TLDMDTBS Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“—Did you go clubbing?”

The venue was filled with colorful lights, and each deafening bass beat sent vibrations through the ground.

Ji Ruan struggled through the writhing crowd to reach the safety corridor, pressing his phone to his ear trying to listen carefully: “What—did—you—say?!”

There was silence on the other end for two seconds. Ji Ruan looked at his phone, no problem, still on the call. He pressed it close to his ear again: “Hello—?!”

Finally, he got a response: “Did you go to a nightclub to party?”

Gu Xiuyi sounded quite stable, calmly expressing his concerns about Ji Ruan fooling around in a nightclub, with a hint of unhappiness.

Ji Ruan: “……”

Ji Ruan was a bit speechless: “No, what nightclub… party… this is a party! Do you understand? Party—do you understand English? Party—!”

“……”

Gu Xiuyi seemed to say something again, but the music was simply too loud. Ji Ruan was about to shove his phone into his ear, only catching a few tones.

A new round of drinking games started in the venue, and the music and voices rose another level, stabbing Ji Ruan’s scalp.

He hung up the phone with a “bang,” switched to the chat interface with Gu Xiuyi, frowned, and typed rapidly:

[What you just said, I couldn’t understand a word. Can you send me a WeChat message? It’s too noisy here!]

The other party was immediately typing, and the next second: [Get out of there.]

Ji Ruan’s eyes widened, rubbing his eyes to see clearly, yes, it really was “Get, out, of, there” in big letters.

This was the first time he felt Gu Xiuyi’s emotions so directly.

Gu Xiuyi was usually extremely stable, even during arguments he was only sarcastic. But suddenly being so straightforward and intense caught Ji Ruan off guard, and he didn’t know how to respond.

His phone vibrated again: [Send me the address, I’ll come pick you up.]

Ji Ruan came back to his senses. Now, texting no longer reflected Gu Xiuyi’s attitude. He quickly pressed down on the location button and tucked his phone into his pocket, heading back inside to get his bag.

He swallowed nervously: “So fierce…”

His bag was being watched by Han Xiaolin, who was sitting in a corner booth with two unfamiliar young men, hunching over the table, not knowing what they were playing.

Ji Ruan walked over and patted Han Xiaolin’s shoulder: “What are you doing?”

Han Xiaolin looked excited upon seeing him: “I’m watching them solve physics problems!”

“Physics?” Ji Ruan doubted if his new cochlear implant was malfunctioning.

“Yeah,” Han Xiaolin seriously explained loudly, “These two—both got into the neighboring Qing University! They’re racing through problems! The loser drinks, the slowest drink beer, and wrong answers drink mixed drinks!”

Ji Ruan was shocked: “This bar really has some talent…”

“Of course!” Han Xiaolin proudly shouted: “This is a free party; you can do anything! If you don’t want to solve problems, you can dance too! Look over there, the one spinning on the floor is last year’s street dance competition champion!”

The guy at the table looked up at Ji Ruan excitedly and invited him: “Bro, you want to join us? I still have a set of papers!”

Looking at the dense formulas made Ji Ruan want to vomit, and he instinctively took two steps back: “No, no—I only handle liberal arts!”

But clearly, his feeble voice couldn’t transition through the booming music. The guy holding the pen paused for a moment and then looked confusedly at Han Xiaolin.

Han Xiaolin, with his strong voice: “He said he won’t join—he’s a liberal arts student—can’t do it!”

The guy nodded in understanding and returned to the sea of questions.

Ji Ruan pulled Han Xiaolin aside and leaned close to his ear: “I’m leaving now!”

Han Xiaolin yelled: “Huh? You’re leaving after just a few minutes?!”

“Gu Xiuyi is coming to pick me up!”

“Oh!” Han Xiaolin immediately became serious, grabbed Ji Ruan’s bag, and pulled him along: “Then hurry up and leave!”

The two of them stumbled through the swaying dance floor and managed to find the exit after much effort.

Ji Ruan was being dragged by Han Xiaolin, feeling dizzy: “You know, how can people do problems in a place like this?!”

Han Xiaolin pushed the door open, stepping onto the sidewalk. The noise from behind the door finally faded, but his high voice couldn’t be easily contained: “They said they wanted to train their focus and resistance in extreme environments—!”

A few stores nearby hadn’t closed yet, and some people peeked out.

Ji Ruan awkwardly patted Han Xiaolin’s shoulder: “Alright, alright, let’s be quiet and talk normally…”

Han Xiaolin’s excitement quietly lasted for a few seconds, and then he rubbed his face, exhaling deeply, his tone finally lowering: “Wow, it’s really too loud, almost made my heart race…”

Ji Ruan shook his head, suddenly leaning against the bus stop sign and dry-heaving, causing Han Xiaolin to jump in alarm: “What’s wrong with you?!”

