I Only Want You chapter 26
Yan Lan, panting, ran to the south gate of the Fine Arts College. At a glance, he saw Xie Yun Zhi standing by the car, wearing a sharp suit and looking radiant.
Xie Yun Zhi had been watching the direction of the school gate, so the moment Yan Lan appeared, he saw him. Watching Yan Lan run towards him, his hair disheveled, Xie Yun Zhi reached out to tidy it up and led him to the back seat of the car.
The driver in the driver’s seat stared straight ahead, pretending to be an emotionless stone, making an effort to ignore the ambiguous movements in the back seat, as if he were just an unfeeling object.
After a few minutes, Xie Yun Zhi finally let go of Yan Lan’s lips. His warm palm gently touched Yan Lan’s cheek, “Yan, things happened suddenly, and I have to leave soon.”
Yan Lan pursed his lips, feeling the warmth from the kiss. He raised his eyebrows slightly, expressing confusion and curiosity: Where are you going?
“Do you remember my business trip to Sweden before? The main purpose was to renew the contract with a Nordic jewelry designer whose contract with Venus Jewelry is about to expire. He used to be the chief designer at Venus Jewelry when my brother was still alive. His contract with Venus is expiring at the end of this year. Initially, we had discussed and agreed to renew the contract during my last visit. However, we just received news that the CEO of Pfeiffer Jewelry is flying directly from Paris to Stockholm. I suspect he’s there to poach and snatch our designer. I need to go and stop him.”
Yan Lan listened and nodded, his arm reaching around the person in front of him, pulling him closer, and kissing those lips again. Due to the impending separation, Yan Lan felt a bit melancholic. He didn’t even remember to tell him about the trouble he had encountered.
Even if he remembered, he might not tell him. Xie Yun Zhi was already busy enough, and Yan Lan didn’t want him to worry about his issues on top of his work.
Xie Yun Zhi was pressed for time; he took the time to see Yan Lan on his way to the airport. After receiving a call from Secretary Lin, who had arrived at the airport with luggage earlier, he had to leave.
He let go of Yan Lan, watching him get out of the car. Unable to resist, he said, “You be good, I’ll come back to pick you up after I finish my work.”
Yan Lan had one leg already out of the car. Upon hearing this, he turned his head slightly and glanced at him, gesturing with sign language: You be good too, don’t let me hear that you’re having dinner with other girls.
Xie Yun Zhi nodded with a smile, “okay”
As Yan Lan returned to the dorm, Yang Xiaole had already turned red-eyed. His slender fingers danced on the keyboard, so fast that they left lingering traces. Anyone hearing the clattering sound of the keyboard could imagine the intensity of the online dispute.
Yan Lan was a bit startled, approaching Yang Xiaole cautiously. He looked at the screen, and Yang Xiaole had written a long paragraph and forcefully hit the enter key to send it out.
Yan Lan took out his phone and asked, “What happened?”
“That rumor post has been deleted by the forum administrators. After I posted the clarification, the person who posted it appeared in the comments, saying our explanation was too weak, and he accused us of deleting his post out of guilt.” Yang Xiaole said, rolling his eyes. “What’s wrong with this person? I even posted the part-time contract with the information blurred, and he still insists on making trouble.”
Yan Lan shook his head, “Don’t waste too much time on such a person. The post has been deleted, and our clarification has been posted. If someone still believes him, there’s nothing more I can say.”
Yang Xiaole shrugged, closed the computer, and then remembered to ask, “By the way, why were you gone for so long just now?”
Yan Lan explained: Went out of the school gate. Xie Yun Zhi came to see me just now. He has to go on a business trip to Northern Europe and came to see me before heading to the airport.
“Oh, Yun Zhi~” Yang Xiaole teased, looking at Yan Lan, “It seems that being in love is indeed different. Yun Zhi~ Yun Zhi~ Why don’t you call him your husband?”
Yan Lan smiled, put away his phone, and lightly pushed Yang Xiaole’s shoulder, signaling him not to tease him anymore.
The two took a short nap in the afternoon and rushed to attend their classes at 2:30 PM.
Due to their busy coursework, the forum incident was temporarily put aside by them.
The clarification post Yan Lan posted on the forum was effective. At least, after that day, there were no more rumors circulating within the school about him being financially supported by someone. People in the cafeteria also stopped giving him strange looks.
But just two days later, while Xie Yun Zhi was still in Sweden and hadn’t returned, Yan Lan faced an even bigger storm alone.
It was a day with exceptionally good weather. In the morning, Yan Lan was working on an oil painting assignment in the studio when suddenly the studio door was forcefully pushed open.
