Chapter 61
Yu Chen was sorting through the data submitted by each group when Wang Lei’s excited voice suddenly rang in his ear. “Yu Chen! Your white moonlight is back in the country! He’s waiting for you right at the door!”
Wang Lei was a typical Northeastern guy, loud and broad-voiced. Even Song Wenjing, who was sitting in the back row of the classroom, was drawn over and looked curiously toward the door.
Still a little dazed, Yu Chen took a bite of his now-cold jianbing guozi and mumbled, “Brother Lei, stop teasing me.”
“It’s true!” Wang Lei pointed hard toward the door, while his other hand was already pulling Yu Chen to his feet. “Hurry up and go!”
As he shoved Yu Chen forward by the back, he shot meaningful looks at several of their dormmates, telling them to come along and watch the excitement too.
Half believing and half doubtful, Yu Chen chewed on his jianbing and tilted his head lightly.
As if He Zhen had some kind of telepathy with him, he just so happened to shift half his body into view at that moment and lean casually against the doorframe.
That familiar gaze landed squarely on Yu Chen, and a faint, gentle smile rose to his lips.
“Ah!”
At a total loss, Yu Chen pressed his lips together and instinctively turned his back, frantically grabbing at his hair.
“Brother Lei, look at me quick—is my hair messy?”
“Oh no! I just ate jianbing, my mouth probably smells like onions!”
“Does anyone have breath spray? Lend me some, hurry!”
The more flustered Yu Chen got, the hotter his ears became.
He could clearly feel a burning gaze locked onto his back, following him tightly.
He regretted it so much now. If he had not overslept this morning, he would never have gone out dressed this casually.
Wang Lei and the others were delighted by the spectacle and quickly dug around in their pockets before tossing Yu Chen a piece of gum. Chen Xing started shouting from the side, “Yu Chen, your white moonlight is really handsome! With that look and that aura, he’s basically a movie star.”
After fixing his hair, Yu Chen switched his phone to selfie mode and checked himself over once again.
Then his gaze quietly dropped to the corner of the screen.
He Zhen was still looking at him, and he did not seem impatient at all.
Yu Chen’s heart pounded wildly, as if eight alpacas were happily galloping around inside it. A shy smile involuntarily curled onto his lips.
Summoning his courage, he turned around. The instant his eyes met He Zhen’s, his feet had already started carrying him toward him in a run.
“Wooo!” Wang Lei and the others led the cheering. The previously dull classroom instantly exploded into noise.
Song Wenjing walked to the front row and quietly studied the scene outside the door.
Wang Lei and the others gossiped excitedly. “Yu Chen’s white moonlight looks extraordinary at first glance. He’s probably some rich young master or something.”
“People say anyone who can get into MIT is either rich or a genius.”
In the hallway, Yu Chen kept grinning foolishly, though his eyes stayed lowered, and he only dared to sneak an occasional glance at He Zhen.
He was really curious—had He Zhen been eating that well in America?
How had he grown this tall in just over two years?
By Yu Chen’s rough estimate, He Zhen had to be around one meter ninety now.
Trying not to make it obvious, Yu Chen rose up slightly on his toes, his hands hanging stiffly at his sides, the color of his ears nearly the same as a little cherry tomato.
Suddenly, He Zhen stepped closer and raised a hand to Yu Chen’s ear.
The temperature of his ear seemed to rise by another degree.
Yu Chen lifted his eyes softly. “What are you doing?”
“Your hair’s a little messy.”
He Zhen’s nails were trimmed neatly, his knuckled fingers clean and elegant. In the end, his fingertips landed lightly on Yu Chen’s cheek, and a doting smile stained the corners of his brows. “When did you dye your hair?”
“Yesterday.” At last, Yu Chen found the courage to meet He Zhen’s eyes properly and immediately questioned him like he was demanding justice. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
A slight movement passed through He Zhen’s cool gaze. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Does Grandpa know you’re back?”
“He does.”
“Did you come here from home?”
“No. Straight from the airport.”
With his cheeks red, Yu Chen asked a question he already knew the answer to. “Then why did you come find me first? I thought you’d go home and report in to Grandpa first.”
