Finally Being Snatched Away at My Wedding by My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 24.2

Chapter 24.2: Surging Jealousy

On the small path shrouded in the fragrance of osmanthus, Su Yuan was very quiet, not saying a word.

“I’m sorry.”

Su Yuan stopped and looked at Pei Xing behind him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. “Why the sudden apology?”

Pei Xing’s hand hanging by his side clenched. “I know you actually don’t like too many people disturbing you. What happened just now must have made you feel uncomfortable, including the sentence I said.”

After Pei Xing finished speaking, Su Yuan still didn’t speak. He looked up at Su Yuan, only to see him suddenly start laughing. “What do you mean by ‘too’?”

Pei Xing was stunned. Su Yuan’s voice carried a hint of a smile. “I thought you wouldn’t care.”

Those words were like a small hole drilled into Pei Xing’s heart; the emotions he tried so hard to hide gushed out incessantly. His shoulders slumped slightly. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Su Yuan walked closer to him, bringing a wind scented with osmanthus. “Pei Xing, say it properly.”

Pei Xing looked into his eyes, which now reflected only his own. He spoke slowly, “I care.”

The quiet osmanthus path was left with only the sound of wind and insects. Su Yuan stood before Pei Xing. The wind revealed his ears that were originally hidden by his hair—delicately shaped, the earlobes dyed a hazy red. He looked like the last cherry so plump and beautiful that one couldn’t bear to eat it.

“I know oh,” Su Yuan said.

Clearly, it wasn’t raining, but the red on Su Yuan’s earlobes seemed to smudge, reaching all the way to Pei Xing’s neck.

…

For a week, Su Yuan would sit under that parasol waiting for Pei Xing. He always wore clothes of different colors that were rarely seen on boys but looked great on him, like a beautiful bird changing its feathers every day.

In the evening Su Yuan was dressed like an orange jelly, and his roommate, who had held it in for a long time, finally spoke. “Pei Xing… Su Yuan couldn’t be chasing you, could he?”

Pei Xing was looking at Su Yuan, who had taken out a second book. Hearing this, he furrowed his brows. “What are you talking about?”

The taciturn freshman and the idolized celestial being of the Art Academy had many versions of their story. The most popular was the “rich girl” (rich beauty) falling for the poor boy, love at first sight, and relentless pursuit. After all, they didn’t think Pei Xing had the guts to actively pursue Su Yuan.

Pei Xing sternly refuted the rumors from his roommates. Afterward, he didn’t have a good look for those “flies” buzzing around Su Yuan either.

“What’s wrong?” Su Yuan gently tugged at the corner of his jacket. “You seem a bit angry besides being unhappy.”

Looking at Su Yuan’s innocent, clear eyes, he felt increasingly irritable about those words. Yet he didn’t want Su Yuan to be troubled by it; emotions like sadness and sorrow shouldn’t appear on Su Yuan. A beautiful bird only needed the vast sky, beautiful wings, and endless food.

Pei Xing adjusted his emotions, saying the training was a bit tiring.

Su Yuan put the book into his bag, held his hand, and stood up. “Then we won’t go out to play tonight. You rest well.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Xing smiled. “Anyway, it’s the weekend tomorrow.”

The evening outing was something Su Yuan had mentioned to him a few days ago, saying they would go to the theater to see something. At that time, he was too busy looking at Su Yuan’s flickering eyelashes to hear clearly.

Returning to the dorm, Pei Xing showered and changed into fresh, neat clothes before heading out. As soon as the dorm door closed, the roommates who were pretending to be busy immediately dropped their books, keyboards, and rags and rushed to the balcony, nearly getting their heads stuck in the security bars to watch the two meet downstairs.

Under the osmanthus tree, Su Yuan was stomping his feet to drive away the mosquitoes around his legs. Pei Xing ran out from the dorm building, naturally took the bag, took out the mosquito spray to apply to Su Yuan’s legs, then carried the bag and walked with Su Yuan toward the school gate.

“And he says they aren’t dating…!” “Ugh, why do all these good things happen to Pei Xing alone!” “What do you mean happened to Pei Xing alone?” Yao Xing patted that person’s head. “Is it possible that Pei Xing is first in the department because of his own hard work, and he’s dating Su Yuan because he’s 193cm tall, has eight-pack abs, and looks like the protagonist of a black-and-white manga?”

The roommate clicked his tongue and nodded. “True… Hey, but Master Yao, what are you doing in our dorm?”

“I’m here to make friends with smart people.” Yao Xing smiled and walked out. “Unfortunately, the smart person’s soul was hooked by a beautiful person and led away!”

…

Pei Xing was led to the city center of Huaicheng by Su Yuan. This was his first time in the city center since the day he arrived for registration, and his first time standing before such a magnificent Grand Theatre. The lights shining on the Roman pillars seemed to smooth out everything, yet they made the wrinkles on his unironed black casual shirt conspicuous.

