The Long Night - Chapter 15

At the beginning of the semester, Tang Shaocheng was briefly worried about Yan Liao’s social skills because the boy seemed uninterested in getting to know new classmates. But half a month in, he discovered that the kid was surprisingly well-liked in his new class.

Puzzled, he pressed for a reason, but Yan Liao just shook his head with a mysterious expression as if to say, “The secrets of the heavens cannot be revealed.”

He later found out that on the first day of military training, while everyone was standing under the sun, a male student two rows away from Yan Liao fainted from heatstroke.

Yan Liao’s mind immediately went into overdrive. He thought, “If I can carry him to the infirmary, I won’t have to stand in the sun.” Before anyone else could react, he volunteered, shouting, “Report!” He then stepped forward and carried the unconscious student on his back, fully demonstrating a spirit of unity and a willingness to help others.

In reality, the moment he carried the boy to a spot where the drill sergeant couldn’t see them, he immediately put him down, patted him awake, and said, panting, “Dude, I really can’t carry you anymore. Can you walk a couple of steps on your own?”

The two of them ended up getting lost on campus and had to ask several older female students for directions to the infirmary. Even after the school doctor said he was fine, Yan Liao insisted that the other student lie down until sunset before he would agree to take him away.

That evening, during the class meeting, Yan Liao was singled out and praised by the teacher, while the heatstroke victim looked like he was suffering in silence.

After two weeks of military training, classes continued.

Tang Shaocheng was in his element in the law department. He had dealt with many of the school’s professors in his previous life; one of them had even emailed him to ask for his opinion while writing a textbook.

On days without classes, he worked as an intern at a law firm. During the interview, he lied and said a family uncle was a certain lawyer, using the name of a friend’s father from his past life. All the details matched up.

Because of this, he didn’t have to start from scratch. His abilities were quickly noticed. He was disciplined, meticulous, and never made mistakes. He didn’t work like an intern but more like someone seasoned in the field, here for a brief stint or to “do rural poverty relief,” as it were.

His maturity in handling things was well beyond his years, as if he had been through the mill for many years in the industry. He never showed his likes or dislikes on his face.

His colleagues were all very polite to him.

The only downside was the low salary. After working diligently for a month, he earned less than he did from tutoring on weekends.

Even with a full scholarship and a monthly bank transfer, given his mother’s personality, he had to prepare for the possibility of her suddenly cutting him off one day.

Tang Shaocheng’s performance during this time made the law firm’s partners look at him in a new light. As it was nearing the end of the day, an assistant took him to an office. The face in front of him was familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before.

“Xiao Tang,” Li Yi-yun said with a warm smile, inviting him to sit on the sofa. Getting straight to the point, he asked, “Can you drink?”

Tang Shaocheng raised an eyebrow, a clear understanding dawning in his mind. He nodded and replied, “I can handle it.”

Li Yi-yun then asked, “How’s your tolerance?”

“My tolerance is unpredictable,” Tang Shaocheng’s words were airtight. “But when I drink too much, I don’t black out or talk nonsense.”

Li Yi-yun’s expression showed how comfortable it was to deal with a smart person. His smile was knowing. “That’s excellent. I’m attending a dinner party tomorrow night. You should come along. I’ll introduce you to some people.”

Tang Shaocheng nodded, politely offering a few words of thanks for the opportunity. The unspoken rule of the industry was always the same: you had to build connections to get business. No matter how good your work was, you first had to learn how to deal with people.

The next evening, under a deep blue sky, the dark silhouettes of trees were like a vast, beautiful nebula. Cars weaved through the city’s vibrant neon lights, like nimble fish in the dark sea.

The moment Tang Shaocheng entered the restaurant, a familiar atmosphere instantly enveloped him.

The first floor was a magnificent, ornate lobby. After taking the elevator up, the style on the upper floor was deliberately understated and rustic. He and Li Yi-yun were led by a waiter all the way to a quiet private room at the end of the hallway. They were the last two to arrive.

