Social Outcast

Chapter 11

Edited by: Planetes

After the phone call ended, Fang Zhaomu went to the bathroom to wash his face.

In the mirror, the face of his reflection was slightly flushed, and happiness could be seen in his eyes. His lips were redder than usual, even if it was not an image of him falling into the river of love, this was still the happiest version of Fang Zhaomu in the entire school year.

Fang Zhaomu smiled at his reflection, and his reflection smiled back at him.

If they met up, Andrew should like his looks, right? Since he was young, most of the compliments Fang Zhaomu had received was about his looks.

Ever since Fang Zhaomu arrived at T University, he had always felt somewhat unlucky. Only now did he feel that his fortune might have just came a little later.

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Out of all the accounts in the dating app, he had matched with Andrew. With someone to speak to, someone to accompany him, and now that they were about to meet, everything was looking up.

Returning to his bed, Fang Zhaomu texted Andrew good night. Not long later, Andrew too replied him, “Good night.”

Unlike Fang Zhaomu, Song Yuanxun did not close his eyes and go to sleep after texting him good night. He was staring dazedly at a page on his laptop summarising Seattle.

He could no longer avoid Fang Zhaomu’s request to meet. In a moment of desperation, he suddenly thought of the city Zhao Han was studying in, and without thinking, he lied.

Song Yuanxun had said it so smoothly as though it was real. Recalling it, he himself was about to believe it.

Before the call, Song Yuanxun had been afraid that Fang Zhaomu’s suspicions would be roused, and went online to buy a voice-changing app. He even got the seller to adjust the voice to sound different yet still slightly similar to his voice, but who would have known that once the call connected, the voice changing app stopped working.

With no alternatives, Song Yuanxun conversed directly with Fang Zhaomu. Luckily, Fang Zhaomu was easily deceived. Although he found his voice familiar, but he did not think too deeply about it.

At this point, Song Yuanxun no longer wanted to find any more excuses for himself. He… was unable to reject Fang Zhaomu, unable to reject his voice, his photos, his generally reasonable requests, nothing more.

Song Yuanxun closed the lid of his laptop and looked at the photo Fang Zhaomu had sent him in the afternoon. A month ago, he would never have thought that he would help Fang Zhaomu select his ear studs. However, since he had made the selection, he should see if they suited him.

Song Yuanxun confirmed that Fang Zhaomu had taken the photo in the library. The shot was captured very quickly, the lens was not in focus, and the photo was a little blurry, but the ear studs suited Fang Zhaomu very well.

It was not obvious looking at him from the front, but from his profile, it could be seen that the tip of Fang Zhaomu’s nose had a very slight curve to it. His lips were always redder than most, and in the photo, they were opened slightly. Despite the low quality of the image, his lips would still give people the impression that they were very soft.

Fang Zhaomu’s eyes were lowered, looking at the screen. Song Yuanxun stared for a couple of seconds at Fang Zhaomu’s eyes, then expressionlessly switched the screen of his phone off.

Before 10am the next morning, Fang Zhaomu sent a text to Song Yuanxun. “What time’s your flight?”

Song Yuanxun was in his International Settlement class. He quickly checked the schedule for flights from C City to Seattle, then replied Fang Zhaomu. “11.20am.”

“Then, are you at the airport already?” Fang Zhaomu asked him.

“On the way.”

“I want to send you off.”

Song Yuanxun was alarmed, but Fang Zhaomu sent him another text. “But forget it, I’ll just wait for you to return.”

He also sent a very cute smiling face, “Bon voyage, good luck with your work.”

Song Yuanxun kept his phone, then took it out again. He replied Fang Zhaomu, “Ok.”

Today, Song Yuanxun kept himself updated with news on the flights. At 4.50pm, he opened the chat window of the dating app.

He was just done with class, and a few classmates had invited him to a restaurant near the school for a meal. As he walked out, he told Fang Zhaomu, “I’ve arrived.”

Fang Zhaomu did not reply immediately. When Song Yuanxun and his classmates got into his car, Fang Zhaomu suddenly sent a text asking Song Yuanxun, “Can I call you?”

Song Yuanxun had already started his car. He looked down at the words on his phone, and his hand paused. Turning to the two classmates in his car, he said, “I’ll make a call first.”

Seeing his classmates nod in response, Song Yuanxun left the car with his phone and closed the door. Walking a distance away, he called Fang Zhaomu.

Fang Zhaomu answered very quickly, “Andrew.”

Fang Zhaomu’s voice was not loud, and so naturally had an intimacy and softness to it that was not so excessive it would turn people off.

“What happened?” Song Yuanxun asked lowly.

Despite having heard the countless voice messages Fang Zhaomu had left for him, Song Yuanxun was still not very used to speaking to Fang Zhaomu directly.

Calling Fang Zhaomu on the phone was like carving up his reality into two. Song Yuanxun had to create Fang Zhaomu’s Andrew out of nowhere, and reluctantly play this role.

“Have you got off the plane?” Fang Zhaomu asked.

Fang Zhaomu seemed to be very happy to be speaking with Andrew. Song Yuanxun replied, “I’m off the plane already.”

“Is it raining in Seattle?”

Song Yuanxun had been prepared for this, and told Fang Zhaomu, “It’s cloudy, but not raining.”

“I’ve seen the weather forecast. It says that it’ll start raining tomorrow. Remember to bring along an umbrella.”

“Ok.”

Fang Zhaomu was silent for a short while. Song Yuanxun asked him, “Is there anything else?”

“No, nothing,” Fang Zhaomu was honest. “Bye-bye.”

Song Yuanxun hung up the phone and returned to his car, driving his classmates to the restaurant they agreed on. After he parked the car, he saw that Fang Zhaomu had sent him a message, and opened it. Fang Zhaomu said that he was eating alone in a restaurant, and wished that he could speak to Andrew.

He added that this restaurant was pretty good, and when Andrew returned to C City, he must bring him there to eat. Like this, he would be able to order the lovers’ set, and eat the dessert that was not available for ala carte.

“Lovers’ set?” Song Yuanxun sent his reply.

“It’s also called a set meal for two,” Fang Zhaomu explained. “You just eat it, why do you have to care what it’s called.”

Song Yuanxun headed into the restaurant with his classmate, and immediately saw Fang Zhaomu sitting next to the window facing the door. His chin was on his hand, and he was glancing about, a bowl of soup in front of him. Song Yuanxun was no further than five metres away from Fang Zhaomu, and his eyes fell upon his face.

When Fang Zhaomu looked up to see Song Yuanxun standing there, his smooth forehead knitted. He then cast his eyes downwards, stirring his soup with his spoon.