Pretending To Have A Certain Persona Can Be Tiring - Chapter 14

After the competition ended, Tao Ziyi went off to find Cheng Ran. The Literature Department organized a team-building dinner. Song Yang was short on funds and had not planned to participate, but since the department members insisted, he could not refuse.

In the restaurant, glasses were clinking. Several boys from different departments began competing at drinking, and before long, their speech was slurred and their faces were flushed red.

Ji Ting was not drinking; he was listening quietly to their chatter when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller’s name and stood up to step outside.

He arrived outdoors and answered the call.

“Hello, Mom.”

The rustle of fallen leaves sounded in his ears. The late autumn evening breeze had lost all its warmth. He exhaled a breath of cold air and pulled his collar tighter.

“What are you doing?” the female voice on the other end asked, sounding gentle.

“Student Union dinner,” Ji Ting replied briefly.

“Have the competition results been released?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you not tell Mom when they came out? How was it? What place did you get?”

Ji Ting lowered his gaze and hesitated for a moment. “Third in the province. I made it to the finals.”

“Was your last competition not first place?”

There was not a hint of joy in her tone; he could even detect a hint of dissatisfaction.

“That was a city-level competition. It is different.”

“Oh, okay. Mom forgot. Regardless, keep working hard. Try to win a national award to prove it to your father. Do you remember what he said? If you do not achieve some results in the next few years, he will no longer support you in pursuing art.”

“Do you think national awards are that easy to win?” Ji Ting’s voice was dry, grinding against his throat, sounding a bit hoarse.

“You also know that your father has always opposed you studying art. He regrets agreeing to let you major in this subject even more now. You must understand your parents’ intentions. We are afraid you will have difficulty supporting yourself in the future. Son, you actually have talent. You manage the Student Union so well; surely you would be adept at managing a company. Why…”

Before she could finish, Ji Ting interrupted her: “I have my own pursuits. I do not want to follow your arrangements obediently.”

Silence followed for a moment before she sighed deeply and added, “If you want to continue on this path, you must produce results. Otherwise, you will truly only be able to enter the company to help with business. You will not be happy then, right?”

Her tone was gentle, but he felt as though there were a knife hidden within that tenderness, piercing his heart and causing unbearable pain.

He furrowed his brows, his eyes slowly clouding over with gloom. After a long while, he replied: “I understand.”

“By the way, has Ji Shan come to look for you recently?”

“No.”

“There has been no news from her for over a month…”

“Do not worry, and do not be soft-hearted again. Take care of your health and focus on your recovery. She will come back on her own when she can no longer survive out there.”

“Hmm.”

He hung up and turned to head back inside, but noticed a large shadow cast beside him. He looked down and met Song Yang’s innocent, cheerful expression.

Song Yang was crouching nearby, looking up at Ji Ting. Because he was drunk, his cheeks were slightly flushed, making him look both naive and annoying.

“Why are you here?” Ji Ting frowned.

“Could not drink anymore, so I came out for some air. Although my drinking capacity is top-notch, I cannot handle this kind of trouble.” Song Yang curled his eyes and gave a silly smile. “Hehe, I did not eavesdrop on your call.”

Seeing he was drunk, Ji Ting shook his head helplessly and turned to walk inside. Unexpectedly, Song Yang stood up and grabbed his sleeve.

“Wait, do not go in yet!”

“What do you want?” Ji Ting stopped and shot him a sidelong glance.

“If you go back, they will ask where I am and come out to find me. I have to sneak away; otherwise, I will probably go in upright and be carried out horizontally.”

Song Yang let go of him, swaying as he struggled to stand straight. He pointed a finger at him, threatening and commanding, “Wait until I am far away before you go back, got it?”

Ji Ting looked him up and down. Seeing the wet sheen on his long lashes and his flushed cheeks, he asked skeptically, “Can you even walk in that state?”

“Are you kidding?” Song Yang shot him a look of disdain and turned to leave. He failed to notice a bump in the ground, stepped into the air, and staggered forward, letting out a startled cry: “Grass your grandpa!”

Ji Ting stood still.

Song Yang barely managed to steady himself, only to hear Ji Ting’s cold voice: “Low blood sugar, weak constitution, yet you can still drink so much?”

Song Yang stiffened, scratching his head to hide his embarrassment, and made up an excuse: “The doctor said this is intermittent weakness. When it is not acting up, I am the same as a normal person.”

Ji Ting walked forward expressionlessly, grabbed his collar, and hauled him upright before letting go and walking past him. “I will see you off.”

Song Yang slanted his eyes at him. “Not drunk. You do not need to see me off.”

Ji Ting looked back, seemingly out of concern or perhaps mockery: “I am afraid you will trip and fall face-first into the mud.”

“Oh…” Song Yang dragged out the syllable and began his sarcastic routine again. “For the Emperor to see me off is a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes. My ancestors’ graves must be smoking with good luck tonight.”

Ji Ting grew impatient: “Are you walking or not?”

After saying that, he walked ahead. Song Yang felt a wave of dizziness. He felt nothing but disdain for walking with the King of Pretension, but his body moved to follow him against his will.

