Here’s to Youth

Ouyang Hao placed the last dish on the rack. The sun had just set, and the last rays of the dying light filtered in through the grimy kitchen window. He absently fiddled with the strings of his apron before making his way over to the door. Pulling the trash bags stacked there along with him, Ouyang Hao pushed open the door. The darkening sky cast the alley in shadows, and Ouyang Hao found himself instinctively quickening his pace.

After throwing away the trash, Ouyang Hao started back into the restaurant. But just before he pulled open the door, his gaze landed on a figure lying at the end of the alley.

Ouyang Hao inhaled sharply. He took a cautious step forward, but then turned on his heel, sprinted inside the restaurant, and quickly locked the door behind him. His boss had warned him that fights had taken place in the alley behind the restaurant before.

Ouyang Hao tugged off his apron. After hanging it up, he grabbed his backpack and cautiously made his way back toward the door. This time when he slipped outside, it was completely dark, and he swiftly grabbed his bike. He stood there with his hands on the handlebars for a moment as his eyes traveled in the direction of the end of the alley. If the figure was still there, it was too dark to tell.

Suddenly, Ouyang Hao’s phone rang, and he nearly jumped. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone. The light from the screen illuminated his small portion of the alley as he scanned the caller ID. Ouyang Hao quickly put the phone to his ear. “Lili?”

“Ouyang,” the woman on the other side of the phone sobbed, “he told me if I don’t let him use my essay, he’ll expose me for the whole school to see! What do I do?”

“I’ll give him a call when I get home and see if there’s anything I can do,” Ouyang Hao said grimly. “I just got off work.”

“Okay,” the woman said between sniffs. “Thank you for all your help. I’m sorry to keep troubling you. You should head home quickly, or else your mom will worry.”

There was a beep before Ouyang Hao’s phone went silent. And with one final glance into the alley, Ouyang Hao mounted his bike and rode off into the night.

~

Ouyang Hao arrived at his apartment half an hour later, and his mother greeted him the moment the door opened. “How was school?” she asked as she pried Ouyang Hao’s backpack from his hands. “How was work? Are you tired? Have you already eaten at the restaurant?”

Ouyang Hao smiled as he changed his shoes. “Everything went fine. I haven’t had dinner yet.” He glanced over at the table where plates sat waiting. “If I get back late, you know you don’t have to wait for me.”

His mother just smiled before motioning for her son to take a seat.

“I’ll join you in a minute,” Ouyang Hao said as he glanced in the direction of his room. “I have a call to make first.”

“Is it Lili?”

“I’m calling someone for Lili.”

Ouyang Hao’s mother shook her head dejectedly. “The poor girl needs to quickly break up with that awful boyfriend of hers. When they do break up, that’s when you—”

Ouyang Hao paused in front of the door to his room to glance over his shoulder. “I have a call to make. You can start eating without me.” With that said, Ouyang Hao stepped into his room and quietly shut the door behind him.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. “Annoying,” the name of the one he clicked open read. Ouyang Hao tapped the call button and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” a voice answered.

“Why are you doing this to Lili?” Ouyang Hao said by way of greeting.

“Ouyang Hao,” the voice grumbled. “I should have known it was you.”

“And yet you still haven’t blocked me,” Ouyang Hao pointed out. “You just enjoy creating drama and being at the center of it. That’s fine. Just leave Lili out of it.”

“I’ll have you know that Lili is my girlfriend, not yours. This just keeps getting more and more interesting. What do you think you can do, Ouyang? Huh? Lili is going to help me graduate, or else I’m posting those pictures of her all over the internet.”

“Did you ever really like her?” Ouyang Hao asked angrily. “Or was she always just—”

“Are you going to write that essay for me then, Ouyang? Oh, that’s right, you’re a science major. You couldn’t write it for me even if you tried.”

“What will it take for you to let Lili off this time?”

“There is one thing that I’d accept in exchange . . .”

“Fine.” Ouyang Hao hung up with phone. He stared blankly at the glowing screen for a moment before setting it down on his desk. He took a deep breath before stepping out of his room, and he nearly jumped when he found himself face-to-face with his mother.

“This is why Lili needs to break up with him fast,” she said hotly.

Ouyang Hao ran a hand through his dark hair as he walked over to the table. “You couldn’t even hear what he was saying.”

“But I could hear what you were saying.”

“Let’s eat. If we don’t eat now, the food will get cold.”

After dinner, Ouyang Hao returned to his room. This time he turned the lights on and took a seat at his desk. Just as he made to pull his textbooks toward him, he glanced down at his phone to find messages glowing up at him.

Son, the first text read, have you been doing alright? Ouyang Hao scrolled through the messages. I just moved apartments. My new place is very close to your university, and you can walk there within ten minutes. I also wanted to tell you that my job is sending me overseas for three months. If you want to get away from your mother and have your own space, you’re welcome to stay at my apartment during that time. I’ve sent you a picture of the apartment number, address, and door code.

Thank you, Dad, Ouyang Hao typed. He paused, his finger hovering over the send button. After a long moment, he deleted the message and turned off his phone.

~

The next day, Ouyang Hao made a point of avoiding the back alley behind the restaurant. He had only been working in the kitchen for an hour when one of the other chefs tapped him on the shoulder. “Your friend is here for pickup.”

Ouyang Hao tried and failed to hide his grimace as he nodded his head. He made his way to the front of the restaurant where an all too familiar figure was waiting.

“Sun Ning,” Ouyang Hao said with a frown.

Sun Ning smirked. “Ouyang.”

Ouyang Hao just walked over to the counter and set down three plastic bags. “Here.” He continued to frown down his nose at Sun Ning as the latter strode over. Sun Ning eyed Ouyang Hao’s stained apron almost in a satisfied sort of way as he stopped at the counter.

Ouyang Hao just wrinkled his nose.

Sun Ning snatched the bags off the counter. “What are you looking at? I’m not the one working in this shabby restaurant.”

“You’re not inclined to come to this shabby restaurant. Would you like extra napkins to clean your shoes on the way out? That way no one needs to know that you came here.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m letting Lili off this time, Ouyang, but—”

“I’ve got to get back to work.” Before Sun Ning could respond, Ouyang Hao turned on his heel and walked back into the kitchen.

For the rest of the evening, Ouyang Hao found himself in an absent mood. For someone with a lot of money, Sun Ning had found a way to eat for free.

By the time Ouyang Hao’s shift was over, the sun was beginning to drop from the sky. He had just thrown out the trash when he noticed a shadowy figure sitting in the back of the alley.

“Hey, you,” the young man rasped.

Ouyang Hao stared into the shadows of the alley for a long moment before turning and swiftly walking away.

There was a clatter as a metal can hit the ground to Ouyang Hao’s right. He froze before slowly turning back around.

“I know you can hear me,” the young man called.

Ouyang Hao remained where he was. “What do you want?”

“Can’t you tell I’m injured?” The young man slowly staggered to his feet. “You saw me here yesterday. You ignored me.”

“Look, I’m sorry about ignoring you, but I had to go. I have to go now too . . .”

Ouyang Hao had just reached his bike when he paused.

“I poked a hole in your tires,” the young man said. Ouyang Hao could hear the unpleasant smirk in his voice. “You can’t go anywhere now.”

Ouyang Hao turned around to face him. “Just what exactly do you want?”

“A bowl of noodles.”

“A bowl of noodles?”

“I’m hungry.”

Ouyang Hao just gave him an incredulous look. “And what if I don’t get you the noodles?”

“Then I won’t pay for your replacement tires.”

“Fine. Wait here.” Ouyang Hao gave the young man a final suspicious look before stepping back into the kitchen. Once inside, he quickly pulled out his phone. He dialed the police, but his finger hovered over the call button. He sent a text to his mother instead, writing that his bike got a flat tire and he’d be home later than usual.

After throwing together a bowl of noodles, Ouyang Hao marched back into the alley. The sun had completely gone down now, and the alley was illuminated by the flickering lights spilling out the windows.

“Here.” Ouyang Hao set the bowl down in front of where the young man was sitting on the ground.

The young man eagerly snatched up the chopsticks Ouyang Hao had laid across the top of the bowl.

“What were you doing laying in the alley in the first place?” Ouyang Hao asked as the young man ate.

“I got beat up,” the young man answered. “Those cowards resorted to three against one.”

“What does that have to do with me and poking a hole in my tires?”

“Do you have bandages?”

“Why would I have bandages?”

“Look at me.” The young man gestured to his face. In the dim light, Ouyang Hao could see the dark bruise ringing the man’s right eye and the blood that had crusted in his short-cropped hair.

“And what if I don’t want to buy you bandages?”

“Then I won’t want to pay for your bike tires or this bowl of noodles.”

“Fine.” Ouyang Hao extended his hand, palm up.

The young man just ignored him as he continued wolfing down the noodles.

