If The Persona Is Wrong, Everything Else Is In Vain - Chapter 9

“Can this thing really be eaten?” Gu Ning poked at the pitch-black Camellia Cake, looking skeptical.

“The fire was a bit too high…” Ming Songqin said bashfully. He took a piece, peeled away the charred exterior, and handed the tender, steaming center to Lin Luo. “Try it, the inside should taste alright.”

Lin Luo gave a couple of dry laughs and took it. “Okay…”

To him, the Camellia Cake usually only tasted of bitterness. The tea of life was already bitter enough; he didn’t want to…

Wait.

Just as Lin Luo put the cake into his mouth, a refreshing fragrance met his nose. He looked at Ming Songqin in confusion. “Did you add something to this?”

“Just the usual recipe. Does it taste bad? Maybe I didn’t make it well, you don’t have to eat it…” Ming Songqin reached out to snatch the cake back.

Lin Luo dodged his hand and took another careful bite. The fragrance remained, it was the exact taste of the Camellia Cakes in his memory.

“Is it really that good?” Gu Ning took a piece half-doubtingly, only to spit it out the next second. “Pah, pah! It’s bitter as hell. Disgusting.”

Ming Songqin took a bite himself, his already troubled expression worsening. He silently grabbed a bottle of water to rinse his mouth.

Lin Luo stayed submerged in his own world, wondering until bedtime how his sense of taste had suddenly returned.

In the darkness, the only sound was the “tick-tock” of the old-fashioned wall clock as the second hand crawled forward with difficulty. Lin Luo’s heartbeat pulsed in sync with it, his breathing gradually becoming calm and peaceful.

Creak.

The sound was like a clap of thunder in the quiet dark. Lin Luo had always been a light sleeper, he was jolted awake instantly.

In a half-dreaming state, he felt the quilt being cautiously lifted and then gently lowered. After a draft of cold air snuck in, a “heater” squeezed in beside him.

The breeze brought by the movement carried the scent of sunshine and a familiar grassy fragrance.

Immediately after, his chest felt heavy as an arm draped over him, pulling his flat-lying body sideways into an embrace.

Lin Luo opened his eyes in the darkness, though all remained dim.

He let out a silent sigh, regretting that he had forgotten to bolt the door. His heartbeat remained steady. “What are you doing here?”

The house rented by the production crew was large enough for ten people to have private rooms, and others could stay in nearby rented mansions. There was no “we ran out of rooms, so you have to squeeze” situation.

Moreover, the room assigned to Zhou Wan was the only modern, renovated one in this old house, the Young Master couldn’t handle hardships.

Hearing him speak, Zhou Wan realized he was awake. He gave up on being stealthy and nuzzled his head into Lin Luo’s neck, burying his face in the crook of his shoulder.

His voice sounded muffled. “Can’t sleep.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Lin Luo rolled over, turning his back to him. “I can sleep.”

The old wooden bed creaked with the slightest movement. Lin Luo worried if it could even support the weight of two hundred-plus pound men.

He added: “Go back quickly. We have to film tomorrow morning.”

After turning over, he moved inward to create distance, but the person behind him stuck to him like a piece of plaster, squeezing forward. His tone was displeased. “Are you even human? When I’m useful, you greet me with smiles, and when I’m not, you kick me away?”

As he spoke, he forcefully hooked his arm around Lin Luo again, pulling him back into his chest with even more strength, as if out of spite.

Pressed against him, Lin Luo felt his breathing become restricted. He nudged backward with his elbow. “Let go. You trying to murder me?”

Zhou Wan arched his head toward him, insisting their heads touch. He loosened his grip slightly. “What are you acting shy for? You used to dive into my arms voluntarily. Why weren’t you shy back then?”

He grumbled: “Now that you’ve got me, you don’t cherish me. Scumbag!”

Lin Luo: “?”

“Are you being reasonable?” Lin Luo leaned half-sideways, pressing back against him. “When did I ever chase you?”

“Who was it that turned red in the face the first time we met and tried to talk to me? Even when I ignored him, he followed me and talked to himself?” Zhou Wan gave a light huff and ruffled Lin Luo’s hair. “Later, he looked for every opportunity to get close to me, even moving into my house.”

