Still Frame Chapter 38
byChapter 38: Distant Dreams of Pear Clouds (3)
“I haven’t been back to school much recently, but I know what’s going on there. Zhang Sen and the others have been telling me.”
Their shadows stretched long under the streetlights, appearing somewhat indistinct. Though they walked side by side, it felt as if they were drifting further apart.
“Liu Xin, what happened with the adults isn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”
Zhang Liuxin frowned slightly. “I’m not blaming myself, but Xingzhou, I need to make it clear that those rumors are false. My mother is not a homewrecker.”
Li Xingzhou paused. “Really, Liu Xin? I heard Tian Ke say you never denied it.”
Hearing Tian Ke’s name, Zhang Liuxin felt suspicious. “Tian Ke? What did he tell you?”
“Tian Ke feels the same way I do. We both think these things shouldn’t be blamed on you. The person who leaked the information might just be jealous that you qualified for the scholarship.”
Zhang Liuxin shook his head. “Xingzhou, I’ll say it again: those things are false. My family situation is complicated, but it’s absolutely not what the campus forum claims. And as for me, you know I’ve been working part-time constantly.”
Li Xingzhou nodded. “I definitely trust you.”
Zhang Liuxin forced a smile. In truth, it was expected that Li Xingzhou would believe Tian Ke, as they were close friends after all.
Reaching a bench, Li Xingzhou stopped and said, “Are you in a hurry to get back to the dorm? If not, let’s sit for a while.”
This bench…
Zhang Liuxin sat down on one side and asked, “How is your work going recently?”
“It’s going well. I saw Teacher Dai, but the timing was too rushed, and I didn’t get a chance to ask for his autograph.”
“That was thoughtful of you.” Zhang Liuxin smiled.
The air fell silent for a moment again. Pedestrians on the road occasionally cast curious glances their way.
Zhang Liuxin had a hunch that Li Xingzhou had something to say but seemed to be struggling with it. Not wanting to press him, he rubbed his hands and stood up. “If there’s nothing else, let’s head back. The wind is a bit strong tonight…”
“Liu Xin.”
A hand gripped his wrist. Li Xingzhou’s body temperature was high, and sweat seeped from his palm. Listening closely, his voice was trembling.
“We were sitting right here one day last semester.”
Finally, this day had arrived.
Zhang Liuxin surprisingly felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted. He sat back down on the bench.
“So you weren’t drunk,” Zhang Liuxin said. “At least you hadn’t lost consciousness.”
Li Xingzhou looked at him, gazing into the eyes that had captivated him since the first day they met.
“Yes, what I said that day was sincere.”
Li Xingzhou entered the industry early and was more mature than his peers. He had never given much thought to romance and naturally didn’t believe in so-called love at first sight. But unexpectedly, he met Zhang Liuxin on the first day of university.
In all fairness, Li Xingzhou had seen many people with exquisite looks—various types: handsome, cold, gentle, cute. Zhang Liuxin wasn’t the kind of person whose appearance was instantly unforgettable, yet he possessed a pair of green eyes that were impossible to forget.
Before Li Xingzhou fully understood what this heart-pounding feeling was, he had already extended an olive branch to Zhang Liuxin, feeling an uncontrollable urge to get closer to him.
“I know,” Zhang Liuxin didn’t look at him, staring at the flower bed in front. His voice remained gentle. “Thank you, Xingzhou.”
That day, he used the excuse of being drunk to confess his true feelings to Zhang Liuxin, wanting to test the waters. It was strange that someone like him, who had succeeded in almost everything he attempted since childhood, would be so afraid of failure that he needed to test things beforehand.
Zhang Liuxin’s silence was the best answer: the other person only saw him as a friend, nothing more.
“Liu Xin, I truly like you. But was I too rash? I’ve never pursued anyone before.”
Zhang Liuxin shook his head. “No, Xingzhou. From a friend’s perspective, you weren’t rash. You were very brave.”
Li Xingzhou watched as Zhang Liuxin’s gaze drifted away, finally settling on the distant sky, looking somewhat forlorn.
“Then, can we still be friends in the future?”
“If you want to,” Zhang Liuxin said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. “I have too many troubles right now.”
Li Xingzhou quickly waved his hand. “No, they will pass soon.”
“I hope so.”
Li Xingzhou asked again, “Liu Xin, do you have someone you like right now? Or did I misunderstand, and you actually like girls?”
“No,” Zhang Liuxin denied it a little too quickly. He then stood up and adjusted his collar. “Let’s go. The dorm curfew is coming up soon.”
“Alright.”
After talking things out with Li Xingzhou, Zhang Liuxin felt one burden lifted, but there was still one suspicion that needed confirmation.
That day, the other two roommates were absent, leaving only him and Tian Ke in the dorm.
“Tian Ke.”
“Hmm?” Tian Ke instinctively responded, turning his head to meet Zhang Liuxin’s gaze, and froze for a moment.
“Do you know that families like the Zhangs have legal teams and public relations teams?”
Tian Ke’s hand, gripping the mouse, paused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that even if the college teachers don’t tell me who leaked the information on the campus network, Caliber can directly send a letter to the college to apply pressure. The School of Journalism sends so many talents to Caliber for internships every year; they should give them that much face.”
“What are you implying, Zhang Liuxin? Are you suspecting me?”
Zhang Liuxin nodded openly. “It’s not suspicion.”
Tian Ke sneered. “Where is your evidence? You’re just an illegitimate child. I don’t believe the Zhang family would approach the college for your sake.”
Zhang Liuxin curved his lips. “Then you don’t know my family very well. My father wouldn’t do these things for me, but the things you leaked affected his reputation, and he cares deeply about that.”
Tian Ke held a water cup, appearing calm, but his fingertips trembled slightly, betraying his unease.
