"Ulterior motives..."
Su Jingming choked on his own saliva, his eyes widening. "Where did you get the idea that she has... designs on me?!"
Wen Yan took in his expression, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smirk as he leaned back, putting a bit of distance between them. Just then, the cocktails Li Yang had ordered arrived.
Zhang Jia picked up her glass and took a small sip. "This is good."
She turned, about to say something to Su Jingming, only to see Wen Yan silently nudging Su Jingming’s glass closer to his own side. Wen Yan’s head was slightly lowered, his eyes brimming with a rare tenderness. Su Jingming, meanwhile, was leaning toward Wen Yan, listening intently to whatever he was saying.
Zhang Jia’s hand froze mid-air. She stiffly turned her face away, her complexion pale as she downed more than half of her cocktail in one go.
Li Yang spoke up to stop her. "Zhang Jia, that’s not a very ladylike way to drink. Careful, or you’ll end up drunk."
"So what if I get drunk? It’s not like I’m afraid you guys will do something to me, right?" Zhang Jia replied with a half-joking tone. "Don't worry, I won't get drunk."
Ren Wei added, "They say girls have a decent tolerance, but seriously, don't overdo it."
Perhaps it was the atmosphere of the bar or the catalyst of the alcohol, but people tended to become slightly tipsy quite easily in such a place.
Zhang Jia stared at her glass for a few seconds before looking up again. "Maybe being drunk is better. Otherwise, it’s too easy to overthink things."
No one heard what she muttered.
Su Jingming wanted to take a sip, but Wen Yan kept blocking him.
"With your tolerance, you actually want to drink?"
Su Jingming was indignant. "Didn't they say the alcohol content isn't high?!"
"Last time, you and Song Yifei had one bottle each and both of you wanted to transform into superheroes to fight monsters in the middle of the street. If you get drunk this time, are you planning to save the entire world?"
Judging by the scene last time, if Su Jingming got drunk now, "saving the world" wouldn't be far off.
Su Jingming pursed his lips. Every time he got drunk, he tended to black out, and Wen Yan always seemed to know exactly what happened afterward.
After a moment of silence, Su Jingming gave up on the idea of drinking. Suddenly, a fragment of a memory flashed through his mind—something Wen Yan had said before.
*“You said... you have someone you really like.”*
Su Jingming was someone who excelled at avoidance. When faced with a problem he truly couldn't solve, his subconscious reaction was always to run.
Wen Yan wasn't the type to pursue relentlessly, either. He usually knew when to stop, touching on a subject just enough before letting it go.
Yet, every time he was with Wen Yan, he found himself caught off guard. The confidence and pride he had built over seventeen years were being dismantled until nothing remained.
He had fled from Wen Yan twice.
And Wen Yan had let him go twice.
Each time, it was an incomprehensible fluttering of the heart, a feeling he couldn't put into words.
In seventeen years, Su Jingming had experienced neither too much nor too little, but he was utterly clueless when it came to emotions. He only knew how to follow his instincts. He walked that path, unable to see the end.
Seeing that Su Jingming hadn't touched his drink, Li Yang called out to him, "Su Jingming, everyone else is drinking. It’s a bit rude if you don't join in, isn't it?"
Ren Wei, who had nearly finished his own drink, immediately stood up when he heard Li Yang single out Su Jingming. "Brother Ming can't drink! He’s a one-cup wonder!"
At those words, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Su Jingming.
"A one-cup wonder"—it felt perfectly in line with Su Jingming’s "nerdy" persona. No one was particularly surprised; it seemed like a natural character trait.
Su Jingming lazily lifted his eyelids. "Ren Wei is right. One cup and I’m down."
Since the person in question had said so, Li Yang couldn't push further. However, he didn't want the drink to go to waste. Just as he was about to ask Su Jingming to pass the glass over, Wen Yan naturally picked it up and took a sip.
"I'll taste it for him. It’s not bad."
Li Yang and the others didn't think much of Wen Yan’s gesture. But Zhang Jia, who had been silent, felt her hand tremble, nearly spilling her drink.
She stared at Su Jingming and Wen Yan without any pretense, her gaze sharp, almost as if she wanted to see right through them.
Su Jingming felt the weight of her stare. He pursed his lips, resisting the urge to turn around. Wen Yan, however, slightly arched an eyebrow and cast a cool, indifferent glance toward Zhang Jia.
That single look sent Zhang Jia’s inner world into a state of upheaval.
The group didn't stay long at the bar. After finishing their drinks and sitting for another half hour, they headed out.
The moment they stepped outside, they were met with a biting winter wind. Everyone instinctively huddled into their coats. Su Jingming looked up to find Wen Yan standing right in front of him.
Li Yang stood to the side, counting heads and arranging taxis. Once most of the group had left, he turned to the remaining few.
"Su Jingming and Ren Wei live close to each other. You two can share a car, right?"
Li Yang was clearly a veteran at organizing gatherings; he had everything handled smoothly from start to finish.
"Yeah, Brother Ming and I can go together," Ren Wei agreed.
Li Yang then turned to Wen Yan. "I remember you live relatively close to Zhang Jia. Can you see her home?"
Hearing this arrangement, Zhang Jia instinctively wanted to refuse, but Wen Yan answered faster than she could.
"Okay."
Zhang Jia and Wen Yan were the first to get into a car. Before entering, Wen Yan cast a specific look back at Su Jingming.
Su Jingming had buried most of his face in the collar of his overcoat. He didn't mind the heat, but he hated the cold. Whenever this kind of damp, freezing weather arrived, his body always felt uncomfortable.
