Don't be So Proud

Chapter 9.2 — Do Not Use Your Pride to Hurt Her (2)

How did “bisexual” come about? Back when Shen Xi registered the “Islet in the River” Weibo account, she had felt, on one hand, that she was actually “Islet in the River,” but on the other hand, “Islet in the River” also represented He Zhi Zhou. His and her sexual orientations were different, so seeing the choice of “bisexual,” her issue was immediately resolved. After selecting “bisexual,” she had even happily given herself a “like” in her mind for her own intelligence.

Sometimes, she, Shen Xi, was just that clever.

Now, the word “bisexual” caused a tremor to go through Brawny’s strapping body. Trembling for a while as he stared at the Weibo screen, he finally hesitantly walked up beside He Zhi Zhou and probed tentatively, “Leader, why are you… bisexual?”

He Zhi Zhou was leaning back in his chair and staring at his computer screen, pondering over a quantum mechanics problem. Right after Brawny asked this question, He Zhi Zhou swept a chilly glance over him before answering in an icy voice, “No, I only like women.”

Only like women… Brawny felt as if he had been deceived, and grumblingly, he muttered, “Then why’d you write ‘bisexual’ on your Weibo. You big liar.”

Without even needing to think about it, He Zhi Zhou instantly knew where this whole “bisexual” mistruth had come from. He took a deep breath. He needed to go out to get some air! Standing, he strode toward the balcony door, but he did not forget to throw a fierce glare at Brawny. “I felt like it!”

While He Zhi Zhou was out on the balcony getting fresh air, Lin Yu Tang stepped out and pulled the sliding door closed behind him, immediately shutting out the ruckus inside the room. The air outside was crisp and quiet. It was deep in the night. There were only a couple places still lit with lights in the entire university campus. The night wind brought chilliness with it. Lin Yu Tang’s hands rested on the railing for a long time before he opened his mouth and asked, “What are your plans for the summer?”

Plans? He Zhi Zhou leaned his body weight against the railing, contemplating Lin Yu Tang’s question. If this were before he met Shen Xi, he probably would have accepted the study opportunity offered to him by a prestigious American research institute. The thesis he had written last month had received their recognition, as well, and he was already proceeding down a path that had a clear direction. Also, as another consideration, though he was not especially close to his parents, they still were on that side of the world, and his father had strongly requested as well that he spend his summer break in the United States.

But now? That day after the movie, he had told Shen Xi that his future plans was to develop his career here within the country… Sucking in a breath of the cold night air, He Zhi Zhou looked over at Lin Yu Tang. “What plans do you have?”

Lin Yu Tang gazed out at a distant spot in the hazy night, a pair of gold-wire glasses on his handsome, straight nose and an expression in his eyes that was more resolute than any other time. “I had originally planned to take the IELTS exam and then go abroad to do post-graduate studies, but now I don’t have that intention anymore. I’ll just follow the normal, prescribed steps, do an internship, and then go out and start working, I guess. Our major has a lot of good opportunities within the country, so why bother taking the roundabout way? It’s just extra work.”

He Zhi Zhou did not speak for a long time. Finally, he nodded. “That works.”

Based on Lin Yu Tang’s grades and ability in this major of theirs, good offers would be easy for him to get. He and Shen Xi were both from H City, which was only a two-hour drive from S City. He could choose to work in S City, or it would also be fine to go back to H City, where the electronics industry was a sunrise industry…

He Zhi Zhou was somewhat envious of Lin Yu Tang.

“What are your plans?” Lin Yu Tang asked He Zhi Zhou again. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. That’s not your personality.”

Turning his head away, He Zhi Zhou said, “Have you heard of S&N? I will be joining it and acquiring shares by providing knowledge and intellectual property.”

S&N. Lin Yu Tang naturally had heard of it, a technology company that had a young vibe to it. Its strength was that its focus was on the “new.” But its shortcoming was also that it was “new.” Lin Yu Tang turned toward him. “Know what I was thinking just now? I was hoping you’d choose to go to the U.S., the farther the better.”

“You could say the same for me.” He Zhi Zhou was not courteous either, turning the corner of his lip up impassively. “I also very much support you to go study abroad.”

