Pei Shaocheng took it, knocked out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.
It was past lunchtime, and the already small hot pot restaurant was now almost empty except for their table. The owner, looking bored, leaned on the counter, switching TV channels.
No one spoke, so the sounds of the pot boiling, the television program, and the rain outside became even clearer.
"By the way, do you have someone you like?" Wen Yuhan flicked his cigarette ash, breaking the silence.
For some reason, upon hearing the other party's question, Pei Shaocheng felt a sudden panic, and even the cigarette in his hand trembled, with half of the ash falling onto the table.
"Don't be nervous." As if sensing Pei Shaocheng's emotions, Wen Yuhan casually raised her glass. "I was just asking casually. After all, Andrew is quite the ladies' man."
Pei Shaocheng took two puffs of his cigarette, stubbed it out, then raised his glass and clinked it against Wen Yuhan's, saying in a low voice, "No."
Wen Yuhan nodded and finished his drink. Then he opened another can and filled both of their glasses before saying slowly, "Logically speaking, someone like you should never lack suitors... but liking and being liked are two different things." He then smiled slightly, "That's good. It seems I wasn't wrong this time. No one is more suitable to play the narcissist Andrew than you."
"You're quite suitable too." Pei Shaocheng regretted saying that as soon as he finished speaking, but it was indeed his true thought.
He seems to have a good temper with everyone, but in reality, he doesn't take anyone seriously. Isn't that just Wen Yuhan?
Wen Yuhan was somewhat surprised by this, as it was the first time he had ever seen the man opposite him throw a tantrum. After a moment's reaction, he chuckled, exhaled a puff of smoke, shook his head, and said, "Me? I can't do that."
"Why? You're a good actor, and you created the character yourself. Wouldn't it be more controllable for you to act it yourself?"
Wen Yuhan didn't rush to speak, but a hint of cunning appeared in his eyes as he looked at the other person.
The smoke from the hot pot restaurant and the dim lighting made Pei Shaocheng feel like this man was a fox waiting for a rabbit to fall into its trap and offer itself up.
"Because no matter who Andrew is with, he always plays the top role."
"What?" Pei Shaocheng didn't quite understand.
“It’s number 1, the one above…” Wen Yuhan lowered his voice and narrowed his eyes, “Um, it’s human-made.”
"Huh?!" Pei Shaocheng spat out the beer he had just taken a sip of, his ears turning bright red with embarrassment. His eyes were filled with disbelief; he had never expected Wen Yuhan to speak so bluntly.
Wen Yuhan seemed quite satisfied with the other person's reaction, a triumphant smile playing on his lips as he turned to look at the rain outside...
As time went by, the rain not only did not decrease but actually intensified.
The wet road reflected the neon lights, which appeared fragmented and hazy on the water's surface.
The two walked side by side towards the school after leaving the hot pot restaurant, still sharing the same umbrella.
Wen Yuhan glanced at her watch; the curfew had already passed.
Just as Pei Shaocheng reached for his student ID to register at the gate, Wen Yuhan suddenly tugged at his sleeve, turned him around, and started running wildly in the rain.
They passed through a tobacco and liquor store and slipped through the back door into a dimly lit alley. The streetlights in the alley were sparsely arranged, so that after passing each one, they would be plunged back into darkness.
In the interplay of light and shadow, Pei Shaocheng glanced sideways at the person beside him. He saw that the other man still had a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth, the faint glow of the cigarette flickering in the rainy night. Raindrops dampened the stray hairs on the other man's forehead, sliding down his cheek to his chin, which he then brushed away with a hand. He stopped and chuckled softly.
"arrive."
As Wen Yuhan spoke, a small black iron gate was hidden among the lush ivy. He bent down, felt the lock on the gate, shook it from different angles, and then pulled it down.
The door lock clicked open. The series of movements were swift and fluid, clearly those of a repeat offender.
He turned back and beckoned to Pei Shaocheng, then slipped through the small door first. Pei Shaocheng folded his umbrella and followed closely behind. The two successfully evaded the security guards and sneaked into the campus.
