After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Xu Jun Was Jealous

After that sentence, there was a deathly silence in the office.

Tao Ning looked confused, while Song Yuceng’s phoenix eyes widened. It was as if he was on fire. He “whooshed” up from the sofa again and moved closer to the boy, whose eyes were clear and innocent. He squeezed out each word through clenched teeth: “That teacher of yours said you should make friends with foreigners, but the spoken English of a Chinese person who grew up abroad is also good.”

Tao Ning nodded in agreement: “Yes.”

“And you dare to say ‘yes’?”

No matter what he said, it seemed to annoy this second young master. Tao Ning found Song Yuceng to be very strange, but his peripheral vision caught sight of the English books on the table. The second young master had just said those words, and connecting the two, he frowned slightly: “…Do you want to teach me spoken English?”

The strange second young master snorted, but his handsome face was no longer twisted. He said dryly: “If you beg me, I’ll teach you.”

Tao Ning was silent for a few seconds. Thinking about his mission and the high medical bills, he sighed helplessly in his heart. His light brown eyes looked at Song Yuceng. His curled eyelashes, like butterfly wings, blinked, and his voice was soft and gentle: “Song Yuceng, I beg you, will you teach me spoken English?”

Tao Ning was a head shorter than Song Yuceng. When he said this, he raised his small face, and his clear, clean eyes looked at him. Only the image of the person being looked at was reflected in his pupils. This gave a person the illusion that in the whole world, Tao Ning could only see Song Yuceng.

The man who had just been sarcastic had his ears instantly turn red. He glared at Tao Ning and said: “Stop trying to seduce me.”

Tao Ning: “…”

He stared at Song Yuceng’s red ears and asked directly: “Are you shy?”

Song Yuceng’s phoenix eyes widened even more. He said angrily: “What nonsense! Which eye of yours saw me being shy? I’m telling you, Tao Ning, don’t try to seduce me.”

Tao Ning said: “I saw it with both eyes,” his slender finger pointing at his ears, “Your ears suddenly turned red just now.”

Song Yuceng took a step back and covered half of his ear with one hand. His narrow phoenix eyes glared fiercely at the ‘aggressive’ Tao Ning. He gritted his teeth and said: “This crappy office is too hot! Next time I’ll have five air conditioners installed in here.”

“But…”

“Shut up. Say one more word and get out.”

Tao Ning quietly closed his mouth. Seeing that he had returned to his obedient look and was no longer saying words that made him feel hot all over, Song Yuceng snorted, sat back down on the sofa, and arrogantly lifted his chin toward the English books on the table: “Bring them here.”

Tao Ning brought them over.

“Sit down.”

Tao Ning sat next to him.

Song Yuceng was very satisfied with Tao Ning’s obedience. He casually took an English book from Tao Ning’s hand. His well-defined knuckles turned a few pages, and he cleared his throat a few times, “Country bumpkin, listen carefully.”

Tao Ning looked at him and gave a soft “hmm.”

The book Song Yuceng was holding was Pride and Prejudice by the British author Jane Austen. Tao Ning had read the original.

He lowered his head slightly. His deep features were like a sculpture carved with a pen and a knife, with a hint of mixed heritage. His eyelashes were thick, and those phoenix eyes that were always filled with arrogance were now calm. Tao Ning watched him silently and thought to himself that this second young master was the most handsome person he had ever seen.

If he wasn’t so stupid and willful.

The man’s deep, magnetic voice slowly came out, instantly pulling Tao Ning back to reality. Song Yuceng’s English had a heavy but elegant London accent. The passage was from Pride and Prejudice, where the heroine, Elizabeth, asks the hero, Darcy, when he fell in love with her.

Song Yuceng paused and secretly glanced at the person next to him. The boy sat quietly next to him, as beautiful as a person in a painting. The sweet lemon scent on him had unknowingly disturbed his thoughts. He also continued to read in English, just like Mr. Darcy in the book—

“…I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

The low and hoarse voice ended with that sentence. Song Yuceng closed the book with a “snap.” He crossed his arms and looked at Tao Ning openly. He snorted: “Read it with my pronunciation.”

Tao Ning looked away, picked up the book, and turned to the same page. He tried to remember Song Yuceng’s tone and pronunciation and started reading it out loud. But as he read, he would sound a little unnatural and awkward. The occasional rural accent also made the words he read sound comical.

Although it was a bit country, but… it was also not bad.

