Straight In Between

Starved

After the summer break, Liang Wei insisted on driving to college himself with the intention of staying on campus. That was his last term in college; he wouldn’t risk missing any classes. What else could he do? His boyfriend, though already a s*x addict like him ,had now gone crazy and didn’t look like he’d be okay soon. If he didn't stay on campus, he’d surely miss classes, and he’d be dead when his father found out. If Mr. Shen drove him to school, he’d surely take back his suitcase the moment he found out, so it was better to go alone and settle down before telling him.

“Are you sure Mr. Shen won’t go crazy when he finds out you’ll be staying on campus?” That was Xu Xuan’s voice as they unpacked their things. “He looks very scary when upset.”

“He will, but I’m already settled, so he’s definitely not going to take me back.” By the time they finished unpacking, it was already late, so they decided to grab something to eat.

Mr. Shen had just reached home himself, flanked at a three-foot distance by Xu Yang. On a normal day, the first thing that would greet him as he walked through the polished wood door was Liang Wei’s scent mixed with the flavors of different dishes he’d made; he was not just soul-trapping in bed, he was a good cook. Mr. Shen paused, turning to look at Xu Yang—even he,was surprised—as he scanned the room for movement.

Mr. Shen pulled out his phone. “You’re not home. Do you know the time?” His voice, as cold as it always was, appeared even colder. Aside from being upset that Liang Wei wouldn't let him drive them to school, the boy had gone by himself and was still not back.

“Urmm... but Mr. Shen, I sent you a message about an hour ago...” Liang Wei replied, sounding more nervous than he was when he typed the message.

Mr. Shen raised an eyebrow, pulling the phone from his ear to check the message.

“Mr. Shen, my course teacher, advised that it’ll be great if I stayed on campus this term since it’s our last term in college so I can improve some of my falling grades. You know how aggressive the old man is... please let me stay?”

Mr. Shen raised the phone back to his ear, his fingers balling into a fist, and drawing out already visible veins that would make anyone think twice before approaching him.

“Do you want to die?” He didn’t shout; he didn't even speak loud enough for someone two feet away to hear, but anyone on the other end with him would drop dead.

“No,” Liang Wei simply replied.

“Good. Get back here!.. I want you really bad “

“I’m not coming,” was the reply Mr. Shen got before the call went dead.

Xu Yang took a step back. Adrenaline rushed through Mr. Shen, his frown deepening. He took a breath, then a second. He walked out; Xu Yang followed. Normally, as soon as he drove Mr. Shen home, he’d head home himself, he himself had an impatient boyfriend,but now he had no choice but to follow. He was definitely going to have another fight with Gao Ming.

When they got to Liang Wei’s college, he was not picking up Mr Shen’s calls. Even more upset, Mr. Shen pulled out his other phone to get his location.

“I don’t think he’s going to stop calling,” Xu Xuan said as soon as Liang Wei’s phone stopped ringing.

“Uhhh...” Liang Wei sighed, stuffing meat in his mouth. “You should really ignore him, Xu Xuan. He’s always like this... in fact, I should just put it on silent.” He continued, picking up his phone.

Just that very moment, Su Yue walked into the restaurant with Wang Xinyi, wearing a wide smile as soon as her eyes fell on Liang Wei.

“Hey!” she called calmly over Xu Xuan’s shoulder.

Liang Wei choked , instinctively standing to his feet. When he told her where he was, he didn’t know she had asked because she would come there.

“Su Yue?” Xu Xuan called, excitement visibly laced in his voice. She walked over to their table, Wang Xinyi trailing behind her.

“How come you’re here?” Xu Xuan asked, his smile reaching his eyes. Liang Wei grabbed a bottle of water and gulped it down knowing very well why she was there.

“We were just passing by and saw you two, so we decided to say hi. And I wanted to say something to Liang Wei about the last time... they helped me.”

“What a liar,” Liang Wei murmured, barely audible.

“That’s great. Since we’re done eating, we can just drop you off,” Xu Xuan offered.

“Sure,” she replied, secretly hitting Wang Xinyi to get her off her phone. If Xuan continued talking to her, she won’t be able to hold back herself and her main focus for the night will end up in the trash.

When they made for the car, Su Yue successfully pulled Liang Wei aside to talk while Wang Xinyi kept Xu Xuan occupied in the car. To Liang Wei, this was the last place he wanted to be right now.

“It’s so late. I didn’t know you planned to come over,” he stated, trying to keep enough distance between them, but she closed it anyway.

“Were you happy to see me?” she asked innocently.Liang Wei didn’t know what to say, so he just stayed quiet. His mind was not calm, and his blood seemed to be boiling.

“I missed you,” Su Yue said, taking a step closer. Liang Wei stepped back, and now he was leaning against the back of his car.

“Don’t... come that close,” he stuttered, unable to breathe properly.

Honestly speaking, Su Yue had been bold in her pursuit of him since she successfully got his number. She had even used the same excuses to meet him on two occasions. All he had to do was tell her he had a boyfriend and that it was Mr. Shen who saved her, but each time he tried to type or say it, the words wouldn’t come out. The first time she met up with him, she almost successfully got him to kiss her, and since then, she had grown bolder, as if she believed that he liked her.

“Liang Wei. It’s very difficult for ladies to confess their feelings. I’ve been trying so hard... Do you really not like me?” Su Yue asked calmly, her eyes watering. Her head lowered to her feet to hide it.This increased Liang Wei’s heartbeat—not only because Xu Xuan liked Su Yue, but also because of what Mr. Shen might do if he even found both of them standing that close.

“I... you...”

“Hey! Stop...”

Despite fighting all the urge to get physical with Su Yue, Liang Wei still ended up reaching out his hand to tilt her head up. Her eyes were really watering; one could tell just by looking at her face that she was trying very hard not to cry. But when her grey pupils fell on him, the first tear eventually dropped.

He tried to look away. It took everything in him, yet his gaze drifted to her lips for just a tiny moment—but that was enough time to send adrenaline surging through his veins. As if given permission, Su Yue leaned forward. Liang Wei’s breath hitched; he leaned back, fighting his urge. The blood running through him didn’t feel like his anymore... he was dying to just brush his lips on hers.

“Don’t...” he whispered.

Su Yue’s lips were just an inch away from his. His fingers resting on the car were tightly folded. He couldn’t last any longer.

“Su Yue...” he called out. It was barely audible, but enough for her ear. That was the voice of someone fighting his demons; that was someone who wanted her very badly.

Her lips brushed his. A groan escaped his throat , drawing his hands to her waist. He grabbed it, pulling her into him. She appeared smaller in his arms than he had thought,and fantasized about and her lips felt like he'd tasted them before.His thoughts went wild ignoring Xu Xuan in the car,he wanted to f*ck her right there.

Xu Yang gasped while Mr. Shen’s phone dropped to the ground. His hand fled to his chest, grabbing the black, expensive shirt he wore as if it would stop the pain surging through his chest. His right knee landed on the ground right beside his phone with a loud bang.

Liang Wei’s eyes flew open. His hands in Su Yue’s hair instantly dropped to his side as he missed a heartbeat.