Feng Yan went home as soon as he got off work, his expression sour as he kept glancing at his phone.
He seemed unable to understand how Bai Ruan, who had always been so clingy, could go an entire day without messaging him.
Feng Yan lowered his head, opened Bai Ruan's profile picture on his phone, and kept refreshing, growing more irritated by the moment.
Before, the moment he mentioned breaking up, Bai Ruan would be terrified, even kneeling before him and begging without a shred of dignity. What was going on this time?
So you can hold out, huh?
Let's see how long you can last!
Tao Zhiyan ambled over and set a plate of sliced fruit in front of Feng Yan.
When Feng Yan didn't eat any, he stealthily picked up a little fork himself, spearing a piece now and then. Chew, chew, chew. Then another piece. Chew, chew, chew.
Just as he was really getting into his chewing, Feng Yan suddenly looked up and asked, "Butler Tao, did Bai Ruan say when he'd be back?"
Tao Zhiyan swallowed. "No."
Feng Yan's expression soured further.
After sitting there for a while, he suddenly bent his leg and kicked the coffee table in front of him!
The loud bang made Tao Zhiyan jump.
"So now he's got an attitude?" Feng Yan seemed to grow angrier the more he thought about it. His chest heaved, and he swept everything off the coffee table onto the floor!
Crash!
Tao Zhiyan's eyes widened, and he reached out to catch the falling vase.
But before he could touch it, the vase hit the floor and split in two!
Tao Zhiyan stared, sucking in a cold breath, utterly heartbroken.
That was a Qingge Porcelain celadon vase, worth at least a million US dollars by a conservative estimate, and this wasteful bastard had just smashed it?!
A blue-and-white porcelain vase like that was a one-of-a-kind work of art!
If you don't want it, give it to me!
Feng Yan didn't care about any of it. He even kicked the coffee table again to vent his anger and snarled, "Who the fuck does Bai Ruan think he is!"
"If he's got the guts, he'd better really stop messaging me!"
Once he'd finished venting, he got up and went upstairs with a cold expression.
Tao Zhiyan looked at the vase on the floor, devastated.
An entire year of his wages wouldn't even cover that vase!!
The employer smashed things and went upstairs.
Leaving a few workers to come clean up his mess.
Tao Zhiyan slogged away, throwing out the debris, mopping the floor, and then pulling out the rug to take to Aunt Zhao for washing.
Once it was washed, he dried it immediately, then lifted the coffee table and dutifully laid the rug back down.
After finishing all that, Tao Zhiyan closed his eyes in despair.
He now had only one wish: to urge everyone to read less melodramatic domineering-CEO fiction.
Every additional domineering-CEO novel would claim the life of one innocent worker!
No demand, no harm.
May heaven be free of domineering CEOs!
Tao Zhiyan dragged his exhausted body back and flopped onto his bed. His phone suddenly vibrated.
He lay on his back staring blankly for a while before taking out his phone.
[Bai Ruan: He messaged me.]
[Bai Ruan: [Chat history]]
Tao Zhiyan opened the chat history and took a look.
[Y.: Ruanruan, why aren't you coming home tonight?]
[Y.: Are you at school? Should I come pick you up?]
Tao Zhiyan couldn't help rolling his eyes when he read that. This guy really was shameless beyond belief.
After that bit of silent snark, he kept reading.
[Y.: Ruanruan, I'm only giving you this chance to back down because I truly love you. If you don't take it, you'll never get another. Think carefully.]
Tao Zhiyan sneered. Even now, he was still acting so high and mighty.
Did he still think Bai Ruan couldn't live without him?
[Bai Ruan: What should I say back?]
Nothing.
Now was the perfect time to make the playboy fret over what he might lose.
[Peach: Don't reply yet.]
[Peach: What time are you going to bed?]
[Bai Ruan: A little later tonight. I fell pretty far behind on coursework while I was on leave, and my advisor is taking me along to give an open lecture tomorrow.]
Tao Zhiyan thought for a moment, then typed.
[Peach: Then wait until right before bed to reply.]
[Peach: Send: "I can't accept this," then unsend it.]
[Peach: When Feng Yan replies, tell him, "None of your business."]
