Chapter 38
On the way back to H City in the afternoon, Shen Yan couldn’t help but glance back at the large bouquet of roses on the back seat and laugh.
Su Yunzhe rubbed his temples helplessly. “Stop laughing, okay? I was just following what they said online.”
Shen Yan burst into laughter. “You actually went online for advice?”
“Well, I don’t have any experience with this,” Su Yunzhe glanced at Shen Yan, feeling a bit embarrassed by his exaggerated laughter.
To be honest, Su Yunzhe hadn’t felt embarrassed like this since adulthood.
Shen Yan wasn’t mocking him—he was just genuinely surprised, and it amused him.
“You know, in college, didn’t you used to play the guitar and sing under girls’ dorm windows? I thought that was a more sophisticated move.”
Su Yunzhe raised an eyebrow. “Seems like you’re a bit sensitive about that. Want me to explain?”
“What do I have to be sensitive about?” Shen Yan rolled his eyes. “I’m just trying to help you out, save you some trouble.”
Su Yunzhe smirked. “Actually, it was Qin Mofeng who confessed, not me.”
“Huh?”
This was the first time Su Yunzhe had actively mentioned his past, which made Shen Yan curious. “Brother Feng? But he said it was you! Don’t go blaming him when he’s not around.”
“Do you think I’d do that?” Su Yunzhe said seriously. “At the time, Qin Mofeng liked a girl from the Foreign Languages department. He tried talking to her twice, but she ignored him both times. So he chickened out. But he couldn’t let it go, and kept mumbling about it. His roommates got annoyed, so they gave him some alcohol. He wasn’t completely drunk, but alcohol gave him some courage. With us egging him on, he grabbed his guitar and went to the girls’ dorm, swearing he was going to win her over.”
“By the time it was almost midnight, he was already pretty tipsy, and he was yelling like a madman under the dorm. He woke up people in the nearby buildings. The dorm supervisor was furious, rushed out with a broom, and started chasing him. The guy panicked, and Qin Mofeng, too embarrassed to face it, stripped off his shirt and hid his face, afraid someone might take a picture.”
“Is this for real?” Shen Yan laughed. “This actually happened to him? So why did he say it was you?”
Su Yunzhe replied, “Of course it’s true. The next morning, Qin Mofeng couldn’t face it, so he started claiming it wasn’t his fault and blamed someone else. When he told you about it, I just happened to be there, so he pinned it on me. If the other two guys in our dorm had been there, he would have blamed them. He just refuses to own up to it. But I recorded a video. I think I still have it on my computer. I’ll show it to you sometime, and you’ll see why he couldn’t face it—it was just too embarrassing!”
“You recorded a video?” Shen Yan asked in surprise. “Didn’t the dorm supervisor chase you down as an accomplice?”
“Nope! When he grabbed the guitar to go downstairs, I knew it was going to end badly. Why would I join in and embarrass myself? I stood as far away as I could. Nobody knew I was in the same dorm as them.”
Shen Yan was taken aback. “Su Yunzhe, you’re pretty calculating, huh?”
Su Yunzhe shrugged innocently. “How is that calculating? I call it minimizing losses. If you know there’s a pit ahead, why would you jump in with him?”
“You knew it was a pit, but you still egged him on in the dorm. That’s not calculating?” Shen Yan asked.
Su Yunzhe chuckled and shook his head. “He needed to make a fool of himself, or else he couldn’t get over it. Once he embarrassed himself, he was fine. He forgot about the girl from the Foreign Languages department, and our dorm finally had some peace. You see, he acts all carefree, but deep down, he’s stubborn and fixated on things. At times like this, it’s best to let him make a mess. Once he’s embarrassed, he moves on.”
Shen Yan was a little surprised, but he found what Su Yunzhe said to be quite reasonable.
Qin Mofeng was the type of person who could become fast friends with anyone after just a second meeting, easygoing, but sometimes a bit hard to figure out.
