Chapter 87: 201's Handsome Brother

Actually, if nothing else, Yu Fan should be in South City at this moment.

Now it's changed to going back with a bunch of old friends, and somehow it's different in a way that I can't quite put my finger on.

Wang Luan had originally planned to return a few days later than the other two, but when he heard that Yu Fan was also going, he changed his visa without thinking.

Wang Luan was chattering away in the discussion group, but Yu Fan didn't say a word in return, and opened and rummaged through his long-packed suitcase again.

Then thought about it, when Chen Jingshen did not pay attention, he did not wear these days, afraid of being found again button hung around his neck, hidden into the collar. Only then was he finally willing to lie back on the sofa and return to the discussion group messages.

"Airfare I'm booking here?" The man nestled in the couch tapping away at the code leaned his way unobtrusively.

Yu Fan : "No need. That flight yesterday was delayed until morning and canceled, and the platform gave me back a couple of compensation coupons."

"No bounced checks?"

Yu Fan tensed his eyes and ignored him. Who the hell cares about bouncing checks at that point.

Chen Jingshen stopped tapping the code, tilted his head down, and pressed his head against the person next to him. He looked down at Yu Fan's cell phone screen, "Book a better cabin? You can lie down, be more comfortable."

"......"

Yu Fan clicks on the economy class option, buys a ticket, chooses a seat, then raises his hand to break the head of the person next to him and turns his head, "Chen Jingshen , not so much, you're just so-so, so-so. My butt hasn't hurt since this afternoon."

"......"

Chen Jingshen looked at him with downcast eyes, his face showing little expression.

Yu Fan tasted and felt that he had made a good mockery, and decided to pursue the victory, and comforted indifferently, "Don't be sad, it's also very powerful."

A hand reaches out, his face is broken over, and Chen Jingshen lowers his head to kiss him.

Yu Fan was kissed so much that his speech was slurred, "Chen Jingshen, it's useless for you to gag me, it's impossible for me to change my mouth ......"

"Yu Fan." Chen Jingshen commented pertinently, "You're really cute."

"......"

-

Early Monday morning, the five embarked on their journey back to the South Side.

It was his first time on an airplane, and Yu Fan was very calm the whole time.

Several of them deliberately chose seats that were connected to each other. Yu Fan had a window seat and had been looking out of the window with a blank face since he boarded the plane.

Chen Jingshen glanced at the back of his head and threw out the words for the umpteenth time, "Dizzy?"

"Not dizzy." Yu Fan held up his SLR and snapped a picture of the overlapping and blending marshmallow white clouds outside the window, "It's busy, don't bother me, Chen Jingshen."

Chen Jingshen: "Good."

The two cities aren't really that far apart, the plane only takes an hour, and it doesn't take long for the outline of the city to loom out of the clouds.

Yu Fan put away his DSLR and lowered his eyes to watch the buildings turn from ants to small boxes, his heartbeat gradually getting faster.

Six years.

He was born and raised in the South City, and usually dreamed of the people and things of this city occasionally, and now that he was really back here, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of shyness near his hometown.

The plane lurched for a while and then came to a smooth stop. Yu Fan stared at the "Welcome to Nancheng" banner hanging high in the pickup building, and didn't come back to his senses until his fingers were touched by someone.

"Get off the plane." Chen Jingshen said.

Wang Luan and Chen Jingshen's cars are parked in the airport parking lot. It's Monday, and we all have to go back to work, so we started to make plans for the next meeting right after leaving the airport.

Yu Fan didn't listen carefully to what they were saying, and lowered his head to send a text message to Wang Yue to tell him he was safe, something the other party had told him to do when he took his vacation.

Wang Luan rushed up to him and hooked him. He was accustomed to going out to talk business with his family, so without thinking, Wang Luan asked, "Yu Fan, is the house where you lived before still there? Do you have a place to stay? Do you need me to arrange a hotel for you?"

Yu Fan paused for a moment and said vaguely without lifting his head, "It's still there. No, I have a place to stay."

Wang Luan: "Wow, you haven't been back for so many years, can you still live in that house? Then I'll send you back? By the way, I'll let you see the luxury car that my brother learned so hard to get, hehehe."

Yu Fan twisted his head and gave him an odd look.

Wang Luan: "?"

"I'm not going back, I'm going to Chen Jingshen's house," Yu Fan said, "to visit."

"......"

Which pot does not mention which pot. The three of them remembered the large bag of unseemly things again at the same time, and the tiredness that had simmered on the airplane dissipated instantly.

"Wang Luan, you're the one who talks too much." Zuo Kuan patted him on the shoulder, "You like to give them away so much, give them to me and Sister Jing. And the luxury car, the Bentley driven by the school bully, have you forgotten?"

"No." Chen Jingshen pressed the car key, and the car not far away then lit up its lights.

Wang Luan looked at it, "Audi A6? Not bad at all."

"The company gave it to me, a mobility scooter." Chen Jingshen said, "Then we're off."

