Chapter 53: Qualifications

. The word "qualification" made Feng Ran stunned.

Chen Shuze was still the same Chen Shuze, the Chen Shuze who could leave people speechless with just a few words.

Feng Ran went back after it was completely dark.

He didn't know that Chen Shuze's house was so far away when he went there, and the traffic was as heavy as a can of fish. It took three hours to go back and forth, and it was already past dinner time.

He walked in with fried noodles. He Chuan had finished his work and was clearing the table.

"I'm back." He raised his hand. "Have you eaten?"

He Chuan hadn't eaten.

Each person got a bowl. Feng Ran was already starving, wolfing down the food. He Chuan, seeing his starving demeanor, asked, "Is there no food at his house?"

"I promised you that."

"No need."

Feng Ran put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth, displeased. "No need. If there's no need, why are you waiting for me? Why don't you just eat first? ...Do you have any beer? This noodles are choking."

He Chuan opened a can of beer and set it on the table. Feng Ran asked, "He's been here several times before?"

"Yeah."

"What a coincidence. He always comes around the same time I buy food."

"Yes."

"I've always felt something was wrong, Boss He."

He Chuan remained silent. Feng Ran tilted his head back, his Adam's apple twitching.

He gulped the beer down, squeezed it in his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, threw it into the trash can.

A smooth parabola.

He Chuan rarely initiates a conversation: "Did the screen installation go smoothly?"

"Very smoothly."

"Did you keep the nursing tools?"

Feng Ran slapped his head. "Oh, I forgot."

He Chuan said, "I'll send it to him tomorrow."

"You can have him pick it up, his office isn't far from here." He

Chuan said, "You're dying to deliver it to him in person."

"Huh?"

He Chuan realized he'd made a mistake and turned away.

"...I really underestimated you." Feng Ran stared at him from behind. "What would I gain by delivering it to him?"

He Chuan didn't want to argue with him about this.

He couldn't win the argument, nor did he have the right to. He

wanted to avoid him, but it was too late.

"You know a lot. Tell me, why don't you want me to run into him?" Feng Ran became excited and spoke rapidly. "Are you afraid that I'll be embarrassed? Afraid that I'll fall for him again? Or that he'll fall for me again? Or that I'll have sex with him again—"

He Chuan stood up with a bang, and the wooden stool fell over with a loud bang.

The word was lost in the murmur.

Feng Ran couldn't stop talking, and said in a cold tone: "You are nosy."

This time, He Chuan was really angry. Don't interfere with him.

Feng Ran forgot about it the next day, and came up to him with a smile, saying that they made such a big profit on the order. Even if he didn't make any contribution, he still worked hard. Shouldn't he be paid some salary this month? However, he was met with a cold face, and then an object flew over and hit him in the arms.

Feng Ran grabbed it and found it was Chen Shuze Pingfeng's care package.

He threw the thing and said: "If you don't want to pay, then don't!"

For the next few days, they bought their own meals and didn't say a word to each other.

Feng Ran was free again, and he spent money as he pleased.

The show ended at four in the morning, and he went back drunk. He finally inserted the key into the keyhole, but it wouldn't turn. He turned on the flashlight and found that the door lock had been changed.

He kicked the door with a bang, and the building's voice-activated lights came on. "He Chuan! Get out here! I know you're not asleep!"

He kicked it again, and the plastic flap rustled off the door.

"What the hell do you want?"

Half a minute later, the door opened a crack, revealing He Chuan in his pajamas, dark circles under his eyes.

Feng Ran pulled the door open and squeezed in, only to be pushed out by a hand.

He Chuan pointed at his watch: "Don't come back at this hour."

The door slammed shut against his nose, and Feng Ran's temples throbbed.

That morning, He Chuan was buried in silversmithing when the curtains were violently flung open, and the wind blew, making the silverware clink. He knew who it was from the sound of footsteps.

Feng Ran rushed to the sofa and violently turned on his computer.

A moment later, he heard the voice of his stressed-out teammate.

He Chuan, unsure of his situation, continued working as planned. When it was time for lunch, he went out to buy groceries. Halfway through, he decided he couldn't rely on that guy to cook, but he wasn't a good cook, and he wouldn't eat a single bite of what he made.

He turned and went into the fast food restaurant to grab two burgers.

After returning, he placed his phone on the only table—the computer desk. Feng Ran had finished his game, crossed his arms, and leered at him. "You didn't even ask me where I spent the night? Huh? Feeling guilty?"

"What

are you feeling guilty about?" Feng Ran snorted, spreading his hands. "You really are. Where are your keys?"

He Chuan produced a new key and placed it in his palm.

"Are you feeling calm now? From today on, I won't disturb your rest, and you won't disturb mine. Let's live in peace. If you ever get really upset with me, don't hold it in. Just tell me, and I'll get out right away. Okay?" He

Chuan wanted to say it wasn't good.

But he was used to nodding to Feng Ran, so this time, he simply nodded and walked away silently.

He met Chen Shuze again on the Friday after their reunion.

It was the day his team was playing, and He Chuan went home early. Feng Ran was in the middle of a game. He heard the door open and close, and casually asked, "What's wrong? Did you forget your keys?"

No one answered. He glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, and the mouse paused, having nearly been shot in the head in the game.

His teammates greeted him warmly over their headsets. He fumbled with his game, his eyes shifting from the screen to the people around him. He turned off his gaming microphone, lifted his headset, and said, "Why are you here?"

