Unbridled 18

When they walked out of the hospital gate, Ding Ji looked around cautiously before taking Lin Wuyu to a small cafe across the street.

"You've been pulling all-nighters lately, haven't you?" Lin Wuyu placed a mosquito repellent lamp from beside the cashier on their table. "You look thinner."

"Really?" Ding Ji touched his face and sighed. "Even my mom didn't notice."

"I'm not your mom," Lin Wuyu said.

"But you want to be," Ding Ji replied.

"No, I really don't," Lin Wuyu took the menu handed by the waiter, but Ding Ji snatched it away before he could open it.

"I said I'll treat you, why are you so eager? What do you want to eat and drink?"

Lin Wuyu didn't say anything, just looked at him.

"No need to argue with me. You treated me to barbecue and drinks, and I'll treat you to supper. It's normal," Ding Ji said.

"I wasn't arguing with you. If you don't give me the menu, how would I know what there is to eat and drink?" Lin Wuyu said.

"…Oh." Ding Ji placed the menu back in front of him.

It was a mediocre little cafe, and the decor seemed as old as the both of them. There weren't many customers in the shop. Lin Wuyu glanced at the menu and casually ordered two slices of cake, a small piece of bread, and a cup of coffee.

"I'll have a cup of hot milk," Ding Ji said.

The waiter brought them two glasses of lemon water and walked away.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Lin Wuyu asked.

"I really don't have the same appetite as you," Ding Ji said. "I admire you, you should start a column about how to eat without getting fat."

"Then you should start a column about how to escape like a cicada," Lin Wuyu said.

"Are you talking about earlier?" Ding Ji laughed. "I didn't really escape. Old Liu knew me, and if they beat him, he would reveal my name."

"Will they cause trouble for you?" Lin Wuyu asked.

"They probably won't. Old Liu wouldn't dare to say that he called me. He doesn't know where I live or where I go to school," Ding Ji clicked his tongue. "Besides, they don't even know that I'm still in school, do they?"

"They probably don't know you're still in school," Lin Wuyu looked at him.

Ding Ji didn't say anything, he just kept smiling.

"They have no idea that you could rank first in the second most prestigious high school, right?" Lin Wuyu said.

"Hey, wait!" Ding Ji immediately sat up straight. "What second most prestigious high school? The affiliated highschool is ranked first? Who agreed to that?"

"All the teachers and students at the affiliated highschool," Lin Wuyu laughed too.

"Well, all the teachers and students at No. 3 High also believe No. 3 High is the first. Did you get approval from all the teachers and students at No. 3 High?" Ding Ji stared.

"Facts speak for themselves," Lin Wuyu took a sip of lemon water. "First is me, second is the person in the dorm next to mine, and only then comes the person from your No. 3 High…"

"The watermelon seller," Ding Ji nodded.

Lin Wuyu burst into laughter, fortunately having swallowed the water.

He continued laughing while staring at Ding Ji for a while. "Seriously, I've never been so wrong in my life… Are you really Ding Ji?"

"Just wait," Ding Ji stood up abruptly and pointed at him. "Sit here and wait. I'll bring you my report card…"

"No, no, no, no," Lin Wuyu laughed and pushed him back into the chair. "I misspoke."

"Am I Ding Ji?" Ding Ji pointed to himself again.

"Yes," Lin Wuyu sincerely replied.

"Considering that you got injured for no reason today, I won't hold it against you… Actually, I also wanted to ask you something," Ding Ji leaned closer to him. "With your eternal first place and if there's a second place, which is only a mistake made by the teachers in grading, how does your family… feel about it?"

"Well," Lin Wuyu said, "they believe that Lin Zhan is definitely better than me. No matter what happens, no matter how far I go, Lin Zhan will always be better than me."

"What kind of monster is Lin Zhan?" Ding Ji frowned. "How could someone who didn't even finish junior high, who didn't even take the high school entrance exam, be better than you in everything?"

Lin Wuyu smiled and didn't say anything.

He had also felt this kind of dissatisfaction and had raised the question once.

But the near-collapse and painful reactions of his parents made him regret it, and since then, he had not thought about such a childish question again.

"Do you hate him?" Ding Ji asked.

"Who?" Lin Wuyu snapped back to reality.

