Social Outcast

Chapter 16

Edited by: Planetes

When Fang Zhaomu ended his call, his face was still burning, and so he ran up to the balcony to cool off.

It was a little cold outside. When Fang Zhaomu pushed the door open, the cold air rushed in. Walking out against the wind, he looked up at the night sky of T University, then at the lawn shaded in darkness, the road lit by the street lights, and the buildings in the distance.

Just now, Andrew had not remained silent like usual after Fang Zhaomu’s teasing. He had asked Fang Zhaomu, “I can really bring you home?”

“You can.”

“Your classmate can’t, and only I can?”

Fang Zhaomu did not know why Andrew would ask this question, but still replied. “Mn.”

“Why am I the only one who can bring you home?” Andrew’s voice was very composed, and no emotions could be detected from it. Still, it made Fang Zhaomu blush and his heart beat faster.

Fang Zhaomu instantly came up with many responses, but was unable to select an appropriate one. Fortunately, Andrew also seemed to be busy, and did not continue this topic. He told Fang Zhaomu to let him know when he reached home, and they ended their call.

Without Andrew’s voice in his ear, Fang Zhaomu felt his brain heating up, and losing his reason.

He felt that his earnestness was a little inappropriate.

With his relationship with Andrew, it would at most be like this, and who knew if it would even last for a few months. No matter what Fang Zhaomu’s thoughts were, they were only an illusion.

Andrew had always been very calm, and never revealed much of his personal life to Fang Zhaomu. When they interacted, it was always Fang Zhaomu who was the more enthusiastic one. Those simple and hasty issues and things the twenty-one years old Fang Zhaomu spoke about probably disturbed the twenty-nine years old Andrew easily.

However, Fang Zhaomu still wanted to meet Andrew. No matter how ugly and boring Andrew really was, he really wanted to meet him. Even if Fang Zhaomu would not be staying here for long, and even if Andrew would not change for Fang Zhaomu.

It was difficult to stop himself from liking a person, and the reason was complicated and difficult to understand.

In the past, Fang Zhaomu had many friends in school. There were both males and females who had confessed their feelings to him, whether in public or in private. He was not very interested in any of them, and was unwilling to start a relationship from such a doubtful beginning.

Now that he finally had someone he wanted to get closer too, but there was no chance of them being together.

Fang Zhaomu seemed to have recovered his reason a little. His brain cooled down, but the heat in heart was unable to dissipate.

He was afraid of making Song Yuanxun wait for too long, so he quickly returned to the lab.

Fang Zhaomu entered, and Song Yuanxun was still sitting at the same seat with a book in his hand. Fang Zhaomu spoke apologetically to Song Yuanxun, “I was making a call just now, you must be feeling very impatient.”

Song Yuanxun put his book down and shook his head slightly at him.

Fang Zhaomu walked over to the analyser and looked at it. The experiment was basically done, and Fang Zhaomu decided to examine at the results tomorrow. He packed up his belongings, grabbed his back and walked back to Song Yuanxun.

Song Yuanxun switched off the lights, and led the way down the stairs. He drove a black SUV. The car was big and tall, and Fang Zhaomu was nearly unable to climb into it.

In the car, Fang Zhaomu put the seatbelt on and told Song Yuanxun his address. Afraid that Song Yuanxun did not know where it was, he told him, “I’ll direct you once we’re out of the school gates.”

Song Yuanxun nodded and slowly started driving.

The car was very dark, and for some reason, Song Yuanxun was driving extremely slowly. The radio was playing a soothing piano melody, very soporific. Fang Zhaomu had wanted to give Song Yuanxun directions, but after a while, they were still in the campus. The atmosphere was also so quiet it made him sleepy, and as he slept late last night, leaning in the seat, he fell asleep.

Not knowing how long he had fell asleep for, Fang Zhaomu woke up groggily. Seeing a dark figure next to him, he was alarmed. Then, he remembered Song Yuanxun had drove him home, and asked in panic, “How long was I asleep for?”

Song Yuan turned on the reading light and pointed at the clock in the car. Fang Zhaomu took a look. Luckily, he had only slept for about ten minutes, it was not too long. Fang Zhaomu apologised and thanked Song Yuanxun, and Song Yuanxun waved at him. The reading light was not very bright, it might be because Fang Zhaomu was still groggy from sleep, he felt that tonight’s Song Yuanxun had a gentleness that was different from before.

