Chapter 90: The Finish Line Is Where You Are

Liu Yaojie gritted his teeth tightly. Never in his life had anyone dared to teach him a lesson like this!

“I…” he started, but before the words could leave his mouth, his hair was suddenly yanked, and in the next second, his head was slammed uncontrollably against the wall, followed by a blow to his abdomen.

The pain was so intense he could hardly breathe, feeling as though his bones were about to shatter. A sour taste welled up in his throat, and he spat it out.

Bloodshot eyes lifted to look at Bian Yang, and whatever backbone he had left dissolved. “I—I know I was wrong, please stop hitting me! I really know I was wrong. If I see Tang Yu again, I’ll steer clear, isn’t that enough…”

“But it’s not enough.” Not enough to remember. Not deep enough to leave a mark.

Bian Yang threw him to the ground and stepped back, looking at him as though he were a pile of garbage. “Take off your clothes.”

Fear flickered in Liu Yaojie’s eyes. “Take—take off my clothes…?”

“Take them off.”

Bian Yang lowered his eyelids, exuding a powerful sense of threat.

At this moment, Liu Yaojie felt as if his whole body would fall apart with any movement; he shivered from the pain, hardly able to muster the strength to undress.

It wasn’t until Bian Yang started counting down that he forced himself, through the severe pain, to strip down to just his boxers.

When the wind blew, battered and bruised, he hugged himself and shivered.

Bian Yang cast him a glance. “Keep going.”

Liu Yaojie’s eyes widened. He was about to refuse when he saw Bian Yang rolling his wrists. Instantly, Liu Yaojie hurriedly took off his last piece of underwear as well.

Bian Yang asked lightly, “You like stripping others so much. I suspect you must have some special fetish, so I’ll grant you your wish this once.”

A bad feeling rose in Liu Yaojie’s heart.

Bian Yang lifted his eyelids. “Run three laps around this street.”

“Wha—what…!”

“What, you don’t want to?” Bian Yang smiled. “My hands are starting to itch again.”

Liu Yaojie looked at his fists and swallowed hard.

He’d always been the one bullying others, but now, being on the receiving end, he didn’t even dare make a sound. Suddenly, he understood why those he’d bullied always ran at the mere sight of him…

The most infuriating thing was, when he saw Bian Yang, he couldn’t even run.

Bian Yang seemed a little tired, his tone lazy and drowsy. “Bear with it. I’ll make it quick.”

Just as he lifted his foot, Liu Yaojie clutched his head and begged for mercy, “I’ll run! I’ll run!”

After all, it was three in the morning; there wouldn’t be many people around. If he just covered his face while running, no one would know.

It was still better than being beaten half to death by Bian Yang!

Gritting his teeth, Liu Yaojie dragged his aching body out of the alley.

Behind him, Bian Yang’s languid voice drifted, “I’ll count the laps for you.”

“By the way, don’t even think about running off.”

He laughed idly. “I’m watching you.”

Meeting Bian Yang’s half-smiling gaze sent a chill down Liu Yaojie’s spine, his whole body gradually turning cold.

That look was like being stared at by the King of Hell himself!

There truly weren’t many people on the street, but a nightclub nearby meant a stream of drunken men and women coming and going.

When they saw a naked figure running down the street with his face covered, they started to jeer and take photos.

Liu Yaojie pressed his face tight, and when he truly couldn’t bear it anymore, he tried to sneak away.

But not far off, he saw Bian Yang standing under a streetlamp, idly weighing a brick in his hand.

Instantly, Liu Yaojie’s heart clenched. He dragged his feet and kept running, head down.

On the second floor, Zhang Jingyu was sleeping soundly, but the noise outside woke him. Opening his window, he was nearly blinded by the sight.

But he still joined the fun, taking out his phone to record a video.

As he filmed, he thought the figure looked familiar. Zooming in on the screen—hey, wasn’t that Liu Yaojie with his head covered?

Liu Yaojie never expected that he’d be caught on camera while taking a breather.

Zhang Jingyu immediately burst out laughing, pounding the table.

Had Liu Yaojie lost his mind, streaking naked in the middle of the night? Was he taking a moonlit stroll with his “bird”?

He’d wanted to post the video to their class group but, fearing Liu Yaojie’s retaliation, anonymously uploaded it to the school forum instead.

After all, Liu Yaojie had threatened him during P.E. class to go collect equipment.

What goes around comes around.

——

Tang Yu had thought she’d sleep uneasily, but unexpectedly, she slept soundly, without a single dream, not even waking to her internal alarm.

It was the ringing of her phone that woke her.