"Your brother," Ding Ji said. "Always being compared and considered inferior, don't you feel upset?"

"More than upset," Lin Wuyu chuckled. "There was a period of time when I seriously doubted myself, whether I was truly a fool… I even asked the mother of my elementary school desk mate, who is a doctor, to test my IQ."

"Damn," Ding Ji frowned. "What was the result?"

"I don't remember," Lin Wuyu said. "I just wanted a relatively scientific conclusion."

"If you had the concept of IQ in elementary school, it's impossible for you to be a fool. Even ordinary smart kids wouldn't think on that level," Ding Ji scrunched his brows. "So, what was the conclusion?"

"I was really smart," Lin Wuyu laughed. "Could there be any other conclusion?"

"Oh my god! I've never seen someone show off like this and… not really dislike them," Ding Ji leaned back in his chair. "Have you been so arrogant since then?"

"More or less," Lin Wuyu pondered. "I told Lin Zhan about this, and he said…"

Lin Wuyu suddenly stopped.

He had never mentioned Lin Zhan to anyone, let alone in such detail.

"What did he say?" Ding Ji poked his hand.

"He said that if I truly thought I was a fool, I wouldn't seek a conclusion," Lin Wuyu said.

"That makes sense," Ding Ji said.

"Yeah, when I thought about it, I realized, that's it. I actually think I'm quite smart, so…" Lin Wuyu pondered for a moment.

"So you became enlightened," Ding Ji said. "To think a primary school student could have that kind of realization…"

"So I started showing off like this," Lin Wuyu said.

"Damn," Ding Ji paused. "I was even preparing to help you with your emotional buildup!"

"My emotional buildup?" Lin Wuyu said.

"I thought you were going to cry, so I wanted to find a convenient place for you to cry," Ding Ji said. "After all, you've never talked about these things with anyone before."

Lin Wuyu didn't say anything and looked at Ding Ji with narrowed eyes.

"It wasn't calculated, it was observed," Ding Ji smirked. "Impressed or not?"

Lin Wuyu also smirked, "You observed me really carefully, didn't you?"

Ding Ji lowered his voice. "Are you telling me…"

"Be careful with what you say," Lin Wuyu lightly tapped his finger on the table twice.

"Damn," Ding Ji froze. "That was close."

Lin Wuyu had never spent an entire evening doing nothing like tonight, eating, drinking, having late-night snacks, and chatting with someone… oh, and night jogs.

He had plenty of friends, but there were hardly any who could make him waste an entire evening doing these things.

Xu Tianbo could, but compared to going out and having fun, Xu Tianbo preferred to stay in the dorm and play games.

Lin Wuyu looked at Ding Ji and didn't know why he was willing to waste time with him like this, and it was a relaxed and enjoyable waste of time.

After leaving the cafe, they didn't go back to their respective homes. They strolled along the road outside the hospital, chatting as they walked in circles.

"I started talking and walking very early. Even when I was very young, no one taught me, I just knew how to count, forwards and backwards. Later, I learned to read and do math. My grandfather said there was no need to teach me a second time," Ding Ji lowered his head and kicked a small stone as he walked slowly. "At that time, everyone called me a child prodigy, and I was quite proud of it."

"You should be proud," Lin Wuyu said.

"But then my other relatives and neighbors," Ding Ji said, "they all started saying that I would definitely have a bright future, that I would make my parents proud and bring them honor. They would talk about how good my genetics were… Blah blah blah… My grandparents and even my aunt said the same things."

Ding Ji frowned and glanced at him. "Do you understand that feeling? It's especially scary. When I was in first grade, I had a dream that I didn't score 100 in Chinese and it scared me to tears."

I understand.

Although he had never experienced such pressure, Lin Wuyu could still understand the fear of the young Ding Ji from his expression now.

He reached out and patted Ding Ji on the back.

"By the time I reached third grade, I couldn't handle it anymore. I would get nervous if I didn't understand something. Wasn't I a child prodigy?" Ding Ji sighed. "And then… Maybe my rebellious phase started a bit too early, but at that time, I was really resentful when people called me smart, a child prodigy. I couldn't understand why I had to strive for the approval and honor of people I didn't even know. I yelled at my grandparents, threw things, and ended up getting sick."

