Deluge

As the saying goes, there was no mountain blossom that couldn’t be picked, only scumbags who didn’t work hard.

Whenever his scoundrel friends ridiculed him for not changing his jerk behaviour, Xu Juan couldn’t help but retort: “Do you know just how hard I work!” 

It wasn’t a joke; Xu Juan truly did work hard.

Just like how at this moment, though Pei Yu was in his passenger seat, he didn’t even give Xu Juan a single glance from the corner of his eye. The other was clearly sitting in his car, and yet still treated him like air.

Xu Juan knew that in such circumstances, one shouldn’t randomly make conversation. Every individual was different; Some were chatty, others were naturally taciturn and felt that having to make awkward conversation with someone unfamiliar was a social burden. Xu Juan didn’t want to add to Pei Yu’s burdens. He knew very well that if he wanted to gain Pei Yu’s favour, it was important that Pei Yu felt comfortable being around him, and that he didn’t reject his company.

But this opportunity hadn’t been easy to seize, he couldn’t completely prioritize Pei Yu’s comfort. If he didn’t even get to chat a little, how would progress be made? 

As such, picking the correct topic of conversation at this point was crucial.

Xu Juan gave it some thought. His first instinct was to adapt to the other’s interests and bring up a couple verses of poems for discussion. After all, Pei Yu was a mandarin teacher, and it was said he had absolute mastery over Chinese culture. He was the real deal who had even published a book and was praised as a gifted scholar –– He had seen this in the introduction that Tang Sisi copied over.

But this was exactly it, how would he dare to put on airs in front of a professional? The slightest mistake would reveal his ignorance. Moreover, Pei Yu was merely hitching a ride from him, to suddenly drag the other into such a discussion, it would really be too pretentious of him.

Xu Juan quickly went through a few ideas in his head, but none of this showed on his face.

He followed the GPS and made a turn at a bend, pretending to be making an unconscious remark: “Is there an event happening at Qingjing Gallery today? The road is so jammed.”

Qingjing Gallery was a themed bookstore. Although it was called a bookstore, based on its function, it was more like a large-scale activity centre for literature and the arts. Well-known writers and manhua artists would often hold autograph sessions. There would also be celebrities or other bigshots in the arts and literature scene who would hold fan meetings here; It was very happening.

“The surroundings are all blocked.” Xu Juan said, looking at the GPS map, “It might not be possible to drive over too soon. Pei laoshi, are you in a hurry?”

Pei Yu glanced down to look at the time: “No.” Then, he added, “Director Xu need not specially send me. If you have other things to attend to, go ahead. I can just alight here.” 

“No, I’m heading back to the company, it’s in the Huainan Road area, so it’s on the way.” With just words, Xu Juan had relocated his entire company. He wanted to know what Pei Yu was going to Qingjing Gallery for, indirectly probing, “Previously, a popular online bestselling author had an autograph session here. Even then, the traffic jam wasn’t so bad. What kind of event is happening today, for things to be this excessive?”

Pei Yu also seemed a little confused, saying with some uncertainty: “Mr He Mingshu is giving a lecture at Qingjing Gallery today. He is indeed very popular, but…”

But He Mingshu was a strict writer of literature, he was very traditional and was already over eighty this year. His books sold well, but a serious writer such as him was different from a celebrity in the entertainment circle; He simply did not have enough appeal to command such a huge audience. Looking at the situation, if one were unaware, they would probably think that some singer had come to hold a concert.

Xu Juan understood what he was implying. 

But Xu Juan was distracted. He suddenly realized that although Pei Yu was alluring while indifferent, he was even more alluring when he showed emotion. It was clearly just a small change in his expression, but when it appeared on Pei Yu’s face, it was as if his cold features had been streaked over with vivid colours. It was so attractive that he couldn’t look away.

This was just the beginning, Xu Juan thought restlessly. Next time, he would definitely have Pei Yu show him even more expressions, especially the kind where he was on the brink of self-restraint… If he continued along that line of thought, it would be too vulgar, so Xu Juan coughed lightly to cover it up: “I’ll look into it.”

He sent a message to his secretary, enquiring about the Qingjing Gallery situation.

Who knew that it would’ve been better if he had never asked. Once asked, there really was a problem. The secretary Xiao Lin said: “There aren’t any big events happening at Qingjing Gallery. The people on the road are headed next door –– Li Mengzhou is holding a fan meeting at the commercial building beside it.” 

“……”

Xu Juan lapsed into momentary silence, and the secretary cautiously said: “Director Xu, Li Mengzhou has called me several times. He said he wants to meet with you to talk in person.”

“Talk about what? I’m very busy.” Xu Juan was apathetic, “You’ve been working with me for so long, surely you don’t need me to teach you how to handle this?”

The secretary responded directly and concisely with “Understood”, and hung up. 

This brief interlude was hardly worth a mention, but Xu Juan was initially in a good mood. With the abrupt involvement of Li Mengzhou, he was immediately irritable.

