Decayed Vulgarian chapter 9

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Considering it was Meng Yuan Cen’s first time in an unfamiliar place, Shen Xun insisted on personally escorting him downstairs. So, they walked one after the other through the narrow and dark corridor.

The top light in the hallway was on the verge of malfunctioning, sometimes dim and sometimes bright, mimicking the rhythm of a heartbeat.

After unlocking the car door, Meng Yuan Cen took the driver’s seat.

The car’s window glass was deep gray, muting colors. This effect was more pronounced when looking into the distance, which could also be attributed to Meng Yuan Cen’s eyesight, just meeting the standard with the help of his framed glasses.

He saw Shen Xun outside the window waving goodbye to him, a simple farewell.

Then Shen Xun turned and walked away. His figure quickly disappeared into the dim corridor of the residential area. It was as if he was swallowed up by darkness in an instant, and a faint silhouette seemed to shuttle through it, gradually shrinking and fading, finally disappearing at the corner of the staircase.

Only then did Meng Yuan Cen retract his gaze.

But he didn’t forget that every floor of the corridor had windows that allowed a little light to shine through.

And he also remembered that Shen Xun lived on the third floor, and the hallway lights on the first and third floors were not working.

As he contemplated this, the window on the second floor corridor suddenly brightened, bathed in a yellowish light. A minute later, it dimmed again.

Shen Xun should be home.

Meng Yuan Cen finally returned his gaze to the steering wheel. He remained silent for a moment and decided not to leave the residential area. Instead, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

He selected “Meng Yuan Ning” from his contacts, and his phone began playing music. At the same time the call was answered, Meng Yuan Cen suddenly remembered Shen Xun’s words when he praised Meng Yuan Ning: “She’s quite cute.”

The interior light of the car and the streetlights on the residential street shimmered, making Meng Yuan Cen’s eyes flicker.

“Hello?” a familiar voice came through.

It was Meng Yuan Ning who answered the call, not their mother. Meng Yuan Cen had already made a guess, and it seemed that Meng Yuan Ning should be fine. However, he wanted to hear the result directly to be completely reassured. So Meng Yuan Cen asked, “How are the hospital test results?”

As expected, Meng Yuan Ning’s tone was cheerful. “I told you, I’m perfectly fine; it was just mom overreacting.”

Meng Yuan Cen retorted, “How can you call that overreacting? This is not something to take lightly.”

“Alright, alright.” Meng Yuan Ning readily agreed. She then added, “Luckily, the owner of the car we had a minor collision with wasn’t injured. We just need to negotiate the compensation now, and it’s all settled.”

“Okay.” Meng Yuan Cen asked, “So, what are you going to do about the blind date this time?”

Meng Yuan Ning was somewhat puzzled. “Didn’t I ask you to go on my behalf?”

Meng Yuan Cen squinted and asked, “So you’re not planning to reschedule?”

Meng Yuan Ning was still very puzzled. “Why should I reschedule? You know, I don’t want to go on these blind dates.”

Meng Yuan Cen lowered his gaze and, after a moment of silence, slowly asked, “Don’t you like Shen Xun?”

Meng Yuan Ning replied with confusion, “What are you talking about? Who is Shen Xun?”

Meng Yuan Cen kept silent.

The other person’s reaction made Meng Yuan Ning doubt herself. “Should I have feelings for this Mr. Shen you mentioned? Is that what you’re saying?”

Meng Yuan Cen replied, “I figured it out. You’re really not interested in this blind date.”

Once reminded, Meng Yuan Ning immediately realized, “Oh, right, he’s my blind date.”

“Why would you ask me this… I see now! Is Mom trying to gauge my feelings through you? She wants to know if there’s potential, right? Why don’t you just talk to Mom and tell her I’m not interested in him?”

Meng Yuan Cen pursued, “It wasn’t Mom who asked me to ask.” “So you really don’t like him?” he asked.

Meng Yuan Ning: “Why are you being so vague? I already said I’m not interested…” She sighed and then, with a sudden mischievous angle, her tone became teasing. “Or maybe you’re the one who went on the blind date for me and caught feelings?”

