Chapter 165. Smacking

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Chen You’s waist was being held, and a shiver ran through him from the part that was being touched, spreading uncontrollably throughout his body and then gathering from his limbs to his heart.

He stared at the unfamiliar face so close to his own, meeting those narrow eyes. Where had he seen them before? Where exactly…?

I can’t remember, I have absolutely no recollection of it.

Chen You’s breathing paused for a moment, then became rapid again. He opened his mouth as if trying to make a sound or call out a name, but forgot.

What’s going on with him? Am I suddenly going crazy? Even though I’ve never been in a serious relationship, it’s not like I’d want to pounce on every handsome guy I see, right? I’m really not that desperate.

My eyes are stinging, why do I feel like crying? Don’t cry, you idiot, there are other people watching, don’t embarrass yourself. Chen You tried his best to hold back, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

The man’s face became blurry, and Chen You realized he was crying. Tears streamed down his face and chin uncontrollably. He gasped, his eyes widening, unsure of what to do.

A tear fell onto his arm, and Li Yan felt as if he had been burned. He immediately pulled his hand away, his fingertips tightening slightly as he tried to touch it again, but the young man had already run into the bathroom.

Standing there, Li Yan stared blankly at his palm. After a long while, he used his other hand to wipe away the tear, his fingertips gently stroking it. His brows were furrowed, filled with confusion.

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing, who were standing nearby, were frozen in shock.

WTF, what’s going on?! They need to calm down and analyze the situation.

The people at both ends of the corridor stared wide-eyed, their expressions blank, forgetting to exchange glances or whisper among themselves.

Is Mr. Li gay? And has his eye on a young man?

It shouldn’t be. Given Mr. Li’s wealth and status, if he were gay, countless people would fawn over him. Based solely on the young man’s appearance, he still showed signs of immaturity and naivety, and was far from outstanding enough.

That is, the young man learned of Mr. Li’s power from elsewhere, so he had other ideas, got emotional for no reason, and even tried to use tears to gain something for himself.

This kind of scheming is quite common.

As for Mr. Li, he is a man of great composure and high moral character. Perhaps because he couldn’t just stand by and watch the boy fall in front of everyone, he casually helped him up.

Without any prior communication, everyone reached a consensus.

The young man’s acting was good, his tears came easily, and his sad expression was mixed with excitement and joy, like a long-awaited reunion. He was afraid of mistaking someone, wanted to confirm, but didn’t know what to say or where to begin. There was a sense of pain that came from a long separation and the memory had become blurred.

In such a short period of time, the young man’s emotions underwent multiple changes, and these emotions were handled very well. If the other person was not Mr. Li, they would all believe it.

He was personally brought in by a top agent, and he’s definitely got some skills.

In the bathroom, Chen You squatted on the floor, leaning against the door. His heart was pounding so hard, pounding against him repeatedly. A dull pain came over him, and he clutched his chest, panting heavily, with beads of sweat on his forehead.

Almost, almost kissed him.

Chen You swallowed hard, licking his dry lips, so salty. He felt like he was going to die. In front of so many people, he was crying to a man he didn’t even know, and he was crying like a dead dog.

He must have looked absolutely awful back then.

Chen You grabbed a strand of hair from his forehead, repeatedly belittling himself. It was too weird just now. He admitted that he was a bit perverted, but when he first saw the man, his whole world consisted only of those eyes. He didn’t even think about looking at the man’s pants.

He felt a strong sense of familiarity, not like they had met once by chance in a certain place, but like they had met many times, so many that he had the illusion that they were from a past life.

Chen You leaned back, his head hitting the door repeatedly. He longed to touch the man’s eyes, to touch the mole on his face, and to kiss him. He wanted to be held in his arms, to be tightly embraced, and to kiss him until he was almost suffocating.

He slapped himself hard across the face, yelling, fuck, forget about it!

A faint taste of blood lingered in Chen You’s mouth, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it, thinking it frantically. He was even confused by the fantasies in his mind, imagining the man right in front of him, looking at him with burning eyes, and unconsciously opened his arms, waiting to be embraced.

