Okay, I’m back ❤️ Thanks for the patience!!
He wanted to kiss Yan Chen?
How could he want to kiss Yan Chen?
Wasn’t he just trying to touch him a little?
Had he already become so insatiable?
Ye Wenyu found it hard to accept his own greed for a moment. He began to waver in his decision to look for Yan Chen today, and was hesitating back and forth between going and not going.
How could he want to kiss Yan Chen?
His thoughts were written all over his face, and even Chi Dongting could see something was wrong at a glance.
“What’s so difficult that you’re hesitating for this long?” During the evening class, Chi Dongting finally asked him, “Why not tell me, maybe I can help you out?”
Ye Wenyu: “I’m thinking about whether or not to go see Yan Chen.”
Chi Dongting: “?”
Chi Dongting: “Why are you going to see him?”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
His mouth moved faster than his brain again. When he came to his senses and realized what he had just said, Ye Wenyu got a headache.
“We agreed yesterday,” was all he could say.
Chi Dongting: “Agreed on what? Meeting today?”
Ye Wenyu nodded.
Since they were both at the same school, if they wanted to meet, they could just call each other. Why would they need to make an appointment the day before?
Chi Dongting: “If I didn’t know you were both guys, I’d have thought you were a couple madly in love and playing the whole ‘a day apart feels like three autumns’ game’.”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Ye Wenyu: “There’s just something we need to discuss.”
Chi Dongting: “Since you agreed to meet, then go. Why are you still hesitating this late? Did Yan Chen stand you up?”
Ye Wenyu whispered, “No.”
Yan Chen didn’t stand him up. In fact, he had sent a message in the morning saying he’d be at his house putting things away, and if Ye Wenyu wanted to see him, he could go straight over.
The issue was the hurdle he couldn’t get over and he didn’t know how to face him right now.
Chi Dongting: “Then why not go?”
Ye Wenyu: “…It’s too late.”
“You didn’t go in the daytime, and now it’s too late?”
Chi Dongting glanced at the time: “It’s just after seven. Class ends at eight. That’s still okay, unless what you need to talk about takes three hours?”
Ye Wenyu: “It doesn’t.”
Chi Dongting: “Then just go.”
Ye Wenyu didn’t say anything, but his face was stamped with five big words: I’m still thinking about it.
Chi Dongting didn’t get it: “Then just don’t go. Send him a message and tell him it’s too late, so you won’t be going.”
Ye Wenyu frowned: “But we already agreed.”
Chi Dongting: “…”
He was speechless.
Class was about to end, and Chi Dongting was just about to suggest they just video call and discuss things that way when he saw Ye Wenyu receive a message. He caught a glimpse and saw it was a photo of a cat.
“That cat is quite cute.”
“I’m going out to see him.”
They spoke almost at the same time, and Chi Dongting reacted first: “Huh? That sudden?”
Ye Wenyu: “He said his neighbor’s cat came over to his place again.”
Chi Dongting: “And then?”
Ye Wenyu: “I can go see the cat now.”
Chi Dongting: “…”
He really wanted to ask, “Wenyu, do you really just want to see the cat?”
But he only thought about it. If he actually asked out loud, Ye Wenyu would probably spiral into indecision again, so he decided not to sin like that.
Before they parted ways, Chi Dongting reminded him, “The gate locks at eleven. If you’re coming back, make sure you head out in time. If not, just send me a message.”
Ye Wenyu: “Okay.”
As he reached the lakeside, Yan Chen sent him another message, asking if class was over. If it was, he’d come pick him up.
From the school gate to the community where Yan Chen lived was just over ten minutes on foot. The streetlights were bright along the way, and it was an easy walk. It was really not worth the trouble of getting picked up.
Ye Wenyu replied that it wasn’t necessary and planned to ask if Yan Chen needed anything so he could bring it along.
But before he could send that message, someone stopped him.
“Hey, I was just about to look for you…what a coincidence, I ran into you here.” It was that “sales boy” he’d met a few times. He was now standing in front of him with hands behind his back and smiling with squinted eyes.
Ye Wenyu asked, “What’s the matter?”
The boy asked back, “You’re from Class 3, right?”
Ye Wenyu said yes.
The boy: “That’s good then. Someone from your class is eating at that new restaurant, and when it was time to pay, his phone died. He needs help urgently and is waiting for you at the shop.”
“Someone from our class?” Ye Wenyu was puzzled.
“Yeah.” The boy nodded. “I happened to pass by and wanted to help, but I didn’t bring my phone either since I was just out for a walk. He said your dorm’s nearby and asked me to grab any Class 3 student to help.”
Ye Wenyu: “You know someone from our class?”
The other party tilted his head: “Well, I know you.”
Ye Wenyu stated objectively, “But I don’t know you.”
“The art department just moved from the branch campus this semester, it’s normal you don’t know me, but I’ve seen you many times on the forum.”
The boy said casually, “If you’re busy, I can go back to the dorm to get my phone and then go, but the art department dorm is a bit far, so your classmate might have to wait a while longer.”
