Chapter 7 I will make it up to you.
Before setting off, Lin Yi made a point of going to the restroom.
He stood in front of the mirror, fiddled with the stray hairs on his forehead, and winked at the impeccably handsome face in the mirror.
"Tsk."
What am I doing? This handsome guy has been naturally good-looking for a long time... I need to think of a way to create more physical contact... and try to win him over today!
He had just stepped out of the restroom when he bumped into someone he absolutely did not want to see at that moment.
"Lin Yi?" Li Rui looked surprised. "What are you doing here? Did Ze Xuan also invite you to dinner?"
"Zhang Zexuan?" Lin Yi had a bad feeling. "He's here too?"
"Okay!" Li Rui nodded, waving his phone. "He said he needs to see me at the restaurant on the fifth floor. Since we've run into each other, let's go together?"
"Hey..." Lin Yi quickly waved his hand, subconsciously glancing towards the rest area. It was the busiest time of day, and he couldn't see Shen Beidao at all. "Li Rui, I have something to do... something very urgent."
Li Rui took it as a joke, grabbed his arm, and walked forward: "It's not a big deal to waste time on this meal. Zexuan is treating us today. It's rare for him to be so generous."
Lin Yi was pulled so hard he stumbled, inwardly groaning. At that moment, he utterly "hated" the heavy, boundless friendship of his childhood friends.
He was half-dragged and half-pulled towards the elevator by Li Rui.
At this moment, Shen Beidao stood in front of the transparent glass curtain wall of the upper rest area, his gaze inadvertently sweeping down at the bustling crowd.
His gaze was fixed on a certain spot.
The bright figure in the cartoon hoodie was being affectionately pulled along by his most prized student.
Li Rui's face was beaming with a bright smile as he occasionally turned his head to chat and laugh with Lin Yi. Although Lin Yi hesitated slightly, he did not break free.
The two walked one in front of the other, their postures natural, appearing to be very good friends.
Shen Beidao tightened his grip on the mineral water bottle.
He watched as Li Rui's hand naturally rested on Lin Yi's shoulder, watched the strands of hair flutter as Lin Yi tilted his head slightly, and watched the unspoken understanding between the two that no one else could interfere with...
His calm profile was reflected in the glass, only the gaze behind the glasses seemed to darken slightly.
He subconsciously took a half step forward, his shoe soles making a slight tapping sound as they touched the polished marble floor.
The sound startled him awake.
He stopped in his tracks, suppressing the inexplicable restlessness deep within his heart, leaving only the faint water droplets on the mineral water bottle silently wetting his fingertips.
Just then, his phone rang, and the caller ID showed: Li Rui.
"Teacher Shen!" Li Rui's voice was tinged with laughter on the other end of the phone. "I was just about to tell you that I was about to leave the museum. I couldn't find you in Section F, so I called to let you know."
"Hmm." Shen Beidao's voice was devoid of any emotion, his gaze still fixed on the two figures pulling at each other not far away.
Li Rui wanted to exchange a few more polite words, but found that the call had already been disconnected. He scratched the back of his head, somewhat puzzled.
Lin Yi didn't know where Li Rui, who was just over 1.7 meters tall, got such strength; he simply couldn't shake off his arm.
While Li Rui was looking at his phone, Lin Yi stopped in his tracks as if his feet were rooted to the spot: "Li Rui, wait a minute."
"What's wrong?"
"Actually, I just... made an appointment with a friend," Lin Yi explained casually. "I need to go tell him."
"It's alright." Li Rui smiled, his eyes behind his round glasses narrowing into crescents. "If it's your classmate, you can ask him to come along."
"That won't do!" Lin Yi immediately refused, raising his voice several octaves, drawing the attention of passersby.
He quickly lowered his voice, "I... I'm not that familiar with him yet. If I suddenly drag him to a dinner party, he definitely won't go."
In fact, he could already picture Zhang Zexuan's smug mouth, asking Shen Beidao all sorts of questions at the dinner table, speaking without any restraint.
Given Shen Beidao's taciturn nature, if he were to be pestered by someone as talkative and gossipy as Zhang Zexuan, it would definitely leave Shen Beidao with an extremely bad first impression.
However, if he doesn't go to see Li Rui, given Zhang Zexuan's troublemaking nature, the next time they meet, he'll definitely accuse him of "forgetting loyalty for lust" and talk about it for half a year.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Lin Yi thought for a moment before saying, "Here's what we'll do: tell me the name of the restaurant, and I'll go explain it to my friend first, then I'll come find you."
As he spoke, he gave Li Rui a hard push, then turned and walked quickly in another direction leading to the rest area.
Lin Yi waved behind him without turning his head, then sprinted towards the rest area, which was only two hundred meters away.
Li Rui glanced at his phone, which had suddenly hung up, then at Lin Yi, and felt that something was off about today.
Lin Yi, slightly out of breath and with beads of sweat on his forehead, appeared before Shen Beidao. Shen Beidao was standing quietly in front of the huge glass curtain wall, gazing at the city view outside.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a soft golden edge on his tall figure, and his expensive velvet suit took on a different kind of profound texture under the natural light.
