Decayed Vulgarian chapter 24

With You

At 8:00 in the evening, Meng Yuan Cen paused his keyboard typing, removed his wire-framed glasses, folded them, and placed them next to the computer. He closed his eyes and used his thumb and forefinger to press his nose bridge repeatedly.

In the previous semester, he had been chosen as a mentor for two student teams in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program. The text on his screen was the initial draft sent by one of the team leaders, which focused on the legal regulation of online rumors. Meng Yuan Cen carefully reviewed it, replacing layman terms with professional terminology and providing numerous suggestions using annotations.

After completing his review, he sent it back to the team leader. They exchanged a few words, and he could finally check one item off his to-do list.

Meng Yuan Cen put his glasses back on, and his fingers returned to the keyboard. He had a speech to write because, in a little over a week, he would be attending an academic exchange conference in the neighboring province’s capital city with two other professors from the law school. This conference was jointly organized by several top-ranked universities in the Congjiang Delta region specializing in political and legal studies.

His students were delighted when they heard this news during their classes, secretly celebrating that they would have four fewer criminal law classes next week.

As for makeup classes, Meng Yuan Cen had the class committee organize a vote among all the students. Even though there were several available time slots, some students claimed they were busy during every option. He understood the students’ tricks, having been a student himself, and didn’t reveal their deception. He chose the time with the fewest absentees and sent a notification in the class group.

At 9:00, the outline of his speech was complete. Meng Yuan Cen stretched his arms a bit, finally finding a moment to pick up his phone. He saw a message from Shen Xun.

Meng Yuan Cen had rarely engaged in back-and-forths with Shen Xun; usually, he sent a message, and Shen Xun replied hours later, or the conversation abruptly ended. Meng Yuan Cen understood – police officers were always busy. This time, he didn’t expect a quick reply from Shen Xun.

However, the next second, a new message appeared in their chat.

“Are you busy right now?”

Meng Yuan Cen highlighted the key point: “I’m going to another province in a few days to exchange ideas with some experts from other universities. I need to prepare my speech before then. Also, I’m mentoring two undergraduate teams for a competition, and they came to me with some questions this afternoon. So, I’m not busy right now.”

“Okay.”

Meng Yuan Cen continued, “You don’t need to return the rainbow photo to me; it’s too much trouble. You can keep it. If I want one, I can print it again.”

This time, Shen Xun didn’t reply immediately. At the top of the screen, it showed “Typing…” and then disappeared a few seconds later, only to reappear.

Meng Yuan Cen waited patiently, his cursor blinking in the input box.

Ding-dong, he finally received a message.

“Are you keeping your promise from last night on WeChat?”

Meng Yuan Cen scrolled through the chat history, vaguely understanding but not entirely certain. “What do you mean?”

“Talking to me.”

Meng Yuan Cen asked in confusion, “Aren’t I talking to you right now?”

“What I mean is, I want to call you. Some things are better explained over the phone.”

Meng Yuan Cen agreed, “Go ahead.”

The voice call was connected.

“Meng Yuan Cen.”

Shen Xun softly pronounced his name.

“Yes?”

“Sorry for bothering you so late.”

“Is it very late?” Meng Yuan Cen discarded his usual sleep schedule. “It’s okay; it’s still early for me to go to bed.”

“It’s about me and Liang Yan…” Shen Xun began to speak but suddenly faltered.

Meng Yuan Cen squinted. “You called me just to talk about you and Liang Yan?”

“No, it’s not only about me and Liang Yan.” Shen Xun quickly clarified, “It’s about recalling the past and thinking about a few points that you might have misunderstood. I felt like I didn’t explain things clearly this afternoon, so I want to start by explaining my situation with Liang Yan.”

Seeing that Meng Yuan Cen didn’t interrupt, Shen Xun continued with determination, “From your perspective, it might seem like Liang Yan and I watched a movie together, lived together at my place, and he said some absurd things and did some absurd things. He knows the password to my computer, and there’s that GV on my computer, not to mention the clothes that got dirty last night. I understand that when you connect all these things, it might look like we are living together, but in reality, we are just friends.”

Meng Yuan Cen responded with a simple “Hmm,” indicating that he was listening.

Shen Xun continued, “Last night, after I messaged you, the bar owner called me and said that Liang Yan was completely drunk and had attracted someone’s attention. His excessive drinking was because of his ex-girlfriend, and his absurd behavior was the result of his drunkenness. He cried after drinking too much, and he acted out of control. So, I stayed with him all night.”

“We talked until late, and then he started feeling unwell in his stomach. He couldn’t hold it and ended up vomiting in the bathroom, accidentally staining his clothes. So, those clothes were left at my place. It wasn’t intentional, and I want to emphasize that Liang Yan and I are not in the kind of relationship you might think.”

