SDVPP Chapter 56

When Rong Xu arrived downstairs, Chi Han happened to slip into the bathroom.

Even with a glass door in between, it couldn’t muffle the wailing and howling coming from the private room. Chi Han, eyes half-lidded and expressionless, stood there walking the bird.

He had just drunk too many soft drinks. While playing the game, he hadn’t felt anything, but the moment he put his phone down, the urge hit him.

“Bzzzz… bzzzz…”

Just as he finished peeing and hadn’t yet pulled up his pants, the pocket of his shirt suddenly began to vibrate. Startled, Chi Han flinched, taking a full second to realize someone was calling him.

With one hand fastening his pants, he answered the call without even checking who it was.

“Chi Han.”

A low and gloomy voice came from the other end, standing out distinctly amid the muffled music around him.

It was Rong Xu’s voice.

Chi Han: “…Uh.”

The other had merely called his name, yet it was enough to deflate the emotion he had been holding in all night.

Compared to the noise on this end, Rong Xu’s side was eerily quiet—so quiet that Chi Han could practically picture a single lamp and a lone person.

He suddenly felt a little guilty for no reason.

But very quickly, that guilt all turned into a wave of frustration.

“What are you doing?”

There was still no response from the other side. Rong Xu’s pitch-black, unreadable gaze was fixed on the neon-lit building. Just the faintest trace of sound leaking out from within was already enough to make passing pedestrians pause and glance over.

Rong Xu raised his hand and lowered the car window. In an instant, fine threads of rain drifted in. He opened his palm to catch a few drops. His fingers, already cold, now looked even paler, tinged with a bluish-white.

The driver felt the chill of the wind and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror.

There sat Rong Xu in the back seat, his appearance cold and sculptural, yet his voice carried a trace of warmth. It wasn’t until the driver met those ink-dark, chilly eyes that he snapped back to his senses.

He couldn’t help but shiver and quickly lowered his gaze.

Rong Xu looked again toward the building and said gently, “It’s raining. I came to pick you up.”

Chi Han was stunned. “You’re downstairs?”

Before the other could respond, he blurted out, “What are you doing coming out on a rainy day? You won’t be able to sleep tonight from the pain again!”

A warmth rose in Rong Xu’s chest. He said softly, “It’s fine. It’s not raining that hard.”

“If it’s not raining that hard, why’d you still come?” Chi Han didn’t have the mind to worry about all those messy thoughts anymore. He pushed open the bathroom door and hurried toward the private room’s exit. “Forget it, I’m coming down right now. Keep your legs warm, you hear me!”

As soon as he hung up, the class monitor came chasing after him. “Hey, Chi Han! Where are you going?”

Chi Han glanced at the elevator that was almost up and smiled. “Sorry, someone from my family came to pick me up. It’s getting a bit late.”

Several people who came to sing tonight had already left early. The ones who stayed till the end were usually the ones who liked to have fun.

“Don’t go yet,” the class monitor tugged at him a little with a grin, “We’re just about to sing the last song—five minutes, tops.”

Chi Han thought about it and didn’t insist on leaving. When he returned to the room, most people had already put on their coats and were standing up. Those with microphones held them, and those without just sang along.

After pulling him back, the class monitor gave someone in the room a little “go get ’em” gesture before dashing over to snatch the mic.

The girl who had first dragged Chi Han up to sing glanced gratefully at the class monitor, took a deep breath, and walked over to Chi Han’s side.

She had already developed a liking for him during dinner. After sitting next to him for a while earlier, she liked him even more. After all, guys who looked this clean and good these days were really rare.

Since she’d met one, of course, she had to seize the chance!

While Chi Han was soullessly singing along with the chorus, a soft, shy voice suddenly came from beside him: “Chi Han…”

Chi Han looked down, confused, and gave a small nod—then continued singing along.

Why was this song so long? It had to be at least six minutes already!

The girl bit her lower lip. Finally, before the song ended, she raised her phone. On the screen was a QR code with a pastel pink profile picture.

