“Babe”
Nian Zhi came running over, her face full of excitement. “How is the progress going? Has Pei Huaiye invited you to be his dance partner for the end of year ball yet!”
Wu Hui had just stepped out of class and was on his way to his next lecture when he bumped into Nian Zhi.
“No,” Wu Hui answered truthfully.
Pei Huaiye probably would not invite him anytime soon after the massive gift he had given him last time. They had not seen each other for several days, and the campus message board was already buzzing with rumors that the Crown Prince had dumped him.
Nian Zhi was surprised. “Why? Did you not mention it?”
“Hmm.” Wu Hui honestly had not thought about it. “Who does he usually dance with?”
“He never dances. In the past, both men and women have wanted to invite him, but he never agreed to a single one.”
Wu Hui thought that given Pei Huaiye’s condition, he probably could not dance either.
Nian Zhi pondered for a moment. “He is probably just waiting for you to ask! You have to take opportunities into your own hands. Babe, this is a rare chance to become the Crown Princess!”
“…” Wu Hui mused. “Oh.”
No wonder the romantic atmosphere on campus had been so intense lately; it seemed everyone had found a partner. Before Wu Hui left, Nian Zhi asked casually, “Which building are you heading to for class?”
Wu Hui: “The fourth teaching building.”
Nian Zhi: “Turn around! It is looking right at you!”
Every time he changed classrooms after class, it was a race against time. Wu Hui arrived at his class right on time. After it ended, he walked slowly behind the crowd. His phone screen was open to his chat with Pei Huaiye. Before he could send a message, he heard a voice from the hallway outside: “S-Senior, can I invite you to be my dance partner for this year’s ball?”
“Sorry.”
Pei Huaiye’s rejection was always heartless; in previous years, he had even been too arrogant to offer a reason. This year, however, he added an explanation: “I already have a dance partner in mind.”
The person who had extended the invitation was heartbroken but unwilling to give up.
“Senior, you are so talented. You do not have to dance with just one person. I am willing to be your backup.”
Wu Hui could not help but laugh; he stopped beside them. The person noticed him and said impatiently, “What are you doing? Cannot you see we are talking?”
“I am in line.” Wu Hui said with great interest. “Since you said it does not have to be just one person, then how about you be third and I be fourth?”
Jianqiu: “So this is what it means to be fickle.”
The person replied: “Fine, but you cannot jump in front of me.”
Pei Huaiye, who had been standing by the hallway, finally moved. Before he turned off his phone, the screen displayed the chat with Wu Hui. He ignored the nonsense from the other two and walked over to Wu Hui’s side.
One in black, one in white, they looked like a perfect match.
“I almost thought you had already left.” Pei Huaiye naturally showed concern. “Are you heading to the cafeteria or back to the dorm?”
Wu Hui habitually handed his books to him.
“If you come to find me again, Senior, will not your dance partner get jealous?”
Pei Huaiye took the books and replied smoothly: “He does not get jealous. He just dips his dumplings in lemon juice, and when he finds it tastes bad, he makes me eat them all.”
Wu Hui retorted righteously: “That was definitely not the lemon juice’s fault. That dumpling recipe was the problem.”
Pei Huaiye humbly asked: “Where was the problem?”
Wu Hui thought about it. “The dumpling skin was wrapped inside out.”
It was the first time Pei Huaiye had ever heard of dumpling skins being wrapped inside out.
“Very well,” he said. “Next time, I will tell the chef not to wrap them inside out. What would you like to eat today?”
Wu Hui mentioned something he felt like eating, and Pei Huaiye walked away with him. The person who had been listening for so long felt completely crushed. Before leaving, Pei Huaiye cast a glance back, his eyes carrying a hint of a warning that made the person shiver.
Almost no one dared to invite Pei Huaiye to be their dance partner. Anyone who had been at the school for more than a year knew his rules: no partners, no balls. As for freshmen, if they knew any seniors, they were always warned specifically: you could offend anyone, but never the Crown Prince. The person who had rushed up earlier was an exception.
The meal was unusually harmonious, as if the incident at the café had never happened. On the way back, Wu Hui asked knowingly, “Senior, why have you not been accompanying me to morning class these past few days?”
Pei Huaiye remembered how agonizing those days had been without any soothing touch; it had been harder than anything he had ever endured.
“I cannot look for you.”
He would lose control. He might hurt him.
