Chapter 102: Wayward — Ge is bullying me
After the meal was finished, the heat on Jiang Yunian’s face hadn’t subsided once. He had been surrounded by his roommates who were interrogating him about the details of his relationship with Jiang Yan, and he was dying of embarrassment. Finally, when everyone had mostly finished eating, he quickly found an excuse to flee the scene.
“I… I’m going to the restroom.” He stood up.
Qian Cheng watched from the side with amusement, curling his lips in a tease: “He’s even shy.”
Jiang Yunian glanced at the composed Jiang Yan beside him and silently slipped away.
After using the restroom and washing his hands, he didn’t return immediately. Instead, he walked out to the viewing terrace outside the restaurant to catch some air and calm his racing heartbeat.
This restaurant was located in the most prosperous area of Pingjing City. Across the wide river, the opposite bank was adorned with glittering city neon. The summer night wind, carrying a bit of cool moisture, blew against his face, finally causing the heat on his cheeks to fade quite a bit.
The night sky was deep, and a full moon hung high, contrasting with the city lights; the scenery was pleasant. Jiang Yunian couldn’t resist taking out his phone, wanting to record this moment for a Weibo post.
Just as he adjusted the angle, a familiar figure suddenly appeared by the railing ahead. The man was wearing a well-tailored casual suit, one hand in his trouser pocket, standing tall. He was looking at the misty river view while talking on the phone. His steady, powerful voice drifted over from a distance, sounding composed as usual.
“Senior?”
Lu Yuanbai paused upon hearing the voice. He turned his head and saw it was him, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He then gave a few brief instructions to the person on the other end of the line and ended the call.
“Yunian?” He put away his phone and walked over slowly, his gaze landing on Jiang Yunian. Seeing that he was only wearing a thin shirt, the night wind blowing the fabric slightly against his skin and outlining his slender frame—he could even vaguely see the fair skin underneath.
Lu Yuanbai’s brow furrowed slightly. The temperature tonight was on the low side; if he walked out like this, he would surely catch a cold. Almost instinctively, he took off his own jacket. However, the moment he went to hand it over, his movement abruptly stopped in mid-air.
He understood Jiang Yunian. Normally, he wouldn’t proactively come to such an expensive establishment. The only person who could have brought him here at this hour was…
Lu Yuanbai’s fingers tightened silently around the suit jacket. This slight hesitation landed in Jiang Yunian’s eyes. He smiled considerately and took the initiative to explain: “It’s a bit hot inside, so I came out to catch some air. I’m not cold, thank you, Senior.”
His polite refusal was thorough and left no room for fault.
Lu Yuanbai looked down at the jacket on his arm and finally nodded slowly, putting the garment back on. He lifted his eyes to look at him carefully. Having not seen him for a long time, the person before him didn’t seem to have changed much—still clean and clear—but there seemed to be more light in his eyes than before. He was likely living well.
“You…”
“Senior…”
The two spoke almost simultaneously. Their gazes met, and they were stunned for a moment before involuntarily smiling at each other. The atmosphere relaxed a bit.
Lu Yuanbai broke the silence first, his tone gentle: “Eating here?”
“Yes,” Jiang Yunian nodded. “With my roommates.”
Lu Yuanbai had some understanding of his roommates’ situation. To be able to come to a place like this, someone must be hosting. It was unlikely to be Xu Zhiyuan. Qian Cheng… he heard he had been getting very close to Qi Yan lately. He was silent for a moment, but the question in his heart eventually couldn’t be suppressed. “You and him…”
Jiang Yunian knew what he wanted to ask. He pursed his lips and didn’t avoid it, stating frankly: “We are together.”
These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, rippling through Lu Yuanbai’s heart. His heart sank slowly; for a moment, he couldn’t even feel his own heartbeat. It took several seconds before he barely regained his reason. A very faint arc appeared at the corners of his mouth, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I see.” He gave a low response.
Jiang Yunian observed his expression closely. Seeing that his face didn’t look very good, he felt that his words just now might have been too direct. He felt a bit of remorse; he should have been more tactful. But that was the reality; no matter what, it couldn’t be covered up.