"Did you use a few choice words from reading books back then?" Lin Wuyu chuckled.

"Yeah," Ding Ji rubbed his nose. "Well, my grandparents and my little aunt were all frightened by it. They still treat me carefully to this day and never praise me for being smart."

"It sounds so strange," Lin Wuyu laughed for a while.

"But," Ding Ji turned to look at him, "I'll remember the words you said today."

"Mhm," Lin Wuyu suppressed his smile.

"I'm serious," Ding Ji said. "I was deeply moved by what you said earlier. I almost cried."

"Do you cry often?" Lin Wuyu asked.

"Yes," Ding Ji admitted without hesitation. "My grandma says it's a good thing, holding back tears can make your face swollen."

Lin Wuyu choked.

When they reached the entrance of the hospital again, Lin Wuyu knew it was already midnight without even checking the time.

"There's a question I've been too embarrassed to ask," Ding Ji said.

"You had the nerve to ask me if I liked you," Lin Wuyu said, "so what else is there that you're too embarrassed to ask?"

Ding Ji waved his hand and laughed. "I just wanted to ask, can you still get back into the dorm?"

"A while ago, a fortune-teller told me," Lin Wuyu said, "there's no school you can't climb over, and there's no school that can't be entered."

"Did I say that?" Ding Ji frowned.

"Word for word," Lin Wuyu said.

"Then… are you going to climb over the wall to get back?" Ding Ji asked.

"No," Lin Wuyu laughed. "Just give me some exercises or practice problems. I'll find a place to study."

"Come on," Ding Ji tilted his head.

Ding Ji had never reviewed with someone before. He had many bad habits while studying, and sometimes even a cough from Shi Xiangyang by his side could distract him for several minutes.

But today, when he sat face to face with Lin Wuyu in the chairs at the end of the hospital corridor, his attention was surprisingly focused.

Maybe it was because he was stimulated.

Because he noticed that it only took a second for Lin Wuyu to enter study mode. He would put on his glasses, and by the third second, even if he spoke, Lin Wuyu couldn't hear him anymore.

This astonishing level of concentration made him envious.

But it was also dangerous.

If someone came over right now, it would probably take a couple of hits for Lin Wuyu to wake up…

He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and started doing exercises.

Two hours later, Ding Ji stopped reviewing because his whole body was sore. He stood up and stretched a bit.

Lin Wuyu was still in the same position, head down, looking at his book.

"Take a break," Ding Ji walked over. "Lin Wuyu, move a bit. Your cervical vertebrae will have problems…"

He waved his hand in front of Lin Wuyu's eyes, but Lin Wuyu still didn't move.

"Hey?" He bent down and tilted his head to look at Lin Wuyu's face. "Oh my god!"

To his surprise, he discovered that Lin Wuyu was actually asleep.

"You… Lin Wuyu, you're insulting me!" Ding Ji poked Lin Wuyu's shoulder a few times with his finger. "With this kind of studying attitude, you scored 732 on the third mock exam?"

"Huh?" Lin Wuyu raised his head, looking confused. He pushed his glasses and after a while, asked, "What time is it?"

"It's three-thirty," Ding Ji glanced at his phone. "How long have you been sleeping?"

"I don't know," Lin Wuyu flipped through the book in his hand. "I probably memorized three pages and then fell asleep."

"I've been doing exercises all this time!" Ding Ji lowered his voice. "You're insulting me, do you know that? I thought you were reviewing too! You motivated me!"

"Well, why don't you insult me too," Lin Wuyu offered. "Take a nap, and I'll do the exercises."

"Get lost!" Ding Ji couldn't hold back his laughter. "Are you sleepy? I'll take you somewhere to lie down for a while."

"The morgue?" Lin Wuyu stood up.

"Are you crazy?" Various horror movie BGMs played in Ding Ji's ears, since he only listened to horror movies out of curiosity but didn't dare to look. He shivered.

"Hospitals only have hospital beds, and I'm not a patient…" Lin Wuyu said.

"Well, you're not a dead person either!" Ding Ji glared at him. "Let's go."

Lin Wuyu followed him, going from the inpatient department to the hospital's main entrance, where there were several rows of massage chairs in the registration hall.

It was late at night, and all the chairs were empty.

