Blinded by Lust chapter 52
“Ge, have you set off?”
Wu Bie was conflicted about going to the neighboring city to find Huo Zhanyan. By the time Friday evening came, he still hadn’t made a decision. Upon seeing Huo Zhanyan’s message, he felt a bit irritated.
With Huo Zhanyan, he had no reason to keep his promise, and he hadn’t truly agreed to Huo Zhanyan’s request; it was just a moment of anger. In today’s world, did he even have to be responsible for saying harsh words?
After calming down and thinking for a while, Wu Bie felt even less reason to go. He clearly knew that going meant seeing Huo Zhanyan, and he shouldn’t be soft-hearted towards Huo Zhanyan.
Perhaps because he didn’t get a reply from Wu Bie, Huo Zhanyan impatiently called him again. When Wu Bie saw the familiar number on the caller ID, he instinctively pressed the hang-up button, fearing Huo Zhanyan would call again. He quickly replied on WeChat.
“Not coming.”
After sending the message, he was worried that Huo Zhanyan would nag him endlessly, insisting he come over. To his surprise, the chat interface’s “The other party is typing” notification only flashed a few times, and Huo Zhanyan didn’t send another message.
Wu Bie was a bit surprised. He thought that with Huo Zhanyan’s tenacious personality, he wouldn’t give up so easily. Wu Bie was not only surprised but also felt an indescribable emotion.
Forget it; this is fine. He casually tossed his phone onto the passenger seat, then started the car and headed home after work.
Another ordinary weekend came. With Chen Xian and Shen Jixue not home, Wu Bie vaguely remembered they were going hiking and had invited him, which he decisively declined. Even though he hadn’t done much during the weekdays, he still felt quite tired. Weekends should be spent resting at home.
Life on land really wasn’t easy. When he was on the ship, he didn’t feel tired at all.
With the takeout industry thriving, he could enjoy restaurant-quality meals at home. Wu Bie had a low tolerance for alcohol, so he decided against drinking and opened a bottle of iced tea, randomly finding a TV show to watch while eating.
While on the ship, he cared about everything, even found the TV ads interesting. Now that he was home, he felt picky, finding every program boring.
The time on the top right corner of the TV screen showed it was ten o’clock at night. Wu Bie frowned as he watched the TV. He couldn’t help but complain; it was prime time, how could such uninteresting shows be scheduled?
And the food delivery too. With such high ratings, he had expectations, but the taste was just average.
Wu Bie lost interest, put down his chopsticks, and involuntarily glanced at his charging phone. The screen was pitch black, and he couldn’t tell if any messages had come in. After hesitating for a moment, he casually picked up his phone.
The screen was completely empty; there were no messages.
OK!
Fine!
Wu Bie pouted, threw the phone aside indifferently, got up, and went to take a shower. It was nice; weekends should be quiet and restful. After showering, he collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep immediately to avoid overthinking. When he woke up, that annoying road cycling race would definitely be over.
The neighborhood was in a remote location; at night, he couldn’t hear any sounds. It seemed like he could only hear his own heartbeat. He couldn’t sleep but stubbornly kept his eyes shut.
He was thinking about why Huo Zhanyan hadn’t replied. Was he completely disappointed after seeing his response? Did Huo Zhanyan finally not have to pester him anymore? Wouldn’t that be great?
But just a few days ago, didn’t Huo Zhanyan shamelessly ask him to go watch the competition? How did things change so quickly in just a few days?
Young people, right? Their enthusiasm comes and goes quickly. Shouldn’t the apartment upstairs be canceled too? Canceling it would be good; he wouldn’t have to worry about those ten-odd potted plants anymore, and he wouldn’t have to sneak around like a thief every night.
Annoying!
Wu Bie didn’t know how he fell asleep, but he had been sleeping restlessly, as if he had been dreaming but also not dreaming. When he opened his eyes, the house was pitch black, and the sky visible through the curtain’s gap was a dull gray.
What time is it?
Wu Bie, still groggy from sleep, couldn’t find his phone under his pillow. Only then did he remember that he had left it charging in the living room.
“Shit.”
Reluctantly, he got up, used the bathroom, yawned, and walked to the living room. After finding his phone, he saw that it was now five in the morning.
“Five o’clock.”
After a whole night, Huo Zhanyan still hadn’t sent him a message. Wu Bie had just woken up and was in a foul mood, feeling increasingly uncomfortable the more he thought about it.
What was Huo Zhanyan sulking about? Why did he have to throw a tantrum with him? What right did he have to give him the cold shoulder? Did he dare to leave him on read?
Damn!
How dare he?
Wu Bie’s anger dispelled his sleepiness. He opened various public transportation ticketing apps, but it seemed that due to the road cycling race, all train, plane, and bus tickets were sold out. If it weren’t for the lack of water routes in the neighboring city, he would have considered checking for boat tickets.