Yan Lan looked at Yang Xiaole, who walked quickly to him, with a puzzled and questioning look in his eyes.
“Momo, you need to know about this.”
Yan Lan raised his eyebrows and put down the paintbrush and palette, taking the phone handed over to him by Yang Xiaole.
The first thing that caught his eye was a Weibo post with the ID “Internet Veteran Spectator”: “Was the Chairman and CEO of Venus Jewelry, Xie Yun Zhi, originally gay? A sweet hand-in-hand date with a same-sex partner during the National Day holiday, not fearing societal norms. They even stayed overnight at Xie’s luxurious mansion.”
There were several accompanying images below, stolen shots taken on that day in the amusement park. There were even a few of Yan Lan holding a bouquet and getting into the car. Each image was clear, with only the face blurred.
However, anyone who knew Yan Lan would probably recognize him in these photos.
Yan Lan subconsciously clicked into the comments, but before he could read much, Yang Xiaole snatched the phone away.
“There’s nothing interesting in the comments. Just irresponsible remarks from onlookers enjoying the show.”
Although Yang Xiaole acted quickly, Yan Lan still managed to read one of the comments in the forefront: “Is this the guy who replaced the female lead? Yao Jinni lost to a man?”
Yan Lan, with a calm expression, continued painting, as if he had just seen some news unrelated to him.
Yang Xiaole did not realize that he had already seen the worst comment. He brought a chair from the corner, sat next to Yan Lan, and asked with great concern, “What should we do? It’s not something that can be deleted just by wanting to.”
Yan Lan shook his head slowly.
“Xie Yun Zhi probably doesn’t know what happened yet. Considering the time difference in Northern Europe, he should still be asleep.”
Yan Lan nodded.
Yang Xiaole, anxiously watching his indifferent profile, said, “Anyway, your life is bound to be affected, Momo.”
Yan Lan was well aware of this. It probably wouldn’t take long for the paparazzi to find their way here, take pictures of him, and expose everything online. Using the pretext of Xie Yun Zhi having a same-sex partner would attract public attention, and it might even provoke dissatisfaction from those who initially hoped that Yao Jinni and Xie Yun Zhi would be together.
Don’t be fooled by his calm appearance at the moment. In reality, his heart was sinking bit by bit. With each descent, the panic and unease in his heart increased.
This was an unexpected situation. They had just started their relationship, and they were already facing one trouble after another. It seemed like a bad omen, silently and powerfully indicating that they shouldn’t be together.
Yan Lan was not someone easily influenced by others’ hurtful words, but the phrase “male third party” had struck a chord. While it didn’t hurt physically, there was a vacant feeling in his heart, a sense of urgency and helplessness.
But worse things were still to come.
The clarification post he had put on the forum, along with the part-time contract blurred to protect information, had been brought to Weibo by a well-intentioned person. For a stronger clarification, Yan Lan had left the time of the contract unblurred, proving that he had indeed been part-time working at Xie’s house, drawing with the child. This also inadvertently confirmed that he had appeared during the “breakup” between Yao Jinni and Xie Yun Zhi.
Even their moments at the concert during the National Day holiday, where they were repeatedly shown on the big screen, were dug out by someone.
Before long, someone compiled all the known information, analyzed in detail how Yan Lan went from starting part-time to being with Xie Yun Zhi in just a few months. During this time, Xie Yun Zhi also appeared at Yao Jinni’s birthday party, and they had dinner together during her rare free time. This at least indicated that they were still together at that time, unlike the “strangers” they claimed to be after the clarification changed their relationship to just friends. No one mentioned that in that analysis.
Each detail was pointed out, and every word suggested that Yan Lan was a male third party, breaking up others’ relationships, especially separating Yao Jinni and Xie Yun Zhi.
This “well-founded” analysis was evidently believed by many students in the Fine Arts College because, in a blink of an eye, Yan Lan’s clarification post on the forum was under siege.
Countless students logged in and flooded the post with comments.
[What else do you have to say? Can you face everyone who believed in you?] [Now it seems that the picture of you and Xie Yun Zhi eating skewers in the previous post was real, right? Even the child matches. Yan Lan, you’ve really been kept by someone, haven’t you? How can you still have the face to explain yourself?] [Male third party, go to hell! Male third party, go to hell!]Meanwhile, the comments section of Yao Jinni’s Weibo, where she had clarified her relationship with Xie Yun Zhi, suddenly had thousands of new comments.
Countless onlookers and her personal fans sympathized with her, celebrating her quick escape. Otherwise, she would have been entangled with two gays.
