YMW CH 32

I Want to Scream

Cen Wu froze for a moment. Xie Guilan pushed his hair aside, fingers brushing against his face. His pale cheeks instantly flushed red, and he clenched the hem of his skirt tightly.

You’re the young lady. Your whole family are young ladies.

Xie Guilan hadn’t left yet. He was still kneeling, his burning palm wrapped around Cen Wu’s ankle.

Cen Wu lightly kicked his knee, baring his teeth as if he wanted to throw a tantrum—but he didn’t quite dare. Instead, he smudged a dusty footprint onto Xie Guilan’s uniform pants and muttered, “You… you get out.”

“Miss,” Xie Guilan looked up. He didn’t seem angry about being stepped on. His dark, narrow eyes held a trace of amusement—or maybe they didn’t. His voice was hoarse as he said, “Lend me your uniform jacket.”

The rental shop was packed and stuffy. Earlier, he had taken off his jacket and tossed it onto the sofa outside.

Xie Guilan was cold from head to toe, yet he was born with those deep, seductive eyes—like someone meant to be a heartbreaker. His sharp features suited an indifferent expression, but the moment his lips curled, everything he said carried an air of temptation. Even his coldness felt like bait, luring people into willingly throwing themselves into the fire for him.

Cen Wu’s mind was a mess. He didn’t understand what Xie Guilan wanted, nor did he care. Xie Guilan simply grabbed the jacket, tied it around his waist, and walked out.

Something felt off.

What was there to hide? It wasn’t like he wasn’t wearing pants.

Cen Wu had a theory—maybe Xie Guilan was too proper. Not only was he the top student in the entire grade, but he’d probably also score first place in some weird “model gentleman” contest. His underwear was probably made of pure iron, maybe even padlocked shut.

By the time Cen Wu finished changing and stepped out, most of the class had also wrapped up. Xu Lingling went to pay the deposit, reserving their costumes for the entire performance period. No more rentals after that.

The students slowly dispersed.

Many of them boarded at Huai Jing No. 1 High, but most went home on Saturday nights. Soon, only about ten people remained. Lu Wang waved a hand and said, “Dinner’s on me.”

Everyone knew Lu Wang was rich and generous, so no one held back. Laughing and chatting, they headed toward the Hunan restaurant near the school—a cheap place with big portions that had been around for years.

It was a favorite for student gatherings.

“I’m getting milk tea first.” Lu Wang ordered over a dozen cups, paying extra for Cen Wu’s drink to have double toppings—and then, for some reason, he got the exact same order for Xie Guilan too.

It was already 8:30 PM. The night sky hung heavy. After the weekend dismissal, the streets around Huai Jing No. 1 High were eerily quiet.

Cen Wu sniffled. The rain had passed, but the night air was turning cold, sending a chill down his arms.

Xie Guilan turned, untied the jacket from his waist, and handed it to him.

Cen Wu was now convinced—Xie Guilan was such a straight guy.

Back in the rental shop, he had called him young lady without hesitation. But now? He barely spoke, keeping his distance like he was avoiding any accidental touches.

What, did he only like him when he was wearing a skirt?

But then again, Xie Guilan wasn’t particularly close to any of the girls in their class either. He treated everyone the same—cold and distant.

Cen Wu pressed his lips together.

Xie Guilan took his bag and carried it for him, waiting for him to put on the jacket. But even after Cen Wu had it on, Xie Guilan still didn’t return the bag. He just held onto it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The milk tea shop wasn’t crowded, so orders came out quickly. Lu Wang rushed over, handing Cen Wu a cup, then gave one to Xie Guilan. “One for you, one for you.”

Then he ran off to get the rest.

Cen Wu’s hands ached—he didn’t want to hold his drink. Without a word, Xie Guilan stabbed in the straw and held the cup for him, waiting for him to take a sip.

Neon lights flickered across puddles left by last night’s rain, reflecting in Xie Guilan’s dark eyes. His sharp features remained cold and distant, but his posture was strangely subdued.

It was hard to tell if it was obedience or calculated patience.

A chill ran down Cen Wu’s spine. He was really playing with fire, wasn’t he? Having Xie Guilan of all people waiting on him like this?

He reached out to take the cup. “I… I’ll do it myself.”

