Chapter 12
They had walked back in silence, but had one idea clean in their heads.
"We both want the same thing."
For Yao Fang to be approved by the Boss, and to be accepted in MinYao as a well-deserving Young Master. For which, he had to know MinYao's ways, and who better could tell him such things other than Chen Dulan himself?
And for Chen Dulan to follow orders without problems. For Yao Fang to ignore his presence when being followed, and to not get caught in meaningless fights. He had to understand, a member of Yao family need not step in at all, but his presence would loom over the city. Yao Fang only had to learn how.
"I am skipping school tomorrow." Yao Fang said. "The finals are approaching and all. You don't have to go and follow me, rest and get better." Chen Dulan looked troubled at that too, but Yao Fang insisted, "Listen, I may not look like it, but I get good grades. So it's not odd for me to take a study leave once in a while. Not everything is about you, Chen Dulan. I just don't want to go tomorrow."
'What if you are lying and planning to cause more trouble tomorrow?' Was left unsaid.
"Alright, and... thank you." Chen Dulan whispered at the end. They had reached lane 18 and Yao Fang made a face. He lived here?
"Does my brother not pay you? Why the hell are you living with the town's scum?"
"I don't have a fixed salary, but your butler gave me an allowance. The details aren't important, but I'm fine. I've lived at worse places." A nicer way of saying 'It's none of your business.'
"Let me walk with you till you reach home, Young Master."
"I don't need baby-sitting. I am going straight home." Yao Fang paused mid-sentence as he noticed a shop closing. "Wait a moment here." He rushed inside the store and Chen Dulan waited outside. After a few minutes, he came out with a bag.
"Feng Huali eats congee from here, eat this and rest tomorrow."
'For someone who beats up others for no reason, he sure is considerate.' Chen Dulan thought. "Why is Young Master being nice for no reason? I don't want you to hit me but it isn't so much of a deal, you don't have to do any of this." He responded.
"I don't owe you anything after this. The next time we meet, you'll not be sick and I won't cause you problems. We'd be even from then on."
"You really will stay out of trouble?" Chen Dulan didn't even try to hide his surprise.
"I don't like it, but you know more about MinYao than I do. I am trusting your judgement here, so don't you dare baby me. Tell me everything you know about MinYao and my brother, how he works and what I need to do."
Chen Dulan smiled once. Yao Fang almost gasped.
"You-! You smiled... that was weird." Something akin a warm blush was on both their faces, but they blamed it on the cold weather.
Chen Dulan fake-coughed before speaking again. "Young Master is seeing things." He stepped ahead from Yao Fang's vision. "The congee will get cold before I get home, I- I'll go back now. And... thank you for saying so, your brother would be very happy."
Yao Fang walked straight home as he had promised. His earlier excitement gone and something else lingered there. Could they be called friends?
It was funny that today he had first stepped in his girlfriend's apartment, made out on her bed, and yet the restlessness wasn't caused by her. The immediate plans he had after running out of her apartment, were long forgotten.
"He really gets happy at the bare minimum, huh." He spoke out loud.
"Who?" The butler looked confused at his Young Master's good mood.
"No one. I am not going to school tomorrow. Tell mother that I won't be leaving home tomorrow, and I'm not taking any calls." The butler noted his implication for studying the next day, the Young Master was oddly responsible sometimes.
'I don't like 18 lane, and he's such a weakling, even looks like a girl. Those scum could mug him or beat him up, how do I get him to live somewhere else?' Yao Fang thought. 'I shouldn't bother actually, if my brother sent him here, he'd know his way.' But all to say, after this encounter,
Yao Fang didn't hate Chen Dulan.