“We’re just very good friends,” Shen Xun cautiously asked, “Should there be no more room for misunderstanding?”

In fact, Shen Xun’s inquiries and explanations in the afternoon were already sufficient to clear up any misunderstandings. Jealousy had momentarily gotten the better of Meng Yuan Cen. Upon reflection, he realized it was rather immature. He thought the matter had been settled, but Shen Xun had taken the initiative to call and provide a serious explanation. It was quite endearing.

Meng Yuan Cen appreciated the gesture and chuckled from behind the screen, except for a sharp twinge when he heard “I stayed with him all night.” He couldn’t help but ask, “How close are you?”

“We’ve stayed in touch since junior high school to college,” Shen Xun admitted. “I had poor social skills during my student days, and Liang Yan was the only close friend I had. He has helped me a lot, and I’ve helped him in return. But we’re just friends.”

Meng Yuan Cen couldn’t help but smile again. Shen Xun’s words seemed to be tailored to his feelings. Indeed, Meng Yuan Cen had never intended to interfere in Shen Xun and Liang Yan’s relationship. He knew what he wanted – he wanted Shen Xun’s affirmation, much like the phrase “we’re just friends.”

That would be enough. Even without Liang Yan, there would be someone else – Zhang Yan or Li Yan. These relationships wouldn’t be obstacles. Professor Meng had confidence in his own charisma.

“So, I have to thank you, Officer Shen for making a ‘special’ call to clear things up for me,” Meng Yuan Cen said in a clear voice. “Aside from this matter, is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“Yes,” Shen Xun replied.

“Then, go ahead.”

Shen Xun fell silent for a moment, hesitating. “The photo you inserted into the book…”

The topic returned to the photo, and Meng Yuan Cen’s smile deepened. He pretended not to understand and asked, “Yes, what about it?”

Indeed, he did it intentionally. Before returning the book, he deliberately placed the photo inside, expecting that Shen Xun might understand. When he saw the screen of Shen Xun’s notebook, he was certain that Shen Xun would understand.

Shen Xun would understand, but he might not ask. Adults were good at pretending not to understand, and when it came to pursuers they weren’t interested in, it was a polite way of refusal, preserving each other’s dignity.

Shen Xun continued, “The English sentence on the back, did you write it?”

Meng Yuan Cen’s gaze shifted to the top half of the screen. He replied nonchalantly, “Yes, I wrote it.”

“I understood it,” Shen Xun said in a low voice.

Meng Yuan Cen liked this sentence and Shen Xun’s voice. Shen Xuan’s pronunciation was slightly warm, creating a stark contrast with his cold and beautiful appearance.

Taking a cue from Shen Xun, he decided to be enigmatic in his response. “You understood it, And?”

“Meng Yuan Cen…”

“Yes?”

There was a long silence on the other end, lasting for over ten seconds. Meng Yuan Cen glanced at his phone and saw that the call was still connected, with a full signal. He asked, “What do you want to say?”

Still no response, just silence. Meng Yuan Cen probed further, “Since you said you understood, what do you think I meant?”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“If you don’t know what I mean, how can you claim you understood?”

“I’m not entirely sure.”

“So, what do you think I meant?”

Shen Xun hesitated, then finally said, “You… like me. I’ll keep your secret.”

Meng Yuan Cen patiently waited for half a minute, and this was the response he got. He smiled and said, “Keep what secret? My parents and my sister already know about my sexual orientation.”

With that statement, Shen Xun on the other end stuttered, possibly feeling awkward.

After a month of interaction, Meng Yuan Cen had gained some understanding of Shen Xun’s personality. He knew that Shen Xun wasn’t the type to take the initiative. Today, he had finally received some positive feedback, confirming that Shen Xun was interested in playing a flirtatious game. This was a significant step.

Whether Shen Xun was too afraid to say it, didn’t want to say it, or was hesitating to reveal his feelings, Meng Yuan Cen wasn’t sure. However, pursuing someone always took time, and flirting was quite enjoyable.

Professor Meng was always patient.

He changed the topic, “You owe me a meal. When are you planning to make it up to me?”

Shen Xun heaved a sigh of relief and thought for a moment, “Not next week. I’ll be on duty and standby. If I’m free the week after, I’ll definitely treat you.”

Meng Yuan Cen asked with a smile, “Do I have the right to make a choice?”

Shen Xun quickly replied, “You do.”

Professor Meng then shamelessly said, “In that case, I want to eat hot pot, the kind with spicy and oily broth, just like the one you had with Liang Yan in the afternoon.”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Xun said, “I’ll take you to a hot pot place that’s a hundred times better than the one I had with Liang Yan this afternoon.”