Ji Ruan shook his head, pressing his hand against his stomach, closing his eyes with a bad expression, and directly took off his cochlear implant.

Being in such a noisy environment was indeed unsuitable for him; staying in the bar for just a few minutes made him feel as nauseous as if he were carsick.

Even at midnight in summer, the air was still hot. Ji Ruan’s T-shirt was soaked with sweat sticking to his back, yet he inexplicably felt a slight chill.

After a while, he straightened up, put his cochlear implant back on, and took a deep breath: “I’m fine now.”

“Really okay?” Han Xiaolin still seemed a bit flustered, “Why did you suddenly feel sick then?”

Ji Ruan pointed to his ear: “Still not quite right. I feel nauseous whenever it gets noisy… but I’m much better now.”

Han Xiaolin felt relieved: “With everything you’ve been through, I’m feeling weak too…”

The two sat down on the sidewalk stairs, supporting each other. Han Xiaolin rubbed his arms: “How about an ice cream to calm the nerves?”

Ji Ruan turned to look at him, his bangs a bit messy. He raised a hand to fix it: “Sure.”

“Alright,” Han Xiaolin stood up: “Old popsicle or small pudding, pick one.”

“……”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Han Xiaolin cleared his throat: “Bro, I can only afford these two.”

“……” Ji Ruan waved him off: “Then small pudding.”

Actually, Ji Ruan hadn’t fully recovered yet.

The beat of the music at the party was too strong, and after drinking some beer, sitting in the quiet street, he still felt the blood in his body pulsing, a strange state of both excitement and fatigue.

Han Xiaolin returned with the ice cream and handed it to Ji Ruan, who unwrapped it quietly, his gaze drifting.

Han Xiaolin watched him for a while, then suddenly blurted out: “What if Gu Zong really falls for you later?”

Ji Ruan was puzzled, furrowing his brow: “Have you had too much to drink?”

In fact, Ji Ruan was incredibly attractive, stunningly good-looking among any group. His skin was a delicate, icy white. In the summer night, having sweated a bit and feeling the wind, the area around his eyes turned slightly red, adding a unique, sleepy allure even when squinting at people.

Stunning, yet not intimidating; soft as water.

Based on Han Xiaolin’s shallow experience with emotions, someone like Gu Xiuyi, a big shot, would probably be most attracted to a pretty boy like Ji Ruan.

“I’m being serious,” Han Xiaolin looked at Ji Ruan, generously complimenting him: “Do you know? You look like you stepped out of a movie now, that kind of artistic film produced by a top director.”

Ji Ruan chuckled, chewing on the ice cream, letting his thoughts drift for a moment, and said softly: “Let’s talk about it later…”

“What?” Han Xiaolin, who was busy catching his ice cream before it melted, chimed in while hurriedly attempting to hold it in his mouth.

“Let’s wait until Gu Xiuyi really likes me,” he handed Han Xiaolin a tissue: “Why think about something that hasn’t happened yet?”

Han Xiaolin took it and wiped his mouth, “There’s a term for that: preparing for a rainy day.”

Ji Ruan lazily curled his mouth: “How troublesome.”

He glanced at the time, skipping the topic: “What do you think? Are we heading home? Want a ride?”

Han Xiaolin waved his hand: “I’m not leaving yet; we’re still switching venues…”

“Still switching?!” Ji Ruan was surprised: “It’s almost one o’clock… you guys are amazing…”

Han Xiaolin replied casually: “The nightlife is just beginning; later our small team is going to play a script murder game, are you in?”

“At this hour, there’s a script murder game?” Ji Ruan crossed his arms.

“Of course, Zhang Hua Road is lined with 24-hour businesses. Actually, this is the best time to go, a horror script at midnight! How interesting!” Han Xiaolin raised his eyebrow: “You really don’t want to come?”

“I’m not going,” Ji Ruan chuckled lightly: “Gu Xiuyi is coming to catch me…”

Just as he said that, a black luxury car pulled up at the corner of the street and parked in front of them. It was the same Mercedes Han Xiaolin had seen before, a very low-key model.

The back door opened, and Han Xiaolin, sitting on the stairs, was immediately struck by a pair of stunning long legs. Although dressed casually, they still looked long, straight, and strong.

Gu Xiuyi, who usually only appeared in the news, now glittered in front of Han Xiaolin.