Tang Shaocheng discreetly counted the number of people. There were more than he had expected, making this evening harder to navigate.

“This is our new intern, please take good care of him.”

Li Yi-yun patted his shoulder. Tang Shaocheng cooperated, raising his glass and downing the fiery liquor in one go, his gaze glancing over the mixed expressions on the faces of the people around him.

He had experienced this kind of human nature unfolding before him in his past life. Back then, he felt a youthful anger and disappointment, but now, he was completely used to it, calmly observing the human condition.

The world had always been this way.

Still, hearing that phrase, “How can you climb up without stepping on others?” made him feel nauseous.

After the conversation warmed up, they finally got down to business. Amidst the clinking of glasses, Li Yi-yun had him toast people and accept business cards. After several rounds, Tang Shaocheng felt a burning sensation and his footing became unsteady. He had taken medicine beforehand, but his stomach still felt a bit twisted, as if pulled by threads.

He had overestimated his body’s endurance for the first time.

Tang Shaocheng sighed inwardly, then began to speak in short sentences, his expression still poised. His handsome appearance easily won people over. He continued to toast and drink on Li Yi-yun’s behalf, eventually feeling his throat tighten and his eyes grow slightly red.

He took a deep breath and calmly excused himself to the restroom, controlling his body and walking steadily out the door.

Once he was out of the room, Tang Shaocheng immediately stumbled and held onto the wall. Every step felt like he was walking on muddy sand. A heavy, dull pain spread to his temples, and he could even feel the pulsing of the veins in his neck.

The restroom had an open window, and the cold air rushed in like a gale. The citrus scent of the air freshener slightly soothed his strained nerves. He leaned against the cool tile, a network of prominent veins standing out on his arm. He vomited twice until everything was blurry.

But when he returned to the private room, his tall figure was once again ramrod straight, and his expression was as composed and calm as before.

Yan Liao has an excellent sense of color.

In the words of his oil painting professor, “Your eyes are incredible; you’re very sensitive to color.” He has a unique knack for knowing what color is missing and what shape is needed.

Yan Liao always took these compliments in stride. It had been the same since his training. Every time a teacher praised him in front of the whole class, he would give them a look of great appreciation, as if a master had discovered a true talent.

He had both talent and a handsome face, making it effortless to receive preferential treatment. However, his inability to be humble also brought some subtle hostility.

The first time he heard someone say, “That color isn’t pure,” Yan Liao didn’t take it seriously. But then other classmates would walk by and casually say, “I bet your painting will fade in a few months,” or “A single tube of my Lefranc paint is worth your entire set of art supplies.”

Yan Liao’s reaction was a shocked gasp, “Is that really necessary?” and then a confused exhale, “What’s it got to do with me?”

Studying art is an expensive major, and most of the students he met came from wealthy families. But no one had ever compared art materials with him before. He was only just now realizing, with a delayed understanding, that even pencils had a hierarchy of judgment. It was absurd.

He casually mentioned all this to Tang Shaocheng while they were eating in the cafeteria, his tone nonchalant. “Who’d ever complain about cheap stuff? If I could just scrape white paint off the wall, I would have torn the whole teaching building down by now.”

“You haven’t had time to eat with me lately,” Yan Liao said, biting his chopsticks. “Why are you tutoring when you already have an internship? You’re even busy on the weekends.” He lowered his head, poking the rice in his bowl, and said in a very casual tone, “It feels weird to eat at the cafeteria alone. I kind of miss you.” He deliberately put more emphasis on the first part of the sentence, so the last part came out light, almost like a joke.

Tang Shaocheng was patiently peeling shrimp. There were faint needle marks on the back of his hand, and every movement felt like a hard needle was pricking a vein. His body was just too weak now; in his last life, he never had to get an IV from drinking.

“We see each other every day,” he said, pushing the plate of shrimp toward Yan Liao, a little amused. “You’ve only been apart for a little while, and you’re already saying you miss me.”

