Chapter 81: I Know You Like Me part 1
The gloomy sky pressed down like a shield. A row of bare trees at the entrance of the Medical Building resembled sharp swords thrusting upward.
A slaughter was quietly taking place in the cold wind.
Zhou Xie stood by the window, his shadow reflected on the glass.
Two floors down, a window also lit up. A thin figure sat by a hospital bed for a long time.
“Youngest, you go back and rest.”
Wen Rong lowered his head. “It’s okay. Senior, you guys go back first.”
Lin Qizheng couldn’t persuade him. He had intended to move a chair over and wait for Zhang Jincheng to wake up together, but Zhang Lin tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to leave.
Lin Qizheng didn’t quite understand, but he still said to Wen Rong, “Then we’ll head back first,” and followed Zhang Lin out of the ward.
The small room fell silent. Machines whirred, buzz buzz buzz, sounding like mosquitoes. Wen Rong’s calm emotions were disturbed into ripples by the noise.
Bzzzt—
His phone vibrated, forcing him back to reality.
Shi Ye: [Busy all day today, back and waist are sore. Definitely won’t be able to get up tomorrow morning. Taking a day off tomorrow.]
He was talking about playing tennis.
Thinking of the post Shi Ye made, Wen Rong’s mood became even more complicated.
A lot happened today. He needed to sort through it slowly, but suddenly, he didn’t want to return to the dorm, nor did he want to sort anything out. He would rather sit here and briefly empty his mind.
He had done everything he wanted to do, so why was he still not happy?
His gaze shifted to the hospital bed. Zhang Jincheng lay there quietly, both hands tightly wrapped in gauze.
There was a feeling… of not having won.
Wen Rong lowered his head and replied to Shi Ye: [Okay.]
Shi Ye: [What do you mean okay? You can’t miss a single day of training.]
Wen Rong paused. Within these contradictory words, he imagined Shi Ye boxing while going crazy. He glanced at the ward number and messaged: [I’m in the Medical Building, Room 506. Are you coming?]
Three minutes later, Shi Ye entered with his head buried low. Wen Rong suspected he had been standing outside the whole time.
perhaps his gaze was too obvious, making Shi Ye look completely uncomfortable. Shi Ye turned his face away before daring to speak. “Do you want to go to my place?”
“Now?”
“Mn. Preparing to pack up and move out tomorrow. I can still show you around tonight.”
Wen Rong felt guilty. “I’m sorry. My goal in posting that wasn’t to make you give up your villa. I didn’t know it would result in this.”
“What does it have to do with you? I wanted to give it up myself.”
“…”
Shi Ye glanced over and saw Wen Rong’s expression wasn’t good. Although he had never comforted anyone in his life, he knew he should say something consoling right now. So he started rambling nonsense: “I just did it for Zhou Xie. I grew up with him. Not sitting securely in the President’s seat is worse than death for him. Besides, him being President is better than someone else. At least we can still threaten him with force.”
“Pfft.”
“What are you laughing at?”
Wen Rong shook his head and walked toward the door. “Then let’s go take a final look at your villa. Let’s not disturb Senior Zhang Jincheng’s rest here.”
The winter wind was colder than expected. Shi Ye looked at Wen Rong’s thin clothes and rejoiced inwardly that he had driven his car.
The journey was silent.
Upon arriving at the villa, Shi Ye wanted to find a topic, but didn’t want to mention what happened today. After thinking it over, he realized he had nothing to say.
Because up until now, he didn’t even know what Wen Rong liked.
While he was fretting, he noticed Wen Rong’s steps were slow, his gaze heavy as he looked at the villa. Shi Ye finally knew how to start. “What’s wrong?”
Wen Rong shook his head, then lowered it again to ask, “If you give up the villa, where will the things inside go?”
“I’ll find a random house off-campus to make do for now, until I buy land to rebuild.”
Wen Rong buried his head lower. Shi Ye quickly added, “Living at school isn’t convenient. Many people who want to see me have to apply to the school in advance just to come to the villa, and the servants have to apply to go out. So I’ve wanted to find a chance to move out for a long time.”