Because of the incident on the night of the banquet, he still harbored a sense of guilt toward his Senior. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to express his apology. Lu Yuanbai saw through his thoughts and lightly raised a hand to stop his subsequent words.
“I don’t blame you.”
His voice was very calm. These words were from the heart. He had always been a tolerant person and could understand that everyone has their own difficulties. And Jiang Yunian was the one least capable of pretending.
He didn’t blame him.
And he himself truly should recognize reality now. There were many things waiting for him to handle; he couldn’t afford to indulge in the past. It was just that occasionally remembering the days when they cared for and supported each other, a hint of regret would inevitably rise in his heart. But in this life, how can there be no regrets? Lu Yuanbai had excellent self-regulation skills and didn’t want to let himself fall into a state of losing control. Perhaps this regret couldn’t be fully resolved in a short time, but it didn’t matter. He still had a long way to go, and time would wash everything away.
He no longer mentioned the matter, switching to a lighter tone as he asked: “What are your plans next? Are you taking the postgraduate entrance exam?”
Jiang Yunian had indeed thought about this question these past few days. Jiang Yan didn’t want him to enter society too early; he hoped he could retain a sense of purity within the campus. As for making money, that was never something his Ge needed to worry about.
He answered honestly: “I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I will.”
He then turned the question back to him. He had heard that the new project his Senior recently joined had caused quite a stir in academic circles. Of course, the main reason was his supervisor—who was also Xu Zhiyuan’s father—who was very prestigious in the industry. With Senior following him, his future would certainly be limitless.
Lu Yuanbai smiled, his attitude humble: “It’s just starting. Whether results can be achieved is too early to say.”
Regardless, Jiang Yunian was truly happy for Lu Yuanbai. In his heart, Senior was forever that excellent, dazzling, and high-spirited existence. He was always moving forward.
The two chatted casually for a few more minutes. The night wind grew cooler, and Lu Yuanbai advised gently: “It’s cold out here. Go back inside.”
Jiang Yunian nodded: “Okay.”
“Yunian.” Lu Yuanbai called out to him again.
Jiang Yunian looked up, his gaze questioning: “Hmm?”
Standing in the cool night wind, a faint smile spread across Lu Yuanbai’s lips. He said: “I’m also very glad to have known you. So, there’s no need to feel sorry.”
Jiang Yunian looked at him and slowly revealed a relieved smile.
Lu Yuanbai thought that, in the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to say anything to bless his rival, so there was no need for more words. This time, he didn’t stand in place waiting for the other to leave as he usually did.
“Goodbye, Yunian.”
The tall figure looked a bit thin in the night, his steps steady as he gradually moved further away.
Jiang Yunian stood in place, watching his back merge into the night, a complex feeling in his heart that he couldn’t quite describe. But it was only fleeting. He turned around, but his step paused slightly.
Tens of meters away, Jiang Yan was standing there. He didn’t know how long he had been there. The greyish night mist blurred the expression on his face, but Jiang Yunian felt that his expression was definitely not good.
He bit the bullet and walked over, explaining with a slight stutter: “I… I just happened to run into Senior. We just chatted casually, didn’t say anything much.”
Jiang Yan didn’t speak. His face was calm, making it impossible to see joy or anger. However, his subsequent action made Jiang Yunian breathe a slight sigh of relief. He silently took off his jacket and draped it over Jiang Yunian’s shoulders, tucking in the collar. Then he took his hand and walked forward without a word.
“Did they all leave?” Jiang Yunian followed him, asking as they walked.
“Yes.”
Jiang Yunian took out his phone to check. The group was quiet; no one had notified him to go back together. He secretly stuck out his tongue. “How could they go back without even calling me…”
“Um, can you send me back to school?” He shook the arm that Jiang Yan was gripping tightly.
Asking so politely made them seem so distant, as if they had just met. Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways. “You still want to go back?”
