After I Started Dating the Scum Gong Substitute, the White Moonlight Returned - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

In the eyes of Cheng Jianyu, Wen Yueming has changed significantly. In his youth, the corners of his eyes and brows were overflowing with a layer of faint arrogance. The chisel called “time” shaved away that flamboyance, and then with frustration, it patiently and meticulously polished him, polishing away his original self-confidence and composure. Now, he exudes an aura of gentle elegance.

He had envisioned the scene of meeting again thousands of times: on a warm, sunny afternoon, they would reunite at a street corner. He would greet him with ease and chat casually, but he never imagined that the scene of their reunion would be in a hospital.

In his left hand, he carried a box of porridge, and in his right, a bag of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Hmm, too disheveled.

Wen Yueming turned his head, and their eyes collided. He was slightly stunned, then strode over. The stiff stride of his left leg was like the alarm bell in Cheng Jianyu’s heart—one step, two steps, beating against the softest part of his chest.

“Jianyu, long time no see.” Wen Yueming stood in front of him. After saying this, he raised the corners of his lips slightly and smiled.

Cheng Jianyu looked up at him and took a deep breath. Those short, low, and deep six words pulled him back to that heart-fluttering summer; it seemed as if the man before him was still the outstanding young nobleman he once knew.

He suppressed the turbulence in his chest. “Long time no see, Mr. Wen.”

Wen Yueming turned his head to look at the doctors behind him. “Let’s stop here for today. You guys go back early and be safe on the way.”

They looked at Cheng Jianyu with curiosity and left quietly.

The milky white light from the dome spilled onto the two of them. In the unique quiet atmosphere of the hospital, the air was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant, mixed with the elegant, bamboo-like perfume on Wen Yueming, creating a strangely harmonious feeling.

“You’ve grown taller than before.” Wen Yueming used one hand to measure his height, stopping at the shoulder position. “You were this tall back then, right?”

Cheng Jianyu looked at where his hand was and shook his head gently. “No, a bit taller than your shoulder.”

Wen Yueming laughed lowly. Seven years had passed; Cheng Jianyu was colder than he was at ten. At that time, he had the appearance of a youth, stern and quiet; now that he was grown, this introverted feeling had not disappeared.

“Is your friend in the emergency room? Do you need my help?” Wen Yueming glanced at the food in his hand.

Cheng Jianyu gave a light “um,” his gaze resting on his face before looking away. “No need anymore, he’s resting and will be fine.”

Wen Yueming shook the medical record folder in his hand, looking at him with a smile. “I’m free now, can we go eat together?”

Cheng Jianyu’s mood was complicated. He tucked both hands into his suit pockets, pretending to be relaxed. “What does Mr. Wen want to eat?”

At the empty nurse’s station, Wen Yueming took off his white coat, leaned over to pull out a label paper, took a pen, and wrote a line of words with a rustling sound. He clipped it to the first page of the medical record folder and casually placed it on the counter. “I heard from my colleagues that there is an Italian restaurant nearby. I don’t know if it suits your taste?”

“Okay.” Cheng Jianyu didn’t care what he ate today; it all tasted like nothing.

Wen Yueming’s gaze moved downward. Cheng Jianyu’s sleeves were loosely rolled up to the mid-forearm; his wrists in his pockets were thin and fair, with clear, protruding wrist bones, as thin as when he was a child. He swept his eyes over the familiar cufflinks on his shirt; his heart felt a tug, and he raised his head somewhat unnaturally. “Let’s go.”

The restaurant was very close to the hospital. The floor-to-ceiling windows were bright with light, flowers were intertwined, and the atmosphere was romantic; someone was playing the piano. The waiter led the two of them to their seats.

Wen Yueming walked in front, speaking as he walked: “The white truffles here have a good texture. You must try them.”

Cheng Jianyu smiled and said “Okay.” As for the difference between black truffles and white truffles, his tongue could taste the difference in fishiness, but Wen Yueming could analyze the pros and cons of the fine details. How could someone who loved good food and wine have survived in Ethiopia?

The waiter finished taking the order and brought a pot of guest tea. Dark red rose petals were reborn in the hot water.

It wasn’t mealtime, so there weren’t many guests in the restaurant, and the atmosphere was quiet for a moment.

