36 – I Took Xie Qingcheng’s Phone

Chapter 36: I Took Xie Qingcheng’s Phone

Wang Jiankang was a man in his early forties and the director of the External Relations Office at Huzhou University.

Due to the nature of his work, he had a wide network of connections and frequently attended meals with outsiders.

Xie Qingcheng had met him once or twice, and his impression was that the man was incredibly irritating. Eventually, he began avoiding him entirely; they were, at best, “acquaintances,” far from being “close.”

“I don’t believe in ghost stories. This murder case is clearly linked to the Qingkang Psychiatric Hospital incident,” Xie Qingcheng said calmly, taking another sip of tea.

“And it’s likely linked to Jiang Lanpei as well.”

He Yu turned his head and stared at the control tower.

“The Qingkang incident alone was a disaster. I don’t think the hidden mastermind is as simple as just a psychiatric hospital.”

Xie Qingcheng had suspected as much even before He Yu spoke.

This was an opponent who could manipulate the university’s transmission towers, illegally trigger video pop-ups on mobile devices within the electromagnetic range, [stolen content]and steal police information even while a level-one alert was in effect. At this point, the Director of the Huzhou Public Security Read on Read BL NovelsBureau should probably be sending in emergency room doctors rather than police officers.

To openly provoke the police while doing such things—it was clear how arrogant the mastermind was.

Furthermore, Huzhou University was now embroiled in the case. And Huzhou University was where Xie Xue worked. Thinking this far, Xie Qingcheng felt a headache coming on. He unconsciously reached for his pack of cigarettes, but after glancing at He Yu, he headed for the balcony to avoid hearing another complaint.

Hearing the click sound from behind, He Yu turned around. A faint flame flickered in the dark night.

Xie Qingcheng brought the lighter to the tip of the cigarette. The flame traced his sharp contours and dense eyelashes, enveloping his face in an orange glow. When he pulled the lighter away, only the ember clinging to the end of the cigarette shimmered in the darkness.

Like a firefly.

Having smoked down to just above the filter, he cleared his throat and slid open the glass balcony door.

“I’m thinking of making a late-night snack.”

Either way, sleep would be elusive tonight. He figured it would be better to fill their stomachs while waiting for the results.

With that thought, Xie Qingcheng asked He Yu, “What do you want to eat?”

“Caviar and sea urchin sashimi.”

“Get lost.”

“…Then anything is fine.”

And so, Xie Qingcheng headed to the kitchen.

His cooking method was extremely precise and clean; he proceeded with everything clearly and orderly, almost like a surgery. As the sound of the kitchen hood echoed, He Yu looked down at his phone.

The messenger app notifications were exploding.

The school group chat was in the middle of a heated discussion about the events of the night. Then again, who at Huzhou University could possibly sleep soundly right now? Even if they were huddled safely in their dorms with friends, they wouldn’t be able to take their eyes off the videos on their phones.

[Who the hell is Z?]

[It’s probably the surname of the next target. I’m a Xu, so thank god. I think I’ll be safe.]

[T_T Fuck, save me! My surname is Zhang!]

[It’s okay, my surname is Zhao. [stolen content]This is the first time in my life [unauthorized copy]I’ve resented [visit our site]my own name. Sleep is over for tonight.]

A few idiots formed a group chat for students whose surnames started with Z and L, claiming they should band together for mutual comfort.

One student suggested:

[It’s definitely that they pick a target and kill them once the handkerchief song starts. Everyone in our dorm is watching that video right now. I’m seriously terrified…]

Meanwhile, news articles and real-time search terms began to disappear one by one.

When he clicked on a news post, only a notice appeared stating that the content had been deleted. The cyber police were likely working overtime to scrub information related to the school. It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. The situation was not yet under control. It was unclear what would happen next, what the mastermind’s interests were, or who the involved parties were. Before false rumors flooded in and the public panicked, the government had to manage the news to prevent it from spreading online.

Aside from the school group chat, He Yu had a family chat, which had always been quiet. This led to the rational suspicion that there was a separate chat consisting of only his parents and younger brother. After all, a “psychopath” would always be an outlier in the family.

However, today, after such an incident occurred at Huzhou University, Lu Zishu sent a message to the group chat.

[I heard everything from Dad. Contact me once you return to the dorm with Teacher Xie.]