"If everyone were as well-behaved as you, would they ever graduate?" Wen Yuhan teased Pei Shaocheng, then took a slight breath, pulled out a small white medicine bottle from her pocket, poured out two pills, and swallowed them directly.
"What's wrong with you?" Pei Shaocheng asked, frowning.
"Oh, stomach ache, probably from walking too fast." Wen Yuhan casually put the medicine away again and put the cigarette between his fingers back into his mouth. "I'm going to the rehearsal hall, are you going back to the dorm?"
"Didn't you say your stomach hurt?" Pei Shaocheng couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not. "Aren't you going back to rest?"
Wen Yuhan smiled nonchalantly: "It's an old problem, I'll get over it. Anyway, I can't sleep at this hour, it's kind of boring." He looked up at Pei Shaocheng and said, "Give me a ride on your way, then you can take the umbrella and go back first."
Pei Shaocheng was silent for a moment, then nodded. They walked side by side toward the rehearsal hall. Wen Yuhan held a cigarette in one hand, while gently pressing the other against her stomach, her expression as calm and serene as ever.
If it weren't for her pale face, it would seem as if she could completely detach herself from the pain.
At this moment, Pei Shaocheng maintained a cold and stern expression, but his mind was in turmoil.
I've never felt this way before; a tightness in my chest, neither rising nor falling. I wanted to explode, to scold the person in front of me for being so reckless—suggesting hotpot when they clearly have stomach problems, and staying up all night with a cigarette dangling from their lips when they should be resting…
But after thinking it over, he realized he had no right to lecture them, since they had only met twice.
For some reason, I suddenly thought of Wen Yuhan's sly, fox-like smile again. He said he couldn't play Andrew because Andrew is top-tier, someone who's in a high position, so he must be...
That slender figure, that aloof demeanor, paired with the most poignant words, and those captivating eyes—I really want to see how those eyes would mist over with emotion…
Pei Shaocheng's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he was secretly alarmed by the image that had formed in his mind.
His ears started to burn again, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Something's not right. He's been acting strange ever since he met this person...
Chapter 15
There were many jasmine flowers planted near the rehearsal hall, and because of the rain, their lingering fragrance became even more intoxicating as one got closer. Through the darkness, the two saw a figure sitting motionless on the steps of the rehearsal hall. Head down, without an umbrella, completely soaked in the rain, he was taking sips of a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).
Pei Shaocheng had just thought to himself, "Who's the unlucky guy who just got dumped again?" when he suddenly noticed that Wen Yuhan beside him had stopped and was squinting at the figure.
"That's enough, you can go back now." Wen Yuhan briefly told Pei Shaocheng, patted his shoulder, and ran quickly towards the rehearsal hall.
Pei Shaocheng saw that as Wen Yuhan passed by the man, the man suddenly stood up. The two seemed to say something again, and then the man actually hugged Wen Yuhan from behind around the waist.
Wen Yuhan struggled twice, then bent down and struck the other person's chest with her elbow. The blow was quite powerful, and the other person groaned and swayed, almost falling to the ground.
He even has some skill...
Pei Shaocheng turned around, the man's drunken sobs and curses still echoing behind him, hoarse and unpleasant, a picture of utter disarray. Pei Shaocheng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened them again, his eyes now dark and unfathomable.
No matter how much interest he had previously harbored in Wen Yuhan, it should end here. He couldn't imagine, and could never allow himself to become that man who lost his composure in the rain; it would be too unsightly.
"Hey, you!"
His shoulder was roughly grabbed, and a pungent smell of alcohol immediately assaulted his nostrils. Pei Shaocheng turned around and was met with a pair of bloodshot, scarlet eyes. In the night rain, they looked like a wild beast that had lost control.
"Is something the matter?"
The man looked Pei Shaocheng up and down with a dazed gaze, then a strange smile appeared on his lips. He leaned closer to Pei Shaocheng and said in a hoarse voice, "You slept with him?"
Pei Shaocheng's face darkened, and he stared coldly at the other man. He was slightly taller than the man, and the oppressive aura he exuded made the other man hesitate and release the hand on his shoulder.
The two stood in silent confrontation in the rain. Finally, the man looked away first, tilted his head back and drank the remaining liquor in his hand, then smashed it on the ground with a loud cracking sound.
