Don’t Ignite It chapter 96
Difficult to Escape Blame: Xu Zhan × Ruan Sen(25)
In the end, Xu Zhan fled.
This was his school, his workplace, and Qin Sheng was the intruder.
But in the end, it was him who ran away.
……………..
“So,” Xia Yu sat across from him, cheeks puffed, stuffing himself with grilled meat, like a little hamster, “You’re just going to let him stay at your school? He’s a graduate, what’s he doing here?”
Xia Yu couldn’t help rolling his eyes; he was familiar with this routine. When Lu Zhao had pestered him, it had been the same. When in love, they didn’t know how to speak up, but when they broke up, they became affectionate. What a bunch of jerks.
He turned over the beef ribs and then picked a chicken wing for Xu Zhan.
Xu Zhan took a sip of beer, unsure of how to respond to Xia Yu’s words. It was his school, but he didn’t own it. If Qin Sheng had managed to obtain a student’s ID, then he had the right to stay.
The weather was getting hotter, and the endless summer on campus had begun. Qin Sheng sat by the window, looking at him, like the male lead from a campus comic.
A few days ago, while Xu Zhan was teaching, he had forgotten to be cautious and walked to Qin Sheng’s desk. Qin Sheng, who wasn’t paying much attention to the class, turned his head, and their hands touched briefly. Skin against skin. Qin Sheng’s fingers brushed against the back of his hand. It only lasted a second, but it was enough to make his heart race, like peach blossoms falling in the spring breeze. Even his voice faltered. Qin Sheng slipped something into his palm during that brief contact. It wasn’t until the break that he saw what was in his hand, a note folded into the shape of a heart, asking him if they could meet after class. The handwriting wasn’t particularly neat; Qin Sheng probably hadn’t practiced calligraphy. It was arrogant and willful, but he didn’t go. Qin Sheng stood outside the school gate, waiting for him like a loyal and handsome knight. But he just walked past, not giving Qin Sheng a second glance.
“You’re not going to give in so easily, are you?” Xia Yu propped his face up with one hand, looking at Xu Zhan with concern. “Although I may not have much persuasive power when I say this, but that guy hurt you deeply. How can you guarantee he won’t hurt you again?”
Xia Yu’s eyes were filled with worry. Even compared to the whole world, he was unconditionally biased towards Xu Zhan. In his eyes, Xu Zhan was perfect in every way, except for his bad luck in love.
Xia Yu’s current boyfriend, Lu Zhao, had hurt him deeply before, but if he had to be honest, Lu Zhao had never lied to him nor said hurtful words to him. It was his own youthful arrogance that had caused his suffering. But Xu Zhan was different. In a relationship that lasted until the end, he didn’t even know the other person’s name. Could that even be called love?
Xu Zhan lowered his gaze. “I won’t.”
But he was also a bit troubled. Qin Sheng’s presence was disturbing his peace of mind. There had already been lingering feelings, and now this person kept appearing in front of him. It was said that old grievances were hard to resolve, but it also felt like a drum beating in his heart.
After the dinner with Xia Yu, Xu Zhan called for a designated driver while Xia Yu was picked up by Lu Zhao. Xia Yu had drunk quite a bit, and his cheeks were flushed. He obediently sat on a bench outside the barbecue restaurant, like a child waiting for an adult.
As soon as Lu Zhao got out of the car, Xia Yu opened his arms and, foolishly, with bright and shining eyes, looked more like a child. He smelled like barbecue, and this barbecue restaurant was very busy, so his hair and clothes carried the scent. Xu Zhan remembered Xia Yu once saying that Lu Zhao was a bit of a clean freak, but Lu Zhao didn’t hesitate to hold Xia Yu in his arms, checking him from head to toe as if he were examining whether his precious had been bumped anywhere. Xu Zhan found it amusing, and there was even a hint of mockery in his eyes.
After comforting Xia Yu for a few words, Lu Zhao finally shifted his attention to Xu Zhan. Although it had been a long time since Xia Yu and Xu Zhan divorced, Lu Zhao clearly didn’t have a good expression when facing Xia Yu’s ex-husband. He nodded politely but coldly, “I’ll take Xia Yu home now.”
He didn’t even bother with polite words like offering to drive Xu Zhan home and just gently pushed Xia Yu into the car.
Xu Zhan smiled to himself. Although there had been many difficulties, at least Xia Yu and Lu Zhao were very happy now.
He opened his phone to call for a designated driver. However, before he could contact a driver, he received a message from Qin Sheng.
Qin Sheng said he had just gotten off the plane and asked Xu Zhan where he was. He also sent a photo with the message. In the photo, Qin Sheng had a scratch on his face, and his cheekbones were slightly bruised, making him look quite miserable. Xu Zhan frowned.
