After Thinking I Was the Top, I Was Taken by a Cold Beauty - Chapter 10

Yun Deng had a long, lingering dream.

In the dream, he had somehow offended the King of Hell, who ordered the Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons to escort him to the execution ground. Just as he was being tossed into a vat of boiling oil, he jolted awake. His forehead and back were soaked in cold sweat. He gasped for air like a fish that had been out of water for too long and was suddenly thrown back into the river. The lingering fear made his heart race, but fortunately, the faint scent of hospital disinfectant pulled him back to reality.

Liu Min happened to walk in with a thermos. Seeing that Yun Deng was awake, she ran over and pulled her son into a tight embrace while weeping. “You are finally awake! You scared me to death.”

Yun Deng was held so tightly he could barely breathe, only being saved when a rounding nurse entered the room. Through their subsequent conversation, he learned that the two men from the night before had only intended to scare him. The realization made him so angry he wanted to rush to the police station right then and there to slap them both. Fortunately, he was largely unharmed; he had simply fainted from the shock.

Liu Min sat by the bed peeling an apple and asked if the scratches on his face were from the thugs. Although Yun Deng had regained his composure, his brain was still lagging. He took the apple his mother handed him and replied, “No, I got those from falling down myself.”

He followed up by asking, “Mom, I am okay now, right? Can I be discharged anytime?”

Liu Min nodded. She was only forty-five this year but had maintained herself exceptionally well; her face showed almost no signs of age. However, after hearing about her son’s accident the previous night, she had spent a sleepless, worried night and looked quite haggard.

Yun Deng nodded back. In truth, he was terrified of his father appearing in this room, as it would surely result in a long-winded lecture. As luck would have it, what he feared most happened; Yun Guodong appeared at the doorway a second later.

Knowing her husband was too strict with their son, Liu Min stood up first and greeted him with a smile. Yun Deng braced himself for a scolding, but unexpectedly, instead of a reprimand, he received a sum of money. Yun Guodong tossed a bank card onto the quilt in front of Yun Deng and said sternly, “You cannot live in that apartment anymore. Either move back to the family home in Jingshan or find somewhere else yourself.”

Liu Min, who had been prepared to restrain the father, saw him giving money and could not help but grumble, “It is all your fault for spoiling the child. My son almost got into trouble because you made him sign a contract.”

Having mysteriously come into a sum of money, Yun Deng lay on the hospital bed watching his parents bicker over him once again. He pulled the covers over his head, wanting only to lie down and sleep a little longer.

After resting through the afternoon, he completed the discharge procedures. Repeatedly declining his parents’ help, he returned alone to the villa to prepare for his move. He still had to go to the police station later to give a statement. The sudden disruption of his life’s rhythm left Yun Deng feeling utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, Xia Shisheng came over to help. Even Song Shuya, who was away on a business trip, had sent several check-in messages and digital red envelopes while he was unconscious. That evening, as he and Xia Shisheng walked out of the police station, his tense nerves finally relaxed.

When Xia Shisheng saw the local news report the night before about the villa district where Yun Deng lived, his first thought was that home robberies were getting uncomfortably close, just dozens of kilometers away. Then he remembered that very few families actually lived in that area; most of the houses were empty properties owned by wealthy investors. Upon discovering it was Yun Deng who had been targeted, he immediately called Yun Deng’s family and rushed to the hospital.

The two walked down the street together in silence for a while before deciding to head to their usual spot to unwind. Because of the scratches on his face, Yun Deng did not dare touch alcohol. Xia Shisheng, who usually could finish a bottle of spirits alone, chose a low-alcohol fruit wine so he could stay sober enough to look after his friend.

Yun Deng sat at the bar with a pack of AD Calcium milk, sipping through a straw while chatting. He decided that after playing through the night, he would go to a temple tomorrow to burn incense and pray for safety.

At the end of April, Beijing welcomed a brief rainy season.

The rain fell continuously for a week. Even the beautifully planted roses in the green belts were battered down by the droplets, their rose-red petals carpeting the mud. Many students took advantage of the breaks between classes to collect fallen flowers and rainwater to bring back to their classrooms to play with.

Fang Yu had resumed her duties as homeroom teacher after her leg injury healed mid-month. However, after a month of little contact with the class, she found she could not quite control this group of sixteen and seventeen-year-old boys and girls. This did, however, give her more opportunities to seek out Lin Yanxu for communication.

Yet, Lin Yanxu always maintained a sense of being close yet distant. He was incredibly gentle, but there was an underlying aloofness; to everyone on the outside, he presented a refined and easygoing personality.

The rain outside grew heavier as the bell rang for the final class of the morning. At that moment, Yun Deng was holding a broom, following a middle-aged woman who had been hired alongside him to take shelter from the rain under the eaves near the school cafeteria.

