After Thinking I Was the Top, I Was Taken by a Cold Beauty - Chapter 8

Once back in the driver’s seat, Yun Deng was so embarrassed that he did not even want to start the car. He kept patting his cheeks with both hands to cool them down. He Yirui returned with the sodas just in time to see Teacher Lin’s receding figure. She followed Yun Deng to where his car was parked. Seeing his face flushed red as if he were struggling to breathe, she could not help but ask with concern, “Brother, do you have heatstroke?”

Yun Deng, who had just taken a sip of water to calm himself down, heard this and immediately broke into a violent coughing fit. He coughed so hard that his chest began to ache.

“I am fine. I just encountered something that is a bit hard for me to accept,” he managed to say. “Let me send you home first.”

With those words, he started the engine and followed the navigation along the road. After seeing the little girl safely to her residence, Yun Deng could no longer hold back his crumbling composure. He headed home, desperate to make a phone call and vent his emotions.

He did not know that the moment he left, a figure hidden in the shade of the trees at the rear intersection turned around. Pretending to be a passerby, the person lowered the brim of his hat and walked on. He Dong stood at the corner, gazing into the distance at Yun Deng. He watched until the vehicle merged into the main road and disappeared into the vast sea of cars.

He had been lurking near the villa since around dawn, but the property security had repeatedly driven him away. Determined, He Dong had found a nearby shop, borrowed a stool from the owner, and sat along the path Yun Deng took every day. Finally, in the afternoon, he saw Yun Deng drive out. To find out where he was going, he gritted his teeth and spent thirty yuan on a taxi to follow him. After watching Yun Deng park and walk into the school, He Dong lingered nearby, waiting for him to come out.

Since the party at the hotel, Yun Deng seemed to be intentionally avoiding him. Even the contact information he had begged for previously had been deleted. Now, he only wanted to talk to Yun Deng again to see if there was any room for a turnaround.

Instead of going straight home, Yun Deng stopped outside a shopping mall. This was the largest commercial center in the capital; one could spend an entire day wandering from Entrance A to Entrance Z. He stopped simply because he thought he saw a familiar figure. Without thinking, he parked nearby and followed.

The moment he stepped through the revolving door, he was surrounded by several enthusiastic people. Suddenly, his hands were full of flyers as sales representatives passionately asked if he needed a gym membership. It took several refusals before he could break free. Turning left after the distant figure, Yun Deng immediately caught up. As he followed the path, he realized it led to an indoor swimming pool. Because he was not a member, he was blocked at the entrance.

Yun Deng threw down money on the spot to get a card. Once the paperwork was finished, he rushed inside to catch the person. As luck would have it, he ran into them immediately. He saw Xia Shisheng wearing deep blue swimming trunks, lying shirtless on a lounge chair. His left arm was wrapped around a tall beauty with long black hair, while his right arm circled a petite girl with big eyes and a round face.

Xia Shisheng spotted Yun Deng instantly. He sat up abruptly, pushing the two girls further away, and pressed a fist to his lips to fake a couple of coughs. He did not even know why he felt so guilty.

“Baby, who is that person?” one of the girls asked, poking Xia Shisheng’s shoulder.

Yun Deng was not far away; hearing that endearment made him almost laugh out loud. This kid, Xia Shisheng, had disappeared for days only to be found picking up beauties at a swimming pool, all while using work as an excuse.

“I am just passing through. Please continue,” Yun Deng said, intending to leave and not disturb their fun.

Unexpectedly, the moment he turned to leave, Xia Shisheng somehow got dressed and followed him out. Xia Shisheng hooked an arm around Yun Deng’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “Good brother, act like you did not see this. You cannot tell my dad.”

Yun Deng pushed Xia Shisheng’s hand away and looked at him. “I know. It is just that you disappeared for days and did not reply to messages. I thought something had happened to you.”

Xia Shisheng was a habitual playboy. Years ago, he would date seriously, but now he just had a playful attitude. However, he had principles; he would never touch girls who looked innocent or serious. He only mixed with people who also just wanted to have fun, usually breaking up in less than half a month. It was a perfect illustration of the idea that like attracts like.

Finally, the two of them found a shop in the building to sit down and settle dinner early. While waiting for the food, Yun Deng told Xia Shisheng about meeting the handsome teacher. Xia Shisheng did not believe in such coincidences.

“Are you sure you did not dream this scenario and then got confused when you woke up?”

“Are you stupid? I only went to the parent-teacher meeting today.”

“Ah, right. I forgot.”

Yun Deng took out his phone and opened his album to show Xia Shisheng the photos he had secretly taken while sitting below. Although he knew secret photography was not good, he could not resist; Teacher Lin was simply too attractive. He had instinctively opened his camera and pressed the shutter.

