Chapter 26: Preparations for the Gala

Chapter 26: Preparations for the Gala

Cen Wu woke up after sleeping in the car and realized that Xie Guilan had already left when he opened his eyes. Cen Xiao said that he had dropped Xie Guilan off at the back gate of No. 1 High School, which reassured Cen Wu.

He hadn’t finished his homework yet, so he rushed home to complete it.

The next day, he woke up late. By the time he arrived in the classroom, Meng Liangping was already there. Meng raked his fingers through his sparse hair and pounded on the blackboard, trying to capture the attention of the entire class.

"Alright, everyone, quiet down. Those having breakfast, stop for a moment. There's the school anniversary gala at the end of the month. The school requires each class to prepare at least one performance, and every student must participate."

"The class monitor and the arts committee member will handle this. Come up with a list of performances and submit it to me as soon as possible."

Huaijing No. 1 High School was celebrating its centennial this year, and the school was placing special emphasis on the event. Each class had to prepare a performance, but not everyone would make it to the stage on the actual night. There would be a preliminary screening.

However, no one could escape participation. If you didn’t make the cut, you’d end up doing a poetry recital or singing in the choir.

Cen Wu didn’t want to participate in anything. He just wanted to hide in the back of the choir and blend in.

The class monitor, Zhou Wenqing, was a bespectacled boy, tall and thin with very pale skin. He was always the runner-up in class, consistently scoring just behind Xie Guilan by a good margin.

The arts committee member was Xu Lingling.

Xie Guilan arrived even later than Cen Wu. After putting down his backpack, Cen Wu turned around, handed him breakfast, and asked in a low voice, "What... do you want to perform?"

Xie Guilan took the breakfast and ate a few bites, but his voice remained cold. "Whatever."

"Have you thought about it?" Cen Wu leaned on the chair back and looked at him. "Can you... tell me? I want to be with you."

Xie Guilan’s brows furrowed deeply, and he said nothing more.

Cen Wu didn’t ask further.

No one mentioned the incident at Lan Ye that night. Cen Wu couldn’t figure out what Xie Guilan was thinking.

He couldn’t still be mad at me, could he?

Who kisses someone they hate?

On Monday, there was another physical education class. Despite a light drizzle, the PE teacher was determined to keep control of his class this time.

He insisted on taking them to the gym.

"Run a few laps first," the PE teacher said, arms crossed, once they arrived at the gym. "Then come over for the sit-up test."

The whole class groaned.

Cen Wu really disliked running. He just wanted to find a secluded corner and curl up, never to get up again. After the run, he felt like he’d been hit by a truck.

The students had already paired up to help each other with sit-ups.

But Xie Guilan stood by himself, not pairing up with anyone.

Huaijing No. 1 High School classes were designed for 38 students, but their class had 39. The extra person was Lu Wang.

Lu Wang had been diagnosed with a lower IQ. Although his grades were included on the report card, he wasn’t counted in the class or grade averages.

It wouldn’t be fair to Meng Liangping either, as his performance alone could bring down the whole class.

The previous student was second to last, but their grades were still twice as good as Lu Wang’s.

To protect Lu Wang’s self-esteem, no one had ever told him that his scores would be excluded.

Originally, the extra person was Lu Wang, but Xie Guilan was isolated, and now it was always Xie Guilan who was alone during these group activities.

Cen Wu considered going over to help Lu Wang stretch, but Lu Wang was still waiting. He stood there, a bit conflicted, and finally, Lu Wang gave him a push, whispering, “I’m going to find Zhang Yuanzhou now.”

“I… I’ll treat you to an ice pop later,” Cen Wu told him.

Lu Wang scratched his head. He thought Cen Wu was done for; Cen Wu had fallen in love. That was the look of someone in love. Cen Wu was more restless than Xie Guilan, who was the one being isolated.

“Hurry up!” the gym teacher urged. “Get ready!”

Cen Wu ran to the last mat. The boys next to him sat on their partners' legs, playfully wrestling. Cen Wu thought about it and then sat on Xie Guilan’s legs too.

Xie Guilan: “……”

The soft pressure on his calf made Xie Guilan’s Adam’s apple bob. His eyes, half-lidded and cold, had a wild, distant look. He lifted his leg and told Cen Wu, “Get up.”

Cen Wu was bounced a little and pouted. He then knelt on Xie Guilan’s legs, using his knees to hold him down.

