WP Chapter 49

When Si Shaorong woke up and saw that the space beside his pillow was empty, he sat there in a daze for a moment before calling out in a hoarse voice, “Yibai?”

No one answered.

Then he remembered the nickname they had used so intimately the night before and broke into a smile. He called again, this time with a grin, “Teacher Jiang?”

He had just called out twice when the master bedroom door suddenly swung open. Jiang Yibai stood there, face red, speaking in a hurried whisper. “What are you yelling for?”

Si Shaorong beamed. He was completely naked, and as he got up from the bed, he teased, “Teacher Jiang, why are you up so early?”

Jiang Yibai rushed over and closed the door, pressing a pile of clothes against his boyfriend’s face. “Shut it. There’s a student in the house!”

Si Shaorong froze, then glanced at the time. “Didn’t school already start for everyone?”

“Sun Chen’s school hasn’t officially started yet. They’re doing registration this week,” Jiang Yibai muttered as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Those two are seriously giving me a headache.”

Si Shaorong pulled on a T-shirt and reached out to hug him, hands itching for contact. “Two? Who’s the other one?”

“Chen Yi! Who else?” Jiang Yibai’s voice rose again, full of irritation. “Seriously, students should be focused on studying!”

Si Shaorong made a confused noise in reply.

Jiang Yibai went on. “Sun Chen even got in with a high score. School hasn’t even started yet and already—ugh. Kids these days.”

Si Shaorong remembered what Sun Chen had said the other day, and the pieces started to come together. He stared at him, surprised. “You mean him and Chen Yi? That can’t be right.”

“How should I know what got into that kid’s head?” Jiang Yibai frowned and grabbed Si Shaorong’s hand, genuinely troubled. “Do you think I messed up somewhere? Have I been a bad influence on them? How am I supposed to fix this?”

Si Shaorong quickly pulled him into his arms and rubbed his back. “Stop overthinking it. Just talk to them properly. Sun Chen’s a top student, after all. He knows what he’s doing.”

“He doesn’t know shit,” Jiang Yibai muttered, completely exasperated. “Get dressed and come out with me. If I can’t handle this, I’m making you do it.”

Si Shaorong gave his boyfriend a quick kiss and gently soothed him, telling him not to get worked up. Then he put on his pants and followed him out of the bedroom.

As soon as they stepped outside, the two of them instinctively kept a little distance between them. Jiang Yibai had even stuck a bandage over the marks on his neck, and now sat down with full righteous authority. He slapped the table and said, “Let’s continue this conversation.”

Sun Chen was slouched in the beanbag chair across from him, his backpack tossed on the floor. His gaze moved from Si Shaorong to Jiang Yibai, then over to Chen Yi. He curled his lip. “Teacher Jiang, it makes sense when my old man tells me I shouldn’t be dating, but why do you care?”

Chen Yi jumped in immediately. “You’re supposed to be a top student. Don’t you know that saying—‘Once a teacher, always a father’?”

Sun Chen cracked a sheepish smile and scooted a little closer to him. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. But I never officially made him my teacher, did I?”

“Then why the hell do you keep calling him ‘Teacher Jiang’? Just for the thrill?”

Sun Chen had no comeback.

Normally his mouth was sharp enough to reduce Sun Ying to tears, but now he had finally met his match and could only shut up.

Chen Yi was thrilled. The more Sun Chen disliked him, the faster he would leave him alone. Arms crossed, he leaned back lazily and said to Jiang Yibai, “What’s the uncle doing here? Got something to say too? Oh, right, you’re a successful man. Sun Chen, you better listen to what a real adult has to say.”

Sun Chen blinked and grinned. “I am listening. I’m only here because I took Uncle Si’s advice and decided to pursue him.”

Chen Yi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even Jiang Yibai looked stunned.

Si Shaorong’s face flushed with embarrassment. “All I did was make a suggestion.”

“And I listened,” Sun Chen said seriously, nodding his head.

Si Shaorong: “…”

Now he fully understood why Jiang Yibai was so stressed out. Dealing with kids like this meant you had to be ten times more careful. You couldn’t just say whatever came to mind.

Jiang Yibai waved his hand, cutting them off. “Enough. Let’s stay on topic. Sun Chen, I don’t know what’s going through your head, but Chen Yi already said he’s not interested. You can’t just keep bothering him. You’re a top scorer who got into an elite school. How are you not getting this?”

“He and I are astrologically compatible,” Sun Chen said, fiddling with his fingers. “I think he’s interesting. Every time I talk to him, it’s way more fun than talking to anyone else.”

