HL 20

Ying Yusheng leaned against the wall, watching coldly as Xu Nanxiao carried his bags and luggage toward the door. But when Xu Nanxiao looked his way, he changed his expression, gave him a gentle smile, and asked with concern, “Really leaving?”

“Yeah,” Xu Nanxiao replied perfunctorily.

“Spoiling him like this isn’t good—he’s already twenty-four, after all.”

Xu Nanxiao simply answered, “He’s not in a good state. I’ll stay with him through this period and see.”

“Mm, as long as you’ve thought it through.”

To be honest, Ying Yusheng hadn’t expected Xu Nanxiao to have such deep feelings for Lu Yingjie—deep enough to give up his current comfortable life to take care of him. He’d thought Xu Nanxiao only ever thought about himself.

It had taken Ying Yusheng months of scheming to get Xu Nanxiao to agree to live together, yet Lu Yingjie had done it in a single night.

What tricks had he used?

Crying and throwing a tantrum? Putting on a show? Or shedding a few crocodile tears?

See, see how unfair the world was. Ying Yusheng shook his head, almost wanting to sigh. What came easily to some required a thousand times more effort from others.

But there was no point dwelling on that now. Better to think about what to do next.

Should he just hypnotize Xu Nanxiao again? Pressure him using the hooded man’s identity? Xu Nanxiao was too proud to tell Lu Yingjie about this—once pushed to his limit, he’d definitely come back to Ying Yusheng for shelter.

This time, he’d take it all the way. Let him wake up knowing he’d been thoroughly () by a man. Though Ying Yusheng had originally wanted to save Xu Nanxiao’s precious first time for when he was conscious, to see his more vivid and humiliated expression. But Xu Nanxiao’s “special favor” toward Lu Yingjie inexplicably irritated Ying Yusheng—he felt a small warning was in order.

“Ying Yusheng.”

Xu Nanxiao’s voice suddenly interrupted Ying Yusheng’s thoughts. He looked up and saw the other standing at the door, hesitating as he looked at him.

“What is it?” Ying Yusheng asked with a smile.

“The rent I gave you—there are still two months left on it.”

At the time, Xu Nanxiao had paid a full quarter’s rent upfront, never expecting to move out after just over a month.

Ying Yusheng didn’t catch on right away, so he said considerately, “Alright, I’ll refund the remaining two months.”

“No need.” Xu Nanxiao’s frown deepened. After a moment of silence, he put on an impatient tone and said, “I might come back later. Don’t let any new tenant touch the stuff I left behind.”

Ying Yusheng was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly understood what Xu Nanxiao meant. He almost laughed out loud but immediately promised, “Don’t worry. Even if you’re not here, I won’t rent it out to anyone else.”

“…Good to know.” As if saying that had used up all his nerve, Xu Nanxiao turned and left without looking back.

He planned to come back…?

It seemed the time they’d spent together hadn’t been wasted—he’d left at least some mark on Xu Nanxiao’s heart.

Staring at the door that had slammed shut, Ying Yusheng thought with amusement that he was far too easy to appease—just a few words and he wasn’t nearly as angry anymore.

Ying Yusheng had planned to find an opportunity to hypnotize Xu Nanxiao as soon as possible, but these were final exam week at P University. He had to prepare and grade papers and simply couldn’t find the time to follow Xu Nanxiao around and wait for an opening.

Ying Yusheng was well-known at P University for being soft-hearted and easy to talk to, so the academic reps from several classes banded together to plead with him, begging for hints on exam key points.

“Professor, please—we have so many courses this semester, we really can’t review everything.”

“Just tell us the scope.”

“Pleeease, Professor, help us out.”

Several young, pretty girls surrounded him, eyes sparkling—it’d be hard for anyone to say no. But revealing exam content went against Ying Yusheng’s professional ethics, so he just smiled and deflected. “Well, you see…”

“Heh.” Suddenly, a sarcastic voice cut in next to Ying Yusheng’s ear. “What a coincidence—every time I come to your school, Professor Ying is glued to his female students?”

The girls saw Ying Yusheng pause, then turn to look beside him, his eyes instantly curving into a smile, bright as if dotted with stars.

“Nanxiao, what brings you here?” Ying Yusheng said to the unfamiliar man, then turned to the girls. “Sorry, my friend is here. Please wait a moment.”

Xu Nanxiao answered, “Picking up Lu Yingjie from school.”

“Nanxiao,” Ying Yusheng said helplessly, “he’s a grad student, not an elementary schooler.”

“I know. It’s his first day at the new place I rented—I’m afraid he won’t be able to find it.”

“The new place—are you settling in alright?”

“…Not bad, I guess.”

Actually, it was terrible.