“You’re insane…”

Suddenly jolted awake, Chen You couldn’t help but continue slapping himself. He only had depression, not skin thirst or infatuation. Why was he experiencing this? What was with this extreme desire to be fucked?

Enough is enough!

Chen You got hard. He wanted to cry but had no tears. Before that man appeared, he was fine. After he appeared, his body and mind went out of sync. He didn’t know what he was doing or thinking.

“Take your medicine, go take your medicine quickly, you’ll be fine after you take it.”

Chen You muttered to himself, “Where is the medicine? In my backpack? Yes, it’s in my backpack.”

He braced himself against the ground, straightened up, rubbed his face, composed himself, and went to open the door. There was no one left in the corridor.

He felt relieved, but also disappointed.

In the office on the 21st floor, Lin Fuxing and Hu Wei stood and sat respectively, each smoking a cigarette, their gazes fixed in one direction through the smoke.

Li Yan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to them, his expression unreadable.

Lin Fuxing exhaled a cloud of white mist into the air and exchanged glances with Hu Wei, “Go and test the waters to see what’s going on.”

Hu Wei, sitting on the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers, shook his head and said, “I’m not going. You go if you want to.”

Lin Fuxing propped himself up on the table with one hand, the toe of his leather shoe tapping the floor. He didn’t dare to ask. Li Yan had a physical obsession with cleanliness, whoever touched him would be either dead or crippled. Not long ago, the other party actually took the initiative to touch that young man.

Pinching his cheeks is one thing, but then he put his arm around his waist too.

That next action just seemed really strange.

Lin Fuxing stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. He walked around the desk, sat down in the leather chair, and spun around a few times before deciding to speak, because the atmosphere in the office was just too oppressive.

This is his office, yet he can’t relax at all.

Having made his decision, Lin Fuxing cleared his throat and asked casually, “Li Ge, should we call the person over?”

The man by the floor-to-ceiling window didn’t turn around, “No need.”

The conversation suddenly stalled, and it was hard to continue. Lin Fuxing scratched his chin and gave Hu Wei a look that said, that’s your person. Don’t think you can stay out of this.

Hu Wei coughed. He had been in this circle for a long time, and what Lin Fuxing couldn’t see, he could see.

The magnetic field between people of the homosexual is quite special.

In just a short while, Hu Wei had already determined that Li Yan had become interested in Chen You, although he was also surprised, shocked, and unable to understand it.

After thinking it over, Hu Wei began to explain what he had investigated, “Chen You is a local, nineteen years old, a sophomore majoring in tourism management. His three roommates are Zheng Shuai, Wang Yao, and Pang Aiguo’s son, Pang Yilong. The four of them get along well.”

“He is outgoing, optimistic, and good-looking. He is very famous in the college and has many female admirers. However, he has never dated a girl or had a boyfriend. He is gay.”

Lin Fuxing made an exaggerated wow expression.

Hu Wei kept an eye on the person by the French windows. Seeing that he wasn’t interrupted, he continued, “Chen You’s house is in Unit 1, Building 30, 601 of XX Community. His mother passed away early due to illness, and his father, Chen Weidong, retired early. His hobby is dancing, and he has a very good relationship with his neighbors.”

“The father and son have a good relationship, which is closer than that of ordinary families. Chen Weidong has been alone for many years to accompany Chen You as he grows up. After he went to university, Chen You went back almost every weekend to buy groceries and cook for Chen Weidong. Everyone at the market knows him.”

Only Hu Wei’s voice could be heard in the office, the other two remained silent.

“I bumped into Chen You by chance at a Starbucks on xx Road. The first time I asked him to shoot an advertisement, he didn’t agree. I only convinced him the second time.” Hu Wei’s eyes showed admiration, “He is a good prospect with unlimited potential, and can be shaped into many possibilities.”

Li Yan remained silent.

Out of respect for his childhood friend, Lin Fuxing asked, “Does that guy Chen You want to be a star?”

“I think so.” Hu Wei said, “Chen You was a repeat student. He applied to the xx Film Academy the first year of college entrance exam, but was rejected and then repeated the year, eventually getting into a junior college. I personally think that once a dream of becoming a star takes root in one’s heart, it will follow one’s entire life.”