“I saw you on the internet.” Wen Yueming poured two cups of flower tea, lowered his head, and seemed to smile. “You and Jiang Yan went on a variety show together.”

Cheng Jianyu expected him to ask this question; what he didn’t expect was that it came faster and more directly than anticipated. He took it calmly. “Yes, indeed.”

When he first met Jiang Yan, he didn’t know the relationship between Jiang Yan and Wen Yueming. It wasn’t until the deed was done, when he saw the familiar face in the photo album at Jiang Yan’s house, that he learned of the relationship between the two. No wonder there were people in the world who looked so similar.

His relationship with Wen Yueming was clear and clean. He truly liked Wen Yueming; he did before, and he would continue to. The person he met in his youth was too stunning, illuminating his long years thereafter. But that accident shattered all the ignorant heartbeats of his youth, the unspeakable emotions, leaving a mess behind.

Wen Yueming raised his head and glanced at him; there was a smile in his eyes. He had always appreciated Cheng Jianyu’s straightforwardness; he was not emotional and would not coax people. “To be honest, I was surprised.”

He paused, his voice slightly lower, his tone sincere and relaxed. “Jianyu, I have hated the inconstancy of fate, and I have hated the injustice of heaven, but I have never hated or resented you. In these seven years, I have never once regretted the decision I made at that time. Pushing you out of the car was my own will. If it happened again, I would still make that choice.”

“When I was on the vast grasslands of Ethiopia, seeing children who were starving, seeing people die from infected wounds, and seeing the devastation after the war, I realized that humans are so insignificant. My pain was trivial. At least I am alive and wealthy, and still have the energy to help them get rid of their illness.”

“I want to tell you that I am liberated. I hope that whatever choice you make, it comes from your own will.”

Cheng Jianyu was slightly startled, his heart numbing. Wen Yueming’s deep eyes looked at him quietly, with great penetrative power. He smiled slightly and raised his teacup. “Come, cheers to following one’s heart.”

He had long known that Wen Yueming was a different kind of person, unlike everyone around him. Secular interests and standards of success could not bind him at all.

He also knew that Wen Yueming would forgive him and not hate him, but he could not forgive himself.

After the accident, he went to police academy. That was when his psychological condition was at its worst. He couldn’t rest for a moment; only rigorous and cruel training, and the torture of the body, could briefly relieve the guilt and liberate his soul.

It allowed him to catch his breath.

After the meal, the two walked out together. Across the street was a red-light district, shrouded in neon lights, bustling with business and noisy voices.

“Jianyu, let’s celebrate our long-awaited reunion.” Wen Yueming’s dark suit buttons were open, elegant and relaxed, and he opened his arms naturally toward him.

Cheng Jianyu did not hesitate; he reached out and hugged him lightly. His chin rested on Wen Yueming’s broad shoulder for a second, and then he let go fleetingly. “Thank you.”

A flash of white light glinted in his line of sight, but the light from the street across was too dazzling; neither of them noticed.

The next afternoon.

Jiang Yan leaned on his computer chair, a blank musical score spread out on the desk. His index finger tapped the pen barrel rhythmically, his mind elsewhere. Cheng Jianyu’s cold and decisive expression from yesterday wouldn’t fade—cold, sharp, and the way he didn’t want to say a word to him made him furious.

Is it broken up just like that?

He would not lower his head to coax him over and over again. Bad habits are nurtured. If he apologized this time, Cheng Jianyu would become even more insatiable in the future, using his feelings as a weakness to manipulate and control him.

He would not allow such a thing to happen.

The fact that Song Yingfei was trying to poach his man wouldn’t end easily. No wonder Song Yingfei had advised him to let Cheng Jianyu go earlier; it turned out he had been waiting here all along. Could it be that Cheng Jianyu liked Song Yingfei?

This thought disgusted him. His thin phone on the table buzzed. He picked it up and tapped WeChat with one hand—a message from an obscure little assistant in Brother Chao’s management team.

[Congratulations to Brother Jiang and sister-in-law for getting back together!!!]

Below the message were several exaggerated red hearts. Jiang Yan was slightly startled, his brows furrowed. He was already annoyed about this matter, and this message was like adding fuel to the fire. He deleted and blocked them in one go.

