[Something happened last night on that little path outside the West Gate.]
[Which one? The one toward the snack street?]
[Yeah, I heard about it, and it’s spread everywhere. Fortunately, the police got there in time, and the police station wasn’t far, so it was only attempted rape.]
[Only? Why do I feel like it was a good thing for a bad person? (puts on a helmet. I’m just repeating what I heard, don’t scold me)]
[Hey classmate, what exactly happened?]
[A friend who knows the situation told me. The thugs told the police that the student had invited them out to do that stuff. It was mutual, and they were just having some fun and games. There was no rape involved, got it?]
[?]
[Wait, how many of them? That wild?]
[Hiring people to rape yourself…? No way. Is that for real?]
[There are call records to prove it. That student…let’s call him the victim, was the one who contacted those thugs first.]
[Could it be… prostitution?]
[They checked. There were no chat records about that, and no money involved, so probably not.]
[Anyway, based on the current evidence, the claim that it was consensual is more credible.]
[My worldview just collapsed.]
[What about the victim? Did he admit it himself?]
[What kind of question is that? The call records are right there, how could he not admit it?]
[Well, he admitted halfway, I guess.]
[He admitted he contacted the thugs himself, but said he changed his mind halfway through, and those thugs chose to go against his will and kept going, so it was still attempted rape, and he demanded the police convict them.]
[But the thugs claimed the victim was lying, because the “forced part” was something they had discussed in advance, saying it would be more exciting.]
[…I have nothing to say.]
[Why does this sound like a dog eat dog situation?]
[I’m ignorant of the law, so let me ask…does raping a man count as a crime? And it was only attempted, too.]
[I’m not too sure either. Any law major classmates? Come out and clear things up, please.]
[Let me throw out a conspiracy theory…could it be that he actually hired someone to attack someone else, but something went wrong, and now he’s tasting his own medicine? I mean, asking a few guys to do that to you out in the wild… that’s not something a normal person would do.]
[If the conspiracy theory is true, then I can only say he deserved it. If not, then… I have to admire him for living so boldly / thumbs up / thumbs up]
[It’s not entirely a conspiracy theory. That’s definitely one possibility, but it’s only a guess. That place is too remote and there’s no surveillance. Right now the only evidence is the call record and the statements of the people involved. Unless he changes his story.]
[He’s already at the police station. Admitting it was just playing wildly is still better than conspiring to have someone raped. Just for that alone, no matter what, he won’t change his story.]
[Damn, not even the movies are this exciting. I’m dying to know who this victim actually is.】
[You want to know?]
[Let me tell you. It’s Zhen Lin from the Art School Dance Department. He acts all innocent and simple, but in reality he’s more open than anyone. Booking a hotel room is a regular thing, and calling up several guys at once is also nothing new. You think three is shocking…he thinks it’s normal!]
[?]
[Brother, dropping his name like that is really not good.]
[How do you know?]
[How do I know? I’m his ex boyfriend, how do you think I know?]
[Video]
[Video]
[Video]
[See for yourself, he used to record them himself. Not to mention three…he could even have four or five at a time.]
[I was going to stay out of it since we already broke up, but who would’ve thought he’d sink this low! Just imagining those disgusting bastards sticking it into the same hole, I nearly threw up my dinner.]
[He’s just a slut. He can’t live without a man fucking him. Whoever called the police and got in the way…see that? You ruined someone’s fun!]
…
In the afternoon, the peaceful and harmonious classroom atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a sharp and ambiguous moan.
“Damn it!”
Chi Dongting fumbled to exit the video. Facing the gazes from all directions, he let out a couple of embarrassed chuckles and shrank his neck like a turtle.
“No phones in class, student.”
The old professor tapped the blackboard. “Alright, eyes over here, pay attention.”
Once everyone’s focus shifted away from him, Chi Dongting let out a long sigh and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. “That scared me to death, I forgot I didn’t have headphones on.”
Ye Wenyu saw his face and neck were so red they were practically burning, and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m not unwell.” Chi Dongting muttered, “I just accidentally saw something a bit beyond what I can handle… not suitable for kids…”
Ye Wenyu didn’t catch his mumbling. “What?”
“Huh? Nothing, nothing.”
Chi Dongting had no plans to share such heavy-tasting things with Ye Wenyu. “I was watching a spy war drama, I got a little too excited, don’t mind me, I just need to calm down.”
Ye Wenyu didn’t doubt him and was about to turn back to continue class when Chi Dongting tugged at his sleeve. “Hey, Wenyu, I want to ask you something.”
Ye Wenyu: “Okay.”
Chi Dongting asked in a roundabout way, “Last night you went to find Yan Chen to see the cat…was it just to see the cat? Did you go anywhere else, like that snack street you get to if you turn right after the west gate?”
Ye Wenyu’s eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head. “No.”
“Oh.” Chi Dongting stroked his chin and nodded like a sage. “Then you probably didn’t see it.”
Ye Wenyu: “See what?”
“See… see the auntie selling oden and her husband arguing in the street! Hehe.”
Chi Dongting plugged his earphones back into his phone and whispered, “I’ll continue eating…I mean, watching my spy war drama. Call me when class ends. 3Q.”