“Money,” Ouyang Hao said in a mix of exasperation and annoyance.

The young man glared at Ouyang Hao before pulling out his wallet. This he held out to Ouyang Hao. “Take it.”

Ouyang Hao just stared at the wallet for a long moment before pocketing it. “You aren’t worried I’ll take your money for myself?”

The young man just shrugged. “There’s only enough for your tires, a bowl of noodles, and some cheap bandages anyway.”

Ouyang Hao left the young man in the alley and made his way to the closest convenience store. After grabbing the first pack of bandages he could find, he opened the young man’s wallet. There wasn’t much cash inside—just enough for the tires, noodles, and bandages, as he had said. As Ouyang Hao counted out enough for the bandages, his fingers brushed against hard plastic, and he withdrew what appeared to be a student ID. Jiang Yiran, the name read.

Ouyang Hao flipped it over. Jiang Yiran appeared to be a college freshman and was one year younger than Ouyang Hao himself.

After purchasing the bandages, Ouyang Hao returned to the alley. Jiang Yiran was still sitting there, but now the bowl in front of him was empty.

“Here.” Ouyang Hao set the box of bandages down before taking the bowl away.

“Thanks, little brother.”

“What little brother? I’m older than you.”

“The noodles are good. Did you make them?”

“Your name is Jiang Yiran.”

The young man just smirked as he opened the box and began to wrap his injuries. “I told you to take the money in my wallet, not look at my ID. Whatever. How much do I have left?”

“You can look for yourself.”

Jiang Yiran’s lazy smirk turned to a frown as he snatched the wallet from Ouyang Hao. He squinted down at the remaining bills.

Ouyang Hao blinked. “You’re nearsighted.”

Jiang Yiran just ignored him as he gave up and stuffed the bills back into his wallet. “You’re lucky I’m injured and in a good mood. Otherwise, the one needing these bandages would be you.”

“What did I ever do to you?” Ouyang Hao crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at Jiang Yiran.

Jiang Yiran’s smile turned unpleasant. “You’re Sun Ning’s friend, aren’t you?”

Ouyang Hao just stared at him. “Me? Sun Ning’s friend? You’re joking.” Suddenly Ouyang Hao’s phone rang. He glanced down at the name before quickly hitting answer. “Lili?”

“Ouyang!” Lili’s voice exclaimed. “Are you alright? I know Sun Ning stopped at your restaurant today. Did he have anything to do with your bike? Your mom called me . . .”

“I’m fine, really,” Ouyang Hao reassured her. “I’m on my way home right now.”

After hanging up, Ouyang Hao found Jiang Yiran looking up at him. “Your girlfriend?”

Ouyang Hao shook his head. “Sun Ning’s girlfriend.”

Ouyang Hao’s phone buzzed again. This time, it was his mother who had texted. He barely had time to blink before Jiang Yiran was standing behind him, squinting down at his glowing lock-screen.

“I see now,” he said. His smirk had returned. “I suddenly don’t want to beat you up anymore. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Ouyang Hao gave Jiang Yiran a look. “Sun Ning is your enemy?”

“He’s the one who did this to me.” Jiang Yiran gestured to his bruises. “Or at least, he’s the one who hired the ones who did this. But I’m more interested in your relation to him. That’s you and his girlfriend on your lock-screen.”

Ouyang Hao looked down at his glowing phone screen. The picture of himself and Lili glowed back. “We had this picture taken back in our second year of high school. The two of us dressed up and went to the hanfu festival together.”

“Not bad,” Jiang Yiran marveled.

“You’ve misunderstood. She’s been my friend for as long as I can remember.” Ouyang Hao finally pocketed his phone. “Sun Ning doesn’t deserve her.”

“We can help each other,” Jiang Yiran said. “We have a common enemy.”

Ouyang Hao turned back to his bike. “I don’t want your help. I just need to get home.”

“That wasn’t a question.”

Ouyang Hao froze when he felt Jiang Yiran’s hand on his shoulder. Something about his grip promised violence.

“You are my direct contact to Sun Ning. We’re working together now.”

Ouyang Hao tried to shake off Jiang Yiran’s hand, but it wouldn’t budge. “What do you want?”

“I want you to help me take Sun Ning down,” Jiang Yiran said softly. “I’m all alone now. If you don’t help me, you’ll be buying bandages for yourself soon.”

“You’re threatening me. Why shouldn’t I call the police on you right now?”

“Think about it.” Jiang Yiran slowly let go of Ouyang Hao’s shoulder. “Your hatred for Sun Ning must be equal to if not rivals mine.”

“What did Sun Ning do to you?”

Jiang Yiran just took a lazy step back into the alley. “He made me live this sort of life.”

Ouyang Hao gave Jiang Yiran one final look. “If you follow me home, I’m calling the cops on you.”

Jiang Yiran took another step back as he raised his hands in the air. “I’m not going anywhere.”

~

The next day when Ouyang Hao was taking the trash out at the end of his shift, he caught the distinct smell of cigarette smoke hanging in the air. He slowly turned around to find Jiang Yiran crouching in the shadows of the alley, cigarette in hand.

“Can’t you see the sign?” Ouyang Hao said distastefully. “Wait, that’s right, you need glasses. It says no smoking within twenty feet of the building.” Jiang Yiran just ignored his words as he motioned for Ouyang Hao to come closer. Ouyang Hao reluctantly walked over to him. “What do you want now?”

“You didn’t take the money for the noodles or the bandages last night,” Jiang Yiran said as a way of greeting. “Why didn’t you take it?”

“Given that Sun Ning was the one who beat you up, I don’t think it’s your fault for needing bandages. You were lying in the alley for at least a day. You had to be hungry too. The tires though—that was your fault.”

Ouyang Hao watched as Jiang Yiran blew out a mouthful of smoke. “Want one?”

“I’ll pass. You’re younger than me and yet you’re already addicted? You know what, do whatever you want. I don’t care. Just if you want to smoke, do it twenty feet away from the restaurant.”

Jiang Yiran tossed his cigarette to the ground before rising to his feet and stomping it out. “So, have you made up your mind? Will you help me expose Sun Ning?”

“Expose him?”

“He’s extorted a lot of people in the past, including myself. The bastard already comes from a wealthy family. None of them are good people. I know you want to get back at him. He’s probably doing the same to your friend right now.”

Ouyang Hao was silent for a long moment before he lowered his voice. “What do you want me to do?”

Jiang Yiran grinned. “First things first is to get your girlfriend away from him.”

“And how do we do that?”

“That . . . that I’m not too sure about yet.”

Ouyang Hao gave him an exasperated look. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

Jiang Yiran just gave Ouyang Hao a knowing look. “Don’t underestimate me.”

“So what do you propose?”

“I need to learn more about Sun Ning’s girlfriend.”

“What? What does investigating her have anything to do with this?”

Jiang Yiran folded his arms across his chest. “Do you want to get her away from Sun Ning or not?”

Ouyang Hao exhaled through his nose. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Name, age, how she met Sun Ning. How Sun Ning is blackmailing her.”

“Her name is Su Lili. She’s twenty years old. She met Sun Ning in class last semester, about five months ago. And Sun Ning . . . one night he secretly recorded Lili and himself . . . you know. Now he threatens to post it online if Lili doesn’t do what he says. If he really puts the videos up, everything Lili’s been working for will go to waste. Her reputation will be permanently damaged.”

Jiang Yiran frowned. “So it’s like that . . . Sun Ning, that despicable bastard.”

Ouyang Hao let out a sigh. “Look, I’ve got to get home. I assume now that we’re working together, you’ll want my phone number. Here.”

“I don’t have my phone on me right now, but you can add mine. You already know my name. What name do I put on yours when I get back?”

“Ouyang Hao.”

“Alright then, Ouyang Hao.”

Ouyang Hao just gave Jiang Yiran another frown before leaving him in the alley.

The next few nights were spent in the alley together as Jiang Yiran slowly began to formulate his plan. “I need all your pictures of Su Lili,” Jiang Yiran said by way of greeting when Ouyang Hao joined him in the alley.

Ouyang Hao just stared at him. “What?”

“I need all the pictures you have of Su Lili,” he repeated.

Ouyang Hao gave him a suspicious look. “Why? What do you want with Lili?”

Jiang Yiran let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’m afraid there isn’t any way to avoid that video of Su Lili being posted. But if we can make it look like Sun Ning or someone else can digitally fake her image . . .”

“I understand now. How do you want the pictures?”

“Do you have a laptop? I’ll copy them onto a drive.”

“My laptop is at my apartment.”

“Let’s go, then.”

“You can’t just invite yourself to my apartment. My mom is there!”

“Don’t worry, I promise I’m not going to do anything to you or your mom. I’ll be gone as soon as I get a copy of the pictures.”

“Can’t I just bring my laptop to you tomorrow?”

