DSYOM Chapter 60

The celebration party had been postponed for a few months.

At that time, Wen Di had already completed his thesis proposal, while Yu Jingyi was troubled about how to make a choice. She contacted her advisor at Cambridge and was told that if she completed the procedures for re-enrollment, she could try applying for the domestic CSC[footnote]CSC: China Scholarship Council.[/footnote] scholarship. Coupled with the salary from a teaching assistant position, it should be enough to cover her living expenses. But she also found a project in Switzerland that had funding, with a higher monthly salary. The advisor there was happy to accept her. Since she had already completed part of the coursework at Cambridge, some credit requirements could be waived, so she wouldn’t need to start over.

Having moved on from preparing for civil service exams and frantically attending classes, Yu Jingyi’s complexion appeared much brighter than usual.

After much thought, Wen Di decided to combine the celebration party and the housewarming party together. Instead of going to a restaurant, he planned to have a casual meal at the apartment to commemorate the end of their ‘illegal tenancy’ years.

The gathering took place in 301. Apart from the third-floor residents, the attendees were You Jun, Song Yuchi, and his jellyfish partner.[footnote]aka Jiang Nanze[/footnote] Looking at the lineup, Wen Di couldn’t help but feel it resembled a belated small wedding banquet.

As soon as Song Yuchi entered the door, he began showing off pictures of his cat. Pointing to a photo of a black-faced Siamese, he said, “It looks like me ba,” as if this were the love child between him and his partner.

Bian Cheng, who didn’t believe in interspecies resemblance, asked, “Where do you see that?”

Song Yuchi pointed at the cat and said, “Look at this little black face. Doesn’t it look like a coal miner?”

The energy and power engineering major was often jokingly called ‘boiler operators’. Looking at the cat with a face full of affection, Song Yuchi added, “She’s the coal miner, and I’m the coal burner. Doesn’t that make us a natural family?”

Wen Di was very jealous when he saw the photo. He also wanted to keep a cat, but with Bian Cheng’s level of cleanliness, it was impossible to tolerate cat fur scattered all over the house.

As soon as Jiang Nanze entered, he heard the sound of a cartoon coming from Jiang Yu’s room. He shuddered and exclaimed, ‘Thomas the Tank Engine!’ before running over, sitting cross-legged, and joining Jiang Yu in raising his hand along with the train whistle, mimicking the ‘woo-woo’ sound.

“I like Thomas,” Jiang Yu said.

“Good taste,” Jiang Nanze praised. “I like him too.”

“Stop chatting,” Wen Di tapped the spatula on the gas stove, “come over and serve the rice.”

Steam billowed out from the rice cooker. Bian Cheng, holding a rice scoop, opened the lid and heard Song Yuchi marveling beside him, “What a beautiful fluid.”

Holding his phone, Song Yuchi turned on the flashlight and shone it on the white steam, speaking to Jiang Nanze, “Look, look.”

“I bought this pot for eighty yuan.” Wen Di said.

Song Yuchi continued marveling, “What a beautiful fluid.”

The rice was served, and the seven of them sat down at the table, toasting to celebrate the newlyweds of the two couples who had been married for nearly six years, as well as Yu Jingyi’s return to the ivory tower. Jiang Yu followed their lead, raising his glass to drink his beverage. Holding his bowl, he ate seriously while listening to them talk about things he didn’t understand.

“This is great,” You Jun put down the cup and sighed at Wen Di, “The last time I saw you looking so radiant was during the short semester.”

The words ‘short semester’ struck Wen Di like a bolt of lightning, instantly jolting him. He quickly thought about how to skip this historical stain without leaving a trace but it was too late. The two other old classmates had already realized the significance of this topic, their eyes gleaming with a light that made Wen Di’s heart tremble.

“Professor Bian,” You Jun said, slowly taking out her phone, “have you seen our short semester videos?”

“No,” Bian Cheng replied

Wen Di immediately brought up some of You Jun’s other feats, trying to change the subject. “I could already tell back then that you were destined for great things. You only slept five hours a day. Besides the short semester, you even went to…”

“That’s not important,” You Jun waved her hand and continued explaining the context to Bian Cheng. “During our freshman short semester, we staged a Shakespeare play. The entire class performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a stage production. I still have the video from that time…”

Wen Di reached out to snatch You Jun’s phone: “Nothing to see…”

“You’re just trying to cover up something and it only makes it more obvious,” Yu Jingyi reminded him.

Wen Di turned his head, despairing as he saw Bian Cheng staring at You Jun’s phone with an expectant look. He[footnote]Refers to Bian Cheng[/footnote] even asked, “What role did you play?”

“Don’t you hate Shakespeare?”

“If you’re in it, I like it. Which role are you?”

To see his dark history, Bian Cheng could even say something so nonsensical! “I don’t want you watching it while nitpicking the logic of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“I won’t. Which character were you?”

Yu Jingyi answered for Wen Di: “He played Titania.”

Bian Cheng shifted his gaze back to Wen Di. To Wen Di’s horror, Bian Cheng’s expression was just as eager and amused as his two old classmates’. “Titania is a fairy.”

“She’s a very profound character, symbolizing nature, power, and mystery.”

“She’s a fairy.”

“Her storyline showcases Shakespeare’s deep insights into humanity, love, and fantasy.”

“She’s a fairy.”

“Stop saying those two words!”