He flicked his cigarette butt, “Besides, Chen You is very talented. He has something that others don’t. He’s a breath of fresh air. Watching his performance is refreshing.”

“Given the opportunity, Chen You will definitely establish himself in this industry, and this advertisement may be a turning point.”

Li Yan remained silent.

Lin Fuxing looked at his childhood friend and asked him to continue.

Hu Wei spread his hands, at a loss.

A short while later, Li Yan left without uttering a single word.

Lin Fuxing tossed another cigarette to his childhood friend, saying, “You put on quite a show this time.”

Hu Wei tossed the cigarette aside, not wanting to smoke anymore, as he still had to go to the studio later, “By chance, to be honest, I didn’t expect Chen You to suit Li Yan’s taste.”

Lin Fuxing teased, “I think it’s Li Yan who suits Chen You’s taste. Didn’t you see? He was looking at Li Yan with tears all over his face and he was trembling. If he hadn’t run away, he would have definitely rushed into Li Yan’s arms.”

Hu Wei’s face twitched slightly. “Can we be objective? If Li Yan doesn’t want to, he won’t allow Chen You to pounce on him.”

“Yo, you just took the kid, and you’re already starting to protect him?”

Lin Fuxing raised an eyebrow, “But you’re right. Chen You took the initiative to strike up a conversation, but it was Li Yan who made the first move.”

He sighed, “Why am I so excited?”

Hu Wei said, “I feel a little bit too.”

What will happen when someone who has always been indifferent to everything becomes interested…?

Inside the studio, Chen You had just finished taking his medicine and was sitting on a small stool drinking mineral water. The staff around him walked around, glancing at him every now and then, laughing and chattering away.

What are you laughing at? Chen You rudely wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Even though he didn’t understand his feelings for that man, so what?

Is there a law that says you can’t like someone? That’s ridiculous.

Jiang Shaonan emerged from the dressing room, followed by two assistants. He said something, and one of the assistants pulled out a small fan and ran to the front, holding it up.

There’s no air conditioning in the studio, it’s unbearably hot.

Jiang Shaonan complained, and someone quickly brought him a chair and laid out a cool cushion. One assistant knelt on the ground holding a fan, while another opened a notebook and carefully read out today’s schedule.

Chen You glanced at it, arrogant.

His idol would never put on airs like that. Someone who can write such great lyrics and sing such beautiful songs would also be a lovely person in real life, not an annoying guy like Jiang Shaonan.

“Hello.”

The sound above Chen You’s head startled him. He looked up and saw the youngster looking at him with a contemptuous gaze. He wanted to roll his eyes at him, but in the end he didn’t. He didn’t care.

“I heard about what happened in the corridor. I didn’t expect you to have such big ambitions. I wouldn’t dare to do that.”

Jiang Shaonan chuckled, “I really didn’t realize that you, an ordinary college student, have such good connections. You even know Li Yan.”

Chen You was taken aback. So the man’s name was Li Yan. Li Yan, Li Yan, Yan Li? He twitched his lips, this name really was indescribable.

Jiang Shaonan patted the boy on the shoulder, “If you could get in touch with Li Yan, you could make a name for yourself in any field, not just in this one. You could make anyone kneel at your feet and call you grandpa. So before you, there have been many people who tried it, willing to pay any price. So why hasn’t anyone done it yet? Don’t you find that strange?”

Chen You thought to himself, dude, can you take your hands off me? You’re making LaoZi sick. I ate some wife cakes(Laopo Bing) I bought before I came here, and I don’t want to throw up.

Jiang Shaonan didn’t continue, out of both apprehension and fear.

He had only been with the company for a short time, and his agent often took him to high-society dinners, where he would drink with people and be played around. In addition to getting opportunities, he also learned a few things, when those important figures accidentally mentioned the name Li Yan, everyone’s expression would change, as if a knife was held to their throats, and they would immediately change the subject.

There’s no such thing as true innocence in this world, that person was just a businessman? Nobody would believe that.

Jiang Shaonan said he wanted to go over the lines with Chen You, but before Chen You could even prepare, he started. The smile on his face disappeared, and the corners of his lips turned down, “Why is everyone criticizing us? Why? What did we do wrong?”