“I happen to be impatient. Besides, the sooner I get the pictures, the sooner we can get Su Lili away from Sun Ning.”

“It seems like you care a lot about Lili. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

Jiang Yiran just let out a laugh. “I don’t want Sun Ning to ruin anyone else’s life. That’s all there is to it.” Ouyang Hao remained silent. “I can tell you don’t trust me,” Jiang Yiran remarked. “But I swear I don’t mean any harm to your friend.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Ouyang Hao turned to his bike. “Come with me, then. But I’m warning you, if you do anything suspicious, I’ll call the police on you.”

Jiang Yiran just gave him a lazy grin. “Lead the way.”

Given that he had to walk all the way back to his apartment, Ouyang Hao arrived late again. He left Jiang Yiran out in the hallway and quickly stepped inside to grab his laptop. His mother was in the kitchen washing dishes, and Ouyang Hao was able to stealthily get in and out without her noticing.

“Alright,” Ouyang Hao said as he set his laptop down on the hallway floor. “I’ll show you pictures I have of Lili, and you can decide whether or not to copy them into a folder. Then I can copy them onto a drive.”

Jiang Yiran crouched down next to Ouyang Hao to squint at the screen.

“Do you need a magnifying glass?” Ouyang Hao asked, nonplussed.

Jiang Yiran shook his head. “I wore my contacts today.”

Ouyang Hao just gave him an exasperated look before opening his folder of photos from the past year. “I’ll go as far back as two years. Everything before that shouldn’t be relevant. I feel like I’m already intruding on her privacy.”

“It’s only natural to feel that way,” Jiang Yiran said as Ouyang Hao began to flip through his pictures. “She’s your friend, and a random guy suddenly asks for pictures of her. You can explain the situation to her. Tell her that I’m the one who wanted the photos. If things go wrong, you can pin all the blame on me. It’s not like I have a good reputation to begin with. This one”—Jiang Yiran pointed to one of the photos—“this is a good photo.”

Ouyang Hao copied the smiling photo of Lili at her high school graduation into the folder.

“You said Sun Ning made you live this kind of life. What exactly did he do to you?”

“We went to school together,” Jiang Yiran said without taking his eyes away from the pictures. “He was jealous of me. Ouyang, you and Su Lili would be a great couple. You’d look great together. Have you really not considered giving it a try?”

“Why do you sound like my mom all of a sudden?” Suddenly, Ouyang Hao jumped as the door to his apartment opened. His mother was standing in the doorway, illuminated in the light from the room beyond.

“Who is this?” she asked as her eyes instantly fell on Jiang Yiran.

“I sent you a message about how I had to go to the library,” Ouyang Hao said quickly. “I met a classmate there, and he came to look at notes.”

“Classmate?” Ouyang Hao’s mother voice dropped. “We need to talk.”

Ouyang Hao tried and failed to protest as his mother pulled him inside the apartment and slammed the door behind them.

“That is your classmate?” His mother hissed. “I don’t believe it. I can tell just by looking at him that he’s trouble! You’ve never invited any of your classmates except for Lili over either. This boy looks like a delinquent. Did he threaten you?”

“Mom”—Ouyang Hao tried to inch toward the door—“I can’t leave him out there alone with my laptop!”

“So he did threaten you!”

“Yes. What? No! We’re working together.”

“You? Working with him?”

“He might be able to help Lili,” Ouyang Hao said quietly.

His mother paused at that. “He knows Lili? I don’t believe it.”

“He knows Lili’s boyfriend.”

“Can he be trusted? I know you wouldn’t go near people like him without a good reason.”

Ouyang Hao glanced at the door. “I don’t know. I don’t feel good about sharing information with him either, but Lili needs to get away from Sun Ning. I need to go make sure he doesn’t run off with my laptop.”

Ouyang Hao’s mother didn’t protest as he stepped back outside.

Jiang Yiran was still squatting in the hallway where Ouyang Hao had left him. Ouyang Hao quickly snatched up his laptop only to find that it had gone to his screensaver. He had just frantically begun checking the state of his files when he realized nothing was out of place.

“What?” Jiang Yiran said as Ouyang Hao looked down at him. “Disappointed I didn’t mess with your computer? Surprised I’m still here?”

“My mom doesn’t like you,” Ouyang Hao said shortly.

Jiang Yiran just shrugged. “A lot of people don’t like me. She’s not the only one.”

Ouyang Hao crouched back down to continue looking through the pictures. “I can see why.”

“This one.” Jiang Yiran pointed out another portrait of Lili. “This one is a good one.”

An hour had passed by the time the two of them finished copying the photos. Ouyang Hao took out the drive, and Jiang Yiran held out his hand expectedly.

Ouyang Hao paused for a moment as he looked down at Jiang Yiran’s hand. “Stay here. I need to check something first.” Before Jiang Yiran could say anything, Ouyang Hao stepped inside his apartment and shut the door behind him. He quickly set his laptop down on the floor, and his fingers flew over the keys.

After typing “Jiang Yiran” in the search bar and hitting enter, Ouyang Hao skimmed through the results.

He found himself scrolling for some time before his eyes snagged on the headline of an article. High School Student Jiang Yiran Expelled for Hospitalizing Classmate.

Ouyang Hao clicked on the article. It read: A student surnamed Ma, 16 years old, was beaten after school by his upperclassman, Jiang Yiran, 17 years old. Ma was injured so severely that he was hospitalized.

Ouyang Hao continued to skim the article until his eyes snagged on a sentence. “‘Jiang Yiran was always a troublemaker,’ reports one of his classmates surnamed Sun. ‘He’s violent and rude, and quite frankly, everyone at the school is afraid of getting on his bad side.’”

Ouyang Hao scrolled down to the bottom of the article where there was a video recording from an old security camera. Ouyang Hao recognized Jiang Yiran’s figure as he threw punch after punch at another boy in the alleyway.

Ouyang Hao stood up and opened the apartment door again.

Jiang Yiran was still squatting in the hallway. “Can I get the dive?”

“What’s this?” Ouyang Hao said instead as he turned his laptop around to show Jiang Yiran the video.

“That’s me beating up my classmate. Now can I get the drive?”

“There’s more to this story than what the article depicts, isn’t there.”

“Is there?”

“The classmate they interviewed surnamed Sun. That’s Sun Ning.”

“He’s right though about me.” Jiang Yiran rose to his feet. “I’m violent and rude, and everyone is afraid of getting on my bad side.”

“It wasn’t always like that.”

“You’re right.” Jiang Yiran reached out and stopped the video. He dragged the bar backward until the video was frozen at the five-second mark. “Do you see it?”

Ouyang Hao frowned down at the pixelated video for a long moment before his gaze fell on a thin human hand peeking out from behind the wall. He inhaled sharply. “There’s another person on the scene.”

Jiang Yiran nodded. “She was my upperclassman. I was tipped off that Ma Ding had stolen something important from her and was going to make her pay a hefty sum for it after school. But when I arrived, he had already knocked her unconscious, and I wasn’t thinking about the consequences of my actions after that.”

“Here,” Ouyang Hao said after a long pause.

Jiang Yiran just blinked as Ouyang Hao held out the drive. “You agree to give it to me just like that?”

Ouyang Hao nodded. “I want to believe that the two of us have the same end goal in mind.”

Jiang Yiran just smirked as he pocketed the drive. “Sun Ning is going down.”

~

The next day, Ouyang Hao found Jiang Yiran in the alley next to the restaurant. He was smoking again but tossed his cigarette to the ground as Ouyang Hao approached.

“Any luck?” Ouyang Hao asked.

Jiang Yiran nodded. “I’m running code on the pictures as we speak. I think I can get it to look pretty convincing.”

“Are you going to show me what you’re working on? If you’ve done anything unseemly with Lili’s image I’ll—”

Jiang Yiran held up his hands. “I know, you’ll call the police. But does it look like I brought my computer with me? If you want to see it, you’re going to have to come to my place.”

Ouyang Hao let out a reluctant sigh. “Lead the way.”

Jiang Yiran sauntered out of the alley. He was limping, but if it bothered him, he didn’t show it in the slightest.

Ouyang Hao continuously checked the time as they walked, and an hour must have passed by the time they came to a stop in front of an apartment building. The paint was peeling from the walls, and the bricks themselves were discolored from age.

“Do you live by yourself?” Ouyang Hao decided to ask as Jiang Yiran led him around the back of the building and up a flight of rusted stairs.

Jiang Yiran nodded. “I used to live with my aunt. But once I graduated high school, she moved back to her hometown, and I was left here. I rent a room by myself now.”

Jiang Yiran stopped in front of a window and pulled it open. He jumped inside and motioned for Ouyang Hao to follow. Ouyang Hao hesitated for a moment before climbing in, and Jiang Yiran shut the window behind them.

“Welcome to my humble residence,” Jiang Yiran said as he kicked off his shoes.