Pei Xing looked down at his dark jeans and a pair of canvas shoes that were washed very clean but still felt out of place.

Entering the theater, they sat in the back row. Su Yuan held the theater brochure and told him about this ballet in a very soft but excited voice.

“The village girl Giselle falls in love with the nobleman Albrecht, who is disguised as a peasant. After they fall in love, Albrecht’s noble fiancée appears and exposes his lie. Giselle dies of a sudden heart attack. Giselle has many small jumps and leg-change jumps, like a light bird… you can see them in the first act.”

After Su Yuan finished speaking, he realized Pei Xing was looking at him and tilted his head.

Inopportune as it was, Pei Xing actually wanted to ask if Su Yuan had a fiancée. But he only smiled. “I see you’re very happy.”

The inner unease was replaced by Su Yuan’s shining eyes.

“Yes, I love ballet,” Su Yuan looked at him. “But if you don’t like it, you can tell me, and we won’t come next time.”

Pei Xing shrugged. “I might be a stone that can’t bloom; I’ll be disconnected from aesthetics all my life.”

Su Yuan’s smiling eyes suddenly scrunched up. He stared at him for a while. “Then what should we do? I still wanted to go to an art exhibition with you.”

Pei Xing raised an eyebrow. “Then we won’t go?”

Su Yuan didn’t agree, giving him a little punch with his fist. “No way…!”

Pei Xing feigned pain and clutched his arm. “Su Xinxin, why are you hitting people?”

The lights in the theater slowly dimmed. Su Yuan turned his head away, leaving him with a profile and a pouting mouth. Pei Xing was about to say something when Su Yuan crossed his arms, leaned back, and stared at the stage, intending to ignore him.

The dark red curtain slowly rose, and the ballet began. Pei Xing had no choice but to sit back, feeling restless.

On stage, Giselle lifted her skirt and jumped on her toes to a bright, cheerful rhythm. Off stage, Pei Xing hesitated, then leaned toward the person who was still pouting, lowering his voice. “I won’t be a stone anymore. Don’t be angry.”

“Be a piece of wood then.” Su Yuan answered quickly, as if he had prepared the answer.

What?

“Wood can bloom if you water it more,” Su Yuan said.

Wood might grow mushrooms.

Pei Xing looked at Su Yuan’s profile and nodded. “Okay.”

“Growing mushrooms is fine too,” Su Yuan’s chin was buried in his collar, his bright eyes focused on the stage. “Mushrooms are very cute.”

Su Yuan is cuter.

Pei Xing struggled to retract his gaze from Su Yuan’s profile and focused back on the stage, praying that the pure and tragic Willis ghosts would wrap the wood in their holy white gauze and bloom with layers of silver-white flowers as soft as wool. Su Yuan might like that.

…

The ballet ended. Pei Xing took a tissue from his bag and handed it to Su Yuan. “Still want to cry?”

Su Yuan took the tissue and looked at him with red eyes. “Why didn’t you cry?”

Pei Xing was stunned. To be honest, his logic couldn’t understand why the deceived and abandoned Giselle would eventually forgive and save Albrecht, even at the cost of her last shred of soul. But with Su Yuan, he was destined to only think emotionally.

Pei Xing unscrewed the water and handed it over. “I’m crying inside. I’m so sad.”

Su Yuan laughed. “Don’t imitate the way I talk…!”

“Drink the water,” Pei Xing checked the time. “It’s nine o’clock. I’ll send you home first, then go back to school.”

Su Yuan yawned, but as soon as he stepped out of the theater, he was energized by the night wind. “There’s a night market nearby. Shall I go with you? It’s very lively; there must be many delicious things.”

Pei Xing screwed the cap on and put it in the bag. “Not sleepy? Button your clothes.”

Su Yuan shook his head, taking out his phone to reply to a screen full of messages, turning toward Pei Xing.

“Little master, you’re just too lazy to do it yourself.” Pei Xing laughed.

Pei Xing lowered his head to button the orange thin shirt one by one, not forgetting to pull out the large bow at the collar of the white shirt inside, rearranging it and patting it. Like a little prince.

Suddenly, Su Yuan turned to look at the roadside and then pushed him into a taxi.

“Um, I’m suddenly very sleepy. It’s late; you go back to school quickly…!”

“What?”

Pei Xing was bewildered by Su Yuan’s sudden action. Su Yuan completely ignored him, reported the Huaihai University address to the driver, stepped back to the curb, and waved goodbye.

In the back seat, Pei Xing regained his senses. “Master, stop the car.”

He paid, got out, and ran back over a hundred meters, seeing Su Yuan still standing by the road as if waiting for someone. Just as he was about to walk toward Su Yuan, a black Rolls-Royce slowly stopped in front of him.

Pei Xing stopped in his tracks.

