The Whole World Wants Me To Get Divorced chapter 17
Date
Rong Xiao indeed kept his word. Two days later, he arrived back from Mount Wei Yan and was waiting at the entrance of A University to pick up Wen Yan without any delay.
However, when Wen Yan received his message, he was in the middle of the last exam.
Their midterms were all in-class quizzes. Some teachers were more relaxed, letting them answer two open-ended questions and be done with it. Others were stricter, not only printing out exam papers but also confiscating mobile phones.
Wen Yan suddenly felt troubled.
He typed on his phone with a hint of grievance, “I still have one more exam, and the earliest I can come out is at five.” That was because exams had to be submitted one hour after they began.
Rong Xiao didn’t mind, “You take the exam first, I’ll wait for you.”
Wen Yan sighed; he was really in a hurry.
Not long after the exam began, Wen Yan swiftly finished writing the paper with the speed of divine assistance. However, when he lifted his head to check, there were still twenty minutes before he could leave the classroom. He suddenly wilted, his eyes full of resentment as he glared at their bald teacher. For the first time in his life, he disrespected the teacher and harbored rebellious thoughts of avenging himself by lifting the teacher’s wig.
The bald teacher was completely oblivious to Wen Yan’s resentment. He glanced at him and reminded, “Don’t look around during the exam. Looking up too many times will be considered cheating.”
Wen Yan angrily broke a ballpoint pen, feeling that it was time to set the wig on fire.
Fortunately, the long twenty minutes finally passed.
When the clock pointed to five, he rushed to submit his paper, grabbed his small backpack, and dashed towards the exit.
His actions caught the attention of nearby classmates. Some raised their heads, and someone murmured, “Is Wen Yan in urgent need to use the restroom?”
Others agreed, thinking it made sense.
Only Li Zheng chuckled.
Only he knew the truth.
This little Wen Yan, grown-up yet still childlike, running to meet his lover.
Wen Yan ran all the way to the school gate, panting heavily. It wasn’t until he was close to the gate that he slowed down.
There, he saw Rong Xiao.
It was already November; the large flowers had long withered, but the trees at the gate remained green. The tricolor plum blossoms were blooming just right, with a charming and vibrant color—a decadent red.
Rong Xiao stood next to these flowers, his appearance more captivating than the blossoms. Despite the simplicity of his gray windbreaker, his long legs and slender waist attracted everyone’s attention.
Wen Yan couldn’t help but smile, running towards Rong Xiao, and threw himself into his arms.
Rong Xiao caught him and casually hooked his waist.
There were classmates Wen Yan knew at the school gate. Rong Xiao standing here naturally attracted everyone’s attention. They had been quietly discussing who Rong Xiao was waiting for. Now, seeing Wen Yan rush over, they playfully called out his name, asking him, “Is this your brother?”
“Of course not,” Wen Yan denied loudly, “he’s my boyfriend.”
After answering, he felt triumphant in his heart.
Who doesn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Hmph.
He had seen people holding hands and walking past him every day. Now, it was finally his turn to show affection.
Rong Xiao smiled helplessly, but instead of arguing, he held Wen Yan’s hand and led him to the car.
“Let’s have dinner first,” he helped Wen Yan fasten his seatbelt, started the car, “After dinner, I’ll take you on our date.”
Wen Yan immediately agreed.
He looked at Rong Xiao’s beautiful side profile, full of expectations for the upcoming arrangements.
His romantic experiences matched his face—completely blank. Many had confessed to him, but none had caught his interest, so he had never successfully gone on a date.
However, he didn’t dare to set his expectations too high, mainly considering Rong Xiao’s age. This ancient monster had lived for tens of thousands of years, and his interests might not align with those of young people.
Just in case Rong Xiao’s understanding of a date involved going to a theater, listening to music, and having tea…
Wen Yan thought for a moment, secretly vowing that even if that were the case, he wouldn’t lose face. He would act surprised and delighted.
Dinner was at a newly opened restaurant. Li Zheng had mentioned it to Wen Yan, saying it had just opened, and reservations were full for a month. But somehow, Rong Xiao managed to book the entire place.
