Chapter 9: Another one with an agenda

After the New Year holiday ended, the students returned to school one after another. Yi Wei brought back an unexpected surprise.

He had brought Xu Lin a reply letter from Pu Sha.

Xu Lin thanked him profusely.

That night, he curled up under his blanket and read the dozen or so pages of letter paper over and over again.

In the letter, Pu Sha talked about the trivial things that had happened over the past year. They were all small, insignificant matters, but Xu Lin read them with great interest. The most frequent refrain was his constant reminders for Xu Lin to take care of his health. Xu Lin could almost picture Pu Sha’s nagging expression. At the end of the letter, there were also messages from Little Fatty and Shitou, expressing how much they missed him and hoping he would come home soon.

Inside the envelope was also a stack of money that Pu Sha had sent him. Xu Lin quietly put it away.

He carefully tucked the letter under his pillow and fell asleep with the paper from home beneath his head, as if it could bring him closer to Pu Sha and the others.

The second year of school was no different from the first.

Xu Lin spent his time either in class or at work, shuttling back and forth between the two places. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Over the past year, Xu Lin had started doing one more thing.

From time to time, he would go to that river embankment.

After work, he would take a detour, stand on the embankment, smoke a cigarette, and stare blankly at the empty grassy slope. When the cigarette was finished, he would leave.

One day, while buying stationery, he spotted a stack of colorful paper on the shelf. Each sheet was only about half the size of a palm. It was beautiful and easy to carry. On a whim, he paid for them and stuffed the stack of bright paper into his pocket, carrying them with him everywhere.

It was foolish, nonsensical, and inexplicable. Xu Lin didn’t really know why he was doing it either.

But since he couldn’t figure it out, he stopped caring. It wasn’t like this was the first stupid thing he’d ever done.

Xu Lin usually worked late into the night. The restaurant always had leftover food, and it would be a waste to throw it away, so Xu Lin asked the owner if he could buy the leftovers at a discount and cook for himself. It was much cheaper than eating at the cafeteria. The owner had no objections and readily agreed.

So every night after work, Xu Lin would cook himself a meal. Sometimes he ate in the kitchen, other times he packed it in a lunchbox and ate it back in the dormitory.

He lived this quiet life for half a year. Then one night, after work, Xu Lin went for his usual walk along the embankment. It was already summer. The lotuses in the river were in full bloom, the scenery was pleasant, and the night breeze was filled with their fragrance.

During the day, the embankment was stiflingly hot, but at night, it was cool and pleasant.

Xu Lin sat on the embankment to enjoy the cool air. With the summer night breeze blowing, he took out the colorful paper from his pocket and folded a paper dragonfly, playing with it in his hand. After a while, he got hungry. Since no one was around, he opened his lunchbox right there and began eating his meal. Halfway through, he heard the rustling sound of footsteps behind him.

Xu Lin assumed it was just someone out for a walk. He wasn’t blocking anyone’s way, so he didn’t move. But the footsteps stopped not far behind him. Puzzled, Xu Lin turned around and met Ji Jixuan’s gaze directly.

Ji Jixuan stood a few steps away, staring at him.

Xu Lin still had half a fried shrimp in his mouth, frozen in place.

Ji Jixuan was wearing a simple black T-shirt. He had long arms and legs, broad shoulders, and when he looked down at Xu Lin from above, his presence was overwhelmingly imposing. His hair was slightly tousled by the wind, partially covering his eyes, making his expression hard to read.

“…” Xu Lin held his gaze for an awkward few seconds, then conceded defeat and looked away first.

He turned his head to avoid looking at Ji Jixuan and dryly chewed the shrimp in his mouth, swallowing it. He hadn’t even tasted it. Head down, he closed the now-empty lunchbox. Only then did he register the erratic pounding of his own heart, thudding loudly in his ears.

He figured he must have been startled by Ji Jixuan’s sudden appearance.

He listened carefully. He didn’t hear footsteps retreating. He sneakily glanced back again, only to find himself once more locking eyes with Ji Jixuan. Ji Jixuan had been standing there behind him the whole time, watching him.

Xu Lin’s heart was in turmoil. His mind began to wander involuntarily.

Why is he looking at me like that? What’s so interesting about watching me eat? Is it not allowed to eat on the ground here? Is he curious? Or is he offended? Do people in Danshi not eat on the side of the road? Well, maybe they really don’t.

Or is this place off-limits to anyone but Ji Jixuan? But isn’t this a public space?

Does he hate me? But I’ve never even spoken to him, let alone done anything to him.

Could it be that… he actually remembers me?

Ji Jixuan stood very close to Xu Lin, showing no sign of leaving or chasing him away.

Anyone would feel uncomfortable being stared at like that. Xu Lin was about to summon the courage to ask him what he wanted when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a few strange shadows. He looked past Ji Jixuan’s shoulder. There were only a few dim lights along the embankment path, and under the shadow of one lamppost, several figures were well-hidden.

They loitered there, never leaving.

They didn’t look like ordinary passersby.

