Chapter 135: There Is No Such Thing as a Prodigal Returning; It Is Merely a Player Coming Ashore

"Shy?"

Watching her watch the movie with such earnestness, straw still between her lips, looking silly with her "fat-happy water" in hand, Cheng Yao smiled silently.

He wasn't here to watch a movie; he was here to pick up a girl.

What was he? A rogue. And since he was a rogue, he naturally had to do the things a rogue should do.

Cheng Yao could recite this romance movie backward. His hands were getting a bit restless—not that he was doing anything lewd, but his hands felt like they had nowhere to go, and they brushed against Liu Hanyue’s hand by accident.

Liu Hanyue stiffened. Usually, a touch wouldn't have made her this nervous, but the atmosphere in the theater was different.

"What are you doing!?"

Liu Hanyue shuddered and glared at him nervously. She felt it was all moving too fast; 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 it, pinching himself, feeling he had gone a bit too far.

The movie lasted two hours. When it ended, the atmosphere became awkward. It hit a stalemate—neither moving forward nor retreating. It was that stage beyond friendship, yet not quite lovers.

Cheng Yao didn't think too much about it; overthinking was exhausting. He didn't want to live that tiredly, so he simply stopped thinking.

But Liu Hanyue was different. She was so awkward she didn't know how to speak, wondering if she had done something wrong, or if her attitude in the theater had been too harsh.

*He held my hand. Should I have just gone along with it? If I had, 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 quiet time.

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

"Yeah, goodnight."

"Mm, goodnight. You... you take care on the road..."

Liu Hanyue’s dark, almond-shaped eyes sparkled under the moonlight as she stared at Cheng Yao, as if waiting for him to say something. However, Cheng Yao just smiled and nodded. "Go on."

"Bye-bye..."

She walked into the school, face flushed, and hurried back to her dormitory. *Goodness, what am I expecting!*

"Knock, knock, knock! Wang Churuo, open up!"

"Why are you back? I thought you were going to stay out with Cheng Yao and get 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 shocked if Liu Hanyue hadn't returned, and would have admired Cheng Yao’s skill in picking up girls—taking Liu Hanyue to a hotel on the first date!

"Get lost, you're so annoying!"

Liu Hanyue buried herself under the covers. The other two roommates, who were already preparing for bed, immediately became interested.

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

"I'm so envious. I bet eighty—no, ninety percent of the girls in the School of Economics want to date him."

Wang Churuo leaned over and crawled into the bed, whispering, "What happened? You're acting weird, your face is so red. Did he do something naughty to you, or..."

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

"Tell me, tell me!"

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

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

"Mm..."

***

After her shower, Liu Hanyue whispered with Wang Churuo, while two other heads popped out from under their blankets to listen.

Liu Hanyue glanced at them. "Don't you dare tell anyone, or else..."

"We know, we know."

"Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped."

In the whispering dorm, Wang Churuo said in surprise, "Isn't this your own fault? There was only one soda; you let him drink it, of course he would. I’d drink it too if it were me..."

"That's not the point."

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

Liu Hanyue’s face turned beet red. *As if you have a boyfriend,* she thought, then recounted the incident with their hands.

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

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

Wang Churuo giggled. "Well, since Cheng Yao took you to see a romance movie, isn't it obvious? But refusing him isn't a bad thing either, 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 one step away from being Cheng Yao’s girlfriend. Beyond friendship, but not quite lovers."

"..."

That night, Liu Hanyue tossed and turned, experiencing the bittersweet taste of love for the first time, too melancholic to sleep. 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, and he needed Lin Ketong to help him extinguish it.

The reason he didn't call Lu Mengyao was that he couldn't play favorites, especially in this regard. Besides, he was afraid that if he ran to Lu Mengyao’s place every day, she wouldn't be able to handle it.

In truth, he felt he might be sick for daring to "eat the grass by the nest." He didn't understand what he was struggling with or afraid of; he was a scumbag, after all. But people are complex; sometimes, it’s not that you don't want to think about it—you just can't stop. If you could control your emotions at will, they wouldn't be emotions; they would be data programmed into a machine.

He sent a message to Lin Ketong, parked his car in the garage, and went upstairs to input the password. Lin Ketong had just finished a midnight snack and was preparing for bed when she received the message.

