Decayed Vulgarian chapter 54
Pretending to Be Miserable
Meng Yuan Cen glanced at the screen, read the message and didn’t reply, tossing his phone into the pocket of his suit pants.
He arrived in the classroom fifteen minutes early, copying the required course materials from the USB to the desktop. While waiting for the class to start, he decided to clean his glasses, taking out the lens cloth and carefully wiping them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a girl in the front row sneakily taking pictures with her phone. She wasn’t aiming directly at the large screen in the middle but was rather aiming upward and to the right, clearly snapping pictures without subtlety.
Meng Yuan Cen initially considered ignoring it, but the student seemed to be quite enthusiastic, taking at least five or six shots. He folded the lens cloth, placed it back in the eyeglass case, stowed it in his black briefcase, and then raised his head, adjusting his glasses. “There’s no need to take photos now. This page doesn’t cover the exam points, and all course materials will be distributed a week before the final exam.”
The girl immediately retracted her hands, lowering her head with slightly flushed cheeks.
Meng Yuan Cen glanced at her and added, “However, my materials are for internal class use only. They shouldn’t be circulated outside, especially not on platforms like Baidu Wenku for profit.”
There was a faint chuckle in the classroom, and Meng Yuan Cen himself couldn’t hide his amused expression. “I’ve actually seen my materials online before. The student who uploaded the materials didn’t even want to change the name for me.”
“Back then, I didn’t emphasize this matter, but now, I hope to emphasize that we should maintain some trust between us.”
He continued humorously, “Moreover, if someone profits from my materials, have they paid me a copyright fee? I update my materials every year. If I find the latest version on Baidu Wenku next time, I might need to have a serious talk with our Intellectual Property Rights teacher next door on how to enforce my rights.”
The students chuckled.
With these remarks, the bell finally signaled the start of the class.
Meng Yuan Cen abandoned the chit-chat and moved directly to the main topic.
As expected after class, the top students rushed to the platform to inquire about contest-related matters or doubts from the textbook. Meng Yuan Cen patiently answered, and just a couple of pointers took around ten minutes.
During the break between the second and third classes in the afternoon, the peak time for drowsiness, not many students came to ask questions. Glancing around, he noticed a small pile of papers on the desks. Although the classroom’s air conditioning was on high, Meng Yuan Cen took off his woolen coat and folded it over his briefcase, picking up his phone.
Hm, still no reply from Shen Xun.
After the third class ended, Meng Yuan Cen’s throat felt dry. He held a thermos cup in one hand and his phone in the other, walking toward the water dispenser at the corner.
On the way there, he checked his phone several times but found no messages. He consoled himself, thinking that the police were genuinely busy.
On his way back, his phone vibrated, and although he didn’t have much hope, thinking it might be spam, to his surprise, it was a message from Shen Xun.
Shen Xun’s response was only one sentence: “Actually, these…seem a bit…too extravagant for me…”
Followed by a pleading cat emoji.
In essence, not a single link Meng Yuan Cen sent was to Shen Xun’s liking. This was the first time, but Meng Yuan Cen wasn’t upset. Clothing was indeed more challenging to choose than daily necessities, and disagreements on couple outfits were entirely normal. He was genuinely seeking Shen Xun’s opinion.
As he was preparing to reply, a figure suddenly appeared at the corner. Before Meng Yuan Cen could react, the person accidentally bumped into him, causing the hot water to spill onto his forearm, soaking his undershirt, making him hiss in pain.
“Sorry, sorry! I accidentally bumped into you!”
“It’s okay,” Meng Yuan Cen raised his head with a slight frown, “Zheng Cong?”
“Professor Meng!” Zheng Cong first seemed puzzled, then his face showed more embarrassment. He grabbed Meng Yuan Cen’s hand, intending to roll up his sleeves to check for injury. “I’m really sorry! I feel terrible!”
Meng Yuan Cen silently withdrew his hand. “It’s all right, I’ll go rinse with cold water in the restroom.”
He then hurried to the washbasin, furrowing his brows. Slowly rolling up his sleeves, the cool tap water flowing over his burnt forearm offered brief relief, allowing him to catch his breath for a moment.
Looking to the side, he noticed Zheng Cong was still standing there.