“Chen Beidao, I…I…” Lin Yi gasped for breath, unsure how to begin.
Shen Beidao turned around at the sound, his gaze calmly landing on the man's face, which was flushed from running: "What is it now?"
“…Um.” Lin Yi lowered his head somewhat guiltily, staring at his sneakers. “I just… ran into two friends. We’ve been childhood friends since we were little… They insisted on inviting me to dinner.”
"Can I not go?" Shen Beidao's voice remained calm, revealing no emotion.
"No..." Lin Yi screamed inwardly: I don't want to go either! Who wants to eat with them? I just want to go on a date with you.
Shen Beidao watched him silently, without responding immediately.
He simply took half a step forward without making a sound, his tall figure casting a long shadow under the light, completely enveloping Lin Yi.
"You promised me." He lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yi's slightly trembling eyelashes, his voice low and calm, "Breaking a promise is not a good habit."
The voice made Lin Yi's ears burn, and he almost instinctively blurted out, "Then why don't you come with me?"
His fingertips curled up unconsciously: Oh dear, what am I saying? Shen Beidao, please don't agree, please don't agree...
A very slight ripple flashed across Shen Beidao's eyes.
He naturally couldn't go along; with Li Rui present, things would become too complicated.
But the invitation itself subtly pleased him.
He paused deliberately for a moment, leaned slightly forward, and stopped at just the right distance, his voice soft yet clear: "But what I'm looking forward to is a date that's just between the two of us."
Something unseen drifted gently across Lin Yi's heart, warming his entire being with a comforting warmth mixed with a touch of unease and guilt.
Lin Yi: "It's my fault for not making proper arrangements. How about I do it tomorrow..."
"What needs to be done today, should be done today." Shen Beidao interrupted him, showing unusual understanding and even magnanimity. "I can wait for you."
Lin Yi's eyes welled up with tears: "..."
Shen Beidao: "We still need to wait for roadside assistance. Take your time eating, there's no rush."
The more considerate he was, the more guilty Lin Yi felt. He was like a little rabbit caught in a gentle net, trying to stay alert with his ears perked up, but all his unease was soothed by the just-right gentleness.
Even though the little rabbit had clearly done something wrong, this seemingly calm human didn't bare his fangs. Instead, he gently embraced the rabbit with a warm hug and patiently smoothed out every single hair that was about to stand on end.
"Okay, I... I'll eat quickly." Lin Yi said, turning around reluctantly and walking towards the elevator, looking back every few steps.
However, after walking only a few steps, the bittersweet feeling in his heart, along with a deep sense of guilt, almost overflowed.
He suddenly stopped, as if he had made up his mind, and turned around abruptly, running back towards the figure that was still standing in the same spot.
Before Shen Beidao could even react, Lin Yi had already opened his arms to greet him.
He originally envisioned a dashing hug, ideally pulling Shen Beidao into his arms to showcase his incredible boyfriend charm!
Only when he actually lunged at them did he truly realize the gap between them.
Shen Beidao's tall and muscular physique forced him to stand on tiptoe, and what was originally planned as a boyfriend-like hug turned into an intimate gesture of gently wrapping his arms around the other's neck.
But even this would still cause his heart to race.
The moment he hooked his arm around the other person, Shen Beidao seemed to subconsciously lean down slightly to cooperate with him.
This subtle movement forced Lin Yi's nose to brush against Shen Beidao's nose, their warm breaths mingling silently in that close proximity.
They were so close that they could see their tiny reflections in each other's dark pupils.
Lin Yi's gaze involuntarily shifted slightly downwards, landing on the thin lips that seemed both near and far, his Adam's apple bobbing gently.
An indescribable ambiguous atmosphere instantly filled the surroundings. Lin Yi could smell the faint scent of tobacco on Shen Beidao's body, and felt the warmth of the skin on his neck as his fingers touched it, enveloping their intertwined breaths in this small space.
Lin Yi's cheeks flushed rapidly, but he tried to remain calm, speaking softly in a tone that was both coquettish and reassuring, at very close range:
"I'll be there soon... Just wait for me."
He paused, then said, "I...I'll find a way to make it up to you."
Shen Beidao's deep gaze was fixed on those peach blossom eyes so close to his, eyes shimmering with tears and filled with helpless shyness.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and one hand instinctively reached out to embrace her slender and supple waist.
However, just a second before his fingertips were about to touch the fabric of the other person's hoodie, Lin Yi suddenly let go of his hand like a startled rabbit and jumped back half a step.
The hug came suddenly and ended quite abruptly.
Lin Yi felt that if he continued to hug her like this, he might faint due to tachycardia.
He gave Shen Beidao a look that was a mixture of apology and panic, then turned around and ran towards the elevator, his back view showing a sense of fleeing in panic.
Shen Beidao slowly lowered his hand, which had been frozen in mid-air, his fingertips still seeming to retain the slight itch from when the other person's hair brushed against them.