But Xie Guilan didn’t let go. His deep black eyes lowered, neon lights painting fragmented shadows over his expression, suppressing the faint satisfaction hidden within.

He waited for Cen Wu to drink from his hand.

In the original novel, every glance, every move Xie Guilan made was layered—dark, violent, and deeply scheming. Even if Cen Wu had memorized all three million words of the novel, he still wouldn’t know exactly what Xie Guilan was thinking.

But here, now—outside the old school gates of Huai Jing No. 1 High, with neon lights, rain puddles, and students in uniforms laughing in the background—there was something unmistakably youthful about the scene.

Only Xie Guilan stood apart, his presence too cold, too heavy. Even dressed in a school uniform, he didn’t look like a high schooler.

If this were a movie, this shot would mean something.

Sure, Xie Guilan was holding his things, handing him his drink, but if you flipped the perspective—his things were all in Xie Guilan’s hands now. Even drinking milk tea meant leaning in, lowering his head.

Power could shift in an instant.

Cen Wu wasn’t trying to provoke him. He didn’t want to control Xie Guilan.

So in the end, Xie Guilan controlled him.

For someone like Xie Guilan—repressed, dangerous, craving dominance—having control made him happy.

Cen Wu didn’t see the point in fighting it. If letting Xie Guilan have his way would balance things out, then fine. Let him get his petty revenge.

So he leaned in, lowering his head to bite the straw—his pale, fragile neck completely exposed to Xie Guilan. His long lashes lifted slightly as he carefully observed his reaction.

For a moment, something shifted in Xie Guilan’s gaze, his dark eyes stirring with an unreadable emotion.

But as Cen Wu moved, his wrist brushed against the wound on Xie Guilan’s hand—a faint, almost imperceptible tremor ran through him.

Xie Guilan pressed his lips together, raising the cup just a little, adjusting the angle so that Cen Wu didn’t have to lower his head anymore.

Cen Wu blinked.

Meeting those eyes, Xie Guilan suddenly felt seen—as if his every dark, twisted thought had been laid bare.

He should hate Cen Wu. That hatred had once consumed him.

But for some reason, he preferred Cen Wu in that green dress, stepping on him.

Not like this. Not bowing his head.

Nearby, Lu Wang was still handing out milk tea to their classmates.

“Man, he’s really loaded,” a boy whispered from behind them, snickering. “Thirty-two yuan a cup, and he didn’t even blink.”

The guy next to him tried to hold back a laugh and whispered, “That’s nothing. He’ll buy whatever you tell him to. He only got a 6 in math—probably doesn’t even recognize half the numbers. Last year at our New Year’s class dinner, I ordered a king crab just for fun, and he actually placed the order.”

Xie Guilan held onto his cup of milk tea. It was ice-cold, turning his long, pale fingers red. But he didn’t say anything, just lowered his lashes and watched Cen Wu lean over to take a sip.

As soon as Cen Wu took a sip, the two guys were still chuckling to themselves. His brows instantly furrowed. He turned his head and, with an expressionless face and a cold voice, said, “Spit it out.”

“……”

At first, the two guys didn’t even realize Cen Wu was talking to them. After all, he used to be one of the people making fun of Lu Wang too. But when they finally caught on, they immediately shut up.

One of them had already drunk half his milk tea. Xie Guilan walked over, grabbed his cup, and tossed it straight into the trash. Then, without hesitation, he took the unopened milk tea from the other guy.

Xie Guilan had a naturally cold aura, and at nearly 1.9 meters tall, he carried an intimidating presence, especially among other guys.

The two didn’t dare protest. Heads down, silent, faces tinged with shame. They had indeed spent Lu Wang’s money, yet still laughed at him behind his back.

“Young Master.” Xie Guilan handed the unopened milk tea to Cen Wu, who passed it to Lu Wang.

Lu Wang’s eyes widened. “Why aren’t they drinking it?”

“They’ve had too much,” Cen Wu said. “They’re skipping dinner.”

The two guys, who had been sitting comfortably in the milk tea shop, quickly grabbed their bags and left after hearing that. Before they left, they awkwardly waved at Lu Wang.

Lu Wang scratched his face but didn’t think too much about it. He happily took the milk tea, hugging it like a treasure. His family didn’t let him have too much sugar, and he hadn’t ordered one for himself earlier.