“I came to pick you up first. They’ve already prepared a welcome-back dinner at home.”
“Huh? But I still have class this afternoon.” Yu Chen suddenly got anxious, his little brows knitting together. “Then why don’t you go back and eat first?”
“The welcome-back dinner is tonight.” He Zhen lifted a hand and flicked Yu Chen lightly on the tip of the nose. “I’ll wait and go back with you.”
Yu Chen laughed stupidly twice, then suddenly looked worried again. “But my afternoon class doesn’t end until three. Don’t you need to go home and rest? Or…”
A slightly embarrassed smile rose to his lips. “You could go nap first at the apartment my dad bought for me, and I’ll come find you after class?”
“No need. I’ll go to class with you.”
Yu Chen let out an “oh” and pressed the back of his hand against his burning cheek. “Then at noon, I’ll take you out to eat something good.”
“Your break time is short. Eating at the school cafeteria is fine.” He Zhen had already shifted slightly toward the lecture hall and held out a hand to him. “You should go to class.”
Yu Chen stared at He Zhen’s hand, and his whole face shamefully reddened another shade.
He Zhen’s hands had always been beautiful, fair and smooth like jade.
Yu Chen answered haltingly, then mechanically raised his own hand.
The instant their hands clasped, Yu Chen did not even dare to look up. His chest rose and fell as if a ball of fire had been kneaded inside it, making his breathing impossible to control.
When Wang Lei and the others saw the little couple walk in holding hands, the cheering only grew louder. Even Professor Lin, who had just walked in holding a water cup, kept glancing over several times at this unfamiliar face beside Yu Chen.
Sitting next to He Zhen, Yu Chen behaved as obediently as a little quail.
Through the screen at the front of the lectern, he could clearly see the image of himself sitting shoulder to shoulder with He Zhen.
He suddenly felt deeply indignant.
How was it that He Zhen had grown so much, while he himself had practically stayed in place?
Only with thick-soled boots on could he barely scrape his way to one meter eighty.
His barefoot height was a pain he could never talk about!
Yu Chen’s expression turned extremely animated, and he shot He Zhen an annoyed glare.
From his angle, He Zhen’s already nearly perfect facial features seemed even sharper than before. His dark eyes rested lightly on the distance, and when he sat still, he carried a slight coldness, his presence much stronger than it had once been.
It was like his little lion had gone off to hunt and somehow returned as a lion king.
And yet the two of them had only been apart for 956 days.
That kind of change felt strangely magical.
As if he had also realized that the person beside him had been secretly staring at him without blinking, a faint smile spread across He Zhen’s eyes, and he suddenly turned to look at Yu Chen.
Caught red-handed on the spot, Yu Chen immediately panicked. His face turned red with effort, but he still could not force out any explanation at all.
He covered part of his face with one hand and pretended to start typing on his keyboard.
Then He Zhen suddenly raised a hand and rubbed his hair. “The professor’s looking at you. Pay attention.”
Yu Chen hurriedly lifted his head and discovered Professor Lin really was standing there holding the lecture notes and looking right at him. His heart gave a guilty jump, and he immediately straightened his back, his lively eyes flickering with embarrassment as he pressed his lips together to make himself look serious.
“The student sitting next to Yu Chen—is he from another department, here to sit in on the class?” Professor Lin leaned curiously against the lectern, and his voice came through the headset especially clearly.
“Professor! That’s Yu Chen’s MIT boyfriend!” Wang Lei shouted back in his booming voice.
Yu Chen instantly felt his face burn. Both hands clenched hard around the textbook as he buried his head down with all his might.
Professor Lin pushed his glasses up slightly and smiled with interest.
Nowadays, same-sex marriage had already been legalized, and a scholar like Professor Lin, well past fifty, could fully accept love between people of the same sex.
He asked, “Oh? And an outstanding student from abroad too? When did Yu Chen get a boyfriend? How come I didn’t know?”
The whole classroom burst into laughter.
Yu Chen could clearly feel his entire body catching fire. Half hiding his shy eyes, he murmured in a mosquito-like voice that only He Zhen could hear, “Not really… not yet…”
He Zhen answered for him, “Professor, I’m still in the probation period. I haven’t been made official yet.”
