Chapter 34
Confronted with the two sharp slaps from Wei Yuhuan, Cong Yuan was left seeing stars and all his thoughts and schemes were scattered. Even the classmates who were peeking through the door crack were stunned by Wei Yuhuan’s swift and fierce actions.
Didn’t Cong Yuan say that this man used to pursue him? Even if that were the case, wouldn’t there be some residual feelings? So why did Wei Yuhuan resort to such violence?
After a moment, Cong Yuan regained his senses and angrily cursed at Wei Yuhuan, looking as if he might faint at any moment. Wei Yuhuan sneered, unconcerned with his curses and focused on the matter at hand.
“Regarding the rumor that ‘Xie Xiaojiang is an MB’, I won’t pursue it with you. But I can tell you, it’s not difficult to find the source of this matter. I know exactly who has a vested interest in this and I won’t hesitate to expose them,” Wei Yuhuan said, matter-of-factly.
As soon as he said these words, Cong Yuan’s expression changed, trying to hide his anger and humiliation but failing to do so. Wei Yuhuan could see through his flustered demeanor.
Seeing his reaction, Wei Yuhuan knew he was on the right track and continued, “If you don’t believe me and want to make a fuss, go ahead. But I have to remind you, if you make Xie Xiaojiang uncomfortable, you’ll make me uncomfortable. And I’ll make you even more uncomfortable.”
Cong Yuan trembled all over and clenched his teeth so hard that they almost broke. Wei Yuhuan had to ease up on his aggression as he knew Cong Yuan’s temperament all too well. He was too proud and too easily broken, and too much provocation would not be beneficial to either Xie Xiaojiang or himself. He just wanted to vent his anger for Xie Xiaojiang and warn Cong Yuan and his classmates not to stir up trouble again. He wouldn’t take things too far and leave himself some room for maneuver.
Looking at Cong Yuan’s jealous and resentful expression, Wei Yuhuan continued, “Cong Yuan, even though I used to pursue you, I gave up long ago when I realized you didn’t feel the same way. You can stand up straight and walk your own path. If you need my help in the future, you can always ask me. But who I like and who I’m with, and the quality of their character, is not for you to judge.”
Listening to these words, Cong Yuan’s face twisted for a moment, but the jealousy in his expression slowly faded away and was replaced by remorse and confusion.
“Alright, I’ve said what I need to say. You can weigh your options,” Wei Yuhuan pulled out a business card from his leather armor and handed it over, “Take care of yourself and if you need any help related to this incident, contact my secretary Mr. Zhang. He will take care of all the expenses.”
Wei Yuhuan left the business card on the bedside table and ignored Cong Yuan’s ashen face as he turned and left.
As he walked out of the emergency room, Wei Yuhuan bumped into a group of onlookers, his gaze scanning over their complex expressions.
“I think it’s necessary for me to clarify with all of you,” Wei Yuhuan straightened his cuffs and spoke seriously, “Xie Xiaojiang is my legitimate lover, and I cannot tolerate anyone mistreating him. You are all university students and should know what ‘rumors stop at the wise’ means. So, don’t spread rumors or gossip like uncivilized villagers. Criticizing anyone who is better than you is only an excuse for your own incompetence.”
The crowd felt embarrassed and ashamed, especially those few male students who had just made malicious speculations about how a female student in their department had used her body to climb up the social ladder. Although they had not been physically beaten, their faces were burning with pain.
On the other hand, Zhao Yan, who was also among the onlookers, was completely different. At this moment, he was staring at Wei Yuhuan like a devoted fan. Oh my god, Xie Xiaojiang’s CEO “dad” is so cool!
After dealing with Cong Yuan’s group, Wei Yuhuan had to comfort Xie Xiaojiang next.
The physical injuries were not the main concern. Wei Yuhuan was most worried that his own history of chasing after Cong Yuan would cause Xie Xiaojiang to harbor resentment. Just thinking about Xie Xiaojiang being jealous, angry, or even disgusted with his promiscuous past made Wei Yuhuan break out in a cold sweat.
After taking Xie Xiaojiang for a check-up to confirm that there was nothing serious, it was almost time for dinner.
Xie Xiaojiang and Zhao Yan had not eaten much for lunch, and after the afternoon’s commotion, Wei Yuhuan guessed that they were probably very hungry. So he invited Zhao Yan to join them, and the three of them went out to have dinner together.
Zhao Yan unexpectedly declined: “No, no, Mr. Wei, you take Xiaojiang to eat, I’ll take care of myself, I have something to do tonight.”
Wei Yuhuan was puzzled: “Didn’t you finish your exams? What else do you have to do? Don’t be polite with me, Xiaojiang’s friend is my friend too.”
Zhao Yan gave a signal to Wei Yuhuan behind Xiaojiang’s back and whispered, “Let’s skip tonight. You comfort Xiaojiang instead.”
Wei Yuhuan understood and noticed that Xiaojiang had been acting a bit strange since earlier and seemed to be in a bad mood. It appeared that Zhao Yan didn’t want to intrude and ruin the atmosphere.
This small gesture immediately raised Wei Yuhuan’s opinion of Zhao Yan. He had heard Xiaojiang mention him before and meeting him in person today had fully convinced Wei Yuhuan of Xiaojiang’s good taste in making friends.
