Found Him! My 'Glass-Hearted' Ex is a Pop-Up Star - Chapter 4

Ying Ruo truly did not know what to say, so he simply followed Duan Zhuyan’s lead and replied, “Okay, I will remember that.”

Duan Zhuyan remained silent.

The man’s expression was incredibly grim. His eyes were lowered as if saying, “Do I look like that is what I meant?”

As he watched Ying Ruo sitting there, looking so small with eyes as clear as water, an uncontrollable sense of restless frustration bubbled up inside him again.

Duan Zhuyan wanted to say something more, but the driver spoke first. “Excuse me, do you need to get in? I am afraid we have to leave now.”

Duan Zhuyan clicked his tongue and was forced to remove his hand from the car window. He stepped back a few paces, but his eyes remained fixed on Ying Ruo in the seat.

The youth in the car acted as if nothing were wrong, even politely thanking him. “Thank you. I will be going now.”

Duan Zhuyan stared.

What is with this guy?

Duan Zhuyan stood at the boundary between light and shadow, his head hanging low and the tips of his ears bright red. His black eyes stared straight at Ying Ruo, looking somewhat displeased and slightly aggrieved. He remained silent, ignoring the departure.

He stood there, tall and imposing, with a frown on his face, waiting for Ying Ruo to say something else.

“Duan Zhuyan,” Ying Ruo finally called out to him. “Actually, I wanted to say this earlier.”

Duan Zhuyan raised an eyebrow.

See? You stayed silent for so long, and now that we have broken up, you finally have something to say, don’t you?

He straightened up slightly, lowering his head with a cold, arrogant air, graciously granting Ying Ruo his attention to hear his parting words of regret.

Then he heard Ying Ruo say, “Your shoelaces are untied.”

Duan Zhuyan was stunned.

It took him a moment to process this. For a split second, he even wondered if he had gone deaf.

By the time Duan Zhuyan fully reacted and before he could even get angry, the car had already sped away. The only thing left was the helpful voice of the person inside drifting back with the whistling wind.

“Remember to tie them!”

Duan Zhuyan stood in silence.

The London streets were empty and quiet. It was a terrifyingly quiet kind of stillness.

In the next second, Duan Zhuyan’s entire neck turned an explosive red.

He stood frozen in place, his jawline clenched tight and his knuckles white as he squeezed his palms. An intense wave of shame washed over his body, burning his ears a deep crimson.

After a moment, Duan Zhuyan gritted his teeth and forced his hand away from his face. He violently tugged at his collar, his ragged breathing sounding abrupt in the silence. “F*ck.”

Ying Ruo, oh Ying Ruo.

You better hope I never see you again!

Ying Ruo did not sleep well last night.

The place he lived in was arranged by his university back home. It was a student studio apartment near University College London, one of those “coffin boxes” less than 13 square meters, where the kitchen and the bed were practically touching.

After losing his memory, it had taken Ying Ruo a long time just to find where he lived. Fortunately, he managed to find his key card in his bag and the housing contract in his phone files to finally navigate his way back.

However, the Indian neighbors next door threw a party that lasted until 2:30 AM. Whenever Ying Ruo closed his eyes, his ears were filled with curry-flavored club hits, the sound of rhythmic tapping, and occasional bursts of loud laughter.

When it finally ended and he was ready to sleep, he kept feeling a chill on his back. It felt as if someone were cursing him behind his back.

In a daze, he opened his eyes, got out of bed, and prepared to head out for class.

In the UK, any destination reachable within half an hour is considered within walking distance for the diligent.

When Ying Ruo was first discharged from the hospital, he did not understand London transport. He spent a long time searching on social media to figure out how to take the Tube. When he finally managed to ride it, he was shocked to see a £3.50 peak-time charge when he tapped out.

From that moment on, he swore that as long as a place was reachable by foot, he would avoid the Tube.

The UK had a rare sunny day. The sky was a vast tile-blue with a few wisps of clouds, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves. The air carried the resinous scent of cypress trees.

Ying Ruo walked through the park, stepping on fallen leaves as if he were wrapping the entire autumn around his feet.

The university teaching buildings are scattered, and classrooms are often assigned randomly. His class was in another faculty’s building, requiring him to walk past several blocks to reach it.

After his memory loss, Ying Ruo had emailed his tutor. After understanding the situation, the tutor said he could help apply for a one-week extension on his essay and told him to reach out if he had any trouble with the classes.

The UK operates on a three-term system, and since it was already several weeks into the term, the academic pressure was quite high. The main issue, however, was that he could not understand anything.

Ying Ruo tried very hard to listen to his professor, whose voice sounded like he had a mouthful of water, speaking English at a speed that required constant guessing.

The final conclusion remained the same: he could not understand.

When the two-hour lecture ended, Ying Ruo felt as if his head were no longer his own. But he had to admit, the atmosphere here was truly academic. It felt like a real university. People of different nationalities, skin colors, and ages could become friends, chatting and discussing various topics.

Everywhere on campus, you could see students studying on their laptops. There were numerous clubs and even outdoor campus bars. You could do whatever you wanted here. It was free and fresh.

Of course, there were also many Chinese people.

As soon as Ying Ruo stepped out of the classroom, he heard the familiar and comforting sound of his mother tongue from a distance.

“Holy crap, Brother Duan, Boss Duan, Lord Duan! You are literally my god! I was totally carried by you! That is the first time I have ever seen Vinson give me a decent look!”