His left hand was empty, Yu Fan put down his cell phone: "What are you doing? Don't touch my suitcase, I'll push it myself-- Chen Jingshen, don't hold it, there are many people!"

"That's okay."

"I have a connection, let go."

"No."

"Then I'll bite."

Chen Jingshen puts the back of his hand out.

Yu Fan : "...... Forget it, you're salty."

The three of them watched blankly as Yu Fan sat in Chen Jingshen's car with his face full of rejection, the door closed, and the car made a U-turn, leaving only a car butt.

Wang Luan got into the car, started it up, and couldn't help but ask the other two people in the car, "Hiss ...... do you guys think Yu Fan is getting weaker because he's too thin? Just now, he was actually dragged into the car by the school bully just like that."

Zhang Xianjing: "I don't know, why don't you try sticking your face in front of him next time?"

"......"

-

The whole way Yu Fan looked out of the window with his head cocked, thinking that every building looked unfamiliar, and he had to see the landmarks on many parts of the road before he could recognize where they were.

It wasn't until I passed through the neighborhood of the South Side's seventh high school that I finally became truly familiar with it.

"This rice noodle store is so bad, how come it hasn't closed down yet." Yu Fan lazily opened his mouth.

"Down. It went down the first year you were gone." Chen Jingshen slowed the car, "Now it sells hot and spicy."

"'Cool Boy' is gone?" Yu Fan's brow furrows as he passes by the most familiar road and doesn't see the familiar store.

"Well, it's been taken out in one fell swoop."

Yu Fan propped his elbow on the edge of the window and supported his chin with a "tsk". Then he saw the gates of the South City Seventh Middle School.

It was still the same big, dilapidated iron gate, next to the security booth, not many people during class time, and looking inside the iron gate, there was the sophomore school building with mottled walls.

Yu Fan immersed himself in this quick glance and did not return to his senses for a long time. Until Chen Jingshen said, "The school hasn't changed much."

Yu Fan drew out his thoughts and gave a very muffled hmmm, and after a while added, "These school leaders are so stingy, that broken iron door can be broken by my kick, and they still don't want to replace it."

The place where Chen Jingshen lives looks like a new neighborhood. The car drove all the way into the underground parking lot, and all the parking spaces around were basically empty.

While waiting for the elevator, Chen Jingshen's cell phone rang.

He picked up, "Uh-huh."

"Why aren't you at the office yet? Did you forget about the meeting at three o'clock this afternoon?" Luo Liyang asked.

"It's not yet three o'clock." Chen Jingshen said, "Come as soon as you get your boyfriend settled."

"Isn't your boyfriend a local like you? What's the settlement?"

"Leave it."

"......"

Luo Liyang prodded a couple more times and hung up the phone. Yu Fan pressed the elevator's first floor button, "You go to the office, I'll go up myself."

"I'll keep you company."

"Chen Jingshen, it's 2:47."

"The office is close, it's a five-minute run."

"......"

I imagined Chen Jingshen running to work with a paralyzed face, the elevator door opened slowly on the first floor, and Chen Jingshen was kicked out.

Yu Fan went upstairs alone and opened the door with the code given by Chen Jingshen, then froze.

Although Chen Jingshen had told him beforehand that the house was empty, ......

[-: Chen Jingshen, your house seems to have been burglarized. Shall I call the police for you?

Yu Fan stood in his living room and sent out such a message and recorded a video along with it.

There was nothing but the most basic furniture in this house, even some of it was still unopened in cardboard boxes, and a glance over was empty and devoid of any sense of life.

[s: The video was watched and it didn't seem to lose anything.]

[-: Just handed over the house yesterday?]

[s: It's been a year. But I don't usually live at home.]

[-: So where do you live.]

Chen Jingshen sent a picture over, looking like he had already arrived at the office, showing a simple bed placed next to a computer desk.

[-: Don't live in what house?]

[s: Started living today.]

Yu Fan stared at the line for a moment, threw his phone onto the bed, and lowered his head to pack his bags.

He'd only been here seven days this time and hadn't brought much with him, and once everything was drummed out, he shoved his suitcase into the corner and wriggled out the door.

Getting into the cab, the driver turned around and asked, "Where to?"

"83 Changyang Street, Nanming District." Yu Fan fluently reported the address and froze herself when she finished.

The driver didn't notice so much, and sprinted off with the gears in the air.

Yu Fan remained in the same position he was in when he got into the car, and after a long time he slowly slumped back into the seat cushion.

This time, Yu Fan has something to deal with. The house had been sitting in the South City for six years, and Yu Kaiming had knelt in front of him, but he had not agreed to sell it; after all, when his grandfather had transferred the house to his name, he had prevented this kind of situation.

Originally, he wanted to rent it out, but he was worried that those debt collectors could not find anyone to go after the tenants, plus he had already found a part-time job over there in Wang Yue at that time, so there was no lack of living expenses, so he just let it go.

But staying idle wasn't an option, and after six years, those debt collectors had died down, so he was going to find someone to clean it up and find a reliable tenant. Before he could do that, he had to go back and check on the house.

