The name “Ye Zhengchen” and the warm light in his room were inviting on such a bleak night.
I pressed the doorbell twice, heard footsteps, and the door opened.
A warm breeze rushed toward me, mixed with the fragrance of Tieguanyin tea.
He was a bit surprised to see me. “Is something wrong?”
“Senior…” I glanced inside his room to ensure no one else was there. “I locked my keys in my room.”
He quickly moved from the doorway. “Come in.”
His room remained neat, with the blanket spread on the bed and a stack of Japanese materials on the desk. I scanned the titles, mostly about bacteria. “Sit!” He cleared the materials and poured me a cup of hot tea. “Have some tea to warm up.”
“Thank you!”
“I took the hot tea and held it in my hands, warmth spreading through my body. I tried to find a topic to deepen our neighborly relationship. ‘Still reading materials so late?’
‘Mm.’
Seeing he didn’t want to elaborate, I got straight to the point. ‘I… want to go through your balcony. Is that okay?’
Our balconies were connected, separated only by a composite wooden board over two meters high. Jumping over it was the only way I could think of to get home.
‘Balcony? Can you get over?’ He looked me up and down, somewhat skeptical.
‘Should be… no problem!’ I put down my tea cup, walked to the balcony, and stood by the barrier.
So high! I mustered my courage, rolled up my sleeves, and tried to jump, wanting to grab the top of the wooden board. After several failed attempts, I finally caught it once, hanging there, covered in cold sweat, completely unable to climb up.
Discouraged, I came down, wanting to ask Ye Zhengchen for a stool. Turning back, I saw him half-covering his mouth, eyes curved, clearly suppressing laughter.
I was mortified.
Awkwardly scratching my hair. ‘Funny?’
‘Not funny!’ He shook his head, his voice laden with laughter. ‘Want help?’
‘Can you? It’s very high.’
‘Should be… no problem.’ He mockingly repeated my earlier words.
I stood to the side, waiting to see a good show! I don’t believe he can climb over.”
Ye Zhengchen walked to the balcony, took a step back, and jumped, grabbing the top of the barrier with both hands. He kicked the balcony railing for leverage and smoothly flipped over.
I stood there, stunned.
Does he know martial arts? Is he a legendary martial arts master?!
Before I could recover, Ye Zhengchen had already returned. “Your door is open.”
“You… you?” I pointed at the balcony partition, surprised. “You could just go over like that?”
Suddenly, I realized: what kind of stupid designer created this balcony? If I were sleeping and he had ill intentions, I’d be in danger!
Perverts aren’t scary, but perverts who know martial arts are!
Ye Zhengchen’s keen eyes caught my thoughts. He understood my concern.
“Don’t worry, unless you have a special need, I’ll choose to use the main door.”
“Uh…” My face turned red, knowing it was futile to deny it, but I tried. “I mean… are you trained in karate or taekwondo?”
He smiled mischievously. “No! I only practiced restraining techniques…”
“Restraining techniques?!”
“Just the kind that can easily subdue the other person and make her unable to resist…”
His voice disappeared at the most imagination-provoking moment, leaving me to envision a dark night where he suddenly appeared in my room, grabbed my hand, and pressed me onto the bed. “Uh…” I covered my burning face, lowering my head. “It’s late, I won’t disturb your rest. Bye!”
I rushed out of his room, my face flushed.
How did a cold night become so hot?
During my first year in Japan, I noticed an unusual climate in Osaka; the red leaves only turned in November, covering the mountains. I had heard that missing the red leaves of Arashiyama would be a great loss. I invited Qin Xue, but she declined, having seen them already. With no female companion, I decided to visit Arashiyama alone.
The lonely Oi River flowed slowly under the wandering Togetsukyo Bridge. Standing there, I gazed at the unfamiliar city and scenery, surrounded by unknown languages. I thought of home and my aging parents. Loneliness and homesickness surged within me, and even I, usually carefree, found myself in tears.
A camera shutter startled me. Turning, I saw Ye Zhengchen by the bridge railing, camera in hand.
“Senior Brother? What are you doing here?”
“Enjoying the scenery, looking at beautiful women,” he replied with a laugh.
But when his gaze met my damp eyes, his smile faded. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling down?”
“Mm,” I wiped the corner of my eye. “I just arrived and I’m a bit homesick.”
“Homesick…” He thought for a moment, then held my hand. “I’ll take you to see the stone tablet with our premier’s inscription. After seeing it, your mood will improve.”
My face flushed, and I wanted to pull back, but his warm, strong hand made me feel dependent. Without giving me a chance to hesitate, he led me towards the bridge’s end.
As we walked through bamboo forests and mountain paths, my mood truly brightened, giving me a sense of coming home. When we got tired, we found a patch of grass and sat down to eat the lunch I brought.
A maple leaf fell on my head, and he leaned over to pick it off. Later, I pressed that red leaf between the pages of a book.
That night, he treated me to conveyor belt sushi, a semi-self-service dining style where plates pass in front of customers, each costing 100 yen. It was my first time, and I tried everything, giving the things I didn’t like to Ye Zhengchen, who helped me without complaint.
He probably ate too many indigestible raw seafood, and Ye Zhengchen had a stomachache for a week afterward. To make amends, I cooked light meals for him daily, made soup, and soothed his poor stomach. Eventually, he became addicted to it and would come to my place to mooch meals whenever he could. Having someone appreciate my cooking and occasionally fill my refrigerator made me happy to have company while eating and chatting.
Over time, I realized that although Ye Zhengchen was flirtatious, he was still a good man.
Author’s note: I chose to set the story in Japan because the plot requires it!
Warm Feelings: A promiscuous handsome guy and a reasonably good-looking single girl were both studying in the same medical department while living under the same roof, separated by a not-so-soundproof wall.
We sometimes ate together, discussing the strange hobbies of medical professors and the differences between Chinese and Japanese cultures. I would ask him for help, and he patiently translated and explained complex pathology while teaching me how to prepare publications that would satisfy the professors. He would also ask for my help in borrowing Professor Fujii’s research results on bacteria. At times, we stood by the window, watching people fishing by the lake and analyzing whether Japanese people all had some kind of problem.
Sometimes, after dusk, we would lean against our balcony railings, quietly watching the cherry blossom tree, waiting for the blossoms to bloom overnight. I would play music loudly so we could hear the flowing love songs. He would bring unexpected surprises.
One day, I heard the doorbell, and upon opening the door, I found a terrible cactus and a large birthday cake. Excitedly hugging the cake, I noticed a note on the door: “Girl, I’ll come back for dinner!” I smiled but muttered, “Annoying!”
I then decided not to go to the lab and prepared a feast at home for my birthday. Later, I asked him how he knew it was my birthday, but he refused to tell me. If such ambiguity didn’t develop into something more, it would seem against the laws of nature.