No tickets? No big deal; can a live person really die from being stuck in traffic?
He quickly washed up, watered the plants upstairs, then took the elevator down to the garage. He checked on the navigation; driving to the neighboring city would take about four hours.
At this time, the highway was smoother than usual. When Wu Bie got on the highway, it was still dark, and he occasionally encountered a large truck. He arrived in the neighboring city ten minutes earlier than expected.
After getting off the highway, he pulled over and opened the chat window with Huo Zhanyan, hesitating over his choice of words. Finally, he humbly sent Huo Zhanyan a message.
“Send me your location.”
Time passed minute by minute, and private cars zipped past Wu Bie’s car. There was still no movement on WeChat, not even the prompt indicating “the other party is typing.”
Damn!
Huo Zhanyan was really something; he couldn’t even be bothered to look at his messages.
Wu Bie’s frustration boiled over. He immediately thought about calling Huo Zhanyan to give him a piece of his mind. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of an advertisement for the road cycling race by the roadside.
“XX Road, 220 kilometers in total. That far…” Wu Bie muttered, casually opening his browser to search for information on the event. He found out that the race had started at seven in the morning.
Wu Bie, who had just been cursing, suddenly felt a bit lost. He found the race route online, “They should reach this checkpoint in about two hours.”
After confirming the navigation, he pressed the accelerator towards the destination, thinking that it was absurd for a bike race to start before dawn and disturb people’s peace.
Due to the race, many roads were closed to motor vehicles. Wu Bie wasn’t familiar with the area, and after several detours, he finally arrived at the originally planned checkpoint, but it was already too late. He had no choice but to set the navigation for a checkpoint a bit farther away.
“I don’t believe it; my four wheels can’t outrun your two wheels.”
With that declaration, Wu Bie stepped on the gas without hesitation. Having learned from his previous experience, he wasn’t late this time.
When he parked, he still had enough time to reach the race route. He didn’t dawdle, holding up his phone and running in the direction guided by the navigation.
In the distance, Wu Bie saw a crowd of spectators bustling around the iron barriers. He pushed his way to the front, but a person holding a cheering banner impatiently said, “The contestants haven’t even arrived yet. Why are you pushing?”
Hearing this, Wu Bie breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry, sorry, they’re not here yet? That’s good.” At least he wouldn’t have to chase them in the car again.
Fortunately, the weather was cooling down, so he didn’t have to endure the scorching sun to watch the race; otherwise, who would want to come? Wu Bie stared down the road, empty and devoid of any cyclists.
He didn’t know who shouted, “They’re coming!”
The crowd began to stir, and everyone ran forward, with Wu Bie instinctively following the crowd.
Before long, the lead cyclist sped past him, followed by the second and third cyclists. Dressed in similar cycling attire with helmets and visors, it was dizzying to watch, and he couldn’t tell who was who.
“Who can recognize them?”
Just as Wu Bie was complaining, a cyclist hit a rock and fell with both the bike and the rider right in front of him. The rider curled up in pain on the ground, unable to move, blood streaming down his knee, making Wu Bie wince in sympathy.
It wasn’t until medical personnel arrived to carry the injured rider away that Wu Bie regained his senses. He randomly grabbed a person nearby and asked, “How long do they have to ride in this race?”
“Over 200 kilometers. Professionals have to ride for six hours, while amateurs will take at least eight or nine hours.”
Eight or nine hours?! Driving for eight or nine hours straight is already exhausting; can anyone endure pedaling for that long? Besides, that kid Huo Zhanyan had previously injured his leg; was he fully healed to participate in such a race?
With so many cyclists passing by, he hadn’t seen Huo Zhanyan’s figure at all. He wouldn’t have had an accident earlier and dropped out of the race, would he?
Just as Wu Bie felt increasingly anxious, a cyclist slowed down as he passed him. He looked up to see Huo Zhanyan beaming at him.
“Wu Ge!”
Wu Bie was startled. He glanced at Huo Zhanyan’s legs and wanted to tell him not to compete, but seeing the smile and sweat on his face, he swallowed the words that almost escaped his lips.
“Ge! What Ge! Others have already passed you; hurry up and pedal forward!” Wu Bie scolded while running alongside the bike.
Big beads of sweat streamed down Huo Zhanyan’s nose, running over his chin and down to his neck, eventually soaking his clothes. The sight of the young man drenched in sweat made Wu Bie’s heart tremble.
“Wait for me at the finish line.” Huo Zhanyan smiled at Wu Bie and gave him a last lingering glance before reluctantly accelerating his pedaling.
Wu Bie chased after the bicycle for a few steps. After he could no longer see Huo Zhanyan’s figure, he turned and ran toward the parking lot, driving to the final destination that Huo Zhanyan mentioned.