Perhaps because the shouting was so loud, Ying Ruo instinctively looked over. He did not know many Chinese people here, and “Duan” was a relatively uncommon surname, so he immediately thought of that person.

Sure enough, he saw Duan Zhuyan’s face.

A crowd was exiting the classroom opposite his. Duan Zhuyan, standing over 190 cm tall, was extremely prominent in the crowd. He looked indifferent, hands in his pockets, with his jacket zipped up to the top, covering the lower half of his face and leaving only his high nose bridge visible.

A few strands of hair fell over his eyes. His black eyes were deep and cold, his brow bone was sharp, and his posture was weary. The studs in his ears were just like the man himself: conspicuous and arrogant.

Liu Jing was still acting crazy. “Do you know how long that professor has been annoyed with me? It had to be you, my good brother, otherwise I probably would have failed this course.”

“Shut up.”

Duan Zhuyan’s voice was void of sentiment, and he did not even give a spare glance. “No one will think you are a mute if you stay quiet.”

Liu Jing was used to this and simply continued to praise him. “My god, I love you to death! I am in a great mood today, so I am treating everyone to milk tea. Brother Duan, you have to come!”

Duan Zhuyan was annoyed to death. “Brother Duan,” “Brother Yan,” “Love you”—it was disgusting. His head throbbed from the noise. He did not feel like dealing with them and was about to leave.

But when he looked up, he saw Ying Ruo standing right in front of him, watching him.

Duan Zhuyan’s expression instantly darkened.

Not far away, the youth stood alone, wearing yesterday’s oversized college hoodie and carrying a large canvas bag. His nose was pert, his skin was as white as porcelain, and his round almond eyes were bright.

How long has it been since the breakup, and here he is, hovering in front of me again?

Why is he wearing that free culture shirt again? It looks terrible. Where did all those clothes I bought him go? Does he have no taste?

Duan Zhuyan grew angry whenever he thought about the breakup yesterday. After thinking about it longer, he felt aggrieved. His lips were pressed thin, and his jaw was clenched tight.

However, before he could make a move, Ying Ruo suddenly averted his gaze. Clutching his canvas bag, he turned around and ran away.

Duan Zhuyan was speechless.

Fine. Very well.

You run fast. At least you know your place.

Ying Ruo did not actually run away on purpose.

He was also wondering if he should greet Duan Zhuyan since they had run into each other. But he had never heard of a rule for greeting an ex-boyfriend. Plus, Duan Zhuyan’s expression was so scary. Although he felt the man had good character and upbringing and likely was not the type to seek revenge after a breakup, it was still better to stay away.

Besides, his shift was about to start.

Ying Ruo had found a part-time job at a Chinese milk tea chain near the university. The hourly wage could not compare to the bar, but it was a formal job with decent pay. He just had to follow the rule of not working more than 20 hours a week and no more than 3 hours a day.

Moreover, it did not require exceptionally high English skills, as most of the customers were Chinese and could order online.

Ying Ruo arrived at the shop on time. Drawing on his experience from summer jobs back home, he handled the handover perfectly.

The manager was from Hong Kong. Besides Ying Ruo, there was another Chinese colleague named Bai Fangqi.

Bai Fangqi had a very cheerful personality and was quite talkative. It did not take long for the two of them to become friends. “Just let me know if there is anything you do not understand. I will handle the complicated drinks; you just take the orders.”

“Thank you!” Ying Ruo smiled sweetly and immediately threw himself into the work.

He had to work hard to pay back his debt and strive to live a normal university life again.

Because of Ying Ruo’s appearance, Duan Zhuyan had failed to decline Liu Jing’s milk tea outing in time. He was practically coerced into the shop by the group.

Before they even reached the shop, Liu Jing started counting. “Check the app to see what you want to drink. I will go in and order. I can use some cash then.”

He specifically checked with his benefactor. “Brother Duan, what do you want to drink?”

“Whatever,” the poser said, as cool as ever. “I do not even need to drink anything.”

Liu Jing replied, “Since we are already here, just have a cup. In London, this is a luxury.”

Duan Zhuyan said coldly, “I do not like it.”

Liu Jing could not do anything with him. When they reached the shop, he eagerly headed for the counter. “I will go order now.”

But before he could finish, he was pushed aside.

The very same Duan Zhuyan who “did not like milk tea” blocked his path. With the same cold expression, he said, “I will order.”

Liu Jing was confused. “You suddenly like milk tea now?”

“Stop talking. It is my treat.”

Duan Zhuyan’s expression was displeased. His dark eyes were locked on the front, and his voice was icy. “Go sit over there.”

Liu Jing’s admiration was about to overflow.

“My god, Brother Duan! From today on, you are my real big brother!” Liu Jing felt that Duan Zhuyan looked incredibly cool paying the bill. He scurried off with the others to find a seat. “Alright, alright, we are going now. Thanks for the treat, Brother Duan! I will never forget this kindness!”

Duan Zhuyan did not listen to him at all. He simply strode toward the counter.

Ying Ruo had just finished making a cup of milk tea. Seeing someone coming to order, he hurried over, smiling brightly. “Hi!”

The second half of his greeting died in his throat as a shadow loomed over him. He saw that familiar face once again. It was expressionless, incredibly cold, and exuded an invisible pressure.

It caused Ying Ruo’s volume to drop significantly. “May I take your order?”

Duan Zhuyan did not reply immediately. Because of the height difference, he looked down at Ying Ruo with lowered eyes. From this commanding angle, the suppressed hostility around him was somewhat frightening.

After a long silence, he spoke in a low, husky voice. “What are you doing here?”