He stood there, feeling the warmth and weight that had suddenly disappeared from his arms, and the lingering scent of Lin Yi in the air.
His usually expressionless face showed a slight upward twitch at the corner of his lips, a faint yet real sweetness that quietly melted away the indifference in his eyes.
Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He took it out and saw that it was a WeChat message from Lin Yi.
Edit WeChat notes:
[Lin Yi] changed to [Little Rabbit]
[Little Rabbit] [Transfer of 1314.00]
[Little Rabbit] [Animated emoticon: A rabbit with droopy ears kneels on the ground, holding up a sign that says "Wife, I was wrong," and stares longingly at the screen.]
Shen Beidao stared at the inexplicable money transfer and the emoji... then thought of the hasty yet proactive hug earlier, and Lin Yi's words about "making it up to" him...
He shook his head helplessly, the smile on his lips deepening slightly, and muttered to himself, "So that's what he likes..."
He put away his phone and walked towards the elevator.
Since Lin Yi wasn't there, there was no need to continue the roadside assistance act. He opened the app and unlocked the car online.
He stared at the set of car keys on the passenger seat for a while before picking them up and examining them closely. Suddenly, he noticed that the cold keys had a distinctive fragrance.
He opened an app on his phone that he rarely used.
Enter the following in the search bar: How do men date?
The page redirects, and the first item is a trending post marked "[hot]" with a highly provocative title:
[A must-read for gay men before starting a relationship! A one-minute guide to the unspoken rules of gay relationships, especially the last one—you'll regret it if you don't read it!]
Shen Beidao opened the post, and the content began simply and bluntly:
Step 1: First, determine whether someone is the dominant or submissive partner!
There are roughly a few scenarios: when you're on top and he's the attacker (1), when you're on the bottom and he's the receiver (0), and when you take turns being on top and bottom, it's mutual attacker/mutual receiver (0.5)...
Shen Beidao patiently and quickly browsed through the post, which was full of various internet slang and exaggerated descriptions. Then, in the question section below the post, he carefully entered his question:
[Seeking help: A male friend I just met bought me milk tea when we met, then had to leave temporarily and transferred 1314 yuan to me. He also sent me an emoji calling me "wife." How should I allocate this amount: 1%, 0%, or 0.5%?]
As expected of a trending post, all the users I saw were active fans, and they responded immediately:
[1st Floor] 1314? Still calling her "wife"? Isn't that obvious?
[2nd Floor] The cunning 1
[3rd Floor] He's already decided on the positions, and you're still agonizing over the meaning of numbers.
[4th Floor] Am I the only one who noticed the phrase "just met"? Calling someone "wife" right after meeting them, transferring 1314 yuan... Is he a player? Be careful not to get scammed (but he's still quite generous).
[5th Floor] I suggest replying with 250 (a Chinese internet slang term for idiom) and seeing his reaction.
Original Poster: Thank you everyone. Additional Information: He's eight years younger than me, an art student, and he hugged me when we parted, saying he'd make it up to me.
[6th Floor] Compensation? How will it be compensated? Where will it be compensated? Please elaborate (ears perked up).
[7th Floor] I'm guessing his next sentence will be: "Uncle, I don't want to work hard anymore."
[8th Floor] An eight-year age gap? In four more years they'll have completed a full cycle, which is incredibly surprising in the world of dating...
[Post #9] I need updates! I want to know how they'll compensate me!
[10th Floor] The compensation he mentioned... (automatic color change)
[11th Floor] This is clearly a bait! Wake up, OP!
[12th Floor] Is Zun Du fake? Do art students really go this far?
[13th Floor] OP, don't love it too much! This is a high-level game.
[14th Floor] Hmm... This is hard to judge. Different fields are like different worlds, and there's a huge difference between thinking with one and zero.
[Post #15] I suggest the original poster download an anti-fraud app.
[16th Floor] OP, are you playing a new kind of simulation game?
[17th Floor] A good cook can make a meal with just one sentence.
...
Looking at these varied and even contradictory replies, Shen Beidao rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
The complexity of the online world seems to rival that of a certain Old German text he is studying.
Meanwhile, based on the information sent by Li Rui, Lin Yi found the restaurant called "Travel Tea" on the fifth floor.
A uniformed waiter smiled and led him to the innermost private room.
As Lin Yi pushed open the door, he said in as casual a tone as possible, "Who's treating us today? So generous! They even ordered a private room..."
His words abruptly stopped when he saw who was sitting in the private room.
Beside the round table, besides Zhang Zexuan who was grinning mischievously, there was someone he absolutely did not expect to be there: Xie Chun.
When Zhang Zexuan saw Lin Yi, he was so shocked that he jumped up from his chair as if he had seen a ghost: "Lin Yi! You, how did you find this place?!"
Looking around, Xie Chun saw that the intern with ill intentions from before was still sitting next to him.
A note from the author:
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Teacher Shen really doesn't understand anything about 1, 0, or 0.5.
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