[I’ve arrived at the dorm.]

Soon, He Jiwei also sent a message.

[Send a photo.]

He Yu sighed. They probably thought he was deceiving them and standing guard outside.

He stood up and opened the kitchen door.

“Xie Qingcheng, my father wants a photo of you.”

At those words, Xie Qingcheng frowned.

“I’ll call him myself later.”

He Yu agreed with Xie Qingcheng’s opinion. Not wanting to look at the chat room named “Beloved Family,” he tossed his phone aside and walked up behind Xie Qingcheng. A delicious aroma wafted from the noodle dish Xie Qingcheng was boiling.

“Why are you coming in here?”

“I want to watch you cook and learn a thing or two.”

Xie Qingcheng didn’t particularly drive He Yu away. Just as he was about to fry two stolen contenteggs, the moment he cracked them with [Read on Read BL Novels]one hand, he realized he had forgotten his apron in his distraction.

He knew how to cook, but he hated the smell of grease clinging to his clothes. Tilting his head slightly, he spoke to He Yu.

“Tie the apron on me.”

“…”

Have I actually become a secretary? He Yu was speechless.

“Why are you spacing out? Hurry up.”

He Yu had no choice but to fetch the apron from behind the door. At a glance, it wasn’t the one Xie Xue used. Judging by the clean and simple design, it seemed Xie Xue had prepared it for Xie Qingcheng.

“How do I tie this?”

“…You really have never lifted a finger in the kitchen, have you?”

“It’s not that I don’t know how. I’ve used aprons before. I’ve just never tied one on someone else.”

“Figure it out yourself.”

After a moment’s thought, He Yu realized that tying an apron on someone else wasn’t that difficult. He stood behind Xie Qingcheng, draped the apron over his neck, and tied the strings.

As he tied the strings, he was reminded once again of how slender Xie Qingcheng’s waist was. Previously, he had only watched from a distance, but this time, he had to wrap the strings around that waist and tie a knot behind his back.

He Yu was taller than Xie Qingcheng. Standing behind him at the stove, he looked down and meticulously tied the apron strings. When he lifted his gaze, the nape of the other man’s neck came into view.

Skin as white as transparent enamel.

There was a small mole on the side of his neck.

It was the first time he had ever seen Xie Qingcheng’s neck from this angle. When they were children, the height difference had hidden it, and since reuniting, he had never seriously examined Xie Qingcheng’s neck. Thinking that Xie Qingcheng’s neck was quite pretty, he spoke unconsciously.

“Xie Qingcheng, you have a mole on the side of your neck.”

He added a further description.

“A red one.”

The voice resonated from a very close [visit our site]distance, right against the nape [stolen content]of the neck. Driven by male visit our siteinstinct, Xie Qingcheng snapped his head around in alarm.

How can he be this stupid?

In truth, he had only turned his head to confirm his safety within the other’s territory and create some distance.

But this foolish old-soul had overlooked a very important detail. He Yu’s voice had echoed right behind his neck, and He Yu was currently wrapping an apron around his waist. What would happen if he turned around at this exact timing?

He Yu’s lips brushed against Xie Qingcheng’s ear. In the moment both were off guard, warm lips lightly touched his cheek.

A contact as light as a sleeper touching the surface of water. However, the awkwardness flared up like a wildfire.

The air froze instantly.

“…”

“…”

The area around the ear is sensitive for everyone. Xie Qingcheng was no exception. Even in that brief moment, he felt the young man’s low, hot breath. As the oppressive and invasive aura characteristic of a hormone-driven youth spread, he roughly pushed He Yu’s chest away.

Both of their expressions darkened immensely. They [stolen content]simply [unauthorized copy]glared at [Read on Read BL Novels]each other, unable to find the words to speak.

I’m sorry?

Since Xie Qingcheng had turned his head first, there was no way He Yu would apologize. Not to mention Xie Qingcheng.

What are you doing?

…Was there a need to ask? It was merely a cruel coincidence born of the “old-soul’s” stupidity.

While the tense standoff continued, an ominous smell wafted from the frying pan.

He Yu snapped back to his senses and shouted, “The food is burning!”

Xie Qingcheng quickly turned back. Sure enough, one side of the fried eggs was charred black.

“…”

He hadn’t burned a fried egg since he was eight years old. Today was truly a day of terrible luck.

