Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Xu Yan had prepared several polite excuses to decline, but Lin Xingxian ended the conversation by saying that not showing up would be a personal insult. The accusation was too heavy, so Xu Yan decided to bring Shen Nanli along for moral support.

The HP Crowne Plaza Hotel was located in the suburbs. Too cheap to take a taxi, the two set off two and a half hours early, taking the bus first, then transferring to the subway, and finally arriving right on time at the hotel entrance by seven o'clock.

Though called a resort hotel, it was more like a sprawling estate, with clusters of buildings of varying sizes scattered across the flatlands nearby and the hillsides in the distance.

Upon entering, they boarded a golf cart. A grand, lavish European-style architectural complex stood before an elegant musical fountain, while two outdoor swimming pools had been set up on the lawn. The music was already pumping, with men and women gathered around the pools, chatting and drinking.

Further ahead was a creatively designed building encased in massive glass walls, illuminated by the warm yellow lights around it, making it look like a star that had fallen onto the grass.

A few people were gathered beneath the glass walls, laughing and chatting. Xu Yan recognized Lin Xingxian among them, dressed as brightly as a peacock.

The golf cart stopped, and Xu Yan psyched himself up before stepping off.

His earlier hesitation hadn’t been misplaced—this was far from an ordinary gathering, and the attendees all seemed quite wealthy. He and Shen Nanli stuck out like two street urchins who had accidentally wandered into a gala dinner.

The kind that hadn’t eaten in three days.

Shen Nanli tugged at his backpack. "Yan Yan, I’ll wait here for a bit. You go in first."

Xu Yan was puzzled. "You’re not coming with me?"

Shen Nanli clutched his stomach. "My stomach’s acting funny. I need a moment, or I won’t be able to enjoy the food later."

Xu Yan looked at him with concern. "Did you eat something bad? Does it hurt a lot? Should we go to the hospital?"

Shen Nanli waved him off. "No need, no need. I’ll be fine after a short rest. We came all this way—it’d be a waste to leave on an empty stomach. I looked it up online, and everyone says the food here is amazing, but ridiculously expensive. If we don’t go now, we might never get another chance. I’m really fine. You go in first and say hi to Lin. Go on."

He pushed Xu Yan toward the entrance, leaving the latter no choice but to walk away, glancing back every few steps.

Lin Xingxian spotted Xu Yan from afar and shooed the others inside before beckoning him over.

"Junior, good, you’re right on time."

Xu Yan fished out a small box from his bag and opened it to reveal a powder blue preserved flower inside, its petals realistic-looking, the green leaves seemingly still dewy, emitting a faint floral fragrance.

"This is for you, Lin. Congratulations on finishing your masterpiece."

Though it wasn’t an expensive gift, it was thoughtful and appropriate.

Lin Xingxian accepted it readily, eyeing the baby-faced Xu Yan with his backpack before him. Unable to resist, he pulled at the boy’s cheek.

Soft and plush—the texture was absolutely amazing!

"You’re so adorable," Lin Xingxian said, ushering him inside. "How did you know I like flowers? You didn’t have to bring a gift. None of those ungrateful bunch even thought to bring anything. You’re the only one with manners."

Xu Yan subtly massaged his pinched cheek. "You mentioned before that you’d been locked away painting for a long time. It must’ve been exhausting. I’m glad you finally finished—that’s really impressive."

Lin Xingxian laughed. "You haven’t even seen my painting. How do you know if it’s a masterpiece or garbage?"

Xu Yan’s eyes widened slightly, nearly giving himself away.

"I—I guessed," he said earnestly. "Lin is so talented. It must be amazing."

The further they walked, the more expansive the view became. Inside was a grand banquet hall, with people constantly greeting Lin Xingxian, who acknowledged everyone as if he were close with them.

"Talented? I ended up changing the theme at the last moment to meet the deadline. The connection you set up for me didn’t work out either," Lin Xingxian said, leading him to a quieter spot. "But I still owe you thanks. Did you come alone? No friends with you?"

"My friend… got held up. He’ll be here later."

"Good that you’ve got company. Have fun tonight—eat and drink whatever you want. If you need anything, find me."

Xu Yan nodded obediently. "Okay."

Lin Xingxian was soon dragged away by a group to drink. Xu Yan quietly eyed the crowd—sure enough, he didn’t recognize a single soul.

He grabbed a glass of juice, along with a few small cakes and a steak, then camped out on a corner sofa to message Shen Nanli.

Xu Yan: Nan Li, are you feeling better?

Shen Nanli: Yeah, I’m fine. You’re inside already?

Xu Yan: [Photo.jpg]

Xu Yan: Already eating.

Shen Nanli: Who’s there?

Xu Yan: Besides Lin, I don’t know anyone. I’m totally out of place.

Xu Yan: [shivering cat meme]

Shen Nanli: Wen Sinian and Chen Xun aren’t there either?

Xu Yan held his juice, standing on tiptoe to look around.

Xu Yan: Nope.

Xu Yan: Are you coming in?

Shen Nanli: On my way!

Before long, Xu Yan spotted Shen Nanli at the banquet hall entrance, scanning the room cluelessly.

Xu Yan’s eyes lit up as if he’d spotted his savior, hurrying over to greet him.

"Your stomach’s completely fine now?" Xu Yan was still a little worried. "Really no problem?"

Shen Nanli showed no signs of discomfort, his eyes glued to the seafood section’s spread of Aussie lobsters, king crabs, and prawns.

"Yan Yan, promise me—whenever there’s an event like this, you *have* to call me, okay? Even if I’m on my hospital bed, I’ll crawl out to join you. Who told you to be my best friend?"

