He gazed at the back of the front passenger seat, his eyes impassive, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see He Qinghuan's fingers resting on his knee, tapping intermittently. He lounged against the seat as though he had yet to wake up, aloofness and coldness radiating from his features.
This was the real He Qinghuan, someone people dared not look in the eye. Not the teenage star student at school whose disguise left only his cool reserve showing.
Gu Wang's throat tightened. He looked out the window, trying to distract himself.
As they approached the school, more and more students appeared along the road. The car slowly stopped outside the school gates. Holding his dripping umbrella, Gu Wang watched helplessly as the door on He Qinghuan's side opened.
He Qinghuan got out first. Holding up his umbrella, he looked at Gu Wang and said flatly, "Get out."
Gu Wang ignored him and pulled at the door on his own side. It wouldn't budge. "..." Fuck!
He Qinghuan drew far too much attention. Almost every passing student glanced their way. Gu Wang regretted it. He had gotten into He Qinghuan's car on some inexplicable impulse, and now there was no backing out. He and He Qinghuan were getting out of the same car, and it was He Qinghuan's family car at that. Gu Wang could already guess what today's hot forum post would say.
Gu Wang steeled himself. Before getting out, he stuck his umbrella outside and opened it. He Qinghuan said nothing and took a few steps back.
"Thanks." Gu Wang tossed out the word hastily and walked straight off without looking at He Qinghuan. Although the umbrella hid his face, his classmates could easily recognize him.
Gu Wang was unpopular because of his personality. In terms of looks, he ranked among the best in their class. That build, that bearing-he was recognizable at a glance.
Once Gu Wang sat down, Zeng Xiao tapped his shoulder from behind and asked conspiratorially, "I heard you and He Qinghuan are living together?"
Gu Wang said, "..."
Author's note: Wangwang: Even though I could guess what you'd say, I still didn't expect you to twist things this far.
Chapter 22
"We ran into each other on the way. It was just convenient." Gu Wang remained composed. Tilting her head, Zeng Xiao scrutinized his expression. No pink bubbles. In the past, even exchanging a couple of words with He Qinghuan would keep Gu Wang happy for ages. Now... she couldn't tell.
Disappointed, Zeng Xiao slumped over her desk and opened the forum. Someone had anonymously posted a photo that morning of Gu Wang getting out of He Qinghuan's car. They might only have intended to photograph He Qinghuan, but Gu Wang had ended up in the shot.
Amid the curtain of rain, the two boys looked as though they had stepped out of a comic. Pale, smoke-like mist enveloped them, turning everything around them into a backdrop.
What a shame. Gu Wang no longer liked He Qinghuan.
The rain lasted from morning until noon, then continued unabated into the afternoon, leaving the whole world drenched.
After a classmate told Jiang Chi someone was looking for him, he headed into the grove. For some reason, he found the scene incredibly familiar. Incredibly, incredibly familiar.
Holding an umbrella, Gu Wang slowly emerged from behind a tree. He tilted his umbrella back and smiled. "Good afternoon."
Jiang Chi said, "..."
Fuck.
"You set me up?" Jiang Chi looked at the people who had suddenly appeared in front of and behind him, all clearly outsiders. With nowhere left to retreat, he glared viciously at Gu Wang.
Gu Wang actually nodded in complete seriousness. "Yep."
Song Zhiyan stood beside Gu Wang. For the first time, the tall, solidly built boy looked somewhat cold and fierce. "Nobody's stopping you from pursuing He Qinghuan. Gu Wang already said he's given up on him. Can't you understand plain language?"
Shen Zhao kicked Song Zhiyan from the side. "You look a tiny bit cool like this, you dog."
"Only a tiny bit?" Song Zhiyan asked.
"..." Shen Zhao said, "Now you don't look cool at all."
Who knew where Gu Wang had found these people? They didn't go easy on Jiang Chi at all. Though they weren't trying to kill him, almost every punch and kick left him unable to defend himself.
Gu Wang walked over and looked down at Jiang Chi, who stubbornly refused to stay down. Tilting his head with a smile, he lifted his foot and kicked Jiang Chi in the shoulder. Jiang Chi fell backward, then scrambled up to lunge at Gu Wang, but the people beside him reacted quickly and pinned him down.
