Chapter 25: Argument

Chapter 25 The Argument

The person gracing the magazine’s inner pages was unmistakably Yu Lanzhao!

Lin Shenshi froze, his lips parched. Despite the classroom’s warmth, a profound chill permeated his body.

Yu Lanzhao also rose, hastily interjecting, “Xiao Shi, actually, that was…”

His explanation was cut short by a mocking laugh. Zhou Lian’s grating voice chimed in, “Still claiming to be best friends for life? You found out just as late as the rest of us! What a laugh!”

“Shut up!” Yu Lanzhao snapped, his clear, deer-like eyes now radiating a chilling coldness that made Zhou Lian instinctively recoil a step.

Yet, when the boy turned back to Lin Shenshi, that icy demeanor vanished as if it had never existed.

With genuine emotion filling his dark eyes, Yu Lanzhao took Lin Shenshi’s hand, carefully saying, “Xiao Shi, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I just never found the right moment to tell you.”

The boy’s palm was slender, his fingertips slightly cool, perhaps from nervousness.

Lin Shenshi met his gaze. “Alright, then go turn down the role of the sixth male lead in *Long Moon Star River*.”

Yu Lanzhao’s expression stiffened. “Xiao Shi, those are two different things.”

“They are the same thing.”

Lin Shenshi had been puzzled why Yin Yunxian, a complete stranger, would suddenly insist on Yu Lanzhao playing the sixth male lead in *Long Moon Star River*. Now, he had his answer.

*Vogue Now*, the industry’s top-selling fashion magazine, was primarily owned by Yin Yunxian.

Before each monthly issue, the editor-in-chief would send a sample to the big boss, which was how Yin Yunxian had first noticed Yu Lanzhao.

Lin Shenshi had taken every precaution to prevent Yu Lanzhao from auditioning for the production team, but he couldn’t outmaneuver fate. Who would have thought that the model agent’s business card, slipped to them during a class break, would lead to *Vogue Now* and ultimately bring Yu Lanzhao back into Yin Yunxian’s orbit?

Looking back, Yu Lanzhao’s unexplained busyness before midterms was due to his modeling shoot. Preoccupied with Lu Yuan, Lin Shenshi hadn’t suspected a thing.

Now that it had come to this, the only way to prevent fate from spiraling back into the realm of an R-rated, polyamorous smut story was for Yu Lanzhao to reject the role.

Lin Shenshi’s stance was unyielding, his gaze fixed intently on Yu Lanzhao’s face. However… after a few seconds, the boy bit his lip and averted his eyes.

“…Sorry, I can’t.”

“……”

Lin Shenshi took a deep breath. “Do you understand what your choice signifies?!”

Yu Lanzhao remained silent. He yearned for strength. He wanted to stand beside Xiao Shi without feeling inferior. He wanted to shield Xiao Shi from Lu Yuan’s predatory gaze. More than anything, he wanted to openly express his love.

But…

For the currently vulnerable Yu Lanzhao, these were distant, unattainable dreams.

Only by striving relentlessly, by ascending to a position of power, could he achieve them.

Therefore, he could not turn down the role, no matter how angry Xiao Shi became.

The boy’s stubborn refusal, coupled with Yu Lanzhao’s evasive and unexplained attitude, left Lin Shenshi profoundly disappointed. He felt like a prisoner trapped in the ocean’s depths, forever unable to escape, pouring all his energy into lifting his companion towards the sunlight, only to be dragged into deeper darkness.

If Yu Lanzhao didn’t refuse the role, would Lin Shenshi have to retrieve him from Yin Yunxian and Qi Lian’s bed?!

“Ah Zhao, I’m asking you one last time: turn down the role, okay?”

“…No.” The boy hesitated, then refused again.

Lin Shenshi staggered backward, disappointment surging like a flood breaking through a dam. He simply couldn’t comprehend why, despite his utmost efforts as a friend to dissuade him, Yu Lanzhao remained so obstinate.

Unless…

Lin Shenshi’s lips trembled. “Ah Zhao, have you… never truly considered me your good friend?”

Yu Lanzhao’s face froze, his lips twitching as if to protest, but ultimately, he uttered no words.

“…I understand.” Lin Shenshi stumbled backward. “You never did.”

Each word was spoken with a raw, bleeding finality.

Lin Shenshi shook off Yu Lanzhao’s hand and stormed out, leaving his textbooks behind.

The slamming door echoed through the classroom, and those nearby looked on with a mix of curiosity and scrutiny.

But Yu Lanzhao seemed oblivious, staring blankly down at his own hand.

Empty.

The lingering warmth gradually dissipated in the air, just as his Xiao Shi had vanished before his eyes.

Yu Lanzhao should have given chase, but his feet felt nailed to the floor.

Lin Shenshi’s question echoed in his ears:

[Have you… never truly considered me your good friend?]