Actually, class was nearly over at this point. As usual, in less than two minutes, the old professor would play a clip from an old movie related to the lesson to fill the time until the end.
With nothing to do while waiting for the projector to connect, and thanks to Chi Dongting’s earlier topic, Ye Wenyu naturally thought of that hug at the intersection last night.
Maybe it was because Yan Chen’s presence gave too much of a sense of security, he didn’t even feel scared afterward. He only remembered the chill of the night and the scent of late osmanthus in the passing breeze.
‘Now should be about the right time,’ he thought. It was time to confess everything to Yan Chen.
Only this time, the reason he wanted to confess wasn’t just to fulfill his long-held desire…it was more because he didn’t want to keep hiding this from Yan Chen. He didn’t want there to be any ulterior motives left in their interactions.
Yan Chen had a good temper. He knew that.
But no matter how good-tempered someone was, facing a lie would definitely make them angry. He was already mentally prepared for that.
If Yan Chen got angry, he would apologize to him sincerely. As long as Yan Chen could calm down and didn’t ignore him from then on, he would do anything he wanted.
“…Yan Chen’s family really owns a conglomerate. I’m not exaggerating. My childhood friend’s sister works at his company, and once passed by the executive meeting room and saw him.”
Yan Chen might be disappointed in him, but as long as it wasn’t despair, he could still try his best to make up for it. After this period of time, they already had some emotional foundation, so it shouldn’t be a complete break up once he came clean.
“…Executive meeting room? So enviable, he must’ve picked the right womb for reincarnation! But in families like that, where it’s practically like inheriting a throne, wouldn’t there be a lot of pressure growing up? Maybe even arranged marriages and stuff?”
To show sincerity, he should probably prepare a gift in advance. If he gave it to him before confessing everything, maybe it could help ease some of the anger.
“…That’s probably true. I’m not sure either. Anyway, I heard from a girl in the art department that in the two years of college, she’s never heard of Yan Chen dating anyone or seen him close with any girl.”
He just didn’t know what kind of gift Yan Chen would like.
He really wasn’t good at this sort of thing. Maybe he could ask someone close to Yan Chen. Like Dong Xi, Yang Liang, or… or… Maoqiu?
The continuous chatter behind him eventually pulled Ye Wenyu’s attention over.
Never seen Yan Chen close with any girl?
But wasn’t there a girl in their class who was particularly close to him?
Not only could she get Yan Chen to lend them their swim lane, ask him to fill in for dubbing, she even knew that he learned French because he wanted to argue with his nephew.
It felt like they either grew up together as childhood friends and had a very good relationship, or were so close that they could share even their embarrassing childhood experiences with each other.
That level of closeness…if not lovers, then what else?
So, could Maoqiu be Yan Chen’s girlfriend?
As soon as that thought popped up, Ye Wenyu was dazed for a moment, and his previously steady mood sank like a rock thrown into a well.
‘Yan Chen had a girlfriend?’
‘How could Yan Chen have a girlfriend?’
His emotions were so complicated and hard to describe, just an overwhelming sense of stuffiness.
The projection screen had already started playing the movie. The whispering in the back row had also disappeared, but because of that one speculation, his mood couldn’t settle down for a long time.
Feeling restless, he simply pulled out his phone and sent Yan Chen a message.
In the sports department dorm diagonally across from the foreign languages dorm, Yang Liang jumped up from his stool with a scream: “What the hell! It burned my eyes, damn! Get it away from me and don’t show me!”
Dong Xi was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe as he closed the video with the deafening shouting: “What do you mean ‘what the hell’, you didn’t recognize Zhen Lin’s voice?”
“Huh? Zhen Lin?” Yang Liang’s hands fell from his ears, his face blank.
Dong Xi: “Yeah, you didn’t recognize it? Come, come, lean in and I’ll play it again.”
“No no no!” Yang Liang flinched and rejected it with his life: “Don’t make me hear it a second time, and don’t make me watch it again. I’m afraid I’ll have nightmares, all about Zhen Lin’s naked ass yelling at me.”
Dong Xi slapped the phone on the table and laughed so hard he bent over.
Yang Liang’s ears turned red: “Stop laughing already. Where’d that video come from?”
“His ex-boyfriend posted it.”
Dong Xi finally calmed down, pulled out a chair and sat: “The video’s already been passed around several school groups and can no longer be suppressed. Last night’s incident already caused a big commotion, and with this video? I don’t think Zhen Lin can stay in school anymore.”
Yang Liang scratched his neck and let out a vague grunt.
Even though he knew Zhen Lin’s overly self-centered, extreme personality would eventually lead to his downfall, he hadn’t expected it to end in such an ugly way.
It wasn’t exactly pity, it was just too shocking he didn’t even know how to react.
Yan Chen came in from the balcony after his shower. Yang Liang was still pulling Dong Xi for all the juicy details about last night’s incident, shouting wow after wow like a sheltered old geezer.
Yan Chen caught a bit of it but didn’t care enough to follow. When he sat down, he saw the message from Ye Wenyu.
Ye Wenyu: [Yan Chen, do you have a girlfriend?]