Chen Shuze smiled, pulled out a stool, and sat down. "That's right. Why can't I come?"

"Well, you, you want to check out the goods? He Chuan... is off work, you can... Damn," Feng Ran dodged a shot, wanting to curse, but forced himself to hold it back. "You can, tomorrow morning... Oh, how is this possible?" Then he turned on his microphone and quickly called out the times.

Chen Shuze said, "You play first."

Feng Ran's mind was on the game, so he didn't hear anything he said and just agreed without thinking.

After the round ended, his teammates reviewed the game in the group chat. He relaxed, and suddenly turned back to see Chen Shuze still sitting there, chin propped up, smiling.

He was startled: "You haven't left yet?"

Chen Shuze laughed and said: "Leaving? I haven't said a word to you yet."

"What?"

Chen Shuze paused: "You left in a hurry last time and we didn't talk much."

"So you came all the way here?" Feng Ran stood up and poured him some tea. "Mr. Chen, you really have plenty of free time."

Chen Shuze ignored his sarcasm and said: "I haven't heard from you in all these years."

"That's normal. I haven't heard from you either," Feng Ran said. "We're not in the same social circles."

Chen Shuze was a wealthy second-generation kid. His father and uncles were all businessmen, members of the family business. His parents had paved the way for him, arranging for him to study abroad for university, but he chose to attend a lesser-known university in Feng Ran's hometown, a thousand or two thousand kilometers away. For four years, he didn't spend much time with anyone else, and the only people he hung out with were playboys.

Those few people probably didn't even know Feng Ran existed, and Feng Ran couldn't quite remember their names.

He and Chen Shuze weren't in the same major, and at the time, he was preoccupied with working part-time jobs, so they only saw each other once or twice a week.

Chen Shuze said, "Later, I went abroad to study business administration, getting a master's and then a doctorate. After graduation, I returned to my father's company."

He looked at Feng Ran, as if to say, "I'm done. What about you?

" Feng Ran smiled and said, "I also worked abroad and later came back. That's all."

As he spoke, his phone lit up; it was a message.

Feng Ran swiped his finger, and a voluptuous, semi-nude photo popped up on the screen. The subject knelt before a floor-length mirror, her head lowered, biting the hem of her dress, revealing a large expanse of fair skin, her delicate features outlined by shadows. Her pants, untied, had fallen down over her hips, the edge of her underwear barely visible.

Feng Ran turned off her phone in just two seconds, but Chen Shuze had already seen it all.

The phone kept ringing, wondering what the next message was.

"Um," Feng Ran rubbed his nose guiltily, "is there anything else you want to say?"

Chen Shuze said, "Aren't you going to reply right away? Aren't you afraid they'll get impatient?"

"It's just as well to reply later," Feng Ran said with a dry laugh. "...By the way, I have something for you."

He handed him the screen care package and explained the maintenance methods one by one.

Chen Shuze listened attentively, asking questions from time to time. Feng Ran answered, and he was surprised to find that he had, without realizing it, mastered He Chuan's professional knowledge.

Finally, Chen Shuze still showed no sign of leaving. Feng Ran, at his wit's end, said, "Chen Shuze..."

Chen Shuze was understanding. "Nothing's wrong. I just arrived in Jiang City, and I'm surrounded by seniors, subordinates, and clients. There's no one to talk to. Work's been stressful lately, and I finally finished early today. I was passing by the silver shop, so I just happened to stop by."

"Don't get too tired, take care of yourself."

He stood up. "Okay. You want to play games, right? I'll be leaving now, and I'll see you later."

"...Okay."

Chen Shuze walked to the door, then turned and asked, "Is that the one you're with now?"

"Which one?" Feng Ran asked, puzzled.

Chen Shuze tapped his phone.

...How could he explain this? It was just someone he'd met once or twice—he couldn't remember if it was in a nightclub or a bar—who'd been pestering him lately. He'd really been thinking about trying it out, but the right opportunity hadn't come yet.

"We just met," Chen Shuze waited for a response, and he said, "We're not that close yet."

Chen Shuze looked at him, smiled meaningfully, and without saying goodbye, pushed the door open and left.

Feng Ran was baffled.

The summer night was stuffy and dry. It had rained during the day, and the water on the ground had not dried up yet. The moisture evaporated in the air, making his head swell. He locked the silver shop, and not knowing whether he was influenced by Chen Shuze, he opened his phone and looked at the pictures sent by the other party again and again.

He remembered that this was a junior student, much younger than him. He didn't want to add him at the time and didn't give him his contact information.

The remark was "a".

Feng Ran sent a question mark and asked: How did you add me?

a: [Pathetic]

a: Brother, I

miss you. Feng Ran: Don't even think about it.

a: I saw you at the No. 19 Bar on X Road a month ago. I didn't dare to say hello until a few days ago, but you didn't agree. So I secretly added you when someone else added you. Summer vacation ended early, and I was the only one in the whole dormitory building. My family urged me to go back. The ticket is for tomorrow. If I come back in a month, will I still be able to see you?

Feng Ran's fingers hovered over the button without moving. A month, he had been back in Jiang City for a month. At that time, he had been so compromising, trying so hard to find the good in Chen Zhi, staying in Jiang City, thinking that one day he would have to leave... It was like a wisp of smoke, slowly dissipating before his eyes.

He was a little dazed.

a: One night, one night is enough.

Feng Ran typed: Address.