Six years later, I do not know how many high-rise buildings have been built in the neighborhood, only Changyang Street is still that narrow street, two cars meet head-on still have to block half a day.

The car stood still for five minutes, Yu Fan scanned and paid, "Pull over, I'll get off here."

Yu Fan walks down the street under the tangled wires, a hot white mist mixed with the scent of meat hits his face, and a steamer basket full of steamed dumplings is opened beside him.

The barbecue restaurant has not yet started business at this moment, but the roll-up door is open, the boss's wife crosses her legs and sits in front of the door to brush the short video of earthy flavors, and feels familiar as he passes by, his eyes are the same as those of the other old neighborhoods around him, and he unconsciously follows him for a long way.

Outside the barber store, a few hair dyed colorful green spirit of the boys moved a chair and stool in the game of cards, one of Yu Guang swept over, and immediately froze, opened his mouth, "Hey" a sound.

Yu Fan turns around and meets them at eye level.

"Yo! It's really you!" The man laughed, and many creases appeared on his face, "Aren't you going to shave the Double Dragon? How can you shave with your hair so long?"

Yu Fan stood there in a trance, as if he had turned back time and he had just come home from school.

-

Back in the neighborhood, Yu Fan stood in front of the old wooden door for a long time, then put on a mask, inserted the key in and turned it with force, clicked it, and finally opened it.

A puff of dust hit his nose, which was hard to avoid even with a mask on. He coughed several times off to the side, his arm over his nose, and went inside to open all the curtained windows, and the room was finally able to see the light of day again.

A thick layer of dust accumulated on the furniture, covering up all those knife marks and dents on his desk, the walls had begun to peel off at some point, and the small balcony that his grandfather had specially made for him had been dirty and blackened after six years of wind and rain, so he couldn't see its original appearance.

The weather forecast calls for snow today, and a wisp of cool air pushes through the security fence and densely pours into this long-abandoned old house.

Yu Fan stood on the balcony, remembering for a moment that he had been sitting up here smoking and drinking, and for a moment that he had kissed Chen Jingshen after leaning up here, and the images passed like a movie, frame by frame. It wasn't until his neighbor came out to dry his clothes and turned his head to see a man standing motionless next door, so frightened that he dropped the clothesline on the ground, that he suddenly came back to his senses.

Yu Fan downloaded a housekeeping app and headed out as she studied how to use it, striking up a conversation with the girl who had just walked up the stairs.

The girl's features were delicate and pretty, wearing an elementary school uniform, tied in a ponytail, with her forehead hair in a mess. When she saw Yu Fan, she first froze for a moment, and subconsciously sucked in a breath - then immediately raised her hand to cover her mouth!

Two seconds later, she whipped her head around and sped up the stairs. When she reached her front door, the girl immediately pulled out her cell phone to send a message, so excited that she mistyped several words in a row.

"What's up you." A careless voice sounded behind her, startling her so much she nearly threw her phone to the floor.

She held the phone screen over her chest and turned her head to look into those familiar clear eyes, "Brother, brother!"

"Remember me? Then why did you run away?" Yu Fan glanced at the closed door of the room next to him, "No food again?"

The girl was speechless, "Brother, I'm in sixth grade and I've been cooking for a long time!"

Yu Fan oohed, "Messaging someone."

"No one!" She responded quickly.

"Handsome brother of 201," Yu Fan repeated her note to the other, raising an eyebrow, "I'm not the one living in 201?"

"......"

"Just, another handsome brother." The girl deflated and obediently held her phone up under Yu Fan's gaze, revealing Chen Jingshen's avatar.

Yu Fan was slightly stunned, "How do you have his WeChat?"

"We've got the whole building."

"......"

Yu Fan was confused, "What do you mean?"

"You moved away in secret before." The girl said, "This brother waited for you in front of your house every evening."

Yu Fan blinked a few times, "...... per day?"

"Not really, but it's got to be three or four days a week at it, just sitting on the steps, and he's taught me how to do it."

Yu Fan's brain buzzed, feeling a bit confused.

"At first he always knocked on your door," the girl lowered her voice, "...... then it was reported by the auntie next door, saying it was scary, and the security guards even came up to drive them away."

"......"

"Then it stopped knocking, but it still came, it lasted almost a year." The girl said, "Then that brother knocked on my door when he said he was going off to college and gave us fruit and told us to see you back and tell him. The whole building got fruit that day."

The girl finished waiting for a long time, the person in front of her just hung his eyes and eyelashes and didn't respond. She cocked her head, "Brother?"

"He ......" Yu Fan paused, "Did you see him often then?"

"Yeah, I run into them at night when I go to tutoring."

"How was he then?"

Yu Fan was amused when he asked, after all, Chen Jingshen always had the same expression whenever and wherever he was, how could anyone tell if he was okay or not--

"Not good, very bad." The girl hesitated before saying.

"He used to cry in secret oh standing right in front of your house."