He changed lovers the way he changed his clothes, and had always ended the relationships amicably. To suddenly have to deal with such a clingy person, although it didn’t affect him much as a whole, it still made him disgruntled.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Xu Juan redirected his attention back to Pei Yu, but when he turned to look at the other, he noticed that Pei Yu was also looking at him.

This was too unexpected. Xu Juan was momentarily dazed, the remnant annoyance on his face still present. For him to attempt the “Sichuan Opera face change” was still too difficult, so he took his chances and let slip a look of distress, blurting: “Some problems arose at work.”

Pei Yu nodded and didn’t reply. He didn’t seem like he had any desire to chat, no matter the topic.

This behaviour was easy to interpret: He was not interested in him. 

Xu Juan did not take offence and put his phone down. At this moment, the cars in front that were stuck in traffic started to move. He slowly inched the car forward and finally managed to send Pei Yu to the entrance of Qingjing Gallery.

Pei Yu was here to listen to the lecture.

Xu Juan wanted to go inside with him, but there wasn’t a good excuse he could use, so he could only abandon the thought.

Before they parted, after Pei Yu got out of the car, Xu Juan called out to him from behind the window: “Since I’ve already apologized, could you add me back on Wechat, Pei laoshi?” 

“……”

As the proverb goes, when one has received the benefits of another, they would be more likely to return a favour. Pei Yu was probably considering how since Xu Juan had given him a lift, he should at least be civil towards him. So, he didn’t refuse. 

Xu Juan scanned the QR code and successfully wormed into Pei Yu’s friend list.

This was his second encounter with Pei Yu.

Xu Juan hadn’t expected the third encounter to happen sooner than he had imagined.

–– It happened that same day. 

After he had left Qingjing Gallery earlier in the day, he had headed for his appointment with Guo Shao. The group of them played billiards all afternoon and naturally went for a meal in the evening. The location was at the most reputable restaurant in the city centre, called Yuming.

Xu Juan’s birthday was on the 10th of September. It didn’t use to be a big deal, but now that everyone knew the person he recently set his sights on was a university professor, the bunch of them teased him over his birthdate falling on Teacher’s Day. They called it fate, so why not their Director Xu take it seriously and grab a hold of this destined marriage? He should take care of this major life event so Chairman Xu would stop berating him every day. How exhausting.

Since Xu Juan was in a good mood, he played along: “Forget it. This will be my twenty sixth birthday, not my thirty sixth. What are you all rushing me for, just like my second aunt.”

Everyone burst into laughter. 

At this moment, Xu Juan’s phone vibrated. It was actually a message from Li Mengzhou––

“Xu ge, I know you’re at Yuming Restaurant. I’m outside, can you come out for a little while?”

“……”

Purely due to his bad memory, Xu Juan had forgotten to block Li Mengzhou. He had initially expected that after one warning, the other would at most dare to contact Xiao Lin and wouldn’t have the guts to harass him. It seems he had underestimated him. 

Xu Juan fiddled with his phone and leaned against the back of the chair, replying: “No, I don’t want to be photographed by the paparazzi.”

Li Mengzhou said: “I’m very careful, there won’t be any paparazzi.”

“……” Xu Juan realized that this brat was somewhat dim-witted, so he had to be more straightforward, “Still don’t get it? I’ve already made myself quite clear–– It’s over. Our sponsor relationship is over. I’ve transferred a sum of money to your account, don’t look for me again in the future. I’ll say this for the last time. My patience is limited. Don’t bother me.”

The phrase fuck and dump was absolutely referring to Xu Juan. 

But so was the saying that scumbags belonged with cheap women and men. He was already being this brazen of a jerk, not showing Li Mengzhou the slightest bit of respect. Yet, Li Mengzhou continued to be obstinate and insisted on seeing him, as if he would immediately die if he didn’t.

Xu Juan couldn’t stand this kind of love saint the most. He grabbed his phone and left the private room, taking the elevator down. Once he went out to stand in front of the restaurant, he caught sight of Li Mengzhou who was decked in sunglasses and a mask. 

“Xu ge!” It was as if Li Mengzhou was afraid the other wouldn’t spot him, immediately throwing himself in his direction, intending to hug him.

Xu Juan avoided him and stood to the side, voice cold: “What do you want to see me for? Does it feel better to be rejected by me in person?”

In the night, the neon lights flickered; The city centre was bustling with activity.

They stood under a single streetlamp. Xu Juan’s sharp and distinct features were reflected in Li Mengzhou’s eyes; They looked both unfeeling and unfamiliar. 

Likewise, Xu Juan, too, felt that the other was unfamiliar.

Time-wise, the both of them were together for two to three months. Li Mengzhou wasn’t an actor, nor was he a proper singer. He was a popular idol who relied on his face to make a living. In the beginning, it was his face that Xu Juan took a fancy to –– more accurately, it was his external appearance.

