Decayed Vulgarian chapter 34
Unfathomable Thoughts
Shen He: For instance, people frequently make confessions to him on the confession wall, using various creative methods. Additionally, whenever someone in the group seeks recommendations for criminal law professors anonymously, his name is often mentioned because he’s an excellent teacher with high grading standards. Also, a while back, a fellow student secretly recorded him during a criminal law class and posted it on Douyin. Surprisingly, the video gained some attention, and many comments asked whether this handsome guy had a Douyin account?
Shen Xun scanned through Shen He’s words word by word and finally replied coldly with a simple “Oh.”
Shen He: Anyway, I’ll keep an eye out for any small tidbits of information related to Teacher Meng in the future.
Shen Xun: Well, thanks.
Shen He: You’re too polite, considering we’re family. Why not just send a red envelope or dog emoji?
The chat box remained silent for half a minute.
Shen Xun: [WeChat Red Envelope]
Shen He: I was just joking, bro, and you actually sent one?
Shen He: I haven’t found any valuable information yet.
Shen He: You’re making money so easily.
After some thought, Shen Xun replied, “You deserve it.”
Shen He was overwhelmed with gratitude, his excitement evident in his text: “Thanks for trusting me, Shen Boss. I promise to put in the effort to gather information!”
Shen Xun responded with an emoji and then didn’t engage further. He opened Taobao, added a new delivery address, and meticulously double-checked Meng Yuan Cen’s phone number three times, learning from his previous painful experience.
Then he contacted Taobao customer service to inquire if the store offered card-writing services.
Customer Service: Yes, dear, just send me the message you want to write on the card, and we’ll take care of it. [Rose emoji]
Shen Xun frowned as he edited and revised for a long time, finally settling on two lines:
His words were formal, as he realized he couldn’t come up with anything humorous or witty, no matter how much he thought about it.
He also understood that a personally written card showed sincerity. However, he also recognized his own limitations, acknowledging that his handwriting was either unique or, less generously, illegible. Particularly when placed in front of Meng Yuan Cen, it felt embarrassing, like an amateur displaying their work to a master.
While placing the order, Shen Xun double-checked the chosen style, the written message, and the delivery address. Once everything was confirmed, he finally made the payment, feeling like he had resolved an issue that had been on his mind.
He hoped Meng Yuan Cen would like it.
With these thoughts in mind, Shen Xun’s mind began to wander again. He couldn’t suppress the memories of the night on Monday, how alcohol had numbed his mind and taken away his coherent memories. Meng Yuan Cen was the only one who knew what had happened. Shen Xun had tried to inquire about it a few hours ago, but Meng Yuan Cen’s response was baffling to him.
He was always like this, even when he couldn’t figure something out, he would insist on pursuing it. He would rather repeatedly play the dull probability game of “what are the chances the other person isn’t mad” than directly ask a question. Occasionally, he would muster the courage to probe, but he always prepared himself a way out in advance.
At this moment, he felt like both he and Meng Yuan Cen were pressing their fingertips against a paper screen. Their fingerprints connected through the screen, transferring the temperature of their fingers. They used their memory of each other’s appearance to fill in the fuzzy silhouettes on the screen, but neither of them took the step to interlock their fingers.
Two days later, most of the cuts on Shen Xun’s lips had healed, and the pain had disappeared. Memories began to blur, and Meng Yuan Cen didn’t mention a word. All traces of the incident started to fade away. At many moments, Shen Xun almost believed that the night had been a bewildering dream. He couldn’t remember what had happened that night, just like he couldn’t recall the content of a dream upon waking.
On Friday evening, as it neared the end of the workday, Shen Xun received a call from Shen He.
His younger brother never felt homesick and didn’t particularly miss their family. He always seemed excited when going back to school, as it meant no one would be nagging him, and he had freedom. Minor matters were generally communicated through text messages, with only significant issues discussed over the phone.
Shen Xun answered the call with curiosity, “Hello? Shen He?”
Shen He suddenly sighed, hesitating, “I don’t know if I should tell you something.”
Shen Xun responded directly, “Don’t play riddles with me. Time is precious. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Shen He hesitated again and said in a low voice, “It’s about… Teacher Meng. It seems like he has a partner.”
He added quietly, “I heard it myself.”
The elevator at the subway station was crowded, and it moved slowly. Shen Xun decided to take the stairs next to it. As he was walking up, he held his phone tightly. Maybe he was walking too fast, or perhaps he had suddenly felt a strange sense of weightlessness.
“Go on, tell me more,” he said.
“It’s about my history essay. It was selected to participate in the university-level competition, and Professor Shi mentioned wanting to meet me in person to discuss the details of the revisions. He asked me to come to the School of Marxism for our meeting during the fourth class this afternoon. When I got there, Professor Shi was not in, so I waited in his office for a while. The office is quite large and belongs to more than one professor. I overheard two professors chatting in the adjacent room. I listened in for a while.”
Shen Xun, with unusual impatience, said, “Get to the point.”
“One of the professors, surnamed Zheng, is relatively new to our school. The person he was talking to was an old professor. If I recall correctly, he’s the dean of the School of Marxism. The old professor, with a smile, asked if Zheng was single and if he wanted an introduction to someone.”