Three days ago, the first thing he did upon returning to Beijing was to find the handsome man he liked. Since he could not wait for him outside the school, he decided to infiltrate the campus. Using his connections, he had a contact introduce him to get a job as a school janitor. After the accident, his father had sent him back to his hometown in Jiangnan. After staying in an ancient town temple for about half a month, he began to miss the bustle of Beijing again. Once the incident was settled, Yun Deng bought a plane ticket and rushed back.

He had been born just as Yun Guodong’s career was taking off, and the company had only grown bigger and more prosperous since then. Consequently, he had lived a life of luxury since childhood. Now that he was doing janitorial work, he was not annoyed; instead, he found it quite novel and even somewhat enjoyable.

The woman working with him was Auntie Zhao. Her son and daughter-in-law were very filial, but she had been bored out of her mind staying at home this year, so she had also used connections to secure this job. Auntie Zhao was talkative and frequently chatted with Yun Deng while they worked. As the rain poured, the two sat side-by-side outside the cafeteria to talk.

Yun Deng toyed with a rose petal that had been blown down by the wind, looking at photos of Auntie Zhao’s granddaughter. Her son sent photos and greetings every day. Whenever she talked about her granddaughter, Auntie Zhao’s face lit up with a smile.

“Young man, how old are you? Do you have a partner yet?” Auntie Zhao shifted the topic to Yun Deng after sharing her photos.

Yun Deng rubbed his nose somewhat shyly. “I am twenty-two. Not yet.”

Hearing that such a fair and clean-looking young man was still single, Auntie Zhao became energized and immediately asked what type of girls he liked. Yun Deng stammered, unable to describe his type, but under Auntie Zhao’s persistent questioning, he could not help but blurt out, “Auntie, actually, I do not like girls. I am a ‘1’.”

Auntie Zhao sat there wondering what a “1” was, thinking for a long time before she realized the young man liked the same gender. Since she did not have any suitable young men in her social circle, she had to drop her matchmaking plans.

Working in the school for a few days was quite easy. It mostly involved cleaning the area between the dormitory buildings and the teaching block, as well as taking out the trash three times a day. The monthly salary was 4,500 yuan, including lunch. To Yun Deng, 4,500 yuan was just the price of a mid-range branded gift. He had not expected this to be the monthly wage for an average worker. It made him feel a bit guilty about his parents working so hard for their wealth. He decided that once he finished the month and got his pay, he would transfer it all to his parents; after all, it was money earned through his own labor.

“Auntie, when can we eat? I am getting hungry.”

After sitting for a while, Yun Deng felt cold and hungry. Since Auntie Zhao was older, he had given her his spare jacket to wear. He had woken up early that morning to be at his post by 7:00 AM. Having never woken up so early before, he had no appetite for breakfast and had rushed out the door.

“Wait a little longer. Lunch starts as soon as school lets out.”

In previous days, because of his social anxiety, Yun Deng had brought his own boxed lunch from outside and hidden in a corner to eat alone before the afternoon shift. Now that he had befriended Auntie Zhao and found a dining buddy, he dared to wait outside the cafeteria with her.

It was a bit strange. In a nightclub, Yun Deng was brave enough to share a booth with strangers to drink and play games. But in broad daylight, when alone in an unfamiliar environment, his social anxiety attribute would unlock, making him feel constantly uneasy.

As he sat there watching the rain, Yun Deng grew bored and sent a few messages to Xia Shisheng. He had not told him he was back yet, having only mentioned it to Song Shuya. As if they were telepathic, just as Yun Deng was editing a text, the other party called him directly via video. When he answered, Yun Deng could tell at a glance that Xia Shisheng had only just woken up.

“Where are you? You kid, back and did not even say a word. Where are you hiding and playing now?”

Yun Deng flipped the camera and showed the broom to Xia Shisheng. “I am working as a janitor. Waiting for lunch.”

On the other end, hearing this, Xia Shisheng wondered if he had woken up in the wrong dimension today. A young master born with a golden spoon in his mouth was actually working as a janitor. Had the Yun family gone bankrupt overnight?

“Are you okay, man? Are you roleplaying or something?”

Yun Deng stood up and found a corner to flip the camera back to himself. “Did you not tell me last time to use ‘aggressive possession’?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with you being a janitor?”

Xia Shisheng was utterly baffled. But after hearing Yun Deng’s next explanation, he truly suspected his friend had lost his mind.

“I could not catch him outside the school, but working in the school gives me chances to cross paths. Otherwise, I would never find an opening to make a move,” Yun Deng said, stroking the leaves of a shrub.

“Bro, I truly surrender to you. Good luck.”

After saying that, Xia Shisheng hung up the phone and immediately sent five red envelopes of 200 yuan each.

min: “A tip for you, little janitor. Come find your lord for a drink tonight.” min: “[Location Shared]”

Yun Deng accepted the red envelopes and, looking at Xia Shisheng’s greasy banter, replied in kind to see who could gross out whom more.

Mianmian Yu: “As you wish, my lord. I shall serve you well tonight.”

Mianmian Yu: “[Shy.jpg]”

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