Chapter 53: Night Market

Yin Huaiyu waited for a few minutes, never expecting his uncle to be chatting so enthusiastically with a student, shaking hands and patting shoulders. Ling Wu didn't say much, just listening quietly with a standard, polite smile on his face.

It was inexplicably grating to watch.

He strode over and put his phone in his pocket: "Uncle, what are you two talking about?"

Yin Cilan tilted his head: "I was discussing some concepts regarding the origins of Buddhism with your classmate here."

Buddhism?

Yin Huaiyu dismissed it: "What's there to talk about? Talk to me instead. I can buy you a few gold-plated Buddha statues right now, and you can worship a different one every day without ever repeating."

Wealth, power, status—the Yin Family had it all; was there any need to worship gods and Buddhas to satisfy desires?

When he had everything, the gods and Buddhas should be the ones worshipping him.

Yin Cilan said leisurely: "Buddhism speaks of karmic affinity; sincerity brings efficacy."

"Forget about karmic affinity." Yin Huaiyu raised an eyebrow: "I don't see any karmic affinity between you two. It's getting late, Uncle, we still need to head back to the old mansion."

Only then did Yin Cilan remember, and he looked toward Ling Wu: "Young friend, you and I hit it off immediately; why don't we pick up where we left off another day?"

Yin Huaiyu couldn't stand his uncle's pedantic, old-fashioned manner and urged him impatiently to leave quickly.

Ling Wu nodded: "Naturally."

"Take care, President Yin."

Ling Wu stood in place, watching the backs of the two as they walked away. Half of his face faced the light, his silhouette rendered very clearly, the cinnabar mark between his brows appearing even more vivid and ethereal. On the other side, turned away from the light and hidden in the shadows, that same cinnabar mark was as dark as ink, and his pupils were pure black, like a bottomless dark river, or an endless long night.

He turned around, walking away with his back to the light, entering the corridor and falling into the darkness.

Maple Forest Avenue.

Yang Wanyue did not like those high-end restaurants; she preferred the bustling, lively night markets. After asking for the opinions of Qi Yu and Ling Wu, she decided to take them to eat at a street food stall.

"Classmate Ling Wu, I thought you wouldn't like eating at this kind of street stall." Yang Wanyue had drunk some beer, her cheeks flushed: "The nobles at the Academy all think this place is dirty and unclean, not comparable to high-end restaurants."

"But I think, no matter how dirty it is, how can it be dirtier than the human heart? The waiters in those high-end restaurants are respectful to the rich and arrogant to the poor."

"We are all consumers; it's not like I didn't pay them."

Qi Yu opened a beer can and handed it to Ling Wu. The latter took it, took a sip, and said to Yang Wanyue: "Street stalls are quite good."

"Actually, there's basically no street food I haven't eaten."

Yang Wanyue's eyes brightened: "Kindred spirits!"

Vehicles drove past on the road, and the bustling market was noisy and chaotic. Ling Wu sat on the side facing the street, and a few young people jostling each other accidentally bumped into him.

He moved inward silently.

Qi Yu glanced over as if inadvertently, then suggested: "Let's switch seats."

"Hm?" Ling Wu reacted quickly and waved his hand: "It's fine, you don't need to accommodate me; it's not very convenient either."

Qi Yu stared at his face and said it again: "It's very convenient for me, come inside."

The teenager's voice was low and hoarse from the alcohol, sounding sexy and bewitching after being washed by the night breeze; these few ordinary words were spoken with an unusually lingering, affectionate flavor.

Ling Wu stood up to switch seats with him: "Thank you."

Qi Yu: "Friends don't say thank you."

Yang Wanyue propped up her cheeks, remembering the rumors about their relationship at the Academy, and looked at them with a smile: "That's right, among us friends, loyalty is paramount; we don't say thank you."

"Keep drinking!"

Ling Wu: "Cheers!"

Qi Yu clinked his glass with him: "Cheers!"

Yang Wanyue: "Cheers."

As the drinking got into full swing, they started chatting about daily life. Yang Wanyue mentioned: "By the way, Qi Yu, I heard your grandmother is hospitalized. Is she doing any better now?"

Qi Yu's hand paused: "It's nothing serious."

Ling Wu asked a question he already knew the answer to, his eyes filled with shock: "Your grandmother is sick? Why didn't you mention it to me?"

"It's just a small matter." Qi Yu's expression was a bit unnatural: "She just fell down the stairs and had surgery; it wasn't worth bothering you with such a thing."

Ling Wu propped one hand on the table, turned his body halfway, and rested his other hand on Qi Yu's arm, leaning in to look at him. His hair, backlit by the light, appeared exceptionally soft: "Aren't we friends?"

"Why wouldn't I know about it?"

His tone rose slightly—not out of blame, but with a sense of lost resentment, a simple, innocent grievance at not being told despite being a friend.

Qi Yu's heart was scorched by that gaze and tone, and all his senses were focused on the hand Ling Wu had placed on his arm.

The touch was cool, yet hotter than a torch.

Qi Yu gripped the beer can tightly with his thumb, making a crisp sound: "I thought you didn't want to know about these things."

Didn't want to understand his current situation, didn't care about his thoughts, and even less wanted to get close to his world.

"How could that be?" Ling Wu looked at him without blinking: "I never said I didn't want to know."

Yang Wanyue bit her fingernails, the little person cheering in her heart fighting, her gaze becoming increasingly suspicious.

Something fishy is going on.

Yang Wanyue rolled her eyes, rested her fingers on her temples, and looked at her phone: "Oh my, my mom is calling me home for dinner. I have a mother who says what she means at home, so I'll be going first!"

Qi Yu: "..."

Ling Wu: "?"

Then what are we eating here?

Yang Wanyue waved her phone: "Don't see me off! I've already called a car."

As soon as she finished speaking, she slipped out of the night market like a fish.

What a free-spirited and extraordinary woman.

After finishing their late-night meal, the two strolled through the night market a bit more. With the moonlight spread out behind them, they walked side by side. Passing an ice cream shop with ambient lights hanging at the entrance, Qi Yu asked him while clutching the sweat in his palms: "Do you want ice cream?"

Ling Wu subconsciously asked back: "You love sweets?"

Qi Yu nodded: "Mm."

"You are just like my younger brother; when he was little, he also loved eating candy, and even after getting cavities and rolling on the bed in pain, he would still fuss about wanting to eat more." Ling Wu looked toward that ice cream shop, his expression appearing somewhat forlorn: "But he... doesn't seem to like eating it anymore."

"Come with me."

Qi Yu pulled him as they ran into the ice cream shop, bought two of the best-selling matcha-flavored ice creams from the clerk, and handed one to Ling Wu: "Try it, this is the best-tasting flavor at this shop."

Ling Wu: "You are very familiar with this shop; do you come here to buy often?"

Qi Yu: "Occasionally."

Ling Wu and Qi Yu left the ice cream shop one after the other; on Maple Forest Avenue, the lights were sparse and the voices of the crowd were boisterous, the passing pedestrians were in all sorts of postures, and the dim yellow light of the streetlamps dragged their shadows out very long.