Chapter 101: Handing Over the Right to Decide
In the end, the three of them ate a lunch filled with atmosphere—albeit a subtle, weird one—at the park’s themed restaurant.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wen Rong glimpsed the mirror in the restaurant; Shi Ye was silently exchanging glares with Senior Leon.
adhering to the principle of “since we’re already here,” he spent the afternoon playing through all the attractions where three people could sit side-by-side with Shi Ye.
Upon returning to the hotel, the single room was upgraded to a suite, and the three of them slept in their own separate rooms.
Wen Rong knew there were many problems that needed to be solved, but his body was exhausted, and he didn’t have the energy to deal with them.
He filled the tub with water and lay down inside.
A knock on the door sounded at this moment.
Who?
If it was Senior, he would have to politely refuse. He was very tired and couldn’t grind until dawn like last night, especially with Shi Ye next door.
If it was Shi Ye…
Wen Rong’s thoughts paused.
Buzz. The phone vibrated.
Shi Ye: [Are you in the room?]
Wen Rong: …
It seemed he really needed to resolve the problem immediately.
He had to crawl out of the water, dry himself, put on a bathrobe, and open the door.
Wen Rong was clear on one point: during this period of emotional low, Senior had made him feel very good. So what happened last night came entirely from the heart; it wasn’t something that happened in a daze just because the atmosphere was right.
And there was no need to tell Shi Ye what he did with Senior. This was a secret between him and Senior, and Senior wouldn’t necessarily want to share such things with his childhood best friend.
But if he had to choose one of the two…
Why did he have to choose one?
But if he didn’t make a decision, wouldn’t it be unfair to the other?
Wen Rong became confused and opened the door irritably.
Rustle. A bag of things was handed to him.
“Take it.”
“What is it?” Wen Rong’s train of thought was interrupted. After taking the bag and looking down, he found it was ointment and test strips labeled with various obscure characters.
“The medicine can promote… recovery down there. Handle it yourself, don’t let it get inflamed.”
“The test strips are for detecting diseases. Remember to use them.”
“And the pills… if the test strip shows a reaction, take them so you don’t get sick.”
“…”
Huh??
Amidst the machine-gun-like speech, Wen Rong realized what Shi Ye meant.
What is Shi Ye doing… guessing what happened last night and giving him these things?
“Leon is sick in the head. Even after doing that, he still dragged you to the amusement park today. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? I heard you might get a fever. Are you dizzy?”
Wen Rong was speechless for a few seconds before explaining, “Senior and I didn’t…”
Shi Ye’s mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.
Wen Rong silently finished his sentence, “…do that.”
“Really?!” Immediately, his sharp brows unfurled completely, filled with clear happiness. “You guys didn’t?!”
“…”
Well, it doesn’t count as ‘didn’t’, right?
Wen Rong thought about it. “Just assume Senior and I did that.”
“He seduced you?”
“…”
I seduced him.
“Fuck!” Shi Ye rubbed his hair vigorously. “I knew he was up to no good.”
Wen Rong didn’t know why the topic had turned into this. He took a deep breath and explained, “Shi Ye, no matter what happened between Senior and me last night, I was willing.”
The air suddenly went quiet.
Shi Ye’s fingers froze in his hair. It took several seconds before they slowly lowered and were shoved into his pockets.
The sides of his black sweatpants bulged clearly with the shape of fists. Under the long-sleeved hoodie, his arm muscles were tensed to the point of trembling.
“I—”
“Don’t speak yet.”
Shi Ye cut him off, but didn’t say anything himself. He hastily turned his face away, then turned his body with his shoulder, humming and hawing hesitantly, “I…”, as if his mouth and brain weren’t connected, each nervous in their own right.
Seeing him like this, Wen Rong silently closed his mouth.
“Are you hungry?” After a long while, Shi Ye finally found a topic.
He asked and answered himself, “I’m a little hungry. I’ll have the hotel send food over. You wait a bit…”
He looked back every three steps, walking awkwardly toward the main door. His palm gripped the door handle tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, trying to act calm as he twisted the lock with a rattle.
Very unlike Shi Ye, yet very much like Shi Ye.