Qin Sheng’s message read, “I won the argument with my old man at home, but I got slapped. Our company had some issues this week, so I flew back and worked for almost a week. I’m so tired I could die.”
But he stopped there, as if knowing that Xu Zhan wouldn’t respond. Xu Zhan scrolled up and saw that Qin Sheng had sent him numerous WeChat messages, but he hadn’t replied to a single one.
Xu Zhan sat in the car and was driven smoothly to his residence. He held his phone the whole time, but it remained quiet, not vibrating even once. However, he couldn’t shake off the image of Qin Sheng’s photo with the bruised face, which was blurred yet clear. The injuries on his face seemed real.
When he arrived home, Xu Zhan went to the bathroom and took a shower. Afterward, he stood in front of the window, drying his hair, when he suddenly heard his phone vibrate again.
He instinctively picked it up and saw another message from Qin Sheng. This time, it was an audio message.
Xu Zhan hesitated for a moment before opening it. He thought Qin Sheng might be using this as an opportunity to complain and act pitiful, trying to make him feel sorry for him. He was well aware of these tricks.
However, when he played the audio message, there was a long silence before Qin Sheng’s voice finally came through, soft and tinged with a hint of drunkenness.
“I miss you so much, Xu Zhan.”
Qin Sheng’s voice was gentle, as if it carried a touch of moonlight, flowing gently and stirring the heartstrings, like a plucked string that resonated for a long time.
Xu Zhan’s hand loosened, and his phone almost fell onto the soft carpet. His expression was complex, and he slowly sat down on the soft bench by the window. The curtains were drawn open, and it was an overcast day. There was neither moon nor stars outside.
A drop of water fell from the tip of his hair and landed on the phone screen. He looked at his own face reflected on the glass window.
He had never liked being wishy-washy or getting entangled with anyone. But now, with Qin Sheng’s ambiguous involvement, he even looked down on himself.
The next day, Xu Zhan went to work as usual. Qin Sheng probably had something to do as he didn’t show up at the school, but he sent a cup of coffee and dessert to Xu Zhan’s office.
After hesitating for a while, Xu Zhan made a phone call, “Hello, do you have some free time? Can you do me a favor?”
Fang Xieyi, upon seeing Xu Zhan’s call, couldn’t help but wonder if he was still half asleep in the morning. Although he and Xu Zhan had settled their differences, they weren’t particularly close now. Generally, he was the one who initiated contact with Xu Zhan, and Xu Zhan rarely reached out to him. When he heard Xu Zhan’s request, he wore a strange expression.
“Are you sure?” He confirmed multiple times, finding it somewhat absurd. “This doesn’t seem like you.”
Xu Zhan also felt that he was acting absurdly. But what else could he do? He didn’t want to be indecisive, and he didn’t want to waste Qin Sheng’s time. It was better to break up cleanly, just like Fang Xieyi had rejected him straightforwardly in the past.
“Consider it a favor for me,” Xu Zhan said softly, “I’ll treat you to dinner afterward.”
Fang Xieyi raised an eyebrow, “Alright.”
The next evening, Fang Xieyi waited outside Xu Zhan’s school on time. Xu Zhan’s request was quite interesting. He asked Fang Xieyi to pick him up, pretending they were going on a date, in order to shake off a pursuer. But it didn’t seem like Xu Zhan at all. Over the years, many people had pursued Xu Zhan, and there had been persistent ones among them. However, Xu Zhan had decisively severed those relationships. Why did he need outside help this time?
Inside the classroom, Xu Zhan was still teaching. Today, his class was the last one, and it was already evening. There were fewer people in this class compared to the one on ancient Chinese literature history. He also taught an elective course on the appreciation of Ming and Qing opera, so there were students from other departments in the class. However, Qin Sheng was still there, gazing at him intently. But Xu Zhan didn’t dare to meet his gaze.
After the class ended, Xu Zhan packed up his things systematically, and the students gradually left. They all said goodbye to him, and he nodded in response. Only Qin Sheng remained seated and watched him. When Xu Zhan was about to leave, Qin Sheng stood up and walked over, placing his hand on Xu Zhan’s textbook.
Qin Sheng said, “Professor Xu, I have two tickets for a musical. Would you like to go with me?”
The students in the classroom had already left. A few who glanced back didn’t inquire further. Xu Zhan looked at Qin Sheng. Although they appeared like students, in casual wear, Qin Sheng, in particular, looked fresh and clean, blending in with the college students. He was friendly and polite, and he had quickly become friends with the people around him. Some students from the same class even helped him reserve seats.
