TT Chapter 20. Confession

For the next few days, Chen Ting met Pei Yiyao at the library right on time, rain or shine. Pei Yiyao was the type who never showed up late, and as his self-proclaimed big brother, Chen Ting made sure to match his pace.

As for Yang Shulin, who was incapable of being on time, he had already quit.

To him, reviewing with Chen Ting and Pei Yiyao was pure torture. Cool Guy completely ignored him, and Ting Ting was either zoning out or deep into test questions.

The only thing the two of them ever talked about was answers.

That alone would have been bearable, but when Yang Shulin heard Pei Yiyao’s fluent British English and saw his mock test nearly filled with correct answers, he felt deeply provoked as a fellow English major.

So he decided to study at the café instead. And while he was at it, keep staking out his chance to get a WeChat contact.

Chen Ting, on the other hand, was far more adaptable. Once he was fully engulfed by the glow of genius, he wisely chose to cling to the thigh.

So Pei Yiyao moved from sitting across from him to sitting beside him. Whenever Chen Ting had a question, he would lean in slightly, lowering his voice to speak beside his ear, his tone soft, magnetic, and smooth, pouring out one line of fluent English after another.

Each time, the warm breath brushed past Chen Ting’s ear, making it tickle. And Pei Yiyao’s voice was too much. Even a dry, boring political article sounded like a sonnet when read aloud by him.

Yang Shulin must have had a sensory issue. This library was clearly boiling hot. How could he possibly have thought it was cold?

Pei Yiyao stared at Chen Ting’s flushed cheeks and asked, “Want me to go over it again?”

Chen Ting stared hard at the mock test, shook his head, then shook it again.

Pei Yiyao frowned. He had clearly seen Chen Ting zone out earlier, and now he didn’t want to hear it again. Was his voice really that unpleasant?

Chen Ting kept his head down, focused on the test. His round cheeks still carried a trace of baby fat, and his expression was completely serious. Pei Yiyao’s presence was hard to ignore. If he didn’t concentrate, he would lose track of everything else.

The more Chen Ting focused, the deeper he sank into the sea of test questions. At some point, he found himself stuck at a crossroads between option A and option C, silently cursing the lead in the reading comprehension passage.

Trash. Absolutely trash.

Pei Yiyao hadn’t taken his eyes off him. His book was open, but after a long time, he was still on the same page. For the first time, he thought that maybe someone could be more captivating than the text itself.

“Look at that stare. Campus heartthrob in love, I’m telling you.”

“If they’re not into each other, I’ll swallow gold and die.”

“Damn, I’m a straight guy and even I’m starting to feel it.”

“Bro, you sure you’re actually straight?”

“…”

Chen Ting was reading the test. Pei Yiyao was watching Chen Ting. And everyone else was watching Pei Yiyao. With how obvious that stare was, there was no way he didn’t know. But when his cold gaze swept across the room, it felt like all that tenderness a moment ago had been an illusion.

Suddenly, the library was filled with the sound of pages turning. Everyone had their heads down again, studying hard, like the model university students they were supposed to be.

Chen Ting looked up, puzzled, and glanced around. He didn’t notice anything strange. Not long after, he felt the need to pee, so he told Pei Yiyao and stood up to go to the restroom.

The restroom was down at the end of the corridor. Chen Ting walked over slowly, pushed the door open slowly, and just then, someone rushed in, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him inside. The door shut quickly behind them.

When Chen Ting saw who it was, he blinked. “Senior?”

Gao Duo put a finger to his lips. “Shh.”

Chen Ting instinctively glanced around the empty restroom and whispered, “Are you hiding from someone?”

Gao Duo blinked. “That YSL freshman.”

Chen Ting couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for Yang Shulin. At the same time, a string of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Mixed in with them was a familiar grumbling voice.

It was Yang Shulin.

Gao Duo looked at Chen Ting’s fluffy curls and smiled slightly. Then he tugged Chen Ting by the arm and pulled him into a stall, leaning his back against the door.

“Let’s make a deal,” he said. “You help me avoid Yang Shulin, and I’ll tell you a secret.”

Chen Ting blinked. “A secret?”

“Yeah. A secret about Pei Yiyao. Want to hear it?”

“Pei Yiyao?”

Chen Ting looked even more confused. Gao Duo had only met Pei Yiyao twice. How could he possibly know a secret about him that even Chen Ting didn’t?

He was still wondering when Yang Shulin’s voice rang out.

“Senior?”

“Senior?”

“That’s weird. I saw him come in here. Where’d he go?”

Chen Ting considered calling out to him, but the truth was, he was curious about this supposed secret. And besides… the two of them hiding together in a bathroom stall was not exactly easy to explain.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to hesitate for long. Yang Shulin soon left the restroom. What neither of them knew, though, was that just a few steps down the hallway, Yang Shulin ran into Pei Yiyao.

“Oh hey, Pei Yiyao. What are you doing out here? Where’s Ting Ting?” he asked.

Pei Yiyao glanced past him toward the restroom and frowned. “You didn’t see him?”

Yang Shulin looked confused. “See who? I’m looking for Gao Duo, actually.”

The moment Pei Yiyao heard that name, his expression darkened. His brow furrowed even deeper. He turned and strode toward the restroom.

Bang! The bathroom door was pushed open hard. The evening wind rushed in through the open window, lifting the small curls on top of Chen Ting’s head.

Chen Ting stared in surprise at Pei Yiyao, not understanding why he was here. But Pei Yiyao didn’t look at him. His eyes went straight past and landed on the window. This was the first floor. Gao Duo had definitely jumped out.

He glanced down. No sign of anyone.

