HS Chapter 43

One sentence stirred up a brief uproar.

The onlookers eating melons managed to pull out a whole building’s worth of question marks in just three minutes, but three minutes later, the boiling water cooled down amid the chorus of doubt:

[Are you Yan Chen? I don’t believe it, unless you show a photo of your chest as proof.]

[Who uses their real name as a forum ID? How is that different from me saying I’m Xuancheng’s Daniel Wu?]

[The moment I saw it, I knew it was fake. I just can’t believe so many people believed it. I’m speechless.]

[Exactly, it’s so fake. You all just want drama and to pretend to be the real person to fool us? Fine, I don’t mind the fun.]

[@Yan Chen Boss! Boss! Are you chasing Ye Wenyu? What a coincidence, me too, hihi.]

[Same here. Check out my ID, nineteen-year-old Jet Li is my real name /thumbs up/ thumbs up]

[You all are? Then me too.]

[Then let me join the fun too. I want to chase Wenyu too, but I’ve never dated anyone before. Any tips?]

[Wanting recognition isn’t hard, right? The key is to be shameless. There’s no difficult task in this world, except being thin-skinned.]

[Wenyu has good grades and loves to study. Cater to his interests like getting first place on an exam, he’ll definitely notice you.]

[Send flowers. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, no one can resist the charm of fresh flowers. If one doesn’t work, send ten. If ten don’t work, send a hundred. It’ll definitely work like magic.]

[My advice is to make your presence known. Show up in front of Wenyu every day at the same time and place. Once he’s used to it, just suddenly stop going. If he feels uncomfortable with the change, you’re halfway to success.]

[You’re all talking nonsense. Sincerity is the strongest weapon. As long as you treat him with all your heart and soul, even a stone man will be conquered over time]

[Wuuu, I’ve learned something today, fam. I’m going to ask for the schedule of the Foreign Languages Department right now.]

…

The topic of discussion was running off in a strange direction at lightning speed.

Just when the debate was at its most heated, the thread refreshed…and disappeared.

Gone?

Another refresh, a giant red warning:

This post has been deleted.

“？”

“？”

“？”

At the stroke of noon, everyone was completely confused.

Dorm 508.

“OK, all done!” Dong Xi sent one last message, then said to Yan Chen, “The junior said he already contacted a friend who’s a forum admin to help delete the thread, so we can rest assured.”

Yan Chen nodded, refreshed the page, and sure enough, the once-blazing-hot thread was gone.

“Thanks,” he said, logging off the forum. “I’ll treat you guys to a meal next time.”

Dong Xi: “No need, it’s nothing. But Yan-ge, I have to say this, although the post is gone, it doesn’t guarantee no one took a screenshot or made notes. What if they actually use those methods to find Ye Wenyu…”

“It’s pointless,” Yan Chen interrupted.

Dong Xi: “Huh?”

Yan Chen: “Those methods don’t work on Wenyu.”

“I see,” Dong Xi said. “Then why did you want the post deleted?”

Yan Chen sneered with a blank face: “It annoyed me.”

Even if it was all pointless, it still felt like a half-joking, half-serious way of expressing their covetous thoughts about Ye Wenyu.

It was annoying to look at.

–

Ye Wenyu didn’t check the forum, but he still heard about the heated war of words that had broken out during the day.

Of course, all thanks to his former roommate, Xiao Chi, the all-knowing figure.

“You have no idea, Wenyu. That guy used Yan Chen’s name as an ID and said all seriously that he was chasing you. I was so scared that I almost thought he was the real person!”

“Seriously, he even mimicked his tone to perfection. I regret not taking a screenshot, or I’d show you!”

Chi Dongting told the story with dramatic flair, completely unaware of the strange, inexplicable look on the face of his only audience.

“Luckily, I was sharp. I immediately realized he was a fake before I got fooled. How could the real Yan Chen say something like that?”

“It’s true that there are scammers all over the internet these days. You’ve never really dealt with the outside world, Wenyu, so you must… hey, Wenyu, where are you going? Class isn’t over yet!”

