Chapter 26

On Friday afternoon, Han Fangchi mentally prepared himself, switched his shift in advance, and dutifully went to the parent-teacher conference.

It was better than he had expected. Recently, besides the puppy love incident and deliberately scoring thirty points on her monthly math exam, Han Zhiyao hadn't caused any other trouble. The puppy love issue had been reported to the head teacher by the math teacher.

Han Fangchi was already quite content with this; the teacher didn't even talk for three minutes before moving on to the next student.

That evening, Ms. Pang sent a WeChat message asking what the teacher had said. Han Fangchi sugarcoated it a bit before passing it on, adding at the end: She's been quite obedient lately.

Ms. Pang: She’s growing up.

Han Fangchi replied: You raised her well.

Ms. Pang: Is that sarcasm or not?

Han Fangchi smiled and replied: Of course it’s not.

All the worries Ms. Pang hadn't had with Han Fangchi and Han Zhimo were being made up for with Han Zhiyao. The developmental stages of her first two children had been smooth sailing. Han Fangchi was a given, and although Han Zhimo had her occasional minor rebellions, her grades were never a concern; she was, for the most part, a good kid.

When it came to the youngest, Han Zhiyao, all the peace of mind she had saved up over the years was gone. Fortunately, Han Fangchi and Han Zhimo could share some of the burden, like Han Fangchi attending parent-teacher conferences and Han Zhimo managing her grades. It wasn't like they had a choice. Han Zhiyao's conception had been an accident, and when their opinions were sought, both children had given their support. So now, every time Ms. Pang asked for their help in disciplining her, she would remind them that they bore some responsibility.

Because of this, whenever Han Zhimo was asked for her opinion as an adult, her most frequent response was "I reserve my opinion." She had learned a lesson early on: you can't just give your opinion casually.

Han Fangchi had glossed over the matter of the thirty-point math score. He then turned around and sent a message to Han Zhiyao: Need to talk? About the thirty points.

Han Zhiyao immediately replied: No need.

Han Fangchi: What could you actually have scored?

Han Zhiyao: Around 120.

Han Fangchi: Can you take the test properly next time?

Han Zhiyao: Okay, big brother, I definitely will.

If you heard "big brother" from Han Zhiyao's mouth, she definitely had something to hide. To avoid falling into a trap, Han Fangchi promptly ended the chat.

A message from Ning Ken came in just then, asking if Han Fangchi was up for a game of badminton over the weekend.

Han Fangchi: Sure.

Ning Ken: Is Lezhi going?

Han Fangchi: One sec.

He Lezhi was currently receiving a baptism by fire from the Gen Z rectification of the workplace, getting schooled by a new intern. The interns had all gotten their positions through the boss's personal connections. One had a bit of experience, and two were recent graduates. Initially, He Lezhi didn't have much contact with them and hadn't run into them much. Later, people started sending them to run errands, and only after some time did he match their names to their faces.

This morning, He Lezhi had left home a little late and got stuck in traffic, so it was past nine-thirty when he arrived at the company. He didn't have to strictly clock in; when there was no work, he was free to come and go. While waiting for the elevator on the ground floor, he ran into his boss, who had also just arrived.

"Have you eaten?" the boss asked.

"I have, you?" He Lezhi said.

"I haven't. There was no food at home this morning. I'll have someone order McDonald's for me in a bit, I'm starving." The boss was on very good personal terms with He Lezhi and didn't put on airs, speaking very familiarly.

He Lezhi took a plastic bag from his backpack. Inside was a cob of corn he had boiled that morning. He handed it over.

He had originally boiled it for Han Fangchi, only to find out after he was done that Director Han had left early in the morning. So, he brought it with him, planning to eat it in the afternoon if he got hungry. The boss wasn't picky at all and said with a smile, "Then I don't have to wait for McDonald's."

The elevator arrived. The morning rush hour had passed, and there were seven or eight people inside. Just as the doors were about to close, a loud voice shouted from outside, "Hey, wait, wait, wait!"

He Lezhi pressed the open-door button, and a girl in pink overalls stumbled in. She looked up, saw He Lezhi, and said breathlessly, "Thanks, Engineer He!"