Yan Liao made a soft grunting sound. “The second you turn away, I start missing you.” Then he continued to press relentlessly, “So why are you still tutoring?”

“To make money.”

It was an unexpected and concise answer.

Yan Liao’s chopsticks hovered at his mouth, and his expression was hesitant. “…Are you really short on money?”

Tang Shaocheng reached over and ruffled his hair, saying something very common: “Who would ever complain about having too much money?”

It felt like after becoming an adult, they had stepped into a different, more realistic world. The question he wanted to ask, “What are you going to buy with all that money?” was left unsaid because he thought it sounded childish.

—But he would find the answer the moment he saw a paint box with “Michael Harding” printed on it.

“Why did you buy me something so expensive?!”

Tang Shaocheng thought for a moment, then gave a reasoned answer: “To celebrate Thanksgiving.”

Even though Yan Liao said, “This is too sacred. I’m going to enshrine it,” he still took it to class the next day and paraded around in front of the classmates who had mocked him.

Life only fell into a routine two months into the semester, with school and work gradually balancing out. With midterms approaching, Tang Shaocheng had to find time to check on Yan Liao’s academic progress in addition to his own professional courses.

He returned to his dorm, opened WeChat, and saw a message from ten minutes ago: “I can’t do my computer homework.”

Tang Shaocheng replied, “Open your computer.”

After they connected remotely, Yan Liao, eating potato chips, watched the cursor magically move on the screen. He was so stunned he forgot to chew.

With their voice call still on, he gasped, “Are you really controlling my computer?”

“Yes,” Tang Shaocheng said, laughing.

Yan Liao’s computer knowledge was limited to playing games. He stared at the screen, still very suspicious. “Then type something for me.”

Tang Shao-cheng asked, “What should I type?”

“Let me think,” Yan Liao pondered, thinking about how Tang Shaocheng had been too busy to pay attention to him lately. He ordered rudely, “Just type ‘I am a pig.’”

Tang Shaocheng couldn’t help but laugh for a while on the phone, but under the other’s threat, he slowly typed out the line.

The next day in computer class, the teacher asked loudly from the podium, “Whose homework is this? Didn’t I say to submit the file with your name and student ID? Who submitted the file named ‘I am a pig’?”

Yan Liao’s vision went black. He raised his hand in mortification, silently cursing Tang Shaocheng a hundred times over.

But Tang Shaocheng brought him a gift every night when he came back, and since he was receiving favors, he just swallowed his anger and held his tongue.

In early December, Tang Shaocheng went on a business trip with Li Yi-yun to another city. The day before they returned, they visited a famous local temple.

He had been here twice in his previous life, once to pray and once to give thanks. Following his memory, he found a shop where he had bought a piece of jadeite in his last life. But when he took it back, Yan Liao had refused to wear it, scoffing coldly, “With my condition, wishing me a long life is a curse, isn’t it?”

Now, Tang Shao-cheng found that same piece of jadeite in the display case again. It was lustrous and translucent, glowing like a dragon stone. It felt both otherworldly and familiar.

This time, it was successfully hung around Yan Liao’s neck, resting against his chest, where it quickly warmed up from his body heat.

Yan Liao stared at it blankly. Even without being an expert, he could tell how much it was worth. “Why did you buy this?”

Tang Shao-cheng said seriously, “To keep you safe.”

The Michael Harding paints had been enough to make him feel uneasy, and this was even more expensive. Yan Liao just couldn’t accept it with a clear conscience.

Tang Shaocheng had already prepared his excuse. “The moment I saw it in the temple, I wanted to give it to you. It’s fate. The price doesn’t matter.”

Yan Liao stammered, “You’re so good to me… Is it just because we’re friends? Even if we’re the best of friends, you shouldn’t be giving me something this expensive. What if you get another good friend later on? Will you do the same thing? If you spend this much money, aren’t you afraid of losing both your money and your friend? Also, do you know what a pig-butchering scam is? Where you meet a bad person who pretends to be your good friend and lures you to a highly controlled compound. Hmm… With your intelligence, you could definitely make a lot of money in a scam…”

He carefully held the cool piece of jadeite, feeling that this thing was more precious than his own neck, terrified of breaking it.