[Bai Ruan: Okay, got it.]
Tao Zhiyan stared into space for a while before typing a question:
[Peach: Were you happy today?]
Bai Ruan had been working on his slides. He froze when he saw the question and pressed his lips together.
His eyes instantly reddened.
After sending it, Tao Zhiyan felt that perhaps it hadn't been a good question. He was about to type, "Forget it, pretend I didn't ask..."
[Bai Ruan: I was~ /spinning /spinning /spinning]
[The other person is typing...] appeared above the chat box.
Bai Ruan waited five minutes before the message finally arrived.
[Peach: /hug /hug]
Bai Ruan let out a breath, set down his phone, and went back to his slides. As Tao Zhiyan had instructed, he waited until bedtime to reply to Feng Yan.
First, he sent "I can't accept this," then quickly unsent it.
It was already two thirty in the morning. Bai Ruan had assumed Feng Yan would be asleep, but the moment he unsent the message, Feng Yan's messages came pouring in.
One after another, each more heated than the last.
[Y.: Where are you?]
[Y.: Where are you, staying up this late?]
[Y.: Bai Ruan, do you really want to break up?]
[Y.: Answer me! What are you doing awake this late? Who are you with? Are you with that advisor of yours? Bai Ruan, what the hell are you trying to do??]
Watching the messages flood in, Bai Ruan froze for a moment, then suddenly felt like laughing.
Feng Yan had never waited for his messages before, much less replied so quickly.
Even when Bai Ruan had been angry before, Feng Yan had never asked so many questions. At most, he would buy a pair of shoes Bai Ruan didn't particularly like, or a cake or something, and gloss over the issue.
This time, Bai Ruan truly felt disheartened.
[Bai Ruan: None of your business.]
That sentence landed like a boulder dropped into water. Feng Yan completely lost it, his language growing increasingly vicious until he even began insulting Bai Ruan.
[Y.: Have you got no shame? That desperate to be a slut?]
[Y.: Your advisor must be forty or fifty, right? You can even stomach that?]
[Y.: You think I actually want to bother with you? Bai Ruan, you really think too highly of yourself.]
Bai Ruan didn't even want to read those messages anymore. He sent screenshots to Tao Zhiyan, turned on Do Not Disturb, and went to bed.
Tao Zhiyan had known this tactic would work, but he hadn't expected it to work so well.
Early the next morning, Feng Yan skipped work and prepared to go corner Bai Ruan at school.
Worried something might happen, Tao Zhiyan dutifully took the car keys from the driver and said with a smile, "Mr. Feng might be coming back today. I'll accompany the Second Young Master."
The driver agreed without a second thought.
Feng Yan's expression was so sour that just looking at him was frightening. Only an idiot would go.
Tao "the idiot" Zhiyan drove Feng Yan to school.
But City University wasn't open to visitors at the moment. No one who wasn't a current student was allowed inside, no matter what anyone said.
Feng Yan ran out of patience and simply climbed over the back wall.
After watching Feng Yan climb over, Tao Zhiyan took out his phone and messaged Bai Ruan.
[Peach: Feng Yan's entered the campus to find you. Do you have your earbuds?]
Bai Ruan replied a little later:
[Bai Ruan: I do.]
[Bai Ruan: Sorry, I just got out of class. I didn't mean to take so long to reply.]
Tao Zhiyan paused when he saw that message.
That scumbag must manipulate Bai Ruan all the time! Why else would he apologize just for replying a little late?
[Peach: Okay, just do what I tell you in a bit.]
[Bai Ruan: Okay, thank you.]
Tao Zhiyan put on his earbuds, easily pushed off and grabbed the top of the wall, then jumped over and followed Feng Yan into the teaching building.
Bai Ruan had just finished the open lecture and was walking down the corridor, discussing a question with his advisor.
He held his books, his eyes slightly lowered and his expression focused.
There were a lot of people in the teaching building, and Bai Ruan couldn't hear very well, so he moved a little closer to his advisor.
Feng Yan arrived just in time to see this, and his expression changed dramatically.
He immediately strode forward, seized Bai Ruan's wrist, and yanked him behind himself.
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