The room was the size of Ouyang Hao’s bedroom. It was furnished with a single desk, a chair, and a mattress in the corner. The few clothes Jiang Yiran owned were folded neatly in a stack on the side of the room.

“You look surprised,” Jiang Yiran noted at the way Ouyang Hao was surveying the tidy room. “Do I look like a slob to you?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Yiran just let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a snort as he took a seat on the wooden chair in front of the desk. “Here.” He turned on the computer and motioned for Ouyang Hao to look at the screen.

Ouyang Hao frowned. Lili stared back at him from the screen, dancing and twirling in flowing red hanfu. “You did this all by yourself?”

“Sun Ning was jealous of me for a reason,” Jiang Yiran said with a shrug. “I’m talented, and he’s not.”

“You certainly seem very full of yourself.”

“I’m not normally. I just enjoy talking trash about Sun Ning.”

Ouyang Hao let his gaze travel from the computer to the books lined up in a neat row behind it. “So it turns out you’re good with code. Are you a computer science major?”

“I am actually when I have the time. Surprised?”

“When you have the time?”

“I don’t have time for studying. If I don’t work, I lose the room I’m renting. I don’t exactly have the easiest time getting hired, you see. I’ve never really wanted to be a programmer, though. This is all just a hobby to me. Anyways, what do you think of Su Lili’s image?”

“It’s very convincing. What are you planning to do next?”

“We put it and others up online before Sun Ning can upload his video of her. You can leave that part to me. Once Su Lili is out of harm’s way, then we go after Sun Ning himself.”

~

“Ouyang!” Lili’s voice said through the phone. “I sent you something. Have you looked at it yet?”

“The link? I’ve seen the video.”

“It’s spread throughout our campus like wildfire,” Lili continued in a rush. “She looks exactly like me, but she must be an ancient princess! I just don’t understand. Who created that video? And why is she me?”

“You must have a secret admirer.”

“Someone from the computer or digital art department? But that can’t be, I don’t know anyone there personally. People I’ve never spoken to before are coming up to me at school asking if the beautiful princess in the video really is me. One of my classmates even told me that if I hadn’t been dressing up in ancient costumes before, I should start. I was never popular before per se, but now everyone wants to talk to me. Sun Ning is furious about it for some reason.”

“Serves him right.” Ouyang Hao smiled. “His own attention has been stolen.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve played a role in this, Ouyang. Did you?”

“I might have made a new acquaintance.”

“Someone from the computer department?”

“You could say so.”

Ouyang Hao could hear the smile in Lili’s voice. “So I do have a secret admirer! You have to have helped me. After all, you’re the only one with that many pictures of me.”

“We teamed up to try and get you away from Sun Ning. My acquaintance will be putting out more fake videos of you. Once everyone knows about them, you can safely break up with Sun Ning. He can post his video and upload his pictures, but no one will fully believe it’s you.”

“Where did you find such an acquaintance?”

“Are you free this Saturday? It’s been a few weeks since we’ve gone to the gym together. I think it’s better for me to fill you in on everything in person.”

“Alright. Thank you, Ouyang. I owe you for this. Whoever this acquaintance of yours is, I owe him too. What is he like? Is he really a secret admirer? Do you think he’s my type?”

Ouyang Hao laughed at the last question. “Absolutely not.”

~

        Over the next few days, Jiang Yiran continued to upload videos of Lili, each from a different account name. Every time Ouyang Hao saw Sun Ning at the restaurant, Sun Ning’s expression grew more and more sour.

        “Your girlfriend is famous on campus,” Ouyang Hao told him as he slid the to-go containers across the counter.

        “Shut up,” Sun Ning snapped.

        Two weeks had passed since the first video of Lili had been uploaded. Now, Ouyang Hao was sitting on his bed, listening to Lili’s triumphant voice over the phone. “I just sent Sun Ning a text this morning,” she said confidently. “I told him that I’m fed up and the two of us are over. And then I blocked his number.”

        “You’re not worried about that video anymore?”

        “With all the other fake videos of me circling around the web, what is there to fear? Besides, I trust you and your new friend. Even though I haven’t met Jiang Yiran, I feel that all of us are on the same side against Sun Ning.”

        Later that day, Ouyang Hao met Jiang Yiran in the alley behind the restaurant. “Let me guess,” the latter said the moment Ouyang Hao stepped outside, “Su Lili broke up with Sun Ning.”

        “Sun Ning put the video up?”

        Jiang Yiran nodded as he put a cigarette in his mouth. Before he could reach for his lighter, he paused at the look Ouyang Hao gave him. “How about I just don’t light it? Is that fine? Anyway, I’ve been monitoring the comments on the post, and people are furious at the poster for using Lili’s image like that. The recording was poor quality to begin with. No one would ever have to know it wasn’t computer-generated. The next step is to go after Sun Ning himself.”

        “What exactly do you want the end result to be?” Ouyang Hao asked.

        “I want everybody to know the kind of person Sun Ning is,” Jiang Yiran said darkly. “He ruined my chances of getting hired without even batting an eye. I want him to get a taste of what all those he used as stepping stones are going through.

        Ouyang Hao nodded. “Do you have a plan?”

        Jiang Yiran just grinned as he placed his hands behind his head. “Unfortunately, not yet.” He quickly continued at Ouyang Hao’s frown, “There’s something else I wanted to ask while I’m here. I got hired a few days ago. I can work from home, but the problem is that all the power in the building gets shut off at ten. You have outlets in the restaurant—”

        “The restaurant closes at ten,” Ouyang Hao cut him off.

        “Then what about your apartment?”

        “You know my mom isn’t going to let you stay.” Ouyang Hao paused for a moment. “How badly do you need power? What about the library? An internet cafe?”

        “I’ll lose the room I’m renting if I can’t do this job. The library isn’t even in the same direction as where I live, and I’ve hacked people off internet cafe wifi before. I’ve been out of work for weeks already, and I prefer this kind of job to getting hired to beat people up. It’s a lot less risky.”

        “You get hired to beat people up?”

        Jiang Yiran nodded as he reached for his lighter again. “I’ve gotten pretty good at it too.”

        Ouyang Hao was silent for a moment. “I have a place you could go. Give me a day or two to clean it up, and then I’ll send you the address.”

        There was something genuine in Jiang Yiran’s smile. “Thanks.”

~

        Ouyang Hao stood in front of the door to his father’s apartment. After a long moment, he typed the code into the keypad and pushed the door open. The smell of stale cigarette smoke hit him in the face. Ouyang Hao gagged as he hurried over to the closest window and pulled it open. He could have sworn that there was a layer of fine ashy dush coating every surface.

        Apart from the distinct odor, the apartment itself was almost completely empty. Ouyang Hao spent a couple of hours cleaning and airing out the apartment as best he could before stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. He took a picture of the number on the door with his phone and sent it to Jiang Yiran.

        Fancy place. Jiang Yiran’s response came almost instantly.

        No smoking here, Ouyang Hao sent back.

        I know, I know.

        The following night, Ouyang Hao found himself in the apartment with Jiang Yiran. “Afraid I’m going to change the code and lock you out?” Jiang Yiran asked as he set his computer up on a foldable table.

        Ouyang Hao shook his head as he walked over to the window. “No, actually. I was wondering if you’ve eaten dinner already.”

        Jiang Yiran paused. “I haven’t.”

        “I bought some items at the market yesterday,” Ouyang Hao said with a glance back over his shoulder. “If you don’t mind waiting a while, I can make something.”

        Jiang Yiran grinned. “Is it noodles?”

        Ouyang Hao nodded. “I know how to make the noodles myself.”

        “So you did make that bowl of noodles that night!” Jiang Yiran said triumphantly. “No wonder Sun Ning figured out a way to get you to make them for him for free.”

        “Do you like spicy?”

        “Of course.”

        Ouyang Hao worked on rolling out the dough in the kitchen as Jiang Yiran typed away in the living room. Once all the noodles were gone, the two of them stood on the balcony, watching the sky. Ouyang Hao offered Jiang Yiran a can of cold soda, which he eagerly accepted.

        “Cheers to our success.” Jiang Yiran grinned as he held his can out.

        Ouyang Hao clinked his own can to Jiang Yiran’s. After drinking deeply, Ouyang Hao closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, he turned back to Jiang Yiran. “You mentioned that computers are just a hobby to you. If it was up to you, what would you want to do?”

        “I’d like to be a taxi driver. I enjoy driving around for hours on end and talking to people. You can laugh all you want and tell me to dream bigger, but that’s the kind of simple life I wish for.”

        “I’m a life science major, but if it were up to me, I wouldn’t keep pursuing it,” Ouyang Hao said softly.

        Jiang Yiran turned to look over his shoulder at Ouyang Hao. “What would you rather do?”

        “I’d rather be a cook. Maybe I’d even open my own restaurant.”

