t resist. He let Yan Xiu hold him down and even pointed: “It’s the fifth message down right now—the love-hate relationship between the Discipline Inspection Minister and the Student Council President.”
The screen remained on the forum page, with only a few trending posts. Aside from the ever-present official CPthread, there were two or three campus news updates. Scrolling further down, due to Chen Zhanni’s recent relentless pursuit, this post had surprisingly made it to the trending list as well.
Most of the comments discussed the matter in a teasing tone.
But Yu Sui didn’t click on it at all.
Yan Xiu finished scrolling: “Chen Zhanni is looking for the next President. I didn’t agree.”
“……”
Yu Sui’s mind felt a little muddled; he didn’t really know what kind of outcome he wanted.
He chuckled, spouting nonsense: “It’s okay, how about we talk to them and change the official CP? I’ll make do with making room for someone else.”
Yan Xiu released his grip, probably afraid Yu Sui would bump his head on the seat in front of him again. He reached out to block him, then spread his hands, revealing the protective charm hanging from his keychain: “You’re lying to me?”
Yu Sui was speechless for a moment: “…No.”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152