Extra Episode
5. Chen Yao’s Grandfather
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As time passed, Lin Nan and Chen Yao became increasingly close without even realizing it.
Chen Yao used to spend every night gallivanting with his rowdy friends, but now he preferred to drag Lin Nan along for double-ranking at the internet cafe.
Lin Nan’s parents were rarely home, so he almost always agreed to Chen Yao’s invitations without a second thought.
Their once casual classmate relationship had slowly morphed into an inseparable buddy-buddy situation.
Then one day, Lin Nan noticed that Chen Yao was mysteriously absent—he hadn’t shown up for school.
Chen Yao’s sudden leave of absence was a cause for concern since he hadn’t said a word to Lin Nan about it. Lin Nan’s mind was racing, contemplating if Chen Yao had gotten into a brawl and ended up in the hospital.
Or maybe he’d been carted away by the cops?
Days rolled by with no sign of Chen Yao, and Lin Nan’s anxiety skyrocketed.
He didn’t even realize how much he had come to depend on Chen Yao until he vanished, leaving Lin Nan feeling as if he’d lost his favorite video game character.
“Class Teacher, why has Chen Yao been absent for so long?”
Finally succumbing to curiosity on the third day, Lin Nan cornered the class teacher just as she was about to leave after school.
“It seems like a family member passed away.”
“I thought he got sent to the hospital!” Lin Nan breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest.
“He’ll be back tomorrow, so don’t worry too much.” The middle-school teacher had a good impression of Lin Nan—cute, polite, paying attention in class and academically average.
“Well, I’m off. Bye!”
Used to grabbing dinner and hitting the internet cafe with Chen Yao after school, Lin Nan now felt like he was missing half a heart as he made his way home alone.
Even though he had started to get comfortable in the new city and school, he still didn’t have many friends. After school, he could only wander the streets like a lost puppy.
Normally, the air would be filled with Chen Yao’s chatter as they goofed around. Now, the silence felt oddly unsettling.
Just as he reached the entrance of the Urban Village, Lin Nan suddenly heard someone call his name.
“Lin Nan!”
Following the voice, he spotted Chen Yao leaning against a nearby telephone pole, looking a bit worse for wear.
He hurried over and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Your home’s empty, right?” Chen Yao didn’t answer the question.
“Yup, nobody’s home.”
“Good,” Chen Yao nodded and then ambled into a convenience store. Moments later, he emerged with a box of beer. “Let’s go to your place and drink.”
“Uh?”
Lin Nan had never touched alcohol and wasn’t keen on it. He wanted to refuse, but seeing Chen Yao’s downcast expression made it difficult to say no.
The teacher said something about a family member passing away…
Back at his place with Chen Yao, Lin Nan was feeling a bit lost.
This was the first time he had brought a friend home, and he wasn’t sure how to play the gracious host.
Luckily, Chen Yao plopped himself onto the couch, yanked open the box, and started chugging beer without a word.
“Um… underage people shouldn’t drink, you know.” Lin Nan meekly reminded him.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Chen Yao took another swig.
Lin Nan went silent for a moment before Chen Yao turned and asked, “Do you have any snacks?”
“Uh, I think I do?” Since Chen Yao wasn’t going to listen to his advice, Lin Nan shuffled off to the kitchen.
When Lin Nan’s dad was home, he often drank—whether with his buddies outside or alone at home—so there were plenty of vacuum-sealed peanuts stashed in the kitchen.
He grabbed a couple of bags of peanuts and set them on the coffee table, turned on the TV, and stood there unsure of what to do, feeling like a fish out of water.
Should he offer the guest some tea?
Just as that thought popped into his head, a can of beer was thrust toward him, accompanied by Chen Yao’s gravelly voice saying, “Drink with me.”
Chen Yao was at that age where his voice had suddenly become all deep and smooth, while Lin Nan sounded like a little kid. If he pitched just a little higher, you might confuse him for a girl.
