My Heart Breaks For The Gentle Second Male Lead Chapter 9: FuriousĀ
Fang Jue got off the bus, seething with anger, his mind filled with thoughts of how Yan Yunli had deceived him.
The bus stopped at the school gate, and Fang Jue dragged his suitcase inside, his demeanor as if he were carrying a knife, ready to confront someone.
Due to a few classmates who wanted to return to school early, Xie Yan and Li Mingyu had also come back the previous night.
They had just finished lunch and early dinner and were wearing headphones, engrossed in their video game when Fang Jue entered the dormitory. Li Mingyu’s shouts of “Go, go, go!” were audible.
In the midst of their crucial moment in the game, they didn’t look up immediately when they heard Fang Jue enter. Xie Yan casually asked, “You’re back?”
Fang Jue responded with a distracted “Hmm” as he plopped himself down on a chair and began to send messages to Yan Yunli.
“Yunli, what are you up to? I’ve already arrived back in the dorm.” If Xie Yan or Li Mingyu had taken a moment to glance at him, they would have seen a hidden edge to Fang Jue’s smile.
He was absolutely fuming, yet it had angered him to the point of laughter!
Yan Yunli was busy cooking, and he was slightly surprised by Fang Jue’s straightforward address. They usually only used such a direct tone when they were joking around.
Nevertheless, Yan Yunli sent a picture in response.
ćYan Yunli: Aunty at home is on vacation, so I’m cooking.ć
Fang Jue opened the small picture, which was beautifully presented and probably tasted great.
He continued to inquire, his tone suggestive.
ćFang Jue: Did anything interesting happen in the morning? Like chatting with some pretty girls or something. šć
He thought he had made it clear enough; this was no longer a hint, but a direct statement. If Yan Yunli didn’t understand his meaning now, he truly wouldn’t believe it.
Yan Yunli didn’t understand why Fang Jue was suddenly saying this but replied truthfully.
ćYan Yunli: I went to buy groceries in the morning, and there was no one else.ć
Fang Jue was genuinely infuriated by his response. Yan Yunli was still pretending! He couldn’t take it anymore and replied, teeth gritted.
ćFang Jue: Is that so? Hahahaāć
He threw his phone down and began to aggressively pack his things.
What kind of friends hide things from you, fearing you might do something? Ah! He was absolutely furious!
Now he finally understood the mindset of others not telling him when their close friend was in love. Although Yan Yunli wasn’t in love, their emotional journey was quite similar.
At this moment, after Xie Yan and Li Mingyu had finished one round of their game, they noticed that something was amiss with Fang Jue.
Huh?
The two of them exchanged a puzzled look, unable to figure out the reason.
Xie Yan spoke up and asked, “Fang Jue, what’s wrong with you?”
Fang Jue didn’t want to burden them with his emotions, so he replied, “It’s nothing, really. I was watching a drama, and the ridiculous plot just got on my nerves.”
The two friends still couldn’t quite understand what drama could make him this upset.
Fang Jue glanced at his phone and saw the glaring “Hmm” in Yan Yunli’s response. He wished he could teleport to Yan Yunli right now, look into his eyes, and swear to the heavens that he hadn’t lied.
Fang Jue: Grumbling.jpg
Xie Yan didn’t press further and silently took out his phone. He sent a message in their conversation with Yan Yunli.
ćXie Yan: Do you know what’s going on with your roommate?ć
Xie Yan and Li Mingyu both knew that when they referred to “roommate,” they were talking about each other. They were a pair.
Yan Yunli replied quickly.
ćYan Yunli: I had dinner and came back to school. I’ll ask him later.ć
Xie Yan glanced at Fang Jue, who was now using his facial expressions to vent his frustration.
ćXie Yan: You should come back soon. I think your roommate might be getting really mad.ć
Fang Jue, sitting nearby, was sulking and didn’t want to be disturbed.
