In the end, Gu Xiao simply sat back in his chair with his legs crossed, watching the scene unfold like a bystander who enjoyed a good spectacle, curious to see how his friend would pacify the person.
What left him utterly bewildered was that no matter what he said, the other party refused to listen; yet, the moment Lin Yanxu arrived and spoke a few words, they were instantly coaxed into a better mood.
The noise inside was too loud for him to catch the specifics of their conversation.
About fifteen minutes later, he and Lin Yanxu departed together. As they emerged from the winding passages and saw the high-rise buildings beneath the night sky, a sudden sense of relief washed over him.
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is Tuesday. What do you think?”
Lin Yanxu tossed the question back at him as he walked toward his car. After bidding his friend farewell, he climbed into the driver’s seat.
Seeing how late it was, Gu Xiao returned to where his motorcycle was parked. He put on his jacket and helmet and left the area as well.
The night was deep, with a bright moon and sparse stars. The lights on the winding streets remained lit, and neon scenery shimmered as cars sped past on the roads.
Even at one o’clock in the morning, the capital remained prosperous and crowded. At this hour, the last buses were still passing by the stops.
Many motorcycle taxi drivers stood at the subway entrances, trying to win over customers, hoping to finish one last trip before heading home to rest.
Yun Deng lugged a drunken Xia Shisheng out of the Moon Shadow Mansion. Tonight, he was sober as he had rarely refrained from drinking, so he escorted the man back.
“Do not stop. Let us keep drinking.”
Xia Shisheng pushed away Yun Deng’s support and staggered forward a few steps, still mumbling incoherently.
Yun Deng followed closely behind him. They could have driven away the moment they stepped out, but Xia Shisheng insisted on going to the nearby old street to buy glutinous rice cakes for his girlfriend as compensation.
Yun Deng did not understand how a person could live their life this way.
The night wind brushed against his face, lightly blowing the bangs hanging over his forehead. Having had a crying spell a few hours ago, his eyes were now filled with a dry, gritty sensation.
Yun Deng rubbed them a few times before catching up with Xia Shisheng’s pace.
After a few steps, the dryness worsened to the point where he could hardly keep his eyes open, followed by a heavy wave of drowsiness.
After finally accompanying the man to buy the cakes and seeing him home, Yun Deng encountered the person he least wanted to see at the elevator entrance downstairs.
Half an hour ago, He Dong had snuck in over the southwest wall of the residential area. He searched through every building until he finally found the correct one.
He sat on the ground with his back against the empty wall beside the elevator, specifically waiting to corner Yun Deng.
At this time, the area outside the apartment building was deserted. The motion-sensor lights flickered on as a person passed by.
The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Yun Deng was nearly startled out of his skin by He Dong sitting there.
“Why are you here?” Yun Deng asked in confusion, taking a step back.
He Dong did not reply. Instead, he supported himself against the wall to stand up. With a blank expression, he fixed his eyes on Yun Deng and approached him step by step.
This scene was far too eerie. Yun Deng felt his skin crawl under the man’s gaze. Within moments, his back was drenched in cold sweat, and his voice trembled slightly as he asked, “What do you want to do?”
“I miss you very much. Every night since we broke up, I have felt regret.”
“I do not know what is wrong with me. I just really wanted to see you.”
He Dong closed in step by step, his speech becoming increasingly incoherent. His emotions were so intense that he only wanted to have a proper conversation with the other.
At half past one in the morning, having an ex-boyfriend appear like a ghost was enough to make anyone faint. If Yun Deng’s psychological resilience had not been relatively strong, he would have collapsed on the spot.
Retreating until there was no path left behind him, the voice-activated lights in the stairwell flickered on and off in response to their voices. In this silence, even the slightest sound could be heard clearly.
In a daze, Yun Deng suddenly noticed that He Dong seemed to be wearing earphones, but they were hidden by his slightly long hair, making it hard to see.
Just as he tried to get a clearer look, the man suddenly lunged forward and grabbed him by the waist with both hands.
In the panic, he hit the elevator button. At the moment the doors opened, his center of gravity became unstable, and he fell backward.
Yun Deng’s head hit the floor directly. For a moment, his vision went black and his ears rang. With a person heavily pinning him down, even his breathing became labored.
The moment the elevator doors closed, he felt like he wanted to die.
He Dong had not expected to fall into the elevator with him. He sat astride Yun Deng and leaned down, attempting to kiss him.
The moment his hand touched Yun Deng’s shirt, it was slapped away, but this action only provoked his displeasure.
He Dong could no longer tell if he actually liked the other or not, but the months of stalking and following had turned into an obsession in his heart.
A tear rolled down his cheek and dripped onto Yun Deng’s forearm. He wept as he tried to kiss him, but his attempts were blocked one by one.
Ordinarily, Yun Deng could have easily pushed the person off him. However, since suffering from a stomach ailment, he often lacked an appetite and rarely ate. After a night out at the Moon Shadow Mansion, he was already exhausted.
Fortunately, the elevator had many floors, and some buttons were positioned lower. Yun Deng reached out and pressed the button for the third floor.
Once the doors opened, Yun Deng kicked the man away, staggered to his feet, and fled out the door.
