Unbridled 32

Lin Wuyu loaded up on snacks as if the apocalypse had arrived, nearly filling an entire cart with various snacks.

"Are you restocking a store?" Ding Ji quipped.

"Who comes to the supermarket to restock their store?" Lin Wuyu retorted.

"Can you finish all of this?" Ding Ji flipped through, "Where are my lollipops?"

"Underneath, I grabbed lollipops first," Lin Wuyu said, "and some chocolate and milk."

"Thanks," Ding Ji smiled, "I'm not that into snacks, though. This stuff is like…"

"It's like a pacifier," Lin Wuyu interjected.

Ding Ji glanced at him, "That works too."

"When I was a kid, I used to bite my nails," Lin Wuyu lowered his voice, "I chewed them till they bled."

"Poor kid," Ding Ji bent down, looking at his hand resting on the shopping cart, "Can't tell now. When did you stop biting?"

"Don't remember," Lin Wuyu said, "Probably after starting junior high."

"After becoming handsome, huh?" Ding Ji glanced at him.

"Yeah," Lin Wuyu nodded seriously, "I started growing taller in eighth grade, and I became…"

"Alright," Ding Ji cut in, "That's enough. No need to continue bragging."

Leaving the supermarket with bags full of snacks, Lin Wuyu tested his speed, emerging from the checkout, walking at a pace similar to the people he saw earlier.

If it was Lin Zhan, he probably didn't deliberately quicken his pace to avoid being noticed, or maybe he hadn't noticed Lin Wuyu's presence.

Alright, let it be.

Lin Wuyu decided not to dwell on this question today; he couldn't sort out his thoughts.

So, put it aside, cut off the connection, and think about it when he's recovered.

He had always been accustomed to using this method of forced short-term forgetfulness to keep his emotions stable. Conversely, it helped him handle various situations better.

"How about now?" Ding Ji asked.

"…Don't know," Lin Wuyu replied.

Back in the rented room, the situation took an unexpected turn.

Besides snacks, they bought a case of beer, planning to watch a movie while enjoying drinks. The landlord mentioned a TV in the room, but didn't say it was broken and would be fixed tomorrow.

"Can it turn on?" Ding Ji circled the TV, "If it does, I'll try casting from my phone."

"No response," Lin Wuyu pressed the switches a few times, checked the plugs and wires, "Feels like it's not even getting power."

"Originally, without the prior imagination, eating, drinking, and watching a movie wouldn't make me feel anything right now," Ding Ji leaned on the TV, "But suddenly knowing that I can’t, it's irritating! So annoying!"

"Let's go," Lin Wuyu turned towards the door.

"Why?" Ding Ji asked.

"Watch a movie," Lin Wuyu said, taking out his phone, "Check nearby theaters…"

"Damn, I'm not going!" Ding Ji exclaimed in shock, "I don't want to move. If you want to take a stroll at the subway station, I'll accompany you. But suddenly wanting to watch a movie, you go by yourself."

"What do you want me to do, it's uncomfortable for you," Lin Wuyu said, "Not for me. I'm offering solutions for you."

Ding Ji didn't speak, directly went over and moved the TV from the TV cabinet to the floor, checked for a while, and finally pinched the wire, "My intuition tells me, this power cord is loose, and it must be the issue."

"…So?" Lin Wuyu looked at him with a somewhat amused expression.

"It's simple," Ding Ji started opening drawers, "If there's a screwdriver and some tape, I can watch TV."

Lin Wuyu sighed and sat on the sofa.

Not finding a screwdriver in the room, Ding Ji actually went downstairs to borrow a small toolbox from the guard.

"You're really something," Lin Wuyu sat on the sofa, eating dried fish and drinking beer, "Is your OCD a bit too severe?"

"This is how I am," Ding Ji said, "When I get in the zone, I want to finish everything I can. If not, don't blame me."

Lin Wuyu didn't say anything, watching Ding Ji.

This thought also had another meaning behind it:

I want to do everything possible until there's nothing left to do.

But Ding Ji obviously didn't mean that. The little prodigy's past had left many unintentional traces on him.

Regardless of what kind of parents someone has, whether they’re present or not, they leave marks that span a lifetime—good or bad, cold or warm, either propelling one forward or causing one to fall and never get up.