June. Yet another graduation season. Graduation season means farewells and endings, but it is also the beginning of the future and dreams. What is a dream? It is something that is linked to what is in a man’s blood and his sense of responsibility. This semester was soon to end, and Lin Yu Tang and the others would be entering into their fourth year of undergraduate studies. The course load in fourth year was relatively light, so those people who had planned and prepared were already mapping out their own paths. These last few days, many well-known firms and corporations had come to S University to recruit internship students. Many different recruitment banners of various colours were hung all around the school.

Even Brawny, the one who planned least about his life, had been talking about this particular question these last two days.

At noon, He Zhi Zhou, Monkey, and Brawny went to have lunch together. Lin Yu Tang was discussing a problem with a professor and therefore had not appeared in the dining hall yet.

Brawny asked with great seriousness, “If I open a sex toy shop on Taobao [taobao.com, similar idea to Amazon], will you guys support me and buy from it?”

Monkey rather valued friendship. “If I have the need, then we’ll see.”

Such a brush-off answer! Brawny wished on Monkey that he would never have that need for his entire life. Not getting a satisfactory answer from Monkey, Brawny turned his eyes onto He Zhi Zhou. “Leader, what about you?”

He Zhi Zhou was toying with the food on his tray with his chopsticks. He was accustomed to eating with Shen Xi, but Shen Xi was having lunch with Dou Dou today. He was also used to saving leftovers of any of Shen Xi’s favourite foods. Full from eating, he looked up and answered Brawny, “No, because I have a girlfriend.”

Brawny spewed blood. Burn.

Now that He Zhi Zhou mentioned the topic of girlfriend, Monkey asked him with a solemn tone, “Leader, are you and Beautiful Maiden Shen serious?”

He Zhi Zhou set down his chopsticks. “Extremely serious.”

With the whole “stealing a bro’s girlfriend” incident now in the past, dorm room 921 was finally restored to harmony. Of course, the king of filling in things with his imagination, Monkey, felt that this was only a surficial calm. Who knew? Maybe Third was poised for action and was going to switch from defensive mode to offensive. But nobody could really know for sure when it came to relationship things. Third had never officially acknowledged his relationship with Beautiful Maiden Shen, so maybe those two really were just good, childhood, boy-girl friends. Otherwise, how could Lin Yu Tang just carry his tray over and still be able to sit across from He Zhi Zhou like normally?

Pulling apart his disposable chopsticks that were stuck together, Lin Yu Tang dropped his head and took a bite of lunch. After a while, he looked up. “Monkey, why are you looking at me?”

Monkey shook his head. “I’m looking at your handsomeness.”

Lin Yu Tang’s lips pulled into a slight smile. “Nutso!”

The normal college’s anniversary celebration was fast approaching, and the Department of Dance had become busy. This was especially true for Chen Han, who wished she could spend all her time on her dance practice. She had gotten the most important slot in the program. When the news of this was announced, she invited the entire dorm room 636 to dinner. Shen Xi went as well. The location of the dinner was in a restaurant that served Jiangnan-style food across from the school.

Inside the restaurant, Chen Han was ordering off the menu the entire time, and the dishes she chose deliberately accommodated Xia Wei Ye’s tastes. Xia Wei Ye was a bit bossy and overbearing, but with Chen Han, even she had no complaints.

Shen Xi buried her head and ate, not saying much. Lately, out of everyone in the dormitory, she and Dou Dou were the freest. Dou Dou had never had much interest in dance to begin with and had only come to this normal college so that she could get an undergraduate degree. After graduation, she would not be continuing to dance, so even more so, she had no interest in fighting for an opportunity to perform in the anniversary celebration and just wished that Teacher Wen would treat her like she was invisible.

“Shen Xi, I should actually thank you that Teacher Wen gave this opportunity to me.” In the middle of eating, Chen Han raised her glass of orange juice and said to her, “How about this? I’ll use my orange juice in place of wine to raise a glass to you.”

Shen Xi lifted her eyes. Without saying anything, she picked up her glass of orange juice and clinked it against Chen Han’s. Then she drank it down in one go, openly accepting Chen Han’s thanks. “You’re welcome.”

The “thank you” was originally intended on being merely superficial words of politeness, and Chen Han had not expected that Shen Xi would actually accept it. Chen Han formed her lips into a smile, her tone slightly bitter. “I had thought you would mind. It turns out I’m the petty-minded one.”

