YMW CH 26

How to touch

After a nap in the car, Cen Wu woke up at home and found that Xie Guilan had already left. Cen Xiao told him that Xie Guilan had been dropped off at the back gate of First High School, which put his mind at ease.

Realizing he hadn’t finished his homework, Cen Wu quickly got to work.

The next morning, he overslept and arrived at class late. Meng Liangping, their teacher, was already there, trying to grab everyone’s attention by knocking on the blackboard.

“Listen up! Stop eating for a second. The school anniversary performance is at the end of the month. Each class must put on at least one act, and every student must participate.”

He assigned the class president, Zhou Wenqing, and the arts committee member, Xu Lingling, to organize the performance list.

Since it was the school’s centennial, the administration was strict. Even if some acts didn’t make the final cut, those students would have to join a poetry recital or choir.

Cen Wu didn’t want to participate in anything—he just wanted to blend into the choir and keep a low profile.

Later, Xie Guilan arrived even later than Cen Wu. As soon as he sat down, Cen Wu handed him breakfast and quietly asked, “Do you… have anything in mind for the performance?”

Xie Guilan took a few bites of food and, in his usual cold tone, replied, “Anything’s fine.”

“Once you decide,” Cen Wu rested his chin on the chair’s backrest, watching him, “can you let me know? I want to join you.”

Xie Guilan frowned deeply but said nothing.

Neither of them ever mentioned what happened at Blue Night again. Cen Wu wasn’t sure what Xie Guilan was thinking.

He probably didn’t hate him anymore… right? After all, who kisses their enemy?

On Monday, they had PE. Despite some light rain, the PE teacher refused to give up his class and insisted they go to the gym.

“Run a few laps first,” he ordered. “Then we’ll do sit-up tests.”

Groans filled the room.

Cen Wu hated running and wanted nothing more than to curl up in a quiet corner and never move again. By the time he finished, he felt completely drained.

The class paired up for sit-ups, taking turns holding each other’s legs.

Xie Guilan, however, was still alone.

The class capacity of Huaijing No. 1 Middle School is 38 people, and only their class has one more person, 39 people. In fact, the extra person is Lu Wang.

Lu Wang was diagnosed by the hospital as having a low IQ. Although his score is also included in the overall transcript, he will be excluded when calculating the average score of the entire grade and the class ranking.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair to Meng Liangping—Lu Wang’s grades alone could drag down the entire class.

The original host was second to last in the rankings, but at least his scores were twice as high as Lu Wang’s.

To protect Lu Wang’s self-esteem, no one told him that his scores didn’t count toward the class average.

Technically, Lu Wang was the “extra” student, but since Xie Guilan was always isolated, he often ended up alone during group activities.

Cen Wu hesitated, wanting to partner with Xie Guilan, but Lu Wang was still waiting for him. Seeing his indecision, Lu Wang gave him a push and whispered, “I’ll go with Zhang Yuanzhou.”

“I’ll buy you ice cream later,” Cen Wu promised.

Lu Wang scratched his head, convinced that Cen Wu had fallen hard. That gaze—Cen Wu looked more restless about Xie Guilan’s isolation than Xie Guilan himself.

“Hurry up!” The PE teacher urged.

Cen Wu jogged over to the last mat. The boy next to him was messing around, sitting on his partner’s legs, so Cen Wu casually did the same to Xie Guilan.

Xie Guilan: “……”

Feeling the soft weight on his legs, Xie Guilan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His cold, sharp gaze dropped onto Cen Wu. “Get up.”

Cen Wu pouted, then shifted to kneel on Xie Guilan’s legs instead, using his knees to pin him down.

The gym was stuffy from the rain outside. When Xie Guilan sat up, his collarbones subtly moved, his damp skin glistening. His sharp nose almost brushed against Cen Wu’s cheek.

Cen Wu instinctively leaned back, but doing so loosened his grip, so he had to lean forward again. His head stayed down, avoiding Xie Guilan’s gaze, the tips of his ears flushed a soft pink—like lychee soaked in plum wine.

