Chapter 75: Have You Done Anything Bad Lately?
“If not mine? He’s closest to me.”
“Tch, tch, tch,” Wang Lei finished clicking his tongue and then felt that indeed, it was a fact. Wen Ling was distant to everyone else, only doting on Cheng Ge.
He was actually half a “face-con” (someone attracted to good looks), thinking Wen Ling was handsome and also like a younger brother, so he wanted to be close. Since he couldn’t compete with Cheng Ge right now, he changed the subject on his own. “Hey, have you heard about Lin Yucheng?”
“What happened?” Cheng Ge looked up. He hadn’t heard this personās name for quite a while.
Wang Lei: “He got into a car accident a while ago. Just last Saturday. He’s in a vegetative state now, it seems.”
Cheng Geās movement to fish for noodles paused, his brows furrowing slightly. He truly didn’t know about this, and hadn’t exchanged points for news with 001.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Haizi told me. He saw it on the campus forum.”
“Over at Longjiang Avenue. Isn’t that near the school? Some classmates saw it.”
Wang Lei took a sip of soup and suddenly thought of something, his tone getting a bit higher. “Hey, right! Weren’t you there last Saturday too?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Ge nodded without much expression. “I was nearby when we were watching the movie. Didn’t hear anything about a car accident.”
Wang Lei: “Maybe the timing didn’t align. It should be true. There are photos. The whole car was totaled.”
Cheng Ge viewed it very indifferently. “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. That’s his karma.”
Wang Lei nodded and teased, “Look at you, talking in sets of principles.”
Cheng Ge ignored him and sent a message to Wen Ling asking what he was doing.
Wen Ling replied very quickly: [I’m drawing. Are you still playing ball?]
Cheng Ge smiled. [How can I message you while I’m playing?]
Wen Ling: [I didn’t mean it that way.]
Cheng Ge deliberately asked: [Then which way did you mean?]
Then Cheng Ge saw Wen Lingās “typing” status for a long time without producing anything meaningful. He decided not to tease him anymore. Wen Lingās expressive abilities were poor, yet he wanted to be logical. If he couldn’t express it, heād get anxious himself.
Cheng Ge: [Just kidding. I know what youāre asking. Just teasing you.]
Cheng Ge: [Finished playing. Might train for a bit more tonight.]
Wen Ling: [Are we going to eat dinner together?]
Cheng Ge took a photo of himself eating and sent it over.
[Already eating. You should eat soon too.]
Wen Ling: [.]
Cheng Ge looked at that period, finding that Wen Ling had even become trendy. Cheng Ge pressed down the corner of his mouth as he typed: [Angry?]
“Cheng-ge, there’s a situation!” Wang Lei suddenly went crazy, leaning over to see who Cheng Ge was chatting with.
Cheng Ge lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, cursing with a smile, “Are you sick?”
“Who are you chatting with? Did you get a girlfriend?!”
Cheng Geās expression became strange, thinking Wang Lei was really losing it. “What girlfriend? I’m chatting with Wen Ling.”
“Tch,” Wang Lei curled his lip. “Got me excited for nothing. Honestly, chatting with Xiao Wen and youāre smiling like your heart is rippling with spring?”
Cheng Ge simply rolled his eyes. What “heart rippling with spring,” you dead illiterate. He really felt the guy was inexplicable. “If your eyes are sick, go get them treated.”
Wang Lei curled his lip. “Tch, tch, tch.”
Cheng Ge ignored Wang Lei and saw Wen Lingās reply: [Humph.]
Just from the text, Cheng Ge could hear the voice and see the image.
Cheng Ge: [Don’t be mad. Ordered sweet soup for you. When it arrives, I’ll tell you to go pick it up.]
Wen Ling: [Okay then.]
Wen Ling: [Thank you, Cheng Ge.]
Watching the message, Cheng Ge couldn’t help but curve his lips again, caught by Wang Lei. “See for yourself!”
Cheng Ge was a bit embarrassed, his ears warming up for a moment, and he ignored him.
Returning to the dorm and showering at night, Cheng Ge was on the phone with Wen Ling in bed. They didn’t really talk, just kept it connected while doing their own things.
Wen Ling turned off the light first. He hugged the big bear and sniffed it, burying himself in the quilt, his voice very light. “Goodnight, Cheng Ge.”
