DTTCM Chapter 48

Yu Zoujin watched as the profile picture was set successfully.

Yu Zuojin: “…”

The delete key and the settings key are too close.

— An absurd reason to explain this series of actions.

He turned off the screen expressionlessly, and put the phone back in his pocket. He still had work to do later and a stage play in the afternoon. He planned to deal with the hassle of deleting photos later when in the dormitory.

Qi Sheng turned his head. “Brother Yu, it’s Class Ten’s turn soon. What do you think our class is going to perform?”

“Hey! Why are you leaving, Brother Yu? I’m coming too, wait for me.”

Qi Sheng picked up his coat from the red chair and hurried after Yu Zuojin.

Ten minutes later, Qi Sheng quietly returned.

Brother Yu didn’t take him along.

After leaving the school gate, Yu Zuojin went directly to the vegetable shop where he worked in the morning.

The elderly lady at the vegetable shop saw him and with a voice burdened by age, she apologized, “There was a sudden order from the merchants, and this old woman couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry I called you over.”

Yu Zuojin said nothing, walked into the small kitchen, took a black apron and tied it around his powerful waist. The proportions of his upper body were perfectly divided, like a model. Broad shoulders and a slim waist, and beneath the apron were a pair of long legs.

There were still some dirt marks on the apron from when he carried sacks of potatoes.

The street where the old lady’s vegetable shop was located had quite a number of restaurants, with the most being hot pot restaurants. It was like a competition.

Next to every phone shop, there was always another shop with a different brand. The same was true for hot pot restaurants. The old lady’s vegetable shop received a large number of orders every day to deliver fresh vegetables to the restaurant kitchens. Since the dishes were made daily, some vegetables that required peeling would be requested in advance so the vegetable shop could prepare them. Orders were usually placed two days before delivery, but today there was an urgent order. Her children and employees who usually helped were all out, and there was only one staff member in the shop who couldn’t handle it. That’s why Yu Zuojin was called back.

He usually worked the part-time shift from five to seven in the morning.

The old lady said, “When you’re done, I’ll give you a reward of 150 yuan.”

Yu Zuojin’s expression was indifferent. “No need.”

He went straight into the small kitchen to peel the potatoes. It was the perfect time to vent his frustrations.

The old lady and the employee stood beside him, peeling the potatoes with peelers. They were already skilled at their movements, but Yu Zuojin alone was peeling at an astonishing speed, as if he had a grudge against the potatoes.

It was somewhat terrifying.

“Is little Yu working to supplement the family income?”

The old voice rang out, its once youthful charm was no longer there.

Yu Zuojin’s movements slowed down, but he didn’t answer.

Because besides working at the barbecue restaurant, he had taken on another job to buy a watch for Sheng Yuan—A luxury item that his finances couldn’t possibly afford.

The tangled silver thread of unresolved feelings tightened in his heart, like a snowball rolling down from a mountaintop, growing larger and larger.

Why did he want to buy that watch for Sheng Yuan?

Here it was again.

Yu Zuojin furrowed his brows. Casting his thoughts aside, he continued peeling the mountainous pile of potatoes in the large basin next to him. After three hours, the three of them finished peeling and the old lady and the staff were exhausted. The supplier came to collect the goods, and Yu Zuojin single-handedly carried the goods up. His physical strength was extraordinary.

With the tasks in the shop completed, Yu Zuojin left directly.

The staff tried to give him the money and he refused. But how could he not take the money for his work? They were determined to stuff the money into Yu Zuojin’s pocket.

“Take it. It’s only fair that you receive payment for your work.”

“You should keep the money.”

Yu Zuojin stared at the staff member, and with a gentle push, he moved about two meters away.

The staff member: “…”

Yu Zuojin left without looking back. The staff member looked at the old lady who came out from the kitchen.

“What’s this kid thinking? He refuses to take the money.”

The old lady watched Yu Zuojin’s receding figure and said, “He appreciates that I took him in to work, so he doesn’t want the money.”

Every time Yu Zuojin came, he was cold and distant, treating everyone with the same attitude, never showing a friendly face. It made people keep their distance from him, as if he were an ice cube, unable to generate warmth.

“But it doesn’t seem that way.”

The old lady pointed at her ear, indicating the cochlear implant on Yu Zuojin’s ear. “He’s attentive.”