He paused, then added, “The girls in our class aren’t even as good-looking as him.”

Chen Yi shot to his feet, ready to fight. Jiang Yibai had to jump in and hold him back.

“Enough!” Jiang Yibai barked. “Listen to yourself. Do you ever stop to think about what the other person wants?”

Sun Chen hesitated for a moment, then looked at Chen Yi. “Uncle Si said if you reject me, I can just keep chasing you. I have the right to pursue whoever I want.”

Chen Yi instantly cursed and turned to glare at Si Shaorong. “What kind of bullshit are you teaching him? You think this is some goddamn romance novel?”

Si Shaorong: “…”

Jiang Yibai quickly stepped in to defend his boyfriend. “Sun Chen! Don’t twist what your Uncle Si meant. You have the right to pursue someone, and they have the right to reject you.”

Chen Yi scoffed. “You hear that? Was that clear enough for you? I don’t care why you like me. I don’t like you. The moment we walk out that door, we’re strangers. Got it?”

Sun Chen gritted his teeth. “Then what would it take for you to like me?”

Chen Yi snapped. “Nothing! There’s nothing you can do! Are you fucking crazy?”

Sun Chen jumped up too. “Yeah, maybe I am crazy! But if you don’t like me, then why lead me on? Why say yes when I asked you out? And why the hell did you touch me?”

Jiang Yibai: “…”

Si Shaorong: “…”

Chen Yi’s face turned bright red. The fire drained from him in an instant, and he mumbled under his breath, “I… I didn’t mean to.”

Jiang Yibai was so angry he had a headache. He pointed at them both. “You’re students. You should be studying and paying attention in class. If you want to date, fine, but come back when all your hair’s grown in.”

Chen Yi muttered, “It has.”

Jiang Yibai gave him a sharp look.

“I can date whoever I want, whenever I want. Just not him. Old Jiang, you’re overstepping. You want to stand there and pretend you didn’t date in high school?”

Jiang Yibai: “…”

Si Shaorong remembered all the boyfriends Jiang Yibai had told him about and said nothing.

Sun Chen chimed in. “Yeah. Uncle Si, can you say with a straight face that you never dated in high school?”

Si Shaorong slowly sat up straight, squared his shoulders, and replied with absolute righteousness, “I didn’t.”

Everyone fell silent.

Sun Chen looked mild and easygoing, but he was just as stubborn as Chen Yi. Once he made up his mind about something, no one could change it unless he wanted to change it himself.

Chen Yi, on the other hand, just liked to argue with everyone. The more you told him no, the more determined he was to do it anyway. It was pure childish defiance.

Jiang Yibai’s lecture, of course, had no effect. Neither of them was listening.

Sun Chen checked the time and said, “I’ve got to go.”

Chen Yi was already getting ready to leave. Sun Chen let him go first, then followed behind him out the door.

They left the apartment complex one after the other. Chen Yi was still fuming. Just looking at Sun Chen made him want to explode. He would have gladly stuffed him in a sack and beat him in a back alley.

What happened a few days ago had just been a stupid misunderstanding, but now he didn’t even want to explain. He was pissed off. His hands stayed buried in his pockets, shoulders hunched, jaw clenched tight as he stormed ahead without looking back.

Sun Chen called out from behind, but Chen Yi ignored him. He only caught the words “Someone’s in front” a second too late and crashed right into the man ahead.

The man was dressed in a sharply tailored suit, every hair slicked back neatly to reveal a smooth, prominent forehead. He looked like some kind of corporate elite.

He pushed up the glasses on his nose and said with clear annoyance, “Watch where you’re going.”

Chen Yi muttered a low “Sorry,” and tried to step around him. But the man seemed to recognize him. He reached out and blocked his way. “Hey? Chen Yi? Is that you?”

Chen Yi stopped and looked up. “Who the hell are you?”

Sun Chen caught up and tugged Chen Yi back a step, eyes fixed warily on the man in front of them.

Sun Chen was tall, nearly eye-level with both Jiang Yibai and Si Shaorong. It looked like he still had more room to grow. Compared to him, the man was just slightly shorter. He adjusted his glasses habitually and smiled. “Young Master Chen, I’m a business associate of your father’s. We had dinner together not long ago, remember?”

As he spoke, he took out a business card and offered it with both hands.

Chen Yi had never paid attention to that kind of thing. He glanced at the card but didn’t take it. Sun Chen took it instead and read it slowly. “Medical equipment… sales manager… Zheng Yu?”