Cheng Ge was already tired lately and sleepy. Hearing Wen Lingās voice made him want to sleep even more. He let out a yawn. “Goodnight.”
When a person is tired, they sleep exceptionally soundly. But tonight, Cheng Ge kept dreaming. He dreamed a lot, mostly about Wen Lingābird specimens, intimidation, death certificatesāall of them were the “bad” Wen Ling, not the current well-behaved boy.
Cheng Ge woke up. He didn’t go back to sleep; he wasn’t sleepy anymore, and didn’t want to have those dreams. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts wandering.
His originally calm brain suddenly flashed through several images, and in a flash, he connected them into a sequence.
First, Wen Ling said he would retaliate. Then the news notification on Wen Lingās phone in the pavilion about the car accident and the lawyerās reply. Then Wen Ling going to “handle matters” and rarely telling him he couldn’t come. And finally, Wang Lei saying Lin Yucheng had a car accident.
Cheng Geās eyes opened very wide, his pupils not knowing where to turn. His back felt cold, and his palms broke into a bit of sweat.
The word “car accident” appeared too frequently and too coincidentally.
Lately, Wen Ling also had some abnormalities. He left the campus twice, “handled matters” without letting him follow, and was consistently well-behaved beyond measure.
Cheng Ge: [001, come out for a second.]
001: [Host, please speak.]
Cheng Ge remained calm, not wanting to waste points unnecessarily, and asked the most central question: [Where was the location of Lin Yuchengās car accident?]
001: [The intersection of Longjiang Avenue.]
This confirmed Lin Yucheng indeed had a car accident, and it was indeed near the cinema.
[Timing?]
[Around six o’clock.]
Cheng Geās entire blood flow felt obstructed, a thread of chill running through him.
It was too coincidental. The time and location were so close.
Designing a car accident was indeed a very good way of retaliation in the thinking of some people.
Cheng Ge rubbed his temples forcefully, thinking it couldn’t be. Wen Ling had promised him not to do those things. Such a well-behaved child now, how could he do such a thing?
To Cheng Ge, whether Lin Yucheng lived or died had nothing to do with him. But Lin Yucheng couldn’t have been designed to die by Wen Ling. If he could design the first one, he could design the second oneāthat would be too terrifying.
It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be…
Cheng Ge thought for a whole night, hardly sleeping. He didn’t dare ask Wen Ling yet, fearing an answer he couldn’t accept.
Yes, if Wen Ling hadn’t changed, he couldn’t accept it at all. Even the mental walls he had built before would collapse.
Wen Ling had an 8 AM class today. Cheng Ge had no classes in the morning and was going to sleep in, so he ordered breakfast for Cheng Ge.
Wen Ling really liked many of Cheng Geās small habitsāhelping to buy breakfast, the way they kissed, some ways of speaking. Wen Ling also loved to learn them, wanting to treat Cheng Ge in the same way so that Cheng Ge would like him even more.
[Is Cheng Ge awake?]
It was a long time before he received a reply. Cheng Ge was waking up much later than usual today.
After twenty or so minutes, Wen Ling sent another one: [Breakfast is here.]
Still no reply. Wen Ling was a bit disappointed and sent a frowning cat emoji to Cheng Ge.
Cheng Ge looked at the string of messages, his gaze lingering on the disappointed cat emoji. He let out a sigh.
Cheng Ge: [Okay. I’ll go get it in a bit.]
Wen Ling replied very quickly: [Cheng Ge woke up so late today.]
Cheng Ge spoke the truth: [Didn’t sleep well last night.]
Wen Ling: [Why didn’t you sleep well?]
Cheng Ge: [Thinking about things.]
Cheng Ge felt that overthinking on his own wasn’t the way. He couldn’t get it out of 001, and if Wen Ling intended to hide it, he didn’t have the ability to check. But things had to have a conclusion eventually. So he picked up his black-screened phone and continued editing.
“Wen Ling.”
“Have you done anything bad lately?”
“Very serious ones. The kind I expressly forbid.”
Wen Ling looked at the message Cheng Ge sent and furrowed his brows.
Translator’s Note: “Spring heart is rippling” (ę„åæč”ę¼¾) is a poetic way of saying someone is feeling the stirrings of love or is smitten. Cheng Geās fear is realāheās falling for the “new” Wen Ling, but heās terrified that the “old” yandere villain is still there underneath.
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