And his good friend Ji Ruan casually tossed aside the small pudding stick and walked naturally to Gu Xiuyi, who towered above him. Despite being shorter, he dared to move in close, smiling sweetly: “You’re here, I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

Gu Xiuyi was aloof and rarely smiled. The scene looked like a little cat pulling the tail of a big tiger to play.

That big tiger could swallow the little cat whole!

Gu Xiuyi glanced at his phone, a bit helpless: “Twenty minutes late.”

Ji Ruan pouted: “But I’ve finished my small pudding.”

“……” Gu Xiuyi decided not to argue with the little cat, turning to Han Xiaolin: “You are Ji Ruan’s classmate, right?”

“Yes, I’m a good friend.” Ji Ruan replied.

Han Xiaolin finally came to his senses and stood up, brushing the dust off his pants: “Hello, Mr. Gu!”

Gu Xiuyi smiled amiably: “Hello, thank you for taking care of Ji Ruan today.”

“It’s nothing much…” Han Xiaolin said awkwardly: “We take care of each other.”

Gu Xiuyi pressed his lips together politely: “It’s late; are you heading home? We can drop you off on the way.”

“No need, no need,” Han Xiaolin shook his head repeatedly: “I’ll leave later, you should take Ji Ruan home quickly.”

After hearing this, Gu Xiuyi didn’t press any further, gently nudging Ji Ruan’s back and softly saying: “Say goodbye to your classmate.”

Ji Ruan smiled, showing his dimples, and raised a hand to Han Xiaolin: “I’m off.”

“Hey, alright,” Han Xiaolin watched them get into the car, leaning on the window: “Drive slowly, and be safe!”

Once the luxury car sped away and disappeared around the corner, Han Xiaolin pulled back his hand, feeling oddly perplexed.

“Say goodbye to your classmate?”

Han Xiaolin pondered for a moment.

How could that sound so much like what his father said on the first day he came to pick him up from kindergarten?

·

In the car, Song Ling had been called in overnight to act as a driver, driving attentively.

Gu Xiuyi sat beside Ji Ruan, fingers interlocked resting on his thigh, his posture casual and natural, making it hard to tell how he felt.

“You had fun this time,” he casually said: “Didn’t you tell Zhao Ayi you were going to the arcade before you left?”

“It was the arcade,” Ji Ruan leaned against the window, gazing at the streetlights outside, “but we switched venues many times. There are different things to do during the day and at night.”

He stretched out a hand, counting: “First it was the arcade, then a meal, then singing at KTV at night, went to the night market for BBQ, and finally the party we just had. Did you know Han Xiaolin and the others are planning to switch venues again to play script murder games later? I said I wouldn’t go.”

Gu Xiuyi nodded, his lips sagging: “Quite a full schedule…”

“What?” Ji Ruan turned to look at him.

The streetlights outside flashed in waves, lighting up Ji Ruan’s eyes, as if reflecting stars or fireworks, dazzlingly beautiful.

Gu Xiuyi looked into his eyes for a moment, and softly spoke: “I mentioned the script murder game. Why didn’t you go?”

“Weren’t you the one who came to pick me up?”

Ji Ruan laughed, his eyes crescent-shaped, like they were overflowing with the stars inside, bursting into fireflies that flew to Gu Xiuyi’s side.

“Cough,” Gu Xiuyi turned his eyes away, his tone unconsciously softening: “So obedient?”

“Of course.”

“So obedient yet you went to the nightclub in the middle of the night?” Gu Xiuyi shifted his tone: “Didn’t you know how dangerous society can be?”

Ji Ruan: “……”

Ji Ruan was speechless to the point of laughing.

He straightened up, facing Gu Xiuyi: “I already said it was a party! A large graduation party; all the people there are our age, and you need to have an ID to get in!”

Gu Xiuyi lightly hummed: “At your age… how come I wasn’t like this when I was your age? Our graduation activities were all positive.”

Ji Ruan had never seen Gu Xiuyi’s stubborn side like this; he laughed hard, feeling the party’s adrenaline returning to his veins, gradually getting a bit high.

“You’re really being sarcastic,” Ji Ruan was determined to have a good debate with Gu Zong: “How are we not positive? Our theme is just as uplifting and positive: ‘Dance my dreams, sing my youth!’ Hear that? You can hang it up as a banner for college!”

“Right, right,” he counted on his fingers: “We even had people inside competing to solve physics problems, and the loser drinks.”

“Pretentious.” Gu Zong glanced disdainfully, suddenly his expression changed sharply: “Did you drink?”

“Uh…” Ji Ruan pouted: “I don’t do physics…”

Gu Xiuyi sighed in relief.