The boy’s lips curled into a self-mocking smile.

Yes.

Zhou Lian was right, after all—he had never truly seen Lin Shenshi as merely a good friend. What he desired was secret, unspeakable, absurd, and decadent, burning within him every silent night.

What good friend…

What good friend would yearn to kiss the other until their legs gave way, until those amber eyes glistened with moisture, until those rosy lips let out soft, soul-melting moans?

Yu Lanzhao slowly closed his eyes.

His nails dug into his palms.

What he wanted to be was never just a “good friend.”

*

Lin Shenshi walked briskly along the school roadside, head bowed, anger and disappointment churning within him. By the time he regained his senses, he had no idea when he had exited the school gates, finding himself on an entirely unfamiliar street.

The road was bustling with traffic, pedestrians hurried by, and the near-noon temperature wasn’t particularly high. The weather was overcast, and a cold wind instantly chilled him to the bone.

Lin Shenshi pulled his coat and scarf tighter, then hurried into the nearest hotel.

It was a five-star hotel near the school, with a lavish lobby. Ever since Lu Yuan had snuck in late at night, Lin Shenshi had kept his ID card on him for emergencies. He never imagined he’d end up using it because of Yu Lanzhao.

Lin Shenshi sighed to himself, took the room key from the front desk, and headed upstairs.

In low spirits and feeling listless, he took off his coat and showered. Soaking in warm water gradually lifted his mood. After drying off, he wrapped himself in the hotel’s standard white robe and collapsed onto the bed.

His nerves, tense for so long, finally relaxed after leaving school, and before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Lin Shenshi drifted into a long dream, various lights and shadows flashing chaotically like a slideshow. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard a voice calling him—it sounded like Yu Lanzhao, but the voice was deeper and more mature than the clear tone he remembered from their youth, carrying a husky, tobacco-tinged quality.

Beep.

Beep.

There was also the sound of some kind of medical equipment nearby, and the air was thick with a strong smell. Lin Shenshi, frowning, struggled to pull himself out of the depths of sleep.

The person noticed his movement and shouted excitedly, “Xiao Shi? Xiao Shi!”

A wave of inexplicable resistance surged within him. With all his strength, Lin Shenshi turned over.

*Thud!*

—He fell right out of bed.

He had no idea how long he’d been asleep. It was already dark outside. The sheer hotel curtains obscured the lights from below, casting a soft, hazy orange glow across the room.

The hotel had carpeting, so the fall didn’t hurt. What truly ached was his head, muddled by the chaotic dreams. Rubbing his forehead, Lin Shenshi sat up leaning against the bed. When he tried to recall the dream, he found he couldn’t remember any of it.

He picked up his phone from the nightstand. It was already past 7 p.m. There were many missed calls and WeChat messages, all from Yu Lanzhao.

Yu Lanzhao had discovered he hadn’t returned to the dorm and was anxiously asking where he was, along with repeatedly explaining the situation with the magazine model photos.

But that wasn’t even what Lin Shenshi was angry about. He simply turned off his phone for some peace and quiet.

After calling the front desk to order dinner, Lin Shenshi spent the waiting time looking down at the night scenery.

Neon lights glittered below, and the streets were bustling with traffic. Lost in thought, he didn’t snap back to reality until an irregular knocking sounded at the door.

Probably room service with his dinner.

Lin Shenshi shuffled over in slippers to open the door, but the moment he did, the door was shoved open with force, closing automatically behind the intruder.

In the dim light, the smell of alcohol mixed with cold air washed over him. Lin Shenshi was forcefully pressed against the dressing mirror.

The person was incredibly strong. Lin Shenshi couldn’t break free; his wrists ached from the tight grip. The heavier scent of alcohol sprayed onto his face with each breath, and panic surged within him. “Let me go!” he shouted instinctively.

But his voice was instantly swallowed by the meeting of their lips.

—The person had leaned in and kissed him!

Lin Shenshi’s eyes widened. The warm sensation on his lips transmitted through the contact, and his mind went completely blank.

It took a few seconds for the reality to sink in.

He… he… he… was being kissed by a man—again?!?!?!

Unlike Lu Yuan’s rough, biting kisses, this person’s movements were gentler, yet still carried an undeniable dominance. His hands were pinned to his chest, his head forced back to receive the kiss. Soft, wet sounds escaped, making his face burn with embarrassment.

Furious and humiliated, Lin Shenshi struggled violently, which only provoked a more intense assault from the other.

In the midst of the chaos, something caught the corner of his eye.

Beneath the man’s long eyelashes, a black teardrop mole adorned the fair skin at the outer corner of his left eye. Enchanting and mesmerizing, it was impossible to look away.

A sense of familiarity struck him like lightning.

It was… Ah Zhao?

He had found him? But how did he know which hotel room he was in?

—No!

This wasn’t right! He wasn’t Ah Zhao!