        Jiang Yiran flashed him a grin. “I like the sound of that. Given that we’re such good friends now, once you do open your restaurant, maybe I could get noodles for free.”

        “You wish.”

        “Come on, in exchange, I’d let you ride in my taxi for half the price.”

        “You’re horrible, you know that?”

        “So I’ve been told.”

        Ouyang Hao found himself smiling non the less as he shook his head. “We’ve still got a way to go.”

        Jiang Yiran nodded as he braced his arms on the railings. “Right now we’re still young. Anything is possible for the future.”

        “We are young,” Ouyang Hao agreed. “So I’d advise you to stop smoking before you end up spending your later years in the hospital. If you’re in the hospital, how are you going to come to my restaurant to get your free noodles?”

        Jiang Yiran just laughed as he extended his can of soda. “When you put it that way, I might just have to listen to you. Here’s to our youth.”

        Ouyang Hao clinked his can against Jiang Yiran’s. “Here’s to our youth.”

        The two of them spent the next hour chatting outside on the balcony before heading back in. Jiang Yiran had fallen asleep on the couch and was snoring loudly. Ouyang Hao just shook his head as he made his way over to the door. He paused with his hand on the handle. It was well past midnight already. Ouyang Hao let his hand fall back to his side as he turned around. His father’s apartment was closer to his school, after all. Besides, he couldn’t just leave Jiang Yiran alone in the apartment.

        Ouyang Hao glanced around the living room. Since Jiang Yiran had taken the couch, Ouyang Hao himself would be sleeping on the floor. He didn’t feel like going into his father’s bedroom.

        When morning came, Ouyang Hao was the first to wake. He had started making breakfast by the time Jiang Yiran finally stirred. “I smell something good,” Jiang Yiran called. “Do I get some of that too?”

Ouyang Hao just gave him a half-exasperated look as he watched him sit up and stretch. “I’m not a completely awful person. I won’t let my guests go hungry. I’m warning you, though,” Ouyang Hao added at the wide smirk that had crossed Jiang Yiran’s face, “don’t get too comfortable. And don’t overstay your welcome.”

        “I know, I know.”

        Ouyang Hao brought two bowls of rice porridge over to the table and scooted one of them in Jiang Yiran’s direction.

        Jiang Yiran joined Ouyang Hao at the table. “Thank you, my good brother.”

        “Don’t call me that.”

        “Can I call you Ouyang, then?”

        “If you must.” There was silence for a while as the two of them ate. “What are your plans for Sun Ning?” Ouyang Hao asked after a while.

        Jiang Yiran frowned down at his now empty bowl. “He’s a tricky bastard. I’m not one to normally hold grudges, but I’m practically living paycheck to paycheck because of him. No one would hire me. I joined a gang. I left the gang. Some of my old injuries will never heal. I feel like that incident had something to do with him. I want to investigate, but I can’t just go in person.”

        “That’s true, you do look a little intimidating with the hair and the baggy clothes.”

        “Buzzing off my hair became a habit. The first fight I was in . . . my hair got ripped out. See? It’s still patchy in spots.”

        Ouyang Hao was quiet for a moment. “So you want me to investigate for you. Are you planning to talk with the people present at the time? Do you know where they are?”

        “I know where they are. I’ve shown up at their doors before. One never answered, and the other called the police on me.”

        “Your upperclassman and the one surnamed Ma.”

        “That’s correct.”

        “What do you want me to ask them?”

        Jiang Yiran grinned. “So you will help me.”

        “For everything Sun Ning did to Lili, he deserves to be exposed. Our enemy is one and the same.”

        “I think I might have to put our plan on hold for a few weeks, though,” Jiang Yiran said lightly as he rose to his feet.

        Ouyang Hao blinked up at him. “Why?”

        Jiang Yiran just gave him a pointed look. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten finals are coming up.”

~

        This time, an entire month had passed before the next time Ouyang Hao met up with Jiang Yiran. Finals had just finished, and school was out for summer vacation. While they hadn’t been talking in person, the two of them had been texting frequently.

        Ouyang Hao was taking out the trash at the restaurant afterwork when the scent of cigarette smoke wafted over to him. Ouyang Hao glanced around the alley. The sun had just set, and the sky was still fading from orange to night. He spotted the figure crouched in the shadows almost instantly. “At least you’re twenty feet from the building this time,” Ouyang Hao said in a way of greeting.

        Jiang Yiran just grinned as he rose to his feet. After stomping his cigarette out, he joined Ouyang Hao by the restaurant’s back door. “Do I get a bowl of noodles tonight?”

        “Do you want one?”

        “I do, as a matter of fact.”

        “You’re out of luck. I just finished work. If you want one, you’re going to have to come to the apartment with me.”

        “That works too. I’ve got new updates to discuss.”

        Ouyang Hao took his bike, and the two of them started out of the alley. Jiang Yiran had taken out another cigarette when Ouyang Hao gave him a frown. “Here.”

        Jiang Yiran blinked at him as his gaze went to the lollipop Ouyang Hao was holding out to him. “What?”

        “Take it. At least an addiction to sugar won’t kill you as quickly.”

        Jiang Yiran burst into laughter, but he pocketed the cigarette and took the candy.

        When they arrived at Ouyang Hao’s father’s apartment, he went to the kitchen to make a bowl of noodles.

        Jiang Yiran took a seat at the dining table and rested his chin on the palm of his hand as he watched.

        “You’re growing out your hair,” Ouyang Hao commented as he glanced over at his companion.

        Jiang Yiran nodded. “I can’t look too intimidating for my job interviews, can I? I bought a used suit jacket and pants as well. I’m set on getting a better job this summer.”

        “If you want to borrow a tie, I can lend you one.”

        Jiang Yiran smirked. “Just one?”

        “Look, just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean you can get everything for free.”

        Jiang Yiran blinked in surprise for a moment before his smirk grew. “You think I look handsome? No one’s ever told me that before.”

        “I don’t believe you haven’t gotten that in high school.”

        Jiang Yiran just shrugged. “My classmates thought I looked mean and self centered. Not that I cared what they thought. I just focused on my studies. Until Sun Ning decided I was a threat to his own success.”

        When the noodles were done, Ouyang Hao set the bowl down in front of Jiang Yiran.

        “Thank you,” Jiang Yiran said as he picked up the chopsticks.

        “I’ll have you know that if you want breakfast here, you’re going to have to pay.”

        Jiang Yiran just shook his head. “Thank you for telling me that I look handsome.”

        Ouyang Hao just scoffed. “Get lost.” Finally, he took his seat on the opposite side of the table. Ouyang Hao paused. “Your hair . . .”

        “Oh.” Jiang Yiran absently lifted a hand to tug at streak white racing through the black. “One day I looked in the mirror and apparently I’m an old man now. It’s been there for a while, but it’s a lot more noticeable now, isn’t it. Maybe now though you’ll call me big brother.”

Ouyang Hao just gave him an exasperated look. “You said you had updates to tell me.”

        “My former upperclassman is going to be at the hanfu festival,” Jiang Yiran said seriously. “I think that would be the best opportunity to talk to her. I sent you the picture of the message she posted on her social medias.”

        “Do you want me to talk to her?”

        “I remember what kind of person she was back in high school. She won’t talk to random guys. And so I was hoping you could ask Su Lili to help out this time.”

        Ouyang Hao slowly nodded his head. “I understand. I think Lili will understand too. I’ll give her a call.”

        Jiang Yiran was grinning again.

        Ouyang Hao frowned at him. “What?”

        “I finally get to meet Su Lili in person. You can finally introduce me to your soon-to-be girlfriend.”

        Ouyang Hao just rolled his eyes. “Get out of here.”

~

        On the day of the hanfu festival, Ouyang Hao was the first one to arrive at the entrance of the blocked-off streets. Jiang Yiran arrived next and sauntered over to Ouyang Hao, letting out a low whistle. “Look at the crowds.”

        “How are we going to find your former upperclassman here?” Ouyang Hao asked quietly.

        Jiang Yiran frowned. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

        Ouyang Hao let out an exasperated sigh. He was about to say something when a familiar figure caught his eye.

        “Ouyang!” Su Lili waved as she hurried toward him. She was dressed in flowing purple, and her dark hair glittered with pins.

        “Is this new?” Ouyang Hao blinked as Lili came to a stop in front of him.

        Su Lili grinned. “Yep! Pretty, isn’t it?” She took a step back as she looked Ouyang Hao up and down. “I see you haven’t dressed up.”

        “How about we start with some introductions,” Ouyang Hao suggested. “Lili, this is Jiang Yiran.”

        Lili smiled at Jiang Yiran. “I know Ouyang has probably already relayed my words to you, but I want to thank you in person for helping me get away from Sun Ning.”

        Jiang Yiran smirked. “As much as I want to take all the credit, it wouldn’t have worked without Ouyang’s help. It was a team effort. Ouyang forwarded you my messages, right?”