Because of the eyes and words he had received due to his congenital disability, his heart was extraordinarily sensitive and delicate.

He remembered whoever was kind to him.

In the afternoon, just before the performance of “ Invincible Love,” Yu Zuojin arrived at the backstage waiting area. The 11th grade performance was already coming to an end, and it was estimated that there were ten minutes left before the 12th grade students took the stage.

Wang Xiaoming saw that Yu Zuojin had finally arrived and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Brother Yu is here! Hurry, Brother Yu, go change your clothes!”

The student in charge of costumes hurriedly approached Yu Zuojin, holding the dragon costume in her hands, and in her haste, she forgot to be afraid. The petite girl, less than 1.6 meters tall, pushed Yu Zuojin, who was much taller than her, to the entrance of the men’s changing room.

“Brother Yu, please go in quickly.”

She handed the costume to Yu Zuojin and then, without caring whether there were any naked boys inside, closed her eyes, pushed the door open, and let Yu Zuojin enter.

As soon as the door opened, screams filled the changing room.

The voices were deep, like those of mountainous apes.

Everyone was wearing pants, and a few male classmates were just playing around. “Pervert! You saw us naked!”

The female classmate closed her eyes. “I didn’t see anything. I saw nothing at all.”

Afterwards, she blindly stumbled away.

As they were the next to perform, the men’s changing room was filled with the cast of “Invincible Love.”

Those who didn’t perform in the morning, such as Chu Weitian, Qi Sheng, and Xia Zhiqi, had already changed and were waiting backstage. Those who had performed earlier were now changing their clothes. When they saw Yu Zuojin enter with his costume, they silently made room for him.

Because they were all afraid of him and didn’t want him to be near them, so they pushed him towards the Prince’s locker.

Yu Zuojin walked over with the costume. As soon as he opened the locker, he saw the pale back of the person next to him. The person was taking off his shirt, and then his dark and dense hair emerged from the discarded shirt. When he saw Yu Zuojin, he smiled.

“You’re here? I was just looking for you.”

He had delicate features that didn’t give off a feminine appearance, a slender and fair neck, and a much thinner chest compared to his own. The waist was lean and devoid of any excess flesh and at this moment, he still had a partially detached white T-shirt hanging from his arm.

Yu Zuojin blinked twice, his gaze uncontrollably drifting towards Sheng Yuan’s chest. In an instant, he turned his head away and reached out to grab the person next to him, swapping their positions.

The male classmate who was suddenly brought in front of Sheng Yuan: ???

Then he looked at Sheng Yuan and commented, “Brother Sheng, you have a great figure.”

Yu Zuojin’s face darkened, and he immediately pulled the guy back, positioning himself next to Sheng Yuan and blocking his line of sight with the opened locker.

The male classmate who had returned to his original position: !

Was he really that light?!

Seeing Yu Zuojin effortlessly moving him, he got the illusion that he could even lift himself.

Although Yu Zuojin’s dragon costume appeared simple, it was actually quite cumbersome to put on. The stage play was long, and the auditorium was kept warm with central heating, so most of the students who needed to change into their costumes didn’t bother wearing clothes underneath. They would directly put on their performance attire to avoid feeling hot or sweating during the prolonged performance.

The dragon costume was not as breathable as regular clothing, so Yu Zuojin grabbed the fabric at the back and simply took off his shirt.

“Fuck!”

“My God! Look at that physique.”

“Boss Yu is amazing.”

“Damn, Brother Yu, how did you train?”

Yu Zuojin’s physique was different from that of the thin and undeveloped boys who had just entered adolescence. It stood out prominently.

Boys were peculiar creatures. If someone said another person was more handsome than them, they wouldn’t think much of it, as they still believed themselves to be the most handsome. But when it came to who had a better physique, they would pay special attention.

Yu Zuojin ignored those voices and, with his upper body exposed, put on the dragon costume, his movements causing the muscles on his back to ripple.

Sheng Yuan changed into the magnificent prince outfit and draped a red cloak over himself, looking dazzling. He could be called the most handsome boy in the changing room.

Seeing Yu Zuojin clumsily donning the evil dragon headgear with his rounded and awkward claws, Sheng Yuan approached and took it from him, saying, “Lower your head.”

