| BYSG | Comics | 10
The next morning, Shen Yu successfully took the passenger seat of Cheng Mofei's car.
—The same car he had mistakenly gotten into in his previous life.
Staring at the small, adorable orange ornament on the dashboard, Shen Yu felt a mix of emotions.
Back then, he had just been berated at a funeral by his half-sister from his mother's second marriage. He had also seen letters his mother had written to him but were returned, and in that moment, he learned the truth about everything.
It turned out that, during the divorce, his mother had fought hard for his custody but lost to his father, Shen Lide.
Later, she moved far north but never forgot her first child. She had continuously written letters, sent money, and made phone calls—all of which were intercepted by Shen Lide, who never told Shen Yu about them.
His grandmother, the only person who had shown him genuine care, likely knew some of the truth but chose to remain silent, probably because she wanted to keep him close and feared he might leave.
All this time, Shen Yu had thought of himself as a child without parents. Even though he lived with his father, his father treated him poorly. And as for his mother—thanks to years of manipulation—he had always believed she was heartless for never reaching out or caring for him.
When Shen Yu was little, Shen Lide even deliberately led him to say particularly hurtful things to his mother. She was probably heartbroken by his words.
Yet, Shen Yu never imagined that, despite all this, his mother still sent monthly payments exceeding the required child support and occasionally wrote him letters.
Although every letter was returned deliberately and never reached him, she kept writing.
He remembered a particular line his mother had written.
She wrote that he was her first child, someone with a unique significance to her.
She had brought him into this world, and he was her flesh and blood. She admitted her failure as a mother, but even if he hated her, she would hold no resentment toward him.
The handwriting was delicate and elegant, but the person who wrote those words was no longer in this world.
So it turned out that he, too, had been a child cared for by his mother.
But it was only ever in the past tense.
His mother had already passed away.
For a time, he struggled to come to terms with this stark contrast.
He couldn’t reconcile the fact that even his grandmother, who had treated him well, had hidden things about his mother from him. Nor could he accept that, after finally uncovering the truth, there was nothing more he could do about it.
That day, Yancheng was drenched in torrential rain. He hadn’t brought an umbrella, nor did he think to grab one. He staggered along alone, he wandered aimlessly for a long time, like a soul lost.
Unfamiliar with this strange city, he eventually realized his situation and hastily ordered an online taxi through his phone. However, soon after the driver accepted the ride, his phone malfunctioned due to rainwater damage and abruptly shut off—just his luck.
All he vaguely remembered was that it was a black car. He had no recollection of the license plate or the make and model.
He waited and waited by the roadside until finally, a black car pulled over. Completely drenched, he opened the door and got in without hesitation.
“The last number of my phone number ends in 1473,” he said.
The “driver” responded with, “...?”
A few seconds later, the “driver” asked, “Where to?”
By then, he was likely already running a fever from being soaked in the rain. His mind was foggy, and he failed to register that a real rideshare driver wouldn’t ask such a question.
He instinctively replied, “The airport.”
He couldn’t find a reason to stay, nor did he have a place to belong. He just wanted to leave.
Instead, the “driver” took him to the hospital.
Later, he learned that Cheng Mofei had stopped the car because he saw him walking alone in the rain and wondered if he needed help. Cheng Mofei had planned to observe the situation first but didn’t expect Shen Yu to be so “direct,” treating him as though he were a driver.
After much deliberation, Shen Yu eventually chose to stay in Yancheng.
Not long after, Cheng Mofei replaced the old car with a new one. Their interactions grew more frequent, but the car that had marked the beginning of their story was never seen again.
He never thought he’d have the chance to sit in the passenger seat of that car again.
There was a hint of bitterness, but more than that, there was joy.
After fastening his seatbelt, Shen Yu opened his phone and snapped a few photos of the car interior, sneaking in a bit of Cheng Mofei himself in as well.
Noticing Shen Yu’s little movements, Cheng Mofei asked, “What are you doing?”
Shen Yu had already prepared an excuse. “I’m sending them to the dorm group chat to show them what it’s like to sit in Brother Fei’s passenger seat,” he replied.
Of course, he was joking. In reality, he just wanted to preserve every moment he spent with Cheng Mofei through photos.
Cheng Mofei chuckled, completely unfazed by the way Shen Yu addressed him. “Sure, take as many as you want.”
Since Cheng Mofei had said so, Shen Yu had no choice but to pick a few pictures and send them to the group chat.
Before long, his phone chimed repeatedly with notifications of new messages.
As he drove, Cheng Mofei asked, “What did they say?”
Shen Yu hesitated briefly before deciding to come clean. “They’re saying... this pair of shameless lovebirds should not go too far.”
He wasn’t sure how Cheng Mofei would feel about the comment. But since Cheng was also in the group chat, he’d see it sooner or later—there was no difference between saying it and keeping it to himself.
Cheng Mofei couldn’t help but burst out laughing after hearing that.
Shen Yu secretly let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Cheng Mofei didn’t find it offensive.
He realized he might have been overthinking it. Jokes like this were perfectly normal between straight men—thinking otherwise would be “suspicious.”
Then Cheng Mofei added casually, “Tell them we’re on a date, so don’t disturb us.”
Shen Yu: “...”
Wasn’t that a bit too over the top?
But to avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion, Shen Yu lowered his gaze, hesitated for a long moment, and then obediently followed through.
[Shen Yu]: Brother Fei says we’re on a date, don’t disturb us.
[Xiao Xiong]: [Disdain]
[Sun Xinghe]: [Disdain]
Shen Yu’s eyes curved slightly as he smiled, turning off his phone and gazing out the window.
The sky was a clear, vivid blue, and the sunlight was perfect.
Right now, it was a fake date. But in the future, who knew?
It might just turn into a real one.