The corner of Song Yuceng’s mouth curved up, but he quickly pretended to be impatient and put on a straight face. He interrupted him: “What are you reading? It sounds terrible.”

Tao Ning was a little discouraged. He closed the book and didn’t say anything. His clear eyes, which held a hint of grievance, looked at him directly. Song Yuceng’s body instantly stiffened. The crimson color that had just faded from his ears burned again. He turned his head away from the boy’s direct gaze and snorted coldly: “I’ll read it one more time. Listen carefully. If you read it that badly again, you’re dead.”

This was the second time that Tao Ning was “dead” to this second young master. He let it go in one ear and out the other. He nodded, handed the book over, and looked well-behaved.

Song Yuceng snorted, snatched the book over, and read it again. This time, he read it slower than the first time. His pronunciation was more deliberate, and he focused more on his accent. Each word was very clear.

Tao Ning instantly understood what he had been missing. So the second time, he made rapid progress. His soft voice imitated the man’s deep tone, and the words he read were gentle and long, like a spring ripple.

Song Yuceng stared at his rosy lips intently. His heart felt as if it was being lightly tickled by the words he read. It was beating uncontrollably fast. After a while, until Tao Ning looked at him with a questioning gaze, he crossed his arms and snorted coldly: “It’s barely passable.”

Tao Ning was stunned. The beautiful eyes behind the glasses curved up. “Thank you.”

Song Yuceng suddenly said fiercely: “Shut up. Don’t you dare try to seduce me.”

Tao Ning: “…”

When the lunch break was over, Tao Ning went to class. But Xu Jun was still not there. He was a little worried, but he didn’t have Xu Jun’s phone number. He was thinking that he would ask for his number when Xu Jun came back at night. However, after he finished lunch at the cafeteria, Song Yuceng called him over again to tutor him in spoken English.

They also played other types of games and ate many small cakes that he had never eaten before.

Night fell quietly. Song Yuceng, while snorting coldly, followed Tao Ning to the dorm building. Before he left, he suddenly threw a phone at him and warned him: “My number is saved in here. If you dare not answer my calls for no reason again, you’re dead.”

This was the third time Tao Ning was “dead.” He held the phone and wondered if giving phones as gifts was a popular thing now. He said: “Thank you.”

Song Yuceng snorted and left without looking back, but his steps were a little messy, and his ears were a little red.

Tao Ning was holding the beautifully packaged small cake in one hand and the phone box in the other. He pushed open the dorm door. Xu Jun was eating at his desk. It was about ten o’clock at night now. Was he just eating? And Xu Jun would never eat anywhere other than the dining table.

Xu Jun heard the sound of the door opening. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his cold gaze fell on the cake and the phone box in Tao Ning’s hands. He didn’t say anything and calmly looked away, continuing to eat.

Tao Ning put the cake and the phone away. He had a feeling that Xu Jun was not in a good mood.

“…You didn’t go to class all day. Did something happen?”

Xu Jun’s tone was bland, “Yes.”

Tao Ning’s eyes widened. “What kind of thing? Can I help you?”

Xu Jun put down his chopsticks. He lifted his cold eyes and looked seriously at the worried Tao Ning. He suddenly said: “Song Yuceng instructed his friends to frame me, saying that I got my awards through cheating. I was dealing with this tricky matter today.”

His tone was understated, but the problem pointed directly at Song Yuceng.

Tao Ning was stunned. He had heard these rumors today, but he believed that it was impossible for Xu Jun to get his awards through cheating. But he also didn’t expect that it was Song Yuceng who did this. And he had just thought that this second young master wasn’t a bad person.

The exquisite small cake and the phone on the table suddenly became a hot potato. Xu Jun lowered his eyes and said unhurriedly: “I know you’re a student sponsored by the Song family and need to maintain a good relationship with him, so you don’t have to feel awkward for me.” He paused and continued blandly: “Being close to him is also good for your development at Oksen College.”

Tao Ning said with some difficulty: “I… my relationship with Song Yuceng is… just so-so.”

Xu Jun glanced at the cake and the phone on the table and didn’t say anything.

This was the second phone. If this phone was given by that good-for-nothing, then who gave him the last one? How many secrets did this dazed lemon have?

Xu Jun suddenly felt an unprecedented jealousy. This jealousy made his heart feel as if it was soaked in acid water. His always-good reason instantly vanished. He deliberately said those words as a way to retreat and advance, wanting to stir up trouble between Tao Ning and Song Yuceng. He also deliberately sat here to eat because he had returned in the afternoon, but when he went to pick up Tao Ning after class, he heard that Tao Ning had been picked up by Song Yuceng.