Outside, it was raining, and the gym was stuffy. When Xie Guilan sat up, his thin, sharp collarbone moved with him, glistening with sweat. His tall, straight nose almost brushed Cen Wu’s cheek.

Cen Wu dodged back a little, but in doing so, he couldn’t hold him down anymore. He had to kneel again, not looking at Xie Guilan, his black hair revealing slightly red-tinted ears that looked like lychees soaked in plum water.

When it was Cen Wu’s turn to do sit-ups, Xie Guilan knelt with one knee and held down Cen Wu’s ankle. Cen Wu struggled a bit but found he couldn’t move.

Cen Wu: “……”

Annoyed.

Cen Wu managed to do around thirty sit-ups before he was completely wiped out. The gym teacher turned to look at the girls, and Cen Wu reached out to Xie Guilan helplessly. Xie Guilan had no choice but to pull him up.

When Cen Wu went down again, he still didn’t let go of his hand. Xie Guilan ended up helping him through a few more.

Suddenly, the gym teacher blew the whistle to end the session. Before Cen Wu could react, Xie Guilan stood up and pulled him up in one motion. Cen Wu’s nose bumped into Xie Guilan’s arm, causing a sharp pain that made his vision go black, and tears almost fell.

“You’re so hard,” Cen Wu muttered softly.

Cen Wu had just finished his sit-ups, his breath warm and moist. His pretty, thin, red lips were almost against Xie Guilan’s ear. He wanted to complain but hesitated, his voice soft, almost like a lover’s whisper.

After the gym teacher dismissed them, Lu Wang went to play basketball with Zhang Yuanzhou and the others. Cen Wu didn’t go. He still followed Xie Guilan, finding a spot to do some practice tests while Cen Wu lay next to him.

Xie Guilan: “……”

So clingy.

Xie Guilan knew this couldn’t go on much longer. He needed to make things clear with Cen Wu. He wasn’t going to date anyone, and he couldn’t like Cen Wu. He had no interest in being someone’s option.

Cen Wu could find someone else to hang out with. There would always be someone willing, so he didn’t need to cling to Xie Guilan like this.

But with people coming and going in the gym, he never found the chance to talk. It wasn’t until the bell rang that Xie Guilan, his long lashes lifting slightly, finally spoke up to stop Cen Wu. “You…”

“Wu Wu!” Lu Wang jogged over, handed Cen Wu an ice pop, and looped his arm through Cen Wu’s. “The class leader and the others are discussing the party program. Come with me and check it out.”

He's just being childish. He felt that Xie Guilan had already spent a whole class period with Cen Wu, and now it should be his turn.

Xie Guilan: "..."

Xie Guilan's dark eyes were unusually cold and distant, his hardened Adam's apple rolling as he swallowed his words.

Zhou Wenqing asked the class to write down a few program ideas for him, trying to fit the whole class into one program. He was now opening the slips of paper, and Cen Wu also leaned over to take a look.

*Lin Daiyu at the Snowy Shrine*

*The Calabash Brothers vs. King Kong*

*The Temptation to Return to Class: You're So Flirty*

*He Runs, She Chases, He Can't Escape*

Cen Wu: "..."

"The Calabash Brothers vs. King Kong, isn't that only eight people at most?" Lu Wang scratched his head, voicing Cen Wu's confusion. "How are we supposed to fit the whole class into it?"

It was the sports committee who wrote that. He waved his hand and said, "The rest of us can play as the Calabash Brothers' shadow clones."

Lu Wang: "..."

The physical education class was the third period in the morning, and the sports hall was quite far from the classroom. By the time they returned, the bell for the final class had already rung.

As soon as Xie Guilan's thin lips moved, the English teacher stormed in with papers in hand, furiously saying, "Still talking! Still talking! How many points did you get in the weekly exam? All of you, shut up!"

Xie Guilan: "..."

Evening self-study sessions would start this week, with a little over an hour for dinner. As the night fell, Xie Guilan closed his book and was about to speak again, "Cen..."

"It's time for dinner," Zhang Yuanzhou made a flamboyant turn, patting the desks of Cen Wu and Lu Wang, and waved at Zhou Wenqing, "Brothers, let's go get some food!"

Cen Wu had planned to bring dinner for Xie Guilan, but since Xie Guilan was too busy for evening self-study and didn’t eat at school, he didn’t worry about it.

Zhang Yuanzhou slung an arm around Cen Wu and Lu Wang, and used his leg to hook another guy, dragging them all down the stairs with some effort.