“Professor Zheng declined, saying he wasn’t in a hurry about this and wanted to accumulate teaching experience and work on his research for promotion. Then, the old professor said that Zheng’s response was identical to what professor Meng had said back in the day. So, the conversation shifted to professor Meng.”
“The old professor sighed and mentioned that professor Meng from the Law School, an elite graduate from a top-tier school, well-mannered, and earning a lot of money, had such excellent conditions. Back in the day, he had a long line of people pursuing him. He never expected that professor Meng was still single even now. Then—”
Shen Xun hastily inquired, “And then?”
“Then professor Zheng said, ‘Professor, you don’t know this yet, but professor Meng already has a partner.’ The old professor didn’t believe it, and professor Zheng added, ‘He told me himself. I guarantee it’s true.’ I thought that the old professor is also a heavyweight figure from the School of Marxism, and professor Zheng wouldn’t have any reason to deceive him, so I think it might be true.”
With that, Shen He couldn’t help but sigh heavily. “So, brother, what’s going on here? While you and professor Meng are playing this ambiguous game, he already has a partner? Is he treating you as a backup, or is he two-timing?”
Shen Xun instinctively retorted, “…he’s not that kind of person.”
“How can you be so sure? Do you really know him? You’ve only known each other for a short while, and you’re vouching for him?”
Shen He said earnestly, “Understanding someone by appearance doesn’t mean you know their heart. Who knows if the side you’ve seen is just a façade? I believe you’ve encountered more cunning criminals at the police station than I have. There must be many well-dressed villains in there, right?”
“I get it,” Shen Xun replied after a brief silence. He pretended to sound relaxed and said, “Alright, alright. You’re lecturing me, and you’re getting addicted to it.”
“I’m just worried that you’ll get too carried away with love.”
“…That won’t happen.”
After ending the call, Shen Xun’s smile slowly faded as he stood there lost in thought. An employee at the station asked why he hadn’t boarded the subway, and he suddenly snapped back to reality. He rushed into a crowded subway car, scanning for an available seat but couldn’t find one. He ended up standing by the handrail, gazing blankly at the dark screen of his phone.
Once again, his mind began to wander. He initially had questions about Meng Yuan Cen’s relationship status and had even checked his social media for clues. There were no romantic profile pictures or intimate images. Later, these questions were completely dismissed because Meng Yuan Cen had mentioned that he didn’t have a girlfriend.
However, what Shen He mentioned was not entirely impossible. In case Meng Yuan Cen was deliberately hiding something, he only needed to tell a few simple lies. Before this call, Shen Xun would have chosen to trust him completely.
The heart, along with the hot air in the subway car, seemed to press his chest from both the inside and outside, making Shen Xun feel a little suffocated.
He had encountered too many negative and devious aspects of human nature in his profession. He had also lived through his youthful years. Yet, at this moment, Shen Xun was clear. He believed the balance of his heart was tilting in Meng Yuan Cen’s favor. He didn’t believe he had misjudged him, but he also couldn’t be completely sure.
After summarizing Shen He’s words into text, Shen Xun asked Liang Yan, “What do you think I should do next?”
Liang Yan: “Call him directly and, right from the start, ask him directly. If he stammers and can’t give you a straight answer, it may indicate something fishy. But if he provides a firm explanation, you two might be together soon after this call.”
Shen Xun stared at these words for a long time. If he could do that, he wouldn’t have been in this ambiguous situation with Meng Yuan Cen. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired of this ambiguity, simultaneously fed up and indifferent.
In the end, Shen Xun made a decision. It was a decision that had reason and evidence, but it sounded like an excuse: “I’ll ask him tomorrow. We’re going out for lunch tomorrow, and I’ll ask him face to face. I want to see his initial reaction. But you can’t see his expressions over the phone.”
After finishing the conversation with Liang Yan, Shen Xun remained quiet, lowering his head and holding onto his phone, allowing his thoughts to scatter wildly. After a while, he suddenly remembered something and quickly contacted Taobao customer service: “Can you modify the delivery address and contact number?”
Customer Service: “Of course, we can help with that.”
Shen Xun provided his new address and contact number.
Customer Service: “Please wait for a moment. We will contact the delivery company right away, and once it’s updated, we will notify you.”
“Okay.”
His gaze left the text, gradually losing focus. Shen Xun’s thoughts returned to that day when he saw the book with the rainbow inserted. Meng Yuan Cen had written something behind the photograph, with his penmanship being both light and gracefully strong. So, the gift he chose for Meng Yuan Cen was a pen, with the brand name “Mright.” The brand concept said that they hoped everyone would find the perfect pen for them, but Shen Xun believed in another interpretation: “My Mr. Right.”
He hoped it was just a misunderstanding but couldn’t ignore the slight possibility that it wasn’t. That possibility was enough to turn him into a fool for giving a gift. His best option was to resolve any misunderstandings and then give the gift.
After all, his cautiousness had become a habit, and the sense of boundaries he had insisted upon had long warped into an impenetrable shell. Any slight movement could make him choose to retract into it at the first opportunity.
He hoped Meng Yuan Cen wouldn’t betray his trust.
Author’s note:
The brand name of the pen is something I made up, any similarities are purely coincidental.