Xu Lin had grown up fighting and running through the streets. He was most sensitive to this kind of malicious attention. There were only the two of them on this embankment. Those people hadn’t been there when he arrived. They appeared only after Ji Jixuan showed up. It was obvious who they were following.

Without thinking, he instinctively warned Ji Jixuan, using his shadow to hide himself as he whispered, “Someone’s following you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He had spoken completely on impulse. He didn’t know if Ji Jixuan would respond or simply ignore him.

He just had a gut feeling that Ji Jixuan wouldn’t brush him off.

And sure enough, Ji Jixuan spoke.

“I know.” He didn’t move a muscle, utterly calm, as if he had noticed long ago.

This was the first conversation Xu Lin had ever had with him. Three brief words: “I know.”

“Is that okay?” Xu Lin was still sitting, having to look up to speak to him. His face was small, his dark pupils reflecting the scattered light like obsidian.

Ji Jixuan didn’t seem concerned, but Xu Lin couldn’t let go of those lingering shadows. Maybe it was out of habit—the mindset of an older brother who used to protect Little Fatty and the others. He licked his lips and suddenly said, “Want me to shake them off?”

Ji Jixuan looked down at him.

He didn’t refuse, so Xu Lin took that as agreement. A hint of slyness crept into his smile, barely concealed. “Follow me.”

He thought Ji Jixuan wouldn’t come, but surprisingly, he did.

Xu Lin led him away from the embankment and into a bustling street of shops. Using the steady footsteps behind him to gauge whether Ji Jixuan was keeping up, he caught glimpses of the figures still trailing them through the reflections in the shop windows.

“Turn right up ahead.”

They turned one after another into a narrow alley.

The people following Ji Jixuan waited a moment, then turned in after them. But when they entered, they found it was a dead end. Ji Jixuan had vanished. The leader cursed, and the group split up, running off in different directions.

The alley fell silent.

Ten minutes later, an old iron door hidden in the alley wall creaked open. Xu Lin emerged from it. The small, half-height door was embedded in the wall, tucked away in the unlit alley. It was very inconspicuous; someone wouldn’t notice it unless they were looking carefully.

Xu Lin ran to the entrance of the alley, checked to make sure the coast was clear, and said to the person inside, “They’re gone.”

Ji Jixuan stepped out of the abandoned storage room, brushing the dust off his sleeve.

He brushed, but it didn’t come off completely, leaving a small smudge of gray. He frowned, looking displeased. He glanced back at the pile of discarded items in the storage room, seeming to wonder how a place like this could exist in Danshi.

Xu Lin smiled. “This is where I work. Originally, this was the restaurant’s back door, but it was inconvenient for deliveries, so the owner opened a door on the other side and sealed this one off. He turned it into a small storage room for unused equipment and odds and ends.” He twirled the keys on his index finger. “I just closed up today, so I have the keys.

“Oh, come here. Let me get you cleaned up.”

Seeing Ji Jixuan fixated on the stain on his clothes, Xu Lin led him around to the back door of the restaurant, opened it, and brought him into the kitchen. He found a fresh packet of wet wipes and handed them to him.

Ji Jixuan didn’t hold back at this point. He used over a dozen wet wipes trying to scrub the mark off his sleeve. To Xu Lin, it was already as clean as it could possibly be, but Ji Jixuan still looked dissatisfied, his lips pressed tightly together.

Well, it seemed the young master had a bit of a cleanliness obsession.

“Who were those people? Why were they following you? Are you in danger?”

Ji Jixuan didn’t answer. Xu Lin suddenly realized he had only just started talking to this person; they weren’t even friends yet. Asking questions like this probably crossed the line. So he shut his mouth.

But he couldn’t stay quiet for long.

“Do you want something to drink?” While Ji Jixuan was locked in battle with the stain on his sleeve, Xu Lin opened the refrigerator. “Water? Soda? Coffee?”

“No need.”

Since he didn’t want anything, Xu Lin didn’t get him anything. He grabbed a bottle of iced cola for himself and gulped it down.

In the quiet kitchen, the only sound was the faint fizz of bubbles from Xu Lin’s drink.

Countless bubbles burst on his tongue one by one. As they rolled down his throat, Ji Jixuan’s voice mixed with the sound of the carbonated soda, reaching his ears.

“Have I seen you somewhere before?”

Xu Lin choked, sputtering a bit. He quickly grabbed a paper towel to wipe his mouth. The white paper towel covered his lips, soaking up the dark soda, pressing them inward slightly from his somewhat rough motions. They looked very soft.

His tongue darted out to lick the corner of his mouth, and the silver piercing flashed briefly.

Ji Jixuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Hearing this, Xu Lin understood everything.

The hotel, and that time on the embankment—Ji Jixuan remembered none of it.

For no particular reason, Xu Lin felt a little deflated, and strangely, a bit annoyed. He remembered everything clearly, but Ji Jixuan had already forgotten him completely.

But the annoyance didn’t last long. Ji Jixuan’s life was undoubtedly busier than his, and so many people crossed his path every day. It would be strange if he remembered a random stranger. Xu Lin quickly let it go.