“We’re all the same, we all got fucking played.” The man muttered, giving a thumbs up. “Wen Yuhan, that’s him! Once the show’s over, he’s nothing to us. In his eyes, we’re all just bullshit! You tell me, isn’t he awesome? He’s fucking awesome! Hahaha… awesome!”
Pei Shaocheng turned and left without expression.
The man stared at him menacingly, his maniacal laughter abruptly ceasing.
You'll regret this.
The man's sinister voice echoed repeatedly in Pei Shaocheng's ears through the sound of rain.
"You'll regret this..."
"You'll definitely regret it..."
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his nerves, and Pei Shaocheng snapped back to reality, only to find that his hand, which had been stabbed by the bench at Wen Yuhan's place earlier, was bleeding again because he had clenched his fist so hard.
Memories of the past were abruptly interrupted by this curse-like whisper, and everything before my eyes returned to the rehearsal hall many years later.
The students had finished their walk on stage and were now gathered around him, waiting for Pei Shaocheng's comments.
The boy in the low-cut V-neck shirt screamed, "Idol, you're hurt?! Quick, does anyone have a band-aid? Give it to Senior Brother Pei!"
"No."
Pei Shaocheng casually lowered his hand, stood up, and slowly walked towards the stage.
"Come and act with me."
...
A ray of sunlight shone into the living room through a gap in the curtains, landing directly on Wen Yuhan's face. His eyelids fluttered open slowly, and he instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light.
A buzzing sound, like electricity, filled his ears, and his head felt heavy and leaden. He got up, holding onto the sofa armrest, intending to get a glass of water. But instead, he touched the cigarette pack on the coffee table, so he picked up a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
The phone screen lit up and vibrated, pressed between the sofa cushions. Wen Yuhan took the phone out, glanced at the caller ID, and answered.
"Hey, Xiao Yang."
He froze as soon as he spoke, his voice hoarse and almost breathless. Xiao Yang on the other end of the phone was also clearly taken aback, and after a long pause, tentatively asked:
"Teacher, are you alright?"
"Ah, it's alright." Wen Yuhan unbuttoned her shirt, tossed her crumpled clothes into the laundry basket in the bathroom, and turned on the shower.
"I need to take a shower and then review the draft again later. Oh, and remember to send me a copy of the meeting minutes from last time once you've compiled them."
"You already told me this yesterday," Xiao Yang said helplessly. "The meeting minutes are in your email, and I've also prepared some new annotations."
"Is that so?" Wen Yuhan rubbed his temples. "Looks like I really drank too much."
Xiao Yang sighed on the other end of the phone: "Teacher, please don't drink so much next time. Your stomach isn't good to begin with. And the same goes for smoking; you've really been losing control lately. You should go out more to get some sunshine and do more exercise..."
“I do exercise.” Wen Yuhan held the cigarette butt up to the water under the shower. “Does lung exercise count?” He chuckled to himself as the tobacco hissed as it touched the water and went out.
"Hey, I'm telling you this very seriously."
"Yes, I know."
“You know nothing at all,” Xiao Yang retorted weakly.
"I'm standing naked in the bathroom right now, it's kind of pathetic." Wen Yuhan threw her cigarette butt into the toilet and flushed it away, then said into the phone, "Can I take a shower first?"
"Okay, you go ahead and wash up. I've made some soup, I'll bring it to you later."
"No need. I'll give you a day off today. Enjoy your free time." Wen Yuhan looked up at the mottled mirror, wiped the water vapor off it with one hand, and said in a relaxed tone, "Young people shouldn't always focus on work. It's good to take some time to socialize and have a romance."
"Please stop trying to give me that toxic motivational talk."
Xiao Yang was amused by Wen Yuhan's words. The other person's voice coming through the receiver was husky, like a windowpane covered with breath on a winter's day. It carried a hint of slyness, seeping into his ears through the phone and making him feel a little itchy.
Seeing that Teacher Wen was alright, Xiao Yang breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll hang up now; it's a waste to keep the water running."
"Okay, then call me anytime if you need anything."