Yan Chi had been anxiously waiting for a while. Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw it was already six o'clock, time for dinner. His life was always regular, so it was time to make dinner.
As for whether Shen Mingsu would fire him, Yan Chi chose not to worry about it. Things had come to this point, and he couldn't very well beg Shen Mingsu not to kick him out.
Yan Chi imagined that scene, and it was simply unbearable to look at, chilling to the bone. So he chose to put the matter out of his mind. Disruption of his life was certainly terrible, but he still had to eat.
There were fresh tomatoes and chicken breast in the refrigerator, so he planned to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried chicken.
Yan Chi was a good cook. After busying himself in the kitchen for a while, a fragrant aroma filled the air. He also made an extra dish: seaweed and dried shrimp soup. After the food was ready, Yan Chi took out his phone, found Xi Chang's contact information, and asked if he had eaten dinner and if he wanted to come over. "Come on, come on!"
Xi Chang agreed quickly and arrived just as quickly.
As soon as Xi Chang entered, he smelled the delicious aroma in the air. He peered into the kitchen doorway, his eyes full of anticipation. "What are we eating?"
Yan Chi brought out two dishes and a soup. Upon seeing the three dishes, Xi Chang was overjoyed and praised him for being so capable. Like a little tail, he followed behind him, readily helping to get bowls and chopsticks.
While Yan Chi and Xi Chang happily sat down to eat dinner, the atmosphere next door was completely different.
The aroma wafting from Yan Chi's house reached Shen Chang Le and Shen Mingsu's noses. Shen Chang Le, sitting on the sofa, nudged Shen Mingsu's arm. "I'm hungry."
Shen Mingsu glanced at him, got up, grabbed a cup of instant noodles, and placed it in front of him. "Eat, don't be shy."
Shen Chang Le pursed his lips, staring at the noodles for a long time without moving. Finally, he silently pushed the noodles away, his eyes clearly showing disgust. He looked at his uncle. "Isn't there anything else to eat?"
"Yes." Shen Mingsu got up again, and to Shen Chang Le's expectant gaze, brought back… a cup of instant noodles?
Shen Chang Le: "Why is it still instant noodles?"
"The flavor is different."
Shen Chang Le: "..."
He laid his cards on the table, "I want rice, and I want vegetables too."
"No." Shen Mingsu shattered his illusions, having already seen through his thoughts. "Want to eat Teacher Yan's cooking? Just walk a few steps, go next door. Then you'll know whether you're a popular good kid or not."
He was clearly holding a grudge, but Shen Chang Le didn't argue with him.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Chang Le stood up, "Then I'll go eat next door."
Shen Mingsu was surprised, but Shen Chang Le, always a man of action, dashed out before Shen Mingsu could even stop him.
Next door, Yan Chi and Xi Chang had only taken a few bites when the doorbell rang. Yan Chi hesitated, then got up to open the door, thinking that Xi Chang was the only person he knew at the school. Who could be looking for him at this hour?
The door opened, and Shen Chang Le stood there, obediently greeting, "Teacher."
The moment Yan Chi saw him, the awkward memory resurfaced, and he looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Chang Le, is there something you need from your teacher?"
Shen Chang Le usually had very little expression, but at this moment, he lowered his eyes slightly. Despite being about the same height as Yan Chi, he looked like a pitiful little child. "Teacher, my uncle won't cook for me, I'm so hungry."
Yan Chi's eyes widened slightly. "He won't cook for you?!"
Remembering Shen Mingsu's identity, Yan Chi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did he not cook today, or has he never fed you?"
Shen Chang Le pursed his lips, giving Yan Chi a pitiful look, as if afraid he would find him repulsive, then silently lowered his head again.
This series of small actions made Yan Chi's heart ache. The answer to the question seemed self-evident.
"Xiao Chi, who's here?" Xi Chang, who was in the dining room, asked when Yan Chi hadn't returned.
Yan Chi took Shen Chang Le's arm and led him inside. "Chang Le's here."
He made Shen Chang Le sit next to Xi Chang, then went to the kitchen to get him a bowl and chopsticks. "Eat quickly."
"Thank you, teacher." Shen Chang Le eagerly ate a piece of chicken, his eyes filled with smiles and gratitude. "It's delicious, thank you, teacher."