What did Song Yuceng pick up Tao Ning for? Why did they spend so much time together? Why was Tao Ning so dazed and foolish? Why couldn’t he see his and others’ hidden greed for him?!

Xu Jun was so jealous that he unconsciously clenched his fists. His nails dug deep into his palm until the pain brought his reason back. He tried his best to control himself and finally used his remaining reason to give a feigned indifferent “hmm.”

If he had enough money, could he also buy Tao Ning countless game consoles, cakes, and other things he liked? Would Tao Ning look at him a little more then? So he needed to speed up his money-making.

On one side was a target he already considered a good friend, and on the other side was a target he also thought was not a bad person. Tao Ning suddenly felt caught between a rock and a hard place. He also finally realized how difficult this mission of targeting three people was.

But at this moment, Tao Ning chose to believe Xu Jun, because he was genuinely a very good person.

So the next day in class, Xu Jun gave him his phone number, said goodbye to Tao Ning with a tired face, and said blandly before he left: “You don’t have to anger Song Yuceng for me.”

After hearing this, Tao Ning felt even more unfair for him and thought that a person as good as him shouldn’t be treated this way. And Song Yuceng was taking advantage of his wealthy family background and being too willful.

After class, he went to the office building but didn’t see Song Yuceng. At that moment, someone said to Tao Ning respectfully: “Young Master Tao, the second young master is waiting for you on the rooftop. Please follow me.”

Tao Ning followed this person to the rooftop of the tallest building at Oksen College.

Half of the rooftop was indoors. The ceiling above was a large dome with tiny sparkling lights. At first glance, it felt as if one were under the stars. And it was already dark outside. The dim lights came on, and the light was concentrated in the center of the rooftop. Song Yuceng was wearing a black suit, his arms crossed. He was leaning against a huge Steinway piano, exuding the elegance and disdain of a nobleman from the last century.

Song Yuceng’s handsome face had an arrogant expression, but his gaze was fixed on the entering Tao Ning. On the path the boy was walking, there were rows of vibrant, dripping roses. The sweet lemon scent in the air was mixing with the alluring scent of roses, which symbolized desire.

The closer the boy walked, the faster Song Yuceng’s heart beat.

Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day.

When Tao Ning finally stepped on the roses and stood in front of him, Song Yuceng suppressed his joy, elegantly sat in front of the piano, placed his well-defined knuckles on the piano keys, and snorted coldly: “You walk so slow. Were you a snail in your last life? I’m in a good mood today…”

But before he could finish, Tao Ning took a deep breath, and his soft voice became firm and powerful: “Why did you find people to frame Xu Jun, saying that he got his awards through cheating? What you did was very excessive.”

After this sentence, the vibrant, dripping roses instantly withered due to the cold atmosphere. It was as if a ball of fire was instantly ignited in the air. Song Yuceng “whooshed” up. His handsome face twisted with anger in an instant.

He moved closer to Tao Ning: “Who gave you the guts to talk to me like that?”

He suddenly grabbed Tao Ning’s shoulder. Song Yuceng was like a cornered beast. His phoenix eyes stared coldly at the person beneath him. However, Tao Ning no longer showed fear. He looked him straight in the eyes and said: “Song Yuceng, that’s enough. Xu Jun wouldn’t cheat…”

“Shut up!!” Song Yuceng couldn’t stand Tao Ning mentioning that name at all. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He glared at him, his chest rising and falling from anger. He roared out: “You actually dare to yell at me for him?!”

Song Yuceng suddenly pushed Tao Ning away, raising all his sharp thorns. He said coldly: “I did frame him. So what if I destroy him? No one else even dares to say a word. I, Song Yuceng, have money and power. Destroying an Xu Jun is as easy as destroying an ant. And you, Tao Ning—”

He gritted his teeth as he said the two words ‘Tao Ning,’ as if he was going to eat the person in front of him alive.

“You’re also a piece of trash like him. Don’t think that just because I gave you a little attention, you can do whatever you want and talk to me like this. I’m telling you, Tao Ning, you can stand in front of me right now because I’m giving you the opportunity. When I get tired of you one day, I’ll be disgusted to even look at trash like you!”

After he finished, the rooftop, which had been as bright as under the stars, fell into a deathly silence.

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