Chapter 73: Petty Men and Scoundrels

I abruptly opened my eyes. The pitch-black surroundings gradually calmed the inexplicable fear in my heart. Leaving behind the bizarre realm of the dream, I returned to this relatively warmer room.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, yet a nameless, inexpressible sorrow lingered in my heart. Why had I felt such awe toward Luo Qing in the dream? What did this dream signify, or rather, who did she represent... I didn't even know what I was truly afraid of. Was it love, or reality?

Turning my head, I looked at Su Xuefei, who had fallen asleep at some point. Her white smartphone lay right beside her pillow. I couldn't help but get up and move her phone to a dressing table a little further away. Perhaps a gesture like this was completely insignificant, but to me, it offered a sliver of spiritual comfort.

Lying back down in bed, the sleepiness I had felt earlier was gone. Glancing at the red digital clock on the wall, it showed that in half an hour it would be precisely five o'clock. I got up, grabbed my coat, took out the cigarette pack and lighter from the pocket, and walked into the bathroom.

Closing the bathroom door behind me, I turned on the light, lit a cigarette, and stared blankly into the half-length mirror above the sink. Drawing a deep drag into my lungs, I fell into a fit of violent coughing, instantly feeling a wave of dizziness. Hastily snuffing out the cigarette butt in the trash can, I braced both hands on the basin, closed my eyes, and shook my head vigorously in an attempt to clear my mind and wake myself up.

The money for the shop was something I definitely had to cover. As the boss, how could I possibly let others share this kind of pressure? Once the promotional event was over, I would go back home... and leave this place. Although there were still many people I hated to part with, I truly needed to seriously consider my own life. After all, this place was not suited for me.

I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. The events of this past month drifted through my mind. The good and the bad would eventually pass. To linger on things too much was merely to harbor an obsession. Rather than hiding in a corner and crying, it was better to smile and let go. I wondered how Ye Zi was doing. I remembered Sister Shi saying a few days ago that he was heading back to Yichun. If he were to see me in my current state, what kind of expression would he wear?

Silently imagining An Ye's bittersweet, laughing-yet-crying expression, I couldn't help but smile. In essence, we were both pursuing that pure form of love, only the things we valued differed. The person An Ye liked had to be a girl who understood music, or at the very least someone who loved music deeply. But I didn't care about such things—perhaps because of my own lack of musical talent. I always felt that love should be a pure existence, an original emotion that transcended worldly boundaries. There should be no gaps, no deliberate scheming—just a natural progression of liking someone, falling in love, and progressing to marriage and children.

Was my way of thinking too unconventional, or had the people living in this society simply forgotten this kind of purity?

As I stood there with my eyes closed, breathing heavily and lost in wild thoughts, the bathroom door suddenly pushed open. Startled, I turned my head to see a drowsy Su Xuefei walking in with half-closed eyes.

Watching Su Xuefei walk past me with small, unhurried steps as if she didn't see me at all, I couldn't help feeling a bit strange. What was she doing? Could the Goddess Su actually have a habit of sleepwalking?

The moment that possibility crossed my mind, I held my breath, terrified that she might make some dangerous movement in her unconscious state. I kept my eyes fixed on her actions while frantically wondering what to do in this situation... They said that people who sleepwalk had very fragile nervous systems and were extremely susceptible to being startled. Once severely frightened, a person's brain system could go haywire, meaning they could lose their mind or become mentally impaired. Thinking of this, I didn't dare to act rashly. If something actually went wrong, it would be a disaster.

If all else failed, I would just wait a bit. Perhaps Goddess Su would sleepwalk for a short while and then go back to bed.

Since I was watching her anyway, I might as well view Su Xuefei from an aesthetic perspective. I couldn't help but be amused by my own wicked thought. Perhaps because my mindset had shifted, looking at Su Xuefei no longer felt quite so awkward.

Goddess Su was the type of breathtaking beauty whose appeal only grew over time. She didn't hit you with an overwhelming visual feast the moment you met her; instead, she was a woman whose delicate beauty revealed itself the longer you looked. A perfect figure, fair and taut skin, slender and graceful legs, and hair as flowing and ethereal as that of a swordsman from a literary masterpiece. The whole person looked like a beauty stepped straight out of a painting, exuding a serene and pure aura that made one afraid to even meet her gaze, lest they tarnish her sacred, fairy-like presence.

A fair, full bosom, and rounded, pert hips. I couldn't help but be completely conquered by Goddess Su's figure... No, wait! I snapped violently back to reality. The girl was actually taking off her pants right in front of me!

I turned around instantly, but certain images had already burned themselves into my mind like a drug, and my body began to exhibit instinctive reactions. I could only blame the scene for being too hot-blooded, making it practically impossible for a broke loser like me to hold back.

It seemed Su Xuefei was indeed sleepwalking without a doubt. Terrified that my movements might startle her, I had no choice but to maintain my posture facing the bathroom door, my heart pounding faster and faster. This was... simply too thrilling!

