HS Chapter 46

More than half the semester had passed, and many electives had already ended. The remaining major-specific courses were sparsely scheduled, so there were long stretches of free time.

Ye Wenyu chose to spend that time in the graduate exam prep classroom, but today was an exception.

It was rare for him to be unable to concentrate while studying, but today was different because of someone. Every page he turned was filled with that person’s handwriting, and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about him.

And once he started thinking, it was like a floodgate opened and it was impossible to shut it off.

He thought of the simple breakfast this morning, the small osmanthus flower stuck in the vase on the dorm desk, the hand he hooked onto while still half-asleep, and the words Yan Chen whispered in his ear before leaving: “I’ll be back soon.”

Time started to feel full and slow, as if every moment was dragging and expanding.

Every time a new hour came, he couldn’t help but take out his phone and look, then inevitably start guessing what Yan Chen might be doing at that time.

It was nearly a two-hour car ride. He probably hadn’t arrived at his destination yet. Ye Wenyu wondered whether he’d eaten before getting on the bus, or if he had just made do with a meal on the way.

At 10:50. He should have arrived. Maybe he was listening to the teacher explain the schedule, maybe he was unpacking at the hotel, or maybe he was changing into his training uniform.

At 12:20…were they eating on time?

Judging by their usual routine, extra training was very likely. He just didn’t know if the coaches at the provincial training center were the same, always trying to squeeze every minute for practice.

At 1:30. They must have eaten by now.

But since it was only a one-day trial, they probably wouldn’t let them go back to nap, right?

Fortunately, Yan Chen was full of energy. Even if he didn’t nap, he wouldn’t be like him, who started nodding off as soon as he opened a book in the afternoon.

At 5:00, they were probably still training. Maybe by now, lots of people were collapsed by the poolside, worn out from a full day of intense practice…but Yan Chen definitely wouldn’t be one of them.

In his field, he had more stamina than anyone else.

At 7:00. Had he eaten dinner? Or were they still squeezing in extra training under the pool lights?

8:00. Maybe… maybe it was still too early to head back.

9:00. 10:00… What would he be doing? Was he swimming his last laps, or had training ended and he was eating, or maybe already on the way back to the hotel…or even already there…

Ye Wenyu really wanted to send a message to Yan Chen, but after typing and editing, deleting and rewriting, he didn’t end up sending anything.

Yan Chen wouldn’t see messages during the day, and he didn’t want him to finish an exhausting day of training only to come back and deal with a flood of texts.

It was 11:20. Lights-out had passed twenty minutes ago and the dorm was quiet.

Yang Liang, as usual, was already asleep, snoring lightly. There was a faint light coming from Dong Xi’s bed, the soft clack-clack of typing as he messaged his girlfriend.

Ye Wenyu leaned back against the headboard. He had originally been looking at a chart in the group chat for end-of-term activities, but the more he looked, the more his thoughts drifted away again.

At this hour, training must be over, right?

There was no campus curfew, so maybe they were out having a late-night snack, or just wandering around nearby for a change of scenery. Or maybe they were just too tired after a long day and collapsed into bed at the hotel to sleep…

Buzz buzz.

Two vibrations pulled his attention back to his phone.

The message pop-up at the top of the screen had just disappeared, so Ye Wenyu didn’t see the content, but he immediately noticed who it was from, Yan Chen.

His mind hadn’t caught up yet, but his hand was already eagerly opening WeChat from the background.

Yan Chen: [Asleep?]

Ye Wenyu: [Not yet. Are you done with training?]

Yan Chen: [Image]

Yan Chen: [Back at the hotel.]

Ye Wenyu opened the picture. It was a nightscape taken from a high window, bright and full of city lights.

Yan Chen: [Why didn’t anyone send me a message?]

Ye Wenyu hadn’t exited the full image yet when this message popped up.

He was puzzled for a moment, and then saw another line from Yan Chen: [I finished training, quickly ate dinner and came back to the hotel. I thought someone would be waiting anxiously, but when I checked my phone…not a single message.]

Yan Chen: [/Rain]

Ye Wenyu was stunned. He blinked at the system emoji of a small cloud with endless rain and inexplicably found it cute.