When it was Cen Wu’s turn, Xie Guilan kneeled beside him and casually held down his ankles with one hand. Cen Wu struggled but couldn’t budge.

Cen Wu: “……”

Annoyed.

After thirty sit-ups, Cen Wu was exhausted. When the PE teacher looked away, he reached out for help. Xie Guilan sighed and pulled him up.

The next moment, Cen Wu flopped back down—still holding Xie Guilan’s hand. Helpless, Xie Guilan ended up pulling him through a few more sit-ups.

Just then, the ending whistle blew. Before Cen Wu could react, Xie Guilan stood up and yanked him up along with him. Cen Wu stumbled forward, smacking his nose against Xie Guilan’s arm. His vision went black for a second, tears almost welling up.

“You’re so solid,” he muttered.

His breath, still heavy from exertion, brushed against Xie Guilan’s ear. His soft, red lips hovered dangerously close, making his complaint sound more like a lover’s grumble.

After class, Lu Wang ran off to play basketball with Zhang Yuanzhou and the others. Cen Wu stayed behind, still trailing after Xie Guilan. While Xie Guilan worked on his assignments, Cen Wu lay next to him.

Xie Guilan: “……”

So clingy.

This had to stop. Xie Guilan needed to make it clear—he wasn’t interested in dating, let alone being treated like some pet fish. Cen Wu could find someone else; plenty of people would be happy to entertain him.

But the gym was too crowded, and there was no chance to talk.

Finally, as the bell rang, Xie Guilan glanced up, about to speak—

“Wu Wu!” Lu Wang suddenly dashed over, shoved an ice pop into Cen Wu’s hand, and looped his arm around him. “Come with me! The class prez is discussing the performance lineup.”

Like a child claiming his turn, Lu Wang whisked Cen Wu away.

Xie Guilan: “……”

His dark eyes chilled as he swallowed his words.

Zhou Wenqing, the class president, was collecting performance ideas, hoping to squeeze everyone into a single act. Cen Wu peeked at the suggestions:

《Lin Daiyu and the Snowy Mountain Temple》
《Hulu Brothers vs. King Kong》
《The Temptation of Class Return: You’re So Flirty》
《She Chases, He Runs—He Can’t Escape》

Cen Wu: “……”

“Hulu Brothers vs. King Kong?” Lu Wang scratched his head. “That’s like… eight people max. How’s the whole class supposed to fit in?”

The PE rep waved a hand. “The rest can be shadow clones of the Hulu Brothers.”

Lu Wang: “……”

PE class was the third period of the morning, and the gym was far from their classroom. By the time they got back, the last class had already started.

Xie Guilan barely parted his lips to speak when the English teacher stormed in, waving test papers. “Enough! Just stop talking! Have you seen your scores?! Shut up!”

Xie Guilan: “……”

Evening self-study started that week, with a break for dinner. As night fell, Xie Guilan closed his book and tried again. “Cen—”

“Dinner time!” Zhang Yuanzhou spun around, slapping Cen Wu and Lu Wang’s desks before calling out to Zhou Wenqing. “Bros, let’s eat!”

Cen Wu had thought about bringing dinner for Xie Guilan, but he remembered from the original story that Xie Guilan didn’t stay for night classes—he was always too busy. So he didn’t bother.

Zhang Yuanzhou slung an arm around both him and Lu Wang, even hooking a third classmate with his leg as he struggled to drag them downstairs.

Xie Guilan: “……”

Expressionless, he grabbed his bag and left.

He wasn’t the type to show emotions, let alone lash out, yet Cen Wu could still tell—Xie Guilan wasn’t happy.

Now what?

Cen Wu swore Xie Guilan was more like a spoiled young master. Or even a princess.

Despite everything, he still had such a big attitude.

The preliminary round of the chemistry competition was over, and the finals were more than a month away. There wasn’t much going on for now, but after some thought, Cen Wu decided to drop by Blue Night after evening self-study.

Having been there several times already, his social anxiety wasn’t as bad. This time, he only needed ten minutes to mentally prepare before sneaking in through the back door, his legs trembling slightly.