        Lili nodded. “I read through them again on my way here. I’ll try to have her answer the questions to the best of my extent.” Then she let out a laugh. “We’ve got a person to find. We might as well head inside. But first, the two of you should rent outfits. For all your help, it’s my treat.”

        Before long, Ouyang Hao and Jiang Yiran were standing back at the entrance of the festival. Su Lili had taken it upon herself to act as their photographer, and the two of them had been posing in the summer heat for at least five minutes already.

        “Have you taken the picture yet?” Jiang Yiran called from where he was pointing a fake sword at the sky. “I don’t know if I can keep my arm up any longer.” He was dressed in blue robes, and Ouyang Hao was in black.

        “Almost,” Lili called back. “Let me try one more time—people keep walking into the frame! Okay, I think that’s as good as it will get.”

        Ouyang Hao dropped his own pose to fan himself with his paper fan. “Would it make sense for the three of us to split up?”

        Jiang Yiran shook his head. “We might as well stick together. Even if one of us finds her, Su Lili is the only one who will be able to get her to talk.”

        The three of them entered the festival, all the while keeping their eyes peeled as they walked. Jiang Yiran had shown them the latest picture his former upperclassman had posted on her social media. She was dressed in bright red, which made all of them feel more confident about their search.

        “This takes me back to the time we went to the festival together back in high school,” Lili reminisced. “I invited you last year, but you had summer courses. And now we have a new friend with us.” Lili turned to smile at Jiang Yiran. Suddenly, Lili paused as her eyes seemed to widen at something over Jiang Yiran’s shoulder. “Look! Isn’t that her?”

        Ouyang Hao quickly followed Lili’s gaze to the young woman dressed in red.

        “That’s her!” Jiang Yiran exclaimed in a triumphant whisper.

        “Alright.” Su Lili squared her shoulders. “I’ll go talk to her. Lin Xunxun, right? The two of you should probably stay out of sight.”

        As Lili started off in Lin Xunxun’s direction, Ouyang Hao gestured in the direction of the snack vendors. “Want to get food?”

        Jiang Yiran grinned. “If you’re treating.” After ordering two bowls of noodles, they found seats at one of the tables. “This isn’t nearly as good as the ones you make,” Jiang Yiran commented as he shoveled noodles into his mouth.

        “And yet you still wolf them down like a starving man.”

        “What can I say? I’m hungry.”

        Ouyang Hao picked up his own chopsticks, but he paused as he watched Jiang Yiran from across the table.

        “You aren’t eating?” Jiang Yiran blinked as he looked up from his bowl. Then he smirked. “What, am I really that handsome?”

        Suddenly there was a rush of purple fabric as Lili took the seat next to Ouyang Hao. “She answered all of my questions,” Lili said breathlessly. “I don’t know if we can say for sure whether Sun Ning had anything to do with the incident from her recollection of the events, but it does feel eerily like his style. I’ll type up everything she said and send it to the two of you.”

        “Are you hungry?” Ouyang Hao asked, although he already had an idea what Lili’s answer would be.

        Lili shook her head as she pulled out her phone. “I’m dieting. Once I finish here, maybe I can have one of you help me take photos. I went through all the trouble to dress up—I might as well make the most of it. I’m going to take lots of pictures of you too, Ouyang. Your mom is going to love them.”

~

        That night, Ouyang Hao sat on his bed scrolling through all the pictures Lili had sent him of their time at the festival. He had just taken a shower, and the soft humming of the air conditioning was making his eyelids droop. The muffled sounds from the TV in the living room wafted to him from behind his closed door, and as he glanced at the time, he knew his mother would be telling him to go to sleep soon.

        Ouyang Hao ran a hand through his hair as he finally came across the last picture Lili had sent. It was the one of himself and Jiang Yiran. Ouyang Hao absently tapped the photo. Lili really managed to get a shot without any other people in the frame.

        A few minutes later, there was a knock on his door. “Can I come in?”

        Ouyang Hao turned off his phone before walking over to open the door. “Of course.”

        “Lili sent me the pictures she took of you at the festival today,” his mother told him as she held up her phone for emphasis. “Did just the two of you go? Wait, no, there was another young man in a few of the photos. Come to think of it, I could have sworn I’ve seen him somewhere before . . .”

        “That’s Jiang Yiran.”

        “A classmate of yours? Lili’s classmate?”

        “Actually, I met him outside of school. He’s a year younger than me.”

        “Anyway, it’s late. You should get some sleep. Now that school is out for the summer, you should take advantage of it and rest early. It’s not good for your health to always stay up late.”

        Once his mother left, Ouyang Hao turned off the lights and climbed into bed. He glanced at the time for a final time. The light of his phone screen illuminated his face as his eyes lingered on the new picture he had set for his lock screen. And then the room fell into darkness as he powered off his phone.

~

        The following morning, Ouyang Hao checked his phone to find two messages waiting for him. The first one was from Jiang Yiran: Ouyang, I think I might have to take you up on that offer to borrow a tie. I managed to get myself a number of job interviews this week. I have two this afternoon. Are you proud of me? If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be able to pay you back for all those noodles. If it’s convenient, could I stop by your apartment this morning?

        Ouyang Hao quickly typed back, What time?

        Jiang Yiran’s response was almost immediate. Does right now work?

        Ouyang Hao stared at his phone screen for a moment before hurrying out of his room. He skidded to a stop in front of the window in the living room and peered down at the streets below where a familiar figure was standing in front of the building.

        “What is it?” Ouyang Hao’s mother asked as she came out of the kitchen.

        Ouyang Hao finally turned away from the window. “Jiang Yiran is here. He has a job interview today, and I told him he could borrow a tie.”

        “Don’t keep him waiting outside then. Let him in!”

        Ouyang Hao typed: I’ll be right down. He was on the ground floor in minutes and slowed to a stop in front of Jiang Yiran. He blinked. Jiang Yiran was wearing glasses today, and his hair had been carefully slicked back. But even with the addition of his suit jacket, his casual posture remained the same as always.

        “Do you like to sleep in on the weekends?” Jiang Yiran asked as he turned to look at Ouyang Hao.

        “Do you like to show up in front of people’s houses without a warning?”

        Jiang Yiran just smirked.

        A frown tugged on Ouyang Hao’s lips as he did a double take. “Is that . . . candy?”

        Jiang Yiran’s smirk widened as he took the white stick out of his mouth. “Lollipop.”

        Ouyang Hao let out a laugh as he shook his head. “Come on, let’s go upstairs.” The moment Ouyang Hao opened the door to his apartment, his mother was there in an instant.

        Jiang Yiran offered her a respectful smile as he slid off his shoes. “Hello, Auntie. I hope I’m not intruding. After Ouyang lends me a tie, I’ll be gone before you know it.”

        Ouyang Hao passed Jiang Yiran an extra pair of slippers. “He’s right—he won’t be here long.”

        Ouyang Hao’s mother smiled as she took in Jiang Yiran’s suit jacket and slicked-back hair. “You look like an intelligent young man. My son told me you’re going in for a job interview today. What kind of work are you applying for?”

        “I work with computers and code,” Jiang Yiran explained. “It’s what I’m majoring in too.”

        Ouyang Hao’s mother looked delighted as she turned to address her son. “Do you see this? He’s a year younger than you and yet he’s already applying for jobs in his field!”

        “Come on.” Ouyang Hao quietly motioned for Jiang Yiran to follow him into his room.

        “Your mom seems to like me this time,” Jiang Yiran commented as he shut the door behind them. “She doesn’t seem to recognize me from our first encounter outside the apartment. It must be the glasses.”

Ouyang Hao walked over to his closet and rummaged through his clothes. He pulled out a number of ties and a couple of button-down shirts. “I think we’re about the same size. You can see if this one fits.”

        Jiang Yiran took the shirt Ouyang Hao held out to him. “Let me guess,” he said quietly, “your mom isn’t happy with your job at the restaurant.”

        Ouyang Hao nodded. “She doesn’t say it to my face, but I can tell it’s not what she wants me to be doing. She’s worked so hard for me and my education . . . I don’t want to let her down, but . . . I haven’t told her that all I really want to do with my life is open a restaurant.” Ouyang Hao walked over to the window to watch the last of the morning fog disperse.

        Jiang Yiran let out a sigh. “I get it. When I was still living with my aunt, I felt the same way. She worked so hard to raise me. Believe it or not, I was a very obedient and maybe even overachieving child. I didn’t want to let her down. But it was in high school that I really came to terms with the fact that I don’t want to be stuck in an office. I just want to be a taxi driver. That way, I won’t be confined to an office, staring at a glowing screen for hours on end. I want to go everywhere and anywhere. But of course I didn’t tell my aunt that. I haven’t told anyone that.”

        “You’re telling me now, though, aren’t you?” Ouyang Hao finally turned away from the window to face Jiang Yiran.