Shen Nanli pulled Xu Yan over to the buffet, piling two plates high with seafood—both cooked and raw. When he turned back, he saw Xu Yan’s plate stacked with dainty, frosted cupcakes.

Shen Nanli’s heart sank, as if he’d brought a friend to a seafood buffet only for them to eat cake and fruit.

He was frustrated. "Why are you eating cake? Stop that! Eat seafood!"

Xu Yan looked down at his colorful plate, reluctant. "But I don’t like seafood…"

He preferred pretty, soft, sweet little cakes.

When he was little, his favorite had been the dirt-cheap, supermarket-bought cakes made with low-quality cream—affordable, sickly sweet, and cloying.

His grandmother would buy them for him when he aced his exams. To him, they were the greatest treat imaginable.

But as he grew older, he rarely ate them anymore. In Beishi, those cheap little cakes didn’t exist, and patisserie cakes were too fancy and overpriced.

Shen Nanli, seeing his pitiful look, quickly added a few more pieces to his plate: "Alright, alright, if you like it, eat more. Guess I’ll have to eat your portion for you."

Tearfully, he grabbed another plate of escargot and foie gras.

The two returned to their little corner, chatting and eating, when Shang Jia’s messages flooded in, sending over a dozen screenshots in a row.

"Shang Jia": "I can’t even. The internet these days is full of all kinds of people. Does this creep look familiar?"

Xu Yan clicked to take a look—dozens of influencers, from small to big-name, had actually been harassed by that blank-avatar account named "lip."

"Shang Jia": "The more I think about it, the more I can’t swallow this anger. I did a quick search online and didn’t expect so many people had called him out. Looking at it this way, what he said to you was mild by comparison."

"Xu Yan": "Thank god I never agreed to meet him."

"Shang Jia": "Absolutely do not meet! One girl received a few hundred yuan from him and actually met him offline. Turns out that creep tried to grope her. Luckily, the girl had her wits about her and reported him to the police, then posted his photo online."

Xu Yan looked at the front-facing photo Shang Jia sent—a very ordinary-looking guy, slightly overweight.

Shen Nanli leaned over to check out the tea. After seeing it, he got goosebumps: "Yan Yan, you absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot meet random people offline from now on. You’re too naive. I’m afraid you’ll get taken for everything you’ve got."

Xu Yan nodded: "I know."

Shen Nanli poked his soft cheek: "Yeah right, there are no good people on the internet!"

He listed many cases of online meetups that went south, leaving Xu Yan stunned.

Suddenly, a buzz spread through the crowd around them, and the two looked up toward the entrance.

Wen Sinian and Chen Xun walked in together. Being hot really paid off—even the lights at the entrance seemed to shine brighter.

Lin Xingxian brought over two glasses of wine, and others quickly gathered around them.

Seeing Wen Sinian accept the wine and listen coldly to the people around him, Xu Yan averted his gaze, only to notice Shen Nanli beside him practically trying to become one with the wall.

"What’s wrong?"

Shen Nanli clutched his stomach: "My stomach’s acting up again. Maybe I ate too much. I’m going to the restroom."

With that, he stuffed two pieces of lobster meat into his mouth and ran off chewing.

Xu Yan, feeling withdrawn, picked up his juice, covering the lower half of his face and revealing only his doe-eyed, beautiful eyes.

"Xu Yan?" Li Huaiche materialized out of nowhere, holding a glass of wine, pleasantly surprised. "You’re here too? Do you know Lin Xingxian?"

Xu Yan, like he’d found another safe harbor, shifted over and invited Li Huaiche to sit with him.

"I do."

Li Huaiche plopped down casually and started chatting with him.

"No way. Your social circle is pretty wide. I’ve been classmates with Wen-ge for four years and still don’t know Lin Xingxian. I only got in today because of a friend’s connection."

Xu Yan: "Actually, Senior Lin and I aren’t that close."

"Not close, yet he invited you?" Li Huaiche laughed. "Rich folks don’t just hand out invites. By the way, Wen-ge is here too. Did you say hi to him?"

Wen Sinian and Chen Xun were no longer in their previous spot. Xu Yan shook his head: "Not yet."

Li Huaiche, leveraging his seniority, patted his shoulder and lectured him earnestly: "Even though I warned you to stay away from them when you first moved into the dorm, you still gotta be civil. Saying hi isn’t hard—after all, you’re dormmates..."

Meanwhile, not far across the sofa, a pair of eyes watched intently.

Lin Xingxian, having been talking to air, turned to see his two best friends—one busy on a phone call, the other zoning out with his drink.

He ignored the one on the phone and followed Wen Sinian’s gaze.

The lighting near the sofa was dim, but a pale, delicate face wore a faint smile, looking quite happy. The figure beside him sat very close, a hand resting on his shoulder—the two getting along like a house on fire.

"Aren’t those your two dormmates?" Lin Xingxian took a swig of champagne. "They look really close."

The person beside him gave a humorless chuckle, voice tight and low: "Very close indeed."

Xu Yan, for some reason, suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if something sinister had its claws in him.

He shook his head slightly, his head swimming slightly. His eyes swept casually through the crowd but abruptly locked onto a piercing, ice-cold stare.

Author's Note:

Sweet Yan Yan refuses to ride in hubby’s car, avoids hubby when he sees him, and keeps things polite and distant with hubby.

Yet he’s chummy with the other dormmates.

Good, good, keep it up and break your hubby’s heart.

(About to get very close with hubby soon.)