I went home that day after handing in my assignments and projects. I had been staying in the college dormitories for the time being so that me and my classmates could pull all-nighters and rush through the huge syllabus together.
Mom was in the kitchen cooking when I got home. She glanced at me as I entered the kitchen.
"Finished everything?"
"Mm."
"What time is it? Call your father and tell him to get soybean on his way back."
"Okay."
I took my phone out and dialed out my dad's number.
"Yuyu, I asked you what time it is," my mom turned to me just as Dad's voice said hello on my phone. Dad seemed to hear her through the phone and stayed quiet.
I looked down.
"Dad, buy soybeans on your way back," I said and hung up. I glanced at the clock display as I shut the phone.
"It's 8:23pm. I'm going to wash up. Call me when dinner's ready." I said and I went up to my room and lay down on my bed.
Four days of almost no sleep wasn't as tiring as breathing the air in this house was.
~*~
I thought knowing who he was and where he could be would help locating him much easier but facts proved wrong. Lanyard, the fourth and final member of our group was from the Business Department and the laziest of us all so to maintain our relationship as sworn bros, most times we would have to go over to her department to meet her.
These days I had stopped complaining and had enthusiastically dragged Chief and Hacker over to the Business Department building to try my best to meet Ling Bingchen but I hadn't even seen a hint of his silhouette. It was disappointing but at least I knew he wasn't just a figment of my imagination now.
At evening we got out of campus as usual to the tea store opposite as usual. Lanyard and Chief went into the shop to order our tea and I stood outside with Hacker as he bought cigarettes from the stall outside.
"Yu Ge, you want?" he offered one while he lit the one in his mouth. I stared at the stick, feeling a weird kind of craving in my lungs and my fingers twitched as I suddenly didn't know where to put my hands, but my eyes flashed to the tall tree near the gate where 3 girls currently stood, seemingly looking out for a cab they booked.
I lowered my eyes to my sneakers and decisively shook my head in denial. My fists clenched as my nails dug into the skin.