Already physically drained, the sudden movement caused his vision to go black. He ran into the adjacent stairwell and headed all the way down.
He had originally intended to run to the eighth floor to find Xia Shisheng, but he realized the man was drunk and would not hear the doorbell, so he gave up on that idea.
The sound of panicked, chaotic footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Yun Deng headed down as fast as he could, looking back to see He Dong still in pursuit.
After quickly running out the entrance door, he dashed toward where his car was parked. He pulled out his keys, opened the door, got in, and started the vehicle to leave the area immediately.
Through the rearview mirror, he could see He Dong still running behind, shouting his name.
Only after leaving the main urban area and returning to his home in Jingshan District did Yun Deng finally feel completely at ease.
At half past two in the morning, he sat on the sofa holding a cup of warm water, staring blankly at a cactus on the desk.
The fabric of the shirt he wore today was thin to begin with, and it had been completely torn by He Dong. Now, just the thought of the sensation of those hands wandering over his body made him want to vomit.
His stomach churned violently as if in response. Yun Deng began to retch; he felt miserable both physically and mentally.
He often thought of himself as brave, but the encounter an hour ago had truly terrified him.
He Dong had first found his residence in Liuxian Manor. After he sold that property, he had been living in Xia Shisheng’s apartment.
Xia Shisheng changed houses very quickly. Because he liked living in low-rise buildings, he had purchased several properties. Even the place he was currently living in was a recent move.
Yun Deng had not expected He Dong to be able to dig up even this address. Thinking about it now felt chilling.
After drinking the warm water, he returned to bed.
The room was so quiet that only the sound of the air conditioner running could be heard. Yun Deng pulled the blanket over his head, wrapping himself completely to ensure not a sliver of skin was exposed.
It was only about a minute later that he poked his head out.
The shadow cast by tonight’s events was too large. Yun Deng felt that he would not want to look for Xia Shisheng for at least a week to avoid being stalked again.
His body was exhausted, but his mind remained active. He lingered until five in the morning, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, before finally falling asleep.
At half past eleven in the morning, after finishing his last class, Lin Yanxu was carrying his laptop back to his office when he was stopped by two female teachers from the first-year group.
They had just returned from picking up a food delivery at the school gate and were passing on a message for someone.
They said there was a student from the school where he previously taught waiting for him at the security office.
Lin Yanxu first put his things back in the office before heading downstairs, leaving the teaching area for the guard post.
He usually had some impression of any student he had taught, but he did not recognize the young man standing outside the security office.
The man wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt and loose, knee-length sports shorts. He kept his head down, not daring to look him in the eye.
“You are?” Lin Yanxu asked.
He Dong happened to be off work from the club during the day, so he had come out. When the guard stopped him to ask who he was looking for, he had used a flawed excuse to successfully draw Lin Yanxu out.
He had previously peeked from a distance at the other man standing and chatting with Yun Deng. Standing before this romantic rival now, he felt a sudden surge of embarrassment and inferiority.
The man in front of him was a hundred times better than him in both profession and appearance. It was no wonder Yun Deng liked him so much.
“Hello. Are you free right now? I have something I want to say to you.”
He Dong quickly blurted out the words he had rehearsed countless times. Once he finished, he felt a wave of relief. Whether the other person refused or agreed, he had a plan for the next step.
“What is it? Go ahead,” Lin Yanxu said.
Lin Yanxu took in all the subtle body language and followed along with the man’s words.
“Could I have your contact information? It is difficult for me to explain clearly right now.”
He Dong’s eyes lit up as he spoke.
He thought they would quickly exchange contact details, but the other man refused. He was forced to stand there and use brief language to say everything he wanted to say. He did not want to leave things to chance.
“I would like to ask you not to be with Yun Deng, because I am his boyfriend.”
“There will be no result if you are with him. Do not be misled by him.”
“Yun Deng and I were together before, and we both still have feelings for each other. He is only with you to spite me.”
“I do not know if you understand what I mean, but I am just asking you to stop seeing my boyfriend.”
He Dong spoke with a tone that was sincere and earnest.
Because the subject was repeated frequently and the man spoke too quickly, Lin Yanxu only captured a few key phrases.
“And then?” he asked calmly.
He Dong thought the other man was easy to talk to, so he had simply said everything at once. He had not expected the other to ask for a reason, and he hesitated for a few seconds.
“And then, I just hope you can delete my boyfriend from your contacts right in front of me. I really love him.”
“Okay.”
Lin Yanxu chuckled as he responded. He then unhurriedly took his phone out of his pocket.
At the moment he unlocked it, the stranger in front of him immediately leaned in eagerly.
He Dong truly felt that Lin Yanxu was incredibly easy to deal with. Just as he was mentally praising the man, he saw Lin Yanxu set Yun Deng’s account as a special interest right in front of his face.
Lin Yanxu specifically brightened the screen to let the man see more clearly.
“Did you not agree to delete him? How can you be like this?” He Dong suddenly became exasperated, his voice tinged with anger.
“I am sorry. He is very cute, and I like him very much as well,” Lin Yanxu said, the corners of his mouth curving slightly as he spoke each word into the man’s ear with a hint of chilliness.
After speaking, he turned off the screen and walked away from the guard post.