Just friends
"No need for thanks. Anyone would have done the same in yesterday's situation." Lu Chenyang regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, glancing at Yu Sheng's bandaged right hand, his eyes darkening further. He didn't ask how she got the injury, nor did he want to.
Yu Sheng's bright eyes darkened for a moment, but then returned to normal, revealing her usual smile. "Yes, Officer Lu is very understanding and responsible. But... I really want to thank you for standing guard in my dreams. You've worked hard."
Yu Sheng is like a maze, with truths scattered along the forks of jokes and lies, making it like a riddle without an answer. For example, right now, he genuinely wanted to thank Lu Chenyang for his phone call last night, but his words sounded like casual teasing to others.
Lu Chenyang's Adam's apple bobbed. He wanted to ask, "Didn't Lan Zhong say he was going to take you to the hospital? How come you have time to come to the party again?" But his voice was drowned out by the noisy crowd before he could speak. He pursed his lips and swallowed his words back.
No one paid attention to the little incident that happened in this corner, and no one heard the words he couldn't bring himself to ask.
"Come, come, Ah Sheng, let me toast you." Wu Luoyu raised her glass and came over, her smile genuinely happy. "Our CEO Yu is so generous. It's only been a few days, and the additional investment has already arrived. She's not only giving money but also making a cameo appearance to save the day. This movie simply couldn't have survived without you. This toast is for you!"
Wu Luoyu spoke eloquently and drank heartily, emptying half a glass of baijiu in one gulp.
Yu Sheng accepted all offers, using her uninjured left hand to pick up a wine glass and bring it to her lips, but before the rim of the glass even touched her lips, it was forcefully pushed away.
"What are you doing?" Yu Sheng looked at Lu Chenyang, who had taken his wine glass, in surprise.
Lu Chenyang glanced at his injured right hand, intending to say, "Don't drink with your hand injured," but the words that came out were, "Your drinking behavior is really not commendable. Everyone is very tired today, and if you drink too much, no one will have time to take care of you."
He deliberately emphasized the word "take care of," and even Wu Tongtong and her assistant A Jiang, who were happily eating and oblivious to the situation, sensed something unusual and craned their necks to get closer, afraid of missing a juicy piece of gossip.
Seeing this, Wu Luoyu quickly smoothed things over, saying a lot of polite things to get it over with. Soon the gathering became lively again.
The dinner party ended around 10 p.m. Wu Luoyu stood at the door and helped everyone into their cars. Yu Sheng curled up on the long sofa in the lobby, pretending to be dead, neither moving nor saying a word.
Until that familiar tall figure appeared in his sight, he almost instinctively reached out and grabbed the other person's clothes. The sofa was low, and Lu Chenyang was very tall, so he was forced to look up from the bottom. "Officer Lu, can you take me home? My hand hurts and I can't drive. I took a taxi here."
"Where's your driver?" Lu Chenyang asked, his voice flat.
"The driver is on vacation today." Yu Sheng lied without batting an eye, her eyes showing no embarrassment as she stared straight at him.
Lu Chenyang sighed inwardly, pulled the hem of his shirt from his hand, and walked toward the door. "Let's go."
Yu Sheng got his wish and sat in the passenger seat of the SUV. As soon as he settled in, a white cardboard box was thrown into his lap.
"for you."
He had a carton of milk. His right hand was injured, making it difficult for him to eat. He had only drunk a few sips of juice and eaten a small cake. Lu Chenyang noticed all these small details.
"Thank you." Yu Sheng held the milk carton in one hand, tore off the straw from the back with his mouth, spat out the plastic film, and tried to stick the straw into the hole in the foil with his teeth. His movements were comical and clumsy, and he failed several times.
Lu Chenyang kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, and unconsciously thought of the poor little beast whose back teeth were stuck with popcorn and which it could never lick off.
He chuckled silently, reached out and took the straw from the little beast's mouth, then inserted it into the milk carton. "Drink."
He took a deep breath, the silky milk sliding down his throat, sweet and satisfying. He was exhausted, so exhausted. The hangover, his injured hand, and his father's impending return home all weighed heavily on him. Lan Zhong had already arranged a doctor's appointment for him with Lao Bai today, but he hadn't gone. Instead, he came to this insignificant little gathering, yet for some reason, Lu Chenyang had inexplicably ignored him all evening. Fortunately, this sip of milk gave him a much-needed breather.