Her cheek nestled into the soft quilt, sunlight streaming sharply through the gap in the curtains, making her squint. “Hello?”

She lowered her voice, afraid of waking Bian Yang outside.

“Xiaoyu, have you checked the school forum? Hahaha, Liu Yaojie—he’s made the news!”

Wang Qing was laughing so hard on the other end she could barely speak.

Tang Yu was uninterested. “Oh.”

“Is he crazy, or did he get drunk last night? He actually streaked down the street and got filmed! He even made it onto the local news! I bet he’s hiding at home now, too ashamed to show his face. Serves him right!”

Tang Yu rubbed her eyes, Wang Qing’s chirping gradually bringing her awake.

She sat up straight in bed, the thin strap of her nightgown sliding off her slender shoulder, her hair clinging to her face in a disheveled mess. “Mm.”

Seeing her lack of interest, Wang Qing stopped pressing.

“Today’s your birthday, right? Happy birthday! Am I the first to say it?!”

She sounded quite proud.

Tang Yu pressed her lips together, suddenly remembering Bian Yang’s “Happy birthday” from the night before.

Burying her flushed face in the quilt, she whispered, “You’re the second.”

“What?! I’m not the first? Who was?”

Tang Yu bit her lower lip, hesitating to answer.

She hurriedly changed the subject. “I have to get up now, I’m hanging up.”

“Alright, see you Monday then.”

Tang Yu hung up, shielding her face from the sunlight, and slid out of bed.

Thinking of Bian Yang sleeping outside, she pulled up her nightgown straps, carefully straightened her clothes, then tiptoed to open the glass door.

She first cracked it open and peeked at his bed.

Only to find it empty—he was already gone.

Bian Yang had woken even earlier than she had.

Tang Yu entered the living room and looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, on the bathroom mirror, she found a note he’d left:

[Please follow the route to find your boss. —Bian Yang]

Route?

Tang Yu was puzzled, then suddenly recalled something. Brushing her teeth slowly, she went to fetch her phone from the bedroom.

Sure enough, in her WeChat messages, Bian Yang had left a note.

[There’s breakfast on the dining table. After you eat, head downstairs.]

Tang Yu typed back, confused: [Where are we going?]

Bian Yang replied quickly: [It’s a secret.]

So smug, those two words.

Then he added: [There’s a blue short-sleeved shirt in the closet. Wear that.]

Tang Yu: [Hm?]

Bian Yang: [Just do it.]

Tang Yu: “…” Fine, then.

She quickly washed up and went to eat breakfast—steamed buns and soybean porridge, still warm.

One taste and she knew it was from the shop downstairs.

After breakfast, she opened the wardrobe to find the shirt he mentioned. It was indeed there.

After putting it on, she stood in front of the mirror and blinked slowly.

She layered a white tee under the shirt and wore loose jeans—a relaxed, casual look.

Leaving the apartment, she didn’t see Bian Yang but noticed blue markers on the ground.

Those hadn’t been there yesterday.

Instinctively, she followed the markers until she reached the roadside, where a man in a suit stepped out of a black van and approached her, opening the door with gentlemanly courtesy.

“Miss Tang Yu, I’m the driver Mr. Bian arranged for you. Please, get in.”

“Bian Yang?”

She was momentarily taken aback.

The man nodded. “Yes, you may confirm with him.”

She quickly messaged Bian Yang, and receiving his confirmation, climbed into the van, still bewildered.

The driver smiled at her from the front seat. “Happy birthday to you.”

Tang Yu sat properly, fingers twined in her lap. “Thank you.”

“The snacks in the back were prepared by Mr. Bian. Please help yourself.”

“Where’s Bian Yang?”

She had thought he would be in the car, but he wasn’t.

The driver replied, “He’s waiting for you at the destination.”

The car started to move. Tang Yu glanced at the large bag of snacks beside her, then quietly looked away.

She messaged Bian Yang: [Where are you?]

He sent a voice note. “At your finish line.”

His tone was lazy, a little unruly.

The sudden voice note played aloud, causing the driver to chuckle softly.

Tang Yu’s expression turned a bit awkward as she quickly lowered the volume.

She typed another message: [I mean, where is the finish line?]

His languid voice came through the earpiece: “The finish line is wherever I am.”

Tang Yu: “…”

So flippant.

So unserious.

No matter how she asked, he wouldn’t say. She simply closed her phone, propped her cheek on her hand, and gazed out the window.

The sun was shining, the camphor trees along the street basking lazily.

She didn’t know where this car was taking her, but deep down, she felt calm—as if, so long as he was at the destination, there was nothing to fear.