Xie Guilan darkened, picked up his bag, and left the classroom.

Xie Guilan wasn’t the type to show his feelings or take out his frustration on others. He still wore his perpetual cold expression, but Cen Wu felt that Xie Guilan seemed a bit unhappy when he turned his head.

What’s up with you now?

Cen Wu thought Xie Guilan acted more like a young master, or even a princess, still having a big temper despite his current situation.

The preliminary round of the chemistry competition was already over, and the finals would be in over a month. There wasn’t much to do for now, but after thinking it over, Cen Wu decided to go to Blue Night after the evening self-study session.

After several visits, Cen Wu was finally feeling less socially anxious. After just ten minutes of psyching himself up, he slipped through the back door of Blue Night, his legs shaking.

Xie Guilan was very busy at night, delivering drinks between tables. Cen Wu didn’t go over to disturb him.

Cen Wu was looking for Ah Ling. He suspected Ah Ling knew about the underground gambling den, but Ah Ling's mouth was tight, and asking too much would only risk exposing himself.

So he didn’t continue asking.

The underground casino was a complex and dangerous place. Xie Mingcheng wasn’t easy to take down. Maybe the Cen family would help, but it was dangerous.

Cen Wu didn’t want them to get involved in this mess.

He was worried that if something happened to Xie Guilan, he wouldn’t know what was going on or how to help. If he could, he’d try to get Xie Guilan a new job.

Moreover, it would be best if Xie Guilan moved in with him at the Cen family’s place.

Cen Wu knew that the feeling of living with someone else’s family wasn’t a pleasant one. His dad was a film director, and his mom was a dancer. Their family was actually quite well-off, and his grandfather owned a jewelry company.

But later, the company went bankrupt, and his grandfather also passed away, leaving behind a lot of debt. To pay off the debt, his parents rushed to finish the movie they were working on. However, on the night they finalized a deal with the investors, they had a car accident on the way home and died on the spot.

They left him with an unfinished movie and over 800 million in debt.

Cen Wu was thirteen at the time, and he didn’t inherit any assets or the debt. He was taken in by his aunt.

In the end, he was a lot luckier than Xie Guilan. After all, his aunt was quite good to him, but Cen Wu had no money left and had to rely on them to support him. His uncle didn’t really like him.

They had a son who was three years older than Cen Wu, and there wasn’t any extra money for him.

Because of him, his aunt and uncle fought a lot, so Cen Wu decided to move out and live in a boarding school. At least he could cover his dorm expenses by taking photos and making videos for others.

Although going to the Cen family would mean living with someone else’s family, at least no one would bully him there.

But doing so would mean the Cen family was meddling in the Xie family’s affairs. Even if the Cen parents doted on the original owner, they might not agree. Occasional short stays might still be okay.

A Ling was leaning in to speak to Cen Wu. The bar was noisy, and it was only clear when he got closer. A Ling was wearing a leather jacket with a delicate silver chain tonight, and as he bent down, the chain accidentally got tangled around Cen Wu.

Cen Wu quickly lowered his head to untangle it, forcing him to get even closer.

Xie Guilan caught sight of the scene after delivering drinks to the guests. A Ling was actually quite good-looking, with a face that seemed very promiscuous. His bangs brushed over his brow bone, and he looked down at Cen Wu with a smile on his lips.

Cen Wu had his back to him, and from this angle, it looked like Cen Wu was touching A Ling’s abs. A Ling’s lips were still curled in a smile.

Cen Wu was so anxious that his nose started to sweat. He finally managed to untangle the chain. He turned around and saw Xie Guilan wiping cups behind the bar. It seemed like he wasn’t as busy as before, so Cen Wu went over to him.

He still preferred to be with Xie Guilan.

Mainly because Xie Guilan’s cold, emotionless face didn’t make him feel socially anxious.

But halfway there, he was suddenly stopped by a guy in a suit. The man had unbuttoned his suit, revealing a deep V of his chest, and spoke to him with a hint of resentment, "Young Master Two, long time no see. Why haven't you replied to my messages? Have you been with A Ling all this time?"

Ji Changyu was also there tonight, and following Xie Guilan’s gaze, he couldn’t help but tut a few times, "This guy is really something, with such a slim waist, can he handle so much?"

Xie Guilan gave him a cold glance.

Ji Changyu immediately shut up.

His father was a university professor and gave him the quite cultured name of Ji Changyu, but he was just a thug at the 13th middle school, usually speaking nonsense.

