Chapter 134: The Bittersweet Flavors of Love, A Sleepless Night

Are you shy?

Watching her focus intently on the movie, a straw still between her lips, looking endearingly silly as she clutched her "fat boy happy water," Cheng Yao smiled silently. He hadn’t come for the film; he had come to flirt.

What was he? A rogue. And since he was a rogue, he naturally had to do the things a rogue was supposed to do. He knew this romance film by heart.

His hand grew a bit restless. It wasn't that he was doing anything lewd to her, but his hands felt like they had nowhere to rest, and they brushed against Liu Hanyue’s hand unintentionally.

Liu Hanyue stiffened. If it were any other time, a casual touch wouldn't have made her this nervous, but the atmosphere in the cinema was different.

"What are you doing!?"

Liu Hanyue shivered, glaring at him nervously. It felt too fast; it was all happening too quickly, and it made her feel insecure.

*Cough.*

Cheng Yao gave a dry cough. "Watch the movie, just watch the movie."

"Mm..."

Cheng Yao suddenly snapped out of his trance, pinching himself, feeling he might have gone a bit too far.

The movie lasted two hours. After it ended, the atmosphere turned awkward. It was a stalemate—nothing had progressed, yet nothing had retreated. It was that state of being more than friends, but not quite lovers. Cheng Yao didn't overthink it; overthinking was exhausting. He didn't want to live that tired, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

But Liu Hanyue was different. She was so awkward she didn't know how to break the silence. She wondered if she had done something wrong, if her attitude in the cinema had been too harsh. *He held my hand—should I have been compliant? If I had been, would I be his girlfriend by now?*

Liu Hanyue felt annoyed—she had never felt this agitated before.

"It's getting late. Let's head back."

"Okay, I'm sleepy too." Liu Hanyue nodded gently. She felt she needed some peace and quiet.

Cheng Yao had completely cooled down. He drove her to the school gate. Liu Hanyue asked, "Are you heading back to sleep?"

"Yeah. Goodnight."

"Mm, goodnight. You... you be careful on the road..."

Liu Hanyue’s dark, glossy eyes shimmered under the moonlight as she stared at Cheng Yao, as if waiting for him to say something else. However, Cheng Yao only smiled and nodded. "Go on."

"Bye-bye..."

After saying that, she walked into the school, her face flushed as she hurried back to the dormitory. *My God, what was I expecting!*

"Knock, knock, knock. Wang Churuo, open the door!"

"Why are you back? I thought you’d be staying out with Cheng Yao, getting devoured by him."

Seeing Liu Hanyue at the door, Wang Churuo was incredibly surprised; it was already ten o'clock. In fact, she would have been even more surprised if Liu Hanyue hadn't returned, and would have admired Cheng Yao’s flirting skills even more. He’d taken her to a hotel on the first date!

"Get lost, so annoying!"

Liu Hanyue buried herself in her quilt. Her other two roommates, who were already preparing for bed, immediately became interested.

"Liu Hanyue, did you really go on a date with Cheng Yao?"

"So envious! I bet eighty—no, ninety percent of the girls in our School of Economics want to date him."

Wang Churuo leaned in and crawled under the covers with her, whispering, "What happened? You’re acting strange, and your face is so red. Did he do something naughty to you, or is it that..."

"It’s not like that. It’s just... very weird. He didn't even say anything strange, but now it’s just so awkward."

"Well, tell me then."

"I really don't know how to say it..."

Liu Hanyue irritably went into the bathroom to shower. Wang Churuo called out, "Don't catch a cold!"

"Mm..."

After showering, Liu Hanyue whispered with Wang Churuo, while the other two roommates poked their heads out from their own blankets to eavesdrop.

Liu Hanyue glanced at them and said, "Don't you dare tell anyone, otherwise..."

"Got it, got it."

"Rest assured, my lips are sealed."

Inside the dorm, they whispered. Wang Churuo exclaimed, "Isn't that your own fault? There was only one cola; if you let him drink it, of course he would. If it were me, I’d drink it too..."

"That's not the point."

"Hey, it's just an indirect kiss. What century are we living in?"

Liu Hanyue’s face turned bright red. *As if you have a boyfriend,* she thought, before recounting the incident with their hands.

Wang Churuo analyzed, "Maybe it was an accident?"

"But the feeling at that time... it didn't feel like an accident."

Wang Churuo laughed, "Well, since Cheng Yao took you to see a romance movie, isn't it obvious? But refusing him isn't a bad thing; otherwise, wouldn't it make you look too easy to chase?"

"Hmm, that makes sense."

"It's a bit of a pity, though. You were just one step away from being Cheng Yao’s girlfriend—more than friends, but not quite lovers."

"..."

That night, Liu Hanyue tossed and turned, unable to sleep. For the first time, she experienced the bittersweet sting of love, lying awake in a melancholy daze. Consequently, Wang Churuo and the others were kept awake by her as well.

...

After leaving school, Cheng Yao headed straight for Poly Spring. He had a fire burning inside him that needed Lin Ketong to extinguish. He didn't look for Lu Mengyao because he couldn't play favorites, especially in this regard. Besides, he was worried about overwhelming Lu Mengyao by running to her every single day.

In truth, he felt he might be sick for even daring to touch the grass right outside his own backyard. He didn't understand what he was struggling with or afraid of. He was a scumbag by nature, but people were complex creatures. Sometimes, it wasn't about whether you wanted to stop—if you could control your emotions, they wouldn't be emotions. They would be machine-like, constructed data.

He sent a message to Lin Ketong and parked his car in the garage. He went upstairs and punched in the password. Lin Ketong had just finished a midnight snack and was preparing for bed after washing up. Who would have thought Cheng Yao would send a message?