Xie Guilan’s dark eyes glinted. He had to admit—Cen Wu had changed. Even the way he treated Lu Wang was different now.

But Cen Wu… he was supposed to like him. After all, Cen Wu never picked up anyone else after their night shifts.

---

On the way to the Hunan restaurant, they passed the Huai Jing Bridge, which stretched endlessly across the river, glowing with lights in the night.

Finally out and about, someone couldn’t hold it in anymore and shouted toward the river, “I freaking hate midterms!!!”

The exams at Huai Jing No. 1 High were notoriously tough, and the competition was intense. On top of weekly quizzes, major exams came with a full analysis—one by one, students got called into the office. Even as second-years, many still weren’t used to the pressure. Staying on campus for two weeks straight was enough to drive anyone crazy.

As soon as one guy started, others followed. Some yelled nonsense; others cursed cartoon villains for fun.

The only one who didn’t join was the class rep, Zhou Wenqing, who adjusted his glasses and trailed behind, making sure everyone made it back safely.

Cen Wu tilted his head and took the last sip of milk tea from Xie Guilan’s cup, even sucking up a piece of coconut jelly.

“Young Master, why aren’t you yelling?” Xie Guilan asked, lowering his long lashes.

Cen Wu blinked. “Huh?”

“Didn’t you want to scream?” Xie Guilan’s thin lips curled slightly—just a hint, barely noticeable. But his voice was so cold it made that little smile seem like an illusion.

Cen Wu’s ears turned red.

He did have a profile picture of a tiny cat with the caption “I wanna scream.”

But asking a socially anxious person to scream in public? That was as impossible as asking him to die on the spot. No way. Not in this lifetime.

They leaned against the railing by the river. The night breeze lifted the hems of their school jackets. The moon hung high, and the sky was full of stars. Laughter and shouts from their classmates filled the background.

Cen Wu felt a little cold and instinctively moved closer to Xie Guilan. His dark hair brushed against Xie Guilan’s shoulder. Xie Guilan stared at those few soft strands, but before he could react, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

His fingers instinctively clenched.

It was a message from Song Lingwei.

【Song Lingwei: Xiao Lan, what time are you coming to the hospital tonight? Mom’s asthma meds are out. See if there’s a pharmacy still open and get the same ones as last time.】

Xie Guilan hesitated for a few seconds before replying. Before he could type, another message came in, her worry practically spilling through the screen.

【Song Lingwei: Are you still in class? I hope I’m not disturbing you. The medicine can wait until tomorrow if you’re busy.】

Her asthma wasn’t severe—only during seasonal changes, when it got too cold or too hot, she’d have coughing fits or shortness of breath. It wasn’t at the level where she had to use an inhaler immediately. Usually, resting for a while was enough.

Since bringing Xie Guilan to Huai Jing ten years ago, she had never once attended a parent-teacher conference for him. Of course, she also wasn’t in the group chat for Class 2-3 parents. She probably didn’t even know what time school let out.

Xie Guilan pressed his lips together and said, “Young Master, I have to go. I need to head to the hospital.”

“You… you’re not eating dinner?” Cen Wu asked.

“I’ll eat there,” Xie Guilan replied.

Cen Wu didn’t stop him.

He had wanted to ask how much money Xie Guilan still needed for his mom’s surgery but couldn’t find the right moment.

Later that night, Xie Guilan would be working a shift at Blue Night, starting late and going until the morning. Cen Wu couldn’t stay with him all night, but after dinner, he went out of his way to find Ji Changyu.

Cen Wu avoided talking whenever possible, and he had no reason to interact with Ji Changyu before. So this was the first time they had spoken one-on-one.

Ji Changyu was just as confused. He wasn’t fond of Cen Wu—rich kids like him treated people like playthings.

But he couldn’t afford to offend him either, so he walked over. “Second Young Master, what do you need?”

In the original storyline, Ji Changyu later became a manager at Xie Guilan’s entertainment company—one of the best in the business. Xu Lingling was one of his talents, and he always had a good relationship with Xie Guilan.

Cen Wu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Can you… help me ask how much more his mom’s surgery costs?”