Yang Shulin came in after him, scratching his head. “Ting Ting, you were here too? How did I not see you just now?”

Chen Ting looked helpless. “Senior told me not to say anything.”

“What? He was here too?!”

“Yeah, but he left already. I think he’s probably heading back to the café. If you go now, you might still catch him.”

Sorry, Senior. Better you than me.

Yang Shulin rushed out in a whirlwind, leaving only Chen Ting and Pei Yiyao in the restroom. Chen Ting naturally assumed Pei Yiyao had come to use the bathroom. Since he didn’t have to go anymore, he stepped outside to wait.

His mind was still on what Gao Duo had said.

Right after confirming that Yang Shulin had left, Gao Duo had slipped out of the stall and headed for the window. He had originally planned to tell Chen Ting the secret, but Pei Yiyao’s voice had come from outside.

So he paused at the windowsill, glanced back, and gave a small wink. “Better to hear it from him directly. Later.”

Then he jumped down. A moment later, Pei Yiyao pushed the door open.

Now, Chen Ting was especially curious about what that secret was. Gao Duo had made it sound so mysterious that it was impossible not to care. And somehow, he had a feeling it involved him.

Pei Yiyao walked out of the restroom with the same cold expression he always wore. When he saw Chen Ting still lost in thought, he couldn’t guess what was on his mind. But the idea that Chen Ting was thinking about Gao Duo made the air around him feel like the South Pole.

“Come with me.” Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Chen Ting’s hand and started walking out of the library.

Chen Ting stumbled along with his short legs. Pei Yiyao’s sudden move caught him off guard, and he hadn’t even thought to resist. He just kept wondering if something had happened, glancing over at him with small, questioning looks.

“Pei Yiyao, what’s wrong?”

“Pei Yiyao?”

Pei Yiyao said nothing the entire way. He kept his face cold as he pulled Chen Ting along. Anyone who passed by might have thought the two of them had just had a fight.

But Chen Ting wasn’t scared at all, because Pei Yiyao’s hand was warm. Very warm. It gave off a heat that felt like it could burn.

They finally stopped under a large plane tree, where no one else was around. Pei Yiyao turned to face him.

His expression was unusually serious. Too serious.

Chen Ting suddenly felt a little nervous. He carefully studied Pei Yiyao’s face, trying to figure out whether he had done something wrong.

The air between them felt frozen.

Chen Ting couldn’t take the silence anymore. He took a deep breath and began, “Pei—”

“I like you. I want to be your boyfriend.”

“Oh…” Chen Ting nodded instinctively, then realized what he had just heard. His eyes went wide. “W-what?”

Pei Yiyao repeated, “Boyfriend.”

Whose boyfriend? Say it clearly!

“You’re not joking, right?” Chen Ting forced a laugh. He honestly couldn’t think of any other explanation. He had received signals from guys before, but they were always vague, easy to brush off with a laugh.

This was the first time anyone had said it so directly.

And it was Pei Yiyao, someone who didn’t even date anyone.

Wait—maybe that’s exactly why he needed a boyfriend?

No, no, no. That still didn’t make sense. None of this made any sense.

Pei Yiyao’s face was completely serious. When Chen Ting didn’t respond for a long time, something in his gaze dimmed.

“You don’t want to?”

Chen Ting hadn’t even begun to sort through the chaos in his mind. But when he saw the change in Pei Yiyao’s expression, he quickly shook his head. “No, no, I mean—what I’m trying to say is…”

“So that means yes?” Pei Yiyao stepped closer, resting one hand against the tree trunk and boxing Chen Ting in between himself and the plane tree. The space between them was so close, Chen Ting could feel his breath.

Chen Ting pressed nervously against the bark. Was this… was this that thing people called a kabe-don?

No, wait. This was a tree-don.

Hold on, what was he even thinking? Why was he still worrying about what kind of don it was? Ting Ting was about to turn gay. There was no time left to figure out which don it was.

Pei Yiyao looked at his flushed cheeks and darting eyes. His hand tensed slightly against the tree, barely holding back the urge to lean down and kiss him. His voice dropped. “Then let me chase you. Is that okay?”

Chen Ting pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Don’t ask if it’s okay. Ting Ting is already dead.

Between turning gay and hurting a sincere friend, Ting Ting chose death.

But Pei Yiyao wasn’t the kind to give up easily. He leaned in again, his lowered voice brushing against Chen Ting’s ear like the wind at night. “Okay, Ting Ting?”

Chen Ting had nowhere left to hide. The sharp chill of Pei Yiyao’s presence was laced with heat, and it pressed in from every side, making his heart race.

Especially the way he said Ting Ting. Everyone called him that, but Pei Yiyao never had. And only now did he realize, when Pei Yiyao said it, it sounded completely different from everyone else.

“Is it okay?” Pei Yiyao didn’t back down.

In the end, Chen Ting could only give a small, reluctant nod. He had been forced into it. Really.

Meanwhile, not far away behind a cluster of shrubs, Gao Duo was crouched down, laughing so hard his stomach hurt and his eyes were full of tears. He honestly hadn’t expected this. Today’s youth… God, today’s youth were just too entertaining.

Once he had laughed enough, he quietly slipped onto another path. He straightened his collar, brushed off his sleeves, and stepped out from behind the bushes with long strides and perfect composure. He looked sharp, cool, and moved like a king of the runway.

“Senior Gao, you’re back!”

“Yeah.”

A few people recognized him along the way. He responded with a modest nod, feeling quite pleased as he headed toward the café.

But just as he reached the entrance, someone suddenly jumped out from behind a bush by the side of the road.

“Senior, I finally found you. Can I add your WeChat?”

“Shit.”