Translator: Guy Gone Bad

  Yu Qinghuan met Huo Rong at the entrance when he arrived at the airport.

  “I have checked his flight. It’s almost arrived.” No time for small talk, Yu Qinghuan looked at the people behind Huo Rong and came straight to the point, “He should come out at Exit A. You have more people. You can split out, so you wouldn’t miss him.”


  “OK.” Huo Rong approved and did as he suggested.

  “Wait,” After taking a few breaths, Yu Qinghuan continued, “Let’s exchange our numbers. If you see him, you can tell me in the first place, vice versa.”


  “OK.”


  After everything was arranged, the only thing they needed to do was waiting for Huo Qu.

  Yu Qinghuan waited before the arrival hall, scanning the crowd without blinking, feeling very awful.

  He had never expected that Huo Qu would do this for him.

  He even didn’t know how to cross the road, but immediately came back from abroad, even gave up the academic exchange conference on hearing Yu Qinghuan got bullied.

  What was he thinking at that very moment? Didn’t he feel frightened when he thought of the scene he’d wait at the airport alone helplessly?

  How did he overcome such instinct fear for such a friend he hadn’t known for long?

  Yu Qinghuan could get no answer of any of these questions.

  He knew that, whether to the fellow scientists or to his family, this was a big trouble, but he didn’t know why he felt very happy deep in his heart.

  He had never had the feeling of being valued and cared about by someone for no reason since his parents died.

  Yu Qinghuan felt sore in his eyes. He thought he had to do something for Huo Qu. It was never one side’s giving between friends. He couldn’t just take Huo Qu’s selfless giving for granted.

  After breathing upon his hands to keep warm, he raised his head and suddenly pinned his eyes at somewhere–


  Among the crowd pressed for time on their journey, Huo Qu, straightened up like a poplar, looked extra conspicuous. He pursed his lips, with that notebook in his hand. It seemed he raised his hand trying to look at his notebook, but got humped against from behind suddenly and the notebook immediately fell on the ground.

  Before he had time to pick it up, those passers-by already stepped on it.

  He stared at the ground, looking his head, like a little fawn accidentally breaking in a big city.

  Yu Qinghuan felt pains in his chest. Before his brain giving him an order, his body already rushed to him, “Huo Qu!”””


  On hearing the familiar voice, Huo Qu’s eyes shone, and then he pinned his eyes on Yu Qinghuan, “Qinghuan, it’s you!”


  “Why do you come back in such a hurry?” Knowing it was because of him, Yu Qinghuan still wouldn’t admit it, “You know how much trouble have caused to others? What about the academic exchange conference? How could you miss such an important conference for no reason?”


  Seeing Huo Qu nearly buried his head in his chest because of shame, Yu Qinghuan felt that he finally let out the complicated feeling he had suppressed.

  Great! This person came back in a whole piece.

  “Qinghuan,” Huo Qu looked at him cravenly, “You……are you mad at me?”


  “Of course I’m mad at you! Have you ever considered the consequences? Huo Qu, you are an adult, not a kid anymore. You should have the sense of responsibility.”


  “But……”Huo Qu pulled a corner of his clothes restlessly, “Except me, there are other representatives on behalf of our country.”


  Yu Qinghuan took a deep breath, and immediately understood what he was trying to say.

  Without Huo Qu, others could replace him to attend the academic conference. But no one was with Qinghuan except him.

  Yu Qinghuan didn’t say a word, which made Huo Qu more nervous. He peeped at him now and then and suddenly stretched out his hands and held him in his arms.

  “Qinghuan, I……I am wrong. Don’t be mad at me.” After a pause, Huo Qu buried his head in Qinghuan’s neck and explained why he came back with a resolute tone, “Qinghuan, don’t be afraid. I am back now. I will kick the ass of the guy who bullied you.”


  Huo Qu was a bit higher than Qinghuan. So now he was trying to hold the whole Yu Qinghuan into his arms unhandily, which made him like a hen stretching out the wings to protect the chicken, very funny.

  But Yu Qinghuan was not in the mood to laugh. He felt both sad and annoyed and nearly couldn’t restrain himself. Finally he tried to calm himself down a bit. When he opened his mouth and was about to say something, he suddenly felt his clavicle wet with cool liquid flowing down his chest.

  “Why are you crying? Now you are afraid that you got into trouble?”


  “No.”


  “Then why are you crying?”


  “I don’t know. I just……I just feel upset on thinking that you feel the same way.”