The mentally retarded Chen is online, “I don’t know.”

Jiang Shaonan, “…”

He ruffled Chen You’s hair and said, “You’re so cute.”

He then asked his assistant to bring him a pen and signed his name on Chen You’s collar, “Although you are very cute, you still need to memorize your lines. Good luck, classmate Chen.”

Looking at the scribbles on his collar, Chen You had a look of utter disgust on his face.

He quietly flipped through the script. It was supposed to be an advertisement, but it listed quite a few scenes, almost as many as the short films he had seen. He figured a lot of them would be cut during post-production.

Investors have money to burn.

Chen You muttered something, but before filming started, the investors arrived. They were the ones who put the money in, so they acted like royalty. The director showed them the progress and even mentioned that the upcoming kissing scene was in preparation.

An investor came by and said he wanted to take a look.

Hu Wei told Chen You the news, acting as if nothing had happened, as if the scene in the corridor had never occurred.

Chen You peeled off a piece of chewing gum and popped it into his mouth. Hu Wei didn’t mention it, and neither did he. It was awkward, even the thickest skin would feel embarrassed.

Hu Wei said, “Relax.”

Chen You chewed his gum and blew a bubble, and said, “This is my first kiss.”

Hu Wei said, “Your first on-screen kiss is meaningful. Appearing in this advertisement can be considered a beginning for you.”

“Not on the screen.” Chen You stuck out his tongue, rolled the popped bubble into his mouth, and continued blowing, “I’ve never kissed anyone?”

“That’s normal, you’re still young.”

Hu Wei looked at the boy and said, “As someone who’s been there, let me tell you, most puppy love relationships don’t end well. If you become friends, that’s considered good. There are quite a few who never speak to each other again.”

Chen You ignored it completely. No, I don’t want to give my first kiss to Jiang Shaonan. He suddenly stood up and ran outside.

“Hey, we’re about to start filming, you little rascal…”

The young man had already disappeared. He was young, had long legs, and ran like the wind. Hu Wei called Lin Fuxing and told him that the boy had run away.

On his way to the veterinary hospital, Lin Fuxing saw a Samoyed that had been hit by a car and brought in. The dog was in bad condition, and he had to rush back to perform surgery, “I can’t reach Li Ge. He might still be at the company. Keep an eye on him.”

Hu Wei listened to the beeping sound in his ear, watch over,  How could he watch over? If the little one misbehaved and ran around, he could scold him a couple of times, but the big one, no one dared to stop him from going wherever he wanted.

At this moment, Chen You ignored the stares of others and ran up and down the stairs. When he was too tired to run anymore, he sat on the steps of the fifth-floor stairwell, panting heavily.

His t-shirt was soaked through, and beads of sweat rolled down his back, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable.

Reaching behind his back, Chen You grabbed at the collar of his t-shirt and wiped his face haphazardly. In his nineteen years of life, he had never been as stupid as he was today. Knowing only a name, he acted like a lunatic, trying to find the other person.

“You left long ago, right…?”

Chen You muttered to himself, then suddenly twitched his nose and smelled a faint wisp of smoke, wafting from somewhere.

In his daze, Chen You sniffed the smoke, and all he could think of were those phoenix eyes. He jumped up from the steps and rushed downstairs. He ran from the fifth floor to the first floor before realizing he was going the wrong way.

Without stopping to rest, Chen You turned around and ran upstairs, from the first floor to the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors. He supported himself on his knees with both hands, half-squatting and panting. Damn, this is really tiring.

The smell of smoke was strong, coming from upstairs.

Chen You swallowed hard, shook his sweaty hair, and with a strong will, he gripped the cigarette smoke tightly and slowly moved forward until he saw the man’s back.

That silhouette…

A sense of familiarity washed over him once more. Chen You wiped his face, his hands were covered in sweat. Outside, the sun was blazing, and he felt like he was being drenched in rain.

Without immediately approaching, Chen You breathed heavily. Once his breathing had calmed down a bit and he could speak in complete sentences, he finally spoke, “I’m currently filming a gay-themed advertisement, and I’ll have a kissing scene with another person in the film later.”

