Me And My Four Dancers - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Angered

 
“Let’s talk.”

Chen Ze emerged from the bathroom and placed his phone on the table with a soft thud.

Yan Shuo’s eyelids jumped. What were they talking about? Was he going to start settling accounts for last night?

Come on, he’d already said he didn’t remember, and Chen Ze still couldn’t hold back. Was he insisting on holding him accountable for that kiss?

Yan Shuo leaned back, ready to wait and see what happened, waiting for the other person to speak first.

However, Chen Ze’s opening remarks weren’t what he’d expected.

“Yan Shuo, we’ve known each other for a long time, right?” The mention of him by his full name sent a chill down his spine. Chen Ze stood by the bed, looking down at him. “Over two years, almost three? Although we haven’t had a close relationship in the past two years, we’ve been living together and have gotten to know each other fairly well, right?”

“Yes, what’s wrong?”

Yan Shuo fiddled with his phone mindlessly. Chen Ze said, “So we shouldn’t be so polite. I’ll just be frank.”

“Oh, okay.” Yan Shuo gave an awkward smile. “What do you want to say?”

Chen Ze said “frankly,” but then he took another incomprehensible detour, saying, “My favorite thing is making music.”

Yan Shuo was stunned. “Huh?”

Chen Ze paused. “What I mean is, I’m prioritizing my career for now. I don’t have any plans for a relationship. Our professions aren’t suited to a relationship too early.”

Yan Shuo: “…”

Oh, so it wasn’t a confession, no demand for responsibility.

Then what else was there to talk about? Was there anything else they needed to discuss?

Yan Shuo glanced at Chen Ze in confusion.

Just now, Chen Ze said they knew each other quite well. Actually, Yan Shuo didn’t think so at all. His understanding of Shen Ze was limited to knowing that he was aloof, quiet, and reluctant to socialize. That was all.

As for deeper insights, Chen Ze’s true thoughts, inner preferences, or plans and desires for his career and life, he had no idea.

Logically, Chen Ze’s behavior today was quite unusual—he was so patient and talking to him for so long, it was like the sun rising from the west, completely unlike Chen Ze.

But if you have a crush on someone, it’s normal to behave in any way around them. In contrast, Yan Shuo was even more confused about what Chen Ze was trying to say with all his evasiveness.

“No plans for a relationship for now”?

—What did that mean?

It couldn’t be a literal statement, otherwise why would Chen Ze have approached him so seriously about it?

So what was Chen Ze trying to imply? No relationship for now, maybe later? …Yan Shuo had no personal experience, so he racked his brains to dig up every melodramatic romance he’d ever seen, trying to find some lessons to draw from.

He thought, could it be that same old cliché?

It was that classic second male lead who, after being rejected by the heroine, still refuses to give up, saying, “I won’t give up,” “I’ll wait for you,” “Even if you won’t be with me now, I’m willing to protect you behind your back until the day you accept me.” And then he silently solves every problem for the heroine, silently devoting himself to her…

Oh my god.

Yan Shuo was shocked by his own imagination. This style didn’t fit the swagger of Shen Ze, the royal heir.

But it’s undeniable that there are many people like this. While in real life, those who silently and passionately wait for their love may not be as melodramatic and full of sentimental lines as in TV dramas, their pursuit of love is the same: they are stubborn and unwavering, determined not to turn back until they hit a wall.

So, this is their current situation? Chen Ze had a crush on him. His drunken behavior gave Chen Ze hope. The next day, after sobering up, he claimed he couldn’t remember anything. Shen Ze felt lost, but soon came to his senses and subtly hinted:

“It’s okay if you can’t accept me right now. I’m not in a rush to have a relationship, and our professions aren’t suitable for it, so it’s best if you don’t. Let’s take it slow.”

“…”

No way?

Yan Shuo felt his version of the plot was both shocking and realistic. Was there any other explanation? Chen Ze wasn’t one for nonsense. Since he’d called him in, he must have some ulterior motive.

Yan Shuo slowly turned his phone around twice, his guilt suddenly escalating into a pang of conscience.

He thought he shouldn’t continue playing dumb and evading the situation. While explaining things clearly would be awkward and might affect their supposed friendship, it was the only way to be responsible to Shen Ze and stop wasting his energy on a straight man like him.

Yan Shuo’s expression shifted unpredictably. He calmed himself and pondered.

How should he refuse? If he could be tactful, he still didn’t want to lose face.

But being tactful basically equates to being ambiguous. Some things just can’t be tactful; they should be said directly and clearly, once and for all.

Just as Yan Shuo hesitated, Chen Ze spoke again.

“Do you understand what I mean?” Chen Ze suddenly said. “Actually, dating is really troublesome. Look at Li Jin, he’s so secretive every day and he never tires of it. I feel so tired for him. So… I don’t plan on dating for at least a few years. Only if I meet someone I really like, then I’ll consider pursuing her. Luckily, I haven’t met her yet, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…Huh?”