“But I did drink.” Ji Ruan smiled, feeling very satisfied with the surprise in Gu Xiuyi’s widened eyes.

He waved his hand, not wanting to linger on the topic of alcohol, teasing Gu Xiuyi: “What about you guys? Let me hear about how healthily and uplifting you were during your graduation!”

Gu Xiuyi were taken aback by this, straightening his collar, the proud demeanor of a big boss sprawling within him: “Of course, we went for a picnic.”

Having been cooped up at home all day, without meetings, projects to discuss, or subordinates to scold, Gu Xiuyi’s eagerness to express himself had almost overflowed, subconsciously fueled by Ji Ruan.

He made an effort to suppress it and calmly stated: “Lake Summit Park, a group of ambitious youths discussing the past and future, with teachers and administrators present.”

“Come on,” Ji Ruan laughed out loud: “You’d think you were a leader of the May Fourth movement or something…”

Gu Xiuyi was choked by one comment but still tried to keep his composure, pressuring: “Ji Ruan.”

Ji Ruan was fully energized, completely ignoring Gu Xiuyi’s expression: “Right? Lake Summit Park…”

He took out his phone, pointed it at Gu Xiuyi: “You can check out the flow of people at Lake Summit Park; 70% of them are elderly over fifty! You guys are eighteen or nineteen chatting about ideals—can those ideals even soar? So outdated.”

“Outdated… I’m outdated…” Gu Xiuyi tugged at his collar: “Haha, so interesting.”

He had lived this long and had never been called outdated, still feeling like a slightly tipsy young man.

Gu Xiuyi cast a few more looks at the little tipsy guy’s flushed face, eventually deciding not to hold him accountable.

Ji Ruan thought of Lake Summit Park and still found it amusing, leaning against the chair and jokingly said: “It wouldn’t be the place set by your head teacher, right?”

From this angle, Gu Xiuyi could easily catch Ji Ruan’s eyes with a slight tilt of his head.

The little tipsy guy’s eyes were bright, his lashes long, and when he blinked, it was mesmerizing.

He might have actually had some drinks. Not only was his face flushed, but his neck and exposed arms were also turning rosy, like a steamed pink cake.

Gu Xiuyi remained silent, and Ji Ruan knew he had guessed correctly.

“Is that really true?” Ji Ruan pinched his cheek, suppressing laughter: “Well, that’s fine; it’s just their preference for older gentlemen.”

Gu Xiuyi took a deep breath, forcing himself to shift his gaze away from the pink little tipsy guy.

He expressionlessly kicked the bottom of the front seat: “Song Ling, how did you guys celebrate after high school graduation?”

Song Ling instantly perked up, almost reporting the two in the back for disturbing the driving.

In Ji Ruan’s memory, Gu Xiuyi’s sharp tongue only briefly showed up during college; afterward, he wrapped himself in the persona of a lifeless big boss. Tonight, he unexpectedly reverted to his original settings, almost making Song Ling split from laughter.

He had initially felt slighted that Gu Xiuyi dragged him out late at night to be a driver, but now he felt grateful to be here witnessing Gu Xiuyi bickering with someone.

“We also went on a picnic.” Song Ling tried hard to hold back his laughter.

Gu Xiuyi immediately sat up straighter, as if he had just received immense recognition, raising his hand toward Ji Ruan: “See?”

Song Ling continued: “But at that time, we went to the Science and Technology Museum. Those bizarre things were actually pretty interesting.”

Gu Xiuyi: “……”

Ji Ruan’s eyes narrowed as he laughed, mimicking Gu Xiuyi’s stance, raising his hand even higher: “Look! It’s lively!”

Gu Xiuyi struggled to maintain his composure, his lips opening and closing for a moment before he finally managed to squeeze out: “Ji Ruan, how much did you drink?”

Ji Ruan lifted his eyelids: “A half cup of ice beer, what’s the problem?”

“Not much,” Gu Xiuyi crossed his arms: “Hopefully, you’ll remember everything you said by tomorrow.”

“I’m not drunk, of course, I won’t forget.”

“You smell like what you ate.”

“BBQ, beer, and small pudding,” Ji Ruan twisted his collar to take a whiff: “I just aired out nearly all of it outside; do you have a problem with that?”

“None.” Gu Xiuyi shot a sideways glance at Ji Ruan, and the air suddenly fell silent.

Ji Ruan’s gaze wandered aimlessly, like a butterfly unsure of where to land, fluttering for a long time, eventually settling on Gu Xiuyi’s shoulder.

Gu Xiuyi raised his hand, gently tapping Ji Ruan’s delicate Adam’s apple, his tone languid:

“Just don’t cry if your throat acts up tomorrow.”