Honestly, Lin Nan envied Chen Yao’s charming voice.
Usually, Chen Yao had a sunny disposition, always grinning from ear to ear. This was the first time Lin Nan had seen him looking so downcast, and it left Lin Nan feeling uneasy.
Gingerly, Lin Nan took a sip of the beer, the strong alcoholic scent hit him like a freight train, making his eyes water as he nearly spat it out.
Chen Yao, however, was drinking like it was water. Within minutes, the first beer was gone, and after munching on a couple of peanuts, he reached for the second can.
“My grandpa passed away,” he said in-between gulps, “I had to go back to the countryside for the funeral.”
“Uh…” Lin Nan pulled a small stool over and sat down on one side of the coffee table, sipping the beer in tiny sips, wide-eyed as comforting words swirled around in his mind.
But just as he was about to speak, he noticed two tears streaming down Chen Yao’s face as he continued to drink silently.
Lin Nan panicked: “Hey, don’t cry!”
But thirteen-year-old Chen Yao couldn’t contain his emotions, his sobs getting louder: “My grandpa was such a good person, healthy as a horse, only in his sixties—and then he got into a car accident…”
He quickly moved to sit beside Chen Yao, gently patting his shoulder, softly suggesting, “It’s okay, it’s okay… how about we game all night? That’ll keep our mind off things.”
“Drink!” Chen Yao proposed, raising his can for a toast.
“I really don’t drink well…”
Perhaps Chen Yao’s emotions were contagious because Lin Nan’s mood started to dip as well, his nose feeling slightly tingly.
Chen Yao was drinking recklessly, tossing back cans one after another while barely nibbling at the peanuts, and soon half the beer was gone.
At some point, Chen Yao had sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the couch.
Lin Nan had hardly drunk anything, but between the two cans, he was feeling a bit buzzed, sitting dazedly on the couch, body tilting until he ended up sliding right off the couch.
“I heard that underage kids turn dumb if they drink too much…” he muttered, not feeling any pain from the fall; the couch was low enough.
“Eh, it’s okay—you were dumb to begin with.” Chen Yao mumbled, too involved in his own issues as he continued to drink.
Seeing Chen Yao drinking nonstop, Lin Nan worried he might really end up in a state worse than drunk at his house, so he battled his sleepiness and dizziness, scooting closer to drink more.
As long as Chen Yao drank enough, he’d drink less.
His thoughts were muddled, and his cheeks felt hot. Lin Nan felt his consciousness drifting further away while things around him grew blurrier.
Only when Chen Yao finished his beer and lay flat on the floor did he realize Lin Nan was curled up in the corner between the wall and the couch, snoring softly.
“Dumbass…” Chen Yao mumbled, not even sure if he felt better because he drank away his sorrows or because of his goofy friend. Either way, he felt a lot better in a short time.
——————
When dawn broke, Lin Nan shot awake with a killer headache.
He groggily lifted his head, the strong scent of alcohol hitting him like a brick wall.
Then he noticed something was off.
Looking down, he found himself sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, while Chen Yao lay beside him, one arm casually draped over Lin Nan’s outstretched leg.
Lin Nan, still somewhat clueless about “gay” terminology, felt there was something a bit odd here.
His sleeping position was awkward, leading to some stiffness as he carefully moved Chen Yao’s hand, stood up, and nearly toppled over from dizziness.
“I shouldn’t have let you convince me to drink…” he grumbled, squatting down to look at Chen Yao’s face.
Hmm, he could just about qualify as handsome.
At least he looked better than Lin Nan.
“What are you staring at?” Chen Yao suddenly opened his eyes, making Lin Nan jump and plop right back down.
“Drunkard.” Ignoring him, Lin Nan propped himself on the couch and headed for the kitchen. “I’m going to make breakfast for you; promise me you won’t drink anymore.”
“No more drinking.”
“Easy for you to say…”