Zheng Yu straightened his back. “That’s me.”

Sun Chen saw that Chen Yi didn’t care and handed the card back, then turned to pull him away.

Chen Yi shook off his hand. “Let go.”

Sun Chen didn’t get angry. “Let’s grab lunch.”

“Lunch my ass,” Chen Yi snapped. “Get lost, now. Or I’ll have my dad transfer me to another school.”

“You just got in and now you want to transfer?” Sun Chen finally lost his temper. He stared at him. “You got into a good school for once. Take it seriously. You think your parents are going to protect you for the rest of your life?”

“None of your fucking business,” Chen Yi shoved him hard. “If it comes to that, I’ll go to a tech school. I’ll learn how to cook, or fix cars. So what?!”

Sun Chen clicked his tongue, gave him a vicious glare, grabbed his bag, and stormed off.

Chen Yi pressed his lips together. Watching Sun Chen leave like that left an odd heaviness in his chest. He muttered something under his breath and was just about to cross the street when the man from earlier caught up to him again.

“Young Master Chen,” said Zheng Yu, still smiling harmlessly. He stepped into his path, casting a shadow across the sidewalk. With his back to the direction Sun Chen had gone, he said, “If you’re free, how about lunch? Just to be polite?”

“No,” Chen Yi said bluntly, not even slowing down.

Zheng Yu followed. He pushed up his glasses. “Whatever you want to eat, it’s my treat. After lunch, we can go buy you something. It’s the start of a new semester, right? I’ll get you some school supplies, sound good?”

Chen Yi let out a laugh.

Zheng Yu’s smile twitched, but he kept following. “Your father’s done a lot for our business. Since I ran into you, I can’t just walk away. I’m the elder here, so of course I should look after you. Let me give you a ride. My car’s just up ahead.”

Chen Yi stopped walking. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it between his lips. He glanced at Zheng Yu out of the corner of his eye.

“Uncle, that kind of pickup line went out of style years ago.”

Zheng Yu looked caught completely off guard. “I’m not…”

He looked closely at Chen Yi. There was something familiar in the arrogant tilt of his eyes and the way he carried himself. A vague memory rose from the back of his mind. He had known a young man like this before, someone who never took others seriously, who thought too highly of himself, and believed he could do anything just because he wanted to. But in the end, he had been chewed up and spat out, crushed completely in the palm of Zheng Yu’s hand.

Looking at the pale, sharp-featured teenager in front of him now, the same old impulse started to stir. Zheng Yu glanced in the direction Sun Chen had gone and felt like he’d figured something out. He began to smile.

“I’m not actually that much older than you. You can just call me Brother Zheng.” His voice was soft. “Let me take you somewhere nice. I promise you’ll like it.” He smiled again, a fake polite smile.

“I’m not going. Are you fucking deaf?” Chen Yi stared at him, wondering how this creep had the nerve to call himself “Brother Zheng.” “Say one more word and I’m calling the cops.”

Zheng Yu froze for a second. The corners of his mouth twitched. Then he took another step forward. “I heard something recently. Your father was supposed to head to the UK, but the trip got pushed back. Word is, something happened with his kid.”

Chen Yi stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing.

“That one from earlier, is he your boyfriend?” Zheng Yu smiled knowingly. “It’s alright. I get it.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“But he seems to like you.” Zheng Yu shrugged. “That’s a shame.”

Chen Yi stopped walking. He pulled a cigarette from his inner pocket, stuck it between his lips, and looked sideways at Zheng Yu.

Zheng Yu saw an opening and pulled out a lighter, leaning in to help him light it. The two of them were briefly close. Even after the flame caught, Zheng Yu didn’t move away. “It’s a hot day. I know a place that’s nice and quiet. We could go have something to drink. Just a soda, nothing heavy.”

He finally stepped back a little. “I wanted to tell you the last time we met, but I thought it might come off too forward. You really are the most refined person I’ve ever seen.”

Chen Yi exhaled a stream of smoke and looked Zheng Yu up and down.

Zheng Yu looked to be around the same age as Jiang Yibai, maybe a little older, but he didn’t appear aged at all. He must have taken good care of himself. His voice was soft, every word gentle and measured.

Chen Yi had noticed earlier, when the man lit his cigarette, that his hands were quite good-looking. Not on the same level as Jiang Yibai’s, but not bad either.

He glanced at the time, sent a quick message home, then slipped the phone back into his pocket and said, “Let’s go.”