After a moment, I heard the sound of running water behind me, and I froze in place in absolute shock... Goddess Su was actually using the toilet!

I had never heard of sleepwalkers getting up to use the restroom...

Before I could figure out what was going on, Su Xuefei's somewhat bewildered yet clinging voice rang out: "Eh? Yang Chen?"

Hearing Su Xuefei's voice, I felt as though I had been struck by lightning. I stiffly turned around to look at Su Xuefei, whose pajamas were open as she sat on the toilet bowl, looking hazy and half-asleep. My gaze drifted downward, and my face instantly turned fiery red.

Su Xuefei seemed to wake up a little more. Following my gaze downward, she froze for a few seconds, then lifted her head with a flushed face, opened her mouth, and screamed...

I turned on my heel and bolted, diving straight under the covers. It was simply too damn humiliating.

"Ah!" A sharp scream echoed through the bathroom, lingering for a long while before finally fading away...

Around eight o'clock, Goddess Su and I put on our coats and walked out of the hotel. I had promised her that we would go eat xiaolongbao and drink soy milk in the morning. Although I had no idea what was going on in her head, she had actually told me she had never eaten street food before. Since street food stalls weren't around in this season, we would just go try a breakfast shop instead. Anyway, it made no difference to me; eating anything was just for survival—price came first, and taste came second.

Pulling out my phone, I stared at the nearly five hundred words of self-reflection I had drafted, feeling utterly speechless. I had used every word of praise for her and self-deprecation for myself that I could possibly think of, but Goddess Su clearly had no intention of forgiving me so easily this time, and was still giving me the cold shoulder. Since the incident that morning, the only sentence she had said to me was: "Let's go. Go eat buns."

It was only then that I realized how much of a blessing being able to speak actually was. At the very least, apologizing wouldn't require such grueling effort, and trying to coax her made me sound utterly insincere.

Sitting on a small wooden stool, I watched Su Xuefei sitting opposite me with a puffed-up, angry expression. I could only offer a bitter smile and continued typing on my phone for her to read: "Stop being mad. I really didn't mean it. Besides, the state you were in back then was terrifying—I thought you were sleepwalking. Who knew you were just being purely dazed and adorable..."

Glancing at the text on my phone, Su Xuefei pouted her pretty lips, cast a resentful look at me, and after stealthily checking her surroundings, whispered, "Did you see it...?"

What? I tapped my ear to signal that I hadn't heard clearly.

"I said, did you see it?"

I sat rigidly in the chair for a long time without replying, frantically pondering how on earth I should answer this question. If I said yes, I was a despicable villain. If I said no, I was a shameless scoundrel... Either way, I was cast as a villain, so I might as well just tell the truth...

Seeing me nod, Su Xuefei's pretty face flushed red, and she turned her head away, ignoring me completely.

At that moment, the xiaolongbao we ordered arrived. I typed to her: "Don't be disappointed after eating them, haha."

Su Xuefei decisively ignored me. After taking a small bite of a bun and sipping some soy milk, she evaluated, "Very delicious. It's just a bit too greasy."

Hearing her say that, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No matter what, Su Xuefei still thought they were delicious, unlike that person Luo Qing, who took one bite and threw them straight in the trash. That was the difference between goddesses and goddesses.

Walking on the road leading to my beverage shop, Su Xuefei and I walked in silence. At this moment, I knew that Goddess Su was actually even more awkward than I was. After all, she was a girl, and since such a thing had happened, it was only right for me to take the initiative to make amends. But as I was now, I couldn't think of anything else I could offer as compensation—I was practically behaving like a shameless rogue who had no money and only his life to offer.

I stopped in my tracks and gently tugged at Su Xuefei's small hand. Goddess Su was still somewhat angry, but she couldn't do anything about it, so she stopped in place as well, refusing to look at me.

"I'm sorry." I held my phone up in front of her.

Looking at my phone, Su Xuefei fell silent. Finally, she raised her head, walked up to me, gently embraced me, and whispered softly in my ear, "It's fine... I'm not blaming you either. But..."

I looked at her in confusion, waiting for what came next.

"You need to treat me better from now on..."

Hearing those words, I didn't know how to explain myself. My heart was still fixated on Luo Qing; I couldn't make this promise because I lacked the heart to fulfill it.

I simply remained silent, unable to offer any movement or response. Even if we were just friends, I would treat her well—just as well as I treated everyone I loved.

"It's alright..." Su Xuefei released me, looked at my troubled expression, and smiled. "You still have to go to the shop and discuss the event with Xiaoyu in a while, right? I won't go over there. I promised Xiaomo I'd go shopping with her today, so I'll head off first."

I nodded, then typed out: "Be careful and have fun."

"Mm-hmm." Su Xuefei waved at me and then walked away. I wanted to hail a cab, but I realized I had no money in my pockets. With no other choice, I continued walking toward the beverage shop.

...(Jiutouniao Academy)