After hearing this, the solemn expression on Wen Rong’s face indeed dissipated a lot.
Shi Ye watched him pat his cheeks, trying hard to show a smile. “When I came here for the first time, I saw car repair tools. Do you fix cars usually too?”
“That’s called modification, not fixing cars.”
After blurting it out, he realized Wen Rong was actually actively looking for a topic. Shi Ye realized he was being a buzzkill and quickly led Wen Rong inside. “I usually fix cars right here.”
Disregarding whether Wen Rong understood or not, he explained everything he had learned in his life, emphasizing everywhere that this was a secret technique unknown to outsiders, and Wen Rong wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.
Wen Rong nodded foolishly, and to gain trust, he even raised his hand to swear!
Shi Ye satisfactorily led him through the first floor, then took him to the second floor to show off his trophy wall.
The butler had forced him to install it, saying something about displaying honor. Shi Ye thought it was a hassle; he got those things easily, so they were boring.
But when he brought Wen Rong in, that pretty little face was full of shock, mouth pursed into a big “O”. While proudly introducing them, Shi Ye thought, When I move to the new place, I’ll install the trophy wall right at the main entrance so Wen Rong has to look at it every day.
I need to win a few more, different ones each time so he doesn’t get bored.
Shi Ye also wanted to show Wen Rong the models he had pieced together part by part. Turning his head, he discovered Wen Rong’s shock had changed. The corners of his mouth were hung high, lips trembling slightly. There was no mirth at all, only stiffness.
“You don’t like it?” Shi Ye stopped walking.
“No.”
“I’m not an idiot, I can tell.”
Wen Rong finally retracted his fake smile. “Is it that obvious?”
“If you have something to say, just say it. Weren’t you brave on the podium during the day?”
“…”
“Say it.”
“I know you like me.”
Shi Ye: “…………”
Shi Ye: ?
Wen Rong said it abruptly, then quickly lowered his head. The shadows from the lights cut a line of light and dark across his face.
The two stood quietly. No one spoke again. Having stood for a while, that sentence “I know you like me” started to feel like a hallucination.
Must be dreaming.
“I know you like—”
Shi Ye interrupted him, “I heard you. No need to say it a second time.”
Shi Ye confirmed it wasn’t a hallucination. Wen Rong really knew. He knew before Shi Ye had even prepared any confession ritual!
Realizing this, Shi Ye unexpectedly let out a breath, as if his body was saying: Finally, he knows.
It turned out he had wanted Wen Rong to know all along.
After a while, the silence made Shi Ye’s relaxed heart anxious.
How did Wen Rong find out?
When did he find out?
What is he planning to do by saying these things now?
The more he thought, the more scared he got. He resisted the urge to punch the wall, shoved his hands into his pockets, and clenched his fists tight.
Shi Ye had no idea what to do. It was his first time liking someone, first time having his feelings discovered by the person he liked, first time feeling uncertain about what would happen next. He was more nervous than during the finals; his palms slowly began to sweat.
“…”
“…”
The silence persisted. Shi Ye saw Wen Rong’s body start to sway as if he couldn’t stand steady. Realizing Wen Rong was actually more nervous than him, he admitted, “I do like you.”
“…”
Shi Ye rubbed his hair, messing up his brain along with it, and involuntarily repeated, “I just like you.”
“Stop doing these things for me.”
“What?”
Shi Ye stopped moving and looked down to see Wen Rong finally looking up. “Although you said you wanted to move out a long time ago, I know all your precious things are here. And you still have to participate in the Tennis Open. After giving up the villa, you won’t even have a place to train.”
The earnest expression began to turn troubled. “You treat me so well, but… I really can’t repay you. I can only treat you as a friend.”
Shi Ye was stunned.
His heart, which had been somewhat uneasy, suddenly exploded like a ceremonial cannon. Colorful, sparkling things filled his entire field of vision.
He knows I treat him well!
And he wants to treat me as a friend!
His joyous mood lifted his voice. “Isn’t that great?”
Wen Rong paused. “Huh?”
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