“He is quite handsome. And he is a teacher, which sounds much better than what your previous exes did for a living,” Xia Shisheng said, handing the phone back.

“Indeed, everything about him is good, except,” Yun Deng began with a smile, but then something occurred to him and he sighed.

“Except what?” Xia Shisheng asked.

“Except I am afraid he will not be interested in me. He is too tall. He feels even taller than you.” Yun Deng lowered his head dejectedly and started playing with his chopsticks, poking at a piece of green onion in his bowl.

“What does that matter? If it comes down to it, just be the 0,” Xia Shisheng blurted out.

Upon hearing the word “0,” Yun Deng reacted as if he had been struck. He instinctively raised his voice to refute him. “I will never be the 0!”

For a moment, his voice echoed throughout the restaurant hall, causing many diners to look toward the source of the noise. Having experienced two social deaths in one day, Yun Deng immediately propped his head up with one hand to block his face and pretended to eat as if nothing had happened. Sitting opposite him, Xia Shisheng struggled to suppress his laughter. He now had another thing to tease his friend about in the future.

The meal was awkward for Yun Deng, and he barely ate anything. Within an hour, they decided to leave. While waiting for the elevator, Xia Shisheng suddenly moved from Yun Deng’s left side to his right. Just as Yun Deng turned his head to see why, his childhood friend kicked him into the elevator. Before he could demand an explanation, he saw Xia Shisheng looking as if he had seen a ghost.

“Why did you suddenly switch sides?”

“Guess who I just ran into,” Xia Shisheng whispered.

The two looked at each other in the empty elevator and spoke at the same time. Upon learning that Xia Shisheng had seen He Dong, Yun Deng’s expression turned from calm to irritable. Why did this person keep following him? They were broken up; what was the point of looking for him? He simply could not understand it.

After leaving the mall, the two headed home separately. Along the way, Yun Deng frequently checked his rearview mirror. Although being followed like a scene from a movie almost never happened in real life, he was still a bit scared. Fortunately, He Dong did not seem to have followed him.

Once safely home, Yun Deng drew every curtain in the house tight. He returned to his room alone to think about his future. Feeling hot, he stripped off his long sleeves and pants before entering the bedroom; by the time he reached the bathroom, he was completely naked. At his family home in Jingshan, he was restricted by many rules; he was not even allowed to wear slippers inside. Now that he lived alone, he had developed several bad habits.

For instance, he left glass wine bottles in places where he could easily reach them. Once, while trying to get a light buzz after coming home at night, he had accidentally dropped one. He cut his hand so badly he needed several stitches at the hospital. But as the saying goes, once the scar heals, the pain is forgotten; Yun Deng continued his ways.

After coming out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, he did not even bother to dry his hair before making a video call to Xia Shisheng. Before they had parted, Yun Deng threatened to tell Xia Shisheng’s parents about the two beauties if he did not help him come up with a plan. Xia Shisheng answered immediately. The background appeared to be an art studio, with walls covered in various watercolor paintings.

“Deng, I have thought of a way for you. Quickly thank your Father Xia for his great kindness,” Xia Shisheng’s voice came through the tablet.

Yun Deng tossed his phone aside and picked up the tablet to complain about the name. “That name is disgusting. Just tell me already so I can win over my dream man.”

Xia Shisheng hung up the call and sent three blocks of text instead.

min: “Plan 1: Use your money power to bribe the school security guard for information on this teacher. Then, use your looks to conquer him.” min: “Plan 2: This one has a high probability of success. It requires a transfer of one thousand to unlock.” min: “Plan 3: I can cooperate with you on this one. Transfer two thousand and I will tell you.”

Yun Deng read through Plan 1. He thought Xia Shisheng was actually quite impressive for coming up with such a terrible idea; a normal person’s brain would not think of something so ridiculous. Seeing the request for money, he cried out that it was a scam. Nevertheless, his hand clicked on the transfer interface and sent 6,666 over. The second after the bank notification arrived, Xia Shisheng’s messages followed.

min: “Holy cow, you are rich.” min: “Plan 2: Prepare to take the teacher certification exam. Then, have your dad use his connections to tuck you into that high school as a teacher. That way, you will have the advantage of proximity. Office romances are so exciting!” min: “Plan 3: Forced abduction and possession.”

After seeing the second plan, Yun Deng immediately sent a voice message telling that unreliable fellow to refund the money. Taking a teacher certification exam? What a joke. With his current level of knowledge and laziness, he probably would not pass even if aliens invaded the Earth. However, seeing the words “forced abduction and possession,” Yun Deng felt it was unexpectedly reliable in a way. After much thought, he decided to try a gentler version of taking what he wanted, just like the novels he read when he was bored.

Rebirth: Being a Top Alpha in Real Life.

Thinking about it, Yun Deng could not help but laugh out loud. This feeling was simply too good.

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