Shen Yan remembered the scene he had witnessed in the small restaurant outside No. 17 Middle School. Ling Sichen had been polite, but Qin Mofeng had gotten angry over a misunderstanding and spoken harshly to him.
Qin Mofeng definitely wasn’t the type to pick fights, but when he fixated on something, it seemed like nothing could change his mind.
“By the way, how’s Brother Feng doing now?”
It had only been a couple of days since he had had a meal with Qin Mofeng, but given all that had happened recently, it felt like it had been ages since he had heard anything about him.
“He’s planning to resign. He says he can’t work with people like that,” Su Yunzhe said.
Shen Yan didn’t reply. If he really wanted to resign, that wouldn’t be the worst thing.
But for some reason, he felt that it wasn’t fair to Ling Sichen.
Su Yunzhe glanced at him. “You seem to care a lot about Ling Sichen.”
Shen Yan shook his head, looking out the window. “Not really. I just think he seems pretty innocent. I ran into him outside their school the other day, and he seemed nice—not at all unreasonable like Brother Feng said. Honestly, I think Brother Feng was the one making things difficult for him. How should I put it?”
He thought for a moment. “It felt like Brother Feng was like a porcupine, his spikes up the moment he met him, full of hostility. But Ling Sichen didn’t seem to mind, like an adult watching a child throwing a tantrum. I think Ling Sichen is the type who knows how to get what he wants. But what would he gain from scheming like that?”
Su Yunzhe shrugged. “When Qin Mofeng gets fixated on something, you can’t reason with him. He’ll only listen to himself once he figures it out.”
Shen Yan glanced at him, sensing that Su Yunzhe didn’t seem to care much about Qin Mofeng and Ling Sichen’s relationship. There was no obvious distaste when he mentioned Ling Sichen, and it didn’t seem like he had any issue with the idea of them being involved.
He wasn’t sure if it was genuine indifference or just politeness.
Shen Yan turned back to look out the window, not wanting to think too much about it. After all, it had nothing to do with him.
Heyang wasn’t far from H City. It only took about three hours by car. Since they had left late, it was already getting dark by the time they exited the highway.
Shen Yan had barely slept the night before. The car was quiet, with the journey being smooth and steady, which allowed him to sleep most of the way.
When he woke up, he realized that Su Yunze hadn’t taken him home. The car was still on the coastal road, and in less than ten minutes, it would reach Su Yunze’s place.
Shen Yan lazily moved his body, his voice nasally from just waking up. “Can I go home?”
Although he hadn’t planned to return when he left early yesterday, he hadn’t gone back to settle his rent or retrieve his deposit, fearing it would take too long and risk being discovered by the Shen family.
Now, since he had come back, he figured he would stay for a while.
“Sure! But…” Su Yunze paused, glancing at Shen Yan with a troubled expression, “I really don’t want to sleep on the floor.”
“Ah?” Shen Yan was taken aback before realizing what Su Yunze meant, then he laughed. “Mr. Su, even if you really intend to pursue me, you don’t have to stay with me, right? Have I agreed to that? You’re acting on your own!”
Su Yunze readily agreed with a nod. “Hmm, you’re right. But I can’t let you live alone. I’m not good at chasing people, but since you’re the one I plan to marry, I can’t let you be in danger. So, should we go to your place or mine? I’ll go wherever you say.”
After saying this, he actually pulled the car over to the side and turned to look at Shen Yan, waiting for his answer.
There was no mistaking his attitude—wherever Shen Yan went, he would go too.
This made Shen Yan wonder if Su Yunze was worried he might run away, so he was deliberately acting like this.
However, he had indeed been followed yesterday.
The person probably wouldn’t give up and would likely come after him again.
Shen Yan still couldn’t be sure who it was, so he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Thinking this over, Shen Yan didn’t hesitate anymore. “Your place.”
So, not only did he fail to escape, but he also found himself living with Su Yunze.
Oh well, since he needed to leave and was trying to keep his plans hidden from Su Yunze while also dealing with the stalker, it would take some careful thought.
