Yang Shuyi’s seat remained empty the entire afternoon. At dinnertime, Shao Wu finally could not resist calling the landline at Yang Shuyi’s house. Grandma answered. Shao Wu asked, “Grandma, is Yang Shuyi home?”
“No, he went out.” Grandma sighed. “He had a fight with his dad and went out.”
Sure enough. Sure enough, it had not been as simple as “dragging his dad away.” They had actually fought.
Shao Wu spent evening self-study completely distracted. He did not even finish a single math paper. As class was about to end, Zheng Xiaoning asked curiously, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” It was Monday. Shao Wu gritted his teeth. “Can you ask for leave for me from the enrichment class later?”
“Huh? What happened?”
“I want to go home early.” Shao Wu made up an excuse on the spot. “I have a headache.”
Naturally, he did not go home. Shao Wu got on his bicycle and pedaled faster than he ever had before. First he went to the internet café from before, the one Wang Yujun often visited. He did not find Yang Shuyi, but he did run into Wang Yujun. The weather had warmed up, and Wang Yujun had cut his hair short and dyed it back to black, tying a tiny ponytail at the back of his head.
“Here to get online, or here to see me?” Wang Yujun asked with a grin.
“…You know Yang Shuyi, right?”
“Sure.”
“Has he been here today?”
“Haven’t seen him today.” Wang Yujun had a cigarette between his lips, and his gaze swept over Shao Wu’s anxious face. “Looking for him? I know a few other internet cafés you students like to go to.”
“Which ones?” The instant he heard that, Shao Wu hurriedly pulled out paper and a pen. “Tell me where they are.”
“Mm… Lailai Internet Café, on the street across from No. 1 High. Saite Internet Café, at Renmin Road and…” Wang Yujun rattled off the names and locations of several internet cafés while Shao Wu scribbled them down as fast as he could.
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you so much.” After hesitating for a second, Shao Wu still called him the way he had when he was little. “Brother Yujun.”
Wang Yujun smiled. He was unexpectedly good-natured today, though he still wore that same cynical expression. “What, you like Yang Shuyi?”
“No!” Shao Wu denied it immediately. “He’s my buddy.”
“Oh. Your buddy.” As though he found the word amusing, Wang Yujun repeated it softly. “Buddy.”
Having had his thoughts guessed so precisely, Shao Wu forced himself to act casual and waved at Wang Yujun. “All right, I’m leaving.”
“I’m going to Chengdu tomorrow. Don’t know when I’ll be back in Chongqing,” Wang Yujun suddenly said. “If you ever want to find me, don’t come here.”
“I…” Shao Wu froze for a moment. “Then how do I find you?” Truthfully, he did not think he would ever go looking for Wang Yujun again. That one time had already frightened him badly enough.
“Then don’t look for me, young master. Just study hard.” Wang Yujun added, “And here’s some advice: don’t fall for straight guys.”
Shao Wu was speechless, with no idea how to answer.
“All right, go find your buddy.” Wang Yujun turned back toward the computer. World of Warcraft was open on the screen. With his back to Shao Wu, he said one last thing. “Bye.”
That “bye” was very soft, almost gentle, nothing like the Wang Yujun Shao Wu knew. It sounded almost, almost like some kind of blessing.
At the time, Shao Wu never imagined that the next time he saw Wang Yujun would be eight years later, after everything had changed beyond recognition.
Shao Wu climbed back onto his bicycle and raced toward the next internet café following the addresses Wang Yujun had given him. Spring nights were rainy. By the time Shao Wu burst into the fourth internet café, his blue plaid shirt was soaked through, clinging slickly to his skin. The café was hazy with smoke, full of people smoking, sleeping, and standing around in groups chatting. Shao Wu struggled through row after row of computers, craning his neck to scan every person in front of a screen, terrified he might miss Yang Shuyi.
But no. Yang Shuyi was not there.
Shao Wu kept weaving through the spring rain. He pedaled hard, and by now the muscles high in his thighs were beginning to ache. His stomach growled twice too. He was starving. The next internet café was the last one on the list. If Yang Shuyi was not there either, Shao Wu did not know what he would do.
Yinhe Internet Café had two floors. The first floor was packed tightly with computers, while the second had private rooms. Shao Wu made a circuit of the first floor. Every unfamiliar face his eyes passed over seemed to make his heart sink another notch. No. Not him. Why was it still not him? Where had Yang Shuyi gone?!
Rainwater dripped from the ends of his hair onto the floor.
Shao Wu thought, Yang Shuyi probably doesn’t have the money for a private room, right? But this was his last sliver of hope. He wiped the water from his face and went upstairs.
Only two private rooms on the second floor were occupied. In the first was a middle-aged man.
The second… “Uh, sorry! I’m really sorry!” Shao Wu hurried back downstairs. There was a couple in the second room, kissing passionately.
Shao Wu stood at the bottom of the stairs in Yinhe Internet Café and coughed several times from the cigarette smoke, nearly coughing tears into his eyes. He was anxious, disappointed, and aggrieved all at once, and for a moment he had no idea where to go. He had always thought Yongchuan was small. Only now did he realize how enormous it could be.
So enormous that he could not find the one Yang Shuyi he had been thinking about day and night.
Behind him were footsteps, laughter, and the rapid clatter of keyboards. Shao Wu bit his lip and thought he might as well check some other internet cafés. Hadn’t he seen another one on the way here?
Shao Wu did not notice that the footsteps behind him had stopped beside him.
“Shao Wu?” Yang Shuyi’s voice was slightly hoarse, his tone uncertain.
Shao Wu saw Yang Shuyi’s face and felt as though he were dreaming. Or maybe he was so hungry he had started hallucinating.
“Why are you here?”
“I was using the internet here…” Yang Shuyi pointed behind him. “I just went to the bathroom.”
Shao Wu turned and saw a small door with the characters for “Restroom” written on it.
All right. Not a dream and not a hallucination.
He turned his head back. Yang Shuyi was standing perfectly real in front of him, though one cheek was slightly swollen, probably from the fight with his dad.
For an instant the world seemed to spin, as though gravity had vanished. Shao Wu grabbed Yang Shuyi’s arm. “You scared me to death!!!”