“Don’t think I don’t know you just like me.”

“That was because…” Lin Luo found it funny. “But you kept refusing back then, which meant you didn’t like me. We weren’t a match.”

“Guess we just weren’t meant to be~” His voice trailed off lightly, sounding regretful, but in the angle where he couldn’t be seen, the corners of his mouth curved upward.

Months ago, fueled by a rookie’s “shameless” energy, he had pestered Zhou Wan every day to agree to be a “CP” (Couple) with him. He had ignored Zhou Wan’s repeated rejections, believing that perseverance would eventually lead to success.

He had pushed so hard back then that Zhou Wan’s colleagues thought he was a stalker-pursuer and started teasing them. Eventually, driven to his limit, Zhou Wan had quit his job without a word. The next day, Lin Luo lost all contact with him.

He had tried everything to find Zhou Wan, acting like a obsessed freak, but ultimately heard nothing. He had been demoralized and depressed for days.

Gu Ning couldn’t stand seeing the only “Golden Pig” in the family obsessed with a single “Cabbage,” so he dragged him directly to the “Cabbage Patch”, Yunzhou University.

He pointed proudly at the basketball court full of “Cabbages” and said, “Look at the backups I found for you.” It was as if all those fresh, tender cabbages were his own crop.

Lin Luo sat dejectedly in an empty seat in the stands. “A backup isn’t as good as the original.”

Gu Ning poked his head hard, frustrated by this “lovesick pig.” “Look at you, so pathetic. What kind of person could bewitch you like that?”

Lin Luo was about to recite a “lost love” poem to argue back, but as he looked up, he saw the young boyfriend Gu Ning had recently hooked up with score a basket. The boy waved at Gu Ning, and the two were making eyes at each other.

The sun was brilliant, and the fresh youths were full of life.

In that moment of looking up, a court full of fresh “Cabbages” suddenly burst into Lin Luo’s field of vision. His previous blindness felt like a neural transmission error, the sensory input had bypassed the central nervous system and gone straight to the effector.

In short, Lin Luo agreed with Gu Ning: “Why pine over a single flower?”

After the game, the boyfriend brought over a few friends, all college guys that would make any visual-lover nod in approval.

“Say hello.” Gu Ning put an arm around Lin Luo’s shoulder, winking and gesturing with his chin.

Lin Luo was socially anxious in groups. He stammered for a while, “Uh, my name is…”

Before he could finish, one of the sunny, athletic guys pointed at him excitedly. “I know you! Didn’t you act in a drama before?” He thought for a long time but couldn’t recall the name.

” Falling Stars . I played a small supporting role,” Lin Luo said with a smile.

“Right, right! I really liked your performance.” The boy said excitedly, “You’re a star! It’s an honor, brother.” He reached out his hand, then suddenly remembered it was dirty. He wiped it on his clothes but still wasn’t satisfied, caught in an awkward dilemma.

Lin Luo grabbed his hand directly. “Thank you for the support.”

Gu Ning laughed mischievously nearby, his grin reaching his ears. He poked Lin Luo. “There’s a spark here~”

Lin Luo bumped his shoulder, shooting him a threatening look.

“Wanna go for a drink?” Gu Ning suggested. “My treat.”

Lin Luo wanted to refuse, but the others happily agreed, so he swallowed his words.

However, less than ten minutes after sitting down, he regretted it. The bar was too loud. The heavy metal rhythm pounded against his brain, he wasn’t drunk yet, but the music was making him dizzy.

He made an excuse to go out for a smoke. The back door led to a kitchen alley filled with swill buckets and trash cans. The smell was strong, but it was much quieter. With one puff of smoke, Lin Luo felt his fragile nerves finally being rescued.

He blew smoke toward the dim streetlamp. Amidst the swirling mist, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face.

Lin Luo squinted to see more clearly. It really was Zhou Wan, the man he hadn’t seen for a week and couldn’t find no matter how hard he tried.

He was the same as before, dressed in all black, every outfit of his looked like a uniform. Lin Luo had never seen him wear any other color.

He had an apron tied around his waist and was leaning against the wall, looking at the person in front of him with an indifferent expression.