        Jiang Yiran smiled. “The two of us are the same that way.”

        Ouyang Hao found himself smiling faintly. “I don’t want to be stuck in a silent lab for hours on end either. I want to be in the lively environment of the restaurant. I know my mom wants what she thinks is best for me, but I don’t want to waste my life—my youth—away either.” There was a long pause before someone spoke again.

        “Does the shirt look good?” Jiang Yiran asked. He had pulled the button-down over his T-shirt.

        Ouyang Hao nodded. “Now you can choose a tie.”

        “How about the blue one.”

        “Do you know how to tie a tie?”

        “No clue.”

        “Here.” Ouyang Hao stepped forward. He took the blue tie from Jiang Yiran and got to work tying it around his own neck.

        “What do you think about the idea of the two of us running away together and leaving everything behind to live out our dreams?”

        Ouyang Hao opened his mouth to respond but then paused. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he wasn’t opposed to it. “I can’t just leave my mom here by herself,” he finally said.

        “You plan to move out eventually, don’t you?”

        “Yes, but . . .”

        Jiang Yiran met Ouyang Hao’s gaze. “I think you should tell her what you want to do. At least then she’ll know, whether she approves or not.”

        Ouyang Hao took the tie from his own neck and handed it back to Jiang Yiran. “There. I wish you the best with your job interviews. What time is your first one?”

        “One o’clock.” Jiang Yiran pulled his suit jacket back on and glanced at the mirror in the corner of the room. He let out a laugh. “Look at me. No wonder your mom didn’t recognize me. I don’t even recognize myself.”

        The two of them stepped out of the room only to find Ouyang Hao’s mother waiting for them by the door. “Mom . . .” Ouyang Hao frowned.

        “Yiran, have you eaten breakfast yet?” Ouyang Hao’s mother asked, ignoring her son’s exasperated expression. “If not, please feel welcome to stay and eat with us.”

        Jiang Yiran’s eyes lit up. “May I?”

        “Of course!”

        As the three of them made their way over to the table, a grinning Jiang Yiran lowered his voice. “Ouyang, your mom is the best.”

        “Get lost,” Ouyang Hao shot back in equal quiet.

        Jiang Yiran’s eyes just danced with laughter.

~

        That night, Ouyang Hao found Jiang Yiran waiting for him in the alley behind the restaurant.

        “Do I get noodles?” Jiang Yiran asked.

        Ouyang Hao handed him a take-out bowl. “I made an extra one in case you showed up.”

        Jiang Yiran grinned. “Thanks.”

        “How did the interviews go?”

        “I think I’ve got a new job. Looks like most of my summer will be spent in an office. On a different note though, I was reading over what Su Lili wrote. While my former upperclassman didn’t seem to know Sun Ning personally, she said someone was blackmailing her anonymously online leading up to the incident. The account name . . . that’s Sun Ning. Do you think I could arrange a time to have Su Lili to meet her again and see if she has any screenshots of those interactions? If we can expose Sun Ning online for causing harm to one of his classmates, his reputation will be ruined,” Jiang Yiran concluded with a grim smile. “If Su Lili herself has any screenshots to add from his own interactions with Sun Ning, that will help as well.”

        Ouyang Hao nodded along. “I’ll pass the information along to her.”

        There was a moment of silence before Jiang Yiran reached up to tug on his tie. “I should probably give this back to you.”

        “You don’t need to give it back right now. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself still needing it for interviews this week.”

        Jiang Yiran let out a laugh. “Alright, alright. Don’t jinx me, though. Your mom really seems to like me. Did you hear how many times she called me a good child?”

        “Did you come all the way here for the noodles? Or was it to boast about yourself?”

        Jiang Yiran just smiled. “I came here because I wanted to talk to you. That’s enough of a reason, no? I’m in a good mood today. After I finish eating, I want to take you somewhere. Is that alright?”

        Ouyang Hao nodded silently. “Okay.”

        “I brought my motorcycle,” Jiang Yiran said as he opened the container of noodles.

        “Where are you going to take me?”

        Jiang Yiran’s eyes sparkled knowingly. “Everywhere. And nowhere.”

        It was Ouyang Hao’s turn to let out a laugh. “Okay.”

        When Jiang Yiran finished the noodles, Ouyang Hao followed him a short distance down the alley to where his motorcycle was waiting. Jiang Yiran climbed on first before motioning for Ouyang Hao to take the seat behind him.

        A moment later, the two of them were zooming out of the alley.

        “You might want to hold on,” Jiang Yiran called over the rush of the wind.

        Ouyang Hao hesitantly wrapped his arms around Jiang Yiran’s waist. Ouyang Hao looked to the side as all the buildings and lights of the city blurred by. The night wind was in his hair, and he closed his eyes for a brief moment. All he wanted to do at this moment was to breathe it all in.

        He opened his eyes to find the city lights slowly fading. The cars they passed were sparse, and before long, Ouyang Hao recognized the road to the highway. The ocean came into view shortly after, and the air became tinged with salt.

        Eventually, Jiang Yiran slowed and came to a stop at the side of the highway. This portion snaked over the ocean itself, and Jiang Yiran leaned against the railings to gaze down at the ocean far below.

        “Do you come here often?” Ouyang Hao asked quietly as he walked over to follow Jiang Yiran’s gaze to the silent water.

        Jiang Yiran closed his eyes. “I used to come here a lot at night. There’s no cars, and everything is just quiet. I come here when I need to think.”

        “And what are you thinking about now?”

        Jiang Yiran opened his eyes. He was smiling. “I’m thinking the white in my hair is getting more noticeable by the day. Could I trouble you to help me dye it? I was thinking of dark red.”

        “Do you have the dye?”

        Jiang Yiran shook his head. “Let’s make one last stop, shall we?”

        Before long, Ouyang Hao was waiting outside of the twenty-four-hour convenience store with Jiang Yiran’s motorcycle.

        “I didn’t just buy the bleach and dye,” Jiang Yiran told Ouyang Hao as he reemerged from the store.

        Ouyang Hao just let out a laugh as Jiang Yiran showed him a bag of lollipops. “I see you’re feeding your new addiction.”

        Jiang Yiran grinned. “Want one?” He held one out to Ouyang Hao, and his grin grew as the latter took it. “Cheers.”

        Before long, the two of them were back in the alley behind the restaurant. Ouyang Hao stood next to his bicycle. “I guess I’ll be on my way, then.”

        Jiang Yiran lifted a hand in farewell. “See you at the apartment tomorrow?”

        Ouyang Hao nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

~

        Ouyang Hao sat on his bed, scrolling absently through his photos. He had helped Jiang Yiran dye his hair the previous day. While Ouyang Hao was washing up afterward, Jiang Yiran had stolen his phone and taken a number of funny selfies. Ouyang Hao shook his head as he scrolled through them, but there was a faint smile on his face all the same.

        Just then, Ouyang Hao’s phone vibrated as a text message appeared at the top of the screen. His smile faded as he read the sender’s name. After scanning the message, Ouyang Hao quickly turned off his phone. He stood up, leaving his phone on his bed. He paced back and forth a few times before finally shaking his head.

        There was a knock on Ouyang Hao’s door. “Dinner is ready.”

        Ouyang Hao left his room to join his mother at the table. There was silence as they ate before he finally spoke up. “Has Dad contacted you recently?”

        His mother blinked in surprise as she shook her head. “No. Has he reached out to you?”

        Ouyang Hao slowly nodded his head. “He sent me a message just before dinner. He wrote that he met a woman while working overseas. He wrote that he would like me to get to know my future stepmother.”

        “Did . . . did you reply to him?”

        “I didn’t,” Ouyang Hao said shortly. “He knows that ever since the divorce, I don’t want to see him again.”

        “I don’t want to see him either,” his mother said with a sigh. “But he is your father, after all.”

        Ouyang Hao stared down at the bowl in front of him. “I don’t want to communicate with him, and I especially don’t want to meet his new lover.”

        “He’s still your father—”

        “I don’t care if he’s my father. He hurt you. He doesn’t deserve for us to care about him.”

        Ouyang Hao’s mother was silent.

        Ouyang Hao reached for his phone only to find that he had left it in his room. He went to retrieve his phone only to find a new message waiting for him. This time it was from Jiang Yiran: Is it convenient for you to meet me at the apartment?

        Ouyang Hao stared at the glowing screen for a moment before he typed, I’ll head over now. After pocketing his phone, he hurried out of his room. His mother looked on, clearly perplexed as Ouyang Hao made a beeline for the front door. “My friend wants me to meet him,” Ouyang Hao called as he shoved his feet into his shoes. “If I don’t come back, I’ll be spending the night.”

        Ouyang Hao could feel his mother’s eyes on his back as he hurried out the door. He grabbed his bike and was speeding down the road in minutes. He wasn’t completely sure what time it was by the time he arrived at the apartment, but he opened the door to find Jiang Yiran already waiting for him inside.