Gu Wang crouched beneath his umbrella, resting its handle against his shoulder. With a faint, ambiguous smile, he said, "Jiang Chi, I leave people alone if they leave me alone. Once or twice is one thing, but not a third time. What made you think I was easy to push around?"
Soaked through, Jiang Chi raised his head and glared viciously at Gu Wang. "Because you're stupid."
The male lead was tough. Without that refusal to lose or bow his head in his bones, he would never have built the Jiang family into such a formidable force later on.
Gu Wang stood, his eyes lowered. "Then let's see which of us is stupid," he said mildly.
Behind him, Shen Zhao patted Song Zhiyan's shoulder and whispered, "Don't you think Wangwang's changed a lot? He seems more and more impressive."
Song Zhiyan glanced at him. "That's a good thing."
The bell for evening study rang. Jiang Chi staggered to his feet. Gu Wang looked at him. "If you can't accept it, come at me. I'll take you on."
"Let's go, Wangwang!" Shen Zhao called, waving.
Gu Wang turned and left without sparing the person behind him another glance.
Song Zhiyan was handing out cigarettes to the men. Their leader grinned ingratiatingly. "Call me next time something like this comes up. Definitely call me."
"..." Song Zhiyan rolled his eyes. "We'll see." Jiang Chi didn't look like he would let this go.
Watching the main players leave one after another, the men smacked their lips and sighed. "Students these days are something else. Their studies aren't even..."
"Boss, that student just transferred another five thousand to each of us!"
"Who cares about studying? Seriously, he's outstanding!"
Jiang Chi headed in the opposite direction from Gu Wang and the others. He had never been in such a sorry state. He pulled out his phone and called his family's driver. Just as he hung up, someone stepped into his path.
The umbrella hid the person's face, and with the rain falling, Jiang Chi was so irritated that he roared without even looking, "Are you fucking done yet?!"
Raindrops danced across the black umbrella as it slowly tilted back. It was He Qinghuan.
That was how powerful the plot was. Everyone had to follow the storyline the author laid out. Gu Wang's arrival had only changed the original owner's story and the plots and characters connected to his development.
Jiang Chi and He Qinghuan, however, had nothing to do with Gu Wang.
Jiang Chi was still infatuated with He Qinghuan. All his anger vanished without a trace the moment he saw him. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Suddenly realizing how disheveled he looked, he wiped the rain from his face, shook the umbrella in his hand twice, and opened it.
"What are you doing here?" Jiang Chi asked.
He Qinghuan wasn't close to Jiang Chi. More than that, he barely had any impression of the person before him. All he knew was that he was always fighting with Gu Wang.
Jiang Chi lost his bluster in front of He Qinghuan. He wanted to look at him but didn't dare.
He Qinghuan came from an established family, a truly privileged prodigy. It was natural for them to lack confidence and feel inferior in his presence.
"Don't touch Gu Wang," He Qinghuan said softly. Though mingled with the disorderly patter of rain, the words exploded like thunder in Jiang Chi's ears.
He even forgot his physical pain. Unable to keep hold of his umbrella, he also forgot to maintain a good image in front of He Qinghuan. "You like him?"
He Qinghuan looked cool and reserved, but he had a vicious streak in his bones. His lips curved. "What does that have to do with you?"
Jiang Chi couldn't believe it. He wanted to find some complicated emotion on He Qinghuan's face, some reluctance to hurt him, but there was none. He Qinghuan's eyes were like the first snow of winter, open and utterly unashamed.
He had no regard for anyone, nor for anyone else's sincere feelings.
He Qinghuan only cared about what he liked. Now that he was interested in Gu Wang, Gu Wang was all he saw.
Jiang Chi wanted to ask, "Aren't you afraid that protecting him to my face will make me take even worse revenge on him?" But before he could say it, He Qinghuan spoke.
"It hasn't been easy for your family to get this far. Don't act rashly." He Qinghuan's tone was casual, but the pressure emanating from his features bore straight down on Jiang Chi.
Jiang Chi could only watch He Qinghuan turn and leave. When? When had He Qinghuan fallen for Gu Wang?
He knew Gu Wang was good-looking. He always had. Before, Gu Wang had been so obnoxious that even his looks couldn't redeem his shitty behavior. Lately, though, Gu Wang had become genuinely beautiful. The sight of him onstage at the gala two nights ago had almost left even Jiang Chi dazed.