Following his usual habit with students, Yan Chi subconsciously reached out to pat his head.
"Wait a minute..."
Yan Chi's hand had just touched Shen Chang Le's head when he heard Xi Chang's voice. He turned to look. "What's wrong?"
Xi Chang looked at Shen Chang Le's calm face and the pale hand on his head, remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing."
Ignoring the interruption, Yan Chi put food on Shen Chang Le's plate. "Eat more if you like it. Look at you, you're too thin. If your uncle doesn't cook for you, you can come eat here."
Shen Chang Le's eyes lit up. A grain of rice still clung to his lips. He stared blankly, completely different from his previous aloofness. He cautiously asked Yan Chi, "Really?"
"Of course." Two dimples appeared on Yan Chi's face. "I'm so happy you could keep me company during meals, since I'm usually so bored."
Shen Chang Le, being a young child, felt a sweet warmth in his heart when he met Yan Chi's smiling eyes. "Teacher, you're so kind."
Yan Chi suddenly remembered what happened that morning. "Let's make it clear first, you can't hit your classmates on the head with your thermos next time."
Shen Chang Le hesitated, somewhat troubled. "But they can be really annoying sometimes."
"But you can't hurt them either." Yan Chi had initially worried that Shen Chang Le might have violent tendencies, but after getting to know him, he found that the child wasn't bad; he probably just didn't know how to properly handle interpersonal relationships. "Is this okay? If you're really angry, you can come to my office."
Shen Chang Le: "...Okay."
Yan Chi smiled and patted Shen Chang Le's head again. "Good boy."
Shen Chang Le didn't resist at all; he was even a little shy, and ate his meal in silence.
Xi Chang, focused on his meal, was initially surprised that Yan Chi could manage to control the mischievous Shen Chang Le. However, considering Yan Chi's surprisingly approachable nature and the delicious food on the table, Xi Chang found it understandable.
Halfway through the meal, Yan Chi suddenly remembered Shen Mingsu. He hadn't cooked for Shen Chang Le, so he probably hadn't eaten either.
Yan Chi: "How about we bring some back for your uncle after we finish eating?"
Shen Chang Le replied without hesitation, "He doesn't eat."
"Let's bring him some anyway." Yan Chi thought for a moment. "I baked some egg tarts. You can take a few back later. If he doesn't eat them, you can keep them for breakfast."
This time, Shen Chang Le didn't refuse.
The meal ended after seven o'clock. The sky was darkening, with a lingering patch of brilliant fiery clouds on the horizon.
Yan Chi gave Shen Chang Le and Xi Chang a few egg tarts each. Xi Chang tried one at first and loved it.
Shen Chang Le also wanted some, but considering it was a gift from Yan Chi to Shen Mingsu, he didn't eat any. He figured if Shen Mingsu didn't eat them, they'd be his anyway.
After saying goodbye to Yan Chi, Shen Chang Le took his things home.
Shen Mingsu was still sitting on the living room sofa. Seeing Shen Chang Le return, full and satisfied, he snorted irritably, "I thought you weren't coming back tonight, that you went to be your teacher Yan's nephew."
Shen Chang Le ignored his sarcasm, lifting the bag of egg tarts in his hand. "If you're not going to eat them, I'll take them."
With that, he turned and left.
"Wait."
Shen Mingsu called out to him, slightly raising his chin. "The things are for me. Why are you taking them? Put them down."
Shen Chang Le was incredulous: "You eavesdropped on my conversation with the teacher?!"
"What do you mean by eavesdropping? You put it so rudely." Shen Mingsu was very dissatisfied with his wording. "Your conversation was too loud, and I heard it."
Shen Chang Le didn't believe him at all, angrily handing him the egg tart. "I'm going upstairs to do my homework."
Shen Mingsu didn't care about Shen Chang Le's little tantrum. He picked up the egg tart and tasted one; it was indeed quite delicious.
He was thinking about how Yan Chi ran away when he saw him. Although he wasn't exactly universally loved at school, his relationships with his colleagues were still acceptable. Why did Yan Chi dislike him so much?
Yan Chi, on the other hand, was extremely kind to his other colleagues and his students.
Compared to this, Shen Mingsu felt a pang of resentment.
It seems that Mr. Yan really enjoys cooking, so how about we make that a common topic of conversation?