“The investors are here. They want to see the actual scene. Not staged, they’re here for real.”

His stern face was shrouded in smoke, obscuring his expression.

Chen You didn’t know why he was telling this to a stranger. He just said it because he felt like it. The other person could think he was talking nonsense or that he was crazy.

Anyway, he will do everything he has to do. Heaven knows how tiring it was to find this person, he almost broke his legs from running around.

A breeze blew in through the window, dispersing the smoke.

Chen You took a deep breath. The man’s scent stimulated his senses and stirred his soul. He couldn’t help but take a step forward, as if an invisible rope was pulling him forward.

Just then, Li Yan turned around, a cigarette between his fingers in one hand and the other hand in his pocket. His brows were furrowed as he looked down at the young man whose cheeks were flushed and whose face was covered in sweat.

Chen You met that sharp gaze. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang in his pocket. It must be Hu Wei, calling him back to film that damn kissing scene. He gritted his teeth, stared at the man’s two light-colored thin lips, and leaned in the next second.

After smacking his lips to the other person and giving a quick peck, Chen You ran off, afraid that if he was even a step too slow, he would get beaten up.

If he turned around, he would surely find a complex look in Li Yan’s eyes, and even see him pursing his thin lips, as if he were pondering something or savoring something.

A moment later, Li Yan took out his phone and dialed a number.

Two men in suits went to the company’s security room, negotiated with the security guards, and took away the surveillance video from the eighth floor.

After giving his first kiss to the person he wanted to give it to, Chen You returned to the studio, his mood improved, humming a song and smiling broadly. He greeted all the staff members he saw.

Hu Wei, “…”

The script for this advertisement is based on a true news story. The two male protagonists met in college and fell deeply in love with each other. Due to public opinion and pressure, they committed suicide together. If the people around them had shown a little tolerance and understanding, they would not have taken such a tragic path.

Chen You then pulled out a half-empty bottle of cola from his backpack.

Jiang Shaonan’s expression was unpleasant, and he tried to take the cola from Chen You’s hand.

Chen You looked confused.

Jiang Shaonan said, “I hate the taste of cola.”

Without saying a word, Chen You removed his hand from the cola bottle, unscrewed the cap, took a big gulp, and grinned at the youth, full of provocation, as if to say, it’s none of your business.

Jiang Shaonan acted like a big shot, demanding that Chen You rinse his mouth, otherwise he wouldn’t film.

The staff were used to it and didn’t dare to say anything. There was nothing they could do. Although some fans were very rational, many more were quite crazy.

Hu Wei pulled Chen You to the restroom.

Chen You frowned, “He’s only a minor celebrity, how can he be so arrogant?”

Hu Wei said, “He has a good face, is delicate, and his group does a good job of hyping him up. The company is willing to cultivate him and establish a gentle and refined image for him, which is what fans like.”

Chen You was annoyed, “Someone like him is supposed to be gentle and refined? I don’t even recognize those words anymore.”

“Calm down.” Hu Wei said, “Once your fan base surpasses his, you can walk sideways too.”

Chen You rinsed his mouth, not wanting to continue the conversation with Hu Wei, it was pointless. He was thinking about the man’s eyes, face, lips, warmth, breath, and the cigarette between his fingers.

That’s so perverted.

According to the script, the kissing scene was very beautiful. Jiang Shaonan was standing on the rooftop, with his back to the railing and facing Chen You, smiling at him. His smile was pale and had a sense of fragility that seemed to vanish with the wind.

Chen You stood opposite him, looking at Jiang Shaonan, slowly approaching, stopping an inch away, their eyes filled with anxiety.

When filming, he was stuck on the tension, he couldn’t achieve the desired atmosphere of mutual understanding and immersion, where the whole world consisted only of the two of them—a despairing, poignant, lingering, and resolute feeling.

The production assistant called ‘cut’ several times, and the director, getting impatient, asked Chen You to get back into character with Jiang Shaonan while he talked to the investors about the profound meaning of the advertisement.

Chen You tried to step back, but his hand was grabbed. Caught off guard, he bumped into Jiang Shaonan.