The head chef even customized a special set menu for Wen Yan.
Wen Yan was very satisfied, especially with the last osmanthus dessert, which suited his taste perfectly.
After dinner, Rong Xiao took him to a small forest.
Wen Yan had never been here before. It was quite desolate, with few people around, and in the night, the woods were almost pitch dark.
Wen Yan looked left and right, unable to find a suitable dating spot. Instead, he felt like he was in the background of a mystery novel, the beginning of a murder and disposal of a body.
But when he saw that Rong Xiao had already parked the car and stopped here, he had to face reality…
“Why are we here?” he followed Rong Xiao down. He was a bit scared of this pitch-black forest and timidly tugged on Rong Xiao’s clothes.
Sensing Wen Yan’s fear, Rong Xiao comfortingly patted his shoulder. “The place I’m taking you can’t be reached by human transportation. We’re here just to avoid being seen by humans.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and drew a circle in the air. His fingertips were like a brush, sparking silver sparks.
Wen Yan widened his eyes; he saw the silver circle in the air continuously expanding until it became a “door” big enough for one person.
On the other side of the door was clearly a completely different scenery.
“Let’s go.”
Rong Xiao took his hand and walked through the “door.”
The light inside the “door” surged, and Wen Yan couldn’t help but close his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself and Rong Xiao standing in a valley.
This valley was unlike any place he had seen before.
The starry sky hung low, and the night breeze was cool. All the hustle and bustle of human industrial society had disappeared, leaving a silence that engulfed the earth.
Yet, this silence did not feel desolate.
Because all around, as far as the eye could see, were shimmering white starlights, like a river of stars pouring down from the sky, spilling into the valley.
As the wind gently blew, this star river, like a stream on the ground, created ripples, with starlight flowing and shining brightly.
Wen Yan was amazed. It felt like he was in the midst of the Milky Way.
In an instant, the world became exceptionally vast, and he, just a human like a floating duckweed, was carried away by the overwhelming glow of these fireflies.
After a moment, he came back to his senses. Curiously, he touched one of the white starlights floating in the air, but it seemed to have a self-awareness, avoiding his fingertips.
“These are creatures called Starfire Spirits, appearing only once every hundred years,” Rong Xiao explained in a low voice behind him. “Over the years, I’ve come here every time. Since you mentioned a date, and I’m not very familiar with what humans like, I thought of bringing you here.”
Wen Yan finally gained the favor of a white Starfire Spirit at this moment. The creature landed on his fingertip, pure white and translucent, like it was carved from white jade. Soon, it flew away from his fingertip and merged into the entire white star river.
Hearing Rong Xiao’s soft question from behind him, “Do you like it?”
He smiled, turned around to look at Rong Xiao, and nodded firmly, “Once every hundred years, and it’s so beautiful. Of course, I like it.”
Rong Xiao then felt a bit relieved. He really didn’t understand the human dating process, and bringing Wen Yan to witness this sea of fireflies was the housekeeper’s suggestion.
He took Wen Yan’s hand, leading him up the mountain to a small pavilion, a place he used to rest when he came here before.
The view from the mountaintop became even more magnificent. The white fireflies followed the mountain wind and spun around, constantly rising until they almost covered the sky.
Looking up, Wen Yan felt strangely familiar with the scene before him.
As if he had seen it somewhere.
But he was not even eighteen years old, and this beautiful sight occurred only once every hundred years. It couldn’t be possible; at most, it might have been in a dream.
He asked Rong Xiao, “How long will these Starfire Spirits stay in this valley?”
“Only one day,” Rong Xiao’s voice was somewhat elusive in the night wind. “These Starfire Spirits, like mayflies, live for a day and die at night. When the fireflies in front of us go out, they will fall, leaving behind the eggs of the next generation of Starfire Spirits, waiting for the next hundred years.”
Wen Yan couldn’t help but choke, “…”
He had just been immersed in the romantic atmosphere, and now he suddenly felt a bit speechless.
