Finally Being Snatched Away at My Wedding by My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 24.1

Chapter 24.1: Surging Jealousy

Confession Wall: I want to ask if the Computer Science freshman, Pei Xing, has a girlfriend? 

Don’t know. Anyway, my roommate was rejected when she tried to give him water.

Not sure if Pei Xing has a girlfriend. After all, I’m not even sure if he can speak.

 Probably has one. I’m in his class; during military training breaks, he’s always on his phone chatting. Looking at that obvious smile, he must be texting a girlfriend.

Beautiful camphor trees lined the edges of the Huaihai University playground, their deep green canopy providing vast shade even in September. Freshmen sat beneath them, resting during a break in military training.

Pei Xing raised his hand to decline the water offered to him and continued sending messages.

[Pei Xing: Is the little bird still locked in the cage today?] [Xinxin: I’ve already flown out. There are so many people; I can’t find you.]

Pei Xing looked up and noticed people around him staring in one direction, as if something captivating had appeared. Following their gaze, he saw Su Yuan.

Su Yuan was still dressed for summer: loose, light coffee-colored knee-length shorts and an open white sun-protection jacket revealing a pink cotton T-shirt underneath. His glowing white hand held a bottle of water and a phone as he stood on his tiptoes, looking around.

The moment their eyes met, Su Yuan raised his hand and gave a very sweet smile.

“Holy crap, is that a celestial being…?” “Haven’t you checked the Confession Wall? That’s Su Yuan, a junior from the Academy of Fine Arts…” “Hey, Pei Xing, where are you going?”

Pei Xing stood up and strode through the dazed crowd, his eyes fixed on Su Yuan’s face, finally running up to him.

Su Yuan tapped him with the water. “This time it’s mineral water; it won’t taste bad.”

Seeing Pei Xing staring at him without blinking, Su Yuan smiled. “What? If you don’t recognize me after not seeing me for two weeks, I’ll be very sad.”

“Nonsense,” Pei Xing took the water and habitually pulled the hood of the sun-protection jacket over Su Yuan’s head. “It’s been 17 days, more than two weeks.”

The wind blew, and the white hood flapped by Su Yuan’s ears like two butterflies; when he laughed, the butterflies seemed to fly away. Looking at him, Pei Xing suddenly felt that all the words he had prepared had been fanned away by those little butterflies.

“It’s a bit sunny now, and there’s still an hour left. Why don’t you go back to the classroom first, and I’ll find you when I’m finished?”

Pei Xing unscrewed the cap and handed the water to Su Yuan, who took a sip instinctively. Su Yuan looked around and pointed to a parasol by the stands. “I want to wait for you there.”

“Okay.”

Pei Xing escorted him over. As he adjusted the height and angle of the parasol, Su Yuan suddenly spoke up, “Oh no, I drank your water! Do you have more?”

“No.”

Su Yuan blinked. “Then what should we do?”

“Drink a classmate’s drink?”

“I’d rather you drink mine.”

Pei Xing smiled and took back the water. He returned to his squad amidst the jealous and surprised gazes that were unfamiliar to him then, but would become a daily occurrence over the next four years.

Pei Xing had already entered the freshmen’s field of vision when the entrance exam rankings were announced; Su Yuan’s arrival now put the spotlight directly on him. Meanwhile, his roommates had questions.

“Pei Xing, you aren’t some hidden ‘second-generation rich,’ are you?”

In the dormitory, Pei Xing didn’t speak much. From the way he moved in alone with basic daily necessities, it wasn’t hard to guess he was from a small town. But if he knew Su Yuan, that was a big question mark.

“No.”

Pei Xing’s brief, direct answer temporarily extinguished his roommates’ gossip.

“Did you and Su Yuan know each other before?”

“Mm.”

After answering, Pei Xing was equally puzzled. “You guys know him?”

“Yeah, don’t you know him too?” “Hey, it’s obvious Pei Xing’s ‘knowing’ Su Yuan is different from ours.”

Pei Xing was even more confused. Yao Xing, sitting nearby, seemed to realize something and burst out laughing. “Pei Xing, don’t tell me you know Su Yuan, but you don’t know Su Yuan?”

The emphasis on the two “knows” was different, but Pei Xing still didn’t understand the distinction.

…

When military training was dismissed, Pei Xing took off his hat and ran toward the stands.

Several boys were sitting on the steps at Su Yuan’s feet, turned around awkwardly with their hands propped near Su Yuan’s casually crossed legs, talking to him like little flies circling a beautiful plant.

Pei Xing’s footsteps paused, his eyes sharp. He stepped precisely through the gaps between those hands. He stopped in front of Su Yuan, his tall figure like a high wall.

