In Lin Murun’s impression, Si Bin had always been a reserved person. He was steady and quiet, rarely showing his likes or dislikes, and seemed to possess a better handle on his emotions than others his age. But now, for the first time, Lin Murun saw undisguised loathing on Si Bin’s face.
Si Bin had a high bridge to his nose and features that gave him a slightly mixed-race look. Usually, when he looked at someone or something with a faint expression, it gave off a cold, distant, yet seemingly harmless illusion. Now, however, Si Bin narrowed his eyes, shedding his usual mask, and became so assertive it was almost oppressive.
Si Bin’s sudden appearance was clearly not within Bei Fan’s expectations. He glanced at Si Bin and awkwardly released his grip on Lin Murun’s scarf.
“Oh, it’s Si Bin. Long time no see.” Bei Fan took a step back, trying his best to make his expression look natural.
Whether it was an illusion or because Bei Fan had a guilty conscience, Lin Murun felt that Bei Fan’s gaze was flickering, as if he didn’t dare look Si Bin in the eye.
This shouldn’t be the case.
Although Si Bin was something of an invisible leader at No. 1 Middle School and within their circle of friends, he was still, ultimately, a youth who had yet to enter society. Bei Fan was different; he had worked for years and established a family and career. He shouldn’t be afraid of Si Bin.
Si Bin looked at Bei Fan with a cold gaze. After a moment, he said in a heavy voice, “Keep your hands to yourself. Don’t harass my friend again.”
Bei Fan turned and gave Lin Murun a forced smile. “The friend you mentioned turned out to be Si Bin?”
Seeing Lin Murun nod, Bei Fan turned back to Si Bin. “I should explain. I was just looking out for a junior; it hardly qualifies as harassment.”
“It had better not be,” Si Bin said coldly. “Keep your sordid little thoughts to yourself.”
With that, Si Bin patted Lin Murun’s shoulder and said softly, “Let’s go. We’re heading back to school.”
Lin Murun gave Bei Fan a bewildered look before following Si Bin. “Aren’t we buying the medicine?”
“There are too many people today. We’ll buy it tomorrow.” Si Bin seemed to adjust his emotions quickly, his expression returning to normal. “The weather is too cold; it’s not right to make you keep waiting. Let’s go to the study room first.”
“Are you unhappy?” Lin Murun looked up at Si Bin. “Because of Bei Fan?”
Si Bin lowered his eyes and gave a soft “Mm.”
Lin Murun waited for a moment, but when Si Bin didn’t volunteer anything else, he said, “If you’re unhappy, you can talk about it.”
“It’s fine. It’s all old news, not worth mentioning.” Si Bin reached out and pointed at Lin Murun’s scarf. “Your scarf is a mess. Straighten it out.”
“Oh, right.” Lin Murun looked down and re-tied the scarf, which still carried the faint scent of hotpot.
“By the way, how does he know you?” Si Bin asked.
Lin Murun finished adjusting the scarf and said, “He’s Senior Wu Chuchu’s husband.”
“Wu Chuchu?” Si Bin’s brow furrowed slightly at the name.
“What is it?” Lin Murun asked, puzzled.
Si Bin remained silent for a moment before saying, “It’s best if you don’t associate with that couple anymore.”
Lin Murun sensed something was wrong. “Why? Did you have a falling out before?”
Si Bin shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Their situation is hard to explain in a few words, but Wu Chuchu was likely tricked into that marriage.”
“Tricked?” Lin Murun asked. “Is Bei Fan unwilling to remarry her?”
“No, he is willing,” Si Bin said. “Because to him, it doesn’t matter whether they are married or not. All he wants is that child who shares his bloodline.”
Seeing that Lin Murun still didn’t understand, Si Bin hesitated for a moment before speaking more plainly. “Bei Fan likes men.”
Lin Murun was stunned. “What?”
“Bei Fan likes men, but he always wanted a biological child,” Si Bin said coldly. “His ex-boyfriend didn’t agree to surrogacy, so Bei Fan tricked Wu Chuchu into bearing a child for him.”
Lin Murun’s brow furrowed. He remembered that afternoon when he first met Wu Chuchu.
On the crowded bus, the young woman in casual clothes, her face etched with exhaustion, had held her child and apologized profusely to Lin Murun. She had seemed so tired—tired to the point of having no patience to deal with a toddler’s boundless curiosity, and afraid that the child’s behavior would draw glares from other passengers. She had repeated her apologies over and over, appearing somewhat neurotic.
Back in high school, Wu Chuchu had been one of the teachers’ favorite students. Yet in just a few short years, her confidence and brilliance had been shattered by the weight of life.
She could have avoided such a downfall, but unfortunately, she had married Bei Fan.