“Why did you do this?” Zhang Liuxin asked. “We haven’t had much interaction since the start of the semester.”
Tian Ke was silent for a while. The lines of his back were taut, and veins bulged on his arms. Just when Zhang Liuxin thought he wouldn’t get an answer, the other person stood up, his face filled with self-loathing. “Because I hate you. I’ve hated you since the first day of school. You are truly disgusting.”
His pure hatred momentarily twisted his delicate features. Zhang Liuxin was somewhat surprised. He didn’t think he had provoked Tian Ke and didn’t understand why the other person despised him so much.
“Later, I found out you were an illegitimate child. Well, no wonder. Just like your mother, you’re a homewrecker…”
Before he could finish the last half of the sentence, Zhang Liuxin lunged forward and grabbed his collar. Tian Ke was choked, nearly unable to breathe.
“Tian Ke, clean up your mouth.”
Tian Ke had never seen Zhang Liuxin so enraged. Before he could react, Zhang Liuxin let go and instead reached for the photo frame on the corner of his desk.
Tian Ke panicked. “Zhang Liuxin!”
Zhang Liuxin understood why Tian Ke was so hostile toward him. He turned the photo frame toward Tian Ke and pointed at the two young, smiling faces in the picture. “Tian Ke, you like Li Xingzhou.”
Tian Ke’s face instantly turned bright red, and then, like a frantic, aggressive dog, he lunged at Zhang Liuxin to snatch the photo frame.
Because his movement was so sudden, Zhang Liuxin momentarily lost his footing. During the struggle, the photo frame fell to the floor. With a crisp sound, the shattered glass cut the faces of Tian Ke and Li Xingzhou in the photo into several pieces.
Tian Ke’s gaze froze. He knelt down in a daze, reaching out to pick up the photo. His hands were covered in blood streaks, yet he seemed to feel no pain.
“Tian Ke?”
The other person’s state was clearly not right. Zhang Liuxin backed up two steps and picked up his phone.
“Yes, I like Li Xingzhou, that’s why I hate you,” Tian Ke slumped onto the floor, his blood-stained fingers gently stroking Li Xingzhou’s face in the photo. “I’ve liked him for four years. I wrote him a love letter in high school, and when it was discovered, he comforted me and said it was fine, that no matter how embarrassing it was, he’d be my brother for life. Who wants him to be my brother…”
“I finally managed to accept staying by his side as a friend, and then you showed up in college. Why? What makes you worthy of being liked, Zhang Liuxin?” Tian Ke’s venomous gaze fixed on him. “Why did Li Xingzhou fall for you in such a short time and even confess to you?”
Speaking of the confession…
“That night you were drinking, were you following us?”
No wonder he had felt like someone was watching him that night. At the time, he thought it was Zhang Qiannan’s people.
“Yes,” Tian Ke admitted frankly. “It was me. I knew Li Xingzhou’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t that bad. He wouldn’t get drunk from one or two drinks. I just didn’t expect to catch him pretending to be drunk to confess to you.”
Everything clicked into place. Zhang Liuxin had always found Tian Ke’s attitude toward him strange. He would occasionally probe about his dating life and sometimes make sarcastic remarks about him and Li Xingzhou. He had assumed it was just a friend’s possessiveness, but he hadn’t expected it to be a secret crush.
“How did you find out about my family matters?”
“Because I saw your younger brother come to the college to find you,” Tian Ke smiled, slowly standing up. “Zhang Liuxin, I have to say, the legitimate child is different. When you stand next to him, you look like a toad next to a swan.”
Tian Ke seemed to have lost his mind. Zhang Liuxin shook his head, finding him overly obsessive.
“I will talk to Teacher Li again about the rumors.”
“Knock, knock!”
Who could be knocking at this time?
Zhang Liuxin watched Tian Ke warily, moved to the door, and opened it a crack.
“Liu Xin,” Li Xingzhou stood outside, holding up a bag of takeout. “I bought food for you and Tian Ke.”
A strange noise came from behind him. Li Xingzhou asked, “Is Tian Ke in the dorm?”
“He’s not,” Zhang Liuxin blocked his probing gaze. “Just give it to me first.”
Li Xingzhou felt his demeanor was a bit stiff, but Zhang Liuxin quickly added, “I’m in an online meeting right now. Do you need anything else?”
“No, I won’t bother you then. Tell Tian Ke to text me when he gets back.”
After Li Xingzhou left, Zhang Liuxin closed the door and sighed in relief.
“Why did you…”
Zhang Liuxin put the bag aside and pointed at the mess on the floor. “It would be hard to explain if he saw it.”
With the tension suddenly released, Zhang Liuxin felt exhausted. He sat back down in his chair and told Tian Ke, “Deal with your wounds yourself.”
He messaged Teacher Li, asking if he could change dorms. Teacher Li asked if there were any conflicts in the dorm. Zhang Liuxin felt the teacher was pretending not to know, so he rephrased his request, saying he wanted to move off-campus.
Fortunately, his luck was indeed good. A week after his fallout with Tian Ke, he found a house near the school. The rent was within his budget, and the place was clean and tidy.
He and Tian Ke never spoke again. Whether Tian Ke had talked to Li Xingzhou or not, Li Xingzhou and Tian Ke never appeared together again until the day he completely moved out of the dorm.
The college finally did something practical: they deleted all the posts about him on the campus forum and posted an announcement strictly prohibiting such rumor-mongering from happening again.
“So, you haven’t talked to Li Xingzhou much either?” Jiang You asked in a coffee shop outside the school.
“Very little. We don’t run into each other at school unless it’s during class.”
“That’s a shame. You two would have made great friends.”
“Maybe our fate only extended this far.”