She hadn't seen Cheng Yao for a week. It would be a lie to say she felt no sense of crisis, so after receiving the message, she changed into the stockings he liked. Even though her relationship with Cheng Yao was unconventional, it could be considered love... A day apart felt like three autumns, and she truly felt that now. Under normal circumstances, if someone didn't send a message for a week, she would have blocked them long ago.

As the door opened, Lin Ketong stood up. "You came over so late?"

"I missed you."

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

Cheng Yao wrapped his arms around her waist and walked into the bedroom. Soon, the mattress began to creak, accompanied by Lin Ketong’s soft, involuntary whimpers...

That night, Lin Ketong questioned her life. It was the first time she felt a hint of fear, wishing Lu Mengyao were right there in the room with her to share the burden. By some twist of fate, her favorability toward Lu Mengyao actually increased a little.

***

The next morning, Cheng Cheng called.

"Hey, what’s up?"

"Brother, Mr. Li from next door was released from prison. He even brought over some fruit and said he's moving away, probably not going to live in this city anymore. He seems so pitiful."

Cheng Yao paused. Mr. Li from next door—he had almost forgotten about him. To think he’d even bring fruit; he really was an honest man.

"Let him go. 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 really had been like a mad bull; he had nearly plowed the earth to pieces.

He didn't wake Lin Ketong. He made breakfast, left it on the table with a note, and drove straight to school.

Today, he was uncharacteristically punctual. The students in his class were stunned; the "King of Skipping Classes" had actually arrived early. Had the sun risen from the west?

"Cheng Yao, you're early today."

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 Wang Churuo’s deal?

"You two, the 'Time Assassin' duo?"

"Haha, it's all her fault! She wouldn't let me sleep last night. I'm so tired, I'm going to have to nap through class today."

Liu Hanyue looked at him, sat down silently, and said nothing; she simply lacked the energy.

Cheng Yao sat 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 under the weather."

"Oh, I figured. Want to hook up with some ladies from the Southern Aviation University tonight and go wild?"

"Sure."

Cheng Yao felt restless too. Might as well go wild. Come to think of it, were girls from Southern Aviation really that easy to pick up? He remembered that Han Yingxue, who was on his friends list, was from Southern Aviation.

In the morning, the teacher was shocked to see Cheng Yao in class. Old Li, the professor, was even more stunned; while surprised, he suspected Cheng Yao might have taken the wrong medicine.

Consequently, Cheng Yao was called to the office. Old Li sipped his tea. "What's going on with you? Don't you need to attend class?"

"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. "Borrow your classmates' notes when you have time."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Go on."

Leaving the office, Liu Hanyue didn't call him for lunch, and they hadn't said a word all morning; they were stuck in an awkward standoff. The afternoon passed as usual with some exercise and basketball.

After class, Wang Wenbo dragged Cheng Yao along. "Let's go, let's go."

"The others aren't coming?"

"They're all busy 'cutting off their worldly desires'—why the hell would they come? It's just the two of us. They're off delivering food."

As they left the classroom, Wang Churuo looked at Wang Wenbo and Cheng Yao. "Why aren't you calling her? Cold war?"

"I'm angry."

Liu Hanyue glared at Cheng Yao. "Look at how energetic he is this morning, while I feel like a fool, thinking about it all night long. Wouldn't you be angry if you were me?"

"I would."

"There you go. Ignore him, let's go eat noodles."

"Mm-hmm, let's go."

***

"Mercedes E300 Coupe. You’re truly low-key."

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

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

"That works."

Cheng Yao drove back to Half-Hill Clouds Residence and parked the Mercedes. He then took out the keys and opened the door to his McLaren. Wang Wenbo’s eyes lit up. "Holy crap, this car is insane! You have this car? Why have I never seen you drive it?"

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

"I'm gonna puke. Don't be so 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 sports car and was afraid of causing trouble. Cheng Yao didn't intend to let him drive it either; he put on his sunglasses, hit the gas, and sped away from the residence.

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

*Vroom, vroom, vroom...*

***

*P.S.: I didn't originally intend to pick this one up, but since I haven't gotten around to it in the previous books, I'll bring it forward in this one. Besides, for a scumbag like him, not making a move when the opportunity is right there would be too abnormal.*