Lin Wuyu sometimes wondered what his parents left on Lin Zhan, what contrasting feelings they might have generated. He carried a hidden, somewhat resentful curiosity.

Ding Ji took off the TV's back cover, found the power cord was severed in half, stripped the wire, reconnected it, and without insulation tape in the toolbox, he found some leftover adhesive tape in the bathroom and wound it around. After fiddling for a while, he plugged it in and found it still wouldn't turn on. Poking around on the power board, he noticed a small burnt area.

"Damn," Ding Ji propped himself up from the floor, "It's short-circuited."

Lin Wuyu, who had been lifelessly observing his hard labor on the sofa, didn't respond.

Ding Ji turned to look, finding Lin Wuyu had already finished two packs of dried fish and wasn't on the sofa anymore.

It was only then he remembered that Lin Wuyu seemed to have gone for a shower, so he checked the bedroom.

Ding Ji was taken aback to find Lin Wuyu had already finished showering, changed into fresh clothes, and was sleeping on the upper bunk bed, seemingly already dreaming.

Ding Ji was at a loss for words, pointing at Lin Wuyu, "You've turned into a pig! Eat, sleep, sleep, eat! In your past life, you must have been a pig! You haven't even been sent to the slaughter, yet you've stuffed yourself to death in the pigpen!"

Lin Wuyu didn't respond.

After standing there, angry and dumbfounded for a while, Ding Ji decided to go shower and sleep.

Lin Wuyu left the bigger bed for him; at least, he refrained from scolding him about this.

Ding Ji was actually a bit tired today. The car ride was bearable, but the extended duration, along with Lin Wuyu's urgent matters, demanded more effort than usual. Now, after the TV trouble and the tussle with Lin Wuyu, he felt somewhat exhausted.

As he lay down after the shower, he felt quite comfortable.

This night's sleep should have been peaceful, whether they were going to play or wait for Lin Zhan tomorrow; it shouldn't have mattered.

However, this night's sleep wasn't peaceful.

At midnight, he woke up and, in a daze, suddenly saw a head hanging upside down above his face. He was so scared that he couldn't even scream and instinctively slapped at the head.

Then he heard Lin Wuyu's groggy voice, "'Ah…"

"You—!" Ding Ji jolted up, "Can't you sleep like a normal person! Why don't you do a split or something? Maybe you're not flexible enough?!"

Ignoring him, Lin Wuyu continued to snore soundly.

Initially, Ding Ji didn't want to bother and decided to leave him alone until morning. But after lying down, he found it too eerie. If Lin Wuyu woke up again, he'd startle, so Ding Ji reluctantly got up, grabbed Lin Wuyu's hair, and pushed him back onto the pillow.

Ding Ji felt it was probably a mistake to stay at Lin Wuyu's place. Even though it saved them the trouble of finding a hotel, the night passed by in an instant. He hadn't even felt like he fell asleep, and Lin Wuyu had already pulled him up.

"What are you doing?" Ding Ji was almost on the verge of tears, desperately trying to lie back down.

"You're going to watch the flag-raising, right?" Lin Wuyu stood by the bed, tugging at his arm and not letting go. "We're late if we don't leave now."

"What time is it?" Ding Ji struggled with his eyes closed, trying to lie back down.

Who wants to watch the flag being raised? Liu Jinpeng, your ass should go watch it!

"It's three forty," Lin Wuyu said, "I checked, the flag-raising today is at six minutes past five. My car's booked for four, hoping to make it in time…"

"What time is it now?" Ding Ji was suddenly wide awake.

"It's three forty," Lin Wuyu said. "I was supposed to wake you up at three thirty, but I overslept."

"Why?" Ding Ji asked.

"You said you wanted to watch the flag-raising, didn't you?" Lin Wuyu said.

"I changed my mind," Ding Ji said. "Now I want to watch the flag being lowered…"

Lin Wuyu hesitated, then let go of Ding Ji's arm, allowing him to lie back down. "Can't get up, huh?"

Ding Ji didn't say anything, closing his eyes, but he could sense Lin Wuyu still standing by the bed.

