"Something came up? Who are you kidding? The payee is Shanfu Hospital. I bet you're trying to help that grandfather of yours again, aren't you!"
"Chen Yiyang, I'm telling you—he treated me like that back then, so I'll treat him the same now! Want me to fork out money for his treatment? Not a chance!"
Hearing the name "Chen Yiyang," Yun Mi's anger rippled into surprise.
She raised a hand to shield herself from the light rain and stepped forward.
At the end of the alley, a boy in a simple black long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants, wearing a gray-black baseball cap, was on the phone, head lowered.
His cold, handsome features were sharp and dark, like a coldly burning black flame. Chen Yiyang pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly as his eyes met Yun Mi's, who was standing by the wall.
The person on the phone spoke aggressively and coldly: "I'll be back next week. Isn't he so capable, so pure and noble all his life? Now he has to spend money to beg for help? Let's see what else he can pull."
Chen Yiyang showed no embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping. His gaze grew colder, his voice nearly drowned out by the rain. "As you wish."
He hung up, stuffed the phone into his pocket, and walked past Yun Mi with an aloof, indifferent demeanor, brushing her shocked expression.
-
The 7-Eleven signboard was blurred into warm-colored patches by the night rain. The whole street was soaked in a chilly, wet mist.
The door swung open, shattering the damp stillness.
Chen Yiyang had been studying in the competition coaching room at the office building. He came out to buy a pen. He picked a box of Pilot pens and casually placed it on the silver counter. Suddenly, a voice sounded beside him. "I'll pay for his," said Yun Mi, taking two cans of iced cola from the fridge and placing them on the counter. "And these two."
Chen Yiyang paused briefly and turned his head.
The girl was in a plain white shirt and blue pleated skirt, her thin shoulders and soft hair casually tied up. Yun Mi lowered her eyes and said softly, "My treat."
"Consider it..." She paused, thinking for a moment, and then said gently, "a thank-you gift for teaching me until four in the morning last night."
Raindrops slanted against the glass window of the rest area, trickling down in winding streams.
The rain was falling harder now.
Chen Yiyang didn't say a word.
The boy and girl sat side by side on the chairs, watching the rain.
Yun Mi pushed a can of cola over to him. "You seem to like this."
"..."
"I heard that whole phone call just now."
She turned her face slightly to look at him, drenched by the rain.
The boy was tall and lean, his jawline tense and smooth. With his head lowered, only his straight nose bridge and tightly pressed lips were visible under the baseball cap.
...He looked so dejected.
Seeing that he didn't react, Yun Mi tried to console him and stand up for him: "That person was so rude, calling himself 'old man.'"
Chen Yiyang's short hair was slightly wet, half-covering his eyes. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, then he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
He took the still-cold cola she had pushed over, and his tone was as indifferent as if he were talking about something trivial and unrelated to him: "It's not about politeness."
Yun Mi was confused. "Huh?"
"It's my old man."
He lifted the brim of his cap, revealing a pair of spirited, dark eyes. Chen Yiyang's gaze showed irritation when he mentioned that person.
He said, "My dad."
Author's note:
Mimi: My morals and my urge to laugh are at war. Sorry.