Professor Lin laughed heartily. “Then work hard. Our Yu Chen is both smart and sensible—you’d better hold on tight.”
A smile flickered in He Zhen’s eyes. “I will.”
Yu Chen had no idea how he managed to endure the final class. Every time he looked up, he was met with teasing, gossip-filled stares from every direction.
At last, class ended, and Yu Chen could finally breathe again. After packing up his bag, he took He Zhen to the South Garden cafeteria.
“Boss, is grilled fish okay? I think the taste is pretty good.” The heat still had not fully faded from Yu Chen’s face, and his full lips carried a faint pink flush. “There’s all kinds of stuff in it.”
“Your call.” With an easy, natural motion, He Zhen picked up Yu Chen’s bag for him and smoothly took his hand too. “As long as I’m eating with you, it’s all the same.”
The warmth Yu Chen had only just managed to lose immediately rose again. With He Zhen lightly holding his hand, it felt as though he were walking on feathers, his whole body floating.
“Boss, how did you suddenly get so tall?”
Yu Chen grumbled, “You must’ve been secretly eating good stuff behind my back.”
He Zhen turned his head with a faint smile. “Genes.”
“Tch.” Yu Chen minded this a lot. “Standing next to you, I’m like a little potato.”
He Zhen smiled lazily. “You’re fine. You’re not short.”
“How tall are you with shoes on?” Yu Chen rose up on his toes and stretched his neck hard.
“193.” He Zhen tilted his head at him. “What about you?”
Out of pure vanity, Yu Chen lied about his height. “180 with shoes.”
He Zhen lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, clearly not quite believing him.
Yu Chen hurriedly defended himself. “I really am 180 when I wear winter boots.”
He Zhen pressed his lips together with a quiet laugh. “Mm, I believe you.”
Yu Chen looked like a little hedgehog with its fur standing on end, letting out a small huff through his nose. But when He Zhen tightened his hold on his hand a little, he slowly turned to look elsewhere, hiding his shyness.
At this hour, the cafeteria was packed.
Yu Chen was gluttonous by nature, of course, so he had no intention of eating only grilled fish. He Zhen had finally come to see him, so Yu Chen naturally wanted He Zhen to try everything delicious here.
He Zhen followed him through one food window after another, carrying the trays for him. Yu Chen noticed that plenty of people around them were secretly looking at He Zhen.
It was now early May. Hai City had just gotten another round of rain, and the temperature had dropped several degrees. Compared with everyone else’s loose hoodies and jackets, He Zhen’s clothes and bearing stood out sharply in the crowd.
Driven by the possessiveness in his heart, a smile rose at Yu Chen’s lips, and he quietly pressed himself against He Zhen’s trench coat, silently showing off how close the two of them were.
Back at the table, He Zhen took off his coat. “Does the food here suit your taste?”
Staring at the grilled fish still sizzling with oil, Yu Chen dipped his chopsticks into the sauce and sneaked a little taste. “Mm, it’s alright. But compared to other universities, our cafeteria isn’t that rich in variety.”
He Zhen pulled on a pair of gloves and started peeling shrimp for Yu Chen one by one. “You don’t seem to stay in the apartment Uncle bought you very often.”
“Mm.” Yu Chen chewed a big mouthful of shrimp. “Only when lab work gets really heavy do I occasionally stay there for one night. I’m scared staying there by myself, so I don’t dare live there.”
A smile tugged at He Zhen’s lips. “What if I keep you company?”
A flush instantly spread through Yu Chen’s eyes. “Huh? Live, live together? But my dad also sometimes…”
Inside, Yu Chen was panicking to death.
Was this cohabitation?
For a brief moment, a teasing smile surfaced over He Zhen’s deep, sharply defined features. Then he took out a key from the pocket of his trench coat and handed it to Yu Chen. “My company is far from home, so after I start working, I’m planning to live outside. I bought a more spacious apartment near your school.”
“This is the mechanical key. The password lock is your birthday.”
“Little Leader is welcome to come inspect anytime.”