Ye Wenyu: “It’s fine, I’ll go. Thanks for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble~” The boy smiled brightly and gave him directions, “Just cut through this little path here. There’s a stretch where the streetlights aren’t very bright, so remember to use your flashlight.”
Ye Wenyu: “Okay, thank you.”
“You’re welcome~” The boy waved at him generously after relaying the message, then turned and casually strolled back through the school gate.
Ye Wenyu followed the path he pointed out, stopped at the entrance and looked back, but the “sales boy” was already nowhere in sight.
Probably went back into the school.
He didn’t continue forward but stayed where he was and lowered his head to call Yan Chen.
“Where are you?” Yan Chen picked up quickly. “I’m downstairs.”
“No, I’m still at the school gate.”
Ye Wenyu first answered the other party’s question seriously, then said what he wanted: “The boy who spoke to you outside the sports department dorm last time, was it Zhen Lin?”
“Yeah.” There was nothing to hide, Yan Chen gave a definite answer and asked, “Why did you bring him up all of a sudden?”
As expected.
That day during the fitness test, he saw Zhen Lin and Liu Bingran together, and acting quite close. Combined with Liu Bingran’s behavior afterward, he already had a vague suspicion.
Ye Wenyu told Yan Chen exactly what had just happened without missing a single word.
Actually, if it had been someone else passing the message, he might have believed it. But since it was Zhen Lin, it was hard not to be suspicious and doubtful.
Even though he knew it wasn’t good to judge a person based solely on information from a third party, the problem was…the third party was Yan Chen.
Yan Chen’s judgment could never be wrong.
Yan Chen: “Wait there, I’m coming over now.”
At this hour, the students who were heading out had already left, and those returning hadn’t come back yet. There were only a few scattered figures at the school gate, not many people.
Yan Chen came quickly, still wearing that black training uniform with a dark, loose jacket over it. He almost blended into the darkness under the shadows of the trees where the streetlights didn’t reach.
“He told you to take this path?”
Yan Chen looked at the path ahead with a solemn expression. It wasn’t narrow, and cutting through it would eventually lead to the snack street. Normally, it was a popular shortcut among students.
Ye Wenyu nodded. Seeing Yan Chen about to walk in, he couldn’t help tugging on his sleeve. “You’re going in?”
Yan Chen turned his head to look at him: “Are you scared?”
Of course, Ye Wenyu wasn’t scared. He just thought, since they already knew Zhen Lin had bad intentions, why bother wasting time going in?
But before he could explain, Yan Chen had already taken his hand in return: “I’m here. What’s there to be afraid of?”
The temperature at night was lower than during the day. The wind slipped into his collar and made him feel chilly, but Yan Chen’s palm was very warm, wrapping around his hand and blocking out the wind.
Ye Wenyu silently swallowed back his explanation and followed Yan Chen into the small path.
As Zhen Lin said, there was indeed a stretch without streetlights, and the light from both ends didn’t reach here. Fortunately, it didn’t rain today, or he would’ve had to watch out for puddles.
Neither of them turned on a flashlight. They walked at a leisurely pace and their footsteps were very light.
Before they made it through the darkest stretch, they heard voices coming from a fork in the path.
“Didn’t he say he was coming? Where is he?”
“We’ve been waiting for so long and there’s not even a ghost. Is he tricking us?”
“Maybe he ran off halfway? Tch, you already went to him, why not just bring him here?”
“What if someone sees us, are you going to handle that for me?”
Zhen Lin was leaning against a telephone pole, no longer carrying that lively and cheerful vibe. His eyelids drooped, and he looked cold and gloomy.
“So what if they see? What are you afraid of?”
Next to him were three men who looked like thugs. They didn’t seem to be the same age, some crouching, some standing, all with cheap cigarettes dangling from their mouths.
“What are you afraid of,” Zhen Lin glanced at the one speaking. “If you want the money, then be patient.”
“The problem is, you haven’t given us the money.”
“How about this, you give us the money now, then you go back. The three of us will definitely wait. Even waiting till dawn is no problem.”
“Exactly. You’re scared of being seen anyway, why not just go back and wait for our news. When it’s done, we’ll send the photos to you just like you asked. Everything will be handled cleanly.”
“You want money before the job’s done?” Zhen Lin sneered: “Do you think there’s such a good thing?”
“We’re already here. You think we’d run?”
“The person you mentioned still hasn’t shown up. Who knows if something went wrong halfway. Don’t make us come for nothing…”
Out of the corner of his eye, one of the thugs noticed someone and suddenly shut up. He jerked his chin toward Zhen Lin and glanced at him, asking silently if that was the person.
The surrounding walls were old and cracked, with peeling paint and moss mixed with grime forming dark green patches along the base.
Zhen Lin turned his head and saw Ye Wenyu standing there, looking cold and clean, completely out of place in this environment.
‘So boring.’
‘Why be so clean?’
