Chapter 31: The Scheming Boy’s Public Execution
[Page 1 of 3]
He Tianran changed clothes as quickly as he could and hurried back to the guitar shop.
Outside, he first ran into Xue Yong.
The class tyrant, usually arrogant and overbearing, now stood with his head bowed, his entire person listless and lifeless. He glanced up at He Tianran as he approached, his eyes filled with desolation.
“What happened to you?”
He Tianran was startled by his expression.
Xue Yong remained silent for a while before saying dejectedly, “A-Liang just asked me why I was here.”
“Ah. What did you say?”
“I told her it was a coincidence. Then she just kept looking at me...”
He Tianran grew nervous as well. He was not worried that Xue Yong had told her the truth. If that had been all, he would not have looked so devastated.
“Junior, have you ever looked directly into A-Liang’s eyes? I mean, that kind of gaze that makes you feel she can see straight through everything going on in your mind...”
Xue Yong continued. He Tianran nodded with deep feeling.
“She stared at me for about a minute. Then she sighed and told me that we would always be friends... She did not even ask whether I liked her. I knew she was giving me a way out... But... but I feel so miserable...”
“...”
Looking at the helpless, bewildered Xue Yong before him, He Tianran had anticipated that something like this might happen when he summoned him over. Everything that had happened so far had remained within his plans.
Yet for some reason, now that it had actually happened, he felt relieved instead.
He Tianran patted Xue Yong on the back.
“Brother, what are you planning to do now?”
Xue Yong murmured, “I want to be alone for a while. Maybe walk around.”
“Then I’ll go inside first.”
“Mm...”
He left Xue Yong alone outside the shop.
There were still several customers inside. Boss Park was introducing them to the instruments he sold, while Wen Liang remained seated in the same place as before. She seemed to be lost in thought, swaying from side to side. The swivel stool beneath her turned along with her movements.
When she heard footsteps at the entrance, she looked over.
The two of them were silent for a moment before speaking at the same time.
“I was the one who called Brother Xiaoyong here.”
“Is your stomach feeling any better?”
“...”
Another stretch of wordless eye contact followed. Wen Liang raised her head toward the ceiling and stretched, speaking in as casual a tone as she could manage.
“Actually, when I saw how suddenly close you and Xue Yong had become this week, I had already guessed.”
He Tianran slowly walked over and sat down beside her. He picked up the guitar on the floor and gently plucked a few strings.
“He said he liked you and wanted me to help him.”
“So you told him about what happened between us here today?”
[Page 2 of 3]
He Tianran gave a quiet “Mm” and did not deny it.
Wen Liang narrowed her eyes. Apart from the remorse of someone who had done something wrong, there was nothing else on the boy’s face. After a brief pause, she smiled.
“Tianran, do you know something? If I hadn’t known you for so many years, I really would have believed you.”
“Clang.”
His fingers swept across the strings unconsciously, and the guitar released a burst of discordant noise. He Tianran hurriedly pressed his palm against the vibrating strings, cutting the sound off at once. Somewhat flustered, he said, “Wen Liang, what do you mean by that? Everything I said was true...”
The short-haired girl blinked. “I never said you were lying.”
“Then... then why don’t you believe me?”
“What you said is true, yes. But there are still some things you haven’t said.”
Wen Liang raised her index finger and slowly pointed toward He Tianran’s chest.
“For example, this.”
He Tianran set the guitar down, his face turning awkward, while the girl continued.
“Besides being introverted and weak-willed, there is another side to you. I don’t know whether it is good or bad for you, but I don’t like you using it on me.”
It was as though someone had seized him by his sorest spot. He Tianran immediately stood up, but under Wen Liang’s gaze, his feet refused to move even half a step.
“You were the one who called Xue Yong here, and you knew I would reject him, didn’t you?”
“...”
“Or were you testing me? If I showed even the slightest bit of fondness for Xue Yong, you would immediately distance yourself from me?”
“...”
“Or perhaps you already knew how I felt about Zhang Zhifan. Now that Xue Yong has also been rejected, I’m left with only you by my side. Isn’t this exactly the situation you most wanted to see?”