Obviously Yan Chen’s words were normal, but for some reason, all Ye Wenyu could read between the lines was a sense of grievance.

He pursed his lips and touched his ear, replying: [It’s not that. I just didn’t want to bother you while you were resting. I was waiting until you had some free time.]

“Yan-ge.” The boy sharing a room with Yan Chen called out, “Do you want to go play cards in the room next door? They have late-night snacks.”

Yan Chen was sitting at the table by the window, looking at his phone. He had just finished showering and his hair was only half-dried. “No, I’ve got something to do.”

The boy: “Ah? Alright, then you do your thing. I’m heading over.”

Yan Chen: “Mm.”

Yan Chen: [I’m free now.]

Yan Chen: [What kept you busy today? Reading?]

Ye Wenyu: [Yeah, I stayed in the classroom all day.]

Yan Chen did a quick mental calculation: [Have you finished the third section on advanced sentence structures?]

Ye Wenyu: [Not yet.]

Ye Wenyu: [I was reading really slowly today.]

This wasn’t something the top student in the Foreign Languages Department would normally say. And based on what Yan Chen knew about Ye Wenyu’s study pace, this really didn’t add up.

Yan Chen: [What’s wrong?]

Ye Wenyu: [I couldn’t focus.]

Ye Wenyu: [I kept getting distracted thinking about you.]

He typed it, finished, and sent. A plain, straightforward description of himself today now appeared in the chat window between them. Sometimes the more honest you are, the more it makes the heart itch.

The neighboring city was noisier than Xuan City, and even so, it still took a long time for Yan Chen to snap out of the daze these words put him in.

The window glass was crystal clear, with barely a speck of dust. It faintly reflected the image of the person sitting there. His clear, sharp profile and face that should’ve looked distant and cold now softened completely by the gentle curve of a smile at the corner of his lips.

Yan Chen: [Can I hear about your results?]

Ye Wenyu remembered the whole emotional arc of his day clearly. He didn’t need to think hard, he just wrote out everything, step by step, and sent it to Yan Chen. He was careful not to miss anything, like a good student giving a report to a teacher.

Yan Chen threw away his ability to read ten lines at a glance and started reading carefully from the first word, fearing that he would miss anything.

The more he read, the more pronounced the curve of his lips became. The smile hidden in his eyes spilled over uncontrollably, lively as it climbed to the corners of his eyes and the tips of his brows.

But the more he looked, the more he couldn’t help feeling greedy and regretful.

He regretted that there was no name, no status. Things were not official and the person wasn’t by his side. He couldn’t have him sit in his lap and tell him all these things face to face.

That would definitely sound a hundred times more touching than these black-and-white words.

After finishing, Ye Wenyu asked earnestly like a good student eager to learn: [So? Did I guess your actions right?]

Yan Chen: [It’s not that detailed. I only did two things.]

Ye Wenyu: [Hm?]

Ye Wenyu: [Which two?]

Yan Chen: [Training, and thinking about Wenyu.]

There was a sudden flurry of movement, but fortunately Yang Liang was not woken up.

Only Dong Xi heard something. He stuck his head out from behind the curtain and asked in a whisper, “Wenyu, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

“No, no.” Ye Wenyu scrambled to catch the phone that almost slipped off the bed, scooting inward and replying softly, “I just dropped my phone.”

Dong Xi didn’t suspect anything and gave a soft “Oh” before pulling his head back in.

Ye Wenyu pressed the back of his hand to his face. It was still hot, so he simply pressed the phone against it to cool down. Not long after, even the cold screen grew warm.

Yan Chen: [Sleepy?]

Ye Wenyu: [I can’t fall asleep.]

The moment this message was sent, Ye Wenyu quickly retracted it within two seconds.

He should have just answered “yes” or “no”. Saying it like that made it sound like he was acting coquettish…

Trying to cover it up, he resent: [No.] Hoping Yan Chen hadn’t seen the message he retracted.

But half a minute passed, and Yan Chen still hadn’t replied.

Was he in the shower? Or maybe he was too tired and fell asleep?