What happened at the hotel that day was a coincidence. Ji Jixuan had clearly been unwell at the time, and staying alone in a hotel room likely meant he didn’t want anyone knowing about his condition. It was best not to say anything; he didn’t want to invite trouble.

Xu Lin decided to play dumb. “Have we?” He put on a thoughtful expression. “Probably not. Oh, actually, we did see each other at the opening ceremony. I was in the audience, but you probably didn’t notice me.”

“Since we don’t know each other,” Ji Jixuan’s tone shifted abruptly, “why did you help me?”

The paper towel in Xu Lin’s hand was crumpled into a ball. He tossed it into the trash can.

His palm was damp, a little numb.

After a long pause, Xu Lin looked up at Ji Jixuan and smiled. “Well, now we do know each other, don’t we? I think you’re a pretty decent person so I helped you. That’s all.”

He said it openly and honestly, without a hint of deception.

“What makes you think I’m a decent person?”

Ji Jixuan had too many questions.

Xu Lin brushed it off. “There’s no particular reason. I just think so.”

Ji Jixuan was silent for a long moment, gazing at Xu Lin. Xu Lin didn’t look away; he let him stare.

Under that gaze, Xu Lin’s heart, which had just calmed down, started pounding again.

A wave of heat spread from his heart up to his neck, almost reaching his cheeks. Just as he was about to lose his composure, Ji Jixuan finally looked away.

Xu Lin let out a silent breath. It was only then he realized he’d been holding it.

Ji Jixuan asked, “What’s your name?”

“Xu Lin.”

“Ji Jixuan.”

“I know you,” Xu Lin said with a smile.

Having cleaned the stain off his clothes, Ji Jixuan had no reason to stay. Xu Lin, having already been delayed for so long, needed to head back to school.

The two left through the back door. As Xu Lin was locking up, Ji Jixuan suddenly asked, “How long have you been working here?”

“Huh?” Xu Lin twisted the lock, wondering why Ji Jixuan was suddenly interested in his job. He answered without much thought, “Almost a year. Why?”

“Is this your only job?”

Xu Lin said, “I’m an out-of-towner. It’s already a miracle that I could find any job in Danshi. Getting a second one is out of the question.”

Hearing this, Ji Jixuan seemed to get the answer he was looking for and fell silent.

“All done.” Completely unaware, Xu Lin locked the door and put the keys back in his pocket. Something fell out of his pocket without him noticing.

He smiled and said goodbye to Ji Jixuan on the street. His figure soon disappeared from sight.

After Xu Lin left, Ji Jixuan looked down. A colorful paper dragonfly lay on the ground.

It had fallen from Xu Lin’s pocket just now.

Once might be a coincidence. But twice? Three times?

Ji Jixuan lifted his foot, the toe of his shoe pressing down on the paper dragonfly, crushing it underfoot.

Five minutes later, a black business car pulled up to the curb in front of Ji Jixuan. He got in, and the driver pressed the gas, speeding away.

Scenery whizzed past the car window.

Ji Jixuan leaned back in the rear seat, legs crossed, hands resting casually on his knees. Most of his body was hidden in shadow. Only the lower half of his face was illuminated by the lights outside, revealing his taut jaw and the straight line of his lips.

That person named Xu Lin had inexplicably appeared in front of him multiple times. First, he had infiltrated the Zong family’s hotel, pretending to be an employee to engineer an “accidental” meeting. And tonight, he had used such a childish tactic to lure him away. Ji Jixuan had initially expected some kind of scheme and had been willing to play along to see what game he was playing. But that guy had actually been trying to “help” him with such clumsy methods?

Ji Jixuan’s eyelids drooped slightly. After a moment’s thought, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

“Look someone up.”

Ten minutes later, Xu Lin’s profile was sent to Ji Jixuan’s phone. It was brief, summarizing his first eighteen years in a few words.

An orphan from the slums of District Thirteen. An ordinary person with no background at all. The most common kind of Beta.

No wonder.

No wonder he was full of flaws but nothing to pin down. He had been overthinking things.

Coming from a place like District Thirteen, what he wanted was simple enough.

People trying to ingratiate themselves with him were a dime a dozen. He had seen it all before. This Xu Lin was clearly one of them.

He wanted to take a shortcut, to climb the social ladder, to change his lowly fate.

So he schemed to create opportunities to meet him, using shoddy acting and clumsy methods, arrogantly thinking he could hook a big, fat fish from the pond.

Foolish. Stubborn. Naive to the point of being hopeless.

Someone like that wasn’t even a stumbling block.

Utterly unthreatening.

Ji Jixuan tossed his phone aside. On the screen was Xu Lin’s ID photo.

The boy in the picture had regular features and clear, dark-and-white eyes, looking straight at the camera. His gaze was cold and distant, with a standoffish expression. But in front of Ji Jixuan, he hadn’t been stingy with his smiles at all.

Half a minute later, the phone screen went dark, and Xu Lin’s face disappeared.

Another one with an agenda.

Ji Jixuan rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes.

They were all the same.