For Bei Fan, she had given up her job and married young to have a child. And because of Bei Fan, her family was ruined. Wu Chuchu’s life tragedy began the moment Bei Fan appeared.
A surge of anger rose in Lin Murun’s heart.
“Why would Bei Fan do that?” Lin Murun asked hoarsely. “It’s not fair to Wu Chuchu... Does she know about his sexual orientation?”
“She probably doesn’t,” Si Bin said, stating his deduction. “She doesn’t know Bei Fan’s ex-boyfriend.”
“I have to tell her.” Lin Murun took out his phone to call Wu Chuchu, but Si Bin stopped him.
“Don’t call yet.” Si Bin gripped Lin Murun’s wrist. “Bei Fan will definitely find all sorts of excuses to deceive her before you can expose him. If you call now, she won’t believe you.”
“But I can’t just watch her be deceived.” Lin Murun shook his head, insisting, “I’ll try anyway.”
He switched hands and dialed Wu Chuchu’s number.
The dial tone rang twice before the call was disconnected.
Lin Murun blinked in surprise and dialed again. To his shock, the call was hung up a second time.
Looking at the call log on his screen, Lin Murun frowned. “I can’t get through.”
Si Bin withdrew his hand. “It’s alright. When the rain stops, I’ll ask her to meet in person and tell her.”
Lin Murun had never experienced anything like this and had no other ideas. After thinking it over, he agreed to Si Bin’s suggestion. “I’ll go with you.”
“No need, I’ll go alone. If Wu Chuchu is willing to talk to me face-to-face, Bei Fan will definitely follow.” Si Bin looked at Lin Murun and advised softly, “You shouldn’t go. Bei Fan has other intentions toward you.”
Lin Murun was momentarily stunned by those words. After a pause, he nodded silently.
The two walked through the campus in silence, the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella above them becoming more distinct.
Lin Murun didn’t speak for a long time. Si Bin couldn’t quite gauge his thoughts, so he took the initiative to change the subject. “Let’s not talk about them anymore.”
He took two milk candies from his backpack and handed them to Lin Murun. “Eat something sweet; it’ll make you feel better.”
Lin Murun looked up at Si Bin, took the candies, and thanked him.
The weather was freezing, and the rain continued to drizzle incessantly. The campus was deserted, and even the usually bustling library had many empty seats. The two walked through the corridor toward the first-floor study room.
A stray cat that had snuck into the library for warmth pricked up its ears at the sight of strangers, quickly leaping out of a trash can and scurrying away.
Si Bin propped his umbrella by the study room door and opened it to walk inside.
There weren’t many students studying. Those huddled here in such cold weather were mostly graduating students busy preparing for exams. Hearing the movement, someone looked up at them before quickly lowering their head to continue their exercises.
The two chose the same window seat as last time.
Outside, the streetlights illuminated the paths of the falling raindrops. The halo of light in the rainy night felt cold and lonely, and the antler-like branches in the green belt looked pitifully thin.
Lin Murun was still preoccupied with Wu Chuchu’s situation. After absentmindedly finishing an English test paper, he couldn't help but take out his phone, wanting to send Wu Chuchu a WeChat message.
Opening the app, Bei Fan’s name appeared at the top of his friend list with a red unread notification.
Lin Murun stared at the little red dot for a moment but didn’t open the chat. With a swipe of his finger, he cleared the notification.
Just then, a brand-new math exercise book was pushed toward him by Si Bin.
Lin Murun looked up and met Si Bin’s gaze.
“You can look at the advanced section of this workbook,” Si Bin told him in a low voice. “They’re all common exam points.”
Lin Murun nodded, thanked him softly, and put down his phone to take the book.
The pages of the exercise set were very clean, with only pencil marks. Besides circling the question numbers with different colored pens, Si Bin had also carefully folded the corners of key pages to make it easier for Lin Murun to find them.
After turning past the table of contents, a small note appeared before Lin Murun’s eyes.
*“If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”*
Si Bin’s handwriting was as handsome and elegant as the man himself, possessing a unique flair.
Lin Murun stared at those few words for a moment. With a feeling he couldn't quite name, he quietly and carefully tucked the note away.
After finishing two problems, his phone screen lit up. Lin Murun turned and saw an incoming call from an unknown number.
He picked up the phone, but the call was disconnected just then.
“What is it?” Si Bin asked quietly.
Lin Murun shook his head and replied in a low voice, “Probably a wrong number.”
Unexpectedly, not long after, the phone rang again.
Lin Murun simply put down his pen and walked out of the study room with his phone.
“Hello?” he answered, standing in the corridor.
The person on the other end didn't answer immediately upon hearing his voice.
Lin Murun waited a moment before asking, “Who is this, please?”
“Lin Murun, it’s me.” Bei Fan’s voice came from the other end.
Lin Murun’s brow furrowed. “What is it?”