Turning off the heat and moving the pan, Xie Qingcheng told stolen contentHe Yu, “What are [stolen content]you [unauthorized copy]doing here? Get out.”

Then, with a stern face, he pulled out a kitchen wet wipe and wiped the ear and cheek where He Yu’s lips had touched.

“…”

Unlike the previous time, which had been intentionally staged, this was skinship that happened purely by accident.

Feeling awkward, He Yu left without a word, head bowed. Returning to the living room, he felt strangely unsettled. It was because Xie Qingcheng’s gaze had been too cold. It truly felt like he was openly rejecting and ignoring him.

He Yu hated this feeling.

Having been suppressed by Xie Qingcheng’s atmosphere since childhood, he had gradually corrected those childhood traumas after reuniting with him upon entering university. He had even taken the initiative in their relationship several times.

Yet, with just that one look, He Yu was sucked back into the past. The only person who could look down on everything about him with a cold, demanding gaze like a bayonet was, indeed, Xie Qingcheng.

In essence, Xie Qingcheng remained the absolute ruler.

While lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang.

Distracted, He Yu assumed it was a call from his anxious family and answered it haphazardly.

“Hello?”

—Hello, Brother Qingcheng. I just finished my mission, so I’m calling now. I saw there was an accident near the school. Please wait for me for a moment. I’ll head over right now. I’m too anxious to just sit here…

He Yu pulled the phone away from his ear. Looking at the screen, he realized he had answered Xie Qingcheng’s phone.

The name ‘Chen Man’ was displayed on the screen.

Judging by the voice, he sounded like a boy who didn’t know what to do with himself out of worry.

The way he called him “Brother” at the end of every sentence was quite affectionate.

In fact, the two of them had met before. They had even spent a long time chatting while eating at the school cafeteria.

The problem was that they had happened to skip exchanging names at that time.

Since a fair amount of time had passed and the voice was distorted through the signal, neither had recognized the other’s identity.

He Yu’s mood soured again for no apparent reason. stolen contentAfter glancing at Xie Qingcheng, who was wiping the pan and frying [Read on Read BL Novels]eggs again in the kitchen, he stood up and walked to the balcony.

—Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? Brother, are you…

Opening the balcony door, He Yu spoke with utmost politeness.

“Excuse me, but who is this?”

—Huh? Aren’t you Brother Qingcheng?

The other party was clearly bewildered.

—Then who are you?

“I’m a friend of Teacher Xie.”

—Ah, then could you put him on the phone?

He Yu’s voice, tinged with a hint of a smile, grew colder.

“Doesn’t Xie Qingcheng [visit our site]not have a younger visit our sitebrother? I wonder why a relative suddenly called. I’ve never heard of you.”

Chen Man paused for a moment. He wasn’t a fool, so he realized the other person was picking a fight.

A policeman is a policeman, after all. He, who always interrogated others, wasn’t about to sit quietly and be interrogated himself.

Listening closely, the other person sounded like a man of a similar age. A young man who could be with Xie Qingcheng at this hour, despite such an incident—who on earth was he?

Chen Man also forgot about the dining companion he had enjoyed talking with last time.

He grew wary and began to suspect He Yu.

—And who exactly are you? Which friend? I know most of Brother Qingcheng’s friends.

He Yu chuckled softly. His eyes, staring at the bright red control tower, turned gloomy.

Even though there was no need to present a business card first, he volunteered the information.

“I’m He Yu.”

—I’ve never heard that name.

He Yu remained motionless, staring only at the control tower. He wanted to respond, but his mind was blank.

Suddenly, he realized that his social circle and Xie Qingcheng’s barely overlapped.

Who the hell is this Chen Man…

“He Yu, what are you doing there?”

At that moment, the sliding door behind him abruptly opened. Xie Qingcheng was standing there.

“…A call came in, and I answered it thinking it was my phone.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone named Chen Man.”

As soon as he heard the name, Xie Qingcheng took the phone, went into the room, and answered the call.

He Yu stood silently in place, watching his retreating figure.

The cold Xie Qingcheng was not someone who easily took an interest in others. It was safe to say that there was almost no one he cared about enough to cross his boundaries, except for Xie Xue.

But it seemed this Chen Man was an exception.

For some reason, He Yu’s chest felt even more uncomfortable.