—Will you fall in love with Zhang Jincheng’s girlfriend?
—I won’t be the other man.
Voices from long ago returned to his ears.
Wen Rong was suddenly stunned, unexpectedly catching onto some of Shi Ye’s recurring patterns.
It seemed that as long as it involved Senior Leon, Shi Ye would become like this.
Given Shi Ye’s parents’ situation, he probably minded falling in love with the same person as his best friend very much.
Wen Rong pursed his lips, realizing he really should make a decision.
“Shi Ye, do you need me to help you?” He called out to Shi Ye.
The door handle was no longer being ravaged. Shi Ye looked back slowly. “What?”
“I’ll try to stay away from you in the future. Maybe if you don’t see me, you won’t like me anymore.”
Trying to make a decision, Wen Rong couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
This plan seemed to have been practiced before, and many times at that.
Was it… when Shi Jing enrolled?
When climbing the mountain?
When he was blocked by Shi Ye downstairs at the dorm?
Turns out the success rate of “severing ties” wasn’t high.
Perhaps just as the System said, Shi Ye, like Senior, treated him very well.
Gratitude, reluctance to part, the desire to continue seeking such kindness… various emotions mixed together, creating the current situation.
Wen Rong engaged in self-analysis amidst the silence, while Shi Ye was being bombed amidst the silence.
“For him, you want to stay away from me again—” His out-of-control body crashed into the hotel furniture like a spinning top, stumbling all the way to Wen Rong. The bright lights illuminated his red-rimmed eyes. “What’s so good about him?”
His voice was loud. Leon’s room door remained tightly closed.
“I returned to the Shi family for you, I quit tennis, I…”
Every word from his deep throat trembled. Wen Rong didn’t quite understand why these things were for him, but his shoulders suddenly felt heavy.
“I don’t mind what happened between you two. Don’t stay away from me.”
Wen Rong was dumbfounded.
“I heard from Zhou Xie that you applied to join the Student Council. You’re going to work in the government in the future; you will need me.”
“You need many people around you to be safe.”
Wen Rong actually hadn’t thought that far ahead.
His distress was simply because Shi Ye treated him very well.
“It doesn’t matter if I don’t have what he has. I said you don’t need to be responsible. Don’t feel burdened; as long as we can be like we are now, it’s fine.”
“I swore I would only like you.”
“I still owe you 18 gifts.”
Wen Rong squeezed his eyes shut. “Then…”
“…”
“Then tell me when you want to end it, and I’ll cooperate with you.”
Actually, the commotion between the two was quite loud. After returning to his room, Wen Rong heard the sound of the hotel waiter delivering food outside.
Senior must have heard his conversation with Shi Ye.
However, the next day, it was as if nothing had happened. They rode back to Floriman Academy together quietly.
Putting the clothes from the woven bag into the washing machine, cleaning the dorm, organizing the messy desk, adjusting the study plan…
Amidst such busyness, Wen Rong’s confusion finally subsided.
Sitting at the desk, seeing the ambitious words left in his planner, his mind completely stabilized.
The story of “you like me, I like you” could be filmed into an 88-episode TV drama; it wasn’t something he could resolve unilaterally.
On the other hand, the goal of “leaving a name” was clear.
Do what I can do first. Put aside what I don’t have the ability to do.
Wen Rong told himself.
Buzz—
The phone spun a few degrees on the table, the screen lighting up.
Next to the Black Pigeon icon, it displayed “Senior Leon.”
Wen Rong tapped open the message and saw a short string of text.
[Senior also wants the power to call a stop.]
“…”
Wen Rong replied “Okay.” Just as he wanted to turn off the phone so these complicated things wouldn’t affect serious business, a message popped up.
Black Pigeon Forum: 《Heard Senator Wang Sichen’s nephew is enrolling on Monday?》
Alright, nothing was more important than this now.
Wen Rong searched the Black Pigeon system and saw that Lin Jinghang’s account was already in the contacts, indicating he was likely watching this thread right now.
