YMW CH 7

Xie Yiping

Cen Wu noticed that Xie Guilan’s usual cold, gloomy aura had softened a little, but for some reason, his face seemed darker.

“…”

Cen Wu blinked, deciding not to provoke Xie Guilan any further. He quickly shrank back and turned away.

After two classes, the rain had intensified. Cen Wu and Lu Wang were sitting by the window, and raindrops were starting to blow inside.

Lu Wang leaned closer, enjoying the cool breeze against his face. It felt refreshing to him.

Xie Guilan, however, didn’t feel as comfortable. The corners of his exam paper were getting wet. He considered closing the window but didn’t want to draw attention to himself by disturbing Cen Wu. So, he stayed put, a cold expression on his face.

The moment Cen Wu saw that icy look, he jumped up and quickly shut the window, despite Lu Wang’s protesting glare.

The summer uniform was thin and light. As Cen Wu stretched to close the window, his shirt lifted slightly, revealing his slender waist and a glimpse of pale skin.

Xie Guilan glanced away almost immediately.

It wasn’t his imagination—he could tell that Cen Wu was afraid of him, even trying to please him. But… why?

---

By lunchtime, the rain had grown heavier, and the bike tires were practically submerged. Most students decided to stay at school and head to the cafeteria.

Only Xie Guilan left as soon as the bell rang. Cen Wu didn’t have a chance to call him back.

“What are you staring at?” Lu Wang waved a hand in front of Cen Wu’s face, then hooked his arm. “Let’s go to the cafeteria.”

Just thinking about the cafeteria’s crowded chaos made Cen Wu’s legs tremble. Hungry teenagers rushed downstairs like a wild herd, eyes practically glowing green.

He wasn’t about to go head-to-head with that mob. If others got hurt, they’d have bruises; if he did, it felt like he’d lose his life.

But Lu Wang pulled him along anyway, like a socially fearless friend dragging their anxious counterpart. Cen Wu wasn’t even sure how his legs were moving; before he knew it, he was in the cafeteria.

Seeing his silence, Lu Wang thought he didn’t know what to eat. After lining up, Lu Wang raised his hand and shouted, “We want chestnut-braised chicken!”

The cafeteria at Huai Jing High School was well-known for its good food. The server, steady-handed and generous, filled a bowl to the brim with fragrant, tender chicken and chestnuts for Cen Wu.

Cen Wu’s eyes always seemed to carry a misty sheen, glistening even under the gray light of the heavy rain. He and Lu Wang were lucky enough to find a spacious seat in the cafeteria.

“Delicious, right?” Lu Wang said proudly. “You never come to the cafeteria with me. Actually, the second floor has some great food. Next time, I’ll take you to Window Nine for Yunnan rice noodles.”

Cen Wu nodded. “Sounds good.”

Lu Wang wasn’t completely oblivious; he could tell that Cen Wu used to look down on him, barely acknowledging him. But today, that attitude seemed gone. Cen Wu had even agreed to come to the cafeteria with him.

The young master of the Cen family wouldn’t normally lower himself to a place like this—the original Cen Wu thought the cafeteria was filthy and smelly.

But now, Cen Wu sat across from him. Outside, the rain poured heavily, and the dim light in the cafeteria softened his dark hair, making his pale complexion seem even more serene.

Lu Wang thought: I just want to spend money on my bro. I really adore him.

Why wouldn’t he let him?

---

After lunch, Cen Wu returned to the classroom and took a nap, sleeping for over an hour.

Xie Guilan arrived just in time for the afternoon classes, as usual. Cen Wu noticed he had changed into a fresh school uniform and guessed he had been working during lunch. Xie Guilan had a job at a small restaurant near the school, where he helped serve dishes and inevitably picked up the smell of smoke and grease.

Huai Jing High School issued several sets of uniforms, and Xie Guilan always changed into a fresh one in the afternoon.

Despite this, trouble still found him. However, after Cen Wu’s unexpected outburst that morning—where he had confronted Zhou Ye—no one dared to bother Xie Guilan for now.

Cen Wu spent the whole day in class, only half-understanding the lessons. He managed to remember a few formulas and cell diagrams.

It was the beginning of the new semester in their second year of high school. There were no evening study sessions yet, so classes ended at 7:30 PM. The final period was a biology class taught by their homeroom teacher.

Xie Shangjing despised Xie Guilan and avoided any connection with him at school. Even when he came to Class Three to find the original Cen Wu, he made sure not to interact with Xie Guilan.