“Nothing much.” Bei Fan’s voice carried a hint of a smile. “I just wanted to apologize to you.”
“It’s fine. You should be apologizing to Senior Wu Chuchu.” Lin Murun finished and was about to hang up when he heard Bei Fan raise his voice. “Did Si Bin say something to you?”
“Yes,” Lin Murun said. “I need to get back to my homework. Goodbye.”
“Wait!” Bei Fan said hurriedly. “Things aren’t what you think. Lin Murun, listen to me!”
Lin Murun didn’t say anything, giving him a chance to explain.
After confirming that Lin Murun hadn't hung up, Bei Fan breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, “I’m sorry. Today, I really just wanted to help you fix your scarf. I didn’t mean anything else.”
“Senior, you don’t need to apologize to me,” Lin Murun interrupted.
“As long as you don’t mind...” Bei Fan laughed. “I was just chatting with your Senior Wu just now, which is why she didn't answer your call.”
Lin Murun gave a noncommittal “Mm.”
Bei Fan continued, “I imagine you heard from Si Bin that I had a boyfriend before I got married.”
“You shouldn’t have lied to her,” Lin Murun said.
Bei Fan sighed. “I didn’t lie to her. I truly liked her, which is why I started a family with her.”
Without waiting for Lin Murun’s response, Bei Fan went on, “I only got together with Chuchu after breaking up with my ex. She knows I had a boyfriend in the past, but she said she didn't mind.”
“So, I don’t really want to trouble Chuchu with that past. After all, our child is starting to remember things. I can’t be absent from his growth, nor do I want him to live amidst rumors.” Bei Fan’s voice carried deep concern. “I know you called Chuchu because of my ex-boyfriend, but right now, that matter would bring Chuchu nothing but unnecessary distress.”
He spoke with such sincerity, portraying the image of a perfect husband who cared for his wife and loved his child.
Since he had put it that way, if Lin Murun insisted on bringing up the past, it would instead seem somewhat heartless.
After thinking for a long time, Lin Murun finally agreed to his request.
“Fine.”
“Thank you.” Bei Fan sounded relieved, then added, “By the way, you can’t fully believe what Si Bin says...”
Lin Murun interrupted him. “Senior, as long as the issue is clear, that’s enough. I’m not here to listen to you badmouth Si Bin.”
As soon as he spoke, he heard Bei Fan chuckle. “What are you thinking? I’m ten years older than him; why would I badmouth a kid?” Then, Bei Fan’s tone shifted, becoming serious. “Though you might not like hearing this, as your senior, I still want to offer a few words of caution. Si Bin’s family situation is complicated, and he’s very calculating. I understand you see him as a friend and thus feel close to and trust him, but he might not necessarily want to be just your friend.”
“You needn't worry yourself.” Lin Murun lowered his eyes and said flatly, “I can feel for myself whether Si Bin considers me a friend.”
“Can you really?” Bei Fan asked. “Then do you know that my ex-boyfriend is Si Bin’s cousin?”
Lin Murun was stunned and subconsciously asked, “What did you say?”
“I knew he wouldn't tell you.” Bei Fan sighed. “You should be able to see that Si Bin hates me, and it’s because my ex-boyfriend is his cousin.”
Just then, Si Bin walked out of the study room with his water bottle. Seeing Lin Murun still on the phone, he gave a small wave and turned toward the pantry.
Bei Fan continued on the phone, “Si Bin hates me, so he’s unwilling to mention his cousin to others. And because he hates me, he doesn’t want me to become friends with you.”
“He isn't that petty,” Lin Murun countered.
Bei Fan followed his lead. “Of course he isn't petty, but he has his own hidden motives, so he misunderstood my concern for you.”
“What are you trying to say?” Lin Murun asked.
“Lin Murun, Si Bin likes you. That’s why he misunderstood my concern when he saw me fixing your scarf,” Bei Fan said slowly. “He thought I had the same intentions as him, so he treated me as an imaginary rival.”
At that moment, Si Bin walked out of the pantry.
Lin Murun met Si Bin’s gaze from a distance and lowered his lashes as if burned.
“Si Bin likes you, Lin Murun.”
Bei Fan repeated.
Outside the window, the rain was mixed with ice and snow, falling onto the ground with a soft rustle. Lin Murun’s heart suddenly accelerated, and his thoughts became a chaotic mess because of Bei Fan’s words. Before he could think further, Si Bin’s voice came from beside him.
“What’s wrong?” Si Bin asked.
Only then did Lin Murun realize that Si Bin had walked right up to him.
“What is it?” Si Bin asked again.
He gazed at Lin Murun, his eyes shimmering with a dark light under the corridor lamps.
“No... it’s nothing.” Lin Murun’s eyelashes trembled behind his glasses as his fingers stiffly hung up the phone.
***