"Then, how about… tomorrow?" Lin Wuyu said. "Get some sleep."

A few seconds later, Ding Ji suddenly lost the urge to sleep.

Lin Wuyu persisted in trying to wake him up to watch the flag-raising, even setting an alarm for three in the morning… Although the flag-raising was just a passing remark, spontaneous statements often reveal true thoughts in unexpected situations. Maybe that's what Lin Wuyu thought, that Ding Ji wanted to watch the flag being raised.

In fact, it was because Liu Jinpeng had talked incessantly about the flag-raising, like reciting prayers…

"Let's go." Ding Ji sat up abruptly and then hopped off the bed.

"Hmm?" Lin Wuyu was crawling up the bunk with his phone, probably planning to cancel their outing and catch some more sleep.

"Flag-raising," Ding Ji rushed into the bathroom, "Don't cancel the car you rented!"

"Hmm?" Lin Wuyu still seemed a bit confused. "You're awake?"

"I'm about to leave!" Ding Ji shouted from the bathroom.

Lin Wuyu was considerate. He had come a long way with Lin Wuyu to find his brother, and if Ding Ji wanted to watch the flag-raising, Lin Wuyu would probably find a way. Ding Ji was actually quite touched.

Especially when his mind cleared after waking up.

They hurriedly finished getting ready, grabbed their phones, and left.

The driver was surprisingly punctual.

"Will we make it?" Lin Wuyu asked.

"Almost," the driver said. "There's no traffic right now. We'll be there in less than an hour. But others have been queueing up since three or four, you guys…"

"It's fine," Ding Ji cut in. "We're just here to soak in the atmosphere."

Lin Wuyu glanced at him.

Ding Ji yawned loudly from the side.

"You take a nap; I'll wake you when we're there," Lin Wuyu said.

Ding Ji waved him off. "Can't sleep. Too excited."

"I'm a bit… hungry," Lin Wuyu touched his stomach. "I should have brought something when we left."

Ding Ji dug into his pocket and pulled out two chocolate pies, handing one to Lin Wuyu. "I got some."

"…You're amazing," Lin Wuyu said, instantly feeling delighted. He tore open the package and took a big bite of the chocolate pie.

"I'm concerned you might starve in front of the flag," Ding Ji joked, handing the other pie to Lin Wuyu. "It could tarnish our country's image."

Lin Wuyu smiled and, without hesitation, accepted the pie, devouring it in two bites.

The driver had been right. Upon arrival, all the visitors had already entered, and every viewing spot was packed with people and smartphones.

"We're late," Lin Wuyu sighed.

"All the students finished their exams and came out. If we wanted to watch, we should've been here last night," Ding Ji remarked.

"We could stay for the flag-lowering," Lin Wuyu suggested.

"Sure," Lin Wuyu found a slightly less crowded spot. "Let's wait."

"I'll record a video for Pengpeng to see," Ding Ji retrieved his phone.

Lin Wuyu did the same, although he typically avoided social media and capturing moments during travels. He preferred experiencing the present instead of relying on pictures afterward. Today felt different, so he decided to take a few snapshots.

If this counted as a trip, it was quite unique.

The flag-raising was quick, and they didn't catch much of the process, but everyone around them stood in silence, singing the national anthem. The atmosphere was intense.

"This feels way cooler than the flag-raising in school," Ding Ji whispered.

"Definitely," Lin Wuyu chuckled. "What's next on Liu Jinpeng's list? Has he planned the itinerary for you?"

"A bunch of stuff," Ding Ji said. "But we have time later. Let's focus on your matter this time, regardless of whether we can find the person. That's why we're here."

"Okay," Lin Wuyu agreed. "Let's grab some breakfast first."

Lin Wuyu hadn't set a specific plan when he arrived. They only had one photo to go by, and even after discussing with Ding Ji, they couldn't come up with a solid plan.

Their only option was to "search," which essentially meant waiting.

Lin Wuyu didn't mind, but he felt somewhat guilty towards Ding Ji.

Ding Ji had come a long way to accompany him, dedicating himself to sitting at the subway station daily, more committed than the old man next to them who begged using a QR code. It was a bit…

After squatting at the subway station for two and a half days straight, Lin Wuyu decided to take a break today.

