Decayed Vulgarian chapter 22
Are You Angry?
The atmosphere became eerily quiet for a moment.
Then, Liang Yan subtly conveyed the hidden meaning in his words. It occurred to him that if Meng Yuan Cen could imply sexual orientation with Shen Xun, this delightful misunderstanding could be temporarily maintained.
So, he pretended and explained, “I drank a lot last night, and it’s thanks to Xiao Shen that he brought me home. When I was drunk, I said a lot of nonsense and did a lot of ridiculous things, but luckily, Xiao Shen doesn’t mind.”
This explanation sounded strange, and Shen Xun furrowed his brow. “No, we didn’t do anyth—”
Liang Yan interrupted him, asking, “We didn’t?”
Shen Xun stared at Liang Yan and thought, Is he still drunk?
Liang Yan blinked, raised his eyebrows, and smiled back, “Xiao Shen, I’m helping you.”
Meng Yuan Cen was observing the two of them, seeing this peculiar silent exchange between Shen Xun and Liang Yan.
Shen Xun tried to understand what Liang Yan meant and was about to explain the ridiculous misunderstanding to Meng Yuan Cen.
But then an unfamiliar ringtone suddenly sounded from a phone.
Meng Yuan Cen stood up and said, “I need to take this call.”
With that, he walked to the balcony, leaving only their silhouettes behind. The muffled voices struck the glass door and, by the time they reached the living room, had become incomprehensible mutterings.
Shen Xun leaned down and whispered in Liang Yan’s ear, lowering his voice to avoid being heard by Meng Yuan Cen, “What are you doing? you made it sound like there was something going on.”
Liang Yan, the “culprit” behind this, felt no remorse; in fact, he was rather proud. “I said that on purpose.”
Shen Xun suddenly realized what was happening. He clenched his teeth to say something, but the sound of the glass door sliding open abruptly reached their ears.
He felt as if he’d been caught doing something wrong and experienced an inexplicable sense of guilt. He quickly composed himself, sitting properly and maintaining a polite distance from his friend, Liang Yan.
Shen Xun was torn between explaining what Liang Yan had said to Meng Yuan Cen and not wanting to overcomplicate things in case there had been no misunderstanding.
Meng Yuan Cen walked to the sofa but didn’t sit down. He put his phone back into his black pants pocket, looked at Liang Yan, then at Shen Xun.
“I actually came here to return the book,” Meng Yuan Cen said. “Now that you have the book, I’ll take my leave. I won’t disturb you.”
“Please, stay a bit longer, Meng Ge,” Liang Yan said, his words polite but somewhat insincere.
Meng Yuan Cen considered it for a moment and then looked at Shen Xun.
Shen Xun instinctively avoided Meng Yuan Cen’s gaze, saying, “I actually have a favor to ask.”
“I wanted to ask you about it earlier, but I couldn’t find the right time. Can you stay a bit longer…” Shen Xun began.
When Meng Yuan Cen didn’t respond immediately, Shen Xun bit his lip and continued, “If you have something to do this afternoon, forget it. pretend I didn’t ask. It’s okay.”
Meng Yuan Cen asked, “What’s the favor?”
“My younger brother, Shen He, also studies at Huadu University. He wants to transfer to the Law School. When he applied to Huadu, his first choice was the Law School, but he wasn’t accepted. So, I wanted to ask you about the process of transferring to the Law School because you’re a criminal law professor at Huadu.”
Liang Yan, sensing that the conversation was turning more serious, decided not to be a third wheel and left the living room. Before leaving, he patted Shen Xun on the shoulder and said, “I need to use your computer.”
Shen Xun agreed casually, “You remember my password, right?”
Liang Yan replied, “I should be able to.”
Meng Yuan Cen didn’t sit down. He stood there and said, “You should have your brother follow the school’s official website. They will release information about transferring majors, including registration deadlines, exam formats, subjects, and so on. Typically, there are both written exams and interviews. Just prepare well.”
Shen Xun, also standing, asked, “I heard that Huadu University has GPA and ranking requirements for transferring. Is that true?”
Meng Yuan Cen replied, “There used to be a requirement to be in the top 10% of your current major, but they’ve canceled it now.”
Shen Xun attempted to lighten the mood with a joke, “That’s good; otherwise, if you’re at the top of your current major, why would you want to transfer?”
Meng Yuan Cen politely responded with a “Hmm” but didn’t continue the conversation.
Suddenly, there was the sound of the doorknob turning behind them. It was Liang Yan, carrying a laptop, coming from the bedroom. “Xiao Shen, can you help me with the computer password?”
Shen Xun couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Didn’t you say you remember it?”
Liang Yan, embarrassed but polite, smiled, “I seem to have remembered it wrong.”
The computer was placed on the coffee table. Shen Xun crouched down, leaning on the edge of the table, and typed on the keyboard, creating a rhythmic clicking sound. Meng Yuan Cen stood not far from the computer, from an angle where he could easily see the increasing numbers and letters in the empty password box on the screen.