Had even He Qinghuan been drawn to Gu Wang now?
Staring into the pouring rain, Jiang Chi fell into bewilderment. The moment He Qinghuan had defended Gu Wang, Jiang Chi had almost wanted to kill someone, but He Qinghuan had threatened him with the Jiang family.
He would go that far for Gu Wang?
When Gu Wang returned to the classroom, He Qinghuan's seat was empty. He only glanced at it, but Zeng Xiao immediately said, "The class monitor just went out."
"..." Gu Wang sat down and said indifferently, "Who cares where he goes?"
He Qinghuan came in just as he finished speaking. He hung his umbrella on the corridor window, his gaze passing through the glass to settle on Gu Wang across the classroom.
Gu Wang had also just returned from outside, carrying the dampness with him. He Qinghuan had excellent eyesight. He could see Gu Wang's delicate, fair face and the half-exposed neck tucked into his collar. That particularly harmless-looking face could nevertheless belong to someone who trampled another person underfoot and fiercely declared, "Come at me. I'll take you on."
Perhaps to Shen Zhao, Song Zhiyan, and even Jiang Chi, Gu Wang had seemed untouchable, cold, and resolute at that moment. But watching from nearby, He Qinghuan had only thought he looked like the cat at home baring its not-quite-sharp claws.
During evening study, the rain briefly let up, only to start pattering down again the moment class ended. Song Zhiyan gave his umbrella to Meng Ou. He could go with Shen Zhao and share his umbrella along the way.
Zeng Xiao, who sat behind Gu Wang, stood in the corridor with her hands on her hips. "Which fucker took my umbrella? May they die a horrible death!"
Gu Wang said, "..."
Since his family was coming to pick him up, Gu Wang gave his umbrella to Zeng Xiao. She froze, then her eyes lit up with stars. "Aww, Wangwang, you're so nice! What will you do if you give me your umbrella?"
"My dad's picking me up in a bit."
Zeng Xiao didn't make much of a fuss about accepting it. "Then breakfast's on me tomorrow!" Taking Gu Wang's umbrella, she hurried downstairs.
Gu Wang stood at the corridor balcony, waiting for Gu Dazhi to pick him up.
He Qinghuan came out of the classroom and walked up behind Gu Wang. Even the shape of the back of the boy's head was prettier than other people's.
"I'll walk you downstairs," He Qinghuan said.
Gu Wang turned and leaned against the balcony railing, raising his eyes to He Qinghuan. His heart tightened when he met those ink-dark eyes, and he slowly looked away again, refusing softly, "No need."
Even without Jiang Chi, Gu Wang didn't want anything to do with He Qinghuan. They simply belonged to different worlds.
But Gu Wang didn't want to offend He Qinghuan either, mainly because he couldn't afford to. He still hadn't figured out why He Qinghuan seemed to no longer dislike him.
That was what puzzled and confused Gu Wang most right now.
He held back, puffing out his cheeks, but finally asked, "Don't you hate me?"
Gu Wang had expressed himself very tactfully. What he meant was, If you don't like me, could you please stay away and leave me alone?
He Qinghuan looked at Gu Wang, frowned slightly, and fell silent.
Gu Wang's cautious manner, coupled with his naturally fair, clean-cut appearance and clear, dark eyes, was particularly, particularly tantalizing.
"Forget it. Pretend I didn't ask," Gu Wang said helplessly. He couldn't withstand that quiet, drowning gaze of He Qinghuan's and leaned over the balcony railing again.
"I don't hate you." He Qinghuan's cool voice came from behind him. He sounded as though he were considering his words, speaking slowly and very gently, almost coaxingly.
Gu Wang whipped his head around to look at He Qinghuan, his eyes widening in disbelief.
He Qinghuan stepped closer and raised a hand to cover Gu Wang's eyes. Feeling his trembling lashes brush his palm, he chuckled softly. "Wangwang, I don't hate you."
Author's note: Sorry, you still have plenty of pursuing to do. You don't even know what liking someone means.
Reminder: He Qinghuan is a sucker for good looks. Don't forget, everyone.
Chapter 23
After evening study, the corridor was bustling with people. He Qinghuan and Gu Wang standing together was already conspicuous enough, and now He Qinghuan was getting handsy with him!