“Let’s go.”

Su Yuan gave a very soft “Mm” and reached out his hand. Pei Xing hadn’t washed his hands yet, so he offered his arm for Su Yuan to lean on.

But Su Yuan didn’t seem to mind; his white, cool hand rested on the palm that still carried the heat of the day. Pei Xing closed his fingers, gripping that thin hand, and pulled Su Yuan up.

They quickly let go of each other, but the chattering boys behind them also stood up.

“Su Yuan, think about it!” “It’ll be really fun!”

Su Yuan didn’t stop, only turning back to say goodbye. He turned back to meet Pei Xing’s gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Pei Xing pulled up Su Yuan’s hood. “What did they want you to think about?”

“Next month is the holiday. Our academy and the Anthropology department have an African mural research trip,” Su Yuan leaned on his arm, slowly sliding down from the edge of the steps. “They asked if I wanted to join.”

“Going to Africa?” He led Su Yuan down. “Are you going?”

Su Yuan shook his head. “No. I want to go back to Fuxian with you.”

Pei Xing was silent for a moment and didn’t speak. Su Yuan stopped and tilted his head to look at him.

“The holiday is a bit short; I actually wasn’t considering going home,” Pei Xing answered honestly.

Su Yuan blinked, thinking seriously, his thin lips pursed into a line like the veins of a leaf. “Then where should we go to play?”

What?

Pei Xing was a bit stunned. Su Yuan took a step closer and continued to ask, “Pei Xing, don’t you want to play with me?”

Looking at those incredibly clear eyes, Pei Xing couldn’t say a word of rejection.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Su Yuan put his hands behind his back and leaned his head forward. “Say it properly.”

Pei Xing couldn’t help but smile. “I want to play with you.”

“That’s good then,” Su Yuan spread his arms and continued walking forward. “Then let’s still go back to Fuxian. No other place is as fun as Fuxian… hi.”

Pei Xing watched Su Yuan walk ahead of him, nodding occasionally to people who greeted him like he was a big star. The gazes that looked at Su Yuan with smiles changed when they landed on Pei Xing after a look up and down, they moved away indignantly.

Entering the cafeteria, such gazes became more frequent. Even Pei Xing felt a hint of unease. It was as if he were in a desert, holding a jar of fresh water, passing in front of parched, predatory travelers.

Pei Xing retracted his gaze and looked at Su Yuan, who was leading the way but couldn’t correctly identify the entrance and exit for the meal service.

“You aren’t eating dinner; are you just coming here to accompany me?”

“Yes,” Su Yuan imitated the people in line, opening the sterilization cabinet to take out a tray. “It’s been a long time since I ate with you.”

As soon as Su Yuan finished speaking, a large hand pressed the cabinet door back. Then, Pei Xing bought some bread and milk and led him to a place with fewer people.

The tall Goldenrain trees were blooming with tiny golden flowers. The wind blew them down like a fine spring rain.

Pei Xing took off his grass-green military training jacket and spread it on the grass. The Goldenrain flowers sat down before Su Yuan did. Su Yuan picked up the small yellow flowers, hugged his legs, and told him about the boredom of being at home these past few days.

“The phone is a spare I hid secretly; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to message you.”

“Why?” Pei Xing opened the milk. “Want some? Didn’t you say you were resting at home because you had a slight cold?”

Su Yuan shook his head and stuffed the straw into Pei Xing’s mouth. “Yes, my grandfather thinks that when you’re sick, you need to rest well. Looking at too many electronic products will affect recovery, so he doesn’t allow me to use a phone.”

Pei Xing thought of something. “After you went home for summer break, you disappeared for six days. Was that also because you were sick?”

Su Yuan hummed vaguely. “More or less.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

The sunset light fell on Su Yuan’s face, as quiet as a spring. His voice was very soft. “Because people who are always sick are in a lot of trouble. I didn’t want you to think I was a troublesome person.”

“Nonsense.” Pei Xing’s face darkened toward Su Yuan, which was rare. “Sick people should receive more care.”

“I know, you told me that time.” Su Yuan laughed, spreading his hand. He placed a tiny Goldenrain flower in his palm and blew gently; the flower landed on Pei Xing’s face.

Pei Xing laughed along. As he opened the bread, Su Yuan leaned in like a kitten that smelled food, held his hand, and took a tiny bite.

The wind blew at that moment. Pei Xing suddenly smelled the scent of the wind blowing over him. The fragrance of Su Yuan’s hair.

“Hmm?” Su Yuan looked up. “Did you just say ‘so fragrant’?”