        Jiang Yiran’s face split into a grin the moment Ouyang Hao stepped over the threshold, but it changed to a frown as the door swung shut. “Is everything alright?”

        “Yes,” Ouyang Hao said irritably as he sat down in front of the couch.

        Jiang Yiran just gave him a look and raised a brow.

        Ouyang Hao flopped over to stare up at the ceiling. “I think you’ve probably realized by now that my parents are divorced. Well, my dad wants me to get to know his new lover. I don’t want to. After all the trouble he caused, I just want him to leave my mom and me alone.”

        Jiang Yiran took a seat on the floor nearby. “Trouble?” he asked quietly.

        “During my time in middle school, he and my mom would fight. A lot. It affected me. I got into my own fair share of fights with my classmates, and I’m not proud of it.”

        “Have you told your dad that? That you don’t want him to keep contacting you?”

        Ouyang Hao let out a tired sigh. “I have, but he’s still my dad.”

        Ouyang Hao didn’t protest as Jiang Yiran lay down as well, and together the two of them stared up at the ceiling.

        “What did you call me over for?” Ouyang Hao finally asked as he glanced over at Jiang Yiran.

        “Free dinner, of course.”

        Ouyang Hao just let out a laugh. “Get out of here.”

        Jiang Yiran’s tone turned serious again. “All jokes aside, I found out where Ma Ding is.”

        “Ma Ding,” Ouyang Hao echoed. “You spoke with him?”

        Jiang Yiran shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve been working on an article with all the information I’ve gathered so far on Sun Ning. I think what I have is enough to ruin his reputation, but I want to see if I can get anything from Ma Ding. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

        “Would you like me to go with you?”

        Jiang Yiran gazed up at the ceiling again. “You don’t have to. We could also go together though—try to intimidate him a little more.”

        “If that’s the case, I’m sure you by yourself will be intimidating enough.”

        Jiang Yiran was the one laughing now. “Just you wait. Sun Ning’s true nature will be exposed for all his classmates to see before the school year starts up again.”

~

        Ouyang Hao woke to the bright sunlight filtering in through the windows. He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t in his own bed and instead on the living room floor of his father’s apartment.

        “You’re awake.”

        Ouyang Hao turned to find Jiang Yiran grinning at him from the kitchen. “And you’re still here.”

        Jiang Yiran just hummed as he brought a bowl of rice over to Ouyang Hao.

        “You seem happy about something,” Ouyang Hao remarked.

        “I uploaded my post about Sun Ning,” Jiang Yiran said matter-of-factly. “It’s pretty damning too. He’s going to be furious.”

        “I’ve made up my mind on something too,” Ouyang Hao said quietly. “I want to cut ties with my father.”

        “Good thing I don’t need to crash in this apartment anymore. I’m happy for you. I think this calls for a celebration for both of us.” Jiang Yiran went back to the kitchen and returned with two cans of soda. He handed one of these to Ouyang Hao. “Cheers.”

        “Cheers.” After Ouyang Hao set his can down, he looked over at Jiang Yiran. “Are you still planning to talk to Ma Ding?”

        Jiang Yiran nodded. “Maybe now that Sun Ning is done for, it will be easier for him to talk.”

        “When are you going?”

        Jiang Yiran just smiled. “Tonight.”

~

        Ouyang Hao opened the door to his apartment to find his mother waiting for him with a frown on her face. “You really did stay the night,” she said by way of greeting. “Which friend were you meeting? You don’t have any friends besides Lili—wait . . .”

        “Remember I introduced you to Jiang Yiran?”

        Ouyang Hao’s mother nodded. “Oh, him. What were you doing with him?”

        “We were talking. He hasn’t exactly had the easiest social life in school. Like me. I realized I want to cut all ties with Dad. I’ve realized that’s what I’ve been wanting ever since the divorce. I just didn’t know how to make the decision. All these years, he’s just been like a dark cloud following me everywhere I go. I can tell he’s following you too. But I’ve gotten tired of the clouds—I want to see the sky again.”

        To his surprise, his mother just smiled. “Okay.”

~

        That night, Ouyang Hao was working in the restaurant. He had just finished washing the dishes and was drying his hands on a towel when he heard a crashing sound outside. Ouyang Hao and his coworkers exchanged glances before hurrying to the door. Ouyang Hao craned his neck over the heads of his companions huddled in the doorway. Even in the dark, he immediately recognized the dark-red hair of the young man lying on the ground.

        Ouyang Hao pushed past his companions as he dropped to his knees at Jiang Yiran’s side. “Yiran! Jiang Yiran!”

        Jiang Yiran was laying on the ground next to his motorcycle. He gave Ouyang Hao a pained smile as he raised himself up. “You know how to ride a motorcycle. Could I trouble you to take me to the hospital?”

        “What happened to you?” Ouyang Hao asked in a panic as he spotted the blood and bruises on Jiang Yiran through the dim lighting.

        “Sun Ning, that bastard,” Jiang Yiran got out as Ouyang Hao half dragged, half lifted him onto the motorcycle, “I was talking to Ma Ding when he suddenly showed up with some thugs he hired. It was Ma Ding. He called Sun Ning and told him I was there. They broke my phone and then ganged up on me. I finally managed to get away, and the first place I thought to go was to find you.”

        “Your leg . . .” Ouyang Hao’s voice wavered.

        “It’s broken.” Jiang Yiran winced as Ouyang Hao started up the engine of the motorcycle. “I heard it crack.”

        “Hold on tight,” Ouyang Hao called through his own panic. “I’ll get you to the hospital as fast as I can!”

        Ouyang Hao felt Jiang Yiran’s arms wrap around his waist. His grasp lacked strength, and his breathing was labored.

        “Ouyang,” Jiang Yiran said tiredly as the city lights blurred by, “thank you. You’ve helped me again.” His head rested against Ouyang Hao’s back. “Everything’s red. Do you think Sun Ning would have really killed me if I didn’t get away?”

        “We’re almost at the hospital!” But just as the words left Ouyang Hao’s mouth, he felt Jiang Yiran’s grip loosen around him. Ouyang Hao brought the motorcycle to a sudden stop and caught an unconscious Jiang Yiran before he could tumble sideways. A moment later, Ouyang Hao’s phone was in his hand. “We need an ambulance!”

Epilogue

        The restaurant sign had just been flipped to close, and the lively buzz that was present all day had finally subsided.

        The man walked from table to table, wiping all of them off with a rag. The sound of water and dishes clinking came from the kitchens as the man continued to the next row of tables. When he was done, he surveyed the space for a moment before turning out the lights. The gray in his hair glowed silver in the lights from the stores on the opposite side of the street. He entered kitchens and began to prep the ingredients for one last dish.

        Eventually, the bustle of the kitchen clean up began to quiet down as well. “Goodnight, boss!”

        “See you tomorrow, boss!”

        The man smiled and nodded to the workers as they began to leave the restaurant. Soon, he was the only one left in the now silent kitchen. After finishing his cooking, he carefully poured the contents of the pot into a metal container. The sound of water filled the room as he washed his knives and appliances. Finally, he turned off the kitchen lights.

        The city lights glowed against the night from beyond the bus windows, and the man watched them blur by until he arrived at his stop.

        When the elevator reached the ninth floor of the apartment building, the man sorted through his keys. Light spilled out from under the apartment door as he came to a stop in front of it. As soon as the door opened, the sounds of the TV greeted him. “Old Jiang,” he called.

        The man sitting on the couch grinned and rose to his feet. “You’re home.”

        “How was work?” Ouyang Hao asked.

        “There were quite a few talkative passengers today,” Jiang Yiran replied.

        “You didn’t talk their ears off, I hope.”

        “Of course not. That’s what you’re here for.” The corners of Jiang Yiran’s eyes crinkled behind his glasses as he smiled. Ouyang Hao handed him the metal container before walking over to take Jiang Yiran’s now vacant seat on the couch.

        Jiang Yiran shuffled over to the kitchen with a faint limp only to return a few moments later with bowls. Then after dishing out the contents of the metal container, he sat down next to Ouyang Hao.

        “Who’s winning?” Ouyang Hao asked as he squinted at the TV.

        Jiang Yiran shrugged. “We were until the other team caught up in points. It’s going to be a close game.”

        The two of them sat for a while, eating their dinner and watching the screen. When the game ended and all the food was gone, it was time to retire to their bedroom.

        Ouyang Hao stared up at the ceiling. Like every night, he felt full and sleepy and content. Jiang Yiran had just rolled into bed next to him and reached over to set his glasses on the nightstand. There was a soft click as he turned off the lamp. “Goodnight.”

        Ouyang Hao smiled faintly as he turned to look at Jiang Yiran in the dark. Even though he couldn’t see his face, he knew Jiang Yiran was smiling back at him through the darkness. “Goodnight.”

End