This young man had potential and Wei Yuhuan remembered him, saying, “Alright, we’ll have to reschedule then.”
Zhao Yan grinned, “Thank you in advance, Mr. Wei.”
Wei Yuhuan took Xiaojiang out of the hospital unscathed. The group of senior students who had threatened to make him suffer were nowhere to be seen. Zhao Yan had also told him earlier that Wei Yuhuan had severely reprimanded Cong Yuan in the hospital room. He was so cool and domineering that it made people want to kneel and sing “Conquer.” However, despite all this, Xiaojiang still couldn’t bring himself to be happy again.
That evening, Wei Yuhuan took him to Xiaojiang’s favorite buffet restaurant. People who are used to being poor like to eat at buffets, for some unknown psychological reason. Although Xiaojiang didn’t have a big appetite, seeing all the food available to him made him feel particularly satisfied.
But even so, tonight’s Xiaojiang was unusually not in the mood to eat and didn’t eat much before feeling full and tired.
Wei Yuhuan spent the whole night trying to make him happy, but to no avail. He was at a loss, but he couldn’t just abandon Xiaojiang. He had brought this on himself and hadn’t dared to explain things clearly to Xiaojiang beforehand.
However, Xiaojiang had one good trait: no matter how upset he was, he wouldn’t avoid Wei Yuhuan. Before he figured things out on his own, he just didn’t feel like talking.
After taking a shower that night, Xie Xiaojiang snuggled into Wei Yuhuan’s arms like a domesticated cat, accustomed to waiting for his touch.
Wei Yuhuan held him tightly, kissing his forehead, hair, and lips from time to time, sensing the good atmosphere between them. He slowly confessed his past with Cong Yuan to Xie Xiaojiang, struggling to find excuses for himself and trying to minimize the harm that the truth might cause Xie Xiaojiang. But in the end, he had no choice but to confess, “Okay, I did like him at the time, and I bought this house for him… But ever since I met you, I haven’t had any feelings for him. You have to believe me!”
Suddenly, Xie Xiaojiang asked, “Have you slept with him?”
Wei Yuhuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated before answering, “Um, yes, once.”
Xie Xiaojiang looked up and asked, “Was it on this bed?”
Wei Yuhuan remained silent. He had figured out why men were afraid of being held accountable by their current partners for their past mistakes. This psychological test was even more terrible than torture.
Xie Xiaojiang stared at him and said firmly, “Don’t lie to me.”
Wei Yuhuan broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead and said, “Yes, it was.”
Xie Xiaojiang remained expressionless as he thought to himself. No wonder when he first climbed over the wall to come in, the bedroom was a mess, and there were several uncleaned condoms on the floor. This womanizing radish…
“But it was only that one time!” Wei Yuhuan hugged Xie Xiaojiang tightly and said, “After that night, he said he wanted to break up with me. Half a year later, when I came back from the United States, it was you who was living here.”
Xie Xiaojiang had thought Cong Yuan and Wei Yuhuan had never been together, and he was curious, “If you had slept together, why did he break up with you? Did you do something to make him uncomfortable?”
Wei Yuhuan stammered, “Um, I don’t think so!” Why did the conversation seem to take an odd turn? (=_=)
Xie Xiaojiang felt uncomfortable as Wei Yuhuan held him tightly, and he struggled and turned over, saying, “Forget it, it’s not worth asking.”
“Baby, are you jealous?” Wei Yuhuan cautiously probed, gently hooking his lover’s waist and pulling him closer, not wanting him to be too far away.
“I don’t know,” Xie Xiaojiang admitted.
Recalling everything that had happened this afternoon, Xie Xiaojiang still felt a bit scared, not because he was afraid of being beaten, but because he was afraid of being controlled by his emotions.
Others had called him “MB” before, and it wasn’t the first or second time. But when he heard Cong Yuan mock Wei Yuhuan’s pursuit, it was like an endless fire had been ignited inside him, along with the pressure of being insulted and slandered for an entire semester.
Xie Xiaojiang suddenly said, “Maybe I am jealous. He said that you pursued him, and I was really, really angry.”
Jealousy was only a part of it, and the stronger emotion was anger. The person he cherished, loved, and was grateful for, was a disgusting joke in someone else’s mouth. This was the real reason for his loss of control.
But in the midst of these emotions, Xie Xiaojiang also felt a sense of resentment and animosity towards Cong Yuan, making his thoughts tangled and unable to make sense.
Just as Wei Yuhuan was wondering whether he needed to buy a washboard and kneel on it for a few nights so that Xie Xiaojiang could feel better, he suddenly heard Xie Xiaojiang say, “But I also feel sorry for you.”
“Why do you feel sorry for me?” Wei Yuhuan asked.
Xie Xiaojiang leaned against his lover’s chest, with big eyes staring at the ceiling, and his hand, which was an entire outline smaller than Wei Yuhuan, tightly clasped his. He sighed, “He doesn’t know how good you are.”
Wei Yuhuan’s heart was as if hit by a huge electric shock. This reversal happened so quickly that he could hardly catch up.