"It's the same hotel as last time," Yu Sheng said, giving the address.
That hotel last time? The hotel where he pretended to be drunk and forcibly kissed him last time? Lu Chenyang's gaze darkened even more.
The journey was silent. Yu Sheng leaned back in his chair, clutching the milk carton. He didn't expect Lu Chenyang to strike up a conversation with him, so he simply wanted to find a topic to start.
"Your hand is injured. Will someone take care of you tonight?"
"Huh?" Yu Sheng, who hadn't found a topic to talk about, heard Lu Chenyang's question first. It took her a while to come back to her senses. "No, no, it's just me."
"oh."
"Oh? Oh what?" Yu Sheng suddenly turned her head, her questioning and inquisitive gaze fixed on Lu Chenyang. The person in the driver's seat, however, was like a programmed robot, staring straight ahead, his profile appearing unusually cold and hard in the dim light, devoid of any human warmth.
What's wrong with this guy today! Due to her PTSD and keen intuition, Yu Sheng clearly noticed that Lu Chenyang had been acting strangely since they met tonight. They barely exchanged a few words, and he was always "taking care" of her.
"Take care!" Thinking it over, he realized that he had fallen asleep on the phone last night, so Lu Chenyang must have heard Lan Zhong's voice next to him. With the rumors in the industry, Lu Chenyang must have misunderstood.
After thinking it through, Yu Sheng smiled knowingly, a mischievous joy that instantly dispelled her fatigue. "Officer Lu, no one will take care of me tonight. Last night's person was Lan Zhong, you've met him before. We're good friends, childhood buddies."
"I know." Lu Chenyang's voice remained calm, but his fingers on the steering wheel trembled slightly.
Yu Sheng waited for a long time, but Lu Chenyang didn't say anything. Unwilling to give up, he moved closer to the driver's seat, almost touching Lu Chenyang's arm, his voice tinged with a tentative laugh, "Officer Lu, Lan Zhong and I are just simple, innocent friends. All those CP pairings online are just fans shipping each other... Are you misunderstanding something?... Are you jealous?"
Yu Sheng remained in a tilted-head, leaning-over posture. Even as his neck began to stiffen, Lu Chenyang kept his eyes fixed ahead, focused on driving, like a statue, not even glancing at him. He simply said, "Sit still."
A sense of frustration at being ignored washed over him, drowning out the joy that had just begun to rise. Yu Sheng sullenly sat back down in his seat; he felt... a little tired.
The carriage was completely silent; even the engine noise seemed to be blocked out. Yu Sheng could hear the faint sound of blood flowing under the gauze on her right hand.
The neon lights of Beijing flashed past the car window late at night, leaving blurry streaks of light. He leaned his head against the window, his eyelashes half-closed, his gaze fixed on his figure reflected in the glass.
Yu Sheng gazed at the shadow, his eyelids heavy and pressed down. He was like a weary bird circling on the sea, and the phantom seemed to be the only reef in the vast darkness where he could briefly rest.
But now, even that reef is drifting away from him, gradually sinking into the sea. He has nowhere to land.
It felt like an eternity had passed, or it felt like just the next second. The car stopped, and the dedicated "driver" remained silent.
Yu Sheng unbuckled her seatbelt, whispered "thank you," and prepared to get out of the car.
"Yu Sheng".
Lu Chenyang, who had been silent the whole way, finally spoke. He took a deep breath, his voice sounding like he was trying hard to keep it steady, but it was also extremely hoarse. "I'll answer your question."
He stared straight ahead at the gray sky. “I’m not jealous. The word ‘jealous’ is unrealistic for me. We’ve only met a few times and acted in a few scenes together. If you hadn’t emphasized that we’re friends, I would have thought we were just an investor and an actor, or perhaps, strangers meeting by chance.”
The implication is that we're not even friends.