“Stand still, if you throw yourself at me like that, I’ll be scared.” Jiang Shaonan said with a smile, “Chen You, you have so little body hair, even less than a girl, tsk tsk, it feels so smooth, really interesting.”

The staff thought they were just rehearsing a scene and thought it was going very well.

Chen You grabbed Jiang Shaonan by the collar and shoved him backward. Jiang Shaonan walked to the lounge with a stern face, kicking an innocent chair along the way.

Less than five minutes later, Hu Wei came in and said, “Go back to school.”

Chen You asked curiously, “Not shooting anymore?”

Hu Wei rubbed his temples, “I can’t explain it to you in a short time. You should go back now.”

Chen You didn’t ask any more questions. It was good that he could leave. He said goodbye to Hu Wei, picked up his backpack and left. He seemed to hear the staff discussing something about “withdrawing investment”.

The next day, Jiang Shaonan made headlines because he was exposed for various shocking things, such as acting like a diva. The entire idol group’s schedule for the second half of the year was either canceled or replaced by other artists. Fans caused trouble and hurled insults at the company online, including allegations that Jiang Shaonan had concealed from his manager that he had paid for online trolls.

That afternoon, a set of photos were released showing Jiang Shaonan playing with several foreign friends. His female fans were heartbroken and saddened. They could forgive their idol for having a bad temper and for bossing around his assistant, since he was paid, but the fact that he was gay and had such an immoral private life shifted the focus of public opinion.

Chen You sighed, the entertainment industry is truly terrifying, it’s so unpredictable.

Pang Yilong, clipping his toenails, asked, “So, are you still going to shoot the ad?”

Chen You said, “I don’t know.”

He couldn’t understand why he had taken that kind of advertisement. It would be better if he couldn’t do it, because his father would never approve of it.

Zheng Shuai, whose account was swarming around, said, “That arrogant Jiang Shaonan must have offended someone. He has only one goal, to kill him.”

Chen You shrugged. Who knows? It’s none of his business.

He logged into CrossFire and called out to Pang Yilong and the others, “Let’s go into room 101, play a few rounds, and then go eat.”

Room 101 was set up on a pirate ship. It wouldn’t be fun if the four boys weren’t all on the same team. They were split into pairs, Chen You, Pang Yilong was in one, and Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were on the other.

Chen You was using a sniper rifle. He loved to sneak around in a corner and aim at the heads of bouncing enemies, it felt amazing.

Pang Yilong liked to charge ahead with his gun, he would run in front, killing many people, but also dying many times.

“Holy crap! Youzi, Old Shuai is behind you!”

Upon hearing Pang Yilong’s reminder, Chen You turned around, quickly switched his sniper rifle to a dagger, and stabbed Old Shuai multiple times. After Old Shuai lay down, Chen You jumped up and stomped on him a couple of times.

Zheng Shuai coughed up blood and roared, “Damn it, why did you step on Laozi’s face? You’re just jealous!”

Chen You squatted down, brandishing the dagger, wondering where to start. The next moment, he riddled Zheng Shuai with holes, “Aiya, can I stab his balls? I really want to prick Old Shuai couple of times.”

Shaking slightly, Zheng Shuai was still loading the message. He slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and yelled, “Old Wang, what are you doing here? Hurry up and get over here and kill Youzi—”

Wang Yao said quietly, “Kill my ass, I got beaten to death by Old Pang.”

Zheng Shuai, “…”

He sat back down, rolled his eyes, and realized he couldn’t play anymore.

The four regrouped and infiltrated other rooms. It was not uncommon for Chen You and Pang Yilong to be on different teams. When they fought, they showed no mercy and their strengths were evenly matched.

When Zheng Shuai played alone with Wang Yao, he did well and could occasionally beat everyone. But when he encountered these two guys, he was completely helpless.

Chen You’s chances of headshots are terrifying, he hits the target every time. Pang Yilong is incredibly fierce.

After playing a few rounds, Pang Yilong went out to answer a phone call and didn’t return until dark. He first banged on the door, then started yelling.

Wang Yao was engrossed in a novel when he heard a noise and jumped in surprise, “What’s wrong?”

Chen You, with his legs crossed on the bed, joked, “What else could have happened? Comrade Pang’s face is as green as rapeseed flowers. He’s obviously been cuckolded.”

