When no one was around to see, Ruan Chen could be as compliant as he pleased but being forcibly kissed on campus was another matter entirely, he resisted with equal intensity.
At any moment, someone could see them.
Mu Xinghai had struck first, seizing the advantage. Ruan Chen was pinned down, forced to lean back. The armrest of the bench pressed painfully into the small of his back, making it hard for him to muster any strength. Regret, fear and anger tangled together inside him. At the same time, another thought flashed through his mind, if someone saw them like this, how ridiculous and ugly would it look?
Mu Xinghai’s hand gripped the back of his neck. In stark contrast to the forcefulness of the kiss, the web of his thumb and forefinger, along with his thumb, gently stroked the side of Ruan Chen’s neck and behind his ear, almost soothingly. The touch was unbearably ticklish.
Ruan Chen felt both humiliated and furious. Even someone as mild as him was not without a temper.
Then,
A flash went off.
In that instant, blood surged violently to his heart, pounding as though it might explode. He was truly enraged. With a sudden burst of force, he bit down hard on Mu Xinghai.
Mu Xinghai winced in pain and finally released him. He, too, realized they had been photographed.
Ruan Chen’s heart raced with urgency. He sprang to his feet and looked toward the direction of the flash but it was too dark. That side was lined with trees, with no streetlights nearby. All he could make out was a figure fleeing in panic.
Without thinking, he moved to chase after them but the moment he lifted his foot, someone grabbed him.
It was Mu Xinghai, dragging him back.
Ruan Chen was livid. He lashed out, scolding him harshly, “Didn’t you see we were photographed?!”
Mu Xinghai remained seated as if nailed to the bench, unmoving. “I saw.”
Then he added, “So what if they took a photo? It’s just two men kissing. We’re in a proper relationship, what’s wrong with a kiss?”
Blood rushed to Ruan Chen’s head. He felt like he might faint. For the first time in his life, violent thoughts filled his mind, he genuinely wanted to kill Mu Xinghai.
Mu Xinghai slowly stood up.
Ruan Chen’s gaze followed him, shifting from looking down to looking up. The only thing that didn’t change was the fury burning within his eyes.
This was the first time they had ever confronted each other like this, head on.
Ruan Chen stared at him without blinking, his teeth clenched as he said, “Yeah, Young Master, of course you don’t care. In a couple of months, you’ll just to dust off one’s backside and go abroad to chase your new life but what about me? Have you ever thought about me? Don’t you think you’re being selfish?”
Mu Xinghai shot back just as fiercely, “And you’re not selfish? You were the one who chased me first and what happened? This is the first time in my life I’ve been treated like this, summoned when you want me, dismissed when you don’t. Just because I’m going abroad, we have to break up? You say we break up, so we break up? No way!”
Ruan Chen pointed in the direction where the photographer had fled. “So you want to drag me down with you? If this gets exposed, do you think your parents will accept it? They won’t just break your legs, they’ll break this relationship too! Are you insane?”
“What do I have to be afraid of?” Mu Xinghai laughed in anger, reckless. “Why wait for someone else to expose it? I’ll call my parents right now and tell them I’m dating a man.”
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone.
Ruan Chen stared at it, his expression filled with shock and fear. To him, it wasn’t a phone, it was a grenade.
Without hesitation, Mu Xinghai tapped twice. The pin had been pulled.
He switched on speaker mode.
Damn it, he’s actually calling?!
Ruan Chen panicked.
In the tense, almost explosive atmosphere, the incongruous melody of a “Serenade” ringtone rang out. After only seven or eight seconds, the call was answered.
A gentle female voice came through. “Hello? Xiaohai, what’s the matter?”
Ruan Chen held his breath.
Mu Xinghai got straight to the point. “Mom, I’m dating a boyfriend. It’s Senior Ruan, the one I told you about before, the one I went traveling with.”
Ruan Chen felt like his head was about to explode. Snapping back to his senses, he turned and tried to run.
Mu Xinghai had already anticipated this. He grabbed Ruan Chen’s wrist, trying to hold him back but he only had one hand free. Ruan Chen, truly desperate now, abandoned all sense of restraint. Acting on impulse, he swung his fist and struck Mu Xinghai in the face.
He hadn’t even expected to actually hit him.
Mu Xinghai failed to hold onto him.
Ruan Chen didn’t wait to hear what came next. He fled in a rush, not daring to look back.
