The Night Bus

Lin Jingsong received a call through an app for volunteers helping people with visual impairments. He helped the caller read the number on a thermometer. When he heard the caller’s voice, he paused, then patiently answered his question. Afterward, Lin Jingsong stayed in touch with the visually impaired caller through the app for a long time. Much later, Lin Jingsong met him in person, and they became friends offline. His new friend, who had almost completely lost his sight, was the ex-boyfriend who had broken up with Lin Jingsong three years earlier. He stared directly into Lin Jingsong’s eyes, unable to recognize him. So when introducing himself, Lin Jingsong used a new name. A long time later, Lin Jingsong and his new friend boarded a sightseeing bus for a night tour of the city. In the evening breeze, his friend’s profile looked melancholy and quiet. Lin Jingsong remembered how, years ago, when they were still together, Zheng Qianyu had sat beside him on a night tour bus, bright-eyed and carefree, and asked, “Lin Jingsong, how much do you like me?” Unable to find the words to describe how much he liked him, Lin Jingsong had carefully kissed him on the night tour bus. In the third year after Zheng Qianyu had nearly lost his sight, he happened to meet his ex-boyfriend. Zheng Qianyu was not deaf yet; he heard his voice, and heard him introduce himself with a new name. They shook hands as if meeting for the first time. Zheng Qianyu didn’t call him out. The two tacitly agreed to become “new friends.” [Reading guide] 1. All information about people with visual impairments in this story comes from online sources, including apps that connect people with visual impairments to volunteers, guide dogs, and their everyday lives. Details have been adjusted as needed for the story while keeping respect in mind, so they may differ from real life. Please don’t take them as a completely accurate portrayal of reality. 2. The bottom’s eyesight will be restored later in the story. 3. To preserve the reading experience, please don’t post spoilers in the comments. Thank you! [Coming next: “In Our Line of Work, the Last Thing You Need Is to Run Into Your Ex”] You Qingzhu used to be a rich young master who had it all. Then his father went bankrupt, and overnight he became a pariah everyone loved to hate. To make a living, the pampered Young Master You made use of his one and only talent. By day, he wore a mascot suit and entertained kids at an amusement park. At night, he dressed to the nines and poured drinks at a nightclub. What’s dignity? Can you eat it? Better to eat well, drink well, dress up, and keep on living it up. One day, You Qingzhu put on his costume, ready to start another hardworking shift. When the door opened, Ji Lian walked in wearing a headband, a bag covered in anime merchandise, and a collection of charms. You Qingzhu: “...!!!” This was You Qingzhu’s first love back when he was a young master. He was now an ex. They had slept together once, and the next day You Qingzhu had run away after something went wrong. Seeing the merchandise all over Ji Lian, You Qingzhu recalled in horror that he’d never known about this side of him. Hidden in the mascot suit, You Qingzhu still went through a whole series of interactive routines, making Ji Lian beam with delight. Through the costume, Ji Lian hugged him incredibly tightly. You Qingzhu endured it until their interaction time was over, thinking he’d escaped unscathed. But the day was like the end of the world. Ji Lian acted like a crazed fan and lined up for four interactions, tormenting You Qingzhu to no end. Not long afterward, Ji Lian somehow dragged You Qingzhu back into bed. His life was already a complete mess, and You Qingzhu had long since decided he was ruined. Sleeping together again didn’t matter. What he didn’t know was that Ji Lian was a scavenger. The more You Qingzhu gave up on himself and rotted away, the more it summoned Ji Lian’s boundless, twisted love. He wanted to eat You Qingzhu. Fake-sunny, truly dark-hearted ghostly guy 1 x beautiful, down-on-his-luck young master who loves to throw a little tantrum, bottom Core theme: Making it through the long, long night