Understanding Fang Jue’s emotions, Xie Yan and Li Mingyu decided to stop playing games and quietly scrolled through their phones, not wanting to add fuel to the fire.
They continued chatting on their phones, but they couldn’t figure out the exact reason for Fang Jue’s anger.
Suddenly, they heard Fang Jue angrily mutter, “Yan Yunli, you’ll have to deal with this when you come back!”
Li Mingyu panicked and sent a message to Yan Yunli.
ćLi Mingyu: Li’er, I think you might have upset him. I just heard Fang Jue mention your name.ć
ćLi Mingyu: Praying for you.jpgć
At this moment, Fang Jue was fuming and thinking about what to do in the future. Since they had already met, he couldn’t cut off contact with them, and he couldn’t reveal the things from the book. But it was just a casual meeting, just giving a cake… Nothing special, right?Ā
Yeah, right!
Why would you be so friendly and happy with a girl, giving her cake and being so chummy? Acting so warm-hearted towards everyone, huh? No wonder the male lead sees you as a love rival!
Fang Jue hoped to calm down, but the more he analyzed the situation, the angrier he became, and the more he analyzed, the more he couldn’t hold back his words.
At that moment, the sound of keys opening the door sent his suppressed anger into eruption.
The door swung open, and as soon as Yan Yunli stepped inside, Fang Jue rushed up to him, wanting to ask who that girl was.
As soon as Yan Yunli entered, he was startled by Fang Jue, who had pounced on him. He quickly reacted, pushed the door open a bit more to avoid collision, and instinctively wrapped his arm around Fang Jue’s waist.
Once Fang Jue stood steady, Yan Yunli released his hold and cautioned him, “Be careful.”
Fang Jue was about to interrogate him, but when he looked up at Yan Yunli’s face, the anger that had been burning inside him seemed to inexplicably dissipate.
He stared blankly, thinking that if someone ever fell in love with Yan Yunli, they’d probably find it impossible to quarrel while looking at this face.
Yan Yunli asked him, “What’s wrong with you?”
Fang Jue was left speechless by his question. Suddenly, he felt like he was the type who could only confront someone through text, but was tongue-tied in person.
Although they were friends now, everyone still had their own personal space, and there was no need to demand explanations for everything.
His impulsive actions driven by emotions made Fang Jue feel unsure. He didn’t know where to put his hands and feet.
Seeing Fang Jue remain silent, Yan Yunli began to rummage through his bag. He pulled out a bag with the name of a dessert shop on it and handed it first to Xie Yan, gesturing to him and Li Mingyu, “I brought some snacks for you guys. You can share it.”
Li Mingyu, upon hearing there were snacks, immediately gathered around, saying, “Yunli, I knew you were a good person.”
Fang Jue also remembered that he had brought something and quickly took it out to share with them.Ā
Seeing that they weren’t fighting anymore, Xie Yan and Li Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief and went back to playing their game.
Yan Yunli sat down next to Fang Jue and took out another bag, which contained more than what he had given to Xie Yan and Li Mingyu.
When Fang Jue just stared at him, Yan Yunli took the bag back and opened it. He pulled out a maple leaf-shaped cookie and held it to Fang Jue’s lips.
Yan Yunli: “Taste it.”
Fang Jue was still a bit angry, but the cookie smelled so tempting with its rich milky fragrance wafting through the air, and it appeared delightfully crispy.
Even when he was upset, he couldn’t deny himself the pleasure of indulging in this treat. He took a bite and was then handed a donut.
After this exchange, Fang Jue’s anger began to dissipate. He decided to give Yan Yunli another chance and asked, “Yan Yunli, is the cake from this shop delicious?”
Yan Yunli replied, “I haven’t tried it, but…”
Fang Jue interrupted him for the first time, saying, “You haven’t tried it, yet you gave it to a girl?”
Yan Yunli was puzzled, “What?”
“I saw it all. You were with a girl in front of the cafĆ©, and you lied to me that you were alone,” Fang Jue confronted him directly.