If he was sleeping, did he lie down properly and cover himself with a blanket? Hopefully, he wasn’t just sitting on the bed or lying on it uncovered. The nights were already cold without air conditioning. Even a strong body would catch a cold like that.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he felt. He hesitated whether to call and wake him up, but Dong Xi would hear it…he’d have to go to the balcony.

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop when a message popped up in the chat window.

It was a short video, exactly sixty seconds long.

Ye Wenyu reached under his pillow for his earphones, plugged them in, and played the video. Only half a face was in frame, and a low, smooth male voice gently flowed into his ears through the line.

Dark bed curtains, a soft wooden chair back, a loose collar, a faintly moving Adam’s apple, a smooth, beautiful jawline, and flawless lips.

The lazy night light carried a hidden undertow.

Ye Wenyu quieted his breathing. As the image filled the blank space in his mind, he quickly recognized it was the same French poem Yan Chen had read to him during the dubbing competition.

He remembered it so clearly not just because Yan Chen had read it to him over and over during practice, but also because when he first helped mark pinyin for that part, he would always get sleepy listening to the audio at that section.

He had casually mentioned it to Yan Chen. At the time, Yan Chen hadn’t reacted much. In fact, so much time had passed that even he had forgotten.

Le bélier vers la liberté (The lark longing for freedom)

Les roses qui ne veulent pas se faner (The roses unwilling to wither)

Mon petit prince préféré (My dearest little prince)

Reste toujours avec moi (Stay with me forever)

…

Gentle syllables danced on the tip of his tongue. Across the distance of a whole city, he used the most romantic language in the world to coax him to sleep.

Each word knocked against his eardrums, tracing along the veins under his skin into his chest cavity, leaping just above his heart. With every beat, the softness mixed with a touch of sourness collapsed all at once.

A barely containable urge surged up, and the place he had coveted for so long suddenly didn’t seem so alluring. Right now, he just wanted to see his eyes.

Those deep, breathtakingly beautiful eyes that, whenever they looked over, seemed to exclude the whole world and could only hold him.

The urgency was overwhelming.

After listening to the final verse, he closed his eyes and quickly sent a message to Yan Chen before putting down his phone. He pulled up the blanket and turned over to cover himself completely, hiding everything perfectly in a place where Yan Chen couldn’t see.

Ye Wenyu: [Come back soon.]

Come back soon.

I miss you.

–

During the first and second periods in the morning, Ye Wenyu counted the minutes until class ended.

Ten o’clock. He should be back by now.

He messaged Yan Chen: [Did you arrive?]

Yan Chen replied with a photo of the school’s west gate.

Ye Wenyu: [Are you going back to the dorm now?]

Yan Chen: [Not yet. We’re going to the swimming pool first.]

Ye Wenyu had found his next destination. After class, he went straight for the pool.

But before he could even enter, the training group had already finished assembling and were heading out one after another with their gear.

Dong Xi and Yang Liang didn’t go, they’d just come along to join the group. As they walked out, Yang Liang was the first to spot Ye Wenyu in the crowd and waved cheerfully: “Wenyu, class is over? Come on, let’s go back to the dorm together.”

Yan Chen was walking behind them. Ye Wenyu saw the sports bag slung over his shoulder. It looked like it held quite a lot.

Ye Wenyu waited in place for them to approach, greeted them, and then naturally lagged half a step behind Dong Xi and Yang Liang, walking beside Yan Chen.

“Did you have breakfast?” Yan Chen asked him.

Ye Wenyu nodded. “What about you?”

Yan Chen: “I had a piece of bread on the bus.”

Ye Wenyu: “Do you want to eat something more?”

Yan Chen: “No, I’ll wait for lunch.”

…

They were all ordinary, even boring exchanges. Yan Chen seemed really tired. He looked sluggish and listless, and barely even looked at him. His tone was so dull that it didn’t show any emotion, which made Ye Wenyu’s mood continue to cool down.

The reunion after a short separation didn’t bring much joy…it seemed like he was the only one looking forward to seeing the other again.

The lovely little raincloud from last night drifted over his head, and gradually, he stopped talking too.

