Don’t Ignite It chapter 76
Difficult to Escape Blame – Xu Zhan × Ruan Sen (5)
During the few minutes he waited for Ruan Sen, Xu Zhan’s mood inexplicably improved. Ruan Sen had this ability. Even though Xu Zhan didn’t know much about him, except that he was a young man in his early twenties, handsome, flamboyant, and often woke up in a grumpy mood as if he were owed a fortune, seeing Ruan Sen still made him feel happy.
But after a few more minutes, it wasn’t Ruan Sen who arrived first. A black Maserati stopped in front of him, and the rear window rolled down, revealing the face of Fang Xieyi.
The smile on Xu Zhan’s face froze, and he almost instinctively took a step back. However, Fang Xieyi seemed not to have noticed, and he asked expressionlessly, “Where do you want to go? I’ll give you a ride.”
“No need,” Xu Zhan shook his head. “My ride will be here in a moment. Thank you.”
He tried to maintain politeness and composure, as if he were meeting an old classmate after a long separation. However, Fang Xieyi did not accept this politeness. He remained in front of Xu Zhan, looking at him directly.
“It’s very cold today, and this place is quite remote. Taxis are slow to arrive. You’re not dressed warmly enough, and you’ll catch a cold if you stay out in the wind. Get in.”
Perhaps it was unconscious, but his words carried an air of command.
Xu Zhan furrowed his brow. Back in high school, Fang Xieyi used to talk this way as well, but at that time, Fang Xieyi was more cheerful and charismatic, which softened the authoritative tone in his words. Now, Fang Xieyi sat expressionless in the back seat, making Xu Zhan particularly uncomfortable.
He was about to politely decline again when he heard a voice from the opposite side say, “Xu Zhan.”
He paused, raised his head, and looked beyond the black car’s roof. There he saw Ruan Sen standing on the opposite side, straddling a motorcycle and waving at him. Although the distance was too far to see his face clearly, he could vaguely sense his tall and well-proportioned figure and his remarkable demeanor.
Xu Zhan’s expression became tender, completely different from the guarded detachment he displayed moments ago. Fang Xieyi watched Xu Zhan’s change in expression, his brows furrowing in response.
A few seconds later, Xu Zhan lowered his head and said to Fang Xieyi, “My ride’s here. I’m leaving.”
Without waiting for Fang Xieyi’s reaction, Xu Zhan immediately left. Fang Xieyi watched as Xu Zhan crossed the zebra crossing and hurried towards the other side. At the other end of the road, a tall young man stood waiting. Although his face couldn’t be seen clearly from this distance, his posture was upright, and his presence was striking.
He extended his arms, hugged Xu Zhan briefly, and the hug was not overly intimate but carried a hint of affection. Fang Xieyi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
He knew about Xu Zhan’s existing relationship and who his partner was, but this person didn’t look like Xia Yu. Perhaps it was one of Xu Zhan’s friends or students. Nevertheless, just a few seconds later, Xu Zhan and the young man disappeared together.
Fang Xieyi retracted his gaze and said to the driver in front, “Let’s go.”
As Xu Zhan approached, Ruan Sen opened his arms and embraced him. He affectionately nuzzled Xu Zhan’s face, sensing the coldness, and asked in a soft voice, “Did you wait long?”
Xu Zhan shook his head. But Ruan Sen took off his coat and wrapped it around Xu Zhan. It was a baseball jacket that looked slightly out of place when draped over Xu Zhan, making him appear several years younger. Ruan Sen helped him zip it up and chuckled, “You look like a high school student in this.”
“Stop teasing,” Xu Zhan responded with a smile. “I’m almost thirty.”
He had a sense of self-awareness about his age. He could believe that he could pass for a college student, but pretending to be a high school student would be ridiculous.
He didn’t want Ruan Sen’s coat but took it off anyway, saying, “you gave me your coat. What about you, not cold?”
However, Ruan Sen pressed his hand down and placed it on his own neck. His skin was scorching hot.