“Where are we going?” Ji Ting asked.

“Subway station, Line 6.”

This was the first time they had walked alone together. Neither spoke; only the noise of the road and the rustling of sycamore leaves filled the air. Time seemed to strand itself, drawn out by their strangely synchronized footsteps.

Song Yang stared at their shadows on the ground, wanting to find a topic to ease the awkwardness. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Senior, actually, I heard your phone call just now. I did not mean to.”

“What did you hear?”

“You said you do not want to obey others’ arrangements obediently. I did not expect you to be such a maverick. In this regard, we are quite similar. I, Song Yang, do whatever I want. I do not like people telling me what to do, and I do not want to be bound.”

He heard Ji Ting let out a low chuckle, carrying a clarity he had never heard before.

Song Yang continued, “Why? Does your family not support you painting?”

Ji Ting was silent for a few seconds. He did not answer, but instead asked: “Do your family support you in studying art?”

“My mom does. She even supports me streaming. She says as long as I am happy, that is enough.”

Ji Ting arched a brow: “Streaming?”

“Ah, yes. I am a streamer on a certain platform. Can you not tell? Although I do not look like much in reality, once the beauty filters are turned all the way up, I can charm thousands of young girls.”

“Tch.” A hint of disdain leaked through Ji Ting’s teeth.

Song Yang suddenly lowered his head, silent for a while before speaking slowly: “It is just that my streaming career has run into difficulties lately.”

Ji Ting paused for a moment: “Tell me?”

“To put it simply, I signed with an influencer company in the past and am terminating the contract recently. So, I have a debt. Another thing is that the first good friend I made through streaming walked away because of a scandal. I even went through a bout of cyberbullying a while ago.”

Their pace slowed. Ji Ting met his gaze, seeing the heat surging in the depths of his eyes, hidden amidst the cold, wet night wind.

“Senior, actually, this is not appropriate to share with you, but I feel like I cannot find anyone else. Maybe I value affection too much. My home is in the north, and I came south for school. I do not know many people here, so I cherish every relationship. I did not have many friends to begin with, and then I suddenly lost one. I really am very sad.”

The dim yellow streetlamp shone on half of his face, deepening his contours. A moment later, he smiled with relief: “However, I realized quickly that everyone you meet in life, whether for a long time or a short time, can only accompany you for a while. No one stays by your side forever. Growing up, I have constantly experienced goodbyes. Perhaps life is about gradually growing through these goodbyes.”

“Goodbyes are for the sake of meeting better people.”

Song Yang’s heart skipped a beat. Ji Ting’s response was unexpected.

The expression on Ji Ting’s face was like a smile that was not quite a smile. Light and shadow fell across his dark eyebrows and eyes, making them look somewhat indistinct, yet Song Yang could perceive the vibrant warmth in them—gentle and clear.

Under the influence of the alcohol in his brain, he almost suspected he had heard wrong.

Song Yang smiled calmly, his mood brightening instantly: “Senior, to tell you the truth, when you stop acting high and mighty, you actually look quite human.”

“Heh.” Ji Ting snorted lightly. “Really?”

“Really,” Song Yang nodded heavily. “Do not worry anymore either. You must insist on painting and walk your own path. Do not care what others say.”

Ji Ting pulled at the corner of his mouth, his eyes deep: “It is not as simple as you think.”

“You are just thinking about it too much. Artists are great and lonely. As long as painting can put food on your table, who cares what your parents say? If you cannot eat, then I will try to become a millionaire streamer as soon as possible and hire you as my exclusive painter. We will both make a fortune.”

Ji Ting was stunned for a long time before laughing softly. Thinking he was mocking him, Song Yang immediately said: “Sounds unrealistic? Let me tell you, do not bully a poor youth. As long as I have this ambition, I will work hard toward it.”

“Then work hard.” Ji Ting threw the comment out lightly and strode past him.

They parted ways at the subway station. Song Yang leaned back in his seat, the drunkenness rising. He could not remember exactly what he had said to Ji Ting, only that he had praised Ji Ting for looking human.

He rubbed his temples, trying to stay awake. His phone vibrated a few times. He opened it and found that He Jia Miao had posted some photos from today’s work in the group.

He flipped through them casually, finding them uninteresting. Just as he was about to exit, a new message popped up in the chat interface.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Student Union: [Image]

Song Yang’s brows knit tight. He discovered that the photo was of himself, crouching lecherously in a corner, burying his head in a bowl of fried rice noodles.

His fist clenched instantly: “You mother…”

A few people in the carriage looked at him upon hearing his outburst. Song Yang noticed his voice was a bit loud and shrank his neck, then saw a series of laughter erupt in the group chat. He typed in a fit of rage:

Song Yang: Ahhh, recall that for me!!! His Majesty the Emperor of the Student Union: Eating noodles during work hours. Deducting conduct points. @Department Head He Jia Miao Department Head He Jia Miao: Received.

Song Yang pounded the chair in frustration.

I take back what I said earlier! This King of Pretension is not human at all!