Pei Huaiye did not want to hurt him yet. Until he completely understood their relationship, any harm could lead to failure and backfire. He had to be able to fully control himself before seeking Wu Hui out.
“I heard that Senior never attended balls in the past. Since you have settled on a partner this year, who is it?”
They were passing Aliston’s famous ginkgo forest, which was currently a brilliant golden yellow. A leaf fell onto Wu Hui’s shoulder. Pei Huaiye picked it off and said, “You.”
Wu Hui tilted his head. “Did you invite me, Senior?”
“I am inviting you now. I hope it is not too late.”
Wu Hui did not give an immediate answer. Many people had broken their necks trying to become the Pei family’s Crown Princess, while he was being force-fed by the Crown Prince himself and still complaining that the food was not sweet and soft enough.
“What if I do not agree?”
Pei Huaiye did not mind his game of hard to get. He complied perfectly: “Then I will beg you.”
Wu Hui laughed out loud. The Crown Prince had probably never begged anyone in his life.
“Begging requires sincerity.” Wu Hui said, pointing to the campus convenience store. “I am thirsty. I want to drink water.”
Pei Huaiye went in to buy him water. After he came out, Wu Hui demanded he swap it for a different bottle, claiming he did not drink blue bottled water. Pei Huaiye bought him another one.
When he came out, he found a person standing next to Wu Hui, who had been waiting under a tree.
A sun drenched, cheerful guy with dyed red hair was flashing a smile. “Little junior, have you found a dance partner for the ball yet? If not, why do not we go together?”
Wu Hui glanced at him. “I do not go to the ball with people who dye their hair red.”
The red haired guy wiped his hair. “What color do you like? I will go dye it right now.”
“Rainbow colors,” Wu Hui said casually. “It will save on electricity.”
“…” The red haired guy was even more interested. Before he could ask for his WeChat, a long, slender figure blocked his path.
Pei Huaiye looked at him with calm eyes. It was a level gaze, yet it carried a heavy pressure.
“First come, first served,” he said in a deep voice. “You can wait until after I have been rejected.”
The red haired guy naturally recognized who he was and smiled awkwardly.
“Uh, I did not know he was your dance partner…”
No matter how low key Pei Huaiye acted on a daily basis, he could not hide the look he gave people, the look one gives to ants, as if he were born inherently superior to everyone else. The red haired guy could not withstand the pressure and slipped away after apologizing.
Once he was gone, Wu Hui sighed: “There goes another option. Senior, do you have to compensate me?”
“I will compensate you.”
Pei Huaiye handed him several bottles of mineral water in different packaging to choose from.
Wu Hui picked one. “Will you drink the rest?”
As they passed a few girls chatting and laughing, Pei Huaiye handed the bottles to them, treating them to water in Wu Hui’s name.
The girls giggled: “Is this wedding wine?”
“It could be.”
“Then we will accept it! Thank you, Crown Prince and Crown Princess.”
From this, one could see exactly who was shipping the CP on the campus wall. As they strolled side by side on campus, the rumors on the campus wall were debunked without a fight.
“Who said Chu Yu was dumped? Who has not had the wedding wine personally gifted by the Crown Prince! /Picture”
“Is this wedding wine given out to anyone passing by, or do you have to go up and ask for it?”
“I drink a lot, can I have a few more bottles.”
“Looking for someone to help ask for wedding wine. Let us ask for two bottles and split them.”
“I stay up late; are they still giving them out at 5 AM?”
“Just compensating with a bottle of water is not enough.”
Wu Hui unscrewed the cap and took a sip, tossing the rest to him.
Pei Huaiye caught it in his hand. “Is compensating you with a dance partner enough?”
The dormitory building was right ahead. It was quiet at this time, and the sunlight stretched their shadows long, making them look intimately inseparable from afar.
Wu Hui gave a hum and leaned in closer. “If I dance with you, will you be able to resist?”
To Pei Huaiye, touching Wu Hui was an addictive poison, like poppy seeds. Even through his clothes, it made his muscles tremble uncontrollably, and it took every ounce of his lifetime’s self restraint to suppress the craving to go deeper, to melt the other person into his own bones and blood.
The strands of hair falling by Wu Hui’s ear were brushed gently across Pei Huaiye’s face by the wind.
Pei Huaiye lowered his eyes. “I will not be able to.”
Just as Wu Hui was about to speak, he saw the other man lift his eyelids. “But through treatment, it can be mitigated.”
Wu Hui: “What kind of treatment?”
Pei Huaiye: “More contact.”