All the way back to his dormitory.
He couldn’t calm down.
His mind was still in chaos. Without even taking off his shoes, he sank to the floor.
His life felt like it was beginning to collapse. What would happen tomorrow? Would photos of him kissing a man already be spreading across the school’s social networks? Would people recognize him?
He didn’t know how much time passed before a knock sounded at the door.
“Knock, knock.”
Almost instinctively, Ruan Chen felt that it was Mu Xinghai outside. He pretended not to be there, remaining completely silent.
Sure enough, Mu Xinghai’s voice came from outside. “Senior, I know you’re in there.”
Ruan Chen still said nothing, didn’t move at all.
Mu Xinghai continued, “It’s fine if you don’t open the door… I just came to tell you, I’ve already told my parents and they agreed. I’m… sorry. I acted on impulse and I didn’t mean to be that rough. I’ll go now.”
Ruan Chen grew even more flustered.
There was panic, disbelief and an indescribable sense of grievance tangled together inside him.
Agreed? Agreed to what?
Agreed to let their son date another man?
Did such open minded and accepting parents even exist in this world?
If it were true… then it was enough to make anyone jealous.
And if it were true, did that mean he was supposed to just go along with it and accept everything?
Had he lost his mind?
His thoughts were in complete disarray. Questions surfaced one after another yet none of them had answers. It was exactly like his unusually difficult thesis, painfully stalled, impossible to untangle. The more he thought about it, the more his head began to ache.
By the time he snapped back to reality, pulled out of his daze by the ringing of his phone, two hours had already passed.
It was his junior calling.
“Hello? Senior? Do you have time right now?”
Ruan Chen was still absent minded, not even noticing how panicked and helpless her voice sounded. “Huh? I.. I think so. What’s wrong?”
His junior’s voice carried a faint sob, pitiful and trembling. “Can you come pick me up?”
Ruan Chen vaguely heard arguing in the background on her end. Only then did he pull himself out of his haze and focus a little more. “What happened?”
At that moment, another call came in.
It interrupted his train of thought. He glanced at the caller ID.
Mu Xinghai.
Ruan Chen’s head throbbed.
Gritting his teeth, he hung up on Mu Xinghai.
His junior had just said something but he hadn’t caught it, something about “please,” “help,” maybe “boyfriend.” He lifted the phone again and asked, “What did you say? Say it again.”
But this time, he still didn’t manage to hear clearly, because a message notification from Mu Xinghai popped up with a sharp chime:
“Senior, I’m in the hospital. Can you come over?”
Ruan Chen’s mind went blank.
He opened the chat with Mu Xinghai. Another message followed, a photo, his hand smeared with blood, shockingly vivid.
“Senior? Senior? Can’t you?” his junior called out again.
Ruan Chen found himself unable to think about anything else.
After a moment, he said blankly, “Sorry, I have something to do. I can’t make it.”
His throat felt dry as he added, “I need to go see another friend.”
He hung up.
Then Ruan Chen headed straight to the hospital.
It was as if he had finally poked his head out of a shell.
Ruan Chen asked: “How did you get hurt?”
Mu Xinghai replied: “Got into a fight with someone.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ a little coffee would be lovely
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Rear WindowChapter 2 · Kahlil Gibran, “I Have Spit My Soul Seven Times”Chapter 3 · His ToyChapter 4 · Star GazingChapter 5 · Just a dreamChapter 6 · ColdChapter 7 · Yearning for LoveChapter 8 · A Good PersonChapter 9 · Such a good boyChapter 10 · Delivered to your doorChapter 11 · Not familiar with itChapter 12 · First loveChapter 13 · Giving giftsChapter 14 · HeartstringsChapter 15 · Chinese New YearChapter 16 · TruthChapter 17 · SeparateChapter 18 · Planting minesChapter 19 · ChoiceChapter 20 · More hereChapter 21 · Could things have gotten any worse?Chapter 22 · Not because you like me?Chapter 23 · Not because you like me?Chapter 24 · It’s a tangled mess, impossible to unravelChapter 25 · The truth has been revealedChapter 26 · Extra: 1Chapter 27 · Extra: 2Chapter 28 · Extra: 3Chapter 29 · Extra: 4Chapter 30 · Extra: 5Chapter 31 · Extra: 6Chapter 32 · Extra: 7