This dreamlike date turned out to be attending a funeral.
The train of thought of this ten-thousand-year-old monster was indeed difficult to understand.
Wen Yan looked at Rong Xiao’s profile with a somewhat indescribable expression.
Rong Xiao noticed his gaze and asked strangely, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Yan sighed, gave up on educating him about human dating strategies, and said, “It’s nothing. Just felt a bit regretful. It’s so beautiful, but it can only exist for one day. Their lives are too short.”
Rong Xiao patted his head, “That’s because you’re still too young. Everything becomes dull if it lasts too long. Living and dying within a day turns into eternal beauty.”
Wen Yan wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.
He was indeed too young, a mere eighteen-year-old human. The gap in time between him and Rong Xiao, a monster of over ten thousand years, was insurmountable.
In terms of the meaning of life and time, he could never argue with Rong Xiao.
Yet, for some reason, he felt a bit depressed.
He really wanted to ask Rong Xiao if, for him, this long life had become boring.
But, in the end, he didn’t say anything.
He and Rong Xiao watched the spectacle in the valley together.
Just as Rong Xiao described.
These creatures called Starfire Spirits lived for a day and died at night, ultimately turning into a meteor shower in the sky, with long tails falling in sequence into the valley, turning into scattered silver, slowly extinguishing.
It resembled scenes from a movie.
And as these shooting stars fell, Wen Yan gently pulled Rong Xiao’s sleeve.
Lowering his head, Rong Xiao asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Yan was a bit embarrassed but still bravely asked, “Can you… kiss me? I mean, everyone does it on a date.”
This was pure deception to make the ancient monster understand human rules.
Rong Xiao fell silent for a moment.
He had seen many human romantic movies, and he wasn’t a rigid monster. He had long been familiar with the scripts of so-called romantic couples.
But Wen Yan’s relationship with him seemed to be far from those passionate lovers.
Still, he didn’t want to disappoint Wen Yan.
He bent down and lightly placed a kiss on Wen Yan’s forehead.
A kiss with no hint of romantic meaning, as if an elder was giving praise to a beloved junior.
However, just as his lips left Wen Yan’s forehead, Wen Yan took a deep breath, grabbed Rong Xiao’s collar, and without warning, kissed him back.
This time, the kiss landed on the lips.
Wen Yan’s lips were soft, probably because he had eaten candy after dinner. There was a faint sweetness, like a soft and sweet fruit.
He didn’t know how to kiss, hadn’t learned any advanced kissing techniques, and didn’t know how to make someone’s soul tremble.
This kiss was inexperienced and clumsy, full of hesitation, but also filled with the fervent love of a young man.
He kept his eyes open, looking at Rong Xiao so ardently, as if flames were burning deep within his eyes.
Caught off guard by this gaze, Rong Xiao’s heart throbbed slightly.
It felt as if something indestructible in his heart had been shattered a bit.
As their lips separated, this date finally came to an end.
The meteor shower formed by the Starfire Spirits disappeared, falling into the valley and covering the ground, contributing to a new beginning through special nutrients.
Subsequently, in the valley, one after another, azure-blue flowers bloomed. They flourished in a wanton and brilliant manner, resembling the rare Ghost Orchids planted in Rong Xiao’s courtyard, but the petals were slightly transparent blue, radiating a mysterious and unpredictable color.
Wen Yan, after kissing someone, covered his chest, dared not lift his head, and his little heart pounded.
Rong Xiao, as the one who was unexpectedly attacked, remained much calmer.
Watching Wen Yan burying his head in his chest for quite some time, he finally said softly, “Don’t you want to take a look? The date isn’t over yet. In this valley, there is the last millennium Ghost Orchid, even rarer than the ones in our courtyard.”
Wen Yan secretly lifted his head, still avoiding eye contact with Rong Xiao, and his gaze fell into the valley.
Sure enough, the valley was filled with flowers. The faint blue color, as melancholic as a sigh, blossomed in this untouched valley, beautiful like a dream about to shatter.
And he and Rong Xiao stood amidst this sea of flowers.