Yu Zuojin resisted, “I can do it myself.”

He didn’t want too much contact with Sheng Yuan.

Sheng Yuan insisted, “Lower your head.”

Yu Zuojin complied reluctantly.

Sheng Yuan placed the headgear on his head, and in an instant, a two-meter-long dragon appeared.

Sheng Yuan said, “Alright, let’s go the waiting area.”

The two of them walked out, with the dragon costume briefly getting stuck at the door. The changing room door was not as large as the dance studio’s, so it took three of them to pull the dragon out.

Once Yu Zuojin emerged, he sat in a corner, his height even more apparent because of the headgear. His gaze remained fixed on Sheng Yuan, who was exchanging lines with Wang Xiaoming. They seemed to be sharing a pleasant conversation, and Sheng Yuan’s handsome face lit up with a smile, expressing deep affection to everyone he looked at.

Yu Zoujin felt somewhat uncomfortable. ‘Damn it!’

Soon it was time for the 12th grade performance “Invincible Love” to take the stage.

There was a buzz of discussion among the audience.

“Who planned this program? It’s the same old prince and princess story.”

“We have a fairy tale play every year, and there are the same princesses.”

“Who’s playing the roles?”

The lights in the auditorium dimmed, leaving only a few spotlights on the stage, one of which shone brightly in the center.

The voice of the narrator echoed from the overhead speakers.

“In a distant kingdom, there lived a pitiful princess. She was the distant cousin of Princess Gulun Heshuo, and was called Princess Gulun Zhengshao.”

With the narrator’s voice, Chu Weitian appeared on stage, wearing a blue dress and a white apron.

The crowd: !!!!!

“FUCK! It’s Chu Weitian!!!!”

Narrator: “Although she is a princess, she leads a miserable life. After her parents’ divorce and her father’s remarriage, her stepmother and stepsisters initially pretended to be kind, but when her father went missing, they changed their attitudes and frequently mistreated her.”

Xia Zhiqi entered the stage with his two wicked stepdaughters.

“Oh my god! Isn’t that Qi Sheng, who’s always with Yu Zuojin?!”

“And there’s Xia Zhiqi, who’s always with Brother Sheng!”

As the play progressed with humorous and witty lines, the first half was filled with laughter.

Narrator: “’The castle will host a ball in a few days,’ the old king announced to his subjects.”

A classmate playing the role of the old king took the stage and said to another classmate dressed as a minister, “The prince has reached the age for marriage, so I’m organizing a ball where all girls of marriageable age must participate!”

Then he turned around and shouted to the back, “What do you say, Prince?”

The prince lifted the red curtain and stepped onto the stage, his handsome peach blossom face adorned with a light smile. “I will follow your arrangements.”

!!!!!!!

“Brother Sheng!!!!”

“Brother!! What are you doing here, Brother Sheng?! Handsome! So handsome ahhh!!”

“Brother Sheng, I’ll marry you, I’ll marry you!”

“Sheng Yuan and Chu Weitian on the same stage! The top two in our school! Whoever lets go first is a dog!”

“Fuck! The senior class performing arts club is amazing!”

“The senior class performing arts club is awesome!”

With the successive appearances of Chu Weitian and Sheng Yuan, the atmosphere in the audience became increasingly lively, and two factions emerged, passionately cheering for their favorites.

“Brother Sheng!”

“Brother Chu!”

“My Brother Sheng is my only gege!”

“Chu Weitian! Even though you lost last time, in my heart, you will never lose!”

“Sheng Yuan! My heart still blooms for you!”

The cheers grew louder, and the crowd was boiling. The two top bosses of the school, who were known rivals, were now playing a couple on stage! It was such a dramatic twist that featured a same-sex couple.

Nothing could be more explosive than this moment.

Excitement and curiosity surged, erupting into screams. The atmosphere in the auditorium reached its peak.

Fortunately, the narrator held a microphone that had a broadcasting effect, ensuring his voice wasn’t drowned out by the wave of noise.

Narrator: “The clock strikes midnight, and the princess quickly pushes the prince away.”

Chu Weitian forcefully pushed away the prince who was dancing with him. “Oh my, it’s getting late. I must go!”

The prince was instantly pushed aside and he landed gracefully on a prop sofa, looking somewhat disheveled.