Wen Rong found a photo someone took of him on the first day of school in a very old post, then dug out a photo taken by reporters during the school anniversary. He edited the text:
《The previous one went from this to this. Wonder if a certain special recruit who dropped out three years ago can reach this level.》
After finishing everything, he sent it to Zhou Xie and asked Zhou Xie to find an absolutely safe account to post it on the Black Pigeon forum.
Zhou Xie: [You’re getting better at ordering me around.]
Wen Rong explained: [Lin Jinghang’s personality definitely can’t stand being compared to others. I hope that after he enrolls, he can focus his attention on me.]
[But soon I won’t be able to help you either.]
[Why?]
[The Principal issued an ultimatum today. My position is to be given to Lin Jinghang.]
It seemed there was such a thing.
But that night, Wang Sichen had promised him that he would let him be the Student Council President…
Wen Rong quickly realized the truth.
Wang Sichen going back on his word meant he already suspected him. The previous trick couldn’t be used anymore.
Considering all aspects, Wen Rong concluded: “Brother, maybe I can earn points by being bullied again.”
The weather forecast said it would be cloudy for the next 30 days, but on the day Lin Jinghang enrolled, the clouds were exceptionally thin, and the sky was clear for thousands of miles, as if spring had arrived.
A sea of people gathered at the school gate, just like the day Wen Rong enrolled.
The difference was that most people were expectant, standing straight on both sides of the road, waiting for Lin Jinghang to appear in his new sports car.
It was a brand new one, completely different from the one Wen Rong had crashed.
If Wen Rong had the mind to search, he would find that the price of this car was double that of the previous one.
The sports car had two seats. Sitting in the passenger seat was a cheetah with glossy fur, as tall as a human, its fierce beastly face holding a pair of eyes full of wildness.
Behind the sports car were four or five other vehicles loaded with things, filled with uniformly dressed servants, looking like a tycoon taking his family on an outing.
The difference was that the servants were all young girls. Getting out of the car, their waists were slender, legs long, and skirt hems barely covered their thighs.
Such a mighty procession didn’t go to the dormitory after entering the school but went straight into the villa Shi Ye had vacated.
On the Black Pigeon forum, a post titled 《Super Grand Entrance, Looks Like the Ceiling for Special Recruits》 was tied for first place with the post Wen Rong asked Zhou Xie to have someone publish.
[Impressive. Bringing pets and servants to school, moving into a separate villa without any grades. Since the founding of the school, no one has had this kind of treatment, right?]
[You could do it too if you had an uncle who is the President.]
[Praying to be reincarnated into the President’s family in my next life.]
[But he treats people quite well. He opened up the first floor and let everyone go play freely.]
[I went to see. So much alcohol.]
[His servants were selected from the trainees of Zhao Zeyang’s family company. Thin waists, long legs, can dance and sing. It was awesome.]
[No way? That thirsty?]
[Looking around our school, it’s all men. What’s the point? Beauties are better to look at.]
[Wen Rong: ?]
[Eh, this… this won’t do. He’s already a big shot I can’t climb up to. Being on the news with him is scary.]
[I can’t stand you guys discussing Wen Rong right now. Change the topic, quick.]
[I heard the Dealer is going to give up his seat to the new special recruit. Real or fake?]
[Wait until the election is over. The government will change a batch of people; what does our Student Council President position count for?]
[Tsk, then the Dealer’s situation is so awkward.]
[It’s okay. The Dealer finished his credits early; he was graduating this semester anyway. Maybe he gave up the seat voluntarily to hand a stepping stone to Senator Wang’s side, so he can have a good place after graduation.]
[Sigh, time and fate. If President Zhou hadn’t died, his future would be so bright.]
While understanding the dynamics within the school, Wen Rong asked Zhou Xie for a study plan.
He had just stepped into this field and didn’t know where to start learning.
Zhou Xie: [I’m moonlighting as your teacher now?]
Wen Rong thought for a moment and typed: [If you don’t want me to look for you, just say it directly. I won’t trouble you in the future.]
Thinking about whether he liked it or not, accepted it or not, owed something or not… it was all a waste of time.
Throw the right of decision out. If this “road” is blocked, change to another one until the goal is reached.
He decided to implement this method.
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