Xie Guilan was busy that night, delivering drinks between booths, so Cen Wu didn’t go over to bother him.

He was here to find A’Ling. He suspected A’Ling knew about the underground casino, but the guy was tight-lipped. Pressing him for answers wouldn’t work—asking too much might expose himself instead.

So he didn’t push further.

The casino world was deep and dangerous, and Xie Mingcheng wasn’t someone easy to take down. Maybe the Cen family could help, but it would be risky.

Cen Wu didn’t want to drag them into this mess.

He was only worried about Xie Guilan. If something happened to him, there was nothing he could do to help. That’s why he wanted to gather information—if possible, he even wanted to help Xie Guilan switch jobs.

Ideally, Xie Guilan would move in with him at the Cen household.

Cen Wu knew what it was like to rely on others for shelter. His father had been a director, his mother a dancer, and his family had been well-off. His grandfather had even owned a jewelry company.

But later, the company went bankrupt. His grandfather passed away, leaving behind enormous debts. His parents, desperate to repay what was owed, rushed to finish their film project, only to get into a fatal car accident on the way home after a meeting with investors.

They left behind an unfinished film and over 800 million in debt.

Cen Wu was thirteen at the time. He didn’t inherit any assets, so he wasn’t legally responsible for the debts either. His aunt took him in.

He was still luckier than Xie Guilan—his aunt treated him well. But he was completely dependent on them, and his uncle didn’t like him much.

They had their own son, three years older than Cen Wu, and no extra money to spare.

His aunt and uncle argued about him often, so eventually, Cen Wu moved into the school dorms. He could barely scrape together enough money for his expenses by taking photos and making videos for people.

Living with the Cen family would still mean relying on others, but at least no one would bully Xie Guilan there.

However, that also meant the Cen family would be interfering in the Xie family’s affairs. Even if his parents had adored the original owner of this body, they might not agree to it. Maybe letting Xie Guilan stay over for a few days would be fine.

A’Ling leaned in to talk to Cen Wu. The bar was noisy, so they had to get close to hear each other. He was wearing a leather jacket with a thin silver chain attached to it, and when he bent down, the chain accidentally got tangled around Cen Wu.

Cen Wu quickly lowered his head to untangle it, but in doing so, he got even closer.

At that moment, Xie Guilan finished delivering drinks and turned around to see the scene—A’Ling, with his slightly seductive features and a casual smirk, looking down at Cen Wu, who seemed to be touching his abs from this angle.

Cen Wu was sweating from the effort, his nose slightly damp, but he finally got the chain loose. When he turned his head, he saw Xie Guilan wiping glasses at the bar, looking less busy than before. Without hesitation, he walked toward him.

He still preferred staying close to Xie Guilan.

Mainly because Xie Guilan had a cold, lifeless aura—his face was like frost—so it didn’t make his social anxiety worse.

But just as he was halfway there, a man in a suit suddenly blocked his path. The guy had no sense of shame—his deep V-cut suit exposed a broad, muscular chest. He spoke in a resentful tone:

“Second Young Master, long time no see. I sent you messages, but you never replied. Don’t tell me you’ve been with A’Ling this whole time?”

Ji Changyu was also there that night. He followed Xie Guilan’s gaze and clicked his tongue.

“Damn, this guy’s got game. With a waist that thin, how does he handle so many at once?”

Xie Guilan shot him a cold glare.

Ji Changyu shut up immediately.

His father was a university professor who had given him the scholarly name “Changyu,” but he was just a street punk from No. 13 High School. His words were rarely serious.

Xie Guilan was always quiet and indifferent, never reacting to anything Ji Changyu said. This was the first time Ji Changyu had seen him genuinely pissed off.

The man in the suit wouldn’t let go of Cen Wu, whose pale face was flushed red with frustration.

He didn’t even recognize this guy.

After taking over this body, Cen Wu had deleted his old WeChat account and created a new one. He only added Xie Guilan and ignored everyone else.

Originally, he wanted to delete all those male models from the previous owner’s contacts, but he hesitated. He figured he might as well keep them as digital pets.