“You can go now. It’s not serious. I’ll apply some ointment when I get home.”
However, Zheng Cong insisted, “I caused you to be scalded by hot water. How could I leave you like this?”
Meng Yuan Cen declined again, “Really, you don’t have to. I’ll be leaving in a minute or two, too. Standing here to wash doesn’t help me much.”
Zheng Cong accepted that he couldn’t take Meng Yuan Cen to the school clinic but suggested something else, “How will you get home now? With your burned hand, driving might be inconvenient. Let me drop you off.”
Meng Yuan Cen’s forced smile was on the verge of breaking down. He thought to himself, “Even though I can’t drive, I can still take public transportation. There’s no way I’d need your ride. Have you forgotten I’m already in a relationship?”
But considering the upcoming doctoral forum and the academic discussions in the alumni association shortly, he suppressed these thoughts. He said in an expressionless manner, “You don’t have to bother; someone’s coming to pick me up. He’s waiting for me at the usual place.”
He was cautious in saying “the usual place,” avoiding any specific references like the north or south gates of the University. This was to prevent Zheng Cong from using the pretext of being en route to follow him out of the school gate. Meng Yuan Cen was wary that if he discovered that no one was coming to pick him up, Zheng Cong might insist on taking him home, leveraging his status as a doctoral alumnus. That would be too impolite.
Fortunately, Zheng Cong wasn’t insistent. Meng Yuan Cen returned to the classroom, put on his woolen coat, grabbed his briefcase, and walked alone toward the south gate. He faced the chilling, biting wind, yet his arm burned intensely. He looked around but didn’t see Shen Xun. Though it was the expected scenario, for some unknown reason, he suddenly felt desolate. Perhaps when he lied to Zheng Cong, he succeeded in deceiving himself for a moment.
Shen Xun usually got off work later than him. And considering uncertainties like overtime, Meng Yuan Cen didn’t think of asking Shen Xun to pick him up.
On the subway, Meng Yuan Cen snapped a photo of his right forearm and sent it to Shen Xun along with a text: “Today’s been quite unfortunate. Just standing still, I got bumped into, and the hot water from a cup spilled on my arm.”
It ended with a pitiful cat emoji.
After sending the message, Meng Yuan Cen stared at the chat window, wondering if he had exaggerated his misery. Especially with the last emoji, would it make a man in his thirties seem excessively fragile?
After much contemplation, the answer he found in his heart was affirmative. Meng Yuan Cen felt a bit embarrassed for no apparent reason. Nonetheless, it had been over two minutes since the message was sent, and he couldn’t take it back. He decided to view it as just him being young at heart.
His phone buzzed a few times in his palm, and it was a direct call from Shen Xun.
Upon answering, Shen Xun’s voice was calm and cold, “How are you feeling now?”
Meng Yuan Cen considered for a moment. “Just a bit of stinging pain.”
“Any blisters?”
“None.”
“I saw the picture you sent. It seems like a first-degree burn. I’ll bring some ointment on my way back.”
The term “first-degree burn” sounded professional, and Meng Yuan Cen remembered that Shen Xun had mentioned that the early stages of forensic medicine and clinical studies were synchronized. It was good to have someone like Shen Xun to consult for minor injuries. He suddenly felt like he hit the jackpot.
Shen Xun then asked, “Did you immediately rinse the scalded area with cold water for an extended time?”
“I did,” Meng Yuan Cen answered.
“Hmm,” Shen Xun pondered and continued, “Is it very painful? Do you need some pain relief medication?”
“No need, it’s not that severe.”
“Well, I’ll bring some just in case. It might come in handy even if you don’t need it this time,” Shen Xun said, considering Meng Yuan Cen’s return home, “Are you going back to the apartment tonight, or staying at school?”
“I’ll be back at the apartment.”
“Do you need me to pick you up? I’ve already finished work, but it might be a bit later.”
“I’m already on the subway, two more stops to go,” Meng Yuan Cen answered truthfully but felt a bit regretful. He thought, had he sold his misery at the University’s gate, he might have been sitting in Shen Xun’s comfortable spot by now.
“Okay,” after asking the necessary questions, Shen Xun couldn’t help but complain, “What a person with no eyes! How can they not see such a big person? How can they bump into you?”