His words became more and more off-topic, moving directly to career planning, with clear reasoning and a solid, logical structure. Tang Shaocheng wanted to listen for a little longer; he felt like he was getting his university’s career guidance lecture right here.

“Why would I have other good friends later on?”

In the end, he asked the most inconsequential question, as if it were a casual thought.

Yan Liao frowned, confused, thinking, biting his lip, and pondering deeply. He whispered, “…Well, you don’t have to.”

He shuffled over to Tang Shaocheng’s side, his eyebrows furrowed into a sad little mountain. He asked, feeling guilty, “But this is really too valuable.”

Tang Shaocheng glanced at him and said slowly, “Actually, besides being friends, I have a special feeling for you.”

“…What?!”

Yan Liao’s whole body tensed up. His breathing stopped, his heart raced, his blood boiled, and his tongue felt tied. “What kind of feeling?!”

“A father-son feeling.”

…

He had been fooled once, and yet he fell for it again.

Yan Liao clenched his fingers, feeling disappointed in himself. He said angrily, “Don’t you dare say another word.”

Tang Shaocheng raised his hands in surrender and quietly started eating. After a moment, he heard Yan Liao’s exasperated command again.

“…Talk to me.”

So, with his next month’s salary, Tang Shaocheng bought his good friend new clothes and pants, and even a thick comforter he would need for the fall.

After arriving in the new city, Yan Liao finally gave up his old style and stopped wearing strange clothes. But whenever he went out, he still loved to wear various face piercings. Later, Tang Shaocheng saw that most of the art students in his department had a similar sense of style, and his standards immediately dropped.

Having his hair suddenly dyed green wouldn’t seem strange anymore.

Yan Liao looked at the things moved into his dorm, both shocked and bewildered. He wanted to say, “I don’t want your money, I want you to spend time with me.” But first, the words were too old-fashioned, like something out of a last-century TV drama. Second, they were too sappy—they were just ordinary good friends. Third, Tang Shaocheng’s life plan was something he didn’t understand, but he felt instinctively that he shouldn’t interfere with it.

So, when they were walking on the track at the end of the day, he said softly, “You should save up some money, too… Didn’t you say last time that you can never have too much money?”

“Okay.”

Tang Shaocheng thought Yan Liao had a good point. He should save money sooner. In his last life, he was close to affording a big villa, but then he spent all of his money on hospital bills.

This time, he would work hard to live in a big villa sooner and raise the kid all over again.

As his plans for the future became clearer, he didn’t notice the flickering light in Yan Liao’s eyes, like a candle flame swaying in the wind.

The moonlight was cool. It wasn’t until their second lap that he noticed the boy beside him was walking silently with his head down.

Tang Shaocheng reached up and touched his hair. “Are you unhappy?”

“No… It’s just that I think you’re so amazing. The more amazing you get, the further away from me you seem.” These words were a little embarrassing to say out loud, especially since he rarely felt defeated.

Yan Liao stared down at the red rubber track, occasionally stepping on scattered green grass blades. “Sometimes I wish I could be just like you, but I know I can’t do what you do. Thinking about that makes me feel a little discouraged.”

It wasn’t so much self-abasement as a feeling of frustration at his own inability. He just wanted to stand beside Tang Shaocheng and become someone who could be his equal.

If a time-traveling robot cat truly existed, it could tell Yan Liao that his wish to “become as amazing as you” would one day come true, and his current sense of loss would be made up for.

Tang Shaocheng was silent for a long time. The hand on Yan Liao’s hair slid down to his shoulder, and his voice softened. “Everyone has their own pace. There’s no need to compare yourself or be like me,” he said slowly, pausing. “When you feel discouraged, you can lean on me.”