May 19, 2000, Friday. That evening, Guan Xuchen met up with his online friend Vinco, only to be driven by him to a secluded hotel. Vinco threatened to expose Guan Xuchen's messages and personal information posted on "Guangtong". Guan Xuchen was dragged toward the hotel like a helpless kitten, his arm gripped tightly by Vinco...
Just as Guan Xuchen felt despair plunging him into an abyss, he suddenly heard that familiar, warm voice behind him, "Soupy! Soupy!"
He turned to see Gao Xinglang.
Guan Xuchen, like a trapped soul glimpsing a lifeline, cried out toward Gao Xinglang, "Lang! Lang!"
Gao Xinglang lunged forward, shoving Vinco aside and pulling Guan Xuchen close. He glared sternly at Vinco and asked, "Who are you? What do you want? Why are you bullying him?"
Vinco, enraged and humiliated, snapped back, "And who are you? What business is it of yours if I go have coffee with him?"
"I don't want to have coffee with you!" Guan Xuchen protested weakly.
"Nonsense! Come over here!" Vinco commanded, lunging forward again to grab Guan Xuchen.
Gao Xinglang shielded Guan Xuchen behind him, shoving Vinco away forcefully once more. Pointing at Vinco, he declared sternly, "He's my good friend! You're not allowed to bully him!"
Vinco grinned maliciously upon hearing this. "So you're good friends, huh. Then why not go upstairs together for a cup of coffee? Have some fun."
He quickly dropped the act, his tone turning threatening. "You're both students at GYU. You don't want your teachers and classmates finding out you're gay, do you?"
Gao Xinglang froze for a moment, then declared with righteous indignation, "I don't know what nonsense you're spouting. But I've memorized your license plate number and your face. If you dare to cause trouble, the taxi driver will call the police for me!" "
Vinco glanced at a taxi parked by the roadside, muttered "Fine, you win!" with a sour expression, then turned and walked back toward the hotel.
Gao Xinglang breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and saw Guan Xuchen shivering. He gently patted Guan Xuchen's back and whispered, "Soupy, don't be afraid. It's okay now. Let's go back."
Guan Xuchen murmured a soft "Mm-hmm" and followed Gao Xinglang into the taxi.
On the way back to GYU, Guan Xuchen kept his head down, silent as if a child who had done something wrong. He recalled Vinco's earlier words and stole a glance at Gao Xinglang beside him, only to find Gao sitting expressionless, not uttering a word.
Guan Xuchen felt uneasy, worrying, "Lang won't be angry with me and ignore me forever, will he?"
About half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the east gate of GYU. Gao Xinglang paid the fare, then got out with Guan Xuchen and walked toward the campus.
Walking side by side for a while, Guan Xuchen suddenly stopped and called out to Gao Xinglang.
"Soupy, what is it?" Gao Xinglang turned back and asked casually.
Guan Xuchen looked at Gao Xinglang and stammered, "Lang, I'm—I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Gao Xinglang countered, then sighed softly, "Soupy, I'm just glad you're okay. Thankfully, when I came out of McDonald's, I saw you with that man..."
Noticing Guan Xuchen's troubled expression, he trailed off and offered reassurance instead, "Never mind. It's all in the past now. Just learn to judge people better from now on."
"Okay, got it. Thanks, Lang!" Guan Xuchen said emotionally, then his face flushed with shame and worry. "But Vinco just called us—"
"Just ignore him." Gao Xinglang cut Guan Xuchen off. "I got his license plate. He won't dare mess with us."
YOU ARE READING
Love Me in Another Universe
General FictionIt was such a long time ago that you don't even remember why you fell for that person in the first place. You just remember stubbornly that you were once deeply in love with someone with that name... It's a story about the bond between two Chinese b...