He might as well plan things carefully.
After living at Su Yunze’s house for three days, he finally realized that Su Yunze wasn’t just worried about his safety; he was also preventing him from escaping.
Since Su Yunze was on vacation, he stayed at home every day, doing nothing like Shen Yan, but he had a grand excuse—to focus on courting him.
Indeed, Su Yunze had put a lot of effort into researching how to pursue someone online.
For example, when Shen Yan woke up one morning, there was a beautiful, nutritious breakfast waiting for him.
He probably still had some lingering feelings about the candlelit lunch, because afterward, he personally cooked a candlelit dinner for Shen Yan.
On weekends, he even dragged Shen Yan to the cinema to watch a movie.
Shen Yan couldn’t understand. “I think your home theater is better than here. Watching at your place would be the same, so why come here for the crowds?”
“Of course, it’s different. The feeling is different,” Su Yunze insisted, even though he wasn’t sure if he had learned some misguided theory online. He also bought a large bucket of popcorn for Shen Yan.
The movie wasn’t good either, and Shen Yan spent the entire time like a hamster, seriously munching on the popcorn.
Su Yunze also found the movie boring. It was far less interesting than the cute hamster beside him, especially when Shen Yan’s cheeks puffed up, his mouth full, making Su Yunze want to poke them.
Unable to resist, he reached over.
The hamster, disturbed in its meal, glared at him in annoyance.
Shen Yan’s clear eyes shone brightly in the dark, sparkling and directly hitting Su Yunze’s heart, soft and tender, making him feel a flutter of attraction.
Su Yunze’s fingertips gently traced Shen Yan’s smooth face, landing on his chin and pinching lightly, laughing softly, “This place is nice, we should come again.”
Shen Yan swatted his hand away, gave him a glare, and muttered, “Don’t touch me!”
Then, he went back to shoving popcorn into his mouth, oddly feeling that Su Yunze’s words weren’t wrong, thinking that this place was indeed quite nice.
Sigh!
He realized he was really double standard.
Su Yunze had been watching him 24/7, hadn’t he?
At most, he was watching him closely, treating him well, serving him, and without restricting his personal freedom—just following him wherever he went.
But in the end, wasn’t that still watching him?
Wasn’t that the same as when Duan Yang kept him confined before?
But why didn’t he find Su Yunze’s behavior creepy or annoying?
In fact, he had been enjoying his time here quite a bit.
He couldn’t understand!
After the movie, around ten o’clock, Shen Yan felt a bit hungry. They planned to grab a bite before heading back, when Su Yingying’s call came in.
Shen Yan saw Su Yunze frown slightly before answering the call, speaking with an indifferent tone, like he was answering a work-related call.
Last time when he visited Su Yunze’s house, he noticed that Su Yunze was distant toward his sister, Su Yingying, as if she were a stranger.
On the other hand, Su Yingying, although she didn’t speak much to Su Yunze directly, constantly mentioned “my brother, my brother,” making Shen Yan think that she might really like him as a brother.
Last time, Qin Mofeng also mentioned that Su Yingying seemed to listen to Su Yunze, but she didn’t even know where Su Yunze lived.
Hmm, strange.
Shen Yan was lost in thought for a moment, and by the time he snapped back to reality, Su Yunze had already hung up the phone. His voice was a bit helpless. “Qin Mofeng is really going downhill.”
“Feng Ge? Wasn’t that your sister calling?” Shen Yan had been distracted and hadn’t heard the content of the conversation.
“Qin Mofeng! He’s going crazy at school right now,” Su Yunze said with a headache. “Let’s go, I need to go clean up his mess. I can’t believe I ever got to know this guy—what a burden!”
As he spoke, he started pulling Shen Yan downstairs to the parking lot, but then suddenly remembered something. “Wait here for a minute.” After saying that, he turned and ran off.
Ten minutes later, he returned, holding freshly made rice balls and milk tea, handing them to Shen Yan. “You were hungry, right? Eat this first. I’ll make you something when we get home.”