Ha ha. Shen Xi did not want to spoil the mood, so without another word, she ate the rice in her bowl. She did not blame anyone for the fact that her dance had been bumped from the program, let alone Chen Han. However, Chen Han’s constant mention of this still made her sad. She had practiced that red silk dance for three months. The time she spent rehearsing it was no less than what Chen Han was putting in now.

Shen Xi felt that she needed to do something in order to dilute some of these negative feelings in her heart. As a result, when she returned to the dormitory, she immediately called Monkey, Brawny, and He Zhi Zhou. She was going to rehearse their dance with them.

Although Monkey and Brawny were secretly surprised when they received Shen Xi’s phone call, they still freshened themselves up and then scuttled off to meet her.

He Zhi Zhou did not know that there would be two extra people in tonight’s practice session. Seeing Shen Xi chatting away happily with Monkey and Brawny when he arrived at the practice room, he gave a couple of displeased coughs.

Shen Xi was listening to Monkey and Brawny ridiculing the other person and bickering with each other, all the while reminiscing about those happy times she had spent in dorm room 921. Hence, she did not bother paying attention to the resentful man at the door.

Since no one had come over to “welcome” him in, He Zhi Zhou had no choice but to step in alone. Very naturally, he walked to Shen Xi’s side. “I’m here.”

Shen Xi turned toward him, saying smilingly, “I know. I saw you just now standing at the door and not coming in. I was even beginning to suspect that you had gone to the wrong place.”

He Zhi Zhou twisted his head away.

The “Youth Cup” was being held this Thurday, even earlier by three, four days than the normal college’s anniversary celebration. In this trio dance, Brawny and Monkey were already quite well-practiced, and He Zhi Zhou was nearly there as well, but his facial expressions were not as good as Monkey’s and Brawny’s.

When doing jazz dance, the dancer should be like Brawny, you know, with passion that carried an unfettered feeling and that unfettered feeling giving off a slight seductive charm. Or even like Monkey, with smooth, flowing motions and a carefree expression.

He Zhi Zhou’s looks were handsome and each one of his movements was pleasing to the eye, dashing without losing any manliness. However… Shen Xi tilted her head to look at the expression on He Zhi Zhou’s face. She felt that she could buy him a mask—a king’s mask. He would look suave wearing it to dance.

As Shen Xi imagined what He Zhi Zhou would look like with a mask on, her gaze on him became even more like that of a little white rabbit, filled with adoration. She was modifying a move for each Monkey and Brawny when, in a moment of inattention, the familiar nickname slipped out from her lips. “Brawn Brawn, fling your hand back a bit more.”

Brawny first flung his hand. Then after his mind clued in to what it just heard, he blinked. “Xi Xi, what did you call me?”

“Brawny!” Shen Xi very quickly realized what happened.

Brawny hugged his own head. God, he was starting to hear things, too! Brawny wanted to keep asking more, but with one dose of a glare from He Zhi Zhou, he obediently shut his mouth.

During their break halfway through, Shen Xi laid out her idea of wearing the mask. Standing in front of He Zhi Zhou, she described the beautiful king’s mask and then tilted her face up to look at He Zhi Zhou with a “Please praise me” look. “What do you think?”

He Zhi Zhou took a sip of water. Shen Xi’s smile made him very easygoing and easy to discuss things with. “Do whatever you want.”

Brawny wanted a mask as well. “Xi Xi, I want one, too!”

Monkey directly cut him down. “Your face is so big. Where are we going to find a mask that can cover all of it? An oversized surgical mask will be more like it.”

Brawny’s insult-resistance abilities had always been strong. “A square face is the most handsome face type for a man.”

Shen Xi joined in on the fun. “Exactly, exactly. Brawny, you’re so handsome you absolutely must show your handsome little face to all your female schoolmates, both senior and junior ones. Otherwise, how will you leave behind stories and legends of your suave elegance in S University before you step out into the real working world, right?”

This little speech from Shen Xi had been spoken in a soft, cute, sweet tone, each sentence striking into Brawny’s heart. He nodded repeatedly. “All right, I won’t wear a mask. But I think that between me, Leader, and Monkey, the one who most needs to wear a mask isn’t Leader. It should be Monkey!”

Damn him! Personal attack!

All of a sudden, the sound of knocking was heard from the doorway. Both sides of the practice room’s double doors were open, so the instant Shen Xi looked up, she saw Lin Yu Tang at the doorway. With just the right amount of smile on his face, he rapped the door twice with his right hand. “My treat. Want to go for a late-night snack together?”