Narrator: “The prince looked at the princess who pushed him away, and was captivated by her.”

The prince blushed and shyly said, “She’s so strong, I love her.”

Narrator: “The prince rises and gives chase.”

Prince: “Don’t go!”

Narrator: “But the princess, with strong strides, has already disappeared, leaving the prince to urgently send his guards to search for her.”

Sheng Yuan grabbed a guard and said, “Princess Zhuangshuo left in a hurry, she must have left something behind, hurry up and look for it.”

Guard: “Prince, we have found a sneaker!”

Sheng Yuan: “…”

‘Nima, where’s the glass slipper?’

Narrator: “As the prince looks at the sneaker, his love for the princess deepens, and he said with affection—”

Prince: “Little naughty one, it turns out you’re an athlete. No wonder I couldn’t catch up to you.”

—————–

“Hahahaha, help me!”

“Fuck, who wrote these lyrics!”

“Tell me, how many benefits did Sheng Yuan and Chu Weitian get to agree to act in this?”

“This is making my stomach ache from laughing, hahaha.”

After a few twists and turns, the play reached its midpoint.

Chu Weitian changed into a wedding gown and stood next to Sheng Yuan.

Narrator: “On the day of the prince and princess’s wedding, a fierce wind blew, lifting the princess’s skirt, and she hurriedly held it down.”

Chu Weitian cursed Wang Xiaoming in his heart as he held down the big dress, reluctantly giving in to a plot that paid homage to Marilyn Monroe’s classic move.

But the comedic effect was instantly maximized.

Narrator: “At this moment, a terrifying figure appeared.”

A two-meter-long dragon suddenly appeared on stage.

The audience fell silent, their eyes fixed in disbelief on the evil dragon on stage. The dragon was tall, with a long tail and…Yu Zoujin’s face!

“…”

“!!!!”

After a moment of silence, shock broke through the rafters, like a mountainous tsunami, causing a commotion in the crowd.

“Fuck!!! It’s Yu Zuojin!!”

“Yu Zuojin! The senior class performing arts club brought Yu Zuojin!”

“Boss Yu!”

“Yu Zuojin!”

“Yu Zuojin!! Yu Zuojin!!! Yu Zuojin!!”

The screams escalated, one after another, with each one louder than the last. No one expected the elusive boss of the delinquents to appear on stage wearing a cartoon suit.

Some people were so astonished that their jaws dropped, leaving them speechless.

“I know him, but I didn’t know he could be this handsome.”

“I’m tired of using the word ‘awesome’!”

“I don’t know how many surprises the Senior Arts Department of Year 3 always has given me!”

Narrator: “The evil dragon wounded the prince and kidnapped the princess, bringing her back to his castle, where she was forced to chat with him day and night.”

“Hahaha! Yu Zuojin and Chu Weitian chatting? Swapping insults, perhaps?”

“This is quite a grand performance.”

Narrator: “The princess was too talkative, and the evil dragon couldn’t bear her constant chattering in his ear. Overwhelmed by love turning into hate, he poisoned the princess with a poisonous apple. Only true love’s kiss could awaken her.”

Yu Zuojin held the apple and put it into Yu Weitian’s mouth, following the procedure.

Narrator: “At this moment, the prince appeared and defeated the evil dragon with his sword.”

Yu Zuojin looked at the prince who was holding a sword and wearing a crown, and pretended to be defeated. With that, his role was completed.

As the evil dragon fell to the ground, Yu Zuojin retreated backstage.

Wang Xiaoming approached with a cup of milk tea, saying, “Boss Yu, you did a great job. Now it’s time to watch Brother Sheng and Brother Chu.”

Yu Zuojin didn’t accept the milk tea. He was consumed with anger, reaching the point of extreme irritability. At this moment, he felt an unexplainable rage toward anyone he looked at, a fire that couldn’t be extinguished by wind or water.

Sheng Yuan was about to kiss Chu Weitian.

Just like in a fairy tale, when the prince kisses the princess and they live happily ever after.

A voice in his heart warned him to leave. He didn’t like Sheng Yuan. It didn’t matter who Sheng Yuan kissed; it had nothing to do with him.

He took a step forward but instinctively glanced at the two people on stage through the side curtain.

Narrator: “The prince slowly approached the crystal coffin that held the princess.”

Yu Zuojin turned his head.