Xu Nanxiao was tight on money, and rent near the school was exorbitant, so he could only afford a small, out-of-the-way place. After getting used to Ying Yusheng’s spacious penthouse and the life of having everything done for him, he felt cramped and stifled in the new place. Even his own cooking—which he’d eaten for years—now seemed unpalatable compared to the housekeeper’s.

But he couldn’t say that. He refused to admit that without Ying Yusheng, he couldn’t live well.

As Xu Nanxiao fell silent, he suddenly heard Ying Yusheng ask gently, “By the way, are you free this weekend? I’ll treat you to an advanced screening of Director Lu’s new film.”

“Him again? After those last few terrible movies, didn’t you say you’d never watch another film by that Lu guy?”

“No, no—listen, Nanxiao, this one’s really different.”

“Not going.” Xu Nanxiao curled his lip. “I’m still not over that last rural romance garbage.”

“Come with me to watch it, and afterward you can pick any restaurant in Beijing.”

Xu Nanxiao’s attitude softened immediately. He thought for a moment, then said, “I want to go to that place from last time—the one with no menu, where you eat whatever they serve.”

“The omakase place in Chaoyang?” Ying Yusheng smiled. “No problem.”

The female students had never seen Professor Ying chatting with a friend his own age before. Compared to his measured demeanor with students, his attitude was much more playful. If the other person weren’t a man, the tone would almost sound like flirting.

Curious, the students’ eyes kept darting between the two of them.

Just as the conversation was going well, they suddenly heard a crisp, bright call: “Ge!”

In the next instant, a figure lunged over, nearly knocking Xu Nanxiao off balance.

Xu Nanxiao started—cursing inwardly: you little brat, still acting like you’re a kid, not thinking about how tall and heavy you are now.

“Grow up,” Xu Nanxiao said, pushing Lu Yingjie away. “Quit fooling around.”

“What’s the matter? You can catch me anyway,” Lu Yingjie muttered softly. Only then did he pretend to notice Ying Yusheng, greeting him with feigned surprise. “What a coincidence, Professor Ying is here too.”

Ying Yusheng merely nodded and gave a polite smile.

“I’m starving, Ge—let’s go home and eat.” As he spoke, Lu Yingjie kept his arm wrapped tightly around Xu Nanxiao’s shoulder, holding him close.

Like a stag marking its territory.

Lu Yingjie was bigger than Xu Nanxiao, and holding him like that felt like being pinned under a small mountain. His breathing constricted, Xu Nanxiao pushed hard against the solid chest in front of him.

“I didn’t cook. We’re eating out.”

“Ah?” Lu Yingjie dragged out the syllable, disappointed. “But I wanted to eat your cooking.”

“I’ve been busy all day cleaning the place—when would I have time to cook?” Xu Nanxiao said irritably. “There’s beef noodles downstairs. You want it or not? If not, go hungry.”

“I’ll take it, I’ll take it,” Lu Yingjie said hurriedly.

“Then I’ll call a cab.”

While Xu Nanxiao was looking down at his phone, Lu Yingjie suddenly felt a gaze on him. He looked up and found Ying Yusheng watching the two of them silently.

There was nothing particularly unusual about Ying Yusheng’s expression—on the contrary, the corners of his mouth were slightly lifted, and one could even call it warm and genial. But in contrast were those somber eyes, fixed on Lu Yingjie’s arm around Xu Nanxiao’s shoulder, as if trying to gouge out a piece of flesh.

Lu Yingjie was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to realize something. He tightened his arm and slowly gave Ying Yusheng a smile that bordered on provocative.

Ying Yusheng hadn’t expected that.

He almost laughed out loud.

Smiling, he thought: an arrogant little brat who doesn’t know his place.

After the brothers left, the students came back up to him. The topic of exam key points, interrupted by Xu Nanxiao, was ready to be revisited—they were going to keep pressing Ying Yusheng.

“Professor, about the key points…”

But the moment they saw Ying Yusheng’s expression, none of the four dared to speak.

They’d never seen Ying Yusheng like this.

His expression was especially unnatural—his smile came half a beat too late, creeping onto his face bit by bit. Every muscle that moved was taut, as if straining to hold back something about to break free.

“I’ve changed my mind,” he murmured. “I wasn’t going to make things hard for my students.”

“Huh?”

The academic reps were startled.

“Don’t be mad, Professor—we won’t ask, we won’t ask.”

“Yeah, we won’t ask for the scope—just don’t make the exam too hard, okay?”

“Ah, sorry—I wasn’t talking about the final exam.” Ying Yusheng came back to himself, his voice still gentle. Even softer than usual, as if afraid of disturbing something. “Come on—let’s go to my office. I’ll mark the key points for you.”