It was now 8:20 p.m., ten minutes before class officially ended. But the teacher had left ten minutes ago for an emergency meeting, leaving them to self-study for the rest of the time.

Ye Wenyu: “I just remembered there’s an important file I didn’t save on my computer. I have to go check it.”

There was no physical training tonight. Dong Xi had gone out early on a date with his girlfriend, so only Yang Liang and Yan Chen were left in the dorm.

When Ye Wenyu returned, Yang Liang was wearing headphones and having a passionate battle with friends in the canyon. He glanced over and didn’t see Yan Chen, only noticed the balcony light was on.

He closed the door and walked over, hearing the sound of water trickling from the bathroom.

Yan Chen showered quickly. His hair was half-dried when he pulled the door open, and the hot and cold air clashed at the entrance.

He tossed his clothes into the washing machine, pulled down the towel from his shoulder to hang it up, and only then noticed Ye Wenyu leaning on the railing, head down.

“Why aren’t you staying inside the dorm? What are you doing out here in the wind?”

He hung up the towel, then gently pulled Ye Wenyu’s face out from the crook of his arm with practiced ease: “What if you catch a cold?”

Ye Wenyu had planned to wait for Yan Chen to come out, but ended up dozing off without realizing. Now that he was suddenly woken up, he was still a bit dazed, and most of the weight of his head was pressing into Yan Chen’s palm.

Yan Chen chuckled at the sight and playfully scratched his chin.

Suddenly, Yang Liang’s shout came from inside the dorm, “Brother, watch out!” with such booming energy that it startled Ye Wenyu awake. He blinked twice, then awkwardly moved his head away.

“You’re done showering,” he said.

Yan Chen responded to the obvious with an “mm” and added, “Yeah, I’m done.” He didn’t go back inside right away but casually leaned against the railing, looking at him. “Were you waiting for me?”

Ye Wenyu nodded.

Yan Chen: “What were you waiting for?”

“I wanted to ask you something.” Ye Wenyu circled around the topic: “Do you have a forum account?”

Yan Chen instantly understood what he meant. To save him the trouble of phrasing the question, he confessed directly: “It was not an impersonation. It was me who made that reply.”

The words were straight to the point and Ye Wenyu was stunned, unsure how to respond.

After a while, he finally found his voice again: “Why did you reply like that?”

“Because it’s the truth.”

Ye Wenyu looked out past the railing. Yan Chen turned his head, trying to read his expression under the not-so-bright balcony light overhead: “Wenyu, do you feel embarrassed when I say I’m chasing you?”

“Of course not.” Hearing the faint disappointment in Yan Chen’s tone, Ye Wenyu frowned slightly and denied it almost reflexively: “Why would I be embarrassed? I just think it might affect how others see you, and that’s not good for you.”

If he had paid closer attention at this moment, he would’ve realized that Yan Chen’s so-called disappointment was all very superficial. Unfortunately, he was too easily fooled by a certain someone’s fake pitiful act.

“It won’t,” Yan Chen smiled. “Besides, except for you, anyone else’s opinion has nothing to do with me.”

He rarely smiled, but every single time he did, Ye Wenyu couldn’t handle it. The moment the corners of his lips lifted, Ye Wenyu’s face was already flushed red.

“You don’t have to chase me.”

Ye Wenyu averted his gaze like he was trying to escape, but after just two seconds, he couldn’t help turning back because he kept thinking about him: “Clearly, the moment you say it, I’ll agree.”

Yan Chen didn’t say anything, just narrowed his eyes lazily and looked at him quietly, letting the night breeze pass over them.

Just as Ye Wenyu couldn’t bear it anymore and was about to escape back to the dorm, Yan Chen’s low and lazy voice drifted into his ears with the wind: “Do you want to kiss?”

Ye Wenyu froze for a second, and his eyes instinctively looked at his lips.

The reflex was too obvious. Once Ye Wenyu came to his senses, the warmth that had barely faded from his face ignited again.

“Why, why are you so…” He felt tongue tied, and the words came out choppy: “Didn’t you reject my confession?”