‘I don’t like him.

I don’t like him.’

The heavy footsteps of the evil dragon moved forward, distancing himself from the stage.

The voice of the narrator echoed from all directions, “The prince slowly bent down.”

Yu Zuojin froze in his tracks. It felt as if his brain had been pierced by a steel cone, causing him to lose his rationality in an instant.

At this moment, he finally accepted the truth.

He liked him.

He liked Sheng Yuan.

The mere thought of Sheng Yuan being affectionate with someone else drove him insane with jealousy.

That’s why this unnamed anger had been burning more fiercely these past few days. That’s why he found Sheng Yuan’s smiles towards others bothersome. That’s why, even if he didn’t have enough money, he insisted on buying Sheng Yuan a watch worth several thousand yuan.

He liked him.

He hoped that Sheng Yuan’s goodness would be solely reserved for him, and that his smiles would be directed only at him.

The evil dragon turned around swiftly and started to retreat.

Wang Xiaoming noticed something was wrong with Yu Zuojin, “What’s the matter, Boss Yu?”

It was clear that the other person was heading towards the stage and Wang Xiaoming was greatly alarmed. He swiftly rushed over, grabbing the tail of the evil dragon.

“Boss Yu!”

“Hurry! Someone, come quickly! Stop the evil dragon!!!”

The people backstage turned around, only to see the evil dragon dragging Wang Xiaoming towards the backdrop. If they were to suddenly intervene, the play would be disrupted!

In an instant, three or five people stepped forward, joining Wang Xiaoming in holding onto the evil dragon’s tail.

Smack!

The evil dragon fell to the ground. They expected it to be like a stage play, with the dragon falling and the villain leaving in defeat. But to their surprise, Yu Zuojin displayed astonishing strength and crawled towards the stage with five people in tow.

Behind the red backdrop on the side of the stage, the evil dragon advanced at a sluggish pace, burdened by the five individuals. Yu Zuojin’s eyes were fixed intently on Sheng Yuan, who was gradually leaning down.

‘Mine!

Mine!!!’

Sheng Yuan being affectionate with someone else was something he couldn’t accept!!!

A dangerous, hoarse sound emanated from his throat, and Wang Xiaoming clung to him, practically kowtowing down to him.

“Boss Yu! Boss Yu, what’s wrong with you?! Help!”

They used every ounce of their strength, determined to prevent Yu Zuojin from going up.

Meanwhile, the voice of the narrator continued.

Narrator: “The prince gazed upon the princess’s beautiful face and made a decision. He reached out and took the princess’s hand.”

Inner thoughts of the narrator: ‘Brother Sheng, I know you can’t kiss him on the lips. How about a kiss on the hand? This is as far as I can assist you.’

Reciting his lines, the prince said, “You once told me that my happiness is your happiness, and now I am going to fulfill that.”

The audience held their breath, fully absorbed in the scene.

Sheng Yuan gazed at the princess tenderly, while the evil dragon crawled on the side of the stage, grinding his teeth.

The narrator urged, “The prince slowly leaned down.”

Yu Zuojin: No!!!

Following the narrator’s words, the prince bent down.

In the next moment, he snatched the large gold watch from the princess’s wrist.

Wang Xiaoming: ?

Everyone else: ?

Chu Weitian: !

Chu Weitian instantly opened his eyes and looked at Sheng Yuan.

Sheng Yuan lowered his head, his eyes full of tender affection.

Then, he opened his mouth and said, “My happiness is your happiness.”

Chu Weitian’s brow twitched uncontrollably.

Without any hesitation, Sheng Yuan put the gold watch on his own wrist and said, “I’m now happy, hahaha.”

He stood up nonchalantly and ran off the stage without any nostalgia.

As long as he ran fast enough, love wouldn’t catch up to him.

The princess stood up angrily, holding her skirt and walking with the gait of a woman trapped in societal expectations, chasing after him. “You bastard!!!”

Sheng Yuan’s despicable actions were no longer a surprise to Truly Ambitious. It was already used to his unscrupulous behavior.

Today was just another day of him being despicable.

Narrator: “The princess was awakened by the prince and they lived happily ever after. He fled, she pursued, and it was an impossible chase.”

The red curtain was drawn, and a few seconds later, a wave of applause erupted.

“Wow!!!”