Her cheeks were flushed red as she stammered, “Um… can I add you on WeChat? I just… wanted to be friends, if that’s okay…”

Her shyness and nerves were painfully obvious—even the hand holding the phone was trembling slightly.

Only then did Chi Han realize what she meant. His eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard. He struggled for a long moment to find the right words to turn her down—she was so young and soft-looking.

Just then, Rong Xu’s call came through.

Chi Han blanked out and instinctively picked up.

The girl was still waiting for his answer, and as Chi Han’s lips twitched, the words he’d been spinning in his head all night suddenly slipped out of his mouth: “Sorry, I can’t add you… because… I already have someone.”

Girl: “!”

Rong Xu: “…………”

Chi Han: “…………”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chi Han wanted to bite his own tongue off. The hand holding his phone felt as if it had been electrocuted—so numb he could barely keep his grip.

The pink flush on the girl’s face faded a little. She looked away awkwardly, eyes now slightly misty. “Then… is the person calling you right now your partner?”

Chi Han avoided her gaze and, bracing himself, gave a stiff nod. “Yeah… that’s my partner.”

As for how Rong Xu would react on the other end of the line, he didn’t dare think about it at all.

In fact, right after that moment of mental short-circuit when he blurted out those words, aside from the initial panic, what followed was a vague sense of anticipation he didn’t quite understand himself.

As for what exactly he was expecting… he clutched his chest and dared not make a sound.

It wasn’t until Rong Xu calmly asked him how long it would take to come downstairs that Chi Han’s heart slowly sank back to earth.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether he was feeling disappointed… or something else.

Chi Han gave a dull “I’ll be right down” and pretended to sound relaxed as he hung up the phone.

Seeing that, the girl could only leave with a disappointed look. A few of her girlfriends came over and gave her comforting hugs.

As the song ended, the lights in the private room came on, and everyone started picking up their bags and heading out.

Chi Han followed the crowd into the elevator. The moment they stepped outside, a sudden gust of cold wind swept away the warmth. Quite a few people couldn’t help but rub their arms and exclaim, “Ah—it’s raining!”

After coming to this world, Chi Han’s physical constitution had plummeted. No amount of gym workouts or running helped. He sneezed right away.

Song Yao zipped up her coat, glanced at Chi Han, and teased, “You’re way too skinny. Is Rong Xu really okay letting you come out alone like this?”

Chi Han froze. “What?”

As they were speaking, a black sedan came to a stop in the steadily intensifying rain. The window rolled down, revealing a refined, cool-toned face.

Through the hazy curtain of rain and mist, the sharpness of those brows and eyes was softened, appearing light and ethereal, like a painting.

All the girls present were momentarily drawn in, unable to help themselves. Especially the girls from No. 2 High School, who had never seen Rong Xu before, their eyes lit up.

A living 2D character!

How could someone be this good-looking?!

Though Chi Han was also very handsome, at this age, girls were often more drawn to that naturally aloof and elegant aura.

After all, who hadn’t read a couple of CEO romance novels?

The driver dutifully got out and opened the car door on the other side. Only after Chi Han got in did he return to the driver’s seat.

Chi Han fastened his seatbelt and was just about to help Rong Xu adjust the blanket on his legs when he heard a familiar, indifferent voice from above.

Except this time, it wasn’t directed at him.

“Song Yao, want me to give you a ride?”

Chi Han, mid-bend, froze in place. A cold wave surged through him, almost engulfing him whole. Every nerve responsible for controlling his body seemed to shut down all at once.

He could only look up blankly at Rong Xu’s side profile, only to realize he wasn’t reflected in even the slightest flicker of the other’s gaze.

Chi Han’s mind went completely blank. All the chaotic thoughts swirling around finally condensed into a single conclusion.

Rong Xu… came tonight specifically to pick up Song Yao?

The moment that thought took root, it settled firmly in his chest, draining every ounce of strength from him.

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