The original owner used to flirt back from time to time, but Cen Wu hadn’t responded to a single message.

Realizing that Cen Wu didn’t remember him, the man looked a little disappointed. But being a professional, he quickly masked his feelings, exchanged a few pleasantries, and went back to entertain guests.

Cen Wu felt suffocated. It was like trying to navigate a spider’s web, but he finally made it to Xie Guilan’s side.

Xie Guilan lowered his gaze, continuing to wipe glasses. In class earlier, Cen Wu had already sensed that Xie Guilan was in a bad mood, but he had no idea why. He leaned in slightly, trying to read Xie Guilan’s face.

Xie Guilan: “…”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he turned his head away.

Cen Wu circled around to the other side and leaned in again.

After several rounds of this, Xie Guilan finally lifted his gaze. Their eyes met—Cen Wu’s wide, blinking eyes staring back at him.

He didn’t even realize it himself, but the corner of his lips curved up slightly.

Seeing him smile, Cen Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief. This was starting to feel like coaxing a girlfriend.

From a distance, the suit-clad man leaned back lazily, a cigarette between his fingers, and waved at Cen Wu.

“Young Master,” Xie Guilan followed his gaze and asked in a calm tone, “Do you like that type?”

Cen Wu: “?”

He was briefly stunned before his face turned red. He stammered, “W-well… he’s alright, I guess.”

His abs were nice, but the guy was too greasy, and Cen Wu wasn’t into men that much older than him.

Xie Guilan, however, kept his eyes on that booth. Cen Wu turned to look as well—several male models were drinking with clients.

He was confused. “What… what are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Xie Guilan dropped his gaze. “Just a little jealous.”

Cen Wu: ?

Cen Wu looked even more confused. “Envy what?”

“A night probably pays a lot,” Xie Guilan said.

Cen Wu: “…”

Cen Wu: ???

A-Ling, who had been drinking water nearby, nearly spat it out. No way—was Xie Guilan seriously considering competing with him for business?

Can’t you just focus on being top of the class?!

Cen Wu’s eyes widened slightly. His inner eye corners were deep, giving him a cold and sharp look most of the time, like a little mountain sparrow. But when he widened them like this, that coldness faded. He was anxious to talk Xie Guilan out of this.

No, seriously, why was he suddenly thinking about going down this road?

But with A-Ling standing right there, he hesitated, not wanting to say anything offensive. A-Ling, being the perceptive guy he was, immediately caught on to Cen Wu’s reaction and waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t mind me.”

“What’s so great about that?” Cen Wu blurted out, his usual stutter disappearing in his urgency.

“What’s bad about it?” Xie Guilan said casually. “I need money, and this pays fast.”

Cen Wu got even more anxious. His lips parted, but no words came out.

In a moment of desperation, he grabbed Xie Guilan’s arm and said, “But… but if you do this, no matter if it’s men or women, they’ll all be touching you like this… Can you really handle that?”

Xie Guilan’s gaze flickered slightly, as if he hadn’t quite understood. His thin lips parted slightly. “Like how?”

Cen Wu was about to lose his mind. Was he really trying to tempt Xie Guilan into this life? This was a path of no return!

His frustration made him bold. He ran his hand along Xie Guilan’s arm. When Xie Guilan still didn’t react, Cen Wu’s eyelashes trembled, his ears flushing red. He steeled himself and slid his palm over Xie Guilan’s abs.

Even through the shirt, he could feel the warmth of his firm muscles.

“L-Like this,” Cen Wu stammered, his face burning. “And… and the people doing it might not even be as good-looking as me. You get it now? You wouldn’t be able to stand it.”

It was the truth, but saying it out loud felt shameless.

His face burned even hotter. His watery eyes looked up at Xie Guilan, his expression flustered and earnest.

Xie Guilan stared at the boy’s flushed cheeks, his soft, well-maintained hand resting against him. He had to admit—Cen Wu really was pretty.

“I don’t get it,” Xie Guilan said, his dark eyes gleaming with a half-smile. He looked completely serious about going down this path. “But it sounds fine to me. Doesn’t the young master like it?”