“Ah… can’t I?” Jiang Yunian looked at the time; the curfew was in an hour.
Jiang Yan gave a cold snort, and his pace quickened.
Why does it feel like he’s actually angry?
There was no need, right? They were married; how could Jiang Yan still be “eating vinegar” like this?
“Slow… slow down.” Jiang Yunian’s legs weren’t as long as his. Being led in a fast walk, he couldn’t keep up and started to run in small steps. Finally, panting slightly, he grabbed Jiang Yan’s arm. “Don’t—don’t go so fast. Wait for me.”
Jiang Yan still pursed his lips, but his pace slowed down a bit. However, even after they sat in the car, the expression on his face hadn’t softened much.
Jiang Yunian watched as he leaned over to silently help him fasten his seatbelt, acting like he refused to communicate. He felt it was a bit funny yet a bit helpless.
Sensing his gaze, Jiang Yan gave him a chilly glare.
Jiang Yunian guiltily shut his mouth. After a while, he still couldn’t resist asking: “Are you really jealous?”
His tone held a hint of disbelief, as if he were asking a throwing-a-tantrum child, “You aren’t really this childish, are you?”
And in front of him, Jiang Yan was exactly like a child—willful whenever he wanted to be. At this moment, he gripped the steering wheel and stared ahead, not even looking at the other person. A moderate “Hmph” came from his throat.
It seemed he really was.
Jiang Yunian felt he was being a bit unreasonable; he clearly knew that things were clean between him and Senior, yet he was still being blindly jealous. Facing Jiang Yan’s narrow-mindedness, Jiang Yunian silently told himself not to lower himself to a “child’s” level. He softened his voice, with a coaxing tone: “Then what do you want?”
Jiang Yan tightened his jawline and drove silently. After a while, he suddenly spoke, his tone stiff: “Come back with me.”
“The school has a curfew. If…”
“Tsk.” Jiang Yan made a sound of impatience.
Jiang Yunian hesitated for a moment and compromised: “Then… after a while longer, okay?”
Regarding the matter of living together, he truly hadn’t made the psychological preparation yet; he wanted to cherish his few remaining school days a bit more.
Hearing him waver, Jiang Yan couldn’t hold it in anymore. He found a place to park the car steadily, then unfastened his seatbelt. The weight of his entire body pressed over, trapping Jiang Yunian between the seat and his chest.
“I can’t wait that long.” His voice was low and deep, carrying a hint of stubbornness. “I want to see Ge every day, every moment.”
Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning.
Jiang Yunian curled his lips slightly and moved his face to avoid his scorching breath. “Don’t we see each other every day?”
For a moment, Jiang Yan was at a loss for words. He stared into Yunian’s eyes from an extremely close distance. Suddenly, as if he had lost his energy, his head dropped and his forehead rested on Jiang Yunian’s shoulder. His voice was muffled, carrying a bit of an aggrieved accusation.
“Ge is bullying me.”
Huh? Who exactly is bullying whom?
Jiang Yunian was caught off guard by this false counter-accusation. Jiang Yan didn’t care; he held him and acted shamelessly, saying he could only look but not “eat” every day, that Ge was bullying him, and even said he had “learned bad things.”
Well, what else? How can we “eat” every day? Truly shameless. Jiang Yunian couldn’t empathize, but under Jiang Yan’s soft and hard pestering, and the torment of his nuzzling, he finally softened his heart. He relented and agreed to go back with him for one night, on the condition that he couldn’t go too far—he still had classes tomorrow.
Having obtained consent, Jiang Yan’s mood instantly turned from cloudy to sunny. He was no longer jealous or shameless. He sat up, started the car, and drove off in a flash. The movement was so slick it left Jiang Yunian in a daze.
He realized after the fact that he was the one who had fallen into a trap.
Dizzy.
Translator’s Note: “Eating Vinegar” (吃醋 – chī cù) is the classic Chinese idiom for being jealous. And Jiang Yan using the “Ge is bullying me” tactic is just peak obsessive-psycho behavior—using his vulnerability to get exactly what he wants!
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