Seeing his friend sitting silently in the chair, he stopped joking and asked, “It can’t be true, can it?”

Scratching his head, Pang Yilong explained what had happened. His fellow villager had informed him that he had seen his girlfriend with another guy. He rushed over and bumped into the two of them hugging. Enraged, he kicked the guy on the spot.

The three confronted each other, and Pang Yilong realized that things were much more complicated than he thought. His girlfriend was playing a very serious game, the guy was her high school sweetheart. After graduation, they went to different universities in different cities. At first, they corresponded by letter, but later it turned into text messages and phone calls.

His girlfriend was quite shrewd. She wanted to see how things develop before making a decision. She’s dating Pang Yilong on one hand, and keeping her high school sweetheart on the other. To avoid making the wrong choice without careful consideration, she’s keeping both of them under her control. She’s really clever.

Unaware of what was happening, Pang Yilong cursed under his breath, “Fuck.”

Wang Yao remarked, “Reality is full of uncertainties. I’d rather just read my novels, the endings are mostly happy ones.”

Zheng Shuai said, “That’s why I don’t take anyone seriously. I don’t trust the other person, and I don’t trust myself either.”

Chen You didn’t bring up that. He’d never been in a relationship and didn’t know anything about it. He just climbed down from his bunk and said, “Let’s go eat, it’s on me.”

Upon hearing that someone was treating them to a meal, Wang Yao and Zheng Shuai were more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Pang Yilong didn’t move, “You guys go ahead, I’m not going. Darn it, I’m so angry.”

Chen You hooked his arm around his neck, “What’s there to be angry about? What’s that song lyric again? Dating is not as good as dancing. From now on, follow me, and I’ll teach you breakdancing.”

Pang Yilong said, “Forget it, I still prefer girls to dancing.”

Chen You，“……”

Across the street from the back gate of the school were restaurants. Chen You and his friends crossed the street and headed towards their usual restaurant, which was affordable, clean, and whose signature dish, sauerkraut fish, was delicious.

A car was parked on the side of the road where there were no streetlights and the light was dim, making it difficult for people to notice it.

Li Yan, sitting in the back seat, turned his head and saw four boys in his line of sight. The one in the middle had his hands in his pockets, grinned, and was chatting and laughing with his companions on either side of him, looking very cheerful.

While crossing the street, Chen You suddenly turned his head.

A car was approaching, and Pang Yilong quickly pulled him over to his side, asking, “What are you spacing out for?”

Chen You snapped out of his reverie, “It’s going to rain tomorrow, isn’t it? It’s so stuffy.”

Li Yan, who was in the car, put his hand back on the car door. The moment he saw that the young man might be in danger, he was about to open the car door, get out, and run over.

That strange behavior still only existed in his mind, but the act of not going back and instead having the driver park the car in front of the school had already become a reality.

Li Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, “Drive.”

The driver responded, and the car disappeared into the traffic like a ghost, quickly vanishing around the street corner.

Around nine o’clock, Chen You and the other three finished eating and drinking and headed back to school. He put his hands behind his head and asked, “Summer vacation is coming soon, do you have any plans?”

Zheng Shuai said, “My Ge is going to take me to L City to work.”

Wang Yao said, “I will run the shop from home. My ma said that whatever amount of fertilizer I sell is mine.”

Young Master Pang Yilong said, “I’m doing nothing, just eating and drinking.”

Chen You glanced at the night sky. According to his usual routine during winter and summer vacations, he would play games, sleep, play games. For some reason, he wasn’t very enthusiastic this year and wanted to do something else.

Suddenly, the man’s face appeared in his mind.

Chen You slapped himself.

Pang Yilong and the other two, “…”

Holy crap, depression has self-harm tendencies? What were those things they searched for last time? All three of them are academic failures, they’ve forgotten what they read.

Back in the dorm, Pang Yilong, who had just been cheated on, didn’t have time to act melancholy. He offered up the dragon fruit he hadn’t eaten yet, cut it open, and put it on Chen You’s table, saying, “Youzi, eat it.”

