But even though Lu Nanyang was practically fuming inside, he still couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.
Wen Fei obviously still had unrealistic fantasies about this “campus heartthrob.” Even if he did say something, Wen Fei wouldn’t believe it.
Besides, he just couldn’t say it.
Lu Nanyang let out a deep sigh, pressed his temples, and dove under his blanket to sleep.
…….
Friday night. Xinghe Bar was buzzing with people. As soon as Lu Nanyang stepped in, loud music filled his ears.
He shut the soundproof door behind him and turned around—only to be immediately caught by the bartender.
“Xiao Lu, you’re here!” The man waved him over. “Come check if I hung this straight.”
Lu Nanyang walked over to see Tony standing on a stool, adjusting a starry night painting.
He leaned on the bar and peered forward, “It’s a bit too far to the right. Move it to the left.”
“This way?” Tony shifted the painting.
Lu Nanyang squinted and measured with his hand, “Too far left now. Back to the right, just a little.”
“Like this?” Tony adjusted it again.
“Mm, that’s about right.” Lu Nanyang straightened up.
“Great!” Tony let go of the painting and hopped off the stool, looking satisfied. “How’s it look?”
“The painting?” Lu Nanyang sat down at the bar and looked at it.
The painting showed a vast night sky over open fields, with a dazzling Milky Way stretching across. He didn’t know much about art, but the shimmering stars gave it a quiet, radiant beauty.
“Looks great,” Lu Nanyang nodded.
“Right?!” Tony clapped. “Never underestimate your teacher Tony’s taste! I even had to pull some strings to get this—my friend’s friend found an artist. He’s not just anyone—he really understands stars. Every star on that painting is based on real-life positioning. It’s some… nebula or something?”
Lu Nanyang chuckled.
Tony tried to recall the name of the nebula but gave up, waving a hand. “Forget it, not important. What’ll you drink today? Orion, as usual?”
Xinghe Bar had a starry sky theme, and all its cocktails were named after constellations. Orion cocktail was light, sweet, and refreshing—Tony always gave him one when he came to help. It wasn’t that Lu Nanyang loved it; it was more like he’d gotten used to it from being fed it every time.
He was about to say yes, but suddenly swallowed the words.
Some unpleasant, alcohol-related memories surfaced. Lu Nanyang pressed his forehead, sighing, “Not in the mood for alcohol today. Just give me some orange juice.”
“That’s rare. Got a test tomorrow?” Tony raised an eyebrow and turned to pour the juice.
“Something like that,” Lu Nanyang muttered.
Tony moved fast. As soon as he spoke, a glass of orange juice slid across the bar—along with Tony’s face.
“Really?” Tony peered closely at Lu Nanyang’s face. “You look like someone with a heavy heart.”
“…” Lu Nanyang pushed him back with the stir stick.
His bartender friend was great—except for his occasional lack of boundaries.
“If something’s bothering you, talk it out.” Tony straightened up with a bright smile. “Bars are for relaxing. Don’t keep wearing that ‘I owe someone 8 million’ look. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secrets sealed tight.”
Lu Nanyang stared at Tony’s face for a moment.
This had nothing to do with whether Tony could keep secrets.
The thing was… even with 300 times the courage, he couldn’t say it out loud.
It was just too humiliating.
Lu Nanyang stirred the orange juice, mixing pulp and juice together. “Do you think someone’s outward personality and their true nature can be worlds apart—like, completely different?”
Tony suddenly looked serious. “…How much money did they scam you for? Was it a loan shark?”
“Get lost!” Lu Nanyang didn’t hold back this time—he kicked Tony outright.
Tony laughed and dodged it.
“As long as you weren’t scammed, that’s good.” Tony patted his shoulder. “Young people these days have such poor scam awareness…”
“Who said anything about that?” Lu Nanyang swatted his hand away. “You remember Wen Fei? My roommate?”
“How could I forget? Last time he came here, drank without paying, then halfway through cuddled up with some hot guy and slipped out the back.” Tony clicked his tongue. “So, did it work out between him and that guy?”