It was the peak period between classes, and there were a lot of people coming and going. Yan Chen looked up and, seemingly unintentionally, shifted from Ye Wenyu’s left side to his right, placing him closer to the side with the greenery and away from the crowd.

Yang Liang was as dense as steel and didn’t notice anything. He kept turning back while chattering nonstop. Even though Yan Chen didn’t respond, he talked to himself with great enthusiasm.

“Yan-ge, how’s the training rhythm at the provincial center? Is it stricter than our usual training? Did you guys get used to it right away?”

“Eh, even if you’re not used to it, what can you do? You’ll have to go into closed training there later anyway. Just give it some time.”

“What about the students from other schools? Are they strong?”

“Forget it, they’re definitely not as strong as students from our school. We’re the alma mater of the last Universiade champions!”

…

He kept chattering until they reached the dorm building when suddenly, Dong Xi suggested: “Do you want to drop by 507 for a visit?”

“Huh?” Yang Liang was confused. “Why visit now?”

Dong Xi: “Come on, do good brothers need a reason to drop by each other’s rooms?”

Yang Liang: “But I was going to talk to Yan-ge and Wenyu about lunch…”

“Food can wait. We’ll discuss it later.” Dong Xi slung an arm around his neck and forcibly steered him toward room 507. “Let’s go bond with the neighbors~”

Yang Liang: “?”

Ye Wenyu was walking in front. As he took out the key to open the door, Yan Chen stood silently by his side. From Ye Wenyu’s lowered angle, all he could see was the bag Yan Chen carried.

He hadn’t said a word since his heart cooled down from the feverish excitement of last night. He pushed the door open, pulled out the key, and walked straight in, planning to wash his face on the balcony.

The door closed and the sound of a bag being casually thrown to the ground echoed at the same time. Ye Wenyu had barely taken a couple of steps before someone grabbed his waist from behind, making him stumble back.

Yan Chen gently held Ye Wenyu’s shoulders and easily turned him around. Then, like an eagle pouncing on a bird, he wrapped him tightly in an unrelenting hug.

The sudden restraint left Ye Wenyu completely stunned.

Until something warm and soft brushed his earlobe, snapping him back to awareness. Heat rushed to his head, and his heart, which had gone quiet, suddenly pounded wildly again.

“The walk from the pool to the dorm is way too long,” Yan Chen buried his head in his shoulder, like a clingy koala that couldn’t let go once it got hold of him. “I held it in the whole way.”

It was such a short sentence, but Ye Wenyu took a long time to process it. Then he raised his arms and hugged back, the corners of his lips curling up uncontrollably.

He’d held a little grudge, but Yan Chen fixed it in one second.

He missed him so badly when they were apart, and now that they were finally together again, only hugging could ease his heart. But even while hugging, it still didn’t feel enough, he was always greedy, always wanting more.

It was unknown who started it, but before he realized it, Ye Wenyu was already tilting his face up and gently kissing Yan Chen’s lips.

The latter seemed indulgent, letting him do whatever he wanted. His calloused palms slowly caressed Ye Wenyu’s cheeks, but every time Ye Wenyu tried to lower his head, he’d lightly pinch his chin, subtly stopping him from retreating.

The intimate ambiguity quickly spread through the air. With this kind of indulgence, Ye Wenyu always became insatiable. Something in his body desperately needed to be filled, and his tongue ached to pry open the entrance and go deeper.

But Yan Chen, who always spoiled him, no longer indulged in this matter.

“Be good, not yet.” Yan Chen pressed firmly against the corner of his lips, his voice hoarse but still persistent. “Only after we’re officially dating.”

With “new hatreds and old grudges” coming together, coupled with the unprecedented “dissatisfaction” at this moment, Ye Wenyu felt frustrated and aggrieved, like a child trapped in a maze who couldn’t find the exit, and his eyes were red.

He really wanted to bite Yan Chen’s lips to vent his anger, but he liked him too much and couldn’t bring himself to do it. He tried several times but couldn’t bring himself to do it. In the end, he turned his head and bit down on his neck in hatred.

Yan Chen chuckled softly and hugged him even tighter. “I have thick skin. Be careful not to hurt your teeth.”