Xie Guilan was taciturn, and no matter what he said, Xie Guilan always had a cold face. This was the first time Ji Changyu had seen Xie Guilan angry.

The guy in the suit wouldn’t stop pestering Cen Wu. Cen Wu’s fair cheeks turned red, and he didn’t recognize this person at all.

Cen Wu couldn’t stand the original owner’s fish pond and created a new WeChat account, but only added Xie Guilan. Everyone else was still on the original owner’s account.

He had originally wanted to delete all these male models, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he left them as electronic pets.

The man realized that Cen Wu didn’t remember him at all, and although he was a bit disappointed, he quickly masked it and exchanged a few pleasantries with Cen Wu before heading off to a booth to entertain guests.

Cen Wu moved cautiously through the crowded room, his breathing was labored, and he finally reached beside Xie Guilan.

Xie Guilan lowered his eyes to clean the cup. Even in the classroom, Cen Wu had sensed that Xie Guilan was unhappy, but he didn’t know why he suddenly became upset. He leaned in to look at Xie Guilan’s face.

Xie Guilan: “……”

Xie Guilan swallowed hard and turned away.

Cen Wu circled around to the other side and continued to lean in.

After a few back-and-forth attempts, Xie Guilan finally lifted his eyelids and met Cen Wu’s blinking eyes. Unconsciously, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

Seeing Xie Guilan smile, Cen Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like he was trying to calm a girlfriend.

The man in the suit sat casually slouched, a cigarette between his fingers, and waved casually at Cen Wu from afar.

“Young master,” Xie Guilan followed his gaze and looked over, his tone calm, “Do you like that kind of guy?”

Cen Wu was confused, then blushed and stammered, “It’s… it’s alright, I guess.”

He had a good body, but the guy was a little too slick, and he didn’t like someone so much older.

Yet Xie Guilan kept staring at the booth. Cen Wu also turned his head. Several male models were drinking with the customers. He felt puzzled and asked Xie Guilan, “What… are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Xie Guilan lowered his eyes again, “Just a bit envious.”

Cen Wu was even more confused, “Envious of what?”

“It must cost a lot for one night,” Xie Guilan said.

Cen Wu: “……”

Cen Wu: “？？？”

A Ling, who was drinking nearby, nearly choked on his water. Oh come on, is he really thinking of competing for the job?

Can’t he just stick to being the top student?!

Cen Wu’s eyes widened slightly, his inner corners deep. Usually, they resembled the beak of a mountain bird, but when he widened them like this, the icy feeling was gone. He was anxious to dissuade Xie Guilan.

Why the sudden interest in that kind of work?

But he was also mindful of A Ling being nearby, worried that saying something might make A Ling uncomfortable. A Ling, being sharp, quickly saw through Cen Wu’s reaction and waved his hand, saying, “Don’t mind me.”

“What’s good about it?” Cen Wu, in his anxiety, spoke without stuttering.

“What’s not good about it,” Xie Guilan said indifferently, “I need money. This job pays quickly.”

Cen Wu became even more anxious, his lips moving but unable to speak.

Determined, he reached out and grabbed Xie Guilan’s arm, saying, “When people start touching you like that, can you handle it?”

Xie Guilan’s eyelids seemed to lift slightly, but he appeared not to understand, his thin lips moving as he asked, “How do they touch?”

Cen Wu was exasperated. Was all his effort going to push Xie Guilan into this?! This was a one-way street.

He was so angry that he felt bold enough, and he reached out to caress Xie Guilan's arm a few times. Seeing that Xie Guilan still didn't react, his eyelashes fluttered, and his ears turned bright red. Embarrassed, he steeled himself to feel Xie Guilan's abs.

Even through the shirt, he could feel the intense heat from Xie Guilan's body. His abs were burning hot, even through the fabric.

"Th-this is how they'll touch you," Cen Wu said, looking up with a flushed face and stammering, "and they probably won't even be as good-looking as me. Do you get it? You won't be able to handle it."

It was true, but saying it out loud felt a little shameless.

Cen Wu's face burned hotter, and his eyes, wet with unshed tears, gazed at Xie Guilan.

Xie Guilan's palms were soft, the hands of a pampered young master. He stared at Cen Wu's flushed cheeks, unable to deny how handsome he looked.

"I don't understand," Xie Guilan said, his dark, almond-shaped eyes holding a playful smirk, as if he was already set on something. "I think it's pretty good. Don't you like it, young master?"