Su Yuan stayed where he was, just as he had when waiting for Pei Xing to button his shirt. A man in a suit ran up in small steps, bowed, and opened the back door of the luxury car for him.

The phone in Pei Xing’s pocket vibrated. At the same time, Su Yuan put away his phone and sat in the car.

It wasn’t until the black Rolls-Royce drove past him that Pei Xing regained his senses.

[Xinxin: My family is urging me to go back. :(] [Xinxin: If I can come find you on the weekend, I’ll message you.]

Pei Xing put away his phone and walked toward the bus stop across the street. Through the water-stained bus window glass, he saw the Grand Theatre he had just entered with Su Yuan. A huge sense of unreality surrounded him; he couldn’t even clearly remember everything that happened in the theater.

Instead, the stumbling dance steps of Giselle upon learning of Albrecht’s noble identity began to emerge in his mind.

…

Returning to the dorm, Pei Xing showered and sat at his desk. He wiped his hair with a towel around his neck, his right hand typing Su Yuan’s name on the keyboard. His finger hovered over the Enter key, not pressing it for a long time.

In Fuxian, he had never thought about learning about Su Yuan’s family. In the beautiful summer, they had too many things to do taking him for bike rides, eating shaved ice, and stepping in stream water would make Su Yuan happy for a long time. Worrying or feeling inferior about the future was a waste of summer.

And now they weren’t in Fuxian, and the brief summer had passed.

Pei Xing slept very late and woke up very early. The deep blue bed curtains blocked out the light, but would be blown up by the wind, bringing in the jokes and discussions of his roommates.

“Our big handsome Pei went to the library early again? He’s already dating Su Yuan; why is he still working so hard? Give the rest of us a break.” “Dating isn’t marriage. Besides, how could the Su family let Su Yuan date a guy? You guys should say less; it’ll cause trouble if it gets out.” “It’s already spread. My brother in the Finance department came to ask me, saying Su Yuan used to be picked up by bodyguards as soon as class was over, and now he’s walking with a freshman every day. If that’s not dating, what is?”

Pei Xing rolled over. The sound from the bed boards made the people below fall silent instantly. He wanted to pull back the curtain and say he and Su Yuan weren’t dating, but in the end, he said nothing. He just silently got up to wash, grabbed his backpack, and went to the library.

There were no messages from Su Yuan on the weekend.

During the two months in Fuxian, they were together almost every day. After returning to Huaicheng, everything seemed to have changed. But he knew so clearly that for Su Yuan, this was just a return to his original life.

Su Yuan’s life was a vacuum-sealed greenhouse.

…

Returning home past nine-thirty, Su Zhen waved his hand. The family doctor walked toward Su Yuan; one unbuttoned the buttons Pei Xing had fastened and took out an ECG monitor, while the other took his finger to draw blood for a glucose meter.

Su Zhen looked at the results, nodded, and sat beside Su Yuan. “Xinxin, you said you were going to see ballet with a friend. Grandfather has no objection, but why didn’t you enter a private box? It’s so noisy down there. However, Grandfather is very happy you didn’t eat anything messy outside tonight.”

“Happy, I’m happy for Grandfather too.” Su Yuan looked at the phone screen with no new messages. “Grandfather, I’m going back to my room first.”

“Wait.” Su Zhen walked behind him. “Xinxin, who is that friend of yours?”

Su Yuan closed his eyes and turned around. “Grandfather, you know everything, so why ask? Aren’t the bodyguards following me in the dark? It’s the same at school. You clearly promised you wouldn’t send people to follow me.”

“Grandfather is worried about you. You went to Fuxian as soon as you got better, and you returned with a slight cold.” Su Zhen frowned. “Xinxin, you should know your heart can’t take the load. Once your body is well and you can have the surgery, Grandfather definitely won’t manage you like this.”

“I know. I’m going upstairs.”

“Rest well at home these next two days.” Su Zhen raised his chin, and the bodyguards behind him stepped forward.

Su Yuan already understood. He turned off the phone in his pocket, handed it over, and continued walking upstairs with his head down.

Su Zhen’s voice came from behind again, “The one in your bedroom has also been taken away.”

Su Yuan’s footsteps paused. He returned to the room and hid in a small tent in the corner.

A servant brought medicine. After Su Yuan took it, he returned to the tent to lie down. He took a passion fruit out of his bag the one Pei Xing had put in and didn’t eat it, just held it in his hand.

“If only there were a speaking tube that could reach very far…”

He stared at the passion fruit in his hand and held it to his mouth. “Hello, hello, Pei Xing, can you hear me?”

The passion fruit remained dull.

Su Yuan lowered his hand and looked at the hazelnut wind chime hanging from the top of the tent, a wind chime that never rang. There was always wind in the room in Fuxian. He really wanted to go back to Fuxian, back with Pei Xing.