Qin Sheng rarely asked him out, probably because he knew Xu Zhan would refuse. Most of the time, Qin Sheng would walk beside him after class, not too close, not too far, as if he wanted to accompany him for a short, leisurely walk. A few times, Xu Zhan had wanted to tell him not to follow, but this wasn’t his private domain, and there were other students around, so he couldn’t say something so unreasonable.
Qin Sheng would always stop when they reached the entrance to his office building or the school gate. But Qin Sheng’s calm and unhurried presence had made Xu Zhan uncomfortable lately. Whenever he turned around, he could see Qin Sheng’s face, tempting and tormenting him.
Seeing Xu Zhan’s silence, Qin Sheng got a bit closer, blinked his eyelashes, and softly said, “Could you consider it as pity for me and do me a favor? Please, Professor Xu.”
Qin Sheng said this with a smile. However, Xu Zhan’s gaze drifted over the bruise on Qin Sheng’s cheekbone. It wasn’t particularly horrifying after one night had passed, but it was still quite noticeable. Xu Zhan’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but he still said, “I already have plans today. I have a date with someone else.”
He looked at Qin Sheng calmly and recited the excuse he had rehearsed a thousand times.
Qin Sheng was momentarily taken aback, and a sense of unease welled up inside him, but he managed to force a smile. “Is it with a friend? Can I join you?”
This was the first time Qin Sheng had been so shameless, but Xu Zhan replied, “No, it’s a date, not a casual get-together with friends. Actually, you know the person I’m going on a date with. It’s my high school first love. He confessed to me recently, and I agreed to give it a try.”
The forced smile disappeared from Qin Sheng’s face, replaced by a feeling of being drenched with cold water from head to toe.
“I’m sorry; I need to leave,” Xu Zhan said politely and turned to walk away. Qin Sheng instinctively grabbed him, but when Xu Zhan turned around and gazed at him with a calm expression, Qin Sheng gradually let go of his grip, and Xu Zhan’s sleeve slipped through his fingers.
Qin Sheng stood there for a long while in the empty classroom. The setting sun’s afterglow bathed the room in shades of orange-red. He couldn’t help but mutter a curse under his breath before turning and hurrying after Xu Zhan.
It wasn’t until he was close to the school gate that he caught up to Xu Zhan. Before reaching Xu Zhan, he thought, “No one can steal this person from me. What’s an old first love? It’s like pulling out a piece of history from ten years ago and treating it as current news.” However, when he reached Xu Zhan, he saw the face of the man standing next to him.
Fang Xieyi had been opening the car door for Xu Zhan when someone suddenly appeared beside them. The person was quite tall and exuded a strong aura, which made Fang Xieyi look displeased. However, when Fang Xieyi turned his head, he was momentarily stunned and raised an eyebrow subtly. He then turned to Xu Zhan.
Fang Xieyi couldn’t contain his subtle change in expression and he didn’t need to think too hard to know that the guy in front of him was the “pursuer” Xu Zhan wanted him to help fend off. But this pursuer surprisingly had some subtle resemblance to him, especially in profile. At the same time, he recognized him as the person who had waited for Xu Zhan across the street in Xiangshi City, even though he hadn’t seen his face clearly back then. But the features were too similar.
This was the first time Qin Sheng had seen Xu Zhan’s first love. He had heard Xu Zhan’s complete story about this person, understanding the significance of him in Xu Zhan’s life and how he had been a lingering nightmare for many years. However, he had never known that this person bore some resemblance to himself. He looked at Xu Zhan in disbelief and asked, “Is this your… first love?”
Xu Zhan gazed into his eyes, and for some reason, his fingers trembled slightly. “Yes.”
He didn’t say anything more, but Qin Sheng didn’t need further explanation. He clenched his teeth, and his eyes showed a mix of hurt and anger, reminiscent of the day they had broken up. Xu Zhan couldn’t help but lean against the car door behind him, as if seeking some support. The shadow from that day had still not dissipated, and seeing Qin Sheng’s expression made him feel the pain in his heart again. However, Qin Sheng just remained silent, trying to restrain himself from saying anything harsh.
Fang Xieyi, on the other hand, watched the two of them with cold eyes. He had seen many love-struck individuals and couldn’t help but notice the lingering feelings between these two. He approached them and pulled Xu Zhan back.
“Excuse me, I need to take Xu Zhan out for dinner. Please don’t block the way,” Fang Xieyi said calmly. After Xu Zhan got into the car, he closed the door firmly. Qin Sheng stared at Fang Xieyi’s profile for a moment, wanting to vent his anger and break the man’s arm, but when he made eye contact with Xu Zhan inside the car, he couldn’t move. The car drove away in front of him.