Shen Yuan stood in his classroom, watching the students leaving the school outside. Cars after cars pulled over to pick up their young masters and young ladies, not a single one leaving by foot.
He checked the things he owned and not one of them gave a clue about where he lived or any family member he had. He suspected the link only integrated him into the school and didn't provide him with a place to stay.
His bank account, however, had the same amount as his account in reality. Based on the price of food in the cafeteria, 1 credit in reality equals 100 credits here. He could buy an entire hotel if he wanted to.
All he needed was to decide on a location. It wasn't much of a question. He would stay wherever the closest to Zhou Yi's place.
As he took off his blazer and tie, he saw Mu Chen leaving the building outside and entered his black sedan. He wouldn't be surprised if he came from a powerful family. Depending on whether the vulture was suppressing Zhou Yi consciously or subconsciously, he would need a different plan.
It wasn't until nearing sunset and after all the other students had left did Zhou Yi finally appeared. Shen Yuan grabbed his bag and left.
Just as he stepped out of the building, he saw Zhou Yi crossing the road and chased after him. Unsurprisingly, he didn't have anyone picking him up.
He kept his eyes on Zhou Yi's back while maintaining a safe distance, only picking up his pace when he took a turn and left his line of sight. They soon reached a residential area, and he had to wait behind a corner or else he would be in plain sight.
He expected Zhou Yi to have a poor background, or at least average, but from the three-stories mansions around them, clearly, he was wrong.
After taking a couple more turns, Zhou Yi finally stopped in front of house number K-09 and entered through the side gate.
Shen Yuan tapped on his communicator and lit up its screen. He raised his wrist to take a picture of the house and noted down the location on the map. He found a hotel nearby and decided to check how far Zhou Yi's place was from Mu Chen's. Yang Mei said he could locate the vulture anywhere in the space. The distance shouldn't matter.
The pulse entered his senses and returned his attention to the house.
Interesting.
***
The next morning, Shen Yuan wore a casual outfit and left his hotel early to return to Zhou Yi's place. He settled himself by a corner opposite the way to school.
He didn't need to wait long when Zhou Yi walked out of the gate and headed to school. It was only 6:30, and school started at 8. Chances were, he was bullied in the house as well.
Shen Yuan also confirmed Mu Chen was still in the house before leaving himself. With this, it was confirmed Zhou Yi and Mu Chen indeed lived together. What kind of relationship did they have?
Approaching this question would be a little tricky. He was willing to bet nobody in the school knew about this. If he recklessly asked around, Mu Chen would have his eyes on him.
He changed into his uniform in a public restroom and made his way to school. Walking down the main street, he passed by a small jewelry shop and, after a moment of thought, decided to stop by.
Considering the time, the school gate was only half open. When he passed through the hallway, he found Zhou Yi watering the garden with the hose outside. The other noticed him as well, and he greeted him with a wave.
He slid open the window and leaned forward, resting his arms on the sill. "What are you doing?"
"…What does it look like I'm doing?" Zhou Yi returned his gaze to the flower beds, though not his entire attention.
"I mean, why are you the one doing it instead of the gardener?"
"Mr. Wang is already old. He can't come to school this early anymore." Zhou Yi glanced at Shen Yuan. "Why are you here this early?"
"Do I not look like someone who comes early to school?"
"If you do come this early regularly, you would've known about Mr. Wang's condition. You'd also need to pass by this hallway, and I never saw you—or anyone—before half past seven until today."
"You got me." Shen Yuan chuckled. "Well, there's some problem at home, so I think I'll be coming around this time for a while. It's a hassle, but it's not so bad knowing I have company."
"…Sorry for asking."
"I know you didn't mean to pry." Shen Yuan straightened back up. "I'll go put my bag first."
He went to put his bag in his class and checked the cafeteria to find the canteen was already open. He bought two sets of bread and tea before returning to Zhou Yi and offering each one to him.
"Here. You haven't eaten breakfast, right?"
"…"
"What? You have?" Shen Yuan sat on the windowsill and leaned on its frame. "Does your whole family wake up early or what?"
Zhou Yi turned off the hose, put it away, and returned to Shen Yuan to accept the bread and tea. "No."
"Speaking of which, I saw you left school on foot yesterday. Do you live nearby?"
"You were still at school?"
"Trust me. I'll be the first to arrive and the last to leave." Shen Yuan looked at Zhou Yi and corrected himself. "Well, second to arrive. If your house is close, maybe I'll consider crashing."
"No," Zhou Yi rejected without a second thought.
"No as in, your house is not close or as in, you don't want me crashing?"
"Both."
"So heartless." Shen Yuan sighed. "Should I just ask Mu Chen to lend me the student council office?"
Zhou Yi paused from biting his bread and dragged his sight back to Shen Yuan. "You know him?"
"What are you talking about? Everybody knows the student council president. Besides, we're on the same grade." Shen Yuan looked at Zhou Yi weirdly.
"…Right. I guess so."
"Why? You know him?"
"No."
"Another 'no'. Can I ever get a 'yes' from you?" Shen Yuan shook his head and took a bite of his bread. "Still, I rather not owe him a favor though."
Zhou Yi's eyes flickered. "Why?"
Shen Yuan hummed in thought and took another bite of his bread before answering. "The more perfect a person seems, the nastier the things they hide. The way he smiles creeps me out. Don't tell anyone I said this. Those fans of his will definitely burn me down."
"How are you sure I'm not one of those fans?"
"You looked so offended just from hearing his name. How can you be a fan?" Shen Yuan tapped on the corner of his eyes with a smile. "I'm good at reading these things."
"…" Zhou Yi looked away.
"Now I'm curious what he did to you, but I won't pry." Shen Yuan finished his bread and drank a couple of mouthfuls to clean his palate. "I'm just going to hang around here for a bit. Don't mind me and you do your thing."
Zhou Yi also finished his bread before picking the hose back up. He looked at Shen Yuan to see the other brought a small game console to kill time with.
He could've just gone back to class. Sitting on that windowsill didn't look comfortable, and he had to maintain his balance to not fall. Did he not like being alone that much?
Shen Yuan inwardly smiled. For someone who used to be in a position of power like Zhou Yi, whether the man was aware of it or not, he would not admit or even realize that he needed someone, a shoulder to lean on. It was a sign of weakness, and the last thing they would let the world see was their vulnerability.
Toward that kind of person, the first step to gaining their attention was by showing they were the one being needed. Once trust was established, carefully closed the distance and slowly dissected them. By the time they realized, their skeleton had long been exposed.
All that left afterward was to attach them to the strings, and you got yourself a cute little puppet.
Zhou Yi finished tending the garden and checked his communicator to see it was nearing half past seven. He turned to Shen Yuan. "You should leave."
"You finished?" Shen Yuan paused his game and checked the time as well. "There's still a lot of time. What do you usually do after this?"
"Nothing. I just go back to class. You should too." Zhou Yi rolled the hose and gathered it around his arm. "If you don't want to get involved with Mu Chen, you don't want to be seen with me."
Not waiting for a reply, he left the garden, and Shen Yuan could only watch from the window. He fiddled with the console in thought and decided to let things brew just a little more before taking his next step.
Let's see how far he could get without any stimulation.