He Lezhi casually greeted her, "Morning. Just getting here?"

"I set my alarm for the wrong time!" The girl had clearly run all the way. She whispered to He Lezhi, "I sprinted from the subway station, I'm exhausted."

He Lezhi smiled and said, "Don't get it wrong next time."

The official clock-in time at the company was eight-thirty, but they turned a blind eye until nine. This was already quite lenient, as the management didn't really enforce attendance.

When they reached their floor, the intern was the first to exit. She was about to say something to He Lezhi when she turned and saw the big boss also getting out of the elevator. Her expression immediately turned to one of pure terror, and she whirled around, opened the door, and fled.

The boss took the corn to his office. Just as He Lezhi turned on his computer, he received a message from the intern.

First, she offered a sincere apology for being late today. He Lezhi was completely bewildered as he read it, until he got to the last sentence: Next time, please criticize me to my face, don't be passive-aggressive with me.

It was followed by a "please" emoji.

After reading the message, He Lezhi had only a question mark in his mind. He replied: Whichever sentence gave you that impression, it wasn't my intention. I apologize.

A moment later, the reply came: Then maybe I was overthinking it. Please don't mind me.

He Lezhi didn't reply again, feeling a profound generation gap between himself and the new crop of professionals. He often found the newcomers hard to understand. You could say they were impolite, but they were also quite polite. But then he thought of Han Zhiyao. Thinking about how in a few years, she would be an intern, and how she would surely be able to rectify the workplace in her own clear-cut way, made him understand a little better.

In a daze, He Lezhi picked up his phone and sent a message to Han Fangchi: A new colleague asked me not to be passive-aggressive.

Han Fangchi's message arrived at the same time, asking if he wanted to play badminton over the weekend.

He Lezhi: Okay.

Han Fangchi: Passive-aggressive about what?

He Lezhi: It's a long story.

Han Fangchi: You've learned to be passive-aggressive with people now?

He Lezhi thought to himself that he was nowhere near as good at it as Han Fangchi, but he wouldn't dare say that.

During this period, they had once again become each other's number one contact. Neither of them had a particularly strong desire to share things, but they would occasionally send things they wanted to share to the other, not taking up too much time.

Even as children, they weren't particularly talkative. They would often just quietly spend time together. They didn't necessarily have to talk about anything; even just sitting together in silence felt comfortable.

Ning Ken had just come back from an outing; it had been a while since he last played with them. He ran into Han Fangchi's car at the entrance, and the three of them went in together.

He Lezhi only had one set of clothes, all packed in Han Fangchi's bag. They had only brought one bag between them, which He Lezhi was carrying.

Ning Ken asked, "Have you two been practicing secretly again lately?"

"What would we be practicing secretly for?" Han Fangchi said.

"You want to win a meal off me," Ning Ken said with a laugh.

"That might happen soon," Han Fangchi said.

Today, Ning Ken's teammate was a new friend, and the two of them didn't seem to have much chemistry. Coupled with He Lezhi's rapid improvement, they actually managed to beat Ning Ken in today's match.

He Lezhi sat to the side drinking water, waving his racket at Ning Ken. He smiled and said, "Brother Ning, time for that meal."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ning Ken said. It was the first time he'd lost to the two of them, and he was still a bit unconvinced. "It's our first time playing together today. Just wait until next time."

"We'll wait," He Lezhi said, clearly in a good mood.

"Next time, you and I will be on the same team," Ning Ken said.

"Not with you," He Lezhi laughed. "You'll just kick me out halfway through again."

"I won't kick you out if you apologize," Ning Ken said. "Then next time I'll team up with Fangchi, and you can team up with Xiao Shang."

He Lezhi immediately said again, "That won't work either."

Han Fangchi packed up their rackets and said from the side, "Are you a sore loser?"

"You two play together every day, you're in sync," Ning Ken said.

"Who plays every day?" Han Fangchi took out their respective changes of clothes and handed one to He Lezhi.

"Let's switch it up next time," Ning Ken tried to negotiate with them.

"No," Han Fangchi said, having finished packing everything. He stood up. "Going to shower."

He Lezhi also stood up and followed him.

Han Fangchi reminded him, "Take out your contacts."

