Not long after, Yang Mingzhi arrived in the classroom as well, walking directly to my side and taking a seat.
“Honestly, she cried quite miserably this time, didn’t she?”
“Oh.”
“I’ve never seen her like this my entire life. Well, except for that one time…”
“Is that so?”
I knew exactly who he meant by ‘she,’ but I deliberately refrained from acknowledging it.
“So, what are you planning to do?”
“What?” I countered.
“Don’t play dumb. You know she likes you, don’t you?”
“And? What am I supposed to do?”
“I know you want to live a normal life. Everyone thinks you’re my shield, but in reality, it’s probably the other way around; I’m your shield, aren’t I?” Yang Mingzhi chuckled, pulling a half-empty bottle of red wine from the corner of his drawer. He took a sip, then handed it to me. “Try it.”
His words carried an undeniable authority, the kind that only truly revealed the demeanor of a wealthy young master.
“So you knew all along.” I lightly swirled the bottle before taking a long drink. Our interaction must have been noticed by others, yet under Yang Mingzhi’s intimidating presence, everyone chose to feign ignorance.
“What can I say? We’re good buddies. How could I not know about my buddy’s affairs?” He smiled, his expression no longer casual, but rather serious and earnest. “Seriously, I think Bingying is pretty great. She’s naive, wealthy, and beautiful.
“Look, aren’t there plenty of men in society who live off women? If you married into her family, you wouldn’t have to do a thing. You’d eat well, drink well, do whatever you pleased, and have a beauty by your side. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
“Ah, the most important thing is that she has that outrageously alluring figure.” As Yang Mingzhi spoke, his right hand unconsciously stroked his chin, his expression utterly indescribable.
He truly couldn’t maintain his cool for more than three seconds. Still… thank you.
“It’s ‘marry her,’ not ‘marry into her family,'” I corrected him. “And ‘kept men’ are those who are handsome and good at charming women, aren’t they? I’m afraid I don’t consider myself to possess either of those qualities.
“Besides, if she’s so wonderful, why don’t you pursue her yourself?”
Yang Mingzhi’s expression was one of profound dejection. He sighed. “Do you think I don’t want to? But you know we’ve played together since we were kids; we’re far too familiar with each other. We’ve seen each other naked countless times.
“Moreover, her grandmother is a notorious old-fashioned woman who despises men like me. She said if I don’t give up other women, I’m not allowed to touch Bingying again. Isn’t that practically a death sentence for me?”
‘No, I think she’s absolutely right. No one would die over something like that. In fact, the reverse is more likely.’
“Oh, come on, don’t say that!” He clapped me hard on the shoulder, an unnatural flush rising to his face. “I think you have great potential to be a kept man. Just among the girls I know, several have crushes on you.
“Leaving others aside, take Little Bean for instance; didn’t she confess to you? Tsk tsk, she’s a girl I had high hopes for, yet my buddy beat me to it.”
“But she’s dead,” I said coldly, swatting his hand away. “Every woman who gets involved with me ultimately meets a bad end.
“If you’re acting as a matchmaker for her, please reconsider.”
“Hey, hey, hey, who do you think you are? Don’t take yourself so seriously, alright? A curse? Haven’t you graduated from your chuunibyou phase yet?” He feigned a belly laugh, looking at me with a cold gaze.
“But you, don’t underestimate her determination!”
‘Is he drunk? If your alcohol tolerance is low, don’t drink at school.’
“…Whatever. I’m going home first.” I stood up, grabbing my backpack, ready to leave early. There was nothing left to say at this point; out of sight, out of mind.
For some reason, I hesitated, eventually asking him, “Is she… alright?”
“She’s perfectly fine. She’s probably still crying on the President’s chest right now, and the President is comforting her. Tsk, how enviable. Hey, Luo Tianchen, why don’t you reenact your resignation from the student council?
“This time, I’ll be the one crying, and I can legitimately enjoy the President’s ‘face wash.’ Oh, right, which car are you taking home?” Yang Mingzhi waved.
“The usual Line 2 subway, why?”
“Nothing, just asking.”
‘Is that so… That’s enough.’
Ignoring his antics, I walked out of the classroom and encountered Ye Dieyu coming from the opposite direction.
“Ah, hello.” My greeting was only half-spoken when she walked straight past me.
That was incredibly awkward.
However, having spent so much time together, I knew she wasn’t deliberately ignoring me; she was simply too lazy to bother speaking. Well, whatever.
“If you don’t want to get involved, it’s best not to come to school these next few days.” A girl’s voice suddenly came from behind me.
Huh? Was that Ye Dieyu speaking? When I turned around, Ye Dieyu was already gone.
‘…What does that mean? Get involved? Involved in what? Is it related to Bingying? Or is it…’
Harboring these questions, I walked all the way to the subway station.