He wasn’t interested in Shen Xun’s password, but he had no reason to avoid the situation since Liang Yan was openly watching and memorizing the password.
The password was quite long. After several seconds, Shen Xun’s fingertips hit the Enter key.
“Ah… Ha…”
First, there were moaning sounds and heavy breathing.
The intertwined images on the screen started to quiver.
He forgot to close the video from last night!
Shen Xun’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly clicked the “X” in the upper right corner. He pushed his laptop into Liang Yan’s chest and said, “It’s unlocked.”
Liang Yan held the laptop, chuckling with a teasing smile, then casually walked back to the bedroom.
Shen Xun didn’t have time to react. He only knew he had been trapped by Liang Yan. Although his plan included a note about “pretending to accidentally let Meng Yuan Cen catch me watching adult content,” it was clear that the timing was off, and his actions were genuine.
He didn’t know what to say but remained silent for a while. Then, he tentatively stole a glance at Meng Yuan Cen’s face, which appeared calm but lacked the usual smile.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to grow heavy and stifling.
Meng Yuan Cen rubbed his temples several times and said, “Is there anything else you want to ask about transferring majors?”
The other person had already explained quite clearly, and Shen Xun couldn’t think of anything else to ask. So he hesitated and said, “…Nothing else.”
Meng Yuan Cen nodded. “Okay, then I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait a moment,” Shen Xun stopped Meng Yuan Cen. “I also want to ask… about transferring to the Law School for Shen He.”
This question seemed somewhat unrelated as Shen He hadn’t successfully transferred yet. However, Shen Xun couldn’t think of any other suitable questions at the moment.
Meng Yuan Cen took a step back that he had just taken and turned around. “The Law School at Huadu University has three courses: Criminal Law, Civil and Commercial Law, and International Law. Based on past experience, they usually split the students evenly between Criminal Law and Civil and Commercial Law, while International Law has fewer spots. Criminal Law is more challenging, Civil and Commercial Law has more cases, and International Law requires a certain level of proficiency in English. Before the split, the department organizes online meetings to comprehensively introduce the research directions, chances of continuing postgraduate studies, employment prospects, and more. So, you don’t need to worry about that.”
Shen Xun silently noted it down. “…Okay, thanks.”
As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps behind them suddenly approached. It was Liang Yan rushing through the living room. “Xiao Shen, I have some work-related matters to attend to, so I’m leaving. Meng Ge, see you later!”
While putting on his shoes by the door, he added without looking up, “Oh, by the way, the clothes I stained last night are in your place for now, Xiao Shen. I’ll come to get them when I have time.”
The two of them had talked until the early morning hours, and Liang Yan had felt unwell, ending up vomiting in the bathroom and accidentally getting some on his jacket.
Shen Xun nodded and agreed, “Sure.”
The door was closed with a bang, leaving only Meng Yuan Cen and Shen Xun in the living room.
Meng Yuan Cen didn’t know how many times he had said it, “I need to go now.”
This time, he wasn’t stopped, and he walked to the door.
Shen Xun followed him and watched Meng Yuan Cen’s figure. Eventually, he couldn’t hold back and asked, “Do you have a lot of things to do later?”
Meng Yuan Cen’s movements paused for a moment. “I’m actually quite busy.”
Shen Xun clenched his fingertips. “I’m sorry; I’ve kept you for a long time.”
Meng Yuan Cen didn’t respond, lowered his head, and quietly put on his shoes by the door. He then checked his pockets to make sure he had his phone and keys. He raised his head, seemingly intending to say his final goodbye but first caught sight of Shen Xun’s expression.
What does that expression mean?
Meng Yuan Cen narrowed his eyes and couldn’t help but say, “If you and Liang Yan have that kind of relationship, there’s no need to hide it from me. I respect everyone’s sexual orientation, and I won’t spread your business around. You can relax.”
Shen Xun felt a bit flustered, understanding the implication in the other person’s words and the clear enunciation. Although he and Meng Yuan Cen had met only a few times in person, he knew what that kind of relationship referred to.
“However,” Shen Xun hesitated, “I’ve never hidden anything from you. Liang Yan and I are truly just friends, as you’ve seen. I am indeed… attracted to men, but I’m not interested in Liang Yan. Liang Yan has had a girlfriend, and, in that regard, there is absolutely no possibility between us.”
Meng Yuan Cen remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly. “I see; I must have misunderstood again. I’m sorry.”
As Meng Yuan Cen was about to leave, Shen Xun hurriedly reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Meng Yuan Chen…”
Meng Yuan Cen’s gaze lowered to Shen Xun’s fingers on his wrist. “hmm?”
Shen Xun, lowering his head, asked in a very soft voice, “Are you angry?”
Meng Yuan Cen fell silent for a moment and then said, “Why do you think I’m angry?”
Shen Xun stayed mute for a while and could only manage to say after some time, “…I don’t know.”