Someone like that should be dragged into the mud with him. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Zhen Lin straightened up and smiled. All the gloom vanished without a trace, and he looked cheerful and well-behaved again.
He squinted his eyes and said, “Wenyu, did you get lost? Why are you just getting here? I’ve been waiting for a long time.”
Ye Wenyu: “Why were you waiting for me?”
“Of course to give you a gift.”
Zhen Lin said as he tilted his head toward the thugs: “He’s here. What are you waiting for?”
The three men had already looked Ye Wenyu up and down from head to toe.
The oldest one, also the leader of the group, took a couple of deep drags from his cigarette before flicking the burning butt to the ground. He clapped his hands, got up, and started to walk toward Ye Wenyu.
However, he had barely taken half a step when another figure emerged from the darkness.
Unlike Ye Wenyu’s gentle and harmless temperament, this new figure was tall and imposing, with sharp eyes. Standing behind Ye Wenyu, he resembled a powerful guardian god, not allowing anyone to approach within his territory.
Unlike the target, you could tell at a glance that this person wasn’t someone to be messed with.
No one had said anything about dealing with a tough guy. The man immediately stopped and looked at Zhen Lin with some impatience. “What’s this about?”
Zhen Lin hadn’t expected Yan Chen to come along with Ye Wenyu. His face froze for a second before darkening completely, twisting with an ugly expression.
“Yan Chen, why are you here?”
Yan Chen ignored him and looked at the leader of the group. “What did he ask you to do?”
The thug furrowed his brows but didn’t answer. The two younger ones behind him didn’t know how to react either.
Yan Chen raised one hand and rested it on Ye Wenyu’s shoulder in a fully protective stance and his tone was emotionless. “I’ll pay you double.”
The thug’s eyes flickered. “What do you mean?”
Yan Chen: “Whatever he offered, I’ll pay you twice that. Whatever he asked you to do, you do to him instead.”
“Yan Chen!” Zhen Lin’s eyes widened, his voice sharp and piercing. “What kind of joke are you playing?!”
Yan Chen tugged at the corner of his lips, but there was no hint of a smile in his dark eyes. “Do you think I’m joking with you?”
The three thugs exchanged glances. They looked tempted and Zhen Lin almost exploded. “Don’t forget I’m the one who hired you!”
“So what? We go where the money is.”
“A man is a man, who we fuck doesn’t matter.”
“Double the money, boss…what do you say?”
The leader knew full well they couldn’t handle this person. And now they didn’t have to lift a finger and could get more money. Why not? “What do I say? Just what you said. A man’s a man, who we fuck doesn’t matter.”
“Hey,” he looked up at Yan Chen, “double the price, are you sure? That kid offered quite a bit.”
Yan Chen: “ Come get the money yourself at the intersection later.”
At that, the man no longer hesitated. He gestured to the other two and decisively turned toward Zhen Lin.
Zhen Lin panicked and tried to run, but the younger thug reacted quickly and yanked him back by the hair.
His scream of pain, laced with curses, was cut off quickly. The thug covered his mouth skillfully, paying no mind to his violent struggles, and dragged him deeper into the shadows.
Ye Wenyu was led out of the path by Yan Chen.
At the empty intersection, he watched Yan Chen finish calling the police and hang up. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he was pulled into an embrace.
His jaw brushed against a shoulder, and Ye Wenyu froze as his whole body was wrapped in a familiar scent.
Technically, this was the third time Yan Chen had hugged him.
The first was during the fitness test when Yan Chen had hung onto him from exhaustion. The second was right after Liu Bingran bumped into him, and Yan Chen had carried him to the school infirmary.
This was the third time. But the feeling was completely different from the first two times.
This felt like their first real embrace.
Yan Chen’s first hug for him.
A breath landed softly near his ear. Ye Wenyu tilted his head slightly, the tips of his ears heating up.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, but the silence around them made his voice especially clear.
Yan Chen didn’t answer. He just tightened his arms around him.
Ye Wenyu hesitated for a moment, then raised his own arms and hugged back. “But I’m fine.”
“Wenyu, you’re very good.” After a pause, Yan Chen finally spoke, his previously cold aura now completely withdrawn.
Ye Wenyu didn’t quite understand. “Hm?”
Yan Chen: “Just remember to do this in the future. No matter what happens, come find me first.”
His tone was like coaxing a child. Ye Wenyu blinked, and the emotion in his eyes unreadable. “No matter what it is?”
Yan Chen: “Yeah.”
Ye Wenyu: “Anything at all?”
Yan Chen: “Anything at all.”
He said it so naturally, like it was how things were supposed to be. Ye Wenyu couldn’t help looking up at him. “But what if it’s something trivial and wastes your time?”
“It won’t.”
Yan Chen closed his eyes and hugged him tightly again, as if speaking to Ye Wenyu or to himself. “It won’t.”
“There’s nothing more important than you. I will accompany you in whatever you want to do.”
Thank you for the update ❤️