He also wanted Ji Changyu to keep an eye on Xie Guilan—to make sure he didn’t do something drastic just to make money.

Ji Changyu’s lips twitched. Who knew what Cen Wu was up to?

He replied, “Second Young Master, that’s not something I can tell you. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to say. And if my bro decides to take that route, I’ll support him.”

Cen Wu hesitated before saying, “I… I’ll give you a thousand per night.”

“I don’t—” Ji Changyu shook his head, about to refuse.

Cen Wu interrupted, “Three thousand.”

Ji Changyu’s shake slowed down, but he still tried to hold firm. “That’s not—”

Cen Wu pressed on. “Five thousand.”

Ji Changyu: “…”

A moment later, Ji Changyu knelt beside Cen Wu’s sofa, balancing a tray with a glass of wine, looking every bit like a devoted servant. With a pained expression, he sighed and said, “Boss, here’s the thing—I really want to help you, but I can’t betray my brother. If you insist on me asking, I can do it, but I’ll have to tell him it was you who wanted to know.”

Cen Wu: “…”

If that was the case, he might as well just ask himself. What was the point of Ji Changyu then?

Feeling defeated, Cen Wu left empty-handed.

At midnight, when the shift change happened, Xie Guilan arrived. Ji Changyu was still there, staring at him like Xie Guilan owed him a fortune.

With a pained expression, Ji Changyu shook his head and sighed dramatically. “Xie, you have no idea how much I’ve sacrificed for you.”

Xie Guilan: “…”

He gave Ji Changyu a weird look, decided not to entertain whatever nonsense he was on about, and went to change clothes.

Earlier that day, Xie Guilan had spoken with his manager, who agreed to give him an advance on three months’ salary. Combined with his competition winnings and loans from wherever he could get them, he barely managed to scrape together sixty or seventy thousand. It wouldn’t be enough for all the treatment, but at least it would cover the surgery next month.

Since Ji Changyu was unreliable, Cen Wu took matters into his own hands. He anonymously booked bottles at Blue Night and specifically requested Xie Guilan to serve them. But after a few times, Xie Guilan caught on and started refusing.

Frustrated, Cen Wu created a few fake accounts, posing as a high school freshman. Knowing Xie Guilan was straight, he even changed his gender to female before sending a friend request.

【Senior, I saw your post on the school forum about selling notes. Are you still selling them? QAQ】

Xie Guilan rejected every single one.

Cen Wu suddenly understood Lu Wang’s pain—that feeling of wanting to spend money but not being able to.

On Monday, back at school, Xie Guilan arrived as usual. Just as Cen Wu was considering another approach, the dean appeared at the back of the classroom and motioned for Xie Guilan to come out.

“Come here, kid.”

Xie Guilan: “…”

He got up and followed. “Director, what’s up?”

“The results for the chemistry competition are out.” The dean, normally strict and serious, had a slight smile on his face. “There seems to be an issue with the system. Your score isn’t showing up, but there shouldn’t be a problem. Come with me and take a look.”

It was more of a formality. Xie Guilan had been competing in various contests since his first year and had brought home plenty of gold medals for the school. The dean had complete confidence in him.

Huai Jing First High School’s top student was basically the province’s top student.

Xie Guilan didn’t say much and followed him to the office.

Many teachers were curious about his score. Meng Liangping, one of the chemistry teachers, was refreshing the results page, while a few other teachers stood nearby with their tea mugs, trying to sneak a look.

“Old Meng, don’t be so stingy. I just want a peek. It’s not like I’m stealing your student.”

“The whole grade team knows—you’re the most tight-fisted one here.”

Meng Liangping ignored their complaints and kept refreshing the page. But no matter how many times he tried, Xie Guilan’s result wouldn’t show. It was either 0 or not yet available, flipping back and forth.

Xie Guilan checked himself. It was indeed showing as 0. His expression darkened slightly.

Just then, their chemistry teacher, Hou Zhong, arrived, his face tense. He stood at the office door and gestured for Xie Guilan.

“Xie Guilan, come with me.”

Sensing something was off, Meng Liangping followed them.

Once they reached a quiet spot, Hou Zhong crossed his arms and said in a low voice, “Xie Guilan, your chemistry competition results are under investigation for suspected cheating. The review panel is still looking into it. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”