“External appearance” comprised a lot: Looks, figure, personality –– these were all included.

What Xu Juan liked the most, was actually his personality. 

How should this be said? At first, Xu Juan and he were very happy together. What he revealed in front of Xu Juan was his most charming side: Adorable, confident, dazzling. Xu Juan liked him and was willing to indulge him, throwing money on his behalf.

But after the two were together for a while, the ambience changed.

Li Mengzhou started to become cautious and worried over everything. He carefully tried to win Xu Juan’s favour, and as long as Xu Juan wasn’t with him, he would indirectly ask around for Xu Juan’s whereabouts. He was always scheming, squandering his confidence away until he was no longer adorable, instead resembling a resentful spinster.

Therefore, even if there hadn’t been an incident that morning, Xu Juan wouldn’t have lasted too long. He would have dumped him in due time. 

This sort of phenomenon was truly baffling.

It didn’t matter if they were dating Xu Juan or if they were his lover, almost every ex was like this. After being with his partner for some time, he would start to feel that the person beside him was no longer the one who had moved his heart at the start.

Why did things change?

Xu Juan thought to himself, since you’ve changed, why can’t I have a change of heart? Don’t tell me it’s my fault? 

So he changed lovers, again and again.

“I’ve already said all there is to be said. You don’t understand human language?”

Even though he saw that Li Mengzhou was nearly in tears, Xu Juan didn’t let up. This showed that Xu Juan still had a shred of humanity left and was unwilling to string him along. Making sure he gave up on him as soon as possible was the most merciful method.

Li Mengzhou could no longer hold it in, his tears streaming down. 

Xu Juan suppressed the protectiveness in his heart and took out two hundred yuan from his wallet. He stuffed it into the other’s hand and said apathetically: “For you to take a taxi. Go, and don’t bother me anymore.”

“……” 

Li Mengzhou didn’t counter. He held onto his sunglasses with one hand while wiping at his tears with the other: “Okay, I understand. Thank you, Director Xu, goodbye.”

Xu Juan nodded and watched him leave.

Even after his silhouette disappeared, Xu Juan stayed standing where he was. He let out a soft sigh. The feeling that he had felt that morning, of being fed up with life, suddenly emerged again.

It was truly boring. 

No matter how many times he changed his partners, it seemed humans were all the same. Why was this so? Xu Juan sincerely reflected in his heart: Could it really be my fault?

He remained lost in thought for a while, then turned around, intending to go back and resume his meal with Guo Shao, Hou Shijie and the rest.

However, the moment he turned around, he saw Pei Yu.

Pei Yu was with five or six middle-aged to elderly people, and they were currently walking out of a restaurant. Those people looked a little familiar, Xu Juan spent some effort identifying them; One of the elderly men was He Mingshu. 

So it turned out that Pei Yu hadn’t gone to Qingjing Gallery solely for the purpose of listening to a lecture, he actually knew He Mingshu.

Then it was easy to assume that the other few people were definitely from the same social circle, they were all reputable intellectuals in literature.

Xu Juan, a rich son in high society, knew his place and watched them from afar, making no attempts to join in.

Only after several cars in front of the restaurant had driven away one after another and Pei Yu had sent off all the elders, when he was standing at the roadside alone about to hail a ride, Xu Juan walked over. 

“Pei laoshi.” Xu Juan pursed his lips and smiled, “Should I say that this is too much of a coincidence? It seems there are many coincidences, it really is quite awkward.”

“……”

Pei Yu turned his gaze over to him; The look in his eyes was subtle but heavy with meaning.

Xu Juan felt the other was doubtful of him, but the Heavens were kind. The last time, it was him who had deliberately staged a coincidence, but this time it was an honest coincidence. It really has nothing to do with him! 

Unfortunately, the coincidence had already happened. Even if it were the Heavens that personally devised it, from Pei Yu’s perspective, it was Xu Juan who had ulterior motives.

Pei Yu seemed to have drunk quite a bit. When Xu Juan walked closer, he detected the faint scent of alcohol from his body.

While intoxicated, a person’s temperament became more straightforward than usual. Pei Yu looked displeased, his chin lifting slightly as he said, his words blunt: “Director Xu, I’ll be frank with you. I don’t discriminate against gays, but I am not gay. Do you understand?”

“I do, I do.” Xu Juan very self-righteously moved to support him, “Pei laoshi, you drank quite a bit, didn’t you? Whoa, careful there!” 

“……”

Pei Yu didn’t wobble at all, but after Xu Juan swayed him back and forth a few times, since he had indeed been drinking a lot, even though he was initially fine, the shaking made him dizzy. He was no longer sure if he was drunk, or if it was induced by the other.

Xu Juan struck while the iron was hot: “You drank so much, it’s not safe to be by yourself. I’ll send you home.”

After he said that, he blindly flagged down a taxi and without delay, stuffed Pei Yu into the backseat. Then, he too got in with him.