ATPN Chapter 71

“What do you mean, living together?! What nonsense are you talking about?” Yu Zhanrong’s scalp almost exploded. Considering Song Baiyan was still behind him, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Senior and I are neighbors! Do you understand neighbors?”

One wave subsides only for another to rise. Before Yu Zhanrong’s heart could settle, Liu Yi’s words sent it soaring again.

In fact, Tang Wei also wanted to ask if they were living together, but she didn’t expect Liu Yi, who was usually slow on the uptake, to react so quickly today.

They had also heard a little about what happened in PE class and were very curious about the relationship between these two protagonists at the center of the rumors.

Moreover, among the three of them, only Yang You knew that Song Baiyan and Yu Zhanrong were neighbors, and this scene made it hard not to have suspicions.

At that time, Yu Zhanrong had his eyes lowered, his face a little red, and Song Baiyan stood behind him with a doting expression. Who wouldn’t let their imagination run wild?

These days are frightening, and Yu Zhanrong, afraid of further complications, quickly opened the door and dragged all his roommates inside before heaving a sigh of relief.

Once inside the house, with the door closed, there were fewer worries, not just for Yu Zhanrong, but for the other three as well.

“Liu Yi, oh my god, that’s too outrageous. How could you… ask that? I almost knelt down to you in the hallway!”

“I’m speechless!”

Liu Yi scratched the back of his head with a simple and honest look, and said embarrassedly, “I didn’t think so much, I just asked subconsciously.”

Mainly, they looked too good together, like a couple.

Tang Wei put down her things and approached Yu Zhanrong, looking him up and down, left and right, over and over.

Yu Zhanrong was baffled, “What are you looking at?”

“Why do you seem so afraid of Song Baiyan?”

“I’m not.”

Tang Wei had noticed several times that Yu Zhanrong never lost his temper in front of Song Baiyan, always acting like a well-behaved student, getting shy at the drop of a hat.

“You are,” Yang You chimed in. He had felt something was off before, but the things he couldn’t figure out before suddenly became clear after Tang Wei said that.

“You…you don’t actually like Song Baiyan, do you?” Yang You said, “If I remember correctly, Song Baiyan seemed to have said during military training that he likes someone who’s well-behaved? But you…”

Yu Zhanrong was not happy; he put his hands on his hips: “What about me?”

Yang You and Tang Wei suddenly realized and said in unison, “So, you’re pretending to be well-behaved?”

“…”

Yu Zhanrong opened his mouth but said nothing.

What could he say?

That he had already crashed and burned ten minutes ago?

“Tsk tsk, Yuer, you’re something, hiding it so deeply?” They looked so sure, as if they had already confirmed Yu Zhanrong’s feelings.

Yu Zhanrong watched them gossip while busying themselves.

Yang You categorized and put away the things he brought, Tang Wei was washing vegetables, and Liu Yi had already started to cook the hot pot broth.

Suddenly, Yu Zhanrong didn’t want to hide it anymore. He said, “I’ve liked him for a long time.”

The surroundings instantly quieted down, with only the sound of running water from the tap. The few of them looked at each other.

They all thought that Yu Zhanrong would definitely deny it again this time, but they didn’t expect the person involved to drop a bombshell directly, blowing them away.

“Huh?” Yang You simply doubted his life. He could sense that Yu Zhanrong’s feelings for Song Baiyan were unusual, but now the truth was even more exaggerated than he had imagined.

He stopped what he was doing, “Did I just hallucinate?”

Tang Wei: “I don’t think so, because I heard it too.”

Suddenly, they weren’t so hungry anymore. The three of them, regardless of what they were holding in their hands, surrounded Yu Zhanrong, “Tell us, what’s going on? Did you and Song Baiyan know each other a long time ago?”

Yu Zhanrong said deeply, “It’s a long story.”

“Then make it short.”

“…”

Looking at the newly opened packaging bags everywhere, the unwashed vegetables, and the plates of beef waiting to be boiled, Yu Zhanrong rubbed his stomach.

“How about we talk while we eat later?”

This suggestion was unanimously agreed upon, after all, everyone was hungry.

While Yu Zhanrong was busy preparing things, he recalled the past events, thinking about when to start telling the story.

That puppy love during adolescence.

When Yu Zhanrong had just transferred to Hua City Affiliated High School in his second year, he happened to run into Song Baiyan returning to his alma mater to give a speech as an outstanding graduate.

Yu Zhanrong still remembered that the auditorium was packed that day, which showed that Song Baiyan’s influence during his school days was quite high.

He stared at Song Baiyan, who was talking eloquently on the podium, and felt that it was only natural that this person was so popular, after all, this was an era that valued looks.

The content of the speech was the same old platitudes, and Yu Zhanrong was not interested, feeling drowsy.

A turning point marked by “but” made him perk up a little, and he squinted at the stage, sighing again: he really is handsome.

Song Baiyan said, “My three years of high school were all about laying the foundation.” He looked at the young and tender faces in the audience, paused for a while, and then said, “I have a dream, a dream that is not favored by others.”

Hearing this, Yu Zhanrong woke up completely; he also had a dream that was not favored by others.

“I like games, not only do I like playing games, but I also like analyzing games. Others say that I am indulging in them, and there are too many bad voices in my ears.”

The auditorium was silent, but Song Baiyan was smiling lightly, a smile that secretly melted a piece of Yu Zhanrong’s heart.

So handsome! he thought.

“These objections cannot diminish my desire for my dream. I think I like this thing, so I will do it to the extreme, go to the best school, the best major to learn systematically, to become a very powerful person in that field, there is nothing that cannot be overcome.”

“For three years in high school, I laid a good foundation, chose the major I wanted to go to the most, and now I am on the road to pursuing my dream, you must also work hard!”

“Do your best for the things you like.”

The auditorium was filled with thunderous applause, and Yu Zhanrong stared unblinkingly at the dazzling boy on the stage, thinking that I also want to become someone like him, as good as him!

That was the first time Yu Zhanrong saw Song Baiyan, and he remembered it to this day.

“Love at first sight?”

“So you’ve had a crush on him for three years?”

“You started working hard in your second year of high school just to go to the same school as Song Baiyan?”

Yang You clicked his tongue, this puppy love was too deep, aw, I want to cry~

Unexpectedly, there was such a story, no wonder Yu Zhanrong was special to Song Baiyan.

“It was admiration at first.”

Yang You waved his hand casually, “I know, I know, at first it was admiration and then liking. This drama is similar to the TV series my sister watches every day.”

“…”

“I feel so sorry for you, I want to cry, it is said that unrequited love is the most heartbreaking,” Tang Wei wiped the non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.

Yu Zhanrong: “…” There’s no need to go that far.

“So, are you running in both directions now? Visiting each other is no different from living together, right?”

Yu Zhanrong felt a headache, “What running? It’s still just me having a crush, okay?”

“Also, I’ve said it several times, we’re not living together, we’re neighbors, don’t let your imaginations run wild, be rational.”

“Eat meat, stop talking.”

Yang You raised his hand: “I’ll say one more sentence.”

“I think you might not be having unrequited love.”

Tang Wei: “How do you say that?”

Yu Zhanrong covered his face, why is everyone more active than him, “Tell me.”

Yang You raised his eyebrows and pointed to the beef that was almost cooked in the pot, tempting him, “How about you give me the meat, and I’ll give you the answer?”

Liu Yi wanted to refuse, he also wanted to eat meat, but he couldn’t resist the sheer number of enemy troops, Tang Wei and Yu Zhanrong quickly scooped up the beef and poured it into Yang You’s bowl.

“Speak.”