...
Nineteen-year-old Cheng Mofei’s driving was bold, yet steady enough, and his skills weren’t bad at all.
Along the way, he enthusiastically pointed out the sights to Shen Yu: malls, lakes, streets—fulfilling his role as a Yancheng local by introducing the city.
To Shen Yu, Yancheng from twelve years ago wore a cloak of unfamiliarity. Most of the landmarks had been renovated or rebuilt over the years, and as they drove, he struggled to recognize the places where he and Cheng Mofei often hung out in his past life.
But that was fine. This time, he could rediscover them all again—with Cheng Mofei.
The car gradually entered a wealthy residential area.
Shen Yu felt a strange mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity with this place.
This was where Cheng Mofei’s home was.
Although Shen Yu wasn’t especially close to Cheng Mofei’s family—he had always found it difficult to interact with relatives and elders of this sort—he would still accompany Cheng Mofei back home for visits during the Lunar New Year and certain holidays.
“My house is right here. Let’s have lunch at my place later. I’ll let my mom know to prepare more delicious food,” Cheng Mofei said as he drove into the neighborhood.
“Okay.”
Shen Yu tightened his grip on the seatbelt across his chest. His fingers unconsciously fidgeted with the fabric, scratching at it lightly.
This was the third time he’d been this nervous since his rebirth.
The first time was during summer vacation when he secretly caught a glimpse of his mother from afar. The second was when he encountered Cheng Mofei at school. And now, the third was about meeting Cheng Mofei’s family.
Cheng Mofei’s family had always been open-minded and kind to him. In the final days of his previous life, Cheng Mofei’s parents had gone to great lengths for him, utilizing all their connections to find the best hospitals and doctors.
Yet, he had shut himself off, maintaining a distant and cold relationship with them.
This time, Shen Yu didn’t want to repeat his previous life’s mistakes of being timid and emotionally withdrawn.
He wanted to reconcile with his mother and learn to build better relationships with the family members and elders who cared for him.
“We’re here,” Cheng Mofei announced.
He parked the car in front of a small villa, and the two of them walked inside together.
This was the home of Cheng Mofei’s cousin.
Shen Yu had some faint memories of this cousin, Cheng Zhiyu. He had met her in his past life during Lunar New Year. However, he was not very social, so they hadn’t interacted much.
At that time, Cheng Zhiyu had been single and often nagged about going on a blind date during the New Year celebrations. After dinner, she would quickly vanish to escape the conversations.
Cheng Zhiyu’s relationship with Cheng Mofei was quite good; after all, their families lived so close to each other, and they had practically grown up together.
When Shen Yu and Cheng Mofei arrived, Cheng Zhiyu was lounging with her phone, chatting with her best friend.
Cheng Zhiyu: [My cousin introduced me to a super handsome tutor to motivate me to study. He’s my cousin’s roommate and a top student at Yanda University. He’s coming over soon.]
Friend: [ ! How handsome?]
Cheng Zhiyu: [I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know after I see him.]
Friend: [Ok ok. Try to sneak a photo so I can see. By the way, what subject is he teaching you?]
Cheng Zhiyu: [Chemistry. Why else do you think my mom agreed so quickly? She’s been wanting to find someone to tutor me in chemistry for ages.]
Friend: [Hahaha, good luck!]
Chemistry was Cheng Zhiyu’s weakest subject, the one that consistently dragged her grades down. Her mother had been fretting over it for quite a while.
Friend: [By the way, did you finish that comic?]
Cheng Zhiyu: [Almost! There’s only a little bit left—I’ll finish it tonight and bring it to you tomorrow. After they get together, it’ll be super sweet!]
Friend: [Ok ok, I’m really looking forward to it.]
While Cheng Zhiyu was still chatting, a sudden knock came from her bedroom door. She removed her headphones and went to open it.
Standing outside were three people—her mother, her cousin Cheng Mofei, and… the tutor.
Oh my, he really was handsome!
His refined and clean-cut appearance was a completely different kind of handsome from her cousin’s, yet both were undeniably pleasing to the eye.
“May I come in?” the tutor asked first, his tone polite and gentle.
Cheng Zhiyu snapped out of her daze, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, of course!”
Even his voice was nice!
She could already feel her motivation to study surging.
Shen Yu had come prepared, bringing along a printed chemistry test to assess Cheng Zhiyu’s abilities. He skillfully carried out the entire process, gauging her understanding and identifying her weak points.
Afterward, he provided guidance and laid out a study plan tailored to her needs. Both Cheng Zhiyu and her mother were thoroughly impressed with him.
The part-time job was essentially secured.
With some time left in the morning, Shen Yu planned to review the incorrect answers from the test with Cheng Zhiyu and also go over any mistakes or uncertainties from her recent homework.
By now, Cheng Zhiyu’s mother had left the room, leaving just the three of them inside.
Cheng Mofei quietly waited on the side, not leaving. After all, the person was brought by him, so he naturally had to "take responsibility" until the end, planning to wait until noon to finish and then go and have lunch together.
The little girl called him "Teacher Shen" so affectionately, and her cousin Cheng Mofei seemed to have become invisible.
With nothing to do, Cheng Mofei picked up a manga from the small table next to the sofa and started flipping through it.
The more he flipped, the darker his expression became.
Shen Yu had just finished explaining a question to Cheng Zhiyu and was giving her a similar one to help her practice further. He then took a break to rest his throat and took a sip of warm water.
He instinctively glanced in Cheng Mofei's direction and found him holding a manga with a familiar cover, his lips tightly pressed together as he read.
It was a popular BL manga that Shen Yu had read before.
If he remembered correctly, after the couple got together in the story, the protagonists would kiss in each chapter and occasionally even "cook," with a bit of explicit content, not just pure fluff.
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