Pei Xing looked away, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “The flowers,” he caught sight of the yellow flowers on the grass. “The osmanthus is very fragrant.”

“No it’s not,” Su Yuan earnestly picked up a tiny flower and held it to the tip of Pei Xing’s nose. “Look, its petals are thin and long; osmanthus is rounded. And its base has red, which osmanthus doesn’t have.”

Looking at the shadows cast by Su Yuan’s eyelashes, his thoughts became a bit dazed. “Mm, then what flower is this?”

“This is the Goldenrain flower.”

After speaking, Su Yuan, like a mischievous kitten, placed the flower on top of Pei Xing’s head. Pei Xing didn’t move, staying in that position, watching Su Yuan pick up one flower after another and place them all on his hair.

“Okay! Now, like a puppy shaking off wet fur, shake the flowers off…!”

Pei Xing obediently shook his head. Su Yuan giggled, then reached out to help him pat off the last few flowers, just as Pei Xing stood up and patted the grass off the back of Su Yuan’s legs.

“How did you get bitten by mosquitoes?”

Pei Xing knelt down, staring at the red marks that were particularly conspicuous on the smooth, fair calves. “Give me your bag.”

Su Yuan always carried a light blue storage bag with tissues, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, and mosquito repellent. After Pei Xing wiped with disinfectant tissue, he took out an anti-itch stick to apply to the red marks, and finally sprayed mosquito repellent.

He stood up, looked at Su Yuan’s long white socks bunched at his ankles, and bent down to pull the socks up. “Mm, that way they can’t bite you.”

“Oh,” Su Yuan tilted his leg. “These socks aren’t worn like that. They’re supposed to be pushed down; they’re called slouch socks.”

“What slouch socks? Socks are supposed to…”

“Push them down.”

“…Fine.”

Pei Xing had no choice but to push them down, only stopping after applying a few more pumps of mosquito water.

Su Yuan’s brown messenger bag was still in his hand, but Su Yuan had already started playing with the stray cats in the school. He had to sling the bag over his shoulder. But whether he slung it over one shoulder or across his chest, it felt strange. How did Su Yuan make it look so good?

So, he gripped the bag in his hand and accompanied Su Yuan along Tingfeng Lake.

The thin clouds and deep blue sky of the early autumn night soaked into each other; the boundary between the lake and the sky became blurred, almost merging into one color. Yet, the rose-red German army trainers on Su Yuan’s feet made the dim ground look very bright.

Pei Xing watched him until the streetlights suddenly flickered on. A ginkgo tree with a brass tree tag caught his attention:

[The only species of the Ginkgophyta; the only love of autumn was born on September 25th.]

The unusual tree tag, with the same birthday as Su Yuan, made Pei Xing feel that this was not a coincidence.

“Su Yuan, have you noticed this tree before?”

Su Yuan didn’t turn back, but he knew what Pei Xing was talking about. He replied casually, telling him to come over and look at the swans.

Later, he would learn that this entire ginkgo forest was planted for Su Yuan when he was born. There were also countless teaching buildings, libraries, and lab buildings donated on Su Yuan’s birthdays. This made every birthday gift Pei Xing gave over the next four years seem cheap yet Su Yuan loved them, telling him every year that they were his favorite gifts.

The swans swam elegantly in the water, lingering before them even though they hadn’t prepared food.

“Pei Xing, you have to remind me to bring delicious corn for them tomorrow.”

Su Yuan decided on the next day’s meeting just like that. Pei Xing nodded and gave him a little butterfly he had just made from one large and one small ginkgo leaf.

A person feeding swans nearby walked over and offered to give their food to Su Yuan.

Su Yuan waved his hand in refusal. “Thank you, but no. And the bread you brought cannot be fed to swans.”

Pei Xing glanced at the blushing boy who walked away, then looked at Su Yuan and said casually, “That seems to be your habit of speaking.”

“What habit?”

“Like this ‘la,’ ‘no oh,’ ‘okay ma’.”

Su Yuan didn’t seem to catch the subtext. After thinking, he nodded. “Seems so.”

Pei Xing didn’t look at him, raising one eyebrow and tilting his head. “I can tell.”

The moon made Pei Xing’s chest feel a bit irritable, as if it were no longer the moon from the summer in Fuxian.

People came to strike up conversations with Su Yuan incessantly, using all sorts of lame excuses: band performances, musicals, book clubs, and film screenings… Pei Xing sat nearby and heard about every outdoor activity at Huaihai University. His expression became colder and colder.

Suddenly, his finger was pinched. Pei Xing turned his head to meet Su Yuan’s eyes. “Is the fan meeting over?”

Su Yuan froze. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke slowly, “Let me walk you back to the dorm.”