Chapter 12
Shen Yan heard the voice and turned around, surprised to see Su Yunzhe following him. “President Su?”
Just then, he stepped into another pothole, “Ouch…”
Su Yunzhe reached out to steady him. “Watch where you’re going; if you fall, it won’t be considered a work injury.” He then took Shen Yan’s hand and didn’t let go, while using his other hand to pull out his phone and turn on the flashlight.
The two beams of light finally revealed the true state of the dark alley. The cement surface was in disrepair, with hardly a flat spot in sight.
At least now they could see where they were going, which made walking a bit easier.
Shen Yan was led forward by Su Yunzhe.
At the end of the narrow alley was the building where Shen Yan lived. Most of the residents here were older people who kept early hours, and at ten o’clock at night, only a few windows were lit.
The hallway’s lights had clearly been out of order for many years, appearing deep and shadowy. Occasionally, a stray cat would dart across, leaving behind a dark silhouette, which made the place seem eerie. Anyone timid would surely hesitate to walk in alone.
Shen Yan wasn’t afraid; he could manage by himself. However, Su Yunzhe showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he asked, “Which floor?”
Shen Yan knew that Su Yunzhe could be quite gentlemanly in some respects—like not smoking around non-smokers. His insistence on accompanying him upstairs was likely because, at that moment, Su Yunzhe saw him as a girl.
Shen Yan figured he should at least act like a girl, so he swallowed the polite refusal that was on the tip of his tongue. “Sixth floor, no elevator.”
Su Yunzhe didn’t reply and led him into the hallway.
Shen Yan was not one for exercise, so the sixth floor was a bit of a challenge for him. Even though he had been living there for a few days, he still hadn’t gotten used to the exertion.
By the time he reached the sixth floor, he was slightly out of breath.
In contrast, Su Yunzhe remained calm and composed. Shen Yan felt a little defeated and silently resolved to start morning runs the next day.
He took out his keys to open the door, hesitating over whether to invite Su Yunzhe in for a cup of tea. The truth was, he didn’t have any tea at home—not even plain water—and hadn’t had a chance to buy an electric kettle yet. But considering how gentlemanly Su Yunzhe had been to escort him home, even if he didn’t need it, he didn’t want to disappoint his goodwill.
However, that thought was quickly extinguished. At this hour, if he actively invited Su Yunzhe inside, it was likely the other man would misinterpret it as an attempt to seduce him.
So he decided against it.
Besides, it seemed Su Yunzhe wasn’t planning to come in anyway. After Shen Yan opened the door, he waved his hand and turned to go downstairs.
As Shen Yan watched him round the corner of the staircase, he suddenly remembered to thank him and called down, “Thank you, President Su!”
Su Yunzhe didn’t respond. Shen Yan pouted, thinking that Su Yunzhe was truly hard to describe. If he said he was difficult to get along with, he could be so gentlemanly and attentive at times. But if he said he was easy to get along with, he didn’t even show the basic courtesy.
Shaking his head, he pushed the door open. The moment he turned on the light, he was taken aback, not even realizing he had shouted, “What the hell!”
Su Yunzhe had just made it down to the fifth floor when he heard Shen Yan’s exclamation and paused for a moment before turning back.
Shen Yan had his back to the door, crouching on the ground.
“What happened?” Su Yunzhe approached, puzzled. As he spoke, his gaze swept past Shen Yan and into the apartment.
Was it a flood?
Water was everywhere in Shen Yan’s home, soaking everything. The old fabric sofa was already half-drenched from the bottom, and the cheap paint on the walls had chipped away in large patches. The entire place looked like a disaster zone.
Shen Yan felt a wave of despair wash over him.
Since arriving in this world, everything he had experienced was something he had never gone through before. He had been fumbling around, trying to find ways to cope, forcing himself not to think about his past life.
But in this moment, he suddenly felt utterly lost.
What to do? What should he do? What could he do? His mind was a tangled mess, and his mood plummeted to rock bottom. All he wanted was for this to be a dream, to wake up and be back home.
Su Yunzhe looked at him, reached out, and pulled him up. “Where’s the water valve?”
“Uh?” Shen Yan stared at him, utterly bewildered.
Su Yunzhe said, “It looks like a pipe burst. At this hour, we can’t find anyone to fix it. First, we need to shut off the water valve. This is an old building, so it should be inside the apartment.”
Unfortunately, Shen Yan’s mind was already in a fog, and since he had just moved in, he wasn’t familiar with the layout of the place.
Seeing the dazed look on Shen Yan’s face, Su Yunzhe realized that asking him wouldn’t be helpful, so he simply stepped into the kitchen, splashing through the water.
Shen Yan felt like his brain had short-circuited and wasn’t functioning at all. After a while, he snapped back to reality and noticed that Su Yunzhe had emerged from the kitchen and was now rearranging some of the sparse furniture in the living room, pushing it all to one side near the window.
That was when Shen Yan realized that the floor of the apartment was uneven, with the side by the window being higher, so there was much less water there. Plus, since the window faced south, the sun would shine in tomorrow and help dry things out.
So he hurried in to help.
However, Su Yunzhe said, “Don’t bother with that; go get a change of clothes. We’re leaving soon.”
“Why do I need clothes?” Shen Yan asked, confused.
Su Yunzhe looked around. “You think you can stay here tonight? Come to my place instead. We can get the plumbing fixed tomorrow.”
Shen Yan stared at him, stunned.
Su Yunzhe continued, “If you don’t want to go, I won’t force you. But I’m leaving now. Are you just going to stay here by yourself?”
At that, Shen Yan’s previously dazed eyes flashed with panic, and he immediately ran into the bedroom to grab some clothes.
Even after he got back into Su Yunzhe’s car, Shen Yan’s mind was still in turmoil, his thoughts filled with images of the messy room he had just left.
After a long time, he finally spoke softly, “Thank you, President Su.” His voice was low and heavy.
Earlier, he had thought it was unnecessary for Su Yunzhe to accompany him home, but now he felt incredibly grateful that Su Yunzhe had come with him. Otherwise, he might still be sitting at the entrance, unsure of what to do.
He felt useless, thinking, it’s just a broken pipe and a messy house. Just shut off the water valve, call someone to fix it, and clean up, right?
But in that moment, he had no idea how to handle it; it felt like the sky was falling!
If his parents had been there, or his older siblings, he might have ended up crying out of frustration.
He hadn’t realized before how inadequate he was, and his heart swelled with a sense of defeat.
Su Yunzhe glanced at him and casually handed him two paper towels.
Shen Yan looked up at him, his clear eyes shining brightly in the dim car interior, fluttering with confusion.
“You’re not crying?” Su Yunzhe teased, shoving the paper towels into Shen Yan’s hands. He smiled and said, “Girls usually cry in situations like this. Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at you; just go ahead and cry.”
Shen Yan looked at the paper towels in his hands, then at Su Yunzhe’s joking face. His sense of despair instantly evaporated, and he could only roll his eyes. Pouting, he replied, “President Su, you’re really making this awkward for me!”
“Oh? How so?” Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for more.
“Look, you’ve helped me a lot today, and now you want to take me in too. I’m genuinely grateful for that. But every time I sincerely thank you, the next moment you make me feel like my gratitude was for nothing.”
Perhaps spending the entire day with Su Yunzhe had caused Shen Yan to lose some of his previous awe. He found himself speaking more freely without the usual hesitations.