Fang Zhaomu was about to get out of the car, and wanted to help Song Yuanxun turn off the reading light. Looking up, he reached out to press it a few times, but the light remained on, and even turned one more on. Fang Zhaomu was at a loss, wondering why he had to be so itchy-handed and randomly press on things.

Helpless, Fang Zhaomu looked at Song Yuanxun. However, Song Yuanxun was not angry, and seemed to even have smiled. He reached out and caught Fang Zhaomu’s wrist, pulling it down a little, and helped him turn off the lights.

Song Yuanxun’s hand was warm. In the two seconds that he held his wrist, Fang Zhaomu panicked with the warmth. He said his goodbyes to Song Yuanxun, then opened the door and got out of the car.

Carrying his bag, Fang Zhaomu entered the building. He stood in the corridor for a moment, sending Andrew a message that he had arrived home before slowly making his way upstairs.

He thought about Andrew, and without thinking, he opened the air ticket booking app, searching for tickets to Seattle.

It was currently the peak period for travel, and air tickets were expensive. A five hours flight, a three hours time difference — should he go? Would Andrew welcome him?

In his place, Fang Zhaomu washed up and saw Andrew’s reply, telling him goodnight. Thinking that there was nothing else to talk about, he then shut off the lights and went to sleep.

Song Yuanxun suspected that he would not be able to think about anything else tonight.

Outside Fang Zhaomu’s place, Song Yuanxun stopped for about ten minutes before driving off, and all he could think off was how Fang Zhaomu looked like as he slept in the seat next to him.

When Fang Zhaomu was video-chatting with him last night, the distance between his phone and him was even further than the distance between them in the car. Fang Zhaomu did not seem to be sleeping too comfortably. He curled up in the seat, his brows knitting slightly, and he had one hand on his bag and the other on the seat.

This was the real Fang Zhaomu. Sleeping there without being on guard, and his light fruity scent filled the interior of the car. Because of Fang Zhaomu, the constrained space started heating up. f𝙧ee𝘄𝐞𝚋𝐧૦ѵeƖ.c𝘰𝓶

Song Yuanxun composedly watched Fang Zhaomu for a while, and undid his seatbelt for him, wanting him to sleep a little more easily.

Fang Zhaomu had split Song Yuanxun’s life into two.

Half of him was unscrupulous basking in Fang Zhaomu’s sweet words and reliance. He took up Fang Zhaomu’s time, Fang Zhaomu’s attention, and he only needed to go to the lounge on the second floor of the lab and would be able to answer Fang Zhaomu’s call from the same building. As for the other half of him, could only remain as “a classmate”.

Two entirely different world finally came together when Fang Zhaomu was asleep.

Next to Song Yuanxun, Fang Zhaomu’s breathing was regular. Only an arm’s length away, Fang Zhaomu’s lips were slightly apart, looking soft and supple, and his hair also clung softly to his cheek. He was wearing the ear stud Song Yuanxun had picked for him. He was always wearing it.

Song Yuanxun finally admitted it to himself.

He wanted to hug him, he wanted to touch him, he wanted to have him.

He wished that Fang Zhaomu, to Song Yuanxun, could also reveal his reliance, talk about everything, including his complaints. He wished that Fang Zhaomu would ask Song Yuanxun to help him select things, and wanted Fang Zhaomu to put his arms around Song Yuanxun’s neck, his face pressing into the crook of Song Yuanxun’s neck, and softly let Song Yuanxun bring him home.

Song Yuanxun stared at Fang Zhaomu, thinking about what he said to Andrew. He could not help but lock his car, and Fang Zhaomu was woken up by the sound.

Fang Zhaomu was a little dazed when he woke up, and even when Song Yuanxun held his wrist, he did not find anything strange about it. f𝐫ee𝘄ℯ𝚋no𝐯𝐞l.c𝘰m

As long as Andrew was not Song Yuanxun, it was likely that Fang Zhaomu would like him very much.

Song Yuanxun made a turn, and suddenly wished that he could conjure up another appearance. It would be according to what Fang Zhaomu wished for, an ordinary looking twenty-nine year old mechanical engineer, rushing back from Seattle, travel-stained, picking up Fang Zhaomu, and eating the set meal for two together.

Then, he would be able to hug him, touch him, and have him, unlike now where he was clearly so close to him, but yet, so far.