He Tianran had no answer, because those had been the entire reasons he had called Xue Yong over.
Most of the time, he deliberately avoided thoughts like these. He had not even dared to face them.
But now, every question Wen Liang asked was like a spotlight on a stage, exposing all the hidden, shameful little schemes he had buried in his heart.
“How did you know...? Did I tell you all this in the future?”
He Tianran lowered his voice, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Wen Liang shrugged, looking somewhat pained. “Even if we become very close in the future, you wouldn’t possibly tell me these things...”
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and teased him, “Although, compared with what you’ll be capable of in the future, these little tricks of yours now are nothing. They’re worlds apart. Ha ha ha...”
The girl laughed, her smile brilliant.
“I can forgive you this time. Sit down!” She pointed to the tall stool beside her.
He Tianran woodenly sat down again and asked in confusion, “Why? You’re... not angry?”
Wen Liang shook her head mischievously. “Why would I be angry?”
He Tianran fell silent.
Before this, his attitude toward Wen Liang had consisted of four parts cautious probing and six parts hazy affection. But after what had just happened, that probing had completely transformed into something he could neither explain nor define...
Fear?
She understood him far too well.
In truth, He Tianran had always overlooked one crucial fact: the girl before him possessed the soul of a mature woman who had already weathered the fierce, turbulent world of show business.
[Page 3 of 3]
She was warm, lively, and utterly unguarded.
Everything about the girl he had come to know had caused He Tianran to lower his defenses, because being with her felt so natural.
And that very naturalness was what had directly led to his single lapse amid all his careful precautions.
“Tianran, no one is perfect. Everyone has a dark side. You have to learn to control it. More importantly, you must never let someone who treats you well become hurt because of it. Do you understand?”
Wen Liang stroked He Tianran’s head. She was clearly the one who had been manipulated, yet at that moment she was the one offering him comfort.
“Hm? Why has your hair fallen flat? You aren’t even wearing a hat.”
The girl felt the texture of his hair beneath her hand and asked the question casually.
At that moment, He Tianran, who had been drowning in self-reproach, suddenly came back to himself.
This was no time to lose focus!
Cao was still waiting for him!
Wen Liang had seen through the first layer, but there was still a second!
“After you exposed me like that, forget my hair—I’ve wilted all over.”
He Tianran improvised quickly, deftly shifting the subject.
“Hey, hey, hey! I’m the one you toyed with today! You devious little boy! I don’t care. Even though I’m not angry, you still have to make it up to me!”
Perhaps He Tianran’s excuse had been too convincing, because Wen Liang did not suspect anything. She simply adopted the slight, willful pout of a young woman.
“All right. How do you want me to make it up to you?”
Wen Liang rubbed her stomach and said weakly, “I’m hungry...”
...
Fine. Two meals, then.
It was nothing. As long as he could get through today’s ordeal, he would have no problem treating her to ten.
He Tianran consoled himself, only to hear Wen Liang add, “I want curry. I saw a Thai restaurant on the third floor just now...”
Wen Liang put on a pitiful expression, never imagining that He Tianran nearly exploded on the spot.
“Oh, come on, you two! I sell musical instruments here, not romance rations! Tianran~ I want curry too~~”
Boss Park had just finished seeing off a customer and now sauntered over. After scolding them, he began swaying coquettishly while tugging at He Tianran’s arm. The boy barely managed to restrain himself from slapping him.
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P.S. Let me add one brief remark. It was only while writing this chapter that I felt He Tianran had finally become a fully realized protagonist. There were hints of his scheming nature earlier in the story, though I wonder whether everyone noticed them.
Some readers may find what he does in Chapter Twenty-Nine uncomfortable, but it is entirely consistent with He Tianran’s personality and the logic of his character.
Don’t panic. Although this novel will bring pain and heartache, there will absolutely be no cheating or cuckolding.
Tianran scored over six hundred on his exams. He may be introverted, weak, withdrawn, indecisive in matters of love, and suspicious by nature, but he is certainly not stupid.
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