When Bai Yang got home that evening, it was the first time he received an audio message from Shao Cheng. He happily played it and heard Shao Cheng’s stern voice warning him not to talk about what happened in the rehearsal room.
He immediately replied with a “got it,” and after a while, he sent another message: [Can I message you in the future?]
[Do as you please.]
Bai Yang took this as Shao Cheng’s consent. He used to avoid bothering Shao Cheng and hadn’t sent him any messages before, but now he finally had permission. He looked around his small room; there wasn’t much to show, so he sent a picture of the vegetarian dish he made for dinner.
[I can cook, though the presentation might not be great, the taste is okay. If you want, I can cook for you sometime.]
Lost in his happiness, Bai Yang sent the message without thinking about whether Shao Cheng would eat such food. Perhaps he had a personal chef cooking for him. Bai Yang was being presumptuous. However, he quickly wanted to delete the picture and text, but Shao Cheng had already seen it. He replied with two words:
[Not necessary.]
Bai Yang looked at his phone and smiled to himself. He replied: [Alright, if there’s anything else you need me for, just let me know.]
His fingers paused for a moment, and he added: [I’ll do anything you ask.]
Shao Cheng didn’t respond further.
Bai Yang wasn’t disheartened. The events of that day were beyond unbelievable, his emotions like a roller coaster. Regardless, the final outcome was positive. Although the situation was a bit embarrassing, at least he had established a connection with Shao Cheng, and he could still appear before him in the future.
After having a simple dinner, Bai Yang turned on his desk lamp and started working on his school assignments. His laptop was an old one that his landlord was planning to sell as scrap, but seeing Bai Yang struggling, he gave it to him. Because it was quite old, it often crashed and took a long time to open a document. He had to save frequently while typing. However, he had seen some second hand computers for sale on an online platform recently, and some were only a few hundred yuan. Although they weren’t new, they were much better than his current one. Perhaps he could buy one.
Life was truly getting better, Bai Yang thought to himself. At least he didn’t have to exhaust himself with work anymore, and he didn’t have to worry about where his next meal would come from. He even had some extra money to buy new clothes and a computer. Compared to before, things were much improved.
He had Shao Cheng to thank for all of this. Shao Cheng had given him a second chance at life. Otherwise, he would have continued sinking into the quagmire, deeper and deeper, until he was completely submerged.
The only major concern in his heart now was when his sister would wake up. Although he had saved some money, he had only used a small portion to buy things for himself. The majority of the money was reserved as a dowry for Bai Tao when she got married.
Being a little poorer was fine for him, but he didn’t want his sister to be looked down upon because of their financial situation, and he didn’t want her to be too shy to approach someone she liked just because of their poverty.
As for his own marriage, Bai Yang had never really considered it. When he was younger, he didn’t think about it. Later, due to the upheavals in his family, he didn’t have the energy to think about it. Now, because he had fallen for someone who could never reciprocate his feelings, he didn’t need to consider it.
Being able to have some form of contact with Shao Cheng was satisfying enough for Bai Yang.
The school’s anniversary celebrations came and went with grandeur and simplicity. Bai Yang took quite a few photos of Shao Cheng’s performances and saved them on his phone. Since that day, he would send Shao Cheng updates about his daily life—cats he saw on the street, beautifully presented dishes from his part-time job, interesting books he found in the library, and more. He used to enjoy reading essays, but now he was reading more detective novels. Whenever he found something interesting, he would recommend it to Shao Cheng.
However, a hint of nervousness always lingered in Bai Yang’s heart. Shao Cheng had mentioned them being getting together, but then there was no follow-up. He didn’t know when Shao Cheng might need him, and he actually had no experience in such matters. What if he got exposed for being inexperienced? It would be awkward.
So, he deliberately searched for information on his phone and watched some not-so-appropriate videos, just to get a general understanding of what was involved.
………….
Winter had set in, and the trees on both sides of the tree-lined avenue had shed all their leaves. The school’s botanical garden still flourished with various evergreen plants, keeping the area lush. Bai Yang would spend his free time reading in the peaceful corners.
That day, he had read for a bit longer, and the winter sky had darkened early. He put away his book and was about to leave when he heard a faint sound. Walking a few steps forward, he saw in a corner that Song Chi was passionately kissing a girl, the sound of their kisses audible.
A wave of nausea hit Bai Yang. He considered pretending not to have seen and quickly passed by, but Song Chi happened to look up and see him. He immediately yelled, “Stop!”
There was no escaping now, so Bai Yang stopped. He had already been exposed for his embarrassing history to Shao Cheng, so he had no more fears or worries facing Song Chi.
Song Chi shook his fist threateningly and said, “If you dare to talk about this to anyone, I’ll kill you.”
Bai Yang thought there wasn’t much to talk about, but when he glanced at the girl, he realized why Song Chi was so anxious. The girl in Song Chi’s arms was actually the principal’s daughter, Zhao Ruotong.
If the principal found out that his daughter had been led astray by a slacker like Song Chi, he would likely expel him from the school. The Song family cared deeply about their reputation. It was said that when Song Chi got into trouble once before, his parents froze his bank account for a month and enforced strict discipline, making him behave for nearly half a year. If he got expelled, they would probably be even more severe in their punishment.
No wonder Song Chi was so afraid of Bai Yang spreading the news.
Bai Yang didn’t want any trouble. He calmly said, “Oh,” and was about to leave.
But Song Chi didn’t believe him. He insisted that Bai Yang swear not to tell anyone. Bai Yang had no desire to spend any more time with him. He retorted, “Believe it or not, I don’t care,” and began to walk away.
Song Chi still wouldn’t relent, warning, “If you break your word, your sister will remain in a coma forever—”
In an instant, Bai Yang turned around and landed a punch squarely on Song Chi’s face!
His eyes were red with anger as he hissed through his teeth, “Song… Chi… do…not…dare …mention…my sister ever again.”
Song Chi staggered back two steps from the fierce blow before regaining his footing. Beside him, Zhao Ruotong let out a shocked cry. Song Chi realized that he had embarrassed himself in front of his ‘new girlfriend’. Fuming with anger, he clenched his teeth and fists, saying, “how dare you punch me!” With that, he raised his fist and lunged at Bai Yang.
Bai Yang’s physique had become much stronger and he was more agile too. He easily evaded the initial attacks and quickly turned defense into offense. He grabbed Song Chi’s arm and pinned it behind his back. Song Chi was helpless, unable to move, cursing and struggling.
Bai Yang looked up at the stunned Zhao Ruotong and smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt him. But you should really consider finding a better person. I think you deserve better.”
Zhao Ruotong looked at the handsome and clean-cut boy before her, her face blank. She nodded dazedly.
Bai Yang didn’t say anything else. He gave Song Chi’s shoulder a firm twist, leaving him sore and unable to get up immediately. Then he stood up and walked out of the botanical garden on his own.