“But this is your request.” Yan Chen said, “I told you, as long as it’s something you want, no matter what it is, I’ll agree.”

He lowered his head slightly and looked into his eyes: “So, do you want a kiss?”

Ye Wenyu felt something wasn’t right.

But the temptation in front of him was too strong, clogging every neural pathway that allowed for normal thought.

Moonlight, tree shadows, night wind, lamplight… and Yan Chen’s breath.

Being bewitched was almost inevitable, and Ye Wenyu quickly lost in the silent tug-of-war.

His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. Finally, he tilted his face up and carefully leaned in. Yan Chen still looked at him calmly, with no intention of dodging, which in itself was a kind of silent encouragement.

With an almost devout feeling, Ye Wenyu’s breath trembled as he gently touched the lips.

Of course, this couldn’t count as their first kiss. But compared to the chaos of last time, everything this time felt especially pure.

He clearly felt the temperature of Yan Chen’s lips. It was not high, and almost cool under the influence of the night breeze, but Ye Wenyu still felt a burning heat.

It wasn’t just burning his lips, it scorched his blood, his brain, and every nerve in his body.

Even his fingertips started to tremble. His kiss was like a dragonfly skimming the water, just a brief touch before he quickly pulled back. He looked up and met Yan Chen’s deep gaze in a panic, but the heat immediately rushed to his brain, sending a strong and singular repeated command:

—Not enough.

—Closer.

Yang Liang seemed to be winning his game. He cheered loudly, clapping and slapping the table, making noise all on his own like a monkey.

But when it reached Ye Wenyu, it was all blocked out by some invisible barrier.

When Yan Chen lowered his head and gently brushed against the tip of his nose, Ye Wenyu couldn’t take it anymore and raised his head again and kissed him.

His desire was a bottomless pit. He never knew that he was such an insatiable person, never satisfied, and always coveting more.

The feeling of their lips touching was addictive. He was like a cat left alone at home for several nights, and now that the owner had finally returned, couldn’t resist rubbing rubbing against their face again and again, wanting to get closer and closer, and wishing all his scent would stay on his owner.

Yan Chen had just changed into his pajamas, and one shoulder was already wrinkled from how tightly Ye Wenyu was clutching it.

But for some reason, although Yan Chen responded gently, he never let things get more intimate.

Ye Wenyu’s breathing grew more and more intense, but he could never break past that barrier. The frustration was impossible to put into words, but it was shown clearly in his actions and gaze.

The veins at Yan Chen’s temple stood out. When Ye Wenyu once again clumsily brushed against his lips, he closed his eyes, turned his head and kissed the corner of Ye Wenyu’s mouth hard, then moved to his earlobe, hiding the storm in his eyes behind the change in angle.

“This is as far as it goes,” Yan Chen said, his warm breath spraying and making Ye Wenyu shrink his shoulders, “until I catch you.”

Ye Wenyu looked past Yan Chen’s shoulder and stared blankly at the air behind him. If it weren’t for the lingering numbness on his lips, he would’ve thought everything just now was a hallucination.

After the blankness, a mess of emotions surged into his chest; confusion, puzzlement, disappointment, emptiness, grievance…they all mixed into a ball of resentment that blocked his chest.

He was a little angry and felt bullied, but he still couldn’t bring himself to push the person away.

“Fuck, I just saw the screenshot, did you guys see it? Someone’s spreading a rumor that Yan-ge is chasing Wenyu. I was so scared my heart almost stopped…”

The voice stopped abruptly with the sound of the door opening.

Yang Liang stood there holding his phone, stunned.

Yan Chen calmly let go of Ye Wenyu and looked at Yang Liang: “It’s not a rumor. I really…”

“No.” Ye Wenyu cut him off. He stood there with a cold, indifferent look, but his tone was so serious it was like he was explaining why sentence structure works a certain way: “I confessed first.”

But only he himself knew how much of it was due to anger.

Yan Chen’s eyes shifted slightly and he turned to look at him.

Yang Liang: “…”

Yang Liang swallowed hard. “What kind of play are you two playing?”