She hadn't seen him for a week; it would be a lie to say she had no sense of crisis. So, after receiving the message, she changed into the stockings he liked. Although her relationship with Cheng Yao was unusual, it could count as dating...

*A day without meeting feels like three autumns.* She truly understood that now. Under normal circumstances, if she hadn't heard from someone for a week, she probably would have blocked them long ago.

The door opened. Lin Ketong stood up and said, "Coming over so late?"

"I missed you."

Cheng Yao leaned in proactively. Lin Ketong’s face flushed; she hadn't expected him to be so direct. She felt something was wrong with him today—could he have been provoked by something?

Cheng Yao wrapped his arms around her waist and walked into the room. Soon, the mattress began to emit the sound of air being squeezed out, accompanied by Lin Ketong’s soft, involuntary moans...

That night, Lin Ketong began to doubt her own existence. It was also the first time she felt genuine fear, wishing Lu Mengyao were right there in the room, by her side, to help her share the burden. By some twist of fate, her favorability toward Lu Mengyao actually increased slightly.

...

The next morning, Cheng Cheng called.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Brother, Mr. Li from next door got out of prison. He even brought over some fruit and said he was moving away, probably won't live in this city anymore. He seems so pitiful."

Cheng Yao paused for a moment. Mr. Li from next door—if she hadn't mentioned him, he would have forgotten entirely. To think he actually brought fruit; he really was an honest man.

"Let him be. Life is full of disappointments..."

After hanging up, Cheng Yao looked at the sleeping Lin Ketong, dried tears still at the corners of her eyes. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt. Last night, he had truly been like a mad bull on stimulants; in that state, he could have plowed the earth to pieces.

He didn't wake Lin Ketong, instead making breakfast and leaving it on the table with a note before driving straight to school.

Today, he was uncharacteristically early. Seeing him, his classmates were shocked. The "King of Skipping Classes" had actually arrived early—the sun must be rising from the west today!

"Cheng Yao, you're so early."

Wang Churuo and Liu Hanyue walked in, both sporting dark circles under their eyes. Cheng Yao glanced at them. He could understand Liu Hanyue, but what was up with Wang Churuo?

"You two... are you a 'Time Assassin' duo?"

"Haha, it’s all her fault for not letting me sleep last night. I'm exhausted, I’ll have to catch up on sleep during class today."

Liu Hanyue looked at him, sat down silently, and didn't speak; she just didn't have the energy.

Cheng Yao acted as usual. Wang Wenbo and the others walked in and hurried over. Wang Wenbo pointed at his phone: "What’s going on with you?"

"I'm feeling a bit unwell."

"Oh, I figured. Going to grab some drinks with a girl from the Southern University of Aeronautics and Astronautics tonight?"

"Sure."

Cheng Yao was feeling restless anyway; he might as well go out. Besides, were girls from the university really that easy to ask out? He remembered that Han Yingxue, on his friend list, was from there.

In the morning, the teacher was surprised to see Cheng Yao in class. Old Li was even more stunned, simultaneously suspicious that Cheng Yao had taken the wrong medicine. Consequently, Cheng Yao was called to the office.

Old Li took a sip of tea. "What’s going on with you? Don't you need to finish your studies?"

"I started a company."

"Started a company?"

"Yeah, invested twenty million into it..."

Cheng Yao was too lazy to explain. Hearing the mention of such a large sum, Old Li’s expression turned serious. He nodded gently and said, "Borrow a classmate’s notes when you have time."

"Thank you, sir."

"Go on."

Leaving the office, Liu Hanyue didn't call him for lunch, and they hadn't exchanged words all morning; it was just plain awkward.

The afternoon passed as usual—some exercise, a bit of basketball. After class, Wang Wenbo dragged Cheng Yao along: "Let’s go, let’s go."

"The others aren't coming?"

"They’re all busy 'severing their roots of trouble'—no point in them coming. Just the two of us will do; they have to go deliver food."

Leaving the classroom, Wang Churuo looked at Wang Wenbo and Cheng Yao: "Why didn't you call him? Cold war?"

"I'm angry."

Liu Hanyue glared at Cheng Yao. "Look at how energetic he is this morning, while I feel like an idiot, having thought about it all night long. Tell me, wouldn't you be angry?"

"I would."

"Exactly. Don't pay him any mind. Let's go get noodles."

"Mm, let's go."

...

"A Mercedes E300 coupe—you’re truly low-key."

Cheng Yao smiled. "Let's change cars. This one isn't great for drinking. Where are we going to drink?"

"A pub. The atmosphere is much better than a bar. I know you don't like bars, so I specifically picked a pub."

"That works."

Cheng Yao drove back to the Hillside Cloud Residence and parked the Mercedes. He took out the keys and opened the door to his McLaren. Wang Wenbo’s eyes lit up: "Holy crap, this car is insane! How come I've never seen you drive this?"

"I do drive it, I just don't park it at school."

"I'm speechless. You don't have to be this low-key. Start it up, let me experience it..."

"Fine."

Wang Wenbo was dazzled, but in the end, he didn't dare drive it; he had never driven a supercar and was afraid of causing trouble. Cheng Yao didn't intend to let him drive it either. He put on his sunglasses, pressed the gas, and left the Hillside Cloud Residence.

The pub opened at 6:30 PM. They grabbed a simple dinner at Xinjiekou and then headed to the pub right on time.

*Vroom, vroom, vroom...*

...

PS: I didn't originally intend to flirt with this one, but since the previous few books didn't really get into it, I decided to move it up in this one. Besides, for a scumbag like him, not making a move when the opportunity is right there would be too abnormal.