“Professor Xu,” Ruan Sen said with a somewhat annoying smile, “we young people have a lot of fire.”
Xu Zhan didn’t know how to respond to that. He chuckled and shook his head, not wanting to argue with Ruan Sen. He didn’t insist on returning the coat.
Ruan Sen held Xu Zhan as he straddled the motorcycle beside him, instructing Xu Zhan to hold onto his waist.
“Where do you want to go next?” he asked. “Do you want to go for a ride?”
It was only then that Xu Zhan asked, “Where did you get this motorcycle?”
“I rented it,” Ruan Sen replied nonchalantly. “I’ll have to return it later.”
“Ah,” Xu Zhan said, acknowledging the response.
He hadn’t ridden a motorcycle much and couldn’t tell between the different models of heavy bikes. When Ruan Sen suggested going for a ride, Xu Zhan thought for a moment and then leaned his face against Ruan Sen’s back, softly saying, “Alright, let’s go for a ride.”
Ruan Sen had been waiting for that response. He handed Xu Zhan a helmet and revved up the motorcycle.
The night wind whistled past, and although Xu Zhan wore a helmet, he still squinted his eyes due to the gusts of wind. Xu Zhan didn’t ask Ruan Sen where they were going, and they didn’t engage in much conversation. Xu Zhan just held onto Ruan Sen’s waist silently. After a busy day, he felt a bit tired, and leaning against Ruan Sen’s back now, he felt a sense of relief.
Even though he knew that Ruan Sen was like a fleeting mirage, bound to disappear in a few months, he relaxed for a moment when he saw Ruan Sen after his recent encounter with Fang Xieyi. Money-bought relationships had their advantages. As long as he was willing to pay, the relationship would be unbreakable. As long as he was wealthy enough, this person would treat him gently, smile at him, and seek to please him. He didn’t need to guess whether Ruan Sen truly liked him or worry about every word Ruan Sen said.
He just needed to enjoy the happiness that Ruan Sen brought him.
After some time, the motorcycle roared to a halt. Ruan Sen got off the motorcycle, extended his hand to Xu Zhan, and helped him dismount. Xu Zhan noticed the sudden tranquility around them and opened his eyes.
Ruan Sen removed his helmet, exposing Xu Zhan to the surroundings. Xu Zhan looked around and saw that they were at an intersection near a park. Next to it was a small, brightly lit ice cream shop with pastel blue walls.
He was led down from the motorcycle by Ruan Sen in a somewhat dazed state. Ruan Sen took him to the ice cream shop and leaned over to the shopkeeper, saying, “Two cones, one vanilla, and one chocolate, please.”
One minute later, the shopkeeper handed over two ice cream cones. Ruan Sen handed the vanilla cone to Xu Zhan, and he took a bite from the chocolate one.
Xu Zhan was still a bit disoriented. He hesitated for a moment, then took a bite of the ice cream cone. It tasted quite good—rich in milk flavor, creamy, and sweet.
“You took me out for ice cream during our joyride?” Xu Zhan asked Ruan Sen with a smile.
Ruan Sen leaned against the motorcycle, shook his head, and gazed at him with unblinking eyes.
“It’s because I felt like you weren’t very happy,” Ruan Sen said casually. “You mentioned before that when you’re unhappy, you want to eat sweets, especially ice cream.”
Xu Zhan was taken aback. He looked up at Ruan Sen, who still had that indifferent, handsome face, which always seemed a bit cold when he wasn’t smiling, as if he were naturally aloof and indifferent to everything.
“Why do you think I’m unhappy?” Xu Zhan asked softly. He took another bite of the ice cream cone.
He was indeed feeling unhappy, as his encounter with Fang Xieyi had stirred up memories he had been trying to forget. But he didn’t know how Ruan Sen had figured it out; he had thought he was concealing it well.
Ruan Sen shrugged. “Can’t say for sure. When I first saw you, I just thought your smile didn’t look as good as usual—kind of hazy, like this damp winter day.”