Su Jingming wondered if he had been living too much in the moment lately; he had almost forgotten about the various old ailments his body carried.
Wen Yan frowned, but under Li Yang’s urging, he got into the car.
As they watched the car pull away, Li Yang finally asked, "Su Jingming, since when did you and Wen Yan get so close?"
Realizing his words might sound ambiguous, Li Yang quickly added, "I don't mean anything by it, just curious."
Ren Wei also looked over inquisitively. Su Jingming licked his lips. "Mutual assistance and a love for learning."
Eight simple words, all credited to academics.
Li Yang and Ren Wei exchanged a look. As expected, the world of top students was beyond their understanding.
Inside the taxi, Wen Yan kept his head down, texting Su Jingming. Zhang Jia sat beside him, watching his reflection in the car window. She could see the faint trace of anxiety in his eyes.
That look he had given her in the bar... Zhang Jia still felt a tightness in her chest. It was strange.
As a girl, she understood all too well what that look had implied.
"You," Zhang Jia finally spoke. "Your feelings for Su Jingming..."
"Yes," Wen Yan admitted directly without even looking up. Su Jingming hadn't replied to his message yet, and a hint of irritation was bubbling up in his heart.
"Liar!" Zhang Jia blurted out without thinking. But as she regained her composure, she realized that every one of Wen Yan’s actions was a declaration that Su Jingming belonged to him. "Aren't you afraid of... this?"
Wen Yan was silent for a moment before he looked up. "What do I have to be afraid of?"
He was different from his usual self; his voice carried a chilling edge.
"Zhang Jia, I have some idea of your intentions toward Su Jingming. Was it appropriate for you to make things awkward for him today?" Wen Yan rarely spoke to girls in such a tone. Perhaps because of the alcohol, his features didn't have their usual gentleness; instead, they were sharp and piercing. "Su Jingming is deliberately avoiding you. Haven't you noticed?"
Wen Yan felt he was being despicable, taking such a preemptive strike against a girl. He had lost his grace, his upbringing.
"What happened today was my fault. I wanted to gain Su Jingming’s sympathy. You’re Wen Yan, so what do you have to fear? But what about Su Jingming? Have you ever asked him if *he’s* afraid?"
Her words were vague, yet both of them understood exactly what was being said.
It had to be said that Zhang Jia was a girl who was both calculating and remarkably candid.
Even after Wen Yan watched Zhang Jia walk into her building, her words continued to echo in his ears.
He wasn't afraid. But what about Su Jingming? Was he willing? Was he doing this of his own accord?
For the first time, Wen Yan felt a sense of things being beyond his control. His life had always been planned, following his own will.
Until Su Jingming appeared—appearing in that filthy, narrow alleyway.
Carrying a sense of righteousness, he had walked out of the light.
Wen Yan admitted he was base and shameless; he wanted to mark Su Jingming as his own. On the surface, he was as calm as still water, but inside, a tempestuous sea was raging.
He wanted to possess this person more and more.
To possess him from head to toe.
He could only blame the stirrings of his own heart. From the moment he recognized his feelings, it seemed as though nothing in the world could stop him.
Wen Yan thought that he had fallen for Su Jingming’s eyes for the rest of his life. They were an invisible cage, keeping him there forever.
Wen Yan only received a reply from Su Jingming after he got home.
**Salted Egg:** I just got home. Are you back?
**Wen Yan:** I’m back.
**Salted Egg:** Zhang Jia didn't say anything to you, did she?
**Wen Yan:** No. Why do you ask?
**Salted Egg:** I just have a feeling... that she would say something to you.
Wen Yan stood still for a few seconds. His throat suddenly felt dry, and he wanted a drink of water. His feet felt as heavy as lead, unable to move an inch.
**Salted Egg:** I had a pretty good impression of Zhang Jia at first, but after spending time with her lately, I think it really is like you said. She has *that* for me.
**Wen Yan:** Which *that*?
**Salted Egg:** But I don't really have any strengths. The only thing I have going for me is my grades. Thinking about it that way, I understand now. Every time she comes to me, it’s to ask about math. It seems like she’s not very good at math.
Wen Yan stared silently at the paragraph Su Jingming had sent. He lowered his eyelids, walked toward the kitchen, and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold water. With an expressionless face, he typed into his phone:
**Wen Yan:** Su Jingming, Zhang Jia likes you.
After that message was sent, he received no further response.
Su Jingming’s "elective course" in avoidance was not yet perfected. And Wen Yan had stopped leaving things unsaid; he had laid the truth bare.
The next morning, Su Jingming woke up ten minutes late. He dressed neatly and went downstairs. The owner of the breakfast shop saw him and remarked, "A bit late today. I take it you don't have time to eat?"
Su Jingming nodded. "Tomorrow."
He used to think the world was an endless loop, with every day spent repeating the same tasks. At least, that was what Su Jingming had believed until last night.
Until Wen Yan stopped holding back, and everything seemed to change. Su Jingming put on his large black-rimmed glasses again. He looked down at the path beneath his feet; it felt both familiar and strange. With every step he took, he left an invisible footprint behind.
The cold winter of November brought a late dawn and fine, delicate snowflakes.
Su Jingming stopped and looked back. It seemed no different from yesterday. The old, long street stretched out as far as the eye could see, the walls bearing the mottled traces of passing years. The heavy traffic and the surging crowds on the street were, in the end, nothing more than a fleeting moment.
***
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Want to Have a Relationship with You | Chapter 27 | A Cold Revelation | Novela.app | Novela.app