Facing Meng Yuan Ning’s series of ambiguous laughter, Meng Yuan Cen calmly countered, “Is that not allowed?”

This time, it was Meng Yuan Ning who was left in a daze. It took her a moment to respond, and she came to realize that her older brother was into men.

Her inner gossip spirit immediately awakened, and she asked, “So what if I also like… what’s his name… Shen Xun? What if I like Shen Xun?”

Meng Yuan Cen didn’t hesitate. “Then we compete fairly.”

Meng Yuan Ning elongated her tone and giggled, “Wow, big brother, you’re quite bold in your approach.”

The single, high-income male lawyer was finally moved by genuine feelings, and she had to hurry to offer her blessings. “Big brother, go for it, and I’ll always be your strong support. If you need help in this regard, feel free to let me know. I wish you the best in winning over my future sister-in-law.”

“…You changed your tune rather quickly.”

Meng Yuan Ning giggled, “I just said it quietly to myself, it was nice to see someone make you want to actively engage and get to know them.”

Meng Yuan Cen didn’t take that bait and suddenly remembered something else. “By the way, don’t mention this to Mom yet, so she doesn’t think I’m taking your blind date.”

Meng’s mother knew that Meng Yuan Cen liked men.

Back in the day when Meng Yuan Cen came out, she was heartbroken, saying things like severing the mother-son relationship, expelling him from the Meng family, and they had their share of tears, tantrums, and arguments. Her heart had turned to ashes back then. However, several years later, Meng’s mother’s outlook had become remarkably stable. Occasionally, she’d even ask Meng Yuan Cen a few questions, like when he’d bring a boyfriend home. Though her daughter’s marriage had become the most important matter for her, she had taken care to select potential dates for Meng Yuan Ning, including offering profiles of candidates.

Meng Yuan Ning, who had just finished graduate school and worked for a year, faced the relentless pressure to get married every year. Her WeChat friends’ requests were abundant, and she had been on many blind dates. She had often complained to Meng Yuan Cen about it.

“Haha, big brother, now you know what it feels like. You have times when you need my help.” Meng Yuan Ning felt rather satisfied. “So, you better treat me well in normal times, or else I might spill the beans to Mom.”

Meng Yuan Cen, after a few quiet seconds, replied calmly, “I suddenly remembered, there are a few single male lawyers at the law firm where I’m registered. They have good incomes, are reliable, and even have the looks that match Mom’s aesthetic preferences. How about I give Mom their contact information and arrange a date for you—”

“Meng Yuan Cen!” His sister was unwilling to even call him “brother” now, and her voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. “Alright, alright, I can’t argue with you, Mr. lawyer. You got me.”

Meng Yuan Cen silently smirked.

After ending the call, Meng Yuan Cen went home.

The evening seemed to be playing in fast forward, with every action seemingly in slow motion. Meng Yuan Cen thought he was spending a lot of time, but after having dinner and washing the dishes, he realized that it was only a little before seven o’clock.

He whiled away the time by surfing the internet, visiting four or five different websites, from text to video. Finally, it was 8:30.

Meng Yuan Cen opened WeChat and sent the picture of the rainbow he had taken to Shen Xun.

In his mind, 8:30 was a golden time for casual chatting since most people had already finished dinner and were leisurely relaxing.

Furthermore, Meng Yuan Cen wanted to ensure that this chat wouldn’t end after just a few sentences, so he put some thought into coming up with topics that would lead to deeper discussions, provided Shen Xun had the willingness to chat—even if it was only to pass the time.

He was confident he could make this conversation interesting.

However, there was no immediate response.

Meng Yuan Cen waited for a while, but the response didn’t come. He sensed that there was a high likelihood that he wouldn’t hear from Shen Xun for the rest of the evening.

He thought that even if Shen Xun didn’t want to chat, he would at least say “thank you.”

However, there was no response. Perhaps something had come up; Shen Xun might be busy.