"Okay, I remember," He Lezhi said.

The court they usually went to was under renovation, so today they were at a new place. When they got to the locker room, He Lezhi was stumped. He pushed open the door to the shower room and was stumped again.

The locker room and shower room here had no stalls; they were all in one open space, like a public bathhouse. There were two people showering inside.

He Lezhi and Han Fangchi looked at each other. Han Fangchi asked, "Still showering?"

He Lezhi shook his head helplessly.

It was slightly better with strangers, but showering naked, face-to-face with people he knew was an impossibility for He Lezhi. Han Fangchi didn't mind. He went in for a quick rinse, came out, and changed his clothes just as Ning Ken and his friend arrived.

He Lezhi was standing outside the door, still in his workout clothes. When Ning Ken saw him, he asked, "Not going in?"

He Lezhi replied, "You guys go ahead. I'm a southerner."

Ning Ken and his friend went in. Han Fangchi was already dressed.

"Hasn't Lezhi ever been to a bathhouse?" Ning Ken asked with a laugh.

Han Fangchi hummed in agreement. "Not since he was a kid."

Even in high school, He Lezhi never went to public bathhouses. The year they graduated from high school was particularly hot, and the guys would often hang out at the bathhouse, watching movies, eating, playing cards, and using the sauna. They could spend a whole day there and even stay overnight. He Lezhi had only gone twice, and he would always change into the sauna clothes in a private room upstairs, never entering the public locker room. The sauna clothes were extremely loose, and with any large movement, the collar would slip down his shoulder, which made him very uncomfortable. After that, He Lezhi never went again.

At the time, Han Fangchi didn't think anything of it, just assuming he was shy. He never tried to persuade him, nor did he think he was being fussy. Every time, he would go upstairs with him to change in the private room.

For the Han Fangchi of that time, nothing about He Lezhi was ever a problem. The same was true in reverse.

In the summer, clothes were thin, so if you didn't shower, you could just let the wind dry you off outside. It was manageable until you got home. But now the weather was cooler, and he couldn't wear these workout clothes out. He would have to just throw his jacket and pants on over them.

He Lezhi was wearing a hoodie today. Han Fangchi didn't let him put it on directly. He waited for Ning Ken and the others to come out, and when the room was empty, Han Fangchi told him to go in, saying, "I'll watch the door for you. Go take a quick shower."

"You're not going to let anyone else in?" He Lezhi said with a laugh. "Will that work?"

"It will. It'll just be three to five minutes," Han Fangchi said, pushing him inside. "Hurry up."

He Lezhi took an extremely fast shower, changed his clothes, and came out. Sure enough, two guys were standing at the door with Han Fangchi, both looking down at their phones.

He Lezhi's hair was still wet; he had only rubbed it a few times with a towel, so it was a mess on top of his head, but he felt completely refreshed.

"You can use it now," Han Fangchi said calmly to the two men.

"Okay, thanks."

The two men went in. As he and Han Fangchi walked toward the elevator, He Lezhi asked in a low voice, "What did you tell them?"

"Just that it was being cleaned, and to wait a moment," Han Fangchi said.

He Lezhi started laughing. "But I don't look the part."

"Doesn't matter," Han Fangchi said matter-of-factly.

Back when they were in school, Han Fangchi would often say, "It's fine, it doesn't matter." Hearing him say it now made He Lezhi feel a deep sense of familiarity.

He Lezhi looked up at him. Han Fangchi was now a couple of sizes larger than he had been in school, more muscular, less thin. Looking just at his face, he was also more mature.

Han Fangchi sensed his gaze and turned his head. Their eyes met. From that angle that had once been so incredibly familiar to them, they both saw a dazed sense of familiarity in the other's gaze. In that instant, the feeling of things falling back into place was incredibly comfortable and deeply reassuring.

He Lezhi's eyes curved as he smiled at him.

Han Fangchi said, "For a while, I was always dreaming of you."

"Dreaming what about me?" He Lezhi asked.

"A lot of things," Han Fangchi said. "I dreamed about when we went to school together."

"High school?"

"Yeah, and I'd also dream that you went to college with me." Han Fangchi's lips twitched, perhaps finding it a bit funny, and he added, "I don't know why."