You Jun had already pressed play. As the graceful and soothing background music began, Wen Di entered wearing a bright white gauze dress. The people at the dining table who hadn’t seen the video before gasped in amazement, craning their necks to admire his shiny wig. Jiang Nanze even raised his phone to record the screen.

In the video, Wen Di wore a light blue, flowing long dress embroidered with vines. His long wig was braided and coiled on top of his head, adorned with a crown woven from daisies and leaves. Perhaps due to the foundation on his face, his skin appeared radiant, and paired with the flower crown and dress, he looked both gentle and elegant.

“Is this the director group’s bad taste?” Jiang Nanze asked while recording, “I think I kind of get it now.”

You Jun shook her head. “Keep watching. I was very professional with the casting.”

The scene shifted to the next act. Titania had been enchanted with a magical potion, destined to fall in love with the first person she saw upon opening her eyes. Then, Nick Bottom entered, his head transformed into that of a donkey by a spell.

Wearing the long dress, Wen Di opened his eyes, saw the donkey-headed man before him, and suddenly placed his hands over his chest, loudly declaring: “My ears are captivated by your singing, my eyes bewitched by your appearance. From the moment we first met, your beauty has compelled me not only to speak of my love but to swear it as well!”

It was so touching and sincere.

“See,” You Jun remarked, “this is the effect only achieved through natural talent. Sam is the best method actor I’ve ever met.”

“As expected of him.” Jiang Nanze commented.

“Soulful acting.” Song Yuchi commented.

“You are so beautiful.” Bian Cheng commented.

Wen Di angrily slammed the phone screen down and glared at Bian Cheng fiercely: “This is sacrificing the individual for the collective.”

“You’re so beautiful.”

“You’re such a pervert.”

Except for Wen Di, everyone was watching fascinatedly, and the atmosphere around the table was filled with joy. At the end of the video, all the actors of English major class 2 came out hand in hand and bowed to the professors in the audience.

Though the actors stumbled over their lines, making frequent mistakes, and although the costumes and props were simple, the youthful vigor and vitality still moved the few people present.

“Those days were so sunny,” Yu Jingyi said, “so full of life.”

Everyone sighed simultaneously. While university had academic pressures and credit requirements, compared to the pressures of making a living after graduation, college was still the most colorful and carefree time in life.

They began reminiscing about their college days. You Jun and Song Yuchi talked about stage play rehearsals, Yu Jingyi mentioned the maple leaves on Dou Mountain, Wen Di brought up the hotpot near the northeast gate, and Jiang Nanze recalled jellyfish stings.

Then Bian Cheng brought up international academic conferences.

Everyone at the table turned their gaze towards him.

“Didn’t your university life have anything beautiful?” Wen Di asked in despair. “Traveling with friends? Parties? Drinking?”

“I was only thirteen or fourteen then. I couldn’t drink.”

Song Yuchi leaned closer to Jiang Nanze and whispered, “Let’s kick this guy out. He’s not one of us.”

Wen Di was awakened by these words and suddenly enlightened. He joined the team that persecuted the professor: “You’re the only one here who graduated with a PhD smoothly.”

The three people across the table nodded in unison.

Song Yuchi leaned back, draping his arm over the chair, and sighed wistfully, “If I could go back to my undergraduate days, if it were all possible again, even if my parents beat me to death, I would not pursue a Ph.D..”

Jiang Nanze, poking at the shrimp in his bowl, said, “If I had started taking content creation seriously in university, I’d already be in the top 100 by now.”

Then he turned to Wen Di. “You’d definitely want to go back to when you were filling out your college applications. You’d choose another university and pick something like electronics and information engineering.”

“No,” Wen Di said.

Bian Cheng was slightly surprised. In his understanding, Wen Di’s choice of major had always been a lifelong regret.

Resting his chin on his hand, Wen Di’s gaze seemed lost in a distant dream. “I’d want to go back to elementary school.”

“Missing your childhood?” Song Yuchi teased.

Wen Di shook his head. “At that time, I still believed I was the protagonist,” he said with a smile.

At that time, he believed he was the center of all people and events, believing the world existed just for him.

He would imagine himself being interviewed by journalists, envisioning himself commanding a conference room.

He didn’t know when it started, but he suddenly lost the confidence to see himself as the main character. He realized he was just one of the ordinary people, and those scenes with flowers and stars surrounding the moon ultimately belonged to others.

When the gathering ended, Bian Cheng carried the plates to the kitchen, and water flowed from the edges of the stacked soup bowls, creating a small fountain.

Jiang Yu was wiping the table with a cloth, while Wen Di propped up the cutting board and scrubbed the knives.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go?” Bian Cheng suddenly asked during the busy break in the kitchen.

“Ah…” Wen Di quickly thought for a moment. “Grasslands? I’ve always wanted to go to Inner Mongolia, but I’ve never had the chance.”

“Then let’s go,” Bian Cheng said.

Wen Di turned around, holding a kitchen knife with the corpse of a tomato on it: “What?”

“Remember Las Vegas?” Bian Cheng asked. “Sometimes, you need to step away from reality to achieve certain things.”

Wen Di was a bit confused. “Like what?”

“Pretend you’re the protagonist of the world.”

 

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The author has something to say:
Only one more chapter left! Finished!
I guess everyone can guess what the next chapter is going to be about, haha.

T/N: Apparently this is from the Tempest but I cannot find anything about it.