Pei Yisheng spent a miserable night lying in bed until morning. Guided by the faint light of dawn, he washed up and left with his backpack; finding a place to memorize his books was better than staying in the dormitory.
The moment he closed the door behind him, Qin Zhou opened his eyes.
He got up wordlessly and followed Pei Yisheng out.
He had sent Pei Yisheng a WeChat message yesterday, but the other had not replied yet. He didn’t know if Pei was unwilling to respond or simply didn’t know how to handle the situation. Since that was the case, he decided to ask him directly.
Qin Zhou walked down the stairs and glanced at the surveillance camera. For a fleeting second, he thought of the person he still hadn’t found, but before he could dwell on it, he saw Pei Yisheng standing by the dormitory entrance, squatting down to feed a cat.
He had somehow produced a ham sausage, peeled half of the packaging, and was using it to beckon a small calico cat.
The little calico munched away busily, making purring noises.
Pei Yisheng patiently coaxed the cat to eat slowly, saying he had more. As if performing a magic trick, another whole sausage appeared in his palm. Qin Zhou watched from the stairwell as Pei Yisheng finished feeding a whole sausage, and watched as the full calico cat flicked its legs and ran away without looking back.
“Hey, you’re full already?!”
Pei Yisheng’s words, barely louder than a monologue, were scattered by the wind. “You look like a little glutton; how can you eat so little?”
He stuffed the remaining sausage into his pocket and stood up, preparing to head to the cafeteria.
Seeing him about to leave, Qin Zhou immediately strode forward and draped his arm over Pei Yisheng’s shoulder, leading him into a spot sheltered from the wind.
The horizon was just beginning to show a sliver of white. Pei Yisheng’s face wasn’t very clear under the dim lights of the dormitory building, but Qin Zhou could still see that the tip of his nose was red and his almond eyes were wide and round, just like the little calico cat he had just fed.
“Why didn’t you reply to my WeChat?” Qin Zhou went straight to the point.
Pei Yisheng murmured, “I… I didn’t see it. I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed.”
“Then look at it now.” Qin Zhou’s arm remained draped over Pei Yisheng’s shoulder. His semi-encircling posture was not only full of pressure but also particularly effective at blocking the wind.
Pei Yisheng shifted his shoulder but couldn’t shake Qin Zhou off, so he had no choice but to pull out his phone. The WeChat interface was clean; all messages were marked as read. He had actually seen it yesterday, but his head felt wooden at the time, so he hadn’t replied. If he had known Qin Zhou would corner him early in the morning, he definitely would have replied!
Pei Yisheng licked his lips awkwardly, and Qin Zhou’s gaze fell upon those moist lips.
“I know everything you said. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Pei Yisheng’s voice still carried the soft waxy quality of someone just woken up. When he whispered his promise to Qin Zhou, he was so obedient and soft that one couldn’t bear to scold him.
Qin Zhou felt awkward all over. He silently removed his arm from Pei Yisheng and didn’t know where to look. “I’m serious. Wen Xiuyun and Song Wen neither of those two are any good. No matter how attentive they are to you, it’s all fake. Don’t let them fool you.”
Pei Yisheng simply nodded obediently. He could tell that Qin Zhou was a bit chauvinistic and didn’t like being contradicted. Conveniently, his views aligned with Qin Zhou’s on this matter, so he didn’t mind coaxing Qin Zhou by saying what he wanted to hear.
“I know. I know them better than the other students do.”
Qin Zhou suddenly remembered that Pei Yisheng was once a child of a prominent family in A-City. It was impossible for him not to have heard of the reputations of the Wen and Song families. Even if Pei Yisheng hadn’t fully integrated into the “second-generation” social circle because the Pei family achieved success late, someone as well-behaved and sensible as Pei Yisheng was exactly the kind of “excellent existence” parents often praised.
At the very least, he didn’t cause trouble for his family.
Qin Zhou let out a short, mocking laugh at some unknown thought and said to Pei Yisheng, “It’s good that you know. You’d better be able to actually do it.”
With that, Qin Zhou walked away, leaving Pei Yisheng standing bewildered in the corner that had suddenly lost its windbreak.
With the delay, the sky had brightened considerably. Pei Yisheng hurried to eat breakfast; he had classes afterward, and once those ended, he had to rush to rehearsals.
With only a few days left until the performance, Pei Yisheng could clearly feel the tense atmosphere in the rehearsal room. Everyone wanted to achieve good results, and with that drive, everyone worked harder during practice.
Pei Yisheng wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling satisfied with the heated atmosphere. Whether he could move out early depended entirely on this performance!
Su Yiyi finished her part and came running over to Pei Yisheng with two water cups. “Here, I brewed some flower tea. It’s fragrant and sweet, very delicious.”
Pei Yisheng happened to be thirsty. He had left in such a hurry this morning that he hadn’t taken his thermos, and the bottled water he bought was long gone. He took Su Yiyi’s tea and gulped down quite a bit.
“Drink a bit less. You have to try on the costumes in a while they’re newly altered. Don’t let your waist get too thick to fit into them.” Su Yiyi knew all too well how much the people in their class could fuss over details.
Pei Yisheng glanced at his stomach, which showed no change. “It should be fine.”
“I can’t talk sense into you,” Su Yiyi waved her hand. “Hey, what’s that? Is Song Wen here to deliver food again?!”
Song Wen was even more high-profile than last time. Not only was he followed by a catering cart, but he was also holding a bouquet of flowers. It wasn’t anything over the top—just a very beautiful bunch of yellow lilies in perfect bloom.