…

He rested at home for five days. Grandfather didn’t plan to let him return to school this week, but Su Jingzhang came back.

“Dad, today is Xinxin’s twentieth birthday. The child just wants to go to school to meet friends; otherwise, staying at home staring at us two is boring. He promises to return on time tonight, right Xinxin?”

Su Yuan looked at his father with admiration and nodded repeatedly. Before leaving, he gave Su Jingzhang a hard hug. “Love you, Dad! I’m off.”

Su Jingzhang blew a kiss to Su Yuan in the car. As soon as he turned around, he saw his father staring at him with an unhappy face.

“Oh,” Su Jingzhang stretched. “That mine has been too exhausting lately. Dad, I’m going to rest first.” “Was that mine dug by you? What are you exhausted for?” “…”

Su Jingzhang rubbed his nose and followed Su Zhen into the study. Su Zhen tossed a file to him. “Xinxin is getting too close to this Pei Xing.”

Su Jingzhang opened it and looked at the photo of the two on the steps of the Grand Theatre. He raised an eyebrow. “Oho, this young lad is quite handsome… Hey! Why are you hitting people, Old Su?”

Su Zhen was too lazy to talk to him and called the bodyguards to follow Su Yuan closely.

…

Freshman military training at Huaihai University had ended. The playground was empty, but Su Yuan was still sitting under that parasol waiting for Pei Xing.

His classmates were accustomed to his three-day absence from classes. Everyone knew Su Yuan’s health was poor. Now Pei Xing knew too—so was that why he hadn’t messaged him?

In the sunset ahead, the thick camphor leaves in the distance looked like glowing flowers on the dusty trunks, swaying with the wind. Su Yuan held his phone and yawned, hugging his legs and leaning his face against his knees. When a tall figure shielded him, Su Yuan slowly blinked and spoke in a muffled voice,

“You didn’t reply to my messages.”

Su Yuan waited for a while without receiving an explanation from Pei Xing before looking up. “Why?”

Pei Xing looked at him with an unfamiliar yet familiar gaze and reached out his hand.

“I’m a bit angry now,” Su Yuan patted away the hand before him and turned his face away. “You didn’t call or message me; I’m very angry. So I don’t want you to hold me.”

Pei Xing sat down beside him, and Su Yuan turned his head to the other side; Pei Xing moved to his left, and Su Yuan turned back.

“Su Yuan, you can hit me.” “…”

Hearing this half-hearted explanation, Su Yuan was so angry his heart pounded. He kicked Pei Xing’s knee.

“You missed,” Pei Xing said. “Look at me when you kick, okay?”

Su Yuan shook his head. ” I don’t want to look at you. I’m really angry this time.”

At that moment, Pei Xing walked in front of him and knelt down, his hands propped beside him. “Your grandfather answered the phone.”

Su Yuan froze.

Pei Xing looked at him deeply, as if to make up for the missed days in this one look. “He said you were unwell and resting, and told me not to disturb you.”

“Was my grandfather mean to you?”

Pei Xing didn’t expect him to ask that. He was stunned, then laughed. “Not mean.”

Su Yuan lowered his eyelids, looking at Pei Xing’s knee where he had kicked a dusty white mark. “Then… did my kick just now hurt?”

“Hiss.” Pei Xing clutched his knee. “It hurts a lot.”

Su Yuan lowered his legs and was about to reach out when he suddenly heard a light laugh from above.

“Silly Su Xinxin.” “I’m not a silly person.” Su Yuan raised his chin to look at him. “Pei Xing, who was kicked by me willingly, is the silly one.”

Pei Xing stood up laughing and looked back. “You seem to have brought a little tail; want to go somewhere else?”

Su Yuan nodded.

He followed Pei Xing into the teaching building, bypassing one door after another. After pressing the elevator to the top floor, they walked down the quiet, deserted stairs. When the heavy fire door leading to the lawn was pushed open, the sunset appeared before Su Yuan like a brilliant jewel, incomparably radiant.

That moment was carved deep into his memory. It seemed Pei Xing would always lead him to escape everything he was tired of.

He looked at Pei Xing’s hand hanging by his side and suddenly really wanted to hold it. Yet a voice in his mind told him: the person who should take the initiative to hold hands is Pei Xing. But Su Yuan inexplicably hated being passive; it made him like a vine swaying in the wind, with everything taken for granted and restricted. Wanting to break free from this feeling seemed like a compulsory course in his life.

When they walked under the Goldenrain tree where flowers were falling, Su Yuan reached out his hand. His fingertips touched the delicate flowers, as well as Pei Xing’s hand reaching back.

The large, dry, and warm hand tightly held Su Yuan’s under that Goldenrain tree. The yellow flowers covering the ground remembered this moment for them.

“Xinxin,” Pei Xing took a gift from his backpack. “Happy Birthday.”