Chapter 30 Part 1

The ride back was silent.

Mother Yan sat in the passenger seat. She first glanced at her husband's stern face, then turned to look at her son.

Yan Zhun's expression was relaxed as he leaned lazily against the seat, his eyes lowered to his phone.

"Little Zhun, don't use your phone too much in the car, you'll get carsick," Mother Yan reminded him gently.

Father Yan snorted coldly. "If he listened to you, he wouldn't have made you run to the hospital in the middle of the night to bail him out from the police."

His voice was truly cold, and his expression was truly foul.

He glanced at Yan Zhun in the rearview mirror. "Only your mother is willing to care about you."

Yan Zhun said, "Didn't you come too?"

Father Yan was at a loss for words, only managing to say after a long moment, "I was driving her here, not coming to see you."

Accustomed to his stubborn but soft-hearted nature, Yan Zhun nodded and said yes, not arguing with him.

Clutching her handbag, Mother Yan asked, "Little Zhun, were those boys just now your friends from gaming?"

Yan Zhun gave a faint "mm."

Mother Yan said, "What about the one who was talking to you? Is he a new teammate?"

"He's not," Yan Zhun said.

Mother Yan nodded, then added, "They came all this way for you so late at night. Remember to thank them next time."

Yan Zhun agreed.

"So, why did you get into a fight tonight?" Father Yan finally asked after a long silence. "Were you bullied?"

"No," Yan Zhun said. "I bullied someone else."

Father Yan frowned and glared at him through the rearview mirror. No longer beating around the bush, he asked directly, "What did that person break of yours? Was it worth getting into a physical fight over?"

Yan Zhun looked out the window and said, "It was."

"Alright, it's all over. Stop looking so sternly at our son," Mother Yan said, turning around. "Little Zhun, was it something very valuable? Mom can have someone buy you a new one."

The phone in his hand vibrated slightly, and Yan Zhun lowered his eyes to it.

[Pei Ran: I'm back at the dorm. Are you home yet? Be careful with your wound, don't let it get wet.]

Yan Zhun tapped on his phone. "No need."

After returning home, Yan Zhun went straight to his room.

Father Yan wasn't a nag. A few words in the car and the matter was dropped. After his shower, he returned to the bedroom to see his wife sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at something with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" He sat down beside his wife.

"It's nothing." Mother Yan paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Little Zhun hanging out with his friends."

When she had gone to his parent-teacher conference in his third year of high school, from the school gate all the way to the classroom, throughout the nearly two-hour meeting, Yan Zhun had just leaned against the hallway railing, waiting, without speaking to anyone.

At the end of his freshman year of university, she went on a whim to pick her son up. The other students were all in groups, teasing each other. He was sitting alone on a bench in the school garden, and when he saw her, he only said a faint "Let's go."

Father Yan's brows knitted tightly. "Hasn't he always been like this?"

Mother Yan said, "But before, he was at least willing to communicate with his friends."

In fact, the couple hadn't opposed Yan Zhun's gaming in the past. It wasn't until Yan Zhun's stomach illness flared up and he almost had to have his stomach surgically removed that Mother Yan cried until she fainted by his bedside. With both mother and son hospitalized, Father Yan strictly forbade Yan Zhun from continuing in esports.

Yan Zhun had been stubborn at first, until he saw his mother lying in the hospital bed, her hair having gained many white strands overnight.

Without a word, he packed his bags with a blank expression and left the club.

After that, Yan Zhun's personality became even colder.

Father Yan was silent for a long time before saying, "Don't overthink it. Let's sleep."

-

The next day, Pei Ran bought a massager after class and received a WeChat message from Lin Xuhuan on his way back to school.

[Lin Xuhuan: Baby Ran, we're eating near your school, wanna join us?]

[Pei Ran: Is Yan Zhun there too?]

[Lin Xuhuan: Nope, he's not at school. Isn't he coming back the day after tomorrow?]

[Lin Xuhuan: We're here, just follow the map. [Share Location]]

Pei Ran froze, hesitating for a moment.

[Pei Ran: I still have drawing drafts to finish, so I won't be able to make it. You guys take your time and enjoy.]

[Lin Xuhuan: ? You won't come if my cousin isn't here?]

Pei Ran's eyelid twitched, and he was just about to explain.

[Lin Xuhuan: Wait, are you working on my fan's commission? Okay then, hurry back and focus on it. Make me look awesome, it has to be more handsome than that one on Weibo!]

[Pei Ran: ...Okay.]

Pei Ran got out of the car and went straight to the art studio.

He hadn't lied to Lin Xuhuan. He really did have an assignment, but the professor had given them a generous amount of time.

The art studio was empty. Once the door was closed, the entire world fell quiet.

An unknown amount of time passed. Pei Ran held his brush, pursing his lips as he stared at the painting before him.

If the heart isn't calm, the painting won't be good.

Just as he tore the paper from the canvas and crumpled it into a ball, the phone he had placed on the table began to ring.

Pei Ran got up to wash his hands, picking up the call in the last few seconds before it disconnected.

Pei Ran said "Hello," but got no response. He called out again, "Yan Zhun?"

Yan Zhun gave a low "mm."

Pei Ran asked, "What's wrong?"

Yan Zhun was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Why didn't you keep your word?"

Pei Ran's hand paused. "What?"

A few seconds later, Pei Ran saw the box on the table and understood. "I bought it, but you're not at school."

Yan Zhun grunted again, his mood low.

Pei Ran gripped his phone, finally asking after a long moment, "Is your injury any better?"

After faking it once, doing it a second time didn't feel so embarrassing. Yan Zhun said, "It hurts. I didn't sleep well."

Pei Ran frowned. Just as he was about to say something, the door to the art studio was pulled open.

Seeing him, the teacher wasn't surprised, merely raising an eyebrow. "Pei Ran, you're here? Perfect, I need to see you about something. Come with me."

Pei Ran said, "Okay, please wait a moment..."

"Go ahead," Yan Zhun said. "I'm hanging up."

Pei Ran listened to the dial tone for a few seconds, then slipped his phone into his pocket and followed his teacher with the box containing the massager.

The teacher didn't want him for anything major, just to ask him to participate in a competition. Pei Ran left the office with the registration form, took out his phone to check, and found the screen empty, without any messages.