Yan Shuo’s fingers paused, spinning his phone, and for a few seconds, he didn’t react.

And Chen Ze seemed to have finished his words.

—Finished?

Yan Shuo belatedly realized what was going on: “You said you haven’t met anyone you particularly admire—”

Chen Ze nodded.

Yan Shuo was stunned: “So you want to talk to me just to discuss this?”

This time, Shen Ze didn’t speak, just staring at him silently, acquiescing.

Yan Shuo: “…”

So? ? ?

Yan Shuo mustered all his acting chops in front of the camera to keep his expression from shattering—

What the hell is going on here?

So he’d always thought Shen Ze had a crush on him, but it was all a misunderstanding? Shen Ze didn’t have a crush on him at all, it was all just his wishful thinking?

And Shen Ze had noticed his wishful thinking, otherwise why would he suddenly come to tell him all this?

Wait…

How did Shen Ze find out? “I noticed my colleague thought I had a crush on him.” That would require the superpower of mind-reading!

“…”

Yan Shuo was confused for a few seconds, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

What was he doing just now? He was chatting with a friend on QQ, sharing his secret. This friend, besides God, the earth, and himself, was the only one in the world who knew about his relationship with Shen Ze.

So, he’d been guessing the identity of this friend for so long, but he’d never guessed it. It turned out to be so far away, yet so close at hand—

“…”

Help! Such a coincidence!

Yan Shuo instantly forgot even the embarrassment, his mind filled with confusion.

—His only friend on QQ was Shen Ze.

In order to fall in love with him online, he’d topped up his account with diamonds and memberships despite the other person’s constant indifference.

He even fabricated a lame secret crush story, confessing his feelings to “Chen Ze” in front of Shen Ze himself.

So, Shen Ze often looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. It wasn’t that he liked him, but that he was afraid he’d pursue her.

And then there was the post that Shen Ze had liked: “I suddenly realized my college roommate has a crush on me. We’re good friends, and now it’s so awkward. What should I do?” Shen Ze was indeed embarrassed, yet he’d assumed Shen Ze was deeply in love with him.

Shen Ze even personally advised him not to confess and to just be a good colleague.

Shen Ze knew everything, but he knew nothing. He was like a monkey playing with someone. Just now, he’d been so self-absorbed, he’d told someone, “My colleague likes me, and this time it’s for real.” And his colleague—Shen Ze—was sitting not far from him, probably laughing at him in his heart.

What was Shen Ze thinking?

Was it fun to watch him play with someone?

He’d even created a character for Shen Ze, a classic male lead who’s waiting for someone’s love. He was truly so self-absorbed. Had he been kicked in the head by a donkey?

Yan Shuo was going crazy.

What was a public execution? This was it.

Not just a public execution, but a public execution that took place in a stadium with a capacity of 100,000 people and was live-streamed worldwide.

“…”

Yan Shuo’s eyes almost instantly turned red. It was hard to tell if it was embarrassment or anger, but he was furious, incredibly furious.

He dropped his phone, a bit uncontrollably, and grabbed Chen Ze by the collar. “Is that QQ number yours?”

“…Yes.”

Chen Ze didn’t deny it, and Yan Shuo’s last hope of saving face was shattered.

Chen Ze continued to look at him, his eyes as calm as ever, a bit of a scrutiny.

But the calmer Chen Ze was, the more Yan Shuo looked like a fool. He still boasted of his intelligence, his ability to charm both men and women perfectly fine, and that having a crush on his teammates was perfectly normal—

He’d kissed Chen Ze drunk last night. How had Chen Ze seen him then? Had he believed what he’d said on QQ, thinking he had a crush on him? So, Shen Ze probably thought he was pretending to be drunk and flirting with him.

…Oh my God, I couldn’t think of anything more stupid than this. There couldn’t be anyone more stupid than him.

Yan Shuo was furious and wanted to cry. He grabbed Chen Ze by the collar and tossed him onto the bed, exclaiming in rage, “I’ll beat you to death.”

His eyes were red, his hands trembling, and he didn’t have much strength.

But Chen Ze, pinned down by him, didn’t resist.

Yan Shuo stared at Chen Ze, who surprisingly stared back calmly.

This guy was truly a jerk. In a situation like this, at least a few laughs would have been fine, a joke to ease the awkwardness, and the whole thing would have been over with a laugh. But what was Shen Ze doing? He just stared at him, his mind racing.

Yan Shuo grew angrier and angrier, wishing he’d died right there and then, never to live again. It was so humiliating.

In a rage so intense, he clamped down on Shen Ze’s shoulders and bit down furiously.

He had no idea what his goal was, just a random bite, intending to kill Shen Ze.

Chen Ze dodged, then grabbed him with his backhand, abruptly twisting his position and pushing him onto the bed.

“Crying?” Chen Ze pulled a tissue from the nearby table, wiped his face, and said coldly, “…you’re out of luck.”