"Let's go to an amusement park," he suggested, getting up.

"You've never been to an amusement park?" Ding Ji teased.

"Then let's visit the Great Wall," Lin Wuyu proposed.

"…It's already noon," Ding Ji pointed out. "Isn't that too impulsive?"

"Then let's wander the alleys and grab a bite," Lin Wuyu slapped his thigh.

"You should've started with that," Ding Ji said. "That's more like you."

Lin Wuyu grinned. "Let's go. We'll follow Liu Jinpeng's list and try everything it suggests."

"You…" Ding Ji glanced at him. "Giving up already? It's only been three days."

"Taking a break," Lin Wuyu said. "You've been squatting with me here all this time."

"I came here to squat," Ding Ji said. "If not for this, why would I come? I'll be here for another four years. Then another few years for my postgrad. I want to have fun. Is it a big deal if I miss these few days?"

"Well…" Lin Wuyu frowned.

"Do you always think this much?" Ding Ji asked.

"Without hesitation, you jumped in to help me," Lin Wuyu observed.

"You think I'm foolish," Ding Ji clicked his tongue. "Only Pengpeng could get me to do stuff to this extent, and now, you're added to the list."

Lin Wuyu pondered for a moment. "How long have you known Liu Jinpeng?"

"We've been childhood friends," Ding Ji said.

"I'm a bit envious," Lin Wuyu sighed. "I've never had such a close friend since I was young."

Ding Ji fell silent.

His thoughts were still stuck in the previous conversation. Apart from Liu Jinpeng, only Lin Wuyu had pushed him this hard to help. But their acquaintance was relatively brief. How could they be so close?

But Ding Ji knew that wasn't the reason he felt stuck. It was because… Why did Lin Wuyu ask that?

The subtle unease and awkwardness from that day at the secondary school gate slowly resurfaced.

But before it could overwhelm him, Lin Wuyu startled him.

"Are those the people from the supermarket that day?" Lin Wuyu suddenly remarked.

"Where?" Ding Ji almost jumped but controlled himself, remaining still.

"They've come out of the subway, heading this way," Lin Wuyu noted.

Ding Ji hadn't seen them yet, but his heart raced nonetheless.

He scanned the area and noticed a man and a woman approaching, accompanied by another masked man. However, the two upfront obscured their faces, making them barely visible.

"There were four people that day," Ding Ji whispered, using his peripheral vision. "The person in front isn't one of them. That one has a distinct nose. Could that be Lin Zhan?"

"No," Lin Wuyu replied.

"Look at the one with the mask behind," Ding Ji whispered, stealing a glance at Lin Wuyu. "But don't make it obvious…"

"Try not to draw attention."

But before he could finish, Lin Wuyu wasn't just being discreet; he might as well have been examining their faces with a magnifying glass.

The pair walking ahead naturally noticed the stares. They both turned to look at Ding Ji and Lin Wuyu.

Their expressions, however, seemed composed. The girl even offered them a faint smile.

This smile left Ding Ji somewhat puzzled.

Lin Wuyu likely felt the same.

Both of them felt scrutinized, as if they were acting foolishly.

The only change came from the masked person. They moved closer to the man in front, creating more distance between them and Ding Ji and Lin Wuyu.

In that moment, Ding Ji sprang up, "I need to ask something."

Lin Wuyu tried to hold him back, but it was in vain.

Ding Ji didn't want to miss this chance. Rather than continuing to observe from a distance, directness seemed more appropriate. After all, Lin Wuyu had been haunted by this matter for over a decade…

But before Ding Ji could approach, the person with the distinctive nose turned around and stood in his way.

This action sent a shiver down Lin Wuyu's spine. He hurriedly moved over and positioned himself partially in front of Ding Ji.

Yet, the person with the distinctive nose made no further moves, simply asking politely, "Is there something you need?"

Something they need?

Lin Wuyu suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

"That person," Ding Ji pointed at the masked individual who had stopped.

"Hmm?" The person with the distinctive nose turned to glance at the masked individual. "What about them?"

"Do they know me?" Lin Wuyu inquired.

The person with the distinctive nose seemed momentarily surprised, then, after a two-second pause, responded, "A fan?"