The situation had now clearly spiraled out of control. No one cared about Yao Jinni’s previous clarification that she and Xie Yun Zhi were just ordinary friends.
Weibo was flooded with the “highlighted scenes” of the two: a date on the streets of Paris, Xie Yun Zhi attending the award ceremony as a film investor, and Yao Jinni’s winning speech with the camera cutting to Xie Yun Zhi in the audience, his face filled with a gentle and proud smile.
They were a pair that many people had high hopes for at first, and it wasn’t without reason because they indeed seemed very compatible. Some even asserted that Yao Jinni would retire from the spotlight and focus on being a homemaker for Xie Yun Zhi.
Until recently, Yao Jinni made a relationship clarification in response to rumors about her heartbreak due to love. People were left regretful that the two were not destined to be together.
However, now, a male third party appeared, seemingly disrupting the relationship between the national film queen Yao Jinni and Xie Yun Zhi. Once the rhythm was set, no one cared if Yan Lan was innocent or if the truth was as they believed. They pitied Yao Jinni while condemning the male third party, vowing to disgrace him.
Anyone who tried to speak sensibly on behalf of Yan Lan would be attacked one after another, cursed as a dozen male thirds and gays.
In just a few hours, after much fermentation of public opinion, Yan Lan became the target of public condemnation. Everyone on the street seemed to want to curse at him as a male third party.
Lin Secretary did not dare to keep the situation from Xie Yun Zhi, conveying the domestic news to him immediately upon waking up.
Xie Yun Zhi listened with a frown. “Let me see.”
Secretary Lin immediately handed him the phone.
From the earliest Weibo post exposing his relationship with Yan Lan to the present, three or four hours had passed. The trending topic was still firmly in place, and the discussion volume continued to grow.
After Xie Yun Zhi finished reading those Weibo posts and the insulting comments aimed at Yan Lan, he handed the phone back to Secretary Lin. “Remove anything that can be removed. Contact my lawyer. He’ll know what to do.”
Secretary Lin responded affirmatively and left immediately.
Xie Yun Zhi took out his phone and opened WeChat, directly clicking on the only chat box.
[What’s my Yan busy with?]Yan Lan replied after a while.
[Reading.]Neither of them mentioned the things on Weibo, as if they were unaware of the storms raging online.
[I’ll be back soon.] [Done with your work?] [Yes, Mr. Eric assured me he would only choose Venus.] [That’s great.] [Do you have anything to tell me?] [Yes, I miss you.] [I miss you too.]After a while, Xie Yun Zhi suddenly sent a message.
[Yan, for these two days, take leave and come to my house. You can return to school after I’ve sorted everything out.]Yan Lan realized that he already knew.
[I don’t want to take leave. I’m not a male third party.] [Of course, you’re not. But the public opinion online is unfavorable to you. I don’t want you to endure bullying and exclusion from your classmates. You can’t deny the possibility of this happening.]Yan Lan didn’t reply.
As soon as Xie Yun Zhi thought that Yan Lan might have seen those comments attacking and insulting him, he couldn’t sit still, pacing around the room.
[Please just do as I say. Don’t make me worry too much about you.]After a while, Yan Lan finally replied.
[Understood.] [Then pack your things now. I’ll have the driver pick you up.] [Okay, I’ll write a leave note first.]Yan Lan put down his phone and obediently closed his book, got off the bed, and started using his computer to write a leave note. In this stage of his studies, for a leave of up to three days, as long as the professor approved, it would be sufficient.
He was usually very serious about his studies, and he had a good impression on his professor, who readily agreed and replied to his email saying he could make up for the paperwork upon return to school. Yan Lan then began packing his things.
Yang Xiaole was in the midst of arguing with more than a dozen people on Weibo. The argument had started in the morning, escalating until they mutually blocked each other. He threw his phone onto the table. “It’s driving me crazy! These people don’t really care about Yao Jinni; they’re just using this as an outlet for their emotions!”
Hearing this, Yan Lan put down the clothes he was holding, took Yang Xiaole’s phone, and wrote with elegant calligraphy: “Stop going to Weibo to argue with those people. It’s useless, and getting angry harms your health. It’s not worth it.”
“I know, I’m just so angry. These people are just following the wind.”
Yan Lan comfortingly patted his shoulder and continued writing: “Lele, I’ve already applied for leave with my professor. I’ll be staying at Yun Zhi’s house for a while.”
After reading it, Yang Xiaole fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “That’s good. The damn analysis post on Weibo has already been reposted thirty thousand times. Yao Jinni hasn’t made any moves, and now you’re the target of public criticism. It’s better to lay low for a while. I’ll send you off later.”