The Complete Guide to the Use and Care (41-end)

55

—

Chapter Fifty-five

What are you trying to do?

Ling Miao’s words beat against Su Yuyang’s heart like a drum. Su Yuyang asked himself, too: What am I trying to do?

To Ling Miao, Su Yuyang’s hesitation was an admission—an admission of hatred toward Ling Miao. Ling Miao put the bowls away and tidied the kitchen.

As Ling Miao did this, Su Yuyang stood as still as a statue in the middle of the kitchen. Though Ling Miao found Su Yuyang obstructed him by standing there, he didn’t want to talk to Su Yuyang so he didn’t try to chase Su Yuyang out.

“Xiao Miao…” Su Yuyang called out out of habit, but Ling Miao didn’t need to cut him off; he stopped of his own accord. Su Yuyang gave a faint smile, its bitterness spreading over his face as he said: “Ling Miao, I only want to be your…” Su Yuyang stopped.

“Fuck!” Yan Li’s surprised and elated exclamation came. Su Yuyang and Ling Miao’s gazes shot toward her like twin rays of light.

When Yan Li had finished packing, Ling Miao hadn’t yet come out of the kitchen, so she went to the kitchen to take a look. As she reached the entrance she saw Su Yuyang inside, and Ling Miao didn’t seem happy. She hadn’t made a sound and had instead waited to watch the show, so she heard every word the two had said.

“Ah, these two…” Yan Li hadn’t finished her exclamation when she heard Su Yuyang say, “Ling Miao, I only want to be your…” Even though Su Yuyang hadn’t finished speaking, his stopping point really let the imagination run wild. So, Yan Li instead exclaimed, “Fuck!”

Having been noticed by Su Yuyang and Ling Miao, Yan Li coughed twice to cover up the awkwardness. She rubbed her head and forced a smile: “Ling Miao, we should go. Take me to Feng-zi’s place.”

“Aren’t you going to rehearse?” Ling Miao ignored Su Yuyang’s half-finished sentence and slid out of the kitchen.

“My manager doesn’t know I’m here and I don’t want to reveal where I’m staying, so Lin-jie and I usually meet at Feng-zi’s shop,” Yan Li explained simply, then took out her phone to call Yang Lin.

Ling Miao opened the door and had one foot past the doorway when someone grabbed his hand, hard. Turning his head, he saw Su Yuyang looking at him with a longing expression. Ling Miao remembered Su Yuyang hadn’t finished speaking, and jeered: “Su Yuyang, you want to be my…?”

Su Yuyang seemed to have been stabbed by something. Every inch of his skin hurt, and his hand which had grabbed hold of Ling Miao now fell away, nerveless.

“Will… you still come back?” Su Yuyang asked haltingly.

Ling Miao shook his head. “Yan-jie isn’t here, so I don’t need to be here either.”

Yan Li couldn’t believe her ears. Wasn’t her leaving the perfect opportunity for them to interact? The plot already wasn’t progressing as she would have liked, and now one of the main characters was going missing—the show had gone completely off script! Yan Li was extremely anxious.

Su Yuyang didn’t continue to try to make Ling Miao stay. He dejectedly turned, went to the sofa, sat down, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer to his side.

As Ling Miao was about to close the door he heard a small click from inside the house. It was the familiar sound of a lighter.

A cigarette was clutched between Su Yuyang’s teeth, and he brought the hand holding the lighter closer to the cigarette.