This made Cen Wu somewhat at ease during school hours, but after school was a different story. He planned to threaten Xie Guilan into staying at the Cen family home for the night—at least until his injuries healed.

That evening, the rain was even heavier than the day Yi Ping had gone to the Lu family to borrow money. As class was about to end, Cen Wu glanced back and noticed the sharp yet striking presence of his seatmate was gone.

“!!!”

Panicking, Cen Wu shook Lu Wang’s shoulder. “Where… where’s Xie Guilan?”

“Huh?” Lu Wang looked up. “He left. Just now.”

He pointed toward the classroom door. Xie Guilan, carrying a black backpack, was already striding towards the staircase.

Cen Wu suddenly remembered that Xie Guilan worked at a bar in the evenings. The money he earned at lunch barely covered his meals; the nighttime earnings were for hiring a caregiver for Song Lingwei.

The school gate was always crowded after class, so Xie Guilan left a few minutes early to catch the bus.

Cen Wu: “…”

There were still five minutes left in class. Leaving now would mean skipping out early. The teacher had only lectured for twenty minutes before giving them a pop quiz and sitting at the podium, occasionally looking up to monitor the class.

Sweat dotted Cen Wu’s nose. For someone with social anxiety, slipping out in front of everyone felt like a death sentence.

His mind went blank, buzzing with anxiety. But if he didn’t go now, he’d lose sight of Xie Guilan.

With trembling hands, he packed his bag. The moment the teacher looked down, he grabbed his things and, heart pounding, slipped out the back door.

But the teacher’s sharp eyes caught him, and he yelled, “Cen Wu!”

Terrified, Cen Wu nearly dropped his backpack. His heart raced, his legs felt weak, but he bolted for the stairs.

By the time he reached the school gate, soaked trousers clinging to his legs, Xie Guilan was already on the bus.

“Wait… wait!” he called desperately, but the driver didn’t hear him through the heavy rain. The bus pulled away.

Nearby, some first-year students saw his frantic demeanor and whispered, “Looks like he’s chasing his girlfriend.”

“Yeah, didn’t catch up though.”

Cen Wu: “…”

He was furious.

Expressionless, he wiped the rain from his face and flagged down a taxi.

“D-driver, to Blue Night Bar.”

Thankfully, he’d memorized the bar’s name where Xie Guilan worked.

The bar wasn’t far from the school. Even with the rain and traffic, it only took about twenty minutes. That’s when Cen Wu realized how out of place he looked in his school uniform.

He quickly ducked into a nearby shop, bought a T-shirt, jeans, a black baseball cap, and a matching mask. Dressed head-to-toe in black, he blended into the night.

But standing outside the bar, he spent twenty minutes building up the courage to go in. His legs shook at the thought of the crowded interior.

Just one more minute, then he’d go in. No, three more minutes.

Ten minutes later, he was still outside, next to a decorative column.

“…”

Back to square one.

Gripping his cap, Cen Wu paced nervously, trying to psych himself up. Every time he raised a foot to enter, someone would exit, and he’d freeze, pretending he was just passing by.

He lost count of how many times he’d repeated this when suddenly, a pair of hands landed on his shoulders. He nearly had a heart attack, spinning around to see a familiar head of fiery red hair.

“Hey, Cen,” Chu Zijian draped an arm around his shoulder, puzzled. “Why haven’t you gone in?”

He’d arrived about ten minutes ago and had watched Cen Wu pacing around. He hesitated to call out, fearing he’d get slapped, but finally couldn’t resist.

Cen Wu, still shaken, stammered, “I… I… have rheumatism.”

Chu Zijian: “?”

“Can’t handle… damp places,” Cen Wu added.

Even before his social anxiety, Cen Wu had struggled at events like film festivals. He once stood next to an actor with spiked blue hair, towering over two meters tall, wearing an unbuttoned suit with only the bottom button fastened. The bold blue eyeshadow and dark lipstick didn’t help.

The guy had been the last to enter; Cen Wu, the first. When the actor gave a wicked smile, Cen Wu had wanted to dig a hole and hide.

Chu Zijian scratched his head, confused. “Uh, are you here to party?”

Cen Wu, hypersensitive to the question, tightened his grip on his mask. “W-what? Do I not look like I’m here to party?”

Sensing his anger, Chu Zijian quickly reassured him, “Of course! You totally do!”

Like someone about to steal something.