Don’t Ignite It chapter 80

Difficult to Escape Blame – Xu Zhan × Ruan Sen (9)

The room fell into a quiet stillness. The movie had already finished, leaving only the cold darkness on the screen.

Ruan Sen didn’t respond.

Xu Zhan hesitated but continued, “I will still pay you the same as before, and you can continue to stay here. If you want to change residences…”

His voice was neither hurried nor slow, mature and composed. Yet, he seemed like a child who had laid out all his candies, earnestly and uncertainly offering them to his beloved.

Ruan Sen heard a sigh deep within his heart.

He didn’t speak because he had no idea what to say. Cutting to the chase was his usual policy.

He thought, if he really agreed to Xu Zhan, this wouldn’t be something a sports car could compensate for. He had a vague sense of foreboding that even he might lose in this deal.

But in his restlessness, Xu Zhan’s hand was still intertwined with his, perhaps out of unease. Xu Zhan’s fingers unconsciously curled and lightly scratched his palm.

A tingling sensation spread from his spine to his heart.

Thump-thump-thump.

He could hear his own heartbeat, noisy and chaotic.

Ruan Sen closed his eyes, seemingly indifferent, seemingly aloof, yet also somewhat considering this.

“Alright,” he agreed, so decisively that you couldn’t tell how much turmoil was in his heart.

Xu Zhan paused, thinking he had misheard at first. But then, he met Ruan Sen’s eyes, those eyes that were usually playful and charming, now deep as a dark river beneath a cliff, with an unknown destination.

Xu Zhan couldn’t help but smile.

He was happy, openly happy, but his nature made even his happiness restrained. His lips curved, revealing white teeth.

This is crazy, Ruan Sen thought. He vaguely felt like he was walking on a tightrope over a valley, and one wrong step could lead to a disastrous fall.

Yet, he didn’t feel regret.

Xu Zhan leaned in to kiss him.

Throughout the day, they had been close but not intimate. The contract was about to end, and without the illusion of money, even a kiss felt offensive.

But now, Xu Zhan extended this slow and pleasurable execution.

He lay on top of Ruan Sen, his waist embraced by him, and the kiss was passionate, making his eyes moist and glistening.

Ruan Sen, on the other hand, remained calm, as if he had genuinely just closed another deal.

But his fingers unbuttoned Xu Zhan’s sweater one by one, touching his warm skin, and his fingertips lightly traced Xu Zhan’s spine, caressing it.

With his other hand, he massaged Xu Zhan’s lips, which had swollen from the kisses. Ruan Sen felt conflicted, torn between wanting to cherish Xu Zhan and wanting to break up with him.

He said to Xu Zhan, “Are you really sure about this, renewing the contract for three more months? You might regret it.”

His tone was calm, and the underlying danger wasn’t evident.

But Xu Zhan shook his head.

“I won’t regret it,” he said gently and calmly, looking into Ruan Sen’s eyes. “Even if you really leave in three months, I won’t regret the time we’ve spent together.”

Whether or not Ruan Sen stays is his own choice, but the time they’ve shared has been enough for him.

Ruan Sen’s eyelashes trembled.

He turned over, pressing Xu Zhan beneath him, their clothes scattered haphazardly on the floor. After a while, the room was filled only with the faint sound of low moans and the muffled, almost seductive pleas for mercy.

Ruan Sen held Xu Zhan’s hand and gazed into his bewildered eyes. There was a moment when he wanted to ask Xu Zhan, “Do you really like me?”

But in the end, he said nothing.

One month after “renewing the contract” with Ruan Sen, Xu Zhan ran into Fang Xieyi at his university.

They bumped into each other in the corridor of the teaching building.

Later, Xu Zhan found out that Fang Xieyi’s company had established cooperation with their school, and he had come for a visit and inspection. At that moment, Xu Zhan was just heading to his office to get some documents. He was talking and laughing with other professors when he looked up and saw Fang Xieyi, surrounded by a crowd of people.

In a black suit, with a lean face and sharp features, there was a hint of the pride and arrogance of his youth in his demeanor. Yet, he had learned to lower his gaze slightly and adopt a polite and mild demeanor.

As if sensing something, Fang Xieyi suddenly raised his eyes, and their gazes met.

But he didn’t show any surprise; he knew that Xu Zhan worked here.

He continued walking without stopping, brushing past Xu Zhan. There were professors who recognized Xu Zhan, and they greeted him.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Fang Xieyi also smiled at Xu Zhan. “So, you work here, Xu Zhan? How about having lunch together?”

Before Xu Zhan could respond, Fang Xieyi had turned and walked away, as if it was just an invitation.

Xu Zhan furrowed his brows, and the professor next to him looked at Fang Xieyi with curiosity. “Who is that? Your friend?”

Xu Zhan shook his head. “An old classmate.”

At noon, Xu Zhan completely disregarded Fang Xieyi’s words and headed to the cafeteria for lunch. However, when he left the office building, he saw Fang Xieyi sitting on a bench under a tree, waiting for him.

The university was bustling with people, and Fang Xieyi, in his smart suit, stood out and seemed out of place. But when he saw Xu Zhan coming out, he raised his head and smiled briefly, causing Xu Zhan to feel momentarily dazed.

He had seen Fang Xieyi during their university days, and they had even crossed paths beneath a tree like this. Back then, Fang Xieyi had also seen him, but they hadn’t exchanged greetings.

To this day, Xu Zhan still didn’t know why Fang Xieyi was here, probably some business related to his school. Now, Fang Xieyi seemed to have forgotten their past awkwardness, calmly approaching him and saying, “Do you have classes in the afternoon? There’s a good Cantonese restaurant down the street. How about we go there for lunch?”

Fang Xieyi remembered that Xu Zhan liked Cantonese cuisine.

Xu Zhan’s hand tightened for a moment, and he looked at Fang Xieyi with a complex expression. “Do you have something to discuss with me? I don’t think our relationship is close enough to share lunch.”

He had once been fond of Fang Xieyi, but that was a decade ago.

Fang Xieyi’s expression dimmed for a moment. He stared at Xu Zhan without blinking, then suddenly lowered his gaze and glanced at Xu Zhan’s left hand, where he wore a wedding ring.

He said, “I’m considering investing in your school’s laboratory. Next year, I’ll donate funds to build a library as well. I don’t know many people here, and I wanted to talk to you. Is that not allowed?”

Xu Zhan found it absurd. “I’m from the School of Humanities. I have no connection to your investment project. Why are you looking for me?”

However, Fang Xieyi grabbed his arm, squinted his eyes, momentarily shedding the cold, adult demeanor, and instead, the shadow of his youth seemed to return.

“I want to have lunch with you. After all, we were classmates for three years. Can’t we catch up a bit?” He spoke with a hint of stubbornness. “If not, I can arrange for a meal with the school’s leaders next time and have them invite you. Would that be acceptable?”

Xu Zhan frowned. He was tempted to rebuke Fang Xieyi. Although he had a good temper, there were limits to his tolerance. But before he could speak, he heard Fang Xieyi speak rapidly.

“In fact, besides having lunch with you, I also want to apologize to you.”

Xu Zhan was taken aback, raising his head to look at Fang Xieyi.

Fang Xieyi continued to gaze at him without blinking, his eyes clear and slightly wistful.

“For all these years, I’ve actually wanted to say sorry to you.”

A jealousy alert from Ruan Sen (angry version): Woof?