Yan Yunli still didn’t quite understand what Fang Jue was getting at and explained, “She’s my sister, Yan Shuyao. She’s currently in her senior year of high school. I’ll introduce you to her sometime.”
Fang Jue furrowed his brows. While the novel had mentioned this briefly, one of the reasons Yan Yunli considered Yan Shuyao his sister was that they had the same surname, which made him feel a sense of familiarity. However, Fang Jue found it a bit odd to be calling her “sister” just upon meeting.
Could it be…
“You’ve known each other for quite some time?”
Yan Yunli replied, “Yes, we’ve known each other since we were born.” Yan Yunli thought Fang Jue’s question was rather strange, wondering if he was making some kind of joke. He continued with his response.
Little did he know that Fang Jue had a whirlwind of thoughts in his mind. He had suspected it all along, and now it was confirmed: Yan Shuyao was indeed the female lead. What surprised him was that they had been childhood friends!
The novel didn’t mention how they met, but it seemed that they had been waiting for him all along. No matter how careful he was, they had already made their move.
Fang Jue took a bite of the donut with a vacant look in his eyes.
Fortunately, Fang Jue had been able to confirm the timing of their romantic relationship, giving him a chance to intervene.
Seeing Fang Jue looking lost in thought, Yan Yunli grabbed a tissue and wiped away the crumbs from his mouth.
Fang Jue felt a bit perplexed by Yan Yunli’s apparent lack of awareness of what lay ahead. He sighed inwardly, thinking that he should watch over him more closely in the future. This was the mindset of a protective older brother.
Yan Yunli then offered Fang Jue another treat from the bag, a signature item from the shop. He handed it over and said, “Try this one; it’s one of their best.”
Fang Jue, accepting the gesture, took a bite. As they enjoyed their snacks, Xie Yan and Li Mingyu, who had been engrossed in their game, couldn’t help but find it strange that the two friends who had been arguing just moments ago were now getting along so well.
Could this be the way couples argued and reconciled, with fights turning into affection?
In the days that followed, Yan Yunli noticed that Fang Jue seemed more willing to be around him. They had meals together, went to the library, and spent time together outside of classes. Except for situations where they had to be apart, Fang Jue seemed quite content being with Yan Yunli.
Fang Jue, on the other hand, didn’t feel coerced. He considered Yan Yunli a good friend, even though their personalities were polar opposites. They shared common ground beneath their outward differences.
After spending several days together, Fang Jue sometimes forgot his initial intention to keep an eye on Yan Yunli.
However, they couldn’t always be together. A few days later, their club decided to host a welcome party for new members. They discussed potential dates in the group chat and finally settled on Saturday for a gathering.
On that day, Yan Yunli and Fang Jue left together. Yan Yunli’s destination was the library. When they reached the library’s entrance, Fang Jue gave him a warm hug and earnestly cautioned him, “Yunli, I’m leaving now. When I’m not around, don’t let shady people take advantage of you!”
Yan Yunli had never quite understood why Fang Jue always treated him like a naive child. Nevertheless, he nodded and assured him, “I got it. Go ahead.”
“Alright, I’m off then.” Fang Jue patted his back before turning and leaving.
Once Fang Jue’s figure disappeared from sight, Yan Yunli entered the library.
Xu Ling had arranged for a spacious room for their icebreaking event. The table was set with fruits, melon seeds, and snacks, while nearby were decks of playing cards, the game Werewolf, and even a board game for team building.
Fang Jue found a seat, and the couch next to him slightly sank down as someone else sat down.
Before the person even said a word, a faint smell of smoke drifted over.
Fang Jue remained expressionless on the surface but couldn’t help feeling a sense of repulsion. He disliked the smell of smoke immensely.
At this moment, he involuntarily thought of Yan Yunli’s perpetually clean and refreshing scent, tinged with a faint trace of bitterness, a scent that he had grown mysteriously addictive to.