He stepped through the crowd and walked straight up to Pei Yisheng. His flirtatious “peach blossom” eyes gazed at Pei Yisheng with deep affection. “Shengsheng, I wish you a successful performance in advance.”
The people immediately surrounding Pei Yisheng stayed quiet, simply watching the drama, while the students on the periphery began whispering behind the cover of those in front.
Pei Yisheng simply took the flowers and said generously, “Thank you. I’ll find a vase to put these in later; they’re beautiful and will freshen the air.”
Song Wen was dissatisfied with this answer, but he couldn’t bring himself to lower his status to play the “ambiguous” card or plead with Pei Yisheng in front of everyone. Usually, people flattered him; he had never been the one to take the initiative like this.
Even that seemingly fresh and stubborn Fang Xin had crumbled under his “sugar-coated bullets” in just two or three days, turning into a puddle of mush for him to mold. Yet now, Song Wen watched helplessly as Pei Yisheng chatted and laughed with everyone, handed the flowers to a nearby person, and went out to find a vase.
He began to doubt his own charm while forcing a smile. “Everyone, have something to eat to recharge your energy.” After saying that, he followed the direction Pei Yisheng had gone.
Now that the main parties were gone, everyone could gossip without being cautious. Someone immediately exaggerated, “What kind of incense did Pei Yisheng burn to get such luck? This is the first time I’ve seen Song Wen chasing after someone!”
“LOL, that sounds like something a rich family’s butler would say: ‘Ah, I haven’t seen the Young Master smile so happily in a long time~'”
“Eww~”
These were the pure gossip-seekers.
“He really doesn’t know how lucky he is. They’re all the same kind of people, why put on an act?”
“Exactly. He really thinks he’s something special. No matter who comes around, he wants a piece of it, without looking to see if he even deserves a seat at the table.”
These were the ones who disliked Pei Yisheng.
Su Yiyi stood there holding the flowers, spinning around in frustration. That dog Song Wen was really coming to ruin his “little white cabbage”!
He set the flowers on the floor and also chased after the direction the two had gone.
Pei Yisheng hadn’t gone very far, but he didn’t really want to go back. He was sitting in the lounge area of the lobby when he soon saw Song Wen walking toward him with hurried steps.
“Shengsheng, are you unhappy?”
Pei Yisheng’s clear pupils reflected his image. Song Wen found it incredibly rare. In the past, others had eyes only for him, and their feelings were much deeper than what Pei Yisheng showed now, but he never cared for them. Only when Pei Yisheng looked at him did Song Wen feel a surge of emotion.
Pei Yisheng shook his head, then nodded. “A little. You’ve interrupted our rehearsal; it will affect everyone’s state of mind.”
“I’m sorry. I just do whatever comes to mind; I don’t have much experience. If you don’t like it, I won’t do it next time.” Song Wen said with a grin.
Pei Yisheng sighed inwardly at Song Wen’s cleverness.
Song Wen had done so much and made such a grand scene, yet he didn’t say a single word about taking things further. He acted only as a friend. Since they were “friends,” it was hard for Pei to refuse him; otherwise, even more people would call him “ungrateful.”
“Then promise me that you won’t be so high-profile in the future. It troubles me, and I’m very fragile. People’s gossip makes me unable to sleep or eat. Although I know you don’t intend to harm me, you should understand the saying, ‘An ordinary man is guiltless, but his treasure makes him a target,’ right?”
Song Wen tilted his head and looked at Pei Yisheng for a long time before suddenly bursting into a laugh. “I understand, Shengsheng.”
Su Yiyi arrived at just the right time. As soon as the two finished talking, Pei Yisheng saw Su Yiyi’s peeking figure. He said to Song Wen, “My friend is here, I’ll be going now.”
“Mhm.” Song Wen leaned back lazily in his chair with no intention of getting up.
Su Yiyi saw Pei Yisheng walking toward him and stood still. It wasn’t until they had walked far enough that Song Wen definitely couldn’t hear them that Su Yiyi complained, “Song Wen’s tactics are so tacky. All he knows is how to throw money around; there’s no heart in it. Shengsheng, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Pei Yisheng smiled. Although he hadn’t managed to make things completely clear with Song Wen, it wasn’t a total loss.
When they returned, the atmosphere was still a bit off, but overall it was harmonious. Pei Yisheng didn’t mind. His rehearsal tasks for the day were over, and he was just waiting to try on his costume. Because there were few fitting rooms and ladies were prioritized, it would be about half an hour before it was his turn.
He and Su Yiyi found a corner to sit in, passing the time quickly by playing on their phones.
“We’ve seen this set; it’s a bit small.”
“How about this one? The facilities are good, but they’re all a bit far from the school.”
“This one is a bit out of my price range. If I live here, I won’t be able to buy ‘bling-bling’ jewelry anymore.”
“How about we go back to the first one we saw? It’s cheap and close. It’s just a bit ‘vintage.’ The landlord said we can do minor renovations. If we come up with a design, we won’t have to worry about it being uncomfortable.”
The two hadn’t been resting; they were picking out a house to rent. It was only a few hundred meters from the school, on the first floor with a small yard. You couldn’t tell much now in winter, but it would be beautiful with some flowers and plants in the spring, summer, and autumn. The place wasn’t small, and they could even have outdoor BBQs.
Pei Yisheng was quite satisfied. He thought that once he had a place to stay, perhaps he could bring the cat back.
“Pei Yisheng, come try on the clothes! If they don’t fit, I’ll fix them now.”
Pei Yisheng snapped back from his beautiful daydreams. “Coming!”