Before locking the screen, he habitually swiped down the message window, casually scanning the pushed news. Before he could see the full message, his phone “clattered” onto the desk.

A set of explosive photos surged onto the hot search, climbing to number one with unstoppable force.

From time to time, two rumors about Jiang Yan would pop up, like their eye contact at Zhou Jueqing’s party or the birthday song gift—it sounded very ambiguous, like something was going on, but if you analyzed it carefully, you would find that it was all fabricated. Except for this one, which was “nailed to the coffin,” confirmed over and over.

Plus the footage leaked by the production team of “Let’s Go Travel Together,” compared to the pixelated photos on the hot search, the height and appearance were definitely Cheng Jianyu’s. Since it was Cheng Jianyu, the other man must be Jiang Yan. Even if the hairstyle didn’t match, the vast crowd of gossipers wouldn’t care about such details.

Netizens enthusiastically blessed the two of them to stay together for a long time, writing comments on Jiang Yan’s Weibo, one after another, “Wishing you a hundred years of harmony,” “Sister-in-law is so beautiful,” it was incredibly lively.

Jiang Yan’s fingers crackled, he took a deep breath, and clicked on the photos. Wen Yueming’s clothing was clearly visible. Even just looking at the silhouette, one could recognize this as his uncle. Cheng Jianyu was slightly hunched over, his chin leaning intimately on his shoulder, his eyes closed in a slightly intoxicated manner, his cheeks flushed, possessing an indescribable shyness.

His first reaction wasn’t shock, but: “Does Cheng Jianyu really know how to be shy?”

How many times had they had intimate contact? As long as he made a request, Cheng Jianyu would agree to any posture or unbearable words; he was very wanton, using the most innocent expression to do the most indecent things. In the past five years, when had he ever seen Cheng Jianyu act shy?

Just a hug, this appearance of a girl in love, hesitant and shy, was too heavy a blow to him.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and he bit his teeth deeply, feeling unprecedented anger. He grabbed the phone on the table, his fingers turning white from the force, and dialed the number.

“Beep, beep, beep…”

After a few blind tones, the call hung up. Jiang Yan was furious. Cheng Jianyu had the guts to hang up on him? Unconvinced, he dialed again.

This time the call connected. Jiang Yan breathed heavily, word by word, cold and icy: “Cheng Jianyu, where are you?”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Wen Yueming coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness. “Xiao Yan, sorry, I’m having a meal with Jianyu. Jianyu just went to the restroom.”

What is your relationship?

Why would Cheng Jianyu reveal such a seductive expression to you? Why were you holding each other so tightly?

You finished a meal last night and are having lunch again today? Is there no end to it?

Jiang Yan couldn’t wait to question him clearly, but only his reason restrained him. “Let Cheng Jianyu answer the phone.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Jianyu’s voice came from the other side, calm, gentle, and delicate to the bone: “Mr. Wen, did someone call me?”

Cheng Jianyu could speak with such a tone? Jiang Yan saw it for the first time. Wen Yueming said in a low voice: “It’s Jiang Yan.”

“It’s him.” The soft tone of a moment ago vanished. Cheng Jianyu took the phone, his tone taking a sharp turn for the worse. “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Yan gave a low, cold laugh, suppressing his anger. “How do you know my uncle?”

“I’ve known him for a long time.” Cheng Jianyu answered truthfully.

“What did you two do last night?” Jiang Yan asked aggressively, breathing rapidly. “Why are you being shy? You even dared to rest your chin on his shoulder. Do you want a man so badly you’ve gone crazy?”

Cheng Jianyu was silent for a moment. “I’m hanging up. Goodbye.”

“Cheng Jianyu…” Jiang Yan called his name through gritted teeth and said coldly: “You just wait.”

On this side of the phone, Cheng Jianyu put away his phone. Wen Yueming leaned on the sofa, looking at him with a playful smile. “Xiao Yan is jealous because of yesterday’s photos?”

“Yes, a little.” Having already broken up, Cheng Jianyu didn’t really want to talk about Jiang Yan.

Wen Yueming was thoughtful and sighed slowly. “Do you need me to explain to Xiao Yan?”

Cheng Jianyu shook his head and looked at him seriously. “No need, Mr. Wen. I will talk to him properly.”