That person had both hands pinned against the wall, trapping Zhou Wan. Their face was flushed, likely drunk, and their eyes were fixed obsessively on Zhou Wan’s lips, as if they might bite him at any second.

Zhou Wan frowned slightly, likely disgusted by the drunkard’s breath. He asked coldly, “So, what do you want to do?”

“I…”

The person was probably very drunk, their words were slurred. Lin Luo only heard one phrase clearly: “Like you…”

As soon as the words left the person’s mouth, they leaned their head in. Lin Luo didn’t know where he got the strength, but by the time he reacted, he had already floored the person. He retracted his hand, trembling, and whispered, “Sor… sorry…”

Zhou Wan grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, looking displeased. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” Before Lin Luo could finish, the person on the ground scrambled up. Before a wooden club could descend, Zhou Wan spun around to block it, simultaneously delivering a kick that sent the attacker flying.

The dull thud of the solid wood hitting a spine caused more damage to Lin Luo’s nerves than the heavy metal drums ever could.

“You…” Lin Luo realized what happened and looked terrified. He grabbed Zhou Wan’s shoulders, checking him over. “Are you okay? I’m taking you to the hospital!”

“Mind your own business.” Zhou Wan shook off his hand and reached back to touch his spine. “I didn’t need you at all.”

“No, an injury like this can be serious. It’s bad if the bone is damaged. Let’s go check it at the hospital,” Lin Luo muttered to himself in a panic. “You got hurt because of me. It’s only right that I go to your house to take care of you…”

“Idiot.” Zhou Wan’s attitude was even worse than usual. With a dark expression, he looked at the person on the ground and immediately called the police.

“Stay here and watch him until the police arrive. I have…”

“Brother Luo, there you are! I’ve been looking for you.” The sunny college guy emerged, holding a small bottle of sobering liquid. “Drink this, it helps with the alcohol.”

He had even thoughtfully inserted the straw and held it to Lin Luo’s lips.

For some reason, Lin Luo subconsciously looked at Zhou Wan. He saw Zhou Wan narrowing his eyes at him. There wasn’t much of an expression, just the usual gloominess but somehow, he felt Zhou Wan looked more “human” than usual.

Lin Luo laughed dryly and declined the drink, but the college guy persisted, insisting he take a sip. Finding it hard to refuse such hospitality, Lin Luo held the boy’s hand and downed the liquid in one go.

Zhou Wan watched the whole thing without saying a word, yet he didn’t take the step he was about to take to leave.

“Who is this?” the college guy asked, looking at Zhou Wan.

Zhou Wan also looked at Lin Luo and asked, “Who am I?”

Lin Luo looked left and right, unable to figure out which one he belonged to, his heart filled with guilt. “Um…” He couldn’t say anything for a long time.

Zhou Wan gave a light huff, suddenly grabbed Lin Luo’s hand, pulled him closer, and draped an arm over his shoulder. He looked down and said, “Time for the hospital. My back hurts a lot.”

“And then home.” This last part was said while looking at the bewildered college guy. After speaking, he pulled Lin Luo away without looking back.

Lin Luo looked back at the person rolling on the ground. “The police haven’t come yet. Are we just leaving him?”

Zhou Wan held the back of Lin Luo’s head and turned it back. “Watch where you’re walking. I’ll let him off the hook today.”

To this day, Lin Luo hadn’t figured out how he ended up moving into Zhou Wan’s house in such a muddled way and staying for two months. It seemed nonsensical, back then, they hadn’t even agreed to be a “CP,” yet they had lived together inexplicably.

“Who said that!” Zhou Wan suddenly sat up. He looked at Lin Luo’s back, though he could only see a rough outline in the darkness.

Lin Luo didn’t turn around. His Adam’s apple bobbed as a faint, distant hope rose within him. He could feel the words swirling in his throat for several turns before escaping his mouth: “Then what was it?”

“Don’t be so superstitious.” After a long pause, Zhou Wan only managed to squeeze out that one sentence.

He lay back down, his back to Lin Luo. Feeling his back was too empty, he shuffled backward until he was pressed tightly against Lin Luo’s back. “I don’t believe in fate.”

Lin Luo silently exhaled the breath he had been holding and closed his eyes again. “Remember to leave early tomorrow morning. It won’t look good if people see you.”