Shen Mingsu pondered for a moment, then decisively picked up his phone and searched for various recipes.
...
Later that night, Yan Chi lay comfortably in bed after a shower. The sky outside was still dark, with only the faint glow of streetlights visible on either side of the road.
He was chatting with someone whose contact was saved as "Bald Peach."
[Bald Peach: How's your job search going?]
[Gulu: Great, I got the job now.]
A voice call immediately came in. Yan Chi answered with a smile, calling out, "Xie Tao."
Xie Tao was his childhood friend. They grew up in the same orphanage and studied together for the college entrance exam. In university, they chose different careers.
Xie Tao resolutely chose to study computer development, working himself to the bone to earn money. Now, he only had a little free time to chat with Yan Chi late at night.
Xie Tao's tone was urgent, "Tell me quickly what's going on at your new school. You're so clueless, be careful you don't get scammed."
"It's a legitimate school. I checked everything before I came," Yan Chi slowly reassured his friend. "Don't worry, the colleagues and students here are all very nice."
Hearing this, Xie Tao felt much relieved. "Then let's go out and celebrate this Sunday."
Yan Chi hesitated, "Our school doesn't allow students to go out on weekends without permission. We have to report to our superiors."
"What? Your school has such a stupid rule?" Xie Tao asked incredulously. "You're going to a military academy?"
Yan Chi's voice was soft, "No."
Xie Tao let out a working-class cry, "All bosses are the same, really!"
Yan Chi coaxed him, and Xie Tao finally calmed down, still muttering that he would find time to come and see if he had been bullied.
Yan Chi had always been a well-behaved child, never even knowing how to argue. If Xie Tao hadn't been there to protect him, he would definitely have been bullied by those naughty kids.
Yan Chi smiled and agreed, then inquired about Xie Tao's situation.
Xie Tao said weakly, "It's still the same as before, endless overtime, never-ending work, damned bosses and colleagues. Every first day of work I feel sorry for their parents for giving birth to such a scoundrel. So idiotic, why don't they just disappear if they're so stupid?"
At this point, Xie Tao suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Xiao Chi, have you heard about the recent missing persons cases?"
Yan Chi was taken aback, "No, what happened?"
"The news says there have been many missing persons cases, and they still haven't found anyone. In our district alone, hundreds of people have gone missing so far." Xie Tao said fearfully, "Even in my neighborhood, two people have gone missing. I heard they were actually murdered, and there's a murderer hiding in our city."
In the middle of the night, Yan Chi felt a chill run down his spine and shrank further under the covers, "Don't scare me."
"I'm not scaring you, it's all in the news."
Yan Chi became even more frightened, his eyes constantly glancing towards the window, afraid that a dark shadow would appear there at any moment. Xie Tao instructed, "Anyway, you must be careful and protect yourself."
Yan Chi: "Okay! You too."
After their pre-sleep chat, Yan Chi couldn't fall asleep. He was used to having a teddy bear beside him; he usually needed to hug it to fall asleep. But today, because he had come in such a rush, and the bear was too big, he couldn't bring it.
Now that his sleeping partner was gone, Yan Chi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He stared at the ceiling with his eyes open until around two in the morning, when he finally drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, Yan Chi seemed to be in a gray fog. There was nothing around him. He looked around blankly, and all he could see was a thick gray fog.
Suddenly, he vaguely saw a light. He rushed forward, but when he saw the source of the light, his face turned deathly pale, and he retreated step by step.
A gigantic humanoid skeleton, a full three meters tall, lurked in the gray fog. A sliver of light emanated from its sunken eyes. It seemed to sense Yan Chi's presence, and began to move slowly, the bones grinding together with a teeth-grinding sound.
Yan Chi desperately tried to escape, but visibility in the gray fog was extremely poor. He could only run in one direction.
"Bang!"
He suddenly bumped into something. There was no pain, but it stopped him in his tracks.
A pillar-like object, like bamboo, appeared before him. Yan Chi looked up blankly along the "bamboo," where the enormous creature loomed in and out of the gray fog. He was standing beneath this unknown creature.
The skeleton also gave chase.
Yan Chi was terrified, unable to lose consciousness, unable to run, and collapsed to the ground, stunned.
In his despair, Yan Chi heard two childish voices.
"Teacher, we've come to hand in our homework."
Yan Chi: ?
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