Chapter 46: Untitled (Part V)

"Brother Yong? If you couldn't find me, why didn't you just call... Oh right, I left my phone in the classroom, sorry about that."

He Tianran looked with a puzzled expression at the pair of man and woman standing before him.

Truth be told, Xue Yong hadn't contacted him for quite some time. Ever since Wen Liang handed him an early rejection card last time, he had been completely spiritless, frequently skipping classes, and even stopped coming to the boxing gym. Wen's father had asked about him a few times during that period, and He Tianran could only brush it off with vague excuses.

Moreover, from He Tianran's current standpoint, the two of them had completely shifted from martial arts seniors and juniors to love rivals. He had even less reason to comfort Xue Yong, and running into each other only made things awkward.

"Turns out brotherhood is just as treacherous as politics. I went back and thought about it for a long time. Last time, you deliberately made me go to the mall to see Wen Liang, didn't you?"

Xue Yong gritted his teeth, clenching both fists as he walked forward with visible anger.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

He Tianran blinked.

"You knew Wen Liang would reject me, which is why you were so unfazed. I never took you for this kind of person, He Tianran! You're quite scheming! Using someone else's knife to kill someone was actually pulled on me!"

With that, Xue Yong lunged forward in a flash and threw a punch!

The wind whistled past He Tianran's ears. He stepped back, leaned his upper body slightly backward, and the fist brushed right past his eyes.

He Tianran, who usually had a mild temper, also grew somewhat angry. Although his boxing lessons this past month hadn't been long, his physical coordination had fully caught up to his reflexes. He had been paying attention to Xue Yong's movements, so dodging this punch was completely within reason.

"Did I force you to come? Did I force you to confess your feelings right off the bat? Xue Yong, you and I are in a fair competition. Why is it that you're allowed to like her, but I'm not?!"

He Tianran suppressed the urge to strike back. He still had to perform on stage tonight, and he didn't want Wen Liang to see him bruised and battered; that would disappoint her.

Unable to land a hit and knowing he was in the wrong, Xue Yong grew frantic. Just as he tried to launch another attack, his right hand was suddenly grabbed tightly by Ye Jiaqi, who screamed:

"Stop it, don't fight! He Tianran, we didn't come here for this!"

Xue Yong shook off Ye Jiaqi's hand and glared fiercely at He Tianran.

"What else is there to say? Look at his smug little face right now. We should just watch him make a complete fool of himself. He probably thought he was some big deal, but in the end, he's just like me—a total, utter idiot."

Although he had no idea what the two of them were talking about, hearing Xue Yong curse him while grouping himself into the insult as well, He Tianran's concentrated focus gradually began to relax.

He actually didn't hold that much hostility toward Xue Yong. The guy was a bit overbearing and sometimes rather foolish, but his nature wasn't truly bad, and he was quite loyal. If they weren't love rivals, they could genuinely have been friends.

"What on earth did you two come here for anyway?"

He Tianran was completely baffled.

"What did we come for? To burst your daydream, you idiot!"

Xue Yong cursed, still unsatisfied.

...

...

Inside the desk drawer, He Tianran's phone kept buzzing.

Cao Aiqing felt conflicted. He Tianran hadn't returned for the entire class. If he had gone off for a rehearsal, the guitar on his chair should have been taken along with him.

Someone had been constantly sending messages to that phone throughout the class, but Cao Aiqing didn't dare to look too closely. Now that class was over, she glanced at the caller ID, which displayed the name "Old Classmate."

Could it be that he couldn't find his phone and borrowed a friend's phone to call?

If that was the case, answering it for him shouldn't be a big deal, right?

Acting on a sudden impulse, Cao Aiqing reached out, hesitated for a moment while looking at the phone, and pressed the answer button.

"Hello Tianran, you haven't been replying to my messages. The teacher in charge of the evening gala just said we need to confirm our program, so go to the auditorium and coordinate with him~"

Cao Aiqing was very familiar with the female voice coming through the earpiece.

"..."

"Hello? Don't play dumb, He Tianran! I can hear you breathing, come on, it's no trouble at all~ Oh right, there's a shop near my cram school that makes amazing daifuku. I'll bring a box over when I come. I know you don't like sweets, but you have to try it, don't be ungrateful!"

"......Wen, Wen classmate, he, He classmate isn't here. When he comes back, I'll help you tell him."

"..."

"I, I'm hanging up then."

"Wait a minute, Aiqing..."

"What is it, Wen classmate?"

The person on the other end fell silent for a long time, and then three almost imperceptible words came through—

"......I'm sorry."

...

...

"I'm sorry, He classmate, this all started as a joke of mine. I didn't know you would actually believe Wen Liang. I found out about Zhang Fan and the others' plan—they watched you get rejected by Wen Liang so that he could step up and confess on stage. I noticed him constantly seeking you out lately, and I guess he wanted to pressure you into submitting by the time of the gala! If that really happens, you'll become the laughingstock of the entire school! You have to believe me!"

On the rooftop, He Tianran's eyes were dark and unreadable. From his initial guard to his current soul-crushed state, he had finally finished listening to the "prank" that Ye Jiaqi had spoken of.

He stood there devoid of all vitality, his lips parted slightly, his chin trembling gently.

"Who knows how stupid someone has to be to actually believe a ridiculous thing like rebirth."

Squatting on the ground, Xue Yong looked up at the dazed He Tianran, let out a disdainful "tch" from his mouth, turned his head to look away, and stood up.

"When Ye Jiaqi told me about it earlier, I was wondering whether I should tell you kid, because I know what it feels like to be made a fool of. It wasn't until Master called me back to the boxing gym yesterday that I felt I should show some kindness. Even though I find you extremely annoying, we were taught by the same master after all. I'll go talk to Master about Wen Liang playing you for a fool. Just go home for today, and forget about whatever damn welcome party."

After finishing, seeing that He Tianran still made no move, a surge of vicious anger rose within him. He suddenly roared:

"Hey, did you hear me, you kid?!"

He Tianran's Adam's apple bobbed. Suddenly, he forced an ugly smile and said:

"Ah, hey, tomorrow, I'm still going to—going to Yunnan with Wen Liang to see the snow mountains tomorrow. Why, why would I leave? Let's talk about it after the performance is done... We've already rehearsed several times..."

Hearing these self-deceiving words, Xue Yong grew furious at his stubbornness. He grabbed He Tianran by the collar, yanked him close, and said in uncontrollable rage:

"We're telling you the truth, don't you get it, kid?! You've been played! From start to finish, this was all a lie, just to toy with a loser like you for amusement!"

He Tianran's gaze darkened. His right hand abruptly clamped onto Xue Yong's wrist and twisted it. An unknown burst of strength caused the latter to let out an injured "Ah," and the two of them instantly let go.

Ye Jiaqi rushed over to check on Xue Yong's injury, only to see a red handprint left on his wrist.

"He Tianran!! Are you out of your mind?! We're trying to help you! Just think about it, how could anyone possibly be reborn?! Get real, will you!"

The boy, whose consciousness was already drifting on the edge of reality, shook his head, his mouth muttering incessantly:

"She wouldn't lie to me... She was so good to me... She wouldn't... She wouldn't..."