"How about this? Not bad," Ding Ji happily scanned the QR code¹. "Come on, my treat. Let's have a 30-minute massage and then sleep for two hours."

"Okay." Lin Wuyu smiled and took a seat.

Ding Ji lay on the chair next to him, looking content, and even hummed a little: "Oh… It's squeezing my arm. Aiya… My calves are about to burst…"

"How can I sleep like this?" Lin Wuyu asked.

"Is your sleep that light?" Ding Ji turned his head, and the two sponge blocks he was holding against his head distorted his face a bit. "I'm talking right now because I'm afraid I'll fall asleep as soon as I close my eyes."

"It's quite amusing, isn't it? We came here to sleep, after all," Lin Wuyu said.

"I'm the host," Ding Ji said. "I have to wait for the guest to fall asleep before I can sleep."

"I'm asleep," Lin Wuyu immediately adjusted his posture and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight," Ding Ji said.

"Goodnight," Lin Wuyu replied with his eyes closed.

For the first time in his life, he slept so soundly in such a magical place. Perhaps it was because he was too exhausted.

When he woke up in the morning, it took him a while to come to his senses and realize where he was.

Almost all the chairs around him were occupied by people waiting for their turn to see the doctor. It seemed that he and Ding Ji were the only ones genuinely sleeping here.

Lin Wuyu glanced at the person sitting in the massage chair next to him and realized it wasn't Ding Ji. He quickly stood up and took out his phone, intending to call Ding Ji. However, the phone struggled to inform him that it had no battery left.

He looked at the clock on the wall; it was still early, not yet seven o'clock.

"Good morning, little brother," Ding Ji's voice came from behind.

"Good morning," Lin Wuyu turned around.

"Just freshen up a bit; you can tidy up when you get back to school," Ding Ji gave him a travel-sized mouthwash and a pack of wet wipes. He even handed him a charged power bank. "Remember to return it!"

No. 3 High and the affiliated highschool were in different directions. When they reached the intersection near the hospital, Ding Ji went straight ahead, while Lin Wuyu had to turn right.

The road wasn't long, just a few minutes' walk, but Lin Wuyu walked comfortably.

In the early morning, there was a gentle breeze, faint sunlight, and the streets awakening from their slumber.

"I usually go to school alone," Ding Ji stretched and yawned. "Walking with you today feels like going back to my elementary school days when my grandpa used to take me to school."

Lin Wuyu glanced at him. "You don't seem to mind the generation gap."

Ding Ji laughed and waved at him when they reached the intersection. "See you later."

"Okay," Lin Wuyu smiled.

After taking a few steps to the right, he turned back.

Ding Ji crossed the street and continued walking while pulling out his phone.

Lin Wuyu watched for a few seconds, then turned his head back and continued walking. He nearly bumped into a middle-aged woman right in front of him.

The woman gave him an annoyed glare. "Watch where you're going!"

"Okay," Lin Wuyu said.

---

Since he had missed a call from Liu Jinping in the morning, Ding Ji planned to call him back once he arrived at school. But just after crossing the street, Liu Jinping called again.

"Where are you?" Liu Jinping answered the phone quickly.

"I'm on my way to school. Where else would I be?" Ding Ji looked around. Liu Jinping's tone seemed a bit urgent, which immediately put him on guard.

"Old Liu is asking around about you. What's going on?" Liu Jinping asked.

Ding Ji stopped walking. "I'll tell you when I get to school."

"Don't go to the square for now," Liu Jinping said. "We have exams coming up, so lay low."

"Okay," Ding Ji hung up the phone, didn't continue walking, and hailed a taxi by the roadside, heading straight to school.

As he got into the car, his phone rang.

It was a message from Lin Wuyu. He smiled and opened it.

[Lin Wuyu] You sleep on massage chairs every day?

Ding Ji couldn't help but laugh.

[Ding Ji] So what? I enjoy this kind of luxury.

[Lin Wuyu] I just realized my back is a bit sore. Sleeping like this every day can't be good for your health, right?

[Ding Ji]  Are you silly? Normally, I sleep in my grandma's hospital room on a reclining folding chair!

[Lin Wuyu] … Oh. Well, good morning.

[Ding Ji]  Good morning.