His knuckles tightened around the steering wheel until they turned white, veins bulging. "I was surprised to receive your call last night. But out of instinct from my past as a police officer, I had a responsibility to ensure the safety of those seeking help. I bought you medicine because I accidentally injured you; it was my way of making amends for my mistake. I brought you back because we're friends, it was just a small favor. I don't know where the 'jealousy' comes from; perhaps my actions caused you to have some kind of distorted emotional perception. If that's the case..."
Lu Chenyang finally turned his head to look at him, his dark eyes hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see the undercurrents surging within them. "...Then I'm sorry, I'm sorry for making you misunderstand. As for whether you and President Lan are good friends or a couple, it has nothing to do with me, and you don't need to explain to me."
"Finally..." He paused again, as if using up all his strength, "I'm sorry. I thought you knew, so I didn't make it clear that I don't like men, which made you invest unnecessary feelings in me and wasted your time and energy. It was my oversight, I'm sorry."
Yu Sheng stood frozen in place, listening blankly, like a puppet whose spring had been suddenly pulled, all commands paralyzed. He gritted his teeth, not letting the damned tears overcome his pride, and forcibly held back the inappropriate tears.
After a while, Yu Sheng burst out laughing, a bit exaggerated and abrupt.
"Officer Lu, you're too tense, relax." He didn't know if he was saying this to Lu Chenyang or to himself.
"Okay, thank you for the milk, goodnight." He shook the empty milk carton in his hand, smiled, revealing his signature little tiger tooth as usual, and then opened the door and got out of the car.
*
The car was still parked downstairs at the hotel. Lu Chenyang rolled down the window, and the night wind blew in, causing his exposed skin to break out in small bumps.
Despite the sweltering summer heat, the wind was surprisingly cold. He pulled out his cigarette case, put one in his mouth, and flicked the lighter several times before the flame finally flickered to life.
The acrid smoke rolled down his throat, and he coughed; he still couldn't get used to it.
He had pondered those words all night. Every single one was a "fact" he had repeatedly reviewed and confirmed. The logic was clear, the boundaries were distinct, the responsibility was precise, and the morality was impeccable.
He successfully drew a clear line, nipping any possible "misunderstandings" in the bud.
He didn't want Yu Sheng to have any high expectations of him, and he didn't want to disappoint anyone. So he spoke truthfully, objectively, and without any emotional bias.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the fingers holding the cigarette. Those two knuckles were exposed to the night wind and were freezing. This summer... was a bit cold.
Ashes fell in a flurry onto his trousers, leaving a few grayish-white spots. The expected sense of relief after "making things clear" had long since faded away. The daytime's grime seemed to have returned, creating an even rougher blockage, and his gears were stuck again.
A persistent sense of unease arose inexplicably from deep within him. He frowned in confusion, wondering where this unexpected heaviness and bewilderment came from.
He threw away his cigarette and couldn't help but look up. The 62nd floor was very high, and he couldn't see clearly, but he had a feeling that there might be lights on there.
*
The only guest room on the 62nd floor was indeed brightly lit, as bright as day. Yu Sheng turned on all the light sources, and artificial light filled every corner of the space.
Yu Sheng wiped his eyes as he turned on the TV. He didn't care what program it was, as long as there was sound, he had to turn it up to the maximum.
He hates quiet.
He just came upstairs crying. He didn't know why, the tears just wouldn't stop. It was an indescribable emotion—not anger, not shame, just a strange sense of injustice.
He mentally berated himself for being useless. It wasn't the first time he'd been rejected; his tendency to cry uncontrollably was awful, and he didn't want to cry at all.
He should have gone mad, grabbed a chair and smashed the TV to pieces, then swung a baseball bat downstairs and tore Lu Chenyang to pieces. That's more like the style of the Second Young Master Yu.
Stop crying!
Yu Sheng took out her phone, wiped away her tears, and typed rapidly, sending the message to Lu Chenyang.
—You bastard, you just wait!
After sending the message, he had no strength left. He slumped heavily into the large sofa, refusing to ponder the meaning of Lu Chenyang's words. He was too tired, so tired that every nerve in his body was screaming and on strike.
He needed to rest, so Yu Sheng took out his phone again and sent a voice message to Lao Bai: "Lao Bai, can you come to my house for a check-up tomorrow?"
He didn't want to go out; he wanted to retreat into his shell.
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