“Hell no. Switched to someone else the very next night. And now he’s fallen for a new pretty boy—calls him ‘his dream guy’ like every five seconds.” Lu Nanyang took a sip of juice, tapping the glass irritably. “The problem is, I know this so-called dream guy too.”
“Hm?” Tony paused his glass-wiping motion.
“He thinks his dream guy is handsome, gentle, full of virtues—and everyone else who knows him at school seems to think so too,” Lu Nanyang said. “But the person I know is completely the opposite of all those positive traits. To put it simply, he’s a scumbag.”
“There’s really someone like that?” Tony looked surprised. “Then how do you know he’s a scumbag?”
“……”
And that was the part he couldn’t say out loud even if you gave him three hundred times the courage.
Lu Nanyang put on his mask of pain again. “Don’t ask. Just know that he is.”
“So did that scumbag accept your roommate’s confession?” Tony asked.
“No.”
More than just rejection—he tore the love letter to pieces.
And the injuries Lu Nanyang got from fighting with Xie Quan still ached faintly even now.
How could someone be that awful?
Putting on an elegant, friendly front in public, yet being so vile behind the scenes.
With acting that good, he should’ve gone for an Oscar instead of messing around here. Even Lu Nanyang himself was almost fooled by that pure, innocent face the first time they met.
At the time, a pale, slender hand had reached out to him, full of concern. “Are you okay? You seem a little drunk.”
Who would’ve thought someone who looked so frail could pack such power?
“Well, in that case, you don’t really need to worry anymore, right?” Tony’s voice broke through Lu Nanyang’s thoughts. “He didn’t accept your roommate anyway, so the chances of you guys running into him again are pretty slim.”
That was true.
Lu Nanyang’s burning rage cooled a little.
Yuncheng University was huge. The medical department was halfway across campus from their law department. There were several cafeterias too, so bumping into him in public like last time was actually pretty rare.
And knowing Wen Fei’s personality—wasn’t hard to guess—he’d be swooning over a new handsome guy in less than a week.
If he couldn’t fight it, he’d just avoid it.
Out of sight, out of mind. Lu Nanyang had zero desire to be entangled with someone like that ever again.
As for what happened that night—he’d just pretend it was a really bad dream. A couple of drinks would wipe it from his memory clean.
With that thought, the tightness in his chest eased up a bit. Just then, someone called out from behind him, “Xiao Lu! Always drinking in a corner with Tony when you come in—come shoot some pool with us!”
“It’s orange juice,” Lu Nanyang raised his glass, downed it in one gulp, and headed over to the pool table.
Three guys and a girl stood around the table. The girl had tight curls and wore bright lipstick. When Lu Nanyang approached, she shamelessly ruffled his hair.
“You brat, you came and didn’t even greet your big sis.”
Lu Nanyang chuckled and ducked his head. “Ma-ge wanted me to check if the painting was crooked.”
Across the bar, Tony shouted, “What Ma-ge! I told you all, in here you call me Tony! Tony, got it?”
No one paid him any attention.
One of the guys had an unlit cigarette in his mouth and tossed a cue stick toward Lu Nanyang, who caught it effortlessly.
“Solids or stripes?” Lu Nanyang was already bending over by the table, setting up the shot.
“Stripes. You’ll be on Li-jie’s team,” the guy said with a grin. “She’s almost cornered by us.”
“Bullshit,” Li-jie shot back immediately. “Just watch how I turn this around. Xiao Lu, let’s go! Give them a grand slam!”
It was only during moments like this that Lu Nanyang felt like his name sounded like that of a large dog.
He sighed, adjusted his posture, and aimed the cue to the right side of the cue ball.
His sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, his forearm muscles flexing slightly under the shifting club lights. With long, elegant fingers, he struck quickly. The white ball hit the side rail, bounced off, and struck a blue ball that had been sitting in a corner pocket.
The blue ball rolled forward and dropped into the pocket perfectly.
One of the guys gave a low whistle. “Nice shot.”