Wang Yao’s monthly living expenses are very low, and he barely makes ends meet even without treating others. All he has is his physical labor, “Youzi, are your socks dirty? I’ll wash them for you.”

Zheng Shuai was tilting his head back to change the channel, and he found a singing program that was being replayed. This channel would be playing for the next month. He had discussed it with Pang Yilong and Wang Yao, and they would let Youzi listen to the songs.

Pang Yilong inexplicably stuffed a dragon fruit into Chen You’s mouth. While eating, Chen You watched Wang Yao tidy up his dirty clothes, and Zheng Shuai was clowning around, doing some kind of robotic dance, and occasionally asking questions, clearly trying to make him happy.

Are Sanbao treating him like a fragile little baby?

Chen You had a headache. It seemed that his depression was very serious, so serious that even Sanbao had noticed it and was still very uneasy.

For a period of time afterward, Chen You felt the brotherhood, which moved him deeply. He vowed that when he became successful, he would make sure his XiongDi lived a life of luxury.

After the exams, summer vacation began.

Chen You was bored at home for a few days when he received a call from Hu Wei. This was the first time Hu Wei had contacted him since the advertisement fell through. Hu Wei got straight to the point and said that he wanted to take a set of photos, with a generous reward.

Chen You wasn’t concerned about the reward or the photos, he wanted to find out about Li Yan from Hu Wei, so he went.

After the photos were taken, Chen You didn’t even have a chance to ask a single question.

He walked irritably down the street, having been having recurring dreams about that figure. When it turned around, it was a stern face with cold phoenix eyes and a beautiful mole on its face. The look in its eyes was complex.

These past two days, Chen You has been having some really shameless dreams. In his dreams, he and Li Yan are doing all sorts of crazy things, changing the scenes constantly – one minute it’s an ancient pavilion, the next it’s a modern windowsill, and then it’s a lush green lawn. The variety of scenes is terrifying.

The scariest part wasn’t the scene itself, but the fact that he was sexually assaulted in his dream and woke up with his pants actually wet.

Chen You was walking alone on the street.

Is it because of puberty? Five finger girl is no longer useful, so I need to find someone to date? No way, I tried last year, but it didn’t work out, and I still have lingering trauma.

Chen You sat on the platform, and he called out a name, “Li Yan…”

Almighty God, please bless me and let me see Li Yan soon. I hope it will be tomorrow.

The next evening, Hu Wei called Chen You, his tone different from the last time, urgent and serious, “Chen You, where are you now?”

Chen You said, “At home.”

Hu Wei said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

Chen You got out of bed, glanced at the alarm clock, it was almost ten o’clock, “What’s up?”

Hu Wei explained the matter.

Upon hearing Li Yan’s name, Chen You ignored what Hu Wei said next and agreed immediately. When Li Yan got crazy, even Hu Wei couldn’t control him.

Chen Weidong, who was in the room, heard the door open, “Youyou, where are you going so late?”

Chen You quickly changed his shoes, and said, “A friend of mine ran into trouble, I’ll be back later.”

Upon hearing his son’s reply, Chen Weidong opened the door and went out. His son had already left. He went to the balcony and soon saw his son get into a car.

“When did Youyou get friends outside of school?”

Chen Weidong frowned and texted his son, telling him he had to be home before 11 o’clock.

After fastening his seatbelt, Chen You texted his father, saying okay.

Hu Wei turned the steering wheel, his face grim. The photo yesterday was requested by Li Yan. He even told Fuxing that Li Yan was really serious this time, and that the advertisement couldn’t be shot because the other party had interfered.

Unexpectedly, Li Yan had an accident tonight. His episodes of madness were almost always at a fixed time, and the doctor would prepare in advance every night to give him sedatives.

The second time Li Yan was given a sedative, the doctor accidentally bumped into a photograph on the table, and Li Yan lost control.

When Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing received a call from the housekeeper, they went to the hospital. The doctor was covered in blood, some of it his own, and some of it that Li Yan had inflicted on himself. It was a shocking sight.

Upon hearing the doctor’s explanation, Hu Wei came here. Without an injection of sedatives, Li Yan couldn’t calm down and didn’t know what would happen. Now, he could only rely on this young man.

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